450: Chapter 64, The Evil of Human Nature_1 450: Chapter 64, The Evil of Human Nature_1 Having dismissed Marshal Hodge, Hudson had naturally suspended the battle plan proposed by the Moxi People.
The Siege of Dapes, was not something that could be resolved simply by wanting to lift it.
Moving an army of two or three hundred thousand was no trivial matter and would require a vast amount preparations that would certainly take a good deal of time.
As a big shot in the military, Marshal Hodge had a profound understanding of the Moxi Duchy.
He knew very well that under the current circumstances, it was almost impossible for the Duchy to preserve its foundation with its own power.
Although Hudson’s proposal was somewhat refreshing, it indeed represented a path to save the country.
Now at the brink of life and death, regardless of the outcome, they had to give it a try.
As for any potential problems in the future, they had to live to see the future first.
Having dealt with one matter, Hudson leisurely opened the official documents from the Kingdom.
Awarding was a must; even though they couldn’t precisely calculate the merits of the battle, the Kingdom was not stingy with verbal accolades.
Following the commendation, the official stance on the two major victories between the two nations was derived, with the naming lacking any artistic flair as always.
“The Grand Victory of the Bertley Bear Royal Court”, this title, apart from being simple and easy to understand, lacked any other merits.
Nevertheless, Hudson could understand, in these times the overall literacy level was not high.
Many lower-class nobles were semi-illiterate, not to mention the serfs.
If complicated names and terms were used, many would be left in confusion, therefore failing in promoting the victory.
The official “The Grand Victory of the Bertley Bear Royal Court” not only described the location of the war outbreak but also introduced the fighting parties and the significance of the War.
By just mentioning the word “Imperial Court”, in the eyes of ordinary people, it would certainly be extraordinary.
To most people, storming the Bearman Imperial Court and taking their Imperial Court War Flag carried far more persuasive power than inflicting heavy losses on several Orc armies.
Without any surprises, the war was defined as yet another “turning point” in the war against the Orc Empire.
Frankly speaking, the moment Hudson heard the phrase “turning point”, he was too tired to even comment.
There was no other choice, as soon as they finished promoting the last “turning point”, their allies immediately suffered a major defeat.
Despite no news of the battle from the Orton Duchy, Hudson’s experience told him that the situation there was by no means optimistic.
More likely than not, a catastrophe had already occurred.
His recent victory had high probabilities of getting buried by the defeat of his allies.
Deep down, Hudson had been secretly praying for bad news to come a little later.
Otherwise, if people linked these two events together, he would have a hard time explaining himself.
…
In the Orton Duchy, the bad news eventually reached the Capital.
Accompanying the news was the rapidly advancing Orc Army.
It was as if a thunderbolt flashed in a clear sky, leaving the high echelons of the Orton Duchy stunned.
Although they did not have much faith in their army holding off the Orc Army, the speed of their collapse was too fast.
At the very least, there should have been a few days of resistance, to prove that they had played their part.
If things were to continue in this way, even if the Human Alliance managed to reclaim the lost territories in the future, they wouldn’t be involved.
Fundamentally, the Continent of Aslante still adhered to the law of the jungle despite the rules layered on the surface.
And weakness was an original sin.
“The Orc Army is coming.
What should we do?”
Orton XIX said in panic.
As a useless monarch who was not interested in battles or warfare, he naturally didn’t know how to handle the approaching enemy.
The performance of the government officials was not much better.
The most significant value of the frontline army was delaying advancing the Orc Army with troops in retreat.
While effective resistance was not absent, under the overwhelming trend of army collapse, any efforts made were futile.
In essence, there were too few elite troops, with an overabundance of new soldiers.
The handful of combat-worthy soldiers were not given a chance to perform, being dragged down by their comrades.
“Your Majesty, at this point, we can only prepare for the defense of the capital.
No matter what, we have to have a battle with the Orcs to demonstrate the indomitable spirit of the Duchy.”
Chancellor Jacob said sternly.
Even though it was hard to hear, this was the reality.
If they do not exhibit their strength on the battlefield, they would not have any footing in the noble circles in the future.
Not just them, the entire noble class of the Orton Duchy would suffer societal death.
The loss of a war is usually overlooked and no one ridicules losses that occur due to a significant difference in power.
The key lies in how you lose.
Being utterly devastated at first contact and losing cities after intense resistance are entirely different concepts.
In a time of great contest, any nobles incapable of defending their territories were a cancer to the Human Race.
The Chancellor obviously intended to fight to the death, many faces in the council turned gloomy, but in the end, nobody suggested fleeing.
It wasn’t that they didn’t want to evacuate their capital, rather the current situation did not allow them to leave.
At this point, all the nobles of the Orton Duchy found themselves without an escape route.
If they were not to exhibit their strength in the upcoming battle, the wolves waiting in the wings would not let them off the hook.
If they were to retreat, the title of Duchy’s noble in the future would no longer be a glory, but a laughingstock deserving ridicule.
Even if they were unable to defeat the Orcs, they still needed to resist stubbornly.
The only way to wash away their shame was with blood.
Without sufficient strength, they could only try to portray a tragically heroic image to seek sympathy from the noble circle.