King

"kill!"

Xuying gave an order, and countless orc cavalry launched an attack on the town.

"Enemy attack!"

The early warning issued by the night watch soldiers woke up the sleeping residents.

When you are on the border, it is a basic operation for all the people to be soldiers.

Everyone got up from the bed as quickly as possible, picked up their weapons and stepped out of the room.

As the owner of the territory, Baron Sherman appeared on the castle for the first time and skillfully commanded the troops to deploy defenses.

It can be seen that this is not the first time he has encountered a similar scene.

The kingdom and the orcs are feuding, and it is impossible not to have conflicts on the border.

In view of the imbalance of power between the two sides, the orcs in power did not want to provoke a war, but the tribes below were a mixed bag, and the top orcs could not influence the thoughts of all the orcs.

Every once in a while, there will always be someone who is crazy and comes over to cause trouble.

Similar operations also exist on the human side.

Every year, nobles, blinded by hatred, go out with their private armies to take revenge. Everyone is happy if the action is successful, but if you die in an accident, your death will be in vain.

"Something's wrong, the captain of the guard immediately sent a signal to the nearby garrison for help!"

Baron Sherman ordered in horror.

The attacks we encountered in the past were all from scattered orcs, which at best were at the level of horse bandits.

The enemies in front of them were obviously different. They were actually wearing armor.

In the orc empire with backward productivity, elites may not necessarily be able to wear armor, but the troops wearing armor must be elite.

Straight soldiers and elites are definitely not the same concept. Reason told him that if he didn't call for help immediately, he would have to answer here today.

…

In the dark night, a strange lich and an illusory figure stood looking at each other.

"With such low-level methods, anyone can detect something is wrong. If you want to provoke a war between the Alpha Kingdom and the orcs, is it not enough?"

The Lich King asked indifferently.

“It doesn’t matter whether the means are clever or not, nor does it matter whether the problem can be discovered. The key is that someone is willing to believe it.

These descendants of the Beast God are not living up to expectations. If the current situation continues, the gap in strength between them and the Alpha Kingdom will only become wider.

If we don’t fight now, we won’t be able to fight until the future.

A one-sided war is not a good thing for us.

Today is different from the past. There are many strong men in the holy realm in both countries, and it is much more difficult to collect souls.

Only if the war is fierce enough and the casualties are heavy enough can we achieve our goal.

What's more, the quality of military souls is much higher than that of ordinary civilians, which will help you restore your strength. "

After hearing Xu Ying's explanation, the Lich King nodded slightly.

No matter what, it was the orcs who took action. For the main war faction in Alpha Kingdom, this reason is enough.

As for whether there is a black hand behind these orcs, that is another matter.

Perhaps in the eyes of the nobles of the Alpha Kingdom, as long as all the orcs are killed, it doesn't matter which force in the orc empire does the same thing.

"If that's the case, then let the orcs below cook all these humans into a barbecue and show it to their reinforcements!"

After a slight pause, the Lich King said immediately.

If you make up your mind to anger the Alpha people, your methods will naturally be as ruthless as possible.

For the twisted lich, torturing enemies is just routine. If he wasn't worried about exposing his identity, he would have had more ruthless means.

"no problem!

Next, we acted separately and secretly helped the believers break through the city.

Just relying on the strength of these believers, it is difficult to capture these small castles. If you want to anger the top leaders of the Alpha Kingdom, a little loss is not enough! "

After saying that, the shadow disappeared directly from the night, leaving the Lich King behind to make secret plans.

I originally thought that a lich like myself, which everyone shouted to beat, was already the most evil creature in the world, but compared to the mysterious phantom, he was still far behind.

When lichs cause trouble to everyone, they kill them all by themselves. In terms of destructive power, it is completely inferior to directly provoking a war between the two countries.

Choosing such a partner doesn't mean you have to be careful. If you are sold, you have to count the money for others.

…

The most direct result of the efficient action was that pieces of bad news reached Hudson.

It's not surprising that accidents happen in border territories, but it's too bizarre to have accidents happen one after another.

Without any hesitation, Hudson in the headquarters directly ordered the defenders from various places to find the enemy.

The problem of cults has not yet been cured, and then there are problems at the borders. No matter how you look at it, nothing is right.

In troubled times, the most indispensable thing is abnormal behavior. Chaos has been going on in mainland China for several years, and abnormal scenarios are happening every day.

It is so common that something happens here today and something happens there tomorrow.

Having seen so much, Hudson didn't even bother to be surprised.

Just the follow-up script started to go beyond expectations. As soon as the defenders moved, the enemy suddenly disappeared.

Except for the orc corpses left on the battlefield, which told them that it was the orcs who had done it, all other clues were cut off.

In order to trap the enemy, the defenders set up ambushes on the border many times, but unfortunately the enemy would not bite the hook.

