Hot Potato

He neither rushed to agree nor directly refused.

It's not a business that's rushed.

It's not enough for Baron Chers to make the request alone; more people need to make similar requests.

Helping to train troops shouldn't be a free favor.

We can refuse to accept goods, but once the war breaks out, it must first be clear which side we will join.

Hudson doesn't have time to train other people's troops.

Soldiers who aren't your own won't go to the front lines with you.

Who would be so bored as to do something so thankless?

All the information that needed to be released has been released. Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows that something bad is likely going to happen in the north.

Beastfolk invade from the south, leading a rabble into battle is simply irresponsible towards their own lives.

Noble lords may not care about the lives of serfs, but few can be indifferent to their own.

Given the extremely high mortality rate on the Northern Frontier Battlefield in the past, the chances of surviving a near-certain defeat were extremely slim if one rushed in without securing a powerful ally.

Frankly speaking, among all the thighs, Hudson is the least noticeable one.

Their strength is mediocre, far inferior to that of the great nobles, and even among the middle nobles, they are at the lower-middle level.

Without any powerful backers to rely on, it would be difficult to get a good job even on the battlefield.

It has a lot of drawbacks, but also a lot of advantages.

He has a good reputation, is good at training troops and fighting, is loyal and will not betray his teammates, and most importantly, he is lucky.

"Luck" is a mysterious thing, but you can't help but believe in it. Following a lucky boss, your chances of survival are definitely higher than following an unlucky one.

This was already evident during the suppression of the Skull Society rebellion.

The Fifth Army suffered devastating losses, but the family private army that had always followed Hudson, despite participating in the most battles, had the lowest casualty rate.

After Hudson took control of all the serf soldiers, the casualty rate plummeted. Most importantly—they never lost a battle.

Hudson himself couldn't possibly reveal that he was slacking off. Judging solely from the final result, he was definitely a lucky star.

With the deliberate announcement in this direction, everyone was filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment towards Lord Hudson's incredible good fortune.

The Northern Frontier Battlefield is fraught with danger; even powerful nobles can be wiped out. In the history of the Alpha Kingdom, many powerful nobles have fallen into ruin while resisting Beastfolk invasions.

Decline does not equate to extinction. As meritorious members of the kingdom, these families can continue their bloodline as long as they are not too unlucky.

The Viscount Oran, whom Hudson knew best, came from a prominent noble family in the kingdom and was once the renowned "King of the Southeast".

Unfortunately, due to heavy losses on the battlefield, they were eventually forced to abandon a large amount of territory and retreat to their ancestral lands to recuperate.

There are many other noble families like this, and those that have survived are considered lucky. The truly unlucky ones simply disappeared into the annals of history.

If even the leader suffered such a tragic fate, one can only imagine the plight of the underlings who followed him. Their own death was nothing compared to the annihilation of their entire clan – that was the worst of all.

Essentially, choosing who to go to war with is a gamble.

Theoretically speaking, as long as the leader can come back alive, the younger brothers who followed him can continue the family line even if they die on the battlefield.

Even among nobles, no matter how fierce the internal strife, there still needs to be a fig leaf. Taking care of former comrades-in-arms is only to be expected.

The premise is: there is no crime of possessing a treasure.

If the interests involved are too great, then merely saving face for the nobleman will not be enough.

However, there is no need to worry, as the fiefdoms held by minor nobles are most likely not enough to warrant the charge of "possessing wealth as a crime".

After each major reshuffle, a large number of unclaimed territories emerge, waiting for everyone to divide them up.

The biggest concern is not the lack of fiefdoms, but rather the limited strength of one's own, making it impossible to occupy more fiefdoms.

With numerous precedents to follow, unless there's an unavoidable reason to choose him, it's unlikely that anyone would abandon the coattails of this "chosen one" to gamble on a sliver of hope with someone whose luck is uncertain.

After two years of building up his reputation, it's finally time to monetize it, and Hudson has become increasingly rational.

My Iceberg Beauty Wife

It's easy to get everyone to follow his script and relinquish the power to train and command the army. But integrating the troops and training an elite force is not so easy.

The real challenge in training them wasn't with the serf soldiers, but rather with the noble lords.

The underlings need training, and so do the officers. Getting those noble lords to set aside their airs and join the training grounds is worse than killing them.

There are always exceptions.

In the past, there would definitely be no room for negotiation on such matters, but that may not be the case now.

