King-Chapter 1394 - 270: Set 1 signal fire every 5 li, erect 1 beacon tower every 10 li, build 1 fortress every 30 li, construct 1 city every 100 li_2
Chapter 1394: Chapter 270: Set 1 signal fire every 5 li, erect 1 beacon tower every 10 li, build 1 fortress every 30 li, construct 1 city every 100 li_2
Of course, these are just thoughts confined to the shadows. This isn’t some comedy show—how could the Kingdom Marshal be tasked with solving a case? Who’s going to the front lines to fight the Orcs then?
Don’t be fooled by how the Orcs act like fools handing themselves over to Hudson; with a different general, they might’ve turned the tables instead.
Having suffered losses in this regard, Caesar IV wouldn’t dare risk it again. If the current advantageous situation were ruined, the furious Nobles could drag him down from the throne in an instant.
At this moment in the Alpha Kingdom, exterminating the Orcs takes precedence over everything else; everything else is secondary.
A hint is all that’s needed. Whether he can drag the mastermind behind the scenes into the light, Hudson is entirely uncertain.
The reason is simple—there are far too many suspects.
The Frank Empire, the Iberia Kingdom are both suspicious; the Clergy also has motives to meddle in the dark, while the Orcs and the Alien Coalition aren’t off the hook either.
It’s even possible someone within the Five Nations Alliance made a move. After all, the strength Alpha Kingdom displayed must’ve made them feel immense pressure as subordinates.
Beyond international forces, domestic political factions might also be involved.
That said, the assassination likely has little to do with them. Internal rivalries are one thing—that doesn’t mean anyone would flip the table.
But the deaths of Marquis Milles, Count Roman, and Marquis Gadley? That’s harder to say.
Though it’s common practice for a new King to rotate out old ministers, Caesar IV’s actions were undoubtedly excessive.
He endured it all those years; yet crucially, in the final stretch, he made an enormous blunder.
While he may have taken control of the Court, he also managed to push some of the core members of the Royalist Party into opposing him.
In politics, many things are done out of necessity. Caesar IV’s brute-force approach to replacing people was bound to provoke backlash from these vested interest groups.
The deaths of those three unlucky souls, combined with shifting the blame to the hidden mastermind, can at least save the King some face.
If things were handled even more ruthlessly, framing key figures promoted by Caesar IV within the assassination itself—that would be the true killing blow.
If the military joined hands with the old ministers of the previous reign, crowning a new King wouldn’t be an impossible feat.
In terms of sheer power alone, the forces under the King’s command right now may not even measure up to those of the old ministers.
Of course, the power dynamic between the two is shifting with time. The longer this drags on, the stronger the King’s faction becomes.
This tangled mess is something Hudson has no time to get involved in. Now that the ceremony has already been botched, the aftermath issues can be left to Caesar IV to deal with.
...
The ceremony wrapped up hastily, and the Alliance Council also came to a close.
Overall, this session could be summed up as overwhelmingly dramatic.
The once-dominant Clergy fell from grace; the Alpha Kingdom shone brightly but suffered a humiliating setback, leaving many delegates exclaiming: "It was worth coming!"
As for the "truth," that’s Alpha Kingdom’s problem to solve—onlookers are here just for the spectacle.
Other than representatives accidentally caught in the crossfire demanding compensation, the rest quickly bid their farewells and departed.
For the many delegates also engaged in trade, Alpha Kingdom proved to be a land of disappointment. Their seemingly perfect business strategies were completely upended here.
What was expected to bring massive profits ended up as massive losses instead. A huge surplus of goods was stockpiled, only to be transported back the same way they came.
There’s no helping it—the Alpha Kingdom Nobles are now tightening their belts for the upcoming eastern expansion campaign.
In their effort to pool funds and develop new territories, everyone is saving every penny possible.
When the ruling group is broke, naturally the governed populace doesn’t fare any better.
Various merchant groups have already loaned considerable sums to the kingdom. Now, even with money in their pockets, they dare not spend lavishly, lest they catch the hungry eyes of the impoverished Noble Lords.
Pocketing a financial loss, it’s hard to imagine anyone feeling cheerful. If it weren’t for the Alpha Kingdom currently being at its peak, there might’ve been more outright schadenfreude.
Frustration can’t stay bottled up forever, so the unlucky Clergy bore the brunt of it.
Before the meeting officially closed, the Councilors passed a proposal to reevaluate disputed territories under Papal State control, lumping every contested region into the list.
The Anti-French Alliance army, initially supporting the Clergy, may soon transform into the vanguard force to carve up Papal State lands.
Meanwhile, the Five Nations Alliance, having resolved the Cult rebellion, is deliberating whether to intervene militarily as "mediators."
The Clergy’s naval forces have been nearly wiped out, which means the Five Nations Alliance could bypass the Different Races’ blockades and reach the Papal State via sea.
While mediating disputes is merely a pretense, the real goal is plunder. The countless wealth accumulated by the Papal State over the years is simply too tempting.
For a broke nation like Alpha Kingdom, such riches are doubly enticing.
A successful raid might even resolve the Kingdom’s fiscal crisis in one stroke.
But none of this concerns Hudson. By the time the Kingdom’s leadership started deliberating the matter, he had already excused himself, citing military duties as his reason.
The title of "Human Marshal" is a double-edged sword; while it confers immense glory, it also inevitably restricts Hudson’s freedom of action.
Throughout history, there have been countless renowned generals among the Human Race on the Continent of Aslante, yet few have ever earned the distinction of being named a Human Marshal.
It’s not due to a lack of achievements; rather, it’s because many of them, in addition to fighting external enemies, also meddled in internal wars among the Human Race.
With their hands stained by the blood of their own kin, no matter how outstanding their records of service, they could never gain universal recognition.
In that sense, Hudson is quite fortunate. Since his debut, he has fought solely against Different Races.
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