This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

Outside the town of Ideide, Dick looked at the burning ruins before him and casually gave a few instructions to the accompanying scribe beside him.

Meanwhile, in an open space not far away, Laguge's private army was loading mountains of money, food, and supplies onto carts.

Dick did not intend to keep this hard-earned money for himself, but rather to return it to its rightful owner as relief food, giving it back intact to the suffering people of the Northwest.

In this way, Harvey, who bore the infamy, and the orc who acted as the murderer, both returned to dust, while Dick reluctantly did all the good deeds.

As for the cabinet ministers in the capital who want to recover the taxes, they can only send troops to clear the wasteland and go to those beastmen to demand them!

In this battle, Dick had his most elite and loyal troops disguised as the border legion, and they brought out many weapons that the empire did not allow local private armies to equip.

With 1,500 cavalry and 2,500 infantry, a total of 4,000 men, under the cover of artillery fire, they wiped out an enemy three times their size with almost no casualties. The orc soldiers, still using cold weapons, possessed brute strength far exceeding that of humans, yet they were mowed down like grass in the face of firearms.

A few strong individuals still wanted to fight to the death, but Dick's men were not lacking in experts. While the musketeers were slaughtering the enemy's regular combat force, the "decapitation squad" composed of high-ranking warriors also set their sights on equal targets.

For a long time, Dick's "Iron Army" had been training hard on the fjord defense line, disguised as a border legion.

This orc invasion, with the orcs amassing tens of thousands of troops on the north shore of the fjord, gave Dick a perfect excuse to push his second and third-line troops and the forces of his Northern Alliance allies to the defensive line, replacing his carefully built elite force and giving them a chance to fight in real combat.

Next, Dick prepared to mobilize troops to reinforce the northwest region. The orcs' forces in this area were not the main force; their true elite forces were still active in the central and southern regions.

Soon, the Northern Alliance's 20,000-strong army marched westward through the territory of Earl Hoffman. The Hoffman family, which had already switched sides, also sent 1,500 troops to assist them, actively aligning themselves with the new organization and showing their loyalty.

At this point, some observant people realized that the military mobilization capability of the entire Northern United Front was simply outrageously strong!

Two years ago, when they were first established, they only managed to gather a few thousand men from more than a dozen lords in order to launch an expedition to the orcs' lair deep in the wasteland. Nearly half of them came from Ragug.

As a result, in just two years, they have easily mobilized an army of over 70,000. Of these, 30,000 are stationed on the fjord defense line, watching the orcs bar their teeth on the other side, while another 20,000 are guarding the south to prevent the orcs from infiltrating the central and southern regions. Now, another 20,000 have been sent to march northwest.

If the troops left behind are included, the entire armed forces of the Northern Alliance number at least 100,000!

What's most frightening is that despite such a large-scale military mobilization, everything within the various territories of the Northern Alliance remained normal, indicating that everyone was holding back and had not used their full strength.

In fact, the thirty-seven lords of the Northern Alliance currently control a population of over seven million, accounting for half of the entire Northern Territory, and their total industrial output value has reached an astonishing 90% or more.

After all, Dick was genuinely committed to developing industry. His allies initially provided him with supporting services, and later, after tasting the benefits, they all became enthusiastic and truly achieved unity of purpose, resulting in rapid growth.

Therefore, the old landlords in central and southern China whose thinking is still stuck in the medieval era have always had a misconception that they can rival the Northern Union, and they regard Dick as an "equal" competitor.

From Dick's perspective, these old folks in the South and Central regions were not worthy of being compared to him at all. They were just a piece of meat in his mouth, and he wasn't eating them now because he wasn't hungry, not because he couldn't bite them.

After the Northern Allied Army stormed into the Northwest, it swept through the land like a whirlwind, suppressing the rampaging orcs. Moreover, while the army in front cleared the way and quelled the orc plague, the "rescue teams" behind brought food and medicine to save people, pulling the people of the Northwest, who had fallen into despair, back from hell.

Dick also personally visited the Northwest region, directing the army in battle while also comforting the local people. Seeing the grateful locals, Dick's followers couldn't help but feel moved.

Because, in terms of conscience, he can hardly be considered a good person. When Harvey wreaked havoc in the area, he always stood by and watched. Later, when the orcs took advantage of the chaos to invade, he had already obtained information from the spies planted in the Dryad Party, but he pretended not to know and used these disturbances to achieve his own goals.

