Clearing the Fields and Fortifying the Walls

Royeya's death did not break the remaining Behemoth Cavalry; instead, it drove them even more insane.

Unfortunately, such madness was destined to be futile in the face of overwhelming military superiority.

No matter how valiant a warrior is, he cannot withstand the spears thrusting from all directions.

Moreover, having just endured a fierce battle, the Behemoth Cavalry were not at their peak. Their desperate, death throes only made their defeat seem more tragic.

Having witnessed a battle where ants outnumbered and killed an elephant, Hudson secretly reminded himself: in warfare, one must be cautious.

Royeya, lying on the ground, is the best example of what not to do.

If it weren't for his invincible arrogance that made him lose himself, and if he had simply left a few more scouts outside to keep watch for any movement, he wouldn't have been surrounded and killed.

"Clean up the battlefield immediately, burn the corpses on the spot, and then retreat with the wounded! This place is not far from the Beastfolk camp, so we must move quickly."

Hudson gave the order, feigning composure.

Even if the annihilation of a full-strength Behemoth Cavalry regiment was achieved by taking advantage of the situation, it is still something worth celebrating.

As the first complete annihilation of the Behemoth Cavalry Regiment since the outbreak of war, it will undoubtedly be widely reported by various countries and given special political significance.

Not showing one's emotions is a fundamental quality of a general. This is especially true when winning battles; one must always remain rational.

Even though he was secretly overjoyed, Hudson forced himself to suppress his emotions in order to maintain his high-class persona.

The commander-in-chief may restrain his joy, but the officers and soldiers below need not. Judging from their jubilant expressions, everyone is very satisfied with this battle.

Hudson was already beginning to enjoy the benefits of the victory. The most direct impact was that his prestige within the army was rising ever higher.

His word was law not only within the Wright County Legion, but also with the Newly Formed 23rd Legion of the Moxi people.

The series of victories boosted everyone's confidence in him to its peak.

Now, when issuing orders to the Newly Formed 23rd Legion, there is no need for Army Corps Commander Rackel to relay them; the officers below will carry them out spontaneously.

Under normal circumstances, if such a suspected power grab were to occur, the two sides would inevitably fall out.

But now it's wartime, and his own shrewd and capable older brother is surrounded by the Beastfolk army and could be sent to meet the Lord of Dawn at any time. Rackel is too busy trying to curry favor with him to dare to cause trouble.

Command authority is a minor issue. From Rackel's perspective, no matter how capable Hudson is, he's still an outsider who won't take root in the Moxi Duchy. Taking over command of the army is only temporary.

What he needs most now is to bask in the glory of military achievements.

If my elder brother were to unfortunately die, thus completing his extravagant spending spree, the merits I've accumulated now might just become a life-saving medicine someday in the future.

After settling matters in the military, Hudson turned his attention to the rescued small team.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

It wasn't Hudson deliberately causing trouble. Geographically, this area belonged to the Bertley City district, and because it was too close to the front lines, a scorched-earth policy had already been implemented.

Normally, no one should be passing by at this time. If I hadn't just fought with the Beastfolk and proven I wasn't Beastfolk spy, I might not have been questioned, but simply captured.

Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. The Moxi Duchy had already issued a ban prohibiting its citizens from entering the war zone.

Upon hearing the question, Anthony, still grieving, blurted out, "We were a passing caravan that was robbed by Beastfolk and fled here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several experienced elders in the group realized that something was about to go wrong.

This excuse is utterly ridiculous. The flaws in it are countless.

What caravan doesn't even have a horse-drawn carriage?

Which caravan has such a strong guard?

What caravan would be so reckless as to come to the front lines at this time?

Too many questions remain unanswered. Bringing them together would be tantamount to directly telling the other party that their identities are questionable.

They were forced into this situation. Given their current state, if they encountered an unfamiliar army and their identities were exposed, who knows what would happen?

The inheritance of the House Leberon is incredibly tempting. Even old friends and relatives might turn against them, let alone complete strangers.

They could simply label someone a deserter and arrest them without a second thought. In this desolate wilderness, they wouldn't even have a chance to protest.

"Your Excellency, we are guests of the Warren Merchant Guild. We have been invited by the Elvin Family to conduct a business deal, and this is a special pass issued by Viscount John."

As they spoke, the old Magister produced a parchment contract to prove that they were indeed a caravan, thus filling in the gaps in Anthony's earlier statement.

Unfortunately, this scene only fueled Hudson's suspicions about these people's identities. Their thorough preparations seemed almost premeditated.

