Stormwind Wizard God
Chapter 772: Destiny

Chapter 772: Destiny

As soon as Duke finished speaking, Tyrande and Malfurion felt creepy.

They were all deceived by their own fixed mindset.

That’s right. For tens of thousands of years, if you want to go to Mount Hyjal from Azshara, you have to take a big detour, starting from Ashenvale in the west, then to Felwood in the northwest, and finally go back to the west of Mount Hyjal and climb the mountain from the lowest mountain path in the west.

But they forgot that as long as they did not enter the range of Mount Hyjal, the actions of the Burning Legion demons were generally unrestricted.

So there is a possibility that the three parties deployed heavy troops in Ashenvale, but the demons ignored these intercepting troops and ran directly to the mountains north of Ashenvale, and went directly along the mountains to the foot of Mount Hyjal, which is at a higher altitude.

Tyrande pursed her lips slightly.

Duke spoke up: "So, I suggest that our Alliance should resist Azshara’s landing point, and then defend the second battle in the open space at the foot of Mount Hyjal or on the mountainside. In addition, the Alliance welcomes the night elves and the Horde to deploy military observers on both of our defense lines."

No one knew what a military observer was, but as the name suggested, it was clear that Duke was so Aegwynnnimous that he allowed both sides to send people to supervise the troops?

No, this wasn’t even about being a warlord; this was simply about showing the military elite of the alliance to temporary allies.

Sylvanas was getting a little impatient, and the voice of the wind floated into Duke’s ears: "Duke, is it really okay for you to do this? Forget about the night elves, but about the Horde..."

Duke smiled and said, "You don’t understand the current tribe and what kind of person the current chieftain Thrall is. Leave everything to me."

"Okay." Sylvanas chose to believe Duke.

Look one step ahead and think three steps ahead. This is the most basic quality of a leader.

What Duke needs to do is more than just think three steps ahead?

This temporary alliance is terrible. If the world is not going to be destroyed, there is no basis for alliance.

Everyone knows that Tauren and orcs are the best meat shields, high elves are the strongest mages, night elves are best suited to being archers, human knights are good at flanking charges, dwarves are good at muskets and tanks, and gnomes are good at artillery fire.

Wow! It’s great to combine the strengths of each race and unite them together.

Why did the three major factions in history have to form their own camps and fight each other?

It’s all because of that mess of debts!

The Horde had just killed the night elf demigod Cenarius, and had been a mortal enemy of the Alliance for more than a decade. The massacre of the Alliance during the first and second Dark Portal Wars, and the subsequent enslavement of the orcs by the Alliance, it was difficult to say who was right or wrong from the perspective of their own race. In any case, this was a mess that could not be cleared up.

The situation was not much better for the Alliance and the Night Elves. Queen Sylvanas sat next to Duke, almost blinding Tyrande and Malfurion.

The high elves were exiled by these natural elves. When disaster strikes, who would have thought that they would have to beg the prodigal son they had driven out of the house to come back and save their lives?

If the person sitting next to Duke was a magic elf, such as Kael’thas, it would definitely be more eye-catching.

Fortunately, Sylvanas is a ranger, so the night elves are in a better situation.

To be honest, they were exiled because they hated the upper elves’ abuse of magic, and Duke and Jaina present were secretly irritating them.

So Duke is deliberately so generous, perhaps to pave the way for more sincere cooperation - look, our alliance is willing to play two games, you can do whatever you want.

Seeing Duke like this, Medivh secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The biggest fear of the alliance is that each company will hold its own pockets and refuse to let go. If this continues, the best result is to force them to form a group, but in fact they will still take care of themselves and will not be able to form any fighting power.

The alliance has made a good start, and things will be much easier in the future.

Medivh bowed to Duke first: "Thank you, Duke. Thank you for your contribution to Azeroth."

Over there, Tyrande and Malfurion also stood up and saluted.

There was a bitter taste in Thrall’s mouth.

Orcs have never been a stingy race. They are straightforward and prefer to repay the generosity of others with generosity. But now the orcs are no longer generous.

