Chapter 155: Hot Potato Opportunity

Chapter 155 Hot Potato = Opportunity

In Dadier City, the atmosphere of war has spread to every corner of the city.

Unconsciously, the prices in the city have begun to rise quietly, especially the prices of daily necessities that are in urgent need have soared the fastest.

The County Governor's Office has issued many documents to stabilize prices, but driven by intimidation, the market has long lost its rationality.

Coupled with the instigation of greedy businessmen, the speed of price surge has been even faster.

The most affected are the soldiers from the northern border who followed Sis to the south.

Having been away from home for so long, the homesickness is serious. Now that the war is imminent, and the family is still on the front line of the northern border, this emotion is further amplified.

In order to appease the military, Sis has also made a lot of efforts. Most of the soldiers have established families here and have wives and children.

Having taken root, the attachment to the homeland is still firmly imprinted in everyone's hearts.

Including Viscount Sis himself, he has spent more time looking north recently. Obviously, there is still a homesickness that he cannot get rid of in his hometown.

...

"Master, are you just going to give up the right to farm taxes?"

Butler Ferren asked in panic.

For the county governor, the right to farm taxes is undoubtedly the most important power, which is equivalent to financial power.

If the county governor loses the financial power, his right to speak on county affairs will inevitably be greatly reduced.

"It's too late! War is imminent, and everything must give way to war.

The strongest territory in Wright County is the Mountain Territory. Before that, I could still use the rules of the game to fight against it, but now it's too late.

Without the cooperation of local nobles, it is difficult for us to raise enough strategic materials on time. As it involves the safety of the front line, this kind of thing cannot be delayed.

Besides, Wright County was first at war, and then there was a locust plague, and the economy has not yet recovered.

Many territories have barely achieved a balance between income and expenditure, and are simply unable to come up with enough materials. It is not easy to complete the tasks assigned by the superiors according to regulations.

You can't really force people to death, right?

This hot potato might as well be thrown to Hudson.

The Koslo family has relatives and friends everywhere, which used to be his biggest advantage, but now it has become his biggest disadvantage.

It is estimated that if the tax-sharing task falls on him, not only will he not make any money, but he may also have to advance a lot of materials for others.

In normal times, it's okay to sell a favor. During the war, if there is any accident, these will become bad debts."

Sith said with a sneer.

It was just the unwillingness between his eyebrows that betrayed his true thoughts.

Risks and benefits are always proportional.

Complaining about the high risks is a kind of self-consolation under powerlessness.

…

Mountain Territory

The opponent lay flat directly, and Hudson, who became the winner of this round of power struggle, did not show the joy of being a winner on his face.

In addition to the 1,000 soldiers, who were gathered in the shortest time. Both the war tax and the task of raising materials encountered obstacles.

There were endless people who came to cry poor and complain every day.

Those who had no friendship could be enforced by force, but Hudson really couldn't do it to relatives and friends with a deep connection.

Hudson had tried his best to fight for the Governor's Office.

Earl Pierce did not deliberately make things difficult on this issue. The tasks undertaken by the nobles of the two counties of Whiteton and Wright were only 80% of the nobles in other regions.

Although the care was not enough, it was still given after all. This kind of thing cannot be perfect.

The tasks of the kingdom are divided by province. If some counties send less supplies, other counties must send more, and the total amount must be collected.

…

Looking at the people who kept complaining in the hall, Hudson scolded angrily: "Enough!

I invited you here today to discuss solutions, not to listen to your complaints.

Fighting the invasion of orcs is the responsibility of every noble in my Alpha Kingdom. We are collecting supplies in the rear because someone is fighting for us on the front line.

If you think it is unfair, you can choose to sign up for the war. As long as you take the army to the front line, you don't need to worry about the money and food!

You all know the total amount of money and food that needs to be collected in Wright County. I think everyone knows whether the number I allocated is fair and reasonable.

Don't think that you can get away with crying a few times. The assigned tasks are death orders, and the amount must be collected.

If you don't fulfill your noble obligations, your territory will be taken back and your noble status will be deprived. There will be no regret medicine at that time!"

