Chapter 300: Pressuring the Horde Again

At the command center in Southshore.

Grand Admiral Daelin's face was livid.

It had taken him an entire autumn and winter to replenish the heavily damaged Third Fleet from the previous war. As a result, the Fourth Fleet, which should have been completed earlier, had only 80% of the ships needed for a formal fleet.

Now, in just one day, the entire Third Fleet had been wiped out. Over a hundred warships of various sizes were destroyed, with only eight swift ships barely escaping back to Southshore. The majority of the remaining ships were sunk, while about a dozen mid-sized warships were captured.

The only consolation was that the Third Fleet had dealt a heavy blow to their adversaries.

According to the returned reports, the Bloodsail Fleet had also lost around fifty ships.

This achievement was hardly enough to soothe the turbulent hearts of the people. It was simple - the damned Bloodsail Pirates had defected to the Horde, causing the balance of power to shift. Humanity was no longer the ruler of the seas!

"Damn you, Fariwel!" Daelin smashed a solid wooden table to pieces with a single punch.

Duke was feeling somewhat guilty.

It was because someone had initially provoked the Bloodsail Pirates, leading to a "black-eating-black" situation, which resulted in Duke capturing and killing them, and the subsequent creation of the Stormwind Kingdom fleet.

Duke thought to himself, "If I had known, I would have eradicated them completely!"

But Duke was just daydreaming.

Azeroth was too vast. If Duke wanted to deal with the Bloodsail Pirates, without knowing their spatial coordinates, he would have nowhere to teleport. To the Horde-occupied Stormwind City?

That would be a joke!

Even riding a gryphon, it would take Duke more than a week to cross the entire continent, reaching the southernmost part of Stranglethorn Vale. Then, relying on his somewhat unreliable memory from the game, he would have to find the Bloodsail Pirates' hideout. After that, with little help, he would have to force the remaining three fleets of the Bloodsail Pirates to abandon their lair and move north.

Duke felt a headache just thinking about it.

However, now the Bloodsail Pirates had come to them. If it were only about dealing with them, Duke wouldn't even break a sweat. The problem was that they had mixed with the Horde, which complicated matters.

Lothar asked, "How many fleets do the Bloodsail Pirates have?"

"Three, but their combined strength is about equal to two fleets of Kul Tiras," Duke pondered.

"No, I know Fariwel. He never goes all-in on anything. So he would only bring two fleets at most. The issue is the Horde's new warships." Daelin sobered up from his anger.

Turalyon murmured, "Even if our navy can still suppress the Horde's fleet, but..."

Lothar's face was pale, "We would be powerless to stop the Horde's transport ships."

That was the crux of the matter!

The Horde didn't need complete control of the sea. They only needed to cross the damned ocean to exert their supreme advantage in ground warfare.

Llane asked, "Will the Horde attack Southshore again?"

This wasn't anxiety; rather, it was hope.

Now that Southshore had been fortified by Duke, they were eager for the Horde to foolishly attack again.

Duke shook his head, "I dare say that unless the Horde brings back the deceased Blackhand as Warchief, Orgrim would never do something as brainless as a strong frontal assault."

Changing the subject, Duke said, "However, we can still find a way to force the Horde to attack Southshore once more."

"Really!?" The Alliance leaders were overjoyed.

"I must remind you all, this is not a good thing." Duke said solemnly.

"Why?" Llane asked.

"I plan to hang Blackhand's head and the former Warchief's battle flag at Southshore's harbor. While this will certainly attract the Horde to attack Southshore again, it will also annihilate the last group of orcs who dared to openly oppose the new Warchief, Orgrim."

After a moment of silence, Lothar spoke up: "Let's do it. I've thought about it, and while it will temporarily strengthen the Horde, it will ultimately weaken their war potential."

Everyone suddenly understood.

The orcs who opposed Orgrim might change their minds in the future, but if they were dead now, there would be no future for them. Over the past winter, the orcs must have been focused on family and raising children. Before the new generation of orcs grew up, each orc lost would be a significant blow.

"So, it's settled. We'll force the Horde to attack Southshore. At the same time, we'll see if we can engage the Horde in a naval battle, regaining total control over the seas."

That afternoon, Blackhand's enormous frozen head was placed on the lighthouse at Southshore's harbor, along with the former Warchief's battle flag.

The Kul Tiran fleet intentionally allowed the Horde's scout boats to observe the spectacle, even ignoring subsequent scout ships that returned for confirmation.

Yes! They wanted the orcs to know!

Duke's ruthless move indeed caused significant trouble for Orgrim on the Horde's side.

"This is blasphemy! Blasphemy against the Horde's warriors! Blasphemy against the Horde's honor!"

"Conquer Southshore, kill all humans! Turn their Warchief's head into a chamber pot!"

A large group of medium and small-sized clan chieftains clamored around Orgrim.

Their clamor greatly annoyed Orgrim.

This was the result of Orgrim's insufficient prestige.

"Do you want the Horde's warriors to forcibly break through the humans' strongest defenses?! Sacrificing our warriors in vain?" Orgrim cursed.

"Orcs are unbeatable in battle!"

"The weak human defenses can't possibly stop our battleaxes!"

These were merely attempts at a morale victory!

"Warchief! As long as we withstand the humans' warships, the Horde's warriors are invincible."

This guy was still somewhat reasonable.

"Warchief, would you rather trust the dead humans and the traitorous human pirates than trust the warriors of the Horde?"

A chieftain mentioned the Death Knights and the treacherous Bloodsail Buccaneers, causing Orgrim's eyelid to twitch.

In an instant, Orgrim felt the urge to smash that chieftain's head with his hammer.

The defeat at Southshore did have a reconnaissance element, but seeking cooperation with multiple races was not because the former Warchief Blackhand had squandered resources. If Orgrim had enough elite forces at his disposal, he would never have accepted the Death Knights' involvement.

Orgrim was extremely frustrated.

"Fine! All chieftains willing to attack Southshore, step forward. The Horde's new fleet will clear the way for you."

In a moment, over a dozen medium and small-sized clan chieftains stepped forward. The sheer number almost drove Orgrim mad.

At that moment, the Dragonmaw clan chieftain Zuluhed caught Orgrim's eye. Then, as Orgrim looked toward Grommash Hellscream, Grom gave him a nod.

"Very well! As you wish! Our plan will be as follows..." .