Subjugating the Burning Blade Blademasters was not originally part of Galen's plan. He initially only intended to poach from Lordaeron and directly recruit Highlord Tirion Fordring for the Crusader cause.
This was a rare talent. At a young age, he inherited his title and became a Highlord of Lordaeron. He was also a veteran of the Knights of the Silver Hand and had commanded the Hearthglen battle group in numerous engagements against the orcs. He was a major figure with leadership qualities!
As for these eighteen Burning Blade Blademasters, they were simply an unexpected bonus.
Who could refuse a buy-one-get-eighteen-free deal?
Upon discovering that Blademasters were responsible for the jailbreak, Galen immediately contacted Thrall in Draenor, asking him to bring the honorbound orcs to overpower the Burning Blade Blademasters and forcibly subdue them.
As for Eitrigg's fate, Galen didn't particularly care.
Or rather, Galen never cared about the fate of the orcs in Azeroth.
After the war was won, Galen didn't even bother to hunt down the escaped orcs, but instead let them go.
To him, the orcs were just the first hurdle on his path to growth. The pressure from the orcs shaped Galen and even contributed a large amount of experience.
Now that the orc 'boss' had been defeated, Galen felt that their remaining value should also be exploited. A scattered group of fleeing orc clans could provide the new generation of Alliance troops with some practice.
The strategy remained the same: the Crusader army couldn't be the only one fighting the Burning Legion. As Galen progressed, the Alliance army also had to improve.
After the Burning Blade Blademasters were subdued, Ogrim Doomhammer was effectively blinded and trapped between the Hillsbrad Foothills and Silverpine Forest.
On Arthas's side, Uther, the experienced old commander, went to Stratholme to preside over Tirion Fordring's trial, instructing Arthas to focus on defense and containment, rather than initiating attacks.
Meanwhile, Rhonin and others led the vanguard army to sweep westward, eventually stabilizing the defensive line between Tarren Mill and Southshore, and then implementing a scorched earth policy to cut off the orcs' food supply.
Arathi and Lordaeron's armies were not far apart, and with Ogrim Doomhammer occupied with dealing with Rend and Maim, leaving only the Warsong Clan choosing to avoid battle, the two sides remained peaceful for a long time, each minding their own business.
One afternoon, Arthas couldn't resist the urge and went to Southshore to find Jaina.
Southshore, after joint development by the Thorwaben royal family and the Barov family, had become even more prosperous. The urban area had even been expanded by half, and the shipyards and docks had more than doubled.
After days of persistent persuasion, Arthas finally managed to invite Jaina out for a walk by the sea.
It could only be said that Arthas was still too young. Inviting a princess from a maritime kingdom for a walk on the beach, when she had no romantic interest, was hardly appealing.
However, Jaina agreed, considering that Arthas was her childhood friend.
At this moment, on the coastline of Baradin Bay, the sea breeze rustled the magical girl's blue and white robes. The loose robes clung to her body, highlighting Jaina's slender and graceful figure.
Arthas's attention was entirely on Jaina. Her somewhat delicate demeanor in the sea breeze made the Prince of Lordaeron want to hold her in his arms and cherish her.
Unfortunately, he couldn't.
At least, he didn't think he could yet.
"Arthas, we've been walking for half an hour, although I'm not afraid of the cold."
Nonsense, your major is Frost magic, and you recently broke through to become a legendary Archmage. If you were afraid of the cold, how would anyone else survive the winter!
"If you have something to say, just say it, or I'll go back to Southshore and discuss tomorrow's plans with Rhonin and Illucia."
Months of military life had honed a touch of ruggedness into Arthas's temperament. Combined with his naturally robust and handsome appearance, with sword-like eyebrows and a heroic spirit, the Prince of Lordaeron was undoubtedly the dream lover of countless lovestruck young women. Returning to the royal city would definitely attract a large group of noble women throwing themselves into his arms.
"Jaina," Arthas tried to take the magical girl's hand, but Jaina subtly avoided it.
However, she didn't realize that doing so wounded Arthas's fragile and sensitive heart.
