King
Chapter 997 - 997 126 Checks and Balances_2

997: Chapter 126: Checks and Balances_2 997: Chapter 126: Checks and Balances_2 Hudson’s initial report from the front only contained the number of casualties and their identities, without any detailed introduction.

“Your Majesty, according to the current pace of the Expeditionary Army, it will still take about ten days to reach the Capital.”

“Would you like us to urge them to speed up?”

Duke Aefero cautiously asked.

The bountiful achievements of the Expeditionary Army were hardly a secret in the Capital.

Since his own offspring were also in the army, most likely among the beneficiaries, naturally, no one would quibble over this.

Including the slow pace of the march, which was tacitly approved by everyone.

Besides, after such a long duration of intense combat, the Expeditionary Army deserved some rest; they couldn’t afford to exhaust their elite forces by hastening.

“Let it be, they have a lot of baggage, and if their marching speed is slow, then let it be slow!”

Caesar IV waved his hand and said.

On their return, reaching only half the speed of their deployment, the Expeditionary Army had indeed set a record, completely opposite to the normal march’s “eager to return.”

Caesar IV could afford to be calm because it was time to reap the fruits of victory on the western front.

Temporarily losing a few sparsely populated and poor provinces in the north was still tolerable.

But that didn’t mean that other Major Nobles could endure this.

In addition to letter after letter requesting aid, they also had to engage in public relations within the Capital.

“Your Majesty, there’s no rush regarding the rewards for the Expeditionary Army.

However, the situation on the Northern Border is urgent.

Since the outbreak of the war, we have lost thirteen counties, and various strategic locations are threatened.

The nobles in the border areas such as Count Orlan, Count Albert, Earl Doug, Count Forbes…

all have sent urgent pleas for help.

The Chief Commander on the front line, Marquis James, has also sent a plea for help, stating: ‘The Kingdom’s defenses deployed in the border areas are far from sufficient to meet the needs of the war.’

According to his estimation, if no additional reinforcements join the battle, the Kingdom will lose the Seven Northern Provinces again within the next three to six months.”

Prime Minister Duke Newfoundland said with a solemn expression.

From a purely economic perspective, the Seven Northern Provinces were a net loss to the Kingdom, requiring financial relief from the Central Government each year.

But that’s not how you calculate it.

The Alpha Kingdom had just over thirty provinces altogether; losing seven at once would be politically unbearable.

Such a tragedy would be devastating for the newly risen Emerging Aristocrat Group.

The Kingdom’s political structure would definitely be impacted.

The influence of the old nobility would further increase, and only Hudson from the Emerging Nobility would be left.

Protecting himself would not be a problem, but it was unthinkable for him alone to balance the power of the traditional nobility.

More likely, he would switch sides and join the ranks of the old nobility.

After all, the internal conflict in the Alpha Kingdom wasn’t that sharp; the lines between the old and new nobility groups had always been blurry.

The Koslow Clan had also inherited for a thousand years, and Hudson had filled their historical gaps; as long as they thickened their skins a bit, they could also join the circle.

“A nationwide mobilization, perhaps?”

Caesar IV asked uncertainly.

Every time the Orcs launched a full-scale invasion, the Alpha Kingdom would conduct a national mobilization.

Logically, this time should be no exception, but reality did not permit it.

The strategic resources currently gathered by the Kingdom were far less than in past wars.

If they proceeded with a nationwide mobilization, the biggest problem would be solving the logistics for the large army.

The newly recovered Seven Northern Provinces were all terribly poor, with almost zero industrial economy, and their food production could barely sustain themselves.

Let alone providing supplies to the large army; it would be good enough not to drag them down.

Worse still, the Kingdom would have to use precious strategic materials to help refugees created by the war commotion.

“Your Majesty, absolutely not!

The situation has not yet reached that point; nationwide mobilization has too great an impact and can only be the last resort.

Because of this war, in just the past month, the Kingdom incurred a new financial deficit of 3.86 million Gold Coins.

It’s still possible to find a way if there’s a lack of money, but strategic materials cannot be conjured from thin air.

Currently, wars are erupting everywhere, and it’s hard to purchase enough strategic materials even with money.

To gather resources, we’ve already exerted all our efforts.

