Reincarnated as a boss tyrant in the game

Gustav listened intently to Soren's report, occasionally nodding slightly in agreement.

He also raised some of his own questions and opinions. However, as he listened, he sensed something was amiss.

If the defensive situation in the Northwest was truly as good as Soren claimed, then why was he in such a hurry to return to the capital?

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Gustav said with a hint of reproach: "Don't just tell me the good news. I want to know what difficulties the Northwest is facing that require you to come back in person."

Soren immediately put on a pitiful look and began to pour out his grievances: "Father, the Northwest seems to have an orderly defense on the surface, but in reality, there are serious shortcomings in terms of military equipment. The number of bows and crossbows in our armory is extremely limited, making it difficult to withstand a large-scale Orcish charge.

The reserves of arrows are also pitifully small. Once the war becomes protracted, we are likely to find ourselves in a desperate situation with no arrows to use. Furthermore, the damage rate of armor is very high, but the supply of new armor is slow to keep up, making the soldiers' protection on the battlefield worrying.

In addition, the ammunition for large-scale equipment such as catapults is also severely insufficient, making it impossible to effectively deter the Orcish army. Your son is well aware of the seriousness of these problems, so I rushed back to the capital to implore Father to provide strong support.

This time, I dare to guess that the Orcish forces will not be less than two hundred legions strong. From past experience, every winter, the Orcs are forced by survival to move south with great ferocity.

However, this time they have been silent for fifteen years without moving south. Even when they occasionally did, it was only individual small tribes. I learned from the Orcish prisoners we captured last time that the total Orcish population has skyrocketed in the past decade, and they have been accumulating strength.

During these fifteen years, they have spawned many new tribes. Once united, they will be an extremely terrifying and powerful force. Although the Northwest defense line is solid, it will be difficult to resist such a large Orcish army without sufficient military equipment to support it."

The entire hall was deathly silent, as if a pin dropping could be heard clearly.

No one dared to speak easily, because the number estimated by the Crown Prince was too astonishing—two million Orcish soldiers.

In the past, the empire needed to mobilize the entire country to fight against a million-strong army, struggling to resist the Orcish invasion.

Now, facing the terrifying number of two million soldiers, everyone felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on their hearts, making it difficult to breathe.

The image of an overwhelming Orcish army constantly flashed in their minds, imagining the terrifying scene of them surging forward, filling their hearts with fear and unease.

Even Gustav was frightened by this number, and his face became extremely solemn.

As the Emperor of the Empire, he knew what this number meant.

Two million Orcish soldiers would be an unprecedented catastrophe.

His eyes revealed worry and contemplation as he pondered how the empire should deal with this impending crisis.

"Your Highness, if you were to hold back a million Orcish soldiers, what else would you need?" Breyer asked.

As soon as this question was asked, everyone in the hall focused their attention on Soren.

After a moment of thought, Soren said: "If it is only a million soldiers, I would need the strength of three Imperial Legions, one ten-thousand-man Royal Guard Knight Regiment, and two five-hundred-man Mage Corps. As for weapons and equipment, it is difficult to list them all, but bows, crossbows, arrows, armor, and other essentials are needed, as well as sufficient large-scale equipment such as catapults. Reserves of food and fodder are also crucial."

Gustav fell into silence.

The newly formed Royal Guard Knight ten-thousand-man team has not yet taken shape, and the entire capital now has only two ten-thousand-man teams.

There are four Mage Corps, two of which are the Palace Mage Corps and two are the Imperial Mage Corps.

Although the military strength seems sufficient, the empire needs to defend many areas, and this strength is not enough to allocate.

In this severe situation, Gustav felt immense pressure, and he had to weigh the pros and cons of all parties and make difficult decisions.

Soren shouted loudly: "Father, the Northwest will surely become the main target of the Orcish attack, and I need more support."

After all, with two million soldiers attacking, if more than one million Orcs attacked the Northwest, it would indeed share a lot of pressure on other parts of the empire.

Gustav asked: "Gentlemen, what do you think?"

A certain minister immediately jumped out and shouted: "Impossible, Your Majesty! What if the main attack direction of the Orcs is the Central Provinces?

Once they kill their way into the Central Provinces, the empire will be finished. Judging from the past Orcish attack habits.

Although the Northwest is often one of their goals, the Orcs are not without precedents of raiding the Central Provinces. The Central Provinces are vast and rich in resources, which are also very attractive to the Orcs. If they choose to bypass the Northwest's heavy defense line and raid the Central Provinces, the consequences would be disastrous."

He did seem sincere when he said this, but if his territory was not located behind the Bafier Fortress defense line, these words might have been more convincing.

Another minister hurriedly echoed.

In this tense situation, the ministers expressed their opinions and argued endlessly, while Gustav fell into deep thought.

State Minister Neumann spoke again: "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the main attack direction of the Orcs in this battle should be the Northwest."

As soon as these words were spoken, many officials who advocated defending the Central Provinces immediately jumped out.

"Lord Neumann, how vicious is your intention? This is to destroy the foundation of the empire."

Gustav said: "Minister Neumann, tell me your opinion."

"Yes! Your Majesty!" Neumann replied respectfully: "My judgment that the Orcs will attack from the Northwest is mainly based on four aspects of analysis.

First, the Northwest region may mostly be plains, which is very consistent with the Orcish army's marching speed and tactical choices. The plain terrain is conducive to the Orcish cavalry's gallop, allowing them to fully exert their charging advantage.

Second, looking back at the history of past Orcish invasions, the Orcs often chose to attack the Northwest in the past, and each time they wanted to take root in the Northwest. It can be seen that they have coveted the Northwest for a long time, so this time the Northwest may still be a key target. History often has a certain degree of repetition, and the Orcs' strategic preferences may continue.

Third, considering the Orcs' motivation for attacking, it is mainly to obtain food, wealth, and living space. The Northwest has vast land and abundant mineral resources, farmland, or pastures, which are very attractive to the Orcs and can meet their needs. Although the Central Provinces have more population and fertile land, they also have stronger resistance.

Fourth, the Central Provinces have a defensive layout such as the Bafier Fortress defense line. If it becomes the main battlefield, with the defense force of the defense line, coupled with the continuous stream of reinforcements, it will inevitably become a meat grinder on the battlefield. The Orcs may consider avoiding these powerful defensive forces and choosing to attack the relatively weak Northwest. They will also weigh the pros and cons to avoid getting bogged down in a difficult siege war."