Terence City
Hudson warmly received the officials who came to entertain the troops, and he also understood the matter of rewards and honors.
As my colleague had predicted, it was roughly a nominal title, some gold and silver jewelry, plus some cultivation resources.
Unfortunately, Hudson is cheating; ordinary support resources are of little use to him.
The real gain was that the Moxi Duchy agreed to equip the Laite County Legion with some Magic Crossbow.
It goes without saying that this is all thanks to those second-generation rich kids.
In the previous battle reports, Hudson praised them lavishly, attributing most of the fabricated achievements to these second-generation rich kids.
If you've received a benefit, you naturally have to give something in return.
Although the crafting process for Magic Crossbow is complicated, it is still achievable for a nation.
The main reason for not equipping them on a large scale is cost.
Normally, such expensive equipment would only be provided to the principality's main force.
Only if there are surplus quotas can other units get their turn. Every time they appear, there's a frenzy of fighting over them.
The Laite County Legion was able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat not only because of the impact of their military achievements, but more importantly because of the help they received from others.
The reason Hudson valued the Magic Crossbow was not only because of its long-range firepower, but also primarily because of its anti-air capabilities.
With the firing angle adjusted, it also has a strong ability to strike aerial targets. It is one of the few anti-aircraft weapons available these days.
Of course, the Magic Crystal Cannon is even more powerful.
However, those things are not only expensive, but also incredibly bulky; even the lightest Magic Crystal Cannon weighs several tons.
The powerful heavy Magic Crystal Cannon weigh tens or even hundreds of tons.
It's passable for defending cities, but equipping it to field troops would be a disaster.
Matching its size is its power; those heavy Magic Crystal Cannon weighing hundreds of tons are said to be able to injure even Giant Dragon.
Unfortunately, it is "supposedly" that, under normal circumstances, the cannonballs fired by such a large creature would not hit the Giant Dragon.
Unless there is a dense barrage of fire, it is impossible for humans to keep up with the speed of Giant Dragon's movement by adjusting the aim of their cannons.
Crossbow bolts are slightly less powerful, but they are smaller and more maneuverable.
Some specially crafted magical ballistae made by alchemy masters are also effective against high-level magical beasts.
This is also why skilled fighters will flee when facing an army.
Even high-level magical beasts can be injured; how can the fragile human body withstand such damage?
The quota has been allocated, but when we'll receive the goods depends on the efficiency of the officials in the Moxi Duchy.
Hudson was not worried about this issue.
With the help of newly made friends, the efficiency of the bureaucrats in the Royal Capital was destined to be high.
After all, both sides had agreed to work together in the upcoming mission.
While reaping military credits was one aspect, the most crucial factor was the high degree of autonomy enjoyed by the Laite County Legion.
On the battlefield, Hudson could refuse any unreasonable task assigned by the front-line command at any time.
If they encounter real danger, they can abandon their mission and run away, and the Moxi Duchy has no right to deal with them.
To pursue accountability, the lawsuit must be taken all the way to the Alpha Kingdom.
As a team with a distinguished record, as long as they don't make any fundamental mistakes, they'll basically just get a slap on the wrist.
With teammates like these, while other things are uncertain, the safety is definitely much higher.
If something goes wrong, it's easy to conveniently deflect responsibility. The answer is: liaison officers must act alongside the target.
Everything is working out. Anyone who isn't completely naive wouldn't fixate on a group of guys with powerful backers.
"Your Excellency Viscount Racquel, is there any progress in the investigation into the Beastfolk army's transgression?"
Hudson asked with concern.
He was about to arrive at the front lines, and he couldn't rest easy until he figured this out.
Humans and Beastfolk are irreconcilable enemies, so the probability of the garrison colluding with the Beastfolk is low. But no one can guarantee that there won't be a few fools among the officers and soldiers on the border.
It would be even worse if such an idiot were to hold an important position.
"Your Excellency Count Hudson, this is a very complex issue. All units at the front are conducting self-examinations, and we believe the results will be available soon."
The Royal Capital has already issued a strict order for the troops at the front to strengthen their vigilance; similar incidents should not happen again.
Rackel's answer left Hudson speechless.
It's unbelievable that after such a big thing, they're still asking us to "investigate on our own."
According to his understanding, once such a thing happens, the right thing to do is to start holding people accountable immediately.
