The King

  Passing around the battlefield, Hudson sighed as he looked at the aggregated casualty figures.

   One will succeed and ten thousand bones will die.

  The battle last night is the best portrayal. The situation of the expeditionary army was fine. It was a sneak attack, and it was the enemy's tired soldiers. The casualties were only more than 2,000 people.

  Compared with the glorious record of defeating 300,000 enemy troops, beheading 120,000, and taking 50,000 prisoners, it can be called an "epic victory".

  The kingdom’s army did not suffer much, but the defenders of Fort Augustus suffered. As the bait thrown out by Hudson, the defenders killed a total of 70,000, and almost everyone who survived was wounded.

  If it weren't for being trapped in the inner city with no place to run, with such a casualty figure, the army would have collapsed long ago.

  Of course, the death toll of 70,000 also includes the loss of the outer city during the day. The battles are connected together, and the defenders have no way to separate the loss of troops.

   "Arrange someone to pass the good news back! Everyone is waiting impatiently, and we need this news to stabilize people's hearts."

   Hudson said blankly.

  War always requires sacrifice, and in order to win, it is worth paying any price. Being able to win with the least cost proves that the commander is qualified.

   Did not comfort the wounded hearts of the officers of the Principality of Moxi, Hudson believed that they could all come out.

  The casualties were heavy, and it was not worth mentioning in front of the good news. No matter how many troops are lost, the Principality of Moxi will make up for them.

  In the eyes of many princes and nobles, the loss of soldiers has always been just a set of cold numbers.

  Especially among the defenders of Fort Augustus, there are still a large number of defeated soldiers of the Eastern Warhammer Kingdom, and now they are buried on the battlefield. Maybe they feel that a hidden danger has been eliminated.

   "Yes, Marshal!"

   Raquel immediately replied.

   It can be seen that he has adjusted his mentality. Whether it is a strong heart, or really don't care, these are the necessary qualities for a general.

   Immersed in the subordinates, the people suffered heavy losses and could not extricate themselves. It seemed that they valued love and righteousness, but in fact it was an irresponsible approach.

  The battlefield is ever-changing, no matter at any time, no matter what happens, the general must keep himself rational.

  The two of them tacitly did not mention the "abandoned son attack" deliberately arranged last night.

  The city was broken by the enemy, and it was definitely not the coach who deliberately showed his flaws and led them into the city.

  The truth can only be hidden in the long river of history, and there is no need to put everything on the surface. Sometimes knowing too much is not good for everyone.

   As for whether someone will guess it, it is not important at all, the winner is not to be blamed.

   After nodding, Hudson added: "The issue of the prisoners of war has also been reported.

   Except for the hundreds of elf captives, I promised to abide by the ancient "Covenant of Ten Thousand Races" and give them the treatment of prisoners of war. How to deal with the rest of the prisoners of war is for the governments of the two countries to negotiate!

  Remark: In order to politically lure the ancient survivors to surrender, it is not recommended to slaughter captives. "

   The hatred of race wars is so deep that unless one side is completely down, the fight will continue.

   Powerless to change the overall situation, but the promise he made must still be fulfilled.

  Even if everyone knows that the elf captive is valuable and it is impossible to pull it out and chop it, Hudson has to make a gesture.

  The suggestions made later are actually decisions. Reporting is just a process to show respect for the high-level governments of the two countries.

  From the moment he spoke, the fate of fifty thousand prisoners of war had already been decided.

  Regarding the trend of future wars, coupled with the weight of "good news", it is impossible for any smart politician to reject Hudson's proposal.

  Of course, apart from keeping these captives in order to carry out political surrender in the future, the core reason is that these ancient survivors belong to the cherished race.

  In the entire alliance of the ancient survivors, even the largest race does not have a million people.

  Affected by the number of tribesmen, no matter how these small races develop, they do not have the ability to threaten the supremacy of the human race.

   There are so many races that have disappeared in the long river of history. These small races with extremely low resistance to risks may be cold at some point.

  A major earthquake, a major flood, an extreme cold weather, a cult rampage... Any major natural disasters and man-made disasters may destroy them.

   "Good news!"

   "Victory at Fort Augustus!"

  …

  When the news reached Da Pest, everyone's first reaction was to not believe it.

