Reselling Strategic Supplies

Lutetia, Human Alliance Council. The atmosphere in the meeting hall was extremely strange at this moment.

The allied forces at the front acted first and reported later, dealing them a real blow. This isn't how the game works; they are the highest authority of the human race!

The councilors may not care about the storms from the outside world; humanity has enough strength to shield them from the turmoil. But betrayal by one's own people is something that cannot be stopped.

The anonymous vote resulted in a unanimous approval, which was a blatant way of telling them that the generals at the front supported recruiting mercenaries.

There should at least be a few dissenting votes, just to show some effort!

Especially those who vehemently opposed it, how come they also voted in favor when it came to the final vote?

It can only be said that self-interest is the most powerful force that can make people "follow their hearts." In order to ensure the smooth passage of the resolution, everyone tacitly left the opportunity to vote against it to others.

Veto?

Just think about it. The announcement has already been issued; to retract it now would be telling the outside world that the Alliance Council and the Allied Forces are not of one mind.

There is no question of assigning responsibility.

Although the Alliance Council nominally has more power, in reality, their control over the frontline coalition forces is only so-so.

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Most members of parliament held a lower position within their respective factions than the military commanders sent to the front lines. After all, members of parliament were merely proxies, while the commanders-in-chief were powerful nobles with real authority.

We're all colleagues; if things really escalate, it won't be easy to face each other back home. But as the highest authority, they can't remain silent.

Not only were the members of parliament in a difficult position, but Charles III was also facing a headache. As the host and initiator of the conference, he simply disappeared from the meeting room.

Everyone's share of responsibility is essentially the same as no one being responsible. They all sit there staring at each other, none of them willing to be the first to speak and break the ice.

"Gentlemen, the news has already spread throughout the entire continent, and it's too late to take it back. Why don't we discuss how to handle the aftermath?"

For example: clarify the reward period; or determine the criteria for recognizing combat merits...

Count Predrag suggested, somewhat awkwardly.

Although it is said that the law does not punish the masses, the instigator was the Alpha Kingdom. If it weren't for Hudson stirring things up from behind, the allied generals at the front would not have realized so quickly the hidden benefits that could be brought about by recruiting mercenaries to participate in the war.

The practice of winning two military merits for fighting one battle will likely become the norm from now on.

Perhaps in the upcoming battle reports of the allied forces, all the details of the conquered territories and the number of enemy soldiers killed will be simplified, and the specific Beastfolk races will no longer be distinguished in detail.

Meanwhile, the mercenaries' battle record was all about slaying Behemoths and bear-men...

Although the assessment of military merits remains strict, the actual execution is still done by people. Driven by self-interest, cases of fraudulently claiming military merits will become increasingly common.

Fortunately, the nobles at the front still had some integrity and did not include ordinary Beastfolk races in the bounty list, otherwise the Human Alliance might have been bankrupted.

Don't be fooled by the fact that only mercenaries are heading to the front lines now. In reality, many human nobles are also watching and waiting. As long as the Alliance Council doesn't object, they will also bring their private armies to participate in the "hunt".

"Count Predrag is right. What's done is done, and we can only face reality."

However, in addition to considering the aftermath, we must also put a cage on the Allied forces at the front lines and not let them run rampant.

Otherwise, similar incidents will continue to occur!

Count Georgievich said with a solemn expression.

Clearly, he has realized the dangers of "Underling Overlord" and wants the Alliance Council to strengthen its control over the frontline coalition forces.

"Count Georgievich, the aftermath is easy to handle, but the management of the allied forces requires careful consideration. It would be best if each major power strengthened its own control over its army!"

Bishop Montesol resolutely objected.

The dangers of Underling Overlord are immense, but the dangers of allowing others to interfere with the command of the Church's frontline troops are equally significant.

Within the Alliance Council, the Royal Authority hold the majority. Once the Council gains command over the frontline troops, strengthening the authority of the Alliance Command and appointing a supreme commander would be a logical next step.

This meant entrusting the life and death of the Church's troops at the front lines to the Royal Authority. No one could guarantee what would happen next.

In short, the casualties of the Church's army will certainly increase day by day. Even total annihilation is not impossible.

