Postwar Maneuvering

Time passed day by day, and before we knew it, it was March.

Having realized that they could not extract any more benefits from the Orc Empire, and with the threat of the plague growing increasingly severe, the Human Alliance had no choice but to abandon its demand for reparations.

With the mediation of various races on the continent, on March 13, 99990 of the Holy Calendar, representatives of the Allied Forces and the Beastfolk King officially signed a ceasefire treaty.

The content is very simple: both sides will use the area under their actual control as the dividing line, and from the date of the signing of the treaty, both sides will cease all acts of war.

There was no war reparations, no punishment for war criminals, and not even a clear conclusion on who was on the side of justice in the war.

This treaty is very much like the Aslant Continent. Racial wars are fought for the survival of each race; there is no distinction between good and evil.

As a witness to history, Hudson remained an observer throughout.

Everything stems from strength. The Beastfolk suffered a loss in the ceasefire treaty, which was the price of their defeat.

The Orc Great Plains belong to the human race, while the mountains and wastelands currently occupied by the allied forces belong to the Beastfolk race that has defected to the human race.

Everything was meticulously planned by the allied forces. The Orc Empire could only grit its teeth and accept it; having an extra group of Beastfolk as a strategic buffer was better than having direct contact with the humans.

Theoretically speaking, as long as no major changes occur, the Orc Empire can continue indefinitely. After all, the humans have no interest in the rotten land they currently occupy.

With the signing of the treaty, the alliance became lively again. The various factions began arguing over the distribution of the spoils.

The more they looked down on the Orc Great Plains, the fiercer the competition is now. There's no doubt that the nobles are a bunch of hypocrites.

However, all of this had nothing to do with the Alpha Kingdom. Fortunately, they had moved the border line outward by over a hundred miles beforehand, otherwise they would have gained absolutely nothing.

Everyone was busy dividing the spoils, but Hudson, the logistics manager, was in a hurry to get rid of people.

With the war over, there was naturally no more strategic supplies. Every day the coalition forces spent on the front lines was spent depleting their existing reserves.

Hudson had no interest in getting involved in the various squabbles and disputes that didn't concern him, as they didn't involve his own interests.

At the Allied Command meeting, Hudson formally submitted his resignation. Prior to this, he had completed the final distribution of strategic supplies.

Judging from the accounts, all the logistical supplies of the Allied forces had been distributed, and it was time for him, as the chief of logistics, to come to an end.

There was no way to persuade them to stay. Everyone was busy vying for profits, and even the withdrawal of the Alpha Kingdom didn't cause a ripple.

Hudson was unsure how to handle the aftermath. The main issue was the sheer vastness of the Orc Great Plains, exceeding the combined area of three Alpha Kingdom.

Once this vast land is developed, it will become another imperial foundation.

With such a large pie and so many human factions vying for its spoils, it's clearly impossible to monopolize it. The future landscape of the grasslands is bound to be very dynamic.

Having led his army back home, Hudson's tenure as commander-in-chief came to an end. Without needing anyone to prompt him, he proactively submitted his resignation.

However, things often don't go as planned. The more he wanted to resign, the more Caesar III suppressed his desire to do so.

It wasn't because of his abilities that the problem arose; the main issue was that without a leader to protect him, the distribution of spoils would directly target the King.

Every day, they muddle through the mud, endlessly arguing about the distribution of profits. When it comes to matters of vital interest, no one can change their mind.

"Your Excellency, are you truly prepared to move north?"

Hudson asked incredulously.

As the second-largest family in the Southeast Province, the Hollisir Family's entire business empire was located in the south. Their previous plan was to expand into the Fengyun Province, but unexpectedly, they chose to migrate north in the blink of an eye.

Theoretically speaking, the north currently presents the greatest opportunity. With the Northern Nobles suffering heavy losses, even the local strongmen who hindered their northward expansion no longer exist.

But all of this is theoretical. The several newly recovered unclaimed provinces in Northern Frontier are all uninhabited areas.

While taking over these areas may be relatively easy, the human, material, and financial resources required to develop them are astronomical.

In any case, the Coslo Family didn't have the resources. Even though the Hudson made a fortune during the war, they still couldn't afford the enormous development costs.

As a long-established noble family in the kingdom, the Hollisir Family's accumulated wealth and influence far surpasses that of the nouveau riche Coslo Family.

Once the decision is made to shift the strategic focus northward, the manpower shortage should be resolved quickly. As for whether the financial and material resources can sustain it, that's beyond Hudson's knowledge.

"Hudson, the family had no choice but to make this decision."

The noble forces throughout the Southeast Province suffered heavy losses in this war. According to the original plan, the Hollisir Family had no chance of winning the competition for the Fengyun Province.

There is a huge gap between middle-class and high-ranking nobles; once this opportunity is missed, it is unknown when the next one will come.

