"An empire that can rapidly deploy its army without the need for endless meetings and bickering, bypassing those meaningless steps... truly being able to send troops wherever they are needed—this is the only way to minimize harm to the greatest extent."
"What a single race can achieve is limited, but there is much that all races united can accomplish. Being able to avoid weaknesses and play to strengths to compensate for one another—this is not simple cooperation, but a wholehearted effort without reservation."
"The Burning Legion is powerful because they are a single entity. Demons are also divided into many races, so why can they be integrated together? It is because Sargeras is powerful enough. With him as the ultimate anchor, the other demon races can cooperate with each other to form the confidence they have today to invade anytime, anywhere. This is why I want to establish a new empire."
Arthas looked at the distant undead front, where the tireless undead had already constructed an ugly yet solid defensive line.
"The war against the Burning Legion must be extended to other worlds so that it does not take place on our home soil. Every war that occurs at home shatters our world, and even every victory ends in a pyrrhic one."
What has the Burning Legion sacrificed? Nothing more than the deaths of some demons. As long as their home base exists, there will be a steady stream of demons appearing; they haven't lost much."
This was already speaking to the essence of war: war should not be a bottomless pit of consumption, but rather a means of making a profit.
Military affairs are a continuation of politics? That saying does not apply here. This is a war for racial survival, where no politics can make sense. Politics can be discussed, but if the other side wants to destroy the planet and exterminate all native life, that is both their goal and the inevitable result.
But the problem is that they simply want to destroy Azeroth; they won't talk to you at all, nor do they need to. What does the strong need to discuss with the weak? Civilization? Civilization is about whose fist is bigger; the stronger you are, the more others will say that this is true civilization.
Kaelthas did not understand these things, nor had he participated in the Battle of Mount Hyjal, though he had fought against the remnants of the Burning Legion's demons. He felt quite a bit of resentment toward the Burning Legion in his heart. If it hadn't been for the Burning Legion's invasion and their dispatching of The Scourge to destroy the Sunwell, how would the High Elves have been renamed the Blood Elves? They would not be living these displaced lives.
"What you say makes sense. The Blood Elves can also formally join your empire. I hope you can treat them well. They don't need preferential treatment, just don't mistreat them; they only want to live."
"You can rest assured on that point. No matter which race it is, I treat everyone equally, without favoritism or harshness."
"Since they have joined the empire, they are a part of the empire and my subjects. Allowing them to live and continue their civilization is the most urgent matter."
Arthas was not surprised by the Blood Elves' surrender, because they were almost unable to survive any longer. The targeted plan had already begun; the lack of food and clothing, combined with the worsening environment—places polluted by demons contained Fel Energy that corrupted the mind, and living there for long would lead to demonization, becoming bloodthirsty and cruel.
The crisis QuelThalas faced this time involved many more persecuted areas, which they could not resolve on their own. The Scourge, the Zul'Aman trolls, and the Wretched Blood Elf clansmen—there were far too many threats.
Either cling to proud dignity and die together, or set aside that dignity and become a part of the empire; there were only these two paths.
Following Kaelthas's method of leaving to find a new path—that kind of thing is fine for fooling fools, as fools are meant to be fooled. But don't fool yourself; fooling yourself is seeking your own death.
Kaelthas's perpetually tense expression relaxed quite a bit, his proud posture became subdued, and his straight back slumped. After saying those words, it was as if his spirit had vanished.
He had made a decision that went against his ancestors. His ancestors had founded the Kingdom of QuelThalas, and in his hands, it was personally consigned to the dust of history. This psychological burden was very heavy and required him to find his own peace. Once he cleared his own mind and had no moral burden, he naturally wouldn't feel any more sadness.
"However, I don't plan to join. I still hope to go out and travel; I hope you can understand."
Kaelthas had his home taken from him, so he was certainly not very happy. It would be truly haunting if he could manage a smile; if his father in the Shadowlands knew, he probably wouldn't be able to resist being angered back to life.
"No problem."
"Alright, you can take your time to consider this matter. What we need to do now is think about how to clear out the undead. Anyone belonging to The Scourge must be destroyed, leaving none behind. If there are undead who have regained their free will and are willing to join us, they are also welcome."
As Arthas was speaking, a commotion broke out at the fortress established along the distant undead front. Even though they were over a hundred miles away with swirling snowflakes in between, he could still clearly see what was happening over there.