What's worse is that once this precedent is set and it's proven that these practices are indeed effective, future actions will follow the same pattern.

Time flies, and the end of the year is here again. The flames of war continue to burn in the Northern Continent, showing no signs of abating.

With the influx of mercenaries, the battle on the front lines has become increasingly fierce. No one can say for sure what the exact losses are for the human race, but the number of Beastfolk royalty killed has increased explosively compared to a few months ago.

Human potential is often brought out under pressure. Under the lure of profit, the mercenaries' various outrageous maneuvers left Hudson speechless.

Poisoning, cursing, Necrotic Cataclysm, summoning Evil God... all sorts of unscrupulous methods, there's nothing they won't do.

Their combat methods have repeatedly crossed the line. There are no rules; as long as the Beastfolk are killed, it counts.

Instead of engaging in a decisive battle with the Beastfolk force, most mercenaries turned their attention to Beastfolk tribes, targeting the weak and vulnerable with low combat capabilities.

The reason they didn't massacre women and children wasn't because they had any morals, but mainly because the price they paid for slaves was higher than the bounty offered by the Allied forces.

What surprised Hudson the most was that the "mercenary group" with the highest combat results was not a real mercenary group, but a frontline coalition force in disguise.

Using alternate accounts to do dirty work isn't a big deal. But at least you should at least try to disguise it. Just listen to those imposing mercenary group names; Hudson is speechless.

For example: "Holy Invincible Mercenary Group".

Upon hearing the name, Hudson knew it was a branch of the Church. Ninety-nine percent of the organizations on the continent that could be given sacred titles were branches of the Church.

For example, "The First Kingdom Mercenary Group of the Continent".

The logo was so obvious that the Frankish Kingdom couldn't have pursued legal action for infringement; it could only be their own alternate account.

Almost all of the allied mercenary groups can be identified by their names.

One person doing something like this might seem like showing off, but when everyone does it together, it can only be about profit.

This way of doing things is indeed a bit unseemly, and it doesn't align with the spirit promoted by the nobility. However, it also helps everyone distinguish their status and avoids many unnecessary conflicts.

Unsurprisingly, all the top-ranked mercenary groups were essentially aliases of major powers.

Apart from a few unlucky individuals from the Northern Frontier region who were absent, the remaining major human forces were all on the list.

The rankings were basically equivalent to the status of the major powers among humans. It wasn't until he was outside the top fifty that Hudson found a "real mercenary group".

Unfortunately, after an investigation, it was discovered that this was another front for a powerful nobleman. However, this front wasn't a recent one; it had existed for many years.

If you look closely, you'll find that behind every slightly higher-level mercenary group or merchant guild on the mainland, you can find the backing of a powerful noble family.

While grassroots rise to prominence certainly exists, it is inevitable that they will be absorbed by others once they reach a certain level of development.

This is a consequence of knowledge monopoly. Without education, ordinary people find it difficult to outsmart those cunning old foxes.

Hudson originally wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to secretly recruit a few promising mercenary groups, but now it seems he was too naive.

They've been doing similar things all along. On the surface, they're all incredibly arrogant, looking down on mercenaries and other civilian armed groups, but secretly they're all eager to recruit them.

Mercenary groups that show even a little potential usually have one or more nobles behind them who are their shareholders.

By the time Hudson noticed them, they were all already taken. Breaking the rules for a mercenary group was clearly a losing proposition.

Unable to get involved, Hudson didn't force the issue. He simply became a "laid-back" individual, focusing on providing logistical supplies for everyone and also doing some small business on the side.

Gold prospectors can make money, and so can the merchants who provide services to them.

Although these transactions were completed smoothly only through cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce, it did not affect Hudson's share of the profits.

The only problem was that after entering the mountainous area for operations, the loss rate of logistical supplies during transportation skyrocketed, drawing close attention from all sides.

Fortunately, with the help of the Beastfolk, transport convoys would be attacked every now and then, causing heavy losses to the allied forces' logistical supplies. It was definitely not a case of embezzlement.

If you don't believe me, you can check the accounts. The inbound and outbound data all match up perfectly. All losses are also traceable.

