Chapter 621: Earth Invasion

When the news of the withdrawal of the Frankish Kingdom came out, the pressure was suddenly transferred to the Alpha Kingdom.

The troubles in the Cursed Land have not been resolved yet, and the situation in the Papal States has changed again. Without the Franks to share the pressure, the kingdom alone does not have the strength to destroy the Church.

The combat effectiveness of the Church's army is poor, but it can't withstand the large number of masters!

There are more than ten known strong men in the Holy Land.

Even if there are human alliances to restrain these people, they can't easily take action, which is also a threat.

In the Emerald Palace, at the Kingdom Meeting.

"Why did the Franks suddenly withdraw?"

Hudson asked puzzledly.

These days, he was busy repairing the seal and relaxed his attention to the international situation.

If the withdrawal of the Franks had not affected the kingdom's foreign strategy, he would not have rushed over from the Near East.

"Marshal, according to the Franks themselves, the domestic demonic disaster has intensified.

From the intelligence sent back by the embassy stationed abroad, there are indeed signs of this.

In recent times, a group of organized dark creatures have emerged from nowhere and wreaked havoc in their country, catching them off guard.

But the situation quickly stabilized!

Charles III decided to withdraw 15 legions from the Papal States, which may be related to their immigration progress.

Because of the closer distance, their immigration speed is much faster than ours, and two-thirds have been completed so far.

The remaining population migration work is expected to be completed within two to three months."

As soon as the Foreign Minister Marquis Omar explained, Hudson understood it instantly.

What the demonic disaster is intensifying is purely an excuse. The real reason is that the meat has been eaten, and it is time to withdraw.

There is nothing strange about it. They are the most powerful country of the human race. Once they take it seriously, the maritime transport capacity they can mobilize is definitely not comparable to that of the Alpha Kingdom.

The two sides were able to tie before, because the kingdom responded faster, and Hudson was the first to spend money everywhere.

When the Franks reacted and intervened at the national level, the resources that both sides could mobilize were different.

In addition, the distance was close, so it was almost inevitable that the kingdom would complete the population migration before the kingdom.

The secret agreement could not be brought out, and a good excuse had to be found for the withdrawal.

Charles III's political brain was still very useful. The reason for the withdrawal of various countries before was - the magic disaster, and now it was directly plagiarized.

Everyone was the same, and no one could raise any objections in this regard.

However, the "organized dark creatures" still attracted Hudson's attention.

Subconsciously, he always couldn't help but associate these dark creatures with the inner world.

The cursed land has an entrance to the inner world, and it is very reasonable for the Frank Empire to have another one.

Maybe other parts of the continent also have entrances to the inner world.

Unfortunately, not only the Alpha Kingdom does not have this information, but even the Human Alliance may not have it.

As a new overlord, the understanding of ancient secrets is far inferior to those old overlords.

Suddenly, Hudson suddenly understood why the elves dared to confront the human race with a group of younger brothers when they were living in a corner.

Having no choice was only one of the reasons. Having many trump cards was the core factor that made them strong.

The human race did have the signs of unifying the continent, but this process was not irreversible.

If there was an invasion by foreign enemies and a war that affected the entire continent broke out, it was also possible to pull down this emerging overlord.

Of course, using such extreme means was also full of risks.

In history, the elves paid a great price to quell the chaos in the center of the earth, which was also one of the reasons for the decline of the Elf Empire.

The title of "evil demon" of the center of the earth race was not a slander. In Maxim's words, they were a group of lunatics.

"Madmen" means uncontrollable behavior!

Using these guys to attack the human race is possible, but it will also backfire on themselves.

As the winner of the last continental war, the elves have no need to go to extremes.

"Prime Minister, the Franks are almost completing their immigration, why are we so much slower?"

Caesar IV asked with a frown.

He may not care how the nobles below divide the spoils, but he cannot be inefficient.

As a poor but powerful country, the core competitiveness of the Alpha Kingdom is efficiency!

The short-term burst capability is the best in the whole continent.

"Your Majesty, the government has done its best in immigration, but it still encountered many problems in the specific implementation.

The number of ocean-going ships in the hands of the royal government is limited, and there are not enough to help transport spoils. Immigration mainly depends on the nobles' own efforts.

Marshal Hudson has the most say in this regard. The fleet size of the Near East Development Bank exceeds that of many countries."

The complaint of Marquis Delgado directly hit back Caesar IV.

Inefficiency is not artificially low, but it comes down to money.

Money may not make the devil work, but money can indeed hire ships.

Hudson is willing to spend money, but it does not mean that the nobles of the kingdom can also spend money.

Compared with the pre-war period, the cost of shipping has increased fivefold.

Adding all the expenses into account, the cost of transporting a serf back home is almost equal to half of the serf's worth.

