The city of Al-Bayda, the governor's palace.

By the time the news reached Earl Pierce, the war had already come to an end, and only sets of cold numbers remained.

"Pass the order, let all the officers and soldiers on leave return to their positions and be ready to attack at any time.

All surface forces along the coast of the southeastern province were ordered to keep an eye on the traces of this foreign pirate fleet, and to report the situation immediately.

The griffon cavalry in the territory was also sent out by me to search the sea. I don't believe that a fleet can fly from the sky! ”

Earl Pierce ordered angrily.

At the door of his own home, he fought a battle with the enemy, losing hundreds of officers and soldiers of the navy, and as a result, he did not even know the identity of the other party.

After suffering such a big loss, if they don't find out the enemy and make an example of the monkeys, how can the Dalton family still mix at sea?

As for the causes of the conflict, they are no longer important, and there is no need for justification in the fight against piracy.

"Uncle, trade in the northern seas is not well developed, and most of the pirates entrenched in the sea are limited. These pirates who don't know the rules should be from the south-central seas.

Piracy relies on in-depth knowledge of the sea, and generally stays in the area where it operates, and rarely crosses borders.

It's understandable that this group of pirates suddenly went north, and our people didn't find out in advance.

Although the fleet suffered a lot of losses in the battle, it also proved from the side that we have control over the southeast coast.

Being able to find their traces at the first moment of the enemy's intrusion proves that the people below are still attentive.

If it weren't for this naval battle, the enemy would have been exposed. If these guys attack our ports or overseas islands, that's a big threat! ”

Viscount Cayo opened his mouth to persuade.

With Hudson's rise to prominence, he, the Warden of Wyton, no longer nested in his fiefdom, but went back to assist Earl Pierce in family affairs.

Half of the family needs to develop, and the other half is forced out.

Governor Pierce was worried that his young and vigorous nephew would be provoked by outsiders to do stupid things, so he simply kept people around and cultivated them.

As it turned out, this decision was very correct. After two years of handling government affairs, Viscount Cayo's ability has also changed dramatically.

"Alas, it's a difficult situation!

The outbreak of the war on the mainland was already very unfavorable to the family, and now a mysterious pirate has emerged to threaten our maritime interests.

Let's get rid of this group of pirates first. The direction of the continental war is not something we can decide.

There aren't many places on the southeast coast for pirates to hide, and as long as they don't leave, they'll be able to find them.

Send someone to prepare a generous gift and ask Earl Hudson to help.

Forget it, why don't you go over and take it yourself. Lower your posture a little, and even if you can't be invited, let the dragon go to the sea and swing around. ”

Earl Pierce said with a solemn expression.

In times of peace, the Dalton family is the overlord of the southeastern provinces, and their comprehensive strength can steadily suppress the Coslow family.

Farming is done in a step-by-step manner, and this advantage can last for decades or even hundreds of years.

But once the war began, the situation changed.

The Coslow family, which was originally at a disadvantage, suddenly became special because of the existence of Hudson, a famous general on the mainland.

The change in the situation forced Earl Pierce to carefully manage the relationship between the two families. At the very least, you must ensure that you can't leave the other party on the surface, and you can do it for your own reasons.

"Uncle, it's just a group of pirates, you can't owe a favor, right?"

Cayo asked, puzzled.

Although they suffered a lot of losses in the sea before, the sea power of the Dalton family was not severely damaged.

In order to exterminate a pirate, he asked for help from a competitor and gave a favor for nothing, which is not cost-effective no matter how you look at it.

"Cayo, you're still not mature enough!

Earl Hudson is not only a dragon knight, but also the commander-in-chief of the kingdom's strategic mobilization, and will become the commander-in-chief of the kingdom's army in the future, and may even command the armies of the countries of the Northern Continent.

Such an identity is no longer something that the family can suppress. Even if we wanted to suppress it, we couldn't find a suitable entry point, and our allies, including our allies, would not support our action now.

The more difficult the situation in the North Continent, the more special Hudson's position became. The major forces of the kingdom are waiting for him to command the army at this moment and turn the tide at a critical moment.

We can't go against the general trend and do things like mantis arm. Since you can't suppress it, let's find a way to make friends.

The Coslow family is a new aristocracy after all, and Count Hudson is a smart man, not a rampant nouveau riche who will be rampant.

Whether it is the royal family or the major forces in the country, they will not watch him dominate the southeastern provinces.

