The episode did not affect Hudson. As his status continued to improve, he inevitably distanced himself from his original relatives and friends.
Not to mention these distant relations, even his brothers would feel a little unnatural when they get along with him.
If nothing major happens, relatives, friends and old friends will basically not disturb Hudson. For the sake of everyone's comfort, Hudson would not take the initiative to get closer.
Even if there is a wedding or funeral, just send someone to give a generous gift. If you attend in person, you will not only overwhelm the guests, but also cause a lot of unnecessary trouble to others.
After all, the network of relationships in the aristocratic world is just a spider web. What should I do if my relatives and friends appear to be too close and my relatives and friends come to ask for help when they are in trouble?
Not only will Hudson have a headache, but his relatives and friends will also have a headache. Bringing people here to ask for help is equivalent to exchanging favors from Hudson for favors from other relatives and friends.
The values are completely unequal, a complete loss-making transaction. However, some people are too close to each other, or have owed favors in the past, and now there is no way to refuse them.
Appropriate distance is good for everyone. Looking at the statistical data, Hudson was very satisfied.
The increasing flow of people in Crescent Harbor means that the pattern of light coming in and out is about to change. Only when the flow of people increases can business prosper.
Regardless of the fact that a lot of shops outside are now open for business, in fact they are all false prosperity created by Hudson.
They are all Mr. Ha's own property. With no rent or taxes, less than 10% of the shops can still barely maintain their capital.
It can be said that as soon as the door opens every day, Hudson starts to lose money and make money. There is no way, if you can't fool enough business travelers to come to open up wasteland, you can only go into battle yourself, hoping to cultivate the market as soon as possible.
"Yes, the money lost this month is 30% less than last month. If this situation continues, it is estimated that these shops will be able to break even in a few months." After hearing this, Hudson Rudolph looked ashamed.
As the new Minister of Commerce of Xueyue Ling, all the industries in his hands are losing money, and he really has no confidence.
You must know that the Ministry of Commerce still has the monopoly rights on salt and iron, and it can still lose money while holding a golden rice bowl. If you tell it, it will make people laugh.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. The flow of people in the port is growing rapidly, and our Ministry of Commerce will definitely turn losses into profits as soon as possible. The main reason for the short-term loss is that everyone does not know that all daily necessities can be purchased in the port. Most of them are The noble lords all brought a large amount of supplies here by themselves. The Ministry of Commerce is planning a nationwide promotion. In a few months, the nobles of the kingdom will know that Crescent Port is rich in commodities. Small and medium-sized nobles must organize transportation capacity to transport supplies from home. There are a lot of troubles that need to be solved along the way, and the cost is difficult to control. Our pricing is still very competitive. When the materials in their hands are used up, someone will definitely choose to purchase directly from the port. Those who make losses this year, we will all lose next year. You can double your profits. As long as you can monopolize the supply of materials needed for the development of the Near East, all the initial investment will be worth it!" Rudolph's words made Hudson slightly stunned.
He has always been the one who draws cakes for his subordinates, but he never expected that his subordinates would also learn to draw cakes for him. To develop the Near East, the resources required are not small.
If it were to be monopolized, the profits would be absolutely terrifying. Not to mention that it can fill all the financial holes of Xueyue Ling, but it can also solve at least one-third of the funding gap.
"Ha ha……"
"Don't think about monopoly. Our cost advantage is only for small and medium-sized nobles. The big nobles on the coast organize the transportation of materials themselves, and the cost is almost the same as ours, and even the prices of some materials will be lower. Participate In this transaction, making money is second. The most important thing is to keep the price of materials down, so that the financial resources of small and medium-sized nobles will not affect the development of the territory." Hudson's explanation made everyone awe.
He is worthy of being the marshal of the kingdom, giving priority to the interests of the kingdom in everything. Compared with the Near East strategy, the benefits brought by monopoly are insignificant.
In essence, Crescent Port is a cornucopia. As long as the Near East strategy is successful, profits will continue to be generated here.
