Hudson Who Screwed Himself Over

Arguing solved no problems, but anyone who did not know how to argue would definitely suffer losses. Knight Chels was clearly no match for a war of words and was soon at a disadvantage.

The officers of the Fifth Army, Hudson included, watched anxiously, but constrained by their status, none of them had the chance to speak.

Seeing the situation becoming increasingly one-sided, Count Pierce suddenly rebuked them. "Enough! I did not summon you here to argue.

"You all took part in that battle. The enemy possesses the evil artifact, the Blood Moon Horn. As long as they drag out cannon fodder, they can form an army. They do not need any training at all.

"Every day we delay, the enemy's numbers will increase by thousands upon thousands. You should understand how terrifying an enemy force with no minds, one that knows only slaughter, can be."

The art of balance was a necessary lesson for any commander. Though Count Pierce was no famous general, he did not lack basic military competence.

Allowing his subordinates to fight could indeed divide the lesser nobles, but excessive internal strife would also weaken his own strength.

By comparison, the Fifth Army was easy to bully. But no matter how much they were bullied or squeezed, it would not increase their marching speed. That was determined by objective conditions.

After calming down, the dissatisfied legion commanders gradually deflated. The ways of the military and the political arena were entirely different.

Immediately shirking responsibility whenever a problem arose was typical political thinking. Military thinking was about solving problems.

For the entire allied army, the most important thing now was to solve the problem of their slow march, not to shift blame.

The dispute was quickly settled, and Hudson gained a higher opinion of Count Pierce. He did not know how capable the man was militarily, but at the very least, his political methods were mature.

In only a few days, he had divided and intimidated the lesser nobles, redirected the conflict, and resolved the political crisis caused by their joint opposition. The strength of his political maneuvering was obvious.

Unfortunately, this was wartime. Political skill alone was not enough. The moment they suffered a defeat, all the conflicts that had been suppressed would erupt.

"I do not care what excuses you have. In three days, you must reach Dadir City and strike directly at the Rebel Army's nest.

"The Griffin Cavalry I dispatched has discovered that the enemy is forcibly conscripting able-bodied men. Light and Wighton are both major counties, with a combined population of over five hundred thousand. Even after one defeat, the enemy can still drag out tens of thousands of young, able-bodied men.

"You should all know the Skull Society's methods. If they forcibly conscript men without regard for anything else, their actual numbers will definitely be even greater.

"If you do not want to turn the two counties into wasteland, if you do not want to face an endless stream of enemies, then you must increase your marching speed.

"Without affecting combat effectiveness, you must complete a march of one hundred li in three days. This is my minimum requirement.

"If you have any ideas, speak freely. If they prove useful, I will not be stingy with rewards."

Count Pierce's words lit up everyone's eyes. This was a promise made in front of everyone. If the reward was too meager, he would be slapping his own face.

As everyone fell into deep thought, Hudson's attention drifted to the "Griffon Cavalry." This was the legendary aerial military unit. He had not expected to encounter it here.

However, judging from how they were being used, Count Pierce probably did not have many of them. Otherwise, they would not have been absent from the previous Battle of Ethel Fortress.

Rare troops, as scarce as mages, naturally could not be sent out to be expended casually.

An adult griffin was a second-tier magical beast. Even on the ground, it could easily defeat three Hudsons, and its combat strength in the sky was even more formidable.

As far as Hudson knew, the entire Alpha Kingdom had only one Griffin Cavalry Regiment, and it was not even at full strength. Its numbers were only slightly greater than those of the Mage Corps.

That was the result of the kingdom's accumulation over several centuries. At the beginning, the royal family had obtained only two pairs of griffins. It took two hundred years of breeding to reach their current scale.

Of course, there had surely been losses in wars along the way. In any case, those creatures' fertility rate could not possibly be high. They were not like porcupines, producing several litters a year.

Interest was interest, but unless he sold himself and joined them, a mount of that caliber would definitely not be Hudson's to claim.

"Then we shall split up. Our four armies will take seven days' dry rations and move ahead first. Let the Fifth Army slowly catch up from behind."

Viscount Oran spoke coldly.

He knew full well that this was Count Pierce's scheme, but for the sake of profit, he still had to jump into it. Naturally, he was in a foul mood.

In fact, even if they abandoned their baggage train, there was still considerable uncertainty over whether all four armies could reach the front on time.

After all, the Rebel Army was not stupid enough to simply wait for them to attack.

The Skull Society, unburdened by noble constraints, had always done whatever it took to achieve its goals. To them, the very concept of a bottom line did not exist.

Hudson, who had originally intended to offer a suggestion, ultimately chose to remain silent. Merit was important, but asking him to step out and compete with Viscount Oran for it? Forget it.

The military meeting ended quickly. Other than the Fifth Army, whose members were all filled with indignation, everyone was very satisfied.

Nobles needed an outlet for their grievances. Since they had been deprived of their opportunity to profit, they could only be compensated by making a fortune elsewhere.

Breaking away from the main force would undoubtedly give everyone room to act freely. Through the joint efforts of the nobles, a looting plan was quickly drawn up.

But when it came time to put it into action, they ran into a tiny problem. After all, the Fifth Army still bore the heavy responsibility of escorting the provisions and had to ensure that the schedule was maintained.

The regiment commanders stared at one another, then looked toward Knight Chels, waiting for their "boss" to make arrangements.

"Military orders are absolute. The task of transporting provisions must be completed. Therefore, we must leave the bulk of our forces behind to escort the supplies, and can only dispatch small elite units to recover lost territory for the kingdom.

"This requires a noble of high standing, outstanding ability, and the courage to shoulder responsibility to remain behind and oversee the overall situation."

As he spoke, Chels looked expectantly over the crowd, hoping someone would volunteer. Regrettably, everyone was exceedingly modest, each waiting for someone else to step forward.

In truth, they had no choice but to be modest. It was obvious that the plan was to take the elites out looting while leaving the serf soldiers behind to continue escorting the provisions.

With a force of over four thousand men and no junior officers to assist, how could it possibly be easy to command?

Even Hudson chickened out at this point. With nothing but a rabble escorting the provisions, merely keeping the force under control would be difficult. What if they encountered a Rebel Army attack?

"Rest assured, everyone. No matter who remains behind to oversee the situation, their share of the spoils will not be any smaller."

Chels promised.

Compared with the others, this knight, whose territory was about to go bankrupt, was clearly more eager for wealth. Unfortunately, no one was swayed.

"Knight Hudson governs his troops well and possesses the talent of a commander. Besides, he was the one who proposed this matter. I think Knight Hudson should remain behind to oversee the overall situation!"

The elderly Baron Mecher suggested with a smile.