King
Chapter 536 - 536 106 Mediator_1

536: Chapter 106, Mediator_1 536: Chapter 106, Mediator_1 Unaware of the change in the higher-up’s thinking, Hudson continued to lead the army forward.

From the initial twenty miles a day, it gradually rose to twenty-five miles a day.

He proved his devotion to the kingdom through his actions, shedding blood and risking his neck for the kingdom’s cause.

Besides, other than a bit of chaos during the first few days, the following days were placid.

The price was occasional cries of pain and screams in the army.

No matter how strict the military discipline, there were always people who dared to break the rules.

Out of necessity, Hudson had to extend the collective punishment to military officers, ordering the aristocratic military officers to police each other.

Failure to report in a timely manner would result in punishment.

Military Priests were observing from the sidelines, ensuring no lives were taken.

However, there was no limit to the amount of pain inflicted.

The cronies of these wastrel officers were naturally with these noble lords, accompanying them.

The difference was they only kept their heads, with the lower half of their bodies used as fertilizer.

Already enduring unbearable pain, they had to suffer through bumpy rides on the open carts, along with company of the severed heads.

Especially those wastrels with numerous cronies whose entire body would bury in heads.

The horrific and grotesque sight would be something they would never forget.

It wasn’t that Hudson was heartless.

Every person whose heads he had severed deserved their fate.

Sons of the nobility creating disturbances left and right, these lackeys contributed at least half of these “achievements”.

As the beneficiaries, if they could not undermine the system that favoured them, all they could do was suffer.

The truth was, the sacrifices of these people was not in vain.

They served as a deterrent, and the wastrels who luckily survived, became especially obedient.

The original counsellors, who plotted and schemed for the sons of nobility, now strove to keep them in line, lest their masters attracted trouble that would cost their lives.

Once they settled down, everything was going well.

The army continued to advance smoothly, other than being a “bit” slow, there were no major issues.

Considering the ongoing increase in march speed of the army, Hudson’s strategic command was evident, even though the increments weren’t much.

Following the principle that resources should not be wasted, Hudson promoted his confidants in the army and arranged for his people to gather experience in key positions.

The military positions were temporary and were not part of the official fleet of the kingdom’s army.

The excuse was to maintain military discipline.

Given the previous blunders of the Southwestern Army and the Central Army, nobody could say anything if Hudson, the proxy commander-in-chief, wanted to maintain military discipline.

After a series of combined punches, he managed to establish strict commands.

As for other matters, Hudson couldn’t care less for now.

With the army dilly-dallying all the way to Northland while the reinforcements from the Human Alliance were still dragging their feet, Hudson found the situation embarrassingly awkward.

Moving forward would mean entering the newly recovered provinces.

The defenses here were in ruins, but with some patchwork, they could be used; whereas in the front, they could only hope to find traces of ancient battlefields.

“Pass the order down, the whole army is to halt.

Set up camp here, repair the defenses, re-establish the battle line.

Send someone to inform the kingdom, so His Majesty the King sends a competent general to command the whole army, and also urge the Alliance’s reinforcements.”

Said Hudson calmly.

If anybody dared to move forward, they could; he, for one, wouldn’t dare to lead this mismatched group into a field clash with the Orc army.

Building defense lines in situ to resist a possible Orc invasion is already showing responsibility to the kingdom.

…

As the Alpha Kingdom was in distress, the Orc army was likewise filled with a somber mood.

A large number of cannon fodder troops thrown into the battlefield, indeed attacked the encircled Northern Expedition Army, but also stimulated more domestic tribes’ resistance.

Originally, everyone just moved to avoid the five royal clans’ recruitment, but now it has evolved into armed confrontation.

Where there is oppression, there is resistance.

The Beastman tribes, unwilling to become cannon fodder on the battlefield, surprisingly united and established a power in the Orc Empire.

Furthermore, this new separatist force is very attractive, quickly attracting countless tribes to join.

This was an inevitable result: all the Orcs, suffering under the Five Royal Clans for long, gathered at the beckoning call.

With the foreign enemies not yet cleared, and internal strife escalating, the Orc Empire was also in an awkward situation.

Between “repelling the enemy” and “securing internal stability,” a choice had to be made.

“The Alpha Kingdom has sent a message.

They want us to release their army.”

Alex said impassively.

Even though they were adversaries, the higher-ups on both sides still maintained contact under the table.

Previous smuggling activities seemed like people were corrupt with greed; in actuality, it was an unspoken agreement between the higher-ups of both sides.

As the former head of the Five Royal Clans, this secret line of contact has always been in the hands of the Bimon Tribe.

“Are the Alpha People crazy!

They say to release the prisoners, and we’re just supposed to release them?

Why should we?”

