King
Chapter 576 - 576 130 Early Preparation V S Failed Test_2

576: Chapter 130, Early Preparation V S Failed Test_2 576: Chapter 130, Early Preparation V S Failed Test_2 Despite Caesar III seeming determined to this plan, he has been trying to push it in every possible way.

Even I, as the frontline commander, have repeatedly pointed out risks, but I couldn’t change the king’s resolution.

The reason is obvious to me, it all boils down to the succession of the royal family.

Caesar III only has one son, and unfortunately, he doesn’t have much confidence in his son’s ability.

If the Orc Empire is left intact, they will certainly return in force decades later.

The shrewd Caesar III does not think his son can withstand them.

At least the performance of Crown Prince Caesar now is hardly reassuring.

If not for the kingdom’s strict succession laws, he would have wanted to start over with an alternate heir.

If the heir cannot be changed, then he can only pave the way for his son in advance, and eliminate the potential threats of the future.

As for whether the Orcs, once the binds are released, would rise again in the future, he simply has too many concerns to consider.

At the very least, hitting them hard now can buy several decades of peace and ensure the throne is successfully passed on to his grandchildren.

Issues beyond that lie in the distant future—about what will happen then, who can predict with certainty?

“Your Excellency the Count, you are truly overestimating me.

The composition of the allied forces is too complicated; just stationing them here has emerged countless conflicts.

When we get to the battlefield, things will be even less controllable.

Without a unified command system, the coordination will have to rely on us!”

Marquis James voiced his concern.

However great personal communicative skills may be, they cannot change the reality of the world.

No matter how flowery his speech, he can’t align a group of people with different intentions.

“Your Excellency the Marquis, what will happen on the battlefield is unclear to all.

What we need to do now is to launch a counter-offensive as soon as possible, leading them to the battlefield.

Given the hatred between our human race and the orcs, everyone can at least stick to the most basic rules.

If we can convince everyone to act together, then we act together.

If the conditions do not exist, then everyone fights their own battles.

With the power of the allied forces, even if everyone is indiscriminately killing without a purpose, that would be enough for the Orc Empire to handle.

The kingdom is pressing so hard, the financial situation must be problematic.

I have roughly estimated, the daily expenses on the front line will not be less than 80,000 gold coins.

Taking into account the price inflation caused by the war, and the consumption along the transportation route.

The actual military expenditure should be several times of this number.

If this continues, I’m afraid the kingdom’s finances will collapse first before the war ends.”

Hudson said with a pretended helplessness.

The military expenditure can’t be suppressed.

It’s just that the kingdom had previously issued war bonds and received a large amount of cash income, so no one thought of suppressing the military expenditure.

As the commander-in-chief of the frontline, Hudson would never voluntarily propose to cut military expenditure, what he would do is only demand food and supplies.

As for the kingdom’s debt problem, let it be!

From what he knows, once a country steps onto the path of debts, there’s hardly a way to get out of the debt trap intact.

No one thinks about defaulting now, so they are worried that too much debt exceeds the kingdom’s repayment capacity and urges the frontline to speed up the war.

“I’ll do my best!

But Count, are you ready for this war?

The real dilemma is not to dispatch troops, but what happens after the army sets out.

If we are unable to defeat the enemy promptly, the pressure on the supply line will be enormous!”

Marquis James said with a hint of trepidation.

Before Hudson could answer, Duke Cavadia beside him interrupted, “Your Excellency, Marquis, you worry too much.

For the upcoming decisive battle, we began preparations half a year ago.

The abundance of dried meat hanging in the camp is the best proof.

The choice to launch the attack at this moment, the most critical point, is the season.

Now it is the end of August, and sending the army out right now disrupts the Orcs’ autumn harvest.

Even if we don’t make much headway on the battlefield, outside it, we have inflicted heavy damage on the Orc Empire!”

Hearing this explanation, a glimmer of joy appeared on the face of Marquis James, but in the depths of his heart he was cursing under his breath.

As the Grand Army Commander, he was not informed about such critical news.

If it wasn’t for Duke Cavadia mentioning it now, he probably would have been kept in the dark until the army set out.

Luckily, his inner strength was strong enough to restrain his emotions.

If it had happened to a more short-tempered leader, they might have exploded in anger at this obvious lack of trust.

“James, don’t overthink it.

The reason we didn’t tell you is because we were caught up in a lot of military affairs and we simply forgot.”

Hudson said, trying to comfort him.

He had no choice; the trouble was due to his reputation.

As the king’s confidant, who frequently reported to the capital, whoever was the Commander in Chief had to be on their guard!

If the capital found out they were prepping for an expedition so early, they might have ordered their troops to attack even sooner.

To buy more time and increase their odds of victory, Hudson put in a lot of effort.

“Rest assured, Your Excellency!

it’s a small matter, hardly worth mentioning.

My main concern is that I was too careless.

If I had paid closer attention, I would have realized it earlier.”

Marquis James said reluctantly.

Deep down, he was far from calm.

He had thought his abilities were formidable enough and that his failure to become the Commander in Chief was only due to the power struggle between the king and the nobles.

The harsh reality slapped him across the face, attributing his comprehensive knowledge of military affairs to a novice.

As someone adept at reading people, James noticed Duke Cavadia’s sarcasm.

Suddenly, he felt that Hudson’s early preparations for war had not only been kept from him.

Perhaps the Duke Cavadia in front of him had also been given the same treatment.

Except, with his vast experience, he had immediately seen through Hudson’s strategy.

Perhaps the so-called deception was not really an attempt to hide something from them, but rather a test of their military capabilities.

With great amounts of dried meat being stockpiled in the military and continuous demands for various strategic supplies from the kingdom, it was clear that preparations for war were underway.

Busy with networking and coordinating relationships among all the major forces, he had somehow neglected the obvious issue at hand.

For a moment, James couldn’t help doubting himself: if such important details were overlooked, was he really not suitable for leading an army?

Seeing this, Hudson internally shook his head.

While Hudson recognized the abilities of Marquis James, he regretted that James placed too much importance on his connections.

Once a military leader shifts their focus towards networking, they are heading down a path of no return.

In this aspect, Marquis James, who was skillful but lacked notable battle honors, wasn’t just unlucky.

When one’s attention is divided, opportunities can slip away, even if they’re placed right in one’s hands.

With their little episode over, another crack had appeared in the three-person command group’s relationship.

Hudson, however, took no notice.

It’s not easy being a Commander in Chief, especially when leading the entire elite of a country.

If you can’t manage the relationships among your subordinates, you’re deemed incompetent.

Yet, being too friendly with them is seen as a sin.

The two vice commanders were appointed by the king to balance his power.

How could Hudson dare to turn them into his own people?

If he really did, not only would he not be tolerated by Caesar III, but also by all the nobles of the king.

When one’s ability and identity do not match, being overly competent is also a sin.

After the meeting, Hudson stood on the city tower alone, staring into the distance after the two men left.

The decisive battle that would determine their fate was finally approaching.

As for how the war should be fought and to what extent, Hudson was also uncertain.