Arthas clenched his fist, trying to suppress the unwillingness in his heart. He vaguely sensed that Jaina's sudden departure after his last confession wasn't because of shyness!
Perhaps his feelings of affection over the years would ultimately not be fulfilled!
However, the young prince still wanted to try.
"Jaina, from a very young age, I've had a strange affection for you. As I've grown older, this feeling has become stronger and stronger. Now that we're both adults, and have even achieved great success in our respective fields, I hope that at this moment, we can join hands and create a better future together!"
"We are currently working together to encircle and suppress the orcs who threaten the people. As long as we eliminate them, the people will be able to continue to live and work in peace in the Hillsbrad Foothills and Silverpine Forest. We are creating a better Alliance together!"
Arthas couldn't tell if Jaina genuinely didn't understand or was pretending not to understand his meaning. At this point, he was getting a little carried away, so he decided to be more explicit.
Arthas's heart suddenly began to beat faster: "Jaina, you don't understand what I mean. I mean, I like you. I hope that you can become my princess consort, or even the future Queen of Lordaeron, and we can create a beautiful family together!"
After Arthas finished speaking, he looked at Jaina nervously, hoping that she would nod, or shyly close her eyes, waiting for his next move.
Unfortunately, Jaina didn't react as he had imagined. Instead, she was shocked and took a step back.
"Thank you for your favor, Arthas, but I've always regarded you as my best friend, like my sister Illucia. As for romance, I've only just come of age and haven't considered it yet!"
Jaina refused, and her reason was justified.
But Arthas didn't think so!
His confession had failed, and after saying so much, Arthas's eyes turned slightly red, and he stared intently at Jaina: "Jaina, is Galen still the only one in your heart?"
Arthas remembered how Jaina had admired Galen since she was little, always praising Galen's strength.
Wasn't his hard work all for the sake of surpassing Galen!
He once thought that he was Jaina's best match. Although Galen had a similar family background to them, he was more than ten years older than him and Jaina. He was only nineteen years old, while Galen was already thirty!
He just never expected that, even after he had come of age, his strength had increased, and he possessed all the qualifications to become Jaina's husband, he still couldn't compare to someone who had been missing for eight years!
Jaina's thoughts were read, and she felt a burst of panic.
Am I that obvious?
The admiration of childhood is different from the affection of adulthood.
I've only confided in Sister Illucia, and only my elder brother knows my thoughts. How did Arthas guess?
"No, Arthas, you've misunderstood. I just think we're both still young. You have your responsibilities, and I have mine. It's not the time to talk about marriage!"
These were Jaina's true thoughts. The high elf named Sylvanas beside Brother Galen is a ranger-general of Quel'Thalas.
There are many high elf mages from Quel'Thalas in Dalaran. Jaina had already inquired about it. Sylvanas's Windrunner family has a long and illustrious history. The magic girl doesn't pale in comparison, as the Proudmoores behind her are still royalty. Isn't that stronger than Sylvanas?
The key is the position of ranger-general!
That is the highest commander of the high elf kingdom's border defense!
Jaina, who is strong her entire life, feels that she must acquire corresponding abilities or a career comparable to a border defense general!
But Jaina's statement seemed unbelievable to Arthas. Although Jaina has the right to inherit Kul Tiras, the crown prince of Kul Tiras was determined long ago, and that is her own brother, Prince Tandred. Isn't it just causing trouble for her brother if the princess wants to start a career at this time?
The emergence of this idea indirectly confirmed Arthas's guesses and anxieties.
Why was he so eager to explore Jaina's thoughts? It was out of fear!
Prince Galen has indeed been missing for eight years, but he returned last year. Arthas felt the threat, especially after hearing about Jaina's Vanguard Brigade, which is the army of Duke Falric of Stromgarde!
Arthas couldn't sit still.
"Then why do you want to become the commander of the Vanguard Brigade? Does Kul Tiras not have an army?" Arthas forced himself to calm down, "The princess of Kul Tiras, helping Stromgarde govern the army and suppress the orcs?"
