Taking the Bigger Picture into Account
With everything settled, the expeditionary force embarked on their return journey. Compared to when they arrived with just a long spear to conquer the world, they returned with carts and wagons overflowing with supplies.
Undoubtedly, Hudson wasn't the only one who made a fortune. The nobles who came with him also had bulging pockets. Even the ordinary soldiers below him had a good haul.
Hiding spoils of war is a bad habit that traditional armies cannot eradicate. Fortunately, the soldiers below had limited knowledge, and what they hid was only some currency, mainly copper and Silver Coin.
Even gold coins were only touched by a few daring soldiers. This was the great wisdom of the lower-class serfs; for them, enormous wealth was a disaster.
To expedite the march, Hudson also imposed a cap on the amount of spoils that all nobles could carry.
The unit of measurement was very crudely chosen as a carriage: a viscount could not exceed one carriage, a baron could not exceed a quarter of a carriage, and a knight could not exceed one-tenth of a carriage.
Before their departure, the expeditionary force held a large-scale trade fair at their camp, staging a tearful clearance sale. Hudson himself also sold a considerable amount of spoils.
The buyers were naturally high-ranking nobles from the Moxi Duchy. Only those with considerable power could make such a bargain and profit effortlessly.
That's how war is: the survivors become rich, while the dead turn to dust.
From the start of the expedition to their return, the expeditionary force spent nearly a year in the Moxi Duchy. During that time, they experienced both joy and sorrow, hardship and tears, and tasted the full spectrum of human emotions.
Looking at the thick list of the dead in his hand, Hudson's initial joy vanished at this moment.
As a successful man, he reaped both fame and fortune. He returned with the title of "Marshal," bringing glory and wealth with him.
But the price behind this was the loss of more than 80,000 soldiers in the expeditionary force. Even if we exclude the more than 60,000 who died in the Dachias Battle, there were still more than 20,000 who fell for this glory.
Many soldiers died, and just as many officers did. Twelve hundred nobles of the kingdom remained forever in a foreign land.
The mess was created by Crown Prince Caesar, but the cleanup fell to Hudson. Now he is the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, and with the families of the fallen nobles causing trouble, he's bound to get in trouble.
After a moment of reflection, Hudson decisively closed the list. Some things shouldn't be taken too seriously, otherwise life would be unbearable.
They had come a long and leisurely journey, but on the return trip they were already traveling fifty miles a day. Even from afar, one could feel a murderous aura; it was clear that the expeditionary force had undergone a complete transformation.
The Moxi people are quite adept at poaching talent. Originally, the expeditionary force numbered over 114,000, but now only over 76,000 have left with Hudson.
The nobles who sought redemption through meritorious service mostly chose to emigrate across borders. They were forced into this situation; as survivors of the Dachias Battle, their troubles were far from over.
After a defeat, someone always has to be held accountable. If they can't deal with Crown Prince Caesar, then they can only arrest a few deserting officers to appease the families of the fallen.
Even if they later achieve new military merits to atone for their crimes, they can only avoid official punishment; they will still have to take the blame and incur hatred.
They received no rewards after the war. They were forced to take the blame for things that weren't their responsibility, which naturally made them increasingly angry.
Against this backdrop, it was only natural for the Moxi people to switch jobs with just a little encouragement.
In fact, there's no need to go back to China to experience it firsthand; some problems can be seen simply from the personnel appointments within the expeditionary force.
Most of the key positions in the army were filled by Hudson's trusted confidants. Nobles who had redeemed themselves through meritorious service were relegated to marginalized roles.
This wasn't Hudson deliberately suppressing them, but rather a political necessity. Officer appointments required reporting to the Royal Capital, and the commander-in-chief would also be held responsible for appointing officers with tarnished records.
Besides these people, most of the noble officers who had gathered from all over the mainland have also stayed behind.
There was nothing they could do. Although Hudson promised to report their achievements truthfully upon returning home and to help them obtain titles and fiefs, it was ultimately just an empty promise.
The fiefdoms offered by the Moxi people could be delivered immediately. Although most of them were located on the Northern Frontier, the nobles in charge of recruiting people were adept at deception.
Orc Empire was destined to perish, the Alpha Kingdom had already recovered its lost territory, the Moxi Duchy no longer bordered the Beastfolk... and so on. There was a whole host of theoretical arguments that even Hudson found confusing.
If nobles switched sides, their private armies would naturally have to remain. As for the issue of their families, that would be handled by the Foreign Affairs Department of both countries.
The domestic aristocracy were complaining that the cake was too small to share, and since someone was willing to voluntarily make room, everyone was overjoyed, and there were virtually no obstacles.
With fewer troops at his disposal, Hudson's control over the expeditionary force was further strengthened.
In addition to the engineering legion of more than 8,000 men, Hudson's direct forces expanded to more than 12,000 men, and the forces under the command of other members of the Coslo Family also swelled to more than 13,000 men.
