Born of Adversity
Before the affairs of the territory were settled, Hudson received an invitation from Governor Pierce, followed by an invitation from the King.
With the outbreak of the Continental War, the Mountain Territory needed to take countermeasures, and the provinces and kingdoms were no exception.
The Kingdom, in particular, was hit the hardest. As the strongest nation in the Northern Continent, the Alpha Kingdom possessed not only glory but also responsibility.
If a large-scale invasion by foreign races occurs, the kingdom will inevitably have to send troops to aid the various nations. Of course, the specific scale of this aid will depend on its integrity.
"Hudson, is another war about to break out?"
Melissa asked with concern.
For some reason, her political acumen seemed to dull after giving birth to her eldest son.
Hudson reached out and patted the dust off Little Franz, nodding slightly.
"The Continental War has broken out, and there will be no safe haven on the entire Aslant Continent. No one can remain unscathed."
However, the human race has a significant advantage this time, with a 90% chance of winning, so there's no need to worry too much.
Perhaps after this war, other races will no longer be a threat. Consolidating our human race's dominant position through war, no matter the cost—is worth it!
The principle is correct, but when you have to bear the consequences yourself, it's a completely different story.
They were all fighting for the survival of their race, and from their respective standpoints, everyone was on the side of justice.
"Then be careful. Don't be reckless on the battlefield. Franz is waiting for you to come back!"
As she spoke, tears welled up in Melissa's eyes.
The more you know, the more you will feel awe.
To the average person, Hudson, as a Dragon Knight, could roam freely on the battlefield; he could kill without anyone being able to do anything to him.
Melissa, who was well-versed in history, knew very well how bloody the battles between the various races were during the Continental War, and how many Dragon Knights had fallen on the battlefield.
Turbulent times produce heroes, but many more become stepping stones to their rise. For every general's success, countless lives are lost; the vast majority fall on the path to heroism.
Hudson reached out and wiped away Melissa's tears, then said with a smile, "Don't worry. The war won't reach the kingdom anytime soon."
Even if we were to participate in the war now, it would only be a symbolic deployment. Unless the situation on the front lines deteriorates, I won't be the one to get involved.
No problem. As a flag bearer of the Alpha Kingdom's military, Hudson would not go to the front lines unless absolutely necessary.
After all, if others lead troops out to reinforce the kingdom and lose, so be it. The impact on the kingdom isn't significant.
If Hudson were to be defeated, even by a minor means, it would cause a huge uproar and affect the morale of the kingdom's army.
Emerald Palace.
After glancing at the distinguished officials from all over the kingdom, Caesar IV said, somewhat wearily:
"The Continental War has already broken out in full force. We don't need to worry about the situation in the Southern Continent and Central Continents. They started the war themselves and should have made full preparations."
The troublesome place is the Northern Continent!
The alien races are the most powerful in the Northern Continent; the Elves, Beastfolk, and Ancient Remnants are all formidable.
Unfortunately, the human race's strength is the weakest here. In every Continental War, the kingdom has shouldered the main task of resisting the alien races.
The situation is slightly better now, as the Seven Grassland Nations have separated us from the Orc Empire, providing an additional strategic barrier.
But everyone knows the real situation. The combined strength of the Seven Grassland Nations is no match for the Beastfolk army.
The situation on the other two fronts is also not optimistic. The Elves and the Ancient Remnants have also started a war.
To date, the Foreign Affairs Department has received requests for assistance from eleven countries. All of them appear to be urgent.
As they spoke, the servants had already distributed the letter requesting help to everyone.
After a while, the nobles who had roughly understood the situation all looked dejected.
Theoretically, the Alpha Kingdom is obligated to send troops to aid its ally. However, with so many requests for help arriving almost simultaneously, there's simply not enough time to respond!
"Your Majesty, from a military perspective, the kingdom does not have the capacity to simultaneously aid all other nations."
I think it would be better to forward these letters of appeal to the Human Alliance Council and seek help from the various countries on the continent.
Of course, as a responsible country, we cannot do nothing.
The Warhammer Kingdom is embroiled in civil war, and the situation is now critical. It would be a good opportunity to persuade both sides to cease hostilities.
Whether they reunite or become two independent nations, ceasing their internal strife will have a very important positive impact on the Northern Continent battlefield.
Hudson offered his suggestion.
Apart from the first sentence, which was the truth, the rest was just evasion and had no merit whatsoever.
There was no other way; everyone's eyes were on him, forcing him to lie through his teeth.
Being a brilliant strategist is fine for fooling others, but if you start believing it yourself, you're doomed!
In fact, Hudson was taking a huge gamble. He was using the safety of the Northern Continent as a stake, betting that the elves wouldn't launch a full-scale invasion.
As long as this champion who only coasts along continues to coast, the Alpha Kingdom will be able to weather this storm.
As for mediating the civil war within the Warhammer Kingdom, that's pure nonsense. Apart from a few battles at the very beginning, most of the time they were just "arguing and fighting."