The rules are all for ordinary people. If someone is a member of one of the four major chambers of commerce in mainland China, it wouldn't be a problem for them to get a pass issued by the King.

Now that it is wartime, these behemoth merchant guilds that roam the continent can obtain a large amount of strategic materials and are treated as honored guests wherever they go.

As long as you're not going to do business with Beastfolk, and you've already spoken to the frontline commanders beforehand, everyone will give you face.

"Is that so? I'm also going to Flying Bear Fortress to relieve the guards. Why don't you all come together?"

Although Viscount John was killed in battle, the business could continue thanks to the reputation of the Elvin Family.

Even if you have an accident on the road, as long as you go over and explain the situation, as cultured nobles, they will be able to understand.

No need to thank me, it was just something I did without thinking. When you're traveling, helping others is helping yourself too.

After saying that, Hudson turned and left without giving the old man a chance to refuse.

Hiding your identity is fine.

Just because he didn't recognize these guys didn't mean the nobles of the Newly Formed 23rd Legion wouldn't. There were more than forty survivors, and he couldn't believe they were all forces hidden in the shadows, never having shown themselves before.

Once one person is recognized, their identities will be exposed. There will be plenty of time to consider how to deal with it then.

The open conspiracy, made without any attempt at concealment, naturally could not be hidden from everyone. Watching Hudson leave, Anthony said regretfully, "It's all my fault for speaking rashly in my panic. What should Uncle do now?"

"It has nothing to do with you. In the end, it's just that our plan wasn't thorough enough. With the capabilities of our group, no matter what identity we use to cover it up, someone will find out that something is wrong."

You all saw the battle just now. From beginning to end, the entire battle was extremely swift and decisive.

Troops with this level of combat capability are rare even in the entire duchy. Even the most elite troops in the family might not be able to guarantee they can perform better.

Judging from their accents, they are mostly from the Alpha Kingdom. The general who came over to ask questions should be the Earl of Moonfall Bay, who was recently appointed by the Duchy.

There are many legendary stories about this man, and it is impossible to verify whether the rumors are true or false, but one thing is certain: this count was extremely powerful.

If this person has set their sights on us, the reasons we prepared beforehand will probably not be enough to fool them.

I spotted someone I knew in the crowd just now. If we weren't in such a disheveled state, we probably would have already given ourselves away.

Next, I'll be following the main force, and it's only a matter of time before my identity is exposed. Rather than being exposed and suspected, I'd rather just confront them directly.

We have no past grievances or recent conflicts with this Count Hudson. It's unlikely he would kill us without a reason.

The House Leberon is currently in a precarious situation and cannot afford further trouble. If their terms aren't excessive, consider it a token of gratitude for their life-saving assistance. Hopefully, this person is as principled as rumored and won't go too far in their demands.

The old Magister said helplessly.

A plucked peacock is no better than a chicken; the current House Leberon is like a plucked peacock.

With the family's strength greatly diminished, the deep-rooted heritage of the House Leberon has become like a child carrying a gold brick in the bustling city, attracting covetous glances wherever he goes.

After cleaning up the battlefield and taking stock of the casualties and gains, Hudson was very satisfied with the one-to-two exchange ratio.

The targets of this exchange are the Behemoth Cavalry. Throughout the entire Aslant Continent, there are few armies capable of engaging them in direct field combat.

Even if the exchange ratio were reversed from one to two, it would still be a joyous occasion for the human race.

There is no doubt that this battle report is inflated. The Behemoth Cavalry killed earlier were also included in the count.

It wasn't that Hudson wanted to steal their credit; it was simply that these people themselves identified themselves as a "caravan." Since they were a caravan, the Allied forces' actions were a rescue.

It would be absurd for the rescued party to claim credit for their work. The rules of the game couldn't be broken, so Hudson could only silently accept this achievement.

Projection Stone and recorded, a fire was set off, marking a perfect end to this encirclement and annihilation battle.

Whether it was due to the great distance or a lack of awareness, the eagle-man scouts only appeared in the sky when the army was withdrawing.

Hudson was not going to be polite to enemies who came to his doorstep.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Drawing the bow, nocking the arrow, aiming, and the arrow flying out—the whole process was seamless and without the slightest hesitation.

With the sound of arrows piercing the air, the eagle-men scouts in the sky fell to the ground, their bodies smashed into a bloody pulp.

Others bend their bows to shoot eagles, but Hudson can only bend his bow to shoot hawks. Still, it feels pretty good.

