The afternoon after the trial of Orgrim ended, in the solemn meeting hall of the Lordaeron Palace, leaders and representatives from the Human Alliance and other kingdoms sat together.
The atmosphere between the kings was a bit strange, and there was still a smell of gunpowder. Obviously, the previous discussion did not seem to go well.
The host Terenas Menethil, who was sitting on the main seat, was a little tired. After all, he was already an old man. The long arguments and discussions had made him mentally exhausted. After enjoying an exquisite afternoon tea,
The kings gathered together again, and this time, the decisions they made would directly affect the fate of tens of thousands of captured orcs.
"I know that there are still debates between us, and I also know that it is impossible for everyone to accept one approach."
The old king changed his tone and was no longer aggressive. He acted like an old man who stayed out of the matter, assuming a role similar to that of a "referee". This change of role made the other kings look unhappy.
Except for the somewhat ignorant little king Varian, the other kings all knew what Terenas' change in attitude meant.
He and his Lordaeron, by virtue of their performance in the war, have become the absolute leaders of the alliance, which makes other kings very dissatisfied. However, in the game of power, at least on the surface, these nobles still maintain mutual understanding.
Some etiquette.
"But the rebuilding of Stormwind Kingdom is imminent, and we cannot take the risk of leaving those orc captives in the southern part of the continent."
King Terenas narrowed his eyes, tapped the ground with the scepter in his hand, and said in concluding remarks:
"There are still some remaining tribes in Blackrock Tower, Wetlands and Stranglethorn Vale. We have to separate them, so there is not much time and reason for us. Therefore, I propose that we start voting now... on how to deal with the orc captives."
The old king's eyes swept over the people in front of him. Daelin's expression was ugly, Solas's expression was soothing, Greymane's expression was very dull, and Prince Kael'thas, the representative from Quel'Thalas, kept maintaining his expression.
With a gentle smile, he would discuss some magical insights in a low voice with Master Antonidas next to him from time to time.
As for the dwarf representative, Prince Muradin, he had become drunk without restraint due to the large supply of wine.
Varian Wrynn, the young king of Stormwind Kingdom who was raised by the old king, frowned. It was obvious that he was having a fierce ideological struggle.
All this fell into the eyes of the old king. He waited for a moment, and then said:
"Kul Tiras and Stromgard believe that all orc captives should be executed to avoid future troubles. It has to be said that this is a very cruel but very efficient method of treatment, and such treatment will also be easy.
To calm the resentment in the hearts of the people, everyone who agrees with this method of handling, please raise your hands!"
"Shua"
Dai Lin raised his hand first. The admiral's dislike of orcs was well-known in the alliance.
Then Solas, King of the Kingdom of Stromgard, raised his hand. The forces of Stromgarde also suffered heavy losses in the orc invasion. In his opinion, keeping the orcs would be a disaster.
The third person who raised his hand was King Genn Greymane of Gilneas. The reason why this king wanted to execute the orcs was very simple. Only by quelling the orcs' troubles as quickly as possible can Gilneas, which has prosperous business, make the most of it.
Restore business transactions quickly.
Other than that, no one raised their hands.
The old king's expression remained unchanged, and the recording officer beside him quickly wrote down the results. Then the old king coughed lightly and said again:
"Lordaeron does not agree with the execution of all orcs. We are the Human Alliance. We are more civilized and noble than the orcs. If we kill tens of thousands of captives without explanation, what is the difference between us and the brutal orcs? Plus
According to the opinion of Bishop Fao, he believes that these losers should be given a chance to redeem themselves."
"Holy light is universal love."
Saying these high-sounding words, the old king raised his hand.
His starting point was not just benevolent. After the war, Lordaeron was in dire straits and restoration of order required a lot of manpower. The shackled orc captives were the most suitable for those dangerous hard labor jobs.
"The magic system used by the orcs is completely different from that of Azeroth. This represents another kind of power that we have not discovered. Dalaran believes that we should learn this power to make us stronger."
Archmage Antonidas explained the significance of keeping orc captives from another aspect. He raised his hands and said:
"Coupled with the return of Archmage Khadgar, there are still many orcs left in Draenor. In order to cope with possible wars in the future, we must learn from each other's strengths and obtain strategic intelligence in advance. Therefore, Dalaran believes that we should retain
Kill some of the orcs next, not all of them!"
"This is also the opinion of Quel'Thalas!"
The handsome Prince Kael'thas said briefly and also raised his hand.
"Ironforge needs more miners in the mines!"
Dwarves don't have that many tricks up their sleeves. The drunk Prince Muradin said his thoughts carelessly and then raised his hand.
"King Magni is really broad-minded. Has he forgotten the brutality of the orcs in Khaz Modan?"
King Greymane whispered, Muradin smiled and waved his hand, a trace of ferocity flashed in his eyes:
"Wear shackles and shackles on the orcs, and put muskets against their heads. They will become the best workers. Instead of killing them, it is better to let them atone for their sins at work and create more value!"
The current scene was 3:4, and there was still a king present who did not speak, so everyone turned their attention to Varian Wrynn.
The 17-year-old little king had a headache when he saw this scene, but in the end, he stood up, took a deep breath, and said to the other kings and nobles:
"My father Llane Wrynn died at the hands of an orc assassin."
Varian composed his words and whispered:
"When it comes to hatred, there should be no one here who hates orcs more than me, but...but I have been thinking, if it were my father sitting here today, or Marshal Lothar, whom I respect as my father, what would they do?
What decision to make.”
The young king's tone choked up, and the kings present also fell silent. The death of Llane Wrynn made Varian lose his father, and the disappearance of Lothar made the young man lose his support. Destiny has no influence on him.
For him, it was a little too cruel.
