King-Chapter 1110 - 166: 10 Sins (Request for Monthly Votes)_2
Chapter 1110: Chapter 166: 10 Sins (Request for Monthly Votes)_2
Everyone in the Kingdom believed that he could handle matters objectively and fairly, which is why everyone overlooked his background and promoted him to his position.
Therefore, business could still be conducted, just within the rules he established, though profits might not be as high as before.
There was another detail, Hudson had a fondness for Orc slaves. It was evident from the laws he enacted, encouraging everyone to smuggle slaves from the Orc Empire.
If there were enough slaves, they could even offset taxes and purchase the most advanced weapons.
With such provisions in place, it was estimated that all smugglers would also engage in the slave trade.
In this regard, we still had an advantage, collaborating with the large tribes, securing tens of thousands of slaves each year was no problem at all.
If the interest was right, we might even become Hudson’s best partner."
Duke Rodriguez said, chuckling.
As core members of the Nobles of the North, who hadn’t been involved in the slave trade during smuggling operations?
These were old trades for us. Thanks to the connections built over long periods of smuggling trade, they inherently had an advantage over newcomers.
"Why does Hudson need so many Orc slaves, is it really as he publicly claims, to weaken the Orc Empire as much as possible?" Duke Hiro said, clearly skeptical.
To weaken the Orc Empire, one could simply purchase slaves from strong combatant races directly. Not to mention that common Orcs had low combat abilities and bred particularly fast.
"Perhaps he’s simply short on manpower!
The Snow Moon Territory is so vast, there isn’t enough population to fill it.
Especially in the early stages of frontline construction, more labor is required. If there’s a shortage of human labor, why not make do with Orcs?
For simple hard labor, these Orcs are still suitable. Besides, he used a large number of Orc slaves early in his career, so he must have accumulated quite some experience.
However, he overlooked that the Near East and the Mountain Domain are different. Using a large number of Orc slaves right under the noses of the Orcs—this kind of provocation might not be tolerated by many Orc tribes.
Wait and watch the drama unfold, we might just see an Orc uprising, a grand spectacle of cooperation from inside out.
Of course, it could also be that our Marshal Hudson has already prepared something, deliberately setting a trap for the Orcs.
In terms of military strategies, our Marshal Hudson is indeed very reliable." Duke Rodriguez answered with a smile that was not quite a smile.
No matter how the other families chose, he was determined to get involved in this business.
The risk was high, but still better than going bankrupt at home.
To raise funds, they had squeezed their domains to the brink of their limit.
Not only were the Serfs having a tough time, but passing caravans were also heavily taxed and had long been suffering.
To this day, those simple grassroots merchants had almost completely disappeared from the Northland. Those still persisting generally had the backing of the Nobles behind them.
Offending outsiders was one thing, but even their own subordinates were constantly complaining. Forced to expand their armies, they couldn’t even stop to catch their breath and rest.
As a perceptive Noble, Rodriguez was very aware that this situation couldn’t continue, or it would definitely collapse.
Yet, harsh reality forced him to grit his teeth and endure.
Time was what they needed the most. The King couldn’t always keep his eyes on them, just waiting for the situation to change, everything would be different.
The counterattack had already begun, the Royal Family’s newly added large territories were the source of trouble.
However, to hide their own involvement, they could only wait for events to slowly develop, not daring to openly confront the Royal Family.
...
The arrival of numerous smugglers brought a flourishing scene to the Snow Moon Territory.
The most direct beneficiaries were the city’s inns and pubs, many of which hung the ’fully booked’ signs for the first time.
Impacted by this, some insightful merchants had already begun to root themselves and develop specialized service industries.
As long as the money was sufficient, any shop was available for sublease.
Master Hudson launched various businesses mainly to attract traffic, but he never intended to monopolize all industries.
Compared to risky trading, directly collecting rent and taxes was more convenient.
New Moon Port, with its high population mobility, needed economic vitality, and a planned economy clearly couldn’t meet the demand.
With the staff who were merely mechanically trained to follow orders and sell goods, how could they compete with merchants?
Hudson was reconciled to short-term losses for traffic, but he wasn’t prepared to sustain long-term losses.
With continuously reducing money-losing businesses and increasing rental incomes, turning losses into profits was only a matter of time.
Especially after the arrival of bulk commodity purchasing, Hudson finally received his first "smuggling tax," changing the awkward situation of his territory only experiencing output without input.
Everything was developing in a positive direction, but trouble was also knocking on the door.
Enslaving from the Orc Empire was one thing, although it didn’t conform to mainstream moral standards, there wasn’t a single law in the Kingdom that prohibited it.
Even if there were critics, they were mostly limited to private harsh words, openly no one sympathized with the Orcs.
The problem was the smuggling trade. Although the Ten Thousand Kingdoms had tacitly allowed its existence in the past, it was ultimately an illicit operation.
Openly smuggling goods to the Orc Empire was a crime punishable by the confiscation of one’s property and execution. Once evidence was caught and brought to light, people would die.
Just as trade routes were opened, Hudson felt the pressure. High-ranking officials in the Kingdom who opposed the smuggling trade directly caused problems in the Court.
New novel chapters are published on fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com