"Your Excellency, the Duke, is far-sighted. Now is indeed not the time to care about short-term interests. The orc threat is imminent, and the top priority is to promote the development of the Near East as soon as possible. Affected by the increase in human traffic, many nobles and business travelers have come over recently. Ask about buying shops and houses. If you sell them to others, you should be able to get a lot of money back. The trouble now is the pricing issue. With the threat of orcs on the side, it is difficult to sell the properties at a good price. The Ministry of Government is considering selling one third of the city first. The shops and residences are expected to be able to withdraw 200,000 gold coins, and the rest will be gradually released after the situation stabilizes..." Before Jacob could finish speaking, Hudson interrupted directly: "There is no need. ! The funds required for territory development are huge. A mere two hundred thousand gold coins is nothing more than our current expenses for one or two months. If the real estate is to be sold at a high price, certainty is an important factor. Everyone knows that when the Near East is developed, it can Make a lot of money from it, but no one can guarantee that the Kingdom's Near East strategy will be successful. Instead of selling assets at a low price, it is better for us to bear all the risks to reassure everyone. The Ministry of Government issued an announcement that all real estate in Crescent Port , shops, I will keep them all myself. Before the Near East Strategy is successful, they will never be sold to the outside world. If you need to use it, you can go to the Real Estate Department to rent. In order to protect everyone's interests, all contracts are signed once a year, and the price is determined by the market. Real Estate Department Set a reference price as the minimum rental price. If it is favored by many people, the one with the highest price will get it. Including shops operated by the Ministry of Commerce, they will also be obtained through bidding in the future. When the number of business trips increases, some loss-making transactions should be stopped. The Ministry of Public Security will pay attention. I don’t want to see forced buying and selling, coercion and inducement happening in the city. If someone breaks the rules, they just have trouble with me. No matter how big the background is, I will arrest them first. Follow the rules. , if you cause trouble, I will be responsible for taking the blame. No matter who I offend, I will not let you take the blame!"
"My game, my turf, my rules"! After working hard for so many years, Hudson finally dared to say these domineering words to the outside world.
It's a pity that we are still subject to the rules, so we can only let our subordinates arrest people first, and we can't say a more domineering sentence - kill without mercy!
If a group of nobles were really hacked to death, Hudson wouldn't be able to hold it back. Places with vast land and sparsely populated areas are not suitable for real estate development.
Even for a city with relatively scarce land resources, it would be difficult to sell it for a high price if safety is not guaranteed.
From Hudson's point of view, being able to withdraw 200,000 gold coins is already a very optimistic estimate. If you want to sell this number, you will most likely have to sell off the best quality properties.
Anyone who dares to buy real estate in the city at this time is a gambler. If it weren't for Hudson's name, I doubt anyone would even take the risk to try it.
The most prosperous port in the Near East can only be sold for such a small amount, so it is better to let the house go to your hands. Others make real money by speculating in real estate, so there is no reason for him to have to recoup some construction costs.
Instead of selling assets at a low price, it is better to stay and collect rent. As long as the flow of people at the port increases, there will be no need to worry about not being able to rent out the house in hand.
At least the hotels in the city are now breaking even. Several high-end hotels that specialize in aristocratic business have even begun to make profits.
No matter how much you earn, it is still a good start. Almost all cities are important sources of wealth for the great nobles.
Hudson's several cities in the southeastern provinces can bring him hundreds of thousands of gold coins in annual taxes and house rents.
The development prospects of Crescent Harbor are greater than those of inland cities. Once developed, the benefits will only be faster and more substantial.
There is no need to worry about competitors. Without the help of the Kingdom's mages, it is almost impossible to open a large port in the rocky waters.
Hudson was able to continue to build strongholds in the coastal areas because he had a labor force. Ordinary reef obstacles can be solved by just letting Maxim roll.
In addition, he is also the supreme commander in the Near East and can use public weapons for private purposes. Often citing the need for coastal defense, the magicians accompanying the army were mobilized to help.
Ordinary noble lords, even if they were willing to spend money to repair the port, would not be able to mobilize such a strong force to clear the waterway.
Even if a big noble invested a lot of money to solve these problems, transportation issues would still have to be considered.
It is true that the prairie is flat, but that does not mean that all places are plains. Special terrains such as rivers and mountains also exist, but the proportion is not very high.
The Xueyue Territory itself is large enough that Hudson can renovate it at will on his own land. Other noble lords do not have such a large territory, and they need to coordinate many relationships if they want to follow suit.
In this three-acre area in the Near East, in terms of appeal, no one dares to compare with Hudson. No matter how great the family connections are, it's useless here.
If the orcs attack, Mr. Hudson will still be asked to help deal with it. With the support of this core factor, and the fact that Hudson paid attention to food and appearance and took great care of the noble lords, no one had any reason to go against him.
