The Bizarre Hudson Strategy
In the Elf Forest, as news of the outbreak of Continental War arrived, the three Elf Kings gathered once again.
From the outside world's perspective, the Elves, which had split into three kingdoms, was already riddled with contradictions, viewing each other as heretics and wishing nothing more than to kill each other.
If it weren't for the pressure from humans, they would have already broken out into civil war. After all, who can tolerate the existence of heretics?
The three races— Forest Elves, Grassland Elves, and Night Elves —each established their own independent kingdoms due to differing ideologies.
However, the atmosphere inside the main hall was completely different from what everyone had imagined.
The three Elf Kings, who hadn't seen each other for a long time, chatted like close sisters, showing no sign of resentment at being forced to unite due to circumstances.
"Elder sister, the situation is not good! The human race's ambitions are greater than we expected, and they are launching Continental War more and more frequently."
Looking back at the history of Continental War over the past ten thousand years, apart from those foolish and filthy Beastfolk, the human race has instigated the most.
The most domineering measure was the Fivefold Advantage Law," which simply targeted whoever was stronger, without any regard for reason.
Back then, to avoid suppression by the human race, we had no choice but to accept the sage's advice and split due to ideological differences.
We can hide for a while, but not forever. Given the rate at which humanity's strength is expanding, it probably won't be long before they set their sights on us again.
The Night Elf Queen said with a worried expression.
The Elves has a history dating back to ancient times. They have come this far through countless trials and tribulations, but they have never felt so urgent as they do now.
Even during the most domineering period of Beastfolk rule over the continent, the Elves could say no to them.
With the arrival of the Human Age, things changed. Humans weren't as domineering, but they were masters of politics!
At its peak, the Orc Empire seemed powerful, but the Elves only had to face one of the royal families, so there was no need for them to back down.
The human race is not so aggressive; they haven't launched any invasions against the Elves in recent centuries, yet they pose a greater threat to them.
It's impossible not to feel panicked when you watch helplessly as the various races on the continent decline under the oppression of the human race.
"Don't worry, Third Sister. Back then, the Sage Divination that when the human race completely overwhelmed all the races on the continent, it would also be the beginning of their civil war."
Our Elves lives in a remote corner of the world; our geographical location is the best cover. As long as a superpower doesn't emerge among the humans of the Northern Continent, they pose no threat to us.
Humans are the most selfish race. The human kingdoms in the south and central regions won't go to the trouble of waging a distant expedition for no reason. What benefit would they gain from helping the northern nations attack us?
Besides, we are not easy to bully. We have been showing weakness to our enemies all these years, but that doesn't mean we are really weak!
If it really comes down to a fight to the death, we could drag several major human nations down with us. Would they really be willing to perish together with us?
The Forest Elf Queen said menacingly.
The Elves has survived from ancient times to the present day not because of its "love of peace," but because of its terrifying strength.
With exceptional talent for cultivation and long lifespans, the elven race has no shortage of experts.
Magister and Great Sorcerer, who are rarely seen in the outside world, are not uncommon among the Elves, though they are certainly not lacking.
Magister are present in almost every elven village.
You don't need to work very hard; as long as you live long enough, you can hone your skills through perseverance.
The only regret is the low fertility rate. Their current strength is built on long-term accumulation. Once their vitality is depleted in war, it may not be possible to recover for hundreds of years.
For the Elves race, even when they win on the battlefield, they are often strategically defeated.
The outside world only saw the Elves shirking their duties in the various Continental War, mistakenly believing that they had lost their fighting spirit. Little did they know that this was a race with low fertility, and the choice they had to make was out of necessity.
For the Elves, participating in the Continental War is very simple; sweeping across the entire Northern Continent is not difficult. The difficulty lies in what happens after the war!
Theoretically speaking, if the Elves were willing to go to great lengths to join forces with other races on the continent, they would have a real chance to dethrone the Human race from its dominant position.
But after dragging the human race down, they could only watch other races grow stronger, without gaining any benefit themselves.
With only a few million people in total, giving them more land would be meaningless.
Two hundred and eighty years later, other races have recovered their strength and made further progress, while they are still licking their wounds.
