King-Chapter 1108 - 165: Restarting Trade_3

As a result of this, prices in the slave market have become unbearable. The cost of able-bodied men has surpassed that of ordinary war horses, and even the prices of women and children have doubled.

Up to this point, we have purchased eighty thousand slaves, with an average acquisition cost of 17.6 gold coins per person, less than one-third of whom are able-bodied individuals.

Prices have lost all reason, and if they continue to rise, we can only suspend purchases.

This doesn’t even take into account the amortization of military expenses, otherwise, the expenditure would be even more terrifying.

Currently, the only revenue being generated in the Snow Moon Territory comes from the fishing industry, which contributed three thousand five hundred gold coins in profit last month, and is expected to reach four thousand this month.

The fish are not selling for their value. The kingdom’s stationed troops and the labor teams that have come for construction, all their meat comes from us, the market has already been fully tapped.

Going forward, we can only wait for purchases from Noble Lords, and considering the price issues, this part of the market won’t be large.

The livestock industry is still in its initial stage and cannot yet generate revenue. Even if it were to develop, the profits would be bleak.

To be self-sustaining, the commerce department is still our best bet. But this is also merely a drop in the bucket. At the very least, for the next five years, it will be difficult for the Snow Moon Territory to keep its annual deficit under one million gold coins."

Jacob said helplessly.

In new domains, the initial investment is like a bottomless pit. The Snow Moon Territory’s officially registered area is over four hundred thousand square kilometers, but nobody actually knows the extent of our controlled area.

Whenever we set up a base, we only consider whether the natural conditions are suitable; boundaries have never been part of the consideration.

It doesn’t matter if it extends beyond the Near East Region. Any land outside the kingdom is considered no man’s land, and any land we manage to occupy counts as part of the Snow Moon Territory.

As fun as land grabbing can be, the investment in construction is terribly onerous. The bases have been established; wouldn’t we consider building a castle to ensure the settlers’ safety?

Expenditures remain high, while income is pitifully low. It’s not that the fish resources are insufficient; it’s simply that purchasing power is limited!

Fish is still meat, and no matter how cheap, it is still more expensive than rye or potatoes.

With a limited budget, if the nobles can manage to fill their serfs’ bellies, that’s good enough—meat only appears when improving diets.

Right now, the main consumer group is only the kingdom’s stationed troops. This is only possible because Hudson set a high standard for their meals, allowing us to sell so much fish.

In fact, the soldiers are already tired of eating fish every day. But transporting beef and mutton is troublesome, and in the Near East, the prices are too high. The military budget only allows them to eat a combination meal of "black bread + fish + vegetables."

The Snow Moon Territory is deeply in deficit, solely reliant on the revenue from the Mountain Domain to stay afloat. Unfortunately, after bearing the enormous military expenses, the Mountain Domain no longer has any surplus.

Two regular infantry legions, one knight corps, two cavalry corps, a small magical beast legion, a soldier training academy, a vast reserve force, and a navy with over ten thousand personnel, already exceeds the military power a Noble Lord should have.

Many small countries on the continent do not possess military forces that can match Hudson’s.

In the kingdom, apart from The Royal Family, no Major Noble dares claim their military might surpasses Hudson’s.

The war has ended, but Hudson has not reduced his troops. It’s not that he desires to exhaust soldiers and wage wars; he is simply compelled by circumstances.

Having the Orcs as neighbors means relying solely on a name to deter them is insufficient; armed forces are necessary for protection.

The kingdom’s stationed troops can indeed be effective, but to mobilize them on a large scale requires reporting back to the Capital.

As a frontier Commander in Chief, Hudson also needs to avoid suspicion. Commanding the entire army during wartime is natural, but mobilizing large forces during peacetime still requires following formal procedures.

In case of emergencies, breaking a rule occasionally is excusable. But if troops are mobilized frequently, it’s likely that Caesar IV would lose sleep.