This does not include the supplementary troops provided by the kingdom. Knowing that those people would be returned after the war, Hudson deliberately assigned them to other nobles.
Most of the soldiers recruited by their own people came from the Moxi Duchy. After being ravaged by the Beastfolk, most of these people were homeless.
With nowhere else to go, there were few concerns about following the commander to develop in the Alpha Kingdom.
Compared to when they arrived, their troop strength had increased fivefold. This rapid expansion was largely thanks to the hundreds of family members. It was precisely because of this core group of junior officers that Hudson dared to act this way.
The remaining tens of thousands of troops were either in the hands of his younger brothers or commanded by nobles close to him.
A new political group centered around Hudson has quietly taken shape, just waiting to take root, sprout, and grow.
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After enduring numerous hardships, the Behemoth Emperor the Orc Empire, returned to the royal court in a sorry state.
Based on past experience, things should have come to an end at this point.
However, the "Lord Knights," drawn by the Longevity Secret Method, showed no intention of letting him go. They pursued him all the way to the heart of the Orc Empire, determined to achieve their goal.
Logically speaking, it is a cardinal sin in warfare to venture deep into enemy territory alone; waiting for the Alpha Kingdom's army to join the attack is the safest option.
Unfortunately, many old fellows have fallen along the way. They didn't die on the battlefield, but rather from exhaustion of their lifespan and the depletion of their physical strength.
This scene was far too cruel for the group of old folks whose lives were nearing their end.
The Longevity Secret Method was right before their eyes, yet they still collapsed prematurely. Many old folks who were barely clinging to life naturally didn't want to waste their time.
If the Behemoth Emperor could hold out for three to five years, there would be no need to send troops to attack; those old guys would be almost all dead on their own.
Because they only have a few days left to live, these old men are exceptionally fierce when they fight.
Once he was seriously injured, he would decisively take others down with him. This made all the Beastfolk afraid to show their faces.
An enemy with a do-or-die mentality is already terrifying, but these old guys are also abnormally powerful.
He had only gone fishing, but unfortunately he caught a group of great white sharks, Behemoth Emperor quite helpless.
The boat capsized, and the people were still struggling in the sea, with a group of sharks chasing behind them. It was truly disorienting.
"Pass down the order: all Behemoth Cavalry shall be mobilized, and all tribes shall immediately bring all able-bodied men to reinforce the Imperial Court. Those who disobey shall be exterminated!"
"Ofman, you are in charge of organizing the evacuation of the tribe's elderly and weak from the Royal Court. Speed is crucial; our decoys won't hold out for long. We must evacuate everyone before the enemy locates the Royal Court."
People can evacuate, but the imperial court cannot be abandoned. All the preparations made beforehand will be in vain if it falls into the hands of the human race.
Without the life-extending secret technique to support him, his old arms and legs would soon be meeting the Beast God.
The upcoming battle at the Imperial Court will also be a life-or-death struggle for the Behemoth Emperor, who now has no way to retreat.
The question of whether he could wear down the enemy with his army was not whether he could do it, but that he did not have enough time to gather the entire army of the Orc Empire.
The small force left behind by the Imperial Court was simply feeding the enemy. With the situation having developed to this point, Behemoth Emperor could only pin his hopes on the legacy left by his ancestors.
He had a vague feeling that he might not be able to survive this ordeal. A secret technique that could extend one's lifespan—such a heaven-defying thing—could it come without a price?
Before even beginning his cultivation, Behemoth Emperor knew that successfully extending his lifespan wouldn't be smooth sailing. Unfortunately, he still underestimated the difficulty involved.
Looking into the distance, and thinking of his youngest son hiding on the front lines, Behemoth Emperor was filled with rage.
If it weren't for Alex's betrayal, even with rumors of Longevity Secret Method, so many immortal beings wouldn't have been attracted here.
Along the way, he discovered traces of many powerful alien races. The human experts' spying was only overt; countless old immortals were also secretly watching him.
"High Priest, I trouble you to go there personally and deliver the order to Alex, commanding him to return immediately to take charge. If he disobeys, then forcibly bring him out to me."
In the Warhammer Kingdom, within the Behemoth camp, Crown Prince Alex was discussing with the other four races' rulers how to annihilate the enemy army within their city with minimal losses.
He was no longer interested in his father's thoughts. Despite receiving more than a dozen orders urging him to return home, Alex remained unmoved.
The situation in the royal court is perilous, Behemoth Clan is on the verge of collapse. But it's always better for the race to be in danger than for oneself to be in danger.
If he stays on the front lines, he remains the powerful and high-ranking crown prince; if he returns to the imperial court, he will become a remedy on the path to immortality for the Behemoth Emperor.
The humans are currently attacking the Behemoth Imperial Court. Crown Prince Alex isn't worried, and the other four are even less worried.
Eliminating the Warhammer Kingdom's fighting force and weakening the human race's counterattack is clearly a move that prioritizes the overall situation.