Old Enemies
The time spent alone was destined to be short. There was still a lot of work to be done in the military, waiting for Hudson to arrange.
After bidding farewell to his fiancée, Hudson's actions in dividing the prisoners of war became increasingly swift.
Not only did he take his own share, but he also quickly arranged for the shares that his subordinate nobles should have received.
Even relatives, friends, nobles, and local bullies who provided assistance to the army took a share.
This swift and decisive approach infuriated Count Lauren, turning his face ashen, but Hudson remained unmoved.
King must abide by the rules of the political game, let alone a mere foreign envoy. Anyone with a favor would naturally want to keep it for themselves; why would Hudson let someone else have it?
He didn't touch the share allocated to him by the King. He seemed like a "model of loyalty," without overstepping his bounds in the slightest.
The 600,000 prisoners of war captured domestically have been divided up, and there's no need to accurately record the prisoners of war currently being captured.
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According to the "90/10" principle, prisoners of war who participated in transnational pacification operations were counted as only one-tenth, and even then, only the worst one-tenth.
The remaining 90% was still divided up by Hudson according to the old rules, without him keeping it all to himself. The only difference was that the amount on the books was a tiny fraction less.
The camp of the Southeast Front Army soon became lively, and it was clear from the various cries of vendors that these sellers were not qualified slave traders.
The kingdom lacks labor, but that doesn't mean all noble territories are short of labor. The noble territories of the Southeast Front Army are all in the south, and apart from a few unlucky ones affected by the riots, most noble territories have not suffered significant population losses.
For noble lords, excess population was also a burden. Trading it away was a logical next step.
However, judging from the situation on site, the outlook is not so optimistic, with a pitifully low transaction rate.
It was all because of the price. Hudson also sent people to check the market, and the price of prisoners of war was generally more than twice the price of normal slaves.
The seller's willingness to set such an exorbitant price clearly indicates they're not genuinely interested in selling. They're probably still preoccupied with securing their fiefdoms, hoping for a lucky break and acquiring a large territory that will require significant manpower for development.
Selling them now is a last vestige of reason telling them that the kingdom's losses this time weren't significant, and there aren't that many loose ends to fill. Keeping a large number of prisoners of war would only waste their precious food.
Even if they were to obtain a fiefdom, it would most likely be the despised Northern Frontier. Many people were unsure whether they should accept such a dilapidated enclave.
On the one hand, they disliked the dangers of the Northern Frontier, and on the other hand, they still harbored a sliver of hope that the Human Alliance might actually wipe out the Beastfolk.
Driven by these complex thoughts, the price of prisoners of war was quickly driven to the sky.
Ultimately, only a minority of people are truly fooled. After this major battle, most of the wealthy in the country are not rich enough to afford such exorbitant prices.
It is the freedom of all nobles to dispose of their own wealth; they can sell it for whatever amount they want, and Hudson has no right to interfere.
As the biggest beneficiary of this war, Hudson received a total of 80,000 prisoners of war, plus the 20,000 he had previously embezzled, bringing the total population of the Mountain Territory to 100,000.
A doubling of the population puts considerable pressure on the territory. The employment problem is easy to solve; simply send them out to clear new land.
The biggest problem was food. If Hudson hadn't had money, he really wouldn't have been able to feed so many people.
With food prices three times higher than before the war, it's not something ordinary people can afford. Even though the nobles are currently holding onto a large number of people, they'll definitely end up on the market again soon.
Theoretically speaking, the nobles of the Southeast Front Army had all returned from making a fortune in the Moxi Duchy, but most of them were left with a pile of war bonds.
Apart from Commander Hudson, there were very few nobles in the army who held large amounts of cash.
It's true that bonds offer high interest rates, but there's a settlement period before they can be officially redeemed. Even annual interest payments take time to be redeemed in the Moxi Duchy.
Using war bonds like gold coins requires someone willing to accept them. Although war bonds are bearer bonds, not just anyone who holds them can get redemption.
The Hudson is already looking for someone to take over their assets, so it will be even harder for these clueless young nobles to cash out.
"Pass down the order to have your men deal with the prisoners of war as soon as possible. The army will be heading north in twenty days."
This was the maximum time Hudson could afford to delay. If the delay went on for too long, it would be difficult to explain to the King.
Disposing of so many prisoners of war in such a short time was a test for the lower-ranking nobles.
This competition is all about connections. Those with strong connections and backgrounds only need to send people to escort prisoners of war, and the nobles along the way will provide logistical support.
If you don't have the right connections, things will get awkward. Not only will you have to send more soldiers to escort the shipment, but you'll also have to deal with extortion from local bullies along the way.
There's no need to deliberately make things difficult; simply raising the price of supplies will be enough to make them bleed.
Without a doubt, the most unfortunate were the Northern Nobles in the army. Other nobles could find a few relatives and friends by cultivating connections; but if they revealed their identities, they would most likely find a group of enemies.
The culprits were the Five Great Families in the north, and those who followed the Five Great Families were accomplices.
