King

"Trash, they are all a bunch of trash!"

“You can’t even control your own people, they deserve their misfortune!

It seems that I overestimated them. Apart from their strong military strength, those guys in the North are absolutely useless!

The Holy See is also a bunch of losers, and they are useless even if they are given the opportunity. I was ready to ambush them, but they were all beaten to a pulp. I really don't know what they were doing for food!

After suffering such a big loss, those idiots were able to stand still and didn't even have the courage to fight back. How dare they claim to be the number one force in the mainland?

…”

For a moment, Earl Pierce's curses resounded throughout the hall. The servants were so frightened that they hurried away, fearing that they would hear information they were not supposed to know and be silenced.

"Lord Earl, calm down, things are not that bad. Although the enemy's relocation plan was not destroyed, it also created a formidable enemy for them.

Those cowards from the Northland nobles just didn't take action, but the people from the Holy See really took action.

Both sides are covered in each other's blood, so I don't believe they can live in peace. Next, we just need to find an opportunity to expose the identity of the attacker and guide Earl Hudson to take revenge.

Anyway, they are not good people. If the Koslow family and the Holy See are fighting, no matter who wins or loses, it will be a good thing for the family! "

Schaefer persuaded patiently.

"It's not that simple. On the day of the attack, it was the Koslow family's private army that launched the first attack.

Whether the people from the Holy See accidentally exposed their traces when ambushing him, or whether the Koslow family discovered the problem in advance and made preparations in advance, no one can tell.

Maybe Hudson already knew that it was the Holy See that did it, but he just didn't dare to openly fall out with the Holy See because of his lack of strength.

If this is the case, our role in it is probably exposed at this moment.

Hudson's lack of action now does not mean there will never be any action. Just wait and see, he will definitely take action to retaliate in the future! "

Earl Pierce said with fear.

Being targeted by an enemy with unlimited potential is not a good choice. Unfortunately, we are neighbors and cannot avoid them even if we want to.

…

In the Mountain Territory, Hudson, immersed in the joy of being a father, soon received bad news that there was a problem with the territory's mainstay industry.

After frantically expanding production capacity during the war, it was finally time to withstand the backlash. Even if Hudson ordered production cuts in advance, the steel industry in the Mountain Territory was still severely impacted.

"Earl, this is the territory's fiscal revenue and expenditure report last month. Without considering immigration expenditure, our fiscal deficit has increased by 15,000 gold coins compared to October, and the total monthly fiscal deficit has exceeded the 40,000 mark.

Among them, the food industry, animal husbandry industry, and service industry have all achieved considerable growth, driven by the Warcraft breeding base.

The fiscal deficit has increased rapidly, mainly due to the impact on the steel industry. The investment of major forces in the prairie was less than expected, and the demand for iron products dropped significantly.

Affected by the shrinking market, many chambers of commerce announced last month that they would terminate order delivery, and all domestic iron product manufacturers have been affected.

Under your arrangement, we chose to ship to the market first and stopped the loss in time, but the market collapsed faster than expected.

Compared with October, iron product prices have generally fallen by more than 40%, and there are signs of continued decline.

Judging from the current price trend, most iron product manufacturers are approaching the cost line, and manufacturers without mines have even begun to lose money.

Although our steel production costs are slightly lower than those of our peers, under the current prices, we can only maintain a small profit.

The profits of the steel industry collapsed, covering up the profit growth of other industries, causing the territory's fiscal deficit to expand sharply.

This impact will last for a long time.

Theoretically, it will take two years at the earliest before the income growth brought by other industries in the territory can make up for the impact of the lack of profits in the steel industry.

The actual situation may be worse. The economic growth brought about by the World of Warcraft breeding base will gradually level off after its peak period.

If the steel industry continues to pick up, the territory may have to wait for a major breakthrough in the land reclamation project to achieve complete self-sufficiency in food if it wants to achieve a balance of payments. "

After listening to Jacob's report, Hudson immediately fell silent. The industrial structure of the mountainous territory is relatively scientific, and it is not something that can happen in a day or two.

