Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Miserable Fifth Army

The reorganization work proceeded relatively smoothly, as it didn't touch upon the core interests of the nobles. Apart from some criticism regarding military positions, there weren't any major issues.

Disputes over military positions were also easily resolved; after all, it wasn't a regular army, so there was no need to be overly serious about it.

As far as Hudson knew, to balance the interests of all parties, three of the armies, in addition to the Fifth and First Armies, had several additional regiment designations despite not being at full strength.

The First Army was Count Pierce's direct force. Even if the personnel weren't directly subordinate regular soldiers, they were still his vassals, and with their lord keeping them in check, no one dared to cause trouble.

The Fifth Army was simply terrified by the previous day's battle. Many families had suffered heavy losses and lacked the resources to cause trouble.

If that weren't the case, the position of Tenth Regiment commander wouldn't have fallen to Hudson. Even if it was just to fill a slot, there were plenty of people more qualified than him.

In noble circles, seniority also mattered. In a sense, the fact that no one wanted to team up with him was also due to this reason.

If Hudson had a prominent background or a higher noble title, it would be understandable. But he was just a newly appointed knight without a formal title. Serving under such a greenhorn was a serious blow to their pride!

If others were unwilling to be subordinates, Hudson was even less willing to be one. Of course, no one was foolish enough to try and take him on as a subordinate.

Hudson knew that the soldiers under his command were a motley crew, but that didn't mean everyone else knew it. In the eyes of outsiders, his few hundred direct subordinates still possessed some combat effectiveness.

It was quite ironic. Other transmigrants played the role of the weak to hide their strength, but for him, it turned into playing the strong to scare the weak.

The reorganization had just been completed, and before they could even adjust, Count Pierce impatiently issued an order to march.

From a strategic perspective, this decision was clearly sound. Knowing that the Skull Society possessed the "Blood Moon Horn," they couldn't afford to give the enemy more time to prepare.

However, when it came to the specifics of execution, there were numerous problems. The Noble Allied Forces, having just completed their initial reorganization and not yet adjusted, were clearly not capable of undertaking a long expedition.

But this didn't have much to do with Hudson; the Fifth Army's assigned task was to transport provisions, and under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be on the battlefield.

Judging by the reactions of his peers, Hudson knew this was a thankless task. If done well, it was expected; if problems arose, he would have to bear responsibility; and if the war went poorly, he might even be made a scapegoat.

There was never any mention of military merits for supply convoys. There was no point in discussing the importance of escorting provisions, as the Aslant Continent's custom for tallying military achievements was to look at combat results.

Anyone could transport provisions, as no one had a habit of intercepting them. At least, in Hudson's memory, there were no historical records of anyone deliberately dispatching troops to raid supply lines.

Ninety-nine percent of wars were fought by gentlemen; everyone followed the rules, and there were few underhanded tactics.

Of course, the Rebel Army might be an exception. Unbound by the rules of noble warfare, they often exhibited unexpected behavior.

However, the rebel generals were usually thrown into command at the last minute and generally lacked military competence. Most of the time, they were suppressed before they could learn from actual combat.

Occasionally, a few outstanding military talents would emerge, but they were labeled with titles like "despicable" and "shameless," enshrined on the pillars of historical infamy, and despised by the world. Their specific deeds, however, were never recorded.

"Your Excellency, the Legion Commander, this is simply too much! They call it taking care of us, but with this kind of care, all our previous sacrifices were in vain..."

Baron McNamer's words were just the beginning. Following him, all the regimental commanders voiced their opinions, denouncing the governor's unscrupulous decision.

Although the Fifth Army Corps had made significant contributions in the previous battle, they ultimately failed to capture the rebel leader.

With only this much merit, which was shared by everyone, it was clearly not convincing enough to claim unclaimed territories after the war.

Compared to other nobles, the Fifth Army actually held a first-mover advantage. The most correct course of action now was to continue the campaign with the main force and maintain this advantage.

Even if they didn't play a decisive role in the upcoming battles, simply following along, playing a minor part, and gaining some credit would allow them to compete after the war.

The task of escorting provisions, while seemingly a favor to the Fifth Army, was actually excluding them from the spoils of victory, which explained the intense backlash from everyone.

Waving his hand to stop the argument, Chers sighed and said, "I am aware of these issues, but the Second, Third, and Fourth Armies are jealous of our combat achievements and have united to exclude us.

Furthermore, within the Fifth Army, our Fifth Army is the weakest. The thankless task of transporting provisions naturally fell to us.

However, rest assured, I have appealed to His Excellency the Governor. He has promised that we will be allowed to participate in the fighting after we complete the provision transport."

Hearing this explanation, Hudson rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that Chers didn't see through such simple provocation.

If it weren't for Count Pierce's tacit approval, how could the Fifth Army be sidelined so easily, merely through simple exclusion?

However, knowing something was one thing, but this was an open scheme. Governor Pierce was using fiefs as bait, igniting everyone's greed and jealousy, and it was natural for him to sow discord among the Noble Allied Forces.

It was possible that the Legion Commander, who was currently expressing solidarity with them, had already been secretly bought off by Count Pierce. After all, it was much easier to buy off one person than a group.

Understanding the situation was of no use. The general trend was like this, and it was not something a small figure like Hudson could influence. The smartest move now was to feign ignorance and wait for the situation to unfold.

Even with the task of escorting provisions, the Tenth Regiment, having the largest number of men, had an advantage over other regiments. If anyone was going to make a fuss, it would be others first; he could afford to wait.

"Your Excellency, the Legion Commander, you can actually believe such nonsense?

The Rebel Army suffered losses at Ethel Fortress. Even if their cannon fodder is worthless, it still takes time to regroup.

While the Blood Moon Horn is powerful, it also has many usage restrictions. Moreover, the evil artifact has been sealed for over three hundred years; without a sacrifice of a million or so lives, it cannot be restored.

As long as the speed of action is fast enough, the Rebel Army will not have time to regroup. The hastily assembled troops probably won't be able to withstand a single charge from the Allied Forces.

Those Skull Society rats are all cowards. As soon as they sense something is wrong, they will flee thousands of miles away, making them impossible to guard against.

Even if Count Pierce fulfills his promise, we need enemies on the battlefield to kill!"

Baron Brogitt was the one who retorted. From his eyes, Hudson saw unwillingness and anger.