King

The ups and downs of the Orc Empire have become a joke when they spread to the Southeast Province. Although Hudson is also concerned about current affairs, the replacement of the crown prince of the Beamon family is obviously too far away from him.

Except for the Orc Empire's sudden southern invasion, no other shocking news could affect Hudson's farming plan.

If one heir dies, won’t there be countless heirs? Emperor Behemoth was a blessed man. Although his sons died one after another, they had many grandsons!

Prince Alex alone has created more than 300 people for him, and with the contributions of other princes, even if it has not reached 400, it is not far away from this number.

Including great-grandsons and great-great-grandsons... I estimate that there will be several regiments. If he had lived a few decades longer than Emperor Meng, he might have been able to form a regiment just by his direct descendants. It can be said that he has the largest number of descendants in the Aslant continent. One of the monarchs.

There is definitely no one in the human world who can compare with him, not even the elves, dwarves, giants, berserkers... who have lower fertility.

It is estimated that only those races that give birth to one litter at a time can compete with Emperor Beamon in terms of number of offspring.

Fortunately, more than 90% of them are strange races with varying combat capabilities. Otherwise, other races on the mainland would not be able to mix.

In fact, there were only a few dozen races in the Orc Empire at first. Later, due to various hybrids, a bunch of chaotic races appeared one after another.

Even scholars who specialize in studying races cannot figure out how many races there are in the Orc Empire. After all, although Prince Alex's kind of weird and unusual people who are keen on creating races are rare, there are still a few born occasionally.

No matter how powerful the experts and scholars are, the speed at which they can study new races cannot keep up with the speed at which they create races.

In comparison, the human world is much simpler. Even if there is a cross-race union, the birth will be half-elf, half-orc, half... The probability of creating a new race is not high.

Thinking about it, I feel... forget it, these extravagant and lewd things are not what a little noble should think about.

Looking at the inefficient land reclamation brigade, Hudson secretly felt worried. Based on the current efficiency, it is estimated that the Lord of the Dawn does not know when the Salam Mountains will be developed.

What's more, there is a huge swamp at the other end of the mountain range. Going all the way along the swamp, it is unclear where exactly we can reach, but Hudson guessed that the end of the swamp may be the sea.

The reason is very simple. The Southeast Province is a coastal province, and what separates the border with neighboring countries is the swamp. It is not surprising that it can extend all the way to the sea.

It is not included in the territory of the two countries. In addition to the special local terrain, it is most likely because everyone is too busy.

The Alpha Kingdom faces the threat of orcs all year round. Ignoring the daily small-scale conflicts for the time being, the Orc Empire will definitely launch a southern invasion in as short as ten or twenty years or as long as seven or eighty years.

The scale of the war defies any logic at all. Even a medium-sized invasion would severely weaken the Alpha Kingdom.

The Salam Mountains have not been developed, and a large part of the reason is caused by the war. After all, every time the population surges, they are greeted by war, and there is no time to play with population overflow.

Wright County, where Hudson is located, was developed only more than three hundred years ago, and it was only really developed for more than a hundred years. Some young villages may have been established twenty or thirty years ago.

The strength of small and medium-sized nobles is limited. If they have a choice, no one will abandon the plains and go to develop hilly areas.

No one wants to touch the hills, and no one cares about the swamps behind the hills. With the investment to develop this swamp, it would be better to tap into the potential of our own territory.

After all, not everyone is like Hudson, who sets ambitious strategic goals for himself from the beginning. It is difficult for most small and medium-sized nobles to have a clear development plan, and most of the time they follow the example of their neighbors.

As for the other side of the swamp, it looks like the Kingdom of Hesse from the continent map. There are clear lines on the border marked with four large characters - "Blackstone Mountains".

What the specific situation was, Hudson didn't know. Anyway, it’s marked on the continent map, and it’s said that there are also monsters roaming around, so it’s not just a small bumpkin like the Salam Mountains, right?

Judging from the size of the swamp, you can tell that it cannot be washed away by the accumulated water generated by small earth parcels like the Salam Mountains.

We can't just go on like this, even if there are no competitors on the other side, we can't waste time like this. If the orcs really attack one day, they will have no time to farm.

