Investigation Team vs. Warehouse Arson

There's no end to the help they can provide. Ever since Hudson resolved the deficit issues of the first batch of relatives and friends, his command camp has never been idle.

Even people with no real connection to each other came to get involved, each using their own connections. Every day, people came and went in a constant stream.

Business still needs to be done, but it seems much more difficult now. There have been many times when supplies are insufficient, requiring everyone to find alternative sources.

When it comes to favors, the more effort you put in, the more gratitude you'll receive. Hudson, well-versed in social dynamics, wouldn't try to take on too much at a time like this.

The urgency of the shortage was constantly stimulating the nerves of the nobles. The nobles who placed their orders first were the first to fill the gap.

The nobles who were slow to react were in trouble. With "stockouts" in the market, they had to come up with all sorts of ingenious solutions.

If there is a food shortage, then let your soldiers eat less; if there is a shortage of armor and weapons, then draw them from your own army.

In order to reach the required amount, some nobles even pulled strings and obtained advance payments for their soldiers' rations for the next three months.

Hudson chose to turn a blind eye to these underhanded tactics. Regardless, their willingness to go to any lengths to cover the deficit is commendable.

"My lord, the kingdom's investigation team has arrived at the camp. They are led by Grand Duke Affierro of Minister of Military Affairs, and their intentions appear to be hostile!"

Tom gave a slightly nervous report.

Without giving any warning, they stormed into the camp, clearly intending to launch a surprise attack.

Hudson was not surprised by this situation at all. He was now being accused of embezzlement and reselling military supplies, so the investigation team naturally had to act swiftly.

It's possible that this current team is only the one on the surface. There might be another team secretly deployed to the front lines to investigate.

"Please come quickly!"

As they spoke, Hudson had already risen and left the command tent. The Minister of Military Affairs was personally leading the delegation; he had to be given the utmost respect.

Looking into the distance, Hudson spotted a familiar figure in the crowd and immediately went to greet him.

"Your Excellency Duke Affierro, welcome!"

Judging from their enthusiasm, they didn't seem to be being investigated at all; it was more like old friends meeting.

This was the result of a surprise attack; if we had been notified in advance, the main generals in the army would have come to greet us.

"Count Hudson, you are too kind! I really don't deserve such a sincere welcome."

I'm here now specifically to find fault with you. Don't blame me if I find anything wrong.

"Duke Affierro said with a smile."

His cheerful voice made it hard to feel any ill will towards him. Even though he knew they were there to investigate him, Hudson wasn't angry.

"Your Excellency, you jest. Hudson has been working diligently since taking office, never daring to be negligent in the slightest. Why would he be afraid of an investigation!"

The Duke's investigation has just cleared my name and washed away the filth thrown at me by those treacherous villains.

However, after the issue of reselling military supplies is clarified, I hope that the Grand Duke can conduct a thorough investigation and expose the villains behind it.

My personal honor or disgrace means nothing, but the hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the front lines cannot bear this humiliation!

Hudson said righteously.

Even if we lose face, we won't back down. Everyone has already started making up for the deficit. Keeping the investigation team here will buy everyone some time.

Although this was an investigation conducted by his own people and had little practical significance, Hudson, as the commander-in-chief of the army, still hoped that the problems exposed under his command would be minimized.

"The Count Hudson is right!"

The investigation team's principle this time is: not to wrong an innocent person, and not to let a guilty person go unpunished.

Regardless of whose responsibility it is, we will investigate thoroughly and will never let any person involved get away with it!

To prevent any opportunity for corruption, we would like to trouble Count Hudson to bring up the accounts so we can immediately begin auditing them and verifying the inventory!

"This was an unquestionable statement from Duke Affierro."

The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Lian Fengyan hadn't even attended the banquet; he went straight to checking the accounts, clearly intending to cause trouble.

Hudson had anticipated this turn of events. Mediocrity is the only thing that doesn't attract envy, and a young coach like him was destined to draw a lot of haters.

For the King, such a talented leader should be both valued and constantly honed and refined.

Duke Affierro is currently playing the villain. Once the truth is revealed, the King will step in as the good guy and help him out, in order to win over the hearts of the people.

