The moment news of the opening of smuggling trade was released, the Northern Noble circle erupted.
The biggest players in smuggling within the Alpha Kingdom were the Northern Noble Faction, led by the Five Great Families.
Smugglers and slave traders alike depended on this group for their existence.
Ever since the Continental War broke out, smuggling trade had been completely cut off. In order to restore the trade routes, the Northern Nobles had spent no small amount of effort lobbying throughout the kingdom.
Unfortunately, the Five Great Families were not well liked. The harder they lobbied, the tighter the border blockade became.
In the past, the Northern Aristocrats' supplies had to pass through the north, leaving them naturally at the mercy of others and forcing them to compromise.
But now the border lay in the Near East Region. With the convenience of port shipping, Hudson had no need to cater to the Northern Nobles.
Under Hudson's leadership, the kingdom's Standing Army frequently struck at smuggling operations. The smugglers who dared show themselves had mostly been wiped out.
No matter their background, death was meaningless once it came. With the charge of "colluding with foreign races" hanging over them, no one dared claim the bodies.
Seven or eight out of every ten smuggling attempts met with accidents, and over the past few months, Northern Noble scions had repeatedly died sudden, accidental deaths.
No matter how profitable a business was, it could not withstand such devastation. The Northern Noble Faction, having suffered catastrophic losses, hated Hudson to the bone yet could do nothing about him.
It was, after all, a business that could not be brought into the light. There was no issue doing it in secret, but it could not be discussed openly.
The loss of a lucrative business was secondary.