  Yesterday, Fort Augustus was still asking for help, and everyone held a special meeting to discuss sending troops for reinforcements. Today, the good news came, so fooling the children!

   Being stared at by everyone, Earl Martins hurriedly explained: "Reinforcements have arrived!

  Last night, the alien allied forces invaded the inner city. At the most dangerous moment, Marshal Hudson led the army to the battlefield and fought back with the defenders of Fort Augustus.

  In this campaign, 300,000 enemy troops were defeated, 120,000 enemy troops were beheaded, and 50,000 enemy troops were captured, which completely reversed the unfavorable situation since the war began.

  But we also paid heavy casualties, the number of casualties alone is..."

   Before the Minister of Military Affairs finished speaking, George interrupted: "Stop!

  Let us digest this good news first, and we will talk about the casualties later. "

  The reversal of the war situation was too sudden. If everyone was not in good health, they would have been scared out of trouble.

   Simply relying on the defenders of Fort Augustus, even if they were all wiped out, they would not be able to seriously injure the enemy.

  With the addition of reinforcements from the Alpha Kingdom, everything will be different.

  Moxi Principality is Hudson's famous place, and his influence here is greater than that in Alpha Kingdom.

  As a victorious general, no matter what kind of great victory, as long as it is on his head, everyone can accept it.

   "Congratulations, Your Majesty, after this battle, the strategically passive situation of the Principality will be completely reversed.

   It may not be long before we receive news that Marshal Hudson is going to war against the Eastern Warhammer Kingdom. "

   Prime Minister Herceg said excitedly.

  Originally, everyone was prepared to fight on two fronts, but they never expected that Hudson would take down the enemy army as soon as he made a move.

  Although there are still hundreds of thousands of allied forces of the ancient survivors on the front line of Fort Augustus, the battle last night fundamentally changed the balance of strength between the two sides.

  War is the morale of the army. Before the arrival of the reinforcements, the morale of the Principality of Moxi was affected by the defeat of the army, and the combat effectiveness of ten percent could only be used to four or five points.

   Now that the situation is reversed, it is the turn of the Alliance of Ancient Remnants to have a headache.

  The morale of the army was frustrated, and the troops were scattered in various places to suppress the rebels. They could all see such an obvious fighter, so there's no reason the frontline coaches couldn't spot it.

  As soon as the counterattack war started, the battlefield was transferred from the Principality of Mosi to the Kingdom of East Warhammer. The northern provinces have a chance to breathe, and the principality's war potential will be preserved to the maximum extent.

  If the counter-offensive goes well, it can also affect the front line of the Principality of Orton, forcing the enemy to send troops back to help, and the follow-up war will be easier to fight.

   “Now is not the time to celebrate.

  The Alpha Kingdom sent a small number of reinforcements this time. Nominally, there is an army of 100,000, but in fact there are only 35,000 people.

  Although they are all elite cavalry, with such a small force, they can only fight encounters in the wild.

   If it is not necessary, Marshal Hudson will not keep prisoners. You must know that in the last time the orcs invaded, he did not keep a single prisoner. "

   George shook his head and said.

   In fact, he was thinking too much.

  The last time the orcs invaded, Hudson did not keep any prisoners because there were no prisoners.

  The Alpha Kingdom and the orcs have a deep hatred. When the people below see the orcs, they want to devour their flesh alive. To keep the captives is to fight against the officers and soldiers.

  Combined with the clear attitude of the high-level kingdom, directly ordering not to take prisoners, Hudson will naturally not violate the military order for a group of orcs.

  At the end of the war, in order to split the orc empire, Hudson deliberately let the vassal races go, and specifically caught the five royal families and beat them hard.

  If it wasn’t for the intervention of the Human Race Alliance, Hudson was sent to do logistics and lost the dominance of the war, maybe the Orc Empire would have been torn apart.

  The current situation is the same. It seems that Hudson is fighting the military, but in fact he is fighting the political battle together.

   It's just that this kind of gameplay is not in line with the mainstream of the Aslante continent, and there are no ready-made cases to learn from. Everyone didn't understand it for a while.

   "Your Majesty is right. If there is only one enemy, the Allied Forces of the Remnants of the Ancients, our odds of winning the next war are indeed very high.

  But apart from this enemy, there are also elves who have just joined the war.

