In fact, Alaric's strategy was quite simple.
The reason why the high elves tolerated Zul'jin, their archenemy, was that they simply could not completely eradicate the trolls by clearing the entire Zul'Aman jungle.
Even in the modern world, where science and technology are highly developed, jungle warfare remains a major challenge for technologically advanced nations. The same holds true for the high elves in the world of Warcraft.
The dense jungle significantly narrows the gap in individual combat prowess between trolls and elves.
Against the overwhelming numbers of trolls, the high elven rangers were merely a drop in the ocean.
Worse still, their limited population meant they could never fully scour the entire Zul'Aman jungle.
This gave the trolls a chance to hide, survive, and eventually revive their forces.
(Randomly setting the forest ablaze would cause massive destruction and attract the wrath of dragons.)
However, this problem was not unsolvable.
While the high elves lacked the numbers to conduct a full-scale jungle operation, there were others who could step in.
Humans and dwarves.
Trolls were not only mortal enemies of the high elves but also fierce adversaries of humans and dwarves.
As for humans, their enmity with the trolls dated back thousands of years, when the Amani troll empire was destroyed by the combined forces of humans and high elves.
For the dwarves, the Bronzebeard and Dark Iron clans were far from the trolls' habitat, but the Wildhammer dwarves of the Hinterlands were different.
They, too, lived as neighbors to the Amani trolls and frequently clashed with them.
In times of peace, while humans, high elves, and Wildhammer dwarves maintained friendly relations, they never considered forming an alliance to wipe out the Amani trolls.
But things were different now.
The emergence of the Horde was not only an opportunity for the Amani trolls to rise again but also a chance for humans, high elves, and Wildhammer dwarves to unite.
Due to the orcish threat, the high elves had already decided to join the Alliance.
The Wildhammer dwarves, despite their split from the Bronzebeards, were still of the same kin. How could they stand by and watch their fellow dwarves be slaughtered by orcs?
Dwarves were far more united than humans in this regard.
Therefore, Alaric was confident that convincing the Wildhammer dwarves to join the Alliance would not be difficult.
Under these circumstances, a joint campaign to eliminate the Amani trolls was not impossible. Firstly, the trolls were a common enemy of all three factions and a potential ally of the orcs.
Secondly, the human nations needed to do something to win over the high elves—something that would demonstrate the tangible benefits of the Alliance beyond merely joining out of necessity.
However, making this happen required someone to mediate and form strategic alliances.
That was Alaric's role.
But before anything else, he needed to secure the support of Anduin Lothar and King Terenas of Lordaeron.
Given Lothar's military acumen, he could naturally see the possibility of the trolls allying with the Horde after Alaric's reminder, as well as the immense threat this posed to the Alliance.
However, when Alaric proposed a plan to exterminate the Amani trolls, the commander hesitated.
"I'm sorry, Sandor," Lothar sighed, calling Alaric by his alias.
"Although I agree with your concerns, we simply don't have the manpower to deal with the Amani trolls right now.
In fact, it would be incredibly difficult to convince the other kings to divert massive resources to eliminate a potential threat…
After all, just like with the orcs before, most people prefer to believe a disaster won't happen until it's too late."
"Yes, hindsight is always twenty-twenty," Alaric smiled bitterly.
"But how many people can truly foresee the long-term consequences? That said, the cost of clearing Zul'Aman might not be as high as we think, and there may even be rewards."
"Oh? How so?" Lothar's interest was piqued. He had come to expect surprises from this brilliant mage, just as he had many times before.
"In reality, we're not the only ones eager to exterminate the trolls—our new allies, the high elves, and our potential allies, the Wildhammer dwarves, would also love to strike a deal."
"Go on, Sandor, tell me more." Lothar's eyes lit up at the mention of the high elves and Wildhammer dwarves.
"Yes, Commander," Alaric said confidently. "It is well known that the high elves have a deep-seated hatred for the Amani trolls.
If not for their limited resources, they would have eradicated this threat long ago.
I have heard that the high elves originally wanted to send more troops to support the Alliance, but they had to hold back forces to guard against the Amani trolls.
If we help them eliminate this threat, they would be more willing to commit additional troops against the orcs."
In truth, the high elves had never expressed this desire. Alaric was simply confident he could persuade them.
Lothar, however, found his reasoning sound and compelling.
Alaric continued, "As for the Wildhammer dwarves, although they have never been closely tied to us, they have suffered greatly at the hands of the trolls in the Hinterlands.
While they would likely join the Alliance to support their Bronzebeard kin in Khaz Modan, a shared interest would deepen their commitment.
The Amani trolls present the perfect target to solidify this cooperation."
Lothar nodded repeatedly at this. He even considered using the campaign against the Amani trolls as a way to coordinate the military efforts of the three races.
Moreover, fighting the tall, strong trolls would prepare human soldiers for facing the orcs.
After all, the human kingdoms had not fought a war in many years. A warm-up before clashing with the Horde would be beneficial.
Thus, Lothar became an enthusiastic supporter of Alaric's plan and even helped persuade King Terenas of Lordaeron.
Initially, Terenas was reluctant to commit troops to what seemed like a costly venture with uncertain returns.
However, Lothar's persistence and Alaric's argument based on tangible benefits eventually swayed him.
What ultimately convinced him was one key point Alaric made:
"To clear the Amani trolls in Zul'Aman and the Hinterlands, the only available troops will be those of Lordaeron, since the other human nations have their forces deployed abroad.
This means that the credit for this campaign will be attributed solely to Your Majesty.
The prestige of Lordaeron among the high elves and Wildhammer dwarves will rise significantly. I don't think I need to explain what benefits this would bring to your kingdom."
Alaric spoke the truth. Even though the human kings had united for the greater good, and Terenas was known as a wise ruler, no leader was without personal ambition.
Terenas' ambition was to maintain the Alliance and expand Lordaeron's influence—not necessarily to recreate the Arathorian Empire, but at least to remain the de facto leader of the human nations.
With this in mind, gaining greater influence over non-human allies only served to strengthen his position.
Since neither the dwarves nor the elves particularly cared who led the Alliance, this opportunity was too tempting to ignore.
Combined with the promise of rewards from the elves and dwarves, even the wise King Terenas was moved.
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