The Sapling Legion

At the Emerald Palace, as new letters of appeal arrived, Caesar IV's tense nerves suddenly relaxed.

Compared to previous requests for money, food, equipment, and reinforcements, this wave of requests for aid is much more pragmatic.

He finally realized he needed to improve his own military strength; he had never thought much of the military strength of the various countries in the Northern Continent.

To put it bluntly, the Alpha Kingdom alone could easily defeat all other countries in the Northern Continent except for itself. However, in terms of manpower, financial resources, and material resources, these countries combined are more than twice that of the Alpha Kingdom.

In theory, mobilizing all these countries would unleash the combined fighting power of two Alpha Kingdom.

Unfortunately, this is only in theory.

A country that has long been born out of war and a group of countries that are used to peaceful days cannot be on the same level militarily.

If the Northern Continent could mobilize the fighting power of three Alpha Kingdom, even if they were no match for the three alien races, they could still protect themselves as the defending side.

"The various countries of the Northern Continent have requested that our kingdom send military personnel to help train their armies. Do you think this is feasible?"

Caesar IV asked, feigning modesty.

Opportunities to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, especially their military affairs, are rare. They would never do this if it weren't for the immense pressure exerted by foreign powers on those nations.

"Your Majesty, sending people to support various countries and uniting all human forces in the Northern Continent to jointly resist the invasion of foreign races is an inevitable trend."

Since everyone has extended the invitation, we not only need to send people to help, but we must also do it exceptionally well.

This matter not only concerns the safety of the Northern Continent, but also the rise and fall of the entire human race, and will inevitably have a profound impact on the future international situation!

The Prime Minister Grand Duke Newfoundland, spoke righteously and eloquently.

An opportunity to openly and legitimately cultivate pro-Alpha factions has been presented to us; how can we refuse it?

Not to mention helping others train their armies, even when they sent troops to rescue the Moxi Duchy last time, the Alpha Kingdom gained a stable ally.

The world of the aristocracy values both interests and personal relationships. Making decisions based on personal feelings is commonplace.

If the plan proceeds smoothly, a large alliance with the Alpha Kingdom at its core will form in the Northern Continent after the war.

Once that point is reached, no matter how the situation on the continent changes, the Alpha Kingdom will be invincible.

Not to mention the threat from the Black Forest Kingdom, even if the Central Three Kingdoms were to advance north together, they could be stopped.

"If we send people to help them train their armies, how much would that improve the combat effectiveness of each country? Would it be possible to withstand the onslaught of the foreign invaders?"

"I am concerned, "Caesar IV asked.

The future looks bright, but reality is far from ideal. Even if there's an opportunity to integrate the forces of the Northern Continent, we must first overcome this current hurdle.

"Your Majesty, our Military Affairs Department conducted an assessment earlier, and the combined military strength of the various countries in the Northern Continent is about 80% of that of the Kingdom."

In theory, once the mobilization mechanism reform and military training are completed, their military strength should at least double, but the reality is far less optimistic.

While various countries have indeed extended invitations, there are still many difficulties in implementing them.

Those countries facing threats from other races may be able to fully cooperate, but many more countries probably do not have such a strong resolve.

Even if the central governments of various countries are willing to cooperate, the local noble lords may not be happy to comply.

They would be the ones who suffer the most if our military mobilization system were copied wholesale. They won't be willing to make sacrifices unless it's a matter of life and death.

Even the kingdom only came to its current state after suffering many great losses and uniting as a whole.

If the alien race launches a full-scale attack, many countries will likely be engulfed in war before they can fully mobilize.

Our people can only assist willing nobles in completing military mobilization training. The overall increase in military strength across nations may not be as optimistic as it seems!

Duke Affierro explained with difficulty.

When it comes to the kingdom's strategic decisions, he really dared not overestimate the various countries of the Northern Continent. After all, these countries had already disappointed everyone once during the last Beastfolk invasion.

Just because we have a different enemy doesn't mean we can expect these guys' integrity to suddenly rise from the ground to the sky.

Even if the nobles are farsighted, they still have their own selfish motives! If it were possible to increase their strength, everyone would think of their own family first.

Many nobles may actively participate in military training, but when it comes to sending troops to fight, all sorts of excuses will follow.

The real challenge now is not military training, but reforming the mobilization mechanism. Without facing life-or-death crises and purging out the die-hards, there's no way to complete the reform.

Back then, the Alpha Kingdom's mobilization mechanism was established, and it also involved a lot of bloodshed. It's just that so much time has passed that it's gradually been forgotten.

"We'll increase as much as we can; at a time like this, every bit of military strength is precious."

However, many countries have a high demand for officers. Wouldn't the sudden demobilization of so many people have a significant impact on the Standing Army?

