Growth
Before he could sort out his relationships with the various parties, a message from the front lines rescued Hudson from his troubles.
The formidable Grand Knights suffered heavy losses in the great battle between the Behemoth Imperial Court and the "Beast God Guard," and were subsequently besieged by the Beastfolk army.
In the final battle, not only did all the experts from the Behemoth Imperial Court come out, but experts from the other four royal courts also rushed over to participate in the great battle.
As it turned out, even a large number of ants could hardly kill an elephant. Battle after battle failed to preserve this special army; alas, time waits for no one.
The war only caused this unit heavy losses; but the passage of time led it to its demise.
Many elderly and powerful individuals, who did not die at the hands of their enemies, passed away Lord of Dawn due to the exhaustion caused by intense battles.
Most importantly, the belief that had sustained them had collapsed. The Behemoth Emperor, suspected of possessing the Longevity Secret Method, met the Beast God amidst a roar.
With the Beastfolk's defeat and the death of the Behemoth Emperor, the truth about the Longevity Secret Method also came to light.
"A mysterious Altar, rune carvings in the underground palace, the remains of countless powerful figures, five unique hanging coffins, the corpse of the false crown prince..."
The specific operational procedures are no longer important; the things discovered in the underground palace alone are not enough to satisfy everyone.
Even if someone were to go to extremes to prolong their life, they would still need to sacrifice a sufficient number of sons. And even if an individual had many sons, where would they find so many powerful sacrifices?
Even with the power of the Orc Empire, the Behemoth Emperor had to take a great risk to gather the final offerings.
Now that the secret has been exposed, whenever powerful individuals disappear on a large scale, people will immediately connect it to this place.
Such acts that challenge the bottom line of human morality will attract widespread condemnation if they leave even the slightest trace.
With so many restrictive conditions, it only extends lifespan and cannot achieve true immortality.
The Behemoth Emperor died from the backlash, so who can prove that the exposed secret techniques are definitely effective?
For a group of elderly people in their twilight years, the shattering of their last belief is the end of their lives.
Even if people are still alive, don't expect them to continue working hard. The team that was originally organized for the "dream of immortality" has now disbanded because the "dream of immortality has been shattered".
Apart from the strongmen of the Alpha Kingdom who chose to stay in the army and contribute their last bit of strength to the kingdom, most of the surviving human strongmen chose to leave this place of sorrow.
Without these skilled warriors leading the vanguard, the Kingdom Army would not have had the strength to sweep across the land. After the Battle of the Royal Court, Marshal Campbell immediately chose to retreat.
But things never go as planned. The journey there was smooth sailing, but returning home wasn't so easy.
Beastfolk, appearing out of nowhere, launched a series of varied attacks, keeping the army constantly on edge.
These childish disturbances are just minor troubles; the bigger problem is that the Beastfolk army on the front lines of the Warhammer Kingdom is on its way back.
Judging from the current speed of the army's withdrawal, the probability of the two sides encountering each other on the way is extremely high.
The Alpha Kingdom went all out for this Behemoth Imperial Court, with almost all of its main forces on the front lines.
In their quest for the spoils of war, the various noble families spared no effort. Compared to the successes and failures on the front lines, the prisoners in Hudson's hands were nothing.
Although the envoys did not withdraw, the frequency of their harassment of Hudson was significantly reduced.
Before the situation on the front lines becomes clear, fighting for gains is a joke. Once one's own strength is severely damaged, no matter how much one has taken, it will all have to be given back in the end.
Unless you achieve a spectacular victory after suffering significant losses, you need to be careful about how you behave to avoid being watched by outsiders.
Furthermore, this deadline is time-limited. When everyone forgets this contribution, everything will revert to the survival-of-the-fittest mentality.
"Evola, you are in charge of leading the escort of these 10,000 men back to the Mountain Territory. This is a letter I wrote to my father; he will know how to arrange things when the time comes."
If anyone tries to stop you on the road, don't give them any face. As long as you stand on the right side and don't cause any casualties among the nobles, I'll cover for you."
Hudson instructed his second brother.
Unlike the eldest child, who inherited too much of her parents' wisdom, Evola is a simple-minded person who is not even "well-developed" in terms of physical abilities.
It doesn't matter if you're not shrewd enough or lack the necessary skills. As long as your execution is strong enough, you're still a talented person.
As Hudson's brother, his identity is his greatest asset. Escorting refugees may seem simple, but it is also very complex.
If they encounter local bullies demanding their way, ordinary nobles are not really intimidated. Especially when they encounter high-ranking nobles, their voices lack authority due to the disparity in status.
