Baojia System
As the large group traveled, they attracted envy and jealousy along the way. This was especially true after they entered Wright County, where they drew countless stares.
Looking across Laite and Huaidun counties, only the Hudson family has a population exceeding ten thousand. They were already the envy of many, but now they've stirred up such a commotion, which only fuels more resentment.
If it weren't for the fact that everyone had recently been reprimanded by Count Pierce and the aftershocks hadn't subsided, they might have all come out to rob people on the road.
However, such thoughts are only possible in secret. There are only a handful of noble families capable of robbing this group.
Unless it's a joint operation, any single entity coming alone should think twice before acting.
It's not a question of whether the robbery can succeed; the key issue is that the price to pay is too high, and few people can afford it, not to mention the worry about retaliation afterward.
Theoretically speaking, the best way to profit from this is to set up checkpoints and increase tolls, thus legitimately taking a share of the profits.
The local nobles couldn't do that out of courtesy. The Northern Nobles didn't need to give the "Divine Bow Knight" face, but they were worried about getting burned.
The storm of economic sanctions had just passed, and none of the Northern Nobles who had experienced the power of them wanted to try again.
If someone sets a bad example and their neighbors follow suit, they will ultimately be the ones who suffer.
The worst thing is not receiving the toll tax and instead getting a good beating – that's a real tragedy.
After all, in the Aslant Continent, taxation has always been the privilege of the strong, and it has always been the weak who pay taxes to the strong; the order has never been reversed.
In particular, if you want to collect taxes from the nobles, the prerequisite is that your military might is stronger than theirs. Otherwise, it's simply impossible to collect them.
Despite Hudson's excellent logistical preparations, the team arrived at the territory slowly and suffered double-digit casualties.
This is only 400 li (approximately 200 kilometers). I can't even imagine the price those large-scale migrants had to pay, traveling thousands of li (approximately 500 kilometers) without any logistical support.
As is customary in the mercenary world, Hudson readily paid the commission and overtime fee, and saw off the group of reluctant knights.
With more people comes more problems. Although Hudson had made preparations in advance and arranged for his men to build houses early on, the number of people far exceeded his expectations, and in the end, the serfs had to make do with the houses for the time being.
Housing was a minor issue; as serfs at the bottom of society, their demands in this regard were never high. As long as the house provided shelter from the wind and rain, a little cramped space was not a big deal.
Besides, the difficulties were only temporary, and the generous Lord Hudson was never stingy in allocating land for everyone to build houses.
There are grain reserves, and this wave brought quite a lot, so there's no need to worry for the time being; pots and pans can be produced by ourselves, and there has never been a shortage; there's plenty of firewood in the mountains, and even withered yellow leaves can last for a while, so the serfs can take care of it themselves.
There are virtually no material difficulties. The real problem lies in the management challenges brought about by population growth.
Without the slightest hesitation, Hudson directly introduced the primitive Baojia System. The units were organized by households, with a household head; ten households formed a Jia, with a Jia head; ten Jia formed a Bao, with a Bao head.
Above that, the lord's mansion would have direct jurisdiction. It wasn't a matter of relinquishing power; the real issue was the lack of talent among the serfs.
Talented individuals capable of managing a hundred households are extremely rare among serfs; giving them additional responsibilities will only lead to chaos.
In any case, there are only about three thousand households in the entire territory, and there are only about thirty village chiefs to manage, so the management pressure on the lord's mansion has been greatly reduced.
The Guilt by Association was undoubtedly adopted as well. Each household was given a wooden plaque that specified the number of people in the household and their occupations.
If anyone goes out or a guest comes to visit, their whereabouts must be recorded and reported to the head of the household or the village head. If any suspicious person is found, the matter must be reported to the lord's office immediately.
If all households jointly vouch for each other and one household commits a crime but fails to report it in a timely manner, then all other households will be held jointly liable and punished according to the law.
It was as feudal as it could possibly be, the pinnacle of the feudal system. But Hudson couldn't care less about that now; whether the system was good or bad, having one was better than having none.
Judging from the serfs' behavior, they did not have much resistance to this harsh system.
For serfs, most of the constraints were practically zero.
Unless summoned by the lord, most people will not leave their territory from birth to death. All their social circles and relationships are also confined to the territory.
Looking around, everyone was a familiar face, someone they knew intimately. Their upbringing instilled in them a disdain for those who were restless or unruly.
If the population of the territory hadn't been so diverse, Hudson wouldn't have created this Baojia System. It's not that the system is bad, but rather that it genuinely didn't need to be so complicated.
In a closed-off territory economy, as long as the lord can ensure that everyone has enough to eat, the order of the territory is guaranteed.
A rigid social hierarchy and long-term indoctrination stifled the intellectual development of the serfs. Once people become accustomed to everything around them, it is very difficult for them to break free from their own perceptions.
Hudson, focused solely on construction, naturally had no time for ideological revolution. Changing the world—such a grand undertaking—was something to consider when he was at the pinnacle of global power.
The same task, when done by different people, will yield different results.