Hudson had seen similar imperial tactics countless times in history books, so he naturally wouldn't hold a grudge against Duke Affierro.

"Very well, we will proceed as the Grand Duke wishes. However, there are too many accounts in the army, and each army has its own logistics and transportation area to manage, so the accounts are calculated separately."

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If we move everything over, we won't be able to check it all in a short time. It's better to start by checking the area I'm responsible for. Tom, send someone to get the headquarters accounts.

Apart from a few transit stations at the front line that had a small amount of stock, about 80% of the logistical supplies that my main force was directly responsible for transporting were in this camp.

For convenience, I suggest the survey team take the photo album and check it against the supplies in the camp.

Many members of the investigation team were stunned by Hudson's words. A coach who cooperated so readily was a rare sight.

Nobles are proud, and being investigated for not being trusted is considered a disgrace by many. Even if there is no wrongdoing, they will resist the investigation to vent their dissatisfaction.

Duke Affierro was caught off guard by someone who didn't play by the rules, and he didn't know whether to be happy or annoyed.

Something unusual must be going on.

Intuition told him that there must be something wrong with the young head coach in front of him; but reason told him that since Hudson dared to loosen all restrictions and let them investigate, he probably wouldn't find anything now.

Based on the intelligence he had gathered, he knew that even if Hudson had engaged in the resale of military supplies, he had now covered the losses.

The fact that no problems were found with the head coach is definitely a good thing for the Alpha Kingdom, as it means the accusations were baseless.

But for the royal family, it's a different story.

Hudson rose to prominence through his own hard work and a confluence of circumstances, rather than being a "one of his own" cultivated by the King.

If you can't find any leverage over the other party, trying to gradually subdue them by beating and smoothing out their rough edges is basically not feasible.

After a moment's thought, Duke Affierro calmly said, "Do as Count Hudson wishes!"

It's fine if they can't find any fault with him; he doesn't want to be the bad guy anyway. After all, at Hudson's age, he could easily spend many years in the military.

If you really offend someone to death, he may not care, but his descendants must be taken into consideration.

The tedious auditing work began, and warehouse after warehouse was opened, each filled with supplies.

Under layers of detection magic, not a single abnormality was detected. Not only was there no embezzlement or resale of military supplies, but even normal material losses were kept under excellent control.

The investigation team arrived ahead of schedule and began auditing the accounts. Like a storm, it quickly swept through the entire Logistics Department.

A classic case of some people being happy while others are sad.

The nobles who filled the gap have now become spectators, waiting to see their colleagues make fools of themselves.

The nobles, whose deficits were too large to fill, were now stamping their feet in desperation.

Various methods to circumvent inspections are constantly being invented; the question is whether they can withstand scrutiny.

The faces of the nobles in the Northern Nobles camp were terribly gloomy.

Watching helplessly as his colleagues gathered supplies, or were in the process of gathering supplies, while they themselves encountered trouble, was a truly unpleasant experience.

After using personal connections to mediate and paying a 30% premium over the market price, the chambers of commerce finally agreed to accept the order, but unfortunately, they were placed at the very end of the queue.

Simply put: if there are any remaining strategic resources, sell them to them; if not, they're out of luck.

This wave of suspicion didn't fall on Hudson. The main reason was that the Dalton Family had also procured sufficient strategic materials.

From an outsider's perspective, if Hudson were orchestrating all of this behind the scenes, he certainly wouldn't have done anything to aid the enemy. The Dalton Family, as a rival, would undoubtedly be targeted and destroyed.

The current passive situation seems more like a deliberate act of retaliation against them by various chambers of commerce.

"The current situation is very unfavorable to us. I don't know how much each of us still has to go, but in order to fill the gaps in supplies, the Felix Family has already mobilized all the connections they can."

I even sent people to collect strategic materials from mercenaries, but it was still a drop in the ocean.

Although the allied forces at the front had made contact, they preferred to cooperate with those unscrupulous merchants.

Unfortunately, those unscrupulous merchants still held a grudge against us, and none of them took our orders seriously.

This is also my responsibility. I underestimated not only the Hudson but also the power of businessmen, which led to this situation.

