Upon hearing the naval battle report, Arthas's expression was indescribably strange.
Initially just a casual mention, he hadn't expected Daelin to take it seriously.
Mentioning it was one thing, whether the other party acted on it was up to them, just a reminder out of respect for his future father-in-law.
Little did he expect Daelin's execution to be so flawless; in the storyline, Daelin was fiercely attacked by three red dragons, burning his son to death on the spot.
Yet now, he miraculously survived and even forced the orcs to change their landing location.
Due to the abundance of sea mines, Orgrim had no choice but to order a land assault instead.
"Where are we?" Orgrim gazed at the mountainous highlands surrounding him, a far cry from the expected landing site.
"Warchief, we should be at the Fadir Bay; from here, we can reach the human kingdom of Stromgarde Keep in a day," Gul'dan sinisterly remarked beside him.
Originally slated for execution, Orgrim spared this traitorous orc who had entangled the orcs, considering the Horde's lack of means to deal with mages and priests.
Once the war ended, he would personally end the traitor's life; such dangerous elements could not be left alive!
"Advance, march north!" Orgrim didn't dwell much on it; now was the perfect time for an attack.
His plan was to engage in a decisive battle with the Alliance forces on the plains. If they could crush the enemy's front line, that would be ideal.
If not, he would collaborate with the forest trolls, rescue their leader Zul'jin, then circle to the north to attack the so-called elven resource plunder, and finally turn back to ambush the Kingdom of Lordaeron before the Alliance could react, directly eliminating the most powerful kingdom!
Orgrim's strategic vision was undeniably unique, even among orcs. Most orcs were more brawn than brain, lacking strategic foresight and even basic education.
At the Blade's Edge Mountains Alliance headquarters, Stromgarde Keep's King Thoras received the news and couldn't sit still. "The orcs have landed at Fadir Bay; we must reinforce Stromgarde Keep, as there are not many troops there."
Commander Lothar, after analyzing the intelligence, agreed, "We must leave a portion of our troops here to defend; orcs could still potentially raid Southshore."
"We'll stay; we are more familiar with this area," Alterac's King Perenolde eagerly volunteered, always a timid and fearful king.
Participating in Alliance operations would deplete his already scarce soldiers, leaving his kingdom vulnerable to annexation by others.
"Agreed, Your Majesty. If Southshore is attacked, you must hold it until the Alliance reinforcements arrive," Lothar added, realizing it was not the time to argue over such matters.
"Understood," Perenolde readily agreed, secretly relieved as long as his soldiers were not depleted. In case of real conflict, he vowed to retreat at the first sign of danger, leaving the rest to fate.
"Let's move out immediately to support Stromgarde Keep; all forces, attack!" Lothar decisively issued the command, showing that abandoning soldiers to their fate was out of the question; the Alliance must be upheld.
At Stromgarde Keep, a small number of soldiers under Prince's leadership were struggling to resist the orc army's onslaught.
Civilians outside the city who couldn't retreat in time had been slaughtered, their bodies gruesomely mutilated, even children not spared.
The defenders on the walls, witnessing their loved ones among the casualties, were filled with anguish.
"For the fallen civilians, charge!" the captain of the defenders roared, rallying his troops.
Behind them, orc soldiers charged towards Stromgarde Keep amid the pounding war drums, with the few remaining catapults hurling stone projectiles the size of millstones.
These projectiles occasionally struck the defenders on the walls who couldn't dodge in time, causing carnage; magic was of little use against the metallic storm.
"Warchief, beyond Stromgarde Keep is Dunholme Manor, our leader is there," an excited forest troll with green skin exclaimed, eager to bypass the city in front of them to rescue their leader.
"I know, my soldiers will resolve the battle soon," Orgrim planned to have dragon riders assist, although the Dragonmaw clan had not captured many red dragons yet, the mere sight of a fleet turning back due to dragon presence made him believe in the dragons' immense intimidation on humans.
The battle reached a stalemate, with Stromgarde Keep's soldiers gradually being overwhelmed, most forces concentrated on defending Southshore.
However, with no retreat available, not a single defender surrendered; faced with death on both sides, they chose to die fighting.
With a deafening crash, the city gate shattered, causing turmoil among Stromgarde Keep's defenders, the houses filled with terrified civilians trembling in fear.
It felt like the end of days, with only death awaiting them.
"Attack!" the distant sound of horns signaled the arrival of a large group of Alliance cavalry charging towards them, the dust cloud obscuring their numbers, clad in heavy armor, wielding sharp spears, and cold, deathly gazes akin to reapers.
"Stand firm!" Orgrim snorted, "Grom, go stop them!"
Grom, an orc muscular to the point of explosion, led his clan to intercept the cavalry.
If Arthas were here, he would surely recognize him; wasn't this the Hell scream that slayed the demigod Cenarius with an axe?
The warrior's faith! Blocking charging cavalry with infantry was sheer madness; once hit by the high mobility of fast-approaching cavalry, even orcs would be sent flying.
The two torrents of steel collided fiercely. Hundreds of ORCs in the front row were pierced by spears and flew up in one shot, and the cavalry crashed into the back row with unabated force.
His bravery inspired the Orc's rage, and he would fall into rage after drinking the blood of demons.
At that moment, he forgot about fear and life and death, and slashed at the cavalry. Even if he died, he would cut off a piece of the enemy's flesh!