King

Blood dyed the grassland red, and corpses filled the earth. The expeditionary legion that had just finished the battle looked like a god of death coming out of hell.

Standing in front of the army formation despite the scorching sun, Hudson still felt a chill.

Just now, a tribal group of hundreds of thousands of orcs disappeared under the butcher knife of the expeditionary army.

Similar battles have occurred many times since entering the prairie. Almost every day, the orc tribe was maimed by the expeditionary force.

It has developed to this point, and no one has the time to count the results. No matter how many ordinary orcs were killed, they still couldn't arouse everyone's interest.

"Give the order, recall the scattered troops, and move the entire army to the southwest. Next, we have to fight our way out!"

Hudson ordered murderously.

No matter how elite the army is, they are still human beings. They will inevitably become physically and mentally exhausted by constantly killing people on the prairie.

From landing to now, any soldier of the expeditionary force has several lives in his hands. There are also many people who have beheaded hundreds of people.

Hudson is definitely known as the "Prairie Killer". The orcs who were lucky enough to escape would spontaneously help him promote it.

As long as the orcs still exist, he will be the most terrifying demon king. After all, the terrifying Demon King of the Abyss only remains in legend, and is far less severe than the pain of skin-cutting.

If time could be repeated, I am afraid that 99% of the orcs would oppose launching this war.

In addition to the killings that the war has brought to them, everyone has never seen any benefits.

Making achievements on the battlefield, looting wealth from the human world, and reaching the peak of beast life have almost become a dream legend.

The war has been going on for so long, and no one has really achieved what they wanted.

The previous attack on the Seven Prairie Kingdoms was fine, although those guys were basically poor, at least they were easy to bully. If you beat the enemy and defeat him, you can gain something.

Things have changed since the invasion of Alpha Kingdom. They captured seven provinces in a row, but failed to get any decent loot.

After Hudson took office, the situation became even more embarrassing. Not to mention robbing wealth, the enemy came to his hometown without even seeing a good news.

The difference between reality and ideal is too great, and it is inevitable that the animal's heart will be turbulent.

Despite the ruthless killing force of the expeditionary force, not many tribes were actually wiped out. Failure to win does not mean that they cannot escape.

Get on the horse and escape in any direction. As long as you can outrun your teammates, you can escape.

The worst thing is the farming tribe, those with two legs cannot run with four legs. Faced with the pursuit of the expeditionary force cavalry, only a handful of lucky people were able to save their lives.

Evading the pursuit of the expeditionary force does not mean that the matter is over.

The vast prairie is filled with all kinds of dangers, such as wolves, undead, poisonous insects... these are all childish, but the real danger is the "orcs".

It's okay to meet a tribe of the same race, but if unfortunately you stumble into the sphere of influence of a hostile race, it's only a matter of time before you get on the barbecue grill.

After the tribe was defeated, the number of orcs who died at the hands of their own people was not necessarily much less than those killed by the expeditionary force.

Duke Daniel hated this kind of cannibalism and issued strict orders many times to prohibit it. The end result is how everyone usually does what they do now.

Not to mention on the prairie, even in a military camp, if a soldier accidentally goes to the wrong camp, he may become someone else's meal.

Hatred is only one factor, and more comes from lack of supplies.

Countless low-level orcs have been unable to fill their stomachs for many years. It seems that there are many cattle and sheep in the tribe, but none of them belong to them.

It is normal for a year and a half to see no meat or fish. If the year is bad, it would not be surprising to starve to death.

The harsh living environment has caused distorted values. The corpses of their own race have become an important source of meat for them, let alone foreign races.

…

"Hurry up, a large group of cavalry is coming!"

Hearing the greetings of his companions, the Leopard Man who had just won the victory quickly swept the battlefield and evacuated, not forgetting to take away the quilboar corpses on the ground before leaving.

In the distance, Duke Daniel, who witnessed this scene in person, felt extremely heavy in his heart.