"This is already very obvious!"
After Arthas finished speaking, the anger in his heart was released, but Jaina's mood was terrible. Arthas's questioning and harsh tone filled her heart with resistance and disgust.
Jaina didn't want the friendship to end so easily. After all, she and Arthas's sister were also very good friends. Not for the monk's sake, but for the Buddha's. So, our magic girl activated her cold bloodline, suppressed the dissatisfaction in her heart, and patiently explained, "Serving as the deputy commander of the Vanguard Brigade is a test from Archmage Antonidas. The atrocities of the orcs in the Hillsbrad region disgust me. I regard suppressing the orcs as a career. Is there a problem with that?"
"Besides, Rhonin is a Dalaranian, and he is not from Stromgarde either, but he still serves as the commander of the legion, doesn't he? I'm just a senior advisor at most. This has nothing to do with the people of Kul Tiras!"
Seeing the expression of the beauty in front of him turn cold, Arthas panicked a little. Just now, the little flame of jealousy burned his calmness, causing him to say those aggressive words. Now he regretted it.
The heartbroken prince urgently wanted to grab the girl's hand to explain, but Jaina's cold face made him hesitate.
"I'm sorry, Jaina. I just like you too much. In my eagerness, I spoke without thinking. We've been friends for so many years. Don't you understand my feelings for you?"
"I'm sorry, Arthas. I don't want to discuss this matter anymore. You have your life, and I have my choice. We are friends, and only friends. Please don't interfere too much in my affairs."
Friends?
Just friends?
What's the difference between this and 'you're a good person'?
Arthas looked lonely. The word 'friend' cut into his heart like a sharp sword, as if it had deprived him of all his strength.
"Okay, I understand, Jaina. I was presumptuous."
Arthas lowered his head, turned around, and hurried away with faltering steps.
This made Jaina feel inexplicable. What does it mean that Arthas is now like a victim?
This prince of Lordaeron is also a tragedy. Originally, with his family background, appearance, and strength, many noble girls would have thrown themselves into his arms, but he fell in love with a princess of the same level, and this princess likes another prince. This is very dramatic.
However, today's incident also reminded Jaina of the information and assessments about the princes of various countries that she had seen in her mentor's mage tower.
Prince Arthas of Lordaeron is indeed very excellent, but he is a person with obvious strengths and weaknesses in his personality. He has ideals, enthusiasm, and has never rejected his responsibility as a prince.
But he is not mature or rational. In his bones, he is even a bit pessimistic and cowardly. When he really encounters something that requires him to take responsibility, the first thing he often thinks of is escape.
Jaina finally saw Archmage Antonidas conclude that Arthas overestimated himself, and even the entire Lordaeron royal family, including his father Terenas, overestimated their prince.
Of course, there were also personal evaluations of Liam Greymane, Varian Wrynn, and Derek Proudmoore in the information. Jaina had to say that her mentor's eye for people was quite sharp.
After sorting out her mood, Jaina decided to find a chance to chat with Arthas again in the future. Well, for the sake of Sister Calia!
A flash of white light, and Jaina left the coast and returned to Southshore.
Jaina was quite satisfied with her teleportation technique. Outsiders also said that she was the disciple who had obtained the true inheritance of Archmage Antonidas, and was exceptionally talented in frost magic and teleportation magic, unlike Rhonin who was good at fire evocation, and Illucia who was more adept at illusion magic.
Unlike Jaina who returned to the city with a whoosh, Arthas was still speeding along the coastline at this time. Soon, the guards who were guarding the edge of the forest followed and escorted the prince back to the camp.
In the sky, among the dark clouds, a huge bat watched the whole process of a young man who was just beginning to feel love confessing to the girl he admired, but was tragically rejected. What's even more explosive is that there is a love triangle between them, which is very exciting.
The dreadlord's mouth revealed a smile. This is very good for sowing discord.
"The most outstanding heir to the throne of Lordaeron? Prince Arthas?"
"He is a joke, full of flaws in his heart. I don't even know how he passed the ceremony and became a paladin?"
