Volume 4: The Fall of the Dragon Chapter 247: Letter of Submission
"You! You! You!" Fandral Staghelm was rebuked by the Emperor Shenwu, and for a moment he didn't know how to refute.
Malfurion said solemnly, "Enough, stop wasting your time on these details. Your origins cannot change the consequences of your evil deeds.
Perhaps you acted for noble reasons—or perhaps not, but your actions have certainly brought deep pain to this land.
This makes it difficult for me to believe your words easily, let alone form an alliance with you.
Those dead night elf warriors would not agree, those allies who died heroically would not agree, and Cenarius would definitely not agree. Unless you can show more sincerity, I think there is no need for us to continue the discussion. "
When Emperor Shenwu heard this, he immediately laughed.
Malfurion's words seemed righteous, as if he was going to reject his proposal for an alliance, but he left a hint. The so-called "showing more sincerity" was actually just an exorbitant price.
As the founder of a business empire and a successful businessman, it was easy to capture the profound meaning of Malfurion's words.
He immediately understood that Malfurion was also a professional politician. That was easy. He was not afraid of dealing with politicians. As long as they could talk, it was fine. On the contrary, he had a headache negotiating with a guy like Fandral Staghelm who liked to act on his emotions. Once the other party got stubborn, there was really nothing he could do.
Since Malfurion is willing to talk, then make an offer.
At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh. Malfurion was indeed a leader who had lived for ten thousand years. He was a shrewd and calculating man. It was obvious that he was not fooled by his high-handed words at all. He took the initiative and started to prepare to cut losses.
It seems that this time there will be no way around it without some bleeding.
But he was not afraid, because he had already prepared various plans.
Emperor Shenwu (Khan of the Empire): "Of course, I can fully understand what the Archdruid said. Hatred cannot be easily resolved. To show my sincerity, although my generals think we should continue to fight, in order to preserve our manpower to fight against the Burning Legion, I am willing to cancel the title of Centaur Emperor and join the Night Alliance as the King of Centaurs.
In other words, the Centaurs will become a member of the Night Elves Alliance, rather than a partner who fights against the Night Elves. I think this can prove my sincerity."
What! Tyrande was surprised. Although she said it in a rather euphemistic way, this was basically the same as surrendering. Although the night elves won the Battle of Ashenvale, the Centaur Empire still retained most of its strength, and its military strength even exceeded that of the night elves, but its high-end combat power was a little worse.
In addition, there is a lack of powerful allies like the Dragon Covenant.
If the centaurs continued to waste time, although she was confident that she could lead the night elves to ultimate victory, the war would undoubtedly drag on for a long time and some would have to fight.
Now that the Great Emperor Shenwu has said he will surrender, it seems that the Great Emperor Shenwu is really sincere.
She didn't know how to choose and looked at Malfurion with some confusion. However, Malfurion's expression did not show any surprise at all. Instead, he shook his head.
“That’s not enough. If the Centaurs want to join the Night Alliance, then what will you do with the races you enslaved?
And what about Cenarius's death? What role did you centaurs play in this? Cenarius was killed by the demons while we were fighting. Don't tell me this is a coincidence?"
The Emperor Shenwu said righteously: "I swear to the Mother Goddess of the Earth that Cenarius's death has nothing to do with us centaurs. He undoubtedly died at the hands of the devil. I heard that the Burning Legion secretly enslaved a race called orcs. They are the minions of the Burning Legion. Perhaps they are the ones who committed such evil deeds.
In fact, not long ago my scouts reported to me that they had seen a kind of green-skinned creature on the eastern coast of the Barrens, but at that time I was focused on preparing for war, so I didn't pay much attention to it. Perhaps those green-skinned creatures were orcs. I would immediately send a reconnaissance team to conduct a large-scale search and must capture these evil enemies. "
Malfurion nodded in satisfaction. "In addition, the Centaur Empire must join the Dark Night Alliance as an allied race. All races enslaved by the Centaurs must be freed. The Centaur Empire can get a seat in the Dark Night Alliance."
The Emperor Shenwu nodded without thinking for a moment, "No problem, as long as we can put aside the dispute, I am willing to cancel the title of Emperor of the Centaur Empire and let all the vassal races of the Centaur Empire choose for themselves."