Social reforms initiated by powerful figures are called changing the world; social reforms initiated by ordinary people are simply courting disaster.
As a hard-working lord, everything Hudson does revolves around one core goal—to strengthen his territory and improve his own survival capabilities on the Aslant Continent.
Due to the significant population growth, the previously established territory development plan was once again scrapped and restarted by Hudson.
The priority was to ensure production in the mining area. Without hesitation, a thousand able-bodied men were sent in to increase the output of Ironware.
It's time to put some of the territories' infrastructure on the agenda. For example, roads, lord's mansions, and water conservancy projects all need to be considered.
Hudson was overwhelmed by a mountain of things to do, and to make matters worse, he didn't have a single capable assistant at hand.
Even though Hudson borrowed stewards from several relatives, he could barely keep the territory running normally.
These people had extensive management experience and passable execution skills, but they lacked decision-making ability. All the important decisions regarding the territory still fell on Hudson's shoulders.
In order to reduce administrative pressure, Hudson had to cut back on the number of projects and postpone the construction of the castle, which was not so important at the moment, indefinitely.
Road construction was limited to widening the sections of road leading out of the mine. As for roads in other areas, maintenance was the primary focus.
The water conservancy projects mainly focused on repairing ditches in the plains; there were no large-scale water conservancy facilities projects.
The main reason is that the Southeast Province are used to favorable weather, and the annual rainfall is sufficient to meet agricultural production needs. At the very least, relying on the Huanhua Stream, irrigation of crops in the plains of the territory is not a problem.
As for the hilly areas, the land hasn't even been developed yet, so talking about irrigation is premature. However, digging a pond on top of each small mound to store water is still very necessary.
These are all things that need to be done in the future; the immediate task is to reclaim the land. With the current productivity, the tens of thousands of acres of land on the plains alone are not enough to support the more than 20,000 people in the territory.
Aside from adding some livestock handlers specifically to take care of the animals, the rest of the workforce was sent away by Hudson to clear land.
One small hill was no longer enough to satisfy Baron Hudson's appetite; at the very least, two hills had to be developed before spring planting.
The increased livestock and labor force gave him the confidence to implement the land reclamation plan. 20,000 mu was the most basic goal; regardless of the yield of the new land, the land had to be reclaimed first.
For a newly established territory, the simplest way to stabilize the people's hearts is to cultivate enough land and harvest enough food. As long as the granaries are full of food, the people's hearts will naturally be at peace.
Of course, this excludes those like Hudson who were purchased from outside the system. Serfs may lack independent thought due to social constraints, but they still possessed basic common sense.
The grain bought from the market will eventually run out, and no matter how bountiful the harvest from the mines, they won't truly feel its value. Only the grain they grow themselves can bring them peace of mind.
Even if the yield per acre is a little low, as long as the total output is high enough, people's sense of security will be cultivated.
Only when people's hearts are at peace can a territory truly take root. This often requires time to settle and cannot be accomplished overnight.
Orc Empire, Behemoth Imperial Court.
The falling snowflakes draped the city in silver. But the bitter cold could not dampen the people's enthusiasm; at this moment, countless citizens were decorating the city with lanterns and colorful decorations, joyfully celebrating the 300th birthday of the great Great Emperor Behemoth.
As the Behemoth Great Emperor Behemoth led the Orc Empire to its peak and whose strength and prestige far surpassed those of the other four emperors, there was not a trace of a smile on his face at this moment.
Joy and sorrow can be fleeting. On Great Emperor Behemoth once again faced the pain of losing a son.
"The heir is dead yet again."
What sounds like a farce has been repeatedly staged within the Behemoth Emperor.
The fact that four crown princes had died out of his line was already enough to sadden Great Emperor Behemoth, but it just so happened on this auspicious day.
"Send the order: all celebrations today are cancelled. Let's hold a funeral for my poor son!"
From his trembling voice, one could tell how utterly devastated the Great Emperor Behemoth was at that moment.
The guests attending the celebration were also caught off guard by this sudden turn of events. The joyous occasion had abruptly turned into a tragedy, and no one could process it all at once!
There was no way around it; Great Emperor Behemoth had just lost his son, and no matter how strong his mentality was, he couldn't possibly continue celebrating his birthday on this day.
The countless guests present cursed the deceased Behemoth Emperor in their hearts, thinking, "If you can't drink, then drink less!"
Now look what's happened. The unlucky Behemoth Emperor is dead and that's it, but what about all the guests who toasted him?
Although they were also victims and had no idea that the Crown Prince was "incompetent and addicted," it was obviously unrealistic to reason with an old man who was grieving the loss of his son.
Even though he was the greatest emperor of the Orc Empire, at this moment, he was still just a father who had lost his son.
It was inevitable that he would be targeted with the wrath of others; the fact that he didn't react on the spot shows how strong-willed Great Emperor Behemoth was.
Perhaps it was because we had experienced similar situations three times before. The first time was unfamiliar, the second time was familiar, and the third and fourth times had honed our mental resilience.
Suppressing his grief, the Great Emperor Behemoth announced the death of his son, then, filled with sorrow and anger, turned and left with his dead crown prince in his arms, leaving a group of guests staring at each other in bewilderment.
