The Orcs retreated. A Black Iron Dwarf army emerging from Blackrock Spire, along with dozens of adult red dragons, delivered the final blow to the Horde.
The red dragons incinerated Orc fortresses along their path. Orc warriors, forced out by the red dragon's flames, were surrounded and killed by the Black Iron Dwarves. The Black Iron Dwarves and red dragons coordinated remarkably well.
This sudden turn of events forced Orgrim to sound the retreat. In any case, the main force had successfully withdrawn, and his minor objectives had been achieved. Retreating was now his next goal.
The battlefield was littered with corpses. The Alliance's losses were within acceptable limits. Overall, it was a glorious victory, the most significant achievement since the Alliance's formation.
Ironforge's guerilla tactics, combined with the mortar barrage 'carpet bombing' strategy, initially inflicted considerable casualties. As for whether the number of enemies killed was worth the expenditure of gold coins on ammunition, that was a matter of opinion. At least Galen appreciated this tactic.
Commonly known as: Using gold coins to bury the enemy.
The results were glorious, and Lothar was reasonably satisfied. However, the only regret was that this raid failed to capture any renowned powerhouses from the Horde. The only worthwhile trophies were the heads of a few minor clan chieftains.
However, Lothar suspected this was Orgrim's doing. The repeated defeats had damaged his prestige as Warchief of the Horde. Some Orcs had begun to question his strategies. During this raid, he placed these chieftains, obsessed with war, on the front lines, using the Alliance's blades to eliminate them.
With the chieftains dead, the warriors of these small clans instantly became a disorganized rabble. Orgrim seized the opportunity to absorb them and then retreated to the southern Burning Steppes.
Subsequently, Orgrim continued to urge the Orcs stationed in Elwynn Forest and Redridge Mountains to come to the Burning Steppes, while also attempting to obtain further assistance from Draenor through the Dark Portal!
The only force that remained unmoved was the garrison guarding the Dark Portal.
The Alliance also received reports that the battle in the south was progressing smoothly. Admiral Daelin Proudmoore's navy bombarded the shattered docks of Stormwind City. Subsequently, King Llane Wrynn led 30,000 elite troops of the Kingdom of Stormwind ashore from the docks, quickly clearing out the Orcs within Stormwind City and successfully restoring the capital that had been lost for over two years!
Gazing at the ruined walls of Stormwind City, Llane shed tears, unsure whether they were of excitement or pain.
Subsequently, the fertile lands of the west, Elwynn Forest, were also rapidly reclaimed. The Orc armies had already had a large portion of their forces drawn away by Orgrim to the Burning Steppes, leaving them unable to resist the armies led by Daelin and Llane.
However, some kingdom officials brought back by Llane, while surveying Stormwind's mines, lands, and Orc camps, discovered that their original mines seemed to have been violently excavated. Yet, they found no place in the Orc camps where these massive piles of ore were stored. In the end, the puzzled officials could only speculate that the Orcs had transported them elsewhere to forge weapons.
It was understandable that iron and copper ore could be used to manufacture weapons and equipment, but why had so much gold ore been mined as well? They had never heard of the Orcs needing gold ore for trade with any faction.
The Alliance could not ask the Horde, and the Orcs would not tell the humans that they had been beaten up by a group of upright, large dogs. This matter became an unsolved mystery.
Everyone knew that the day when the Horde and the Alliance would determine victory or defeat was not far off.
The Alliance's morale was extremely high. Every general was full of confidence, feeling that after this battle, they would be able to return home with military merits to be promoted and ennobled, and perhaps even get married.
The Alliance was anxious, eager to finish the war and divide the spoils. However, war was not child's play. The logistics of supporting hundreds of thousands of people required supplies from the rear, and it would take time for the transport corps to ensure a smooth supply line. Lothar once again decided to proceed step by step, and this time it was the Alliance's turn to establish fortresses and outposts.
On the Horde's side, Orgrim was even more anxious. At this time, the Horde's internal and external troubles had already become apparent. He needed to achieve a significant victory in a short period of time to suppress the internal discontent. He could kill a few small clan chieftains who were the most vocal in their opposition, but he could not kill all the chieftains.
