Threatening Letter

In the Emerald Palace, looking at the investigation reports from the front lines, Caesar III felt a mixture of joy and worry.

After much effort, he finally found a weakness in the Northern Nobles. However, the situation was quite different from what he had expected, and could even be described as completely unrelated.

Reselling military supplies and hiring dragons to burn down granaries are both top-tier crimes. However, whether or not they can be dealt with depends on when they occur.

With the threat of the Beastfolk gradually being eliminated, the kingdom's nobles were all eager to profit from the war.

If a major incident were to break out at this time, the forces within the Human Alliance that want to suppress the Alpha Kingdom would definitely seize the opportunity to launch an attack.

Even if Caesar III were King, he wouldn't dare to do something so immoral as to thwart the aspirations of the nobles in the country.

Caesar III was unwilling to cover it up and handle it discreetly from within, cleaning up the mess for those guys in the North.

At this moment, his dissatisfaction with Hudson reached a breaking point. As the head coach, his unwillingness to even take the blame for his boss clearly raised questions about his loyalty.

If it were the old marshal, he would never bother him with this kind of thing; instead, various unexpected events would allow the Alliance investigation team to find evidence.

In the world of the nobility, severe punishments are often only used when things escalate and incur public wrath.

Especially when it comes to local power groups like the Northern Nobles, it's difficult for ordinary political struggles to shake their foundations.

"Absurd!

How absurd!

How dare they do such a thing! It's a disgrace to the kingdom!

Look at this, everyone! A scoundrel has emerged in the kingdom. Some people, for their own selfish gain, disregard the interests of humanity and the kingdom itself..."

As he spoke, Caesar III tossed the investigation report in his hand to the assembled ministers in the hall.

Judging from the level of the topic, it's clear that this is going to be dealt with severely.

This is a rare opportunity. We finally managed to catch a fatal stain on the Northern Nobles. If we don't take this chance to teach them a lesson, we won't be able to quell our hatred.

A short while later, after the ministers had finished reading the investigation report, their faces all turned grim.

The representatives of the Northern Nobles in the court, in particular, looked as if they had lost their parents. They wanted to plead for mercy, but dared not offend the King at this moment.

Although it wasn't a secret that the Northern Nobles were reselling military supplies, the fact that the investigation team had confirmed it completely changed the nature of the matter.

There were many nobles in the kingdom who resold military supplies, but everyone cut their losses and covered the gaps before the Human Alliance investigation team arrived. Only the Northern Nobles were dishonest.

Instead of addressing the deficit, they hired Giant Dragon to burn down the warehouses. This selfish act, which puts the kingdom in an awkward position, undoubtedly harms the interests of many nobles in the kingdom.

"Your Majesty, this matter must be severely punished to serve as a warning to others!"

However, considering the potential repercussions, the details of this case are not suitable for public disclosure. It would be better to severely punish the perpetrators for negligence in guarding the grain supplies.

The minister's tentative plea greatly displeased Caesar III.

They talk a lot about severely punishing crimes, but when it comes to specific offenses, it's all talk and no action.

"Inadequate guarding of supplies" is a matter of ability and luck. In the long run, no one can guarantee that accidents will never happen when responsible for transporting military supplies.

Even if the punishment is severe, it will be harmless to the Northern Nobles.

"Too lenient! The Alliance is watching. Even if the Kingdom covers up their resale of military supplies, they will still be charged with dereliction of duty."

Besides, now that such a huge hole has been created, where should we start to fill it?

"We can't expect the kingdom to pay for the cleanup work of a bunch of criminals who resold military supplies, can we?"

Minister of Finance Marquis Delgado mocked.

This is not a pointless loss, and military supplies are not unlimited. Currently, the main source of supplies for the army has gradually shifted from the initial Alpha Kingdom to the Human Alliance.

Especially after the Alliance issued its bounty, the Human Alliance's expenses increased daily. The Alliance Council raised funds three times to cover military expenses.

Countless eyes are now watching, and the investigation team will not rest until the hole is plugged.

When it came to matters of vital interest, those who had initially wanted to plead for leniency all chose to remain silent.

Everyone here is a sensible person; the evidence has been found, and the losses will definitely have to be borne by the Northern Nobles.

To punish someone merely for "dereliction of duty" is already considered a lenient sentence. But if they were to be prosecuted for reselling military supplies, the nature of the offense would be entirely different.