Thrall has no way of knowing whether his hometown Draenor is still there, as the Alliance has blocked all news from the Dark Portal. If his hometown is as Orgrim described before his death, then after the explosion of his hometown, the last orcs will be on Kalimdor.

Even if the orcs were elite, they were still too small compared to the nearly 10 million population of the Alliance. Moreover, even if they survived this crisis, who could guarantee that the Alliance would not attack again? Although Thrall also understood that under the premise that the world was in danger of destruction, the post-war covenant would only be a piece of waste paper, but Thrall’s heart was still trembling!

Thrall has to do his best to stop the Burning Legion from destroying the world, while also trying to preserve the vitality of the Horde. This is where Thrall is struggling.

Thrall is still too young, and his expression is almost written on his face.

Duke couldn’t help laughing in his heart, but his face remained serious: "However, the Alliance’s first battle in Azshara is too late to withdraw to Mount Hyjal. Therefore, I hope that the Alliance’s troops can be allowed to withdraw when things are hopeless."

Tyrande and Thrall thought about it and nodded at the same time: "Okay."

After all, the night elves repeatedly emphasized that they have a big move, but it takes time. On the other hand, as long as enough time can be gained, no one wants to lose all their elite troops to the bottomless pit of the Burning Legion.

Duke pointed to a spot on the large map in the middle of the conference room and said, "I hope that when the first line of defense of the alliance can no longer hold on, we can retreat downstream from here."

Duke looked at Thrall as he spoke. "I’m sorry, the Alliance’s first line is mostly mechanized. It’s hard for them to retreat to the forested Ashenvale."

Thrall was very upset, and he wanted to refuse instinctively, because the place Duke pointed to was the Nushui River!

The Ragewater is the dividing line between Azshara and Ashenvale. The source in the north is close to Mount Hyjal, but the lower reaches in the south pass through the new capital of the Horde, Orgrimmar!

If the world wasn’t in danger of being destroyed, what would a mechanized infantry regiment of the Alliance have passed through the gate of its own main city?

Can the Horde sleep?

If Thrall was a petty leader, he would most likely refuse it outright.

But who is Thrall?

The man who is destined to become the legendary chief of the Horde!

No matter in his past history or in this life, he will be praised by countless orcs and even the Alliance, not only for his wisdom, but also for his heart which no Warchief in history could reach to the same level as his - a just heart.

From that mouth full of fangs, Thrall spat out: "Alright."

Character determines destiny, experience determines height.

Growing up in human society since childhood, Thrall has a broad vision that many of his predecessors and even several great chiefs in later history did not have.

This is determined by his upbringing.

Completely beyond Duke’s expectation, Thrall overcame all the opposition and suppressed the doubts of Vol’jin and Cain. Not only did he agree to the Alliance’s first retreat from the Wrathwater River, he also generously allowed the Alliance to choose an open space anywhere in the lower reaches of the Wrathwater River in Durotar as a place to reorganize the remaining troops.

Thrall stood up and said, "I dare not say that I know the Alliance very well, but I know that human cement is a magical thing. It can build a solid fortress group in a very short time. If the Alliance feels that they have more time, they can build a stronger line of defense, then the Horde does not mind defending the first line at the foot of Mount Hyjal."

There was a slight commotion in the hall.

To be honest, there is no definitive answer as to who will lead the front. No one knows what the Burning Legion’s forces are except for a certain time traveler. Leading the front is not necessarily a bad thing, because there is probably still room for retreat. But leading the back is not necessarily a good thing, because as the mountain road narrows, retreat will become more and more difficult.

The night elves keep saying that they haven’t solved the problem yet and ask you to continue carrying it. So will you carry it or not?

But it was obvious that a wider position would be more conducive to the Alliance’s deployment of artillery. Duke did have his eyes on the defense line on the hillside.

After all, the current situation is very different from the original history.

It turned out that the Alliance only had Jaina’s Theramore Army participating in the Battle of Seamount, so the number of troops was naturally pitifully small.

Now, because Duke saved half of Lordaeron, almost the entire Alliance was participating in the war. In addition, the radiation leak in the dwarf capital of Gnomeregan, which was supposed to happen at this time in history, broke out more than ten years earlier, so this time the dwarfs did not urgently call back the mechanized troops to save the situation.