With so many Beastfolk crossing the border, it's impossible for them to leave no trace. The local garrison is responsible for determining where they came from.
It's understandable that the defenders couldn't stop them from bypassing the fortress, but it's unacceptable that they didn't report it.
After investigating layer by layer and following the clues for several days, we should have a general result by now.
However, Hudson couldn't interfere too much in the internal affairs of the Moxi Duchy. He could only remain vigilant in his upcoming actions.
In Dapes City, Crown Prince Caesar bid a reluctant farewell to Princess Anne. After these days of getting to know each other, the two were practically on the verge of becoming a couple.
They had intended to invite Princess Anne on a "hunting trip," but how could the well-behaved girl, deeply influenced by royal upbringing, possibly agree to such an outrageous invitation?
This matter caused quite a rift between the two. Princess Anne felt the country was in a dangerous period; not only could she not help, but she certainly shouldn't add to the chaos!
Going on a hunting trip may seem like nothing special, but once the "Crown Prince" identity is applied, everything becomes extraordinary.
The officials along the way will inevitably be busy with this for a while. It might even affect the efficiency of procuring strategic materials.
If it were a prince from the Moxi Duchy, someone would have already stepped in to dissuade him. However, Crown Prince Caesar is a guest, here to offer assistance, and the Moxi Duchy simply cannot refuse this small request.
To please Princess Anne, Crown Prince Caesar, quick-witted as ever, changed the pre-prepared excuse from a hunting trip to a troop reorganization.
Besides the Laite County Legion participating in the battle, the Alpha Kingdom Expeditionary Force also has five other legions. As the commander-in-chief, coordinating and directing operations is perfectly in line with his character and role.
As long as I don't go to the battlefield, it's fine!
That's right, the Moxi Duchy and the Hudson share the same stance: neither wants Crown Prince Caesar to go to the battlefield.
It is indeed common for King to lead troops into battle on the Aslant Continent, but the prerequisite is that the King has excellent military skills and the ability to command thousands of troops.
If you don't have exceptional military command skills, don't go to the front lines to cause trouble or make things worse.
In this respect, the three northern rulers, who suffered together at the hands of the Beastfolk, did a very good job.
Since his own military command ability was average, he stayed in the rear to gather supplies, leaving the command to nobles who were capable of leading the army.
The biggest reason why the Three Kingdoms were able to hold out against the siege of the Beastfolk army until now is that the rulers of the Three Kingdoms did not go to the front line to commit suicide, allowing the generals to freely exert their military capabilities.
Successful cases are also the biggest obstacle to Crown Prince Caesar's desire to go to the front lines. Nobody welcomes this commander, whose abilities are unknown, going to the front lines to give misguided orders.
But Caesar was a man with dreams, and he always wanted to surpass his father and prove his own abilities.
Unfortunately, the more he wanted to go to the front lines, the more difficult it became for him to realize his dream of commanding a large army and achieving great deeds.
Hudson refused to take him along, and his deputy commander also tried to stop him. The hosts from the Moxi Duchy were also trying their best to persuade him to stay.
Now it depends on whether the other legions will be willing to listen. If they also oppose it, then Crown Prince Caesar's dream of becoming a general will be completely shattered.
Upon leaving Dapes City, Crown Prince Caesar met up with the approaching Second Legion and received the warmest welcome.
Nobles flocked to him every day to flatter him. For the first two days, he felt quite comfortable, but Caesar soon realized something was wrong.
It seems these people value flattering him more than commanding an army. Being valued is one thing, but putting the cart before the horse is a problem.
Essentially, we came here to fight, not to be flattered.
As the Crown Prince of the Alpha Kingdom, he grew up surrounded by flattery and had long been immune to such low-class sycophancy.
"Your Excellency, what's the deal with this Second Legion? Why is it so much weaker than the First Army?"
Crown Prince Caesar asked, looking rather troubled.
He was constantly pestered by a group of minor nobles, leaving him exhausted. Despite his repeated attempts to dissuade them, he couldn't dampen their enthusiasm.
At this moment, he actually missed the good things about the Laite County Legion. Not only were they good at fighting, but they were also well-behaved, knew their place, and wouldn't cause him any trouble.
"Your Highness, this is the difference between elite legions and ordinary troops. It's not just about military training, but also about the command structure."
