Quick Overview
At Stratholme, Arthas learned that the grain feeding the city was infected with the plague. The spreading Scourge had turned the kingdom's own food supplies into weapons, undermining the possibility of ordinary evacuation or defense. Stratholme was ruined, and the prince's course hardened as he pursued Mal'Ganis toward Northrend.
Full History
At Stratholme, Arthas learned that the grain feeding the city was infected with the plague. He concluded that its inhabitants would become undead and ordered a culling before the transformation could occur. Uther refused to carry out the command, and Jaina would not take part. The division marked a decisive break between the prince and companions who had stood beside him in the defense of Lordaeron.
The spreading Scourge had turned the kingdom's own food supplies into weapons, undermining the possibility of ordinary evacuation or defense. Arthas saw immediate killing as the only answer, while Uther regarded the order as a betrayal of the paladin's duty. The prince relieved his mentor of command and proceeded without Jaina. The city's destruction became inseparable from this conflict over authority and the obligations owed to people who were still alive.
The original Warcraft III mission presents Arthas's choice and its terrible consequences, not a later vindication of his method. Stratholme was ruined, and the prince's course hardened as he pursued Mal'Ganis toward Northrend. The refusal of Uther and Jaina matters because it shows the point at which loyalty to Arthas ceased to be compatible with their understanding of what they had sworn to protect.
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