The crying child gets the milk, that is in your own home. Outside, no one is obliged to accommodate them.

If making a fuss can solve the problem, then everyone will go and make a fuss. What should we do on the front line?

According to past practice, nobles from all over the country contribute money and manpower. The only exception is the nobles in the north, who only need to fight on the front line.

Everything is fair.

This mobilization mode is because the noble private armies of various provinces participate in the war, and they adopt a rotation combat mode. After fighting for a period of time, they will come down to rest and take over.

As nobles in the north who are responsible for defending their land, they do not have such treatment. As long as the war breaks out, they can only fight on the front line until the war ends.

To defend their own land, the nobles in the north have already used all their strength to expand the army and prepare for war. They are all war-mongering masters. All the money and food in the territory are invested in the army, and there is no need for the kingdom to send people to urge them at all.

"Dear Viscount Hudson, it's not that we don't want to fulfill our noble obligations. But now the territory cannot make ends meet, and we really can't afford this expense."

Knight Handel said in frustration.

It can be seen from the helpless expression on his face that this guy is really powerless and is ready to be completely destroyed.

If you can't do it, you can't do it. Even if you are forced to go to the front line early, you still won't be able to come up with enough money and food.

Especially strategic materials, not only will they be released now, but they will be released every month in the future. And this number is likely to continue to increase.

For some impoverished nobles, it may not be difficult to collect supplies for one or two months, but they really cannot afford the long-term consumption.

"Knight Handel, I am also aware of your situation. Providing money and food to the front line for a long time does put a lot of pressure on you.

But rules are rules, and you and I are not qualified to change them. The king's orders must still be fulfilled without compromise.

In Wright County, there are not two noble families facing the same predicament. It can even be said that most nobles have certain difficulties.

We are all adults and have the ability to take responsibility for our own actions. No matter what decision you make, I respect your choice.

If you don't want to spend money and food, you can just fill out the registration form, take the army to the front line with the food transport team, and participate in the kingdom's defense battle.

I want to remind you: blocking the invasion of the orcs is not as easy as suppressing the Skeleton Society's rebellion.

Based on the experience of previous wars, the sooner you participate in a war, the lower the probability of coming back alive in the end. Whether you want to take the risk or not, you can make a decision after thinking it through.

I personally suggest that you first collect as many supplies as possible to complete the tasks assigned above. In the end, there was really no choice but to take the army and serve in the frontline army.

Money and food are, after all, external things. Even if you have depleted your wealth now, you can still save it again in the future.

Life is your own.

Especially for some families with few heirs, once you die on the front line, the family fortune you have worked so hard to accumulate can only be used at an advantage to others. "

Hudson persuaded him earnestly.

If the gap is small, it will be enough to help advance the payment. But the current situation is obviously not right, someone actually messed it up as soon as they came up.

Then there is no choice but to follow the rules. Everyone has a responsibility to fight against the orcs. If you have money, give money, if you have food, give food. If you have nothing, give life.

The atmosphere in the ceremony suddenly became tense. The nobles who originally wanted to win over suddenly found that the reasons they had prepared were actually so ridiculous.

Having difficulties is indeed worthy of sympathy. But the problem is that everyone is having difficulties now. The nobles responsible for raising supplies had a difficult time, and the nobles fighting on the front line had an even greater difficulty.

"Dear Viscount Hudson, the supplies in our hands cannot last long. We cannot let the people of our territory starve in order to complete the mission!

I wonder if you have any countermeasures that can help us tide over the difficulties? "

Baron Sanchez asked expectantly.

After such a reminder, everyone realized that today's meeting is to discuss countermeasures and tide over the difficulties together.

Facing the expectant looks of everyone, Hudson shook his head directly and said helplessly: "It turns out that I only knew that everyone had difficulties, but I didn't expect them to be so difficult.

To tell you the truth, even if the mountain leader wants to complete the task, it is extremely difficult, and I have to find a way to fill the holes.

There is insufficient food in the mountainous areas, and among various strategic materials, only iron production is abundant. According to regulations, 150,000 pounds of good iron must be provided every month to complete the task.

I believe you all know that even based on normal prices, the value of so much good iron is more than five thousand gold coins.

