Single-Product Industrial Chain

Apart from the minor incident of unsold slaves, the first trade fair in Dadir City was a complete success.

The local nobles, who were initially expected to cause trouble, merely refused to trade as a form of resistance and did not take any drastic actions.

It was like punching cotton, leaving Baron Ciss, who had made painstaking preparations, quite frustrated.

If the guests don't cause trouble, then he, as the host, shouldn't provoke trouble either!

Completely unable to understand his opponent's actions, Baron Ciss could only take it one step at a time, his intuition telling him that things were far from over.

"What did you say?"

"Did all those slaves go to the Mountain Territory?"

"I can't believe it, "Ciss asked.

"Yes, young master!"

Our spies, who were sent to keep an eye on the Mountain Territory, discovered a large number of Beastfolk slaves there.

Of all the states in the Southeast Province, only Baron Katerley has so many Beastfolk slaves.

The old butler answered affirmatively.

"I've been tricked!"

This was Baron Ciss's first reaction.

Then he realized something was wrong. That day, Baron Katerley came to his door with a "what's the use" attitude, clearly prepared to fight to the death.

We're nobles, not actors. If we had a way out, it would be difficult to portray that kind of despair.

If the two didn't collude beforehand, then they must have gotten together afterward.

The reason is obvious without analysis—interests.

In any case, Hudson was the most likely person in the Southeast Province to buy those slaves.

Regardless of the price at which the deal is made, it will be a stop-loss for Baron Katerley.

The fait accompli had been established, and even if the Ciss wanted to object, it would be useless.

"Kateley, you bastard!"

How dare they play me?

I'll remember you. We'll see!

Lord Hudson, the Mountain Territory lord who was constantly directing his men to settle the slaves, was busy again.

With so many Beastfolk slaves added all at once, the original territory development plan will inevitably have to be drastically altered.

In order to manage these slaves, Hudson had to announce the expansion of an infantry regiment specifically to monitor these guys while they worked.

We haven't seen any output, but military spending has already increased. Fortunately, the weapons and equipment are all domestically produced, saving us some expenses.

Hudson suddenly became the nobleman with the largest army in the two counties, but he still felt that he didn't have enough manpower.

If he weren't worried that the rapid expansion of the troops would affect their combat effectiveness, he wouldn't mind forming two infantry regiments at once.

It's not about engaging in militarism; it's simply a practical necessity.

Since we are going to use a large number of slaves, we must be prepared to suppress rebellions at any time. It is absolutely impossible to do without soldiers.

As the business continued to expand, the number of special customers requesting door-to-door delivery gradually increased.

As long as the clients are willing to pay more, their demands for door-to-door delivery must be met, and providing armed escort services is only a matter of time.

Reason told Hudson that military expansion could not be rushed and could only be accomplished gradually.

The most urgent task is to adjust the territory's development plan, or rather, to raise the original target requirements.

First, expanding mine capacity is essential.

Regardless of whether or not the market in the north can be opened up, the goods used to offset the price of slaves must still be produced for them.

Unsurprisingly, the items were mainly everyday household items like pots and pans, with farm tools making up only a small portion.

The main concern was that those unscrupulous slave traders might actually sell these goods to the Orc Empire.

Daily necessities are fine, at most they might make the Beastfolk's lifestyle more convenient, but they won't increase the country's overall strength.

But agricultural tools are different. If a large number of agricultural tools were to flood into the Orc Empire, it could increase agricultural efficiency and output.

As a patriotic aristocrat, Hudson would not engage in such unscrupulous business.

As for the possibility of melting pots into swords, Hudson generously stated that even if the pots were melted down and a usable weapon was produced, he would consider it a loss.

At the very least, ordinary smelting methods won't work.

If you were to find several Alchemy or master blacksmiths from the Dwarves, then there's no guarantee.

However, such highly skilled personnel are rare, no matter where they are. Even if they could produce high-quality weapons, they wouldn't be able to mass-produce them.

In addition, Hudson expanded into several other business lines.

Baron Ciss's good fortune brought many merchants from the Southeast Province to Dadir City, which created an opportunity for Hudson.

Although he made no public moves in Dadir City, he never stopped his underhanded actions.

After a brief period of contact, Hudson found several partners with sufficient financial resources who were willing to resell Mountain Territory products.

If Baron Ciss knew this, he would probably understand why Hudson wasn't causing trouble at the trade fair.

Compared to nobles, merchants were often at a disadvantage. Therefore, when looking for partners, they would try their best to find nobles who followed the rules.

To put everyone at ease, Baron Ciss, knowing he was being tricked, still chose to abide by the rules of the game, and the same applies to Hudson.

Compared to developing agents and building their own business network, causing trouble in Dadir City is clearly not that important.

