The Hardships of Founding an Empire
In the Warhammer Kingdom, under the full force of the Beastfolk's attack, the sturdy steel defenses finally succumbed and collapsed.
The battle came to an end amidst heart-wrenching shouts of battle.
Several Beastfolk kings were observing the battlefield from afar. Their lingering gazes revealed that they were not ready to withdraw their troops so soon.
Although they didn't say anything, deep down they were all cursing the entire Behemoth Emperor family.
Having the Longevity Secret Method, it's one thing not to share it with everyone, but to be so bad at keeping it a secret is another.
Now they've gotten themselves into trouble, and the entire Orc Empire's strategy has been thwarted. If it weren't for the spur of the arcane magic, the Human Alliance would still be embroiled in infighting.
Based on past experience, there is no precedent for no reinforcements arriving in the first year of a major war. At the earliest, it would be the second year, when the front lines could no longer hold out, before countries would slowly send troops.
A few more months and the battlefield will be a completely different place.
The alien races, who had been persuaded by them and were eager to join the battle, were now frightened and retreated.
There's no way around it; although the human race, the overlord of the continent, is now divided, its overall strength has actually increased rather than decreased.
Judging from the number of experts, a group of old men nearing the end of their lives, with the cooperation of the Alpha Kingdom's army, could easily fight their way to the Behemoth Imperial Court.
Beastfolk are no small race; on the entire Aslant Continent, they are a behemoth second only to humans.
It's nothing new for the second son to challenge the eldest son and fail, but this second son's defeat was particularly tragic.
With more allies involved, while I can't guarantee anything else, they could certainly destroy the Warhammer Kingdom and the Moxi Duchy.
With the roadblocks removed, the smaller nations behind them will be no match for their military might. At that point, the Orc Empire's sphere of influence will be able to extend all the way to the Elven coast, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Elf Kingdom.
As a multi-ethnic nation, it would be only natural for it to bring the continental remnants of the Ice and Snow World of the far north under its control.
These races were part of the Orc Empire during its heyday, and there's nothing wrong with them returning to its Orc Empire now.
Although the Orc Empire, having completed its great annexation, is still no match for the human race, the gap in strength between the two sides will be significantly reduced.
After forming an alliance with the Elves, they can join forces to resist the human counterattack and still have a chance to succeed.
Whether the elves wanted to be their neighbors was of no concern to the emperors. Racial competition was about weighing pros and cons, not about whims.
The Elves and the Orc Empire are at odds, but they are natural allies when it comes to fighting against the humans.
Without Beastfolk drawing aggro at the front, the human hammer would fall on the Elves. Compared to the impoverished Orc Empire, the elves were a valuable asset.
"Let's go, the battle here is over, it's time for us to leave."
The Human Alliance reinforcements are about to arrive in the Moxi Duchy and will be here to rescue you soon. The opportunity to destroy the Warhammer Kingdom is gone!
"The Eagle Emperor said with great emotion."
An opportunity that was right before our eyes slipped away. Changing the landscape of mainland China will become increasingly difficult in the future.
If no major changes occur later, the human race's dominant position on the continent will become even more secure after this battle.
"Let's see. If we leave this time, we may never have the chance to come back again in our lifetime."
That old bastard, Behemoth Emperor, is truly a menace!
"The Lion Emperor said indignantly."
He went to great lengths to start this war, completely disregarding any pretense of decency. The fact that it ended in such a dismal fashion is truly disheartening.
"What's the use of saying all this? Those old geezers from the human race have already stormed into the Behemoth Imperial Court. Even if he hands over the Longevity Secret Method, they won't let him go."
Even if he manages to escape the human race's pursuit, with so many immortal old men sharpening their knives across the continent, he still won't be able to escape.
There's no need to bother with a dying Behemoth.
Instead of wasting time on this, why don't we discuss post-war matters first? For example, the future political landscape of the empire!
"That's what the Bearman Emperor said in a very casual way."
The Behemoth Clan suffered heavy losses, and the Bear-man clan fared no better. The only consolation was that this disaster was caused by the Behemoth Emperor.
The Orc Empire could not possibly launch a purge against both royal families at the same time; even if a power struggle broke out, it would only target one of them.
The fact that the Bearman Emperor chose to bring this up at this time was clearly an attempt to fan the flames and incite everyone to direct their anger at the Behemoth Imperial Court.
