The King

  Chapter 156 Food Gap

  Small methods are not in the mainstream and cannot play a substantial role, but they can disgust people. If it weren't for his self-restraint, Hudson would have wanted to drive away directly.

  Especially hearing the word "borrowing", Hudson almost choked to death. There are still a lot of bad debts outside that cannot be collected, and if new debts continue to be added, the mountain collar will definitely be dragged down.

  If it weren't for the misappropriation of project development funds for the swamp, the finances of the Mountain Territory would have gone bankrupt long ago. The embezzled funds will eventually have to be returned.

  At least it cannot affect the development of the swamp project. Otherwise, if Bear Stearns discovered the problem, his reputation would go bankrupt.

   It is absolutely impossible to do things like exhausting the pond to fish.

  No borrowing money, let alone borrowing materials. Including wages for hiring labor, they are all offset by iron products that have not yet been smelted.

  Not only do these have to be filled with iron products, Hudson even plans to retain some of the materials received from the nobles for his own use, and then fill the pit with iron products.

  Don't look at these nobles crying poor and crying, in fact, they still have some family background. It may not be able to bear the pressure of providing money and food for a long time, but it will definitely not go bankrupt in a short time.

  Everyone knows the simple truth of accumulating food in troubled times. If you don't force it, you will never know the real family background of these nobles.

  Raising money and food for the front line is not the first time it has happened. Similar events have happened dozens of times over the past few hundred years.

  Experienced nobles will save a sum of money and food every year as emergency funds. These are the family heritage, as long as there are no prodigal sons in the family, the accumulation of the ancestors is enough to tide over the difficulties.

   Except for those families who suffered heavy losses in the Skull and Bones rebellion, other local nobles can turn to the family for help.

  Increasing training time is even more nonsense. Military training is very energy-consuming, and it is impossible to meet the demand without eating meat.

  If it is changed to exercise every three days according to Sith's proposal, the food expenses will almost consume their wages, and the noble gentlemen will not be busy in vain.

   No need for Hudson to speak, it was unanimously rejected by everyone. One exercise per ten days is enough to ensure basic training, and only a small number of soldiers need to be trained on weekdays.

   It's really reached the point where the whole people are recruited, and the Alpha Kingdom is also at the end of its rope. Sending a large number of serf soldiers to the battlefield is just delaying time.

  The dissonant episode did not affect the final outcome of the meeting.

  For the nobles in Wright County, renting out labor during the slack season can not only reduce the food consumption of the territory, but also get a salary to make up for the financial deficit of the territory.

  It's a good thing that kills two birds with one stone, why refuse? As for whether Hudson earns more, that's not something they little people should worry about.

  No one would make a foolish choice to offend their boss at this time. If you don't handle the relationship well now, it will be too late to cry on the battlefield.

  …

   It is difficult to keep secrets among the nobles. The incident that happened in Wright County was quickly spread. Become a topic of conversation after dinner.

  It doesn’t matter to the nobles in other regions, this is the first time to collect money and food, everyone’s pockets can fully bear it, and there is not much pressure for the time being.

  The nobles of Wyton County are different. As the unlucky second county group, everyone was harmed by the Skull and Bones together, suffered civil strife together, suffered locust disasters together, and now they are licking their wounds together to raise money and food for the front line.

  The nobles in Wrightshire can't bear the pressure, and the situation in Wrightshire is not much different. Seeing Hudson helping the younger brothers solve problems, everyone was envious.

   Soon the pressure spread to Viscount Kayo. Aristocrats kept coming to cry for poverty, and asked him, the boss, to find a way to solve the problem.

   "Fu Bo, faced with this situation in the past, how did the county guards in various places solve it?"

  Viscount Cayo asked with concern.

   Don’t panic when you encounter something, learn from the experience of your predecessors first, and then it’s not too late to make a decision slowly.

  In the past few hundred years, almost all accidents that could have happened have happened. The successful coping plans of the predecessors are the best reference.

   "Master, special circumstances like Wyton County have rarely happened in the past. It is really rare that all natural and man-made disasters come together.

  Most of the time, even if there is a rebellion, the loss in the county will not be too great. It was the first time since the establishment of the Southeast Province that the rebels occupied the land of the two counties.

   In the early stage of raising supplies, the noble lords below can support it. Only in the later stage will there be a lack of financial resources, and the county governor's office will need to lend them some money for emergency.

  The most serious year was the outbreak of floods during the war. The counties in the southeastern province suffered heavy losses and were unable to undertake the important task of raising supplies for the kingdom.

