Although he had experienced a great deal of slaughter since his soul-traveling, Andreas never considered himself a bloodthirsty executioner.
When opposing sides met on the battlefield, the slaughter of Trolls was nothing to be questioned; even the good-natured Malfurion would not voice any objection to that.
However, the captured Sandfury Trolls had already lost their ability to resist. Massacring prisoners and civilians would inevitably draw sharp accusations from both domestic and foreign critics.
To speak of those nearby, if Cenarius, who cherished all life, were to find out that Andreas had ordered the extermination of over 200,000 Troll captives and civilians without a direct combat provocation, the Forest Demigod might very well storm into Astranaar at any moment to confront him face-to-face.
Of course, concern over public opinion was only one aspect. Andreas had originally planned to cultivate the Trolls into a servant race for the Night Elves through brainwashing-style education.
But now, it seemed that path was impassable.
The Sandfury Trolls had been disconnected from their Zandalari overlords for thousands of years; lacking guidance, they were out of touch with the outside world in almost every respect.
Yet, the Troll race possessed a natural, reckless wildness. Even when fallen to the brink of extinction and wearing collars like dogs, the Sandfury Trolls still retained a fierce spirit of resistance.
Andreas had already anticipated their potential reactions, instructing the foremen overseeing the mining to feed the Trolls only enough to keep them half-full.
The Trolls raising their pickaxes in rebellion at the mines not only ended Andreas' thoughts of domesticating them but also handed him the perfect pretext to completely wipe out the Sandfury Trolls.
Fandral, after all, was still young. This was his first time presiding over the central government alone while Andreas was away in Northrend, and his lack of experience inevitably resulted in a lack of decisiveness.
Concerned about the attitudes of Malfurion and the Cenarion Circle, Fandral had not dared to steel his heart and strike the killing blow. The matter had dragged on until Andreas' return.
As the order from the High Council was handed down, Malfurion, who was far away in Un'Goro Crater monitoring the Silithid, also received word from Andreas.
However, the Archdruid did not stand up in opposition. He merely sighed softly in the presence of Koda, Lensa, and the others.
Koda, whose stance was more conservative, asked hesitantly, "Mentor, is this wise? If Cenarius finds out..."
Malfurion shook his head. "Even if Cenarius finds out, there isn't much he can say. After all, Andreas gave the Trolls a chance; they were the ones who failed to grasp it."
"For any nation, rebellion is an intolerable capital offense. Although the Druidic tenets oppose excessive killing, we cannot be blamed if the Trolls brought death upon themselves."
...
Counting the women and children pushed out of the city by Thelsis Shadowstep at the beginning, there were approximately 230,000 Sandfury Trolls captured by the Night Elves; the rest had perished in the war or during internal purges.
After the war, these Trolls had been settled near the Ruins of Noonshade under strict supervision. The infants received Night Elf brainwashing education, while the healthy adults were fed half-rations and sent into the mines.
When Shandris led the Sentinel forces by ship to the port of Moonshadow's Rest in eastern Tanaris, Alfonso, tasked with delivering Andreas' orders, had already arrived a step ahead.
"Kill them all?!"
Shandris' expression did not change upon receiving the order, but her adjutant, Summerbeam, let out a cry of shock behind her.
"Yes," Alfonso said with a smile, his eyes squinted half-shut. "Rebels cannot be allowed to exist. General Feathermoon, please lead your troops to eliminate all Sandfury Trolls."
"But..."
"Enough."
Shandris waved her hand to cut off her adjutant's questioning. She nodded calmly and replied, "Order received. I will ensure that not a single Troll survives."
"General!"
Alfonso glanced at the dark-faced Adjutant Summerbeam with his squinted eyes, still maintaining a smiling expression as he bowed slightly. "Then I shall return to report. The rebellious Trolls have some pickaxes used for mining; please stay safe while suppressing the traitors, General."
As Alfonso teleported away, the officers under Shandris began to whisper among themselves. The merciless order for a massacre sparked an instinctive sense of resistance within the all-female Sentinel force.
"Silence. Listen to me for a moment."
Shandris stood up and tapped on the table. "Please remember your identities. We are soldiers. Does anyone still remember the first duty of a soldier?"
Under Shandris' sharp, piercing gaze, the most vocal dissenter, Adjutant Summerbeam, murmured, "...To obey orders."
"Exactly. To obey orders."
Shandris suddenly slammed her hand onto the table. "Then what are you doing now? Disobeying? The decisions of the High Council are not for us to question. The fact that this order reached us smoothly proves it has received the Council's approval."
The High Council consisted of four members: Archdruid Malfurion, who led the Druids; High Priestess Tyrande of the Sisterhood of Elune; Maiev Shadowsong, the Warden in charge of the judicial system; and Andreas, who currently presided as the Speaker.
When Andreas took back the reins of power from Fandral and issued the order, he informed the other three members of his decision.
The decisive Maiev was the first to express support; she had proposed killing them all when the Trolls were first captured, so this fulfilled her wish.
Malfurion expressed neither support nor opposition, which signified his tacit consent.
Tyrande used the excuse that she needed to stay in seclusion to reorganize the internal affairs of the Sisterhood and that it was temporarily inconvenient to interfere in government affairs, thus taking no public stance.
With the Speaker holding two votes, plus Maiev's support, that made three in favor and two abstentions. The resolution successfully passed the High Council and was dispatched to Shandris.
The Sentinel force had been established based on Tyrande's will. Since Tyrande had temporarily withdrawn from the core of power, there were many within this direct branch of her forces who felt a sense of resistance toward Andreas, who now held authority.
As the General of the Sentinels, Shandris had long noticed this trend. She intended to take this opportunity to properly reorganize them, making her officers realize that their loyalty should not be to an individual, but to the entire nation.
Since Adjutant Summerbeam had walked right into the line of fire, Shandris decided to use her as an example to warn those officers who still could not adjust their mindsets.
"The Sentinels owe their loyalty to the Night Elf Republic. We are not anyone's private army. This is a warning; I do not wish to see you criticizing the orders of the leadership ever again."
"If there is a next time, do not blame me for showing no mercy under military law."
...
The suicidal actions of the Sandfury Trolls provoked a powerful response from the Night Elves.
Leading thousands of Sentinel elites, Shandris charged into the slave camps at the Ruins of Noonshade. Starting with the Trolls resisting with pickaxes, they spent over half a month purging every living Troll.
The blood of over 200,000 Trolls stained the yellow sands near the ruins a deep crimson that would not fade for a long time.
From then on, the Ruins of Noonshade were gradually referred to by the Night Elves as the Bloodshade Mounds. The ruthless massacre by the Sentinels deterred the entire continent of Kalimdor.
Gnolls, wild Furbolgs, Harpies, and other entities harboring secret hostility toward the Night Elves heard the news, and their previously arrogant raids immediately became much more subdued.
Months later, Andreas received a report that came as no surprise.
The armies of the four dragonflights from Wyrmrest Temple had arrived in the Eastern Kingdoms, prepared to strike at Blackwing Lair, where Deathwing was hiding.