284: Chapter 155, Grain Shortage_2 284: Chapter 155, Grain Shortage_2 Everyone was preparing in advance, and those who didn’t prepare adequately, or didn’t prepare at all, naturally become targets of attack and exclusion.
Any family that had a prodigal child who only knew about pleasure and did not prepare for the family’s future were left to fend for themselves – they had it coming.
But not this time, this situation is unique.
The predicament has not been brought about by family mismanagement.
Natural and man-made disasters arrived together, small nobles without substantial assets couldn’t survive this turmoil.
It’s no surprise that their resources ran dry.
In the world of the nobility, apart from the naked brutal realities, human feelings matter too.
Besides, there are proactive neighbours to compare with.
If they were completely ignored, those younger brothers who couldn’t withstand the pressure might switch sides and follow Hudson.
If Viscount West, an outsider, was isolated, it is excusable.
However, if he was isolated as a native, it would be a slap in Dalton Family’s face.
Considering the reaction of the Dalton Family, Hudson held back in Layton County without stretching his claws towards Wharton County.
If he himself could not secure his existing foundation and his younger brothers actively shifted their loyalty, then it would be a different story entirely.
“Steward, send a message to the clan, and borrow some people who can train soldiers.
Notify the nobles in the county and have them assemble their young and hearty for training.
Those nobles who take part in the training but fail to accomplish the tasks set by the Kingdom, the Prefecture Government can lend them resources, with a symbolic interest rate of 10% annually.”
Viscount Caryo said calmly.
In the continent of Aslante, a loan with an annual interest of 10% is considered charitable, especially in a war time filled with uncertainties, it represents nobility.
In order for everyone to send their young and hearty for unified training, Viscount Caryo is making significant investments.
Getting ahead of Hudson, Caryo, who wants to make achievements, must win over the nobles in the county.
It’s not enough to just bring people over.
On the battlefield, what will be tested is not politics, but war achievements carved out with every shot and slash.
Caryo, fully aware of his limitations, knows very well that he cannot rival Hudson when it comes to military tactics.
Just because he’s not adept at military tactics doesn’t mean his battlefield achievements wouldn’t matter.
Wars ultimately come down to strength – once a troop capable of fighting is trained, the situation would completely change.
Interiorly managing the port and controlling the Southeast Province’s access to other countries by sea, the Dalton Family isn’t lacking supplies.
Assisting the nobles in the county with supplies is just a matter of a few extra trips for Dalton Family’s ships.
After all, these expenses have to be repaid eventually, it’s not a direct loss.
As a trade-off for training a capable army to capture military merits on the battlefield for him, Caryo thinks it’s not a loss at all.
It’s also a tactic in the open.
Other counties might learn from it, but Layton County cannot imitate it.
Hudson couldn’t accomplish the task assigned by the Light Kingdom if he didn’t invest labor into developing his fiefdom and drastically increase his steel production.
Going to the battlefield with an army that has undergone rigorous training is far more likely to achieve results than going with a disorganized mob.
“Young Master, if all the young men in the county are gathered here, even if the grain and supplies are shared by everyone, we will still need a large training ground.
Plenty of undeveloped hills in the Mountain Domain are filled with a few trees and miscellaneous weeds, it won’t hurt to use them as training grounds.
If a large area of Maple Town were designated as a training ground, it would inevitably affect our food production.”
The old steward reminded solemnly.
Although Wharton County is slightly smaller than Layton County, the number of young men owned by the nobles is not a small figure.
The training ground for tens of thousands of soldiers cannot be accommodated by the small military camp in Maple Town, it will certainly occupy a lot of farmland.
“I understand, carry out my orders.
It is only a temporary occupation of some farmland.
Compared with the potential gains on the battlefield, it is nothing.”
Viscount Caryo said unperturbed.
Once he made a decision, he would not regret it.
Having an army capable of fighting not only increases his chance of survival on the battlefield, but also greatly enhances his future position in the army.
If coordinated well with the family, it is possible that the Dalton Family might take yet another small step forward this time.
Although fundamentally speaking, Dukes, Marquises and Earls all have almost the same power as local lords.
A strong fiefdom Earl may even have more say than some declining dukes or marquises.