   Finally, as a last resort, the family led the nobles from all over the country to purchase a batch of supplies from overseas to complete the mission of the kingdom.

  As it is now, the nobles have financial problems before the war has fully broken out. Generally, it will only appear on the nobles who are in the middle of nowhere, and everyone usually leaves it alone. "

  The old butler said proudly.

  The decisive emergency response made the Dalton family stand out. So far, it has been talked about.

  After suffering a loss, everyone has developed a good habit of storing grain. In particular, the Dalton family has established their own emergency supplies storage warehouse, which is basically full in normal times.

  Everyone is preparing in advance, and those who do not prepare in advance, or who are not prepared enough, naturally become the targets of exclusion and criticism.

  Who is a prodigal son, who only knows how to enjoy himself on weekdays, and does not know how to accumulate wealth in advance. It is also a matter of course to let it fend for itself.

   But not now, this time the situation is special. Everyone is not in trouble because they are prodigal.

  Natural disasters and man-made disasters come together, and the family background of the little nobles is not strong, so they cannot withstand such a toss. The lack of money and food makes sense logically.

  The world of the aristocracy, apart from the naked and cruel reality, also has to talk about human feelings.

   Besides, there are neighbors next door who actively deal with the contrast. If they are completely left alone, the younger brothers who can't bear the pressure may jump to work with Hudson.

  The Viscount Sith is a foreign product, and it is reasonable to be ostracized. If he, a local snake, is evacuated, the faces of the Dalton family will be pulled to the ground and rubbed.

   It was because of the scruples about the reaction of the Dalton family that Hudson's tentacles stayed in Wright County and did not reach out to Wyton County.

  If he can't stabilize the basic market by himself, and the younger brothers take the initiative to run over to seek refuge, that's another way of saying it.

   "Fu Bo, send a message to the family and borrow a few people who can train soldiers. Inform the nobles in the county and ask them to organize young men to come for training.

   All the nobles who participated in the training camp and failed to complete the tasks stipulated by the kingdom, the county guard can lend money and food to them, and the interest is charged at a symbolic 10% per year. "

   Viscount Kayo said calmly.

  In the continent of Aslant, a loan with an annual interest rate of 10% is charity. Especially in this period of war full of uncertainty, it is the conscience of the nobility.

   In order to let everyone send the young and strong to the unified training, Viscount Cayo also spent a lot of money.

   are all rolled out. Kayo, who doesn't want to keep falling behind Hudson and wants to make achievements, must win over the nobles in the county.

  Just pulling people over is not enough. When it comes to the battlefield, what everyone fights is no longer political means, but the record of killing with one knife and one gun.

  Kayo is self-aware and very clear that he will not be Hudson's opponent when it comes to fighting with troops.

   Just because you can't use troops to fight a war doesn't mean you can't do well in battle. After all, the battle is all about strength. As long as you train a soldier that can fight, the situation will become completely different.

  Sitting in the port, the Dalton family has no shortage of supplies.

  As far as the Dalton family is concerned, it is nothing more than two extra trips for the fleet to advance supplies for the nobles in the county. These investments have to be returned anyway, and they won't just go to waste.

   In exchange for a battle-worthy soldier, Kayo felt that he was not losing anything.

  This is also a conspiracy. Perhaps other counties can learn from it, but Wright County cannot follow suit.

  If you don’t devote your labor force to the development of the territory, and desperately expand the steel production capacity, Hudson will not be able to complete the tasks assigned by the Kingdom of Light.

  It is far easier to achieve results with a well-trained army than with a mob.

   "Young master, all the young and strong in the county are gathered here, even if the food and grass are shared by everyone, the training venue required is not small.

  The mountains have a large number of undeveloped hills, except for a few trees, there are only shrubs and weeds. If you use it as a training ground, you will naturally not feel distressed.

   Luoye Town is all cultivated land. If a large area is designated as a training ground, it will definitely affect the food production of the territory. "

  The old housekeeper reminded cautiously.

  Although Wyton County is slightly smaller than Wright County, the number of young and strong people owned by the nobles is not a small number.

  The training ground of tens of thousands of horses is not what the small military camp in Luoye Town can accommodate, and it will inevitably occupy a lot of farmland.

   "Understood, follow my instructions. It's just temporarily occupying some farmland, which is nothing compared to the possible gains on the battlefield."

   Viscount Cayo said without changing his expression.

  Have made a decision, he will not regret it. Having a combatable soldier can not only increase his survival rate on the battlefield, but also greatly improve his future status in the army.