At this time, if you sell it outside, it wouldn't be surprising if the price doubles.

The cost of iron smelting has always been high. Even if the cost of ore and coal is not taken into account, just eating, drinking and sleeping on thousands of miners is a huge expense.

I cannot bear such a heavy financial burden. In order to reduce expenses, we can only undertake some forging tasks and reduce some expenses.

The situation in mountainous areas is special and it is impossible for everyone to follow suit. But you can also develop some side jobs that can be completed based on your actual situation.

For example: The lords along the rivers and rivers can catch some fish, and after smoking and drying, one pound can hold four pounds of rye.

It would be even better if you have the conditions to raise some fast-growing aquatic products yourself.

In a territory where there is plenty of prey, some prey can be captured and dried to be used as replenishment.

Even wild vegetables in the fields can be harvested after being dried. You can also plant some fast-maturing crops according to actual conditions.

Wright County is only a hundred and eighty miles away from the sea. If you have wide connections and can get a boat and organize people to go fishing, this is also a way out.

If none of these are possible, then our mountainous territory lacks labor, and blacksmiths, miners, farmers, shoemakers... can all come here.

Employment price is calculated based on actual ability. You can send someone to discuss the specific details with the steward below.

How to do it specifically depends on your actual situation. Even if the supplies raised are only a drop in the bucket, it is better than doing nothing. "

Whether it is making dried fish, dried meat, or dried vegetables, it is a typical bad idea. It’s not that there is a problem with the countermeasures, the key is that they are divorced from reality.

They are all well-developed cultivated land. The fish and shrimp in the river are often visited by residents along the coast; the wild beasts in the mountains and forests often appear on the dining tables of nobles.

Wild vegetables are also food. For serfs, wild vegetables can be regarded as half of the staple food. It is almost a must-have for every meal. It is not enough to eat at home. Wherever there is excess, we use it to make dried vegetables.

Going out to sea to fish is even more nonsense. Even if someone really has connections and gets a boat, letting a group of landlubbers go fishing is not a reliable thing.

What's more, the sea in the magical world is not peaceful either. There are countless dangerous creatures in the vast sea.

Fisherman has always been one of the riskiest professions. Few people are willing to risk going out to sea to fish if they can farm the land with peace of mind.

The real way out for everyone is to rent out labor force. Materials such as food and cloth cannot be grown in a day or two, but the output of the mine can be increased in a short period of time.

In times of war, iron is a commodity. Whether it is the raw iron produced or the forged weapons, you can submit them to the Governor's Mansion.

After a pause, Hudson added again: “If all these are done, it still cannot meet the needs.

You can also consider becoming mercenaries, completing military service for wealthy nobles in neighboring provinces in exchange for generous rewards.

If there are many applicants, I can propose to the Governor-General to stagger your military service time. To prevent you from being drafted by the province again during your service period.

They also went to the battlefield, followed the provincial troops to the front line, and could come back to rest every once in a while. The security is far higher than joining a standing army and fighting until the end of the war.

According to usual practice, the kingdom will not recruit large-scale nobles from our southeastern provinces to the front line until a critical moment.

Theoretically, as long as the provinces coordinate well, they can still be staggered. "

It’s not that Hudson is fooling people, but there is really such a need. Some wealthy aristocrats who happened to be in a period of retirement had the need to hire someone to serve on their behalf.

The mercenaries' fighting will is not high and they can barely perform the task of defending the city. Once you lose in a field battle, it is easy for deserters to appear.

In principle, the kingdom prohibits this kind of hiring people to serve, but the law is nothing more than human relationships, so there are always exceptions.

For example: The last time the Skull and Bones Society rebelled, some families in the two counties had heirs who were still babies.

You can't let people carry these doll lords to the battlefield, right?

At this time, the officials responsible for the specific implementation will turn a blind eye, close one eye, and acquiesce in their use of mercenaries.

There are also risks here. If something goes wrong with the mercenaries who serve on their behalf, the employer will also have to bear the responsibility.

Under normal circumstances, everyone likes to ask nobles to do it for them. They are all beings who know everything. They can escape the priest, but they cannot escape the church.