If he crosses the line, even in wartime, everyone needs to use him, and if he can endure it, he will settle accounts after the war.

In a sense, the more beautiful Hudson is now, the more likely he is to fall into the post-war situation.

There is no shortage of similar negative examples in history, and many legendary heroes have been persecuted, essentially politically immature, and have put themselves in dangerous situations.

Earl Hudson's political skills, you've seen it. It was impossible for him not to see something so obvious.

Maintaining the pattern of the two strong provinces in the southeast is also the best choice for him. If he took one step further, the king would not be able to sleep.

Even if there were gains in the war, the expansion of the Coslow family could not be in the southeastern provinces. In this regard, the major families in the country are the same.

If the kingdom has no restrictions on the big nobles, I'm afraid that the big families across provinces and counties are everywhere, where is there still room for the small and medium-sized nobles to survive?

At this moment, in addition to deliberately sending a favor, another reason for asking Hudson to make a move is that the origin of this group of pirates is unknown.

In case there is a plan of a big force behind it, there will be one more person who can share the hatred. After all, the presence of the Dragon Knight is much stronger than ours. ”

After listening to Count Pierce's explanation, Viscount Cayo's face turned red. He never imagined that a seemingly ordinary invitation would hide so many things behind it.

It is no wonder that the Coslow family and the Dalton family, who are in the same southeastern province, compete for a while and cooperate for a while, which makes people scratch their heads.

After such a combing, everything is explained. When neither of the two forces is capable of swallowing each other in one gulp, compromise in the struggle becomes an inevitable choice.

……

The Principality of Omega, as one of the Seven Kingdoms of the Steppe, unfortunately stood in the way of the Orc Army, becoming the first country to start the defense of the royal capital since the outbreak of the Continental War.

The territory fell so quickly, not the nobles of the Principality of Omega wasted. In fact, the nobles who were able to come out and open up a foundation were all the elites of this era.

The combination of a small country and a new immigrant country determines the tragic lifeblood of the Principality of Omega.

The battle to defend the royal capital was started early, because the country was flat, and the only fortress that could be called a strong city defense fortress was the royal capital.

The development time is too short, there are not even a few cities in the entire principality, and the noble castles are also under construction, so they do not have the conditions to hold on to them at all.

There was no warning beforehand, and no one knew that the continental war would break out so suddenly.

Caught off guard, he was brought into the war, which was really stressful for the Principality of Omega.

After inspecting the defenses on the city walls himself, the physically and mentally exhausted Baird I sighed secretly.

Since he succeeded to the throne, there has not been a good day.

First, he was busy preparing for the establishment of the government and organizing immigrants, and then he got up early and took the people to open up the wasteland and start a business, but he didn't expect that the principality had just been on the right track, and the orc army had killed it again.

If he had known that he would be so sad to be the king, he would have stayed in his hometown as a rice worm.

There is no regret medicine in the world, and this is the time of race war, and he cannot be allowed to back down.

"When will reinforcements from various countries arrive?"

Baird I asked with concern.

The Principality of Omega has become a soldier for all people, and as long as they can carry a sword, they have been incorporated into the army.

However, it is still a dream to use this little power to stop the pace of the orc army.

"The armies of the Seven Nations Alliance have already begun to mobilize, but considering that the orcs may intercept them halfway, they will not be able to act together until reinforcements from the countries of the continent gather.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the six countries, has launched a proposal to the Alliance, which is currently being discussed in the Terran Alliance's Parliament.

Privately, the Seven-Nation Alliance has also communicated with other countries, and the Kingdom of Franks has promised to send 40,000 troops, and the Kingdom of Libya has promised to send 35,000 troops......

The Alpha Kingdom has pledged the largest number of troops, and plans to send a 10,000-strong army to each of our seven nations.

Taken together, the reinforcements pledged by the countries of the mainland are as high as more than 400,000 troops. Coupled with the military power of the Seven Nations Alliance, theoretically it should be able to fight the orcs.

However, these are all theoretical, and in practice, the speed of all countries is very slow, including the always efficient Alpha Kingdom, and the reaction speed is not ordinarily slow.

Except for the Alpha Kingdom, the major Terran countries on the continent have been involved in the war, and even if they are willing to send reinforcements, I am afraid they will not be elite.

In terms of the overall situation, there is still no optimism for the principality! ”

Foreign Minister Bathory said in a deep voice.

