Big Business
Hudson did not become complacent after closing a big deal.
Only profits that are actually in your pocket are real profits. A mere letter of intent means nothing.
The requirement for multiple Church experts to sign the contract as a guarantee was not merely out of concern for breach of contract, but more so to guard against the hidden forces behind the scenes.
Through his previous conversation with Isabelle, Hudson learned that the "Blood Moon Horn" had been leaked in the Mountain Territory.
The mastermind behind this has yet to be identified.
If the deal is made and then snatched away by someone else, Hudson will be a prime suspect.
Selling the Blood Moon Horn can be considered a win-win situation.
If someone spends a lot of money but fails to bring the item back, then they'll be targeted.
Being targeted by a powerful force lurking in the shadows is never a pleasant experience.
Hudson just wants to get rid of the hot potato that is the "Blood Moon Horn," and has no intention of fighting to the death with a major power.
After seeing the messenger off with a pleasant expression, Hudson's mind was already on the battlefield.
The frontline defenders were much more tenacious than he had expected.
They suffered heavy losses in many battles, but ultimately held on until reinforcements arrived, and defended the last line of defense.
There was also a lot of bad news, such as the fact that the private armies of nobles from Fengyun Province, who were the first to arrive at the front lines, suffered heavy losses.
Rumors are circulating that one-third of the losses at the front were caused by the private armies of nobles in Fengyun Province.
Definitely terrible at fighting, but a master at feeding kills.
This is a classic example of what not to do; they weren't proactive in their preparations, and now they're paying the price.
When it comes to garrison duties, the private armies of nobles in other provinces perform much better.
The losses were heavy and unavoidable. However, the overall casualty rate is still under control.
As a negative example, Hudson also used the nobles of the Fengyun Province as a propaganda tool, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of training.
As for whether doing so will offend the nobles of Fengyun Province, there is absolutely no need to worry.
Only three months have passed since the six-month deployment period ended, leaving half the time remaining. It's unclear how they will manage to get through it.
Even if they complete their garrison duties, there probably won't be many nobles who can return from the battlefield.
They were all exhausted and busy going home to lick their wounds and recover, too busy preparing for the next conscription to have any time to argue with Hudson.
Similar negative propaganda wasn't just something Hudson was doing in Laite County.
To urge their subordinates to strengthen their training, Governor and prefects from almost every region would make sure to give them a shout-out.
Hudson was exhausted from juggling training and developing his territory.
The only good news is that after the mining area expanded, the territory's food crisis was also brought under control.
The operation was unoriginal, simply exchanging lattes for grain with nobles within the province.
Whether these people used the iron to forge weapons for their own use or to complete kingdom missions was not within Hudson's concern.
In times of crisis, the nobles reacted quite well.
The first batch of supplies procured from overseas, spearheaded by the Dalton Family, has arrived in the Southeast Province.
Unfortunately, they were sent to the front lines immediately before they even disembarked.
Despite repeated orders from the Governor's Mansion to quell inflation, they were ultimately unable to do so.
Due to the impact of the war, prices inevitably skyrocketed.
Grain prices have surged by 80%, daily necessities have risen by 50%, and some special commodities have even increased several times over.
The merchants who hoarded the goods made a fortune, but before they could cash in, the Governor's Mansion made an example of them and wiped them out.
Even the most severe crackdowns cannot stop the lure of profit.
Even if the supply of goods remains sufficient, there are simply too many excuses for people to inflate prices and make exorbitant profits.
The self-sufficient nobles were not greatly affected, but the free people suffered greatly.
Rising prices weren't just a problem in the Southeast Province. None of the three northern kingdoms, embroiled in war, escaped the impact.
"Sir, we have just received news that a contingent of warhorses from the Warren Merchant Guild will be arriving in the Southeast Province soon."
The old butler's words made Hudson's expression brighten.
In the era of cold weapons, warhorses were extremely important. Even those defending a city would not complain about having too much mobility.
In the army organization of the Alpha Kingdom, the rations for warhorses are on par with those for knights.
After the outbreak of war, the price of warhorses also skyrocketed.
A fine warhorse can often sell for tens or even hundreds of gold coins.
Even an ordinary warhorse would cost more than a dozen gold coins to carry.
The high prices are painful, but the shortage of stock is the most intractable problem.
When supply falls short of demand, excess profits will be generated.
