427 Chapter 427: The Peril of Lordaeron Part 1

The strategy of 'dangling the goat and beating the drum' was an old trick played out by the ancestors of China, but for the Horde, it was an absolute novelty. When Grom led his army to attack the theoretically hundred-thousand-strong Lordaeron camp, all he saw was a cavalry unit of less than a thousand men and a few dozen paladins bullying his small troops.

"Chase! Chase quickly!"

On the plains, two legs definitely couldn't outrun four. No matter how Grom glared, he could only watch as the last of the Lordaeron troops disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving the Horde to eat their dust.

In fact, the Lordaeron army that had retreated two days earlier couldn't make it back to Lordaeron City either. The terrain of Tirisfal Glades inherently limited the speed of retreat.

Not to mention, over a hundred thousand troops squeezed onto a forest road that only allowed two carriages to run side by side. No matter how fast they marched, it would take at least a week to reach Lordaeron City.

In this era, there weren't many kings who dared to play with teleportation. King Terenas was almost driven mad.

He had witnessed the orcs' flesh-and-blood siege technique. Two orcs carrying a log dared to charge at the city gate. If left alone, in two or three minutes, your city gate would be wide open.

"Hurry, hurry! My Calia! My Arthas!" Thinking of his wife and children still in Lordaeron City, Terenas' heart was shattered.

Unlike most other kings, Terenas was a typical latecomer. He had Calia at nearly forty, then Arthas. In this era of early marriage and early childbirth, it was not wrong to say he was a latecomer.

He didn't spoil his children excessively, his love for them was no less than any father in the world.

Terenas had already asked Mograine to leave the army and rush back with the Knights of Lordaeron in advance, but he was still afraid it wouldn't be fast enough.

In fact, the day before the vanguard of the Lordaeron army arrived, the Horde had arrived.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! The orcs are attacking!"

Arthas, who was in the palace, was stunned. He lifted his handsome but immature face, looking a bit bewildered at the captain of the royal guard, Morley, who had rushed into the inner palace.

"What?"

Lordaeron had not been without news. In fact, when Alterac City fell two days ago, Duke had sent a magical message at the first time. Duke repeatedly warned that the Horde could arrive within three days, but no one in Lordaeron could come up with a solution.

Moreover, many nobles believed that the Horde could not arrive within three days because it would take at least seven days for humans to reach the Broken Ridge by land.

When King Terenas was not in Lordaeron City, Arthas was in charge. Of course, although the 13-year-old Arthas was quite decisive, due to his age, he was more of a mascot.

At this moment, he completely ignored the nobles below who were waiting for an audience and were now discussing in fear. He stood up abruptly, waved his hand to signal Morley to come forward: "The orcs have arrived?"

"Yes, Your Highness." The captain of the guard quickly replied.

Morley was an experienced old soldier. Terenas had promoted him from the border army to the guard when he was young. As the years passed, he had gradually risen to the rank of captain of the guard. Arthas knew him well. Morley was not a coward. But now, his face was pale and he was trembling.

"They crossed the Alterac Mountains earlier than expected — by the time I'm reporting to you, they should have already marched to the shores of Lake Lordamere."

Arthas quickly passed by the captain of the guard, striding out of the inner palace. He almost ran with his guards through the hall, climbed up the nearest tower's spiral staircase, and went to the nearest balcony.

A melodious piano sound came to his ears. The sound was so soft and pure that it seemed to make all anxieties fly away.

That was the piano sound of Arthas's sister, Calia. This was Calia's piano room. When Arthas, dressed in leather armor, burst in, the maids who were waiting by the piano, and Calia herself, all looked up in surprise, looking a bit bewildered as Arthas and Morley and other guards rushed in.

"Arthas?" Princess Calia asked tentatively.

"Emergency." Arthas waved his hand and quickly walked past them.

Princess Calia immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. She picked up her snow-white long skirt and ran to the balcony with Arthas, then was stunned.

The two siblings were as if struck by lightning, their ears buzzing, unable to hear anything. All irrelevant things in their field of vision were filtered out. They stood still, like marble statues.

From this high east-facing balcony, you could see the most beautiful scenery of Lordaeron.

Nearby was the blue, sparkling, sea-like Lake Lordamere.

In the distance were the endless, undulating Alterac Mountains, like a barrier.

At this moment, these sceneries were still so touching and magnificent. However, on the empty grassland between these sceneries and the white walls of Lordaeron City, there was a mass of green crowd constantly wriggling.

This unnatural green flood was constantly twisting, like locusts eroding the entire grassland, spreading to the lakeshore, as if to fill everything in sight with this green — this was not an illusion, the repeated warnings of Deputy Commander Duke Markus were not alarmist, this time, the Horde had truly arrived.

With a high-spirited killing intent.

With endless destruction.

Arthas heard the screams of the maids behind him, but besides the breathing of his sister who was gripping his arm, he couldn't hear anything else.

"Morley!!" Arthas's roar woke up the knight captain who was now gaping and staring at the distant scene in a daze.

"Your Highness!" Morley quickly lowered his head.

"Ring the alarm bell! Close the city gates immediately! Get all the soldiers on the wall. We have no other way to resist their first wave of attack except to defend the wall." The very decisive Arthas made his decision.

"But, Your Highness, there are still thousands of refugees waiting for inspection outside the east gate..."

Arthas's cheek muscles twitched: "Close the gate directly."

"There are at least three thousand refugees outside!" Morley looked like he was about to cry.

Arthas slapped him: "Idiot! These three thousand people are doomed! If we sacrifice the three hundred thousand people in Lordaeron City to save three thousand people, we are the sinners of Lordaeron! Go! Now!"

The captain of the guard covered his face and quickly left.