Mobilization

"Out of sight".

"Provide grain".

"Pay money".

The King's decree can be summarized in just three simple words. Even the specific amount was clearly stated, indicating that it was pre-arranged by the various powers.

As a mid-level nobleman, he could only barely enter the kingdom's power center; he was still a long way from the real decision-making level.

The bigwigs have already discussed it; this King decree was clearly not something discussed with everyone. Everything required on it must be completed.

However, when it comes to the specific details, the allocation of tasks among the various counties within the province is bound to lead to disputes.

Comparatively speaking, the situation in the Southeast Province is better. As the kingdom's rear base, the primary task is to ensure the supply of money and provisions to the front lines, and only secondarily to provide qualified soldiers.

The 30,000 soldiers were the easiest problem to solve; the unfortunate nobles who were punished contributed half of the quota. The remaining 1,000 soldiers per county were distributed among the lords, posing no pressure whatsoever.

These soldiers are all to be added to the border garrison. Sending in a hundred or so knights, with a few fewer officers, shouldn't be a big problem.

Since Governor Pierce didn't mention who would lead the team, it's highly likely that it's some capable but unlucky nobleman who got screwed over by his own son.

The issue of "war taxes" is somewhat tricky. Overall, however, it's within a manageable range; you just have to pay the money.

If there's no money, goods can be used as collateral, or more people can be sent to fight; this can also be coordinated within the province.

The most troublesome thing is still the supplies.

The Southeast Province needed to provide as much as 15,000 tons of various strategic materials, including grain.

For a province, the amount allocated might not seem like much. But the key issue is that everyone not only has to collect supplies, but also organize manpower to deliver them to the front lines.

Other supplies don't suffer much loss during transport; a few extra points of loss are usually enough. But grain is the exception, as the Southeast Province is primarily supplied with grain.

The journey from the Southeast Province to the front lines is over a thousand kilometers. Although some parts can be transported along the coast and rivers, the remaining distance that requires manual transport is still over four hundred li.

This is still the most optimistic estimate. In many cases, it's not enough to simply transport supplies to the nearest location; the situation may also change depending on the battlefield conditions.

Hudson was fairly good at math; after a quick calculation, he concluded that at least one-third of the car had been lost along the way.

This was because the Alpha Kingdom had extensive experience fighting Beastfolk, and the infrastructure along the route was relatively complete, with several granaries serving as transit points.

Hudson was not at all surprised that half of the grain was lost during transport when a third was lost in peacetime and after the outbreak of war.

No wonder the Southeast Province was placed after the mobilization order. Without these noble lords in charge, how could supplies be collected and transported to the front lines?

In Hudson's view, after each Beastfolk invasion, the human alliance would quickly finish their work and go home after defeating the Beastfolk army.

It wasn't because the human nations were not united, nor because the coalition lacked the ability to fight back; rather, it was because the consumption of resources on the battlefield was simply too terrifying.

Even fighting on the Alpha Kingdom's home soil consumes so much resources. If the battle line extends to the Orc Empire, even one person fighting and ten people transporting supplies might not be enough to meet the needs of the front lines.

On this issue, humans will never learn from Beastfolk. The Beastfolk' ability to assemble large armies is not due to their superior logistical capabilities; on the contrary, the Orc Empire's logistics are abysmal.

The ability to amass a million-strong army on the front lines stemmed entirely from a lack of moral principles. With insufficient food supplies, their fallen comrades became their rations.

Many times, when the human army fought to the death with the Beastfolk, it wasn't because everyone was so brave; it was simply because they didn't want to become food.

"Your Governor, troop strength and tax revenue are easily resolved by dividing tasks directly by prefecture, but supplies are a problem."

Although the Southeast Province are all fertile lands, the specialties of each prefecture are still different, and some resources are not even available in some prefectures.

Assigning tasks directly to each county would likely make it difficult for everyone to complete them. It would be better to discount all resources and allow everyone to gather resources based on their own local specialties.

As long as the totals roughly match, even if there are some discrepancies in the details, the kingdom probably won't say anything.

Hudson was the first to propose it.

When his own interests were at stake, he had to fight for it. Otherwise, if he mechanically assigned a bunch of material tasks, he wouldn't be able to gather enough even after racking his brains.

Nominally, the prefect was Viscount Ciss, and these issues should have been his headaches. But this guy hadn't uttered a single word since entering the meeting room.

I don't know if they are self-aware enough to know they have no say here, or if they are simply giving up because they are dissatisfied with being sidelined by Hudson.

Even if the county magistrate shirks his duties, the mission still needs to be completed. It's a major matter involving strategic supplies for the front lines; if anything goes wrong, the entire noble family of Wright County will be implicated.

While being executed for "traitorous crimes" is unlikely, being sent to the battlefield to serve one's country ahead of schedule is a highly probable event.

Those aristocratic scions who defied the law were a prime example; Hudson didn't want to go to the front lines with the label of "repentance."