Two groups of undead were fighting. One side consisted of Death Knights in black armor, while the other was a main force of undead primarily composed of Ghouls and Abominations. The battle between the two sides was exceptionally crude and bloody. Both were undead and unafraid of death; if a bone was broken, they would find another to put back in. They were very much like robots, all used for assembly and construction.
"Wait, the undead seem to be fighting among themselves. Have you discovered any undead around here recently who have regained their free will from Nerzhul's control?"
Arthas was all too familiar with this. He had never been a Death Knight himself, but Death Knights were the new freedom fighters, different from the Forsaken. Death Knights existed in both the Alliance and the Horde and had nothing to do with the Forsaken, existing as independent individuals.
Illidan nodded. He was not qualified to command the Alliance army. The vanguard was led by Fordring—couldn't he defeat the Lich King? Then let him be used to deal with Nerzhul; they were both Lich Kings, so it didn't matter.
"Yes, some Death Knights have already regained their senses. It's said that the Lich King's control has weakened, and powerful Death Knights can break free from these shackles. They contacted other Death Knights to establish an organization called The Ashen Blade, and the two commanders of this organization are old acquaintances of yours from Lordaeron."
Since he didn't need to command the army or be responsible for camp affairs, he was naturally much more at leisure and had time to explore Northrend. This kind of thing was essential gossip, so he had learned about some of the internal changes within the undead. It seemed that not all undead were willing to obey the Lich King.
To be honest, even if they regained their free will, they were still essentially corpses. Falling in love with a corpse is not allowed; that should be called the crime of desecrating a corpse.
Living beings instinctively dislike dealing with corpses; even relatives find it hard to accept. Moreover, corpses rot and stink, a situation that is unavoidable unless one spends a great deal of money on maintenance using alchemy.
"What old acquaintances?"
Arthas became interested; he really wanted to know who these Death Knights were.
Fordring felt a bit embarrassed, as this was something he was ashamed to speak of. As a Paladin, having a Death Knight for a son was simply a desecration of the Holy Light!
Dathrohan, who was with the army, had no such reservations and blurted out the matter bluntly.
It turned out that The Ashen Blade had already existed in secret. They had contacted companions whose free will had awakened, waiting for an opportunity to rebel. Nerzhul was the Lich King after all; although he was no longer under the Burning Legion's surveillance, his mental strength had been greatly weakened by their hidden measures.
Additionally, Illidan had used the eye of sargeras to perform long-distance spell attacks, cracking the soul-ice that imprisoned the Lich King Nerzhul and causing energy to leak. His mental strength declined further, and many undead gained free will. Previously, they had just been suppressed; they knew what they were doing but were controlled into slaughtering their own families and friends.
What could be more painful than watching helplessly as you were controlled to kill your parents, siblings, children, and mate—your closest kin?
It could be said that not a single undead did not hate the Lich King, wishing they could charge up to Icecrown Citadel right now to destroy Nerzhul.
However, the timing was not right. After contracting his forces, he recalled the lich KelThuzad to be responsible for the defensive lines, making it almost impossible to find an opportunity.
The good news was that KelThuzad's strength was not that great, having barely become an Archmage. If he could have been resurrected using an Arcane source like the Sunwell, his strength would surely have increased further. Unfortunately, that opportunity was gone. The disadvantage of the undead is that their strength is fixed; they will not become stronger, nor do they have a way to become stronger. Their strength after death cannot be higher than it was during life.
Therefore, assassinating KelThuzad was not a difficult task. What was difficult was how to defeat the undead army entrenched in the Icecrown Glacier; their numbers were too vast for The Ashen Blade to handle alone.
Learning that the Alliance had dispatched an army to attack The Scourge, this intelligence gave The Ashen Blade an idea.
The ones leading them were none other than Fordring's son, Taelan, and Old Mograine's son, the younger Mograine, Darion.
The wills of these two were the most steadfast, and they were among the first batch of undead to awaken their free will. They had previously secretly contacted Fordring, who was one of the commanders; the father and son had almost come to blows when they first met.
After experiencing the incident of helping an orc and being betrayed by his subordinates, Fordring had been reinstated by Arthas. His current mindset was completely different; after a brief conversation, he believed his son. Furthermore, after Taelan betrayed The Scourge's plans, leading to The Scourge suffering heavy losses under the Alliance army's encirclement and losing territory outside the Icecrown Glacier, it could be considered a pledge of loyalty that earned them trust.