Before they could recover, a new continental overlord arrived. Should they continue to unite with the various races of the continent and dethrone the previous overlord?
Even if they win every war, they grow weaker with each battle. Before long, they squander their resources.
If they can't afford a war of attrition, then they can only rely on military force to intimidate. Judging from the current situation, the Elven race's strategy has been successful.
Many human nations have had conflicts with the Elves, but those that dared to invade the Elves have disappeared in recent centuries.
The last person who did this turned their bones into mud, which remained in the Elf Forest to nourish all things.
The current Elves is like a rich second-generation heir with limited personal abilities but who has inherited a great deal of wealth. As long as they don't cause trouble, they can live a comfortable life.
"Does my eldest sister mean we should stick to the original plan, send out a symbolic force, and just hold back a portion of the human race's troops?"
That's too cowardly. If the human race wins again, the Alien Race Alliance might not be able to withstand the attack.
I think we should take this opportunity to wipe out those human nations that condone slave traders, and expand the Elf Forest outwards by several hundred kilometers to increase our strategic buffer!
"It was suggested by the Grassland Elf Queen."
The greatest harm humans inflicted on the elves was through slavery. Almost every year, disobedient elves, driven by curiosity about the outside world, would fall victim to the cruelty of slave traders.
Because of this issue, the Elf race has had many disputes with various human nations.
As for the human nations bordering the Elves, it was purely because they were unlucky. Tolerating the slave-hunting teams was simply a trumped-up charge.
Living under the very noses of the Elves, the local nobles dared not even keep elven slaves, let alone personally capture them.
They couldn't afford to mess with the Elves, nor could they afford to mess with the slave-hunting teams from all over the continent.
These notorious slave traders were nominally a bunch of low-level mercenaries, but in reality, there were no weaklings among those who could freely enter and leave the Elf Forest.
Under the system in the Aslant Continent, aside from the various factions using undercover agents, where would you find so many skilled individuals among the common people?
The Elves demanded that they combat the slave trade; the human world, in turn, needed elven slaves and wanted them to facilitate the slave trade.
As a small human nation caught in the middle, they are truly in a dilemma.
All they could do was assure the Elves that they would crack down on the slave trade, while simultaneously telling the major powers involved that they had seen nothing.
The crackdown on the slave trade has never stopped. However, only unofficial slave traders have been targeted; those with powerful connections or backers have been completely ignored.
By skillfully playing both sides, they managed to survive, but they also disgusted the Elves.
The Elves refrained from attacking them because they hadn't crossed any lines and for the sake of the bigger picture.
But that was during peacetime. Now that we've entered a period of Continental War, the situation has changed.
The Human Alliance and the Alien Race Alliance have already gone to war. As one of the Alien Race Alliance, the Elves has no problem taking action against them at this time.
"Let's wait and see. The Continental War has only just begun. The human race still has some power in the Northern Continent. We don't need to be the first to stick our necks out."
I reckon those warlike Beastfolk are getting restless again. The humans have only just conquered the Orc Great Plains, and their foothold there is not yet secure. The Seven Grassland Nations should not be able to withstand the Beastfolk army.
Once they have destroyed the Seven Grassland Nations and their army has reached the doorstep of the Alpha Kingdom, we can then make an example of them, and the cost will be much lower.
We'll arrange for a batch of magical equipment to be delivered to the various races on the continent as a gesture of support. We'll also select some highly destructive arcane techniques to send over; we reckon our allies might find them useful.
The Beastfolk will launch an attack, so send them more Dispel Magic Scroll. This will prevent them from being blocked by human cities and wasting time on the journey.
The Forest Elf Queen said with a chuckle.
To survive on the Aslant Continent, you need not only strength, but also brains.
If you have allies, you might as well use their strength. Besides, it's all under the guise of supporting allies, which can earn you some favors.
The Elves, which had been largely inactive in all the Continental War, was not expelled from the Alien Race Alliance, mainly because they made substantial contributions to the wars.
They don't participate in the war because their people love peace and have no desire to fight. But when it comes to supporting allies, they never hesitate to help.
