King

The early collapse of the grassland countries directly affected the immigration work of the Alpha Kingdom. Countless refugees were brutally murdered by orcs while still on the road.

The number of refugees who successfully arrived in the Alpha Kingdom was less than half of what was expected in advance. Especially those who immigrated by land suffered the heaviest losses.

There is no doubt that the coastal nobles took advantage of this outcome.

Taking advantage of the convenience of sea transportation and being the first to get their share, more noble lords could only stare blankly.

In fact, now no one cares about the trivial matter of "refugees". As soon as the Kingdom of Light collapsed, the military pressure on the provinces in northern Xinjiang increased instantly.

He became a neighbor with the orcs again. With the grudges between the two sides, it was normal for the enemy to come and kill him at any time.

The sudden change in the situation forced the kingdom to hold another military meeting. Even Hudson, the expedition general, was recalled to attend the defense meeting.

"The defense line in Northern Xinjiang has not been completed yet. What do those guys on the front line do for food?"

the Prime Minister, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland, shouted angrily.

As early as when the continental war began to be rehearsed, the kingdom restarted the construction of the northern Xinjiang defense line. The kingdom allocates construction funds and materials, and a group of lords in the border areas are responsible for implementation.

In this regard, Alpha Kingdom is also experienced and has summed up a set of experiences.

The defensive line protects its own territory, so there is no need to worry about the participants not working hard. Even if some small nobles are different, there are still governors and governors watching over them.

All the lords in the border areas are from the entrepreneurial generation, and their abilities are obviously not that bad.

Unfortunately, the progress of defense line construction is still lower than expected.

"Prime Minister, everyone has tried their best. However, the human resources in the border areas are limited, and there is a lack of sufficient construction raw materials nearby.

In particular, stone is the most scarce, and quarries cannot be found in many areas. We can only bake bricks instead, which adds another step to the process. "

Earl Albert spoke up in defense.

These are real problems, and as Hudson can attest, there is a real shortage of building raw materials in the border region.

But these are all the fault of the lords themselves. Taking advantage of the defeat of the Orc Empire, the kingdom repeatedly moved its borders northward.

However, after a group of feudal nobles arrived, they did an even better job.

The exact amount of land enclosed was not clear to Hudson.

Anyway, I heard that a barony in northern Xinjiang is larger than a viscounty in the interior. The viscounty directly catches up with the earldom, and the earldom can catch up with some small provinces.

The most direct evidence is that the unfinished defense line in the hands of Hudson has now become the kingdom's third line of defense.

The area was originally sparsely populated, but after such expansion, human resources became even scarcer.

Of course, we can’t blame everyone for being greedy.

Without the ability to predict the future, no one would have known that the mainland war would break out so soon.

If the war starts in a few decades, by the time the Seven Prairie Kingdoms have established a firm foothold, these areas will be the heart of the human race.

If it were Hudson working hard in Northern Xinjiang, he would not give up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for expansion.

"Didn't we send laborers to you?

What's more, you will be the first to pick out the refugees who are coming in.

Now you are complaining about the lack of manpower, why did you go there earlier?

If construction materials are scarce, then build earthen walls!

Add some magic materials and arrange a magic circle, and the defense is not low either.

Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to take so much of the kingdom’s budget and now run away to complain? "

Marquis Delgado shouted angrily.

In order to raise funds for the front line, the Ministry of Finance has tightened its belt. Now that the results delivered are not as good as expected, he is naturally unhappy.

Facing the questioning gazes of the kingdom's dignitaries, several border governors in northern Xinjiang were like eggplants beaten by frost.

Lack of manpower and insufficient raw materials are just excuses. In essence, the border nobles are too poor.

No one has the courage to withhold funding for defense line construction, but misappropriation of funds does not happen rarely.

Blind optimism in the early stage delayed the progress of the project. After the outbreak of the mainland war, everyone became active, but the huge construction project could not be completed in a few months.

The most important thing is that the construction period is too tight, especially as the situation becomes increasingly tense, the Kingdom's requirements for the construction period have been repeatedly shortened.