There's a saying that everything has its counter, and if you really encounter a shameless obstacle, a reckless brute like Evola is the perfect match.
Hints are meaningless; explicit statements are direct rejections.
Outright robbery is out of the question!
With the kingdom's main forces away from home, Hudson's tens of thousands of expeditionary troops were already the strongest armed force in the country.
He's already being generous by not robbing others; anyone who dares to rob the expeditionary force must be out of their mind.
At most, there are only a few shameless individuals who, relying on their status, try to take advantage of the lower-ranking nobles.
With all the clan leaders on the front lines, Evola's status was exactly equal to those remaining behind. They could exchange insults and even fight, which wouldn't be a big deal.
Of course, it's best to avoid fighting if possible. The main reason is that my second brother isn't strong enough; he'd most likely lose a one-on-one fight.
"Hudson, how about I go instead? Send the second son over; if a conflict breaks out with the Dalton Family, he might not be able to handle it."
"I'm worried, "Nelson said.
"Nelson, what do you mean by that? Are we afraid of the Dalton Family?"
Evola questioned angrily.
There were reasons for the hostility towards the Dalton Family. The sudden recall of the expeditionary force was orchestrated by the Dalton Family.
They were already competitors, and then one of them was betrayed by the other, so naturally their relationship was strained.
Although they returned to quell the rebellion and gained an advantage in dividing the refugees, Hudson was able to take more by leading the Allied forces to the front lines.
Especially in the current situation, if the Kingdom Army suffers a major defeat, Hudson might even have a chance to replace Marshal Campbell.
The opportunity to rise to the top of the military just slipped through their fingers; it would be strange if the members of the Coslo Family didn't hate the Dalton Family.
There is still a gap in strength between the two sides, but the Coslo Family and the second-largest family in the province are still allies. The combined strength of the two families is actually superior to that of the Dalton Family.
From this perspective, Dalton's actions to hinder Hudson were out of necessity, given the rapid expansion of the Coslo Family's military power.
Other families get weaker and weaker on the battlefield, but the Coslo Family gets stronger and stronger. How can their competitors compete like that?
If Hudson were to become a military leader and manipulate things during foreign wars, the Dalton Family might be wiped out.
The highest level of using someone else to do your dirty work is never about deliberately sending someone on a suicide mission, but rather arranging a mission that seems safe but is destined to have an unexpected outcome.
Ordinary generals are not capable of making such far-reaching plans, but "famous generals" who have grown up on the battlefield can.
Hudson, with his "glory as a famous general," made many nobles in the country feel uneasy.
"Evola, that's not what I meant. The main point is that we don't need to directly clash with the Dalton Family right now. Any grudges can wait until after the war."
If they encounter an accident on the battlefield, there are plenty of people to push this wall down; we don't need to be the bad guy.
The Coslo Family is even less suited to be the villains!
Nelson's words brought a slight smile to Hudson. The fact that he could see this proved his training hadn't been in vain.
Keeping Nelson under control and preventing him from going to the battlefield was both a safety consideration and a way to train his political skills.
Compared to outsiders, one's own brothers are always more reliable. Since we're going to train talent anyway, we should prioritize those with a higher safety margin.
Such is the social environment: with knowledge strictly controlled, all the great nobles are playing the game of ruling their own empire.
Hudson believed he could still keep his brothers in check and prevent them from having any delusions.
"Alright, that's settled then."
Evola was in charge of the first group of refugees transported; Nelson was in charge of the second group.
As for the Dalton Family, don't provoke them. But if anyone tries to take advantage of you, don't be too polite.
If possible, I don't want to fall out with them yet. The political reshuffling in the kingdom has only just begun, and we can't judge friend and foe based on your preconceived notions.
Today we are competitors with the Dalton Family, but who can guarantee we won't become allies tomorrow?
Hudson's words completely baffled the two men. If it weren't for his high prestige, they might have jumped up and refuted him.
Geopolitics has become their major subject lately. Numerous historical examples have proven that neighbors with conflicting interests eventually become enemies.
Seeing this, Hudson offered no explanation. Some things can only be understood through personal experience; they cannot be grasped simply by being told them by others.
The fact that the Southeast Province could not accommodate two powerful noble families does not mean that the two families were hostile to each other all the time and could not reach a compromise in a short period of time.
The Coslo Family currently possesses military strength but lacks a matching economic foundation, and needs a significant amount of time to solidify that foundation.
As long as the Dalton Family also needs time, there is a possibility that the two sides can reach a compromise in the short term.
Essentially, everyone wears shoes now, and we've moved beyond the life-or-death struggles of the lower classes. We can't just gamble with the fate of our nation at the drop of a hat.