king.

Chapter 654 The Fork in the Road

Local wars do not affect the kingdom's strategic layout, and the strategy of destroying the orcs is still the first national policy.Caesar IV signed his name on the official document, and the Treasury, which had always been a debtor, finally became a creditor for once.

More than [-]% of the noble lords who were conferred this time chose to default on their royalties.It can be seen that the aristocratic group of Alpha Kingdom is really not rich.

Even if they make a fortune from the Papal State, everyone's pockets are still not rich.Even if you have some spare money in your hand, you don't dare to use it casually.

After all, they are going to open up wasteland on the border, and there are still many places where money will be needed later!
The miserable data also confirmed the fairness of this noble canonization.The military doesn't just accept connections when it sees them, but carefully screens them.

When we get to the front line, we are all comrades-in-arms.You need to rely on your back at all times. If you meet someone unreliable, you can only harm others and yourself.

Of course, the most important thing is that the coach Hudson is not short of money!

Since he became the commander-in-chief of the kingdom's military, he has never made a single penny out of it, nor has he ever taken advantage of his position to benefit himself.

Not only is he not corrupt, Hudson also vigorously combats corruption in the military.The coach's integrity has also affected many military generals.

In the process of opening up and expanding the territory, everyone has already reaped a lot of benefits, and there is really no need to continue taking risks.

Hudson would not kill noble generals directly, but he was good at killing people with borrowed swords.Once corruption is discovered, they will be asked to "do meritorious service" and be transferred to the cannon fodder unit.

Typical aristocratic gameplay, no one can find fault with it.Except for the transferee who may have some minor objections, even the family behind him is very satisfied.

It is better to stay on the battlefield and "do meritorious service" than to be deported directly in the name of "corruption".

Wealth and honor can be found in danger, and after a few victories, the previous affairs will be wiped out; if unfortunately one dies in battle, one can wash away the shame with blood and save the face of the family.

……

Blood Moon Line of Defense.

The celebration party has already begun, and Hudson is busy moving through the crowd, feeling pain and happiness.

Generally speaking, defensive counterattacks are basically blood losses.At most, they can only harvest a little bit of the enemy's remaining weapons and logistical supplies.

The situation this time is obviously different. The special magic-breaking gun inserted on the top of the city is worth a lot of money.

Coupled with the trophies seized in the subsequent hunt, it was unprecedentedly able to offset the cost of the war.

The poor inner-earth race actually showed its wealthy side in front of everyone. This was no small matter.

After seeing the harvest, the peace faction within the province all turned into the war faction. Everyone has already determined that the Giant Foot Centipede has a large number of rich ores in its territory in the inner earth world.

The evidence is all in the weaponry.This was also confirmed during the interrogation of the prisoners.

"The opportunity to make a fortune is here!"

Everyone's mood was very high, and even at the celebration banquet, they couldn't help but discuss it.

"The military morale is available" is a good thing, but it is also a troublesome thing.The people under his command are too warlike, and it is not easy to stop the chariot.

The lively celebration banquet was over, and the expected counterattack never came, and the people below quickly became unable to sit still.

For a time, Governors Hudson and Pierce became the focus of everyone's harassment, constantly preaching the benefits of counterattack.

……

"Marshal, if we keep suppressing it for a long time, there is no solution!"

Governor Pierce said with a look of embarrassment.

Compared to Hudson, the coach, he, the governor, is under greater pressure.Not only the small and medium-sized nobles in the province are urging, but even the Dalton family is actively fighting.

“If you can’t wait any longer, then just tell them!
The centipede clan can be exterminated at any time, but there is only one chance to open up the trade route to the Hessian Kingdom.

We are all allies, and if the Hessians don't agree, we can't forcefully open this trade route.

Now that the opportunity has come, I can't let it go.

This matter is a good thing for the nobles of the entire southeastern province, and there is no need to worry about everyone's support.

Anyway, the villains are the inner earth races. As long as we don’t admit it afterwards, the Hessians can only hold their noses and admit it.