At a critical juncture of life and death, many seemingly important bottom lines can be breached indefinitely.

It's shameful for someone to stand with the soldiers during training, but when a group of people follow along, it becomes "as is expected."

Rules are always meant to serve those who make them.

Modifying the rules of the game is not a big deal, given the interests of those who set them.

While it doesn't represent all nobles, it's already acceptable to play that game within a small circle.

As long as people don't talk about these things, it will remain a secret forever sealed in the annals of history.

Sacred Light Mountain.

With the arrival of a shocking message from the Alpha Kingdom, the high-ranking officials of the Church were thrown into an uproar.

"The Blood Moon Horn has appeared!"

"Even the location where it appeared is still in the Alpha Kingdom. It is suspected to have fallen into the hands of Hudson, the lord of the Mountain Territory."

The excessively detailed information makes it hard not to suspect that someone is secretly plotting something.

However, the "Blood Moon Horn" incident is far too convoluted. As a religious organization, even if everyone knows that the Church has connections with Heretical Cult, Church cannot admit it.

Otherwise, if the believers see it, it will be a huge problem.

The reason why the Dawn Holy See so much hatred, has been able to continue to exist and live a comfortable life is largely due to its large following on the mainland.

Although they couldn't fool the high-ranking nobles, they still wielded considerable influence among the common people and some minor nobles.

Various countries have been making constant small moves, but have never taken action to destroy the Church, partly out of fear of divine intervention and partly out of concern for public reaction.

If the reputation of the Church could be completely ruined, the Dawn Holy See could be branded as Heretical Cult, and Church foundations severed, no country would give up.

If once doesn't work, try twice; if twice doesn't work, try three, four, five, six, seven, or eight times. Whenever there's an opportunity, people will resort to underhanded tactics.

The Dawn Holy See has a long history of scandals, and if it continues to accumulate, it will eventually lead to the collapse of its core base.

"Blake, what do you think about this?"

"Pope Pius VII asked coldly."

It was clear that he was increasingly dissatisfied with the performance of the Order of Judgment Knights.

The trouble was caused by the Order of Judgment Knights, and even though those responsible were punished, the cleanup work was still a complete mess.

If it weren't for the fact that the Order of Judgment Knights's actions in the Orc Empire were already showing initial success, and they were about to invade the Alpha Kingdom, Pope Pius VII's expression would probably be even more unpleasant.

As the captain, Blake's feelings were even more complicated than those of Pope Pius VII. He was already exhausted, both physically and mentally, because of the "Blood Moon Horn" incident.

It's not a matter of whether we want to investigate or not; it's that after falling out with the Alpha Kingdom, almost all of their people sent there never returned.

It's difficult for anyone to escape unscathed, so the cleanup work naturally can't be completed. Even the Orc Empire's situation was purely coincidental; it seemed to have provoked a conflict between the two countries, but in reality, it had nothing to do with them.

To lessen his own responsibility, he reluctantly accepted the credit. But a lie is still a lie; the situation in the Orc Empire was far beyond his control.

If the Orc Empire's southward invasion target is not the Alpha Kingdom, but rather to find a weak point in one of the other two countries to break through, Blake has no idea how to handle the situation.

A whole host of troubles were already giving him a headache, and now the news of the "Blood Moon Horn" suddenly appeared, it was like they didn't want him to live anymore.

"Your Majesty, the news of the Blood Moon Horn came too suddenly. Evil artifacts are not easy to wield; for nobles who cherish their reputation, this thing is just a useless trifle."

If a mere viscount possessed such an item, he should have handed it over to the Alpha Kingdom, not kept it for himself.

Even if it were truly in this person's hands, the news would be strictly kept under wraps. The fact that news has suddenly surfaced now suggests that someone is deliberately trying to lure us there.

According to the intelligence gathered, the Mountain Territory lord was no ordinary person. He not only commanded two elite infantry regiments, but also possessed a fully grown Earth Bear.

Without the support of any major power, Hudson rose from an unknown knight to a fiefdom viscount in less than two years after leaving his home.

His main strength wasn't ability, but rather an astonishing amount of luck. It's said that whatever happens, it will turn out...

In short, this guy is extremely difficult to deal with. Anyone who clashes with him will encounter various unexpected misfortunes.

Even the son of a grand duke was completely suppressed by this man. Hudson hadn't even done anything; the situation had automatically propelled him to the top.

