Military Mission

The extortion mission was complete, but Hudson only got one-third of the items on the list.

The remaining payments will have to be made in installments, which shows that the Moxi Duchy is not well-equipped with weapons.

Otherwise, even if Hudson had a huge appetite, how much of a mere legion could he possibly take?

The weapons were not all delivered, but the craftsmen and laborers were all sent over.

It's clear that in the eyes of powerful figures, labor is truly worthless.

Before Hudson could even celebrate after taking stock of the supplies, he received an invitation from Marshal Hodge.

"Has the transaction been exposed?"

The idea had barely formed when Hudson nipped it in the bud.

Even if this kind of thing were to be exposed, the bureaucrats in logistics would have ways to deal with it.

As a guest army, even if the Moxi Duchy wanted to hold him accountable, they couldn't possibly blame him.

For a commander at the front, the smartest thing to do upon discovering such a thing is to pretend that he knows nothing.

Regardless of who ends up with the weapons, they will ultimately be used to fight the Beastfolk. As long as they aren't smuggled out of the country, the benefits will remain within the country.

Even if they wanted to uncover the truth and escalate the situation, it shouldn't be done by him, the frontline commander.

Otherwise, if we offend everyone, how will we get everyone to cooperate in the later battles?

If it's unrelated to trading, then it can only be a military mission.

Hudson has been watching closely the pressure on the front lines these days.

While strategic passes like Terence City were relatively safe, some isolated fortresses and strongholds were besieged by the Beastfolk army and were almost completely cut off from communication.

There are no reinforcements.

No one dared to risk being surrounded and annihilated by the Beastfolk by sending reinforcements to these besieged fortresses; the garrison inside could only rely on themselves now.

Fortunately, these military fortresses had a habit of stockpiling food and water, so as long as the garrison could hold off the enemy's attack, there wouldn't be any problems for a while.

Perhaps in some people's minds, using the garrison in the fortress to attract the Beastfolk' attack and deplete the enemy's forces is a very worthwhile deal.

Anyway, the defending troops can't run away at a time like this. If they don't want to end up on the barbecue grill, they have no choice but to fight the Beastfolk to the death.

In the face of dire circumstances, people's potential is most likely to be unleashed. It's not impossible for cannon fodder units to achieve combat effectiveness close to that of the main force.

Without a doubt, the Alpha Kingdom pioneered this gameplay style. However, the Moxi Duchy has only learned half of it so far.

The nobles of the Alpha Kingdom initially did this mainly because they felt responsible for defending their territory.

I have a duty to fulfill; I can't abandon my territory and run away, but I also don't want to become a victim of the Beastfolk's swords.

They simply built the castle high and thick, with layer upon layer of internal defenses, making the entire castle a war machine.

Faced with the Beastfolk army's attack, everyone simply adopted a scorched-earth policy, leading their people to hide in the castle.

An ordinary fortress is not worth the Beastfolk army's desperate struggle. Usually, after a probing attack and finding it to be a tough nut to crack, they will give up.

With successful role models emerging, many quickly followed suit. This has led to the current situation where the northern provinces of the Alpha Kingdom are filled with various fortresses and strongholds.

When there are a certain number of fortresses, simply adding a wall in the middle will create a new defensive line.

When faced with the Beastfolk army, the garrison in these fortresses were obedient; as soon as the main Beastfolk army left, they immediately came out to cause trouble.

The Beastfolk had considered removing these obstacles, but after several attempts, they realized it was a completely counterproductive endeavor.

Although there are many cannon fodder races in the Orc Empire, they cannot withstand the fact that the castles and fortresses along the way are easy to defend and difficult to attack.

To capture a castle requires not only a large number of casualties, but also a great deal of time.

They pushed forward fortress after fortress, but before the battle lines had advanced much, time had already passed.

Besides, even with a large number of cannon fodder, there's still a limit; they'll eventually be used up. When that happens, we can't exactly use our main force to fight our way to the death against the city walls, can we?

Perhaps drawing on the successful experience of the Alpha Kingdom, the Moxi Duchy has also adopted this approach to build its own strategic defense line.

While the two sides may appear to operate in similar ways, the actual differences are significant.

After being forced to border the Beastfolk, the insecure Moxi Duchy, in order to quickly build its own strategic defense line, had the central government take the lead in organizing the construction.

