The King

  Chapter 279 Beating

   "Count, the orcs have withdrawn!"

  Just after dawn, Hudson was refreshed when he received the good news.

  There is no battle that is sure to win, and it is better not to fight if you can not fight it. They just don't know how the nobles from the southeast province who just came to meet them felt after hearing the "good news".

   "Tom, send someone to pass on the good news."

   Hudson said with a smile.

   "Good news" must be shared with everyone. Originally, I wanted to call a group of high-level nobles to discuss matters, but now it seems unnecessary.

  Without the orc army making trouble, this mission can basically be declared successfully completed.

  It doesn't matter if the losses are heavy, at least the core of many families in the kingdom is preserved, so that the political system will not completely collapse.

  Unlike previous wars, this defeat was completely accidental. Being put together by the Human Race Alliance, the Alpha Kingdom could only pinch its nose to recognize it.

  Marshal Campbell is at most half of the person responsible, but he died on the battlefield, so it is impossible to talk about accountability.

   There is no responsibility for the defeat, so the nobles who suffered heavy losses are the heroes of the kingdom. There will definitely be preferential treatment for heroes.

  The jungle is prey to the jungle, but also has a tender side. At least superficial skills, we still have to do well.

   Except for those families that are directly extinct, they will be divided up immediately, and the remaining nobles will continue temporarily.

  If you have a strong foundation, a strong network of contacts, and a strong successor, it will not be a problem to keep the family business.

   On the contrary, it will gradually decline. In the years to come, it will be slowly carved up by the voyeurs.

   The most likely to be shuffled out is the minor nobles. The ability to resist risks is weak, and it is difficult to recover once the vitality is hurt.

  The great nobles are deeply rooted, even if they decline, it will be difficult to be uprooted for a while. As long as you don't risk your life, you can persist for many years by relying on your laurels.

  The war has progressed to the present, and Hudson's attention has increasingly turned to the post-war period.

   Secretly took stock of the kingdom's family fortune, and Hudson also knew it in his heart. These troops on the front line accounted for at least 70% of the kingdom's military power.

  The majestic Northern Expeditionary Army managed to break out of the siege, but not one survived.

  The total number of troops to respond now is only 80,000 to 90,000. Even if a part of the rout can be gathered later, it will only be 30,000 to 20,000 at most.

  These troops are considered the kingdom's first-class elite. The 30,000 cavalry led by Hudson, together with several regiments of the original expeditionary force, can be regarded as the elite of the second echelon.

  The gap between the two is mainly due to the higher proportion of practitioners among the surviving soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army.

  Of course, within a short period of time, the gap in combat power between the two has not been widened.

  The tens of thousands of elites in Hudson's hands are indeed slightly inferior in individual combat effectiveness, but they are winning battles all the way, and their morale is even higher.

  The surviving soldiers of the Northern Expedition Army were all elites, but they had just suffered a big loss, and their morale was almost gone.

  In addition to the more than 200,000 troops capable of fighting, there are hundreds of thousands of cannon fodder troops on the defense line, but the combat effectiveness is really pitifully low.

   Then there are the military forces left behind by each family. This part of the force cannot be fully counted, and can only be roughly estimated.

  Alpha Kingdom is tired, tired. In the next war, it's okay to fight with the Terran Alliance, but it's not enough to be the main force.

  The most important thing for people is to recognize their own position. Supporters naturally have to play as supporters, and then use themselves as the main force, then it will be brain-dead.

  A battle report was quickly written in Hudson's pen. Once the ink is dry, it is quickly packed into bags and sealed, and the whole process is done in one go.

   In his position, seek his own government.

   Hudson wrote all the suggestions in the secret letter. As for the decision of the kingdom, it is beyond his control.

  …

  In the camp, Earl Pierce, who received the news of the orcs' retreat, spurted out a mouthful of blood.

  The previous misjudgment caused heavy losses and embarrassment to the aristocratic coalition forces in the southeastern provinces. After finally making up their minds to save face and not come to meet up, the orcs retreated again.

   After every decision, it happened to be missed, and the whole world was against him.

"Priest!"

"Priest!"

   "The Earl is injured!"

  …

  The panicked shouts of the guards caused a lot of panic in the camp.

   There is no way, there are dozens of earls in the entire camp, who can tell the difference without mentioning their names!

  After the panic, all kinds of rumors are flying around.

   Gossip is always a human favorite, especially when it comes to the orc withdrawal. All of a sudden, the pressure of survival is gone, and everyone urgently needs a relaxing activity.

  Poor Earl Pierce, unfortunately became the "protagonist" of gossip.

  When he woke up from the coma, he was injured, poisoned, assassinated, cursed...all kinds of possibilities were choreographed by everyone.

  …

   "Pastor Debon, how is Governor Pierce's body? When will he wake up?"

  Before the hospital bed, Hudson asked pretending not to know.

  With his strength, it is too easy to distinguish whether he is really unconscious or just pretending.

