With Lordaeron in place, Onyxia did not worry about Arthas running away. She herself, in her human form, is a mage, and the black dragon's affinity for fire grants her a strong control over flames, making her a legitimate choice for a spell caster.
In the southern waters of Hillsbrad Foothills, the Kul Tiras fleet awaits the arrival of the Horde fleet. After the Horde occupied the southern lands and failed to attack the dwarves of Ironforge, they only dispatched the Bleeding Hollow Clan to keep watch, while most of the ships headed to Lordaeron. Only by eliminating the human Alliance can the orcs root themselves in this land.
The terrain of the Eastern Continent is clearly divided into two parts, connected by the Thandol Span bridge in the middle. As long as the Alliance sends troops to guard this nearly insurmountable pass, any number of orcs would be delivering themselves to certain death. Attempting to cross the nearly hundred-meter-long bridge without heavy weaponry is impossible.
Once the bridge is destroyed, the orcs would lose their route of attack. Furthermore, in front of the bridge, the orcs must traverse a vast marshland known as the Wetlands, which even adventurers avoid. A single misstep could mean being swallowed by the mud inside, leaving one with no idea how they perished. Coupled with the beasts and venomous insects, if Alliance soldiers were to set an ambush here, it would lead to heavy casualties among the orcs. Thus, boarding ships for the attack was the best option.
Orc chieftain Orgrim made alliances with forest trolls by promising to rescue their leader from prison, leading to their inclusion in the Horde and bringing some shipbuilding technology. Together with Azeroth's greediest goblin merchants, a seafaring fleet was quickly assembled. With almost no artillery, only large crossbows onboard, they were not remotely qualified for naval warfare.
However, this was deemed sufficient by Orgrim; he just needed some transport ships. As the Horde's banner appeared on the sea, the long-waiting Naval Commander Daelin picked up his polished sword and waved it through the air, declaring,
'Signal the troops, prepare to engage the orc fleet. Let them have it and sink them all!' Thirty warships lined up alongside each other, facing the oncoming orc vessels, and as they entered firing range, the artillery lit their barrels, and the black powder exploded, fiercely propelling the cannonballs forward.
Fifteen cannons fired simultaneously from thirty ships, and the roar of four hundred and fifty cannonballs was so loud it stilled the ocean.
Boom! The shells struck near the orc warships, with over three hundred hits out of more than four hundred shells. One cannonball pierced the orc's warship deck, even severing their flag, causing the orcs morale to plummet. 'Raise shields, increase speed, ram them!' the orc captain shouted, furious, as the Alliance navy prepared for a second round of fire.
Orgrim was also on the battleship, watching the transport ships being continuously sunk, his expression grim.
"Let the red dragons in the back destroy those fleets!"
"As you wish, Chief." replied an orc from the Dragonmaw Clan.
They had used The Demon's Soul to defeat the visiting red dragon queen, imprisoning her in a fortress, and enslaved her to force the red dragons to do battle for them. Three adult red dragons reluctantly took to the sky, and although they were unwilling to follow the orders of the orcs, the queen's life was in their hands, so they had no choice but to comply.
Moreover, humans were nothing more than ants in their eyes; killing them meant little to them. Between the Queen and humans, the life of their Queen were clearly more important. As the Horde's red dragons took off, the Alliance navy received a report.
"Admiral, we have red dragons taking off."
Daelin spotted the three adult dragons through his telescope, and these dragons were essentially nuclear weapons for humanity, requiring hundreds of mages and meticulous planning to defeat, often resulting in heavy casualties.
Thus, he immediately issued the order, "Retreat! Drop the mines!" With Arthas's warning in mind, Daelin was in no mood to linger. As a seasoned veteran, he knew all too well the devastation that dragons could cause, and he abandoned any thought of fighting them in open seas.
This also highlighted the benefit of Arthas's status; otherwise, if someone else said it, he would likely scoff. If they truly fell into a trap, it would be a hassle to deal with the enemy when not having the status to predict accurately—defeat would surely ensue!
The Kul Tiras navy retreated without even engaging with the dragons. The three dragons were momentarily stunned; since there was no combat, they were happy to not chase after them, as long as they could drive the humans away. They bore no grudges with the humans but did not seek to create them for the sake of pride; that would simply be an annoyance.
Orgrim couldn't comprehend this: is this how the Alliance's army operates? Is it this easy? A few cannonballs and they flee? Are they treating him like a dog? Coming and going as they please?
"Pursue them, and finish them off!" "Lok'tar ogar!"
The orcs who drank the blood of demons all roared in anger as the blood ignited their furious nature, charging forward like riled-up dogs. However, after a while, a tremendous explosion sounded.
Boom! A transport ship seemed to have collided with something, resulting in a large hole blown open in its hold. Seawater rushed into the hull, increasing its weight until the entire vessel slowly sank beneath the waves. The dread of awaiting death, even for the ferocious orcs, was unbearable; they began to scream for their companions to rescue them.
They were willing to die on the battlefield, but absolutely could not accept such a humiliating death. Even carnivorous marine creatures had begun to circle the area, with even murlocs coming to take their share.
Any orc who fell into the water would be bitten mercilessly, as in the eyes of murlocs, apart from their own kind, essentially anything was considered 'food'!
"What is happening!" Orgrim roared angrily; he felt he had fallen into his enemies trap!
"Mines! There are mines in the water!" reported his officer, Eitrigg. Orgrim suddenly recalled the gnomes he had encountered earlier, who had buried numerous mines in the snow, leading to an explosion when the orcs followed the fleeing humans!
"Damned those gnomes!"
Clearly, he held the gnomes accountable for this. If the great engineer Mekatorque knew, he would surely spit out a mouthful of blood. Isn't this a case of a man sitting at home and having the pot fall from the sky? However, even if he knew, he wouldn't mind—it was all his enemy, and causing enemies to suffer was a delightful thing!