Arathi's Shadow---Burning Fever for the Leader [14/30]
The Arathi Highlands, a vast grassland with fertile water and beautiful scenery, as well as rare hilly terrain, nurtured the first country of human civilization 2,800 years ago. It was the first time that all human tribes joined forces to develop their own civilization.
Feudalism was officially introduced.
At that time, the most courageous and trustworthy chief Thoradin Arathor was elected as the first king of the Arathor Empire, and in the tribal gathering place where he was born, humans built their first empire.
A castle, but like the stories of all worlds, unity never lasts long, especially after the mysterious disappearance of Emperor Thoradin, the empire he built began to fall apart.
On the corpse of the huge empire, seven countries began to join forces to rule the land once ruled by Emperor Thoradin. Lordaeron and Gilneas shared the northern border of the empire, and Kul Tiras occupied the sea areas of the empire. The weak Ultra
Rank only received the cold Alterac Mountains. As compensation, the northwest of Hillsbrad Foothills was also allocated to Alterac.
Dalaran, a micro-nation formed by the first generation of human mages, did not have much land, but those wise mages took away the most important and precious knowledge of the empire. Stormgard, who claimed to be the orthodox bloodline of the Arathor Empire,
The kingdom occupies the most beautiful land in the empire, which is the Arathi Highlands, where Emperor Thoradin was born and grew up.
But what is ironic is that the royal bloodline of the Kingdom of Stromgard does not come from the great human king Thoradin, but from the general "Troll Slayer" Ignaus under Thoradin the Great. And now,
The bloodline of the general proclaimed himself king majestically, but allowed Anduin, the last legitimate successor of Emperor Thoradin, to be left alone. When Lothar was young, he was in the southern border of the continent far away from the center of human civilization, among the pioneers led by the Wrynn family.
The formed Kingdom of Stormwind grew up.
No matter in which world, politics is dirty, even within the alliance that claims to be just and civilized.
And to this day, the sordid past has dissipated in time, but the great castle built by Emperor Thoradin and carrying all the traces of human civilization is still alive. Stromgarde, this is a great name, and it is now
, is still being used frequently.
Observers, please remember that humans are never the masters of this world, nor do they represent justice and hope... They just survive and reproduce here.
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"Five days ago, the orcs of the Warsong clan tried to attack the large prison camp in the west, but they were repulsed by General Danas."
"Three days ago, the prisoner-of-war camp in the northern part of the Arathi Highlands, at the foot of the mountains bordering the Hinterlands, was breached by the Warsong clan. 300 orcs were released, and the soldiers guarding there were wiped out."
"Wait! My dear Gray Yopp, compile the battle report of my cousin General Danas, as well as the information about the prisoner of war camp captured by the orcs. I need them."
Garin Trollbane made a gesture, and Stromgard's spy leader immediately sent two battle reports to the prince. The latter, wearing a suit of light armor, carefully read the battle reports, and in front of his eyes
On the table, there is a strategic map of the northern territory of the mainland, with many red X's marked on it.
Garin Trollbane is the eldest son of King Thoras Trollbane, and General Danas Trollbane, who is well-known in the Alliance, is the king's nephew. Both of them enjoy the title of King of Stromgard.
The right to inherit the position, but Galin was ranked first and Danas was ranked last. There was no conflict of interest between the two people.
In fact, Danas was about 15 years older than the young prince, and his outstanding military exploits made Prince Garin very envious and worshipful. Young people all worship heroes, and so does the prince.
So after the orcs fled to the Arathi Highlands, Prince Garin often took some battle reports from the royal spy Gray Yopp to learn the tactics of General Danas. He hoped that one day, he could be like him.
Like his distant cousin, he leads the army and expands territory for the alliance.
But the problem is that he is destined to inherit the throne of the Trollbane family in the future, and in the current alliance, except for King Daelin of Kul Tiras, almost no king will go to the battlefield in person.
In his mind, the noble king should stay away from the battlefield, which made the young and energetic Prince Galin very uncomfortable.
According to the news he learned, someone who shared his dissatisfaction was Varian Wrynn, the young king of the distant Kingdom of Stormwind. Garin believed that the two of them would be very good friends in the future, and they might even be able to go on a tour together.
