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"It's finally here!"

Is he just playing a trick, or did someone foresee his arrival?

Before Hudson could ask, the phantom trembled violently and cried out in a frenzy, "You are not him!"

"You are not him!"

Can't we have a pleasant conversation if we keep repeating the same sentence over and over again?

"Senior, who is this person you're talking about?"

Hudson couldn't help but interrupt.

Seemingly realizing his lapse in composure, the fading figure swayed and said, "It's him! It's him!"

"Wrong!"

"You are him, and you are not him!"

Listening to the illusory figure's nonsensical words, Hudson was completely bewildered. He wasn't a philosophy student, and the questions of "it's him, it's not him" left Hudson utterly confused.

However, reason told him that there was no need to argue with a wisp of a soul. Especially in this mysterious palace, going against the master was extremely risky.

"Unexpectedly, another era has come to an end. Ten thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye."

However, the rules of the world now are much more stable than in ancient times, so there shouldn't be as many terrifying monsters descending.

Kid, the Great Purge is almost here again. If you don't want to die, you'd better get stronger!

Alright, you should leave now. Don't disturb my slumber unless he truly returns!

The words had barely left his mouth when the man and the bear appeared on the lake's surface. Fortunately, Hudson reacted quickly enough to grab Bear Beldens's fur, otherwise he would have fallen into the water.

Turning our gaze back to the island in the lake, we see that the island is rapidly sinking, and several ancient trees have suddenly come to life, turning into tree-man guardians who darted into the underground palace.

Aside from the churning lake water, only a bewildered man and a bear remained on the surface, staring at each other blankly.

Now, only "the end of the era, monsters, the Great Purge!" remained in Hudson's mind.

He had originally wanted to ask for more information, but remembering what had just happened, he really didn't dare to risk disturbing the master of the underground palace.

The Aslant Continent has a long-standing legend of Great Tribulation of Ten Thousand Years. After each calamity, the continent's civilization regresses significantly.

Many continental hegemons became sacrifices to the great calamity, and from then on, they went from prosperity to decline and slowly faded away.

With the year 100,000 approaching, deep down, Hudson had already guessed that this time would be different.

But a "Great Purge"—that's just too terrifying. A purge targeting all races on the continent could easily wipe out countless races from the annals of history.

Very few races survived the last Great Purge. As for the races that appeared later, it's more like starting afresh.

Whether it is native or an introduced species, no one can say for sure.

What's hidden behind this is something Hudson can't even imagine.

It's all bad luck. If he had traveled a few hundred years earlier or later, he wouldn't have bothered with these problems.

Unfortunately, it happened at this critical juncture, and we had no choice but to face it.

The only consolation is that the Great Purge did not mean certain death; many races survived and even thrived.

"Beldens, do you have any records of the Great Purge in your inherited memories?"

"Hudson asked expectantly."

The murals show that the Earth Bear clan also survived the last calamity. Such important information would surely have been passed down from their ancestors if no unforeseen events had occurred.

"It was mentioned once: 'Great Purge —dangerous!' I don't know which irresponsible bear was unaware of such important information. Record it in more detail!"

Hearing Beldens' complaints, Hudson shook his head inwardly. Perhaps it wasn't irresponsibility, but rather a lack of control over the situation.

In any case, this trip wasn't a waste of time. Not only did we replenish our energy, but we also unexpectedly gleaned some information about the Great Calamity of Ten Thousand Years from the Prehistoric Ruins.

Even if you don't know what kind of enemy you will be facing, it's always better to be prepared than to be unprepared.

Back at the military camp, Hudson's thoughts returned to the battlefield. As the chief logistics officer, he had a considerable number of daily tasks to handle.

Duke Cavadia led his troops into battle, while Marquis James coordinated with various forces on the front lines. There was no third deputy commander to share the burden of coordinating the rear operations.

Hudson dared to think of decentralizing power to the nobles below him, but unfortunately he didn't dare to implement it.

If the name is not correct, the words will not be proper. Without the kingdom's appointment, Hudson's designation of a person in charge would not be able to convince the people.

If things go wrong by accident, the one who will bear the responsibility first will be him, the commander-in-chief.

Observing the progress of the various armies, Hudson quickly realized that something was wrong. The Beastfolk's resistance was much weaker than expected.

Those who are now fighting the Allied Forces are almost all local tribes, or rather, Beastfolk tribes that have been relocated here.

The armies of the Five Great Royal Families rarely appeared in battle, and each time they did, they were swift as lightning. If they failed to strike, they would immediately retreat, never engaging in a decisive battle with the allied forces.