The empire is on the verge of life and death, but the various races in the country still have not given up fighting among themselves. The scene before him was not an isolated incident, it happened all the time in places he couldn't see.

"Guards, catch all those fleeing guys. I want to see who they are and how dare they ignore my orders!"

Duke Daniel ordered with an angry look.

If you want to reduce the internal fighting between various ethnic groups, it is inevitable to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. It's okay if you didn't see it. Since you bumped into it, you can't ignore it.

The most important thing is that the perpetrators are not from the five royal families, but are just a middle race with slightly stronger fighting power. If you kill people, there won't be any trouble.

"Yes, Marshal!"

"The third battalion attacks with me!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a group of wolf cavalry rushed out. The werewolves who were a step too late to react all showed annoyed expressions.

It was a rare opportunity to show off in front of the coach, and it just slipped away.

Compared to the bloody fight on the battlefield, hunting down a group of fleeing leopard men is significantly safer.

The elite are the elite after all. In less than a cup of tea, the third brigade appeared in front of Duke Daniel with a group of dejected leopard men.

"Marshal, spare your life!"

"Spare my life!"

…

After Daniel's identity was confirmed, the cry for mercy kept ringing in his ears.

The panic-stricken leopard men were now in a panic and lost the ability to think about problems. They could only kowtow and beg for mercy.

"enough!"

"If you want to survive, give me a reason to let you go. You don't need to mention those reasons that everyone often uses."

Duke Daniel's expressionless words caused all the leopard men to stop begging for mercy and start thinking about life-saving strategies.

"Marshal, we have no choice but to do so!

The empire's food collection task continues to increase, and the tribe is already in deficit. If they don't find a way to get it from the outside world, they simply won't be able to survive this winter.

It just so happened that this group of wild boars sneaked into the tribe's pasture and attempted to cause damage, so we took action against them! "

The explanation given by the middle-aged leopard man was obviously inconsistent with the previous words.

One moment he said there was a lack of food, and the next he said the wild boars were wreaking havoc. He forcibly tied the two unrelated things together.

The speaker may not mean it, but the listener does. At this moment, all Duke Daniel could think about was "the heavy task of collecting food".

For this war, the Orc Empire also devoted everything it had to suppressing all the wealth it could.

The front continues to move forward, and logistical pressure is increasing day by day. Now that the front line is in a stalemate, it has turned into a war of attrition.

Having burned the enemy's food and fodder, the Alpha Kingdom had to cut off its soldiers and abandon the seven provinces in the northern border. Now it was the Orc Empire's turn to worry.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, Daniel was only responsible for fighting the war, and the five emperors were responsible for raising the logistics, but that didn't mean that he didn't know the difficulties of the empire's logistics.

The pressure from the front lines inevitably shifted to the rear. Because of the large number of races within the orcs, the proportion of strategic material collection allocated to each race is also different.

The five royal families cannot attack their own family members, so they can only pass on the burden that originally belonged to their own family members to the vassal races below.

Within the same race, there are also elites and marginalized tribes. When allocating shares, it is inevitable that some tribes will suffer.

As the burden is passed down layer by layer, marginalized tribes that have no say in politics bear a burden far beyond their ability to bear.

"Take these nonsense guys out and chop them, make their heads into drinking vessels, and display them on the prairie to warn the unruly tribes!"

Duke Daniel gave the order immediately.

Some problems cannot be solved by him. Even if what the middle-aged leopard man said is true, he cannot lift the lid.

Otherwise, the entire orc empire will be blown up. Countless tribes will follow suit and resist the unfair food-raising tasks assigned by the superiors.

If you can't solve the problem, you can only solve the problem. If you can't see or hear, then you can pretend that nothing happened.

…

Lutetia, after many twists and turns, the countries finally reached an agreement on the formation of a coalition.

But at this moment, the countries in the Central Continent are already crying. The scene that happened in the Northern Continent is happening to them again.

