King

Returning to the Southeast Province, Hudson did not return to his territory, but went directly to the Berkshire Shipyard.

seeing is believing.

Although the reputation of the royal family is good, the shipyard that spent a lot of money to buy it still has to check the quality first.

After putting on simple makeup, Hudson assumed the alias "Baden" and pretended to be an ordinary merchant. After demonstrating his economic power, he successfully obtained the qualification to visit the shipyard.

Hudson didn't understand the specific technical aspects, but he could tell some of the shipyard's heritage from the piles of "iron oak".

There are many woods that can be used to build ships, but there are only a few that are suitable for carving magic circles.

"Iron Oak" is one of them. Because it is widely distributed in the Alpha Kingdom, it has become the main raw material for shipbuilding.

Of course, this "wide distribution" is also compared to other types of wood, and it is far from being a bad street.

At least there is no trace of "iron oak" in the Salam Mountains where the Hudson is located. Even a hundred and fifty years ago, there was no sign of "iron oak" in the entire southeastern province.

This situation lasted until the rise of the Dalton family, before they were introduced to their own territory for cultivation.

There is no doubt that trees are not planted in a day. It is said that the elves have life magic that can ripen vegetation, but that thing is their core secret and is far away from Hudson.

Even if planting is introduced immediately, he will still have to pay for "iron oak" from the royal family in the next few decades.

Obviously, this is another plan of Caesar III. Using a shipyard that is on the verge of bankruptcy to bind a big nobleman for decades is not a loss no matter how you look at it.

However, everything has two sides. If the royal family wants to control the Koslow family, it must support them in developing maritime trade.

Only when the benefits derived from the sea by the Koslow family are large enough can the "shortcomings" they hold have sufficient value.

Even though he knew there was a trap, Hudson still jumped into it decisively. The main reason was that it was too risky to get involved in maritime trade in a daze. It would not only waste money but also consume a lot of time to explore alone.

If you want to shorten this tuition payment cycle, the best way is to find a master to take care of you. I don’t expect to make much money in a short period of time. As long as I can train the team, it will be considered a success of the strategy.

Listening to the sales staff's enthusiastic introductions, Hudson knew that life at Berkshire Shipyard was difficult, otherwise the staff of such a monopoly would not be able to restrain their arrogance.

"Mr. Beden, look at those giant buildings, they are all the shipyards of our Berkshire Shipyard. The largest shipyard can even build a 10,000-ton ship.

Of course, this is just theory. Under normal circumstances, no one would be foolish enough to build such a big toy.

If it is engaged in inland water transportation, then a cargo ship of 500 tons to 1,000 tons is almost enough. If it is larger, navigation will be restricted.

If you are engaged in ocean-going trade, a large ship of two to three thousand tons will be enough. No matter how big it is, not to mention the high cost, such a large space cannot be used in normal times.

Of course, this is just my personal suggestion, and it’s up to you to decide.

In short, we can build all the mainstream ships on the mainland here, including warships for the navy.

This inventory lists the parameters of the ship types available for selection.

If you are not satisfied, you can also ask our designers to design it separately according to your own requirements, but the cost will be slightly increased. "

"Can warships also be sold?"

Hudson asked tentatively.

As a landlubber lord, he is just a layman on matters at sea. However, as a part-time arms dealer, he knows very well that arms trade is far more profitable than normal trade.

The only problem is that the arms trade is often linked to politics. Just selling ordinary swords, guns, swords and halberds.

Weapons of mass destruction such as magic crystal cannons and magic crossbows cannot be bought simply with money. You must have a certain status to be eligible for trading.

"In principle, it's not possible, but if Mr. Beden is really interested, it's not that he can't be accommodating. It mainly depends on how you deal.

If you take the clear path, higher-level managers will contact you after I report it, but the threshold is a bit high and there are many restrictions.

It would be much easier if we took a secret route. As long as you are willing to add money, all the follow-up work will be handled by us.

The only problem is that the magic crystal cannon is a bit troublesome. The kingdom controls these items too strictly and cannot guarantee that they will be available at any time.

