Shadow Trails in Azeroth

Time passed quickly, and soon it was three days later.

In the past three days, the entire frozen sea has been turbulent. The calmness of the first two days proved to be a carefully planned illusion in the early morning of the third day.

The commander-in-chief of the Alliance Navy, Marshal Old Barry Westwin, played a very cunning "secret secret" under the eyes of the North Sea pirates.

He placed elven illusionists on every ship under his command, using long-term camouflage and concealment to completely cover up the traces of his fleet's rapid movement on the sea.

It wasn't until Lordaeron's two fleets appeared on the sea surface of Howling Bay at the same time, one east and one west, that all the forces in Northrend knew that the Alliance military had completed the assembly and attack without alerting anyone. .

When they set up their formation on the sea near Rogue Port in the southwest waters of Howling Fjord, even the North Sea pirate reconnaissance ships cruising nearby were frightened and fled away.

Tens of thousands of pirates had gathered, and the entire Rogue Port, ready to "do something big," was panicked by the sudden arrival of the Alliance fleet.

Some small groups of pirates felt that a disaster was coming, and hurriedly sailed out to sea in an attempt to escape. As a result, they were easily destroyed by the precise bombardment of the Lordaeron fleet blocked on the sea outside the Rogue Port, including the people and the ship.

This was like a terrible signal, making the North Sea pirates even more panicked.

Speaking of which, this operation of the Alliance Navy is quite bold. They may have been inspired by the famous ghost ships on the Endless Sea, and they were extravagant in using spellcasters to create concealment. However, with such a large scale of spellcasters, The operation also benefited from the Alliance Navy's support from both Dalaran and Quel'Thalas.

If another force came here, they would not be able to use such a large-scale "magic tactic".

In short, the alliance's decisive battle strategy was successful.

After they sent out reconnaissance griffons to repeatedly fly over Rogue Port and the surrounding islands, and confirmed that the main force of North Sea pirates was in Rogue Port and had not set sail, even the old Marshal Barry Westwin, who was sitting on the flagship, couldn't help clenching his fists and fiercely He punched the command table.

Lordaeron's two fleets have set up an unbreakable sea blockade around the Rogue Port, and there are elves' magic warships cruising around the outside. The spellcasters stationed on the ships are doing their best to block the space in this sea area. Make it impossible for pirates to escape through teleportation or other methods.

A net has been cast against the North Sea pirates, and they are trapped and dead in their lair.

Either get out of the lair and fight to the death with the Alliance Navy, or wait to be besieged for a long time until they run out of ammunition and food. After cutting off all the supply lines of Rogue Port, that barren island is completely unable to provide food, clothing and housing for tens of thousands of pirates. .

Based on the old marshal's understanding of the pirates' character, it may not be long before the navy may not even need to take the initiative to attack. These guys who can only fight with the wind will start fighting among themselves.

As a veteran navy who followed Dai Lin all the way, there is probably no naval commander in the Eastern Continent who is better at dealing with pirates than Barry Westwin.

He knew that what he had to do now was not to attack immediately.

Instead, they must take advantage of the chaotic nature of the pirates and continue to expand the fear that has arisen in the hearts of the pirates with visible oppression.

They used force and intimidation to suppress their confidence and desire to fight, and finally sent envoys to use language to divide the precarious unity and alliance between the various pirate factions.

As long as one faction shows signs of rebellion, the rogue port in front of them will collapse.

This is the Kul Tiran Navy's most perfect strategy for dealing with large groups of pirates that they have summed up in many years of war with pirates. Nearly a hundred years ago, Dai Lin's grandfather expelled the pirates entrenched in Torba in this way. Ladd's North Sea Pirates.

This set of effective methods will still be applicable a hundred years later.

"Tell all warships to follow the plan! All second-class warships and above prepare sideline fire! In thirty minutes, calibrate fire will be launched in the waters near the Rogue Port.

The dwarf minelayers were dispatched immediately, and I requested that deep-water mines be spread all over the seabed in two hours! "

The old marshal stood on the stern of his flagship, using a telescope to look at the pirate island in front of him among the ice floes. He kept giving instructions to the several combat staff beside him, just like a A predatory spider that only sits on its own web.

Adjusting his deployment with an attitude of controlling the overall situation, he wanted to push the trapped pirates in front of him into a desperate situation bit by bit.

But the old marshal scanned the sea back and forth several times.

He saw the mast of the Queen Anne, the slender hull of the Jotunheim Power, and the weird hedgehog-like gunboat hull of the Sister of Mercy filled with artillery.

There were other pirate ships that left their names on the frozen sea, but the legendary ghost ship Nagfar was the only one that was not seen.

If the flagship of the world-famous pirate Black Shaw is not here, does it mean that Black himself is not here either?