The collapse of the originally profitable steel industry directly pushed up the territory's fiscal deficit, but this was just the beginning.

Although this territorial exchange successfully took over the original infrastructure, continued investment is inevitable after the large-scale immigration.

If nothing else, tinkering is definitely indispensable. Some unreasonable water conservancy projects and roads must now be re-planned.

In short, these projects have costs. Even if labor costs nothing, people still have to eat!

What's more, Hudson is not someone who can live idle. He launches a new project every now and then, which all costs money.

"Don't worry, the situation is not that bad. Except for the steel industry, the territory is generally developing in a good direction.

A large part of the reason for the current huge food shortage is due to the emergence of Warcraft breeding bases. The demand for meat has increased sharply, which has stimulated the development of animal husbandry.

After deducting this part of the impact, our food gap has actually continued to decrease.

Theoretically, after the resettlement plan is completed, we can basically meet more than 80% of our own food needs.

It's just that the development of animal husbandry has occupied a lot of agricultural land and consumed a lot of food, which makes the food crisis seem serious.

The problem of fiscal deficit is even less of a problem. The downturn in the steel industry cannot last for a long time. This is a monopoly industry after all. When the inventory is almost exhausted, the market will pick up.

What's more, we still have a canal project to look forward to. Once this project is completed next year, transportation in the territory will be greatly improved.

Even if we don't consider ocean trade in the short term, it's okay for us to catch some fish and make up for the lack of meat in the territory, right?

At the worst, we can also organize manpower to produce salt. Even if we don't sell it, just for our own use, we can save tens of thousands of gold coins every year.

As long as the economy continues to develop at such a high speed, the territory's fiscal deficit will soon be wiped out. "

Hudson said optimistically.

Under the traditional feudal economic model, the economic development model of fiscal deficit was not popular. Without mature financial market financing, Hudson wouldn't have dared to be so radical if he didn't have money in his pocket.

Generally speaking, when a large power has a huge financial deficit, it is either because military expenditures have increased too quickly during the war or it has reached the end of the dynasty.

The unknown is always scary. Facing the territory's rising financial deficit, the management inevitably fell into panic. At this time, Hudson had to come out to appease people.

In short, reality is cruel, but the future is bright. The pie must be expanded. Otherwise, how can everyone work with peace of mind when they look at the deficit and worry about it every day?

Due to the limitations of the times, Hudson had a lot of ideas but no way to realize them.

Up to now, the core industries developed in the mountain territory still remain in the traditional feudal economy.

In addition to agriculture and animal husbandry, the economy mainly relies on the steel industry. In a short period of time, this pillar was unable to function, and he had to extend his tentacles to another pillar industry of the feudal economy-salt.

There are no salt mines in the Mountain Territory. Had it not been for the proximity to the sea, Hudson would not have had the opportunity to reach out to the salt industry.

Unfortunately, the monopoly structure of the salt industry has already taken shape, and it is difficult for latecomers to join in.

Even if it is forcibly inserted, all that can be done is business with acquaintances, and the market size is limited, which makes it difficult to make huge profits.

In order to reduce unnecessary trouble, Hudson restrained himself from reaching out until his power extended to the sea.

“Earl, based on the situation in Port Hansen, the opening of the canal will indeed be beneficial to the economic development of the territory.

As long as our business prosperity can reach half of theirs, we can create huge economic benefits.

But the problem is that the prosperity of Port Hansen is not only a port problem, but also factors of the Dalton family.

Nearly one-fifth of the ships entering and leaving the port every year are merchant ships belonging to the Dalton family. It can be said that the local economy was driven by the Dalton family.

If we want to follow suit, we must build our own fleet, which is another huge expense.

What's more, excellent sailing personnel are in short supply everywhere. In a short period of time, it will be difficult to collect enough talents in the territory.

