King
Chapter 1048 - 1048 145 The Opportunity for Peace Talks_2

1048: Chapter 145: The Opportunity for Peace Talks_2 1048: Chapter 145: The Opportunity for Peace Talks_2 Given the current situation, the enemy likely truly doesn’t want to fight anymore.

After all, the Expeditionary Army had just wreaked havoc in the Orc Empire, and their logistics must have faced severe issues.

Continuing to drag on in battle with the Kingdom would only result in the pointless depletion of their supplies and money; they couldn’t gain any advantage!”

King Caesar IV declared with high spirits.

No one objected to this explanation.

When it came to understanding the Orc Empire, those present didn’t know any less than the Orc high levels.

Every year, the Kingdom spent a tremendous amount of money on infiltration and intelligence gathering in the Orc Empire.

It was said that inside the Empire, there were collaborators with the Kingdom, and possibly more than one.

Such was the nature of the multi-species tribal coalition nations—rife with contradictions but always finding willing collaborators if one was prepared to pay the price.

As for which species or which tribe, that was highly confidential.

Only the liaisons involved and the King were in the know.

Of course, this profound understanding of the Orc Empire was limited to a few high-level Kingdom officials.

Including many local Major Nobles, most received redacted information.

It wasn’t that there was an intentional cover-up; rather, in those years, the Orc Empire was far stronger than the Alpha Kingdom.

Everyone felt pressure upon seeing the data.

This heavy burden was enough for a few top officials to bear.

If everyone knew, it would cause panic.

The thorough lockdown on information only eased for all Kingdom’s high echelons after the Orc Empire showed signs of decline following the last great war.

“Your Majesty, judging by the Orcs’ current actions, they seem to want to bypass the two major alliances and negotiate a ceasefire directly with us.

They’ve already played the traitor once; being unpopular among the different races of the Alien Coalition, betraying again wouldn’t be a big deal to them.

But it’s different for us—the Kingdom has always been the core force of the Human Alliance.

Each time the Orcs invaded, the Alliance provided us support.

If we circumvent the Human Alliance and stop the war with the Orc Empire alone, that might be somewhat untenable!

Moreover, given the current battlefield situation, it’s unlikely that the Orcs would agree to our demands at the negotiation table.

It might be better to wait and observe how the situation develops before we make contact with the Orcs after achieving a breakthrough on the front lines,”

Duke Aefero immediately objected.

Despite nearly half a year of fighting in the Northern Border, the Kingdom’s military mobilization hadn’t even fully proceeded, with several provinces’ forces yet to arrive on the battlefield.

Rushing to end the war like this would be too disrespectful to everyone’s efforts, especially to those ambitious young individuals who had invested heavily and sought to make a name for themselves—they’d likely cry themselves to death at home.

At the very least, each province’s Noble’s Private Army should have the opportunity to rotate into the battlefield, giving everyone a chance to achieve glory.

In the past, the Noble Children of the Kingdom weren’t as belligerent as they are now.

After all, the Orc Empire was indeed not to be trifled with—any carelessness could cost one their fortune and life.

But now it was different; everyone knew that fighting under Marshal Hudson not only made it easy to obtain military honors, but the safety was also extremely high.

The most direct evidence was that after Hudson took office, fewer messengers reported casualties.

The initial troop reinforcements were to cover for losses caused by his predecessor.

Looking at past data during Orc invasions, wasn’t there a month without tens of thousands of casualties on the front lines?

When the Flesh and Blood Grinder was activated, it wasn’t impossible for a hundred or eighty thousand to die in a month.

And comparing that to the present, with an average of less than three thousand casualties per month, the intensity of the war had completely changed.

Our own losses were small while we slaughtered no small number of enemies.

It’s the government departments’ propaganda that wasn’t reliable—the Expedition Army Corps’ slaughtering of common Orcs was also counted in the achievements.

Once the battle damage data surged to one to several hundred, these impressive stats fueled the ambition of any Noble Children with a bit of ambition.

Suddenly, the War Faction in the Kingdom was emboldened, as if they could demolish the Orc Empire at any moment.

Even King Caesar IV was influenced by the general atmosphere, offering strategies not long ago, though his suggestions were discarded by Hudson like incorrect answers as part of an initial exclusion.

After suffering rejection, King Caesar IV was pulled back into reality and stopped fantasizing about toppling the Orc Empire all at once.

At this moment, the tendency was to be aligned with the Peace Faction, primarily for political needs.

Marshal Hudson, the insubordinate marshal, whose military achievements were already notable enough, would continue to expand his influence in the army if the war went on, which was detrimental to the balance of power within the Kingdom.

The original plan to balance the military’s power from within had collapsed completely with the rising prestige of Hudson.

As a king, Caesar IV also had his principles.

To him, causing deliberate chaos, dragging his feet, and betraying his allies were actions befitting a foolish ruler.

Priding himself on being a wise sovereign, King Caesar IV naturally wouldn’t engage in such acts.

Having no immediate solution in mind, he could only stare helplessly at the situation.

This stalemate continued until news came that the Orcs requested negotiations, revealing to him another different path: ending the war through political and diplomatic means.

The sooner the war ended, the sooner the Kingdom could resume normal operation, and the power seized by the military could slowly return to the king’s hands.

If the delay lasted too long and the Kingdom’s Army achieved final victory on the battlefield, Hudson, in all his glory, would return victorious, and even the Chancellor would have to yield his position to him.

Regaining power from the military would then be difficult.

With a glance, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, understanding the hint, immediately stood up and said, “Your Grace, the calculations shouldn’t be done that way.

According to intelligence gathered by the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent have already initiated secret negotiations with the Alien Coalition, having met at least three times.

Any moment now, they might sign a secret treaty.

With several of them in the lead, our small maneuvers are not even worth mentioning.

Once the negotiations succeed, it is expected that all nations of the Central Continent will follow suit.

Even if the Human Alliance wants to hold someone accountable, with so many forces involved, detailed investigation becomes impractical.

As long as we’re covert in our actions and leave no obvious evidence, even if the matter leaks in the future, we can firmly deny it.

Dealing with the cries of the War Faction at home is even easier, just by explaining the pros and cons to the governors of various provinces, they will naturally appease the people.

What we really need to worry about is whether we can get what we want during the negotiations.

Considering legal issues, I think that before it’s clear whether the restoration of the Prairie Seven Kingdoms fails, the Kingdom doesn’t need to rush into expanding its territory, regaining lost lands would be sufficient.

The Orcs were the ones who first proposed peace talks, so I think the Orc high-level officials should be able to agree to our modest demands.”

Count Francis spoke with calm analysis.

Being experienced in diplomacy, the minor maneuvers between the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent and the Alien Coalition couldn’t escape the eye of professionals.

Many times, inattentive small habits, if noted by someone astute, would be the biggest giveaway.

Before the War Faction could continue, King Caesar IV spoke up first, “Send someone to meet with the Orc representatives privately first.

If they can reach an agreement, good; if not, the battle continues!”

His military commands had been nearly stripped away, but he still held the power in political and diplomatic realms as the king.

Sending someone to contact the Orcs was merely a contact, not signing a treaty.

As a gesture to give face to the king, opposition subsided.

…

In the Central Continent, after several in-depth meetings and communications between the high levels of both sides, the parties once again sat at the negotiation table.

What was different this time was the complexion of the representatives from the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent; they all looked terrible, evidently having suffered a societal beating in recent days.

There was no choice; with poor performance from their own armies on the battlefield, the diplomats were less assertive abroad.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we meet again.

I hope everyone can get what they wish for and successfully reach a ceasefire agreement!”

Derris said cheerfully.

…