As one of the four major chambers of commerce in mainland China, it is only natural for the Warren Merchant Guild to get involved in this kind of business.
"Do you know how many warhorses the Warren Merchant Guild transported this time, and where they were delivered?"
Hudson asked with concern.
There are many merchants engaged in the horse trade, but most merchants only trade a few or a dozen warhorses at a time. Those who trade hundreds of horses are considered big merchants.
As the largest ironware distributor in Southeast Asia, the Mountain Territory has always maintained close ties with the merchants.
After the outbreak of war, Hudson gradually acquired several hundred warhorses through his previous business network.
There's no way to get more; nobles from all over are scrambling to buy them. No one will let go of something that enhances their survivability on the battlefield.
With so many competitors, if too few horses are delivered, they'll probably be snapped up before Hudson even sends anyone over.
"It is said that there are more than 3,000 horses. The Warren Merchant Guild plans to auction them in Beda City, and no reservations are being accepted."
Upon hearing this answer, Hudson instantly lost interest.
With only three thousand warhorses, and sold through an auction, it was clear they wanted to make a fortune.
In terms of wealth, he is no match for the old aristocracy.
Deep down, Hudson had more than once grumbled about those old-fashioned nobles. Knowing war was likely, why didn't they raise more warhorses?
Of course, this is just wishful thinking. Warnings of Beastfolk invasions are almost always triggered every few years.
Until the very moment of war, no one knows when it will actually break out.
If we stockpile them in advance, we'll just have to keep a large number of warhorses around forever.
Warhorses are purely consumables; the cost of their daily feeding alone is higher than that of maintaining an equal number of standing infantry.
Aside from wealthy nobles, who could afford to keep thousands of warhorses?
In the early days of his business, Hudson only had twenty or thirty warhorses, which he couldn't afford to keep, so he had to sell them to raise cash.
If it weren't for the pressure of going to the battlefield, even now Hudson wouldn't be purchasing large quantities of warhorses.
In name only, he, as a viscount, now commands tens of thousands of troops, and it wouldn't be unreasonable for him to have a thousand-man cavalry regiment.
Unfortunately, these soldiers were all put together by everyone, and he only had temporary command authority.
Cavalry is simply too expensive; even forming a small cavalry regiment of a few hundred men would be a considerable burden for the Mountain Territory.
"Okay, remember to remind me to attend."
Hudson said coldly.
Whether there's an opportunity or not, you have to go and try.
The money of the old aristocracy didn't fall from the sky, and nobody wants to be taken advantage of.
Rather than fighting tooth and nail, it's better to secretly collude and divide the spoils.
By connecting the dots, we might even be able to get a share of the profits.
It's a tragedy that I've spent two or three years in aristocratic circles and never even seen an auction.
In Dadir City, an old man lay lazily in front of a general store, basking in the afterglow of spring.
"Grandpa, you really don't have a good eye for business. There are so many places in Dadir City, why did you choose such a remote shop instead?"
We've had this shop for over three months, and the number of customers coming to buy things each day is less than the number of people in our shop!
If you keep doing business like this, we'll have to move again soon.
The little girl said helplessly.
She had absolutely no hope for her family business. Ever since she could remember, the family business had never been doing well.
Deep down, she had already decided that her grandfather was not cut out for business.
The store's merchandise is fairly standard, mostly fast-moving consumer goods, including some in-demand items.
Logically speaking, as long as the price is reasonable, there should be no shortage of customers.
However, the shop's location was too remote.
There was a military camp not far away, and there were no residents nearby.
Don't expect conscripted serf soldiers to have any purchasing power. They might not even know what money looks like from birth.
"This is not my fault. Who knew the Beastfolk would suddenly invade?"
Go into the city and see which shops are doing well.
Everyone is struggling to stay afloat. Although our customer traffic is small, our rent is also low.
I bet we've lost the least of all the shops in town, big and small!
The old man tried to argue his point.
Others' losses are temporary; theirs are different, they've been losing money since they opened.
The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, Laite County were all busy training their troops, so they had no time to come and spend money.
The free people in the city were mainly merchants, and their customer base was extremely limited.
This was only because Viscount Ciss considered long-term development and didn't rush to levy war taxes; otherwise, everyone would have fled.
"Whee...
Grandpa, you're blushing.
Admit it, everyone knows you're not destined to be rich.