Therefore, the alliance has more sufficient military strength and larger numbers.

The night elves would certainly take the position on the top of the mountain, leaving the other two options to be the mountainside and the foot of the mountain. But if the Alliance wants the position on the mountainside, they also need the cooperation of the Horde. Now that Thrall has taken the initiative to propose it, it really solves a big problem for Duke.

After a brief pause, Duke nodded and said, "Thank you for the Horde’s understanding. In exchange, the Alliance will not only provide a large number of sophisticated holy light weapons to the Horde, but also provide 500 priests to assist the Horde. In addition, it will provide 2,000 rangers to cover the Horde’s retreat."

Thrall’s eyes were half-closed. Duke was very generous. Although Orgrim had warned Thrall more than once before his death to be careful of Duke, Duke’s performance in the face of major issues convinced Thrall.

After obtaining the night elves’ consent to allow the Horde to cut down some trees in Felwood to build temporary fortifications, Thrall asked the last question: "Okay! The Horde has only one last question for the night elves."

"You ask." Tyrande raised her head slightly.

"Whether we are the Alliance or the Horde, we are all prepared to make great sacrifices for this battle. I just want to know whether the move prepared by the night elves is worth it. I don’t need a specific strategy or a name, I just want you to look me in the eye and answer my question."

Magic and the like are too mysterious for orcs.

The orcs, who are not the native race of Azeroth, do not want to know what the night elves have done in ten thousand years to uphold their oath.

They just trust their instincts.

Tyrande stared at Thrall and answered in an extremely sacred tone: "It is worth it! And once that time comes, even if the night elves are completely destroyed, we will definitely fulfill our oath."

Thrall let out a long sigh, "I’m fine now."

At this time, he looked at Duke: "What about the alliance?"

Duke sighed softly, "How strong is Archimonde? No one knows. But I am sure that Archimonde is at least a demigod. No one who has not entered the realm of heroes can hurt him. So I suggest that even if the defense line is breached, the strong men of the Alliance and the Horde must find a way to gather at the top of Mount Hyjal."

Thrall narrowed his eyes. "Like last time near Dalaran?"

"right!"

Thrall was silent for a moment, and his eyes suddenly widened: "To be honest, our tribe has never forgiven you, Edmund Duke!"

"Oh?" Duke said lazily, "Has the Alliance ever been willing to truly forgive the orcs who massacred a city in the Alliance?"

Thrall didn’t care about Duke’s words at all. He continued: "But for the sake of this world, we choose to believe in the Alliance, even if it is only temporarily. I hope we can cooperate happily before defeating the Burning Legion." Thrall strode forward and extended his hand to Duke.

Typical alliance etiquette.

Duke exhaled a breath of foul air. This feeling was very strange.

Two races, two major forces.

There is an irreconcilable hatred between them, but at this time, they can feel each other’s sincerity and choose to trust each other completely.

Perhaps, this is the destined...bad fate!

Duke smiled and said, "Please be gentle when shaking hands. I am just a fragile mage. If you shake too hard, I will sue you for attacking the leader of the alliance."

Duke’s remarks made Thrall laugh, and he replied gruffly, "I’ll be as careful as I would be with your porcelain."

This moment is of great historical significance.

Duke and Thrall’s handshake symbolizes the first temporary reconciliation between the Alliance and the Horde in the world of Azeroth. In the face of a greater crisis, they abandoned their differences and hostility and cooperated sincerely for the first time.

Tyrande walked up silently and placed her more delicate hand on the two people’s intertwined fingers.

"For the future of Azeroth!" the three shouted in unison.

A huge war machine spanning eight races began to operate at full capacity at this moment.

A few hours later, a spectacular scene appeared in Ashenvale, with tens of thousands of Alliance and Horde members marching along the same road. The former mortal enemies were now staring at each other at a distance of less than five meters, but no one took action.

There was no sneer, no mockery, no insult, and no killing in rage. Everyone was heading towards the same goal and destination.