Having chosen to relentlessly pursue warfare, the domain’s fiscal revenue is naturally insufficient. The shortfall is now entirely supported by the profits from Ha’s Magic Potion.

Aside from Hudson himself, no one knows exactly how much profit that entails.

The outside world can only calculate the cost and profit of Magic Potions normally, because of limited sales, the total monthly shipment price is just over three hundred thousand gold coins.

According to the estimated gross profit of ordinary Magic Potions wholesale, the final profit is at most about one hundred thousand gold coins. After all, not only do Magical Materials cost money, but the salaries of Alchemists are not cheap either.

The fact that Hudson extensively used Magic Apprentices was completely ignored by everyone. Countless Alchemists personally confirmed that all high-quality Ha’s Potion came from the hands of masters.

In the eyes of many, Hudson’s domain is currently in a financial deficit. A few days ago, he even applied to the Kingdom for a subsidy for frontline Noble Lords.

What was originally a benefit for the Nobles of the North has now become an exclusive benefit for the Nobles of the Near East. Hudson was the first to come over and start an enterprise, making him the first Lord to enjoy the Kingdom’s subsidy.

Regrettably, the Kingdom’s financial deficit is severe. This year’s subsidy of three hundred thousand gold coins couldn’t be managed by the Treasury, which could only compensate by using strategic materials.

Hudson certainly didn’t believe that claim. The real reason was that once cash was paid, a whole bunch of other Nobles would come forward under the guise of developing domains, asking for subsidies from the Kingdom.

Providing subsidies in kind, though seemingly no different, utterly eliminated the possibility of subsidy fraud.

If the Kingdom sent the subsidized goods to the location but found no domain people there, that would be impossible to justify.

"The problem of the financial deficit, perhaps, could be resolved together with the issue of labor shortages."

Trade has been interrupted for so long. Smugglers and Slave Traders who were originally active between the Kingdom and the Orc Empire must be getting restless by now.

"Let Katelai contact them. As long as they pay the smuggling tax, we can secretly issue exit passes."

"All smuggled goods must be verified by us. The Near East is much closer to the Orcs than the Northland, so the tax will be doubled."

"There’s no need to restrict Slave Traders; let them do as they please. Whether they capture slaves themselves or buy them from Orc tribes, we will not interfere."

"For slaves suitable for hard labor, we will directly purchase them, and the price will follow the market rate. For other slaves, they can handle them on their own, but they must pay a tax of one-fifth of the market price."

"For every certain number of slaves sold to Snow Moon Territory, they could waive the tax for one special slave and also gain corresponding points."

"With these points, they can purchase weapons and equipment in the domain. As long as they have enough points, they can even buy Magic Equipment.

Set the specifics standards yourselves.

However, make it clear beforehand that the slave trade has nothing to do with us. If they get caught by Orcs, it’s their bad luck. Snow Moon Territory will not stand up for them," Hudson unscrupulously said.

Earning money is not easy; the profit from Magic Potions seems substantial, but who knows how long it can last?

After all, fools are in the minority.

Even if one purposefully employs hunger marketing, after using it for a while, everyone will gradually return to rationality.

No matter how fast one can train using it, everyone eventually encounters a bottleneck.

Apart from a few wealthy and lazy types, most Nobles will likely calculate the costs rationally. How long it will last, Hudson doesn’t know either.

Rationality forced him to take precautions. If the financial source dried up and he then tried to find a solution, it wouldn’t be so simple.

Reinitiating trade with the Orc Empire was the best solution. The Nobles of the North were able to sustain themselves in the harsh environment of continuous Orc invasions through smuggling trade.

The only difference: during the Continental War, the Orcs hadn’t managed to seize enough wealth; pure commercial trade wasn’t very profitable.

But no matter, if there’s no money, they could still sell slaves. Since the Orc tribes are happily killing anyway, selling enemies as slaves to obtain needed materials shouldn’t be a problem.

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