King
Chapter 869 - 869 83 New Official's Three Fires_2

869: Chapter 83: New Official’s Three Fires_2 869: Chapter 83: New Official’s Three Fires_2 Reluctance certainly existed, but there was more of a sigh of relief.

The current geopolitical situation on the continent was quite disadvantageous for the Kingdom.

In fact, before this, Caesar IV had asked James if he was interested in competing for the position of Commander in Chief, but after much hesitation, James gave up.

Everyone knows Hudson when mentioned: Dragon Knight, a famous general of the continent; but when it comes to Marquis James, the people of the Kingdom don’t even know who he is.

He couldn’t match Hudson in military achievements, and the gap in reputation was even more pronounced.

The support of the King was of no use with such a disparity between them.

After all, Caesar IV’s military prowess was well-known to everyone.

His opinion seemed important, but in reality, the likelihood of people agreeing was very low.

If you can’t beat them, join them.

If he couldn’t grab the position of Commander in Chief, the position of Vice Commander was quite good too.

This was no longer the era of Caesar III, when the King could directly appoint a Vice Commander.

At this moment, if James wanted to secure the position of Vice Commander, Hudson’s opinion was unavoidable.

There were many Major Nobles in the country qualified to compete, and Marquis James had no advantage.

Even though he held the position of Standing Army Commander, from the moment Hudson entered the camp, his position as Commander had become almost redundant.

Looking at the reaction of the other generals, it was clear that most of them didn’t mind Hudson seizing power right upon his arrival.

After all, most of these generals had been promoted directly by Hudson himself.

In the Kingdom of Alpha, where military achievements were the core of politics, the principle of advancement based on capability always prevailed.

James had very little room to nurture his own loyalists.

“It’s best if everyone can cooperate.

We’ve all come from the same battlefield, and no one wants to go to that extent.

I had a late breakfast, so I’m not hungry yet.

If you guys are hungry, go ahead and eat!

If you’re not hungry either, then come with me for another walk around the camp to check on the food for the ordinary soldiers.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Hudson stood and walked towards the door, without giving anyone a chance to retain him.

Seeing this, everyone perceptively followed him.

Only a few officers responsible for logistics had noticeably unnatural expressions.

Any closed system is a breeding ground for corruption, and the military is no exception.

The conditions for Aristocratic Military Officers need not cause worry, even the lowest-ranking Noble Knights received appropriate treatment.

Skimping on the food supply for Aristocratic Military Officers is not something the Kingdom of Alpha would dare to do.

If there were to be any mischief, it would target the ordinary soldiers at most up to the Commander of Ten level.

Watching the soldiers eat mashed potatoes, gnaw on dark bread, and sip on vegetable soup floating with bits of meat, Hudson returned to the dining room without a word.

There was no need to continue watching; just by looking at the food standards, it was almost in line with the regulations.

But the happy smiles on the soldiers’ faces revealed the true nature of the issue.

No matter what the food, if it’s the same every day, you wouldn’t see such expressions.

The standard provision of meals was clearly because he was visiting the camp today.

They had to perform well in front of their leader.

…

“I won’t interfere with past matters.

But from now on, the soldiers’ food standard is to increase by 0.5 pounds of meat per person per day based on today’s standard.

The extra meat, I’ll have the Military Department allocate to you later.

If not for the lack of military funds, it could have been deducted from our high-ranking officers’ food standards.

We’ll nourish everyone for a month, then I plan to do some serious training with the troops.

If the soldiers’ health can’t keep up, then someone will need to take responsibility.”

While speaking, Hudson had already torn off a large leg of a snow rabbit and started eating.

The ordinary officers didn’t show much change, and they began eating as well, but the few in charge of military supplies were clearly flushed.

Hudson’s words not only pierced through the veil of corruption but suggested that if budget controls were not managed well, they might even have to cover it from their own pockets.

“To deduct it from the high-ranking officers’ food standards,” everyone knew this was a joke.

If anyone really dared to do so, they couldn’t mix in the military anymore.

If it were a weaker commander who dared to cut their means of profit, they would definitely let the Commander in Chief know who ran the show.

Who didn’t have protectors to secure a lucrative position as a supply officer?

Even if there was embezzlement, it wasn’t just them who benefited; most of it was siphoned off by higher-ups.

But now, they could only think of it.

No one wanted to openly antagonize Hudson and become the “chicken that gets killed to warn the monkeys.”

Flickers of realization crossed their minds; even Marquis James frowned.

It was unclear if he was involved in the sharing or displeased that Hudson had bluntly exposed the issue without saving his face.

After all, while these issues might seem related to military supplies, they also reflected poorly on the overall military governance.

As if he hadn’t seen anything, Hudson continued, “Since no one has any objections, let’s go and implement it!

Marquis James, you are responsible for overseeing the implementation.

If anyone doesn’t cooperate, eradicating an entire family might be too cruel, but dealing with a branch family should be acceptable to everyone.”

A blatant threat!

In typical cases of corruption, the usual penalties were recovery of illicit gains and fines, with the culprits sent home.

For more severe cases, the punishments would include exile in addition to the above measures.

Only in particularly severe cases would decapitation occur.

For example, during the last war, the Five Great Dukes of the Northland were executed for embezzlement of military supplies on such a large scale that the situation became uncontrollable and they had to pay with their lives.