There are, I suppose, 3 ways of looking at the conquest of Ashenvale as it relates to the Horde story, a straight out victory, an advantage in the next faction war, and as a point of territorial prerogative. I’m not convinced by either of these.
As a victory in the war of BfA Ashenvale is tainted and hollow. I’ll never see Ashenvale as anything but the time the Horde slaughtered a bunch of people, just to set up Sylvanas to slaughter a bunch more people in the following two zones. It was dishonorable AND it had the players being played for suckers. Sometimes I like to roleplay as the honor horde, and I hate it. Sometimes I like to roleplay as the pragmatic devious horde, and I now still hate it.
As an advantage in the next faction war, it might have been good to keep a few years ago to bridge what I perceived as an advantage the Alliance has in territory. But we picked up the High Mountain Tauren, which have control over an entire zone, at the same time the Alliance picked up Lightforged, a handful of extra militant, extra holy draenei. We picked up the Nightborne, which is both a vast arcane resource and another entire zone, the Alliance picked up Void Elves, a handful of extra militant, extra dark elves. And sure, we picked up the Mag’har, a handful of extra militant, extra brown orcs, while the Alliance picked up the Dark Iron Dwarves, an entire mountain, but I had already been counting the Dark Irons since Cataclysm, so again advantage to the Horde. I feel no pressing need to fill a territorial gap.
As a matter of territorial prerogative. Ashenvale is adjacent to Orgrimmar, it’s not two zones away, it is straight North West of the Horde capital. Sure, it’s a bit odd that we don’t have an official presence there in lore. But on the other hand the Horde is being attacked by the Alliance in every starting zone, so long as you count Kezan and the Lost Isle as a singular starting experience. It doesn’t make us seem vulnerable, it makes us seem like we’re beating the Alliance right out the gate.
Then there’s the issue of themes. I don’t want the Horde to rely on the same beautiful sylvan glades as the Alliance, for that matter I don’t want the Horde to subsist on the same fertile fields as the Alliance. The Horde belongs in dank, disgusting plaguelands, harsh unforgiving deserts, and the ruins of once great civilizations brought low by hubris and carelessness. If I wanted to go someplace nice, I’d have stuck with my human paladin back when I started playing in Burning Crusade.
The Alliance can have Ashenvale back, I certainly won’t feel cheated when we’re back to the status quo.