Such diplomatic results are not satisfactory. But there is no way, people are selfish.

Everyone promised to send troops, it was for the sake of the interests of the human race, but the premise was to take care of themselves first.

"It's not just that it's not optimistic, it's clear that it doesn't leave us a way to live!

Without reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before the royal capital fell.

Now they can hold it, because the orcs did not attack aggressively, and they want to win with the least cost.

We are already locked down, and the food reserves in the city can last for three months at most.

Once we run out of food, we will collapse even if the enemy does not attack.

Other countries are just that, and it is natural for them to give up on us for the sake of their hegemony.

What's going on with the Alpha Kingdom, it's been dragging its feet like this, don't you understand that after our Seven Kingdoms are finished, they will be the next unlucky ones? ”

The Minister of War, Yepsen, said with an angry expression.

In order to defend the royal capital, they were forced to adopt the means of fortifying the walls and clearing the wilderness, and concentrated the troops of the whole country, and the influx of a large number of people directly led to the rapid consumption of food.

In the case of the cut off of supplies, the food in the city was eaten one grain and one grain less.

They didn't think about it before, because they didn't think they could hold out for three months under the full attack of the orc army.

The orcs slowed down the intensity of their attack, and the food problem, which did not need to be considered, has now become a source of crisis.

"I can answer this question, and it can be summed up in two words - money and food!

The Alpha Kingdom has not yet come out of the last war, and even if they want to send troops in a big way, they can't get the money and food for the expedition to the steppe.

Anyway, the life or death of the Seven Kingdoms of the Grassland has nothing to do with them, and if they work hard to rescue them, they are still cultivating enemies for themselves, so it is better to let us and the orcs consume.

What's more, the enemies they need to consider are not only orcs, but also ancient relics and elves.

From their standpoint, perhaps it is the best choice to let the orcs destroy us and fight the orcs at our doorstep! ”

Prime Minister Cameron said indifferently.

Only when the family knew that firewood, rice, oil and salt were expensive, and only two months after the outbreak of the continental war, the Principality of Omega was about to run out of food.

The Alpha Kingdom, which has been fighting for several years, has an economic situation that can be imagined. Decades of accumulation have been wiped out, and a lot of debt is still owed.

Another expedition of one million troops, I am afraid that before the orcs are defeated, the Alpha Kingdom will be dragged down by the huge consumption of logistics and materials.

It's useless to know, the Seven Steppe Countries are currently sufficiency and have no ability to provide logistics for the army.

When countries send troops to reinforce them, they must bring their own grain and grass materials, and they can at most organize people to help transport them.

"You don't need to be too pessimistic, in view of the special situation we are facing, the Terran Alliance Council has specially approved: we can evacuate in an orderly manner and resist step by step.

Of course, an orderly evacuation exists only in theory. Once you leave the city protection, it is to give people to the orc army to be slaughtered.

Now defend the city first, and after holding on for two or three months, organize a breakthrough on the grounds of running out of food, which is an explanation to all parties. ”

Bathory said with a pretense of determination.

Emerging combination countries, lack sufficient centripetal force. But no matter what, it is a country, and in this country, they can be in a high position.

Once you choose to evacuate, no one knows when you will be able to reclaim your homeland. Maybe it's after the end of this continental war, or maybe it's a lifetime series.

Watching the ministers discuss enthusiastically, Baird I just sighed.

The Principality of Omega, which seems to have a sound system, is essentially a newly established grass platform.

Everyone present is from a prominent background, and even if the principality is destroyed, they can go back to be rice worms.

The power invested in the principality is only a small part of the family behind him, and even if he fails, he will not be able to hurt his vitality.

If it is passed down for several generations and the interests are locked in the principality, it will definitely be a different scene at this moment.

……

"Ministry of Foreign Affairs, send someone to communicate with the Alpha Kingdom and try to get reinforcements as much as possible.

The Seven Nations Alliance also has to supervise it, even if they don't dare to send troops to come to the rescue, it's always okay to make some moves to cover our breakthrough! ”

After saying that, Baird I waved his sleeves and turned to leave.

His instincts told him that once he evacuated the Duchy of Omega, he would be the end of the king.

Even if it is restored in the future, nothing will happen to him.

It can be seen from the attitude of the ministers that the relationship between the monarch and the minister, which is purely patchwork and combined, has no loyalty at all.

The little prestige of the monarch that had been painstakingly managed had long since disappeared with the continuous defeat of the war.