The Hollisir Family can't afford to wait, and I certainly can't. We have no better option than choosing the relatively less competitive Northern Frontier!

As they spoke, Viscount Oran looked at Hudson with envy. As the biggest nouveau riche in this war, the Coslo Family already possessed the strength to go toe-to-toe with the Dalton Family, and there was no need for them to move.

Just then, a large number of nobles had died in the Southeast Province, which made room for the Coslo Family to expand.

As the commander-in-chief, Hudson had many advantages. At the very least, he had priority when choosing his fiefdom.

Given the current military strength of the Coslo Family, they can rely entirely on continuously consolidating their scattered fiefdoms to share the Southeast Province with the Dalton Family.

Of course, in practice, land swapping is inevitable.

Although these actions are theoretically not allowed, as the commander-in-chief of the army, as long as he doesn't go too far, the King will most likely give him some face.

Recalling how Hudson had cultivated extensive connections within the provincial aristocratic circles, Viscount Oran instantly understood his scheme.

The existence of favors and obligations undoubtedly created favorable conditions for the subsequent land exchange and consolidation.

Even if the minor nobles in the province didn't want to see the Coslo Family grow stronger, they couldn't come out to oppose it due to personal relationships.

The only obstacle was probably the Dalton Family and the King. Based on his understanding of Caesar III, he knew that even if the King opposed it, he wouldn't intervene personally.

After all, Hudson still has value to the royal family. Faced with the chaotic distribution of interests within the country, the King still needs Hudson to step forward and mediate the conflicts between the various parties.

Even if the Dalton Family alone stood up to oppose him, it wouldn't be able to stop Hudson's determination.

With this in mind, Viscount Oran became even more determined in his choice. With the Southeast Province now in a state of two-way competition, where would the Hollisir Family find room to grow?

The former second-largest family in the province has now been demoted to the third-largest. If they don't leave voluntarily, it would be a tragedy if the eldest and second-largest families accidentally killed the third-largest family in a future fight.

"Your Excellency, you can rest assured. After the Hollisir Family's strategic focus shifts north, your foundation in Qiaomu County will not be affected."

In case the Northland fails, Qiaomu County can serve as your fallback plan. However, this is a serious matter, and I suggest you consider it carefully.

The competition in Fengyun Province is indeed fierce, but if the Hollisir Family is willing to take a gamble, they still have a one-in-three chance.

These are all the truths. If Hudson were in Viscount Oran's position, he wouldn't have made the decision to shift the strategic focus north.

Competition among the Fengyun Province is fierce, but the potential profits are immense! A well-developed province is far more valuable than a virgin territory.

Even if one is unable to seize control of a province, taking over a prefecture or half a prefecture is still a good option.

It can only be said that the Hollisir Family's appetite is too big. They want to cross the threshold of the great nobility in one fell swoop. A few more fiefdoms are no longer enough to satisfy their appetite.

This is a decision only they can make. As an ally, all Hudson can do is offer his support.

"Hudson, we're counting on you from now on. We'll try to coordinate things on all sides, but we'll need your help speaking on our behalf in the Royal Capital."

Viscount Oran said with a serious expression.

Without discussing specific objectives, it was clear that the Hollisir Family was not confident of success in this operation. To increase their chances of success, they opted for a broad, wide-net approach.

For Hudson, this is also a good thing. If the Hollisir Family's target were to collide with other nobles, it would be troublesome.

In the current situation, although it is possible for several mid-level nobles to jointly dominate a province, it also avoids the tragedy of failing in a head-on collision and being directly eliminated.

Ultimately, it comes down to insufficient strength. No matter how profound one's foundation, translating it into tangible power requires a long process.

In this respect, Count Pierce did do a good thing. Had he not dragged the nobles of the Southeast Province into the gutter, the Hollisir Family would never have been able to leave so easily.

Even if everyone is crammed together to develop, and their relationship is good, they will eventually fall out one day.

The Hollisir Family's voluntary departure is also a good thing for Hudson. It means that the two families will not become enemies due to strategic conflicts.

"Your Excellency, rest assured, you will certainly have a fiefdom in the North, an area no smaller than that of Qiaomu County!"

Hudson made a generous promise.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, he still had a great deal of say in the division of fiefdoms.

He didn't have the ability to elevate the Hollisir Family to the status of a great noble family, but it wouldn't be difficult for them to enter the North and get a share of the spoils.

The outcome now depends on their individual development. Whoever develops best and stands out from the competition first will be able to cross the threshold of becoming a great noble family.

The power struggle behind this involves not only forces within the kingdom, but also forces outside the kingdom.

As far as Hudson knew, many of the great nobles within the Alpha Kingdom had ancestors who came from various countries in the southern and central parts of the continent.

As time went by, this relationship had become quite distant, but the division of the Orc Great Plains by the major human powers further strengthened it.

