King
Chapter 1162 - 1162 183 Negotiation_3

1162: Chapter 183: Negotiation_3 1162: Chapter 183: Negotiation_3 During normal times, the Hawkman Emperor would have already led his army to “reason” with these audacious fools.

Now, the situation is different, with the entire Hawkman army locked in combat with the Alliance of Seven Clans on the front lines.

During the civil war, the vassal races have also contributed their efforts, and we cannot force them to defect to the enemy side.

As the boss, the control of the Alliance of Seven Clans over the vassal races is even weaker.

As long as they nominally keep their wits about them and don’t add to the chaos, they’re considered “half one of our own.”

Political power and tax exemptions are freely promised without cost.

When it comes to generosity at others’ expense, the Alliance of Seven Clans is anything but stingy.

It would be a lie to say that no one is tempted, but the military disadvantage of the Alliance of Seven Clans prevents the races from fully committing to their side.

However, the adverse effects have become evident; during the war, the vassal races under the Royal Family’s command have continuously dragged their feet.

Leaking marching routes, exposing food and fodder positions, suddenly collapsing at critical moments of the war…such various troublesome actions are endless.

Thus, when Marshal Daniel campaigned, he stopped involving the vassal races to avoid being dragged down by this bunch of liabilities.

Fully aware of potential issues among their subordinates but considering the political implications, the Four Royal Families currently dare not handle them lightly.

“Let’s call for a truce in the negotiations!

The Elf Race representatives have already arrived, intending to mediate the Empire’s civil war.

Why not just go with the flow and accept their proposal?

After all, the war has advanced to this point, and our strategic goals are almost entirely achieved.

Three clans from the Alliance of Seven Clans have been crippled, and the remaining four have lost their nerve.

Let’s just dismantle The Fifth Royal Family into four great clans and let these four exercise the rights of one Imperial Clan together.

As for the other races within the Empire, those who need to be suppressed will be suppressed, those who need to be strangled will be strangled, and those who should be divided and conquered will continue to see that fate.

As newly risen clans, they must achieve something to demonstrate their sincerity to us!”

The Lionman King said with a cold laugh.

Regardless of whether the Three Great Imperial Clans’ strategies are completed, their plans have initially succeeded.

The two major clans within their power range are now crippled, and the Lionman race’s ruling position is once again solidified.

Compared to the weakened Alliance of Seven Clans, the newly emerging races present a new challenge that the Four Royal Families must face.

Continuing to use bloody violence for suppression would nearly depopulate the Orc Empire, a loss no one can bear.

Without the multitude of vassal races, just the small population of the Four Royal Families alone could not rule over the vast Orc Empire.

Especially the threat from the neighboring Alpha Kingdom makes it difficult for them to make up their minds to eliminate all competition without care.

“I have no objection.

This civil war has persisted for more than two years and has consumed too much of our national strength.

If the fight continues, the situation on the great plains will be reversed.

Our neighbors are not peaceful.

Over the past two years, they have constantly moved people into the Near East Region and spared no effort in building infrastructure.

If they have more time, the Near East Region might become a web of fortress barricades that lock the Empire to the west of Snow Moon Lake.

Particularly Hudson’s Snow Moon Territory, its development speed is astonishing.

The volume of materials coming in and out of New Moon Port every day is notable even on the whole continent.

Our civil war has emboldened the enemy.

They are not satisfied with their reach in the Near East Region, and their influence continues to expand along the coastline.

According to the intelligence gathered, the enemy has established dozens of fortress strongholds along the Empire’s coast.

Excluding some outposts for smuggling trade which we can ignore, there are over a dozen outposts entirely for military layout.

With these strongholds, the Human army could launch landing operations at any time, threatening the security of the Empire’s rear!”

The Silver Moon Wolf Emperor said with a solemn face.

Beside him, Crown Prince Daniel tried to speak up several times but was “persuaded” to retreat by his father’s sharp gaze.

