Food Shortfall

These petty tricks are low-class and ineffective, but they're certainly annoying. If it weren't for his good manners, Hudson would have just kicked him out.

Hearing the word "loan" almost choked Hudson. There were already a huge pile of uncollectible debts outside, and if new debts were added, the Mountain Territory would be dragged down.

If it weren't for the misappropriation of funds intended for swamp development projects, the Mountain Territory's finances would have gone bankrupt long ago. The misappropriated funds will eventually have to be repaid.

At the very least, it can't affect the development of the Swamp project. Otherwise, if Beldens discovers the problem, their reputation will be ruined.

We must never do things that drain the pond to catch all the fish.

They couldn't borrow money, let alone supplies. Even the wages for hired labor were paid in the form of unfinished iron products.

Not only would these be replaced with iron products, but Hudson also planned to keep a portion of the supplies he received from the nobles for his own use and then use the iron products to fill the pits.

Despite their desperate complaints of poverty, these nobles actually possess some wealth. While they may not be able to sustain the burden of providing funds and provisions in the long term, they are certainly not on the verge of bankruptcy.

"In times of chaos, stock up on grain"—this is a simple truth everyone knows. Unless you push them, you'll never know the true extent of these nobles' wealth.

Raising funds and supplies for the front lines is not a new phenomenon. Similar events have occurred dozens of times over the past few centuries.

Experienced nobles would set aside a sum of money and grain each year as emergency funds. This was the family's wealth; as long as no spendthrift sons emerged, the accumulated wealth of their ancestors would be enough to weather any storm.

Apart from those families that suffered heavy losses during the Skull Society's uprising, other local nobles could seek help from the families.

Increasing training time is utter nonsense. Military training is extremely physically demanding, and without a diet rich in meat, it's impossible to meet the requirements.

If the Ciss's suggestion to change the drill schedule to once every three days is adopted, the food expenses will consume almost all of their wages, and then the noble lords will have worked for nothing.

Hudson didn't even need to speak; the idea was unanimously rejected. A drill every ten days to ensure basic training was sufficient; only a small number of soldiers needed focused training on other days.

When it truly comes to a point of universal conscription, the Alpha Kingdom will be at its wit's end. Sending large numbers of serf soldiers to the battlefield will only buy time.

The minor incident did not affect the final outcome of the meeting.

For the nobles of Laite County, renting out labor during the off-season not only reduced the consumption of food in their territories, but also provided them with wages to make up for the financial deficit of their territories.

Why refuse such a win-win situation? As for whether Hudson earns more, that's none of their business.

No one would be foolish enough to offend their boss at this time. If they don't sort things out now, they'll be crying on the battlefield.

Nobility rarely keep secrets, and the events that occurred in Laite County spread quickly, becoming a topic of conversation among everyone.

Nobles in other regions were not concerned, as this was the first time taxes and grain had been collected, and their wallets were fully capable of handling it, so there was no significant pressure for the time being.

The nobles of Whitton County are different. As the unfortunate second county group, they were all ravaged by the Skull Society, suffered internal strife together, and were hit by a locust plague together. Now they are licking their wounds together and raising money and supplies for the front lines.

The nobles of Laite County couldn't withstand the pressure, and the situation in Whitton County was much the same. Seeing Hudson helping his underlings solve their problems, everyone was incredibly envious.

The pressure quickly shifted to Viscount Cayou. Nobles kept coming to his door, pleading poverty and asking him, as their leader, to find a solution.

"Uncle Fu, how did the prefects in various regions handle this kind of situation in the past?"

Viscount Cayou asked with concern.

Don't panic when you encounter problems. It's never too late to learn from the experiences of those who came before you before making a decision.

Over the past few centuries, virtually every possible accident has occurred. The successful coping strategies of our predecessors serve as the best reference.

"Young master, special circumstances like those in Whitton County are rare. It's truly unusual for natural disasters and man-made calamities to all come at once."

Most of the time, even in the event of a rebellion, the losses in the prefecture would not be too great. The fact that the Rebel Army occupied two prefectures was a first since the establishment of the Southeast Province.

In the early stages of resource gathering, the lower-ranking noble lords were able to manage. Only later, when their financial resources dwindled, did the prefectural governor's office have to lend them funds for emergencies.

The worst year was during the war when floods struck, causing heavy losses to all counties in the Southeast Province, leaving them unable to shoulder the heavy responsibility of procuring supplies for the kingdom.