The aid of various magical equipment and potions has never ceased. In order to support the various races on the continent, the Elves even set up Teleportation Magic Array connecting them.
If this Magic Array weren't so expensive, had so many restrictions, and had such limited teleportation capabilities, the Alien Race Alliance wouldn't have been in such a passive state for so long.
The five Orc Emperors of the Orc Empire, who escaped the last war, have once again gathered together.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
Out of consideration for having been beaten together before, everyone still helped the Behemoth Tribe in their time of crisis, preventing the Five Great Royal Families from becoming Four Great Royal Clans.
After losing the fertile grasslands, the Orc Empire's power was severely weakened. Even after weakening many vassal races in the war, the positions of the Five Great Royal Families were still unstable.
The crisis originated not only from external sources but also from within. The defeat exposed many hidden problems within the imperial court, pointing the finger directly at the five emperors.
In the past, swift and decisive measures could have been used to suppress the conflict. But this time is different; if they resort to infighting, there will be no one left to rely on.
It's not a matter of losing soldiers and generals, but rather that the population of each ethnic group has sharply decreased, and their war potential has been greatly weakened.
The current barren land is simply not enough to support their recovery. After more than two years of recuperation, some of the more fertile vassal races have already experienced a contradiction between population growth and resource shortage.
"Those fools thought that if they didn't send troops, the human race would let them go. Little did they know that only two years later, the Continental War would break out."
If they had acted sooner and joined forces with us, we could definitely have dethroned humanity from its position as the dominant power on the continent!
"Now that the situation is collapsing, they've thought of us. Why didn't they go earlier?"
"The Bearman Emperor said viciously."
It's clear that he was very dissatisfied with the Alien Race Alliance's performance in the last war.
They keep saying they'll support us, but when it comes to taking concrete action, they all make excuses to shirk their responsibilities.
Aside from making a few calls for mediation, they didn't offer much substantial help to the Orc Empire.
"Bear Emperor Xiong, calm down. Now is not the time to be stubborn. No matter how outrageous the Alien Race Alliance has been, we cannot stand by and watch them be defeated."
If they hadn't tied down the main human forces, we would never have been able to reclaim the Orc Great Plains on our own.
Judging from the current situation, this war may be the alliance's last chance. If they are defeated by the humans again, their dominance over the continent will truly be unshakeable!
In fact, we have no choice now. To remain trapped in this corner of the world is to wait for death.
Once the Seven Grassland Nations have established themselves, it will be very difficult to drive them out.
Alex offered his earnest advice.
As a primary target of the human race, the Behemoth Clan are now living a truly miserable life.
Even if the four races gave them a hand, it couldn't change the dog-eat-dog nature of the Orc Empire. As the weakest royal family, they were naturally assigned to the most barren territories.
Because of their small population, they could barely support themselves, but supporting their vassal tribes would be quite difficult.
For the time being, the conflict can be forcibly suppressed. However, as time goes on, the lack of resources will inevitably lead to an eruption of the conflict sooner or later.
If we don't want to get bogged down in internal strife, then we have no choice but to fight our way out. As long as we reclaim the Orc Great Plains, we won't have this problem for at least several decades.
"The Behemoth Emperor is right. We cannot sit idly by and wait for our doom. If we allow the human race to continue to grow stronger, we will inevitably face annihilation sooner or later."
I've figured it out now. They just want to dominate the continent and have no intention of leaving any room for other species to survive.
At this point where there is no way to retreat, I don't believe the elves can just stand by and watch. With their involvement, at the very least, they can drive the humans out of the Northern Continent.
The opportunity for revenge has arrived, so we can't let it slip by. While the Seven Grassland Nations are still unstable, let's wipe them out first.
Whether to stop while the situation is good or to march south and annihilate the Alpha Kingdom is entirely up to the development of the situation!
"The Lion Emperor said menacingly."
It's clear that he genuinely lacks confidence. He's still confident in conquering the Seven Grassland Nations, but when it comes to destroying the Alpha Kingdom, all that's left is a lingering thought.
There's no other way; the Orc Empire is currently too weak, and its words lack conviction.
