Chapter 1567: Chapter 57, Gossip_2
If things keep developing this way, the Department of Foreign Affairs won’t even need to work in the future, it’ll be too embarrassing.
At this moment, Marquis Krasner’s resentment towards the military has reached its peak.
In the last continental war, the military’s performance on the battlefield was unsatisfactory, leading to the Kingdom losing its “powerful nation” status.
If they continue to fail now, the label of “major nation” is likely to be torn off as well.
The weak have no right to occupy vast lands!
“Marquis Krasner, don’t just complain about us. No one wanted the situation to worsen to this extent.
All the current problems are due to incomplete military reform.
If Gutland Province had completed the military training as requested by the Military Department, it wouldn’t have lost so badly.
Maybe they can’t match the Alpha Kingdom, but they should have at least half of their military strength, right?”
Count Nicholas retorted unceremoniously.
The Department of Foreign Affairs doesn’t want to take the blame, and the Military Department equally doesn’t want to bear this responsibility.
Although due to the nature of their work, it’s hard to completely shrug off the relationship, but they can evade responsibility as much as they can.
If you take on everything, then you better not survive in the Black Forest Kingdom.
In the Kingdom Government, once you take the blame, there will be countless other blames until it crushes you.
Seeing the atmosphere heating up, Alexander V coughed helplessly before reprimanding:
“Enough!
I’m asking you to solve problems, not listen to you shirk responsibility.
The Military Department should quickly come up with a battle plan, and the Department of Foreign Affairs should continue urging the Alpha Kingdom to send troops. Everyone else, get back to what you’re supposed to be doing!”
After saying this, he turned and left, leaving a group of ministers staring at each other in dismay.
It was very surprising that tonight’s meeting ended early instead of lasting until dawn.
Usually, important meetings are accompanied by a lot of arguing.
The atmosphere had just begun to brew tonight when the King called a halt, which was clearly unusual.
Rich political experience told them that if the kingdom’s situation didn’t improve soon, there would be major upheavals in court.
Duke Milton’s face was the most grim; if the King didn’t take the blame for the current situation, it was likely he, the Chancellor, who’d have to bear it.
As for others, they weren’t heavy enough.
Of course, if it really came to that, his resignation would also mean taking a bunch of people with him.
After a brief lapse, Duke Milton quickly regained his composure.
The King’s dissatisfaction with them was not hidden, but reshuffling the court at this critical juncture was still unlikely.
Given the complex current situation, no one dares guarantee that a new government would do a better job.
If power struggles led to domestic turmoil affecting front-line battles, the consequences would be severe.
…
The chaotic situation continued to ferment, with more and more nations running into trouble, and the plight of the Black Forest Kingdom was just a microcosm.
As turmoil spread across the continent, Hudson vaguely sensed something amiss.
Amid a series of incidents, the Human Alliance should have stepped up to lead the situation.
However, the reality was starkly opposite; the usually active Human Alliance seemed to have fallen asleep, completely withdrawing from worldly affairs.
“Your Excellency Governor, has the Human Alliance really not taken any action?”
Hudson asked in confusion.
As a rising star, it was because of him that the Koslow Family even secured a councilor seat.
The network connections were all newly established, making him just familiar enough but still far from forming deep ties.
In terms of real connections, the Koslow Family was still deeply intertwined with the Dalton Family.
At least both sides had been dealing with each other for hundreds of years, as neighbors who were not just familiar but also had intermarried children.
With family networks unreliable, Hudson’s title of “Human Marshal” was indeed prestigious, but he had always been active in the Northern Continent.
To avoid attention, he hadn’t attended even one Alliance meeting. Nominally part of the decision-making body, any major matters still needed feedback from the Kingdom.
“Marshal, the Dalton Family doesn’t have much influence in the Alliance; actual decision-makers are few.
As the kingdom has risen, the Royal Family has also entered the decision-making body. If the Marshal were to develop within the Alliance, you’d directly enter the decision-making body.”