The old marshal pursed his lips, and then shook his head.

A ghost ship cannot control such a large-scale naval battle today. Even if Dai Lin drives his Sea King Power into this sea area, he still cannot break through the siege of Rogue Port by the Alliance fleet.

Naval battles have never been a stage for personal heroism. Even a brave admiral and king like Dai Lin must admit this.

Well, old Marshal Barley felt that maybe he should teach that cunning little guy of the Proudmoore family a good lesson on the sea in front of him?

After all, based on his personal friendship with Dai Lin, Blake, or Drake, had always called him "uncle" for the first nineteen years of his life.

——

"What a cunning bastard! He will use their countless naval guns to scare all the cowards on our side to death!"

On the observation deck at the Wharf of Scoundrel Harbor, the pirate queen of the North Sea, Anne Bonn, personally grabbed the ghost telescope and scanned the sea in front of her.

When she saw the Lordaeron fleet forming an artillery formation in the open sea to prepare for calibrated shooting, the luxuriously dressed pirate queen suddenly curled her lips with a toothache.

She complained to the "tattooed girl" Marci next to her who was wearing a first officer's battle suit, but cut off her sleeves to reveal her arms covered with sea monster tattoos, and wore a chic red head covering her short hair:

"What we should be worried about now is not the bastard Navy under old Barry, I think we should be more worried about those bastards behind us.

I'm sure there are at least ten betrayal plots being planned against us in the island's taverns right now.

And before damn old Barry and his navy boys launch a real attack, we might be fired upon and killed by those losers who are ready to make a move. "

"Don't worry, Captain."

As the first mate of the Pirate Queen, the tattooed girl Marci has grown and become much calmer over the past year. She will be holding a bottle of rum, wiping her mouth and whispering to Anne:

“I have arranged the people.

Silver Moon Harry and his wife led people to guard the town. There was a group of people from the Gold Tooth Gang watching over the tavern. We all know who said what when they were drunk. Those guys with evil intentions will be led by Terry. The men came to the door one by one.

There are spies of the Uncrowned and Warlocks on every ship in the port. If they dare to rebel, we will send them to "swing".

It doesn't matter if the supply of supplies is cut off. The walrus people on Kamagu Island next to us have a very good relationship with us. Although the dried fish and seal milk they provide taste so disgusting that even the Vrykul can't eat it, they can still be eaten at critical moments. Help us for a while.

Moreover, the commanders of Conrad and Match-Legg Dan are loyal direct descendants of our North Sea pirates. With them suppressing the entire island, there will at most be a little trouble. As long as your charm does not diminish, Captain, let Match-Leg Dan continue to succumb to your pirate skirt. Come on, those navy won't be able to rush in anytime soon! "

"You're talking about best-case scenarios, Marci, but we can't bet our fate on shitty luck."

The Pirate Queen saw the calibrated shooting of the Alliance fleet towards the waters of Rogue Port through the telescope. The side salvos of dozens of ships were incredibly powerful. The water columns splashed by a wave of shells on the sea surface were almost connected, and the impact point appeared. The one-line distribution fully proves the superior strength of the Lordaeron navy in the field of artillery.

Those water jets rising into the sky and the sound of explosions were heard from afar, causing screams of exclamation to be heard in the dock of Rogue Harbor, which gave Anne Bonn a headache.

This majestic and well-dressed pirate king of the North Sea rubbed his forehead, held his pirate command knife decorated with fossilized sea beast eyes, and whispered to his first mate:

"Old Barry is a formidable enemy who is difficult to deal with. He calculated that the archipelago terrain around Scoundrel Harbor can help us resist the full-scale attack of the navy, but it will also trap our ships here.

He wants to trap us in our base camp.

But the outcome of this battle is not actually the most important, my first mate.

You must understand that at this moment, time is the most important thing.

Once we are besieged for more than half a month, we will completely lose the sea power that it took us more than two years to establish in the North Sea.

Once other races on this continent think that we have failed, even if we survive in the end, we will only have to swallow the bitter pill of losing the North Sea.

The old bastard opposite is a master of fighting.

He understands that any battle itself serves a certain goal.

If the Alliance's control of the North Sea can be completed without a war, he will never risk damaging the fleet and start a decisive battle with us. "

Having said this, Pirate King Anne Bonn shook her head, put her red captain's hat on her head, clenched her fists and said:

"The North Sea pirates cannot lose. As long as we lose once, we will lose all the prestige we have worked so hard to accumulate. And as long as the Alliance fleet wins once, their power will enter the frozen sea, and no one can drive them out.