"The Light also has times when it misjudges. Next time I face the bastards of the Light's Legion, I have to mock them!"
"Kel'Thuzad will be able to return to the Eastern Kingdoms soon. It's time to carry out the next step of the plan!"
"But what's going on with Balnazzar? There's still no news from him? What's attracting him in the Arathi Highlands?"
After Galen subdued the eighteen high-level Sword Saints, he sent Garrosh to find Garona, tasking them with finding opportunities to instigate more Orcs to defect.
He wanted Orgrim to experience what it meant to be abandoned when the tree falls, what it meant to be utterly alone.
As for the events that happened between Arthas and Jaina, Galen had no interest whatsoever.
The reason was that he felt nothing for Arthas.
Arthas was shrouded in a halo from birth, Terenas placed high hopes on him, and in order to meet the expectations of the entire kingdom, he had no choice but to strive to become an excellent prince in the eyes of the people.
However, Galen felt that Arthas's thinking was prone to extremes and different from ordinary people!
In the original timeline, when Arthas became a Paladin, the Holy Light hesitated and did not bless him immediately. This matter had always been a cloud over his mind. When he was confused, he would think about it, unable to help but question whether he was righteous or evil.
Also, regarding Jaina, he and Jaina were originally together, and the people of Lordaeron had already regarded her as a member of the Menethil royal family. The royal families of both countries were very satisfied with this relationship. Arthas and Jaina marrying would be in everyone's interest.
But this awesome prince broke up with her directly!
He was just too awesome!
Incredibly willful.
Of course, Arthas's original words were that he felt that deep down he hadn't grown up yet, he didn't think he could be a good king, and he wasn't ready to be a husband and father.
These future responsibilities brought enormous pressure to Arthas, and he chose to escape temporarily.
Speaking of which, when he took her first blood, didn't he think about the responsibilities he had to bear?
What, was he just going to run after having his fun?
Scumbag!
This was also one of the reasons why Galen didn't like Arthas very much. In his previous life, after he farmed out Invincible, he never visited Icecrown Glacier again.
Galen befriended Varian, befriended Drek'Thar, and even became like-minded with Liam, but he was always lukewarm towards Arthas, perhaps it was also an instinctive dislike for this Prince of Lordaeron.
After Arthas returned to the Lordaeron army's camp, disregarding the adjutant's dissuasion, he launched a probing attack with the entire army on the area where the Warsong Clan was located. The numerical disadvantage forced Grom Hellscream to choose to fight and retreat, moving towards Silverpine Forest.
Arthas seemed to have found confidence on the Orc side, pursuing fiercely all the way, directly extending the battle line into Silverpine Forest. Arthas directly set up camp around the Brill mine, intending to control the battle outside the Hillsbrad region.
The Hillsbrad region had been built into a granary in the past ten years. Every day the Orcs plundered here, the Kingdom of Lordaeron's losses would be greater.
Arthas forcibly attacked, disregarding Uther's order to stay behind, but he did not receive blame from the nobles, because he succeeded!
As for Silverpine Forest, the nobles of Lordaeron didn't care so much. The land north of Silverpine Forest, close to the north, was indeed coveted by the Lordaeron nobles, but the south was still in the hands of the nobles of the Kingdom of Gilneas.
After King Genn led the Kingdom of Gilneas to withdraw from the Alliance, he had been planning to build a defense line no less than the Wall of Thoradin to completely isolate Gilneas from the outside world, but this plan aroused the firm opposition of Darius Crowley and other Silverpine Forest lords.
Their family territories were all outside the giant wall that was about to be built. If they closed the country, wouldn't it be the same as letting these nobles give up their territories?
Obeying the king's orders would cause huge damage to the family's interests. For this reason, the Silverpine Forest lords, led by Darius, had almost torn their faces with their king, and the two sides were almost at war.
At this time, the Orcs being driven into Silverpine Forest by Lordaeron inadvertently helped King Genn, and resisting the king for a territory that was about to be destroyed was obviously not worthwhile. With the pressure from the Orcs, the Greymane Wall plan was successfully launched.
