In just half a year, the citizens of Astranaar who frequented taverns to pass the time made a surprising discovery: many of the officials they used to curse privately had vanished. In their place were a series of very unfamiliar names.
Ordinary citizens had no power to interfere in politics, but there were always those who, while eating their simple meals, worried about the nation's leadership and loved to brag and gossip in taverns after work.
These loquacious "armchair warriors" believed themselves more capable than most officials in office. They would vent the frustrations accumulated from their bottom-tier jobs in the mixed company of the taverns.
A construction worker was currently sharing his latest intel with a group of gossiping drinking buddies huddled around him.
"...It started with Finance Minister Hammond, then the Foreign Minister, Internal Affairs Minister, Education Minister, and Personnel Minister—they've almost all been replaced."
"Aside from Finance Minister Hammond, who resigned voluntarily, the others were all exposed for ties to the wealthy merchants and landlords who participated in the earlier riots. Warden and Minister of Justice Maiev Shadowsong personally hauled them off to the Interrogation Palace for questioning."
Seeing the worker cough to clear his throat, an impatient young man urged, "And then? Keep going!"
Some veteran tavern regulars shook their heads with a laugh and called to the bartender, "Get this man a mug of ale, on my tab!"
"Heh heh~"
The worker smiled contentedly, took a large gulp of the ale, exhaled a satisfied boozy breath, and continued his animated description. The story was full of twists and turns, drawing frequent gasps of surprise from the crowd.
As the moon sank low, guests began to disperse for the next day's work. The construction worker, somewhat tipsy, bid his friends farewell and stumbled home.
Upon entering his house, his glassy eyes instantly regained their clarity. He bowed respectfully in the pitch-black room.
"My lady, the mission is accomplished."
"Mhm, well done."
A blurry figure stepped out of the darkness. "Do not speak of this topic tomorrow to avoid suspicion. You know what to do."
"Understood."
Similar scenes were playing out across Astranaar simultaneously. Soon, the evidence against the arrested ministers became a heated topic of public discussion. The populace was incensed, loudly calling for examples to be made. This terrified certain colleagues who had intended to appeal for them, causing them to halt their actions and adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
...
Andreas leaned back in his chair with a relaxed expression, supporting his face with one hand. Having cleared out several incompetent high-ranking fools at once while winning the acclaim of the people, his mood was excellent.
"Prisim, thank you for your hard work. You did well."
Prisim bowed calmly. "It was my duty."
The news of the arrested ministers' crimes spreading through the city so quickly was, of course, not entirely spontaneous. Behind the scenes, intelligence agents trained by Prisim according to Andreas's requirements had been fanning the flames.
With the support of public opinion, Andreas was even more ruthless in his replacements. Once evidence was verified, he immediately notified Maiev to make an arrest.
Once inside the Interrogation Palace—a place filled with despair and screams—anyone, guilty or not, would be scared half to death. Most would quickly recount their crimes in full, hoping for leniency.
Of course, there were a few tough nuts who refused to confess, but Maiev liked "tough nuts" the most. She used them to test the "Ten Great Tortures" Andreas had mentioned to her in passing recently.
With ironclad evidence presented, Andreas took the opportunity to replace the ministers holding key national powers one by one. His goal of total obedience to his commands was finally beginning to yield results.
However, after installing his people into these key positions, Andreas had no time to formulate individual work plans for them.
After initial preparations and deployment, and once Nasa and the Shindralar Mage Corps arrived at the front lines, the war between the Night Elves and the Sandfury Trolls finally officially began.
For several days, Andreas focused most of his attention on the battlefield ahead. Even Malfurion, who had originally wanted to be a "hands-off" leader, temporarily returned to the administrative hall of the Great Temple to wait for news from the front.
Malfurion saw Andreas' actions in replacing the officials, but he did not speak out against it; those "useless bags of wine and meat" had long been an eyesore to him as well.
After merging with reinforcements, the troops under Nawaz reached 150,000.
Although there was still a significant gap compared to the total number of the Troll army, this officer, personally promoted by Andreas, did not hesitate to take the initiative and start the war.
The Sandfury Trolls were confined to the Tanaris desert year-round. In this resource-poor region, they had no capacity to develop an air force and had very little cavalry.
Nawaz did not blindly commit all his forces to a frontal assault. He first arranged for the Shindralar's light aerial units—Hippogryph Riders—to coordinate with Nightsaber Riders to sweep through the scattered troll villages in the desert.
The Chimaera Riders from Moonshadow's Rest, acting as heavy aerial support, remained at Sandfeather Outpost for the time being, waiting for an opportunity.
Utilizing their defensive fortifications, Nawaz ordered large-caliber mortars to bombard the Sandfury Troll encampments, successfully flushing them out of their nest.
Led by their chieftain, the enraged Sandfury Trolls attacked Sandfeather Outpost with united resolve.
But the Night Elves possessed firearms—an ideal weapon for breaking up dense infantry charges. The Sandfury Trolls rushing the fortifications didn't even require the Night Elves to aim; they just pointed and fired, knowing they would hit something.
Troll war philosophy relied on numbers; if they couldn't beat you, it was because they didn't have enough people yet.
Back then, they had used this human-wave tactic to leave the Ahn'Qiraj Empire in a state of confusion, though they had the help of many Loa gods at the time.
Loa are primitive spirits worshipped by Trolls. Their status is slightly lower than that of the Wild Gods, but most Loa possess formidable powers.
However, the living conditions in Zul'Farrak were too harsh. After the eruption of the Forge of Origination, Zul'Farrak no longer had Loa guardians, and their understanding of the outside world was completely out of touch.
A massive swarm of trolls surged toward Sandfeather Outpost with almost no tactical cohesion, clearly intending to use their numerical advantage for a single, overwhelming wave.
While the riflemen in the front ranks punished the trolls from behind their fortifications, the Frostsaber Riders from Moonshadow's Rest deployed on Nawaz's command, striking the Sandfury Trolls' flanks from both sides.
Once one adapted to the desert climate and terrain, the vast, open sands were actually quite suitable for cavalry charges.
The cavalry units plunged into the flanks, tearing the Sandfury Trolls' formation apart and causing the front and rear to lose coordination.
Then, Nawaz's second move arrived. He threw open the gates of Sandfeather Outpost, and herds of Kodo beasts, driven by riders, began to charge the center.
Although Kodos lacked explosive speed, their massive, powerful bodies gave them terrifying breakthrough capability.
Trolls who couldn't dodge in time screamed as they were trampled into "mosaics" by the herds of Kodos. The trolls in the front tried to retreat in terror, while those in the back tried to push forward to claim glory. The trolls' chaotic command system was powerless to control the situation.
"Hmph!"
Nawaz spoke with disdain to Nasa beside him, "A motley crew. Do the Trolls really think civilians who pick up weapons are soldiers? No formation to speak of, and their tactics are a complete mess."
Nasa's face remained calm as she spoke flatly, "Then let us give the Sandfury Trolls a proper lesson. Let them know what real war looks like."
"Battle Priests, mount the Chimaeras! Charge with me!"
"Yes!"