The fact that so many noble officers were visiting him without any sense of propriety actually reflects that Viscount Andres' control over the army was far less than that of Count Hudson.
The solution to your current predicament is quite simple. Just shut yourself off from visitors for a while, and these guys will naturally understand what you mean.
Count Jose explained calmly.
Unlike Crown Prince Caesar, who had only met the Second Legion once, Jose had dealt with all these troops and knew very well the strength of each legion.
The Second Legion was relatively better, as they were all nobles from the same county, and Viscount Andres was able to keep the troops under control.
He didn't stop a group of nobles from visiting Crown Prince Caesar simply because he was a tactful person and didn't like to offend people for unnecessary reasons.
The two legions at the bottom were a mixed bag, a chaotic mess in terms of their internal command structures.
This kind of army is destined to only fight when the tide is against them. Once the situation turns unfavorable, collapse is inevitable.
It was precisely because he knew so much that Count Jose was not optimistic about Crown Prince Caesar's grand plans. Unfortunately, he couldn't fight city hall; as a royal retainer, he couldn't afford to offend the future King.
Now we can only hope that after seeing the poor performance of the later regiments, Crown Prince Caesar will realize his mistake and abandon this unreliable plan.
"Fine, have someone post a notice outside saying that I'm going into seclusion to cultivate and won't be seeing any visitors for the time being."
Inform Viscount Andres that he should take advantage of these few days of rest to take the team out for some serious training.
Given the Second Legion's current state, it would suffer heavy losses if it encountered elite orcish Beastfolk.
"I'm annoyed, "Caesar said.
Unable to bear the constant visits from a group of barons and knights, he was forced to close his doors to visitors, which can be considered a historical precedent.
This is a consequence of failing to grasp the essence of the principle of respecting and valuing talent. It overestimated the self-awareness of the lower-class nobles and ignored their utilitarian mindset.
With more friends, the road ahead becomes easier. Since becoming close to the Moxie aristocracy, Hudson has been able to obtain more information.
News that Crown Prince Caesar had left Dapes City to join up with the rest of the troops quickly reached his ears.
His intuition told him that his troublesome Crown Prince was probably plotting something big again.
Having received no notification, Hudson was happy to play dumb. Ignorance meant he wouldn't have to take responsibility.
Adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble than to get involved," I simply decided not to get involved.
The army advanced slowly, and as Hudson gazed at the Terence City, which was faintly visible on the horizon, his thoughts drifted to it.
As the front line of the Moxi Duchy in its fight against the Beastfolk army, the importance of Terence City is self-evident.
Its strategic value meant it would be subjected to the most brutal attacks. From the moment the Beastfolk army advanced, the fighting in Terence City never ceased.
The continuous fighting had numbed the defending troops. Even the good news of reinforcements arriving failed to boost morale.
Looking at the group of soldiers who looked like walking corpses standing on the tall city walls, Hudson couldn't help but frown.
Without a doubt, the officers commanding these soldiers were incompetent. In this situation, the first priority should be to reassure the troops!
Fighting against Beastfolk armies on the battlefield every day, constantly having to keep one's nerves on edge, would drive even a normal person to illness.
How can we do this without psychological counseling?
Whether it's appealing to the greater good of humanity, offering rewards as incentives, or simply promising soldiers a glimpse of the future, these are all solutions.
In short, people must have hope.
The same applies to an army; only an army full of hope can unleash its strongest fighting power on the battlefield.
Clearly, psychological counseling is not popular on the Aslant Continent. The high-ranking nobles have no interest in the feelings of the lower-ranking soldiers.
In fact, many noble officers are in a similar state to these soldiers. They are all just getting by day by day, with no hope for the future.
"Welcome Count Hudson, to Terence City!"
On behalf of the 400,000 troops defending the front lines, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to you for traveling thousands of miles to provide support.
May the great Lord of Dawn bless our friendship last forever...
The standardized welcoming format simply omits all the pomp and circumstance, completely simplifying the welcoming ceremony.
This scene caught Hudson's eye, and instead of being angry, he felt gratified.
Finally, we've found a pragmatic commander; it's truly a rare find. If the high command at the front lines were as focused on formalism as those powerful figures in the Royal Capital, then there would be no hope.