Of course, the northern nobles, led by Darius, hated the Prince of Lordaeron who drove the Orcs over. They silently made a note in their hearts, and next time they had a chance, they wouldn't mind tripping this prince up.
Now human society seems to be calm, but in fact, the situation is changing very quickly. Orgrim successfully destroyed the so-called Blackrock Clan of Rend and Maim, and out of respect for Chieftain Blackhand, he exiled these two brothers.
However, after losing the Fireblade Sword Saint and his informants, Orgrim lost a lot of information, and his control over the overall situation was not as good as before.
Every night, he was very worried about the future of the Orcs, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Finally, Orgrim decided to find an opportunity to leave the Eastern Kingdoms where humans were located and go to Azeroth mentioned by the Goblins to find a land where the Orcs could survive.
The first step was to leave Silverpine Forest.
The human kingdom's development of Silverpine Forest was not complete. There was insufficient food here to supply all the Orcs. Therefore, after returning, Orgrim decided to divide his people into clans, break them up into smaller units, and relocate them to the Hillsbrad region, or even the Western and Eastern Plaguelands!
During this time, they needed to collect food and find enough ships!
But unfortunately for Orgrim, Galen relied on his foresight, and behind him were the intelligent Gandalf and Medivh, cooperating with Durotan and Eitrigg, two Orcs who knew Orgrim very well. Every step of Orgrim's was anticipated by the Crusade.
Every once in a while, an Orc team would disappear without a trace, as if it had disappeared from the world.
Even if Orgrim sent the remaining Blackrock Sword Saints, or even Grom Hellscream, to personally investigate with scouts, they found nothing!
Because of this, Orgrim aged more than ten years overnight, looking like an old Orc in his twilight years.
Forced to do so, Orgrim could only take the last tens of thousands of Orcs and take the ships provided by the Goblins to leave the Eastern Continent and head to the unknown Kalimdor!
However, what Orgrim and Grom Hellscream didn't know was that this Goblin transport ship did not belong to the batch that had been cooperating with them for a long time.
This belonged to the Goblin financial group formed by Gazlowe: Garz's Industries.
The Goblin sailors steered the transport ship towards Kalimdor in the Endless Sea, but Orgrim's heart was palpitating, as if something bad was about to happen!
Under the leadership of the goblins, the orcs finally saw land ahead of the fleet after two months.
Looking at the Scarlet land, Grom Hellscream felt a surge of displeasure. He grabbed the goblin captain by the collar and lifted him up!
"Goblin! You are deceiving the orcs! Do you want death?" Grom glared at the goblin captain.
"Hey, you big green-skin, use that muscle-bound brain of yours. This ancient continent has many powerful races, and the fertile lands have long been occupied. You don't think you can just arrive and start hacking at them with axes, do you?"
"Especially with you lot looking like beggars?" The goblin patted Grom's hand, signaling him to put him down. "Finding a secluded place to land, then resting and exploring the continent is the right way to do things."
"Grom, put down our Foreman Hesso. He's right. We're not familiar with this continent at all. We really need to rest first, and this Scarlet land is just like when we first walked out of the Dark Portal. Although barren, it's not lacking in food. We can adapt!"
Orgrim placed a hand on Grom's arm, stopping him from continuing to hold the goblin foreman named Hesso.
"Exactly, exactly. Our plan won't be wrong. We'll provide the first batch of food, and then you'll need to be self-sufficient. Got it, big guy!" Hesso said to himself in his shrill voice after being put down.
At this moment, he was quite the actor, playing the part of a goblin trying to make money off the orcs: "I must give you a piece of advice, Warchief."
"This land has always been controlled by the quilboar, so if you want to settle here, the first group you need to deal with is the quilboar."
"Quilboar?"
"That's right. They are bipedal humanoids with decent intelligence, but they have the heads of boars."
Hesso remembered the tiger-men customers he met when he followed the newly rich Gazlowe to Draenor.
The tiger-men were truly simple, as easy to fool as the quilboar. So Hesso added, "Oh, just like the tiger-men in your old home."
