353: Chapter 26, Encounter with the Enemy_1 353: Chapter 26, Encounter with the Enemy_1 The decision to march had been made, but the delay lasted for three days.
It was not Hudson intentionally dragging his feet, but the troops from the Moxi Duchy that were to accompany him were not ready.
It was evident from their efficiency, which bore no relation whatsoever to the military precept of swift action.
Fighting in a foreign land without the coordination of local troops was a difficult undertaking.
If the people of Moxi were not in a hurry, there was no reason for Hudson to worry on their behalf.
From this episode, he finally understood why the Augustusburg Defense Line had fallen so quickly.
It wasn’t that the soldiers on the front line were unqualified; it was due to the sluggish bureaucratic system.
The reaction speed showed that the bureaucrats of Moxi Duchy were still stuck in the mindset of fighting civil wars within the Human Kingdoms.
But the Orcs never abided by the rules of martial ethics, they would not afford them any time to prepare before launching an attack.
Bathed in morning light, the army finally embarked on their march.
The top brass of Moxi Duchy even personally came to send them off, making their farewell impeccably courteous.
Crown Prince Caesar also made an appearance among the troops; a stark contrast from his hasty departure a few days ago, he was now in high spirits.
Gauging from his radiant expression, Hudson could tell that Caesar had enjoyed himself immensely over the past few days.
Of course, Hudson was quite happy at the moment too.
Before the troop’s departure, the people of Moxi had presented him with a generous gift.
From this perspective, bureaucrats weren’t all bad.
At least in the ways of the world and social etiquette, their understanding was spot on.
Gifts tend to make one more compliant.
Along the march Hudson was remarkably cooperative.
Wherever the army of Moxi Duchy marched, the Layton County Legion followed suit, and they never straggled or lagged behind.
…
The Orc Camp, packed with a large number of troops and flying banners, presented an awe-inspiring sight.
Where there are many people, there are many matters.
An Empire governed by the Five Major Royal Families of the Orcs was never united.
The five families were allies when contending with the Human Race.
At other times, they were competitors.
Only under the threat of the Human Race could the Five Major Royal Families of the Orcs sit together to discuss matters.
If there were no external threats, they could easily start a fight amongst themselves.
The end of the orc’s domination was half due to the human race and half due to their internal strife.
Over the decision on the main direction of the attack, the five families had squabbled for a month with no end in sight.
The Lionman clan and the Silver Moon Wolf Clan advocated persisting in their attack on the Moxi Duchy; the Bimon clan and the Hawkman Tribe suggested switching the direction of the attack to the Warhammer Kingdom, and the Bearman clan was fine with either plan.
Both sides had their own reasons, and neither side could convince the other.
As more and more troops gathered, without a determined offensive direction, the five families started to become anxious.
“We can’t keep dragging this out!
According to the information we collected, the reinforcement forces from Alpha Kingdom have already entered the Moxi Duchy and will soon reach the frontline.
Reinforcements from other human nations are also on their way.
Within the next month, the Moxi Duchy will receive reinforcements from at least five nations.
The Humans’ Alliance Conference is imminent.
If we don’t make a breakthrough on the battlefield and attract various races into this war quickly, we will be driven back by the humans in a disgraceful manner!”
The Hawkman King stated emotionlessly.
The Orcs believed in the rule of the strong.
He who achieved a breakthrough in the Moxi Duchy first and reaped the greatest military achievements since the start of the war, undoubtedly earned a greater say at the table.
Watching the strategic advantages they had so hardly acquired gradually dissolve amidst the quarrel, the Hawkman King was starting to get angry as well.
“There’s no need for Hawkman King to worry.
We all know the efficiency of the Human’s Alliance Conference.
They can’t produce any results without spending a year and a half or more.
As long as the Human Alliance doesn’t intervene entirely, a few human nations in the Northland are simply no match for us.
Despite sending reinforcements to Moxi Duchy, every nation essentially sent a bunch of subpar soldiers.
One look at the reaction from Alpha Kingdom indicates that they themselves have no faith in their allies to withstand our offensive.
They sent reinforcements seemingly without delay, but they also spent a lot of energy on building a new defensive line.
Previous battles have proven time and time again that it is unrealistic to overthrow the humans from their throne in one go, the best way is to gradually nibble away at their territory.
It’s true that Moxi Duchy with its vast flatlands is easy to take over, but also easy for the humans to recapture.
Located between Alpha Kingdom and Warhammer Kingdom, losing such a strategic location is not something the humans can tolerate.
Contrarily, the Warhammer Kingdom next door is different.
The northern part is the World of Ice and Snow, inhabited by a few declining species, posing no threat.
Only a few human minor kingdoms lay westward, and it’s likely that those elves would conquer them even before we could launch an attack.
If we conquer the Warhammer Kingdom, the vast and flat Moxi Duchy would still be within our reach.
By that time, we could stall with the humans in the Moxi Duchy while observing changes in the continent’s situation before making further decisions.
If the other tribes join in, we continue the war, if the situation worsens, we abandon Moxi Duchy and hold onto the territories of the Warhammer Kingdom.
Once we consolidate the spoils of war, we can continue the large-scale war and settle the score with the humans.”
Crown Prince Alex analyzed calmly.
In the last major war, the Orc Empire managed to take over some northern provinces of Alpha Kingdom, everyone had a share on the spoils.
After years of development, the entity’s power of Orc Empire has enhanced by one or two tenths compared to the time before the last major war.
Though the number seems small, for a species struggling to survive in the cracks, any degree of power enhancement is of great significance.