As he said this, Caesar IV visibly breathed a sigh of relief. If all the countries could actually complete their military mobilization reforms all at once, he would have hesitated to help them.

The military system of the Alpha Kingdom is essentially centered on military affairs. If all the countries in the Northern Continent operated this way, even a small country could become a porcupine.

Take the County of Corubia, which was annexed by the Hessians, as an example. In the Alpha Kingdom, it would only be considered an ordinary province, but once fully mobilized, it could field an army of tens or hundreds of thousands.

Regardless of combat effectiveness, the ability to organize people is a significant deterrent.

Based on a troop strength of 20% elite soldiers, such a force configuration is sufficient to deter the Black Forest Kingdom from making any rash moves as the defending side.

The issue isn't whether we can conquer the territory, but rather that occupying it would be a losing proposition. The massive expenditure of military resources is secondary; the key problem is the difficulty in establishing control after the war.

Human civil war cannot involve genocide; if too much blood is stained on our hands, there will inevitably be many hidden dangers when governing in the future.

Undoubtedly, the County of Corubia not only lacked the capacity to mobilize troops, but its nobles also lacked tens of thousands of elite private armies, leaving them with no choice but to lie low when danger struck.

If a small county can mobilize to its fullest extent, then it goes without saying that countries with larger populations and territories are even more vulnerable.

Fortunately, not many countries in the Northern Continent were able to learn the essence of it; otherwise, creating so many hedgehogs would just be asking for trouble.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the Military Affairs Department has already made plans regarding the issue of dispatching officers. In addition to drawing some officers from the Standing Army, the remaining vacancies will be distributed among the provinces."

Apart from the seven newly recaptured northern provinces, the other kingdoms could each provide assistance to a single nation.

"Duke Affierro said with great pride."

It had only been a few years since the Beastfolk invasion, and this was the time when the Alpha Kingdom had the most military talent.

Generally speaking, noblemen's sons can become decent junior officers after spending one or two years on the battlefield.

Sending them out to help allies train their troops is certainly sufficient. After all, the Alpha Kingdom currently only needs to train a large number of cannon fodder troops for various countries, not to cultivate elite forces for them.

If a military capability is too strong, it's actually better not to send troops abroad. If someone poachs them, it would be a huge loss.

For a specific example, you can refer to the poaching operation conducted by the Moxi Duchy back then. Only some minor and middle-ranking nobles left, and at first, no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

But looking back now, it becomes clear that it was precisely the defection of these seemingly insignificant nobles that had a profound impact on the military development of the Moxi Duchy.

After the outbreak of the Continental War, the Moxi Duchy, which followed suit and learned from it, became the first country in the Northern Continent to replicate the Alpha system.

Of course, the biggest contributors behind this are the Beastfolk.

If it weren't for the Beastfolk army's frenzied slaughter, which cost millions of lives and awakened the Moxi nobles' sense of crisis, the reform would never have gone so smoothly.

"Well! Since the Military Affairs Department has a solution, then let's implement it according to your plan."

The consolidation of the kingdom's military forces is also of utmost urgency. Send someone to urge Count Hudson to come to the Royal Capital to assume his post as soon as possible.

"Caesar IV said with a frown."

Frankly, he didn't like Hudson. One reason was Moxie's miserable experience on the battlefield, and another was that, as a peer, he was always being compared to others.

In their youthful exuberance, few are willing to admit they are inferior to others, and Caesar IV, who was born with a privileged background, was no exception.

However, even King has his limitations. The Continental War was too complex, and the slightest misstep could lead to the downfall of the nation, leaving him no room for recklessness.

From the princes and ministers in the imperial court to the local feudal nobles, everyone hoped that Hudson was both capable and of good character, could step in and take charge at this critical moment.

Having learned from the mistakes of Joseph II, and having suffered a setback at the Battle of Moshi, Caesar IV dared not act recklessly.

Reason told him that if he insisted on personally taking charge of the kingdom's military affairs, the Alpha Kingdom might end up with a new King.

He couldn't argue with that; he genuinely lacked confidence in military matters. Not to mention the powerful local nobles, even the Military Affairs Department in the Royal Capital didn't want him interfering.

He couldn't even throw a tantrum; the nobles and officials in the court would work together to persuade him. Many times, Caesar IV wanted to replace the Minister of Military Affairs.

Replacing someone is easy, but finding a suitable replacement is difficult. Duke Affierro is a member of the royal family, a staunch supporter of the monarchy; it's impossible to replace him with someone from another faction, is it?

When it came to the stability of his Royal Authority, Caesar IV remained clear-headed. He knew he couldn't risk destroying his own foundation for a moment of pleasure.

Looking for a replacement within the royal family is just wishful thinking. If someone truly possessed such talent, Caesar III would have discovered them long ago; he wouldn't have had the chance to find one.

