471: Chapter 71, Many Hands Make Light Work_2 471: Chapter 71, Many Hands Make Light Work_2 …
“Legion Commander Katelai, I entrust these war horses to you.
I want you to train the cavalry corps for me in the shortest possible time.”
Hudson said, with a show of appreciation.
The expansion of the cavalry was too rapid.
Even if soldiers were selected from the entire army, it wasn’t possible gather so many skilled horse-riding archers.
Rather than calling them cavalry, they were more akin to infantry riding on horses.
Even with previous preparations, the soldiers had merely received some basic cavalry training.
They were still far from being qualified cavalrymen.
Hudson knew clearly the capability of his trusted men.
They could perhaps handle directing infantry but commanding a technical force like the cavalry required professionals.
Previously, when there were fewer cavalry, Hudson had personally managed them.
Now that the numbers have swelled to form an army, the workload of being directly under command of the Chief was substantial.
Looking at the entire expeditionary army, there were only a few who had the capability to be appointed as legion commanders, and even fewer who could manage a cavalry corps.
The choice of Baron Katelai was not merely because Hudson held compromising information on him, it was primarily due to familiarity with him.
“Your Excellency the Count, considering the current state of the cavalry corps, it would take at least three months before they are ready for combat.
In the short term, we could at most only handle the orc infantry.
If we were to face the Bimon Cavalry Regiment, I’m afraid we would be powerless!”
Katelai said nervously.
He had obtained a highly-regarded position as a regiment commander, but found himself facing a tough task set by his superior.
The Moxi People’s intention to initiate a decisive battle, threatening Dapes’ position, was by no means a secret within the expeditionary army.
The disclosure of this news had nothing to do with Hudson.
It was mainly due to the Moxi people’s carelessness that the news had spread like wildfire.
In a high-profile war of this scale, anyone with a bit of military knowledge would sense that the expeditionary army would not stand idly by.
“Rest assured, you don’t have to deal with major forces of the Bimon Cavalry, the Moxi will take care of them.
If you encounter them on the battlefield, you only need to think about dealing with one or two Bimon cavalry corps.
If it exceeds this limit, you don’t have to fight them, just avoid them,”
Hudson said calmly.
He had substantial expectations for this cavalry troop.
He couldn’t afford to sacrifice them before they had the chance to prove their worth.
Direct confrontation with the Bimon Cavalry Regiment was a task for the Knight Corps.
…
Just as one task was settled, another issue arose.
Hudson was taken aback by a piece of news sent from the home front, just after he had successfully assigned the tasks and the weaponry had been distributed.
Several places on the northern front line had fallen and there had even been some disturbances in the robust Alpha Kingdom.
Fortunately, there was enough preparation to quickly stabilize the situation after losing a large amount of land.
After the situation improved, a messenger was sent to inform him, clearly to avoid unsettling the expeditionary army by sharing news of the defeat upfront.
The rumor of Bimon Emperor having the “longevity method,” on the contrary, had a far more significant impact than the gloomy news of the front line failure.
It almost instantly overshadowed the news of the defeat and attracted many attention.
The subject of “immortality” attracts myriad attentions in every world.
Even Hudson, after hearing this news initially, could not help but be moved.
The Bimon Emperor had lived for three hundred years, his lifespan far exceeding a normal Bimon.
This was an irrefutable fact.
So there were two explanations: either the Bimon Emperor had secretly broken through the Sanctuary, substantially increasing his lifespan, or he actually had a method for longevity or immortality.
The possibility of the former is extremely slim, as such a breakthrough in the sanctuary cannot be hidden and there is no need to do so.
If it’s the latter, regardless of whether it is a longevity method or an immortality method, it is worth everyone’s peep.
If he were not still young with plenty of life left, Hudson wasn’t sure if he could resist this temptation.
He himself was barely enduring, let alone the old fellows nearing the end of their lives.
It would be even harder for them to resist.
Without a doubt, a bloodiest fight over the Bimon Emperor will inevitably unfold.
Perhaps not only the top humans, but strongmen from different races might also participate.
After all, no one would dislike living longer.
Regardless of who leaked the news, it is a blatant scheme.
Even though they know someone is deliberately trying to create enemies for the Bimon Emperor, it cannot curb everyone’s longing.
After weighing up the pros and cons, Hudson eventually suppressed his eagerness to join the fray.
He prioritized the fight against the orcs above all else, not because he was afraid.
…
In Atrus Province, the decisive battle that would determine the fate of the Warfield Kingdom began.
Having gathered all the troops that could be mobilized from the Kingdom, Joseph II was not elated but on the verge of losing his powers.
Joseph II didn’t know whether more soldiers equaled stronger combat power, but he definitely realized that more soldiers made commanding much more difficult.
The most direct problem he faced was the supply issue for the army.
With the gradual assembly of seven hundred thousand troops, even if they did nothing, the daily necessities were a major issue.
This was no longer about whether the provincial nobles of Atrus Province cooperated or not.
The key was, even if each household opened their stores, they still couldn’t gather enough strategic supplies.
“What, the orc army split up and attacked our granaries?
Tens of thousands of tons of grain and fodder were burned by the enemy?”
Joseph II almost roared with inquiry.
He had bent over backward to gather these strategic supplies, but in the end, they were erased by the enemy’s single spark.
It was a smaller issue to lose the supplies, but the key issue was that the army needed to eat!
Fortunately, he had been cautious one time, which did not store all supplies together.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Minister of Defense answered with an ashen face.
Undoubtedly, this was a failed report.
Regrettably, the paper had already been handed in, and there was no possibility of correcting the score.
Perhaps feeling that his answer was too abrupt to be forgiven by the king, Tiago rushed forward hurriedly to explain.
“Your Majesty, the orc army arrived too fast.
The soldiers guarding the warehouse were logistic personnel with relatively low combat power in the Kingdom, and they couldn’t react to the enemy’s ambush at all.
This is just the beginning, the enemy has now split their forces, apparently not intending to engage in a decisive battle with us directly, and our pressure for supply will continue to increase.”
All were genuine remarks.
The orc army thus divided, their original plan for the decisive battle was scrapped.
Two-legged creatures couldn’t keep up with those with four legs.
Once the agile orc army gets going, they would undoubtedly create constant nuisances.
From then on, the situation of the Warhammer Kingdom will become even more precarious.
“Humph!”
“Useless!”
“You are all useless!”
“Such a big matter that the orc army split up, why wasn’t it detected beforehand?
To wait until the enemy dropped the bomb before reporting.”
Joseph II reproached harshly.
It wasn’t that he didn’t have enough cultivation, but the battle report was too preposterous.
It was clearly neglect of duty to only report the news after the granary had been raided.
When the troops below made a blunder, the Military Department inevitably couldn’t evade its responsibility.
It would be unjust if they were not rebuked.
“Your Majesty, the incident happened too suddenly.
Now, to investigate responsibility doesn’t have any meaning.
The most pressing matter is to deal with the threat of the orcs quickly.
We can still find a way to gather some supplies from other places for the lost supplies in the front to handle emergencies.
Apart from a few nearby corps who might have to tighten their belts and live some difficult days, the impact on others is not that significant.
However, if there is another round of neglect, then we’ll really be in big trouble.”
Prime Minister Guy analytically said.
Detecting a problem is not equivalent to solving it.
Right when the top officials of the Warhammer Kingdom worried about the split troops of the orc army, the divided orc forces were also starting to take action one after another.
Looting the supply warehouse was just one of their regular moves.
They robbed transport teams, ambushed patrols, occasionally stormed several camps, but they wouldn’t engage in a decisive battle….