Reforged Chapter 76: The Dark Portal – Part Three

Duke had asked himself countless times: why, despite having elite soldiers trained by Lothar, could Stormwind not hold its ground? Was it because Lothar had been forced to launch a surprise attack on Karazhan at a critical moment? Or was there some other reason?

After spending so much time in the world of Azeroth, Duke finally understood one truth: the failure was inevitable because the seven human kingdoms all practiced an incredibly flawed system of feudalism.

Unlike any centralized form of government, the backward feudal system had its inevitability. In this age of terrible transportation, concentrating forces in one place and gathering food and supplies from all around was simply a pipe dream.

Just transporting the food would be enough for the poor roads and the damp, rainy weather to spoil half of it. To avoid excessive loss of food, the kingdoms would often arrange their forces in various regions, allowing each noble to support their troops independently.

The king had the power to command a noble when and where to dispatch troops, and roughly what equipment they needed, based on their rank. However, the king could not order a specific action from a knight under a noble's command.

This was the so-called "a king's vassal's vassal is not the king's vassal."

While the king indeed had the power to command the nobles, the nobles could also influence the king's decisions based on the forces they controlled.

The Orc invasion spread like a plague across the Eastern Kingdoms of Azeroth.

From the moment some nobles insisted on more information before taking action, the situation spiraled downward like a train speeding towards hell.

Three days later, all that the Stormwind Kingdom's high-ranking officials knew of the Orcs was the incredibly muscular corpse brought back by a gryphon.

Besides that, they had no information on the Orcs' abilities, their combat strength, their numbers, or their target.

However, the nobles still pressured the frontlines to send back more 'accurate' information, refusing to commit troops, funds, or efforts to a seemingly phantom invasion. They refused to put the entire kingdom on a war footing.

Endless bickering with the nobles at Stormwind Fortress left both Llane Wrynn and Anduin Lothar physically and mentally exhausted.

It wasn't until the Orcs captured all the watchtowers near the junction connecting Elwynn Forest and Redridge Mountains that the nobles finally panicked.

This development not only meant that Stormwind lost contact and control over its eastern territory of Redridge Mountains, but also that once the Orcs broke through the Redridge region, they could enter the wealthiest area of the entire Stormwind Kingdom—Elwynn Forest.

Compared to the treacherous Redridge Mountains, the plains of Elwynn Forest were truly defenseless.

In the tens of thousands of square kilometers of Elwynn Forest, there were more than a hundred human settlements. If the Orcs wished, they could completely bypass the defenses of each town, first isolating and surrounding them before wiping them out one by one.

These settlements were the fiefs of the various Stormwind nobles, both big and small, and the core of their interests.

.

"We cannot allow those damned beasts to invade the kingdom!"

"Indeed! We will fight to the last man to defend our home."

"For Stormwind, for Azeroth! Battle—"

Previously slow to react, the nobles suddenly reached a consensus within an hour, unanimously urging King Llane Wrynn to organize a defensive battle at the entrance to Redridge Mountains from Elwynn Forest, using the treacherous mountain passes to halt the orcs' advance.

Having finally dismissed the great nobles, Llane slumped onto his throne, weakly asking Anduin. In this vast, empty courtyard, only he and Lothar, his confidant, remained.

"What do you think of this defensive battle?"

"Your Majesty, I'm not optimistic. Our intelligence suggests that these massive green beasts are highly skilled at fighting in the mountains. I don't think we can stop them just by relying on our terrain."

"So, what should we do? Let them invade Elwynn Forest and destroy the heart of the kingdom? Damn it, if only Medivh were here... Blast! Why do I always forget that he's likely the cause of all this?" Llane lamented, covering his face in pain.

"Actually... I think we should ask Duke's opinion. After all, the news from the front lines is that troops trained by the naga performed significantly better than other units," Lothar quietly suggested.

"He may have some clever ideas, but he's too young and of too low status. Moreover, the great nobles wouldn't tolerate being bossed around by a mere whelp."

"Alas!" As preparations for war continued, Anduin grew increasingly fond of Duke.

Soldiers and horses hadn't yet arrived, but the provisions were already on their way.

Warfare always required logistics, and to gather the food needed for the army, Llane had no choice but to order Stormwind's food supply to be relocated to the front lines near the Redridge Mountains.

However, the spring rain in March made the transportation of food incredibly difficult. From Stormwind south to Goldshire, Duke's road construction made transportation smooth. But the road from Goldshire east to the entrance of the Redridge Mountains was so terrible that it made Lothar curse.

The muddy dirt roads nearly paralyzed the entire transportation plan. Large quantities of food, weapons, and various supplies were piling up in Goldshire, unable to be transported.

"Why is the road from Stormwind to Goldshire so good, but the rest so terrible!?" At the Lion's Pride Inn in Goldshire, now serving as Lothar's temporary command post, he slammed his fist on the table, cursing as he stared at the map.

At that moment, an officer quietly said, "Sir Marcus originally offered to fund the construction of a cobblestone road from Stormwind all the way to the Redridge Mountains, replacing all the dirt roads. However, only Lord Bolvar Fordragon agreed among the nobles, so only the section from Stormwind to Goldshire was built."

Both King Llane and Anduin were left speechless, but deep down, they couldn't help but wonder if Duke had anticipated even this.

Impossible!

On April 1st of the year later known as the Dark Portal's inception.

Despite the harsh conditions, the Kingdom of Stormwind managed to assemble ten thousand troops and nearly six thousand noble private soldiers to form a coalition, stationed at the entrance to the Redridge Mountains.

Looking down from the already imposing Redridge Mountains, one would first see the barren, red, treeless hills, followed by the vast green forest stretching into the distance, like an endlessly expanding backdrop painting, making everything else seem insignificant in its presence.

The Redridge Mountain range was massive, but unfortunately, this V-shaped twin peak located at the westernmost part of the Redridge region seemed insignificant and helpless in front of the more expansive and vast Elwynn Forest, like a lonely island amidst an endless sea.

...