Gagann Firehammer, the leader of the Dark Iron Dwarves' vanguard and archaeological team in Badlands, was currently in a state of disarray regarding the situation in Badlands.
The Titan ruins, which were originally under excavation, had unknown reasons for closing all their gates, and the Dark Iron Dwarves had tried every method without success in opening the tightly shut doors.
And whenever they prepared to load explosives to blast open the gates, countless kobolds would rush out from the dark caves.
The Dark Iron Dwarves' excavation team suffered heavy losses as a result, and Gagann could only temporarily withdraw his men from the excavation site.
His mood was very bad now, because it wasn't just the Dark Iron Dwarves who were interested in exploring the Titan ruins; the Elemental Creatures were also very concerned about this matter for some unknown reason.
Ragnaros even dispatched a Fire Element Ambassador to be stationed in the Bastion of Pain, specifically to receive the latest excavation information in a timely manner.
But the result was that the Dark Iron Dwarves had made no progress except for losing troops, and they were even behind the Bronzebeard Clan, who had first excavated this ruin.
Gagann was therefore under immense pressure; if he couldn't produce satisfactory results, whether he could return to Darkforge City alive was a question.
The Fire Element Ambassador named Infernus had not yet made a move, but the temperaments of these high-level Fire Elements were just like their attributes: irritable and volatile. If Infernus believed their mission had failed, he would likely immediately burn all the Dark Iron Dwarves in the Bastion of Pain to ashes.
Just as Gagann was feeling annoyed about the excavation progress, a Black Iron Dwarf scout rushed into his fortress in a hurry, "Lord Firehammer, it's bad! Ironforge's army has suddenly charged into Badlands! Our troops stationed outside the canyon are now in a bitter fight!"
"Ironforge's army?! How is that possible? How could they suddenly... Quickly notify the Legion in Badlands and tell them to block the Bronzebeard Clan!"
"Yes, Lord Firehammer!"
Watching the Black Iron scout rush away, Gagann's dark face showed a heavy expression, but inwardly there was a hint of glee: the problem was no longer with him! The Bronzebeard Clan's attack on Badlands naturally explained the slowdown in the excavation progress of Uldaman!
Now he also had a suitable reason to ask the Black Iron Emperor for some reinforcements and prepare some powerful magical artifacts to kill all those hateful kobolds and Bronzebeard Dwarves, and incidentally, pry open Uldaman's gates!
With this thought, Gagann immediately went to Infernus's command room where he slept. He woke the sleeping Fire Element by the furnace.
"Gagann Firehammer, why do you awaken me?"
A pair of fiery, constantly flickering, incandescent yellow eyes formed from flames appeared in the blaze of the furnace, accompanied by a low voice that sounded as if it were suppressing anger.
"Ambassador Infernus, there's an urgent military situation. Ironforge's army has raided our outpost and intends to advance deeper into Badlands. Our manpower in Badlands is severely insufficient, coupled with losses from excavation activities, we need reinforcements to resist the Bronzebeard Dwarves."
"Bronzebeard Dwarves... your weak kin also take the initiative to attack?... I understand. I will convey this message to your Emperor."
Infernus's voice carried a hint of doubt, but he did not question Gagann's statement, because if Gagann had falsely reported military intelligence, the Black Iron Emperor Thaurissan would have beheaded Gagann without Infernus needing to lift a finger.
Moreover, they were just some weak Bronzebeard Dwarves, and Infernus did not put them in his eyes, nor did the Fire Elements fully understand the "art" of mortal warfare.
After Infernus's power dissipated, Gagann's gaze shifted to the sand table in the command room. He walked to the side of the sand table, "How strange, why would the Bronzebeard Dwarves choose to attack us at this time?"
Badlands was scarce in resources and too vast in area, which infinitely reduced its geographical advantage. Even though it connected to Loch Modan and Searing Gorge, the distance was too far, and the excessively long supply lines would even strain the Dark Iron Dwarves.
And the troops departing from Ironforge had drawn out a long logistical supply line, which indicated that the Bronzebeard Dwarves could not possibly engage in a protracted war of attrition with the Dark Iron Dwarves in Badlands.
Either quickly defeat the Dark Iron Dwarves' forces or retreat to Loch Modan; there was no room for a third option.
Although the number of Dark Iron Dwarves in Badlands was small and relatively dispersed, it wouldn't take much time for them to gather. The distance from the canyon entrance of Loch Modan to the Bastion of Pain was already enough to delay for such a long time.