Except for a few noble families along the coast, who have their own fleets and live a comfortable life, the rest of the noble families are under great pressure.

The situation of the great nobles is not bad, they can directly charter the entire fleet, and there is nothing to worry about except spending money.

The situation of the small and medium nobles is miserable. Their spoils are limited and cannot fill a fleet. It is not economical to hire a fleet alone.

In order to reduce costs, they can only choose to join in a group.

Compared with the former, this group mode is much less efficient.

Not only is it difficult to find a ship, but you also need to wait.

Many small nobles can't stand it, so they simply sell the spoils directly and use the waiting time to rob.

"Prime Minister, you can't say that!

The fact that the Near East Development Bank was able to find enough ships is entirely due to the efforts of shareholders, not just my own efforts. In fact, Xueyue Territory also lacks shipping capacity.

The Kingdom is not as big as the Franks, and the current immigration speed is actually quite efficient.

Ships cannot be built in a day or two, and the maritime shipping capacity has been used to its limit.

We have already hired all the ocean-going ships that can be hired on the entire continent, and there is not much room for growth in a short period of time.

Instead of dwelling on this issue, why not think about why the Franks suddenly withdrew their troops?"

Hudson brought up the topic, and everyone's faces were not very good.

Because the two countries are geographically far apart and have a common enemy to deal with, the relationship between the Kingdom and the Franks has always been relatively good.

The two sides have also signed an alliance in secret!

Under normal circumstances, even if the Franks want to withdraw their troops, they should notify the Alpha Kingdom in advance.

Obviously, the Franks don't think so.

The common enemy has declined, and the Alpha Kingdom, an ally, has developed too fast in recent years, so fast that it is scary!

Ten years ago, the Alpha Kingdom was still trembling under the iron hoofs of the orcs, but now it can beat the orcs.

The geographical barrier prevented the two countries from going to confrontation, but the potential threat still exists.

Influenced by the increase in strength, the kingdom's voice in international politics has become louder and louder in recent years.

The kingdom's series of performances fell into the eyes of the Franks and became a manifestation of restlessness.

This withdrawal was a silent blow.

Fortunately, the Franks did not do things to the extreme. They only reduced some of the troops and did not withdraw all the troops at once.

Otherwise, the kingdom would not face pressure, but must withdraw.

Smart people don't need to say everything, just look at each other, and everyone will have the answer in their hearts.

"Notify the expeditionary force to prepare for withdrawal. Once the situation deteriorates, withdraw from the Papal States immediately!"

Caesar IV said with a hard heart.

The kingdom needs the wealth of the Papal States, but the kingdom needs the expeditionary force to withdraw unscathed.

From the beginning of the expedition to now, it is impossible to verify how much wealth has been plundered, but this expedition has pulled the Alpha Kingdom back from the brink of bankruptcy.

The kingdom's population has increased by eight million, which is of great significance for the development of new territories.

What needs to be done next is to digest the results of the war, rather than taking strategic risks.

Of course, this worry is for the worst situation, and the actual situation may not be that bad.

For political needs, although the countries have withdrawn their troops from the Papal States, they have not completely withdrawn.

What the Holy See needs is to send everyone out of the country with courtesy, rather than provoke a new round of war.

If they really play with military expulsion, it is still unknown whether they can defeat the expeditionary corps.

At this moment, the situation of the Holy See is much more dangerous than that of the Alpha Kingdom. If they suffer another major defeat, they will be completely powerless to turn the tide.

If it weren't for the orcs on the side first, and now the threat of the inner earth race has been added, the feudal nobles would have permanently occupied the Papal States, which is what everyone wants most.

How can running to the uninhabited orc prairie to open up wasteland be compared to picking up ripe land?

It's just that the top leaders are rational and know the situation of the kingdom very well. It's not suitable to disperse the forces.

...

Lutesia.

"Have you figured out the origin of those dark creatures' army?"

Charles III asked with concern.

It's obviously abnormal that a group of enemies suddenly appeared, and they are an organized army.

If they are visitors from another world, there is only one explanation, that the space crack just happened to appear in the opposite military camp.

But under normal circumstances, when encountering such a situation, everyone's first reaction is to figure out the situation first, rather than rushing in with the army.

"Your Majesty, from the intelligence collected from interrogating the prisoners, it is suspected to be the legendary earth creatures.

Some dark creatures don't even have eyes, and they rely on their sense of smell and mental power to judge the direction, which is completely in line with the characteristics of underground creatures."

The answer given by the Minister of Military Affairs, Earl Firth, made Charles III frown.

Few of the legendary creatures are easy to deal with. Otherwise, they would not have been passed down from ancient times to the present.

"How much do you know about the earth creatures?"

Charles III asked.

Knowing yourself and the enemy is the most basic element of making decisions.

