281: Chapter 154, Hot Potato = Opportunity_2 281: Chapter 154, Hot Potato = Opportunity_2 Sir Hendal lamented.
You could see from his helpless expression that he was truly powerless and ready to give up completely.
If he can’t do it, he can’t do it.
Even if he’s forced to go to the front line ahead of time, he still can’t come up with enough money and grain.
Especially when it comes to strategic materials, not only does he need to pay now, but he will also have to continue paying each month.
And this number is likely to keep growing.
For some impoverished nobility, gathering supplies for one or two months may not be hard, but they can’t afford the consumption month after month.
“Sir Hendal, I’m well aware of your situation.
Providing money and grain for the frontline for a long time does put a lot of pressure on you.
But rules are rules and neither you nor I have the authority to change them.
The King’s summons must be fulfilled fully.
In Layton County, there are many other nobles facing the same predicament.
In fact, most of them are dealing with certain difficulties.
We are all adults and capable of taking responsibility for our actions.
No matter what decision you make, I will respect your choice.
If you don’t want to give money and grain, you can fill out a registration form, take your troops with the grain transport team up to the front lines, and participate in the defense of the kingdom.
But let me remind you: stopping the Orcs’ invasion is not as easy as suppressing the Skeleton Society’s rebellion.
According to experience from past wars, the sooner you participate in the war, the less likely you are to survive.
Think clearly before you decide whether or not to take the risk.
My personal advice is to try your best to gather resources first and complete the tasks given from above.
If in the end you still can’t, then take your troops to the frontline for service.
Money and food are just worldly possessions.
Even if you exhaust your savings now, you can accumulate it again in the future.
Your life, on the other hand, is your own.
This is especially true for some families with few descendants.
Once you die on the frontline, the family wealth you’ve painstakingly accumulated will end up in others’ pockets.”
Hudson said earnestly.
If the shortcoming were small, he would just cover it.
But in the current situation, he finds it very worrisome that someone would give up at the start.
Well, there’s no other way; he has to follow the rules.
Everyone has the responsibility to resist the Orcs.
Those who have money give money and those who have grain give grain but those who have neither will have to risk their lives.
The atmosphere at the convention suddenly became tense.
The nobles who originally intended to fight found their prepared reasons for objection were, in fact, laughably absurd.
Difficulty deserves sympathy, indeed, but the problem is that everyone is having difficulty now.
The nobles in charge of gathering supplies are struggling, and the nobles fighting at the front line are struggling even more.
“Honorable Viscount Hudson, the supplies we have can’t sustain us for long.
We can’t possibly starve our domain people just to complete a task!
Do you have any strategies to help us weather this storm?”
Baron Sanchez asked with anticipation.
This reminder made everyone remember that today’s meeting was about discussing strategies to overcome the crisis together.
Facing the hopeful gazes of everyone, Hudson shook his head directly and said somewhat helplessly, “I knew that everyone was facing difficulties, but I didn’t realize the severity of it.
You may not know that even the Mountain Domain, in striving to fulfill its duties, is finding it incredibly difficult.
I have to devise methods to fill this gap.
The food supply in the Mountain Domain is insufficient, but our iron reserves are abundant.
As per the rules, we have to provide 150,000 pounds of quality iron every month to meet our obligations.
I hope you all understand that, even at normal times, the worth of such a large quantity of high-quality iron exceeds five thousand gold coins.
At times like these, if sold outside, the price could unsurprisingly double.
The cost of smelting iron has always been high.
Even without considering the costs of ore and coal, taking care of the needs of thousands of miners is a huge expense.
I can’t bear such a heavy financial burden either.
To cut costs, I have to take on some forging tasks to save expenses.
The situation in the Mountain Domain is unique, and you all can’t exactly imitate it.
But everyone can, based on their actual situation, come up with side activities.
For example, the lords along the river can catch some fish, which when dried, one pound of it can substitute four pounds of rye
If feasible, you can breed some fast-growing aquatic products, it would be even better.
Those living in areas plentiful in game can hunt some, dry it, and use it as a substitute.
Even wild vegetables, after being dried, can be accepted.
You can also sow some fast-growing crops according to your situation.
Layton County is only about a hundred & eighty li away from the sea.
If you have a wide network, can get a ship, and organize manpower to go out to sea to fish, it can also be a way out.
If you can’t do any of these, my Mountain Domain lacks manpower.
Blacksmiths, miners, farmers, cobblers…
can all come here.
The employment price will be calculated based on actual abilities.
You can send people to discuss the details with the manager.
How exactly you want to go about this should depend on your actual situation.
Even if the gathered supplies are like a drop in the ocean, it’s still better than doing nothing.”
Whether it’s making dried fish, dried meat, or dried vegetables, these are just old and unoriginal ideas.
The problem doesn’t lie in the solutions, but that they are detached from the reality.
All of them are developed lands in good condition, the fish and shrimp in the rivers are always patronized by the residents along the banks; the beasts in the forest often appear on the noble lord’s dining table.