The Alliance's cessation of attacks gave him a chance to breathe. Once the troops drawn from the south arrived, he would take the initiative and seek opportunities to achieve victory.
Blackrock Fortress, east of Blackrock Spire, became the Alliance's new headquarters. At this time, in the center of the fortress, several high-ranking Alliance generals were holding a gathering.
This was a gathering of the younger generation, a post-war respite. The older generation of generals did not want to disturb the young people's interactions, and Lothar rested after arranging the defenses.
Turalyon, seeing that Alleria completely ignored him, felt somewhat dejected and chose to go on patrol with Mograine tonight.
"Galen, thanks to you this time, otherwise I might not have seen the sun tomorrow!" Tirion had been in a state of epiphany since the battle. There was great terror between life and death, and of course, there might also be great opportunities. Tirion became the next Paladin after Uther to break through to the legendary rank.
However, the process of this breakthrough was a bit miserable. Our old Tirion was targeted by Grommash Hellscream, enduring at least two leap attacks from this powerhouse.
Under the circumstances of not knowing that Gareth had prepared life-saving measures for them, enduring such attacks was playing with a heartbeat.
Gareth patted Tirion's shattered shoulder armor. Water was scarce in the Burning Steppes, and after the battle, these generals had only casually tidied up and had no chance to use precious water to wash. At this moment, old Fordring's face was still covered in black volcanic ash.
"It's a good thing to break through, but I hope you don't tell Turalyon about the secret of the weapon. It's difficult to put life and death aside when you know in advance that you will be safe, and it's difficult for the spirit to undergo transformation under heavy pressure."
After Gareth finished speaking, he looked at Dathrohan and Gavinrad with regret. These two already knew the secret of the weapon. It would be difficult to put themselves in a desperate situation in the future.
However, it was not without a chance. They only knew about a small Invincible Potion, plus Divine Shield, which was at most two instances of invincibility. When they encountered a strong enemy like Hellscream in the future, after being forced to use the Invincible Potion, the period when the Aegis of Sanctuary was triggered would be the best opportunity for a breakthrough.
Galen gave a pat on the back for his thoughtfulness!
Thinking of the paladins before him, few would survive in the future. Uther, Gavinrad, Dathrohan, and Tirion would all fall in battle, leaving only Turalyon, who remained steadfast and even became the regent of Stormwind.
Galen sighed, "Turalyon is a man of talent and opportunity. His future achievements will be considerable."
"Actually, among you all, I'm most worried about you, Danath. Although your martial skills are outstanding, your personality is too impulsive and easily angered. When you were a warrior, these flaws weren't necessarily disadvantages; they might even amplify your rage. But you are a paladin now, and the Holy Light is your foundation."
Danath had become a legendary warrior years ago before Galen arranged for him to retrain as a paladin. Now, Uther and Tirion had also entered the legendary rank! Galen didn't want Danath to be easily possessed by a dreadlord, ruining his lifetime of fame.
Galen, the eighteen-year-old younger brother, was instructing Danath , the twenty-eight-year-old elder brother. Danath not only showed no dissatisfaction but listened attentively.
This was the reputation Galen had built for himself. When you walk far, far ahead on this path, you become a pioneer. Those behind you can only look up to you and admire you. It has nothing to do with age.
"Even if I say more, you might not understand or take it in." At this moment, Galen truly embraced the role of instructor. "Now, I will impart to you a new application of the Holy Light!"
"This is a revelation from the Holy Light!"
Galen mysteriously piqued everyone's interest.
In this aspect, Galen was truly a monster. They became paladins around the same time, but while others were still stumbling and groping their way forward, Galen was already writing teaching materials to guide them!
The paladin order had accepted three batches of trainees, but only the Silver Hand and the Knights Templar, with their hundred or two official members, had truly graduated. That was less than half the number who had undergone the initiation. The others were still struggling in Hearthglen.
Shield of Vengeance, Avenging Wrath, Crusader Strike – these three skills were known as the mandatory graduation exams.
Crusader Strike was fine; it was the most basic Holy Light attack spell. Basically, anyone who wasn't an idiot could learn it. This was also Galen's private agenda: he wanted every paladin to remember his faction: the Crusade!
