The menacing Beastfolk army
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Looking at the pitiful Viscount Gio, Hudson couldn't help but wonder if he had gone too far.
However, this feeling of pity was fleeting. A corrupt bureaucrat who drinks the blood of soldiers is not worthy of any sympathy.
Given how brutal racial wars are, it's not excessive to punish those who sabotage our efforts at this critical juncture.
Hudson had no sympathy for scum and degenerates. Even if Viscount Gio was in a miserable state, it was his own doing, and he had no one else to blame but himself.
Now you know you regret it? Where were you before?
Without these bureaucrats dragging their feet, while it's hard to say whether the battlefield situation could be turned around, the morale of the soldiers on the front lines of the Moxi Duchy would at least be much better.
"Viscount Gio, what are you doing in my camp so late at night instead of sleeping?"
Could it be that you feel you were taken advantage of during the day and want to get your revenge now?
Do you still think I'm easy to bully and will tolerate your insolence at my doorstep?
Hudson said this with feigned sarcasm.
Maintaining aristocratic dignity depends on the person. A scoundrel like Viscount Gio doesn't deserve his respect.
Seeing this, Viscount Gio's face grew even more grim. If he could, he would have torn Hudson to pieces.
Unfortunately, the gap in strength and status between the two sides was too great, and even with all their connections, they could not do anything to Hudson.
His former friends, who used to call him brother, all avoided him after hearing the news.
He had a bellyful of plans, but no ability to put them into action. The thought of "revenge" remained buried deep in his heart.
Under pressure from his colleagues, Viscount Gio had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to his most hated enemy to apologize.
"Your Excellency Count Hudson, what happened during the day was purely a misunderstanding. It was mainly due to our oversight that we failed to ascertain your identity."
I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you. On behalf of the Logistics Department, I assure you that such an incident will absolutely never happen again!
It wasn't an empty promise. With his unfortunate example serving as a warning, the bureaucrats in the Logistics Department had already sharpened their eyes.
The ignorant act of trying to extort money from someone without knowing their identity is enough to serve as a warning to everyone.
As he spoke, Viscount Gio also felt a pang of regret. If he had asked a few more questions that day and figured out Hudson's identity, this embarrassing blunder would never have happened.
Unfortunately, there's no going back. Not only did he get a beating that nearly killed him, but now whether he can escape unscathed depends on whether Hudson will back down.
If this matter continues to escalate, it's uncertain how many people will be implicated, and he, as the person directly responsible, will certainly suffer a terrible fate.
They might even be labeled "traitors" for colluding with Beastfolk. Not only would their own lives be in danger, but their entire family would also suffer.
"Hehe!
If Viscount Gio came here only to say these things, then you may leave now.
I, representing the Alpha Kingdom, have come from afar to reinforce your country as Laite County Legion. I have done my part, though I may not have achieved anything.
Upon arriving at the front lines, I was met with such unfair treatment. Even if I could forgive, the dignity of the kingdom cannot be desecrated.
Your Excellency, do you think the dignity of my Alpha Kingdom is so cheap that a mere apology can resolve the matter?
To tell you the truth, I have already prepared a Royal Capital, proposing to the great Caesar III that the kingdom withdraw its reinforcements that have entered the Moxi Duchy.
Hudson took it too seriously.
Opportunities to extort money from someone are not so easy to come by. In any case, Viscount Gio had no way of verifying this with Caesar III.
Regardless of whether the Alpha Kingdom will withdraw its troops as a result, they cannot afford to gamble. Once the truth is revealed, the Moxi Duchy will have to provide an explanation.
"Your Excellency, this is absolutely unacceptable. The situation at the front is critical, and without reinforcements, things could go terribly wrong."
Please, for the sake of humanity, give us another chance. Whatever your requests, please make them; we will do our best to fulfill them.
Viscount Gio reiterated his assurance.
He was genuinely scared this time.
Although the surrounding neighbors all promised (To be continued!)
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Mighty Beastfolk Army
The country has sent reinforcements, but the core leader is still the Alpha Kingdom. If this leading force "withdraws its reinforcements," the promised aid from other countries will become meaningless.
Without reinforcements, the Moxi Duchy might be doomed.
Having caused such a huge incident, not only will the people of the kingdom not forgive him, but even the vested interest groups behind the Logistics Department will not be able to resist wiping out his entire family.