Skin-cut pain is always the best resonance. Only now do we know the suffering of the countries in the Northern Continent. It is already too late.

In just half a month, the Kingdom of Hesse lost two more provinces, and other countries on the front line also suffered losses.

“What does the Ministry of Military Affairs do for food?

With the front line fighting like this, even if we let a bunch of pigs go up there, they will fight better than you! "

Alexander V roared.

The 250,000 reinforcements sent by the kingdom, plus the more than 300,000 troops mobilized by the two provinces themselves, ended up collapsing on the battlefield.

Except for some noble castles that are still resisting, the two provinces in the north of the kingdom have all fallen.

Count Niklas, who was scolded, lowered his head without saying a word. The conscience of heaven and earth, this is really not his responsibility.

The reinforcements sent by the kingdom were all improvised recruits, and the troops put together by the two major provinces were directly recruited strong men, with less than one-tenth of the elite number.

On paper there are five to six million troops, but in reality who will command them is anyone’s guess.

Before this ragtag group could complete their deployment of troops, the enemy came over to kill them. As soon as they came into contact in the field battle, a huge rout occurred.

This defeat destroyed morale, and the defenders everywhere also became popular. The promised reinforcements suddenly disappeared, and the defenders, whose morale was already low, were defeated with lightning speed.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Military Affairs cannot be entirely blamed for this matter. The enemy did not play their cards according to the routine. After invading the kingdom, they directly shouted the slogan of not killing those who surrender.

In the previous battle, the elven army did not massacre the prisoners, but directly released them.

Without the threat of death, the defenders on the front line did not have the courage to fight to the death. "

The Prime Minister, Duke Milton, helped to speak a word of justice.

There is no need to investigate these matters. Just look at the number of refugees pouring into the country recently, and you will know whether the enemy is engaging in genocide.

No one wants to die if they can live. The elves combined political means with military means, and the mob on the front line was naturally unable to withstand it.

"snort!"

"Even if you can't defeat the enemy, you can't defeat it so quickly, right?

This kind of performance by the military puts the kingdom in a bad light!

Don’t forget, the tens of thousands of Alpha Kingdom’s expeditionary troops crippled the ancient alliance of survivors, and also took down an elven army.

The peace we have now on the southern front is not given by the enemy, but is achieved by the army! "

Alexander V said angrily.

Happiness is set off, and sadness can also be set off.

Both are among the ten largest kingdoms on the mainland and are "good" neighbors. There is no shortage of rivalry between the Hessian Kingdom and the Alpha Kingdom.

Originally, while the Alpha Kingdom was severely weakened, it annexed the Count of Kolubia, and the Hessian Kingdom gained the upper hand in the competition.

Now after this battle, not only were they knocked back to their original shape, but their military weakness was also exposed.

Of course, these worries are for the future. The alien coalition must be blocked first before the Hessian Kingdom can have a future.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently received a secret letter. The source of the letter is the elves. The enemy seems to be interested in starting peace talks."

Marquis Krasner's words instantly detonated the entire audience.

The elves who had the absolute upper hand actually wanted to negotiate with them. This was simply a fantasy.

After all, he was playing politics, and his brain reaction was very fast. After a brief period of confusion, everyone quickly came to their senses.

What the elves are afraid of is not the Hessen Kingdom, but the humans behind the kingdom.

Taking down two provinces in half a month is impressive, but if the battle continues, the situation will be different.

The human coalition has begun to form, and when they join the war, it will be another story.

On the Warhammer Plains, the elves had seen how powerful the human elites were, but they did not think that all human armies were as useless as them.

Alexander V was also entangled in whether to promote negotiations or not. War has always been full of two sides. The kingdom's current losses are indeed very heavy, but it also brings opportunities.

The harder the foreigners push, the more likely it is that his reforms will succeed.