“Let’s end the issue of the defense line here today!

Come to think of it, they didn't do it deliberately. No one expected the early collapse of the Seven Prairie Kingdoms.

Now change the strategy and put together some temporary defense lines for the unfinished parts, focusing on strengthening the defense of core strategic nodes.

As punishment for poor construction, all the noble lords responsible for the construction were assigned to garrison at strategic locations along the route. "

Hudson said coldly.

He no longer has the time to find out what the truth is.

Whether the defense line is filled with water or not, whoever uses it will know.

If you cut corners, you will pay for it with your life.

Once the flames of war begin, all problems will be exposed. Although Hudson looked serious on the surface, he was actually not panicking at all deep inside.

Several newly recovered provinces in Northern Xinjiang were destroyed, and the five nobles of the North were still there to support them. Starting from their territory, there are fortresses along the way to the royal capital.

It has only been a few years, and as long as it is not a shoddy project, it will definitely be usable now.

What's more, after the outbreak of the continental war, the noble lords along the way spontaneously organized manpower to maintain and reinforce the fortresses and castles within their own territories.

The Orc Empire in its heyday would have had a few front teeth knocked out when it came here, let alone the Orcs who were now severely weakened.

In contrast, the situation on the Western Front was more complicated.

"Marshal, the war on the Northern Front is about to break out. Shouldn't we..."

Before Count Oran could finish speaking, Hudson interrupted: "The kingdom will naturally send reinforcements, but they must be done in an orderly manner.

For the same force, distributed in various provinces and sent to northern Xinjiang, the required material consumption is not at the same level.

The strategic supplies raised by the kingdom are limited, only one-third of what they had before the outbreak of the last war.

Now all the countries in the mainland are busy with their own wars and don't care about us at all. Next, we can only use limited strategic materials to fight an infinite war. "

When it comes to the kingdom's strategy, my father-in-law's face is not enough.

We can explode troops in a short period of time, but there is no way to explode strategic materials in a short period of time.

In order to win the war, some sacrifices are necessary. There are just some things you can do, but never say.

Deep down in his heart, he had the idea of ​​letting Northern Xinjiang be beaten to pieces, but in terms of specific actions, Hudson did not dare to show it at all.

Otherwise, a group of northern nobles could tear him alive. This kind of hatred thing should be left to "last resort".

The unfinished defense is just the scapegoat. There are insufficient strategic supplies and he is the second scapegoat.

More scapegoats will appear in the future, proving that it is not Mr. Hudson who does not work hard, but objective conditions do not allow it.

"Marshal, since there are insufficient strategic supplies, let's fight quickly in northern Xinjiang!

First concentrate your forces to defeat the orc army, and then..."

Before Duke Hero could finish speaking, Hudson shook his head.

“Your Majesty the Duke, when the gap in strength is not large, a quick decision is never one-sided.

The orcs are not fools, why do they want to fight us?

It is enough for them to hold back our main force and create time for the two alien races on the Western Front.

You are more familiar with the situation on the grassland than I am. If the orc army doesn't fight us, is it possible for the kingdom's army to go deep into the prairie and fight them?

Don't forget how much strategic materials were consumed in order to counterattack the Prairie Alliance in the last war.

With the Kingdom of Light’s limited material reserves, what can we use to force them into a decisive battle?

What's more, we don't have time yet, and the situation on the Western Front may completely collapse at any time. With the strength of the Moxi Principality, it can survive the attack of the two alien races for at most two months.

The time left for the kingdom should not exceed three months at most.

It takes a month to mobilize the whole country, another month to assemble the army and rush to the front, and it will take at least twenty days to return to the Western Front after the war.

If everything goes well, there will only be ten days left for the decisive battle between the army and the orcs.

How to fight this battle? "

It’s not that I don’t know, it’s just that I was shocked.

Hudson's words "How to fight this battle" immediately left everyone speechless.

The real situation will only be more serious than the theoretical deduction.

Judging from the data on paper, the kingdom's current military strength is almost the same as that of the Orc Empire.

