When the situation developed to this point, Sharlayan realized that he had underestimated the negative sentiments of other human kingdoms towards Lordaeron.
Lordaeron has been the first kingdom of mankind for hundreds of years. With its vast territory and geographical environment extending in all directions, Lordaeron has developed faster than any other human kingdom.
Kul Tiras' maritime trade ensures their economic income and naval strength, but one thing is that Kul Tiras' land warfare capabilities... can only be said to be okay, and they cannot maneuver like they do on the sea.
Gilneas' territory is not small, and its geographical location is not bad. Their shortcoming...is their people.
Yes, I'm talking about you, Greymane.
The Greymane family has always pursued isolationism, and Jean has a very stubborn temper. He typically doesn't shed tears until he sees the coffin.
If Gilneas opens up its borders, their development speed will not be much slower than that of Lordaeron.
Unfortunately, this idea cannot be realized unless the stubborn Jean learns a painful lesson.
Stormgard is rich in martial virtue, and its military strength is no worse than Lordaeron.
Their problem is economic. Stromgard is undoubtedly the poorest among the seven human nations.
The problem of economic crisis had already begun to emerge when Solas came to power, and Garin stepped on the accelerator even more after he took office.
Alterac has a small territory and a harsh living environment, and its overall national strength has always been in the second half of the Seven Kingdoms.
Not to mention Dalaran, it's just an independent city-state, they can't change the world by themselves.
The only human country that can compete with Lordaeron is the Kingdom of Stormwind, which is located alone in the southern part of the continent.
In fact, before the orcs invaded, the Kingdom of Stormwind was already on the verge of surpassing Lordaeron in terms of national power thanks to the protection of Medivh, the guardian of Tirisfal.
The young and powerful King Lien was planning to work hard with his two friends (Lotha and Medivh) when a black pot suddenly fell from the sky and reduced the powerful Kingdom of Stormwind to the bottom of the Seven Kingdoms of Humanity. It has still not recovered its strength to this day.
Not to mention the Kingdom of Storm in the far south of the continent, among the six human kingdoms rooted in the north, Lordaeron is the only one, and the other five kingdoms have all been oppressed by Lordaeron to a greater or lesser extent.
This frustration lasted for hundreds of years. After the Second Orc War, the national power of Lordaeron, which had benefited from the war, was at its peak. Other countries could only live with their tails between their legs.
With several consecutive mistakes in decision-making, all countries have seen the trend of Lordaeron turning from prosperity to decline.
After finally catching an opportunity to squeeze on Lordaeron, the five kingdoms naturally had grievances and revenge, and they desperately wanted to jump on Lordaeron's head.
As the barrage said, the Scourge Legion has begun to show its prominence in Icecrown Glacier, while the Burning Legion and the Ancient Gods are still hiding behind the scenes and watching covetously.
Once Lordaeron encounters a situation where the wall falls down and everyone pushes it, the entire northern part of the Eastern Kingdom will be in chaos.
You can guess with your toes that those guys hiding in the dark and waiting for opportunities will definitely take this opportunity to jump out and make a big fuss. This is not the result that Sarlayan wants to see.
After Valeela left, Sharlayan transformed into a sharp-tailed swift and flew to Barov Castle in Keldaron at the fastest speed.
The sharp-tailed swift is not as large as the raptor and did not attract much attention when it landed on the walls of Barov Castle.
Several young guards who stayed behind in the castle looked at this little bird that was not afraid of people curiously. When Sarlayan transformed into a human form, they almost sat down on the ground in fright.
"Don't be nervous. I am Sharlayan Deep Shadow, a good friend of Alex. Could you please tell me that I have an urgent visit?"
…
As he followed a well-dressed butler into the castle, Sarlayan looked at the layout of the castle with interest.
The Barov family is indeed an ancient family that has existed for thousands of years, and the description of being as wealthy as the enemy does not flatter them.
As a descendant of a noble family, Sarlayan has had a good appreciation of furniture and furnishings since he was a child.
Most of the furniture in Barov Castle is expensive, and the overall style is luxurious but not high-profile. Unlike the nouveau riche, who like to use gold to show their luxury, the overall tone of the castle decoration is purple.
The servants I met along the way were courteous and polite, neither humble nor overbearing.
Such high-quality servants can still get good scores even if they are placed in the homes of the nobles in Quel'Thalas with a longer history and higher style.
Alex was not idle when he was working in his castle.