"Hudson Hudson's suggestion is excellent and very practical. The tasks will still be divided by county, but the Governor's Mansion will provide a conversion ratio, and everyone will fold their supplies accordingly."

His King the King has been so busy with this war that he can't sleep at night. We can solve the problem internally, so there's no need to bother His Majesty.

If certain supplies are insufficient, the Governor's Mansion can also make purchases. Considering the increased costs of procurement, a 5% surcharge will be added on the substitute supplies.

In order to combat price gouging during the chaos, prices within the province must be kept stable from now on.

Anyone found hoarding goods or disrupting market prices will be executed without mercy!

Apart from supplies being transported to the front lines, any strategic materials on the list must be approved by the Governor's Mansion before leaving the Southeast Province.

All counties must cooperate closely, especially those on the borders, and must strictly control the outflow of supplies. Whoever's territory has problems will be held responsible.

The war is unlikely to stop anytime soon. This means we must be prepared to supply the front lines for an extended period, and we must expedite food production.

Everyone should set an example by saving food and reducing unnecessary waste.

Tell those below to stop their extravagance and indulgence, and tighten their belts to live a hard life. I don't want to see the territory bankrupted before the war is even over.

Count Pierce's words put Hudson's mind at ease. With supplies to be exchanged, the predicament facing the Mountain Territory vanished instantly.

A five-point loss on firewood is absolutely a testament to the conscience of the nobility. Making money is impossible; if not handled properly, the Governor's Mansion will even suffer a loss.

Purchasing supplies sounds very simple. However, once the scale of procuring supplies reaches a certain level, it's not something that can be bought simply by having money.

Even if prices are kept under control, enough supplies can be purchased, so charging 5% is not high.

It's clear that Count Pierce was genuinely contributing to the war effort, rather than just going through the motions.

The final, earnest warning, in particular, is thought-provoking.

A sudden pang of conscience?

Or perhaps it's simply pity for the lower-class aristocracy?

No one could answer these questions. However, the tragic phenomenon of war leading to the bankruptcy of nobles occurred in almost every large-scale war.

Once they reach the brink of bankruptcy, the nobles' bottom line is breached in a straight line, and their decline is faster than imagined.

The more cunning nobles would trick merchants into becoming suckers, mortgaging everything they could, and then simply renege on their promises.

They had no bottom line; they even sold their own children. However, they weren't selling their own children, but rather the children of serfs.

The most foolish thing to do is to borrow money from powerful nobles, or even mortgage one's territory to borrow. Once the debt becomes overdue, the consequences will be dire.

Many nobles who fell into financial difficulties resorted to borrowing money from relatives and friends. When they went bankrupt, their relatives and friends suffered as well.

When faced with such a situation, everyone can only accept their bad luck. Even for the sake of their own reputation, they can't step in and kick someone when they're down, and can only let the debt be postponed indefinitely.

As one of the major creditors in the Southeast Province, Hudson felt a chill run down his spine. Judging from the current situation, he was now highly likely to become one of the unfortunate relatives and friends who would be implicated.

Without exception, all those who owed Hudson debts were nobles in poor financial condition.

Normally, these guys with stable income from their businesses are considered high-quality clients. But things change during wartime.

The profits from the territory were mostly used to support the front lines. Nobles who were not wealthy would find it difficult to survive until after the war if they did not gain anything on the battlefield.

The thought of dozens of potentially overdue debts and the tens of thousands of gold coins that should have been his were about to go down the drain instantly ruined Hudson's good mood.

"You adapted so quickly; no wonder you're the renowned Divine Bow Knight. Hudson, it seems you truly were born for war!"

As Hudson stepped out of the conference hall and heard Viscount Oran's remark, he felt a toothache.

"Born for war" is utter slander. It makes him sound like a jinx, bringing war wherever he goes.

The Beastfolk invasion of the Alpha Kingdom had been going on for hundreds of years. It would have happened regardless of his presence or absence; it wasn't some kind of butterfly effect caused by a time traveler.

If this guy in front of him weren't his father-in-law, someone he couldn't afford to offend, he definitely wouldn't have been polite.

"Viscount Oran, you flatter me! I still have a long way to go compared to you."

"If I hadn't received the news in advance in the Royal Capital, giving me a few extra days to prepare, I probably would have been completely overwhelmed in that meeting just now."

I haven't even won over my wife yet, so I can't afford to offend my father-in-law. Especially now, during times of war, we all need to stick together and get through this difficult time.

Compared to these established families, the Coslo Family is only relatively long in terms of its lineage; in other aspects, it lags far behind.

After glancing at Hudson, Viscount Oran laughed and said, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore."

I know you have a lot of questions on your mind right now, so just ask! If you miss this opportunity, the next time we meet will probably be on the battlefield.

Hudson wasn't surprised that his thoughts had been seen through. As the second-largest family in the Southeast Province, Viscount Oran was far more than he appeared, managing to live a comfortable life despite the Dalton Family's suppression.