  The three principalities of Kantruo, Usta, and Fick have been suppressed by the elves for a long time, and their own military strength is limited, so they can't resist for a long time.

  Once the Three Kingdoms fall, the elves army is likely to join forces in the Principality of Orton and the coalition forces of the ancient survivors. That will be the real test of life and death for the Principality! "

   Count Renato threw cold water.

  In order to stabilize the elves, not only the Alpha Kingdom is working hard, but the Principality of Moxi has actually done more.

  The idea is beautiful, but the reality is very cruel.

   It involves racial strategic security, and it cannot be fooled by diplomatic means.

   "The threat of the elves is indeed a big problem, but now we have to solve the alliance of the ancient survivors first.

  Count Martins, on behalf of the Principality, you personally go to the front line of Fort Augustus, ask Marshal Hudson about the next strategic deployment, and appease the morale of the army by the way.

   If there is any need on the front line, the Principality will do its best to cooperate.

  If you can hit the alliance of the ancient survivors before the arrival of the elf army, there will be more talk later. "

   George said helplessly.

   Victory is gratifying, but the deteriorating international situation still makes him uneasy.

   At one point, he wanted Hudson to lead the reinforcements southward, to deal with the ancient remnant army from the front line of Orton first, so that no one would resist when the elf army came.

   Fortunately, reason finally prevailed. The reinforcements of the Alpha Kingdom were not under his command, and it would be embarrassing if the order was not followed by others.

  The process is different, but the ultimate goal is astonishingly the same for everyone—to fool the army of elves away.

  Deep in his heart, George was even mentally prepared. After the Continental War was over, he would act in the Terran Alliance and encourage the Alliance to launch a strategic strike against the Elves.

   As the overlord of the mainland, the human race can easily disable the opponent if it takes action against any foreign race.

  Of course, the Dragon and Sea clans cannot be counted.

  The former has too many perverts, and the living area of ​​the latter is a forbidden area for human beings.

  …

  Emerald Palace.

  Because of the distance, Caesar IV received the good news a little later, but the joy brought by the victory remains the same.

  The big victory at the beginning made the ministers who were hesitant about this action all change their tunes and sing praises.

  In the face of victory, armed training has turned into a surprise attack on the battlefield, and it has also become "adapt to the situation and seize the opportunity" among the people.

  No problem, taking advantage of the enemy's siege to launch a surprise attack in the middle of the city and winning a big victory, a proper classic case of war.

  The smart nobles secretly took out their small notebooks and recorded what they learned.

  These are the teaching materials for the younger generations to learn in the future. In the era when there was no military academy system to train officers, the training of officers relied entirely on the accumulation of experience of the older generation.

  The heroes are all on the front line, so the celebration banquet is naturally saved.

  The current Alpha Kingdom is implementing a strategic ration rationing system, and any extravagance and waste is not allowed.

  In recent days, whenever they appear in public, everyone eats black bread and vegetables.

  Affected by this, domestic entertainment venues, restaurants, and hotels have all been hit hard.

  The two cannot be combined, and the implementation of any policy cannot avoid trade-offs.

  Anyway, most parts of the kingdom implement the tax-subsidy system, and if they want to cry, the tax-subsidy guy will cry, and the commercial tax revenue of the treasury will hardly be affected.

  As a person with vested interests, if you don’t have this kind of dedication, then you don’t have to do it.

   "Everyone has seen the battle report, what suggestions do you have for the handling of prisoners of war?"

   Caesar IV said with a smile.

  Hudson only asked not to kill the prisoners, but did not say how to deal with the prisoners of war. The troops on the front line will continue to go out and have no time to watch the prisoners of war. The follow-up work will be taken over by the governments of the two countries.

   "Your Majesty, the defenders of Fort Augustus suffered heavy losses, and the hatred has just been forged, and this moment is the time when the anger is the greatest.

  If the Mosi people want to receive prisoners of war, they must ensure that they cannot use the defenders and warhammers of Fort Augustus to detain them.

   Marshal Hudson did not mention it, probably because he was concerned about the feelings of the frontline officers and soldiers. After all, they may need their cooperation in the following battles.

   You can test the Moxi people's thinking. If they have no special requirements, the two countries will jointly send troops to guard them.

  For the sake of safety, the kingdom should immediately prepare a batch of anti-magic potions and give them to the prisoners of war. "

  The Grand Duke of Newfoundland proposed.