After all, the development of the Orc Great Plains will inevitably require the support of its neighbor, the Alpha Kingdom.

Those with connections will naturally want to make those connections. Even if the connection is distant, there's still a sense of kinship.

Hudson himself sensed it. People from the Coslo Family's overseas branches came to visit him to maintain relationships.

Unfortunately, like the various branches within the country, these branches didn't fare very well. Even if their respective factions took a large slice of the pie, all they could get was a baronial or Knight's Territory.

They came to build rapport, essentially seeking support. Within his authority, Hudson had provided them with numerous conveniences.

If the small Coslo Family is like this, then the great nobles of other kingdoms are even more so.

Whether the Hollisir Family can stand out in the upcoming reshuffle will depend not only on the efforts of the Viscount Oran, but also on the support they have behind them.

One fiefdom allocation plan after another was produced by Hudson, only to be rejected again and again, infuriating the entire army.

Seeing the angry crowd, Hudson pretended to be annoyed and said, "The Royal Capital has rejected our proposal again. Now, let's all sign the new plan we've come up with!"

If the Royal Capital continues to reject the proposal, then everyone should pack their things and head straight to the Royal Capital to discuss it with those ministers!

There are limits to trying to smooth things over. Faced with the wrath of the nobles, Hudson felt he wasn't tough enough to stand up to them head-on.

As for the King, all he could say was that he had done his best. It was simply impossible to get the nobles to willingly accept the inclusion of scum.

"It should have been done a long time ago! This dragging on like this, when will it ever end!"

Count Cales feigned ignorance and echoed.

Immediately, everyone responded, as if they were all fed up with the Royal Capital's incompetence and wanted to band together to put pressure on Royal Capital.

Everyone was acting; it was like a giant theater. Hudson was quite exasperated by this farce.

Despite the numerous revisions to the plan, it remains essentially the same. The only difference lies in the subtle changes to the boundaries of everyone's fiefdoms with each revision.

You might not even notice it if you don't look closely.

This final revision, seemingly aimed at putting pressure on the Royal Capital, was something Hudson deliberately told everyone.

This is a practical reminder that even King needs to save face, and it's time to make appropriate concessions.

Unfortunately, all of this was destined to be in vain. The King did have some influence over the great nobles, but it wasn't much either.

Since no one was willing to make any substantial concessions, Hudson, not wanting to play the villain, simply summarized and reported the final results.

Aside from the collective absence of the Northern Nobles, this document, signed by all the kingdom's great nobles, is itself representative of the kingdom.

In the Emerald Palace, Caesar III looked extremely grim as he looked at the final report.

No one needs to criticize anyone else; everyone's demands are excessive. Leaving aside the nobles of other kingdoms, just looking at Hudson's own demands, there are projects that are impossible to complete.

Leaving aside the expansion of fiefdoms in the Southeast Province, and disregarding the issue of enclaves, it's reasonable for Hudson to take some unclaimed lands given his contributions during the war.

However, in addition to these demands, he also proposed to reclaim "the ancestral lands of the Coslo Family." These "ancestral lands" were not just a castle, but all the original Coslo Family's territory in the North.

Without a doubt, this was something the Locknerd Family could not accept. Even after suffering heavy losses, they would never allow the Coslo Family to extend their reach into their heartland.

These are all historical issues, and the kingdom cannot overturn the Coslo Family. Otherwise, it would be a major historical upheaval, and the legitimacy of countless noble fiefdoms would be challenged.

Even though he knew it was impossible, Hudson still brought it up; it was a matter of principle.

Unsurprisingly, Caesar III had to personally veto the proposal. There were many similarly impossible proposals in the reports.

What he found most unacceptable was that the kingdom's nobles chose to compromise with each other instead of checking and balancing one another as expected.

Another rejection?

Just as he picked up his pen, Caesar III hesitated again. Everything in excess is harmful, and even King must consider the position of the kingdom's nobles.

In a Shareholding State with dispersed ownership, even the King, as the largest shareholder, cannot have absolute authority.

After much hesitation, Caesar III picked up his pen and began to annotate and revise the report. Such fine-tuning was something only he could do personally; relying on everyone's self-motivation was simply wishful thinking.

The Crown Prince stood by, watching quietly from beginning to end. It wasn't that he didn't want to get involved; he simply didn't know how to handle such a complicated situation.

After the revisions were completed and the document was checked, Caesar III slowly raised his head and said, "Prime Minister, send the final results to Count Hudson and let him find a way to persuade all parties to accept them."

If anyone had paid attention to his annotations, they would have discovered that this was a blatant transaction.

Except for the unrealistic plan to reclaim ancestral lands, Hudson's demands were largely met.

As the price for achieving all this, he had to find a way to ensure the King's will was carried out. Otherwise, Caesar III's approval would be rendered meaningless.