Even if everyone present has never led a soldier, they still know a bit about military affairs through hearing and seeing, and they are very clear about the consequences of a hasty decisive battle with the enemy.

Hudson, the most powerful coach, said no, and others were even less sure.

Duke Hero raised the issue at this moment. It was obvious that the nobles in the North could not bear the pressure and wanted him to find a solution quickly.

But I didn't expect that not only did Hudson not buy it, but after conducting an in-depth analysis, he directly said: "How to fight this battle?"

There is no doubt that no one can answer this question. If everyone knew how to play, it wouldn't be Hudson's turn.

Currently, the kingdom's strategic supplies are mainly provided by the central and southern provinces that have not been affected by the war. From the kingdom's perspective, the security of these provinces is far more important than northern Xinjiang.

Once changes occur in these rear provinces, it will be useless no matter how well we fight in Northern Xinjiang. For a kingdom that lacks strategic material support, its collapse is only a matter of time.

In fact, there is always pressure within the kingdom. Had it not been for the great victory that Hudson had just achieved on the Western Front, the internal controversy would have been even greater.

No one criticizes his strategy now. It's because the Western Front was fought so beautifully, and the battle-loss ratio makes it hard to fault.

Although the situation continues to worsen, it is not Hudson's fault. If an ally does not perform well, it is a crime other than war.

After the meeting in the capital was hurriedly concluded, Hudson went straight to the front line. Trying to put pressure on him to change the current strategy is simply overthinking.

No matter how many opinions the northern Xinjiang nobles have, they can't change the fact that the orcs are killing them at their doorstep. If you want the main force of the kingdom to gather northward, you have to face the dilemma of insufficient strategic supplies.

Two irreversible real-life problems were superimposed, and many people began to suspect that the "north first, then west strategy" proposed by Hudson was purely to deceive them.

There is no use in doubting that the military's strategic tilt in the north is obvious to all.

The Kingdom has spent a lot of money on the defense. It is obviously unconvincing to say that the coach Hudson does not support the northern line.

Apart from Hudson, the only person who knew the story was Caesar IV. It was just that everyone shared the spoils, and he also played a disgraceful role in the kingdom's strategic changes.

Now that the situation is deteriorating, we can only suffer the noble lords in the north first. Risks are directly proportional to returns. The more fun you had in enclosing and expanding your territory in the past, the more risks you have to take now.

If only everyone could be steady. Without occupying so much land, the current national defense pressure would not be so great.

On the Warhammer Plains, Hudson led the expeditionary force to march forward in a swaggering manner. The alien troops along the way fled for fear of losing their lives if they reacted too slowly.

The Battle of Augustburg destroyed the pride of the coalition of ancient survivors, and panic has spread among all races. Especially for those races whose entire army was wiped out on the front line, all their intelligence came from gossip, and they were even more affected.

A large number of troops gathered in the Declas Province, and everyone had a sense of security, but the morale of the soldiers was still low.

The common characteristic of small races is that everyone is close to each other. They were not only relatives but also friends. Thousands and eight hundred people died on the battlefield, and the whole clan was shocked.

In order to stabilize people's hearts, kings of all races arrived at the front lines one after another. Kings of more than a hundred races, large and small, gathered together to form a proper alliance of hundreds of races.

"I have obtained all the intelligence. The enemy claims to have an army of 100,000, but in fact it only has an army of more than 30,000, with a maximum of no more than 40,000.

The human race only has such a small number of troops, and they dare to come to our territory and make noise, and they don't take the alliance to heart at all.

I suggest that everyone immediately use all their forces to surround and kill them on the Warhammer Plains, letting the humans know how powerful we are! "

The loud giant king took the lead in shouting.

The hatred between his brows, coupled with his huge figure, looked terrifying.

"Let's not rush about revenge. The enemies have entered the Warhammer Plains and will not escape for a while.

We knew so little about the enemy that we knew almost nothing except the number of his troops and their generals.

Who knows if this is a conspiracy of the enemy to engage in a decisive battle rashly. Don't forget that they are all cavalry.

On the plains, most of our races cannot outrun the enemy's elite cavalry.