Even the relief grain he distributed to the people of the Northwest was something Harvey had previously seized from them.

So if we judge by intentions rather than actions, Dick is nothing more than a hypocrite and schemer, no more noble than his opponents.

The people from the Northwest, of course, couldn't read minds. In their eyes, Lord Dick was simply a holy fighting angel who saved people from suffering, possessing both kindness and justice, and was also incredibly powerful!

The orcs, whom they were powerless to fight, could be easily crushed by the Northern Alliance!

From that moment on, the mindset of many people in the Northwest changed. Their resentment towards the empire's series of perverse actions led them to unknowingly shift their loyalty to someone else.

Meanwhile, in the central and southern regions, the conservative nobles, led by Marquis Richard, were almost driven to despair by the thousands of beastmen riders.

They suddenly realized that compared to two years ago, it wasn't just the Northern Alliance that had become stronger, but also these damn wasteland orcs, while they, who were still in the same place, naturally became the ones who had "regressed".

The orcs' army had the help of Earthlings. Although they hadn't yet been able to manufacture muskets and cannons due to their poor metallurgical technology, they had already mastered the gunpowder technology, thus enabling them to produce hand grenades and explosive charges.

These explosives might not be enough to attack a castle, but they're very effective against small military outposts. Often, orc cavalry would cover the demolition team as they rushed to the outpost, threw lit explosive charges at the base of the earthen wall, and before the defenders could even see what that strange, smoking lump was, they were blown to bits along with the wall.

"The orcs all have explosives now! How am I supposed to hold a trade fair?"

Inside the main city of Marquis Richard's territory, several nobles who had been slaughtered by orcs and were forced to abandon their lands and seek refuge here were complaining to Marquis Richard.

Among them was the one who had previously said he "hoped the orcs would invade and attack the Northern Alliance," and now he was crying as if his own father had died.

Marquis Richard was equally troubled, as he too was helpless against the orcs. The worst part was that he was the one who had brought these beasts in, and now they were coming at him like boomerangs.

Richard's family was indeed wealthy. They controlled the largest gold mine in the North, and at their peak, they had a standing army of three thousand, and could easily muster tens of thousands of troops.

However, an army built with gold, no matter how glamorous on the surface, is ultimately not as solid as an army built with iron.

He had hoped that Harvey and his guards would come back to rescue him, but instead he received the devastating news that they had been completely wiped out.

At this moment, a minor lord who had been hesitating for a long time finally mustered up his courage and shakily raised his hand to speak.

"How about... we go and ask the Northern Alliance for help?"

Chapter 307: Good Nephew, Good Uncle

Some things are understood by everyone, but saying them aloud can be very hurtful.

After a brief silence, Marquis Richard stormed out of his seat, leaving behind a group of bewildered minor nobles.

The nobles of central and southern China have come to terms with reality: the orcs who could easily defeat them are now the ones being dominated by the Northern Alliance. They're all human, yet some have disgraced the human race!

Meanwhile, cabinet officials in the capital had learned of the situation in the north, and some questioned the complete annihilation of the tax collection team.

That was three thousand guards, and not a single one survived. It's just absurd!

However, despite everyone's doubts, no one really had the courage to come to the North to investigate the truth. It was obvious to everyone that the North was now a huge pit of fire, and neither the orcs nor the northerners would be very friendly to the people sent from the capital.

But someone had to take the blame for this, and simply blaming the orcs wasn't enough. So Harvey, who was already dead and gone, became the most suitable "person" to be used.

No one in the entire cabinet showed the slightest sadness or regret over Harvey's death. They only hated that this good-for-nothing was more trouble than he was worth. He had been causing trouble in the North for so long, but he hadn't even managed to get a penny back. Instead, he had only made the hole bigger.

All they could do was curse Harvey's incompetence while scratching their heads and trying to think of other solutions.

"Actually, the capital is not short of money. It is the capital city under the emperor's feet. Which of those high-ranking officials and nobles from prominent families is not extremely wealthy? Their families have mountains of gold and silver accumulated by their ancestors over hundreds of years. But the shrewd people in the cabinet just don't have the guts. Even at this level, they still only dare to squeeze money from the poor."

On the northwestern border, Dick was sitting in the office of his Border Legion Commander, August Erwin, drinking and chatting with his "third uncle," using mocking remarks about the cabinet as a drinking game.