"Hudson, this is terrible! The Locknerd Family has reported you to the Alliance Council for reselling strategic materials, and both the Alliance and the Kingdom have dispatched investigation teams."

We'll be arriving at the front soon to assess the army's strategic resource consumption and quickly settle the accounts!

The news brought by Viscount Oran surprised Hudson slightly. The enemy's hasty action was far too impatient.

These days, escorting logistical supplies is an incredibly tough job. It's an unspoken rule that transport teams profit from it, and as long as they don't go too far, nobody cares.

However, the worst thing is to take things too seriously. Once someone stands up and makes a real-name report, it will be a major stain on one's reputation.

Whether it's fatal depends entirely on the amount of resources embezzled. Generally speaking, as long as the discrepancy isn't too large, the accounts can be balanced.

Hudson's recent business ventures have been thriving, which inevitably attracted the attention of those with ulterior motives.

He just couldn't understand why the Locknerd Family was so impatient, rushing to launch an attack before the war was even over.

Reporting him directly to the Alliance Council, in particular, broke the rules. Even if they manage to bring him down this time, it would still be a slap in the face to the King.

The relationship between Caesar III and the Northern Nobles was already tense, and now this kind of thing has happened, isn't it just rubbing the King's face in the ground?

Not only the King, but all the nobles of the Alpha Kingdom would lose face. Normally, when faced with such a situation, people would choose to handle it behind closed doors.

"Your Excellency, there is no need to worry! They won't find anything out. If the investigation team really comes, the Northern Nobles will be the ones who suffer."

Of all the losses incurred by nobles transporting grain, those in their own hands accounted for the greatest. Even with the best accounting, problems would still exist.

If the matter were to be investigated further, the nobles on the front lines would likely be implicated to varying degrees.

However, Duke Pias was no fool. He was willing to risk offending many nobles in the kingdom to uncover the truth at this time, indicating that there must be other forces behind the scenes.

Let's wait and see; I think the story that follows will be very exciting!

Hudson said with a sneer.

There is no doubt that this whistleblower will have a huge impact on him. Even if no problems are found, it will still severely damage Hudson's reputation.

After all, there were over a million soldiers and officers responsible for transporting the grain and fodder; if they dug deeper, they would surely be caught.

Hudson was destined to face charges of negligence in oversight. He wasn't entirely unprepared for this.

Especially after Duke Cavadia revealed his ambition, most of the dirty and hard work hidden in the escort missions fell to the Northern Nobles.

This is also the direct reason why they have the highest rate of loss of transported goods.

Once the investigation team arrives, the Northern Nobles, who suffered the greatest loss of supplies, will definitely be the focus of the investigation.

They originally thought that such restrictions would keep them in check, but unexpectedly, something still happened in the end.

This is a classic example of a "kill a thousand enemies, lose eight hundred of your own" tactic. If the investigation were to be pursued thoroughly, Hudson would not have an easy time, and the Northern Nobles would not escape unscathed either.

Even if the five dukes didn't take any money, who can guarantee that their clansmen and underlings didn't take any?

"Hudson, are you sure there's no problem?"

I can't help but ask Viscount Oran asked with concern.

He knew that Hudson had been secretly selling off a lot of strategic materials and making a fortune recently.

Although the Chamber of Commerce was responsible for the actual execution, the inside story behind it could not be hidden from the eyes of the nobles.

"Your Excellency, rest assured, some of the strategic materials that have been leaked out were transported from the rear by me, and the rest were spoils of war that I bought from the Allied Forces some time ago."

I even have copies of the relevant transaction receipts. No matter how the investigation team investigates, I have not touched any of the army's strategic resources!

Hudson said calmly.

Clearly, these words were not only meant for Viscount Oran, but also for the other nobles in the army.

It is a fact that strategic materials were resold, but there must be a reasonable explanation for the source of these materials.

After all, the crime of embezzling and reselling strategic materials is no small matter, and Hudson did not want to be unjustly accused.

Often, when public opinion is overwhelming, truth and falsehood can become blurred. He also needs someone to speak up for him and prove that this is completely unfounded.