Anyway, all the conquered vassals under his command either rebelled and established themselves or ran away, and the only ones left under his control were the Tauren.
The Tauren population has suffered severe losses after continuous wars and will be of no use in the short term, so they should just become independent.
The goal of the Emperor Shenwu is to become an official faction, allowing the Centaurs to become an optional race for adventurers, while he himself becomes the leader of the faction. As a second choice, becoming the leader of a force is also possible.
He knew why Malfurion insisted that he hunt down the murderer who killed Cenarion. To put it bluntly, this kind of thing is difficult to make clear. As long as he doesn't admit it and the other party has no solid evidence, then whether the centaurs and demons have any connection is a confusing matter.
There is actually a deep meaning behind Malfurion asking him to hunt down the murderer. It would be a good thing if the centaurs and demons have no connection. It would be equivalent to killing someone with a borrowed knife.
And if the Centaurs are related to the devil, then killing this 'murderer' is actually asking him to give his allegiance.
Fandral Staghelm, who was standing nearby, felt something was not right the more he listened.
"Malfurion, you are not really going to accept their terms, are you? They have killed so many of our people and caused so much damage to our forest. Are you going to just let it go like this?"
Malfurion glanced at Staghelm calmly, "So you mean to continue fighting the centaurs? Until one side is completely wiped out?"
Fandral Staghelm nodded, "Of course, I am confident that I can lead the night elves to the ultimate victory!"
As soon as he said this, Malfurion's face turned gloomy.
You have confidence in an older night elf? Then what am I?
Of course, I can't say that.
"Humph, but have you ever thought about how many night elf warriors will die if this war continues? Our main enemy is the Burning Legion. In order to fight the Burning Legion, we must put the overall situation first and unite as many forces in Kalimdor as possible, instead of wasting soldiers on this fearless conflict. Staghelm, you obviously don't have the ability to see the problem from a global perspective."
Malfurion's words made Staghelm look angry.
But he knew that he couldn't win the argument, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Let the parliament decide!"
Malfurion smiled and nodded slightly. "Of course, it should be decided by the council. As a member of the council, I think the Centaurs should be given a chance to show their sincerity. Who is in favor and who is against?"
"I object!" Fandral Staghelm shouted immediately.
Malfurion looked to the left disapprovingly, "Lunara, what do you think?"
Lunara is the leader of the dryads and the eldest daughter of Cenarius. For tens of thousands of years, the dryads have been allies of the night elves and are also an important member of the council. The dryads have the body of a fawn and the upper . Their half-human, half-deer appearance is quite similar to that of a centaur.
Lunala looked very sad now, "If they can really help us catch the murderer who killed my father, I agree to let the centaurs join."
"Don't worry, Lunara. Cenarius is also the ancestor of our Centaur clan. We are relatives, right? We will definitely do our best to hunt down the murderer."
The Emperor Shenwu was very outgoing and immediately started the recognition mode.
Malfurion was not surprised at all. He looked at Maiev Shadowsong, the leader of the Watcher Corps. "Maiev, what do you think?"
Maiev shook her head indifferently. "I have no opinion on these, but I must remind you that Shadow Fort is now under guard. I must rush back to guard it as soon as possible, otherwise if Illidan escapes from the prison, it will be troublesome."
Malfurion was not surprised by this either, as he knew very well the grudges between Maiev and his brother Illidan.
"Tyrande, leader of the Sentinels, high priestess of Elune, what do you think?"
Tyrande's mood was actually a bit complicated. Her hatred for the centaurs and her surprise at the Divine Emperor made her hesitant.
But her husband chose to accept it, so of course she supported him.
"I think we can accept the centaurs joining us. Of course, as Lunala said, they have to show their sincerity."
Malfurion looked at the leader of the Sacred Tree Legion again, but this guy directly chose to abstain.
With three votes in favor, two abstentions and one vote against, the answer is obviously self-evident.
Malfurion looked at Staghelm calmly, "It looks like the council has made its choice."
Fandral Staghelm finally reacted. Maiev was determined to go back to guard Illidan and didn't want to take care of anything. Lunala only thought about revenge. Tyrande was Malfurion's wife, and the Sentinel generals basically followed Tyrande. There was no one else in the entire council except him.
They are all birds of a feather! He thought angrily.
