About half a month after the fleet set sail, Galen left Stormwind City and returned to Minas Tirith to handle administrative tasks, consolidate base resources, and plan for the future.
Thanks to the Tree of Life, Galen no longer needed to strip the Alterac Mountains bare. Nearly twenty thousand wisps tirelessly worked around the trees, providing a constant supply of lumber.
Galen had reassigned the freed-up farmers to work the fields. Last year's grain trade had been very profitable. After expenses, Galen's warehouse only held three thousand tons of grain, all of which was now on its way to Stormwind.
The sudden influx of four to five hundred thousand people in Stormwind City forced Galen to maximize farm production.
Of Galen's current population, besides the one hundred thousand miners, some were trained as gunners, tank crews, flight crews, and sailors. The majority worked on the farms.
Sensing the impending Second War, Galen adjusted the farm production to eighty percent grain and ten percent medicinal herbs!
Galen's strategic goal was to completely block the Arathi Highlands, preventing any orc from entering Stromgarde.
To this end, he stationed large numbers of troops in Hammerfall and Minas Tirith, ready to support the Thandol Span and Thoradin's Wall. He also deployed a thousand Ivory Towers – his savings of three years!
Even when Lothar requested them, Galen had only given him fifty. This time, he was all in.
He knew that, besides his base, the Kingdom of Stromgarde was his second foundation, and it could not be lost. He wanted the orc and human conflict to be contained within the Hillsbrad region.
The Hillsbrad Foothills were fertile, but only the two hundred kilometers near Thoradin's Wall belonged to Stromgarde!
Most of the rest belonged to the nobles of Lordaeron and Alterac.
Following the principle of "better them than me," Galen chose this battlefield for the orcs.
If the orcs failed to conquer the Thandol Span after a prolonged siege, Orgrim's cunning would lead him to the sea, and Southshore was the ideal landing point!
Southshore belonged to the Kingdom of Alterac. Not my problem if it gets destroyed, Galen thought.
In the original timeline, the orcs fought fiercely with Danath Trollbane's Stromgarde militia in southern Arathi, even destroying one of the Thandol Span bridges. Orgrim traded the Stormwind plunder with goblins for ships to launch an amphibious assault!
The first major battle between the orcs and the newly formed Alliance of Lordaeron, the Battle of Zul'dare, saw the orcs, using mostly civilian ships, suffer heavy losses against Admiral Daelin Proudmoore's navy. Only the Dragonmaw clan's red dragon air raid allowed the orcs to land on Lordaeron.
Galen's ultimate plan was to defeat the orcs and then, through diplomacy or force, seize the land east of Southshore in Hillsbrad!
After the Kingdom of Alterac betrayed humanity, Terenas Menethil annexed it, which was too blatant. Both Stromgarde and Gilneas coveted the Hillsbrad region.
Galen wanted both the land and its people.
He also planned to send fifty thousand farmers, disguised as refugees, to join the real refugees heading north to Lordaeron, settling along the way. He wanted eyes and ears throughout Lordaeron!
His current population was six hundred thousand, with nearly four hundred thousand farmers. Losing fifty thousand would affect his resource chain, but long-term plans required short-term sacrifices.
He felt Lordaeron should remain stable for at least ten years, unless Arthas fell to darkness.
Would my arrival change the timeline? Would Arthas fall and unleash the Scourge?
As Galen daydreamed about unifying the human kingdoms, a flash of white light appeared, and a figure with a dagger in his chest materialized in the council hall.
Galen was startled. Had one of the generals used their emergency teleportation scroll?
Who was unlucky enough to have a high-level assassin bypass a legion and behead the commander? Omar is at the Thandol Span...
Damn it! These rookies are getting sloppy. Next time someone triggers their "Little Invincible Potion," they're scrubbing the Minas Tirith Cathedral latrines for a month!
Galen rushed to the spot. The figure was bearded. At least it's not one of my six legion commanders.
The man still glowed faintly. The "Little Invincible Potion" was wearing off!
He groaned in pain. Galen quickly turned him over. It was King Llane!
Even with all the life-saving gadgets I gave Lothar, Llane was assassinated. A determined legendary assassin is unstoppable!
Even a king, with elite guards, was critically wounded and teleported here by Lothar's Refuge Scepter!
Llane, feeling himself being moved, opened his eyes and saw Galen. He knew he was safe.
He grabbed Galen's hand weakly. "It's Garona... I trusted her so much!"
"Don't talk, Uncle Llane! I'll heal you!"
Taking advantage of the remaining invincibility, Galen pulled out the dagger and cast Holy Light spells, mending Llane's heart.
Llane's heart was healed just as the invincibility wore off!
Llane coughed up blood!
Galen dodged the spray. Llane, suddenly released, slammed back onto the ground and lost consciousness!
"Damn!"
"Uncle Llane? King Llane!"
Galen checked him. The heart wound was no longer fatal, but the dagger's poison was too potent.
He cast several Cleanse spells.
Cleanse: Removes poison, disease, and magical effects.
With the poison gone, Galen placed the unconscious Llane on a table and teleported to Stormwind City to assess the situation.