In addition, there is another situation - obligation exchange.

To put it simply, nobles from different provinces exchange their respective obligations. You go to my province to fulfill your obligations, and I go to your province to fulfill my obligations.

It is limited to nobles with comparable status and comprehensive strength. And the consent of the governors of the two provinces must be obtained.

This situation often occurs in large families.

There are many people in a large family, and it is normal to have collateral descendants distributed in other provinces. During the war, if I didn't feel comfortable following others to the battlefield, I exchanged them back in this way.

Generally speaking, as long as you apply, there will be no problems. Anyway, someone has to complete the task. Everyone gets what they need, provides convenience to each other, and can also leave a favor.

The number of children in large families varies, and the actual situations are also different. This kind of exchange cannot be made up exactly. If there is a difference, compensation needs to be given.

It can be supplies, or people can be sent to serve. The specific situation still depends on the actual coordination situation.

If the situation is urgent, there will be no time to coordinate. Then transfer the obligations directly. To put it simply: when these nobles enter another province to perform their obligations, their obligations are also directly transferred to that province.

After countless gameplays, everyone has rich experience, and no one can take advantage of this.

They were all forced out by the orcs. During the long years of war, the pressure of life and death forced the top leaders of the Alpha Kingdom to make continuous progress.

In response to various unexpected situations, corresponding countermeasures have been formulated early. For the little nobles below, it doesn't matter who they follow on the battlefield. What matters is the obligations they have to fulfill, and there must be no less.

"Dear Viscount Hudson, if we send all the young men to work in the mountainous areas, can military training also be carried out here?"

Baron Kettle asked bravely.

The local nobles are in trouble, and the northern nobles are not easy either. Except for a few wealthy nobles, most of the Northland nobles cannot afford it.

Originally, Keterai was ready to go to the battlefield, but now he suddenly found that he could still struggle for a while, so he naturally wanted to ask questions.

"Of course! But it's only for reserve duty. Daily basic military training will be carried out according to one exercise every ten days.

You are still responsible for the specific training, I only provide the venue.

During the busy farming season, you can also let the young and strong return to work in the territory. Prioritize ensuring food production in the territory.

Don't rush to be happy, you have to be mentally prepared. Mountain Territory only employs surplus labor during the slack season, so the price will not be too high. "

While speaking, Hudson also deliberately glanced at the livid Viscount Sith. If this guy hadn't lied down and thrown all the troubles to him, there wouldn't have been such an opportunity to take advantage.

If we hadn't caught up with this special period, it would have been almost impossible to get the entire county's workforce to come work.

Even if the lords could swallow their pride and let their men come to work, Hudson couldn't afford to pay them.

After all, the market is affected by supply and demand, and blindly increasing production capacity will only cause a price collapse.

Only during wartime, when the demand for iron reaches its peak, can production capacity be increased regardless of everything.

With the huge profits brought by the explosion of production capacity, the development costs of the territory will naturally come out.

Knowing Hudson's sinister intentions, but this is a naked conspiracy, Viscount Sis is powerless.

Even if it is said, it can't stop everyone's enthusiasm to join. From the moment he chose to lie down, the dominance of Wright County fell into Hudson's hands.

"Sabotage?"

This idea was just born, and it was extinguished by Sis himself. Increasing iron production is completely in the interests of the Alpha Kingdom.

In the king's summons, it was clearly proposed to increase iron production in various places. So that more weapons can be forged and more troops can be armed to fight against orcs.

They are already at a disadvantage. If they jump out and go against the general trend, they may lose their last reputation among the nobles in the north.

After looking at the expressions of the crowd and looking to the north, Viscount Sis slowly stood up and said with a smile:

"Viscount Hudson's arrangement is already very reasonable. As long as the iron production in the mountain territory is improved, I think everyone's material crisis will be solved.

Even if there is a shortage, everyone can borrow it! Our heroic Viscount Hudson is not a stingy person.

But everyone is engaged in production, and military training must not be neglected. Every time the orcs invaded in full force, there would be a river of blood in the end.

Only training once every ten days, I'm afraid..."