What about the battlefield?
After reading the battle report with a solemn expression, Prince Garin rubbed his forehead, tapped his fingers on the table, and said softly:
"The Warsong Clan has been operating in the eastern part of the Highlands. How could it go to the northwest overnight? The orcs who attacked that small prisoner of war camp were definitely not from the Warsong Clan. Maybe... maybe they were orcs from the Hinterlands, from there.
What are the orcs called?”
When the prince asked, the royal spy immediately replied:
"That is the Thunder King clan commanded by Fenris. In fact, we are also looking for evidence, but those orcs set fire to the prisoner of war camp, leaving very few traces."
"No matter what, this news must be sent to General Danas immediately!"
Prince Galin said dissatisfied:
"He is the supreme commander of the kingdom. He deserves all the support from the royal spies. Send him there immediately. Gray Yopp, don't let my cousin be blindfolded when he fights."
"As you command, Your Highness."
The royal agent straightened up immediately, but just as he was leaving the command room, the prince asked again:
"Have the reinforcements Lordaeron promised us not arrived yet?"
"Uh, actually, it's already here."
Gray Yopp wiped the sweat from his forehead, turned around and said to the clever and stubborn prince:
"His Majesty Terenas sent paladins commanded by Lord Mograine, but due to the current poor state of Alterac, not many paladins came to help, only 1,300 people."
"1,300 people? Oh, no way, they are enough to guard a prisoner of war camp."
The prince of Stromgard sighed. His father, the old King Thoras, was old, and his health had deteriorated rapidly recently. The old king entrusted him with state affairs. Although he had a whole court minister to assist him,
It also made Prince Jialin feel a lot of pressure.
The most obvious of these pressures comes from the recent orc attack on the Arathi Highlands. The Warsong Clan, led by their brutal and powerful chief Grom Hellscream, has destroyed five small prisoner of war camps and released
Nearly 2,000 orcs were killed, which made the recent battle situation in Arathi Highlands very tense.
"Where are the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Gilneas and Dalaran?"
Prince Jialin asked again, and this time, Gray Yopp's face also darkened:
"A month ago, the archmages of Dalaran were injured in a covert operation, and the archmage Drandon disappeared. That city is very close to Alterac. Frankly speaking, they may not be able to protect themselves.
Let alone support us."
"As for Gilneas, the Greymane king refused to send us reinforcements. He believed that Gilneas had borne most of the funds for the reconstruction of Stormwind City in the past few years and had made enough contributions to the alliance. He also said that we were too
Too greedy.”
"Bang"
His Royal Highness punched the table angrily and whispered:
"What the hell are you talking about? Didn't we pay for the rebuilding of Stormwind City? Once the orcs break through the defenses of Stromgard, they can directly threaten Gilneas as long as they pass through Hillsbrad Foothills.
His Majesty Jean is really an old fool!"
"Be careful! Your Highness!"
Garin's complaint made Greyjorp look nervous. The future king openly expressed his dissatisfaction with the current king of Gilneas, which would definitely trigger a political disaster between the two countries. Fortunately, this was a secret conversation.
After Galin calmed down, Huiyop sighed and said to His Royal Highness the Prince in a tone between friends:
"Your Majesty Jean is not confused. He is determined that neither Stromgard nor Lordaeron will allow the orcs to enter the hills. He regards our two countries as shields, and the most intolerable thing is
Yes, we still cannot resist this kind of coercion."
"Will His Majesty Terenas just let the situation develop like this?"
The prince said with difficulty:
"If this continues, the alliance will fall apart before the orcs come knocking."
"His Majesty Greymane has told the nobles in Gilneas more than once that he wants to break away from this alliance that only has "greed and oppression"..."
Gray Yopp lowered his voice:
"It seems that he has already planned to take action. We need to prepare early, Your Highness."
"Dang Dang Dang"
While His Highness the Prince was chatting with his spies, a rapid ringing of a bell rang in the room. His Highness the Prince was stunned for a moment, while Gray Yopp pulled out two daggers and stood in front of Garin.
"This is the ringtone of important news. Be careful, Your Highness...it may not necessarily be good news."