The Bearman Emperor derisively said.

Having paid a heavy price to create a hope of retaining the Alpha Kingdom’s main force, they couldn’t simply give up because of the enemy’s demands!

“Because now the Human Race is stronger, while we are weaker!

Because the reinforcements from the Human Alliance are continuously rushing over, while all we have are endless rebellions!”

The Lionman King sneered.

The earliest act of war was instigated by him.

Now, he had conveniently become part of the Peace Faction.

Everything was driven by interests.

Although he hadn’t managed to establish enough prestige through the war, what mattered was that he had succeeded in eliminating his opposition.

The Lionman race suffered little harm in the war.

And those who had died were all his adversaries.

Now that things were going well, it was time to end the war, which the Lionman King naturally felt no pressure about.

“Letting the enemy leave is easy, but the trouble is trying to ensure the Human Race will immediately end the war?

If the Alpha Kingdom could dictate the Human Alliance, the Empire would have been destroyed ten times over by now.

Unlike previous times, the Human Alliance is now shouting about a genocidal war.

As the ruler of the continent, one can’t just talk the talk without walking the walk, can they?”

The Silver Moon Wolf Emperor expressed his worries.

As the ruler of the continent, aside from strength, what matters most is credibility.

If one frequently breaks their word, who will value your rule in the future!

When it comes to the stability of the human’s hegemony, trying to get the other party to retract their words is clearly not an easy task.

Not to mention the Human Alliance, even whether the Alpha Kingdom itself will honour the agreement is uncertain.

If, after releasing the enemy’s troops, the opponent then reneges and launches an attack against them again, it would truly be a tragedy.

“Actually, there is a way to ensure the other party fulfils their promise.

For instance, ask a race that the Alpha Kingdom wouldn’t dare to provoke to vouch for it.

Of course, when it comes to the whole Human Alliance, one race wouldn’t necessarily be able to deter them.

It would be best to bring all the races of the continent together to negotiate.”

As soon as Alex’s voice fell, the same idea surfaced in the minds of several emperors – the “Dragon Race”.

The only one that the Alpha Kingdom dare not offend that also has a certain deterrent effect on the human race, is the Dragon Race, who are famously home to numerous strongman.

To ordinary people, the Dragon Race represents power and mystery, but for the high-ranking members of each race, the Dragon Race is primarily a symbol of strength.

As one of the oldest rulers of the continent, the Dragon Race long ago migrated out of the Continent of Aslante, returning to their lair – “Dragon Island”, or the Dragon Continent.

Given the large migration of their race, even the occasional intervention of a few rogue dragons can still stir up trouble on the continent.

When it comes to the Dragon Race, the word “headache” is what every race on the continent would use to describe them.

A Dragon Slayer, it sounds powerful, but the reality is that 99.9999% of Dragon Slayers become snacks for evil dragons.

Less than one in a hundred thousand Dragon Slayers who succeed, while achieving fame and fortune, also have to be prepared for revenge from the Dragon Race at any time.

Don’t expect any powerful races to provide protection.

Dragon Races like these are powerful and elusive enemies, and any race can only be puzzled by them.

If dragons become rogue, it won’t be the business of the human race anymore.

Just imagining a group of dragons launching guerilla attacks everywhere, anyone can predict the outcome.

Once such enemies are provoked, even the most influential power will rapidly decline.

In countless past generations, many overconfident individuals have paid the blood price for this.

“Alex, moving the Dragon Race into action is not easy, let alone the fact that we’re running out of time!

You all know the time perception of these long-lived dragons.”

It’s not the Silver Moon Wolf Emperor worrying needlessly, but the long-living dragons really are insensitive to time.

Creatures that can sleep for several years at a time, can’t be expected to make efficient decisions, it’s just not possible.

They might not even have enough time to convince the Dragon Race to intervene before the Orc Empire falls.

“To persuade the Dragon Race is difficult, but to persuade a single dragon is not nearly as hard.

As long as we are willing to pay handsomely, we can buy a dragon to mediate.

As long as we don’t mention it, how would the Human Race know that it’s only one dragon mediating, and not the entire Dragon Race?

By then, we can involve all the races of the continent, and collectively pressure the Human Race, they will most likely compromise.

Fundamentally, the ones who insist on annihilating the Empire are the northern countries of the Human Race, and among these countries, the most influential one is the Alpha Kingdom.

Once we deal with them, it is equivalent to having dealt with half of the War Faction in the Human Race, then the remaining problems become much easier to solve.”

Alex said with a smile.

He contemplated this plan for a long time.

It was a plan that he presented after weighing the pros and cons of all parties.

To be frank, given his steady character, he doesn’t like to show off like this.

However, the pit left by the Old Bimon Emperor was so big, he had to find a way to fill it.