If he were to openly deploy his forces and engage in open battle, he might still be confident of defeating the Alpha Kingdom, but that would only be a defeat.
The Lion Emperor dared not even think about smashing the turtle shell along the way and annihilating the Alpha Kingdom in one fell swoop.
The main force suffered heavy losses, and the cannon fodder troops were also insufficient. No matter how prolific the cannon fodder race was, it still took time.
"Since you two both want to fight, I'll play along to the end. Let's take back the Great Plains first, then we'll settle accounts with the Alpha people!"
"The Silver Moon Wolf Emperor said through gritted teeth."
The vast grasslands are the perfect habitat for wolves. But in this remote and impoverished area, they've almost had to switch to grazing.
While various tribes on the continent were preparing for war, the Mountain Territory also began a meeting to decide the future fate of its territory.
Those high-ranking officials of the territory and core members of the Coslo Family who were able to return were all gathered together to discuss the Continental War.
The younger generation was eager to try their luck and seize greater military achievements in the ensuing chaos; the older generation, on the other hand, were all frowning and worried.
After scanning the expressions of everyone present, Hudson spoke directly, "The main reason I called you all here today is to tell you: the peaceful years are coming to an end, and we must prepare for war."
Continental War is inevitable. When it will affect the Alpha Kingdom, and when it will affect my Mountain Territory, is all unknown.
As for the kingdom, you don't need to worry about it. If they can avoid participating in the war, they will definitely find a way to do so; if they can delay participating in this war, they will definitely not participate early.
What we need to do now is to seize the time to prepare for war, and at the same time seize the time to develop our territory.
First, the nationwide reserve training will resume immediately. The original plan to gradually reduce land reclamation and shift towards developing light industry has also been completely cancelled.
With food in hand, one has nothing to fear.
What we need to do now is to reclaim more wasteland and store more grain. Let's set a goal: to increase the territory's grain reserves to 500,000 tons within one year and to 800,000 tons within two years.
The Department of Political Affairs should first organize manpower to repair the warehouse for me. It's better to have empty warehouses waiting for grain than to have grain arrive but nowhere to store it.
Relying solely on local production will certainly not meet our target. However, that's alright, as the Southeast Province is a major grain-producing province, and we can also go out to purchase grain.
The war won't spread anytime soon, so this is the best opportunity. The Department of Commerce should immediately implement this, and while the news hasn't spread and grain prices haven't risen, open up the market for grain purchases.
In addition to agricultural development, the pace of fisheries development must also be accelerated. Inform the shipyards to prioritize the production of fishing vessels.
In addition to daily necessities, the fisheries department must contribute 8,000 tons of dried fish this year, and double that number next year, as military food reserves for the territory.
On the battlefield, these dried fish are excellent food. The Department of Political Affairs should expedite their distribution.
If any monsters appear in the sea, send someone to notify me immediately, and I will have Maxim help you resolve the problem.
Besides these tasks, another key focus is to have children as soon as possible.
Especially for the younger generation in the family, as long as they reach the required age, they are given priority in finding a job.
The battlefield is ever-changing, and no one knows what the future holds. Leaving behind a bloodline to carry on is always better than ending up with...
The sudden shift in tone left the group of young family members completely bewildered. Everything had been normal until it suddenly turned into a massive pressure-to-marry and pressure-to-have-child session.
However, Hudson's reasons were so compelling that they left them no room to refuse.
Even if one harbors the idea of finding a good marriage partner after achieving success, one must abandon that thought for now.
Arrogance has its limits. When faced with a patriarch like Hudson, who has achieved great success in his early twenties, they simply can't muster any backbone.
Looking at the sullen faces of the younger generation of the family, Hudson smiled slightly. Obedience and compliance are the best course of action.
No matter how the external situation develops, having more children is never a bad thing. He was quite confident in the Coslo Family's fertility.
Compared to other families, this is their biggest advantage. As long as they seize the time to have more children now, their population advantage will become even more obvious after the war.
Moreover, in any world, the upper class sets an example for the lower class. If the nobles are willing to take the lead in having children, the serfs below will certainly be happy to follow suit.
In any case, the lord is responsible for the cost of raising them, so they don't need to worry about it.