King
Chapter 1051 - 1051 147 The Bureaucrat's Skill in Passing the Buck

1051: Chapter 147: The Bureaucrat’s Skill in Passing the Buck 1051: Chapter 147: The Bureaucrat’s Skill in Passing the Buck Secret negotiations had begun, and the already stable Northern Battlefield fell into complete silence.

The Orc Army did not come to attack, and the defenders were ordered by Marshal Hudson not to make any moves.

The once smoke-filled Northern Continent welcomed a long-missed peace.

…

“How’s it going, did Marshal Hudson agree to send troops?” Duke Rodriguez asked with concern.

There’s never a shortage of clever people in the world.

For the Alpha Kingdom to call a truce with the Orcs amid a Continental war was nothing short of unimaginable.

Sensing something amiss, the Noble Group of the North took action immediately.

“No, not only were our requests to engage in battle rejected, but the requests from the other generals were also turned down.

We’ve contacted the sons and daughters of the North serving under Hudson, and they’re just as confused, with no idea what’s happening!” Duke Anheer replied, clearly displeased.

For a long time, the nobility of the North had been the core strength of the Kingdom’s Army.

Any major military operation would require their consent in the past.

But now, in the blink of an eye, their influence within the army had plummeted, and they couldn’t even figure out what the Chief Commander was up to.

Keep in mind, during the last war, the Nobles of the North held forty percent of the positions in the Command Center.

Not so long ago, when Marquis James held his position, they still held considerable influence in the Command Center.

But the moment Hudson took charge, the situation spiraled out of control completely.

There was no choice; someone had to be held accountable for a defeat.

The Commander of the Army was dismissed and faced charges, and naturally, the other generals in the command staff were not spared from being held responsible.

Hudson played his hand skillfully, using the opportunity to replace a good portion of the officers in the command staff, with the remaining ones tagged for atonement through outstanding service.

Those officers who had attained their positions through family background were all purged out, replaced instead with a batch of much more capable officers.

The more fiercely they contended for positions earlier on, the greater the losses they suffered through this adjustment.

The reason the defenders hunkered down without engaging, besides strategic necessity, was also related to the personnel adjustments Hudson had carried out.

Whether it was an intentional targeting, it’s uncertain, but certainly, the collective of the Five Great Dukes of the North was systematically pushed out of the center of power.

Even if they wanted to protest, they couldn’t; the war had reached their very doorsteps.

If the Kingdom’s Army suffered a defeat, they would be the first to fall victim.

Moreover, the newly appointed officers were no mediocre figures; not only did they possess significant backgrounds, but they also had plenty of military achievements.

Over seventy percent of the officers came from the most famous Noble Corps of the Kingdom—the Expeditionary Army.

Owing to the need to guard against the Orcs, the Noble Corps had not conscripted the elite nobility from the Seven Northern Provinces when they were formed.

In fact, the Five Great Dukes of the North were initially within the conscription range, serving as the Kingdom’s hinterland with the addition of several more provinces.

However, they perceived the Western Expedition as a grievous task and, distrusting their neighbors’ strength and believing the Seven Northern Provinces were incapable of repelling an Orc invasion, found ways to decline the summons.

“Even if you find out, it’s no use; Hudson is clearly targeting us deliberately.

The man is the Commander in Chief, he has ways to deal with us!” said Duke Torsten, but his words failed to resonate.

The strategic judgment was halfway correct.

The Nobles of the North who missed the conscription naturally had to pay a price in a new round of power shuffling.

If one were to talk about being targeted, the antagonism was really only towards the Rocknard Family.

At most, the other four clans were implicated.

The woeful situation of the five great families was, in fact, propelled by both The Royal Family and the Noble Consortium of the southern and central provinces.

Alone, Hudson didn’t have the power to kick them out of the core of power.

Apart from paying for their past arrogance, the primary reason was the drastic decline in military strength of the Northland Noble Group, decreasing their share within the Kingdom’s forces significantly.

Previously, the Nobles of the North were synonymous with an elite force within the Kingdom, with Private Armies as strong as the Standing Army.

Now, the situation had reversed.

After Hudson’s costly investment in training, the Kingdom’s standing army’s combat effectiveness significantly improved.

On the other hand, the Noble Group of the North, no longer on the frontline and thus losing the military subsidies from the Kingdom, along with the end of the smuggling trade, saw a sharp decrease in their fiscal income and were forced to reduce their military investments.

Their full-time army became semi-professional, and after a few peaceful years, their combat effectiveness inevitably declined.

After the increase and decrease, everyone suddenly realized that the Noble Group of the North was no longer important to the Kingdom, and the extraordinary political treatment they once enjoyed naturally disappeared.

Even Caesar IV, who had previously wooed them, lost interest in them now.

Politicians, after all, are always the most pragmatic.

The Noble Group of the North, having lost their special value, was now just several ordinary Major Noble families, hardly worth the King offending the elder ancestors within The Royal Family for their sake.

Grasping the positions of the various parties, Hudson didn’t hold back any longer, pulling them to where they rightfully belonged.

The sensitivity of the Northland nobility mainly stemmed from their discomfort with the adjustment to their own role.

“Maybe the current upheaval isn’t created by Hudson, but rather comes from the Capital.

A few days ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs suddenly fell ill, but three days ago, someone saw his Guard Chief appearing in the barracks.

If the Minister of Foreign Affairs isn’t really ill but has come to the front lines instead, then everything can be explained!” Duke Hiro said gravely.

Unlike the negotiations in the Central Continent, which relied on the pressure of war, the Northern Battlefield was in a complete strategic deadlock.