Finally, as a last resort, the family led nobles from various regions to procure a batch of supplies from overseas, thus completing the kingdom's mission.

Such a situation, where a noble family is experiencing financial difficulties even before the war has fully broken out, usually only occurs among noble families that have fallen on hard times, and is generally ignored.

The old butler said proudly.

That decisive emergency response made the Dalton Family very famous, and it's still talked about today.

After learning their lesson, everyone developed the good habit of storing food. The Dalton Family, in particular, established their own emergency supplies warehouse, which was usually full.

Everyone is preparing in advance, and those who don't prepare in advance or whose preparation is insufficient naturally become the targets of exclusion and criticism.

If a family has a spendthrift son who only knows how to enjoy himself and doesn't know how to save money, it's only natural to let him go and ruin himself.

But that won't work now; this situation is different. The reason we're in trouble isn't because we've been spending money recklessly.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities struck at the same time, and the lesser nobles, whose resources were not substantial, could not withstand such turmoil. The resulting shortage of money and provisions was understandable.

In the world of the aristocracy, besides the stark and cruel reality, human relationships also matter.

Besides, the neighbor next door is actively handling the situation as a comparison. If they are completely left unattended, the underlings who can't withstand the pressure might jump ship and join Hudson's gang.

It's understandable that Viscount Ciss, being an outsider, would be sidelined, but if this local tycoon were to be sidelined as well, the Dalton Family would be utterly humiliated.

It was precisely because of the Dalton Family's reaction that Hudson's reach remained in Laite County and never extended to Whitton County.

If he can't maintain his base of support, and his underlings voluntarily run to him for refuge, then that's a different story.

"Uncle Fu, send a message to the family and ask them to borrow a few men who know how to train soldiers. Notify the nobles in the prefecture to organize their able-bodied men to come for training."

For any noble participating in the training camp who fails to complete the tasks stipulated by the kingdom, the prefectural governor's office may lend them money and grain, with a symbolic annual interest rate of 10%.

Viscount Cayou said calmly.

In the Aslant Continent, a loan with an annual interest rate of 10% is considered charity. Especially during times of war filled with uncertainty, it is a matter of noble conscience.

Viscount Cayou spared no expense in order to get everyone to send their able-bodied men over for unified training.

It was all a result of internal strife. Cayo, not wanting to remain behind Hudson and wanting to achieve something, had to win over the county's nobles.

Simply bringing people over is not enough. On the battlefield, people no longer compete on political means, but on the results earned through each and every battle.

Cayo was self-aware and knew very well that he was no match for Hudson when it came to military strategy.

Being bad at military operations doesn't mean being bad at battles. War is ultimately about strength, and if you can train a fighting force, the situation changes completely.

With its port and control over sea routes to the Southeast Province and neighboring countries, the Dalton Family would never lack resources.

For the Dalton Family, helping the nobles of the county advance supplies was simply a matter of their fleet making a few more trips. These investments would be repaid anyway, so they wouldn't be completely wasted.

In exchange for a fighting force to help him gain military merit on the battlefield, Caio felt it was a worthwhile deal.

This is also a calculated move, and perhaps other counties can learn from it, but Laite County cannot emulate it.

If Hudson doesn't invest his labor in developing his territory and instead focuses on expanding steel production capacity, he won't even be able to complete the tasks assigned to him by the kingdom.

It is far easier to achieve success on the battlefield with a well-trained army than with a ragtag bunch.

"Young master, all the able-bodied men in the county have gathered here. Even if the food and fodder are shared by everyone, the training ground required will still be quite large."

The Mountain Territory a large number of undeveloped hilltops, mostly covered with a few trees and shrubs, so it wouldn't be a big deal to use them as training grounds.

The Falling Leaf Town is all fertile land. If a large area is designated as a training ground, it will inevitably affect the production of grain in the territory.

The old butler offered a cautious reminder.

Although Whitton County is slightly smaller Laite County, the number of able-bodied men in its noble families is not small.

The training ground for tens of thousands of troops is not something that the small military camp in Falling Leaf Town can accommodate; it will inevitably occupy a large amount of farmland.

"Understood. Do as I say. It's just temporarily occupying some farmland; compared to the potential gains on the battlefield, it's nothing."

Viscount Cayou said without changing his expression.

Once he's made a decision, he won't regret it. Having a fighting force not only increases his chances of survival on the battlefield but also significantly improves his future standing in the military.

