Chapter 361: The Failed Night Raid

"Trolls! Freshly caught, lively trolls!"

"Step into the ring and fight them barehanded, they'll tear you apart!"

"Silver scale chestplate, five gold a piece."

The army's camp was bustling. Soldiers from Stormwind, who had never seen a troll before, were eager to see the captured trolls.

In the camp, there was a bit of everything. Windsor, not liking the spectacle, gave the rowdy soldiers a good scolding.

As more trolls were captured, many soldiers who had lived their entire lives in the relatively peaceful Elwynn Forest saw a troll for the first time.

A veteran who had been through at least five major battles, now a lieutenant in the Alliance, cut off a finger of a bound troll with a dagger. He then fed the troll a piece of meat, pointed to the finger that was already regenerating, and loudly explained.

"See this? This is your new enemy, the troll!" The lieutenant grabbed the hair of the troll who was trying to bite him, making sure every soldier who came to observe the troll saw clearly.

"Our ancestors have been fighting these creatures for generations. You've been lucky, growing up in a relatively peaceful environment. But Stormwind has fallen, and the orcs who invaded our homeland have joined forces with the trolls who once fought our ancestors. They're all part of the Horde now. Green skin on top of green skin, none of them are good news. But that's not important, what's important is that you understand your enemy's weaknesses."

The lieutenant demonstrated by slitting the troll's throat.

"Wow," almost everyone thought the troll was done for.

But even though it was coughing up blood, even though it looked miserable, everyone was shocked to see that the troll's throat was healing itself. The bleeding lessened, and in the end, it even had the strength to curse in the troll language.

This miraculous scene scared quite a few people.

"By the Light, are these evil creatures immortal?" a soldier asked, trembling.

"Don't be foolish, there's no such thing as an unkillable creature. If you can't kill it, it's because you haven't found the right method." With that, the lieutenant stabbed the troll in the heart. In the following ten seconds, the troll struggled violently, and then, finally, its legs stiffened, and it died.

"Oh," the soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Trolls are hard to kill, not truly immortal! Piercing their hearts will kill them, as will decapitating them. Because of their strong regenerative abilities, unless you can ensure your own safety and keep your weapon in their heart for more than ten seconds, I strongly recommend you aim for their heads. Pierce their brains with a gun, or cut it off with a sword. Clean and efficient, leaving no trouble."

This was the scene of fervent activity.

Alleria followed Duke as he inspected the camp. Wherever Duke went, he was greeted with cheers.

"Lord Marcus, you promised to take us back this time!"

"When will Lord Marcus beat the orcs?"

Alleria was surprised: "I've never seen an army with such peculiar morale."

Duke turned his head: "Why is it peculiar?"

"Because of my request, they are now pursuing over a hundred thousand Horde with just thirty thousand men! It's likely to end in annihilation, why isn't anyone afraid or despairing?"

Alleria bit her lip. After the initial madness of doing anything for Quel'Thalas, she began to increasingly understand Duke's difficulties, and the courage and determination it took to send thirty thousand elite troops to pursue the Horde. Alleria felt very guilty.

Duke naturally put his arm around Alleria's shoulder, pointing to the soldiers who were enthusiastically practicing and attending lectures.

"Do you know why no one is afraid? Because the scene before them gives the soldiers of Stormwind a strange sense of familiarity. They feel like they're back on the path to victory."

"Path to victory?" Alleria didn't notice how close her face was to Duke's.

"Yes. I first prepare them mentally, and then when they face an enemy they understand very well, they won't have any fear."

That's right! The unknown is always frightening.

Once they fully understand everything about the enemy, any cruelty or terror will just become a topic of casual conversation, not a heavy psychological burden.

Duke had once used naga as instructors to train batch after batch of Stormwind soldiers. Time and again, Duke's wisdom and foresight were proven.

"Lord Marcus is our god of prophecy."

"He will always lead us to victory."

"Well, anyway, a commander who can toy with the enemy's leader is always more reassuring than having an idiot leading us."

In Alleria's long ears, all she heard was the near-deification of Duke, the worship and trust. For some reason, Alleria felt sweet in her heart.

Was it her initial curiosity that had given birth to a legend?

Or was it fate?

Thinking of the hardships she had suffered for Duke, and the sacrifices Duke was now making for her, how would she face Duke once her homeland was safe?

For a moment, Alleria's mind was in turmoil.

Just then, Duke playfully blew a breath of air near Alleria's long ears.

"Ah!?" Realizing that Duke was teasing her, Alleria wanted to bite him. If it weren't for the many people watching, Alleria swore she would teach Duke a lesson.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm wondering when this damned war will end."

"Within this year," Duke said with absolute certainty. "After the Battle of Quel'Thalas, I'll tell you my deduction."

Deduction, always deduction.

Even though it was just a judgment based on intelligence, Alleria felt as if she was following a god of fate into battle. She felt incredibly reassured and at ease.

"Alright, I believe you."

When Duke easily broke the siege of the troll scouts and the pressure they were subtly creating, everyone felt that the trolls weren't that big of a deal after all.

That day, Duke's army marched a full 80 kilometers.

Even though this was their own territory in Lordaeron, and even though the roads here were easy to travel, it was still an incredible feat.

When Orgrim learned that Duke's forces were only 50 kilometers away from his own, he nearly ground his teeth to dust.

That night, Orgrim organized a fierce counterattack.

He planned to have the Horde's forces pour out in full force to get rid of Duke's tail first.

However, when the Horde had run twenty kilometers, they found the hills full of red lights. A bunch of strange metal humanoid objects were shouting, "Help, Orgrim is raiding at night!"