Dick led 20,000 Northern Allied troops and agreed with the Border Legion to launch a pincer movement against the orcs who were causing trouble in the northwest region. In the end, the two armies successfully met at the gate of the Border Legion's main fortress.

Dick had little interest in military merit and generously handed over all the thousands of orc heads they had cut off to the border legion for disposal. This made August feel grateful, but also somewhat guilty and fearful.

The dignified commander of the border legion, a man in his fifties, took the initiative to toast his nephew, who was in his early twenties, without even daring to raise his glass too high, behaving as cautiously as if he were the other party's subordinate.

There was no other way! August owed Dick too many favors, and he barely managed to keep his position as legion commander thanks to Dick's help.

However, August soon discovered that his seemingly harmless "good nephew" was not helping for nothing; the other party had much bigger ambitions and was directly targeting his entire army.

In just two years, Dick had won over more than half of the soldiers and over 70% of the junior and middle-ranking officers to his side, effectively sidelining August, the corps commander.

The people below him now give him face by calling him "Commander," but if they ever decide to stop... August doesn't even dare to imagine what they're planning.

August has resigned himself to his fate. After all, the north is far from the capital, and the officials there are too busy vying for seats in the cabinet and council to even glance at this side. Meanwhile, Dick's audacity is visibly growing.

August's rise to legion commander was not entirely due to nepotism.

Given the fighting prowess of the Northern Alliance against the Orcs, and the strength of Dick and his beautiful female retainers, how could they possibly fail to save Harvey if they truly wanted to?

You can't think too much about what's going on here; playing dumb is a way to survive!

"Uncle, I've come here today to discuss something with you."

"Oh! My dear nephew, please speak."

“Uncle, you must know how bad the situation is in the Northwest. Many territories are now in a state of complete anarchy. Although we have driven away the orcs, if we leave those refugees unattended, many of them will not be able to survive the coming winter. They need help.”

"Uh... but my border legion doesn't have much food left either!"

"Don't worry about the relief grain issue, Uncle. The main problem is that we lords of the Northern Alliance have fiefdoms in the northeast, and according to the fiefdom law, we cannot stay here for long. But the border legions are different, so we can cooperate on this matter."

Dick's idea was to have a group of people from the Border Legion nominally "lead" the Northern Union.

To put it bluntly, it was a "backdoor listing," allowing the Northern Alliance to operate under the guise of the Border Legion and maintain a permanent presence in the Northwest region, thereby effectively taking over these territories.

August immediately understood and quickly said that there was no problem with it.

In his view, Dick's actions were pointless; he wanted the land and no one would dare interfere even if he openly seized it. However, the act of "taking off one's pants" could also be seen as a sign of respect for "farts," indicating that Dick, the uncrowned king of the North, did not yet want to completely break with his superiors.

So the two sides quickly finalized a cooperation plan. The Border Legion only needed to send 150 people in total, and each rescue team in the Northwest region outside the Northern Union would be assigned one of them. In name, they would be commanders, but in reality, they would not have to do anything and would still get some benefits.

The common people in the Northwest who had relief food to eat naturally had no complaints, while the surviving nobles were "invited" by Dick to take refuge in Laguge. They also dared not complain and praised the black tea in Laguge as very delicious.

With this arrangement, everyone has a bright future... except for the nobles of the central and southern regions.

It must be said that Marquis Richard did have some backbone, and in the end he did not ask the Northern Alliance for help.

But the beastmen who were doing "zero-yuan shopping" on his land wouldn't let him off the hook. They smashed and looted their way back, and the marquis's army could only follow behind and politely escort them out of the country.

In this invasion, the orcs fully absorbed the experience of the previous war, and in terms of strategy and tactics, they no longer focused on conquering cities and seizing territories, but instead focused on destroying and killing the human forces.

Therefore, apart from the orc army attacking Ideid Town being annihilated due to encountering Dick's secret trump card, the other troops retreated while they were ahead and tried to avoid fighting the human elites to the death.

Finally, the retreat was extremely decisive, and they withdrew back to the wilderness before the heavy snow blocked the mountain pass.

The losses from this orc invasion were much smaller than those from two years ago, but the combined death toll in the northwest and central-southern regions still exceeded 70,000, with over a million people affected and their homes destroyed by the orcs.