War is in the service of politics.

The situation has changed, and naturally, the measures taken must change as well.

Who could have imagined that a civil war would actually lead to various races within the Orc Empire banding together?

In the face of life and death, everyone’s potential is limitless.

The civil war lasted from Sacred Calendar year 99993 to 99995, and even the Royal Family had no reserves of grain!

If it weren’t for the Orcs not being picky eaters, they probably would have starved to death by now.

Their dietary habits of not distinguishing between meat and vegetables are the key to their survival.

If one carefully compares the Orcs of today with those from a thousand years ago, one would find that many of their species have undergone significant reductions in size.

Taking the Elephantman Tribe as an example, their size was once close to that of the Giants.

Elephantmen that were five to eight meters tall were common, but now they have shrunk to two to three meters.

Even so, the stature of the Elephantman continues to shrink.

Generation by generation, they become shorter, the main culprit being a lack of resources.

Races that refused to downsize have been gradually eliminated by nature over countless years.

Three Emperors have successively made their stances clear, and the Bearman Emperor nodded along as well.

Everyone was tired of fighting, and the Bearman Clan was no exception; they too did not wish to continue this cruel war.

With a united front, the faces of the four Emperors were still tense.

Negotiations might sound simple, but they are not so easy to conduct in practice.

The Alliance of Seven Clans indeed suffered heavy losses, but they also gained friendships among many species.

Within the Empire, they acquired a number of supporters.

Simply splitting the power of a Royal Family to share with them will not be enough to make them switch sides; it is clearly not that simple.

The leaders of the various species are not fools; they could not possibly agree to destroy their own defenses based solely on the promise of the Four Royal Families.

This negotiation is doomed to be a protracted tug of war.

In the Snow Moon Territory, Hudson, unaware of the changing situation in the Orc Empire, was still busy inspecting his lands.

The more intense the civil war within the Orc Empire, the more prosperous the slave trade would be.

Every day upon waking, the ringing of the copper bells at the port meant that more ships had arrived.

On average, one in every five ships entering New Moon Port carried slaves, a veritable paradise for Slave Traders.

At first, Snow Moon Territory was open to purchasing slaves.

But when the Orc civil war reached a critical point, even Hudson’s purse couldn’t keep up!

Orc Slaves were not cheap.

This was a trouble Hudson brought upon himself, as he deliberately inflated the price of Orc Slaves to strike at the Orc Empire.

Ratman and Rabbit people slaves, who were originally unwanted, could now sell for one Gold Coin, not to mention other slaves.

Of course, compared to Human slaves, Orc Slaves were still very cheap.

Especially after their numbers surged, and Master Hudson could not afford to buy freely, their prices plummeted even more.

The civil war produced countless combatants, and Slave Traders, who would originally take any slaves, have become picky.

Some worthless Orc Slaves were directly reduced to meat slaves within the Orc Empire, not even qualified for manual labor.

Observing the increasing number of Orc Slaves in the Near East, Master Hudson would often break into a sweat.

The number of Orcs surpassing the Kingdom’s immigrants is a sure sign of unstable foundations.

However, opening Pandora’s Magic Box is easy; resealing it is hard.

Noble Lords who have grown accustomed to using Orc Slaves are unwilling to give up their cheap labor, and even the Kingdom’s orders cannot stop them.

Including Hudson himself, if Snow Moon Territory were to stop using Orc Slaves, he couldn’t bear it either.

Fortunately, the hatred between the Kingdom and the Orcs still plays a role; everyone only treats Orc Slaves as expendable, not allowing the second generation of slaves to emerge.

Glancing at the crowds of Orc Slaves working in the distance, Hudson ordered his subordinates: “Tom, pass down the order.

Starting from now, the tax exemption policy for Orc Slaves is canceled.

From next month onward, all Orc Slaves entering the port will be subject to a slave tax, provisionally set at thirty percent.”