"Your Majesty, Duke, you hold all the real estate, which can indeed enhance the outside world's confidence in Crescent Port. However, the territory's financial hole is getting bigger and bigger now. Although the kingdom helped us build the main city, some of the ancillary defense facilities, We still need to improve it ourselves. According to the plan sent by the Ministry of Military Affairs, our investment in infrastructure alone next year will exceed 800,000 gold coins. The most important construction projects are the construction of auxiliary ports and buildings in the city. Immigration expenses are not a small number. It is estimated that 550,000 gold coins will be spent, half of which will be used for resettlement of immigrants. Compared with the funds, the bigger trouble is that Xueyue is seriously short of labor. The speed of immigration cannot keep up with the growth of our demand for labor. What's more, the current labor force in the Mountain Territory is only sufficient, far from being surplus. Judging from the current situation, a maximum of 40,000 young men and women can be drawn from the Mountain Territory, and 15,000 young men and women can be drawn from the Burke Territory. And then If there are more, it will affect the development of the two places. Since the end of the war, we have sent people to purchase slaves from the outside world, but it is still a drop in the bucket. Not only is the kingdom short of people for its Near East development strategy, but the Frankish Kingdom and Yinlibia Kingdom in the Southern Continent are also short of people. We are engaged in large-scale development and construction. Affected by this, the price in the slave market has become impossible to see. The price of young and strong horses exceeds that of ordinary war horses, and even the prices of women and children have doubled. So far, we have purchased a total of slaves Eighty thousand people, the average procurement cost is 17.6 gold coins/person, of which young adults account for less than one-third. The price has become irrational. If it continues to rise, we can only suspend procurement. This has not yet amortized military expenditures, otherwise The expenditure is even more terrifying. Currently, the only income generated by Xueyue Territory is fishery. Last month it contributed 3,500 gold coins in profit, and it is expected to reach 4,000 gold coins this month. Fishing products cannot be sold at high prices, and the kingdom’s garrison and construction projects As for the labor force, we are providing the meat now, and the market has been developed. We can only wait for the noble lords to purchase in the future. Considering the price issue, the market in this area will not be too big. The livestock industry is in its infancy and cannot be created for the time being. Income. Even if it develops, the income will not be optimistic. If you want to build your own blood, you still have to rely on the Ministry of Commerce. But this is just a drop in the bucket. It will be difficult for Xueyue Ling to control its annual deficit within one million within at least five years. " Jacob said helplessly.
In a new territory, the initial investment is a sinkhole. The officially registered area of Xueyue Territory is more than 400,000 square kilometers, but no one actually knows the control area.
Anyway, when setting up a stronghold, everyone only considers whether the natural conditions are suitable. The boundaries are never considered.
It doesn't matter if it goes beyond the Near East region. The land outside the kingdom is considered unclaimed land, and any land that can be occupied is considered the land of Xueyue Territory.
As much fun as enclosure is, investing in construction is as hard as it is. The strongholds have been established. Is it reasonable not to build a castle to protect the safety of immigrants?
Expenditures remain high, but income is pitifully low. It’s not that fishing products are not plentiful, it’s just that our purchasing power is limited!
Fish is also meat, no matter how cheap it is, it is still more expensive than grains such as rye and potatoes. With a limited budget, it would be good for the nobles to keep their serfs full, and meat would only appear when the food was improved.
The current main consumer group is the Kingdom's garrison. It was also thanks to the high food standards set by Hudson that he was able to sell so much fish.
In fact, the soldiers were already tired of eating fish every day. It’s just that it’s troublesome to transport cattle and sheep. They’re too expensive in the Near East, and the military budget can only afford them.
A combination meal of "brown bread + fish + vegetables". Xueyue Territory is in serious deficit, which is entirely supported by the income from the Mountain Territory.
Unfortunately, after bearing huge military expenditures, the Mountain Territory also ran out of money. Two standing infantry regiments + one knight regiment + two cavalry regiments + a small Warcraft regiment, plus a soldier training academy, as well as a large reserve force and a naval force with over 10,000 people, which has long surpassed a noble lord The necessary armed forces.
Many small countries on the continent have armed forces that cannot match that of Hudson. Apart from the royal family, there is no major noble family in the kingdom who dares to say that their military strength can surpass that of Hudson.
The war was over, but Hudson did not disarm. It wasn't that he wanted to go militarily, it was because he had no choice but to do so.