On one side was a fortress built to save his own life, and on the other was a fortress built under the supervision of bureaucrats. In any case, Hudson did not believe that the two could be of the same quality.

The fallen Augsburg defenses are a case in point.

Being caught off guard by the enemy was only one aspect; the loopholes in the city's defenses were also a core reason.

Under normal circumstances, even if the city defense map is exposed, it is not so easy for the enemy to destroy all the anti-aircraft firepower with a single sneak attack.

The Immortal Wood Romance

Even if the reaction is a step too slow and the outer city is lost, the inner city can still be defended. While there's no guarantee of holding it, at least it can be held for a longer period.

On the battlefield, time is life. Even holding out for just one more day can change the course of the war.

If the Moxi Duchy had been able to withstand that most brutal beating, perhaps the Warhammer Kingdom would be the one getting attacked now.

Walking along the streets frequented only by soldiers, the thick smell of gunpowder hit you, so oppressive it was suffocating.

Upon entering the Marshal's residence, Hudson found that many officers had already gathered there; he was considered late.

Led by the guards, I sat down in a seat near the front, instantly attracting everyone's attention.

Everyone was an acquaintance, except for Hudson, who was a complete stranger, and was seated very close to the front, making his identity immediately obvious.

No one approached him to chat, and no one came to provoke him. Judging from the envious and jealous looks in the eyes of the crowd, news of his outburst at the quartermaster's office must have spread.

Unfortunately, no one can emulate this. As a guest army, once the battle is over, you can simply pack your bags and leave, and it doesn't matter if you offend someone.

The officers present, however, had to consider their own family interests, and they themselves might even be beneficiaries of the interest chain.

When interests are involved, one cannot act impulsively. Even if one suffers some injustice, one can only endure it for now.

Hudson was used to all of this. To lessen the pain of parting, he had never been interested in befriending the dead.

Of the dozens of officers present, only half survived the battle; that was all thanks to the protection of the Lord of Dawn.

If the Moxi Duchy were to collapse in the war, it might be completely wiped out.

Hudson had no interest in gambling on probabilities, so he simply ignored everyone and closed his eyes to rest.

"Everyone who could come is here, so let's begin the meeting. As you've probably guessed, the main reason for summoning you here is to deal with the Beastfolk' reinforcements."

Contrary to rumors, the Alpha Kingdom still managed to tie down most of the Beastfolk' forces, and the additional enemy forces on our side numbered only a few tens of thousands.

As long as everyone is united and keeps the enemy out of the defensive line, there is still hope of success.

Marshal Hodge's words pulled Hudson out of his reverie.

It is true that the total number of Beastfolk troops has only increased by "tens of thousands", but the threat posed by these tens of thousands is more than that of the hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder outside.

The arrival of these guys completely tipped the already unbalanced scales of victory.

Even defending a city is not easy. Of the Five Great Royal Families of the Beastfolk, only the eagle people are all air force and the Behemoth Clan are all cavalry. The other three families all have infantry units.

Any random squad you pick and place among the human race would be a top-tier elite, belonging to the pinnacle of combat power.

Once the Beastfolk make up their minds, no one really knows whether the Terence Defense Line can hold.

"Marshal, the Beastfolk's elite infantry legion has also arrived. It seems they are determined to break through our defenses this time."

We may still be able to hold Terence City, but the battle line stretching for hundreds of miles is full of holes, and it would be too easy for the Beastfolk to break through.

The Beastfolk army slipped through last time, and now they're even harder to defend against. The enemy only needs to capture a few fortresses to open up a safe passage several miles wide.

With so many elite enemy troops, even if the enemy leaves behind just a few cavalry legions to guard them, it would be difficult for our defenders to cause any damage.

If the Beastfolk divide their forces to hold us back, and their main army marches south to take the Royal Capital, Dapes, then I'm afraid...

The middle-aged officer swallowed the words back. Such unpleasant speculations were always "better left unsaid than spoken."

After listening to the middle-aged man's analysis, Hudson couldn't help but take a second look. Someone who could analyze the problem so thoroughly was clearly no ordinary person.

These are precisely the problems that the defenders of the Terence Defense Line need to worry about most, even more so than the enemy launching a full-scale offensive.