"Judging from the way the human race is acting, they will most likely launch a purge against us. If we are not careful, we will suffer heavy losses."
It's too early to discuss post-war issues; let's wait until the war is over before we talk about them!
To avoid unnecessary conflicts, it's best to first appease the tribes under your command and eliminate any potential destabilizing factors beforehand, lest you make a fool of yourself.
The Silver Moon Wolf Emperor's words caused everyone's expression to change drastically. Every great war had a common objective—to deplete excess population and purge unstable tribes.
This situation is somewhat special. Although the troops they led had completed the purge, something changed on the Alpha battlefield.
After the army was routed, the human army only pursued the main forces of the Five Great Royal Families, completely ignoring the other fleeing races.
With this ebb and flow, those powerful races that escaped the calamity became destabilizing factors.
The tide of battle has turned, and the human race will likely focus its attacks on these few families, suffering significant losses in the process.
If these powerful races that have not lost their strength are not suppressed, they could very well become a major threat to their rule after the war.
Even if these races are not strong enough, they still have the Alpha Kingdom as a neighbor to help them.
Humans are adept at political maneuvering, and given the opportunity to instigate internal strife within the Orc Empire, they certainly wouldn't let it pass.
The Beastfolk were troubled, Joseph II was even more so. At this point in the war, the royal family's core forces consisted of only about ten thousand men who followed him.
Such armed forces would be considered meager even in the hands of a powerful noble family.
The great nobles can maintain their rule with this armed force, but that doesn't mean the King can. No one will fight for the throne, but no one will concede on the struggle for control of the kingdom.
Especially after news of the Beastfolk army's withdrawal arrived, the internal strife intensified.
The eastern nobles wanted to reclaim everything they had, while the western nobles wanted a bigger slice of the pie, leading to endless arguments between the two sides.
There were even more than one private duel, resulting in more than 100 deaths and injuries, which infuriated Joseph II.
Unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it, because if he wasn't careful, the western nobles would criticize him for being unfair.
Many people criticize "unfair treatment," but few dare to say it openly in the Aslant Continent court.
"The Beastfolk have only just begun their evacuation; is it really a bad idea for us to rush into it?"
Joseph II said with difficulty.
In the western regions, they were dependent on others, and the eastern nobles were naturally no match for these local tyrants.
Returning to their own territory is undoubtedly the best option to salvage the situation. The problem is, the eastern part of the kingdom is no longer the prosperous east it once was.
After being ravaged by Beastfolk, the area has now turned into a wasteland, littered with corpses.
This godforsaken place is completely unsuitable for human habitation.
Even if you are mentally strong and don't mind these things, you still have to consider practical issues if you force yourself to move there.
The food, drink, and shelter of the army, along with the noble families and servants who had evacuated in advance, amounting to over 100,000 people, was a major problem.
The Western nobles dare to be so arrogant now, partly to vent their pent-up resentment, and partly because they, as outsiders, are beholden to those who feed them.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is beyond our control. The appetites of those people in the west are too great. We have already promised to make concessions, but they still refuse to give up."
Half the size of the court, plus one-fifth of the Warhammer Great Plains, was still not enough to satisfy their appetite.
If we continue to compromise, the Warhammer Kingdom will likely become their kingdom!
Chancellor Gaiyin of the fire road.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to stand up to the Western nobles head-on, since they were currently in the upper hand.
Even if they regain their former glory, restoring their strength won't be a matter of a day or two. For a long time to come, the western nobles will hold the advantage.
The problem is that the accumulated conflicts from the past are too deep, especially after the last war, the deliberate decision to leave the western nobles behind as cannon fodder completely ignited the conflict between the two sides.
It's easy to start a conflict, but difficult to quell it. Once many things are out in the open, it means there's no room for compromise.
The Minister of Military Affairs, the Foreign Minister, and other important ministers of the kingdom were all removed from their posts. If it weren't for the King's strong support, he, as prime minister, would have also had to resign in disgrace.
Their reasons were too compelling; given the current deterioration of the kingdom's situation, someone in the decision-making body had to be held accountable.
The army suffered a series of defeats, and the Military Affairs Department was largely to blame. The fact that the Minister of Military Affairs was simply dismissed and no further investigation was only because everyone involved was a nobleman.
In the diplomatic struggle for alliance aid, they lost to the Alpha Kingdom and the Moxi Duchy, which was naturally due to the incompetence of the Foreign Affairs Department.
