Gathering Routed Soldiers
The army collapsed like a house of cards, with routed soldiers everywhere. The so-called orderly retreat was a complete joke.
When disaster strikes, everyone flees for their lives; even the Crown Prince's orders could not deter everyone's determination to escape.
It doesn't matter if you can't outrun the Behemoth Cavalry, as long as you can outrun your teammates.
The Second Army Corps, which was supposed to cover the rear, managed to reach the forefront of the fleeing group thanks to its own strength.
As for Crown Prince Caesar, who was the commander-in-chief of the army, he was forcibly taken away by his subordinates the moment the army collapsed.
At this point, if we obey his orders now, the family will be having a feast.
The chase began, and bloody scenes unfolded one after another. Everywhere one looked, there were routed soldiers, and the Behemoth Cavalry following behind couldn't keep up.
In Dapes City, Chris IX, anxiously awaiting news, coughed up a mouthful of blood upon receiving the battle report.
"An incompetent general can lead to the death of the entire army."
He truly understood this now.
Unfortunately, it was all too late.
The major battle that had been painstakingly organized ended in a crushing defeat, bringing the Moxi Duchy to the brink of collapse.
The expeditionary force of the Duchy of Orton was wiped out, the expeditionary force of the County of Ruilin was wiped out, and several of their own newly formed legions were also destroyed in the great battle.
After this battle, the Alpha Kingdom's expeditionary force, on which high hopes were placed, had only the First Army left to use.
Such a heavy price was paid for the victory of defeating tens of thousands of Beastfolk cannon fodder.
As for the losses of the Beastfolk elite, it is uncertain whether they reached four figures.
After all, they also have all-around medics, "Ritual," accompanying them. As long as they aren't killed in action or seriously wounded, they can be brought back to life.
Despite the heavy losses, Crown Prince Caesar, who seemingly commanded the operation, bears the greatest responsibility. However, in reality, the Moxi Duchy is responsible for all the consequences.
There is no question of holding anyone accountable.
They came here to help out as volunteers. They risked their lives on the battlefield, and even if they lost, they did their best.
On paper, the Alpha Kingdom's expeditionary force suffered the most severe losses.
With five legions deployed, it remains to be seen whether the remaining troops will be able to form a legion.
It's already quite kind of the Alpha Kingdom that they didn't confront them. If they wanted to hold them accountable, even their allies wouldn't be willing to do so.
The King has fallen ill, and the Crown Prince is still young and clearly unsuitable to take charge of the overall situation.
Crown Prince Caesar of the neighboring country has just paid a hefty price, and the Moshi royal family is also taken aback.
Faced with this complex situation, no one dared to put forward their inexperienced crown Crown Prince to take charge, and the power of the duchy naturally fell into the hands of a group of ministers.
Normally, when something like this happens, everyone would fight tooth and nail to get it.
This situation was unusual, and all the princes and ministers learned to be humble and courteous, showing no intention of seizing power.
"Since everyone is being so modest and no one is willing to serve as regent, then let's wait for His King to wake up before making any decisions."
As for the aftermath, it is now of utmost urgency, and we must come up with a strategy as soon as possible.
"Let everyone express their thoughts and opinions, and then all the ministers present will vote to select the option with the highest support rate as the final decision."
"I said with a wry smile," Chancellor Herczeg said.
The current situation is extremely unfavorable for the duchy; the slightest misstep could lead to the destruction of the country and the ruin of the family.
Nobody wants to be the scapegoat.
The Battle of Dapes City is about to begin. Given the current situation, the chances of holding the city are extremely slim.
Whoever steps in to take charge will bear the responsibility for the fall of Dapes City. The blame for the collapse of the principality will likely also fall on their shoulders.
Once you're burdened with such a huge stigma, you can never get rid of it. Being infamous and eternally vilified is a minor matter; the real issue is the reckoning that will follow.
Not only will you lose yourself, but your entire family will be dragged down with you. Once the political game begins, there is no turning back; don't expect anyone to show mercy.
Others could evade responsibility, but Chancellor Hercheg could not. To reduce his own accountability, he simply dragged everyone into making decisions.
The group exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. It wasn't the best solution, but it was the most effective one at the moment.
Collective decision-making and shared responsibility are always better than constantly shirking responsibility and everyone just giving up.