Standing on a high hill, looking at the long snake of troops winding in the distance, Sylvanas couldn’t help but feel deeply moved.

"I always find it ironic that we actually have to join forces with the Horde."

Duke turned around and said, "Is it ironic? I advise you to get used to it. In the future, the Alliance and the Horde may go to war endlessly, or they may unite to face foreign enemies. This... is the general trend!"

"Is this the general trend?" Sylvanas repeated thoughtfully.

general trend.

Throughout history, how many people have been sober and rational enough to see the general trend?

Countless fools who were in high positions but thought the whole world revolved around them failed to see the general trend, causing him, his people, and even the entire race to pay the most tragic price.

She knew about Duke’s efforts.

How many sleepless nights did Duke spend trying to convince leaders of various countries to temporarily put aside their hatred for the Hordes?

In order to link up the resources of various factions and bring out the advantages of each faction, how much of the readily available benefits did Duke give up?

Duke used his not-so-broad shoulders to almost single-handedly carry the future of half of the planet Azeroth.

Maybe he has all kinds of bad little flaws, but as a person and as a leader in the alliance, Duke has done the best he can.

"Let’s go. Since the night elves and the Horde have agreed to our request, we don’t need to make a new war preparedness plan. Let’s go and see the soldiers."

"Yes!" Sylvanas and Jaina beside Duke nodded at the same time.

On the beach of Azshara, huge towers rose from the ground. They were temporary mage towers. Of course, they were not as good as the real mage towers, but as a pure magic amplification, they were already amazing.

A little further away from the Mage Tower, there were modular bunkers. These bunkers were all the same size, about 20 square meters in size, and they were just steel frames a few days ago. After being transported thousands of miles from Ironforge to here, they were quickly poured with cement that had been mixed on site.

The bunker, which was now beginning to take shape, was being covered by human engineers using shovels to cover it with sand and gravel.

Inside the bunker, there will be a dwarven cannon, or several crossbowmen using exorcist arrows blessed by the Holy Light.

Covered by a group of bunkers, there are artillery positions scattered throughout the central part of Azshara.

If there is enough time, Duke is even willing to lay an east-west railway in Azshara. Unfortunately, this is a position that is destined to be abandoned, so the human engineers and dwarves are busy with a huge asphalt road that can accommodate 8 carriages passing in parallel.

"How long will it take to prepare everything?" Duke asked Brian Bronzebeard, who was in charge of defense.

The dwarf prince, who regards adventure as his lifelong goal, has big dark bags under his eyes: "We can fight at any time, but the longer the time, the higher the chances of our brothers surviving. They are all good men of the alliance!"

Duke was deeply moved as he watched the soldiers skillfully preparing for battle in the distance.

He also didn’t know whether it was right or wrong to bring here the elite alliance troops who had never had to come here in history.

These soldiers are not your ordinary recruits.

Most of them were veterans who had participated in the first and second Dark Gate Wars. When they joined the army, the youngest was 14 or 15 years old, and the oldest was only 18 or 19 years old.

They came from various countries, and most of them had experienced the most brutal battle to defend the capital, and at least had participated in two major battles with more than 200,000 people.

In the wilderness, deep in the forest, and in the swamps, they built campfires, set up camps, endured the bites of mosquitoes, gnawed on smelly dried meat and wheat cakes, and then fought desperately against enemies that were far larger than them.

Orcs, trolls, ogres, and even gronn that are several stories tall.

They have never been timid.

Repeating the baptism of war day after day, he gradually transformed from a clueless rookie into an elite veteran who fought on all the battlefields.

Only in this way can one be awarded the rank of non-commissioned officer after the Second Dark Gate War.

But this was just the beginning. Then, in preparation for this day to come, they were also assigned to various areas where demons were rampant, to constantly hone their skills and tactics through the bloodiest battles.

They have fought against Satyrs, Void Trolls, and were even organized to face the ’Hellfire’ specially summoned by human warlocks.

Fifteen years passed in a flash.

After such a long time, most of them have entered middle age, and the youngest is nearly 30 years old. They have their own families and children.

Many kingdoms that could not afford to support so many full-time soldiers would choose to retire these people and send them back to being farmers.

