Although Furbolgs look more like bears than humans, those guided by Ursoc and Ursol are undoubtedly a highly intelligent race.
While intelligent races have different habits, they generally share common weaknesses.
The Seven Emotions and Six Desires.
Having emotions and desires isn't necessarily a bad thing, but depending on the situation, if these desires aren't well-controlled, they can transform into the Seven Deadly Sins: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust.
Of course, there are corresponding Seven Virtues, which Andreas couldn't name one by one, but they should correspond to each of the sins.
There was nothing inherently wrong with the Furbolgs wanting to resurrect Ursol. Aside from the completely corrupted Quilboar, followers of other demigods were also thinking of various ways to resurrect the ancients they worshipped.
However, once such well-intentioned thoughts cross a certain threshold, they evolve into an obsession that the demigods themselves find unacceptable.
"Tsk—I didn't expect it to actually be this way."
Andreas tapped his forehead irritably with his finger. "One wave follows another."
The original plan for western Shandaral was to ally with the Furbolgs to strike at the Drakkari Trolls, but judging by the current situation, there might be a reversal.
Upon learning what the Furbolgs might be plotting, Ursoc flew into a rage. He tried to contact the shamans of the Furbolg race that very day but failed to receive a positive response.
After all, Ursoc, residing in the Emerald Dream, was merely a soul and could not directly influence the progress of the physical world.
Once the Furbolgs decided not to listen to his orders, Ursoc truly had no good way to stop them other than being furious.
Furthermore, the Furbolgs' reasoning made Andreas both laugh and cry.
"Everything we do is for your own good."
What kind of 'for your own good' is this? Are you some kind of selfish parents who transmigrated from somewhere else...
The situation was urgent, so Andreas didn't bother playing hide-and-seek with the trolls anymore.
After accepting Ursoc's commission, he immediately ordered the troops stationed outside the east gate of Shandaral to begin their march.
After the previous Sandfury Troll rebellion and combined with Shandris's knowledge of the Zandalar Trolls during the War of the Ancients, Andreas had already grasped the principles of dealing with the savage troll races.
To negotiate with them, one must first demonstrate strength. Trolls have no interest in talking to beings weaker than themselves; they will only treat you as food.
The Drakkari Trolls had also built majestic walls along the mountains between Moonshadow's Rest and Zul'Drak. Originally, these were used to block invasions from Shandaral during the era of the Night Elf Empire.
However, with the decline of Shandaral, the defensive significance of these walls gradually weakened. Instead, the trolls would often invade Moonshadow's Rest in reverse, launching attacks on Shandaral.
The weak image of the Shandaral Night Elves had been deeply etched into the trolls' memories over the past 2,000 years. To regain the right to speak to them as equals, Andreas had to first give them a heavy blow.
Thanks to the decay of Shandaral over the last two millennia, the Drakkari Trolls' defenses at the western gate had clearly weakened. They had concentrated most of their forces in the east, facing off against the Furbolgs who were sharpening their blades.
The various units received their orders and did not hesitate. Led by the heavy arcane golems, the "Lunar Radiance," shoulder-mounted mana-conductive cannons replaced black powder mortars, heavily bombarding the walls.
Andreas's positioning for the Lunar Radiance was very clear: these slow-moving golems were heavy tanks plus self-propelled artillery, responsible for providing powerful breakthrough strength for the Night Elf forces.
Although the troll walls had been reinforced with voodoo, under the continuous bombardment of the mana cannons, large areas of damage soon appeared. The city gates, which received special attention, were blasted into rubble.
The Drakkari Trolls were busy dealing with the Furbolg offensive and had neglected the western gate. The troll soldiers were terrified by the power of the continuous mana cannon fire and scrambled across the walls in chaos.
Roddick and other officials watching the battle from Shandaral also gaped in shock. The visual impact of mana technology being transformed into a weapon for seizing cities left them all in silence.
After a long time, a high-ranking official let out a faint sigh. "It's fortunate we didn't choose to oppose the Night Elf Republic. Otherwise, with Shandaral's dilapidated walls, how could we have possibly stopped such siege weapons?"
Most local officials in Shandaral nodded in agreement with lingering fear. Roddick, on the other hand, stroked his snow-white beard with a calm smile, looking as if he had anticipated everything and held all the cards.
In reality, Mayor Roddick, who looked as steady as an old hound, was also trembling inside. Thank goodness, thank goodness...
The overwhelming bombardment of mana cannons left the few remaining trolls in a daze. Their impression of Shandaral was still stuck on the group of weaklings they could bully at will.
The sudden and intense fire made it impossible for the undermanned troll defenders to stop the Night Elf vanguard.
Nawaz, appointed as the commander-in-chief, drew his command sword. His loud roar, bolstered by rage, echoed across the fields.
"The gates are open! All units, charge!"
The Chimaeras, which had been waiting impatiently, were the first to roar and sprint toward the walls, their massive sizes blotting out the sun and obscuring the trolls' vision.
The garrison of fewer than 1,000 men vainly threw short spears into the sky under the shouts of their officers, and witch doctors with trembling fingers cast various debuffs on the Chimaeras.
However, it was useless.
As the air force mounts personally selected by Andreas, Chimaeras held an overlord-level status among wild flying species.
Not to mention their strong physique, their magic resistance was also outstanding.
While they couldn't compare to the Dragonflights, it was difficult for an underpowered witch doctor to successfully land a debuff on an adult Chimaera.
The short spears thrown by the trolls were also deflected mid-air by the ranger marksmen sitting in the co-rider positions. The Chimaeras dived downward while maintaining almost full combat effectiveness.
Besides the Chimaeras, the battle-tested "Lunar Wings" arcane golems also joined the aerial combat.
However, because the trolls lacked air power, the deployment of the Lunar Wings was less conspicuous. They followed behind the leading Chimaera cavalry, using their onboard rapid-fire mana machine guns to sweep the walls.
Meanwhile, the ground forces were not idle either.
After multiple sections of the wall were blasted down, the Lunar Radiance ceased fire coverage. A large number of modified ground-type arcane golems advanced slowly alongside the main army.
At Andreas's suggestion, these arcane golems had been reinforced at the joints, making their movements much more flexible than before. The weight of their upper and lower bodies had been redistributed, making them appear more balanced.
The coordinated land and air attack left the severely outnumbered Drakkari Trolls with no way to resist. Soon, the section of the wall at the city gate was captured. Most of the troll soldiers died in battle on the spot, with only a very few escaping. Nawaz immediately ordered a pursuit to capitalize on the victory.
The area between the first and second walls was a typical outer district. The Zul'Drak trolls clearly did not place much importance on this area; most of the forces staying in the west were concentrated at Drak'Tharon Keep on the border with the Grizzly Hills.
The Night Elf main force occupied the entire area outside the second wall without hindrance. Since there were still negotiations to be had with the trolls, Andreas ordered that captured civilians be temporarily detained rather than being put to the sword like the Sandfury Trolls before them.
Under the orders of the high command, Nawaz sent messengers to the base of the second wall. In the Troll language, they revealed their intention to talk to the nervous defenders, asking them to convey the message to the high-ranking Drakkari Trolls residing in Gundrak.
Sitting in Shandaral, Andreas calmly said to Roddick, who had come to ask about the next move: "Don't be in a hurry. Observe the reaction of the Drakkari Trolls first. If they don't know what's good for them... we'll take Drak'Tharon Keep and give them something to truly cry about."