Having these neighbors as a block is a good thing in some sense. At the very least, enemies from the south who wish to spy on the Mountain Domain first have to ask if these local lords are willing to give them passage.

Pushing their way here at great cost is less efficient than changing their target. The war-stricken Continent of Aslante is never short of opportunities for expansion; all that's lacking is strength.

After making a round trip, Hudson roughly conceptualized the vast expanses of swampland that lay in front of his home, most likely covering thousands of square kilometers.

The exact size would only be known after development.

After all, the route Belsden took was not uniform. If one were to estimate the area from the circumference of a single curve, the margin of error would be quite significant.

With this in mind, Hudson's intention of proceeding towards the ocean became more potent.

Excavating a canal hundreds of miles long, even if it's all muddy swamps, is no small feat.

If calculated, the distance is roughly one-thirtieth of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. If not in the Extraordinary World, Hudson would not dare have such intentions.

The volume of earthwork necessary doesn't need to be calculated; it's simply an astronomical amount.

The swamp terrain is flat and could be developed as a large plain. There is no need to worry about water supply; the water accumulated in the Salam Mountain Range alone could fill the canal.

If there's insufficient water flow during the dry season, that's just a minor issue. Big floodgates could be built at the estuary to ensure the passage of ships.

What needs to be considered now is the width and depth of the canal, the number of laborers needed, and an estimate of the time it will take to excavate the canal.

This large project in wartime must be thoroughly considered.

Once a large amount of labor and resources is poured in, it cannot be stopped.

If the project's progress doesn't meet expectations and is further impacted by the war, getting enough financial support would be embarrassing.

Or should a few thousand people be mobilized first to slowly excavate?

Given the financial capabilities of the Mountain Domain, simply allocating a small excavation team for the canal would have only a limited impact on the development of the fiefdom.

Or should the plan be shelved temporarily, and all considerations be made after the war?

...

The Jade Palace has been bustling since the start of the war.

Military reports from the frontline were pouring in incessantly. On the whole, the bad news outweighed the good.

Either there were heavy losses in one place, or substantial casualties in another, or a certain fortress was breached by the orc army.

The Kingdom's Army did try to organize counterattacks, but their achievements weren't advantageous enough for any propaganda.

For instance, the Days Kingdom army on the frontline achieved a great victory at Helan Fort, eliminating over 5,000 Pigg soldiers with less than 800 of their own casualties.

Just by numbers, this was a brilliant victory. However, the enemy were Piggs, so the Kingdom could only replace it with "orc army" in the propaganda.

Wiping out how many orcs—there's no doubt the ones being killed were the inferior races of the enemy.

If elite orcs were annihilated, the enemy's race name would usually be mentioned.

Like last week, when 100 Bimon soldiers were killed, the battle report gave a detailed description.

These were forced measures. In order to prevent false war achievements, the Kingdom has long stipulated that all war merits on the frontlines must be recorded with Memory Stone to be counted.

With nothing but hard facts, the war reports naturally did not look that good.

Despite trying to embellish them as much as possible, the Kingdom's high-ranking officials could still see through the ruse.

After looking at the summary of the reports, unable to find a single classic battle to commend, Caesar III said in frustration:

"Let the frontlines deploy according to their actual situations. There is no need to risk elites just for the sake of political propaganda."

"For external propaganda, just use the total number of enemies eliminated! "

"We've been at war for a month now, and we've eliminated 150,000 troops from the Orc alliance at the very least. That should be barely enough to appease the public."

"As for the lost cities and territories, just say that we are contesting these areas due to the tense war situation."

Report the predicament we face to our surrounding neighbors and prepare more Memory Stones to send across.

If they don't see the brutality of the battlefield, they'll hesitate to offer substantial support!"

Aside from issues of race, the military force of the Alpha Kingdom is undoubtedly glorious in battle. Since the start of the war, our casualties only number around seventy thousand, while we've annihilated over one hundred and fifty thousand of the enemy.

Unfortunately, everyone is aware of the reality behind these numbers. For a defending party, such a performance is not satisfactory.

"Your Majesty, the severity of the Northern Battlefield is a universally known fact, with detailed descriptions in the history books of all nations.

It is precisely due to such severe conditions that each nation is unwilling to expend their strength in clashes against the Orcs.

At present, everyone is dragging time under the pretext of negotiating the number of troops, when in fact, they're each calculating how to first drain the others' strength.

It's unlikely that we'll receive reinforcements from various nations in a short period.

Reflecting on their reactions in previous wars,

they basically only send aid when we're heavily damaged and barely holding on.

Instead of requesting reinforcements, asking for strategic supplies might be more likely to be fulfilled by each nation.

Food, cloth, weapon armor, and Magic Crystals are all urgently required materials.

In addition, we can request that various nations send their experts for assistance.

Top strongmen have a high survival rate on the battlefield and as long as they aren't besieged by the enemy, they generally don't face too much danger.

With the righteousness of the Human Race in play, without risking a loss to their forces, the various nations should agree."

Count Francis suggested.

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, he was stressed over the plea for assistance to the brink of hair loss.

Unfortunately, little progress was made. Every nation on the Continent has their own calculations. While the righteousness of the Human Race is critical, the Alpha Kingdom is holding on, isn't it?

In the eyes of other nations, in the past, the Alpha Kingdom alone could withstand the onslaught of the Orcs, now combined with the Warhammer Kingdom and Moxi Duchy, they're even less of a problem.

With these three nations taking the brunt upfront, they can fully deal with their affairs first before calmly returning to address the Orc Army.

Especially the nations bordering other Different Races, their current thoughts are more complex. Compared to aiding the three nations, they're more intent on resolving their own troubles.

Knowing that it's impossible to secure reinforcements in a short time, the Department of Foreign Affairs could only lower their goals and strive for support in other aspects.

Disappointedly glancing at the distance, Caesar III dismally said: "Then, let's act accordingly for now!

Keep an eye on the Warhammer Kingdom and the Moxi Duchy, they've been too quiet.

The presence of the Five Major Royal Families of the Orcs here is clearly unnatural, there might be a major conspiracy awaiting them."

Soft persimmons are indeed easier to squeeze, yet during this Orc invasion, the strongest Alpha Kingdom was brutally beaten right from the start.

The front lines have always been passively taking hits without securing a notable victory. It's not due to the Kingdom Army's lack of strength, but because the enemy was too ferocious.

The main force of the Orcs are all here, the cautious Border Guards adopted the most conservative response plan. Even though they didn't achieve brilliant results, they still managed to maintain the defense line.

According to the usual pattern, unless they break through the defense line immediately, what follows is an extended war of attrition.

Relying on their defense lines, the Kingdom's reinforcements can continuously make up the numbers, gradually wearying the Orc Army.

In the course of attrition, the Kingdom Army surely suffered heavy losses, but they were also able to train a significant number of elite troops.

Just-arrived reinforcements from different provinces initially had quite mediocre combat power, but after the war lingered for a year or so, those soldiers that survived mostly had completed their transformation.

If the leader was strong enough and they received further training, a powerful elite force could be created rapidly.

While overall national strength gradually weakens, the architecture of the front-line army is increasingly getting stronger. Once fresh troops join, the situation will be reversed.

In previous Northern Battlefields, this is how the Orcs have always been driven back to their homeland.

After so many losses, it would be unreasonable not to learn their lesson. Insistently clashing with the Alpha Kingdom clearly does not align with the Orc Empire's interests.

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