   If they cooperate well with the family, maybe the Dalton family can take a small step forward this time.

  Although in essence, Gong, Hou, and Bo are all vassals of one party, they have almost the same power.

  A powerful feudal earl has even more power to speak than some declining dukes. But in terms of address, he was still a little short.

   Viscount Kayo doesn't care about the small problem of title. But he is still very interested in strengthening the family's strength.

   Enough military achievements + strong strength, and coincidentally catching up with the good time of the big reshuffle, no matter how you look at it, it is a good opportunity to take a step forward.

  …

   It wasn't just Viscount Cayo who rolled up crazily. The counties in the southeastern provinces, or the nobles in the kingdom who can participate in the game, are desperately expanding their force.

  Of course, it is only a few young optimists who want to seize the fruits of post-war victory. Older nobles don't have so many fantasies, and strengthening their military strength is entirely for self-protection.

   If you win the war against the orcs, you will have a future; if you lose this battle of national destiny, the fate waiting for them is the ruin of the country and family.

  The bigger the person is, the more he knows how powerful the Orc Empire is. Confidence in this war has also become less and less.

   If there is no choice, it is estimated that there is no big force in the Alpha Kingdom that wants to fight the orc army to the end.

  Watching the neighbors explode, Hudson's hanging heart slowly fell.

   Don't be afraid of the enemy being strong, but be afraid of your teammates breaking down.

  Now the teammates are actively preparing for the battle, and they didn’t slack off just because the call-up order came to him. This is definitely a good thing for the Alpha Kingdom.

   They are all grasshoppers on the same rope. The stronger the teammates, the greater the probability that the kingdom will win this war. If it is impossible to win, it can delay time.

   Didn't blindly join the wave of crazy military training, the mountain territory is still operating in an orderly manner. Hudson is not afraid of being criticized for inaction, and increasing military production capacity is also contributing to the kingdom.

  First set a small goal, increase the raw iron production capacity of the territory to 500 tons/month within three months, and increase the production capacity to 1,000 tons/month within half a year.

  Although the level of the small workshop iron factory in the previous life is not even high, this number is already one of the best in the continent of Aslant.

  Even in many small countries, all the steel production capacity combined cannot reach this figure.

   "Tom, you will arrange the production of the mine yourself.

  These employees can be arranged to mine or forged in the later stage, but the most critical smelting link can only be controlled by our people.

  The smelter should be strictly guarded, and all outsiders are prohibited from approaching. If you find suspicious persons, arrest them first. "

  Hiding the truth for a while is a temporary thing. Hudson doesn't want to spread his own blast furnace ironmaking technology all over the world so quickly.

  Traditional smelting mode, one hundred and eighty pounds of iron can be produced, and two to three hundred pounds can be produced, all of which are master craftsmen.

   Keshan has the largest blast furnace, but it can produce more than one ton of iron in one furnace.

  Not only is the production capacity high, but the quality of the raw iron produced is also better.

  Although it is not comparable to the legendary magical iron-making furnace, the production cost of the two is not at the same level. One uses magic spar as energy, and the other uses charcoal and coal, which are simply incomparable.

  In contrast, other secrets in the territory, even if they were placed in front of the serfs, probably would not attract their attention.

  For example: Marsh brand chemical fertilizer is no longer used in the busy farming season, but is spread in the ground while reclaiming wasteland in the name of increasing the thickness of the newly reclaimed wasteland.

   are all in the same county, which is equivalent to working at the door of the house. During the busy farming season, everyone has to go back to their respective homes, and they have no chance to get in touch with the agricultural production in the mountainous area.

  In normal times, it is also a designated area to work, and it is difficult for foreign serfs and local serfs to have close contact.

   Occasionally, everyone is not familiar with it. Saying hello is considered warm, and I'm afraid I won't say a word more.

   "Master, the production in the mining area is well arranged. The biggest trouble in the territory now is the rapid increase in food consumption.

  The number of mouths increased by tens of thousands all of a sudden. We originally had a relatively rich reserve of grain, but now we are afraid that we can barely support it until the spring grain is put into storage.

  According to the original plan, the food produced in the territory from next year can meet 80% of the consumption, and only a small amount is enough to fill the gap.

  Now the situation has changed, and the food gap has not decreased but increased. That's all in normal times, as long as you have money, you can always buy it.

  At this time, unless you personally come forward, sir, even if we can pay a high price, we may not be able to purchase enough grain. "

  (end of this chapter)