Lord Hudson's War Fever

The ruined Bertley Fortress has once again ushered in a moment of glory.

The top Beastfolk the Five Great Royal Families gathered for a final round of consultations on the issue of joint military action.

The meeting fell into an awkward silence as soon as it began. It was all a consequence of the great war; the murderous glare from the Eagle Emperor revealed the extent of his resentment towards the Bearman Emperor.

"Old Bear, shouldn't you give me an explanation?"

The Eagle Emperor's stern question broke the silence. Clearly, the loss of three thousand Eaglemen had made it difficult for him to control his emotions.

Among the Five Great Royal Families of the Beastfolk, the Behemoth Clan have the fewest members, followed closely by the Eaglemen, whose total population barely exceeds seven figures.

Although the Beastfolk race is a nation of soldiers, with men, women, and children all able to go to the battlefield, that is only a possibility.

Taking the Eaglemen as an example, the young and the old cannot fly for more than a few flaps in the air before they can no longer fly.

Having lost their ability to fly, the air force became the army, and the Eaglemen's advantage over other races ceased to exist.

The loss of three thousand eaglemen was greater than the losses during the raid on Augsburg. If the Eagle Emperor didn't show some remorse, he wouldn't be able to explain it to his people when he returned.

"Explain yourself, what kind of explanation do you want?"

Command of the Eaglemen army is in the hands of your own people. They wanted to enter the city; I didn't order them to.

Your eagle-men soldiers suffered heavy losses, so you come to me for an explanation; Bearmen warriors suffered even greater losses, so who am I supposed to ask for an explanation from?"

"I am furious, "the Bearman Emperor retorted.

The losses were devastating, and both men were seething with anger. As fellow victims, he understood the Eagle Emperor's feelings, but that didn't mean he could accept such accusations.

His temper flared, and he wasn't going to bother giving him any more face. He'd already sent someone to explain what had happened. Believe it or not, it was up to him; he had a clear conscience.

"You, you..."

Seeing that the Eagle Emperor was so angry that he couldn't speak, and it looked like it was about to turn into a full-blown fight, the three people who were watching the show couldn't sit still any longer.

"Eagle Emperor, please calm your anger. The dead cannot be brought back to life. I believe this whole affair is the fault of the human race's conspiracy, attempting to incite internal strife among us."

In critical moments, it is crucial to remain calm and never fall for the human race's schemes and tricks.

Regardless of who is right or wrong, it's always okay to use conspiracy theories and blame it on humanity.

As for how far-fetched this excuse was, the Lion Emperor didn't care, nor would the other kings.

The person is dead, and no amount of fussing can bring them back to life. What we're fighting for now is saving face.

Even if one wanted revenge, one had to find the enemy first. Unfortunately, the Count Landon, who planned all of this, and the people who carried it out, were all wiped out in the battle that day.

Even with the intervention of Beastfolk Ritual who personally searched the entire battlefield, they couldn't find a single remnant soul of their enemy. They couldn't even find the direct target to vent their anger.

"Snort!"

"Snort!"

The two voiced their dissatisfaction almost simultaneously. While it appeared to be a bitter parting, it was actually a gesture to temporarily set aside this grudge.

Throughout the countless years of the past, the internal strife among the Five Great Royal Families has never ceased, and countless conflicts have accumulated.

If it weren't for the pressure from the human race, they would have started fighting on their own. The unity gained under external pressure is ultimately only superficial.

A bloody battle would only benefit others in the end; nobody's that foolish. But the constant scheming and plotting against each other has never stopped.

Seeing that the farce had come to an end, Crown Prince Alex, representing the Behemoth Imperial Court, spoke first, "Now, let's talk about sending troops!"

After such a long time, I estimate that everyone's preparations are almost complete.

As previously agreed, the Behemoth Tribe and Eaglemen will each send one legion, while the remaining three races will each send two legions.

"The Behemoth Clan will keep their promise, are you alright?"

As he spoke, Alex turned his gaze to the Eagle Emperor and the Bearman Emperor. These two had suffered the most severe losses recently.

The Bearmen, in particular, who attacked Bertley Fortress, wiped out an entire legion. Now, deploying two legions at once will inevitably strain their forces.

After all, while besieging Dapes City, they also had to guard their own rear and prevent the human army from coming out of the fortress to cause trouble.

"Our Eagle People value our reputation above all else, and we will naturally keep our promises. However, due to the previous battles, our legions are currently not at full strength."

