Hudson's Secret Art of Saving a Nation

Since the victory in the last great battle, Flying Bear Fortress has been completely peaceful. Even organized Beastfolk armies have to take a detour when passing by.

Within a radius of twenty miles, there was hardly a trace of Beastfolk. As if a tacit agreement had been reached, the Beastfolk did not cross the border, and the guards did not go out to cause trouble.

The anticipated Beastfolk retaliation did not materialize. After the high-level meeting of the Five Great Imperial Courts, everyone chose to return home.

Clearly, everyone is rational and understands that face is completely insignificant in the face of racial strategy.

Hudson did not waste this hard-won period of peace. He seized the time to intensify the training of the troops in the city.

This time, we've offended the Bearman Imperial Court so badly; if they get the chance, they'll definitely come back for revenge.

It's fine if war doesn't break out, but once it does, rivers of blood will flow. If one's own strength is insufficient, then tragedy is inevitable.

"What? The Beastfolk have invaded the Duchy of Orton?"

Hudson asked in surprise.

"Yes, Your Excellency. You heard me right, the main force of the Beastfolk army did indeed bypass Dapes and head straight for the Duchy of Orton."

Having received a definitive answer from Marshal Hodge, Hudson disregarded his image and immediately got up, opened the map, and began to study it carefully.

He quickly came to the conclusion that the Warhammer Kingdom was doomed.

Since the situation in the Moxi Duchy deteriorated, the Warhammer Kingdom has added a new line of defense.

Hudson has no idea the specifics, but the defensive line is still not fully completed.

Now that the Beastfolk army is marching south, it's clear they intend to bypass this defensive line and launch an attack through the Duchy of Orton.

It's clearly too late to continue repairing the defense line. No matter how hard we try to meet the deadline, we can't stop them from taking detours.

Unlike the flat plains of the Duchy of Moxi Duchy, more than two-thirds of the Warhammer Kingdom consists of mountains and hills.

The terrain is not suitable for large-scale military operations, but the Beastfolk a unique race that is clearly superior to humans in utilizing mountains and hills.

Taking over the Warhammer Kingdom may not be easy, but once it is, the Orc Empire will have the potential to hold out for a long time.

On the contrary, even if the Beastfolk managed to capture a large plain like the Moxi Duchy, they would still have to throw it away when the Human Alliance army arrived.

One option is to seize an early advantage, while the other is to gain long-term benefits that enhance racial strength. The choice is obvious.

Having determined the movement of the Beastfolk army, Hudson found himself seemingly powerless to do anything.

Notify the Warhammer Kingdom to raise its alert level.

This is utter nonsense. Leaving aside why anyone would believe a complete stranger, even if they did, the Warhammer Kingdom wouldn't have had time to build a defensive line.

Deploying troops sounds simple, but in practice, all sorts of problems arise. Transforming a peaceful area into a war zone instantly presents a major challenge, especially in terms of coordinating supplies and provisions.

The safer the area, the weaker its military defense capabilities; this is a common problem among all nobles.

Castles capable of housing all the inhabitants only exist in areas with frequent border wars; nobles in the rear build castles and fortresses to defend themselves.

Once the Beastfolk army launches its attack, all lands in the Warhammer Kingdom near the Duchy of Orton will fall, eventually affecting the entire Warhammer Great Plains.

Having lost the kingdom's only great plain, even if the Warhammer Kingdom wanted to continue resisting, the pressure of food shortages would eventually break them.

Even relying on allies for help won't work. The remaining territory is mostly mountainous and hilly, so even if everyone provides aid, it will be difficult to transport supplies to the front lines in a short time.

After calming down, Hudson quickly adjusted his mood. These things were clearly not something he needed to consider.

The fate of the Warhammer Kingdom has no bearing on Flying Bear Fortress. As for the overall interests of humanity, that's a matter only the higher-ups are qualified to consider.

"Marshal Hodge, you didn't come all this way just to tell me this, did you?"

Hudson asked with concern.

His intuition told him that the Moxi people were about to cause trouble. He already had a vague idea of what was going on.

However, he still wanted to get a definite answer from Marshal Hodge.

"The Count Hudson certainly has a discerning eye."

Indeed, the main reason I've come to visit you is to inquire about your views on the current situation.

With the main force of the Beastfolk gone, regardless of their ultimate destination, we have a brief respite.

Whether it's to relieve pressure on the Duchy of Orton or to reverse the unfavorable situation on the battlefield, we must do something at this critical moment.

Some high-ranking officials in the duchy proposed taking advantage of the situation to launch a major campaign centered on Dapes, severely damaging the Beastfolk army that had penetrated deep into the duchy's territory!

All the reasons are nonsense; the core message is simply "to relieve the siege of Dapes."

Having received a definitive answer, Hudson fell into deep thought.

From the perspective of the Moxi Duchy, relieving the siege of Dapes is the most important strategy at present. However, he is not a Moxi nobleman and cannot consider the issue entirely from the perspective of the Moxi people.

"Your Excellency Marshal, you should know how difficult this plan is."

Judging from the current situation, your country seems to have a lot of troops available, but there are not many main force legions that can be mobilized.