Duke Cavadia said with a frustrated expression.

This was truly a lesson learned. Before this, he never imagined that a group of businessmen would be the ones to cause trouble in the end.

They originally thought that with their strength, they could completely bypass these middlemen and trade directly with the major forces on the front lines.

Unfortunately, things were all too idealistic. While the mainland nobility were indeed of one family, everyone had their own agendas, and things wouldn't go according to their plan.

Previously, as long as the price was right, everyone would be happy to cooperate. But now that the alliance investigation team is about to arrive, no one wants to risk trouble.

Even if they managed to establish connections with one or two powerful noble families, the actual amount of strategic materials they could offer for trade was minimal, even if they merely exaggerated their battle losses.

If the trail is followed and the truth is uncovered, then his reputation will be ruined.

In contrast, with the addition of merchants handling the turnover, everything changed.

"Check" means it was transported from the rear. Major chambers of commerce can even provide the source of the goods, and export data can be found at ports in various countries.

As for how they managed to traverse the vast grasslands and transport large quantities of strategic materials to the front lines, that's a trade secret.

"Cavadia, what's done is done, assigning blame won't solve the problem."

Even the Felix Family couldn't cover the deficit, so naturally we are powerless to do anything about it.

The smaller noble families that depend on us are even worse off. They're either already in a state of decline or on their way to doing so.

If the Coslo Family hadn't lacked the resources and power to extend their reach into the Frankish Kingdom, I would have suspected that all of this was a deliberate scheme by Hudson, just waiting for us families to fall into the trap.

Looking back at the transportation missions we've undertaken, they've all been fraught with difficulties and obstacles; none of them have had an easy time.

Every time we transport strategic materials, we just sign for them and ship them out, without even the most basic verification of the required quantity.

It's clearly a deliberate attempt to get us to take advantage of logistical supplies. If the logistics command had paid any attention, none of us would have dared to go this far!

I strongly suspect that Hudson collaborated with a powerful force to orchestrate this political conspiracy against us, the Northern Nobles.

Based on the current situation, the most suspicious person is our King. Otherwise, the Kingdom's investigation team wouldn't have arrived so quickly.

Don't be fooled by their current investigation of Hudson; I bet the final result will be that he has absolutely no problems.

"It's possible that besides this publicly known investigation team, there's also a clandestine one that infiltrated long ago, secretly gathering evidence against us."

The more he imagined it, the more reasonable it seemed to Duke Dias.

In the recent assassination attempt on the King, Caesar III simply remained silent and did not take any strong action.

For a monarch, holding back without taking any action is like preparing a big move.

As the kingdom's most unstable political group and the prime suspect, Caesar III had every reason to target them.

Reporting to the Human Alliance was certainly a loss of face for the Alpha Kingdom. However, the intervention of the Alliance's investigation team also made them lose their confidence to overturn the table.

With so many human troops on the front lines, whatever the final outcome, they have no choice but to accept it.

The men exchanged glances, their expressions changing drastically. If it truly was the King's doing, and the other side had caught them red-handed, their fates would be uncertain.

Caesar III might seize the opportunity to take drastic measures, using the pretext of reselling military supplies to send them to meet the Lord of Dawn in a dignified manner.

If you're unwilling to take the initiative to be a respectable person, then you won't be able to preserve your last shred of dignity.

If they dare to cause trouble, the King can use the power of the Human Alliance to uproot their entire families.

"No!

We cannot sit idly by and wait to die!

Whether or not this was Caesar III's doing behind the scenes, he wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by!

The crime of reselling military supplies can be committed by other nobles in the kingdom, but if we few are involved, we're doomed.

We need to take drastic measures; at this point, we can't afford to worry about anything else.

If something goes wrong, at worst it's just that a few of us are incompetent. At worst, we'll lose our military positions, be fined a huge sum, and then be sent home to retire.

After a few years of silence, I can make a comeback.

Duke Pias said guiltily.

The others were merely suspects in the assassination attempt, but he was a real participant. Although he didn't personally carry out the assassination, he was manipulating things from behind the scenes.

Despite his efforts to conceal the truth, who could guarantee that Caesar III wouldn't trace it back to him?

