King

Looking at the Governor's Mansion "punishment, punishment, punishment...", Hudson gained a deeper understanding of Earl Pierce. Everything was as he expected. It would not be a simple thing to be able to secure the position of a prince.

Judging from Earl Pierce's performance in suppressing the Skull and Bones rebellion, that was far from enough. Since there are shortcomings in the military, they must be made up for in other aspects.

On the surface, it seems to be just an excuse, but the underlying meaning is not as simple as it appears.

Merely imposing a fine is nothing more than a painless thing for the nobles. But that's only for established lords. With stable financial resources, they can withstand financial punishment.

But for the new lords, they are completely two concepts. Almost all of the territory in Wright and Wyton counties was unable to make ends meet.

More than 90% of the territories now only have expenditures and no income.

This is a situation where everyone has nothing to lose. Everyone wants to break a gold coin in half and spend it, and then suffer a huge fine, that is, the house leaks and it rains all night.

Although all the lords are of the noble generation, this does not mean that family resources will be infinitely tilted towards them.

If a family wants to pass it on for a long time, the most important thing is rules. Although outstanding children can take away more resources, other family members are not dead and can also share a share.

On the premise of ensuring that the family's strength is not affected as a priority, the support that everyone can receive is not unlimited.

Hudson knew this very well. His father's territory was pretty good, with an income of tens of thousands of gold coins every year, and there was no large-scale development of armaments. Logically speaking, he should be living a comfortable life.

But the fact is just the opposite. Because there are too many brothers and sisters and resources are scattered, life is very ordinary.

There is no way, the expenses are all listed clearly, and you can calculate them with your fingers. The total income is indeed quite high. If there were no dreams, the family could maintain a life of extravagance and extravagance.

But once you have a pursuit, the expenses will keep rising.

The daily expenses of the territory account for 60% of the income, including production investment, infrastructure investment, the operation of the baron's palace, taxation, and escorts...

Of the remaining 40% of income, nearly 10% was spent on favors and entertainment. The other 30% of income is the real disposable income.

Half of this money must be set aside as a reserve to deal with emergencies such as wars and famines. Including the assistance needed for children like Hudson to start their own businesses, all expenditures come from this reserved fund.

Savings, that is, when their brothers were young. As you get older, there are more places to spend money.

The eldest son inherits the family business, but that does not mean that the second son does not need help. At the very least, you need to fund a sum when you first go out, and when it's time to get married, you still have to bear a certain amount of expenses.

If you just rely on your own efforts, there will probably be leftover men and women everywhere.

When a daughter gets married, she also has to give a dowry.

From the time when the first child gets married to when the youngest child resolves major personal matters, it is basically impossible to save anything during this period.

The reason why the northern Xinjiang nobles have strong military strength is because they have cut off most of their interpersonal expenses, and they also keep weddings and funerals simple.

Even the reserves are only available to families with some strength. Any small family that can make ends meet is considered a good year.

In order to make up for the shortfall, in addition to actively participating in smuggling activities, he also had to frequently participate in slave-catching operations and plunder deep into the Orc Empire.

Even though all the noble children from Northern Xinjiang who went south seemed to be worth a lot of money, in fact a large part of it was earned by them using their talents on the family platform.

Either develop a smuggling business, or directly lead a team to rob.

Being able to make money is also an important criterion for the Northland nobles to evaluate the potential of their descendants.

Those nobles from Northern Xinjiang who were able to go south were among the best. He has led at least five slave-catching operations and escaped unscathed.

Failure does not exist because losers are already dead. People will only remember the winners, no one cares about the losers.

Even the official statistics on the death rate of nobles only count those whose bodies can be found. Those who went deep into the orc empire and never returned are all judged as missing.

Whether he is a Wuhu or a slave in the Orc Empire, no one knows. Anyway, the end result will be tragic.

Even after being fined, the local nobles were in much better shape. On the one hand, the money comes in different ways, and on the other hand, because the fight is lost, the fines are mostly symbolic.

Even Lord Hudson, who was fined the worst, readily paid the fine without blinking an eye. Others were fined in single digits or double digits, so there was no need to feel sad.

The feelings of the nobles in Northern Xinjiang are different. In addition to family funding, there is also a lot of hard-earned money that they have sacrificed their lives for.

It's all money, and when they pay it out, it must be hard-earned money, at least deep down they think so.

The physical pain is second, but the key is that after the financial resources are weakened, the development of the territory is also greatly affected.

In order to reduce fines and in exchange for the local nobles lifting the blockade, many nobles were forced to return most of the robbed population.

We are almost running out of food. We really can’t afford to support so many people, even if we don’t compromise.

After all the fuss, all the wallets that had the energy to make a fuss were shriveled up. After a few years of rest and recuperation, these people don't have the capital to make a fuss.

…

"Hudson, have you made less money recently?"

Adrian Knight said enviously.

They are both strugglers. It took two generations of hard work, father and son, to get a fiefdom by chance, and Hudson reached the height he looked up to as soon as he appeared on the scene.

