The Empire's War and Politics (Thanks to Moke's 100,000

The Empire's War and Politics (Thanks to Moke's 100,000 Reader Coin Reward!)

"Dammit, how did this happen?"

Volvo's face was full of fury as he loudly questioned Harald. It wasn't as if human armies had never fought orcs before. They should not have suffered such a disastrous rout.

"Those nobles... they grew lax."

"They thought the orcs were still like before, nothing but cannon fodder. But this time, the orcs appearing on the battlefield moved swiftly through the mountains and could easily hunt down our soldiers."

Harald offered neither excuses nor deflections. He merely stated the facts.

Indeed, the Empire's armies were no longer composed of nobles. They were commanded uniformly by the Empire, while nobles served as officers.

That was precisely where the problem lay. The nobles varied greatly in quality. Some were outstanding, while others could barely stand straight at the sight of orcs.

"Damned fools! Replace every last one of them!"

Volvo was furious. Things had been going smoothly for him in the Imperial Capital, but this matter had caused him to run into obstacles again and again there.

Both the nobles and the imperial family needed to see him bring the Empire a new and stable environment.

What had happened years ago at the fortress in Twilight Province absolutely could not happen again.

"I will dispatch more resources and slaves to Twilight Fortress. Ten days. Within ten days, no matter what methods those mages use, Twilight Fortress must be fully rebuilt."

Volvo understood that, against an orc invasion, humanity had only one option: defense. Otherwise, what had happened on the battlefield ten miles north of Twilight Fortress a day ago would not be an isolated case.

This was the conclusion he had reached through reading, but it was also the crystallized lesson of humanity's long history.