Seeing that no one objected, Chancellor Herczeg reluctantly proposed:
"Since everyone is being so modest, I'll start by sharing my perspective. The duchy is currently facing a difficult situation, and the following points must be addressed:"
First and foremost, His Majesty the King cannot be harmed now. This is crucial to the stability of the kingdom's people, and we must do everything in our power to save him.
Bring out any life-saving treasures you have! Now is not the time to worry about personal gains and losses.
There is a reward for every effort. Let us all bear witness to this, and the principality will provide compensation afterwards.
Secondly, the defense of Dapes City must be launched immediately and in full force.
Given the current situation, if Dapes City cannot be defended and the Duchy must continue fighting, a temporary secondary capital also needs to be considered.
..."
The series of proposals were mostly passive responses; miraculously, not a single one was met with a counterattack.
The extremely pessimistic proposal actually gained the approval of most people present, which clearly shows that the recent major battle had a significant impact on the leadership of the Moxi Duchy.
"Your Excellency, everything else can be done, but withdrawing the troops from the Terence Defense Line is not feasible at the moment."
Leaving aside the issue of the safety of the civilians in the front-line castles after the army's withdrawal, just figuring out how to evacuate them was a major problem.
It should be noted that the Beastfolk army has now penetrated deep into the heart of the duchy. Once the frontline troops leave the castle, their fate will be to be attacked from both sides by the Beastfolk army.
To break through the encirclement and pursuit of the Beastfolk army, even if the dozens of troops at the front line were able to retreat, probably only one in ten would survive.
Although the situation in the principality has deteriorated, the Human Alliance is already discussing sending troops. We will take back the territory we have lost sooner or later.
For the sake of the duchy's future, it is still very necessary to preserve our strength.
Before the battle, we stored a lot of food and supplies in the fortresses at the front. Even if the Beastfolk army cut off communication with the rear, the defenders could hold out for quite some time.
We should simply give them orders: if they can hold the castle, they should continue to hold it; if they have the opportunity, they should launch an attack.
If supplies run out and we can't hold out any longer, we are free to choose our own escape route.
Martins offered his cautious advice.
As Minister of Military Affairs, he knew better than most people present how vulnerable the Moxi Army was once it was no longer protected by the city walls.
By keeping the soldiers cooped up in the castle, the garrison commanders would surely train harder in the face of the Beastfolk threat.
It is not expected that all of them will become elite troops; as long as one-tenth of the serf soldiers are trained, it will be of great significance to the Moxi Duchy.
In such a critical situation, remote command is irresponsible to everyone. Delegation is the only way to solve the problem.
"Count Martins is right. At this time, it is indeed more dangerous to let the garrison retreat than to hold out."
By keeping these garrison troops on the front lines, at least hundreds of thousands of Beastfolk troops can be tied down and prevented from moving.
Withdrawing our men might seem to bolster our defenses, but it would also increase the size of our Beastfolk army.
Foreign Minister Renato decisively chose to support it.
It's all about self-interest that makes the choice. Their own private army's main force is on the front lines. If they were to withdraw to participate in the defense of the Royal Capital, they might all be wiped out.
Staying on the front lines is equally dangerous, but since the Beastfolk have chosen to bypass the castles and fortresses along the way, they are unlikely to choose to fight a direct assault.
The Moxi Duchy may perish, but the family's legacy cannot be lost. As long as the elite troops on the front lines remain, even if all the territories in the rear fall, they can be reclaimed in the future.
Conversely, if the entire family's private army is lost on the battlefield, no matter how well the rear is protected, it will be difficult to prevent those with ulterior motives from spying on them.
When Hudson received news of the defeat at Flying Bear Fortress, it was already the third day.
Without a doubt, in this matter, the Moxi Duchy chose to suppress the news immediately.
If it weren't for a few noble officers who had miraculously escaped and stumbled into his defense zone, Hudson would have received the news even later.
He had expected to suffer a defeat. But to lose to this extent, Hudson could only admire him.
The combined forces of the four nations numbered a total of 180,000. Such a massive army collapsed within a single day.
Such an amazing record is rare in the entire history of the human race.
With such a record, Hudson really wanted to crack open Crown Prince Caesar's head and see what was inside.
Especially after hearing the specific combat deployment and the actual command on the battlefield, he was speechless.
Crown Prince Caesar, as the supreme commander, had no major flaws in his overall strategic deployment, except that he only knew how to recite from the book and copy blindly.