After Sarlayan and Valeera took Ravenholdt and the Syndicate thieves to clear out the "junk" along the way, the Barov family successively transported several batches of weapons, equipment and food to Icewind Post, further strengthening Icewind Post. The combat effectiveness of soldiers.
When Sarlayan saw Alex in the luxuriously decorated living room, he was still reading the document in his hand intently.
"Dongdong~"
The butler who led Sarlayan here knocked twice on the open door.
"Sir Alex, here comes the distinguished guest."
"Huh? Oh!"
Alex then relaxed his frown, put down the document in his hand and stood up to greet him.
"Earl Shenying, I'm busy with official duties and I'm sorry to hear you come from afar. Please take a seat."
Sarlayan smiled and nodded to Alex, glancing at the documents on the table with the corner of his eye.
'Peace talks...what book? '
Saraian felt a movement in his heart, but he didn't reveal any clues on the surface.
'On purpose?' So, Lordaeron also has plans for peace talks? '
Six years ago, Alex, who was determined to revitalize Alterac, was tricked by Terenas, and the Barov family suffered a big loss.
Since then, the Barov family has cut off official contact with Lordaeron, and they have an attitude of never having any contact with each other.
Terenas knew that he was in the wrong, and after swallowing Briar, Tarren Mill and Southsea Town, he was too embarrassed to contact the Barov family again.
Due to Alex's weird and stupid behavior, the Barov family accidentally established contact with Andorhal.
Before Sarlayan could speak, Alex pointed at the documents on the table without hesitation and said, "This is the letter of intent for peace talks sent by Andorhal. Does Earl Deep Shadow want to see it?"
Sharlayan waved his hand: "This is a matter between Alterac and Lordaeron. It is not convenient for an outsider like me to check."
Alex was not surprised by this, and he briefly described the attitude of Lordaeron.
"The old immortal Terenas was bedridden some time ago, and Arthas took the opportunity to do a lot of dirty tricks, damaging the reputation of the Menethil royal family."
"Therefore, Terenas wants to use this war to reshape the royal authority and subdue those nobles and ministers who are ready to weaken the royal power."
"From Terenas' point of view, he would not consider retreating unless the situation was so desperate that there was no hope of victory."
"But this does not mean that there are no voices for peace within Lordaeron."
Alex's expression turned serious from the initial gloating: "On the contrary, Lordaeron's senior officials, including the Prime Minister, saw something was wrong from the long-term intelligence blockade."
"They jointly wrote a letter, suggesting that Terenas suspend the war and first find a way to rebuild Lordaeron's intelligence system."
"To fight with someone blindfolded and ears plugged is tantamount to seeking death."
Sarlayan asked with interest: "So? Did Terenas agree?"
"agreed."
The corner of Alex's mouth curved into a sarcastic arc: "But his investment in rebuilding the intelligence system is obviously not enough. It is clear that he still wants to regain his position on the battlefield and does not want to surrender to the ministers."
Sarlayan shook his head: "As the saying goes, the older you get, the more stubborn you become. This sentence does have some truth to it."
Alex sneered and said: "Let Terenas continue to have his sweet dream, he will probably wake up suddenly and try to turn back if he hits his head and bleeds."
"But when the time comes, it's not up to him to decide whether to cease the war or not."
Sarlayan's expression became solemn: "That's exactly why I'm here... Alex, if this war is allowed to expand infinitely, what do you think the final result will be?"
Alex withdrew the sneer on his face and lowered his head thoughtfully for a moment.
"You mean...just give up when you're done?"
Sarlayan nodded approvingly: "Yes, the so-called war is nothing more than a continuation of politics and a last resort."
"Alterac's purpose is to force Lordaeron to make concessions and recognize the restoration of Alterac. It does not want to completely defeat Lordaeron, thereby causing a large-scale chaos in the Eastern Kingdom."
"Um……"
Alex undoubtedly has a personal grudge against Terenas, but as the head of a clan and the oldest nobleman in the Kingdom of Alterac, Alex must consider the interests of his family and the country and cannot let it be. Personal grudges go to the head.
The Barov family is good at business. If they want to obtain a good business environment, a relatively peaceful international situation is indispensable.
It is true that many families who started their business are willing to make a fortune during the war, and integrity and conscience are dispensable to them.
But the business was so big that the Barov family could influence the overall international situation, so Alex didn't want to take risks just for a small profit.
Rather than making war fortune, he prefers to make money safely in a peaceful environment.
"Shalayan, do you mean to allow us to continue to maintain contact with the Lord of Lordaeron and even support their insistence on overpowering Terenas?"
