Duel
In reality, the most important factor for a successful plan was good leadership.
No matter how much preparation or how big of an army one had, without proper leadership and chain of command its loss would be imminent if not guaranteed.
What was the point of fixing the gate if the orcs would later decide to just charge out to the enemy like before. Hence, there was no point in defending the fort with only the companions Tristan had right now. With the measly number of people he had, it was akin to throwing a small pebble into the vast ocean.
Thus, when the female orc gave him the idea, Tristan confidently accepted it.
Right after, the situation quickly escalated. The orcs in the surroundings were fired up while the warchief who stood a few meters from Tristan eyed him with an intense gaze.
Tristan knew what one had to do when they challenged the leadership of an orc. It has nothing to do with democracy, It was all decided by the fists.