Ten years ago, this would have been an unsolved case. If you don’t know who the enemy is, then you can just leave it alone.

But the situation is different now. The nobles of the kingdom who have been inspired with a warlike desire have a sense of honor.

After the news spread, the nobles in the country became excited, and the young nobles clamored for war.

The royal capital, which had just been stable for a few years, had once again become a whirlpool of storms, with an endless stream of nobles running to the palace gates every day to ask for battle.

Emerald Palace.

"What do the troops stationed on the frontline do for food? The enemy can't just come out of the ground, right?

The kingdom has invested so much manpower, material and financial resources on the border, but now the towns have been reduced to ruins, the citizens have been brutally killed, and even the enemy..."

Facing the angry rebuke of Caesar IV, Duke Richard could only cry out in his heart that he was wronged.

Theoretically, the garrison on the front line is under the control of the Ministry of Military Affairs, but in actual operation, he, the Minister of Military Affairs, has very limited say.

Originally, the military merit system was a major restriction on the personnel power of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and with a strong coach like Hudson, the Ministry of Military Affairs would have no way to mess with it.

Nowadays, the promotion and scheduling of frontline generals are basically carried out according to the system.

It is enough for everyone to perform their duties step by step, and there is no need to go to the Ministry of Military Affairs.

In terms of logistics, Hudson was also keeping an eye on him. Anyone who dared to use logistics to make things difficult would first have to face the wrath of the legendary marshal of the kingdom.

After several years, the frontline generals gradually understood who was the boss in the army.

In this round of power struggle, the Ministry of Military Affairs can be said to have been completely defeated.

From the moment Richard took over, he inherited a weak military ministry.

Even if he wanted to be strong, Hudson stuck to his principles and acted completely in accordance with the kingdom's system from beginning to end.

Although this system itself was created by Hudson himself after the military reform, it does not mean that the Ministry of Military Affairs can violate it.

Even if conservatives are in power, it will be extremely difficult to tamper with the rules of the game in the military.

The power struggle is secondary. The key is that Duke Richard himself has no confidence.

They were afraid that tampering with the system would affect the combat effectiveness of the army, thereby destroying the plan to destroy the Orc Empire.

Caesar IV was naturally aware of these practical problems.

The frontline commander who let go of the person most responsible was not held accountable, but caught Duke Richard and reprimanded him. This was an excuse in itself.

The governing philosophy of the conservatives was almost completely opposite to that of the king, and the conflict between the two parties was doomed from the beginning.

Politically, there was nothing that could be done about these old guys. Caesar IV could only find opportunities to exploit the situation. It would be better if a few of them could be pissed off in advance.

Unfortunately, this idea is destined to be nothing more than a luxury hope.

People who have been playing politics for a lifetime have already developed their mentality and face.

Quietly watching Caesar IV's performance, Duke Richard could not see anything strange on his face, as if he was not the one being reprimanded.

“Your Majesty, it doesn’t matter whether the enemy is found or not.

The one who can mobilize the orc army must be a certain force within the orc empire.

As long as we kill them all, the problem will be solved! "

It can be seen that Duke Richard is a ruthless person, and he will destroy his entire family when he opens his mouth.

There is definitely no problem with the plan. All the orcs are dead and revenge has been avenged.

"Your Majesty the Duke, are you preparing to start a war in advance?"

Caesar IV asked dissatisfied.

The kingdom is not yet ready for war. The weapons and equipment are almost ready, but the kingdom's food reserves are far from enough.

Once the war to destroy the country breaks out, it is destined to be protracted. In the vast prairie, just chasing down the remaining enemies cannot be completed in a short time.

Without military ration reserves that can sustain an army of millions for more than three years, initiating a war would be irresponsible to oneself.

"Of course not!

Your Majesty, it is not appropriate for the kingdom to initiate a war at this time.

Our material reserves can support the army to fight on the front line for a year at most, and we can only defeat the orcs in such a short time.

Not to mention destroying the orc empire, it would be difficult to severely damage them.

The alien alliance is an unavoidable problem. If there is no way to hold them back, it will be difficult for the kingdom to achieve a qualitative breakthrough.

Investigating the truth is secondary. What needs to be done most now is to calm the public opinion trend as soon as possible. There are so many grievances between us and the orcs, and we don’t care about adding one more. "

Duke Richard replied calmly.

Politics is that simple. What the truth is depends entirely on what everyone wants.

The frontline has not come up with the investigation results for a long time. Although it is difficult to find out the truth, the more reason is that the kingdom does not need the truth now.

If political needs require it, the finger can be pointed at the orcs immediately, as well as at other hostile forces in the kingdom.

“Your Majesty, Richard is right, now we need to calm public opinion as soon as possible.

Even if a war is to be launched, the alien alliance must be held back first.

