King
Chapter 534 - 534 104 Hostility_1

534: 104, Hostility_1 534: 104, Hostility_1 “What, he refused?”

Caesar III said in dissatisfaction.

His gaze at Earl Laurent had changed, as if to say: You are incompetent, you can’t even handle this little matter.

“Your Majesty, Earl Hudson’s refusal is very firm, I really have no means!”

Speaking, Earl Laurent was almost in tears.

This matter truly wasn’t his responsibility, the other party vehemently refused, and him as the King’s Special Envoy was powerless.

There were many instances of trying to force someone into a position, but in the case of someone refusing, to forcefully appoint a military commander would be nonsensical.

Caesar III rubbed his forehead, unsure of what to say, the atmosphere in the room became particularly strange.

The appointment of a military commander was necessary no matter what.

Knowing it will be a mess, nobody was willing to take it.

This would be embarrassing.

Prior to this, the commanders appointed for the Southwestern Army and the Central Army were both veteran generals of the Alpha Kingdom.

They were highly decorated, but ultimately ended in dismal defeat.

With the precedent set, capable aristocratic military officers naturally didn’t want to jump into the pit.

Those fools who were willing, others didn’t have confidence in.

The problem previously created was already substantial enough.

If another wave came, no one would be able to bear it!

Originally, Caesar III was worried about centralizing too much military power, detrimental to the political balance within the country.

Now he suddenly realized, the issue was not just about balance anymore.

Considering the performance of the Southwestern Army and the Central Army, they were simply two burdens.

If it weren’t the fact that the Kingdom was running out of soldiers, Caesar III wouldn’t even give this trash a glance.

The main issue was still the aftereffects of blind optimism.

Capable noble children all ran to earn their merits in the Northern Expedition Army, leaving behind only troublemakers.

“Your Majesty, although Earl Hudson has refused to become the commander, we can still let him take charge of the troops first.

Among all the generals in the kingdom, he is most capable of maintaining military discipline.

His soldiers are the most obedient, never leaving their barracks without orders.

The current Southwestern Army and Central Army need this kind of strict military commander to overturn the corruption within the army!”

Duke Eufeele, the Minister of Military Affairs, spoke righteously.

The hot potato must be received by someone.

Hudson, who is capable, performing excellently and without any underlying background, was undoubtedly the best choice.

“Laurent, how does Earl Hudson manage his army?”

Caesar III asked with concern.

To pull a completely corrupt team out of the mire was not an easy task.

The previous commanders had also taken measures, but unfortunately, they still ended in failure.

“Your Majesty, I am not quite sure how Earl Hudson manages his army.

But in the Southeastern Army camp, I heard sorrowful howls, probably the screams of punishment from soldiers who violated military discipline.

Perhaps the strict military discipline of the Southeastern Army was forged through strict military laws.”

Earl Laurent responded uncertainly.

This answer, however, did not satisfy everyone.

No matter how strict the military law, it also needed to be executed.

Once the officers became corrupt, no military regulation was more than a show.

“Humph!

”

“If you don’t know, then send someone there to learn.

The Military Department, immediately arranges some capable men to go.

The unqualified ones, don’t go to make trouble.

Laurent, make another trip, make sure that Earl Hudson takes over the Southwestern Army and Central Army.

Pass the order down, and let these two troops move closer to the Southeast Army.

After this, I do not want to hear any bad news!”

Caesar III ordered indignantly.

…

In the Moxi Duchy, Prince George warmly greeted the reinforcements from the Human Alliance.

Precisely speaking, this welcome activity has been ongoing for half a month.

No choice, the Inner Human Alliance was too diverse, and there were conflicts among them.

Expecting them to arrive together was truly too demanding.

“Your Highness, Leader of the Judging Knights Group, Blake, is here.”

The attendant’s words sent shockwaves through the crowd.

Even after hundreds of years, the well-known name of the Judging Knights Group was still a shadow in many people’s hearts.

The Judging Knights Group, unlike ordinary knight groups, has long evolved into a mishmash.

It not only has ground knights, but also flying knights and even a navy.

This giant organization that gathers the three services of land, sea and air has a total of 80,000 soldiers.

In terms of military strength, it is stronger than many countries.

The personal leadership of the Judging Knights Group’s leader demonstrated the Church’s emphasis on this operation.

The awe-inspiring entrance of the Triceratops Army gave everyone the feeling of earth-shaking movements from afar.

Their gigantic bodies immediately showed they were not easy to provoke.

Seemingly dissatisfied with their thunder being stolen by the Triceratops Army, the dragons in the sky let out a dragon song, instantly attracting everyone’s attention again.

When two pompous groups traveled together, the regular cavalry seemed dull in comparison.

Even if they were the elite of the elites, they became unremarkable in front of extraordinary soldiers.

“Go, hurry and greet them!”

Just as George’s voice fell, a new entourage appeared in the sky.

The same gigantic bodies marched forward like mountains.

Once again, a new dragon song filled the sky.

The sound was slightly different from the previous dragons, but it didn’t affect their domineering entrance.

Without waiting for his subordinates to report, just by looking at the lineup, George knew that this was the Frank Kingdom’s Tyrannosaurus Army and Pterosaur Cavalry.

Daring to confront the Clergy so directly, among all the nations of the continent, it could only be them.