I suggest developing the salt production industry first, and then gradually getting involved in maritime trade and building our naval fleet after sufficient funds have been accumulated. "

Rudolph hurriedly persuaded.

It can be seen from the panic expression that he is really afraid that Hudson will propose at the next moment: building a naval fleet.

As the territory's financial officer, Rudolph was most afraid of Hudson's unbridled ideas.

It seems that the mountainous area is prosperous, but it is all made of money. In the World of Warcraft breeding base, many female beasts have entered the state of pregnancy.

The pregnancy cycles of different monsters are also different, and the fastest cubs will be born in the first half of next year. After allocating cubs according to the agreement, the mountain territory will add a group of big money-devouring households.

World of Warcraft is not as easy to feed as domestic animals. People have to eat meat. It's just that little bit of meat, and Rudolph doesn't feel bad about it. The key is that if you want to shorten the growth cycle of the monster, you must use a lot of magic potions.

This kind of heroic "krypton gold" cultivation method is destined to be impossible to come by cheaply. It can be said that the "Warcraft Legion" has been built with money since its birth.

"Don't worry, Sir Rudolph. The naval fleet is a matter of the future. In a short period of time, our military development focus will still be the Warcraft Legion.

The air force, in particular, is the top priority for future development.

Including the threat of piracy that may arise after the port is opened, we can let the air force deal with it.

When necessary, you can also develop an army of sea monsters to use as an auxiliary force.

In this regard, we have a natural advantage and there is no need to follow the footsteps of others! "

Hudson said with feigned disdain.

Fighting for supremacy in the ocean is not something that a small lord like him is qualified to play. Even if all the people in the mountainous territory were sailing, they would not be able to support a strong maritime army.

If you are not qualified to compete for hegemony, then change your strategy and focus on defense.

Just to deal with pirates, a powerful air force can deal with most emergencies.

If that's not enough, then raise a few monsters in the sea to look after your home. The main reason is that people cannot survive in the sea, otherwise the power of a sea warcraft army is no less intimidating than those fleets.

It seems that no country in the entire continent has developed an army of sea monsters. The female beasts sent from various countries are all flying in the sky and running on the ground, but there are no ones that swim in the water.

Things that no one is willing to do may not necessarily be right, but the risks and benefits involved are most likely not proportional.

In an instant, Hudson secretly rejected his unreliable idea. It is difficult to obtain excess returns by following the mainstream, but at least you can avoid pitfalls.

When everyone steps into the same "pit", that "pit" is no longer a "pit", but a process that must be experienced in life.

…

It turns out that Hudson was too optimistic. After the general decline in steel product prices in November, the previous plummeting pattern continued in December.

Last month, the mountainous territories collapsed the kingdom's iron products market in order to sell off and sell off the market. This month, the crisis has further expanded.

The problem now is no longer the price of iron products, but the lack of enough buyers in the market.

Iron products are not fast moving goods. Whether it's farm tools or pots and pans, they last for many years.

The sudden default on a huge order has caused almost the entire prairie market to be lost. How can the small amount of liquidated damages be enough to make up for it?

After overcapacity and the saturation of the domestic market, there will be no sales at all in a short period of time.

A large number of products are backlogged together, and people have to be arranged for maintenance every day. The longer it takes, the higher the cost will be.

Realizing that something is wrong, more and more people are following the trend and selling, but there are very few buyers.

Panic brewed until December, when it finally erupted. The pessimistic giants are selling desperately in the market.

Not only was the own market affected, but this sentiment was also brought to adjacent areas.

Naturally, the southeastern province cannot be alone. Under the impact of a large number of cheap foreign iron products, the shipment volume of iron products in the mountain territory was cut in half and then cut in half.

The entire Alpha Kingdom's steel industry has entered the apocalyptic winter. The biting cold wind blew across his face, and even Hudson felt the chill at home.

Without any surprise, the first to fall were small and medium-sized processors, followed closely by small and medium-sized mine owners.

As for industry giants, everyone is gritting their teeth and holding on, waiting for their peers to fall first.