329: Chapter 17, Different Reactions_2 329: Chapter 17, Different Reactions_2 It makes sense to bring back Marshal Borg now, when we need him.
However, this does give him the upper hand.
After stepping down once, he can’t be expected to return without some concessions.
The opportunity to set terms is inevitable.
Even if Grand Duke Marshal Borg is selfless and makes no demands, the faction behind him will not remain silent.
For vested interest groups, they will inevitably have to make sacrifices to appease the others.
A slight miscalculation, and another political storm could arise.
“Enough said, Marshal Borg is the pillar of the Warhammer Kingdom.
With the kingdom in crisis, he will surely not decline!”
Joseph II asserted.
In the Warhammer Kingdom, Marshal Borg is a legend, having pulled the kingdom back from the brink of disaster.
Even his political adversaries could not diminish the respect Joseph II harbored for him.
…
In the Orton Duchy, upon receipt of the plea for aid from the Moxi Duchy, Orton XIX was all shaken up.
As a friendly neighbor, the Orton Duchy was only five hundred miles from Augustusburg.
While it might sound far, this was the Magic World.
If the Moxi Duchy collapses, the orcs’ fastest Wolf Cavalry could reach their doorsteps by the next day.
If the powerful Moxi Duchy couldn’t hold back the orcs’ invasion, the Orton Duchy would almost certainly have no hope.
Build defensive fortifications?
Regrettably, the Orton Duchy had never anticipated that war would come so close to their border.
Previous orc invasions had always bypassed them completely, and as such, they had never really considered the orc invasion a threat.
They had assumed that with the Northern Three Kingdoms as their shield, they could maintain their normalcy until the war ended.
Even if the Three Kingdoms couldn’t hold, it would be something to worry about later in the war.
By then, the reinforcements from other human kingdoms would definitely have set off on their journey, and they only needed to accompany the mass troops.
Capitalizing on the might of the Human Race, they could triumph along the way and garner countless accolades and praises.
“The Moxi Duchy, what a bunch of losers!
With such a performance, they dare to call themselves the first kingdom of the Human Race.
It’s beyond me how they ended up with that title, they are a total disgrace to our Human Race.
Look at the neighboring Alpha Kingdom, they’ve been engaged with the orcs for quite a while, still locked in a border dispute.
The Warhammer Kingdom next door is doing a hundred times, a thousand times better than them…”
The endless cursing revealed the unrest in Orton XIX’s heart.
As the king who had always enjoyed watching others’ battles from the sideline, Orton XIX had been known for his steadiness ever since he took the throne.
He had neither pushed for any reforms internally nor started any conflicts with his neighbors, let alone waged a war.
His greatest interest lay in observing others’ wars, while occasionally putting in his two cents.
This kind of king might not be outstanding, but he wasn’t a wastrel either.
The Orton Duchy had been living a decent live under such a peaceful king.
With no conscription, at the very least the lifestyle of the noble lords in the country had certainly improved.
It had been proven that as long as the noble lords stuck to cultivating their lands, they could still prosper.
Such a non-aggressive king is rare on the Continent of Aslante.
Unfortunately, disasters can strike without warning.
With the Orc Army approaching and the plea for help from the Moxi Duchy, it signs that the war is coming.
“Your Majesty, at this point, relying solely on the strength of the Moxi Duchy, I fear they cannot withstand the attack of the Orc Army.
Chris the Ninth personally wrote this plea for aid; the situation on the frontline might be even more dire than what these ambassadors have informed us.
Once the Moxi Duchy can’t hold up, our Duchy will quickly be drawn into the war.
If possible, it’s best to help them stabilize the front lines, to keep the Orc Army outside our borders.”
Jacob said helplessly.
The king, in general, was decent in all aspects, but he tended to panic when faced with a crisis.
The invasion of the Orc Army is indeed frightening, but the battle hasn’t arrived yet, has it?
What good is it to complain about the incompetence of the Moxi Duchy?
The key is to find a solution.
From past experience, the Orc Army is usually aggressive at the beginning of an invasion.
Until the cannon fodder races had been worn out, the Top Five Orc Courts never cared about their casualties.
Naturally, a war pursued with disregard for losses was bound to be brutal.
The various human kingdoms were delaying their dispatch of troops because they didn’t want to exchange their elites for these cannon fodder species.
This cruel war of attrition was left to the Northern Three Kingdoms to fight.
When it came to sending reinforcement, Orton XIX instantly sobered.
They had already supplied the Moxi Duchy with materials once.
Now they were being considered to provide the troops.
“If we sent troops to help the Moxi Duchy stabilize the frontline, I wouldn’t object.
But the problem is, do we have the capacity?
Unless we throw all our resources into it, a mere few ten thousand reinforcements might not be sufficient against an orc charge!”
Orton XIX opened his hands.
Lack of strength, this was the greatest problem facing the Orton Duchy.
Even among Duchies, there were different levels.
A great Duchy like the Moxi Duchy, with a population of eight million and an area of seven hundred thousand square kilometers, could mobilize hundreds of thousands of troops to fight against the orcs.
The Orton Duchy had only a third of the Moxi Duchy’s size, with a population of just over two million and a standing army of a little more than ten thousand.
Unless it mobilized the entire Duchy, it would be difficult to exert much impact against the aggressively advancing Orc Army.
“Your Majesty, we alone indeed can’t do it.
But then, with the Moxi Duchy in peril, the Orton Duchy isn’t the only one being threatened, other countries also need to contribute.