Upon hearing Viscount Gio's promise, Hudson smiled slightly and said casually, "What do you mean, what are my requirements?"
Shouldn't you be the ones to offer compensation for this?
I won't waste any more words. You decide how much the dignity of the Alpha Kingdom is worth, and that's your opinion!
I reckon you can't make the decision yourself, so you should go back and discuss it with the people who can, and see what kind of sincerity they can offer.
In short, the dignity of the kingdom is inviolable. Any nation, individual, or organization that dares to challenge the dignity of the kingdom will be subject to the most severe punishment!
What they want isn't important; the key is what these people can offer. Expecting them to sacrifice their own flesh is clearly unrealistic.
Ultimately, the cost they pay will most likely be borne by the Moxi Duchy. This means that the compensation will be very limited, mostly limited to what they have on hand.
In an instant, Viscount Gio understood Hudson's true purpose. Unfortunately, this was something he couldn't control.
He felt aggrieved just thinking about it. He was the one who suffered a loss, but now he had to put aside his dignity to apologize and even run around for his enemy, trying his best to help them achieve their goals.
"Your Excellency, please rest assured that our sincerity will not disappoint you."
Viscount Gio made the promise with a forced smile.
Regardless of the final outcome, he needs to appease Hudson first. Otherwise, if things escalate to the higher-ups, the truth will be impossible to cover up.
Seeing that things had come to this point, Hudson didn't press the issue further. Making a scene would be easy, but it would only offend people and bring him no benefit.
Cleansing the corrupt elements from the Moxi Duchy would be a thankless task. Any nation that has lasted for hundreds of years is bound to have rotten flesh within it.
Removing rotten flesh can certainly bring about new life; however, the process of removing it can also lead to immediate death.
Essentially, this is a consequence of highly entrenched class structures. It cannot be reversed by the power of an individual.
Especially during wartime, large-scale internal changes pose even greater dangers.
At the expeditionary force camp, after the Second and Third Army joined forces, Crown Prince Caesar immediately launched a vigorous military training operation.
Even though the Moxi Duchy repeatedly requested that they go to the front lines to provide support, he always found excuses to send them away.
With over 30,000 men in two legions, all under his command, Crown Prince Caesar's confidence gradually rose.
However, the strength he possessed was clearly not commensurate with his plans.
Even though the nobles below were happy to accept his personal training as the Crown Prince, it did not change the fact that the quality of the soldiers varied greatly.
The elite among them are comparable to the main force. However, the majority are cannon fodder, possessing at most some basic military skills.
After several days of effort with little result, Crown Prince Caesar's patience was wearing thin, and he couldn't help but ask:
"Count Jose, why is there such a large gap between the Second and Third Army Legions and the First Army, even though they are all county soldiers?"
Upon hearing the question, Count Jose secretly rolled his eyes. Even if he were to say such things, he should have been more discreet. To say them in front of the Second and Third Army Commanders was simply an insult to their dignity.
He could think about it, but he couldn't bring himself to say it in front of everyone. As the Crown Prince, the young Caesar could disregard social etiquette, but he, as a court noble, couldn't be so straightforward.
"Your Highness, there are special reasons why the First Army has such strong combat power."
In terms of composition, the First Army mainly consists of three parts: the private army of the Coslo Family, the private army of the Northern Nobles, and the private army of the local nobles of the Southeast Province.
The Coslo Family's private army was meticulously crafted by Count Hudson, and it can be said that all of them are top-notch elites.
The private army of the Northern Nobles (To be continued!)
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Mighty Beastfolk Army
A large portion of the soldiers came from the Northern Frontier Battlefield, and the proportion of veterans was very high.
The last group of private armies, comprised of local nobles from the Southeast Province, also had combat experience. Most of the noble officers had participated in suppressing the Skull Society rebellion.
For the past few years, there has been constant friction between the native nobles of Laite County and the Northern Nobles. The special circumstances have also forced both sides to increase their military involvement.
This chaos continued until the outbreak of war. Finally, the Count Hudson intervened and mediated the conflict between the two sides.
The officers and soldiers of the First Army already possessed rich combat experience, and after the outbreak of war, Count Hudson conducted intensive training with them for a period of time, which resulted in their current combat effectiveness.
