The King

  Chapter 17 Ethel Fortress

  Twelve magic crystals were turned into powder, and the mysterious compass in my mind was only a little more solidified. Its specific function is still unknown.

   Obviously, this bit of magic power is far from satisfying the appetite of the big eater, and Hudson is about to collapse. If it wasn't for the slight improvement in his physique, he would have been ready to give up.

   The golden finger was no longer available, and Hudson had to continue to be cautious. Set up camp and wait for all the people in the alliance to gather before going on the road again.

  Looking at the gorgeous flags and the crumbling teams under the flags, Hudson didn't know how to complain.

  I thought my own family was bad enough, but I didn't expect there to be worse. In the entire league, except for a few two or three teams who can barely watch, the rest are garbage among garbage.

   After a secret comparison, Hudson found that in terms of strength, his own mob can actually rank in the top five in the temporary alliance.

   It is not because of strong combat effectiveness, but because of the large number of people. They are also recruited, and the military obligations that different territories need to undertake are also different.

  In the case of the same mob, it is natural that the strength of the more people is stronger. Hudson, who wanted to paddle, never dreamed that his family could become the "main force" in the league.

   This is embarrassing. I am afraid that no one can tell whether such a mob is going to suppress the rebellion or to send the head to the rebel army.

   It can only be said that there are too many smart people in this world. After realizing something was wrong, each of them chose to preserve their strength.

  When a group of smart people gathered together, this grand occasion of "crowd gathering" appeared.

  Under the background that paddling has become the mainstream, honest mobilization has become an alternative. Of course, "alternative" is not a derogatory term here, and everyone "respects" those few who have made money.

  Choose an ally, naturally an honest person is better. A group of nobles, including Hudson, have tacitly started the touting mode.

   As for the true thoughts in the heart, it doesn't matter. Anyway, in the next war, they will be the "armed force" of the alliance.

  Of course, as the titular leader, Knight Cheers is also responsible for force. It's just that he is in charge of personal force, while others are in charge of group force.

   Who made Chelsea poor?

  A lot of wealth has been invested in the bottomless pit of magic research, so naturally there is no financial resources to develop armaments. Even the frontier guards are serving serfs, and the force in the territory is himself.

  Among all the private armies of the nobles, Cheers's troops are the most rubbish. All bamboo spear equipment, not even a pair of armor.

  Equipment is garbage, and the key sergeants are also a bunch of crooked melons. The scattered formation, one can tell at a glance that they have never been trained.

  Ordinary people are afraid of comparison. Under the background of all his allies, Hudson suddenly found that his army has become an "elite division".

  At least judging from the marching ranks, the Koslow family's team is the only one keeping the formation. Unlike other aristocratic private armies, every time they set up camp, they have to look for people everywhere.

   With so many teammates added, the marching speed naturally dropped again and again. Seeing that the time for the required assembly was approaching, no one was in a hurry.

   Everyone is calm, and Hudson is too lazy to be the first bird. The law does not blame the crowd is also applicable in the continent of Aslante, especially they are still noble nobles.

  Under the current political system, there is no general preferential treatment for nobles. Earl Pierce is capable of punishing a single nobleman, but he absolutely dare not punish a group of noblemen at the same time. Otherwise, if there is a commotion, it will definitely alarm the kingdom.

  Since ancient times, the central government and local princes have had irreconcilable conflicts. How to suppress the local nobles is a compulsory course for every king.

  For the stability of the kingdom and the balance of power, successive kings never forgot to add sand to the local area. The most intolerable thing is that the local area is monolithic.

  Under this general principle, the relationship between the local nobles and the small and medium-sized nobles will naturally not be harmonious, and they dare not be too harmonious.

  After thinking through all this, Hudson suddenly understood what his colleagues were doing. A little fuss, which seems very nonsensical, is actually a manifestation of political wisdom.

  Of course, we can't say how clever everyone is. Most people do it because they are used to it. Maybe they don't want to be late, but the low efficiency prevents them from catching up.

   Most of the real directors of all this are the big nobles above. Generation after generation of hard work and generation after generation of indulgence have led to the current situation.

  Transposition, Hudson will do the same. Deliberately creating a situation where local control is not strict is the best way to eliminate the king's suspicion.

   It's just this situation, which has changed in recent decades. With the passage of time, the accumulated strength of the local princes has become stronger and stronger, and the advantages of the royal family are no longer obvious. All kinds of tentative little moves gradually increased.

   Of course, these are Hudson's inferences. The information in hand is limited, and the understanding of the upper class is not enough, so the conclusions drawn may not be accurate.

  …

  Ethel Fortress, with the arrival of Earl Pierce's army, this place has become the headquarters of the counter-insurgency army, and it has also become the front line to prevent the rebels from advancing westward.

  Leadership is the embodiment of chivalry. Although Earl Pierce did not personally lead the charge, he still went to the front line to command.

   After defending the city for many days, Earl Pierce was also exhausted. The plan has never changed quickly. Originally thought that the rebels were just mobs and nothing to worry about. They wanted to take advantage of the chaos to make profits, so they let the rebels grow bigger.

   I didn't expect the skeleton to play a big game. First, the nobles in Dadir City were slaughtered, and then the rebels quickly swept across the countryside.

   Before Earl Pierce could react, the rebel army swept across the two counties of Wright and Wyton, and their soldiers pointed directly at Beda.

  The counties of Wright and Wyton are nothing more than that. Anyway, most of them are fiefdoms of other nobles, and a few unlucky vassals have been affected, and Earl Pierce can afford to lose.

  Kebeida is different. This place is already the core fiefdom of his Dalton family. Once it falls into the hands of the rebels, it will be a big loss.

   As a last resort, Earl Pierce could only issue a call-up order, and at the same time personally lead an army to meet the enemy, defending the enemy at Fort Ethel.

   "Where did the reinforcements of the nobles go, and how long will it take to arrive?"

   Earl Pierce asked, frowning.

   It's not that the Dalton family is afraid of rebels, but wars are ultimately deadly. This group of rebels in front of them is obviously not an idler. If they fight head-on with the enemy, even if they can win, they will inevitably suffer heavy losses.

  In this world of the jungle, strength is fundamental. If the strength of the Dalton family is greatly damaged, it is unknown how many hungry wolves will pounce on them.

  In order to reduce his own losses, Earl Pierce chose not to hold out even though he clearly had the strength to defeat the rebels outside the city.

  (end of this chapter)