Seeing that his ministers' stance was gradually converging, Caesar III sighed inwardly. It was clear that no one supported a blanket condemnation of the Northern Nobles.

It wasn't that the Northern Nobles were particularly popular; rather, it was because everyone was a member of the noble class and had to protect its interests.

Although the crime of reselling military supplies is serious, it does not ultimately cross the bottom line, so the principle of "treating nobles with leniency" should be followed.

"Snort!"

After giving a cold shout, Caesar III slammed his hand on the table and said, "Tell those shameful bastards that they are responsible for cleaning up the mess they made!"

This case has severely damaged the Kingdom's interests. Although we have helped cover it up, for the sake of fairness, all those involved in the case will be barred from participating in the post-war distribution of spoils.

Send an inquiry to the Count Hudson, asking him how he could be a commander-in-chief if he didn't even know such a massive corruption was occurring among his subordinates.

The Foreign Affairs Department immediately informed the Alliance of the outcome of the matter in an effort to quell the incident as soon as possible.

While it's impossible to completely destroy the Northern Nobles, limiting their power development is still very necessary.

From the King's perspective, without the Beastfolk threat, the military-powerful Northern Nobles have lost their value and are now only a "threat".

Whether it's forcing the Northern Nobles to suffer losses or depriving them of the right to share in the post-war benefits, the essence is to weaken them.

Upon receiving the kingdom's interpellation document, Hudson glanced at it and tossed it aside.

For a coach who's determined to tank the game, it makes no difference whether he reads this kind of pointless official document or not.

He was currently busy negotiating with the Alliance investigation team. With more and more evidence falling into the team's hands, the Kingdom's announced results naturally failed to satisfy the Alliance.

"Count Hudson, let's summon the Giant Dragon! There are some things that need to be discussed face to face."

Marquis Jerome said with a chuckle.

Clearly, the conflict between the Hudson and the Northern Nobles was no secret to the investigation team.

In everyone's eyes, Hudson's decision not to kick someone when they're down was already considered an act of protecting the kingdom's interests, and it was highly unlikely that he would go against the investigation team for the sake of an enemy.

Seeing this scene, Duke Affierro was also very anxious. He was well aware of the pressure Hudson was under at this moment, given the pressure from the Alliance.

"Your Excellency Marquis, Red Dragon is currently recovering from his injuries, and it is not advisable to disturb him now. If you wish to see him, you may wish to wait a few more days."

The investigation team's main task this time is to investigate the resale of military supplies, and Red Dragon could not possibly be involved in the resale of military supplies.

The arson that destroyed the granary was also due to a grudge against a certain nobleman, which led to the act of anger.

Dragon Race are different from humans, and we cannot use the same standards to judge them.

Anyway, someone is now responsible for compensating for the lost food and supplies, ensuring the smooth operation of the army's logistics. Why bother investigating further?

Hudson said without changing his expression.

It's ridiculous. He was the one who wanted to frame the Northern Nobles, but now he's become Northern Nobles biggest protector, at least on the surface.

"Count Hudson, you've been reported by name for reselling military supplies."

Evidence suggests that during your tenure as head of coalition logistics, the number of vehicles and personnel entering and leaving the warehouse was far higher than normal!

Shouldn't you offer an explanation?

Bishop Caveh asked with a half-smile.

As the subject of the report, Hudson was naturally a key target of the investigation team. Unfortunately, despite their thorough investigation, they ultimately failed to find any substantial problems.

"Your Excellency, what explanation do you want?"

The frequency of resource allocation is never determined by individual will. The battlefield is ever-changing, and the Logistics Department must naturally keep pace with the front-line troops in allocating resources.

I don't have the ability to predict the future and determine the allocation of logistical supplies in advance.

I have long heard of the Church's Great Prophecy Art, which allow them to foresee the future. If Your Excellency the Bishop could master these arts, perhaps you could achieve the same.

Hudson responded calmly.

There's no explanation. There's a problem to begin with, and the more you try to explain, the worse it will get.

Adhering to the principle of casual conversation, Hudson decisively chose to joke about the "Great Prophecy Art".

Despite its name suggesting the ability to "predict the past and future," this magic is primarily used for fighting.

Let alone predicting the future, even peeking into the past requires paying a heavy price.

"Snort!"

After giving a cold shout, Bishop Caveh rolled his eyes and said, "Count Hudson, the Great Prophecy Art is naturally incredibly profound. If you wish to witness it, you can go to the Holy Mountain."

