King
Chapter 1171 - 1171 187 Scapegoat from Heaven

1171: Chapter 187: Scapegoat from Heaven 1171: Chapter 187: Scapegoat from Heaven “Duke, Marquis Landry has come to visit!”

Upon hearing Tom’s words, Hudson’s mind was filled with confusion.

Among the many dukes, marquises, and earls of the Kingdom, there was no such person.

Perhaps seeing his confusion, Tom hurriedly added, “Marquis Landry is the former Frank Ambassador in the Kingdom.”

Hearing this explanation, Hudson instantly regained his composure.

It turns out he wasn’t ignorant, as who in their right mind would care about a former ambassador?

Once out of office, the standard in diplomacy applies: indifference.

Regardless of Marquis Landry’s background, once his ambassadorship ended, he meant nothing in the Alpha Kingdom.

“Take him to the parlor, treat him well, I’ll be there shortly.”

Hudson spoke with an expressionless face.

Regardless of his significance in the Kingdom, the visitor was after all a marquis, and the necessary etiquette must not be neglected.

Intuition told him, a former ambassador traveling all this way from the South Continent must have big news.

…

“Your Excellency the Marquis, as far as I know, our Kingdom does not oppose forming the Five Nations Alliance, and negotiations have officially started between the five nations.

Now, the sticking point is: the obligations each must undertake and the rights each will receive.

As long as there is equivalence between what is given and what is received, I believe forming an alliance is just a matter of time.

There’s really no need for us to do anything extra!”

Hudson said cheerfully.

Farsighted politicians all understood that under the current continental situation, forming the Five Nations Alliance was inevitable.

But this process was bound to be anything but smooth.

An alliance is not just a verbal agreement of friendship, but one where military obligations must be shared and duties fulfilled.

At this point, everyone inevitably had to weigh the pros and cons.

Bargaining is essential; who contributes more or less, who gains more or less, these are the focal points of conflict and contradiction.

With so many considerations and calculations, even if they argued for two or three years, Hudson would not be surprised.

It was indeed surprising for Hudson that the Frank people were concerned about this issue.

Under normal circumstances, the countries in the South Continent should be trying to dismantle the alliance.

Once the Five Nations Alliance is established, it would become a behemoth, inevitably impacting the continental situation.

The official population counts of each country in the alliance, when added together, nearly total two hundred million people, but the real numbers are undoubtedly higher.

Hudson wasn’t clear about the situation in the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent, but the nobles in both Moxi Duchy and Alpha Kingdom were hiding populations.

Judging by wartime performance, it was evident that the Moxi Duchy, which claimed a population of eight million, could muster The Hundred Thousand Army even after suffering huge casualties—this was not achievable with the reported population.

Not to mention the Alpha Kingdom; with each Orc invasion, they were able to muster an army of a million to fight the enemy for several years.

If there were only the documented thirty million people, with millions of able-bodied dying every few decades, the Kingdom would likely have been annihilated long ago.

Of course, because of the acceptance of refugees and the Queen’s dowry lands, the official population of the Alpha Kingdom has grown to forty million.

Amongst the numerous Noble Lords, Hudson was probably the most honest in reporting his population, with a registered population of over 1.8 million in his domains, which is fairly accurate except for not counting newborns.

It has nothing to do with morality; these immigrants were all properly documented.

Known facts to the outside world cannot be hidden.

At most, he might report a slightly higher death rate, but nothing too outrageous, as otherwise, no one would dare immigrate here.

It wasn’t just Hudson’s domain; nearly all of the newly established lordships didn’t hide much population.

Nobles tend to hide populations mainly after settling down by underreporting birth rates.

A little hidden each year accumulates to a shocking number over generations.

As long as these people stay within their own domains, they are difficult for outsiders to detect.

This involves the entire noble class, and as long as it’s not excessive, no one delves too deeply into such issues.

The coalition of several hundred million people will influence politics, culture, and the economy.

If managed well, it can be a leap forward for all countries in the alliance.

“Marshal, you know that the negotiations for the Five Nations Alliance are not going smoothly.

The Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent need your country’s help in military reform, and right now, they simply cannot offer anything of equivalent exchange.

To achieve a breakthrough in negotiations at this critical time, your country would need to make concessions.

I’m not suggesting your country should give without receiving, but the current situation in the Three Kingdoms is really bad, and it’s tough for them to offer substantial compensation.

It might be better to defer the matter of compensation until they are able to afford it, then they can repay this old debt.”

Marquis Landry said persuasively.

To advance the formation of the Five Nation Alliance, the Frank Kingdom had also put in great effort, convincing influential officials of the Alpha Kingdom to support the alliance was the most important aspect.

As the strongest country on the continent, the Frank Kingdom could also provide military assistance to the three nations, but they follow a path of highly skilled, elite forces.

Their combat effectiveness is truly impressive, but it also comes with high costs.

The Frank people can afford such a strategy because they have the sufficient economic foundation to support it.

In terms of finances and material resources, the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent just don’t have the capacity to emulate this.

Forcing themselves to follow suit would only worsen the situation.

In contrast, the military strategy of the Alpha Kingdom is on a more common people’s route.

It aims to maximize military strength with the least cost.