With the expansion of shipping channels, we're sure to see a significant increase in orders. We must prepare our production capacity in advance.

Road planning also needs to be arranged.

With so many laborers available, there's no harm in using them.

These single-minded guys are perfect for splitting mountains and cracking rocks. They'd be exhausted every day and wouldn't have the energy to do anything else.

Developing transportation as soon as possible will also help strengthen Lord Hudson's control over the territory.

It's hard to say whether Beastfolk slaves are up to the task of clearing land, given the technical skill involved.

If that doesn't work, then let them fight to the death in the swamp.

Hudson doesn't know, nor does he need to know, many high-tech ways of playing.

They resorted to a crude, open-channel drainage approach, removing all the water that could be drained first.

For water that cannot be drained, bamboo and wood fences are built to separate rivers and farmland in the swamp.

Thanks to the abundant rainfall in the Southeast Province, the salt brought by the sea has been washed away. Judging from the plants growing in the swamp, the salinity of the swamp is not too high.

There's no need to worry about wasting the dredged silt; it's all excellent fertilizer, perfect for use on newly reclaimed land.

As for how much manpower would be required or how much loss would be incurred, Hudson didn't care about any of that.

With over 20,000 more mouths to feed, the territory's daily expenses have nearly doubled. If he doesn't produce results quickly, his wallet won't be able to keep up.

In fact, this was the result of advance preparation. If Hudson hadn't stockpiled a large amount of grain beforehand, he probably would have been in tears facing the high prices of grain on the market.

It was all the fault of the Beastfolk slaves. Although the Governor's Mansion promised to provide affordable grain, it was only for those already registered. The Beastfolk slaves who arrived later had to buy grain from the market.

Fortunately, the Southeast Province are major grain producers. If this were in some impoverished areas, tens of thousands of mouths would flood in during the lean season, and even with money, it would be difficult to buy enough food.

Needless to say, the Northern Aristocrats were once again severely ripped off. Baron Katerley's inability to borrow enough money was also related to the rising price of grain.

Fortunately, this situation won't last long. Winter is coming to an end, and the harvest of the new grain is not far away.

Once the new grain is stored, market prices will inevitably decline. As for how much it will fall, Hudson doesn't know.

Anyway, it doesn't concern him much. Although the grain in his territory is insufficient, he has already pre-ordered the grain produced by the territories of several of his relatives.

Prices naturally follow market rates, but the advantage is that you can buy on credit! The more debt he accumulates, the more numb Hudson becomes.

If we consider operating debts related to undelivered goods, Lord Hudson's total external debt has now exceeded the $120,000 mark.

Such debt, even in the homes of some middle-class nobles, would cause them to feel terrified and sleepless all night.

I reckon selling Beldens would probably be enough to cover the losses!

Of course, selling the bear is out of the question. I've never heard of contracted monsters being able to be transferred.

Lord Hudson wasn't the type to sell bears to pay off debts. Despite the massive external debt, the Mountain Territory still had ample cash flow, with twenty to thirty thousand gold coins readily available in the treasury.

Of the total debt of 120,000 gold coins, more than 80,000 gold coins were operational debt, including the expenditure of 60,000 gold coins for purchasing Beastfolk slaves.

In addition, there is a debt of 30,000 gold coins, which is steadily being converted into operating debt. The actual amount that needs to be paid in real money is only a little over 10,000 gold coins.

That's right, the last ten thousand-plus gold coins were owed to his own father, Baron Redman. Even father and son have to keep clear accounts; help can't be taken for nothing.

Hudson traded in everything he could, from weapons and equipment to pots and pans and farm tools.

Now that we have everything we need back home, if there's really nothing to use as a substitute, then we can only pay in cash.

As for when it will be repaid, that depends on when the Mountain Territory's finances become prosperous.

Hudson dared not touch the funds in the account now. These were lifelines in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

It can only be said that having too much debt is not a burden. Despite accumulating huge debts, Hudson still managed to get along very well in aristocratic circles, and no one even thought he was poor.

With over 20,000 subjects and over 20,000 slaves, the sheer number of people rivaled that of some fiefdom viscounts.

If we allow ourselves a few years to settle our operating debts and cultivate hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land, we can establish the foundation of a middle-class noble family business.

"My lord, today's advance payment is two thousand gold coins. It is mainly a batch of farm tools and daily necessities to be sent to Hansen, Kadar and Warren counties, and a small number of weapons."

The three agents are waiting outside, so what do you think...?

Before the old butler could finish speaking, Hudson interrupted, "I won't show myself. You can handle these small matters from now on."

Although they act as the supplier, they are a powerful supplier with core competitive advantages. The fact that they receive advance payments before organizing production speaks volumes.

