"Set up camp here first. We'll figure out the situation in the enemy camp before doing anything else!"
Hudson gave the order with a calm expression.
At their current position, if the enemy wanted to assemble their forces, then let them assemble.
The border between the two countries stretched for thousands of miles, and the Expeditionary Corps was entirely cavalry. No matter how many troops the enemy deployed, they could not intercept them all.
If the enemy truly dared to mobilize troops on a large scale, Hudson would not mind having the garrison charge out and defeat the beastfolk army in one stroke.
"Raising bandits to strengthen oneself" did not prevent one from winning battles. Defeating the beastfolk army in the field would not destroy the Orc Empire.
In any case, to reclaim the lost lands, they would have to defeat the beastfolk army sooner or later. This battle was destined to be unavoidable.
Hudson was not in a hurry, but the beastfolk army opposite him panicked instead. Although the Five Great Imperial Courts repeatedly blocked the news, the Orc Empire's peculiar system meant that they could only block it in vain.
What had happened within the empire had long spread through the camps by way of all sorts of "rumors."
The reduced food rations only confirmed those rumors. The more the higher-ups denied them, the more everyone believed them.
Since they were "rumors," exaggeration was inevitable. In the eyes of many beastfolk soldiers, the Expeditionary Corps was a host of demons from hell.
Taking the initiative to attack was out of the question. They were infantry corps—how could infantry possibly chase down cavalry?
The bewildered beastfolk officers decisively chose to report the news to the imperial courts, and the hot potato returned to the hands of the Five Great