Uncontrollable Ambition
Hudson, who had just returned from the construction site in the Mountain Territory, was stunned by the news from the Royal Capital.
It's one thing to tacitly allow the Black Forest Kingdom to annex the County of Corubia, but quite another to personally frame and perpetrate such a crime.
The initial agreement was a policy of appeasement, not helping the Black Forest Kingdom annex Corubia. Recalling the joint diplomatic note issued by the two countries, Hudson knew his King was up to something.
Caesar IV was not a peaceful ruler after all; he had only been on the throne for a few days when he could no longer contain himself.
Their help certainly wasn't for nothing. A single failed assassination attempt on the prince wouldn't have been enough to make the Alpha Kingdom pay such a heavy price.
They jointly issue diplomatic notes, conspire to frame each other, and most likely they will also share the spoils.
While the kingdom might gain some short-term advantage by partitioning the County of Corubia, setting a precedent of openly framing and slandering would have endless consequences!
Hudson could understand the actions of the Black Forest Kingdom. Being situated in a region of constant warfare, in this era of fierce competition, if they didn't strive to expand their power, they would sooner or later become prey to others.
Humanity's strength and the binding force of its rules are inversely proportional. The faster a race's strength increases, the less importance people place on the rules.
The Orc Empire was decimated, and the Humans occupied the Orc Great Plains. The various alien races only intervened to mediate and did not send troops to intervene.
At first, Hudson thought that the Beastfolk were too hated, and that the human race had done a good job in diplomacy, which led to this situation.
As his status grew and his understanding of the situation on the mainland deepened, Hudson discovered that things were not as they seemed at all.
When faced with the survival of their race, few races will act impulsively because of past hatred.
Watching humanity expand unchecked without taking action to intervene would be tantamount to slow suicide.
The truth is that after hundreds of years of continuous suppression, the living space of various races on the continent has been severely squeezed. In the past few decades, the overall strength of many races has declined rather than increased.
When the Orc Empire sent out a distress signal, other races also wanted to send troops to intervene, but they were limited by their own strength and could not help in the war that was taking place in the Orc Empire.
Theoretically speaking, the combined strength of all the alien races on the Aslant Continent is still greater than that of the human race.
Unfortunately, this is only on paper. There are also many conflicts between the various alien races, and they lack enough trust with each other to achieve close cooperation.
Moreover, they are scattered across the continent by various human nations, so even if they could unite, they wouldn't be able to gather together in a short time.
If the intention is to save the Beastfolk, then hastily launching a war will not only fail to benefit the various alien races scattered across the continent, but will also lead to an awkward situation of fighting each other independently.
Ultimately, they will most likely be defeated one by one by the human nations through concentrated military force.
After the Orc Empire was crippled, the Human race, which had previously held a strategic advantage, became even more dominant over the other races on the continent.
Consequently, the sense of crisis among the human elites also declined. They became increasingly indifferent to the threat posed by other races.
Without the threat of external enemies, people's minds became more active, although they still maintained a certain moral bottom line.
This move by Caesar IV has undoubtedly dragged down everyone's already meager moral standards even further.
If the two countries successfully partition the County of Corubia, many others will follow suit. A new wave of annexation is practically imminent.
Now it all comes down to the ambitions of the leaders of several major powers.
If they have big ambitions, they can verbally condemn the two countries while secretly pushing them to annex Corubia, laying the foundation for their future expansion.
If they don't have much ambition, then decisively intervene and do everything possible to maintain the current status quo.
Hudson was quite helpless in the face of this uncontrollable change.
Rules are the most fragile thing. If you break one today, and I break one tomorrow, by the day after tomorrow nobody cares about the rules anymore.
As rules gradually lost their effectiveness, people's moral standards were constantly lowered, inevitably leading to a transition from the Spring and Autumn Period to the Warring States Period.
If this trend is not curbed, the Aslant Continent will become increasingly difficult to navigate.
He wanted to stop it, but as soon as he picked up the pen, Hudson put it down again.
Diplomatic notes have already been sent out. Even if the Alpha Kingdom backs down now, the negative political consequences have already occurred.