"Foreman Hesso, you've seen tiger-men?"
Hesso was shocked. Oh no, oh no. Tiger-men, like ogres and draenei, were brought to Azeroth as slaves by the orcs. He shouldn't have seen tiger-men.
If he accidentally ruined Lord Galen's plan, the big boss would deduct all his wages for the rest of his life!
Hesso was so anxious that his forehead was almost sweating. For the sake of his salary for the rest of his life, his CPU was running at full speed.
Fortunately, goblins all have the potential to be swindlers, and no one can match them in the art of deception. He quickly came up with an excuse.
"Oh, Warchief, I heard it from the warriors in your ship's cabin. He said that in their clan, one orc can beat ten tiger-men on the Great Plains!"
Hesso was exaggerating wildly!
Orgrim glanced at Grom. Currently, the only orcs in their group from the Great Plains were from the Warsong clan, but this boast was a bit too much.
"The warriors are boasting. The tiger-men are still very brave. The Warsong clan warriors can beat five at most," Grom said realistically, indicating that the warriors were exaggerating.
"Even so, the orcs are still incredibly brave. Alright, Warchief, we can prepare to land!"
Hesso saw that he had gotten away with it and quickly changed the subject. The more he said, the more mistakes he would make. He had to get the orcs onto the land as soon as possible. The following plan had nothing to do with him.
Orgrim and Grom looked at the land ahead, feeling somewhat excited.
This would be the orcs' new beginning. Once their new home was established, he would find a chance to return to the Eastern Kingdoms and rescue the imprisoned compatriots batch by batch!
Orcs will never be slaves!
We will rise again!
The goblins docked at a shallow beach, located in the central region of the Eastern Barrens. The beach was long and narrow, with the Razorfen Hills to the north and the mountains of the Drygulch Ravine to the south.
Speaking of which, in a certain timeline, Daelin brought the Kul Tiran naval fleet, also choosing to land in this place, and built Tiragarde Keep as a front line for attacking Orgrimmar.
As the transport ships docked nearly a hundred meters from the coastline, a large number of small boats were lowered from the large ships. The first batch of Warsong clan orcs boarded the small boats and began to go ashore to scout.
After Grom Hellscream sent a flag signal that everything was normal and there were no ambushes, Orgrim waved his hand, and the remaining orcs began to scramble onto the boats and land.
"Warchief, let's part ways here. Hopefully, when our fleet comes again next time, you will have built a new home and established a dock!"
Playing the part to the fullest, Hesso thought he was a genius.
"Thank you for your help, goblin," Orgrim didn't notice anything unusual. This was indeed a good landing spot. The shallow beach was wide open, making it impossible to ambush an army. Of course, the natives here could also clearly observe their arrival, but the orcs were not afraid of battle. They were ready.
Behind Orgrim, four guards each carried two large boxes and placed them directly in front of Hesso, opening them.
The golden light blinded Hesso's eyes, and instantly his pupils turned into the shape of gold coins.
If Galen hadn't heard of Hesso's reputation and taken him as a follower early on, Hesso might have switched sides at this moment and said, "Sorry, boss, they're offering too much."
"Foreman Hesso, these two boxes of treasures, one box is for your prince, it's the final payment for providing the ships."
Orgrim stared at Hesso, "And this box is my personal reward to you. I hope that the next time you come, the goods will include not only food, but also various military supplies!"
As for other necessities, Orgrim didn't care. Didn't Hesso say that this area was the territory of the quilboar? The orcs could just rob their houses and tents!
"No problem! No problem, Warchief, I can get you anything you want!" Hesso patted his skinny chest, agreeing readily.
In his opinion, this money was received with a clear conscience. The orcs had fallen into Master Galen's trap, either fighting to the death or surrendering completely. Half of the gold would be handed over, and he would pocket half for himself. Perfect!
"Warchief, we'll leave first. Perhaps we'll meet again soon."
Hesso smiled meaningfully.
"We'll be waiting for you!"
Orgrim led his guards and finally left the transport ship, stepping onto the land of Kalimdor.