Seeing the summoned group of security guards gathered together in twos and threes to discuss, Hudson said angrily: "Why are we having such a happy chat?

You can't keep happy things to yourself. Shouldn't your lords be happy too?

If your land reclamation progress can be as efficient as this, I will be very happy! "

The scene in front of them directly frightened all the security guards. Although they hold an official position, they are actually ordinary people.

The only preferential treatment is an increase of ten pounds in monthly rations. The time for such privileges is short and there is no time to breed them.

Even if they wanted to learn bureaucracy, no one in the territory could teach them.

"I won't say any more nonsense. From today on, we will divide an area into each unit based on security, carry out land reclamation separately, and evaluate it once a month.

For the five best-performing guarantees, everyone's meat supply will increase by 1 pound per month, and their grain supply will increase by 5 pounds. Among them, the reward for the best-performing guarantee will be doubled directly.

For the five worst-performing security guards, the security chief himself gave me an explanation. If there is no reasonable explanation, the Bao leader will be removed from his post, and the ration supply of all members of the Bao will be cut by 5 pounds per month.

Later, livestock and farm equipment will be divided in units of insurance. I don't care how you allocate it internally.

Anyway, I only care about the final results. If anyone dares to hold me back during land reclamation, I will break his legs first! "

Hudson snapped.

The efficiency of the grinder is really low, and we must find a way to get the people below to roll it up. Otherwise, how could he realize the aristocratic life that Mr. Hudson dreamed of?

Theoretically speaking, direct distribution of production to households can best improve production enthusiasm. Unfortunately, things that are deviant and challenge the rules of the game, which are the first in history, often do not end well.

As an orthodox nobleman, Hudson did not want to be an alternative in the eyes of others.

If there are too many people who don't like him, and they sue him to the royal capital for not performing the feudal lord's duties, and the king directly revokes his status as a noble lord, it will be completely embarrassing.

There is no doubt that similar martyrs have already appeared. In the process of historical development, all kinds of weird things will happen.

There is no need to discuss what is essentially right or wrong about many things. As long as everyone around you thinks you are wrong, then you must be wrong.

Don't try to make excuses, because one person can never change the perception of a group of people. Perhaps one day in the future, this matter will be redefined more objectively, but you will definitely not be able to see those who violate the rules.

What's more, in the process of large-scale land reclamation, teamwork is even more needed. It is enough to let the people below roll up, there is no need to put yourself into the storm vortex.

If you really want to play with the family responsibility system, I guess the people who will be the most resistant are the people in charge. If you follow the lord, your life may not be easy, but you will definitely have fewer worries.

There is not enough personal freedom, but you don't need to worry about everything from birth to death. Even if there is a famine, it is the lord who is responsible for taking care of it. They cannot be allowed to starve to death anyway.

Unlike the oriental dynasties of previous generations, folk clans were powerful and could unite as clan units to jointly resist risks, thus providing the basis for reforming the feudal system.

I don’t know if serfs who did not form a clan would have a better life if they went out to work alone. Anyway, their ability to resist risks is almost zero. Any disaster can take away everything they have.

The lord's decision cannot be changed. The good mood of the security guards who did not want to break their legs was gone in an instant.

I originally thought that by becoming the security chief and gaining the trust of the lord, I would be able to live a happy life and reach the pinnacle of life.

Facts have proved that there is no pie in the world that falls for no reason. It is simply impossible to just take benefits and do nothing.

No one dared to ignore Hudson's warning. When noble men say they want to break their legs, they will really break their legs. No one thinks it is important that one of their legs has the reputation of a noble man.

Seeing his men all frowning, Hudson had no intention of giving them any advice. The more times like this, the more you can train a person.

Whether he is a talent or a fool can be seen as soon as the follow-up land reclamation project starts.

If it is trash, then kick it out as soon as possible. In the entrepreneurial stage, the destructive power brought by a waste person entering the management team is not even a little bit.

After all, there are more than 20,000 people in the territory. By slowly screening, you can always find potential stocks suitable for cultivation.

…

Maple Leaf Collar, watching the neighbor next door enthusiastically playing land reclamation, Baron Keterai almost drooled with envy.

