The Possibility of Compromise
The visit and learning experience was undoubtedly very rewarding for everyone. Whether they learned something or learned nothing, that was beyond Hudson.
Military discipline is strict in every aspect. It's not something that can be solved by simply dragging out aristocratic officers and giving them a few beatings.
If one were to simply copy the approach, one would first need to consider whether one's own strength is sufficient to suppress the collective backlash from the noble officers under one's command.
Hudson was able to act so brutally without causing a ripple because he had tens of thousands of elite troops at his disposal.
Even if the noble officers below harbored resentment, they could only suppress it. They couldn't possibly gather enough fools to organize and cause trouble.
Spoiled brats are best at indulging in pleasure, not plotting rebellion. Bullying the weak and fearing the strong is their nature; naturally, they can't cause any trouble when faced with a strong leader like Hudson.
After seeing the visiting group off, Hudson began to recall the history of the Coslo Family. His intuition told him that the hostility of the Northern Nobles scions towards him stemmed from their family, not from him as a model nobleman.
From birth until now, Hudson has always lived a life of leisure in the south. The only time he went on a long trip was to help fight in the Moxi Duchy. He never had the chance to make enemies with the bigwigs in the north.
The only connection they could vaguely make was getting rid of that unfortunate Ciss. He ran away on his own; Hudson didn't even intervene.
Even if a son not recognized by the family is killed, the Felix Family won't care. At most, they'll just make enemies of Duke Cavadia himself.
After the process of elimination, only one target remained: the Locknerd Family, the Coslo Family's sworn enemy.
It was just wishful thinking on the part of the Coslo Family members; even Lockhart himself might not know that he had such a lowly enemy outside.
Judging from the current situation, it seems that Hudson's strong rise has gradually awakened the other party's memory.
Unfortunately, the representative sent over was not very clever. To stir up trouble, one needs to find a fatal weakness before striking decisively.
To foolishly invoke aristocratic dignity in an attempt to incite hostility towards Hudson from the entire aristocratic class is to seriously underestimate him.
To put it bluntly, this is still a conflict within the aristocratic group. It was just a beating, and the families behind them had no objections, so it's nobody else's place to criticize.
No legitimate noble family likes spoiled brats. If someone helps to educate them, those who understand will only be grateful. If they don't wake up to this beforehand, they will pay a bloody price if they end up on the battlefield.
Compared to being punished, the real source of hatred is the failure to discipline subordinates, which led to the deaths of many noble officers.
Retaliation was necessary, but Hudson was at a loss as to how to carry it out.
The Locknerd Family's army was mixed up with the kingdom's main force, so even if he wanted to use underhanded tactics, he wouldn't have any room to do so.
We can't let the kingdom's main force be wiped out along with them!
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. Without the great tree of the Alpha Kingdom to shelter him from the wind and rain, how could Lord Hudson accumulate strength?
"My lord, both the Southwest Front Army and the Central Front Army have sent representatives here. What do you think?"
Tom's words made Hudson frown. He couldn't very well say he wasn't there when leading troops into battle!
Meeting him meant trouble was on its way. Caesar III had long ago ordered him to take command of the army, and he couldn't refuse.
It doesn't matter if you're not capable; you can step down once a suitable person takes your place.
To Hudson, this was utterly inhuman. If there were a more suitable candidate within the kingdom, Caesar III would have been insane to have put him on the throne.
Even if they did exist, they would be among the northern expeditionary force. Ninety-nine percent of the Alpha Kingdom's generals had gone to the northern expeditionary force and were currently busy confronting the Beastfolk.
"Take them to the tents and wait; I'll be there shortly."
Hudson said irritably.
If you can't shake off this lingering ailment, then you'll just have to keep carrying it along for now. Anyway, with the two unfortunate souls mentioned earlier as a foil, things can't get too bad.
At worst, the marching speed will be slower. As long as there are no major troubles along the way, we can explain ourselves to all parties.
As for the front lines, he would hold the line as long as the Human Alliance's reinforcements didn't arrive.
Numerous cases have proven that cannon fodder troops can also cause trouble for the Beastfolk army while defending a city.
Failure means death; it is in the face of life and death that a person's potential is most unleashed. Even a spoiled brat can fight desperately when pushed to the limit.
At the Emerald Palace, the army was forcibly assigned to Hudson, and Caesar III was actually quite uneasy about it.
However, the thought that the Human Alliance reinforcements had arrived quickly dispelled his worries.
Based on his past performance, he had long since concluded that Hudson was best at winning when he had the upper hand.
There is no such thing as fighting against the wind. All the battles, large and small, launched by Hudson were military operations that were carried out when he had the upper hand.
This type of cautious general rarely suffers defeat on the battlefield. Because if he can't win, he simply won't engage the enemy.
"Allied forces, where are you now, and how long until you reach the front lines?"
"I ask with concern, "Caesar III asked.
