Regaining his composure, Chris the Ninth slowly asked:

"How dire is the situation on the frontline?

What happened unexpectedly to Augustusburg?

When can our reinforcements arrive?"

As if they were undergoing psychic interrogation, the ministers' faces were all gravely uneasy.

Before this, they had predicted the Orcs might breakthrough from their side, nevertheless, they still held a shred of hope.

At a time when the Alpha Kingdom was under heavy attack, they cherished their fortune for having avoided calamity.

Now that the war has suddenly flared up in their homeland, they realized that the Moxi Duchy's preparatory state was not as thorough as imagined.

They initially thought that with the constant patrolling of the Gryphon Cavalry, an Orc ambush would be impossible. But reality was a hard slap, the well-prepared Orcs ambushed the patrolling Gryphon Cavalry at the very first opportunity.

Not only were they unable to relay the movements of the Orc Army back, they could not even send word of the surprise attack in time.

Augustusburg, caught off guard, lost a great number of city defense apparatus in an instant under the assault of the Hawkmen.

The Magic Crystal Cannons and Magic Crossbows, that could have posed an aerial threat to the Orcs, were destroyed by a great deluge of boulders before they could even fire a shot or release an arrow.

Having lost their aerial defensive firepower, the Gryphon Cavalry became incapable of restraining the enemy's air force due to numbers, thereby failing to play their effective role.

"Your Majesty, the frontline garrison is fighting bravely, and the enemy is temporarily stuck at Augustusburg.

As soon as the event occurred, we sent reinforcements but they encountered heavy attacks from the enemy's Hawkmen on the way.

The losses sustained by the reinforcement troops are not negligible and the marching speed has also been greatly affected, thus they will likely arrive later than expected.

Considering the overall situation, we have already started reinforcing the second line of defense. Even if the enemy breaks through Augustusburg and captures the first line of defense, they won't be able to advance deep.

The remaining Mage Corps has been pulled back, and we have successfully preserved our strength.

As long as the Duchy is united, the situation of the war is still within control."

Minister Martins spoke fervently.

As if the frontline hadn't suffered a crushing defeat but had merely been stung by a mosquito, a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

Speaking words he himself did not believe, Martins, as the Minister of Defense, was rendered helpless.

Who could have anticipated the unorthodox strategies of the Orcs, all the Hawkmen Corps, one of the Five Royal Clans, was summoned to their land.

Not just the Hawkmen, all the aerial species among the Orcs, had all emerged above their heads.

The immense strength of the enemy's air force was simply not something the Moxi Duchy could contend with, especially since the enemy shamelessly resorted to ambush tactics.

When had the Moxi Duchy ever encountered such a scene?

Generally, when noble lords conflicted within, it was merely at a stage of brawling, typically agreeing on time and place, setting up a stage for group combat.

The internal conflicts among the major nobles might have been a bit more intense, but ever since the Orcs became their neighbors, the major nobles of the Moxi Duchy also became clever, ceased to indulge in fierce combat.

Their combat experience primarily stemmed from the Orcs' frequent invasions. This happened almost every year, but they were always minor incidents.

Their goal was only pillaging resources and treasures, they were too lazy to attack the castle. Regardless of how the frontline fared, the capital always received victorious news.

The Moxi Duchy encountered full-scale war for the first time. Their understanding of Orcs was primarily based on their unreliable past experiences.

The current perseverance of the frontline is not only due to the garrison fighting to their last breath; it also comes from their inability to see an avenue for escape.

How could they match the speed of those flying in the sky while they were on the ground?

Without cover from the city buildings, they would die even faster. If they were captured, they would be reduced to food. Without any way out, they were left with no choice but to fight to the end.

Glancing towards the north, Chris the Ninth let out a helpless sigh.

The fact that the frontline soldiers managed to hold out after the breakpoints, was indeed a cause for celebration.

Yet, he was simply unable to rejoice. The defense minister made beautiful speeches, but in essence, he was giving up the fighting forces and throwing their strength into the second line of defense.

Militarily, there was nothing wrong with this strategy, but it was ethically unacceptable. Particularly, it was a heavy blow to the morale of the soldiers.

Unfortunately, Chris the Ninth couldn't do anything about it. Forcing a rescue order would only make matters worse.

"Have the civilians along the way been evacuated?"

The moment he spoke, the atmosphere in the room turned oppressive.

They had just received the bad news and everyone was busy with military deployment. Who had time to think about evacuating the civilians?

Without notification from the Duchy, they could only depend on the noble lords in the frontline to act independently.

If they reacted quickly, they would be able to gather people within their castle for defense; if their reaction was slow, it would be a giving rise to a human hell.

"What are you dazed for, go implement it immediately!"

Chris the Ninth angrily chided.

It wasn't that he had an extraordinary affection for his name, but, when the war had reached this point, even serfs were a source of power for the upcoming war of attrition.

Evacuating them to fortified regions for defense may not be able to resist the Orc offensive, but they could at least buy time for the Duchy.

...

Bera City, after spending several days with Melissa, they finally moved past the "singer incident".

Just as Master Hudson was preparing to return to his territory after having not yet bid farewell to his fiancé, he received an urgent meeting notice from the Governor's Mansion.

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