After all, this kind of thing doesn't require concrete evidence. As long as there are indications that he was involved, that's enough.

"Fine, let's notify the Red Dragon to take action!"

Duke Cavadia said with a steely resolve.

He certainly didn't want to be labeled "incompetent." But the Felix Family couldn't afford to gamble now; if he, the pillar of the family, were to fall, the next generation wouldn't be able to support the current family business.

Flames tens of meters long shot out, turning everything in their path into a sea of fire. The Bear flames relentlessly devoured everything in their path.

The soldiers guarding the warehouse were so terrified by this horrific scene that they scattered and fled, wishing they had more legs.

They watched helplessly as the camp descended into chaos. No skilled soldiers appeared to stop it, and even high-ranking officers failed to organize a counterattack, leaving the Red Dragon to run rampant.

Maxim watched with satisfaction as countless human soldiers fled below, setting fires all the way. This was the life of Giant Dragon; the previous failures were purely accidental.

Deep down, he had despised the human race countless times. For someone to hire him to burn down their own camp because of internal strife was utterly ridiculous.

However, considering the high price offered, he decided not to haggle. After all, it's rare to find someone willing to take such a bad offer.

One moment he'd spew out flames, the next he'd throw a huge fireball; Maxim was having a blast in the camp.

The five dukes, who were watching from the shadows, were heartbroken. They had only hired the Giant Dragon to burn down the warehouse; they hadn't sent it to kill Giant Dragon.

Unfortunately, Giant Dragon are creatures born to destroy. They don't even need to do anything special; simply setting fires can inflict massive casualties on the defending forces.

The Giant Dragon in front of the high-ranking generals was hired by them to destroy evidence, but the people below did not know this and were still trying to drive the Giant Dragon away.

Maxim was clearly not a good-tempered dragon. If any "reptiles" dared to harass him, he would naturally reward them with a tail!

The burning of the warehouse by the fire dragon was accompanied by carnage. Such a huge commotion quickly attracted the attention of the Griffon Cavalry patrolling in the distance, and the news was quickly spread.

"A Giant Dragon, suspected to be the Dragon King, attacked the military camp?"

Count Hudson, are you sure you're not joking?

Meeting the suspicious gaze of Duke Affierro, Hudson immediately explained, "That's right, Your Excellency."

This news has just arrived: a gigantic Red Dragon has attacked the camp of the Northern Nobles and is currently wreaking havoc within the military camp.

As far as I know, this isn't the first time this Giant Dragon has appeared. It previously attacked the Locknerd Family's stronghold, only to be driven away.

It is indeed strange that they are attacking our camp now. However, this question should be asked of the deputy commander, Duke Cavadia, who has always been in charge of military affairs there.

According to intelligence gathered by the Griffon Cavalry, they seemed to be paralyzed with fear. They failed to mount an effective counterattack.

Neither the Magic Crystal Cannon nor the Magic Crossbow were used; the Giant Dragon was left to ravage the area. Moreover, this Giant Dragon seemed to have a penchant for fire, always targeting our warehouses to set it ablaze.

Hudson delivered the finishing blow, leaving the rest to Duke Affierro's imagination.

He knew the Northern Nobles would cause trouble, but he still didn't expect them to pull off the classic "fire dragon burning the granary" stunt.

Unfortunately, they lacked experience, and their methods were too crude, riddled with loopholes.

To make the performance convincing, at the very least, the Magic Crystal Cannon should be fired, and the military's experts should also be mobilized, putting on a show of making a desperate attempt to intercept them.

Of course, there are also great risks involved. Giant Dragon are never good actors; if they're not careful, their temper can flare up and turn a fake performance into a real one.

"A fire dragon burning a granary is a rare spectacle on the continent. Count Hudson, let's take some men there to see it; consider it an opportunity to broaden our horizons!"

"Duke Affierro said with a gloomy expression."

It was clear he was genuinely angry. Of all times, it had to happen at this critical juncture; the actions of those Northern Nobles were clearly an insult to his intelligence.

However, given that the hole can't be filled, we have to do things that are as insulting to our intelligence as possible.

It's better to be suspected of reselling military supplies than to be investigated and found to have solid evidence.