While speaking, Governor Piers’s eyes were filled with strong envy.
The power structure of the Human Alliance is very complex; officially initiated by a group of strongmen, in reality, it was still propelled by a few of the most ancient major nobles.
However, the original power dynamics have been repeatedly broken over time, gradually transitioning to a regional coalition model.
No matter how powerful one clan is, it can’t surpass a kingdom’s strength.
Still, many major nobles on the continent have branched out from those ancient nobles and maintain intricate connections in secret.
For the emerging nobility, it’s a completely unfamiliar circle, one only spread through bloodlines.
All the Royal Families on the continent come out of that ancient circle.
Though they engage in internal strife, others find it extremely difficult to join in.
“Your Excellency Governor, this joke is not funny!
It’s the Human Marshal entering the decision-making body, not Hudson, and definitely not the Koslow Family.”
Hudson shook his head instantly.
The more you know, the more you learn to respect.
As a Human Marshal, theoretically he could participate in decision-making, but practically, who had ever informed him?
Volunteering to be the muscle was fine, but trying foolishly to grab a big slice from the Human Alliance was courting trouble.
Heroes can be raised up by people and brought down just as easily.
Once their core interests are at stake, the respected “Human Marshal” can become a despised human traitor.
Governor Piers’s envy was mainly about Hudson’s future.
With the long lifespan of Sanctuary Powerhouses, it was enough to ensure the Koslow Family’s prosperity for several centuries.
Such a long time, combined with the Koslow Family’s prolific talent, was enough to intermarry with the continent’s core nobility.
If they have several daughters, granddaughters, great-granddaughters…
Without doing anything extraordinary, they could become the patriarch of many families.
Everyone becoming one family naturally erases the original bloodline barriers.
Luckily, Hudson wasn’t aware of Piers’s thoughts, or he would have been overwhelmed.
It’s not that it’s unworkable, but rather that it’s too feasible. The barrier to becoming a continental patriarch now is just the lack of a bunch of daughters, granddaughters…
“Sorry, Marshal, it was a slip of the tongue!
We have no definite news from the Human Alliance, but there’s one unofficial rumor.
It’s said that someone wants to deliberately create an opening to lure hostile different races into a trap.
It seems the powerhouses within the Alliance had previously signed a peace agreement with the powerhouses of the Alien Coalition, where the human race is prohibited from initiating invasions against other races.
If the rumor is true, this agreement is the biggest obstacle for our race to rule the continent!”
Listening to Governor Piers’s explanation, Hudson’s heart was shocked.
This kind of rumor sounds absurd. Why would the Human powerhouses sign such a treaty with different races for no reason?
However, experience told Hudson that the more absurd the rumor, the more likely it was true.
As for why such a treaty exists, that’s a question for those old relics.
As a novice in the Sanctuary, Hudson’s network within the Sanctuary Grove Circle was very limited; he couldn’t even count five fingers with those he had a rapport with.
No wonder; being young is a disadvantage!
Other Sanctuary Powerhouses are mostly of the same era, having dealt with each other for decades, with some even for centuries.
At his age, anyone with a power level at the sixth-order is already a genius, and those reaching the seventh order are extraordinary talents.
Even if he knew them, he had little in common to discuss with a bunch of oldlings.
“Your Excellency Governor, that’s not even a funny joke!
It’s the Human Marshal who enters the decision-making body, not Hudson, much less the Koslow Family.”
Hudson immediately shook his head and said.
The more he knew, the more he understood the necessity of respect.
In theory, as a Human Marshal, he could participate in decision-making but, in practice, who had ever notified him?
Volunteering to serve as an enforcer was acceptable, but to intervene and want to carve out a large share of the Human Alliance would be asking for trouble.
The so-called hero is made by the people.
A person pushed as a hero can become a hated human traitor if he dares to get involved and attempts to take a share of the pie from the Human Alliance.