If they cooperate well with the family, the Dalton Family might be able to take another small step forward this time.

Although in essence, dukes, marquises, and earls were all regional lords, and their powers were roughly the same.

A powerful fiefdom earl wields even more influence than some declining dukes and marquises. Yet, in terms of address, they still hold a slight inferiority.

Viscount Cayou didn't care about the minor issue of address. He was quite interested in the possibility of strengthening his family's power.

With sufficient military achievements and formidable strength, coupled with the opportune timing of a major reshuffle, it all seemed like a golden opportunity to take a step forward.

It wasn't just Viscount Cayou was caught up in the frenzy. All the nobles in the Southeast Province, or rather, the kingdom, who could participate in the power struggle, were desperately expanding their military strength.

Of course, only a few young optimists wanted to seize the fruits of victory after the war. The older nobles, however, had fewer illusions, and their strengthening of military power was purely for self-preservation.

Only by winning the war against the Beastfolk can everyone have a future; if they lose this war that will determine their nation's fate, their country will be destroyed and their homes will be destroyed.

The higher the rank of a figure, the more aware they are of the Orc Empire's power. Consequently, their confidence in the war diminishes.

If they had no other choice, it's estimated that no major power in the Alpha Kingdom would want to fight the Beastfolk army to the death.

Seeing his neighbors rapidly assembling their armies, Hudson's anxiety slowly subsided.

I'm not afraid of a strong enemy, I'm afraid of teammates who underperform.

The teammates are all actively preparing for the battle and have not slacked off just because the call-up order has not yet been issued to them, which is definitely a good thing for the Alpha Kingdom.

We're all in this together. The better our teammates are, the greater the chance our kingdom will win this war. Even if we can't win, we can at least buy time.

Without blindly joining the frenzied military training craze, the Mountain Territory continues to operate smoothly. Hudson isn't afraid of being criticized for inaction; increasing military production capacity is also contributing to the kingdom.

Let's set a small goal first: increase the territory's raw iron production capacity to 500 tons/month within three months, and to 1,000 tons/month within six months.

Although it doesn't even reach the level of a small workshop or ironworks in my previous life, this number is already among the top in the Aslant Continent.

Even many small countries, with all their steel production capacity combined, cannot reach this figure.

"Tom, you will personally arrange the issues related to mine production."

These workers can be assigned to mining or later forging, but the most crucial smelting process can only be controlled by our people.

The smelter must be on high alert, and all outside personnel are prohibited from approaching. Any suspicious individuals should be apprehended immediately.

Hudson wanted to keep the secret for as long as possible; he didn't want his family's blast furnace ironmaking technology to spread all over the world so quickly.

In the traditional smelting method, a furnace can produce 180 pounds of iron. To produce 200 or 300 pounds of iron requires a master craftsman.

The largest blast furnace in the Mountain Territory can produce more than a ton of iron in a single furnace.

Not only is the production capacity high, but the quality of the raw iron produced is also better.

While it can't compare to the legendary magical iron forge, the production costs of the two are on completely different levels. One uses Magic Crystal Stone as energy, while the other uses charcoal and coal; they are simply incomparable.

In contrast, other secrets within the territory, even if laid bare before the serfs, would likely not attract their attention.

For example, Swamp Brand Fertilizer is no longer used during the busy farming season. Instead, it is spread on the ground under the guise of increasing the thickness of the soil in newly reclaimed wasteland while it is being reclaimed.

They were all in the same prefecture, essentially working near their homes. During the busy farming season, everyone had to return to their own homes, so they had no opportunity to learn about the specifics of agricultural production in the Mountain Territory.

In normal times, they worked in designated areas, and it was difficult for foreign serfs and local serfs to have close contact.

If we happen to bump into each other, we're not familiar with each other. A simple greeting would be considered warm, but most of the time we probably wouldn't exchange more than a few words.

"Sir, production in the mining area is easy to arrange. The biggest problem in the territory right now is the rapid increase in food consumption."

With tens of thousands more mouths to feed added all at once, our previously ample grain reserves may only be able to sustain us until the spring harvest is stored.

According to the original plan, starting next year, the grain produced in the territory will be able to meet 80% of the consumption, and only a small amount of purchases will be needed to fill the gap.

The situation has changed; the food shortage has increased rather than decreased. In normal times, it wouldn't be a problem, as long as you have money, you can always buy food.

"At this time, unless you, sir, personally intervene, even if we offer a high price, we may not be able to procure enough grain."