If these disgusting centipedes perform well on the battlefield, the Hessians might ask the kingdom for help again.

When the time comes, we will occupy the Hundred Mile Corridor openly and only need to build a military fortress at the other end to seize the strategic initiative in the future.

If the Hessians remain peaceful, we will all remain allies; if they dare to make trouble, we can immediately..."

Planning alliance strategies is not glorious, but the interests between countries are eternal.

As an important shareholder of Alpha Kingdom, Hudson naturally has to put the interests of the kingdom first.

The same reasoning applies to Governor Pierce.

Putting aside strategic interests, after opening up this business channel, the two companies can also recover considerable business interests.

I can't guarantee anything else. There will definitely be an extra three to five points in the family financial account every year.

It may seem like a small proportion, but considering the size of the two families, the increased tax revenue is not a small amount.

As for the new national defense pressure, they were ignored by the two of them.

Perhaps after completing the military reform, the Hessian Kingdom may become stronger, but that is only a possibility.

The current comparison of military strength between the two countries is now very different.

If he had not personally led troops to support the Hessian Kingdom, Governor Pierce would not have been able to believe that this neighbor had declined so drastically.

History has proven that the degeneration of the ruling class is almost irreversible once it has begun.

Pure top-down reform, even if successful, can only alleviate urgent needs.

Looking at the several countries on the mainland that have successfully reformed, all of them have experienced bloody massacres, purged the original vested interest groups, and almost overturned the social order and rebuilt it.

In fact, the reforms of the Alpha Kingdom are also incomplete.

It's just that the ruling group's awareness of crisis has gone too far, and everyone is trying their best to develop military strength. Even if the royal government is extremely poor, it still has the most powerful army in the contemporary era.

The strong military strength and continuous victories in foreign wars directly cover up the shortcomings in other aspects.

“The marshal is right, there are gains and there are losses, and we cannot take all the good things.

As long as the trade route is open, our two families can form another knight order, and it will be worth the scolding.

I will ask people to release the news later. No one can refuse this kind of thing that is beneficial to everyone's interests! "

Governor Pierce said with a smile.

The trade route has not yet been opened, but the increased financial revenue has been arranged by him in advance.

This is also the normal state of the kingdom's nobles. As long as fiscal revenue increases, military expenditures will inevitably increase.

The Koslow family is like this, the Dalton family is like this, and the small and medium-sized nobles in the province are no exception.

When it comes to expanding military strength, nobles who dare to compromise have long been eliminated.

"Your Majesty the Governor, actually the Hessians may not scold us.

The race in the center of the earth will definitely not be willing to fail and will definitely take revenge.

There will be a fire in our north gate granary tomorrow night, and a large amount of baggage will be destroyed, slowing down the march of the army! "

Hudson said casually.

Originally, he was not prepared to explain his words, but Governor Pierce was a traditional aristocrat and did not have that rich imagination.

There are countless reasons for sending troops, and there are also many reasons for not sending troops.

It is definitely not a good choice to simply stand still and watch the inner earth race invade the Hessian Kingdom.

If they persuade the royal government through diplomatic means and ask the southeastern provinces to send troops, it would not look good to directly confront the central government to save face.

The fire in the granary was a perfect excuse. The Beimen Granary had just been built.In terms of area, it is the largest granary in the southeastern province.

It's just that this huge granary has not yet had time to fill it with food.

I originally thought it was prepared for the Southern Expedition, but I didn't expect that the purpose of establishing the project was actually to be "burned."

How much food is burned after a fire is determined by the frontline generals.

Anyway, the food and military expenses of the southeastern province all come from the province's own funds, and the royal government does not participate in it.

"The despicable and disgusting centipede actually burned our 30 tons of grain, 150 tons of fodder, [-] pieces of cloth, [-] tons of salt, [-] tons of sugar...

It is truly an unpardonable crime! "

Governor Pierce filled in the data with understanding.

The numbers are a bit exaggerated, but they are all fake anyway, so there is no need to pay too much attention to these details.