Apart from a few smaller, cohesive factions that suffered considerable losses on the battlefield due to insufficient coordination, the major factions were largely unscathed.

Hudson muttered under his breath that the Beastfolk were "cowards," but he had to admit that the Orc Empire did have strategists.

The current situation is that for every mile the Beastfolk retreat, the allied forces' logistics are stretched by one mile.

The Beastfolk tribes along the way had pitifully low productivity. Even if they looted everything, it would be difficult to provide much supply for the army.

The more ruthlessly the allied forces slaughter, the happier the enemy might be. The heavy losses of vassal tribes, while seemingly weakening the Orc Empire's strength, also eliminated the threat to the rule of the Five Great Royal Families.

Under pressure from the human alliance, the remaining Beastfolk tribes, no matter how unwilling they were, had no choice but to bite the bullet and join forces with the Five Great Royal Families.

The enemy's strategy of trading space for time is a blatant and overt scheme, and even if Hudson saw through it, he was powerless to stop it.

Regardless of how the Beastfolk respond, the war must continue. Without a sufficiently impressive victory, the Human Alliance cannot extricate itself from the conflict.

"Where are Duke Pias's troops located?"

At the front lines, Duke Pias, who had launched a surprise attack on Fengyue Port, angrily questioned, "What's going on here?"

Didn't the Church say that the main force of the Beastfolk had already withdrawn?

Why are so many enemies stationed at such an unimportant port?

Three bewildered questions were asked in a row, and no one could answer them.

The enemy was stronger than expected, and the mission to lure them out was successfully completed. The only problem was that the enemy was too powerful; they immediately attacked and severely damaged his vanguard as soon as they emerged.

"Quickly send someone to inform Duke Cavadia that we need reinforcements!"

After recovering from the brief moment of panic, Duke Pias decisively gave the order.

Retreat is impossible. Retreating at this point would mean exposing our backs to the enemy, which could easily lead to a major rout.

The most effective measure is to form ranks to meet the enemy and hold firm while awaiting reinforcements.

Suddenly, thick smoke billowed out in front of them, stinging Duke Pias's eyes. Fengyue Port was on fire!

"The enemy is sabotaging Fengyue Port!"

Realizing this, Pias was now powerless. From the moment the surprise attack failed, it meant he had lost the initiative on the battlefield.

In an instant, he thought of the "Church". This mission was relatively secretive; it was not reported to the allies except for the Kingdom Army.

However, there had always been secret connections between the Northern Nobles and the Church, and in order to make the operation go more smoothly, Duke Pias asked the Church for help.

Apart from the Kingdom Army Northern Nobles who had to maintain contact with the Beastfolk for their own interests, the nobles of other regions were not involved in smuggling trade and naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to establish contact with the Beastfolk.

Even if they wanted to leak the information, it would be difficult to get it to the Beastfolk high command in a short period of time.

This operation was a surprise attack. Now that something unexpected has happened, Duke Pias's first suspect is the Church.

Almost instantly, Duke Pias understood that this trouble stemmed from his fruitless exchange with Bishop Simon last time.

The strategy of "delaying" made the Church realize that only by pushing them to the brink could cooperation between the two sides be possible.

The burning of Fengyue Port is a minor matter. The real problem is that the enemy has destroyed the port and shipping lanes; that's what's truly fatal.

Repairing the port would be a huge waste of resources and manpower, and more importantly, it would take a lot of time.

If the port's strategic value cannot be realized in a short period of time, the success of this operation will be greatly diminished.

For other Northern Nobles, losing a battle merit simply meant losing a slice of the pie during the post-war feast.

But the Duke Pias is different; the current commander is his family's mortal enemy. Failing to secure the victory at Fengyue Port will most likely be pinned on him.

Don't expect anyone to speak on your behalf; someone has to take responsibility for a strategic failure. Either he will, or all the Northern Nobles will share the burden.

With this additional charge against them, the Locknerd Family could be conveniently sidelined when the spoils of war were divided afterward.

By the time they realized this, it was too late.

When making a cake, people complain that there aren't enough people; when it's time to cut the cake, they complain that there are too many people.

Eliminating one party from the competition for a share of the profits is a good option for all parties. We can't expect everyone to sacrifice their own interests to help that party.

Even the best of friendships are useless. Lockhart wasn't in dire straits; he had only missed one chance to share the pie, which couldn't evoke anyone's sympathy.

"Damn it!"

After uttering a curse, Duke Pias had no choice but to swallow the rest of his words.

The affairs of the Church involve a plot to assassinate the monarch, which cannot be discussed with subordinates.