  Relying on the compass to "disguise the magician", that is also a magician. Hudson also understands ordinary healing magic.

   It's just that he, who has always been cautious, has never used it externally.

  In the eyes of the outside world, he is a talented knight with good strength. He became a magician by sharing the magic talent of the Earth Bear.

   If you are misunderstood by others, let them continue to misunderstand you. The cautious Hudson will not blew himself up.

   "Earl Hudson, please rest assured, Your Excellency the Governor is just too tired and fell ill, and you will wake up after a short rest. It is not suitable for too many people to disturb you now, you see..."

   Pastor Debon blushed slightly.

   Lying is not a problem, but lying in front of all the bosses, he is still a little nervous.

  If a certain big brother sees the problem and reveals the matter on the spot regardless, it will be a tragedy for him, the pastor.

  It turned out that he was simply thinking too much. There are not a few nobles who can see that Earl Pierce has woken up, but their emotional intelligence does not allow them to point out the problem so stupidly.

   "In this case, let's take our leave first. For the safety of Governor Pierce, Pastor Debon, I will trouble you to worry about it."

   After speaking, Hudson took the lead out of the tent. It is enough to do this in acting. Pursue perfection too deliberately, but it is easier to leave flaws.

   He is only an honorary earl, and his status in the army is not the highest, but he does have the greatest real power at the moment.

   Without Marshal Campbell, the Kingdom has not appointed a new commander-in-chief. Hudson, the commander-in-chief before the enemy, is the most powerful person on the front line.

   Unfortunately, this power is empty. Everything stems from the appointment of the kingdom.

  Because of an appointment, he was able to command the frontline army of the kingdom; it was also possible to lose all power in his hands because of the revocation of the appointment.

  Slightly added a wave of trouble to Earl Pierce, Hudson shook his head secretly. Originally, the two families could live in harmony, but now they have come to opposite sides because of their interests.

  Similar things often happen among nobles. Not to mention that the two families have nothing to do with each other, even if they are relatives and friends, there are not a few people who become enemies in the blink of an eye.

   There was an extra heavyweight "patient", and the army was forced to stay where it was. Anyway, the orc army ran away, and they didn't dare to chase after them, so Hudson was not in a hurry.

  As soon as they returned to the barracks, the two elder brothers hurried over. From their joyful expressions, it can be seen that the two of them are in a particularly comfortable mood now.

   "Hudson, is Earl Pierce dying?"

  After listening to Evola's words, Hudson almost spit out a mouthful of water. What is it all about? He is obviously fine, how can he say that the other party is going to die?

   "Where did you hear the rumor? He is still alive and well. Remember this kind of nonsense, and don't say it in the future!"

   Hudson reprimanded with a black face.

   Rumors kill people. Earl Pierce was nothing more than a moment of anger and fainted in a hurry, so it was rumored that this was obviously done on purpose.

  The mastermind behind the scenes is not so easy to find out. The main reason is that there are too many people who can do this kind of thing.

  The former political enemies of the Dalton family; the nobles who hide in secret and want to replace the Dalton family; the nobles whose interests have been damaged in the southeastern province; even Hudson himself, are the main suspects.

  The whole relationship is complicated like a mess. Hudson didn't have the time to help investigate this kind of thankless matter.

   "Hudson, sometimes rumors can become true!"

  Nelson deliberately lowered his voice and said.

  Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to conceal it, that excited expression still betrayed his current mood.

  Earl Pierce's son is still a teenager, and he can't support a big noble family at all. Once his leader dies, the Dalton family will immediately fall into a situation where there is no leader.

   There is no guarantee that the Koslow family can be replaced, at least for a long time in the future, they will not be able to cause trouble for the Koslow family.

  "Rumors can indeed become reality, but it is more likely to cause fire. As the patriarch of the Dalton family, you don't naively think that Pierce will lack protection experts, right?

  Okay, these things, you should not mix them up. The conflict between us and the Dalton family should be slowly grinded away after the war is over.

  Don't fantasize about snakes swallowing elephants, that will only support you to death. If you have this spare time, you might as well put away the materials of the extinct nobles in the southeast province first, it will be of great use in the future. "

   Too urgent!

   Successive victories have caused many people in the Koslow family to lose themselves, unable to give themselves a clear positioning.

  Hudson is very clear that the two of them have come to represent not only themselves, but also a large part of the family.

  The two can become representatives because they are close enough to Hudson to say anything conveniently.

  This kind of impetuous evil spirit must be suppressed. Hudson didn't want the family he led to degenerate before it had time to grow.

   After hesitating for a moment, Hudson continued to add: "Sometimes eyes and ears can also deceive people. What you see and hear are only what people want you to see and hear.

  The Koslow family has only one mortal enemy now, and that is the Locknard family that occupies our ancestral land.

  As for the Dalton family, they can only be regarded as competitors with potential conflicts of interest, far from being immortal.

  You must learn to distinguish between priorities. Don't rely on your own feelings to make enemies for nothing! "

  (end of this chapter)