"Bang"
The door to the command room was pushed open the next moment. Prince Garin, who was standing behind Huiyop, looked at the incoming person and his eyes widened, because the person standing in front of him was Danas, who was supposed to be directing the battle on the front line at this time.
.Tallbane, his distant cousin.
"Did something happen on the front line?"
Galin became really anxious at this moment. He stood up, bypassed the loyal spy, walked to his cousin who looked tired, and asked in a low voice:
"Tell me, Danas, what support do you need? I will send it all to you! We must not let the orcs defeat our country!"
"Wait a minute, Your Highness, it's not bad news."
The Supreme Commander of Stromgarde, who had galloped all the way back to Stromgarde from the front line, took a breath and took the water handed by the guard. He drank the water in one gulp, wiped his mouth, took Garin's arm, and dragged him
Exited the command room.
"Follow me, I will take you to see a man... His Majesty is currently receiving him."
"who?"
Prince Garin, who followed Danas forward quickly, took his crown and asked in a low voice:
"Who can let father see him at this time? Father's old injury has relapsed, you know this."
"Don't ask any more questions, Galin!"
Danas patted the prince on the shoulder and whispered:
"You just need to know that this will do no harm to the Trollbane family."
The two people hurried through the palace. Prince Garin noticed that the entire palace servants had disappeared, replaced by fully armed royal guards. This must have been something big.
When he walked to the front of the King's Hall, Prince Galin heard his father's hearty laughter, which surprised him. The next moment, Danas opened the door himself, and Galin also saw the figure sitting opposite the king.
He looked very old, with a bald spot on the top of his head, but he sat upright on the chair. Even when he was meeting the king, he was still wearing a set of red armor. It was not ceremonial armor, but
A true battlefield heavy armor, he held a dark red heavy sword engraved with a dragon head in his left hand, but the guards did not collect the weapon!
This proves that... the identity of the visitor is definitely higher than his! He is enough to be on an equal footing with his father.
"Marshal! Prince Garin is here!"
The supreme commander of the entire Kingdom of Stromgard, Danaus Trollbane, the most famous battlefield warrior in the entire alliance, acted like a herald at this moment, leaning towards the old man in front of him with respect.
salute.
Prince Jialin was completely stunned.
As far as he knew, there were only a handful of people in the entire alliance who could be called marshals, and there was only one person who could be so respected by Danas.
"Look who's here, the next generation of the Trollbane family, little Garin. I taught you how to ride a horse when you were a kid."
The old man turned around, and his resolute face made Galin immediately take a few steps forward subconsciously, and nodded slightly with respect:
"Long time no see! Marshal Lothar!"
"Um."
Lothar shrugged. He looked back at Thoras Trollbane, who had a sick look on his face but managed to come out to see him. A trace of worry flashed in the old king's eyes, but the next moment, he was determined.
nodded.
"Garin Trollbane, my most outstanding son, the future king of the Kingdom of Stromgard, he is ready! Just like thousands of years ago, my ancestors were always loyal to Emperor Thoradin.
, now, as long as Arathor's bloodline issues a call, Trollbane's descendants will definitely be the first to obey!"
Lothar's face was also very solemn. He stood up and said to Solas:
"Then I will also fulfill my promise. After retrieving the sword of my ancestors, I will formally hand over the Kingdom of Stromgard to the rule of the Trollbane family in front of the King's Council. The humiliation you have suffered in the past should be deserved.
It is over, and the misunderstanding should be cleared up, especially in this dangerous moment."
The old king breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slowly. Lothar turned around and looked at Garin Trollbane behind him. He reached out and patted Garin on the shoulder and asked in a deep voice:
"Then Garin Trollbane, are you willing to go to dangerous places with me to prove your courage, and work with me to retrieve the last token left by my ancestor, Emperor Thoradin?"
"I..."
Prince Jialin hesitated. He raised his head. Both his father and his cousin looked at him with a stern look. This made Jialin understand a lot. He gritted his teeth and put his fist on his chest:
"I do!"
"Very good, then the Kingdom of Stormwind and the Kingdom of Stromgard are already on my side, and you will join me in rebuilding the human empire in the future!"