We're all smart people. We know the situation on the mainland is tense, yet we're still fighting each other like this. Aren't we tired of living?
The struggle between nobles is essentially an art of balancing struggle and compromise. Without external interference, the Warhammer Kingdom would have been unified long ago.
Their commotion stems from someone giving them confidence, making them believe they have the ability to overwhelm the other party.
At this moment, Continental War broke out, and the Ancient Remnants invaded the Warhammer Kingdom in groups. They had no choice but to stop.
After all, this was a race war of life and death.
It's either live or die; there's no third option.
"Mediating the civil war in the Warhammer Kingdom is no problem."
Since the outbreak of the Continental War, the Foreign Affairs Department has made contact with the two major factions within the Warhammer Kingdom, and both sides have shown considerable sincerity.
However, judging from the current situation, even if the Warhammer Kingdom were to cease its civil war, it would be difficult to stop the advance of the Ancient Remnants, let alone support neighboring countries in resisting the Elves invasion.
"Count Francis said with a worried expression."
The Foreign Affairs Department was undoubtedly the most proactive department in the Alpha Kingdom after the outbreak of the Continental War.
Coordinating the two major factions of the Warhammer Kingdom to fight against the enemy, they naturally played a significant role in this reputation-building activity.
Their understanding of the situation is also the deepest. They are very clear that the Warhammer Kingdom is no longer of much use.
"Then let's find a way to stabilize the Elves first!"
Unlike other races on the continent, elves reproduce slowly and lack the strength to dominate the continent, posing little threat to our human race.
In recent years, the conflict between humans and Elves has been nothing more than the capture of elven slaves.
At worst, we can make a commitment to ban the elven slave trade within the kingdom and propose at the Human Alliance Council that capturing and trading elves be classified as a serious crime.
Given the current situation, the Alliance Council is highly likely to agree. As a gesture of goodwill, the kingdom will first release the elven slaves it holds.
Of course, this only applies to slaves who have just been captured and have not been insulted.
Those elven slaves who have already been insulted must be dealt with immediately; no potential problems can be allowed to remain at this time.
Hudson said seriously.
In his view, exchanging the prohibition of slavery for the neutrality of the Elves was an extremely worthwhile deal.
Even if it doesn't work, as long as it can delay the speed of the Elven army's deployment, it will still have very important strategic significance.
"Count Hudson, you're oversimplifying things. Those who own elven slaves are all high-ranking nobles from various countries."
Even if the Human Alliance Council enacts laws, it will be difficult to restrain them. Making proposals at this time would only offend people and have no real practical effect!
"Duke Thorsten scoffed."
This is a fact; the Human Alliance Council's power to bind various countries is both strong and pitifully weak.
Whether it can be effective depends entirely on whether it aligns with everyone's interests. Only when the interests of the group are protected does the alliance's law truly have binding force.
"Duke Thorsten, whether it has binding force or not is not important. At least our decisions can be implemented within the kingdom and have an effect on the Northern Continent."
You cannot disregard the safety of the kingdom just because you are reluctant to part with a few elven slaves.
Regardless of whether these promises can keep the Elves neutral, at least the Foreign Affairs Department can use this as an excuse to get the elves to the negotiating table.
Every extra day of discussion gives us more time to prepare. If we can drag this out for a few years, until the situation on the mainland becomes clearer, that would be even better.
Hudson said calmly.
In fact, he had much more to say. This Continental War was different from previous ones, and the Elves' enthusiasm for participating was certainly different as well.
To stabilize the Elves, the price to pay will certainly be even greater.
Similar things have happened before in history. The outside world only saw the elves as the champions of slacking off, but failed to notice that they actually reaped the benefits in the previous Continental War.
In order to keep the Elves neutral, not only the Alpha Kingdom promised them benefits, but many other countries on the continent also made similar promises.
In secret, the Elves even signed secret agreements with many human nations.
This is no mere scrap of paper; with the blessing of magical power, many secret agreements have a binding force on the signatories.
Judging from the actions of the various human nations, whenever a major international conflict occurs, the approach taken towards the Elves is always mediation.
Compared to the Orc Empire, which is also located on the Northern Continent and is often raided by groups, the Elves is much luckier.
However, these agreements are not without their risks. Once the power holders change, the original secret agreements lose their binding force.
After all, even the most binding contract can only bind the signatories; it cannot be expanded indefinitely.
"Count Hudson is right. As long as we can slow down the Elves's advance, we should try every opportunity."
They're just a few elven slaves. Compared to the interests of the human race, I believe most nobles with a conscience would make the right choice.
"Everyone here, please state your position first: are you willing to relinquish your elven slaves?"
The Duke Newfoundland questioned him sternly.
The old prime minister, who had been silent for many years, once again displayed his decisive and ruthless side, as if pulling everyone back to the era of Caesar III.
Refusing is impossible; things have been said to this extent. Anyone who continues to oppose it is an unscrupulous nobleman who disregards the overall situation.
Wearing such a hat would eliminate the need to associate with aristocratic circles.
Even though they were very unhappy, everyone could only force a smile and pretend to be happy to agree.
