308: Chapter 10, Big Business_1 308: Chapter 10, Big Business_1 Upon concluding a significant deal, Hudson did not lose himself in self-satisfaction.
Only the profits pocketed were truly considered gains.
A mere letter of intent meant nothing.
Hudson insisted on having several skilled members of the Clergy sign the pact, not just out of fear that their side may breach the agreement, but primarily as a safeguard against any sinister forces at work behind the scenes.
From a previous conversation with Isabel, Hudson learned that the “Blood Moon Horn” was leaked in the Mountain Domain.
The hidden operator behind the scenes is yet to be exposed.
If a deal were to be closed and then usurped right away, Hudson would no doubt be a suspect.
Selling the Blood Moon Horn could be seen as merely an exchange of needs.
If someone were to pay a significant cost for it but ended up empty-handed, they would understandably harbor grievances.
Becoming the target of a powerful force lurking in the shadows was the last thing Hudson wanted.
Hudson merely wished to rid himself of the “hot potato” that was the “Blood Moon Horn”.
He had no intention of engaging in an all-out conflict with any major power.
After dismissing the messenger with a smile, Hudson’s attention shifted to the battlefield.
The frontline defenders showed a lot more resilience than he had anticipated.
There has been a number of disastrous battles, but eventually, they managed to hold the last line of defense until reinforcements arrived.
Among the grim news, for instance, was the fact that the front-line Provincial Nobles’ Private Army from Fengyun Province had suffered heavy losses.
There were rumors that a third of the losses on the front line were incurred by these private armies of the Fengyun Province.
Although they were poor combatants, they were exceptional at throwing themselves at the enemy.
A typical example of a negative case: they were lackluster during preparations for battle, and now the time has come to pay the price.
Conversely, the Noble’s Private Armies of other provinces who were tasked with the same garrison duty performed much better.
Suffering heavy losses was inevitable, but the overall casualty rate remained manageable.
As an example of ‘what not to do,’ Hudson publicized the Nobles of Fengyun Province, continually stressing the importance of training.
Whether doing so will offend the Nobles of Fengyun Province should not be of concern.
Only three months have passed since the six-month garrison term began.
How they’ll survive the remaining months nobody knows.
Even if they managed to fulfill their garrison duties, few nobles could go back from the battlefield.
Many are significantly weakened.
They hardly have enough time to lick their wounds and restore their vitality at home before being called for duty again – let alone time to pick fights with Hudson.
Such negative propaganda isn’t confined to Layton County, where Hudson is located.
In order to urge their troops to intensify their training, most prefectural governors and provincial governors willingly piled ons.
While he kept himself busy with training and focusing on territory development, Hudson was run ragged.
Post mining expansion, the only good news was that the food crisis in the domain had stabilized.
He used a straightforward approach: trading iron with the nobles in the province for food.
The usage of the iron they acquired, whether for forging own weapons or using as weapon armor to offset the Kingdom’s quota, was not in Hudson’s purview.
In a crisis, nobles had shown remarkable responsiveness.
Lead by the Dalton Family, the first batch of supplies from overseas purchases had arrived in the Southeastern Province.
Regrettably, the supplies hadn’t even been unloaded when they needed to be sent straight to the frontline.
Despite repeated orders from the Governor’s Mansion to curb the prices, it couldn’t be contained.
As a result of the ongoing war, an unavoidable significant increase in prices took place.
The cost of grains spiked by eighty percent, daily necessities increased by fifty percent, and certain commodities even saw multiple-fold increase.
The profiteering traders made a killing.
Unfortunately, before they could enjoy their windfall, they were made an example of by the Governor’s Mansion.
Harsh measures couldn’t suppress the lure of profits.
Even with an adequate supply of goods, those seeking to inflate prices for excessive profit had more than enough excuses.
While the self-sufficient noble lords weren’t significantly affected, the common people bore the brunt of it.
The surge in prices wasn’t confined to the Southeastern Province.
The entangled Northern Three Kingdoms in warfare were not spared either.
…
“Master, we received news.
The Warren Chamber of Commerce will be delivering a batch of war horses to the Southeastern Province soon,” the steward said, which seemed to brighten Hudson’s expression.
In the age of cold weapons, the importance of war horses couldn’t be overstated.
Even those in charge of city defense wouldn’t complain about having too much mobility.
In the Alpha Kingdom’s military provisions, the rations for war horses were equivalent to those for knights.
With the outbreak of the war, the price of war horses soared.
A high-quality war horse could sell for dozens, or even hundreds, of gold coins.
Even a common war horse couldn’t be bought for less than a dozen gold coins.
Exorbitant prices only caused heartache, but shortages posed the real conundrum.
Shortages bred excessive profits.
As one of the four major chambers of commerce on the continent, it was no surprise that the Warren Chamber of Commerce was involved in such a venture.
“Do you know how many war horses the Warren Chamber of Commerce is bringing this time and where will they be delivered?” Hudson asked anxiously.
Many merchants were involved in the business of horse trading.
But many could only transport a few to over a dozen horses.
Those that could transport hundreds were considered major merchants.
As the largest ironware merchant in the Southeastern Province, Hudson has always maintained close ties with merchants.
After the outbreak of the war, through his commerce network, Hudson was able to secure a few hundred war horses in succession.
But the chances of getting any more were slim as nobles from all over were angling for them.
After all, no one would ever turn down anything that could enhance their survival rate on the battlefield.