But the next moment, Varian raised his head, with tears flashing in the corners of his eyes. Under the gazes of the kings, the little king gritted his teeth and said loudly:
"Marshal Lothar told me before he left."
"For the world, peace is a lofty and great goal, and for individuals, it is also the same. His Majesty Terenas has always taught me to become a qualified king. I know that a king cannot make decisions based on
Personally, I should become the representative of the displaced people in the Kingdom of Stormwind."
"This war has been too long. Everyone is longing for peace, so let peace come. Don't let our people's hands be stained with blood. We have shed enough blood..."
Varian clenched his fists, like a real young man, his emotions were a little out of control, and his voice became hoarse.
"Orgrim, who is unwilling to fail, said that he would look forward to the collapse of the alliance and the extinguishing of the fire of our civilization. Let us tell him the truth! He is the real coward, and he is the one who dare not open his arms to embrace peace.
...Real cowards only wield weapons to make others surrender, but we are not!"
"We are an alliance! We defend our people! Everything we insist on is greater than his barbaric war! We defeated the orcs, and if they still dare to come, we will still win! We are different from those butchers!
"
"Therefore, I agree with His Majesty Terenas. If those orcs are still alive after the war, let them continue to live."
Varian raised his left hand, tears flowing freely on his face, and he gritted his teeth:
"Let them continue to live as prisoners without honor and burdened with sin!"
These words are not outstanding, and are even a bit confusing and illogical. If this was said by a mature king, it would definitely make others despise it, but this was said by Varian, and
He is only 17 years old this year, and he still carries a blood feud with the orcs.
All this is enough to impress anyone, even proud elves and dwarves...
"My disciple, you really make me feel proud today!"
Prince Muradin, who served as Varian's swordsmanship instructor, stood on a chair and was the first to cheer for Varian's speech. The dwarf's eyes were clear and there was no hint of drunkenness. The second person to stand up and applaud was Kyle.
Prince Sars, this handsome prince did not hide his admiration for Varian in his eyes.
"You will make a great king! I never doubted that, kid."
King Terenas stood up, walked to the crying Varian, hugged him like a loving father, patted his shoulder, and whispered:
"If Arthas can be as outstanding as you in the future, it will definitely be the blessing of the Holy Light."
So amid Varian's silent cries and the kings' sincere or false applause, the future fate of the orc captives was decided, but the meeting did not end.
After Ironforge, Quel'Thalas, and Varian Wrynn, who was about to return to the Kingdom of Stormwind, left, the remaining kings began to discuss another matter, and the atmosphere became heated at this moment.
Obviously, this is something that benefits everyone.
The topic of the meeting is: How to deal with the traitors of the Alliance, the traitor Aiden Perenold and his Kingdom of Alterac who almost brought the Alliance to death...
Perhaps because of his noble blood, King Perenold would not be executed, but there is no doubt that after the terrible betrayal, the Kingdom of Alterac could not escape the post-war liquidation unscathed.
This country will inevitably be carved up by the covetous "former allies", not only for strategic considerations, but also to complement each other's interests, just like dividing the cake. This time, even Da, who has never participated in these things,
Laran, all sent special negotiators to get their own share of the benefits.
"I think the most appropriate way to deal with Zulred Island and the nearby waters in Alterac is to hand it over to Kul Tiras for management!"
The negotiator from Kul Tiras pointed to the map on the table and said in a serious voice:
"With these islands, the alliance's maritime territory will be completely connected. If the tribe invades this time, it will be directly attacked by the navy at the first time!"
"Villages in hilly areas have been almost completely destroyed, and reconstruction will inevitably cost a lot of material resources!"
General Danas, the representative of the Kingdom of Stromgard, coughed lightly: "I suggest that the orcs be placed here as a public resource. It is not far from several countries..."
"Alterac Valley has many rare resources that Dalaran needs..."
"There is also the southern area of Silverpine Forest, which is very close to Gilneas. We plan to establish a new frontier here."
"Tarenmere and Southshore..."
This kind of naked differentiation of interests certainly cannot be dealt with directly by the kings, as it would be unethical, so the specific division will be carried out by the representatives, and the kings only need to sit in the sun and drink tea.
The old king leaned on his cane and entertained the kings on the balcony of the palace. He said softly:
"One thing, I want to remind everyone, Ayden is still sitting on his throne, which is illegal. I have decided to remove Ayden's jurisdiction over Alterac in the name of the Alliance recently.
.”
All the kings nodded. There was no problem with this decision. Dai Lin took a sip of tea and asked:
"Then who will govern? Aiden's son?"
"No!"
King Terenas narrowed his eyes:
"There is a very suitable candidate to govern, a nobleman who is very energetic, very authoritative and has the interests of the alliance at heart. His name is... Daval Presto. He is a gentleman who makes people like him."
"During the siege of the orcs, he stayed in Lordaeron. He was different from those timid nobles. He fully supported our war with the orcs, generously donated money and encouraged the soldiers. To be honest, I even
I plan to marry my daughter to him."
"Oh? Such an outstanding person?"
Dai Lin became interested and touched his beard: "He is in Alterac?"
"He will come to Lordaeron soon. At that time, I will introduce him to you. Believe me, we will all rest assured that the temporary governance of Alterac will be handed over to him.
When the business is settled...ah, a new era of peace, just like the boy Varian said."
"I hope the dawn of a new era of peace will shine on this land forever."
(SORRY, the engine couldn't start when we started the train, but now the problem has been solved~ Being late is also a kind of fate~, fasten your seat belt, take care of your underage children, don't put your head or hands out of the window, turn on your favorite music
Music...we are about to start! Brothers! Also, congratulations on the achievement of lighting up [genuine readers]!)