Just the material consumption of the over-half-a-million-strong front-line army is driving the entire Kingdom nearly insane.”

The Marquis Delgado, Minister of Finance, lamented.

Among the high positions of the Alpha Kingdom, the Ministry of Finance was the least enviable.

It seemed prestigious and influential, yet it was indeed a mess.

It was either about patching up financial gaps or finding ways to do so.

Domestically and internationally, creditors were everywhere.

Whenever the night was still and quiet, the bald-headed Marquis Delgado even considered letting the finances collapse and just declaring bankruptcy.

However, such a disgraceful act, in the end, could only be thought of but not executed.

If bankruptcy were to happen, it could not occur on his watch.

Among all the ministers of the Kingdom, the number of resignation letters submitted by Marquis Delgado was the highest.

His contributions exceeded the total of all other government department heads.

When Caesar IV had ascended to the throne initially, he thought about replacing this meticulous old man.

However, after gaining a deeper understanding of the Kingdom’s finances, he eventually dismissed this perilous thought.

In any case, Marquis Delgado could still manage to patch up the deficits without causing a financial collapse.

Replacing him with someone less capable could very well lead to disaster.

Such a colossal deficit would even make Caesar IV nervous.

“Marquis Delgado is right,” that with the current state of the Kingdom, if we were to mobilize the nation, we could support the effort for no more than five months.

Especially with the poor road conditions in these seven provinces, which only adds to the logistical pressure.

According to our Ministry of Defense’s estimates, maintaining the current military strength on the front lines is already at its limit.

The best choice now is to have the front line hold on for a while, wait for the Expeditionary Army to complete its reorganization, and then rush to the front line to battle the enemy.

This is also Marshal Hudson’s opinion!” Duke Efiel agreed.

As the Minister of Defense, he was knowledgeable about warfare.

The situation at the front was indeed perilous, but it had not yet reached the point of immediate collapse.

Without the support of the Human Alliance, sustaining a 500,000-strong army with our own forces was already a miracle.

“Your Majesty, both ministers make good points, but we cannot disregard the demands of the nobles on the front lines.

If we cannot send reinforcements in the short term, could we consider appointing a more capable commander?” As soon as Prime Minister Duke Newfoundland finished speaking, Caesar IV immediately understood.

He was initially puzzled why these issues were contentious—turns out it was a performance for him to see, with the true aim of changing commanders.

Hudson hadn’t even arrived at the Capital yet, and a new position was swiftly assigned to him.

The sacrifice needed, Marquis James, happened to be one of his confidants.

Opposition was impossible.

With the most powerful figures united in their stand and regional nobles also making demands, the King had no way to obstruct.

It wasn’t that they didn’t give Marquis James a chance; it was simply that he couldn’t win battles.

No matter the reason, a loss is a loss.

Compared to a commander who suffered defeat, everyone was more willing to trust Hudson, who had made the Orcs question their existence in the last battle.

Even though the performance of Marquis James wasn’t poor and he managed to preserve the main force of the Kingdom’s Army under a situation where the enemy was stronger, comparisons were inevitable.

“Changing commanders at the battlefront is a major taboo for any military.

Moreover, Marshal Hudson just finished a major battle and also needs time to recover.

The Expeditionary Army that has just returned also needs to restore its combat capability and cannot do without Marshal Hudson.

How about this, let Marquis James continue to serve as the chief commander at the frontline for now, and once Marshal Hudson has dealt with the Expeditionary Army’s affairs, he can then take over the command at the front line.” Caesar IV struggled to advocate.

Despite his efforts for so long, everything had to reset, and he was devastated.

His inability to support Marquis James was due to the latter’s performance at the front.

Seeking time was also Caesar IV’s last struggle.

If Marquis James could achieve a major victory at the front, he could also gain some authority on military matters.

After exchanging looks, everyone agreed.

While no match for Hudson, compared to other generals of the Kingdom, Marquis James at least had the experience of commanding hundreds of thousands of troops.

In the last war, he served as the Vice Commander under Hudson, and later as the Standing Army Commander, so his experience in leading troops was quite substantial.

In truth, people didn’t want Hudson to monopolize power.

It was only the lack of a balancing candidate that led to this awkward situation.