Being neighbors with orcs, just relying on a name to intimidate them is not enough to make them stay away. Armed force is also required as a guarantee.
The kingdom's garrison can indeed play a role, but if you want to mobilize troops on a large scale, you need to report to the royal capital.
As the Frontier coach, Hudson also needs to avoid suspicion. There is no problem in commanding the entire army during war. In normal times, if you want to mobilize large armies, you still have to follow formal procedures.
In emergencies, just break the rules once in a while. If the garrison was mobilized every now and then, Caesar IV would probably not be able to sleep.
If they choose to resort to force, the fiscal revenue of the territory will naturally be insufficient. The gap is now fully supported by the profits from Ha's Magic Potion.
No one knows how much profit there is except for Hudson himself. The outside world can only calculate the cost and profit based on normal magic potions. Due to limited sales, the total monthly shipment price is now only more than 300,000 gold coins.
According to the gross profit estimate of ordinary magic potions wholesale, the final profit is only about 100,000 gold coins at most. After all, not only do magic materials cost money, but the salaries of alchemy masters are also not cheap.
Hudson's extensive use of magic apprentices was simply ignored by everyone. Countless alchemy masters have personally confirmed that all high-quality Ha's potions come from the master's hands.
In the eyes of many, the Hudson Territory is now in a financial deficit. A few days ago, he also applied for a frontline lord subsidy fund from the kingdom.
The benefits that originally belonged to the nobles of the North have now become exclusive to the nobles of the Near East. Hudson was the first to come over to open up the business and became the first lord to enjoy the kingdom's subsidies.
Unfortunately, the kingdom's financial deficit is serious. The Ministry of Finance cannot come up with enough cash for this year's 300,000 gold coin subsidy, so it can only use strategic materials to cover it.
Hudson certainly didn't believe this statement. The real reason is that once cash is paid, there will be a lot of nobles behind them who will ask for subsidies from the kingdom under the guise of developing fiefdoms.
Directly distributing physical subsidies does not seem to make much difference, but it eliminates the possibility of cheating on subsidies.
If the kingdom transports the subsidized materials to the place but does not see the citizens, it cannot be explained.
"Perhaps the problem of financial deficit can be solved together with the problem of labor shortage. Trade has been interrupted for such a long time. It is estimated that the smugglers and slave traders who were active between the kingdom and the orc empire have long been unable to bear it. Let Kate comes and contacts them. As long as they pay the smuggling tax, we can secretly issue exit passes. All smuggled goods must be approved by us. The Near East is much closer to the orcs than the North, and the tax will be increased by 100%. The slave traders will There are no restrictions, just let them do whatever they want in the past. Whether they catch it themselves or purchase it from the orc tribe, we don't care. For slaves suitable to be used as coolies, we will directly purchase them, and the price will be based on the market. For other slaves, they can do it themselves. Processing, but a tax of one-fifth of the market price will be levied. Every time a certain amount of slaves are sold to Xueyue, they can be exempted from the tax of a special slave, and can also get corresponding points. With the points, they can Purchase weapons and equipment in the territory. As long as you have enough points, you can also purchase magic equipment. You can discuss the specific standards and formulate them. But you must make it clear in advance that the slave trade has nothing to do with us. If they are caught by the orcs, they can only be considered unlucky, Xue The Moon Leader will not stand up for them," Hudson said unscrupulously.
Making money is not easy, but the profits from magic potion seem to be huge. Who knows how long it will last?
After all, there are only a few who are taken advantage of. Even if you deliberately engage in hunger marketing, after using it for a period of time, everyone will slowly return to rationality.
No matter how fast you practice, you will still get stuck after encountering a bottleneck. Except for a few wealthy lazy people, I am afraid that most nobles will calculate costs rationally.
How long it lasted, Hudson didn't know. Rationality forced him to take precautions. If the financial resources dry up, it will not be that simple to find a solution.
Restarting trade with the Orc Empire is the best solution. The Northland nobles were able to survive in the harsh environment of the constant invasion of orcs, relying on the smuggling trade.
The only difference is that during the Continental War, the orcs were not able to grab enough wealth, and there was not much money to be made from pure commercial trade.
But it doesn't matter, you can still sell slaves if you don't have money. Anyway, the orc tribe was killing Zhenghuan, so it was not a problem to sell their enemies as slaves in exchange for the supplies they needed.