Obviously everyone started their business together, but as a result, other people's territories have entered the fast lane of rapid development, while my own family is still running at a loss of making ends meet.

Baron Kettle now completely scorned the statement that "Southern Xinjiang is rich and full of gold. If you just sow some seeds, you can get a bumper harvest."

The southeastern province is indeed rich, and his territory is indeed fertile, but this does not mean that he is rich.

If you want to make a fortune, you must at least develop your territory first. With the current development status of the Maple Leaf Territory, it is difficult to maintain a balance of payments.

"Uncle Holman, where has the slave sent by the family arrived, and how long will it take to arrive?"

Baron Kettle asked with concern.

Insufficient labor force has become the most critical factor restricting the development of Maple Leaf Collar. Since he couldn't get enough livestock and serfs, he could only think of orc slaves.

“Counting the days, we should be almost entering the territory of the Southeast Province now, and we will be able to deliver it to the territory in ten days and a half at most.

But Ketele, these orc slaves are not that easy to manage. Without some training, it is difficult to make them obedient.

Moreover, the slaves sent by the family this time included dozens of races, so language communication alone was a big problem.

For the convenience of management, we must screen out the races suitable for farming as soon as possible, and find ways to deal with the rest! "

Knight Holman said murderously.

As a knight coming off the battlefield, the most important thing is decisiveness in killing. The conflict between humans and orcs has long been irreconcilable.

Having a large number of orc slaves in the territory is a high-risk matter in itself. Even if the lord is not afraid of these guys causing trouble, the serfs below cannot stand the trouble.

In the event of unrest, the Maple Leaf collar, which is already unable to make ends meet, will become even worse.

"Don't worry, Uncle Holman. The extra slaves will not be wasted. If we can't use them, it doesn't mean that our neighbors can't use them either.

Most of the orc slaves are indeed horribly stupid, and they can make a mess of even the simplest things. But you can still do some purely physical work that doesn't require using your brain.

Although there is some suspicion of collaborating with the enemy, if we don't do this kind of thing, others will do it.

The Maple Leaf Territory has been in deficit for a long time, and the territories of other nobles are similar. In Wright and Wyton counties, except for the mountainous territories, which are rich and wealthy, almost all the territories are unable to make ends meet.

Fortunately for the local nobles, the autumn plowing has finally been completed. As long as they survive these few months of drought, they will be able to maintain balance in the future.

If they can reduce their expenses, give up unnecessary interpersonal expenses, and lower their daily living standards. It will take at most one or two years to turn losses into profits.

But we are different. The army is the foundation for our ability to move south, but it is also a big mountain that weighs on us.

There is no military subsidy from the kingdom, no smuggling business to do, and no objects to plunder. Relying solely on the output of the territory, the pressure to feed so many soldiers is really too great.

But before the local nobles officially accept us, it's impossible not to maintain so many troops.

If I can't develop the territory as soon as possible, my savings won't last long. Even if I knew that selling slaves to mountain barons was a cup of poison with honey, I could only drink it first.

Otherwise, the finances will collapse before the territory fully resumes production, and it will be all over. "

Baron Kettle couldn't help but sigh.

If you are not a master, you don't know the difficulty of being a lord. Before the war, the Maple Leaf Territory was rich in products and fat. But a war destroyed everything.

In fact, for the same purpose of raising troops, a mature territory and a semi-disabled territory have completely different costs for raising troops.

A mature territory can be self-sufficient in food, cloth, meat, oil, etc. Even if the weapons and equipment are broken, they can repair them themselves.

The lord's main expenses for raising troops are to purchase salt, update and replace weapons and equipment, and war horses.

Serf soldiers do not need to pay military salaries. Even if they are elites composed of cultivators, the lords only need to pay some subsidies in normal times.

Whether to use coins, or distribute grain, cloth, and meat products depends on the mood of the lord, and the soldiers will not be picky.

They work in the fields during the busy farming period and practice during the slack farming period. As long as there is no war, military spending can usually be maintained at a low figure.

Southern nobles like to cultivate cultivator escorts, mainly due to the environment in which they live. Generally speaking, the world is peaceful, and conflicts are mostly regional armed fights.

