327: Chapter 16, Noble Parliament_2 327: Chapter 16, Noble Parliament_2 Otherwise, it would be a total disaster.
If the strength of Moxi Duchy is not up to par, even if one million reinforcements are sent, it would only serve to deliver heads to the Orcs.
This high degree of uncertainty made Hudson hesitant about whether to send troops to reinforce Moxi Duchy.
The worst part is the reinforcements from various countries.
The Northern Three Kingdoms still have a certain strength, and if each could send tens of thousands of elites, it would surely teach the Orc Army a lesson.
Unfortunately, these people, each with their own agenda, only wanted to preserve their own strength and were completely unwilling to exert effort in such a pure public welfare initiative with no tangible benefits.
As for the Clergy’s evaluation, Hudson chose to ignore it.
Anti-clergy is a political correctness in the Kingdom.
If Earl Piers could speak well of the Clergy, that would be the real issue.
Perhaps the Clergy does hope to see the human race fall into crisis, but what they want is to save the situation and restore glory, not to kick the human race into the abyss.
From the perspective of the Kingdom, the Clergy’s current actions definitely amount to a betrayal of the human race.
“Your Excellency Governor, in addition to the Kingdom, the Warhammer Kingdom, the Orton Duchy, the Fick Duchy, the Ruilin Kingdom…
These nations bordering the Moxi Duchy should also make a decision.
If everyone could act together and send troops to reinforce the Moxi Duchy, the situation should improve greatly.”
Hudson straightforwardly suggested.
When the Moxi Duchy collapses, other human kingdoms can afford to wait and see, but not these neighbors.
No one knows where the Orc Army will target next, and if they’re not careful, the war could spread to their own homelands.
The Alpha Kingdom, on its guard, could at least put up some resistance.
The other unprepared nations, they would simply become meat on the chopping block for the Orcs.
If each one puts together tens of thousands of reinforcements, that is also a formidable force.
While it cannot guarantee that they can completely turn the tide, at least it could buy more preparation time for the Kingdom.
“Viscount Hudson’s proposal is good, I will reflect it to the Kingdom.
I presume there must also be such considerations in the Capital.”
After all, among the neighboring countries of the Moxi Duchy, other than the Kingdom, only the Warhammer Kingdom has some strength.
The rest are small nations with very limited military power.
The military power of some nations is not even comparable to my Southeast Provincial Governor.
To pull together all nations to send troops, the premise is that the Kingdom must first send troops, then they may follow.
The war on the front line cannot be delayed, the Kingdom must state its stance as soon as possible.
Considering the factors of war, the Kingdom Noble Council cannot be convened.
As councilors, let’s vote now!
The result of the vote represents not only our stance in the Council, but also the stance of our Southeast Province.
This involves the destiny of the Kingdom’s future, as well as your own individual destinies.
It’s necessary to make clear your stance this time, either support or oppose, there can be no neutrality or abstention.
Those in support of sending troops to rescue Moxi Duchy, please raise your hands!”
Earl Piers said solemnly.
To avoid dragging it into endless squabbles, he directly played the “cut the knot” card.
Opinions can be slowly put forward, but voting must be conducted immediately.
Once the results come out early, squabbling loses its value.
And after being summarized to the Capital, the will of the powerful Nobles becomes the Kingdom’s choice.
Although it seems a bit incredible, it’s actually the best choice.
Being the stakeholders of the Kingdom, at this critical moment, they must have a sense of ownership.
Everyone can face the decision made together, whether it’s right or wrong.
If the King acts arbitrarily, the pressure would be immense.
If the choise is correct, that should be so, but if it’s a mistake, then he must take responsibility.
A slight negligence could lead to a political storm.
Faced with the Orc Army, the Alpha Kingdom now needs unity and can’t afford any internal strife.
Without a shred of hesitation, Hudson was the first to raise his hand.
Better for the fires of war to burn in Moxi Duchy than spread within the Alpha Kingdom.
Although Southeast Province seems safe in the rear of the Kingdom, and would be safe even if a war was to break out, if the western provinces were to fall, then the heavy responsibility of providing supplies for the frontline army would rest entirely on the eastern provinces.
Then, not only money and food are required, but also soldiers, and even everyone will have to personally lead soldiers to the front line.
With the reserves of the Mountain Domain, bankruptcy would only be a matter of time.
