Modesty doesn’t affect the outcome; the battle results are evident, and no one cares about how the victory was achieved.
It’s no secret that the Earth Core race doesn’t have cavalry.
Everyone knows this shortcoming, but only Hudson capitalized on it, which is a testament to his capability.
As the sky gradually darkened, only sporadic resistance remained on the battlefield, and the routed Allied Forces in the distance couldn’t spare the effort to intervene.
If they want to flee, let them; enemies with broken backs are no longer a concern.
After a long, arduous march and a day of fierce fighting, the Allied Forces were also starving.
Quickly annihilating the remaining enemies and allowing the troops to rest is the proper course.
"Pass down the order to check the battlefield for any surviving enemies, then collect our corpses; the rest is handed over to the cleanup units!"
Hudson decisively ordered.
Finishing off the wounded post-battle might be somewhat unethical, but on a racial battlefield, it’s the norm.
The "cleanup units" were a temporary formation created by Hudson, mainly composed of Necromancers, specifically tasked with handling enemy bodies.
Leave professional work to professionals. Since this team’s establishment, cleanup has no longer been an issue.
Not only environmentally friendly and pollution-free, but it also eradicated the spread of plague from the source.
After the war concluded, the lower-ranking soldiers returned to camp to rest, while the Allied high command became busy.
Compiling battle results, calculating casualties, and assessing battle merits is a complex task.
Seeing everyone so busy, Hudson immediately announced a postponement of the victory banquet. However, the lower-ranking soldiers were still provided with sufficient meat, with alcohol supplied in limited quantities.
Watching the soldiers devour the meat, indifferent to the battlefield’s tragedies, Hudson patrolling the camp revealed a satisfied smile.
Being able to face the brutal battlefield is what truly elites should display.
Under current circumstances, as long as the Allied Forces win several more battles on the battlefield, those who survive will transform into elite fighters.
Inwardly reflecting, Hudson felt a pang of loss.
He’s worked hard to train a unit of elite Black Forest People, and a mere free trade agreement isn’t enough compensation.
"Your Excellency Governor, has the bill been finalized?"
Upon hearing Hudson’s inquiry, Earl Piers knowingly responded:
"A detailed list is still in the works, but I have an outgoing data report.
Up until now, the Southeastern Province Noble Alliance Army has requisitioned 680,000 Magic Crystals and 2,740,000 of various arrows...
It’s expected that the soldiers will have some excess on hand.
However, today’s battles were extremely fierce, and even if there are leftovers, the quantity is negligible."
These words were meant for Marquis Simon’s ears. The Southeastern Province Noble Alliance Army was here to assist, and all expenses on the battlefield were borne by the Black Forest Government.
Everyone has a sense of the normal consumption of grains and provisions. Even if the Alpha Kingdom Army’s supply quota is slightly higher, it doesn’t increase by much.
In contrast, there’s no clear standard for the quantities of consumables like Magic Crystals and arrows, allowing manipulation in the data.
Hearing the specific numbers, Marquis Simon’s face changed.
With this calculation, it’s estimated that by the end of the war, the military expenses paid by the Black Forest Kingdom could reach tens of millions.
Putting aside other supplies, the key issues are the large expenditures on Magic Crystals and arrows, especially the ambiguous accounting of Magic Crystals.
Arrows can be retrieved, but once Magic Crystals are used, they turn into powder.
In his heart, he silently cursed the ancestors of the Logistic Department.
If they had been more efficient and delivered the strategic supplies earlier, there wouldn’t have been a need to use the supplies carried by the Southeastern Province Allied Forces, avoiding this bill.
"Why is the consumption of arrows and Magic Crystal Stones so high?"
Marquis Simon discreetly hinted.
Falsifying battlefield consumption is possible, but there must be a limit. Such an extraordinary number leaves no room for explanation when he returns.
"Your Excellency the Marquis, the outgoing inventory reflects this amount.
As you witnessed, our arrow barrage never ceased throughout the march; consuming over two million arrows isn’t an exaggeration.
Both the Magic Crossbow and Magic Crystal Cannon are major consumers of ’crystals,’ with over a hundred Magic Crystal Cannons and nearly ten thousand Magic Crossbows in the army, the average consumption isn’t that large!"
Earl Piers calmly explained.
Indeed, that many arrows were shot, although a significant portion was reused.
He only counts the outgoing number, while the recycling portion is treated as spoils of war and not deducted from consumption.
As for the consumption of Magic Crystal Stones, it’s even simpler. Besides the army’s regular usage, it includes the consumption from the two previous major battles.
The reported material consumption also amortizes all expenses incurred by the Southeastern Province Noble Alliance Army from its establishment until now.
The numbers are indeed slightly inflated, but compared to the Allied Forces’ battle results, it’s all worth it.
Since the onset of war, the direct economic losses caused by the Giant Centipede to the Black Forest Kingdom have reached astronomical figures.
After a moment of hesitation, Marquis Simon swallowed his words.
Now was not the time to discuss war consumption. The extensive use of strategic materials could be viewed as expenses for hiring mercenaries.
The Continent of Aslante, plagued by perennial warfare, has fostered favorable conditions for the flourishing of the mercenary industry.
However, most of these organizations are active in the commercially advanced South Continent, while Central and Northern Continent mercenaries are lacking both in quantity and quality.
Post-war, the Black Forest Kingdom also contracted numerous mercenary groups, with some mercenaries even integrated within the Allied Forces.