It seems that 200,000 troops are fighting against more than 30,000 enemy troops. Perhaps when the actual battle comes, the enemy gains a local advantage through high mobility.

The human race has a large population, so it doesn't matter if tens of thousands of troops are lost. But we can't. If we encounter another big defeat, I'm afraid most of the races present will not be able to bear it. "

After hearing what the Shadow King said, the kings of all races agreed. Revenge is important, but race continuity is more important.

If the same people force the money to be exchanged, even if they win, they will still suffer a blood loss.

The pain of Fort August has already weakened many races, and no one wants to experience it a second time.

"Then we can't wait forever!

The enemy was marching very fast, and there were resistance armed forces along the way to provide convenience for them. Judging from the march route, it was obvious that they wanted to penetrate into the rear of the Southern Expedition Corps.

If there is no obstruction, the enemy will go straight into the Principality of Oton and attack the Southern Expedition Army with the army of the Principality of Mosi. It is very likely that the tragedy of Augustburg will be repeated! "

The Giant King said angrily.

For revenge, the alliance must be brought together. Without the help of allies, the giant clan's thousands of troops are not enough to fight the enemy.

After all, kings with unique talents like him are very few among the giants, and the largest number are ordinary giants.

Purely in terms of strength, an ordinary adult giant is comparable to a low-level knight.

Unfortunately, success comes from body shape and failure comes from body shape. The expeditionary force is equipped with a large number of magic crossbows. These big guys, several meters tall, are living targets on the battlefield.

Only a few giants can rely on their strong defense to ignore the enemy's small magic crossbow attacks.

After a slight hesitation, the kings nodded. The safety of the Southern Expedition Army had to be considered. If they were attacked from both sides by the enemy, no one could guarantee that the defeat of Fort Augustus would not be repeated.

"The enemy is still nearly a thousand miles away from the Principality of Oton. According to their current marching speed, it will take more than ten days.

Another 50,000 troops have been assembled from the rear, and they are expected to join us in five days. Together with the troops gathered from all over the country, our total strength will once again exceed 300,000.

To be on the safe side, after gathering an absolute superiority in strength, we can then engage in a decisive battle with the enemy. "

Seeing that the Shadow King made a concession, he hesitated slightly, and the Giant King also nodded slowly.

For things like "revenge", the more troops the better. The enemy now is a famous general from the mainland, so no one can be too cautious.

But deep down in his heart, the Giant King always felt something was wrong, as if something big was about to happen.

…

As the army continued to penetrate behind enemy lines, Hudson became more and more cautious. Not only did they arrange a large number of scouting horses, but they also asked Bear Stearns to go out for a walk every now and then to see if the enemy's army was moving this way.

Unfortunately, the reality is exactly the opposite. Not only that the enemy's main force cannot be seen, the enemy is too lazy to even arrange a small group of troops to harass.

If you do more, you will be wrong; if you do not, it will be good.

The enemy stood still, and Hudson was secretly worried. This time he was leading cavalry, but he was not interested in attacking the city.

If the enemy remained motionless, he would really have no choice but to lead his army into the Principality of Oton, and attack the other side's Southern Expedition with the Mossi people.

But the problem is that the expeditionary force is also surrounded by the enemy. If a breakthrough cannot be made within a short period of time, it will also be surrounded by enemies from all sides.

…

"Three hundred miles away, the enemy has an army of tens of thousands, converging on the province of Declas.

Bear Stearns, are you sure you read that correctly? "

Hudson asked in surprise.

The distance of three hundred miles is already a safe distance for the two armies, but it depends on which army it is.

Ordinary cavalry can run for three hundred miles and knock down the horses from exhaustion, but the expeditionary army is different.

With Ha's magic potion, the war horse can run for three hundred miles and still be vigorous and vigorous.

"Hudson, do you suspect that Ben Xiong doesn't know how to count?"

Faced with Bear Stearns' questioning, Hudson smiled awkwardly. The cub's mathematical talent is nothing to worry about.

Bear Stearns could read the account books of "Fort Bear", let alone estimate the number of enemy troops.