As the richest province in the kingdom, it is barely enough for a family with a little wealth.With such heavy material losses, it was only natural that they would lose the ability to continue attacking in a short period of time.

If the Royal Government urges the dispatch of troops, it must first solve the gap in military supplies.

If it were to attack the orcs, maybe everyone would join together, but to rescue the Hessian Kingdom, everyone would definitely not be so motivated.

In the past few years, the Hessian Kingdom implemented the strategy of advancing northward and poached the kingdom's corners. Everyone still remembers this account!
There has been no liquidation, that is the strategic need of the kingdom.

It is impossible to expect the royal government to exert full pressure on the southeastern provinces for the sake of the Hessians. At most, it can only be a show-off to show off to the allies.

In the previous several troop dispatches, the Alpha Kingdom only dispatched troops, and each country's government was responsible for the logistics.

The battlefields are all within the borders of various countries, so mobilizing supplies is naturally a piece of cake.

Now that they are launching an attack from the southeastern province, the Hessians do not have the ability to drop a large amount of strategic materials in a short period of time.

All the loopholes have been plugged, and the only trouble now is: does the Centipede clan dare to continue to invade the Hessian Kingdom?

Looking at each other with Governor Pierce, Hudson suddenly regretted that he had struck too hard before and hit the Centipede Clan so painfully.

If these guys get too scared to continue provoking a war, this plan will be scrapped.

Briefly annoyed, Hudson quickly abandoned the worry.

The opportunity to kill the enemy's sanctuary is too rare. A race as stupid as the Giant Centipede is very rare in the entire continent.

The war lasted for such a long time, and the number of troops lost by both sides was probably in the millions.

But there are very few sanctuaries for the dead.

If the enemy did not lack sufficient vigilance and was caught off guard, it would be difficult to achieve success.

Under normal circumstances, as soon as Maxim appears, the opponent's Sanctuary should run away.

It is important to seek business routes, but it is more important to eliminate the high-end power of the inner earth race.

If these guys cannot be wiped out before the centipede clan is destroyed, there will be many more "terrorists" on the continent in the future.

Without racial concerns, there is nothing these unscrupulous guys dare not do.

Hudson couldn't even imagine that touching scene.

In the continental competition, many failed races were able to maintain their inheritance. The biggest reason was that the strong ones in the race still survived.

The winner doesn't want to do everything possible and force out a group of terrorists.

Including the alien races that were destroyed by the human race a few years ago, in fact only most of their power was wiped out, and there were still a few tribal remnants.

If the strong men of the Centipede Clan cannot be wiped out, there will still be some remnants of the Centipede Tribe left in the future as a weak point to check and balance these strong men.

……

When people are unlucky, they drink cold water and jam their teeth.

Kingdom of Hesse.

The poor geographical location determines the tragedy of this unlucky kingdom.

From the last continental war to now, almost every time something happened in the continent, they were one of the unlucky ones.

Alien invasions, cult rebellions, demonic disasters, and earth-centered race invasions, none of them can be avoided.

Now is no exception, they have caught up with the second wave of cult invasion.

The national power is not as strong as the Alpha Kingdom, but the treatment they enjoy is equal. Three entrances to the center of the earth suddenly appeared in the country.

The only good news is: one of them did not invade the Hessian Kingdom, but went to kick the iron plate in the southeastern province of the Alpha Kingdom.

With the help of their allies, they were able to calm down the chaos in the center of the earth. Suddenly, two new waves of invasions from the center of the earth forced the Hessians to divide their forces.

Once the troops were dispersed, the advantage turned into a disadvantage, and there was a shortage of troops on many fronts.

“Countries are experiencing an invasion from the center of the earth at the same time, and the number of entrances to the center of the earth that have appeared in this wave is even greater than before.

Everyone is busy dealing with internal troubles, and the strength of the allies will definitely not be counted on in a short time.

There are two roads before us now:

Either take the risk of drawing troops from the front line and bet that the alien alliance will not launch an invasion;
Either carry out nationwide mobilization and enter a state of all-out war.