Even if you can get the goods, the price is sky-high. However, we can use ballistae instead. The power is definitely not as powerful as the magic crystal cannon, but it is cheaper than the price. "

The salesperson's words gave Hudson an updated understanding of the situation at Berkshire Shipyard. If he hadn't been so poor, he would never have been able to privately sell warships.

Although I don't know what level of warship it is, from the salesperson's tone, I guess that as long as you have enough money, you can sell anything.

You must know that before the orcs invaded, Hudson had trouble getting a magic crystal cannon, but now someone actually dared to sell it.

I have to admit that the royal family's industry is different. When it comes to business, they are more courageous than ordinary people.

Perhaps Berkshire Shipyard's ability to persist until now depends not on scattered shipbuilding orders from outside, but on the warships privately ordered by pirates.

After figuring out the situation at the Berkshire Shipyard, Hudson was not only not annoyed, but secretly pleased.

Being able to secretly sell warships to pirates means that the shipyard's technical level in building warships is at least above the level of building pirate ships.

"Ha ha……

Mr. Barnes, I'm just asking. As a serious businessman, how could I buy a warship?

We are mainly engaged in ocean-going trade and deal with pirates every day. We must also have certain weapons to protect ourselves! "

Hudson explained with a smile.

It's just that in the end, something went against expectations. The more Hudson insisted that he was a serious businessman, the more Barnes thought of him as a pirate pathfinder.

According to Barnes' many years of sales experience, the more the visitor hides his identity and the more mysterious he is, the more likely he is to be a big customer.

It just so happened that Hudson had it all. With his poor camouflage skills and the hidden domineering look between his brows, he was not a serious maritime businessman at first glance.

"Mr. Beden, please rest assured. We also sell armed merchant ships here, but they look a bit like warships and have similar performance to warships, but they are definitely not warships.

The merchant ship approval document issued by the Kingdom is the best evidence! With these approval documents, you can definitely sail the ship away.

…”

Faced with Barnes' eloquent explanation, Hudson decisively chose to escape. He can't stay here any longer, otherwise he will almost believe that he is a pirate.

With this in mind, subsequent transactions will naturally go smoothly. However, the shipyard still remains in the hands of the royal family and continues to operate, and the relocation must wait until after the year.

In order to prevent external interference from damaging the transaction, the transaction will be kept strictly confidential until the relocation work is fully launched.

The difference is that there is a group of strangers in the mountainous area. They crossed the endless swamp and ran to the seaside to start exploration.

Ports and shipyards require careful site selection. If we just pick a random piece of land and start construction, we won't be able to build a large shipyard.

Leaving aside the large shipyards of the 10,000-ton level, Hudson does not have such a big appetite yet, but there must be conventional shipyards of the 1,000-ton level, otherwise it will become an inland river shipyard.

…

In Beida City, after what was barely considered a fierce quarrel, the share of the "repayment tax" was forcibly distributed.

It can be seen that everyone's interest is not very high, as if they have become selfless saints, and even if the allocated quota is slightly higher, they are too lazy to argue.

The most active ones were Hudson and Earl Pierce. In order to repay their share of the tax, the two almost had a "duel" in the conference room.

Obviously, this is the effect of Governor Pierce's private promise to everyone. Otherwise, the county guards whose interests have been harmed will definitely be the main force besieging the governor at this moment.

Throughout the meeting, Hudson's situation could only be described in two words - embarrassing!

All the county governors at the meeting were either members of the Dalton family or had been promised benefits by Earl Pierce. Hudson was completely on his own.

The only representative of the Hollister family who can be considered an ally has become a mute after the strategic focus shifted!

The life of being "alone" is naturally not easy. Fortunately, all the county guards present only took money to do things and did not completely fall in love with the Dalton family, otherwise life would be even more difficult.

There was no one versus fourteen, but Hudson still achieved one versus seven. It’s scary to think about it. Out of the fifteen counties in the Southeast Province, seven of them have the position of county governor controlled by the Dalton family.

Nearly 30% of the land is planted with the Dalton family's flag, and the area controlled by the younger brother will be even larger.

If it weren't for his strong rise, if this situation continued, it would only be a matter of time before the Dalton family annexed the Southeast Province.