Moreover, Caesar IV was not one to listen to advice, and none of the princes and ministers in the Royal Capital could stop him. Hudson did not believe that his letter would have any effect.
Glancing towards the Royal Capital, Hudson couldn't help but sigh, "His Majesty Caesar III's painstakingly cultivated political credibility has been completely destroyed in an instant!"
After a brief pause, Hudson, regaining his composure, resumed writing furiously. However, this letter was not addressed to Caesar IV.
"Tom, send someone to deliver this letter to Mr. Jose, and have our people in the Royal Capital prepare for the reception."
If you can't persuade your own King, then just wield a hoe and dig at the base of the wall.
After Caesar IV ascended to the throne, in an effort to win popular support, he held a large-scale investiture ceremony to make up for any ceremonies that had not been carried out previously.
However, Jose was nowhere to be found among the many recipients of the titles. This Court Count, who had taken the blame for the crown Crown Prince, seemed to have been forgotten.
It's possible that others were forgotten due to the mistake of the person in charge, but it's unacceptable that someone who is loyal to the royal family was forgotten.
Even if Caesar IV were busy and forgot, someone would remind him. Having been in the royal family for so many years, Jose couldn't possibly be without a single friend to speak up for him.
He was, after all, a "hero" who took the blame for others. Now that Caesar IV, he should be given appropriate treatment.
Unfortunately, after waiting for so long, Caesar IV did nothing, and didn't even summon Jose privately.
Perhaps Caesar IV was so eager to erase his dark history that he didn't know how to face Jose, who had witnessed the entire period of history, so he simply chose to handle it quietly and let time fade everything away.
If there hadn't been so many people in the know, Jose might have been silenced. Those in power will do anything to protect their reputation.
Since Caesar IV didn't care, Hudson wouldn't hold back. He had long coveted the royal family's talent pool.
Hudson had laid a lot of groundwork to recruit them, and now it was finally time to reap the rewards.
Upon receiving the news, Charles III of the Frankish Kingdom was initially shocked, but then overjoyed.
As the number one kingdom on the continent, it is certainly powerful, but being constantly in the limelight means it can't do anything outrageous.
Despite possessing immense military strength, they can only bully neighboring races. Even the smallest actions they take within the human race are meticulously analyzed.
Unfortunately, the foreign tribes bordering the Frankish Kingdom had long been driven to barren lands, so there was hardly anything to gain from them.
In order to break the stalemate on the continent, Charles III also made a series of strategic plans, the biggest of which was to get the continental countries to cripple the Orc Empire.
As it turned out, his judgment was correct. After the threat from the alien races decreased, the balance within the human race was also disrupted.
Now that the Black Forest Kingdom and the Alpha Kingdom are leading the way in breaking the rules of the game, the shackles that were originally binding the Frankish Kingdom have become loose.
Charles III had a premonition that once the County of Corubia was partitioned, the political ideologies currently upheld by the various human nations would be impacted.
When everyone abandons moral principles and begins to expand recklessly, the rules that restrain the Frankish Kingdom cease to exist.
In a chaotic world without rules, everyone is competing based on strength.
What are your thoughts on the actions of the Hessians and Alpha people?
Charles III asked.
"Your Majesty, this will be the beginning of chaos on the continent. After so many years of peace, many people are already itching to make a big splash."
Take the Church as an example. In recent years, it has been stirring up trouble one after another in order to provoke Continental War.
Now that this has happened, Pope Pius VII will surely add fuel to the fire, further escalating the chaos in the Northern Continent.
Once Corubia was partitioned, the true strength and weakness of the Alpha Kingdom were exposed, and everyone knew that their determination to stop the northward advance of the central power was not strong.
The Dante Kingdom and the South Bank Kingdom, which had long been eager to make their move, would not stand by and watch the Blacks eat meat; they would definitely join in.
Perhaps next to suffer are the two fickle nations of Grint and Nadar. The Alpha people won't turn against two major powers for the sake of two traitors.
The Moxi Duchy has limited strength and no ability to intervene militarily; the Warhammer Kingdom is busy with its civil war, and by the time they finish fighting, the northern kingdoms will probably be reduced to half their original size.