In his heart, however, he had already cursed the entire family of the Church's high-ranking officials. It was truly outrageous; they had forced him into this situation just to drag the Locknerd Family into it.

Ironically, the more this was the case, the more uncertain Duke Pias felt. The main problem was that the Church, their ally, was a terrible jerk; cooperating with them meant risking being ruined by the slightest misstep.

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No matter how much the King suppresses the Locknerd Family, they remain a prominent family in the kingdom. At most, they may struggle to grow stronger, but they haven't reached the point of being wiped out.

However, once word of the "regicide" gets out, the aristocratic class will not tolerate them, regardless of the final outcome.

With such a large family and business empire, it was truly difficult for him to make up his mind to participate in this high-risk, high-return gamble.

In the Orc Empire, the five emperors were under immense pressure as they watched the constant stream of battle reports from the front lines.

"This can't go on. The enemy's attack is too fast, and the tribe needs time to relocate. We must hold them off!"

"The Bearman Emperor said angrily."

Every strategy comes at a price. Orc Beastfolk can be abandoned if they want, but our own people cannot be abandoned.

Among the Five Great Royal Families, the Behemoth Clan the least pressure during their tribal relocation. Due to their small population, they were the first to complete their evacuation.

Secondly, there's the Eagle People. Although they carried a lot of belongings and couldn't fly away, their population wasn't large, and they've mostly moved away by now.

The remaining three tribes are in a tragic situation; organizing a massive migration of millions of people is no joke.

Even though the process began as early as six months ago, less than half of the total population of the tribes has completed the evacuation so far.

At the current evacuation rate, it will take them at least another year to complete this.

We can't go any faster. The long journey has already caused a lot of losses. If we speed up any further, I'm afraid few of the tribe's young children will be able to reach their destination.

However, the human alliance was coming on strong, and the tribes along the way were of little use, unable to buy them enough time.

"We have destroyed Fengyue Port, temporarily cutting off the enemy's idea of transporting supplies by sea, which should be able to delay their advance."

However, it's hard to say. Given the strength of the human race, if they could gather a group of high-level mages, repairing the port wouldn't be difficult.

Without engaging in a decisive battle, there are only two ways to delay the enemy's advance:

They could either organize troops to continuously attack their army, directly slowing down their march.

Either send men deep behind enemy lines to sabotage and disrupt their supply lines.

Alex said slowly.

The Behemoth Clan have successfully evacuated, but the Orc Empire now needs to work together. Without allies to support them, they cannot withstand the onslaught of the human coalition.

"Behemoth Emperor, aren't we already working on both of these options?"

"The Bearman Emperor said irritably."

They did try, but the results were poor. Perhaps it was due to a lack of experience, or perhaps it was due to insufficient strength; the teams sent out to cause sabotage almost always didn't return.

Sending men to attack large armies always results in them being caught off guard by the enemy, and they can only bully the weaker units in the allied forces.

The attempt to raid the supply lines was even more tragic; most of the troops failed to even locate the supply convoy before being spotted by the enemy from the sky, leading to an encirclement and annihilation by the allied forces.

A very small number of teams successfully completed their infiltration mission. Unfortunately, the enemy's supply convoy routes were not fixed, and often, even after lying in ambush for many days, no trace of the enemy could be found.

It was all due to insufficient intelligence; after losing air superiority, the Beastfolk army was constrained at every turn.

"Don't look at me like that. The Eagle People have done their best. Protecting the area above us is the limit. We don't have the strength to go deep behind enemy lines."

"Our enemy is the overlord of the continent. If our Eagle People alone can suppress their aerial power, how can humanity dominate the continent?"

The Eagle Emperor glared back without any politeness.

There's nothing shameful about it. They couldn't defeat the humans in the air; the other four races couldn't defeat the humans on the ground either. They're all losers, so no one should laugh at anyone else.

"I don't mean a sneak attack on the grasslands, but rather sending a small force deep into the Alpha Kingdom to carry out a sneak attack."

Everyone could see that the enemy had protected the supply lines very well. There was simply no opportunity to take advantage of them, and even if they managed to succeed occasionally, it wouldn't have much impact on the overall situation.

The enemy's real weakness was actually their rear. The Alpha Kingdom's army was all on the front lines, and the supply convoys within the country were almost entirely undefended.

As long as our people infiltrate, even just a few dozen elite soldiers can destroy a grain transport team!

The only problem is that the risk is very high.

To sabotage deep within enemy territory, each squad can't have too many people; everything depends on their own efforts, and they can't afford to get caught up with by the enemy!