Similar scenes were happening in other provinces of the kingdom. And this kind of land annexation will accelerate even faster as the strength of the great nobles continues to grow.

Whether you want to believe it or not, the kingdom's political system, which relies on small and medium-sized nobles to check and balance the large nobles, is gradually collapsing.

No wonder Caesar III wanted to create conflicts among the great nobles and play political balance. If no action is taken and land annexation is allowed to continue, there is a high probability that there will only be two-digit players left in the Alpha Kingdom in the future.

When that situation really comes to pass, there will be no relaxation between them, and only the last step is left to turn the country into a home.

Of course, this is just a theoretical state. Under normal circumstances, if a country cannot support the most extreme state of land annexation, it will collapse early.

This collapse may result from the invasion of foreign enemies or from internal struggles.

After all, neither the great nobles nor the royal family can guarantee that every generation of heirs will have an online IQ.

As long as there are two or three generations of prodigal sons in a row, or a big prodigal son is born, the family fortune that the ancestors have worked so hard to accumulate can be completely lost.

A whale falls and everything comes into being.

Every time a big noble fell, many new small and medium-sized nobles would be born, and then a new round of land annexation would begin, as if it was a cycle.

Looking at Hudson leaving with a dark face, Count Pierce showed a meaningful smile.

"I can't compete with you in fighting a war. How can I play politics? I can't deal with you, a stupid young man!"

It's a pity that this kind of joy cannot be shared with others, otherwise it will easily damage his majestic image.

"Master, something seems wrong!

In the meeting just now, although Earl Hudson was trying hard, he was too calm and could not find any trace of panic.

According to previous speculation, he should have brought a group of minor nobles to the meeting to cause trouble. We have all made plans and are ready to take the opportunity to label him as someone who has no regard for the overall situation.

It's a pity that throughout the meeting, he suppressed his anger and didn't leave any chance for us, as if he knew our plan in advance! "

The old butler's reminder startled Earl Pierce.

Only a handful of people in the family knew about the plan, and if someone leaked the secret, it would be a big problem.

"Let the secret guards conduct an inventory. People in the family who are closely related to the Koslow family have people watching their every move.

This is just a preparation, this matter should not be leaked by them. If a little personal friendship can betray the family, then betrayal seems too cheap.

The rise of Hudson was too short, and it was impossible to insert the dark child so quickly. If the news could be received in advance, there must be other forces involved.

The biggest suspects are the royal family and the Hollisle family.

The Holliser family is unlikely. Although they are allies with the Koslow family, it does not mean that they are willing to give unconditionally.

In order to support our allies, it is not a good choice to offend us at this juncture.

On the contrary, the probability of the royal family should be greater. Not long ago, Hudson helped the royal family, so it was only right to take the opportunity to return a favor to him.

Of course, there is another possibility, that is, all our guesses are wrong, there is no such thing as a leak, and Hudson guessed our plan himself. "

As he spoke, Earl Pierce's brows suddenly wrinkled. It would be terrible if Hudson could gain insight into their plan by relying entirely on his own analysis.

In contrast, he prefers to believe that this is just a coincidence.

"Master, this matter was probably helped by the royal family. According to the information sent by spies from the mountainous areas, Hudson has organized manpower to conduct exploration on the seaside.

According to insiders, the artificial river excavated in the mountainous area will be completed by the end of the year. Hudson's move was probably to build a dock on the seaside.

In order to further verify the authenticity, we sent people to check the identity information of the prospectors and found that these people all work for the royal family.

Facts have proved that Earl Hudson has further connections with the royal family secretly, otherwise he would not be able to obtain such strong support. "

The old butler's words made Earl Pierce's face become more and more gloomy.

The upstart Koslow family alone is difficult enough, but if the royal family is involved, it will be even more difficult to solve.

But deep down in his heart, he already believed the speculation that the two families were colluding. After all, these are the regular gameplay of Caesar III.

Use some small and inexpensive means to provoke conflicts among the great nobles, so that everyone can restrain each other to ensure the supremacy of royal power.

Even if you see it, there is no point in telling the other party. The Dalton family and the Koslow family are competitors. It was impossible for Earl Pierce to stop here, and it was impossible for Hudson to give in indefinitely.