We are currently engaged in conflict with the Frankish Kingdom, and it is not advisable to provoke new enemies before this is resolved. The Alpha Kingdom will be dealt with by the Beastfolk; there is absolutely no need for us to intervene personally.

Regarding the Blood Moon Horn, we should first send people to investigate secretly. It's not advisable to take any large-scale action, lest it provoke a strong backlash from the Alpha Kingdom.

Blake suggested.

Taking the Blood Moon Horn from the territory of the Alpha Kingdom is fraught with uncertainty. Especially given the possibility of a leak, if they were to receive word, how could the local authorities remain unaware?

If it's a trap deliberately set by the enemy, and they're just waiting to walk right into it, then it'll be a tragedy.

After a series of failures, Blake's confidence had long since vanished. To mitigate the impact of these setbacks, he decided to start by praising his "goal."

It's normal to lose when you encounter a "chosen one".

Countless classic cases in history demonstrate that anyone who goes up against someone with exceptionally good luck always ends up suffering a terrible fate.

At its peak, the Church was fearless. No matter how formidable the enemy, they could find a way to wear them down.

But the current Church is not in a position to act recklessly. If it continues its erratic behavior without restraint, the little strength it has just recovered will likely be quickly depleted.

Not content with merely praising his enemies, Blake also dragged the Frankish Kingdom into the fray.

As the most powerful nation on the continent, no one could ignore it. In fact, Pope Pius VII quickly regretted his decision after declaring the Frankish King illegitimate.

Politics isn't played that way. A complete falling out might feel satisfying, but the end result can be rather poignant.

Ultimately, they overestimated the influence of the Church. They thought that without their recognition, the other side would not be able to secure their throne, and in the end, they had no choice but to compromise with them.

Unexpectedly, without the Pope's presence to crown him, someone else actually put on the crown himself, completely trampling the authority of the Church underfoot.

At the very least, they should have appointed an archbishop as a token gesture, even if the archbishop was appointed by the King; Pope Pius VII would have been able to grit his teeth and accept it.

Unfortunately, none of that was true. The proud Franks didn't play these games. They didn't even bother to leave the Church a fig leaf, directly telling the world: the change of the throne did not require the Church's approval.

Without a doubt, this has opened Pandora's Box. If the Frankish Kingdom cannot be suppressed, the Church's status will plummet.

Pope Pius VII glared fiercely at Blake, then turned to the crowd and asked, "What are your opinions?"

The Church, steeped in bureaucracy, has long since degenerated into a system where "whoever proposes it is responsible for it." In this uncertain environment, none of the old foxes are willing to rashly get themselves involved.

"Your Majesty, the matter of the Blood Moon Horn has always been handled by the Order of Judgment Knights. All relevant information is in their hands; let them continue to be in charge!"

The most pressing matter at hand is the Frankish Kingdom. The newly enthroned French king's hostile intentions towards us are all too obvious.

It's rumored that they're secretly plotting to install a new pope. If we let him continue his machinations, it could be very detrimental to us.

Gu Lei, who was standing to the side, spoke up.

As his old rival, how could he, as the Grand Master of the Order of Judgment Knights, not deliver the final blow at such a crucial moment?

The more the Order of Judgment Knights didn't want to clean up this mess, the more they wanted to tie themselves to it.

Since the Blood Moon Horn incident, the Order of Judgment Knights have had a much easier time in the past year or so. The Order of Judgment Knights, preoccupied with their own problems, no longer have the energy to suppress them.

"Your Majesty, the main focus of the Order of Judgment Knights is currently on the Orc Empire, and they are unable to spare any experts to go to the Alpha Kingdom in the short term."

Blake quickly declined.

It wasn't that he was a coward, it was just that the matter was too complicated. If the rumors turned out to be false, then it would be fine to have made a wasted trip.

But if the Blood Moon Horn is actually discovered, it will inevitably trigger a new round of fighting. Just snatching the items from the Mountain Territory is already fraught with difficulties, let alone bringing them back safely.

Along the way, they may encounter enemies not only from the Alpha Kingdom, but also from various continental countries that could stab them in the back.

Any problem in any part of the process can lead to the failure of the plan.

Top-tier experts are not as common as cabbages. With one setback after another, the Order of Judgment Knights have already suffered considerable losses and simply don't have that many skilled individuals available.

Meeting Pope Pius VII's sharp gaze, Blake met it without flinching. It was better to refuse this difficult task than to let it fail under his watch.