In order to obtain resources for development, he even gave up the face that the nobles valued most. As a result, when I looked at my distant cousin, the gap between the two parties widened even further.

"Ha ha……"

"It's a small business, just making some hard-earned money. Even this is not peaceful, and I worry about being noticed.

Adrian, your gains this time are not small, right?

Those more than 7,000 people have crossed the clear path this time, and they all belong to you. The funniest thing is that these idiots want to apologize and pay compensation to you.

Although you don’t have much money, your name as Knight Adrian has resounded throughout the two counties. Now who doesn’t know that you are the most difficult knight in the two counties! "

It is indeed hard-earned money, and it is hard to collect the money.

The goods delivered, whether they were weapons and equipment, pots and pans, or various farm tools, were all sold out.

The deposit alone was received, and all the orders put together were enough to keep the territory busy for half a year.

It was difficult to calculate the profit, but the payment received was as high as eight thousand gold coins, and there was also a deposit of thirteen thousand gold coins.

If all subsequent products are sold, thirty-five thousand gold coins will be recorded.

It is estimated that after this business is completed, the investment in the early development of the territory will be fully recovered. If cost control is good, you should still be able to make some money.

The main reason is that the customers' pockets are not rich. If Earl Pierce hadn't killed them first and weakened the purchasing power of customers, the total order volume might have increased by 10,000 to 8,000 yuan.

It was precisely because I made too much money that I had this little family gathering. In order to prevent some guys from taking desperate risks, Hudson also had to rely on family strength.

The main reason was that he had not expected to receive such a large deposit in advance. The troops brought by Hudson were not many. More than 20,000 gold coins were enough to make some habitual criminals take risks. Especially since Hudson offended someone this time.

The transport was gold coins, but I didn't feel comfortable asking an outsider to escort me, so I simply invited my own family to escort me.

"More people are useless. It's not like you don't know about my little wealth. It's only a little better than Berio and Guarente, but it's incomparable to a nouveau riche like you.

It was okay to be fostered by the tribe, but then it was sent back to my territory. I didn't even know how to solve the problem of food.

You can’t always borrow food, right? I have owed a lot of favors from the time I obtained the territory to now. It would be really shameful for me to start causing famine now! "

After hearing the conversation between the two in Versailles, Baron Berio and Knight Guarente, who were eating melons on the side, felt that they were being connoted and glared at them.

One has a lot of worries about money, and the other has a lot of worries about people. They don't dislike these worries. It's best to have more, the better.

It's a pity that this kind of thing is only caused by envy and jealousy. I really want to reach out for help, even if everyone is my own family, I have to settle the score.

Just like when Hudson hired them as guards this time, they all promised to pay each of them fifty to one hundred spears. The price directly depended on their respective strengths.

"That's enough for you two!

This kind of good thing is too troublesome.

The two of us don't mind it and are willing to help you share the burden.

Are you willing to share these worries? "

Baron Berio couldn't help but said.

The knight Guarente on the side also nodded.

He was so bullying and didn't consider the feelings of these two poor guys at all. You must know that from the time they inherited the territory, the two of them have been relying on owed favors and causing famine to support themselves until now.

Originally, they heard that Hudson was going to hire them as guards, and thought they could earn some pocket money to support their family. However, they did not expect that when they arrived, they would be greeted by a large Versailles scene.

"No problem, I can give you two hundred swords, one thousand spears, eighty hammers, fifty giant axes, three hundred cauldrons on credit...

You are allowed to offset it in kind, and all accounts will be settled at market price. It will be settled within three years without charging you a single copper coin in interest. Is that enough to give you face? "

Hudson unceremoniously sent out the topic-changing trick.

Money cannot be divided, but weapons and equipment can still be supported. They are all members of the Koslow family. No matter which branch's military strength is strengthened, it means that the family's voice in the local area increases, which is good for everyone.

As for farm tools and other daily necessities, they can only be regarded as incidental. Mixed together, he can hide his utilitarianism and show his heroic spirit as Baron Hudson.

Anyway, the current market price is not low. Even if the payment is made in three years, the business will still be profitable.

"Hudson, you can't treat me differently, I also want credit.

You know, I have offended a lot of people this time. If I don't strengthen my strength, I will suffer big losses later! "

Before the two of them could answer, Adrian, who couldn't sit still, jumped out first. The reason for the poor sales was to get a discount when buying weapons.

Now you can get it on credit and pay it back in kind, so that's even better.

This time, the evil neighbors have been severely offended. Temporary peace does not mean permanent peace. Sooner or later, everyone will still confront each other.

Adrian can't lie down forever. The territory will still have to be built after all. If he doesn't want to suffer a big loss when the time comes, he must first improve his military strength.

We don’t expect to be able to bring down our neighbors. At the very least, we must be able to intimidate them and make them fearful.

"Credit, no problem! But Adrian, you have so many people, can one knight afford to adopt them?"

Hudson asked tentatively.

Although the territory has a population of over 10,000, his desire for population has not diminished, but has become more intense as his pockets have grown.