The situation has deteriorated to this point, and few in the kingdom's upper echelons can claim absolved of responsibility. Once the truth is revealed, everyone will be fired.
Joseph II protected his vizier not because he valued this capable minister so much, but because he needed someone to draw attention away from him and prevent the criticism from being directed at him directly.
If all the ministers resign, then the King will be held responsible. The procedure is very simple: just abdicate the throne to his son.
As long as the King cooperates, everyone is a "loyal subject" of the kingdom and will never commit regicide.
"Shut up! You can't say things like that!"
Joseph II rebuked him sternly.
At present, it is just a struggle between the nobles of the two major camps. The western nobles are just dissatisfied with him, but it has not yet reached the point of wanting to change the King.
If we continue to side with the eastern nobles, it will be difficult to guarantee that the situation won't escalate to that point.
However, in order to maintain the political balance of the kingdom and ensure the stability of the Royal Authority, he had no choice but to support the disadvantaged eastern nobles.
The paradoxical situation gave Joseph II a major headache. It was like dancing on two eggs; one wrong step and the eggs would break, leaving him devastated.
Without the Behemoth Cavalry causing trouble, the rioters led by a Heretical Cult were no match for the expeditionary force. From the moment the troops were divided, reports of victories never ceased.
They captured three thousand here, five thousand there. Soon, the main task of the expeditionary force was no longer fighting, but guarding the captured prisoners of war.
As the number of prisoners increased, Hudson faced growing pressure.
As the war has progressed, the Alpha Kingdom has also suffered significant population losses, especially in the northern provinces that have fallen, where the losses have been even more severe.
Especially now that the uninhabited provinces further north have been recovered, the noble lords who acquired these lands after the war are even more worried about the population.
Opportunities are always for those who are prepared. Before the dust had even settled, the kingdom's great nobles had already launched a fierce battle to recruit him.
The large number of prisoners of war in the hands of the expeditionary force quickly came into everyone's view. Regardless of whether they had any relationship with them, everyone sent a representative over.
Hudson was also quite helpless in the face of a group of important nobles. Although there were many prisoners of war, there weren't enough to go around for everyone.
Besides, he himself had to take a share, his underlings also had to get a share, and only the remainder could be distributed among the others.
With a limited number of prisoners of war at their disposal, deciding who to give them to and who not to give them to became a test.
If everyone shares the profits, you won't offend anyone, but you also can't expect anyone to appreciate your good deeds.
People will simply take it for granted, and most will even complain that they received too little. This is because a fair distribution of the pie often results in a lower outcome than anyone expected.
Hudson wouldn't do something so foolish and thankless. Rather than be blamed by everyone, he'd rather selectively offend a group of people.
Hudson had no idea how to allocate the cake he had.
Who are the friends and who are the enemies?
He simply can't figure out the problem right now. This is the biggest drawback of rising from the bottom—the inability to immediately and accurately assess one's own situation.
When deep-seated interests are involved, many things cannot be judged solely by appearances. Friendliness does not guarantee friendship, and a hostile attitude does not necessarily make one an enemy.
There are too many things to consider behind this. To determine whether a powerful noble family is friend or foe, one must not only look at the relationship between the two parties, but also consider the marriage alliances behind them, their respective social circles, the location of their fiefdoms, and so on.
Hudson dared not entrust matters involving the future to others. He could only rely on the limited information at hand to sort through and filter through each company one by one.
"Enemies" are identified and set aside, as are potential competitors; these are the ones to be eliminated first.
No matter whose face you're concerned about, you can't do something that benefits the enemy.
Nobles with unclear stances or neutral camps are potential candidates, and they will receive different treatment.
As for allies, it's quite regrettable. The Coslo Family has not yet formed an alliance with any major noble family; on the contrary, they have several enemies.
Not to mention making friends with them, even the high-ranking nobles he had dealings with were few and far between.
People from different worlds who force themselves into a circle will never be on the same path.
Hudson was in a very awkward position; his rise was so rapid that he had no time to build a network of connections.
Even if someone has a network of connections, that's all within the Moxi Duchy. Since there are no core conflicts of interest, everyone can confidently make friends.
While mingling in the lower and middle aristocratic circles, Hudson had the connections of the Coslo Family to rely on, and he thrived in those circles.
When Hudson reached his current position and needed to deal with the national aristocracy, his family's connections couldn't keep up.