The escort team composed of cultivators obviously has an advantage in daily fights. What's more, they want to imitate the northern Xinjiang nobles to cultivate an army, and the small nobles do not have such conditions.

Only brave and ruthless soldiers can be cultivated in daily fights, and ordinary soldiers cannot become elites without experiencing fighting on the battlefield.

A battle like the one to suppress the Skull and Bones rebellion is a rare occurrence in the Southeast Province in decades, and whether it can happen depends on luck.

Most of the time when cults rebelled, the lord himself would suppress them with his escort team, and there were very few people who could make a fuss.

Although the noble lords often engage in fights, they cannot kill each other. The intensity of the fights can only be regarded as armed conflicts, far less than a real war.

After meeting their daily needs for military equipment, most southern Xinjiang nobles like to spend their money on daily life, training future generations and maintaining personal relationships. There is also a contingency reserve fund if there is any spare money.

Because of the different levels of investment in training resources, even if they rarely go to the battlefield, the personal martial arts of the noble children in the south is generally no worse than that of the noble children in the northern Xinjiang. After all, actual combat ability can also be compensated by realm.

Maple Leaf Collar's production has not yet recovered, and it is in the awkward stage of transition from northern Xinjiang nobles to southern Xinjiang nobles. Baron Keterai's life is naturally difficult.

In order to keep the territory's finances from going bankrupt and survive these lean days, he had to temporarily give up the resentment in his heart.

"Caitley, it's best for you to think like this. There are no eternal enemies in the world of nobles, only eternal interests.

I wonder if you have noticed that the military strength of the southeastern local nobles in Wright and Wyton counties is constantly increasing, while the military strength of us northern nobles is constantly being weakened.

Taking the Maple Leaf Territory as an example, the 300 private troops who went south with us have lost 278 people due to non-combat attrition caused by previous battles and acclimatization, which is a reduction of almost one-fifteenth.

Although there is no detailed data on other territories, it is estimated that they will not be much better. Some guys who love to make troubles may even lose more than one-tenth of their staff.

In a short period of time, we were able to suppress a group of local nobles, but as time goes by, the strength of both sides will gradually become closer.

If we cannot properly handle the relationship with our neighbors, we will have a very difficult life in the future, and we may even be squeezed out. "

After hearing Knight Holman's reminder, Baron Kettle's expression became more solemn. Although he also noticed something was wrong, he did not expect that the problem would be so serious.

In the battle between nobles, winning is the long-term future, and the temporary victory or defeat does not mean anything. Only the one who survives to the end is the real winner.

If you can't beat the opponent to death with a stick, then it's best not to form a deadly feud. If you can't resolve the grievances, you should try your best to resolve them.

Sometimes turning enemies into friends is also a strategic victory.

I originally thought that selling slaves to neighbors was just to make a fortune to make up for the financial deficit. Now it seems that this is not only a business, but also a starting point for breaking the ice in relationships.

No matter what the other noble lords of Northern Xinjiang choose, the Maple Leaf Leader has no choice anyway. The neighbor is too powerful, and there is really no chance of winning if he acts recklessly. The only one who will suffer if he continues to be hostile is himself.

Even if there is real grudge, you can keep it in mind first, and then slowly settle the matter when there is an opportunity later. If there is no chance, just keep it in your heart. He, Ketele, is not the master of the city without his scheming.

"Uncle Holman, thank you for the reminder, I know what to do next.

Hudson can sell us the means of production of iron products for profit, so why can't I sell slaves to these southern Xinjiang nobles for profit?

Not only must this business be done, it must also make a big profit out of it. Send someone to find out which families are transporting slaves south. If they don't need so many, find a way to get them at a low price.

Hudson is the perfect example. If you want to make more money, you can only turn your business into a monopoly.

It's winter now, and it's impossible to go deep into the Orc Empire to catch slaves in the short term. Even if they recover after spring, sending the slaves over will be next summer.

This means that in the next six months, these slaves will be the only orc slaves.

I hope that the number of slaves shipped by each family this time will not be too large, otherwise our family will not be able to eat, and this business will not be easy to do! "

…