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Chapter 1160 - 1160 183 Negotiation

1160: Chapter 183, Negotiation 1160: Chapter 183, Negotiation The sudden Conscription Order stirred up a huge uproar within the Kingdom.

Sensitive Nobles immediately sensed a change in the situation in the Near East.

But some things, once started, can’t be turned back.

When the situation seemed favorable, many had wagered on the Near East, and resources invested had been transformed into Castles, farmland, and pastures; now, it wasn’t possible to simply disengage.

The Major Nobles had to pay even closer attention to political influences, unable to withdraw in such uncertain times; they had to continue increasing their stakes instead.

Only with continuous resource investments from the Big Shots could those below be put at ease.

Hudson’s mansion suddenly became a hive of activity; every day, representatives of Major Nobles visited, hoping to gain more intelligence.

In this regard, Hudson was very generous.

Whenever friends came asking, he provided them with detailed intelligence.

And then, there was no ‘and then.’ Apart from concluding that the Orc internal strife had escalated, nothing much could be analysed from the intelligence alone.

Hudson’s guess was the worst-case scenario.

No one knew how the situation would unfold until the Orc civil war ended.

On the surface, the current Orc internal strife appeared as a clash between two main camps.

But a deeper investigation would reveal that this also involved a struggle over winter resources.

Every time the harsh winter arrived, it was a test for the Orc tribes on the grasslands.

Their primitive productive forces, coupled with exploitation by the Royal Family, meant they could not store enough resources for the winter.

To survive, resource-poor Orc tribes had no choice but to fight and plunder.

Previously, with the Royal Family pressing down, they dared not start major conflicts, and their actions were much more moderate.

Now it was different; the opposition of two large camps gave them a reason to act.

Compared to the past, defeating opposing Orc tribes now not only allowed the plundering of a vast amount of resources but also enabled the trade of slaves.

The Tatum Tribe was among the best of these, solving their material shortage and even equipping their warriors with iron weapons through constant conquest.

Now, Chief Stark was busy discussing the merger with several small fellow Clans.

In troubled times, the weak could only survive better by banding together.

Recalling the past, the Clan of Minotaurs also had their glory days.

Sadly, through the repetitive racial power plays, they had fallen into decline.

To survive, the waning Minotaurs had to split into smaller tribes.

On one hand, to evade the pursuit of enemies and reduce their presence; on the other, they could no longer support a large population after losing their fertile settlements.

Historically, it has been proved that the decisions of the Minotaur ancestors were correct.

Those races that stubbornly clung to unity without division quickly declined after failure in conflicts.

Some unlucky ones were even wiped out entirely.

Those who survived became treasured but unprotected species within the Empire.

Perhaps just one war, one disaster, could completely erase these precious species.

After splitting, Minotaur Tribes continued to use the strategies of their ancestors, and once they developed to a certain size, they would split again.

The vast grasslands were wide enough, and the scattered Minotaur Tribes were barely noticeable.

After countless years of proliferation, Minotaurs became one of the most widely distributed species in the Orc Empire.

As the price of dividing, the tribes became independent and started their own development.

Despite not lacking in numbers or fighting capability, their lack of unified command made them virtually invisible in the Empire.

Many species adept at “scrounging” developed this way, but while others did so strategically, the Minotaurs did it out of habit.

In itself, this was fine; after all, they had to pay taxes to the Royal Family anyway, and as a scattered species, they could avoid targeted oppression by the royalty.

However, the emergence of two major camps made the perceptive among the Minotaurs restless.

The opportunity was too rare; if they did not seize it, they would regret it for a lifetime.

Just as they could split the species for survival, they could also merge tribes for survival.

Chief Stark was one of those ambitious leaders who sought the unification of Minotaurs; under his leadership, the Tatum Tribe experienced significant development.

Of the many Minotaur Tribes, their comprehensive strength was enough to rank in the top ten.

“How do you all feel now?”

“If you join the Tatum Tribe, your winter resource shortfall will be entirely taken care of by the tribe!”

Chief Stark said this with a hearty generosity.

Among Minotaurs, interactions were always so unpretentious.

To small tribes, nothing mattered more than filling their bellies, not even power or glory.

The Tatum Tribe, having successively conquered two Doghead Tribes, three Ratman Tribes, and four Goblin Tribes, now had the confidence to make such offers.

Strong in their own right and with ample resources in hand, recruitment was a matter of course.

In recent months, Chief Stark had already merged with five nearby Minotaur Tribes, which boosted the Tatum Tribe’s total population to thirty thousand.

If they could merge with the few tribes before them, the Tatum Tribe’s population would break through the forty-thousand mark, just sufficient to form a Minotaur Corps.

In the Orc Empire, a tribe that had the power of an entire corps was definitely one that could be taken seriously.