The legion dispatched this time has a total strength of only nine thousand men. This is sufficient to suppress the enemy's air power.

After saying that, the Eagle Emperor gave the Bearman Emperor a provocative look.

"What are you looking at? If your Eaglemen can keep their promise, my Bear People will naturally not lag behind."

Two elite infantry corps are ready and can depart at any time.

"I am dissatisfied," said the Bearman Emperor.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. A moment of impulsiveness might feel good, but the consequences will be dire.

Five Great Imperial Courts has its own mission. This time, the Bearmen captured Bertley Fortress and opened up the road to the south, making an outstanding contribution to the Orc Empire.

They could have asked the other families to share some of the costs for the Bearmen in the upcoming operations, but they didn't bring it up immediately because they spoke too quickly.

Although there is still room for remedial action, the fact that the Bearmen have deployed two legions is now a foregone conclusion.

"No problem!"

"No problem!"

The Lion Emperor and the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor followed suit and expressed their opinions. It was clear they were in good spirits and very satisfied with the outcome.

With the number of elite troops from each race determined, there's not much to discuss regarding the regular soldiers. Everyone has plenty of cannon fodder.

Even after losing tens of thousands of vassal races in the previous battle to attack Bertley Fortress, the Bearman Emperor was not troubled by this problem.

The era of manpower shortages has not yet arrived. Generally, situations of insufficient manpower occur in the middle to later stages of a war.

As the battle lines continue to stretch and reinforcements from the Human Alliance arrive one after another, the Orc Empire will eventually be unable to hold out.

"Since everyone is okay with it, speed is of the essence. Let's go back and assemble our troops now, and try to set off within ten days."

Alex said calmly.

There are eight main legions alone, and with the addition of everyone's vassal races, the total military strength, even if not 300,000, would not be less than 250,000.

Even on the front lines, assembling such a large army is no easy task.

Moreover, the fact that they were divided into five major camps further increased the difficulty of mobilization. Assembling a team and setting off within ten days was definitely a challenge.

After familiarizing himself with the defenses of Flying Bear Fortress, Hudson once again embarked on his familiar task of training troops.

Not only were the officers and soldiers of the Laite County Legion given extra training, but other troops in the city were also included in the training program, and even the laborers who accompanied them were not spared.

All able-bodied men, women, and children in the city, ranging from sixty-five to twelve years old, were pulled out by Hudson for military training. However, the intensity of the training was significantly reduced, and it mainly focused on city defense.

The ruthless plan of universal conscription was fully implemented at Flying Bear Fortress. As the de facto supreme commander, Hudson had completely let himself go.

Opposition is futile; they're just engaging in reckless militarism. When the Beastfolk attack, they don't discriminate between men, women, or children. Those who don't take weapons to the battlefield are simply waiting to be slaughtered!

In return, the supplies stored in Flying Bear Fortress were rapidly depleted. The supplies originally planned to last for three years to feed the soldiers and civilians in the city were now uncertain whether they could even last for two years due to Hudson's misdeeds.

Knowing full well the danger of this gamble, Hudson couldn't care less. Judging from the current situation, the Principality of Moxi Duchy was in grave peril, on the verge of collapse at any moment.

The situation at Flying Bear Fortress is relatively good. The Elvin Family, as the owners, has been operating in the area for hundreds of years, and their wealth is substantial enough to allow them to have such a large reserve of supplies.

"Tom, send someone to urge the Logistics Department to quickly replenish our warhorses, and make sure the weapons and equipment they owe me are not missing."

As the saying goes, "Ducks are the first to know when the river warms in spring." As a commander on the front lines, the commotion caused by the Beastfolk could not escape his notice.

Regardless of who the Beastfolk army is targeting, once the war breaks out, obtaining these strategic supplies will become extremely difficult.

There was no other way; having drawn so much hatred, Hudson had to feel guilty. He won two major battles, but in doing so, he offended the two great Beastfolk royal families.

If they retaliate, this garrison commander, who is full of hatred, will most likely become the main target of their attacks.

To enhance his survivability on the battlefield, Lord Hudson is now capable of anything.

Of course, in addition to improving the city's defense capabilities, selecting reserve soldiers from among the able-bodied men was also one of the main objectives.

As the visiting force, everything else is manageable, except for the difficulty in replenishing personnel.

The dwindling number of soldiers is extremely dangerous for any military force.

Hudson preferred training new recruits himself rather than requesting them from the Moxi people. In wartime, these were minor issues as long as they could keep winning battles.