In the face of a life-and-death crisis, the noble parliament has made a concession: it agreed that emergency decrees during the war do not need to be approved by parliament.

It seems to be a simple item, but it is what all the Hessian kings have dreamed of.

As long as the gap appears, it will become wider and wider, and the royal power is being strengthened.

"Your Majesty, you can make contact with the enemy. The elves are not our real enemies.

Their home base is thousands of miles away. Even if they take the opportunity to expand, they cannot annex so much land in the middle at once.

Even if they were occupied, their population would not be able to be controlled.

For the kingdom, there is no gain in fighting against such an enemy. "

Lord Backström, Chancellor of the Exchequer, persuaded from the professional field.

Ambition needs to be supported by strength. The performance of the army on the battlefield has made everyone lose their desire to expand.

To be precise, the standing army performed well, but the number of troops was too small. The number of troops was expanded in the later period, but their combat effectiveness was very impressive.

The private army, which includes a group of great nobles, usually looks like the same thing when working alone. Once they gather to form a coalition, they instantly turn into a mob.

There are serious problems in the political system, command system, and logistics system. The Hessian Kingdom needs to stop and repair its own chronic diseases before it can continue on the road.

"The elves now have the upper hand. They have put forward a lot of conditions, right?"

Alexander V asked with a depressed look.

As a mature monarch, giving up is also a compulsory course. Gritting his teeth and fighting the elves seems to be satisfying, but the price is the decline of the Hessian Kingdom.

The human coalition will arrive in a few months, but the enemy can cripple them before the coalition arrives.

The most important thing is that due to the previous series of defeats, everyone is also skeptical about whether the human coalition can turn things around.

After all, the composition of the coalition is very complex. If internal problems affect its combat effectiveness and fail to defeat the enemy, it will really be the end of the world.

"The elves asked for a land exchange. They want to connect the alien territory alliances together!"

As soon as Marquis Krasner finished speaking, everyone's expressions changed drastically.

The peace faction and the war faction were dumbfounded at the same time. It seemed that they were exchanging land, but in fact the consequences were more serious than ceding land from them.

"This is impossible!"

“If the territories of the alien alliances are connected together, the strategic advantage of our human race over the alien races will no longer exist.

The strategic advantages gained with the blood of countless human ancestors cannot be lost in our hands! "

Count Niklas objected hastily.

Although the military's performance on the battlefield was rubbish, which made him, the Minister of Military Affairs, lose face, the stance of the war faction could not be lost.

What's more, the elves' demands are indeed challenging the kingdom's bottom line. Once they choose to compromise, the Hessian Kingdom will have a difficult time in the future.

"Count Niklas, please remain rational. As long as the military's performance is a little better, we can decisively reject the enemy's unreasonable demands.

But everyone has seen the current situation. The kingdom's army collapsed on the battlefield. In less than half a month, two more provinces were lost.

If we continue at this rate, we will be launching a battle to defend the royal capital in less than two months.

The kingdom is not afraid of war, but does the kingdom have troops available now? "

Count Backstrom retorted with reason.

After all, the war must be fought by people. The main force of the kingdom was held back by the stone people. The improvised mob could not stop the elves' army at all.

It can be said that every day the war lasts, the Hessian Kingdom will pay a heavy price.

"If the elves want peace talks, they won't just contact our family, right?

Judging from their strategic intentions, it is useless for our family to agree. They also need the cooperation of all the countries in the Central Continent, and at least the support of the Dante Kingdom and the Nan'an Kingdom. "

Duke Milton analyzed it calmly.

He supported the negotiation, but the Hessian Kingdom and his family could not bear the blame for allowing the alien races to unite.

"The prime minister is right. For such a big matter as changing the land, the elves will not only come to our family.

I brought the letter here. If you are interested, everyone can read it. The elf made harsh words in the letter. Anyone who opposed this proposal would be killed first! "

While speaking, Marquis Krasner took out the letter and handed it to everyone to circulate.