   "Prime Minister, other issues are easy to discuss. But the anti-magic potion cannot be produced by the Kingdom's family. There are 50,000 prisoners at the beginning of the war. It is not yet known how many people will be arrested in the future.

  The number of cultivators among them, even if it only accounts for one-tenth, the required anti-magic potion is a very large number.

  Anti-magic potions on the market, even the most rubbish, cost 30 gold coins to start with. With such a large quantity, even if the kingdom organized production, the cost would probably not be less than ten gold coins.

  The price of high-grade anti-magic potion for the strong is even higher.

   Besides cultivators, we also have to give them drugs to reduce their physical strength, otherwise it will be too difficult to take care of some races with special talents.

  The Kingdom’s fiscal revenue is limited, and it may be unbearable to add huge expenses all of a sudden. "

  Marquis Delgado objected immediately.

   Allies also have to settle accounts clearly. It’s fine to help fight the war, and it’s no fun to help pay for it.

   It's just that the proposal of the Minister of Finance has not been approved by everyone. It is true that the kingdom is short of finances. How can the Moxi Principality be rich during the war?

   What's more, most of their magicians are now recruited to the battlefield, and the rest are also engaged in the production of military materials.

   There are many difficulties in the first place, and if they are asked to produce anti-magic potions, they will not be able to do it!

  In the eyes of everyone, it is a miracle that the Moxi Principality, which is heavily in debt, did not go bankrupt.

  If the Principality of Moxi cannot hold on and goes bankrupt during the war, and the mess left behind has to be taken over by the Alpha Kingdom, then it is really asking for trouble.

   "Marquis Delgado, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can communicate with the Mosi people about the issue of magic potions, but considering the actual situation, the kingdom will most likely have to pay in advance for the required expenses.

   After all, under the current situation, we and the Moxi people are all damaged, so we can't care about that much.

  All issues will be discussed after the war. "

   Earl Francis said helplessly.

   No money means no money, and we cannot hope to extract oil from the poor. Talking after the war is purely a word of comfort. It is a miracle that the Mosi people did not declare bankruptcy after the war.

  Even the kingdom's finances will most likely go bankrupt after the war. The Treasury has done everything it can to amass money in order to wage this war.

  Some regions where the tax is paid by businessmen are expected to be 30 to 50 years later. Even the tax-encompassing area for nobles and lords has been received in advance five years later.

   Even so, finances remain tight. There is no way, the mess left by the last war has not been cleaned up yet. Catch up with a new war again, leeks are not enough!

  The issue of rewards for military exploits was not even mentioned by anyone. Let's wait for a while, and settle the settlement after the war. At least the Ministry of Finance can reserve some cash in its hands.

  The aristocratic group is still conscious in this regard, and the great aristocrats personally take the lead and set an example, but no one makes a fuss.

   If the performance is outstanding on the battlefield, the officers from the great aristocrats will even reward them out of their own pockets. In order to boost the morale of the army, everyone also worked hard.

  The officers and soldiers who followed Hudson gained the most, but he was grabbing supplies from the enemy to share the loot, not paying for it himself.

   "Post-war processing is also okay, but the additional cost must be found a way to finance it.

  Throttling is impossible, so only open source is left. Either impose a war tax, or collect a year's business tax in advance.

   You can figure it out, anyway, the Ministry of Finance is powerless. If everyone has a better solution, the Ministry of Finance promises to fully support it. "

  Marquis Delgado spread his hands and said.

   Everyone wanted to speak up to refute, but they didn't know where to start. According to past experience, if a question is raised at this time, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will immediately send a thick list of account expenses.

   There is no doubt that the money was spent by the military. Strengthening the defense line, training the army, raising strategic materials, purchasing ordnance and equipment...all of these cost money.

  Even though most of the materials are prepared from within the country, gold coins are still used for settlement. Materials within the scope of the obligation do not require money, but kingdoms beyond the scope can also be bought with money.

  Everyone’s profits can be turned into debts, but the production costs still have to be paid, otherwise no one can hold on to the loss-making business.

   In the last war, the large sum of war bonds subscribed by the nobles of the kingdom basically came from this way. If it is true that everyone is asked to spend a huge amount of cash at one time during the war, few companies can do it.

  …