The only problem is that after these eagle-men are hit by arrows, their descent is like a giant rock falling from the sky, and the damage is not small at all.

Just now, a nag was unfortunately hit by an eagle-man falling from the sky and died instantly.

This is considered lucky. If you were unlucky, you might hit someone and end up having to go to the Kingdom of Gods to hear the teachings of the Lord of Dawn.

While directing the army's retreat, Hudson did not forget to send reports of victory to Crown Prince Caesar and Chris IX.

His political instincts told him that both men needed this achievement now. With the fall of Bertley Fortress, any victory was invaluable.

This classic battle, in particular, in which the entire Behemoth Cavalry Regiment was annihilated, deserves to be written about in great detail.

Hudson was unsure of himself, however, as his previous encounter with the Beastfolk army had been touted as a turning point.

This situation is more special and has more publicity value; it's hard to say how it will be hyped up.

After all, the Moxi people's propaganda has a tendency to be prophetic. The last "turning point battle" was publicized, and now the turning point has actually occurred.

However, this turn of events was not what anyone wanted. The fall of Bertley Fortress caused the situation in the Moxi Duchy to deteriorate rapidly.

If they jinx it again this time, it's uncertain whether the Moxi Duchy can hold on.

Based on Hudson's understanding of the Moxi Duchy, the probability of successfully redeploying troops to rebuild the fortress and block the Beastfolk army in a short period of time would not exceed 30%.

Good news was still on its way, but bad news arrived in Dapes first.

Holding the battle report sent by Marshal Hodge and looking at the contents recorded on it, Chris IX could hardly believe it was real.

"Is the House Leberon really that useless?"

Faced with the King's question, everyone lowered their heads. As a long-established noble family in the duchy, the House Leberon had always been perceived as powerful.

Even as they were declining, no one dared to underestimate this long-established family.

If this family hadn't been rather laid-back, focusing solely on local affairs and not getting involved much in the affairs of the central government, they would certainly have been among the important officials present.

The absence of family members in high positions does not equate to a lack of influence within the central government. There is no shortage of relatives, friends, and political allies within the central government.

Almost all the important figures present could be linked to the House Leberon. Of course, they could also be connected to each other.

There were only a handful of noble families in the Moxi Duchy. The social circle was limited, so intermarriage between them was inevitable.

"Your Majesty, the fall of Bertley Fortress is not solely the responsibility of the House Leberon. Compared to the behemoth that is the Orc Empire, any noble family is insignificant."

When Beastfolk are determined to conquer a fortress, its fall is only a matter of time.

Before the fall of Bertley Fortress, they had sent several letters to the Duchy seeking help, detailing their predicament.

However, due to the constraints of the special circumstances on the battlefield and the shortage of troops at the front, reinforcements were not sent to them in time.

Judging from the records on the Projection Stone, the defense of Bethel was extremely brutal, and the House Leberon did their utmost.

Martins couldn't help but say something fair.

As Minister of Military Affairs, he had a deeper understanding of the situation at the front than anyone else present and was very clear about the difficulties faced by the defending troops.

They died for their country, their blood staining the city walls—that's tragic enough. To continue pursuing the responsibility of the dead is simply unfair.

As a relative by marriage, he had to step forward at this time.

"Your Majesty, the situation has developed to this point. We can discuss the issues of right and wrong later. The most urgent task is to handle the aftermath properly."

The situation at the front is indeed very bad right now. Marshal Hodge made it clear that there are not enough mobile forces at hand to plug the gaps.

The Beastfolk army now possesses the ability to advance unimpeded, making the upcoming war situation even more difficult.

Given the current situation, we must carefully consider Marshal Hodge's proposal to expand the scorched-earth policy.

Based on the experience of the Alpha Kingdom, during each Beastfolk invasion, they would implement a large-scale scorched-earth policy in several provinces of the Northern Frontier.

We followed suit and carried out scorched earth measures in some areas, and judging from the current situation, the results have been quite good.

Without these preparations, we might be facing not just a 600,000- Beastfolk army, but a million Beastfolk.

However, the problem is that implementing a large-scale scorched-earth policy comes at a very high cost.

Not only have the grain supplies supplied to the front lines from the northern provinces run out, but even the lords and nobles in various regions have to ask the duchy for grain in order to sustain themselves in the long run.

He discussed both the good and the bad, but offered no solution. It wasn't that Chancellor Herczeg lacked intelligence; it was simply an unsolvable, deadly problem.