After all, the Alpha royal family doesn't have many members; all the adult males combined only number a few dozen.

Those who are capable have already been given important positions; those who are incapable, even if you wanted to give them important positions, you wouldn't be able to.

In essence, Caesar IV was not a powerful monarch. The reason he was able to preserve his Royal Authority was largely due to the government team left by Caesar III.

Royal family members occupy central positions and work with the monarch to govern, thus ensuring a smooth transition of power.

Without this team, even if he hadn't been sidelined, his life would never have been as good as it is now.

Unaware that Hudson was being targeted, the Mountain Territory was currently busy inspecting its territory.

The arena was just a minor incident; the newly formed Warcraft legion was his main focus.

There are 273 Magical Beast Knight in the territory, but only 160 can be incorporated into the Warcraft Legion. The rest are in important positions in various departments. The gap between the full strength of 300 and the full strength is still very large.

What's even more frustrating is that among these 160 Magical Beast Knight, more than 90 of their magical beasts are currently in their infancy.

To truly form combat power, we'll have to wait until the monsters reach adulthood! It's estimated that there will be another year. It's not that we can't speed things up, but we're mainly worried about attracting outside attention.

With so many monsters being prematurely matured, it's impossible to keep it a secret. Once the maturity rate exceeds everyone's understanding and acceptance, it will inevitably cause a lot of trouble.

Hudson has no desire to be a pioneering alchemist, even if it's profitable. It's only a matter of time before a mediocre student tries to impersonate a top student and fails miserably.

Looking at the neatly arranged ranks, Hudson nodded in satisfaction. "That's enough for now. We can complete the final transformation on the battlefield."

Unfortunately, the Warcraft legions failed to unify their mounts, so from a distance, they didn't look as imposing.

These are all minor issues. We should be grateful that we were able to gather so many Magical Beast Knights. What else is there to complain about?

The fact that those great powers were able to assemble a unified set of Magical Beast Mount was due to the accumulation of resources over decades or even centuries.

Looking across the entire Alpha Kingdom, Hudson's half-finished monster army could easily rank in the top five.

If they were to reach full strength, they would undoubtedly be among the top three in the kingdom, and might even surpass the royal family's monster legion.

The only force that could be reliably suppressed was the monster legion, built with the combined power of the kingdom. Unfortunately, due to internal strife, its size was drastically reduced.

Currently, there are only over 800 Magical Beast Knight, and like Hudson's Warcraft Legion, most of the Warcraft are still in their infancy.

Their combat power goes without saying; a 300-man Warcraft legion can play a greater role on the battlefield than a 10,000-man infantry legion.

With high mobility and high attack power, they are almost invincible in open field battles. Even the most elite human infantry cannot withstand the frontal charge of the Warcraft legion.

On the grassland battlefield, Hudson witnessed firsthand the charge of the Warcraft legion. A thousand-strong Earth Dragon Legion directly routed a legion of Bearman Heavy Infantry from the front.

Even the thickest armor can't withstand a single kick from a magical beast. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary armies is simply too great.

"Knight Adrian, how do you train every day?"

Hudson asked with concern.

Unlike ordinary cavalry training, Hudson was completely clueless about the training of the Warcraft Legion. Apart from emphasizing discipline and teamwork, everyone had to figure out the rest on their own.

"My Lord, in addition to our daily drill training, we are now studying the cooperative combat between the Magical Beast Knight squads."

For example, different monsters combined can produce different combat effects.

After several attempts, we regrouped the Knight Order based on the coordination between the monsters.

The next training focus will be on joint assaults, with ranged magical beasts coordinating to launch magical attacks against the enemy.

Magic Crossbow in combination...

A series of specific tactics came out of Adrian's mouth, and Hudson could only nod repeatedly.

We can't tell how well they actually fight, but at least in theory these training exercises are feasible.

"Many monster cubs are not yet adults, so being able to train them to this level is already quite good."

I will continue to work hard, but in the end, it will not be me who is responsible for verifying the results, but the brutal racial battlefield!

The current training is simply to enhance your survival skills on the battlefield. The more you sweat in peacetime, the less you will bleed on the battlefield.

This Continental War is just a trial on your life's journey. Only by overcoming this step can you have a brighter future.

The Alpha Kingdom values martial prowess; titles and wealth are earned on horseback. You've taken it a step further, starting directly as Magical Beast Knight.

..."

Hudson tried to paint a rosy picture.

To convince everyone that following Lord Hudson was a promising career path, he had no choice but to employ a masterful deception.

Fortunately, most of these were young knights, in the prime of their youth and full of passion, and they were relatively easy to fool.

Coupled with the appeal to racial righteousness, the atmosphere at the scene was instantly heightened by Hudson's half-serious, half-joking promises.