Upon learning that Arthas was about to arrive, Taelan and Darion consulted with each other and decided to take the initiative to strike and capture The Scourge's first line of defense. This would allow the Alliance army to enter and formally launch an attack on the Frozen Throne.
Unlike other places, if one did not take the tunnels excavated by the underground Nerubian kingdom, entering the Icecrown Glacier from the surface could only be done through a narrow canyon.
KelThuzad had dispatched an elite undead army to guard this place, not entrusting it to any general's command; he controlled them all personally. This was to ensure that information would not be leaked and that no rebellion would occur, as the awakening of free will among the undead was no secret.
To be safe, personal command was best. Undead were not physically strong, but they had a great advantage mentally. Although it couldn't reach across oceans to transmit information, within the Icecrown Glacier, KelThuzad, as a lich, could remotely command the army without any obstacles.
Now, The Ashen Blade used magic crystals to block the mental signals. Taking advantage of this time, they launched a surprise attack on the army loyal to the Lich King to ensure they could take the fortress in one battle.
As long as they took this fortress, the entire defensive line would collapse on its own. At that time, the Alliance army could drive straight in. No strategic point in the entire Icecrown Glacier would be able to hold them back, and the Frozen Throne, their home base, would be exposed to the blades of the Alliance army.
At that point, whether it was a frontal assault or a magical bombardment, it would be much more convenient. At least they wouldn't need to cross endless mountain ranges and exhaust a huge amount of energy midway; such an attack would only become a small spark by the time it reached the Frozen Throne, which a single snowflake could extinguish!
"Since it is help from an ally, Fordring, you lead a thousand men to assist. Mekkatorque, take your mechanical devices to help. If you perform well, I will have the treasury provide more resources for your research. Marin, take the Goblin army with you; this is the moment to showcase the Goblin art of explosion. Similarly, if you perform excellently, I will have the treasury grant you more resources."
"Alright then, Your Majesty, the loyal Goblin engineers will not disappoint you. Goblin products are absolutely the blast of blasts!"
Marin, the green-skinned Goblin, patted his chest in guarantee. This Goblin, who had not yet made his fortune, had been driven out of Steamwheedle Town under Onyxia's schemes and had joined Lordaeron as a citizen by a stroke of luck.
Goblins are natural-born inventors, and their favorite thing to do is make things explode! Anything can be an explosive, especially in terms of weaponry, where they have taken explosions to the extreme.
And their production volume is large, but it is also unstable. This requires a bit of luck; if luck is on their side, they can blow up the enemy, but if luck is poor, they injure themselves before even touching the enemy.
Recruiting Goblins was for engineering research. Although Arcane Golems were useful, they still couldn't compare to the durability of Engineering Golems. Furthermore, the price was low to a hair-raising degree, yet the effects were not much different. For the Black Dragon Princess, who was obsessed with money, the cunning Goblins wouldn't dream of earning an extra gold coin from her! Not even a copper!
Goblins are good, but they are a bit greedy and treacherous; they would tie up their own mothers and sell them for gold coins. Over time, they would inevitably become a bit lazy, so introducing the Gnome race, who also specialized in mechanical inventions, was to put pressure on them.
A unilateral monopoly on command breeds corruption and laziness, leading to a lack of progress and living off past achievements. This was not what the empire wished to see, so putting Gnomes into the mix as a 'catfish' could effectively activate a competitive atmosphere, helping to improve efficiency and create more useful mechanical inventions.
Gnomes and Goblins were naturally at odds; both sides believed they were the ones best suited for mechanical work. Those in the same trade are natural enemies and rivals.
Before the two could start being at each other's throats, Arthas waved his hand and dismissed them to go and prepare.
Truth can only be tested in war; who is bragging and who is actually getting things done will be clear at a glance.
"As you command."
Fordring also hurriedly bowed and went down to assemble his soldiers. He was also concerned about his son. His son had already died once; if he died again as an undead, it was hard to say if he could be resurrected.
Undead or not, others might not accept it, but he, Fordring, would accept it and was willing to accept the fact that his son had returned from the dead.
Illidan perceived that this was a good opportunity. Although he did not like the undead, he had to admit that they were natural-born beasts of burden; he needed to recruit a batch of undead troops!