The orcs also lost tens of thousands of men, mainly due to the Northern Alliance, but their elite orc cavalry suffered minimal losses and were able to withdraw successfully.

This exchange ratio is undoubtedly a win for the orcs, because the orcs' actual birth rate is much higher than that of the humans. Their population growth is solely due to the harsh living environment on the wasteland.

As long as their rear is secure, orcs are not afraid of a war of attrition.

Chapter 308: MVP Victory Settlement

After the orcs retreated, peace was restored to the north.

But the cabinet ministers in the capital were far from happy, because Harvey, who had been sent to collect taxes, had also been wiped out. He hadn't brought back a single copper coin, and instead had to issue three thousand more pensions. This was like adding insult to injury for the cabinet, which was in dire need of money.

Left with no other option, the cabinet had to find another solution. Sending a second tax collection team to the north was no longer feasible, as there was no time constraints and no one was willing to go.

In the north, after arranging aid to the northwest region, Dick withdrew to Lagug.

On the way back, villages ravaged by slaughter were everywhere. Especially small settlements with a dozen or twenty households and a population of only a hundred or eighty, were often easily breached by a dozen or so orcs, with no one, young or old, surviving.

Witnessing this scene, many of the new recruits who had just joined the army this year were feeling fortunate that Laguge had a wise and powerful lord who had long ago promoted the consolidation of villages and land. Each standard village had three to five thousand people, equipped with a guard team and a militia, and could also light beacon towers to call for help from other nearby standard villages and towns.

Ragug had been harassed by orcs quite a bit before. Their main force couldn't get in, but small groups would often sneak in to launch surprise attacks.

Although the locals were annoyed by it, they were never afraid. The militia was better equipped than some local lords' private armies, and the guards responsible for maintaining local order were even equipped with revolvers and shotguns, "demon-hunting weapons" that were allowed to be possessed by civilians.

Therefore, the locals of Laguge are always on high alert. If they hear that orcs are around, they will grab their weapons and go to hunt them down without hesitation. Their fierce local customs make the newcomers exclaim "Awesome!"

Upon returning to the main city, Dick immediately convened a meeting with civil officials and staff led by Ruby Eyes. They were to send people to the northwest region to take over the fiefdoms of lords who had signed "trusteeship agreements" with Lagug and were no longer able to manage them.

Many of these lords have now taken refuge in Lagug with their families, and have been housed in the most luxurious hotel in the main city, astonished by Lagug's current prosperity.

The meeting lasted from afternoon until evening, and a dinner was also held to celebrate with the staff.

After the meal, Dick, who had been working hard all day, was about to go back to his room to rest, but then he decided to go see the pregnant Emperor's mother first.

As the first woman in the harem to conceive, the Emperor's mother did not like to stay in the rear to rest during her pregnancy. She also made an appearance in this battle, providing powerful fire support to the elite troops.

When Dick arrived, the Emperor's mother was wearing a black gauze nightgown and leaning against the bed reading a book. When she saw that it was Dick who knocked on the door and came in, her face immediately lit up with joy.

“You have come, my child.”

"Come and see, how are you feeling?"

"It couldn't be better."

As the Great Emperor's mother spoke, she reached out and touched her lower abdomen, which, although still quite flat, was already clearly pregnant with a new "little ship girl".

Ship girls are not human. Although they can conceive, the ones they give birth to are actually clones of ship girls, which are essentially miniature versions of Frederick the Great.

But to Dick, this was his daughter with Frederick the Great, and he was going to be a father!

Although it's uncertain whether pregnant ship girls will experience mood swings due to hormonal changes like human women, Dick spends his free time visiting his mother, the Great Emperor, without doing anything frivolous. He simply chats with her and occasionally listens to the heartbeat in her belly.

The two chatted for a while, then embraced and kissed passionately like lovers, but Dick insisted on not taking anything further. He admitted that he could be quite perverted at times, but he genuinely couldn't accept playing with a pregnant belly, a practice that was extremely irresponsible towards the fetus.

Dick really wanted to see his daughter soon, but he also couldn't let her see her father too early.

"Let's go back to our room early. We'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."

"Then you should get some rest too. Goodnight, Mother Emperor."

"Have fun, my child."

"?"

Upon hearing the Emperor's mother's "reminder," Dick paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

When he returned to his room, sure enough, a woman with large breasts was waiting for him!

Is it that lively?