How about we start selling horses too?
Alpha Kingdom's warhorses are currently the best-selling items, and they are quickly snapped up as soon as they are delivered.
I've heard that many merchants have switched to horse trading and are making a fortune...
The little girl had a sudden inspiration.
The old man rolled his eyes. If it were about making money, selling horses now would definitely be a good business.
The prolonged stalemate on the Northern Frontier Battlefield means that warhorse prices will remain high for an extended period, resulting in substantial profits.
He was a big shot in the area, and although his identity was shady, he was very wealthy.
"Alright, Guna. How many times have I told you, don't touch hot money."
You only see how much money those horse traders make, but do you know how much risk they take?
Not to mention the bandits and outlaws along the way. Doing business with noble lords is no easy task; if the price negotiations break down, things could easily get complicated..."
As he spoke, the old man made a throat-slitting gesture.
Unfortunately, none of this had any effect on Guna.
Even if it's dangerous, it's someone else who's in danger. Having traveled all over the country for so many years, anyone who came looking for trouble always ended up with a terrible death.
Being quirky and clever doesn't mean being clueless.
Having wandered around the mainland for so many years, she had never met many people stronger than her grandfather, who happened to be a coward.
During the conversation, a burly middle-aged man arrived at the shop entrance. Rarely having a customer, the old man hurriedly called his assistant to greet him.
"Don't be so polite. Call your boss out; I have a big business deal to discuss with him!"
Her voice was as cold as ice and frost, sending chills down your spine.
"Here we go again!"
Guna muttered to herself.
Similar "big deals" would appear on schedule whenever their business was failing.
Thanks to these "big deals" that seemed to appear out of nowhere, the old man was able to successfully sustain his consistently loss-making business.
"I'm the boss. What would you like, sir?"
"By the way, this is not the place to talk, sir, please come with me!"
"Guna, what are you waiting for? Quickly bring out my treasured tea to entertain our distinguished guest!"
As she spoke, she led the middle-aged man into the guest room.
"No need for hospitality. I don't like being disturbed when I'm discussing business."
Gu Na had heard the same old lines more than a dozen times. She was already fed up with them. The "it's inconvenient to disturb" thing was clearly telling her not to eavesdrop.
Gu Na considered herself a businesswoman and knew she couldn't argue with customers. She stamped her foot inwardly and turned to leave.
The owner made way, and the shop assistants quickly left, fearing that they might offend a big customer and ruin their business.
Having confirmed that no one was eavesdropping, the old man's aura changed, and he asked:
"You've come looking for me at this time; has your investigation yielded results?"
There are also specific requirements for the connectors.
As an underground organization, the fact that it wasn't taken down is entirely due to its excellent covert operations.
"Your Majesty, Church Holy See has already approached the Mountain Territory."
The Mountain Territory is heavily guarded; we can't infiltrate it.
What exactly happened is still unknown.
However, it is certain that no conflict occurred between the two sides.
Most notably, there was a songstress named Isabelle, who was an intelligence agent developed by the Church and had made several contacts with Hudson.
Rumors suggest there's an ambiguous relationship between the two. Perhaps the lack of conflict between them is partly due to her involvement.
The middle-aged man answered seriously.
Being a lookout is difficult, especially in heavily guarded places like Mountain Territory, which further limits their scope for action.
"Hudson is no simple man; he would never give up the Blood Moon Horn for a woman."
There was no conflict between the two sides, either the item was not in the Mountain Territory, or the two sides reached a secret deal.
He continued to keep an eye on the Mountain Territory; if a deal was struck, he would definitely not let go of this opportunity to extort money.
Large-scale transportation of supplies will definitely leave some clues...
He had only spoken halfway when the old man suddenly realized something was wrong.
Dealing with the Church at this critical juncture is inherently risky. If it were a large-scale commodity transaction, wouldn't that be deliberately inviting attention?
Such a foolish thing is something a shrewd first-generation entrepreneur would never do.
Given the renowned reputation of the Blood Moon Horn, it is valued directly in gold coins, and it would take hundreds of carriages to move it.
It's impossible for such a massive cash transfer to go unnoticed.
The essence of a transaction is an exchange of equivalent value. As long as the value is roughly the same, there's no need to be foolish enough to insist on using gold coins.
The Church is wealthy and can certainly offer some valuable treasures in the transaction.