Hidden Sharpness

Profit is always the most effective way to unleash the potential of the nobility. The enclosure movement was quickly completed, and the construction of the city began in full swing.

There was clearly not enough time to conscript laborers from within the country, so the only option was to turn soldiers into laborers and noble officers into foremen.

As expected, the newly formed legions were all reorganized into construction teams. As for the elite troops, they continued their normal training while remaining vigilant against enemy attacks.

Everyone was busy, but Hudson, as the commander-in-chief, had some free time. Apart from occasionally exchanging pleasantries with the nobles in the army, he had basically nothing else to do.

Frankly speaking, as a rising star, Hudson was somewhat unaccustomed to suddenly entering the high-level aristocratic circle.

Fortunately, this is a military facility where efficiency is paramount. All activities are kept to a minimum, otherwise, it would have been a laughing stock.

Dealing with different people brings different feelings. The most direct difference is perspective, Hudson often feels that he can't keep up.

There was no other way; he had never been exposed to the education of the nobility, and most of his knowledge came from tutoring in recent years.

Nobles from all over the country have their own characteristics, but they all have one thing in common: political maneuvering.

Hudson suddenly realized that this great battle was being used by various powers as a whetstone to hone their successors, as if they were planning a major operation.

Through repeated probing, he was able to glean some information about the Great Tribulation of Ten Thousand Years. Unfortunately, everyone was very wary of such matters, and even if such information was inadvertently revealed, the topic would be quickly changed.

Others refused to speak, and Hudson was powerless to help. Such secrets are only documented by a very few ancient families.

When it comes to family lineage, the nobles of the Northern Continent pale in comparison. As the last territory opened up by the human race, the Northern Continent was truly occupied for only a little over 1,500 years.

Most of the kingdom's nobles are descendants of noble collateral branches who migrated from the central and southern parts of the continent; only a very small number of nobles come from commoner families.

Even now, there are still many noble families in the kingdom with long-standing traditions who maintain connections with the main lineage.

However, this relationship is no longer a typical subordinate one, but rather a strategic alliance of mutual support and a business partnership.

The complex relationships involved are simply incomprehensible to those outside the circle. The more Hudson witnessed, the more he felt the world was unfriendly to newcomers.

No wonder many great noble families were able to rise again after their decline. The efforts of their descendants are only one aspect; having powerful backers is the key.

If it weren't for the powerful forces behind it that the enemy feared, it probably wouldn't have been divided up by the pack of wolves before it lost the battle.

All of this was something Hudson could only envy. No matter how much support other families had behind them, the Coslo Family was truly penniless.

The number of clansmen scattered outside is indeed quite large; but in terms of quality, well, that's hard to say.

Most of them were semi-literate, having at most learned a few words and received some basic knightly training.

Only a very small number of those from well-off families were able to complete the basic education of the lower-class aristocracy. Occasionally, a few second- or third-rate talents would emerge, but that was just pure luck.

If it weren't for the lack of education, given the size of the Coslo Family, they could have produced several outstanding individuals over several hundred years.

Even if they did not achieve upward social mobility, at least a few branches had reached the threshold of middle-class nobility, just one final step away from achieving it.

"Nelson, Evola, these are some interpersonal and interpersonal experiences I've gathered recently through my interactions with nobles from various regions."

You two should study it carefully, learn from it, and then find an opportunity to pass it on to your clansmen.

"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask me. I'll probably be available in the coming days."

During the war, Hudson also had to teach his people the code of conduct for great nobles, which left him feeling quite helpless.

He had already conducted similar tutoring sessions more than once. However, the backlog was too large, and he couldn't expect a group of semi-literate people to overcome it all at once.

Moreover, many things passed down orally and subtly are never recorded in writing. Even Hudson himself had to figure things out as he went along.

If no one notices anything amiss in social interactions, it's because he's good at faking it. When interacting with other nobles, he mostly plays the role of a listener.

The more you hear, the broader your horizons become. Besides, he had already experienced the impact of the information explosion, so his ability to accept new things was exceptionally strong.

It has become a routine practice to select and then teach the knowledge one has learned to the clan members in batches.

The effect is barely noticeable, and it largely depends on individual aptitude. Some people grasp a lot, while others learn nothing at all.