Have you abandoned your principles for the sake of profit?
"You will regret it, you will definitely regret it!" he said gritting his teeth.
Malfurion ignored him. "Then the decision has been made, Great Emperor. As long as you can capture the murderer of Cenarius and are willing to release the races you enslaved and join the Night Elf Alliance as equals, we will accept your peace request."
The Shenwu Emperor nodded seriously, "Very good, then I think I should start taking action now." The image then disappeared.
The Emperor Shenwu returned to his golden tent and thought.
Things went much more smoothly than expected. Malfurion was indeed an old monster who had lived for 10,000 years. He was shrewd and calculating, a standard veteran politician. He basically would not let his emotions get in the way. As long as the benefits were sufficient, he would cooperate. In comparison, Staghelm was much more extreme. No wonder he turned evil later.
Of course, the other party would never trust him. Even if the Centaurs showed more sincerity, once they joined the Dark Night Alliance, they would inevitably face a power struggle.
I’m afraid there will be more to do in the future.
He was quite looking forward to this.
The Dark Night Alliance is a parliamentary system. It seems unfair for the Centaurs to join the Dark Night Alliance as an allied race. After all, there is .
But even the interior of the Dark Night is not a monolithic entity, there is still room for maneuver.
Of course, the most important thing is to be able to become an optional race for adventurers and an official camp. If you can't beat them, you can join them. This is also an acceptable result.
Then the next step is to hunt down the 'murderer'.
Half an hour later——
"Gul'dan, you have done a good job in getting rid of Cenarius, the great enemy, for me. I am a man of my word. I will assign a troop to you to complete your plan."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Gul'dan said humbly, but his heart was filled with excitement. He was finally going to succeed.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay and fight with me against the night elves?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. Our tribe is currently facing a powerful enemy. The war has reached a critical moment. I must lead the reinforcements back to the Eastern Continent and join the war. I believe that the army sent by Your Majesty will definitely bring the tribe the confidence of victory.
The alliance between the tribe and the empire will also be the beginning of conquering this world!"
That’s right, the reason Gul’dan wanted an army was to represent the Horde in an alliance with the Centaur Empire.
This is also the reason why he is not worried that the Emperor Shenwu will go back on his word. In his opinion, being able to form an alliance with the tribe is undoubtedly a very beneficial thing for the Centaur Empire, which is currently facing a severe situation in the war.
In his opinion, the Shenwu Emperor was just like those orc chieftains, both of them were barbaric and warlike leaders who were obsessed with power. There was no difference.
How could he know that what the Emperor Shenwu was plotting was on a completely different level.
The Shenwu Emperor smiled and said, "Hahaha, it doesn't matter. Those elf girls just won a battle by chance with the help of the dragon, but I still have a million troops, and the war will be won in the end.
I also hope that you can defeat the Alliance as soon as possible. Those humans and elves in the Alliance actually helped the night elves to fight us. Humph, sooner or later they will kill their way to the eastern continent and raze those human kingdoms to the ground."
"Come, let me show you the legion I have prepared for you."
When the Great Emperor brought Gul'dan to the parade ground, what they saw were ten thousand Centaur warriors lined up in neat rows.
One thousand Centaur Khan's guards, one thousand Centaur archers, one thousand Centaur wind riders, four thousand Centaur armored warriors, and three thousand Centaur wind archers.
A full 10,000-strong army was neatly lined up in the open square.
Gul'dan was pleasantly surprised. He had originally thought that the Great Emperor would just send him some miscellaneous soldiers such as Centaur Raiders and Centaur Hunters.
I didn't expect that they would directly attack with 10,000 elite troops, including 3,000 elite units.
It's worth it that I work so hard.
Now he was a little worried that he would have difficulty controlling this legion.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You're welcome. You deserve it. But before you leave, I need you to do me a favor. I want to borrow something from you."
"What is it, Your Majesty? Please tell me as soon as possible. I will never refuse anything I have."
"I want to borrow a token of my allegiance from you."
"A pledge of allegiance? What is that? I don't think I have it in my hand."
"Haha, of course you have it, but it's not in your hand, it's around your neck."
What? Gul'dan's face changed.
The next second, the Great Emperor Shenwu waved his hand, and the 10,000 Centaurs raised their weapons in unison and surrounded them from all directions...
