285: Chapter 1, Looking North as the Wolf Smoke Rises_1 285: Chapter 1, Looking North as the Wolf Smoke Rises_1 Seemingly cursed when it came to “grain”, Hudson, since becoming a lord, had to worry about insufficient food supply every year.
To address the food crisis, Hudson had spared no expense to expand cultivation.
However, expanding cultivation intensified the food crisis in his domain.
The food production capacity of the Mountain Domain reached new highs every year; likewise, the gap in the food supply also hit record highs year after year.
It was as if a wrong script had been followed, falling into a strange loop of “the more the food shortage, the more the cultivation, the more cultivation, the more the food shortage.”
The solution was quite simple: slow down the development pace of the domain, cut down the number of hired workers, and deal with the surplus slaves.
Without the pitfall of cultivating land, the consumption of food would decrease.
The situation of food insufficiency in the Mountain Domain could immediately be reversed.
“The first batch of supplies gathered from the county will soon be in place.
Intercept all the grains inside and replace them with hardtacks.
If we run low on stock, replace it with forged weapons in good condition.
Remember, all the weapons taken out this time must be qualified ones.
No matter how, do not allow any quality issues, even if we have to borrow them temporarily from the active forces.
I will handle the coordinating with the Governor’s Mansion for the operations afterward.
With these grains, to fill in the gap of food supply in the domain shouldn’t be a problem.
Later, I will figure out how to import a bunch of grain to increase the food reserves in the domain.”
Hudson said with some helplessness.
As an avid food hoarder, always prepared with millions of pounds of grain, he still suffered from a food shortage every year.
All because of the aftereffects of rapid population growth.
The rate of growth of mouths to feed was far higher than the rate of increase in food production in the domain.
With an increase of tens of thousands of mouths to feed, the pressure on the nobles of the county might have lessened, but the pressure on the Mountain Domain increased all at once.
Especially in the early stage when the mining capability had not exploded, the expenditure of the domain was much higher than its income, making the pressure even greater.
Yet as a noble lord with a conscience, Hudson could not bring himself to substitute inferior goods for good ones and harm the frontline army.
Everyone was a grasshopper on the same rope.
At its core, the Alpha Kingdom’s resistance to the Orc invasion was based on the Delaying Strategy.
Dragging on until the Human Race and the nations reacted, waiting for the arrival of reinforcements from all over the continent, that would be the time for a counterattack.
Before that, whether defending the fortress or taking the initiative to attack, everything was done to slow down the Orc Army’s rate of attack to buy time for the kingdom.
The longer the frontline army could hold out, the later Hudson would be conscripted, the more ample his preparation time would be, and the greater his chances of survival on the battlefield.
This was a simple calculation.
Of course, even if he wanted to substitute inferior goods for good ones, it would be extremely difficult to get away with it.
The Governor’s Mansion would check, the officials of the kingdom would check, and even the front-line officers would check.
If a problem were detected at any point, it would be exposed and held accountable.
According to the rules, every qualified weapon had inscriptions on it, including: place of production, the craftsman responsible for forging, the time of forging, and the person in charge of overseeing it, all clearly stated.
To conduct an investigation, one could directly trace the source through the information marked on the weapon.
This was also a sign by which the Mountain Domain classified good and bad weapons.
In order to make quick money, inferior goods were often produced to keep production costs down, naturally, the pushing step was omitted.
…
Just as a ray of dawn crept across the sky, Crown Prince Alex appeared in front of the Orc Army.
“Warriors of the Orc Empire, a thousand years ago, the Human Race betrayed us, colluding with the other races of the continent, deviously seizing our territories and killing our people.
They forced the great Orc Clan from the fertile heartland of the continent to a desolate frontier.
The hatred ingrained in us is higher than the mountains, deeper than the sea!
However, the wicked humans, not only do they not know repentance, but they also intensify the sent slave hunters to the Orc Empire causing all the tribes to be in a dire state.
They planned to use this despicable method to force the descendants of the Great Beast God to submit, forever to serve as their slaves.
Would the great Beast God’s followers ever succumb to these despicable individuals?
Disgrace can only be cleansed with blood.
Now the time for revenge has come, warriors take up your weapons…”
In the Sacred Calendar year of 99988, on January 11th, Crown Prince Alex issued the “Vengeance Declaration” in the army, initiating the curtain-raising act of the one hundred and thirty-sixth Continental War.”
With the end of the speech, the army from the Bimon Royal Court launched the first attack on the Alpha Kingdom.
Almost at the same time, wars began in the other Four Great Royal Courts.
The Warhammer Kingdom, Moxi Duchy, and the Alpha Kingdom, these three unfortunate ones, all at once welcomed the invasion of the Orc Army.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
…
Cries of slaughter constantly resonated in every corner of the Northland.
The experienced inhabitants of the Northland had all sought refuge in various fortresses.
The high and mighty noble lords at this moment also put aside their means, going on the city walls, commanding the army to fight.
The beacon fires on the Beacon Tower reached straight into the sky, like relay pillars, one after another rising up, reaching from the Northland into the Capital.
…
In the Jade Palace, observing the rising smoke signals, Caesar III quietly mused, “It has finally come!”
For some reason, when the war really broke out, the anxiety in his heart suddenly disappeared.
A surge of combat spirit suddenly rose from his chest.
Without any hesitation, Caesar III headed directly towards the conference hall.