But Duke issued an order to keep these elite warriors, who were already past their peak physical age, in the Dark Gate Guard.

Just for this day.

Because they have the best martial arts and the most mature hearts.

You will not lose your courage in an instant after seeing a huge and terrifying demon, and become a useless person who can be slaughtered and ravaged by the demon.

Duke said solemnly, "Assemble the soldiers. I have something to say."

Half an hour later, in addition to the remaining troops, 50,000 soldiers arrived from a vast position more than ten kilometers long from north to south, forming five huge square formations.

Duke, along with the alliance’s generals (kings) and officers of all ranks, walked up to the platform, looked at the entire army, and took a deep breath.

The weather is getting colder, and the chilly wind blowing on the face makes the nose hurt a little.

But Duke could feel that the soldiers’ hearts were burning, and their burning gazes told it all.

Duke raised his hand and struck it across his chest in a military salute.

Every general officer below followed suit and saluted.

Following the generals’ military salute was the uniform sound of metal striking metal.

On the high platform, Duke took a step forward and looked at the elite alliance in front of him, a team with more than 30% low-level professionals, armed with all kinds of black technology, a truly tiger and wolf army.

In their eyes, Duke saw vigor, pride, and their rising fighting spirit.

There was no manuscript paper, nor was there any need for it. Fifteen years of commanding career had honed Duke’s incredible ability to give speeches without a script.

Standing in front of a silver magic voice-transmitting microphone, Duke’s voice spread throughout the army.

"Everyone - why are we gathered here today in this strange land to prepare for battle? This is not our land, this is not the land where our family and our people live and multiply. Why should we fight for it?"

After a pause, Duke asked himself and answered his own question.

"Let me tell you, this is for the survival of the world!"

"This is not a joke! It’s not something that’s too far away from us!"

"Because we are about to face the largest demon army in the history of this world - the Burning Legion! Once Archimonde, the leader of the Burning Legion, seizes the power of the World Tree on Mount Hyjal behind us, all life in the world will be polluted and destroyed."

At this point, a low commotion was heard from the five huge square formations, but it quickly disappeared.

"Once this happens, no one in the entire world of Azeroth will be able to escape death. Why?"

"There are no more living fish in the seas, rivers, and lakes, only countless rotting corpses."

"Imagine that the crops in the fields will stop growing and turn into monsters that eat people."

"Just imagine that the water in the deep well has turned into green poison."

"You, your relatives, your tribesmen, who else can continue to live?"

"No! Not even one! We’re all going to die!"

"By then, the entire world will be destroyed, and you and your relatives and clansmen will all become rotten and filthy corpses, dying amid the devil’s hideous laughter."

"Tell me - do you want such a future?!"

As Duke’s passionate words fell, there was an overwhelming shouting from below.

"No! We don’t want it!"

Duke waved his fist: "Yes! We don’t want it! We long to continue to survive! We long for the peace of our descendants, and we long for the reproduction of our race! So what should we say to the damn demons with our swords and cannons in our hands?"

"roll!"

"Die! Devil!"

"Go back to where you came from!"

The answers are messy, but they seem more real.

The fifty thousand strong army, like five huge boiling pots, responded to Duke’s speech with noisy and enthusiastic voice.

Duke was excitedly watching the roaring expressions on the faces that were no longer young. He was very satisfied, really satisfied.

The oath-taking ceremony is absolutely necessary. Knowing why we are fighting and who the enemy is will make the soldiers braver and more resolute in their will to fight!

Duke let the soldiers cheer for nearly thirty seconds, and then the next second, he put his hands in the air and made a silent gesture.

It was as if an invisible and extremely huge magic hand blocked the air and prevented the sound from spreading. Every leader and general of the alliance was surprised to find that the soldiers who were still cheering and shouting in the last second were all silent in this second.

All the voices stopped abruptly!

They are not dead things, not the zombies of the Scourge that are used as cannon fodder.

They are the most elite troops in the alliance, and are brave soldiers who have experienced countless battles, both large and small.

If we replace them with a general with lower merit, he will not be able to suppress them at all.