Plans for large-scale reclamation would have to be abandoned, and first priority must be given to ensuring the front-line food and money supply.
Many other nobles had similar concerns.
Hudson took the initiative, and then the others followed suit, one after another.
Interestingly, the prefectural governors of the Dalton Family lineage, all unanimously raised their hands.
Obviously, Governor Piers also supports the dispatch of troops to rescue the Moxi Duchy.
“You all have seen the result, I will report it truthfully to the Capital.
Once all the nobles eligible to vote have cast their votes, the final aggregated result will represent the Kingdom’s ultimate decision.
The situation is increasingly difficult; I hope everyone will put in more effort in our war preparations.
The more prepared you are now, the higher the probability you will return alive in the future.
As colleagues, I do not want to see anyone wrapped in a horse-hide coffin.
A reminder to you all, given the current complicated situation, the time of our conscription may be brought forward!”
These words were solemnly spoken by Earl Piers.
Perhaps there may be some concern, but more so, everyone has observed the tragedy of those that failed, and they do not wish to follow their unfortunate footsteps.
According to the Kingdom’s regulations, once the nobility’s private armies of the Southeastern Province are completely organized, the prefectural governors will be appointed as Legion Commanders, and the Governor becomes the Group Army Commander.
Under the same organizational system, when performing tasks, it is highly likely they will carry out actions together.
If the subordinates are not up to the task, their leader would also be implicated.
The Orc Army doesn’t care for such details, if they find a weakness, they will ruthlessly attack it.
The best way to survive on the battlefield is to increase the number of troops as much as possible and turn every one of your troops into elites.
The Kingdom’s conscription duty encourages everyone to take as many troops on the expedition as possible, apart from stipulating the minimum number of troops to be dispatched.
Even if a legion of ten thousand is expanded to a hundred thousand, the Logistic Department of the Kingdom will distribute provisions according to the actual number of troops.
The point is: they fear not that you have too many troops, but that you have no troops.
The more troops there are, the more elites there are, the higher the probability of completing the mission, and the more secure the Kingdom will be.
Theoretically speaking, if all the nobles complete their tasks, the Orc Army would never be able to invade.
However, the actual situation is clear from a glance at history – that is impossible.
Early on, the nobles stationed on the front line, with the aid of the Kingdom, could just barely complete their tasks.
But later, when troop strength is strained, reinforcements cannot arrive promptly, and that is when the front lines collapses.
In every past war, the collapse of the defensive line was only a matter of time.
The only differences are when that happens and whose hand it happens under.
Don’t panic when you suffer a defeat, for when the front line collapses, everyone is bound to be defeated.
As long as you can put up a fight, there is no need to worry about being held accountable.
The ones who actually get held accountable are usually those who haven’t completed their task, and have not even inflicted any effective damage on the enemy.
Worrying that your subordinates are too powerful is just overthinking things.
Even the most capable individuals must toe the line on the battlefield.
Being too active makes you a target for the Orcs.
If you face their brutal attacks and survive, it is inevitable that you will suffer heavy losses.
This is also why the Alpha Kingdom has been able to maintain a balance for a long time.
Regardless of how powerful a noble is, once war breaks out, they will be brought down to earth.
For instance, the formerly overbearing five great Northern noble families, after the war, were back at the same starting line as the major nobles of the Kingdom.
Even if their territories were larger, they also suffered more losses.
Not only were there significant losses to their armies, the losses to their serfs were not small either.
When facing the retreat of the Orc Army, they could only evacuate to the nearest castle fortress.
Wanting to retreat to the rear was impossible even if the Kingdom was willing to organize it, for the frail would not endure the long journey.
…
After leaving the Governor’s Mansion, Viscount Hudson’s mood turned heavy.
The incident at the Moxi Duchy was like a huge burden pressing on him.
Could deploying troops to assist change Moxi Duchy’s declining state?
No one can answer this question.
However, the footsteps of war are drawing closer to the Mountain Domain, and it appears our participation in the war may be advanced.
Correspondingly, it also implies this war will be even more brutal and challenging.
Without the aid of the Human Race’s various kingdoms, the pressure the Northern Three Kingdoms face against the Orc Army is simply too great.
Perhaps the speed of army organization needs to be further accelerated.
It might also be necessary to initiate the second round of training for the noble children within the prefecture.