Chapter 17, Ersel Fort_1

The twelve demon crystals turned into powder, and the mysterious compass in his mind merely solidified a bit, remaining unclear of its specific function.

Apparently, this small amount of magic power was far from enough to satisfy the Big Stomach King, nearly driving Hudson to the verge of breakdown. If it weren't for a slight increase in his physical constitution, he would have given up.

Unable to utilize the Golden Finger, Hudson had no choice but to continue treading lightly. He set up camp and waited quietly for the members of the alliance to gather before hitting the road again.

Looking at the magnificent array of banners and then at the ragtag troops under those banners, Hudson didn't know how to express his disbelief.

He had thought that his own forces were terrible enough, only to discover there were even worse ones. Within the entire alliance, aside from a handful of acceptable troops from two or three families, the rest were the worst of the worst.

After making a private comparison, Hudson found that his own motley crew astonishingly ranked among the top five in the temporary alliance.

Not because of their strength, but mainly due to their large numbers. Even though they were all conscripted, different territories had different military obligations.

In an equally discordant situation, naturally, the side with more people had more power. Hudson, who wanted to shirk duties, could never dream that his forces could become a "main force" in the alliance.

This was awkward. With such a ragtag troop, whether they were to suppress the rebellion or to offer heads to the Rebel Army was unclear.

You can only say there are too many smart people in this world. After sensing something was amiss, they all chose to conserve strength.

A gathering of smart people resulted in a bizarre spectacle of a motley crew.

With shirking duties becoming mainstream, those who earnestly mobilized ironically became the odd ones out. Of course, "odd" here is not derogatory; everyone "respected" those few who put all their assets forward.

Choosing allies, naturally, honest people are better. A group of nobles, including Hudson, all tacitly began to compliment each other.

Whether their actual thoughts matter or not comes second, as in the upcoming war, they are the "force" of the alliance.

Of course, as the titular leader, Knight Charles is also the force. It's just that he is the individual force, while the others are the collective force.

Who made Charles poor?

A large portion of his wealth had been invested in the bottomless pit of magic research, naturally leaving him without the financial resources to develop weaponry. Even the guards that were for show were service serfs, while the strength of his territory relied on him alone.

Among all the private armies of the nobles, Charles's followers were the worst off. Dressed entirely in bamboo spears, one couldn't even find a set of armor.

It would have been acceptable if the equipment was just subpar, but the key issue is that the soldiers were also a ragtag bunch. The chaotic formation at a glance showed that they had never undergone training before.

Everyone fears comparisons; under the contrast of his allies, Hudson all of a sudden found his own army to be the "Elite Teachers".

At least according to the marching formation, the Koslow family's troops were the only ones maintaining their formation, unlike other nobles' private armies that had to look for their soldiers everywhere each time they made camp.

With the increase of so many allies, the marching speed naturally decreased again and again. As the stipulated gathering time approached, no one seemed to be in a hurry.

Everyone was not in a rush, and Hudson didn't bother to take the lead either. Joint liabilities were applicable in the Continent of Aslante as well, especially when they were all esteemed nobles.

Under the existing political system, the treatment towards nobles was exceptionallt considerate. Earl Piers had the ability to punish individual nobles, but he would absolutely not dare to punish a group of nobles at the same time. Otherwise, if a turmoil was stirred up, it would definitely shock the kingdom.

Since ancient times, there have been irreconcilable differences between the central government and local lords. How to suppress major locals is a necessary lesson for every king.

For the stability of the kingdom and power balance, successive kings have always thrown sand in the wheels of locals, and what they can't tolerate the most is unity among locals.

Under this main principle, the relationships between major locals and minor nobles would naturally not be harmonious, not would they dare to pacify.

Having figured out all these, Hudson suddenly understood the actions of his colleagues. Causing minor troubles might appear pointless, but in reality, they also reflected a kind of political wisdom.

Of course, you can't say everyone was brilliant. Most of those who did these were just following their instincts or habits. Maybe they didn't want to be late either, but their low efficiency prevented them from catching up.

The real orchestrators were probably the major nobles above. It was through the effort of generations and the indulgence of generations that the current situation arose.

If he were in their shoes, Hudson would have done the same too. Deliberately creating a scene of loose control over the locals is the best solution to eliminate the king's suspicions.

The only problem was that the situation has changed slightly in the recent decades. With the passage of time, the power accumulated by local lords has become increasingly strong, and the advantage of the royal family is no longer evident. Various exploratory moves have gradually increased as well.

Of course, these are Hudson's conjectures. The information he had was limited, and his understanding of the upper society was not enough, so the conclusions he drew might not necessarily be accurate.

...

Ersel Fort, along with the arrival of Earl Piers's army, has become the headquarters of the Rebel Army, and also the frontline to stop the rebel army from advancing west.

Leading by example is a manifestation of Knight's spirit. Although Earl Piers didn't personally lead the charge, he did command the front line.

After days of city defense, Earl Piers also began to tire. Plans never keep up with changes. Originally, it was believed that the Rebel Army was just a loose alliance that posed no threat, so they let it grow in order to profit from the chaos.

Unexpectedly, the Skeleton Society played a big move. First, they massacred all the nobles in Dardiel City, then the Rebel Army quickly swept across the countryside.

Before Earl Piers could react, the Rebel Army had swept across the counties of Layton and Wharton, with their troops pointing directly at Bera.

It would have been fine if it were just Layton and Wharton counties, but after all, these were mostly other nobles' territories, and it also involved a few unlucky vassals, a loss that Earl Piers could still afford.

But Bera was different. This place had already become the core territory of his Dalton family. If it fell into the hands of the Rebel Army, that would lead to a substantial loss.

With no other choice, Earl Piers had to issue a conscription order while personally leading the army to fight against enemies and defend Ersel Fort.

"Where have the reinforcements from the nobles arrived, and how long will it take for them to reach here?"

Earl Piers asked with a frown.

It's not that the Dalton family feared the Rebel Army, but after all, people would die in war. The rebels currently were clearly not to be underestimated. Even if they could win in a hard fight, they would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

In a world where the strong prey on the weak, power is fundamental. Should the strength of the Dalton family be significantly damaged, it's unknown how many hungry wolves would pounce on them.

In order to minimize his own losses, even if he clearly had the strength to crush the rebels outside the city, Earl Piers chose to hold firm and not to venture out.