Alex explained slowly.

Frankly, this is not a good option. Sending troops deep behind enemy lines now is basically a one-way trip.

For the Orc Empire now, sending a suicide squad deep into the Alpha Kingdom to cause trouble has become their only option.

Regardless of whether the troops sent out can return, as long as unrest breaks out in the rear, it can affect the enemy's logistical supply.

"Disaster!

The enemy has stockpiled a lot of supplies along the way. Even if they send people to cause trouble and try to affect the front line, it will take at least a few months.

For the time being, we still need to find a way to entangle ourselves with the Allied forces. Unless we can organize a surprise attack and take down the enemy's supply depot on the grasslands.

However, this is almost impossible. According to the intelligence we have gathered, the Count Hudson is currently in charge of transporting supplies within the enemy army.

Everyone is familiar with this person. His military tactics are extremely cunning and treacherous; it's not easy to exploit his weaknesses!

"The Silver Moon Wolf Emperor said with a worried expression."

How could they not be familiar with them? Mentioning Hudson Behemoth Emperor and Bearman Emperor nearly caused them to explode on the spot. The other emperors also looked very ugly, their expressions suggesting they wanted to devour Hudson alive.

"No matter how difficult it is, we must try! If the plan fails, we will have no choice but to gather a large army and fight the enemy to the death, and rely on a large-scale battle to buy time."

Regardless of the outcome of the great battle, we will suffer heavy losses. We cannot win a war of attrition against the humans. Even if we wipe out all the enemy forces on the grasslands, more enemy forces will come.

The final solution is to retreat continuously, stretching their battle lines until the Human Alliance realizes that continuing the war will be counterproductive!

News of the Emerald Palace, the army's occupation of Fengyue Port, and the port's destruction reached the kingdom.

Along with this devastating news came not only the apologies from the frontline generals, but also Hudson's proposed solutions.

In short, they requested assistance from the Human Alliance to organize high-level mages to repair the port.

It's a bit of a stretch to make the high and mighty magician the laborer repairing the port, but it's certainly the most effective measure at the moment.

The enemy has damaged the waterway; if ordinary people were to carry out the work, it would take forever to finish.

But it's a different story when it's a group of high-level mages. Even without a suitable route, they can create one by using magic.

For the benefit of humanity, it seems quite possible to persuade everyone to do hard labor.

"Ciss, the matter of requesting magical support from the Alliance is now entrusted to your Foreign Affairs Department."

We need to be fast. At their rate of efficiency, reinforcements won't reach the front lines for months!"

Caesar III couldn't help but complain.

They all share a common characteristic: any alliance composed of multiple forces is unlikely to be very efficient.

"Your Majesty, seeking the help of mages alone is not enough. Our bond sales have been hampered since the interest rate was lowered."

Judging from the current situation, this war will not end in the short term. With our financial reserves, we simply cannot sustain this war until its conclusion.

"The Minister of Finance Marquis Delgado, said with a worried expression."

He was caught between insufficient funds and exorbitant interest rates, leaving him powerless to do anything about it.

Borrowing money is a momentary pleasure, but repaying it is a nightmare. As the Finance Minister, Marquis Delgado's daily thoughts revolve around borrowing and repaying money.

What are the current bond interest rates?

"I am concerned, "Caesar III asked.

The bond sales were incredibly hot, triggering a frenzy as soon as they were released. Over 30 million war bonds were snapped up in just a few days.

After all, the Alpha Kingdom printed its bonds during the human race's major counter-offensive. Market confidence was high, and there was no concern about default.

Ten percent risk-free bonds—the wealthy nobles, whose money was just sitting in their warehouses getting moldy, naturally wouldn't mind taking it out and putting it to work.

"Four percent!"

"That's perfectly natural, "Marquis Delgado said matter-of-factly.

Lowering interest rates was a last resort; the annual interest on those debts alone amounted to over three million gold coins.

If such high interest rates continue, the post-war Alpha Kingdom will most likely be crushed by debt.

The neighboring Moxi Duchy is a case in point; even with all the nobles in the country contributing, the treasury is still struggling to keep up.

"Let the Foreign Affairs Department give it a try. If the Alliance refuses to pay, then let them help us sell the war bonds."

Talk about our difficulties, and if necessary, exaggerate our economic losses. Make sure they believe that the kingdom's finances are exhausted.

Without new funding, we will be unable to continue this war.

Tell all the major powers in the alliance that after defeating the Orc Empire, they should not keep an inch of the land or kingdoms they seize; let them all be spoils of war!

Caesar III made grandiose promises.