Count Jose calmly analyzed.
As the person in charge of conscription, how could I not investigate the sudden emergence of an elite corps under my command?
This research clarified the origins and history of the Laite County Legion. Although the story is somewhat legendary, it is indeed the most plausible explanation.
Of course, the reason for giving such a detailed introduction to the First Army and repeatedly emphasizing its "special nature" was mainly to help the two First Army commanders next to him out of their awkward situation.
In Count Jose's view, the performance of the Second and Third Army was quite good. At least compared to the bottom-ranked legions, they could be considered excellent.
It's understandable that their combat strength is inferior to that of the First Army.
If all the county soldiers had reached the level of an elite force, it wouldn't be the Beastfolk invading the Alpha Kingdom now, but rather the Alpha Kingdom's army sweeping across the Orc Empire.
Crown Prince Caesar was clearly dissatisfied with this explanation. "Special" meant difficult to replicate, and it also meant that his idea of turning all the subsequent legions into elite forces was directly thwarted.
Fortunately, it was just an idea and wasn't brought up in front of everyone. Otherwise, it would have been a huge joke.
If you can train your soldiers into elite troops, who would want to lead a bunch of cannon fodder into battle?
The problem is that this not only requires a large financial investment, but also requires commanders to have sufficient military expertise, and it also takes a lot of time.
Without systematic military training and practical experience in commanding troops in combat, very few people can become generals and commanders by relying solely on the experience passed down from their family elders and through self-study.
Rather than gambling on such probabilities, people prefer to cultivate an army of cultivators. As long as the individual combat strength is strong enough, they can become an elite force after a few battles.
"According to news from the front lines, the Beastfolk have reinforced their troops along the border of the Moxi Duchy. This time, the reinforcements are not cannon fodder, but elite troops from the Five Great Royal Families."
The Moxi people kept urging us to go to the front lines, actually because they were frightened by the Beastfolk's actions.
Preliminary estimates suggest that the Beastfolk army outside the Terence Defense Line currently consists of at least two Behemoth Legion, three Silvermoon Wolf Tribe cavalry legions, four Bearman Legion, three Lionman legions, and two Eagleman legions.
The total troop strength should be between 150,000 and 200,000.
In addition to these elite troops, there are more than 500,000 vassal race soldiers.
If it weren't for the city's defense, the Moxi Duchy would have been no match for the Beastfolk army.
With such a large army assembled, the Beastfolk's final assault is likely imminent. We have very limited time to prepare; everyone must hurry and train the troops!
As soon as Crown Prince Caesar finished speaking, everyone's expressions turned serious.
The Beastfolk army's gathering along the border of the Moxi Duchy is definitely not a good thing for the expeditionary force.
Once the Terence Defense Line collapses, the third line of defense will likely struggle to hold back the Beastfolk army's advance.
As reinforcements, they inevitably had to go to the battlefield and fight the Beastfolk.
If the six legions that come to reinforce are all elite troops, then there's nothing to fear. Even if they encounter the Beastfolk force, they can still take a piece of the spoils.
"Crown Prince Highness, with the Beastfolk gathering so many elite troops, we are afraid that our small force will be of little use."
"Would the Moxi people really place all their hopes on us?"
Viscount Andres asked uncertainly.
He was unaware of the strength of his allies, but he was confident in the capabilities of his own expeditionary force. (To be continued!)
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Mighty Beastfolk Army
He had absolutely no confidence in the legion.
Bullying Beastfolk grunts is fine, but encountering Beastfolk is practically suicide.
Based on past experience, only elite troops can truly contend with the Beastfolk elites. If ordinary legions encounter Beastfolk elites in the open, their lines are easily breached.
"Don't worry, the Moxi people aren't that stupid. As the number one duchy of the human race, they still have some strength."
With the entire nation's resources mobilized, at least tens of thousands of elite troops could be assembled. Although their quality couldn't match that of the Beastfolk elites, they could still compensate with city fortifications as the defensive force.
Compared to us humans, the Five Great Royal Families of the Beastfolk are indeed powerful in combat, but their numbers are still too few.
They couldn't possibly sacrifice hundreds of thousands of elite troops just to destroy the Moxi Duchy.
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Mighty Beastfolk Army