With the overall strategy set, Hudson instantly became invisible, remaining silent on the specifics of how to support various countries.
Once you've done something to show off, that's enough; there's no need to do it all by yourself.
The nobles present were all elites of the Alpha Kingdom, each one having been tempered by war.
Even if they lacked the talent to lead troops, they were at least knowledgeable about military matters. When supporting allies, they were all incredibly composed, showing no sign of recklessness.
Ultimately, everyone agreed to send a legion of troops to each of the eleven countries. As for when to send troops and how to form the forces, that would naturally need to be discussed gradually.
In any case, the Alpha Kingdom has promised to send troops and will fulfill its obligations as an ally with concrete actions. As for the efficiency of implementation, it only needs to keep up with the average speed of the countries on the continent.
After all, this is a long and arduous expedition to eleven countries, so thorough preparation is essential.
At almost the same time, the Moxi Duchy was also holding a similar military conference, the only difference being that George had seven fewer letters requesting assistance.
Perhaps due to distance considerations, or perhaps out of concern that the Moxi Duchy might also be engulfed in war soon, the Seven Grassland Nations did not request their assistance.
The absence of seven requests for aid does not mean the Moxi Duchy is any less burdened. Due to geopolitical reasons, they actually face greater pressure than the Alpha Kingdom.
Once the Warhammer Kingdom collapses, the flames of war will immediately spread to the Moxi Duchy.
Whether it's the Ancient Remnants forces or the Elves army, once they attack, they can't escape.
His only ally was the Alpha Kingdom behind him. As for the other countries in the Northern Continent, George completely ignored them.
Ultimately, they had been living in peace for too long. The biggest crisis they faced was usually the infighting among the nobility.
It's called war in name only, but in reality, this kind of open and direct confrontation is nothing more than a low-class "brawl".
In a real war, how can there be a battle of thousands with only single-digit casualties?
Having become accustomed to simulating wars every day, these countries have long forgotten how real wars unfold.
Perhaps only a few small countries that were defeated by Beastfolk a few years ago have learned some lessons and paid more attention to their military preparedness.
But this effort is still not enough in a real racial war.
"Your Majesty, the Warhammer Kingdom lost many cities in the border regions at the beginning of the war, and the current situation is probably not optimistic."
The situation was even worse in the Duchy of Cantlu, the Duchy of Usta, and the Duchy of Fick. The Elves hadn't even made a move yet, and they were already panicking.
Once the Elves army invades, they will likely fall within six months.
The Foreign Affairs Department has communicated with several major powers in mainland China. Apart from the Alpha Kingdom, which clearly stated that it would provide assistance, the remaining countries refused, citing that they were also engaged in combat.
I'm afraid it's...
Before Count Renato could finish speaking, the Minister of Military Affairs chimed in:
"Count Renato, you are far too optimistic. If the Elves were to send troops, not only would they not be able to hold out for six months, but even we would find it difficult to last six months."
Given the circumstances of the Duchy of Cantlu, the Duchy of Usta, and the Duchy of Fick, their ability to hold off the elven army for a month is considered an outstanding contribution to the human race.
Once the Elves and the Ancient Remnants join forces, it's only a matter of time before the Warhammer Kingdom falls. Optimistically, they might be able to hold out for six months.
It's not because they're particularly skilled in combat, but because conquering their vast territory would require a considerable amount of time.
Count Martins' words deeply stung everyone.
At any other time, this would be a prime example of low emotional intelligence. But in this situation, it is the most rational answer.
As Minister of Military Affairs, he must remain rational at all times during times of crisis for the principality.
Any unrealistic optimism will lead the Moxi Duchy down a path of no return.
"Prime Minister, what is your view on the current situation?"
George asked calmly.
He survived the Beastfolk siege when the duchy was on the verge of collapse, so why would he be intimidated by something that hasn't even happened yet?
A true warrior dares to face the harsh reality.
George initially performed rather ordinarily during his time Crown Prince, but since his accession to the throne, the Moxi Duchy has been in a state of constant turmoil. With more experience, he gradually matured.
The current situation is critical, but when has the situation in the Moxi Duchy not been critical?
After cleaning up the Beastfolk's mess, the next challenge was the debt crisis; once the debt crisis was resolved, several kingdoms in the central region began to stir again.
The outbreak of the Continental War made the above crises no longer a problem; the threat from the Elves and the Ancient Remnants came again.
Born in adversity.
Living in constant crisis, George eventually got used to it.
"Your Majesty, let's wait for the Alpha Kingdom's decision for now!"
The Elves is not large, so even if they were to invade, they would most likely not send out their entire force, but rather some of their members who are nearing the end of their lives.
If the Alpha Kingdom is willing to join forces with us, we should be able to stop them from joining forces with the Ancient Remnants.
The problem now is that the Beastfolk have also made their move. If the Seven Grassland Nations are defeated, a large part of the Alpha Kingdom's energy will be tied up by the Beastfolk.
..."
"I am nervous," said Chancellor Herczeg.