Gale smiled, as if not bothered by Odyn's tone. "Our mortals' army isn't as convenient as the Valarjar. Mobilizing this many soldiers is already our limit."
Odyn was somewhat displeased, but he knew Gale wasn't his subordinate, so he refrained from saying too much.
"Then let's depart quickly! We need to reach Ulduar as soon as possible and defeat Loken."
Gale smiled again. "I'm afraid I'll disappoint you. My army needs to establish supply lines first. Otherwise, let alone fighting, it would be difficult to survive in this snow."
Odyn frowned, even more displeased: "mortals are simply too limited."
He was even more grateful that he had formed the Valarjar. The Valarjar did not require supplies, did not need to consider environmental factors, and could join battle anytime, anywhere. They were simply the best taxi soldiers in this world.
Odyn temporarily suppressed his impatience and allowed Gale to make preparations.
Gale also worked with maximum speed, transporting a large amount of supplies from Nordrassil. He dispatched Draksa as the vanguard, transporting supplies along the river to a transit station. The transit station was built at the location of the Light's Hope Chapel in the game. From there, going west through the valley was the Dwarf stronghold from the Warcraft 3 storyline.
As long as these two places were occupied, the safety of the Dragonblight supply line could be guaranteed.
Gale could also choose to advance to Dragonblight first, and then take the road north. However, this route required crossing a long stretch of snowfield, abandoning the advantage of water transport, and would also touch Odyn's sensitive nerves.
At the mountain pass near Light's Hope Chapel, Gale built the Eastmouth Camp, and at the mountain pass near the Dwarf stronghold, he built the West Pass Camp. The road between the two camps would be very safe. Only an aerial attack would disrupt this route.
A simple dock was built on the river side of the Eastmouth Camp to receive goods.
Odyn watched Gale spend a lot of time building camps at each location, feeling he was wasting time.
Several times he discussed this with Gale, but Gale always fended him off, citing the needs of the advance. After an unpleasant parting, Odyn shook off Gale and led the Valarjar towards Ulduar himself.
The Empire's generals were very dissatisfied with Odyn's actions, but Gale did not take it to heart. Although the Valarjar were strong, they could not replenish their forces. As long as Loken continued to wear him down, the Valarjar would quickly suffer massive casualties.
At that time, Odyn would undoubtedly be defeated. There would be no other way but to seek assistance from Gale.
By then, it would not be as simple as sending Helya to negotiate.
Gale remained unhurried, continuing to deploy according to his strategy.
During this time, other friends also came to assist.
Stone Giants, Tauren, Drogbar, Bearman, and Earth Spirits all sent troops or artisans, only the humans, due to the long journey, merely sent a few representatives.
Only after more than a thousand people had gathered at the West Pass Camp did Gale set out again.
On the opposite bank of the Eastmouth Camp, a squad of Drakkari Trolls was watching the bustling transport fleet.
"Did you see clearly?" the Dakari Chieftain asked in a deep voice.
The Witch Doctor stopped his spell. "I saw clearly, they are indeed Dark Trolls."
The Dakari Chieftain's face was like frost. "The previous humiliation has not yet been washed away, and these Dark Trolls have actually come knocking on our door."
The Witch Doctor wanted to remind the Chieftain that the riverbank was not the traditional territory of the Drakkari Trolls. However, thinking about the war two hundred years ago, the Drakkari Trolls suffered heavy losses and were defeated disgracefully.
The entire Drakkari Tribe harbored this hatred. Now that the Kaldorei had reappeared and amassed troops on the border, if they didn't fight back, wouldn't it make the Chieftain seem incompetent?
"Chieftain, the Dark Trolls are cunning. This time, we must be fully prepared for the attack."
After some thought, the Witch Doctor suggested: "Two hundred years ago, Mammoth Loa Matus's kin were slaughtered by the Dark Trolls. I think he should also want revenge. And there's the Frostmane Clan; they now worship Akkari, and both can play a role in this battle."
The Chieftain nodded in satisfaction. "Good, immediately send for aid from Mammoth Loa Matus and the Frostmane Clan, and have them come as soon as possible."
The Witch Doctor took his leave.
The Chieftain looked up towards the opposite bank of the river. "The time for revenge has come!"
Half a month later.
Draksa stood idly on the dock. He didn't quite understand why Gale wanted him to stay and guard the Eastmouth Camp. He knew that the north was Drakkari Troll territory, but the Drakkari Trolls had been crippled two hundred years ago, losing not only a hundred thousand combatants but also four loa.
To this day, the souls of those four loa are still bound to the devourer of gods!
He obviously overlooked that Trolls are a race of mortals, capable of producing a generation every twenty years, and two hundred years is enough for ten generations. Even if a pair of Troll spouses doubled the population each generation, ten generations would result in a 1024-fold increase. Even if the Trolls lived in harsh conditions and only one in ten survived, that would still be a 102.4-fold increase.
If the initial number was ten thousand, the Drakkari Troll population would now be over a million.
In reality, the number of Drakkari Trolls was far greater than a million. However, when the Well of Eternity exploded, most of the Drakkari Troll territory sank into the sea, causing the Drakkari population to lose more than half.
Even so, the Drakkari Trolls still had a population exceeding five hundred thousand, which was five times the current population of the Kaldorei Empire.
The Eastmouth Camp was defended by only a little over a hundred people, while the Dakari Chieftain had gathered thirty thousand soldiers and two loa. The vast disparity in military strength made the Dakari Chieftain supremely confident; he didn't even bother to hide as he led his large army directly from the north towards the Eastmouth Camp.
"Enemy attack!"
The sentry shrieked, pulling a flare from his pocket and firing it into the sky.
Draksa was stunned, but he quickly reacted. He spoke to the ships docked in the port: "Reload the cargo onto the ships, ships leave port, harass the Troll attack, slow them down."
Then, he quickly mounted a Night Saber and galloped towards the Eastmouth Camp.
By the time he entered the Eastmouth Camp, the Trolls were already at the city gates. The cruisers in the river only had thirty ballistas, so their harassment effect was not significant.
"Prepare the Sea Monster Killer!"
Draksa leaped from his Night Saber, ran onto the city wall, and issued orders: "As soon as the Mammoth dares to approach the camp, shoot it down immediately."
Two hundred years ago, the Drakkari Trolls used Mammoths to attack, almost taking Alpha Fortress. The defenses of the Eastmouth Camp were far inferior to Alpha Fortress; a single Mammoth charge could break into the camp.
He called a guard and ordered him to immediately pursue the main army and inform Gale to return for support. Such a large number of Drakkari Trolls was something the Eastmouth Camp could not possibly handle.
The guard had just left the Eastmouth Camp when the Dakari Chieftain stood up on the back of a Mammoth. He pointed at the Eastmouth Camp: "Warriors of the Drakkari Tribe, the time for revenge has come! Kill all the Dark Trolls and restore the glory of the Drakkari Tribe!"
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"