Tragedy

While the army was still on its way, the Dapes City had already prepared a victory banquet, just waiting for Hudson and his entourage to return and begin the feast.

Unlike previous major battles, this victory brought an end to the siege of Dapes.

With only the reinforcements sent by the Five Great Imperial Courts, the two sides are now evenly matched. If a real battle were to break out, the outcome would remain uncertain.

There was absolutely no hope of breaching Dapes City. Continuing their march in isolation would only make them vulnerable to being picked off one by one by the human alliance.

With security guaranteed, the city's elites naturally became excited again.

As for what disaster the Behemoth Legion's southward march would bring to their allies, no one had time to think about that.

As the biggest contributor, Hudson felt the warmth of the Moxi people even before he set foot in Dapes City.

The Crown Prince personally led a group of princes and ministers to wait at the city gate, with the ceremony conducted according to the highest standards.

If the King hadn't been bedridden, it's likely that Chris IX himself would be leading the welcoming party right now.

Looking at the grand scene, Hudson secretly shook his head.

While this victory was important, it did not deserve this level of treatment.

Making such a grand spectacle of the event, seemingly to show respect for the heroes, is actually just a different kind of compensation.

Fame and fortune cannot be obtained at the same time. If one gains fame now, then one's actual benefits will inevitably be reduced.

There's nothing to be disappointed about. Given Hudson's current position, the Moxi people can offer him very little.

A nominal title is insufficient to reward merit, especially since they are originally a duchy and it is impossible for them to offer a very high rank.

The Moxi people were willing to give up land, but the problem was that Hudson had no interest in switching sides.

He's not crazy to come here and guard the gates for the Moxi people just for a piece of land.

Don't be fooled by the fact that the Moxi nobles are very enthusiastic about him now, that everyone cooperates well when he commands the army, and that his reputation is so high.

The reason for this lies in the fact that he is a guest force. No matter how high his prestige is, he will eventually return to the Alpha Kingdom and will not encroach on everyone's core interests.

When it comes to doing someone a favor, everyone is happy to come and add to the good fortune.

Once you switch jobs and develop your career here, it's a completely different story. Former friends become competitors, and not stabbing each other in the back is a matter of considering the bigger picture.

Resources are also unreliable.

The precious cultivation resources were all divided up by the nobles and the royal family, leaving only a bunch of common goods in the national treasury.

A year or two ago, Hudson would have been envious; now, he wouldn't even give it a second glance.

Of course, if the base number is large enough, he would still be happy to take it back to train his subordinates.

Unfortunately, this is simply impossible. The national treasury's reserves are barely enough to reward its own people, let alone flow out in large quantities.

There will definitely be gold coin rewards, but most of them are bonds. Theoretically, the returns are quite good, but whether they can be redeemed is still unknown.

It is clear that the Moxi people have learned the essence of "borrowing" and have carried it forward.

If you want the bounty to be paid, you'll have to keep up the good work and help the Moxi Duchy preserve its foundation.

He already had a bunch of bonds tied up and didn't know how to spend them, and now he's getting another bunch. Hudson doesn't even know how to complain.

You have to swallow the bitter fruit you sowed. Maybe you can wait until the situation becomes clearer and find someone to take the fall.

Unfortunately, the financial industry on the Aslant Continent is not developed enough, and there is no bond trading market, making it extremely difficult to cash out.

Even wealthy merchant guilds wouldn't dare take on such a deal; only powerful noble families wouldn't be afraid of the Moxi people defaulting on their debts.

Hudson vaguely sensed that he seemed to have buried a colossal time bomb, which, once detonated, would inevitably cause a cataclysmic upheaval.

"Hurry up, all of you, get moving!"

They all looked listless and weak. Had they not eaten?

Fool, this rock is too big.

You stupidly carried it over like that, are you trying to make it your own tombstone?!

What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and smash it! Do you want me to do it for you?

..."

The Beastfolk soldiers were used to this cursing and swearing.

It's unclear when exactly, but Commander Bruno ended up as the head of a construction crew.

At first, they would fill in a hole and move forward one step at a time. Later, they realized that this was too slow, so they simply sent the soldiers to build the road first.