Coupled with the Bastion of Pain being located on a mountaintop, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack, there was no way the Bronzebeard Dwarves could quickly eliminate the Dark Iron Dwarves in Badlands.
Although Gagann was somewhat irritated by the excavation progress, as a councilor of Darkforge City, he instinctively sensed something was amiss.
However, for now, calling for support seemed to be the best option. Although Badlands had little value, surrendering it to the Bronzebeard Dwarves was something the Dark Iron Dwarves could not accept.
Support would only take a few days to arrive at the Bastion of Pain from Searing Gorge. Gagann believed that with the topographical advantage of the Bastion of Pain and ample strategic reserves, defending for such a long time was not a problem at all.
"Since the Bronzebeard Dwarves like to court death, then let them continue doing such pointless things."
...
In Loch Modan, at the Thelsamar combat base, the Alliance army was already assembled and ready to depart.
Magni pointed at the operational map and said to Thoras, who was in charge of overall command.
"Dark Iron Dwarves' reinforcements will take at most four or five days to reach Badlands from Searing Gorge. If they march rapidly, with the Dark Iron Dwarves' magic, they can arrive in at most three days."
"So, we must launch a surprise attack on Searing Gorge before the Dark Iron Dwarves' forces and Ironforge's army engage in close combat." Thoras looked at the map, rubbing his stubbled chin, "Today, Muradin has already captured the Dark Iron Dwarves' frontline stronghold and is preparing to continue advancing deeper into Badlands."
"That guy's been holding his breath; the matter of those Dark Iron Dwarves slaughtering our expedition team hasn't been settled yet." Magni sneered, "Don't worry, Muradin will definitely be able to tie down the main force of the Dark Iron Dwarves; the Alliance just needs to confidently attack Searing Gorge."
"Of course I trust Muradin. Let's have our troops rest in Thelsamar first. When the Dark Iron Dwarves' reinforcements are halfway and caught between a rock and a hard place, we'll open the sealed tunnel and directly attack Searing Gorge."
There was a connecting tunnel between Searing Gorge and Loch Modan, which was not a secret, but this tunnel had been sealed after the Dark Iron Dwarves left Kaz Modan.
After the tragedy in Redridge Mountains, the Dwarves added several more "locks" to this tunnel and specifically arranged a guarding force, to prevent the Dark Iron Dwarves from attacking Kaz Modan through this tunnel one day.
However, it was unknown whether the Dark Iron Dwarves were forced by Ragnaros's rule not to leave Searing Gorge, or if Thaurissan was preparing to accumulate more strength for a decisive battle with Ironforge, but this passage had never been opened.
But today was the day the tunnel gate would open again. Traveling from this passage to Searing Gorge would only take a few hours. Even an entire Legion could appear in Searing Gorge in less than a day.
Just as Thoras and Magni had arranged, the Alliance army, on the second day after the Dark Iron Dwarves' support forces left Searing Gorge, immediately marched through the tunnel connecting Searing Gorge and Loch Modan, pouring directly into Searing Gorge without the Dark Iron Dwarves ever realizing it.
The Dark Iron Dwarves' camp outside the tunnel was instantly annihilated by the elite Alliance forces. After establishing a foothold in Searing Gorge, the Alliance army advanced in two waves, aiming to completely trap all the Dark Iron Dwarves in the "Great Anvil" canyon.
The entire Great Anvil canyon had only two exits: one was a natural uphill slope, and the other was the furnace city built by the Dark Iron Dwarves, which supplied minerals and slave labor to Darkforge City.
A considerable number of Dark Iron Dwarves were also stationed in the Great Anvil, but most of them were slave traders and overseers. The actual army had already been mobilized to fight in Badlands, and the Alliance elites took only two hours to occupy the furnace, capturing a large number of Dark Iron Dwarves who couldn't escape in time.
Meanwhile, a portion of Dark Iron Dwarves who attempted to escape from the Great Canyon side and inform the frontline troops were, along with their logistics, caught Red-handed by the Alliance forces blocking that side of the canyon.
After seizing control of the Great Anvil, the Alliance continuously dispatched small units to clear out surrounding Black Iron Dwarf outposts and simultaneously established a defensive line at the border between Badlands and Searing Gorge, to prevent the Black Iron army from impacting the front line upon their return.
However, the complex and varied marching routes in Searing Gorge did indeed slow down the Alliance's advance. Coupled with the large number of captives and liberated slaves that needed management, by the time the Alliance forces stood at the foot of Blackrock Mountain, the Dark Iron Dwarves had already reacted, pouring out of Darkforge City in full force, attempting to block the Alliance outside Blackrock Mountain.