With the combat strength of an ordinary legion, if it encounters the main force of Beastfolk in open field battles, it is simply handing over the kill to the enemy.

Besides, the Beastfolk have more than 300,000 troops stationed Dapes City. Even if their combat strength is terrible, they can still hold off 20 or 30 of your ordinary legions.

You've all witnessed the fighting prowess of that understrength Behemoth Cavalry Legion War. A single cavalry regiment could rout an ordinary legion.

Without a few main legions to hold off this Behemoth Cavalry, victory would be difficult to achieve.

Hudson said bluntly.

Saving face depends on the situation. In a large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands of troops, failure to thoroughly consider all aspects can lead to disaster.

People always change. With limited troops and unreliable teammates, Hudson naturally wanted to return home.

However, as the situation developed, Hudson gradually changed his stance after getting used to this unrestrained freedom.

Even if I go back to China, I'll still have to fight. Rather than obeying other people's orders, I'd rather take control of my own destiny now.

Not only can they profit from the war, but they can also accumulate strength amidst the chaos. They can simply rob the orcs of their Beastfolk and divide them among themselves.

Using the banner of the expeditionary force to secretly expand their own power is also a common practice.

Doing this in peacetime would have caused a huge uproar. But now it's wartime, and the primary task is to combat the Beastfolk.

By gathering defeated soldiers from various countries and recruiting young men from Moxi into the army, they appeared to be soldiers of the expeditionary force, but in reality, the best soldiers were all put into the private army of the Coslo Family.

However, Hudson's operation was discreet enough that he did not directly register the unit under his own name, but instead used the designation of a regular army and replaced the officers with his own men.

On the surface, the soldiers under the command of the elite officers were of better quality and had more sophisticated weapons and equipment, while their treatment in other aspects was about the same.

This subtle difference was observed in almost all the teams under various commanders, without causing any stir. Perhaps some astute individuals noticed it, but everyone tacitly kept quiet.

The leader can secretly expand his power, and his underlings can follow suit. The only difference is that they have no autonomy; their troops are allocated by Hudson, and they cannot expand their army at will.

If things continue as they are, it may not be long before the expeditionary force is restored to its original structure of six corps.

As the commander-in-chief at the front, Hudson's little tricks naturally did not escape the notice of Marshal Hodge.

However, Hudson only gathered the defeated soldiers and able-bodied men; he did not try to poach talent from Moxi's army, nor did he cross his bottom line.

Furthermore, given that Hudson's true intentions were unclear and the Moxi Duchy needed the expeditionary force to fight for them, they could only choose to turn a blind eye.

"Your Excellency, the key to this battle still lies with the expeditionary force. The Terence Defense Line still has its significance; we cannot afford to lose these castles and fortresses, even if we were to divert troops, the number would be limited."

No one can say for sure how much combat capability the troops that have been mobilized in various parts of the country actually possess.

They might be able to manage against ordinary Beastfolk armies, but against Behemoth Cavalry, they would likely collapse in an instant.

The most suitable force to deploy right now is your expeditionary force. Only the expeditionary force can withstand the Behemoth Cavalry head-on.

The Duchy has decided to spare no expense for this project; please feel free to make any requests you may have!

Marshal Hodge said with a hint of helplessness.

They were all forced into this situation; the high-ranking officials of the duchy all wanted to lift the siege of Dapes. But when it came to actually taking action, not a single major noble family dared to shoulder this heavy responsibility.

Marshal Hodge himself did not dare to use his family's private army to confront the Behemoth Cavalry head-on.

If their own people couldn't handle it, they could only pin their hopes on the expeditionary force. Unlike the private armies of the great nobles, the expeditionary force was composed of a much more complex group.

Apart from the several thousand private soldiers of the Coslo Family, who were Hudson's direct descendants, the rest were private armies of other nobles, or, to put it another way, the Kingdom Army.

This makes it possible to operate.

No one would be willing to risk their own loyal followers; but risking the Kingdom Army is a different matter entirely.

Everyone here is a smart man. Marshal Hodge knew very well that Hudson was the kind of person who wouldn't do anything without a reason, so he simply hinted at his terms.

"Your Excellency Marshal, this is not a matter of whether your country is willing to invest heavily. The Behemoth Cavalry are swift as the wind, and the only way to intercept them is to fight cavalry against cavalry."

Given the fighting prowess of the Behemoth Cavalry, defeating them would be impossible without several times their number of cavalry. To be on the safe side, it would be best to gather ten times their number of cavalry.

If there is a shortage of cavalry, then the only solution is to improve their equipment, for example, by equipping them with light Magic Crossbow.

Or perhaps it involves equipping a large number of magic scrolls.

Of course, it would be even better if a legion of mages accompanied the army..."

His nonsensical and rambling talk left Marshal Hodge dumbfounded.

The Moxi Duchy, capable of mobilizing ten times the number of cavalry of the Behemoth Legion, would have already taken action; why bother asking for help?

If the Moxi Duchy had the capability to equip its army, it would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?