Unfortunately, these burly guys are more than capable of killing people with knives; as for road construction, they're practically novices.

Amateur construction teams are always prone to accidents. Cutting corners and using substandard materials to complete projects is a common practice.

The most direct consequence is that it causes great trouble for the convoy behind, and a slight mishap could lead to an accident.

Countless worn-out horses were worn out along the way. Bruno was a ruthless man; when the worn-out horses were gone, he simply replaced them with Beastfolk to pull the cart.

The efficiency was slightly lower, but overall it still ensured the orderly progress of the supply train.

To make up for the reduced efficiency, Bruno personally took on the role of a foreman, inspecting the project site while directing the soldiers to build roads.

They were all temporary workers who had switched careers. The amateur foremen and the amateur construction teams meant that, regardless of the quality of the work, the efficiency was certainly not high.

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The less efficient the work was, the more Bruno interfered; and the more he interfered, the less efficient the construction became.

The road repair project was bogged down in a vicious cycle. As the agreed-upon time passed, Bruno's temper flared even more.

"Urgent!"

"Urgent!"

Guided by the soldiers along the way, the eagle-man scout, who had been jogging all the way, finally arrived in front of Bruno.

"General, urgent report from the front."

The Behemoth Legion suffered a crushing defeat under the siege of the human army and has now retreated to the Duchy of Orton.

Prince Butzwig has asked you to be wary of the human race's plots and not fall into their trap...

Before the eagle-man scout could finish speaking, Bruno angrily interrupted, "Enough!"

I know how to fight a war. I don't need a defeated general pointing fingers at me.

Tell Prince Butzwig to take care of himself first! He might inadvertently become the first Behemoth Legion to be annihilated by humans since the start of the war!

In the Orc Empire, only the strong are worthy of respect. It turns out Bruno respected Prince Butzwig because of his illustrious military achievements.

The situation has now changed. The Prince Butzwig, who has a distinguished military record, has suffered a series of defeats. He first lost his 300,000-strong besieging army, and now even his elite Behemoth Legion is being chased around by the humans. Naturally, he no longer deserves Bruno's respect.

Coupled with the setbacks along the way, he had been accumulating a lot of anger, which he could no longer suppress.

When his temper flared, he didn't care about princes or anything like that. They weren't even working for the same court, not even colleagues, so there was no need to give them so much face.

Having vented his frustrations, Bruno had to face reality. The defeat of the Behemoth Legion had directly put the Bearman Imperial Court's reinforcements in an awkward position.

Whether or not to continue is a question that requires careful consideration.

It's one thing to like recklessness, but that doesn't mean Bruno is a fool.

Without the support of the Behemoth Legion, he wouldn't dare lead his troops alone to the human alliance.

After a moment's hesitation, Bruno shouted, "Guards, send someone to contact the other armies. I need to know their next move."

In addition, someone was sent to report the current situation to the Imperial Court, requesting His Majesty the Bear Emperor to decide whether to continue the advance!

A similar scene unfolded in the other four Beastfolk armies.

The bait has been completely devoured by the enemy. Whether closing the net now will yield any results is uncertain.

The risks and benefits of continuing to send troops are no longer proportional.

Unless the imperial court can send more reinforcements, continuing this will lead to a major war with an uncertain future.

Beneath the Terence City, the armies of Beastfolk Five Great Royal Families gathered, each unleashing their full strength to launch the fiercest attack on this fortress city.

Faced with the ferocious Beastfolk, the defenders' resistance proved futile. The Terence City now resembled a dilapidated old house, teetering on the brink of collapse in the wind and rain.

However, each time the crucial moment arrived, the ancient city held firm. Several times the Beastfolk army opened breaches, only to have them blocked by the city's defenders who sacrificed their lives.

The highly respected Marshal Hodge now had a full head of white hair, as if he had aged twenty years in an instant.

Facing the overwhelming Beastfolk, one can only imagine the pressure they had to endure, constantly on edge.

"Marshal, this is yesterday's casualty report. A total of 3,246 officers and soldiers were killed in action."

