Complex Thoughts

The army marched forward, picking up many defeated soldiers along the way, and the army was about to grow stronger, but Hudson looked depressed.

He was all prepared and just waiting for the enemy to attack, but what he got was... well, let's not even go there. All those crossbow bolts he prepared were wasted.

Hudson went to great lengths to obtain this equipment, sending reports to the Royal Capital every few days outlining the pros and cons.

In summary, all of these could be compiled into a book titled "On the Important Significance of Miniature Magic Crossbow in Cavalry Combat".

They concentrated the kingdom's resources and acquired several thousand miniature Magic Crossbow, intending to teach the enemy a lesson, but unfortunately, the enemy did not give them the opportunity.

Having learned their lesson the hard way, the Behemoth Cavalry dared not advance, and the commanders of the Lionmen and Silvermoon Wolf Tribe were no fools either. Knowing the enemy was formidable, they naturally wouldn't risk a decisive battle with insufficient forces.

As a result, in the last two days, the ones causing trouble for the army have all been Eaglemen air force. The other three royal families are busy chasing down the Northern Expeditionary Army and gathering the scattered troops.

Even if the Hudson were to come knocking, they'd be able to evade them perfectly. If you want to launch a sneak attack, you'd better deal with the ever-present Eagleman air force overhead first!

Without air superiority, everything becomes difficult. He understood this situation; the Northern Expeditionary Army possessed most of the Alpha Kingdom's main force, so why was it still so passive?

It's not a matter of whether we try or not. Every move the army makes is under the enemy's watchful eye; if they want to do something, they're discovered before they even have a chance to carry it out.

When all strategies and tactics fail, the battle comes down to sheer strength. Marshal Campbell's ability to divide the Beastfolk army under these circumstances, creating an opportunity for the main force to break out, is truly remarkable.

It's a pity that the old marshal died suddenly, otherwise Hudson would definitely have gone to visit and exchange ideas.

Hudson vaguely sensed a hint of conspiracy. Under normal circumstances, a commander-in-chief would be surrounded by skilled guards, making a breakout highly probable.

Even if their identities are exposed on the battlefield, they can break through in a short time, fight their way out and leave immediately, without lingering in one place.

The probability of running into Beastfolk orc and being blocked is almost zero.

"Betrayed by your own people?"

The thought had barely formed in his mind when it became a persistent one for Hudson. The moral character of the nobility was extremely polarized; sometimes it was remarkably high, and other times shockingly low.

In order to weaken the royal family, it is entirely possible to betray Marshal Campbell's whereabouts.

Moreover, besides them, there are other Mysterious Organization that have also become part of the conspiracy. For example, the July Association, which Hudson had contact with.

In the last major assassination attempt, the official culprits were identified as the Beastfolk and the July Association. This isn't just a simple attempt to shift blame; both groups were indeed involved.

If they can collude once, they can collude a second time.

The July Association itself consisted of Northern Nobles who had lost in the struggle, and even in their decline, they still possessed some connections. It was not surprising that they were able to obtain a position in the army.

"Count, Commander Kate requests an audience."

The guard's words startled Hudson slightly. He had almost forgotten that he had members of the July Association under his command.

Even though "Kate" joined the July Association passively, he's still a July Association. Now that he's in the North, the July Association up to something and might contact him again.

"Bring him in!"

Hudson said, feigning composure.

The worry in his eyes betrayed his troubled mood. His intuition told him that things were far from over.

"Count, I just received a secret letter. That fellow Longxi wants me to persuade you to take action against the five dukes of the North to avenge the blood feud from years ago."

Their letter stated that the five dukes of the North were colluding with the Beastfolk, and that the Beastfolk had instructed the five dukes to incite their army to break out.

As they spoke, Kate handed the letter to Hudson. The trembling of her hands proved her inner turmoil.

The July Association formed to seek revenge against the Five Great Families of the North. In terms of background, the Hudson and they should be considered to be of the same ilk.

If you look through your family tree, you might find that you were related to each other more than ten generations ago.

The only difference is that they chose to lie low in the North seeking an opportunity for revenge, while the Coslo Family chose to go south. Or rather, the direct descendants in the North were all wiped out, leaving only the southern branch to survive.

Hudson glanced at the letter's contents, his expression remaining unchanged. The connections between the Five Great Northern Families and the Beastfolk were no secret.

If smuggling has been going on for so many years, and there's no contact between the two parties, then there's a real problem.

Selling out teammates to save one's own life is nothing compared to that. Forget about principles; when it comes to life and death, few can remain calm.

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Compared to the historical actions of the Liaodong military clique, they still had some principles. They merely encouraged the army to break out of the encirclement; they did not collude with outsiders to betray their own side.

"There's not enough evidence!"

Hudson couldn't help but complain.

Nobility is never short of dark history; almost all the great nobles have a lot of dirty secrets. As long as the truth isn't revealed, it's as if it never existed.

The biggest problem in using these stains to attack the enemy is—"evidence".

If you have sufficient evidence and choose the right time to present it, even a powerhouse like the Five Great Northern Families would be in serious trouble.

Unfortunately, the information held by the July Association only proves that there was contact between the Five Great Families of the North and the Beastfolk.

Such a crime would result in the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family for an ordinary person. But when it is brought upon these nobles, they might at most face some criticism.

