At the Mercy of Circumstances
The initial success did nothing to diminish the fierce competition that followed. From the moment the battle for the second territory began, the atmosphere was anything but harmonious.
It's not that we don't want to coordinate, it's just that we can't. Once the fiefdom is decided, there's almost no possibility of changing it. If we back down now, we might regret it for the rest of our lives.
Even within the same baronial territory, the best and worst fiefdoms can have an annual income difference of tens of thousands of gold coins.
Of course, that's a theoretical figure; the two counties currently certainly can't reach that level. Without eight to ten years of dedicated management, there's no way to expect a return to its peak.
The Salam Mine Area chosen by Hudson almost monopolized the pig iron supply of the entire county, and its products also had a high market share in the surrounding counties, making it a high-profit region.
However, mining requires significant labor costs, some of the charcoal used in smelting needs to be purchased from outside sources, and local grain production can only meet part of the demand, which further dilutes the profits from mining.
Most importantly, the mines will eventually be exhausted, while food production can be carried out indefinitely, which inadvertently reduces the value of the territory.
However, this is just an outsider's perspective. For Hudson, the best industries are those that can be monetized in a short period of time.
Accumulating wealth through farming takes far too long. For most nobles, the first twenty years of establishing their territories are a period of poverty.
Of course, Wright and Hutton Prefectures are well-developed and mature areas, so the situation is much better. As long as the workforce is replenished, they will be able to recover quickly.
Especially for the local strongmen, after decades of peace and prosperity, most noble territories have a certain surplus of labor, which undoubtedly reduces the difficulty of developing new territories.
The situation was more tragic for outsiders, who had no choice but to purchase slaves on a large scale to serve as laborers. As for the migration of people from the Northern Frontier, the kingdoms were the first to object.
For national defense and security, the kingdom exiles a large number of criminals to the border every year. It has always been a policy of allowing population inflow but not outflow.
Each province has a mandatory quota for sending people out every year. If the quota is not met, the nobles have to pay to buy slaves to make up the difference.
The prisoners captured during the recent suppression of the Skull Society rebellion were all sent to the Northern Frontier border in batches. The Beastfolk will then be responsible for drawing their attention, thus resolving the conflict once and for all.
The Alpha Kingdom is relatively peaceful because it bears the heavy responsibility of resisting the invasion of the Orc Empire, and dares not get too carried away with internal or external conflicts.
The situation is different for ethnic nations without external threats; they do whatever they please. Small battles occur every three months, and major battles every five months; war is the norm on the continent.
Every war produces a large number of prisoners of war. According to the rules, if a ransom is paid, they are released. If no one pays the ransom after a certain period, they are sold into slavery.
Watching everyone argue, Hudson had become a mere spectator. As the conflict progressed, not only did the parties involved start arguing amongst themselves, but even their supporters joined the fray.
The scene was extremely chaotic. If it weren't for Count Pierce holding things in, these guys would probably have started a full-blown brawl right there.
The rulings of the Noble Council were also fraught with tension. A significant disparity in strength between the two sides was manageable, but the most dangerous situation was when their own strength and networks of connections were evenly matched.
If the argument fails to reach a conclusion, then a vote will be held. According to the Kingdom's "Nobility Law," all nobles who possess fiefdoms are members of the Noble Council.
According to the rules: one vote for a knight, three votes for a baron, ten votes for a viscount, thirty votes for an earl, and so on. Those who own multiple fiefs accumulate their votes and are voted on directly on the spot.
This is where the advantage of having a large number of people becomes apparent. Including several nobles who did not participate in the war for special reasons, the Coslo Family has two barons and nine knights with voting rights. Their own members alone have a total of fifteen votes.
Unfortunately, Hudson, Adrian, and two other members of the same clan who were to inherit the title did not yet have the right to vote because the legal procedures had not been completed; otherwise, eight more votes could have been added.
The most direct consequence of losing eight votes was that the schemes of the Knight of Leicester and Baron Cron were defeated by a narrow margin of two and three votes respectively.