Some officers and soldiers were drawn from the Laite County Legion serve as the core force, and an under-strength new recruit legion and an over-strength city defense legion were added to Flying Bear Fortress.

The new recruit corps consisted of laborers and craftsmen demanded from the Logistics Department, plus some able-bodied men drawn from Flying Bear Fortress, with a total strength of only over five thousand men.

The organization of the city defense legion became chaotic. Local noble private armies, including those of the Elvin Family, as well as men, women, and children who participated in the training, were all incorporated into the city defense legion.

Despite being called a legion, it was really just a hodgepodge. As the name suggests, their role was to defend cities.

I don't expect much in terms of combat power; I just hope they can play a certain role in defending the city.

In contrast, the recruit corps is the focus of training.

They were tasked with both replenishing the main army's manpower and fulfilling the duties of engineers. Temporary bridge and road repairs, as well as manufacturing simple military equipment, were among their responsibilities.

A busy life is always fulfilling yet frustrating. Hudson was so focused on rigorous military training that he forgot about the "caravan" he had rescued along the way.

The result of this cold treatment was that the Laibolong Family and their entourage lived in constant agony. The upper-class aristocracy wasn't a large circle; how could no one possibly recognize them?

From the moment they settled into Flying Bear Fortress, their identities were revealed. They were greeted neither with flowers and applause, nor with any accountability.

Apart from preventing them from leaving, no action was taken against them, as if they did not exist.

Being ignored is the most terrifying thing. Hudson's forgetfulness plunged the Laibolong Family into endless fear.

"Uncle, the situation is not good. Rackel and William have no opinions of their own, and all the power in Flying Bear Fortress has fallen into the hands of that Count Hudson."

"They haven't contacted us for so long; I'm afraid that Count Hudson has some grand ambitions. Once he gets hold of something against us, I'm afraid..."

Anthony said bitterly.

As a long-established noble family, they still have quite a few connections. However, now that they've left, the relationship has cooled, and the duchy has yet to define the status of the declining Laibolong Family, so people's attitudes towards these impoverished people are quite complicated.

It's not hard to get some information, but it's a bit difficult to get everyone to lend a hand.

The main problem is that both Rackel and William, the two noble leaders, are now in a precarious situation.

It may seem like a lack of independent thought, but in reality, it's something they have no choice but to do. Giving up control might at most mean losing face, but fighting for control could cost them their lives.

There is no room for luck in war; it's either yes or no.

Given his own limited abilities and resources, it's not surprising that he chose to follow Hudson.

If this was the case for the two highest-ranking individuals, then it goes without saying that it was even more true for the lower-ranking nobles.

Everyone here is a smart man, and no one wants to die on the battlefield without knowing why, so naturally no one would offend the boss for no reason.

Most importantly, Hudson did nothing to the Laibolong Family. Although the treatment offered was slightly worse, what could they do when they claimed to be a caravan?

Merchants, of course, could not be treated like noblemen. Their fate was to eat only black bread the entire journey, and it was only after entering Flying Bear Fortress that they received care from relatives and friends, which slightly improved their situation.

This improvement was only reflected in their daily lives. No one dared to let them leave until Hudson gave the order.

They can remain calm for a day or two. But as time goes on, they inevitably start to overthink.

"Find an opportunity to visit Count Hudson! It's better to be upfront about things than to drag them out like this."

No one outside the area knows the details of our departure from Bertley Fortress. As long as we insist that we broke out after the city fell, there shouldn't be any major problems.

They haven't done anything to us for so long. It seems that Count Hudson hasn't found any evidence against us yet; otherwise, he would have sent someone to negotiate with us long ago.

"We might as well go and find out what this rising earl wants from us before making a decision."

The old Magister said calmly.

However, the worry in his eyes betrayed his inner unease.

Reason told him that this was just the beginning, and Hudson was definitely not the only one eyeing the Laibolong Family's legacy.

Given the opportunity, the nobles, both high and low, in the city would not mind coming up to get a share of the spoils.

The lack of action was mainly due to the protection of the rules of the game, or rather, the face of the nobility.

No one wants to bear the infamy of extortion. Even if action is to be taken, a plausible reason must be found.

The lack of an excuse doesn't mean they're safe. While we can't openly attack them, that doesn't preclude us from secretly taking action.

Compared to their overt restraint, the nobles' covert methods were truly bloody.

There may be morally upright individuals, but the old Magister dares not gamble.