It's likely that they saw this, which is why they chose to risk collaborating with the Hudson and take this opportunity to stab the scions of the Five Great Families in the back.

A fireball flashed, and the letter was reduced to ashes in an instant.

"Just pretend this never happened. If they contact you again, tell them: the risk is too high, I'm not interested in getting involved."

If they persist, just say, "I haven't gained your trust, so my words don't carry enough weight."

Hudson said coldly.

He was happy to see the July Association Society seek revenge against the Five Great Families of the North, but he would rather not get involved.

The Locknerd Family alone is enough of a headache for him; if he were to add a few more enemies, he would be in no condition to survive.

High position, great power, and a large army are all illusions. In essence, Hudson's foundation is still very weak, and it could collapse at the slightest carelessness.

The army under his command was hastily assembled, and its obedience was solely due to his being the highest-ranking military commander appointed by the kingdom; it was far from being loyal.

The Northern Expeditionary Army had long since collapsed and was in complete disarray during their long escape. Many of them had fled in all directions, and those who had survived to this day were considered very lucky.

In the eyes of Beastfolk, there is no distinction between nobles and commoners; any human is an object of their slaughter. At most, they might deliberately go easy on the Northern Nobles.

After a long pursuit, the Noble Allied Forces from the Southeast Province, which had come together, are now reduced to less than one-tenth of their original strength.

The idea that the Southeast Province produce strong armies, and that any random prefecture is full of elite troops, is utter nonsense.

Only after actually engaging the Beastfolk did everyone realize the vast difference in strength between the two sides. Let alone comparing them to the elite Beastfolk, they were significantly weaker even compared to the ordinary northern army.

The army of Laite County is good at fighting because the "Divine Bow Knight" have strong military command capabilities. If you change the commander, they will still be the same.

Although no one dared to say it aloud, deep down, many people criticized Count Pierce.

Knowing full well that Hudson is a capable fighter, why send him to the Moxi Duchy? Isn't that deliberately sabotaging your teammate?

It was that unlucky bastard Ciss who drew the lots; if anyone should go, it should be that guy. If Count Pierce hadn't been biased and deliberately let him go, Ciss, as the county magistrate, wouldn't have been able to leave.

Many nobles believe that if the "Divine Bow Knight" had remained in the Noble Allied Forces of the Southeast Province, the situation would be quite different now.

While they might be limited in their ability to directly confront orcs, when it comes to currying favor with Beastfolk, none of them are inferior to the others.

The thought of the barons and knights who went to war with him back then, some of whom are now legion commanders, fills him with endless regret.

There's no way around it; it's all because we're too close. As long-time neighbors, everyone knows very well what kind of thing the now-renowned First Army Border Defense Army Regiment was originally the Laite County Legion.

Watching helplessly as a group of people less capable than themselves rise to prominence while they themselves struggle to escape death fills them with endless resentment.

Count Pierce was also very frustrated by this turn of events. He thought he had arranged a suicide mission, but instead of the ones who were supposed to die, they were forced to the brink of despair.

After fleeing all this way, his renowned Crimson Knights have been reduced to less than half their original strength. The private armies of other nobles have suffered even greater losses, with virtually none remaining.

The reason we've been able to persevere until now is because there are no ordinary people left who have followed the team this far.

The serf soldiers either perished under the Beastfolk's swords or fell behind during their escape and scattered across the vast grasslands.

"My lord, good news! A large force of cavalry has appeared fifty miles ahead, flying the banner of Count Hudson. The reinforcements have arrived!"

The scout's words brightened the eyes of the fleeing group, but their expressions quickly darkened again.

The reinforcements did arrive, but they weren't the reinforcements they wanted.

We were originally from the same Southeast Province and had a close family relationship, but personal interests outweighed personal connections.

If the Coslo Family wants to rise to power, it will inevitably have to expand its territory. Unfortunately, all the land in the Southeast Province already has an owner.

If the Hudson wanted to maximize their postwar gains, they had to send them to their deaths. If they were in the other's shoes, they would have done the same.

While it might be hard to bring oneself to do something drastic, there would be absolutely no hesitation in leaving someone to die.

"Have you made contact with Count Hudson?"

"The Count of Count Pierce asked with a grim expression."

Reason told him that Hudson might be able to tolerate the other minor nobles, but he, as the leader, was a thorn in their side.

"No!"

The soldier in charge of reconnaissance said in a trembling voice.

Even with his slow reaction time, he knew he had said the wrong thing. But what they couldn't understand was why, with reinforcements so close, the noble lords still had such terribly grim expressions.

Upon hearing this news, Count Pierce's expression softened slightly. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, there's nothing more for you here. Go and rest!"

The atmosphere became tense again, with everyone waiting for Count Pierce's decision.

"After a short rest, we continued on our way. We figured the Beastfolk cavalry behind us were almost ready to rest as well."

If nothing unexpected happens, another fierce battle is yet to come.

There's no need to panic too much. The kingdom has sent troops to meet us, so there won't just be one team. We'll encounter them again soon.

There aren't too many pursuers behind us. As long as we have a few thousand fresh troops joining us, we don't need to be afraid of them.

As you've all seen along the way, the enemy has been doing everything they can to avoid casualties; the Beastfolk can't afford any more losses!