Putting aside political factors, once the Beastfolk split their forces and launched a surprise attack, the army's logistics would be cut off.

The Moxi Duchy is currently undefended and clearly unable to stop the Beastfolk army's advance. The fall of their kingdom and the destruction of their homes could happen at any moment.

"Wagner, the scenarios you've analyzed could indeed become reality, and the Beastfolk may have already begun planning and implementing them."

They've done similar things before. How could the duchy be completely unprepared?

We cannot disclose the specific plans at this time. Our current task is to defend the Terence Defense Line. The Duchy will take care of the rest.

To ensure absolute safety, I plan to reinforce some strategically valuable fortresses and implement key regional defenses.

The reason I've called you all here for this meeting is to prepare for a readjustment of our previous operational missions.

"Count Hudson, the situation is tense, and our frontline forces are stretched thin, so you have also been included in the operational deployment."

Despite appearing calm and collected, Marshal Hodge was actually quite anxious and lacked any real confidence.

Some things cannot be accomplished simply through preparation. Even if they have now discerned the Beastfolk's battle intentions, the Moxi Duchy does not possess the strength to deal with them.

Fortunately, reinforcements from various countries arrived one after another; otherwise, Hodge really didn't know how the Duchy would have been able to cope.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes were focused on Hudson, waiting for his answer.

"Your Excellency Marshal, there is no problem with participating in the battle. From the moment we left our homeland, we were prepared to fight the Beastfolk to the bitter end."

Since we're in an unfamiliar place, we need to prepare and adapt for a few days. We're still not familiar with the area, so it's best to keep our encampment relatively simple.

Hudson said meaningfully.

Military service is something you can't avoid. From the moment you arrive at the front lines, many things become beyond your control.

The only problem now is that the mission came too quickly, and we didn't get to see the subsequent legions of the expeditionary force.

After such a long period of no contact, Hudson suddenly had a feeling that Crown Prince Caesar might be plotting something.

Such untimely speculation should naturally not be shared with outsiders.

Without a sufficient army to bolster his courage, Hudson dared not venture out recklessly with only a legion at his disposal.

Upon seeing this, Marshal Hodge suddenly laughed and handed the garrison map directly to Hudson, feigning magnanimity as he said:

"No problem. Count Hudson was able to come from a thousand miles away to provide reinforcements. This small request is nothing at all."

The areas requiring additional troops to garrison are all marked here; you can choose whichever you prefer!

As long as they're willing to go to the front lines, their specific location isn't important. Safety is relative; the key is where the Beastfolk will attack from.

For Marshal Hodge, wherever the Laite County Legion was stationed, a large number of troops could be saved and then used where they were most needed.

Looking at the information marked on the map, Hudson was completely baffled.

As an outsider, even if I did some research, I only knew the geographical location; I didn't have time to delve into the specific details.

In front of everyone, and at this moment, he couldn't back down. After a slight hesitation, Hudson pointed to the map and said cheerfully:

"Let's choose this place. There's also a Flying Bear Fortress in my hometown. It's fate that we've run into it now."

It was definitely fate, not that Lord Hudson was being picky. As a nobleman who owned the Earth Bear, he had every reason to be fond of fortresses whose names contained the word "bear."

Judging from the disappointed looks in everyone's eyes, it was clear that the location he had chosen to guard the position was probably not bad.

After glancing at everyone, Marshal Hodge said expressionlessly, "Since Count Hudson likes Flying Bear Fortress, then you will be in charge of leading the troops to garrison this place."

In addition to the Laite County Legion, the New 23rd Legion will also assist you in garrisoning this area. Your Excellency may discuss specific military deployments with Legion Commander Rackel.

After the rotation of troops is completed, the Sixth Army Corps and the newly formed Third Army, which were originally stationed here, will withdraw to rest and replenish their forces.

..."

A series of military orders were issued by Marshal Hodge, but none of the officers present made a fuss.

Seeing this, Hudson suddenly understood why the Moxi people were able to stabilize the front lines. Despite the rotten bureaucracy within, there were still a few pillars of strength.

Strict discipline is the fundamental principle of an army. The fact that this relatively unknown Field Marshal Hodge could manage an army composed of noble private troops so effectively demonstrates that he was no ordinary man.