King-Chapter 1071 - 153, Middle East Front_3

Afterwards, Caesar IV still showed no remorse and repeatedly gave military directives based on his own poor military competence, forcing the upper echelons of the Alpha Kingdom to take a united stand to prevent his meddling in military affairs.

However, as misfortune often breeds opportunity, it was his abject defeat that laid the foundation for Hudson’s rise.

The Alpha Kingdom could pummel the Orc Empire to the north and shatter the Ancient Heritage Alliance to the west, even intimidating the Elf Race, largely because of Hudson, the premiere general of the Northern Continent’s command ability," lamented Prime Minister Duke Bergson.

This was all homework he had recently completed. He had initially thought the Alpha Kingdom was entering a period of decline, so its prioritization had been downgraded to the third tier; little did he expect that in the blink of an eye, the kingdom surged back to full strength.

Perhaps their comprehensive national power was not as great as during its peak, but their military achievements were certainly no less impressive.

"It’s not surprising at all; the Alpha Kingdom’s resilience is well recognized on the Continent. This unlucky kingdom has been teetering on the edge of life and death since its very inception.

Archbishop, prepare yourself. Choose a good day for the Kingdom Church to officially break away from the Clergy.

The Department of Foreign Affairs should make the necessary arrangements; it would be best to bring the Alpha Church along for this move.

As for the Three Kingdoms in the Central Continent, they are now busy cleaning up their own messes. Even though they may detest the Clergy deep down, they wouldn’t dare make a move at such a time and should remain neutral. freewebnøvel_com

There’s no need to hold out hope for the Iberia Kingdom, as they have always wanted to take the place of our Kingdom. If we oppose the Clergy, they will stand as the Clergy’s Great Loyalists!" declared Charles III, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Especially when saying "Great Loyalist," he intensified his tone.

Everything boils down to interests. The discord between the leader and the second-in-command is usually irreconcilable. If the leader and the second-in-command are neighbors, there’s even less hope for reconciliation.

Unfortunately, Frank and Iberia, the two great nations, are both The First Kingdom of the Continent and the second, and they are precisely next-door neighbors.

When the Alien Coalition was powerful, the two nations cozied up together against the cold, and they used to be the closest of allies.

It’s a pity that with the successful reforms in both countries and their rise as strong nations, the threat posed by the Different Races disappeared, and former allies became current competitors.

While the nations fiercely quarreled, the Nobles of both shared close relations, with many Clans intermarried over more than a dozen generations.

Thanks to these blood relations, the two countries might have had their squabbles over the years, but no major wars ever broke out.

How long this peace would last, no one could say for sure. The reality was that as the nations grew stronger, their conflicts became ever more difficult to reconcile.

Perhaps when the Alien Coalition faded away, that would be the moment the two nations would clash.

Of course, it’s more likely that before any internal strife breaks out, they would first engage in a bout of factional opposition, forcibly dragging other nations into choosing sides.

At the Jade Palace, the Near East issue discussion was once again underway. Thanks to having agreed to terms with the King in advance, Hudson experienced firsthand what it meant to "have connections in the palace."

With the support of the Ministers from The Royal Family’s camp, many sensitive issues were lightly glossed over with mutual protection.

The progress was smoother and faster than Hudson had anticipated. Clearly, everyone genuinely lacked interest in the Near East Region’s lands.

Although some harbored doubts about Hudson’s aggressive land acquisition, when asked to join him, they all withdrew.

The Major Nobles weren’t entirely uninvolved in the Near East issue; they just limited the resources they were willing to invest, at most sending a few overlooked Direct Family Members there and more often than not, filling up the ranks with collateral family members.

Though their involvement was minimal, the land titles they received were substantial, starting with entire counties and even some acquiring multiple counties.

Some were exchanged through land bonds, while others were awarded for wartime achievements. Although, in principle, military honors could not be transferred, exceptions still existed.

For instance, the Major Clans now managed the landed estates granted to their family members for military service, indirectly achieving the transfer of military honors.

As for how the interests were to be divided after such maneuvers, they all followed well-established customs, simply abiding by the old rules.

In contrast to the land issue where others bear the costs, the real bone of contention was the investment in silver for the Near East Front.

The Military Department’s plan was very reliable, covering not just Hudson’s territory but the entire Near East Region with fortifications.

According to the plan, the Kingdom would need to build at least thirty pass forts, hundreds of war fortresses, construct thousands of kilometers of walls, and thousands more kilometers of war roads to connect the Near East Region.

Such a large-scale infrastructure investment was an immense pressure for a feudal kingdom.

Besides the northern provinces expressing their support, the rest of the Kingdom’s provinces were either doubtful or outright opposed.

The issue had become awkward by this stage. The provinces that declared their support were all poor beggars.

They had no money or grain to contribute, and even their labor force was minimal. Conversely, the provinces clearly against it were the main suppliers of men, money, and grain.

"Governors, you are all versed in military affairs, and you should know the difficulty of incorporating a vast plain into our realm.

If we don’t build walls, what will we have to defend against an Orc invasion?

In the short term, pouring resources into the Near East Land may seem like a losing trade, but we cannot only focus on the immediate losses.

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