The reforms of the allies were not smooth. Except for the Principality of Moxi, which was relatively peaceful, the political struggles in the other three countries were bloody.

The military strength of the three countries in the Central Continent seems to have improved a lot, but internal conflicts have also increased, leaving a lot of hidden dangers for the future.

If possible, it would be best to encourage the Franks and Ilibans to take action first and attract the attention of the alien alliance. "

Marquis Zuel echoed.

Under normal circumstances, the Ministry of Finance is definitely the one who least wants to fight.

The destruction of the Orc Empire is a great undertaking that will benefit the future, and there will be no financial return in the short term.

Referring to the previous expansions, we know that the kingdom occupies a large area of ​​land, but the increase in tax revenue has so far been zero.

The core reason for the stagnation of expansion in the past dynasties was finance.

If the hatred between the kingdom and the orcs hadn't been so deep and imprinted in everyone's bones, there would definitely be an anti-war faction in the court now.

It was all the fault of the orcs themselves, who had beaten the kingdom so badly in the past three hundred years, and forcibly broke the tradition that the children of nobles must go to the battlefield.

So much so that now, every family has a blood feud, and whoever dares to make peace is blaspheming the honor of his own family.

“You have to figure out a way to solve the problem of the wave of public opinion. If it doesn’t work, let Marshal Hudson take action at the border to retaliate.

The diplomatic offensive must be launched immediately!

Whether it is bribery or secret planning to provoke conflicts, the Franks and Ilibans must be brought into the water.

Prime Minister, you should be responsible for coordinating specific matters! "

As soon as Caesar IV finished speaking, a group of conservative officials secretly complained, and the king's counterattack finally came.

Compared with the small tricks before, this kind of fair and honest arrangement of difficult tasks is the real killer move.

If you do a good job, you should take responsibility. If you mess up the task, you need to take responsibility.

However, Prime Minister Beckett cannot shirk it. Rights and obligations are equal. These things are within his scope of authority.

Foreign affairs are usually the responsibility of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but the prime minister is the head of government. From the power structure of the kingdom, the foreign minister needs to be responsible to the prime minister.

Out of the importance he attached to this matter, the king asked the prime minister to take the lead in handling it, and no one could find fault.

“Your Majesty, please rest assured.

Within five years, the Frankish Empire and the Iliban Kingdom will definitely attack the dwarves! "

Prime Minister Beckett stated decisively.

The task cannot be pushed away, but the time can be pushed back.

It is also a challenge for the kingdom to create conflicts and stir up disputes thousands of miles away.

While stoking war, one must also hide oneself.

“Five years is too long, and the atmosphere of war in the country is getting stronger and stronger, and we may not be able to suppress it.

Try to provoke a dispute between them within two years! "

It's not that Caesar IV deliberately messed up, the main war tide in the kingdom is indeed rising.

The core reason is: the field soldiers returned in batches, and the military power in the hands of the nobles was unprecedentedly powerful.

Strength has become everyone's confidence, and Hudson's prestige has once again been pushed to its peak.

Even if something unexpected happened on the front line, everyone would just clamor for war against the orcs. No one would clamor for the kingdom to investigate the truth and catch the real culprits.

Subconsciously deep in their hearts, everyone has already put the blame on the Orc Empire.

This is the sequelae of resorting to militarism and taking the route of...

At this time, the Alpha Kingdom was like a racing chariot. If you run too fast, your brakes may fail at any time.

The top brass had long been aware that something was wrong, and even Hudson told everyone about this problem when he was carrying out military reforms.

It's just that the kingdom was on the verge of life and death at that time, and if you were not careful, the country and the family would be destroyed.

If you can turn the tide on the verge of life and death and then destroy your mortal enemy the Orc Empire, no one will even care about the sequelae.

Many people, including Caesar IV, believed that Hudson was being overly cautious.

With strong troops and strong horses, no matter how bad the situation is, how bad can it be?

It wasn't until the outside of the palace was crowded with petitioning nobles that Caesar IV discovered that the country's people were too wary, which was not a good thing.

In fact, the real consequences are far more serious than that.

If Hudson's prestige was not high enough to be able to suppress a group of proud soldiers, the farce of provoking a war without authorization would happen every three to five.

The noble lords on the front line can lead private armies to the Orc Empire to cause trouble. It is not a problem for the garrison generals to follow suit.

Fortunately, the Alpha Kingdom does not have a tradition of defeating the superior, otherwise the scene would be even more lively.

After all, within this war monster, there is no peace faction to balance the war faction.

The passionate young generation does not think about the overall situation. In their eyes, war is just military exploits.

Anyone who dares to hinder them from gaining military exploits is their enemy.

Unable to press the brakes, Caesar IV did not even think about braking in advance.

All issues will be discussed after the Orc Empire is destroyed.

Maybe after annexing the Orc Empire, the problem will no longer exist.

…