The situation at the front lines has begun to change. After gathering enough cannon fodder races, the Beastfolk army launched a fierce attack on the Northern Expeditionary Army.
In the short term, the Northern Expeditionary Army can hold out. But if it can be sustained for a longer period, it's hard to say.
After all, the Beastfolk army launched this attack purely to eliminate unstable factors.
Many newly arrived tribes were forcibly invited to the front lines by the Five Great Royal Families using their armies.
"The first batch of alliance reinforcements has already joined forces in the Moxi Duchy. However, the Church and the Frankish Kingdom are at odds, Iberian Kingdom has also intervened, making the situation quite delicate."
"Count Francis said with difficulty."
The internal strife erupting within the alliance at this critical juncture has left the Foreign Affairs Department feeling helpless. No matter how hard they try, they can't stop someone from deliberately sabotaging them.
What started as a conflict between the Church and the Frankish Kingdom, with the Iberian Kingdom acting as a mediator, turned into a three-way mudslinging match.
The stable arguing triangle significantly slowed down the Allied decision-making efficiency. Most of the time was wasted on meaningless arguments.
"Damn the Church, they really are a persistent ghost!"
Caesar III couldn't help but curse.
Despite the lack of evidence, his intuition told him that the conflict was deliberately instigated by the Church to hinder them.
The Frankish Kingdom and the Iberian Kingdom could naturally see through such an obvious tactic, yet they were still willing to cooperate, which speaks volumes.
It all comes down to interests. From the perspective of both countries, they need an Alpha Kingdom that is firmly opposed to the Church, but this Alpha Kingdom cannot be too powerful.
Delaying the rescue, using others to do the dirty work, and taking the opportunity to weaken the Alpha Kingdom's strength are all good options for all three parties.
Despite the criticism, those trapped are all our own soldiers, so we have to try our best to rescue them.
"The alliance's reinforcements can only intimidate the enemy temporarily; they're unreliable in crucial moments. What are your plans? You're not hoping Count Hudson will lead troops to our rescue, are you?"
Caesar III's words left everyone quite embarrassed. Hundreds of thousands of troops appearing behind the Beastfolk army, even if they were just cannon fodder, would still be enough to distract the enemy's forces.
With cannon fodder blocking the way, the trapped main force of the kingdom has a good chance of breaking out. Sacrificing cannon fodder troops in exchange for the safe return of the main force is strategically sound.
The only problem is how to safely send hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder behind the Beastfolk army. If they are defeated by the Beastfolk cavalry halfway there, it will be a double loss.
"Your Majesty, the kingdom's most formidable army is in the hands of Count Hudson. This is our only hope of creating an opportunity for the army to retreat safely."
However, many problems still exist in the actual implementation. Everyone has seen the true quality of the Southwest Front Army and the Central Front Army, and it is estimated that the newly formed corps in the Southeast Front Army are not much better.
They are all a rabble; if they directly engage the Beastfolk army, they will likely collapse at the first touch.
The best approach is to avoid direct combat with the enemy and instead force the Beastfolk to retreat through intimidation or other means.
"I am the Minister of Military Affairs," said Duke Affierro, forcing himself to speak.
"Intimidating" the Beastfolk is purely an ideal scenario. Unless Hudson's hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder are all transformed into true elites, it will have no effect whatsoever.
The truly feasible approach is "other methods," but the issues involved are quite significant, and even Duke Affierro dares not speak of them directly.
"Is that what you think too?"
Caesar III asked, frowning.
It's impossible to get the Beastfolk to release the hostage without paying a price. At this critical juncture, the conditions proposed by the Beastfolk are most likely related to the Human Alliance's purge.
Having finally gotten a chance to severely damage or even Annihilation of the Orc Empire, Caesar III really didn't want to give it up so easily.
"Your Majesty, if there is no other way, we can only try this."
The alliance is rife with internal strife, and even if we insist on the Annihilation of the Orc Empire, it will most likely end in failure.
If the Annihilation of the Orc Empire, then the kingdom's sacrifice will be meaningless; it is better to preserve its strength first.
Among the Five Great Royal Families of the Beastfolk, the Behemoth Clan suffered heavy losses, with their population nearly halved. The other races also suffered considerable casualties.
This battle secured decades of peace for the kingdom's Northern Frontier. Our losses are not significant, and we should recover faster than the Beastfolk.
"It won't be too late to send troops to conquer the Orc Empire after the kingdom has recuperated and recovered its strength."
The Prime Minister Grand Duke Newfoundland, answered hesitantly.
Compromise was not his wish, but preserving his strength was more important. The internal strife within the Human Alliance had already disheartened the Duke Newfoundland.
Compared to the Annihilation of the Orc Empire, as a member of the royal family, he valued the interests of the royal family more.
The Alpha royal family was able to recover from its decline thanks to the powerful ruler Caesar III. If the same thing happened again, would the next King be able to handle the situation?