"Your Excellency Viscount, I have always had a question. Why did the kingdom launch a nationwide mobilization so quickly, and why was the timeframe so tight?"

Even within our Southeast Province alone, there are so many internal troubles. It was only through Governor Pierce's forceful assignment of tasks that things were barely managed to get things done.

Other provinces are probably not much better off, Royal Capital needs to face even more problems. How can he coordinate with so many provinces across the country?

Once reinforcements arrive at the front lines, how can they be quickly reorganized and formed into combat-ready forces in the shortest possible time?

In the feudal era of cold weapons, mobilizing a million-strong army for battle was an undertaking far beyond Hudson's imagination.

He was particularly worried about the behavior of the kingdom's nobles, who seemed rather unintelligent.

If any oversight occurs in the organization, the mobilization of a million-strong army will become a joke. Not only will it fail to strengthen the border defenses, but it could also cause the defenses to collapse.

"Hudson, you're overthinking it. Everyone has a neighbor who wants to destroy them at any moment."

Over the past few centuries, it has faced more than a dozen wars of annihilation, and has always possessed the ability to mobilize its forces in a short period of time.

The Coslo Family has been in decline for a long time, and you grew up in a minor noble family. Many of the things you see are not the truth of this world.

The last suppression of the Skull Society rebellion did not represent the true strength of our noble group.

Alphonse was purely an accident. If he hadn't been unlucky and his family's main force hadn't been absent, the Skull Society wouldn't have succeeded so easily.

The kingdom has a Standing Army in the Northern Frontier, you must have heard of it. But this mysterious army rarely conscripts minor nobles, don't you find that strange?

In fact, including my Hollisir Family, almost every noble family in the kingdom with some power has members serving in this army.

Or rather, this Standing Army was essentially controlled by the nobles of the kingdom. The only difference was the degree of their influence.

Besides guarding the border, this army also serves to train our troops and, incidentally, to hone the skills of future generations.

The reason we are only conscripting soldiers now, instead of having everyone lead troops, is because our people are already on the front lines.

In the constant clashes with the Beastfolk, everyone not only accumulated combat experience, but also built up a large number of junior officers.

These were all forced upon us by the Orc Empire. In order to survive better, we had no choice but to learn survival skills from war.

Preventing minor nobles from joining is both a protection for them and a restriction on their participation.

For ordinary people, sometimes knowing too much is not a good thing.

Given limited resources, the capacity of the upper class is also limited. The meager profits are barely enough to feed those at the top, let alone attract more newcomers to join the fray.

Hudson, you're very lucky. You've arrived just in time for the tense situation in the Northern Frontier, where a major war is imminent, and the kingdom needs fresh blood.

Otherwise, even if the Dalton Family helps you, you'll only be an honorary viscount, not a fief viscount.

In an instant, Hudson had a sudden realization. It wasn't that the entire aristocratic class was useless, but rather that the lower-ranking nobles were deliberately isolated by the upper echelons.

That makes sense. As a kingdom that has been fighting the Beastfolk for hundreds of years, even if it stagnates in other aspects, it is impossible for it not to make progress in war and military affairs.

The mystery has been solved: the aristocratic class has indeed made progress. However, it is only the middle and upper-class nobles who have made progress; the lower-class nobles have been excluded.

It's all due to class stratification. You can see this from the fact that the sons of Northern Nobles wanted to go south to seize fiefdoms.

If the benefits are not enough to share, and if minor nobles are allowed to enter the army and accumulate a lot of military merits on the front lines, but then have nowhere to be placed, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among these people.

Rather than that, it's better to let them live in a daze from the beginning. Once the war breaks out, they can just go and be cannon fodder.

For the minor nobles, war was the only opportunity to change the distribution of interests and break the rigid class system, but it was also the beginning of disaster.

For most people, what they lack is not just opportunity, but also the ability to seize it.

The probability of someone possessing exceptional troop-leading abilities without systematic learning and the test of war is extremely low.

What should have been an opportunity to change their fate turned into a disastrous situation due to their own inadequacy. Most of the minor nobles could only play the role of cannon fodder.

Thinking of this, Hudson secretly rejoiced. Fortunately, the Coslo Family had a glorious past, and it was plausible that they had left behind some military knowledge.

Theoretically speaking, self-taught individuals do exist. If others don't achieve success, that's a matter of their own ability.

The outside world's speculation perfectly explains why he trained troops. As for the different training methods, more than a hundred years have passed, so who knows how the Coslo Family's ancestors trained their troops?

Hudson was an innocent and upright member of the Communist Party, and he happened to be there at the outbreak of war. Only by not jeopardizing everyone's interests could he achieve upward social mobility.

A lucky, self-taught military genius with an Earth Bear as his bodyguard, and a top-tier battlefield survivability expert—it's no wonder he's popular.

From this perspective, it makes perfect sense that Hudson was able to defeat numerous competitors and marry into the Hollisir Family.

"Value"!

Filling the gaps