We have now found evidence of someone reselling military supplies, and we need your cooperation. Please hand over all the accounts for the investigation team to examine!

"No problem, the Logistics Department's projects are all ready and can be checked at any time. If you can help us find the culprits, the entire Logistics Department will be eternally grateful."

This is the truth. After setting up this scheme for so long, it's finally time to reap the rewards, and someone comes along with their own sickle to help. It's hard not to be grateful.

The prepared accounts also contained plenty of evidence that the Northern Nobles were rife with corruption related to the resale of military supplies.

The figures from the warehouses show that they received far more grain and supplies than actually needed by the frontline troops.

Once the investigation team obtains the lists of supplies received from the various frontline units, a comparison will reveal the problems.

There are many similar problematic projects in the Logistics Department. However, other nobles have already plugged the gaps, and even if they have received extra supplies, they are just sitting in warehouses at various transit stations.

If the physical goods and the account list match, and there is an excess, then it is a question of whether the Logistics Department's allocation is reasonable, not a matter of reselling military supplies.

"In that case, let's begin the investigation! However, from now on, we will be monitoring the suspects involved to prevent collusion or absconding. We hope Your Excellency will understand!"

"That's what Marquis Jerome said meaningfully."

"Your Excellency, rest assured, we will fully cooperate with the investigation. However, before the investigation team can make any arrests, they must first produce evidence."

Furthermore, before taking any special measures against noble officers, you must first notify our Logistics Department to avoid affecting the smooth operation of the Allied forces' logistics.

As soon as Hudson finished speaking, Duke Affierro's expression changed drastically. Compared to his previous tough stance, he had clearly chosen to compromise.

After much hesitation, he finally chose to remain silent. Just as Hudson couldn't withstand the pressure from the investigation team, so too could he.

However, Duke Affierro has more to consider. Handing over the lead in the investigation so quickly means the Northern Nobles certainly won't have time to clean up the mess.

If a major problem is discovered, and the alliance uses this as grounds to disqualify the kingdom from participating in the distribution of spoils, the nobles within the kingdom will certainly not let it go easily.

Besides taking their anger out on the Northern Nobles, everyone also wanted to investigate who had betrayed them, disregarding even the interests of the kingdom's noble class.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Duke Affierro suspected that the Alliance investigation team's ability to discover the problem so quickly was inextricably linked to Hudson.

Yet, it doesn't make sense logically. If the Northern Nobles are found guilty of reselling military supplies, Hudson would be an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

Reputation, power, and the distribution of post-war gains will all be affected.

Even if Hudson and the Northern Nobles have a blood feud, it's just one of them. At his age, he has plenty of time to take revenge; there's no need to kill a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of his own.

After counting them all, Duke Affierro completely abandoned the idea of finding the mastermind behind it all. The number of enemies the Northern Nobles had was simply too many; he knew of more than a hundred.

Many of these people joined the army, and some even held relatively high positions. If they were deliberately keeping an eye on the Northern Nobles, it wouldn't be surprising if they uncovered some dirty secrets about them.

Judging from the current situation, the evidence held by the Alliance investigation team is still somewhat insufficient. It can only prove that some of the Northern Nobles are reselling military supplies, but that's not enough to escalate the matter.

The Alliance is not looking for an individual, but a criminal gang, a "criminal gang" that can implicate the entire Alpha Kingdom.

If things continue like this, the biggest trouble will be not only for the Northern Nobles, but also for King Caesar III.

First, they made an illogical report to the Alliance Council, and then their own people stabbed them in the back. Considering the dark side of whoever benefits is the mastermind, the suspicion that the royal family orchestrated this is extremely high.

"Report!"

The urgent battle report from the front brought this discordant conversation to a close, and all eyes turned to Hudson.

"This is the Beastfolk's ultimatum. They have started releasing the plague and they want us to withdraw immediately if we don't want to die!"

It's likely that all units at the front have received warnings. The war is probably going to become even more brutal in the coming days.

Hudson didn't mention withdrawing his troops; he understood human nature perfectly well. At this moment, the allied forces were busy making their fortunes; how could they be intimidated by a threatening letter from the Beastfolk?

Unless the plague actually causes massive casualties, it will be extremely difficult to get people to give up promotions and wealth.

Upon hearing this news, everyone's faces turned extremely grim. For the members of the investigation team, they were there to investigate the smuggling of military supplies, not to guard against the plague.