Governor Piers’s envy was a reflection of his regard for Hudson’s future.
As a Sanctuary Powerhouse, Hudson’s long lifespan would suffice to ensure the Koslow Family’s prosperity for centuries.
In such a long time, with the Koslow Family’s fertility talent, they could easily become the progenitor of many families on the continent.
Once everyone is related, the original bloodline barriers naturally fade away.
Fortunately, Hudson was unaware of Piers’s thoughts, or else he’d be numb with shock.
The plan wasn’t unfeasible, but too feasible. The hindrance to becoming a continental patriarch now was only the lack of a group of daughters.
“If such a plan does exist, it wouldn’t be possible to keep even Your Majesty in the dark.
Let someone activate the Magic Formation and send a message to verify!”
Hudson’s heart was not as calm as his face appeared.
If it’s a mistake, that’s fine; but if such a plan exists and the King is deliberately keeping it from him, the Marshal, then their relationship needs to be reevaluated.
“Marshal, the Dalton Family lacks much influence within the Alliance, and there aren’t many who can truly make decisions.
With the Kingdom’s rise, the Royal Family has also joined the decision-making body. If the Marshal were to develop within the Alliance, you’d directly enter the decision-making body.”
There was an air of strong envy in Governor Piers’s eyes as he spoke.
The power structure of the Human Alliance is very complex; ostensibly initiated by a group of strongmen, it has always been propelled by a few ancient major nobles.
But as time has passed, the old power structure has been broken many times, gradually transitioning into regional alliance modes.
No matter how powerful one family is, it can’t surpass a kingdom’s might.
However, many major nobles across the continent have either branched from those ancient nobles or maintain countless connections behind the scenes.
To the emerging nobility, it’s a completely unfamiliar circle, one that only circulates through bloodlines.
All current Royal Families on the continent have emerged from that ancient circle.
While they may engage in internal struggles, it’s nearly impossible for outsiders to join.
“Your Excellency Governor, this joke isn’t funny at all!
The one entering the decision-making body is the Human Marshal, not Hudson, and certainly not the Koslow Family.”
Hudson immediately shook his head and said.
The more you know, the more you learn to be awe-inspired.
As the Human Marshal, he is theoretically part of the decision-making body, but in reality, he’s never been contacted about any major decisions.
Offering to serve as a muscle is naturally not a problem.
It’s foolish to try meddling and wanting to carve out a large share from the Human Alliance, that’s courting disaster.
The hero is backed by the people, and the once-respected “Human Marshal” can easily become a despised human traitor if he dares to get involved.
Governor Piers’s envy primarily lies in Hudson’s potential for the future.
With the long lifespan of a Sanctuary Powerhouse, it’s enough to assure the prosperity of the Koslow Family for centuries.
So much time, combined with the Koslow Family’s propensity for producing offspring, would allow them to become the patriarch of many families without doing much.
Once everyone is family, the original bloodline barriers naturally disappear.
Fortunately, Hudson wasn’t aware of Piers’s thoughts, or he would’ve been shocked.
It’s not that these actions were impossible, but that they were too feasible. Only a group of daughters is now the barrier from becoming the continental progenitor.
“If there truly is such a plan, it would be impossible to keep it from even His Majesty.
Let’s activate the magic formation and send the message to inquire directly!”
Hudson’s heart was not as calm as his face appeared.
If such a plan really exists, and the King is intentionally keeping it from him, the Marshal, then their relationship needs reassessment.
If it turned out to be a misunderstanding, that would be better; but if such a plan indeed existed and the King deliberately kept him in the dark, he would need to reevaluate their relationship.
From the apparent balance of power, it’s currently quite difficult for the Human Race to unify the Continent.
Mounting an uncalculated war could spell doom for many reluctantly involved nations.
Even the Alpha Kingdom would need to schedule fiscal austerity measures in advance.
Running out of money and grain halfway through the war would be a real tragedy.