But in terms of title, he is still slightly inferior.
The minor issue of being addressed, Viscount Caryo isn’t bothered by it.
However, he is quite interested in enhancing his clan’s strength.
Stellar military achievements and robust strength, coupled with the fortunate timing of major upheavals, present a perfect opportunity for progress no matter how one looks at it.
…
The frenzy isn’t just limited to Viscount Caryo.
All the nobles across Southeastern Province, or within the kingdom who can participate in the game, are frantically expanding their military strength.
Of course, those hoping to secure the fruits of victory after the war are a handful of young optimists.
The older nobles don’t indulge in such fantasies; their enhancement of military power is purely for self-preservation.
If they win the war against the orcs, there will be a future for everyone; if they lose this battle of national fate, their destiny will be the ruination of both their nation and family.
The bigger the players, the more aware they are of the might of the Orc Empire.
Accordingly, their confidence in this war diminishes.
If there were any other choice available, no significant powers in the Alpha Kingdom would want to take on the Orc Army till the end.
Seeing the neighboring troops mobilize in droves, Hudson’s heart finally eases.
It’s not the strength of the enemy they fear, but the weakness of their allies.
Their allies are now actively preparing for the war and are not slacking due to not being conscripted yet, which is absolutely good news for the Alpha Kingdom.
Everyone is on the same side, and the stronger their allies are, the greater the chance the kingdom has to win the war.
Even if they can’t win, they can at least buy some time.
Without blindly joining the frenzy to train troops, the Mountain Domain continues to operate methodically.
Hudson isn’t afraid of being criticized for inaction, as enhancing industrial capacity also contributes to the kingdom.
Setting a small initial target, the raw iron production capacity of the fiefdom will be increased to 500 tons per month within three months, and to 1,000 tons per month within six months.
While it’s still not on par with the small iron workshops of the previous world, this figure is among the best within the Continent of Aslante.
There are even many small countries whose total steel production capacity doesn’t reach this number.
“Tom, you will personally handle the issues with the mine’s production.
You can arrange these hired workers to mine or to forge later, but the key smelting process can only be entrusted to our own people.
The smelter must be heavily guarded, barring all outsiders from approaching.
If any suspicious individuals are found, seize them first and question them later.”
Hudson would hate to see their blast furnace ironmaking technology being spread all over the world anytime soon.
In the traditional smelting mode, one furnace could produce about 180 pounds of iron.
If someone could turn out 200 to 300 pounds, that person would be a master craftsman.
However, the largest blast furnace in the Mountain Domain can produce over a ton of iron per operation.
Not only is the production capacity high, but the quality of raw iron produced is also superior.
Although it couldn’t compare to the magical iron refining furnace of legend, the cost of production between the two was incomparable.
One used magic crystal as energy while the other used charcoal and coal — they simply couldn’t be compared.
Compared then to the other secrets in the domain, even if they’re laid out in front of the serfs, it wouldn’t attract their attention, in all probability.
For instance: Swamp Brand Fertilizer is no longer just used during the busy farming season.
Under the name of increasing the thickness of soil in newly reclaimed wastelands, it’s spread as the wasteland is being reclaimed.
Since they were all working in the same county, which was like working at their own doorstep, everyone would return to their own homes during the busy farming season.
So they wouldn’t have a chance to experience first-hand how agriculture in Mountain Domain was conducted.
During regular times, they would work within defined areas, so there was seldom any close contact between foreign and local serfs.
On the rare occasions they did meet, they were not familiar with each other.
If they greeted each other, it was considered friendly.
More often than not, they wouldn’t speak much.
“Master, they have arranged production in the mining area well.
The biggest trouble in the domain currently is the rapid increase in food consumption.
With the addition of several tens of thousands of mouths to feed, our originally ample food reserves might barely last until the spring harvest comes.
According to the initial plan, starting next year, the food produced by the domain would meet 80% of the consumption requirements and only a small quantity needed to be purchased to make up for the shortfall.
But now that the situation has changed, the food gap hasn’t decreased but, instead, has increased.
Normally that would be fine, as there’s always availability as long as you have money.
At this time, unless you, Master, intervene personally, even if we could offer a high price, we still might not be able to purchase sufficient food.”
…