Ultimately, their foundation was too weak. Accustomed to the way lower-class nobles behaved, they found it difficult to adapt to the gameplay among the high-class nobles in a short period of time.

Hudson didn't actually have high expectations for these adult members of the family. The real focus of his training was on the boys in the territory who were a few years old or around ten years old.

"OK!"

"By the way, Hudson. You've delegated most of the military affairs; will that have any impact?"

"Right now, there's a lot of gossip circulating in the camp. Many people say you're all talk and no action, that all you know is..."

Nelson swallowed his words halfway through. He simply couldn't bring himself to say it; even though they were brothers, it didn't mean they could say just anything to others.

"Ha ha."

Hudson laughed loudly.

"It's normal for there to be rumors in the military! I deliberately had them spread, it would be a problem if you didn't hear them."

It's all because of youth.

Being in a high position and attracting jealousy is not a big deal; but if it arouses fear among the masses, then it's a big problem.

The thought of a military commander in his early twenties is terrifying.

Had it not been for the sudden and dramatic change in the kingdom's political situation, even with immense merit, this position would not have fallen to Hudson.

Against this backdrop, even if he had the opportunity to firmly control the army, he would deliberately act as if he was reluctant to do so.

This was to mislead outsiders into believing that his position in the military was unstable and that he needed the cooperation of two deputy commanders to maintain control of the entire army.

This was something he did for Caesar III, and also for the many nobles in the army, including the two deputy commanders who shared power.

As a loyal subject of the kingdom, Hudson is now in charge of balancing the power within the army, which His Majesty the King needs.

Knowing that his noble colleagues disliked having a strong commander, Hudson readily complied with their wishes.

In a sense, this is also why Hudson had to retire after the war. At his age, if he had clung to his position, he could have remained there for a hundred years.

Hudson's influence in the military is still weak; in the time of Caesar III, the King was able to keep him in check.

However, if the throne is passed down for two or three generations, and the rising stars in the court and the army have mostly become his trusted confidants, then he will truly become a threat.

Usurping the throne and rebelling may be unrealistic, but turning the King into a powerful minister is as easy as eating and drinking.

The Orc Empire could only watch helplessly as the human alliance seized its lands, a humiliation that was undoubtedly the greatest shame of the Five Great Emperors' lives.

"We can't let this continue; we must fight back!"

No sooner had Bearman Emperor finished speaking than a loud "bang" was heard, and the table in front of him was shattered into pieces, with wood chips flying everywhere.

"Bear Emperor, calm down. The actions of the human race are indeed challenging our bottom line, but from another perspective, they also reflect their inner turmoil."

If they truly had the strength to destroy us, they wouldn't need to be in such a hurry to seize land and build defenses.

"It's probably the Alpha people didn't think this war would go well, so they prepared this as a backup plan in advance."

Alex tried to persuade him.

Most likely, they've been stressed out lately. Each of the Orc Emperor has a temper that's worse than the last, making it hard for even his professional counselor to keep up.

Despite his displeasure, Alex didn't compromise on the role he was supposed to play.

Everything was to pay off the mess left by the old Behemoth Emperor, which now fell on his shoulders as the heir.

As the weakest of the Five Great Royal Families, Alex must remain rational at all times and not act impulsively.

"What the Alpha people think is actually not important. What we need to do right now is: make sure the enemy can't do whatever they want."

Destruction is always easier than construction. Once they've built up their defenses, we can send troops to destroy their lines.

"In the short term, our main task is to quell the domestic unrest as quickly as possible, and not let them cause us trouble at this critical moment!"

"The Silver Moon Wolf Emperor said coldly."

Compared to the visible external enemies, the Rebel Army hidden within are the ones who attract the most hatred.

Especially after learning that the Rebel Army had stirred up internal strife with the support of the human race, they could no longer tolerate it.

"The Wolf King is right, we absolutely cannot let those traitors get away with it."

The reinforcements from the Human Alliance are arriving from all directions; they certainly don't just come out to put on a show and scare us before heading back.

"A fierce battle is inevitable. The Empire's preparations are far from sufficient. We need a complete battle plan and countermeasures."

The Eagle Emperor's analysis caused the indoor temperature to drop by at least ten degrees. A direct confrontation with the humans was the original plan.

As a series of dramatic changes followed, everyone's expectations dwindled. The initial goal of annihilating humanity and seizing the continent's dominance dropped to simply surviving.