However, compared to declaring the Pope as illegal, this minor confrontation was nothing.

Caught between two major forces, Prince George suffered greatly.

Both were top-notch forces within the human race, and he could not afford to offend either one.

Unfortunately, both were at odds with each other, making the hosting a major issue.

To greet one first would surely offend the other.

Even though deep down, he might favor the Frank Kingdom, he was uncertain about throwing the weakened Moxi Duchy into this power struggle.

“It’s lively enough, so why not add me in!”

A hearty voice came from the sky, relieving the awkward George.

Thrown between two strong adversaries, one could easily end up crushed.

But now, the situation had turned into a balanced three-way standoff.

The emergence of the Iberian Kingdom had put a temporary end to this contest.

Giant Eagle Cavalry, Vulture Cavalry, Gryphon Cavalry, a complete mixed bag of an air force, but still not as shocking as the earlier “Sub-dragon species”.

However, the ground-based Velociraptor army was by no means inferior.

Slightly smaller in size, but much more agile.

The second strongest nation on the continent, Iberia truly lived up to its name.

The confrontation between the three major powers indeed provided quite a show.

The remaining reinforcements all became subdued.

Compared to these three giants, other human forces, even though formidable, were much less prominent.

The three major powers each sent thirty thousand troops, comprising thirty percent of all reinforcements, but their combat power far exceeded half, taking on a hefty share of the burden.

…

In the Southeastern Army Camp, Hudson once again had unexpected visitors.

He really didn’t have the patience for these nobles who came to learn the way of discipline.

In an era where knowledge was closely guarded, he didn’t know what to say about such blatantly open espionage.

Deep down, he had already cursed Caesar III’s entire family countless times, but outwardly, he had no choice but to warmly welcome the guests.

Almost all of the Major Nobles from the Kingdom had sent representatives, whom he could ill afford to offend.

Facing the hidden resentment in the crowd, Hudson understood that Caesar III had procured him a sizable number of enemies.

Just because he refused to be the commander, did they have to be so petty?

He might think that, but verbally Hudson still praised the king’s wisdom along with everyone else.

He really couldn’t afford to offend anyone.

When the boss wants to make things difficult for a subordinate, there are too many ways to do it.

A moment of rashness would lead to a lifetime of tragedy.

Especially for someone like Hudson, who was on the brink of becoming a Major Noble, he couldn’t afford to offend the king.

He could save face, but if they wanted him to jump into a pit, no way.

Acting as a military commander was the same as being a commander, what difference did it make?

They all wanted to learn?

Then they can follow and learn.

How much they could learn would depend on their skill – Hudson wouldn’t teach willingly.

Leading soldiers in a battle largely depends on talent.

If you’re not able, then you’re simply not able.

Reading countless military books and studying many military strategies won’t change that.

Veteran generals are polished through experience, not combat prowess.

Mass-produced officers can only be low-ranking, not renowned ones.

“Respected Earl Hudson, by disciplining your army in this manner, what would you consider the dignity of nobility?”

As a discordant voice sounded, Hudson knew that the disrupters had arrived.

Now under punishment, they were a group of noble juniors, and they happened to be stumbled upon by the study observation group.

Strict military discipline comes with a price.

The majority of the Southeastern Army, a motley crew, managed to maintain order without infringing on civilians.

The price, was a bunch of noble juniors’ bottoms.

It was a straightforward operation – anyone not obedient was dragged out and beaten, right under the eyes of their soldiers.

If one punishment didn’t work, they could go another round.

If you want to live easily in the Southeastern Army, you must endure beatings.

The cries in the camp mostly came from the rebellious junior nobles.

As for the serf soldiers, knowing their masters have been beaten, how could they not behave?

Occasionally, for those who would not be convinced, their heads would be left hanging on the flagpole outside.

Each and everyone, Hudson was never lenient dealing with them.

He didn’t decapitate any aristocratic officers, only had them beaten, that was him saving face for their clans.

Complaining about the dignity of nobility was simply ridiculous.

“A bunch of guys who lack the quality of nobility, they’re a disgrace to the nobles.

They don’t deserve the dignity of nobility, do you see a problem with that?”

While posing the counter-question, Hudson’s sharp gaze locked onto the young noble.

An invisible pressure pushed him back three steps.

He originally planned to say something, but his morale had deflated.

The words got stuck on the tip of his tongue, his speech hesitant.

After a short clash, Hudson was not exhilarated by his victory.

It wasn’t that the quality of the nobles was poor, but the quality of these disrupting nobles was poor.

The reason was straightforward, the young and promising had all gone to the front.

Those who remained in the kingdom either had no military talent or were just waiting for a free meal.

Only a very few, because of severe injuries from previous battles, had to stay back for recovery.

The fact that someone jumped out to cause trouble so quickly was enough to prove that many in the kingdom weren’t welcoming this newcomer player to the field.

There was no way around, wasn’t he too young?

No one could stand having someone younger and from a poorer background rise above them.

This made them lose face, they couldn’t use their usual excuses.

It wasn’t due to special objective conditions, but their incompetence, preventing them from rising.

To most of the younger generation, Hudson was both a role model and a reality-check.

From the accent, the earlier agitator seemed to come from the Northland.

Hudson could vaguely sense the origin of the hostility.