Magic Crossbow require Alchemy to forge, and magic scrolls need to be personally inscribed by mages. Leaving aside the cost of materials, the sheer amount of handcrafting limits the production capacity of these weapons.

Needless to say, the mage corps would accompany the army. With the pitifully small number of Ritual in the Moxi Duchy, even restraining the Beastfolk in the orc army would be difficult.

"Your Excellency, these demands are far too harsh. To be honest, we cannot fulfill even one of them."

I'm afraid only a large kingdom like yours could muster 100,000 cavalry.

Large-scale deployment of Magic Crossbow and magic scrolls might be possible for major powers like the Frankish Kingdom and the Church to equip some of their elite forces with these items.

At most, the duchy can provide you with three thousand warhorses, and then allocate another eight thousand cavalry to assist in the operation.

War consumables such as Magic Crossbow and magic scrolls will likely only be available once aid from the Human Alliance arrives.

Marshal Hodge said helplessly.

It's not the exorbitant prices that are scary, but the unreasonable ones. Even if it costs a fortune to bribe Hudson alone, it's still cheaper than bribing the entire expeditionary force.

Unfortunately, all the hints went unanswered; Hudson simply ignored them, and none of his requests were reasonable.

"Your Excellency Marshal, if that's the case, then I'm afraid I can't help you."

As you know, the expeditionary force has just experienced a major battle and is currently resting.

It's not advisable to engage in large-scale combat in the short term. Perhaps we should wait for aid supplies from various countries to arrive before taking action?

Hudson offered his sincere advice.

As a nobleman with a conscience, he knew what money he could accept and what money he couldn't take.

So many nobles under his command were willing to follow him because they valued Lord Hudson good luck, ability to win battles, and good reputation; he never betrayed his allies.

How can we risk ruining a reputation that we've painstakingly built over many years for a little profit?

It's not that we look down on the Moxi people, it's just that this war has depleted too much of their national strength, and the little they have left simply can't offer an exorbitant price.

"Your Excellency, you cannot assume that the Human Alliance's aid is all free of charge, can you?"

True free aid is always symbolic. Most strategic materials have to be purchased with money.

"If you don't have money, you settle your debts with goods; your country is most experienced in this. After every major war, you're always heavily indebted."

Marshal Hodge couldn't help but complain.

Although the major powers in the Human Alliance did not take advantage of the situation or inflate prices, they did not reduce the amount of money they were owed.

It's not that governments aren't providing enough support; it's simply that everyone's wallets aren't very full.

In the Aslant Continent, the government can only collect very limited taxes, barely enough to cover daily expenses. The majority of the wealth remains in the hands of local nobles.

Unless war breaks out, it is very difficult for the government to impose new taxes. Even if the King issues an order, the Noble Council will veto it.

Taxes that are not approved by parliament are all illegal and will not be recognized.

"Your Excellency Marshal, let him build up his debts. The Alpha Kingdom has survived all these years, what are you afraid of?"

Forgive my bluntness, but the situation in the Moxi Duchy is now extremely dangerous; a slight misstep could lead to the destruction of the country and the ruin of the people.

To weather this crisis, the most important thing your government should do now is to borrow heavily. Borrow as much as you can, the more debt the better, especially borrowing money from the wealthy nobles.

It's okay if the interest is higher, as long as you can pay it back. Don't rush to think about it now.

Only when you have enough debt will your creditors be unable to bear watching you fall, and only then will aid from various countries arrive sooner.

Even if your country were to collapse, these creditors would step in to help you up. This action would even be spontaneous; they would unconsciously favor your country when making decisions.

Even if the debt hole is too big and one day you really can't pay it back, you can still use the land in the north to offset the debt.

They definitely won't want it, so make a gesture and everyone will extend your repayment period.

These are the biggest secrets that have enabled the Alpha Kingdom to withstand the onslaught of the Orc Empire until now.

"If we hadn't gotten along so well, I would never have told you. Even now, after leaving this room, I would never admit to saying those things."

Hudson continued to bluff his way through the situation.

The Alpha Kingdom has persevered, which has absolutely nothing to do with debt, and the kingdom cannot rely on its creditors to lend a hand every time.

But that doesn't stop Hudson from using it to fool the Moxi people.

When people are in a crisis, they will grab onto any straw they see, let alone Hudson, who provided ample reasons and examples.

Most importantly, it's highly feasible. As long as the debt is large enough, creditors won't dare to watch them die.

They were forced into it. Hudson relied on the Moxi people for money, food, supplies, and weapons while he was in the Moxi Duchy.

Now that the patron is out of money, it means the good days for the expeditionary force are coming to an end.

In order to better resist the Beastfolk invasion and for his own good life, he could only try his best to make his sugar daddy's pockets bulge.

Since he doesn't need to repay the debts that arise, why bother thinking about them?

"Your Excellency, is this really feasible?"

Marshal Hodge asked incredulously.

My previous understanding of life suddenly became insufficient at this moment.

Hudson rolled his eyes and said in a deliberately irritable tone, "Whether it works or not, doesn't the Marshal already have the answer in his heart?"

However, this matter must be kept strictly confidential. If word gets out, your country will likely have a very difficult time borrowing money!