Avenging Wrath, an explosive skill involving the external release and shaping of Holy Light, weeded out a third of the trainees. Finally, Shield of Vengeance was intended to improve the paladins' survival rate after graduation. Only through devout prayer, spiritual understanding of the Holy Light, and familiarity with its power could they construct a sturdy Holy Light barrier.
Graduation was difficult, but the paladins didn't complain because the war against the orcs had proven that this high-quality graduation method ensured that only a very small number of paladins had died on the battlefield in the past two years!
"Through my understanding of the Holy Light, I have comprehended a new ultimate move, which I call: Final Reckoning!"
"After learning it, we can summon a beam of heavenly light to inflict large-scale damage."
This was a team battle god-skill, and since it was wartime, it was well-suited to the current situation. Everyone learned it diligently.
However, no one expected that the next day, when Uther was practicing and trying to cast it on the Blackrock Spire training grounds, a dazzling golden pillar of light would descend from the sky, enveloping half the training ground in Holy Light.
Such a grand spectacle naturally attracted the attention of all the Alliance members in Blackrock Spire.
Galen was so jealous that he lost his mind. Uther, you are the true Son of the Holy Light!
I just described it to you yesterday, and you learned it today?
Doesn't this mean that I, this fake Holy Light favored one, will have to increase my cash-burning efforts to maintain my persona in the future?
Do we have to be this competitive to survive in Azeroth?
The consequence of this incident was that the dwarves were inquiring everywhere about how to retrain as paladins, and eventually, the path led to Galen.
This was not surprising. Uther, the leader of the Silver Hand, and Gavinrad, the spokesperson for the Knights Templar, both paladin orders of the Alliance, were at Blackrock Spire, but the only people who could truly decide on admitting new members were the Archbishop in Lordaeron and Duke Galen of Tol Barad, who was close at hand.
The high elves had already opened a door through Kael'thas. In the following days, Galen's visitors were mostly members of the dwarven race, with a constant stream of high-ranking officials from the Bronzebeard and Wildhammer clans.
Of course, not everyone was qualified to meet with Galen. In the end, Galen chose to receive High Priest Rohan from Ironforge and Lord Kurtaz from Aerie Peak.
These two were among the few Holy Light believers among the dwarves. However, dwarves were naturally lively and adventurous, and they were not interested in becoming healers and rescuers. Therefore, the two of them were not successful in preaching in their respective clans.
The dwarves of Ironforge either chose to become blacksmiths, or to forge iron, or were on the way to forging iron. Moreover, in the past hundred years, because the Bronzebeard royal family produced a Prince Brann Bronzebeard, a new profession emerged under his leadership: Explorer!
A large number of young people ran to the wilderness to dig a shovel here and knock a pickaxe there. Who would be interested in sitting in a quiet room and praying to the Holy Light?
The dwarves suffered severe population losses due to the War of the Three Hammers. The Bronzebeard dwarves now only have a million people, and the Wildhammer dwarves are even worse, with only six or seven hundred thousand. On the contrary, the Dark Iron dwarves, who were enslaved by the Fire Lord, were protected by the Fire Lord during the two hundred years without major disasters, and even recovered to the population level of the War of the Three Hammers.
Therefore, every dwarf population is very precious. One more healing profession would mean one more rescuer, and there would be more security in terms of population.
The Wildhammer were the same. Shamanism was the orthodox religion of Aerie Peak, which was more in line with the wild hearts of the Wildhammer. What priests save lives and heal the wounded? Shamans can also do it. What is the way of the Holy Light? What can it fight?
The appearance of the paladins made these two people's eyes light up!
Paladins!
Warriors who believe in the Holy Light and fight with the Holy Light! They can fight, they can tank, and most importantly, they have the ability to heal!
Aren't you full of brute force with nowhere to vent it?
Become a paladin! You can carry a hammer and smash people, go wherever you want to smash. After you finish your hammer time, come back and save the wounded by the way.
Galen and the two of them hit it off and quickly reached an agreement.
Establish paladin training camp recruitment centers in Ironforge and Aerie Peak, recruit a group of dwarves who are interested in retraining as paladins to enter Hearthglen for training every year, but after graduation, they must join the Knights Templar, and they can choose to serve the Knights or be a nominal member!
Galen grinned.
Dwarves!
They are super brave after becoming paladins!