Of course, if we were to step in and intervene, we could prevent them from doing anything. However, this is not in the kingdom's interest.
The northward shift of the strategic focus of the Central Three Kingdoms is also a good thing for the kingdoms.
The neighboring Opulus Kingdom has been in decline for some time; it was a gift from the Lord of Dawn. Now, all that's needed is an opportunity!
"Chancellor Bergson said menacingly."
While other countries like Hesse and Alpha were cautiously plotting to establish a county of 50,000 square kilometers, the Franks, who remained inactive, had already set their sights on the vast Opulus Kingdom.
The two sides are clearly not on the same level.
The Opulus Kingdom once enjoyed a glorious and illustrious history. Even though it has declined now, it is still able to rank among the top ten kingdoms on the continent thanks to the substantial wealth left by its ancestors.
However, their glory was only of the past. With the rise of the Frankish Kingdom, their miserable days began.
Over the past century, the two sides have fought seven wars, all of which the Opulus Kingdom lost. In three of those wars, the Kingdom was completely annihilated, losing everything except its underwear.
Even the most substantial wealth cannot withstand such devastation. After a series of defeats, the decline of the Opulus Kingdom was inevitable.
Ceding territory and paying reparations were minor matters. Under the constraints of the rules, they suffered seven defeats in succession, losing most of the province. The key issue was that the morale of the nobles of the Opulus Kingdom was shattered.
Once the backbone of a nation is broken, it's incredibly difficult to put it back together.
Several generations of Oprus King sought to reverse the kingdom's decline and implemented a series of political reforms.
Unfortunately, the internal resistance was too great, and there was also a neighbor who would occasionally come over to cause trouble. Beset by internal and external troubles, the more they tried to reform, the faster they declined.
"The Prime Minister is right. The major powers on the continent are already impatient and just need a fuse."
However, before embarking on the conquest of the Opulus Kingdom, I personally suggest that we first clear out the surrounding alien races and nip potential threats in the bud.
To reduce political pressure, we could also involve the Iberian Kingdom in our actions. They have long coveted the declining Avalart Kingdom and are just waiting for an opportunity to act.
If necessary, we can also incite the Church to invade the Ruthenia Kingdom.
It can be said that once this war breaks out, it will inevitably affect the entire continent. At that time, not only will our human nations be caught in the crossfire, but various alien races will also be drawn in.
Judging by the timeline, it's estimated that the mainland will fall into chaos around the time it takes ten thousand years to reach that point.
Perhaps this is the Great Tribulation of Ten Thousand Years that our ancestors feared most.
It's unclear whether this is a coincidence or a deliberate act by some mysterious force, but every ten thousand years, the Aslant Continent inevitably descends into chaos.
Unfortunately, due to the passage of time, the remaining materials are only fragments, making it impossible to reconstruct the historical truth.
Even though the kingdom has excavated many ruins, its understanding of the previous era is still very limited!
Marquis Hesius's lament directly affected everyone's emotions. Almost all ancient ruins and powerful, long-established organizations have records of the "Great Tribulation of Ten Thousand Years."
But everyone only mentioned it briefly on paper, without any specific details, followed by a series of strong warnings.
If these materials weren't so ancient, so widely distributed, and even found in the ruins of alien races, making them seem beyond human manipulation, they would have suspected it was a prank.
"There's no need to overthink it. Even if we find detailed information, it won't be of any use. The Aslant Continent ten thousand years ago was not the same as it is now."
At that time, the human race was so weak that they could only survive in the cracks between other races, living a precarious life every day.
The slightest movement by a foreign race was a life-or-death test for humanity at that time. What our ancestors saw as Great Tribulation of Ten Thousand Years was, in our eyes, merely a rather brutal great war.
However, since there is talk of Great Tribulation of Ten Thousand Years, we should make use of it.
They sent people to spread the word that the alien races were plotting to unite and launch a war in ten thousand years to overthrow the rule of our human race.
Once the public opinion campaign has gained momentum, they will call on all countries in mainland China to launch Great Purge.
"I don't expect to wipe out all the alien races on the continent, but at the very least, I need to cripple them and eliminate any possibility of them turning the tables!"
Charles III said ruthlessly.