He was just a king, not a historian. Knowing the term "earth-centered creatures" showed that he had a wide range of knowledge.

"Your Majesty, let me answer this question!"

Archbishop Edward said.

"People haven't heard much about earth-centered creatures, but there is a term that everyone is familiar with - evil demons!

In the operas and literary works handed down by the elves, the term "evil demons" appears very frequently.

There are many versions of the legend of evil demons among the elves, and the elves are very angry about this mysterious race.

According to my personal research, it is very likely that evil spirits played an important role, or even the protagonist, in a certain catastrophe of ten thousand years! "

As a history buff, Archbishop Edward has a wide range of interests.

Not only does he study human history, he also has a strong interest in the history of alien races.

Especially in the past few years, when the catastrophe of ten thousand years was aroused, he was frantically looking for answers from history.

There was no record in human history books, so he focused on foreign races. Unfortunately, it has been so long ago that these have long become hidden secrets.

However, no matter how well it was hidden, Edward still discovered clues in literary works.

Perhaps these artistically processed contents are far from the real history, but at least they prove the existence of the great catastrophe.

"Your Majesty the Archbishop, the literary and artistic works of the elves are too exaggerated.

In some operas, they have demons on their feet and angels on their hands. Dragons will bow their heads when they see them, and sometimes they even kill a god! "

Marquis Jesus couldn't help but complain.

The elves have a glorious history, which is recognized by everyone.

But there is a limit to bragging. The elves in literary and artistic works boasted themselves to the sky, and by the way, they also belittled all the races in the mainland.

This kind of artistic processing is actually understandable.

There are similar works in the human world, but everyone is a little more restrained and does not use the gods of various races as the background.

Killing gods is just killing evil gods.

Occasionally, he chopped down a few demons, slaughtered an evil dragon without eyes, and performed a trick to save the princess.

"Marquis, what if the elves didn't brag?"

Archbishop Edward asked with a smile, which made everyone laugh.

This is too exaggerated. The elves are so awesome. How can the orcs get the chance?

However, some people still believe it, because the modern literature of the elves rarely uses exaggeration.

Even the artistic processing is in line with modern history. There are few YYs who step on the human race and regain the dominance of the mainland.

"If there are plane laws to suppress it, and a group of strong men from the holy realm can be gathered to kill the gods, there is actually a high chance of success.

As for demons and angels, the Vatican has boasted that they are powerful, but their real strength is not as exaggerated as people expected.

Weak demons are just a little stronger than ordinary people, about the same as low-cost knights.

The situation of angels is probably similar. It's just that every time they come, they are the elites of the clan, who seem to be stronger.

A few days ago, we just wiped out a thousand-man fallen angel team. The leader barely reached the holy realm, and the weakest one was only as good as the great knight.

If they were really as powerful as the Holy See claimed, and they had swept across the continent with the arrival of angels, how could they have ended up where they are now! "

As a clergyman, such unbridled comments about angels would definitely cause an uproar if word spread.

However, the Frankish Empire has completed the secularization of religion. Even if you scold the Lord of the Dawn, you will not be sent to the stake. It will be nothing if you scratch the bottom of the angel.

When they thought that the angel they once worshiped was weaker than themselves, everyone felt their faith collapse.

Fortunately, no one is a fanatical believer. Apart from talking about the Lord of the Morning, they rarely even go to church.

"You can discuss this issue privately. For now, let's continue talking about the earth-centered races, or evil spirits.

There are three main tasks:

1. Destroy the dark creatures that enter the empire;

2. Find the entrance to the inner earth world and screen the empire to see if there are any other entrances;

3. Understand the strength of each race in the inner earth world and the division of power within them. "

Charles III waved his hand and said.

Of the three main missions, except for the first mission, which is relatively easy to complete, the other two are troublesome.

But there is no way. The more troublesome the task, the more timely it must be completed.

…

Papal States.

Affected by plunder from various countries, the city of Augustus, located on the shores of Ruixin Lake, has now become a ghost town.

Suddenly the earth began to tremble, and the calm lake surface was filled with evil energy that reached the sky.

There was no human habitation for hundreds of miles around, and only birds and beasts were the witnesses to the shocking vision.

The animal's instinct to seek good fortune and avoid evil caused the nearby birds and beasts to flee wildly in all directions, as if something terrifying was about to come out.

As time passed, a loud noise was heard, and the water level of Ruixin Lake suddenly began to drop.

"Oops, it's a vast ocean again. Could it be that there is also a sea above this entrance!"

The chubby old dwarf complained and hurriedly ordered his men to take emergency measures.

While summoning the strong men in the kingdom to seal the gap, they also initiated drainage measures.

"Something's wrong, there's light!"

"Mr. Governor, it's not the sea above!"