Seeing the two men's frustration, the Hudson father and son didn't know how to comfort them, so they could only pretend not to see.
Defeat was inevitable; even with eight more votes, nothing would have changed. The small margin of victory meant Count Pierce was manipulating the situation.
As the vote king of the Southeast Province, Count Pierce, who held multiple positions, possessed fifty-four votes on his own. When combined with the nobles under his influence, the number of votes he could control was even greater.
Due to the need for political balance, this time, the Coslo Family is destined not to receive any windfall.
If you can't participate yourself, you can only watch others perform. Hudson personally witnessed Baron Redman filling in different names on three different ballots.
Seeing his father's calm expression, seemingly supporting multiple candidates at the same time, this kind of stunt is nothing new in aristocratic circles.
These are all friends, or you've received multiple gifts, so this is a common scene to make you feel at ease.
Only family friends and relatives will cast all their votes in support at once.
What appears to be a comical scene is, in fact, a form of political wisdom. Hudson, who had initially thought himself a qualified aristocrat, suddenly realized that he still had much to learn.
The noisy banquet continued until the morning of the next day, finally concluding this feast of dividing the spoils.
The final result was a mixed bag of joy and sorrow. As one of the victors, Hudson was in high spirits.
Looking at his spirited son from the carriage, Baron Redman earnestly instructed him, "Hudson, determining the fiefdom area is only the first step; the key is the specific implementation that follows."
I just heard from Adrian that Governor Excellency is eager to finalize the fiefdom arrangements, mainly because of those outsiders.
It is said that the Governor's Mansion and the Royal Capital had a very tense situation. Although the King agreed to the Count Pierce's proposal to limit the highest conferment to baronies, he granted the Dadir City and Fertile City to other people.
The three Dalton Family members who served in the North only received one baron and two Knight's Territory, which greatly displeased Count Pierce.
Having their territory snatched from the jaws of death, the Dalton Family will certainly not let this go unpunished. A counterattack is inevitable, though the specifics are unknown, but it will most likely involve their fiefdoms.
The Coslo Family is insignificant in the kingdom and powerless to participate in the power struggles. If conflict breaks out, you must be careful and avoid getting caught in the storm.
Nodding solemnly, Hudson immediately assured him, "Don't worry, Father. I'd rather avoid something like this than get involved myself."
A nobleman who could escape the quagmire of the North and snatch food from the Dalton Family's jaws must have a very complicated background.
At the risk of offending the most powerful noble family in the Southeast Province, a mere baronial fief certainly wouldn't satisfy their appetite; a fierce battle for supremacy is likely to follow.
However, they are ultimately outsiders, and their family wields considerable power in both counties. As long as our territories watch over each other, we should be able to protect ourselves.
Although he spoke lightly, Hudson was far from calm. While he knew that Northern Nobles were moving south, he hadn't anticipated that these powerful dragons would be able to snatch food directly from the Dalton Family's jaws.
With the county seat taken by these guys, the upcoming battle for the county head will likely be a foregone conclusion.
It's obvious they see that the major reshuffling of the two prefectures has only just begun, and they intend to use this as a base to slowly make their plans.
Next, we'll see how strong their backing is and whether they can withstand the Dalton Family's counterattack.
Regardless of who wins or loses in the end, the minor nobles in both counties will not have an easy time for a long time to come.
Although the Coslo Family has four fiefdom noble families to band together, two of them were already severely weakened in the previous Skull Society rebellion, and the other two were newcomers to the area.
What worries Hudson the most is Knight Adrian, who has always followed Count Pierce and has a very strong Dalton Family influence.
If a conflict were to break out between the two sides, everyone else could find a way to avoid it, but Adrian alone could not back down.
If the situation escalates, he might be passively drawn in as well. Unfortunately, Hudson had no choice; if he wanted to gain more in the division of fiefdoms, he couldn't do without the support of the Governor's Mansion.
Trouble is in the future, but the benefits are within reach. I've truly experienced firsthand how one is not in control of their own destiny when one is in an elite circle.