Without much hesitation, the guests, realizing what was happening, quickly took their leave. If they didn't slip away now, it was uncertain whether they would be able to leave later.
No one dared to gamble on what crazy things a 300-year-old man who had just suffered the pain of losing his son might do next.
If this old rascal gets carried away with his anger and tries to drag everyone down with him to his unfortunate son, that would be a tragedy.
Upon exiting the banquet hall, the guests unleashed their full potential, rushing towards the city gate at top speed.
Anyone who didn't know better would think they had done something wrong and ended up fleeing for their lives. As the people involved, they didn't have time to explain themselves.
The accident involving the crown prince unleashed a bloodbath throughout the Orc Empire. Countless unrelated unfortunate individuals were implicated, and no one wanted to suffer the same fate as these men.
If you look closely, you'll find representatives from the other Four Great Royal Clans also in the running group.
Clearly, everyone here is intelligent and understands perfectly well that their lives are their own, and they only have one. They are unwilling to stay, gambling on Great Emperor Behemoth can remain rational amidst the grief of losing his son.
Ignoring the thoughts of these fellows, Great Emperor Behemoth, carrying his son's corpse and moving forward with heavy steps, eventually entered an underground secret passage after many twists and turns.
Under the illumination of the ever-burning lamps on both sides of the secret passage, the murals on the walls constantly changed patterns, as if they had come to life, creating an exceptionally eerie scene.
The Great Emperor Behemoth, walking through the secret passage, seemed to have long been accustomed to all of this, ignoring everything and continuing forward.
His pace quickened, and even the wrinkles on his forehead gradually faded away; he didn't look like a frail old man at all.
They walked and stopped, constantly tapping on the mechanisms, for more than half an hour before finally exiting the secret passage and arriving at a mysterious underground palace.
The palace was filled with countless coffins, among which the five hanging coffins floating in the very center were the most peculiar.
Directly beneath the hanging coffin is a Magic Array engraved with countless lines, arranged in a split five-pointed star shape, which should be a mysterious five-pointed star array.
The Great Emperor Behemoth slowly placed his son's body into an empty hanging coffin, and said with great sorrow, "Terry, don't blame your father for being heartless, for making sure your soul cannot find peace even in death."
You can only blame your bad luck. I've already given you a chance. As long as you live long enough to outlive your old, immortal father, you can inherit this vast empire.
It's a pity that you, and your troublesome older brothers, all died young, passing away before your father.
Since you are so unfilial, making me suffer the pain of losing my son again and again, then I might as well endure it all and let you prolong my life!
Now it's up to your younger brother. As his father, I will also give him a chance. If he can outlive me, he will be the new Behemoth Emperor.
If I prove unworthy of being cultivated, and die before me like you short-lived wretches, then it is the will of the Beast God that I am destined to reverse the universe and seize this great opportunity to break through to the Holy Domain Realm!
As they spoke, the four hanging coffins inside the hall began to emit endless resentment, as if they were telling of their inner grievances.
Unfortunately, all of this had no effect on the Behemoth Emperor. As an emperor, he had no regrets in his life.
From the moment they brought their corpses into the secret palace, the so-called father-son relationship ceased to exist.
As if infected, the surrounding coffins began to tremble, emanating endless resentment that seemed Behemoth Emperor alive.
Unfortunately, these resentments, upon contact with the Great Emperor Behemoth, not only failed to harm him, but were instead swallowed by him.
Under the influence of the mysterious Magic Array, the resentment that had been devoured was gradually stripped away, leaving only the purest energy within the Great Emperor Behemoth's body, which gradually transformed into a strange life force.
The detached resentment did not disappear, but instead settled within the five suspended coffins. Faintly, one could still hear cries from the depths of the souls within the coffins.
With one of the five coffins missing, the last vestige of resentment seemed to have nowhere to go, and ultimately returned to Great Emperor Behemoth.
The Great Emperor Behemoth, who had regained his youth, returned to his frail and old state under the torment of resentment, though his complexion was much better than before.
Great Emperor Behemoth seemed unfazed by all these changes, showing no sign of even the most basic emotional fluctuation.
"Although the resentment is still strong, it has weakened compared to last time. It seems that even the top experts on the continent cannot withstand the ravages of time."
But rest assured, I will go and appreciate the splendor of the Holy Domain for you. If your souls have not yet dissipated by then, I will return and tell you.
"No need to thank me, it's all what I should do. After all, without your offerings, I would hardly have had the opportunity to take this step in this era."
It was as if the corpse in the coffin still retained its spirit. After being stimulated by the words of the Great Emperor Behemoth, the coffin trembled even more violently, as if it might break out at any moment.
"Alright, no need for such enthusiastic attempts to persuade us to stay. If the Beast God blesses us, perhaps we'll meet again soon."
Who made my youngest son also die young?
As his father, I've warned him countless times to cultivate diligently and strive to break through to a higher realm as soon as possible, but that brat only knows how to eat, drink, and have fun all day long. He deserves it...
---Aside---
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