There are as many as eleven breaches in the outer city. Although we have sealed the gaps, our defenses have been greatly reduced.

The battles to come are expected to be even more brutal. Based on the enemy's current offensive intensity, the outer city is expected to fall within ten days.

Harley said in a low voice.

As Marshal Hodge's adjutant, he dealt with various data every day and knew far more information than ordinary soldiers.

That's just how people are; the more they know, the less happiness they have.

With daily casualties reaching four figures and continuing to increase over time, and no hope of reinforcements in sight, it's truly hard to be optimistic.

If this were an internal war among humans, the city would have already fallen by now.

The only reason everyone has been able to hold out this long is because the Beastfolk army has surrounded Terence completely, leaving them no choice but to fight to the bitter end.

It's less about defending the city and more about a cornered beast fighting for its life.

The outer city was able to hold out because the inner city was too small to accommodate so many troops.

Once the defending troops have been almost wiped out, it will be time to retreat to the inner city.

The ten-day estimate is an extremely optimistic one. As the gap widens, the daily death toll will increase dramatically.

The probability of the enemy breaching the city walls beforehand is almost 99%. The remaining one percent depends entirely on the protection of the Lord of Dawn.

"Okay, leave the documents here, you can go and rest now!"

As for defending the city, you don't need to worry too much. Given how things have developed, we can only hold out for as long as possible.

From this moment forward, every day Terence perseveres is buying time for the Duchy.

Unfortunately, the Beastfolk have blocked the flow of information, making it impossible to contact the Royal Capital, and they have no idea how badly the situation in the duchy has deteriorated.

"I'm exhausted," said Marshal Hodge.

As heroes age, they also become pessimistic about the situation.

However, at this point, no matter how the situation in the Moxi Duchy changes, Terence City cannot conjure up any reinforcements.

Unless they can hold out until reinforcements from the Human Alliance arrive, they may have some room to maneuver.

"Marshal, the situation inside the city will not change much, so you don't need to work too hard."

Harley began to offer his advice.

At this point, the soldiers defending the city were prepared to die. Even if they wanted to break out, the Beastfolk outside wouldn't allow it!

Surrender? That's impossible. Not only would they lose everything, but more importantly, the Orc Empire's reputation had already been completely destroyed in countless past wars.

Of course, in the eyes of Beastfolk, the credibility of humans is roughly on the same level.

No matter how good the promises are beforehand, they will all break them later. Once or twice is fine, there will always be fools who fall for it, but after a hundred or eighty times, there won't be enough fools left.

Rather than surrendering and becoming a traitor, ending up on the barbecue grill, it's better to fight to the death and take a few down with you.

Under these circumstances, the morale of the city's defenders was low, but their fighting spirit was absolutely fierce.

Even the cannon fodder legions, when faced with life-or-death situations, can unleash combat power that rivals 30-40% of elite troops.

"Hahaha..."

"Don't worry, as long as the city stands, we'll live; if the city falls, we'll die!"

Harley, you don't need to worry about me. I won't die before Terence is taken down by the Beastfolk.

As for you, we'll see how things go and what you do next!

The city falls, and that's when things are most chaotic. That's the best time to break out.

If you are fortunate enough to survive, please deliver this letter to His Majesty the King for me.

Marshal Hodge's words brought tears streaming down Harley's face.

Clearly, this letter was prepared specifically for him. If he broke away alone without a reason, it would be difficult to explain himself upon returning.

There was one more letter, meaning he left with a mission. No one could criticize him for this.

All his emotions finally coalesced into just two words: "Marshal, I..."

Hodge reached out and patted him on the shoulder, saying with a smile, "There's no need to say anything more, I know your situation."

As the only son of the family, bearing the family's bloodline, he cannot die here like this.

Your father and I are old friends. He took an arrow for me back then, so this is my way of repaying you, kid.

There's no need to be so sad; it's a soldier's fate to die on the battlefield. To die fighting against the Beastfolk invasion is an honor, better than dying of illness in bed.

Now it's time to test the results of your years of cultivation. Whether you can snatch your life back from the clutches of death depends on yourself.

May the Lord of Dawn protect us!