The core reason for the crushing defeat was that they misjudged their own strength, ignored the changing situation on the battlefield, and failed to leave enough reserves for emergencies.
Compared to what appears to be correct on a macro level, there are many more problems in the details.
There were so many resources available for fighting on home soil, but unfortunately Crown Prince Caesar didn't make use of any of them.
Any general with even a little military experience would set up their main camp in the castle of a nearby nobleman, at least to ensure the absolute safety of their provisions.
No matter how powerful the Beastfolk cavalry are, they can only detour around the city walls. Leaving only a small garrison, or even entrusting the defense to local nobles, is perfectly acceptable.
If there are no problems with the main camp, even if we suffer a defeat in the front-line battles, we can retreat in an orderly manner.
Even in a major rout, the distance is only a few miles. The cavalry can engage the enemy briefly, and then the main force will retreat.
Unless the Beastfolk army abandons its strategic objective of attacking Dapes, it is impossible to entangle with them for too long, and preserving the main force of the expeditionary force is not difficult.
Crown Prince Caesar's command exposed many problems, and the performance of the three armies was equally speechless.
It's one thing to be defeated by the Behemoth Cavalry due to carelessness and insufficient preparation, but the key issue is the subsequent impact.
The myth of a cavalry regiment breaking through an entire legion head-on with minimal casualties has actually come true.
After this battle, the Behemoth Cavalry will be revered as gods once again.
One can imagine how much this would damage the morale of the human alliance.
The previous battle at Hudson was basically a wasted effort.
The dream of "I can do it too" has ended; what remains in everyone's mind is the myth of the Behemoth Cavalry.
As for the case of Hudson annihilating the Behemoth Cavalry Regiment, people would only think: elite troops are not comparable to their ordinary army.
Crown Prince Caesar was a disaster, and his teammates were equally incompetent.
In the midst of mutual sabotage, they suffered a major defeat together. No one knows for sure who betrayed whom.
Tom ordered all the cavalry in the city to leave and search for the whereabouts of Crown Prince Caesar, and also to gather up the fleeing soldiers along the way.
Tell the officers below to simply gather the routed troops and not to engage the Beastfolk army.
"Bring back any armies you encounter along the way, regardless of their nationality."
Hudson reluctantly gave the order.
He could gather as many troops as he could; that was all he could do at the moment.
As for the whereabouts of Crown Prince Caesar, that's none of his business. In any case, this battle has nothing to do with the First Army, and he can't be blamed for anything.
Crown Prince Caesar did not consult him or receive any official documents before launching this campaign.
"Your Excellency, let's go out and search together!"
"Many hands make light work, and the chances of finding His Highness the Crown Prince will be much greater."
Hudson glanced at the young nobleman covered in blood and rolled his eyes inwardly.
They're so young, they can't even tell the difference between truth and lies.
While seemingly emphasizing the search for the Crown Prince's whereabouts, the real purpose was to take the opportunity to gather the defeated soldiers and strengthen their own power.
Emphasizing the search for the Crown Prince is merely a political statement and does not mean he actually welcomes the troublesome Crown Prince Caesar.
With royal guards protecting them, as long as they aren't cursed with bad luck, they can always escape if they plunge headlong into the Beastfolk army.
To make sure his men understood, Hudson even added a subtle hint: "Just gather the defeated troops."
Such a blatant statement was understood even by the head guard, who was of serf origin, yet these young nobles failed to grasp it.
I don't know if it's because she's been too well protected by her family and lacks life experience, or if she's simply eager to save her master and wants to curry favor with Crown Prince Caesar.
"The Beastfolk army is eyeing Flying Bear Fortress covetously. As the city's garrison commander, I cannot abandon my post. The important task of finding the Crown Prince will be entrusted to you."
Guards, quickly fetch some dry rations and water bags and give them to the knights.
His Highness the Crown Prince's safety is crucial to the stability of the kingdom and is of great significance to the kingdom.
"Delay could lead to unforeseen circumstances. For the sake of His Highness the Crown Prince's safety, I will not detain you any longer."
Hudson replied in agreement.
Regardless of their true intentions, the politically correct task of finding the Crown Prince must be strongly supported.
It's all for the Crown Prince's safety; enduring a little hardship is nothing. Washing up and receiving guests is too time-consuming; it's better to just bring dry rations and set off directly.