In addition, given the difference in status between nobles and merchants, Hudson had every right to remain out of the public eye.

In fact, keeping a low profile is beneficial for everyone. Merchants are profit-driven and like to haggle, so letting them argue with the steward is just what they need.

Even if Hudson were to personally negotiate and an agreement were reached, no one would be truly satisfied.

Operating debt has increased again, and Hudson didn't bother to do the math. Under the current operating model, Mountain Territory will have to operate with high debt for a long time to come.

The main problem is the lack of upstream suppliers; otherwise, the debt would be even higher. Having deeply experienced the benefits of using other people's money to develop his own territory, Hudson has essentially opened Pandora's Box.

Looking at the account sheets on the bamboo slips, Hudson deeply felt that the products of his territory were too limited.

Everything revolves around "iron." If a few more iron mines are discovered in the Southeast Province one day, Lord Hudson's business will probably be instantly shattered.

But if you don't focus on "iron," what else can you do to get rich these days?

Throughout history, feudal dynasties have made the most exorbitant profits from "salt" and "iron." Being able to share in the profits from "iron" was purely a matter of luck.

If Hudson dares to touch "salt," the Mountain Territory will likely be wiped out on a dark and stormy night.

Without a doubt, driven by huge profits, the Dalton Family would absolutely do something like this.

Rumor has it that salt profits account for half of the Dalton Family's earnings. Anyone who dares to touch that piece of the pie will face immediate retaliation.

Even if some nobles were unwilling, they could at most secretly instruct a few merchants to sell smuggled salt, and they had to be extremely careful, lest the slightest word be leaked.

Often, the slightest disturbance would frighten them into killing to cover it up. As a result, more salt smugglers died at the hands of the masterminds behind the scenes than were executed by the Governor's Mansion.

As for whether these guys made any money from it, Hudson believes they didn't, at least not huge profits.

The reason is very simple: salt sales in various regions are generally stable and have even increased slightly over time. Any decline in sales would immediately attract the attention of the Dalton Family.

Under these circumstances, let alone making money, even avoiding being caught is thanks to the protection of the Lord of Dawn.

If you can't get into the most profitable industries, you have to settle for the next best thing – "tobacco and alcohol".

Let's rule out tobacco first. It's something that doesn't even exist on the Aslant Continent. Even if Hudson could find tobacco leaves, he wouldn't know who to sell them to.

"Wine," it had to be wine. Wine was served at many of the banquets Hudson attended.

Unfortunately, as you can tell from the name, the Southeast Province is located in the south of the kingdom.

There was plenty of rain, but as for sunshine, well, that was a matter of luck.

In years like this one with less rainfall, there is plenty of sunshine, resulting in grapes of excellent quality.

But it happened to be a year of continuous rain, so it was good enough to see the grapes bearing fruit, let alone expect them to be of good quality!

The main buyers of wine are nobles, although most nobles are uncultured and cannot distinguish between good and bad wine.

However, some of these "connoisseurs" have a deep understanding of this stuff and hold considerable influence in the industry.

Even if Hudson could produce it, it would only be able to survive in the most competitive "low-end liquor" market.

Instead of struggling to earn that meager amount of money, it would be better to develop baijiu (Chinese liquor) and gradually cultivate the market.

Of course, this is just speculation. Before finding users, the prudent Lord Hudson wouldn't blindly develop a product that goes against market trends.

Besides these products, what else can we do?

Matches seem to be quite difficult to produce. The production cost is obviously very high, given that they are made entirely by hand.

Ease of use alone is unlikely to command a high price. After all, noble lords don't need to cook or cook for themselves, so is the convenience of servants really that important?

"Soap," an essential product for time travelers. However, that smelly stuff is mainly used for washing clothes.

To stand out, the only way is to change the manufacturing process and produce a new odorless product.

In any case, pure animal oil cannot be used as a raw material, otherwise the odor cannot be eliminated. It is no different from the smelly soap on the market, Hudson does not believe that such a common product can be so profitable.

Vegetable oil as a substitute seems like something worth trying. However, given the current production volume of vegetable oil, it's unlikely to be available in the short term.

This new technology can only generate a quick buck. Once the technology is cracked, copycats will quickly appear.

Patent protection is not common in Aslant, and even if it were, Hudson wouldn't have the power to crack down on piracy across the continent.

Hudson has decided to ramp up vegetable oil production, aiming to make a quick buck once he has accumulated enough raw materials.

As for the technology being leaked, at the very least, one can still gain a foothold in the market by virtue of being the first to release the technology.

People are all human, and given similar prices, they still prefer to use genuine products.

Unless the quality of the genuine product is worse than that of the counterfeit, then there's nothing more to say; it deserves to be eliminated by the market.

If things really come to that, Hudson will accept it.