No matter which choice you make, there are many hidden dangers.

No one can guarantee whether the alien alliance will take the opportunity to invade, and the kingdom simply cannot afford to gamble.

National mobilization consumes a huge amount of manpower, material resources, and financial resources. The neighboring Kingdom of Alpha and the Principality of Moxi are examples.

The two countries are now deeply in debt and cannot recover without more than ten years of cultivation! "

The words of the Prime Minister Duke Milton made the hall fall into silence.

The essence of nationwide mobilization is the human sea tactic, which is about exchanging quantity for quality.

With the help of military instructors, the Kingdom of Hesse has initially established a national reserve system, but the specific combat effectiveness has always been a mystery.

However, judging from the intelligence collected, the combat effectiveness of the private armies of nobles in various places is now very divided.

Some noble lords who are willing to spend money and supplies have some reserve troops under their command that are somewhat arrogant in their training.

On the other hand, those noble lords who lack financial resources or are reluctant to invest heavily will have completely useless reserve troops under their command.

"The prime minister said it right. Now all countries are in trouble. In a short period of time, the only one the kingdom can rely on is ourselves.

In fact, even if the countries are not in trouble, the probability that we will continue to receive reinforcements is not high.

Reinforcements are not easy to ask for, and debts of gratitude must be repaid.If the debt continues, the price the kingdom will have to pay in the future will only be greater. "

Marquis Krasner was the first to express his position.

If he reaches out to his allies again, he, the foreign minister, will be unable to do so.

Losing face is a trivial matter. The key is that everyone is in trouble now and they don’t know who to turn to for help.

“You all say so, then mobilize the whole country!
The military will try its best to end the war early to reduce the impact of the war on the kingdom.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs still cannot be idle, and at least let the Alpha people help deal with the inner earth race entrenched in the Blackstone Mountains.

Otherwise, the military pressure the kingdom would need to bear would be too great!

After all, while annihilating the races in the center of the earth, we must also beware of the invasion of the alien alliance.

The kingdom's vast military power can only be used to encircle and suppress the races in the center of the earth, but at most only three or four of them can be used! "

Count Nicholas, the Minister of Military Affairs, immediately expressed his position.

He's had enough of the lack of troops!

If the Hessian Kingdom really did not have enough troops, he would admit it.The problem now is that the kingdom clearly still has troops, but every time it recruits noble private troops to participate in the war, there is always some wrangling.

The mobilization mechanism is imperfect, and there is a lack of a strong set of rules to constrain the mobilization of aristocratic private armies in peacetime.

The solution is very simple, just switch to war mode, and the Ministry of Military Affairs will have the power to legally mobilize all the troops in the kingdom.

Unlike before, every time you deploy troops, you have to argue with the noble lords: "The legality and fairness of the deployment."

That so-and-so has not been called up for a long time; that so-and-so should be called up before me...

Just solving these problems will take a lot of time, and the efficiency will naturally not be high.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will do its best, but I cannot guarantee you the specific results.

Judging from the intelligence collected, the Alpha Kingdom has not sent reinforcements to the southeastern province, and has no plans to send reinforcements.

The southeastern province is fighting against the invasion of the inner earth races with an army of one province.

With Marshal Hudson as the commander, there is definitely no problem in self-protection, but it is hard to say whether he can launch a counterattack! "

In the view of Marquis Krasner, the Alpha Kingdom is preparing to concentrate its superior forces to deal with the other two waves of geocentric races, and finally deal with the enemies entrenched in the Blackstone Mountains.

From the perspective of the Alpha Kingdom, this kind of military deployment is definitely strategically correct.

The only problem is: it may accidentally hurt their innocent ally, but this is not a reason for people to change their strategic decisions!

"The Ministry of Finance will try its best to raise war funds, but the military must ensure that foreign enemies are eliminated within six months.

If the delay is too long, then we will have no choice but to follow in the footsteps of the Mossi people and declare financial bankruptcy! "

……

(End of this chapter)