King
Chapter 761 - 761 42 Soothing policy_1

761: Chapter 42, Soothing *** policy_1 761: Chapter 42, Soothing *** policy_1 In the Mountain Domain, a wave of cheers erupts among the people as news of their new lord spreads.

This marked the maturity of the domain’s power, and if not for the timing, they would’ve immediately held a grand celebration.

The public festivities were cancelled, but unofficial celebrations were nonetheless plentiful.

This was not the Capital, so no one paid attention to the little matter of unladylike rejoicing.

After seeing his son safely born, Hudson immediately took off on a dragon’s back, heading straight for the Capital.

The advantage of dragon riders was displayed perfectly in this instance.

Even on a horse galloping full tilt, a regular knight would need half a month to travel to and from the Capital.

Maxim, though, could accomplish the trip in a single day.

The situation in the capital was tense, and Hudson knew that he couldn’t afford to be absent.

Yet, taking one day off was manageable.

Arriving at the Capital in high spirits, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

Before he could even step into his home, he was summoned to a meeting in the Royal Palace.

Sizing up the tense looks on everyone’s faces, Hudson was confused.

He had only been gone one day.

What had happened?

Had another important guest been assassinated?

If this were the case, the officials in charge of security could start considering early retirement.

“Everyone is here, let’s begin the meeting.

Count Carlos, Count Martins, would you please share the news from your domains?”

Emperor Caesar IV said grimly.

Faced with this, Hudson was quite embarrassed.

From the atmosphere of the room, it was clear that everyone else knew what was going on, and he was the only one in the dark because he had been away.

His intuition told him this must have to do with military matters.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have requested his presence specifically.

“We’ve just received news from the border: the army of the Black Forest Kingdom is gathering near the Kowalski and Oberon Provinces.”

The specific target is unclear at the moment, but Count Martins and I have analyzed the situation and agreed that the Black Forest people are preparing to attack our Kingdom.”

“Before I left, we put emergency plans in place.

The nobles currently holding the Kowalski and Oberon Provinces have already begun mobilizing for war.”

But I fear that our combined private armies are too weak to resist the enemy’s charge.”

Hearing Count Carlos’ words, Hudson was taken aback, a silent ‘that’s absurd’ echoing in his mind.

According to the traditions of the Continent of Aslante, when warring between human nations, it is first necessary to find a reasonable excuse to start the war, organize an army, and then issue a formal declaration of war.

Once the declaration of war is sent, the other side must wait for troops to assemble at the border before it can initiate the war.

If they choose to follow the rules a little more closely, the two sides would agree to the time and place of the first battle beforehand.

Once at the place, instead of launching into a fight, the high-level officials of both sides would engage in one last round of negotiation – or argument.

War would only formally begin if no agreement could be reached.

If one side manages to convince the other or capitulate, it isn’t unprecedented to call off the war altogether.

“The kingdom’s standing army has already set off and will arrive at the front line as soon as possible.”

Our reason for calling everyone here is to discuss whether the Black Forest people wish to incite war.”

If war breaks out, how should our Kingdom respond?

Will the stronger nations in the Central Region take advantage of our situation to cause trouble in the Northern Continent?

If the war becomes widespread, which enemies must we face, and which allies can we seek?”

The series of questions posed by Caesar IV left Hudson completely flabbergasted.

They weren’t discussing how to respond.

Rather, it seemed they had already sprung into action.

The provinces along the border had begun fully mobilizing, and the kingdom’s standing army was also on the move.

This was typical for the Alpha Kingdom.

The moment the Orc Army showed signs of movement, this was how everyone would respond.

Centuries of habit became second nature.

Everyone was subconsciously driven by instinct to issue orders.

This good habit wouldn’t change in a heartbeat.

Hudson seriously doubted that by the time the Alpha Kingdom’s army had assembled, the Black Forest people would still be debating whether to go to war.

“Your Majesty, perhaps the situation isn’t as dire.

The standing army of the Black Forest people only numbers around 230,000, with at most half available for deployment.”

No matter how elite their soldiers are, this is their total military force.

If we have nobles hold fort at their respective castles, the enemy might even fail to capture the Kowalski and Oberon Provinces.”

If they truly intend to invade our Kingdom, they would certainly engage in a nationwide mobilization.”

We should watch their next moves and then decide whether to mobilize nationwide ourselves.”

The Kingdom is in recovery and not fit for large-scale warfare.

If we can avoid conflict, it would be best if we did.”

Hudson advised with urgency.

But the more he spoke, the more he felt something was amiss.

Who exactly represented the hawks of the Kingdom?

How had he, a leading member of the War Faction, turned into a leader of the Anti-War Faction?

“Your Majesty, Earl Hudson raises valid points.

The Black Forest people are not as battle-thirsty as Orcs, and for the past eighty years, they have not initiated a war with more than two hundred thousand soldiers.”

This movement of troops could be a mere test, their ambassadors haven’t even withdrawn yet!”

Marquis Delgado immediately seconded Hudson’s opinion.

The finance department, truly, was the greatest advocate for peace in the Alpha Kingdom.

However, hamstrung by limited military knowledge, Marquis Delgado refrained from drawing hasty conclusions.

Now that Hudson, the Kingdom’s military authority had spoken up, Marquis Delgado’s mind was immediately put at ease.

If they could avoid conflict, they must certainly do so.

If the Kingdom’s reaction was overly aggressive and ignited the war, their finances would truly be doomed.