Although the Salam Mountain Range is a hilly area, since it is crowned as a mountain range, the area is naturally quite large. In name, the mountain territory is only over 170 square kilometers, but in fact the land available for development can be increased ten times.

Of course, this development is not limited to farming. Just farming, it would be good if one-third of the land can be developed.

In terms of agricultural land utilization, hilly areas are far behind plains.

After all, the current productivity is only suitable for extensive planting and poor harvest, and intensive farming can starve people to death.

"Ha ha……"

"Hudson, you don't need to worry about this. Although my territory only has one knight territory, don't forget that the people responsible for dividing the territory are my colleagues.

If we don't move the boundary line seven or eight miles around, will it be worthy of the friendship I have had with them for many years? If it is run well, it will be no worse than an ordinary barony. "

Adrian said with a proud look on his face.

The border has moved seven or eight miles to the outside world, and the area of ​​the Knights Territory has increased several times, and it is even possible to catch up with the Baron Territory.

When other people encounter such a good thing, they all hide it, lest it spread and cause trouble. Including Hudson, who had taken advantage of the territory division process, was on tenterhooks for a while.

Adrian, however, was able to speak out without fear of inciting hatred.

This is the biggest advantage of being protected by a boss. Even if the territory is far larger than the allowed area, you can still manage it. Reporting is useless, even if it causes trouble in the Governor's Palace, Count Pierce will suppress him.

You can't bring a lawsuit to the king just because of the territory issue of a knight's territory, right?

In the feudal era, those who were bosses were not afraid of such things being exposed. If it really spreads, it will be publicity for them, which will actually enhance the attraction to talents.

"Hudson, if you are really short of people, go to each branch of the family to seek alms!

There are so many that I dare not say that if one family can provide you with dozens of households of serfs, there will still be no problem. Especially the big ones, who would take out three to five hundred households without batting an eyelid.

If that's not enough, you can also go to a relative's house. Anyway, there isn’t much else in our family, just a lot of relatives and friends.

As long as you are thick-skinned, one-tenth of the nobles in the kingdom can get some connections, and you can get as many people as you want.

Anyway, your kid has a strong family background, so just pay them the price of the slaves in the market. "

After hearing Adrian's suggestion, Hudson simply rolled his eyes. Does this have anything to do with having many relatives? They were all based on the slave price on the market, so he might as well just buy the slave.

The problem is that the price of slaves has soared to the sky, even for Hudson. But now everyone knows that he is doing well, so there is no way to negotiate the price. Otherwise, the transaction becomes a debt of gratitude.

Hudson didn't want to fight with people every now and then. If he owed a favor, he would have to bring his own food and help out when someone called him.

If this is all, it is not unacceptable, and it would not be a bad idea to fight to pay off a debt of gratitude. The most fearful thing is that the opponent in the fight is also one of our own, and it will be embarrassing then.

With the complex relationship network of the Koslow family, there is a high probability that this kind of thing will happen. In Hudson's memory, Baron Redman was invited to mediate no less than five such conflicts every year.

I don’t know the outcome of the mediation. Anyway, Baron Redman is exhausted every time he comes back and is often autistic.

"Adrian, you have a wide network of contacts, help me spread the news in the circle, I am willing to exchange iron tools for serfs.

Whether it is weapons and equipment or daily iron daily necessities, as long as they can be produced in the territory, they can choose them.

All exchanges are based on market prices, and the transportation costs are mine. "

Hudson said helplessly.

Although the price of iron products is also high, it is still far behind the price of slaves flying in the sky.

The generation of slaves is extremely unstable. Generally speaking, every time a war breaks out between human nations, the price of slaves will drop significantly. If there is peace for a few years, the price will go up again.

The Alpha Kingdom rarely goes to war with human countries, but often fights with orcs. Therefore, the slave market is mainly dominated by orcs, and human slaves are all imported from abroad.

After the Skull and Bones rebellion, the human slaves on the market were quickly sold out, while the orc slaves were mainly special races.

These races all have common characteristics. They are relatively good-looking and weak in combat effectiveness. They are mainly for the amusement of nobles.

Cat girls, fox girls, bunny girls... Not only are they expensive, they are not suitable for farming or blacksmithing.

It is said that there are tauren, leopard men, goblins, pigmen, ratmen... and hundreds of other kinds of orc slaves in the North. However, these guys are either hot-tempered, cunning, or have low intelligence. It’s just that the price/performance ratio is not high, but it’s not popular in the market.

Most of those with strong combat effectiveness were sold into the Colosseum, while those with low combat effectiveness either became magic materials in the hands of magicians or became sacrifices to evil gods.

In short, the orc slaves cannot be counted on for the time being. If it could be used, the northern lords would be the first to use it.

Just follow the trend, don’t be a guinea pig.

Unable to keep the price of slaves down, Hudson could only hedge with the high value-added products he produced.

In a sense, this can be regarded as opening up a new market. It depends on whether everyone is willing to accept it.

"I helped you with this, but you also forged some high-quality weapons and armors! You just produced a bunch of low-quality junk, which is very embarrassing."