As Thoras was wavering between the two options of a direct assault and a siege, a piece of news made him immediately decide to hold his ground for now.
One day earlier, at the border of Redridge Mountains and Burning Steppes, Stormwind's forces and the Blackrock Orcs erupted in a major battle.
Marshal Maxwell led a unit to ambush the Blackrock Orcs' vanguard, almost annihilating them at a minimal cost. The shattered Blackrock Orcs immediately chose to retreat to the foot of Stonemaul Peak, preparing to engage in battle with the Stormwind army on the plains.
However, Stormwind's forces merely held the pass between Redridge Mountains and Burning Steppes, abandoning the opportunity to press deeper after this great victory. They recaptured a deserted outpost, occupying the high ground there, observing the movements on the plain from above.
The Blackrock Orcs' actions immediately stalled. They were originally supposed to attack Redridge Mountains with the Chromatic Dragonflight, because Stonewatch Keep had already been captured by the orcs, which should have been a foolproof operation.
But Stormwind's forces, as if prescient, counter-ambushed their vanguard. Some of the scattered Blackrock Orcs fled back to Burning Steppes, while others were allowed into Redridge Mountains, fleeing towards Stonewatch Keep. The communication between the two sides was completely cut off by Stormwind.
"The orcs have stopped to observe?" Bolvar asked Marshal Maxwell through Gnome communication equipment.
"That's right, the collapse of their vanguard made them hesitate. Our interception of Stonewatch Keep's magical communications means they are completely unaware of the situation in Redridge Mountains, so they chose to stop and observe."
"Hmph... It's Blackhand, as expected," Bolvar glanced at Stonewatch Keep, which was being bombarded by artillery and magic, "You must find a way to block the Blackrock Orcs; Stonewatch Keep still needs some time to be taken.
But don't be overly nervous; Blackhand is timid and cautious. He won't choose to attack rashly without accurate information or orders."
In this regard, Red Blackhand was completely different from his father. If it were his father, after clearly estimating the strength difference between the two sides, he would probably choose to immediately launch an assault on the pass.
Marshal Maxwell actually led only a very small team. The reason they held the pass was to use defense to prevent the Blackrock Orcs from judging their true numbers.
Stormwind's true main force was currently attacking Stonewatch Keep. There were still many Blackrock Orcs here. To prevent Marshal Maxwell and his troops from being caught in a pincer attack, and to delay the Blackrock Orcs' invasion, Bolvar believed that capturing Stonewatch Keep first was the most important thing.
Because he needed to act in concert with the Alliance, Bolvar was not in a hurry to directly assault Stonewatch Keep. Instead, he spent several days setting up numerous hidden firing positions, equipping them with new artillery from Gnomeregan, and mage units sent as support from Dalaran.
Anyway, Stonewatch Keep had already been largely destroyed by the Blackrock Orcs. Instead of letting them continue to stubbornly resist using the broken walls of Stonewatch Keep, it was better to simply let them be swept away by artillery fire within this ruin.
And the special operations unit led by Marshal Maxwell had already departed from Stormwind much earlier, ambushing in the Redridge Mountains for a considerable period, just waiting for the Blackrock Orcs to emerge from Burning Steppes.
The Blackrock Orcs, who thought this was merely a raid and a sweep, had no awareness of an ambush, which is why they were so badly beaten by Marshal Maxwell.
The fleeing vanguard naturally also made the subsequent Blackrock Orcs somewhat indecisive. Force of habit made Red believe that Stormwind could easily defeat their vanguard because they must have received intelligence early and laid an ambush.
Although he didn't know where the intelligence came from, this didn't prevent Red from reporting the matter to Nefarian. However, he overlooked that the vanguard, for mobility considerations, was almost entirely composed of wolf riders, with no help from the dragonflight at all, which is why they were so badly beaten by Stormwind when passing through the pass.
In fact, with Marshal Maxwell's small number of men, it was impossible to block the main force of the Blackrock Orcs. Their occupation of the high ground was also to mislead the Blackrock Orcs, making them think that Stormwind's main force could pour out of Redridge Mountains at any time to engage in an encounter battle with the orcs on the plains.
The orcs, of course, were not afraid of encounter battles, but they could not ignore the losses incurred from an ambush. Therefore, after weighing the options, the timid and cautious Red would certainly hold his ground rather than assault the Redridge Mountains pass.
This was the time Bolvar needed: the time to capture Stonewatch Keep.