Lord Blackshaw entrusted us with the care of the frozen sea. If this North Sea is lost in our hands, what will happen to us? "

Anne's explanation made Marci, the "tattooed girl" who was drinking, frown. The first mate threw the bottle in her hand and looked back at Anne, whom she regarded as her mother. She said:

"Then since you know that our fleet is likely to be surrounded by the Alliance Navy when gathering here, and you can also understand the strategic thinking of the commander on the other side, then why must we assemble a large army and make a show of giving it a go with the Alliance Fleet? What about posture?

I know that Kul Tiras' actions in the South Sea have cut off our supply of ships, but Garboa's cursed pirates also have several shipyards on the east coast of Kalimdor. If necessary, we can pay a high price to buy from the old troll. Buy a boat there.

The temporary interruption of the South China Sea trade route will not put us in a desperate situation.

I thought this gathering was a decoy. "

"This is indeed bait, Marci."

The North Sea Pirate Queen looked around and said to her first mate in a voice that only two people could hear:

"But it's not my idea. No matter how crazy I am, I can't risk the lives of all the North Sea pirates and our future like this.

I originally planned to leave Matchleg Dan and Conrad in the North Sea to attract the attention of Bali Westwin, and then I would take a fleet to bypass the Broken Islands and directly attack the coast of Lordaeron to see if I could find an opportunity. Assault on the city of Lordaeron.

I'm planning to use a house-changing tactic.

But Lord Black stopped my plan, saying that he had a better and easier target, and that the gathering of North Sea pirates in Rogue Harbor was all due to his instructions.

I don't know how our assembled fleet can rush out of the rogue port with complicated sea conditions now that the Alliance Navy has blocked all sea routes.

But I choose to trust my leader. "

Captain Anne snorted, took out a lady's pipe from her pocket and played with it in her hand. She squinted and looked at the Union fleet far away on the coast in front of her, and said:

"Let them run rampant first. As long as Mr. Black launches an attack, everything will be fine. Huh? What are you looking at?"

The Pirate King soon found that he had said a lot, but his first mate seemed to be distracted. "Tattooed Girl" Marci was turning her head to look at the other side of the pier, and there seemed to be a faint sound over there. Cheers erupted.

Under Anne's inquiry, Marci raised her finger, pointed forward and shouted:

"Look! Captain, over there. Outside the dock, isn't that the Nagfar? How did it get past the siege of the Alliance fleet? Well, I was stupid. It is a diving ship, and it can be stopped by a sea blockade alone. Don’t live with it.”

The wild female first mate climbed up to the heights of the observation deck as nimbly as a monkey. She took off her red turban and waved it wildly in the direction of the ghost ship. She shouted while waving:

"As expected of Lord Black Shaw's ship, it is truly a ship of freedom! There is no place in the world that it cannot go to. It is the same as its owner. They can go wherever they want."

"Well, don't be so excited, little girl. Don't climb so high and come down quickly."

Just as Marci was cheering, Blake's figure suddenly appeared next to Anne Bonn very strangely. The smelly pirate was holding the buzzing scepter of Sargeras. He was holding a pipe and shouting to the female pirate above his head. One sentence.

Then he looked back at the leaders of the subordinate factions who looked surprised. Black blew out a smoke ring and glanced at the pirate towns inside the Rogue Port. He whispered:

“The atmosphere here doesn’t seem to be very good, it looks gloomy and bleak, and it’s not lively anymore.

But we're going to have guests arriving soon, so I'm going to give you twenty minutes to clean up our town before those damn dirty drunks embarrass me in front of my guests. "

"Yes, Captain!"

After Blake appeared, the spirit of Anne, a mature female pirate, improved visibly.

She responded vigorously and was about to reorganize the town, but before leaving, Captain Anne worriedly told Blake about the unstable situation within the fleet.

She suggested:

"Captain, do you want to clean up a group of people before the action? What I mean is that maybe hanging a group of greedy bastards on the dock can improve the morale of the brothers, who are now in bad shape."

"Need not."

Blake waved his hand and said casually:

"You only need to select the leaders and their ships of the small groups of pirates who are fearful and intend to rebel. We are all brothers. There is no need to kill them all. Since we can't be fellow travelers, it's better to get together and disperse.

In fact, I am about to introduce a new 'job' to these brothers who are unwilling to follow me to conquer the sea. "

The smelly pirate grinned and said:

"The employer over there is in great need of experienced maritime warriors. He said the more the better, and the gentleman is generous and has paid a large deposit in advance.

I'm still worried about where to find so many old seals who are not afraid of death and don't want to live to replenish their balance, but now it seems that there are many people here who meet the conditions.

Tsk tsk, Anne, Anne, I have to say, your North Sea Fleet can always bring surprises to people.

Then what.

Clean up all the street lamp poles on the pier and find some ropes. The more the better, they will come in handy later. "