From this perspective, Ciss's decision to flee immediately after the decision was made that day was undoubtedly a wise choice.
Suffering is nothing; if they don't suffer, how will these people know the importance of clinging to Lord Hudson's coattails?
The Orc Empire's Northern Expeditionary Army, focused on its journey, eventually clashed with the Beastfolk army returning home.
The two armies faced off directly on the vast grassland. Neither side dared to launch an attack, as if it were a contest of auras before a duel between two powerful forces.
Marshal Campbell looked very grim. The enemy had arrived too quickly, and this was not a good place to set up camp.
Encountering the enemy on the vast grasslands, neither continuing forward nor making a strategic retreat is a good option.
Only one day's journey remained before reaching the battlefield he had envisioned. Unfortunately, the Beastfolk cavalry arrived too quickly, blocking the Northern Expeditionary Army's path ahead of time.
Commanding a large army to attack seems like a good option, but it is actually not feasible.
Infantry cannot catch up with cavalry; only cavalry can truly challenge them. Although the number of cavalry on both sides may seem roughly equal, human cavalry are inherently inferior in physical strength.
Even with a dozen or so Knight Order at his disposal, he couldn't reverse the disparity in cavalry strength between the two sides. Unable to win, he naturally couldn't launch a preemptive strike.
"Marshal, are we just going to keep fighting this dragging on?"
"I can't believe it, "Count Pierce asked reluctantly.
Other nobles could remain calm while they were stuck here with the Beastfolk, but he couldn't. Bringing Hudson back to his country and putting him on hold seemed like a success, but now it had become a mistake.
If Hudson had continued to serve as the commander-in-chief of the allied forces in the Moxi Duchy, he could have urged the other side to send troops immediately, but now forget about it.
The Moxi people also have their own interests and demands. Sending troops to help is already a favor, and expecting speed is asking too much.
He was the one who started the whole thing, so naturally he had to bear the responsibility. The sarcastic looks from his political enemies put immense pressure on Count Pierce.
If he wins the battle easily, all will be well; but if he causes everyone to suffer heavy losses, he will become the target of everyone's anger.
Even before taking action, the nobles all approved of it.
"Count, calm down. Besides staying here and stalling the enemy, do you think we have any better options?"
"I'm annoyed," said Marshal Campbell.
In this scenario, encountering the enemy, anyone in his position would have no better choice.
Essentially, what we're competing on now is hard power; any strategy or tactic is based on the premise that the opponent makes a mistake.
Right now, the enemy's main force is still on its way, and only cavalry are blocking the gate. No matter how much strategy he has, he has no room to use it.
After being rebuked, Count Pierce quickly calmed down. Staying put and not knowing what would happen next, but taking the initiative to attack would certainly result in heavy losses.
The Alpha Kingdom's entire fortune is here; if they are defeated, it will all be lost. This is a risk that no one can afford to take.
Perhaps feeling that his tone had been too harsh and had dampened morale, Marshal Campbell quickly added, "Don't worry, Count Pierce."
The kingdom has already taken action; the original expeditionary force supporting the Moxi Duchy has been reorganized into the Southeast Front Army, which will soon be heading to the front lines.
The Foreign Affairs Department has also reached an agreement with the Moxi people. Now it is time for them to repay the favor. They will come to reinforce the alliance reinforcements after the alliance troops have rested for a few days.
With the two reinforcements joining forces, the tide of battle turned. Now we just need to wait; in two months at most, it will be our turn to counterattack.
After the words of reassurance were spoken, the expressions of the high-ranking officers of the Northern Expeditionary Army nearby improved considerably. Only Count Pierce's expression grew increasingly grim.
Duke Pias's face was just as somber as his. His momentary lapse in judgment back then had unexpectedly allowed the Coslo Family to rise to prominence again.
If he were only mingling in the circles of minor nobles, Duke Pias wouldn't care. The Locknerd Family had a whole host of such insignificant enemies, and simply couldn't deal with them all.
But once they cross the threshold into the ranks of the great nobility, things change. Such enemies might just deliver a fatal blow at a crucial moment.
Compared to the potential conflict of interest between the Coslo Family and Dalton Families, the Locknerd Family is the real sworn enemy of the other.
He didn't take direct action because he hadn't found an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow. In order to halt the rise of the Coslo Family, he didn't hesitate to reconcile with the Dalton Family, with whom he had previously had conflicts.
Unfortunately, Count Pierce was no pushover either. Even when he tried to suppress the Coslo Family, he only used political tactics and didn't foolishly confront them head-on.
Without bloodshed, the conflict between the two families remains at the level of potential clashes of interests, and has not yet escalated to a stage of irreconcilable blood feud.
Once Hudson gains a high position in the military, the Locknerd Family will be in a far more dangerous situation than the Dalton Family.
No matter what they did, within the rules of the game, it wasn't convenient for anyone to directly launch a war of annihilation. Most of the methods they used were to use others to do their dirty work.
The Dalton Family, located in the southeast of the kingdom, hardly had to worry about external enemies; the Locknerd Family, located in the north, was different, as Beastfolk were their best weapon.