However, in front of Duke, they were well disciplined.

When Duke wanted to speak, he was as docile as a sheep.

right!

This is Duke!

The number one hero of the alliance who led the entire Eastern Kingdom continent alliance countries to win one war after another and saved the four races of humans, high elves, dwarves and gnomes from the crisis of extinction.

Looking at Duke’s face, people naturally think of the great retreat after the fall of Stormwind City, the Battle of the Southshore, the Battle of Paladin Gulf, the Defense of Lordaeron City, the decisive Battle of Blackrock Mountain... to the latest Dalaran Alliance Battle and other glorious victories.

Only Edmund Duke has such exaggerated and impossible to surpass prestige that can subdue these arrogant soldiers and make them from all ethnic groups proud of him and obey his orders.

In front of Duke’s halo of victory, even the Sin’dorei crown worn by Queen Azir and the Kul Tiras crown on Jaina’s head were eclipsed.

But this is not important. The two queens fixed their burning gazes on Duke’s tall and majestic back with blurred eyes.

Duke spoke again.

"Yes! Everyone is right! Azeroth is our home, our homeland! Whoever wants to trample on it must first step over our dead bodies!"

"That’s right! Perhaps we will all die! Maybe even our bodies will be desecrated by the evil Scourge after we die! Our souls may even be imprisoned, and we will become accomplices of evil helplessly."

"But, then! What! Then! What!?"

Duke’s voice suddenly increased by an octave, and he waved his hand.

"We have fought with our own will! We have tried our best! Even at the end of the world, when we face our ancestors, we can proudly declare that we have done our best!"

"So for the future of our children and grandchildren!"

"Go fight!"

"Go roar!"

"With our lives and souls, we will raise our strongest voice against the damned demons!"

Duke raised his right fist with all his strength, pointing it straight to the sky!

"Long live the future!"

"Long live Azeroth!"

Thousands and thousands of arms raised high!

That is a forest of swords!

That’s a mountain of hammers!

That is the unyielding will of billions of creatures in Azeroth!

They completely vented the heat in their chests, allowing thousands of voices to converge into one.

"Long live the future—"

"Long live Azeroth—"

Duke waved his hand and said, "In the name of the Alliance Commander, I declare that the Mount Hyjal Operation has officially begun! All troops, take your positions, and set off!"

The phalanx that had been extremely neat a moment ago began to disband quickly and orderly, and the soldiers, under the command of middle and high-level generals, rushed to their own positions.

The once quiet beachhead was boiling again.

Even though it’s several kilometers away, one can still feel the murderous aura above!

Turalyon and Brian came up to Duke and saluted him.

"Commander-in-chief, do you have any other instructions?" Turalyon asked.

Duke looked out at the undulating beach and sighed softly.

Transporting over a hundred thousand troops across the Endless Sea, along with heavy equipment, was already the limit of what the Alliance could do.

It would be great if we could get all the main players of the alliance here.

Unfortunately, there aren’t that many ifs in the world...

Duke said, "Soldiers without the will to fight cannot face a terrifying existence that is several times stronger than themselves. However, if the will to fight is too strong, all the good men of the Alliance will die in vain. Tell those brats down there that this is only the first battle. I don’t need them all to die here. Follow the rules and retreat when necessary. I have prepared a magic circle near Orgrimmar to send the best troops to the mountainside of Mount Hyjal."

Turalyon punched his chest with one fist, and the gauntlet hit the breastplate with a crisp clanging sound.

"clear!"

Then Turalyon and Brann went down.

Just as they were about to step down from the platform, Duke’s voice floated over from the stage: "Remember to get up the mountain alive, and then find a way to get down alive."

Turalyon and Brian looked at each other and smiled: "Boss, you are really demanding."

"Of course, if we have to fight to the death, the commander here is Mograine."

Waving his hand, Turalyon’s elegant back was imprinted in Duke’s eyes before he left.

Mograine patted Duke on the back in a complaining tone. "Damn it, you make it sound like I’m some idiot who only cares about his life."

Duke did not answer. He looked at Turalyon and then at Mograine, as if thinking about something.

Destiny has changed!