King
Chapter 1012 - 1012 132 Agonizing Standoff

1012: Chapter 132: Agonizing Standoff 1012: Chapter 132: Agonizing Standoff People are known by their names as trees are by their shadows.

After years of painstaking management, Hudson had now become a figure of great renown; at the sound of “Dragon Chant Breaking Through the Sky,” everyone knew that the only Marshal of the Kingdom had arrived.

Although Hudson had yet to take any action, his arrival had nonetheless boosted the morale of the frontline soldiers.

The once desolate headquarters suddenly brimmed with hope.

The Kingdom had finally changed its commander, and everyone, including Marquis James himself, breathed a sigh of relief.

Stepping down now meant bearing the stigma of incompetence and returning to civilian life, but persisting and suffering more defeats would make a complete withdrawal impossible.

Frankly speaking, his command had been by the book.

There were no significant highlights but also not many oversights; overall, he had performed adequately.

Marquis James’s capabilities were undeniable, given that he had emerged from among the many generals.

Having reached his current position, he had fought his way up on the battlefield, blade by blade and spear by spear.

Perhaps his performance hadn’t been the most dazzling, but James’s luck was better than his contemporaries’.

Those who had outshone him had all perished on the battlefield, and enduring as he did, he eventually became a Big Shot among military ranks.

During the last war, when he assisted Hudson in commanding the army, he had also performed quite well.

Unfortunately, he was misplaced.

The overly steady James, lacking in adaptability, was an excellent executor but a mediocre commander.

If paired with a staff department to compensate for his lack of flexibility, he could become a capable commander.

Regrettably, the Continent of Aslante had no such thing as a staff department.

Hudson’s military reforms, too, were superficial and did not touch the deeper levels of the command system.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to reform; under the current conditions of the Kingdom, there was simply no way to reform the command system.

Not everyone could serve as a staff officer, and even Hudson himself struggled to assemble an inexperienced team.

How could it possibly be implemented across the whole army?

To become a qualified staff officer, the first thing one must do was to liberate their thoughts and shed the shackles of traditional military thinking.

However, entrenched thinking was crucial to the current political system’s core of governance, and very few were unaffected after years of indoctrination.

When traditional thoughts deeply influenced everyone, those unaffected became heretics.

This issue was more severe in countries with fewer wars, especially during civil wars among human nobles where anyone who did not follow the rules was ostracized by the entire community.

The Alpha Kingdom was more pragmatic but not open enough to overturn the feudal system.

Given such an environment, Hudson was powerless.

“Marshal…”

The words reached his lips, but James swallowed them back.

It was too late for words now; someone always needed to take responsibility for a defeat.

It couldn’t be the King who had promoted him, so it had to be him bearing the burden.

It was not unjustified anyway, as the defeat was due to his own mistakes in command.

“There’s no need to say more, go and rest for a while; your current mental state is not right,”

Hudson said calmly.

Consoling was pointless.

How the situation unfolded from here and whether James could rise again largely depended on whether Caesar IV still trusted him.

Unlike the unlucky Jose who hadn’t grown in power, Marquis James, well-respected among military elites, could not possibly be swayed.

His current status had not been lightly earned; the Royal Family had treated him well.

If he could still switch sides after all this, not only would Caesar IV be out to kill him, but other powers would also hesitate to trust such a man.

Since he held no value, there was no need to retain him.

After all, there wasn’t much of a brotherly bond between them; just saving face was enough.

After verifying the information and ensuring there were no issues, the two quickly completed the transfer of power.

Watching Marquis James leave, Hudson immediately convened the main generals at the frontline and held a military conference.

The strategic deployment remained unchanged, primarily focused on “stability.” After suffering a loss, the defensive grade of every location had been raised, making any attempt to sneak attack a fortress a mere fantasy.

In a sense, prompting the Alpha Kingdom to contract its strategy was a significant blunder.

Had the battlefield been in the newly reclaimed provinces at the Northern Border, the Orc Cavalry could have galloped freely as long as they didn’t venture too deep and get caught.

With the contraction of the frontline, however, they faced dense networks of fortresses.

A castle every ten miles, a fortress every fifty—this was no exaggeration.

Even if the cavalry penetrated deep into enemy lines, facing such a defensive network, it was hard to be effective.

Crossing the border would expose them immediately, rendering sneak attacks futile.

The Alpha Kingdom was not a pushover; once the Orc Cavalry’s movements were detected, they were simply delivering military achievements to the Kingdom’s Army.

While stabilizing the frontline, and calmly waiting for reinforcements to arrive, Hudson was not at all panicked.

After all, no one was urging him to engage in a decisive battle with the Orcs.

Caesar IV might micromanage Marquis James because he had promoted him, unlike Hudson, who emerged from among the Local Lords.

The defending army was not worried, leaving the attacking side feeling the headache.

Faced with a defending army emphasizing “stability,” the Orc Army began to worry.

Under the circumstances of a long and tiring expedition, failing to gain an advantage was a disadvantage.

After a few tentative attacks, the battlefield unexpectedly entered a standoff.

The Orc Army did not launch attacks, and the defenders stayed holed up in the city, starting a game of staring each other down.