MTL - The King-Chapter 325 The beginnings of the industrial revolution
Chapter 325 The embryonic form of the industrial revolution
Personnel adjustments were not only aimed at Luke. In the following days, Hudson used various excuses to transfer posts to the management who could not determine their loyalty.
In order to reduce internal disputes, all these personnel adjustments have been covered with a "reuse halo".
As long as those who were loyal to their duties during their tenure were promoted one after another, they took on more "important" responsibilities.
Thinking about Hudson, I feel speechless. Many guys with unknown origins and suspected spies even performed better than many "insiders" during their tenure.
It can be said that apart from the lack of loyalty, it is a proper and excellent worker. So much so that when he wanted to do the cleaning, Hudson couldn't bear to do it directly.
In order to make the best use of their talents, this large-scale personnel adjustment is mainly based on external transfers, and most of them are arranged to manage the newly acquired territories.
are all enclaves, as long as they can provide taxes, labor and supplies to the lord's mansion stably, Hudson doesn't have too many ideas.
No matter how well run it is, these enclaves are temporary territories. In the future, we still have to find a way to gather together, but this time period may be a bit long.
The biggest stumbling block is the unspoken rules of the kingdom. To change territories, not only the lord involved must agree, but also the king and the noble council must agree.
If any link is stuck, the territory replacement cannot proceed. The existence of this rule is mainly to protect the interests of the small and medium nobles and prevent the big nobles from bullying others.
As in Hudson, which involves the adjustment of dozens of enclaves, the relationship between the parties that needs to be coordinated is even more complicated.
Under normal circumstances, even if the lord himself is settled, it will be rejected 100% in the hands of the king and the noble council.
To achieve the goal, a series of coordination is indispensable. Maybe it will be replaced in batches to reduce the resulting impact.
Dozens of fiefdoms, nearly 7,000 square kilometers of land, the most valuable wealth brought to Hudson, apart from the land itself, is the population.
The southeastern province has a superior geographical location, fertile land, dense population, and is far away from the frontline battlefield, so it is relatively less affected by the war.
According to the data collected from various places, the total population of the new territory is 150,000, which is larger than the total population under Hudson's original rule.
Affected by the development of the prairie, almost all major forces are immigrating, causing unprecedented tension in human resources.
The originally prosperous slave trade has now stagnated. Even if someone sold slaves, they were wiped out by the major forces secretly manipulating the market.
In this context, human resources are even more important.
Looking at the data in his hand, Hudson secretly rejoiced that he was not greedy for too much, and wanted to go to the north to develop in one step.
No matter how big the land area is, if no one is going to develop it, what's the use of holding it in your hands?
Facts once again prove that rapid development still depends on war. Without this war, it would be difficult for the mountain leaders to even have a population of 40,000 to 50,000 if they only rely on their own efforts to farm.
But after a war, the situation changed completely. The gathered refugees, together with the population of the newly added fief, are about to break through the 300,000 mark.
Among the great nobles in the kingdom, this population is still at the bottom, but Hudson is still satisfied.
With so many people as the foundation, many plans that could only be thought of before can now be slowly implemented.
When it comes to action, Hudson still chose to play it safe first. While the large increase in population brings dividends, it also brings many new problems.
The biggest problem is the difficulty of management.
The managers in the territory wantonly released, in addition to worrying about their loyalty, they also want to use their abilities to bring these enclaves under control in the shortest possible time.
Spy is not a spy, frankly Hudson is not very worried. As long as these people are not allowed to enter the core management, the damage will be very limited.
After all, the spies placed at a high price are mainly for monitoring and delivering information, and they will not be exposed unless it is absolutely necessary.
Especially the spies placed by some middle-class nobles, at the moment they are even more hiding, lest they expose their identities and get burned.
As long as there are no problems with Hudson himself, most of the spies mixed in the territory will be very peaceful. Except for passing on information occasionally, he can only act as a worker honestly in normal times.
For some trivial matters, if you should pretend to be confused, you should pretend to be confused. If at a critical moment, some false information is deliberately released, it may be able to play an unexpected role.
No big moves, but little moves. In addition to personnel adjustments, he also made some minor adjustments to the industries in the territory.
"Mr. Riha, from now on, the military production in the territory will gradually shift to civilian industries.
In addition to retaining the necessary military production capacity, the remaining production capacity must be turned to the production of agricultural tools, pots and pans for daily necessities.
In the next one or two years, there should be a wave of market prices for agricultural tools and daily necessities, but the military industry in various places will undergo transformation, and the competition may be relatively high.
The production capacity of iron and steel smelting will also be gradually reduced in the next two years, and only 60% of the current capacity can be retained. "
This decision was not the result of Hudson slapping his head, but the result of the think tank's speculation after analyzing historical experience data.
The battles are over, everyone has a large backlog of weapons and equipment, and the arms market is bound to be bleak in the future.
Without the support of the hugely profitable arms trade, the mines and arms dealers in various places who were frantically expanding their production capacity in the past have either drastically reduced their production capacity or carried out transformation.
The answer that can be seen at a glance, Hudson doesn't believe that everyone can't see it. It is conceivable that after the market fell into depression, the arms giants in the kingdom would rush into the civilian market frantically.
There is basically nothing to contend with in the market within the Kingdom. Everyone has a tacit understanding with each other, it is right for each to toss within their own sphere of influence, and it is a bad idea to cross the border to fight a price war.
The big market that appeared in the north is the focus of everyone's competition.
If there was no maritime trade, the merchants of the Alpha Kingdom would definitely be able to make a fortune. Unfortunately, the sea route to the prairie had already been opened during the war.
Losing the advantage of monopoly, it is impossible to lie down and make money. Newly born countries can get support from their own backgrounds, and people won't buy products that are too expensive.
Knowing that the upcoming competition will be unprecedentedly fierce, but going to the hard bar, it is definitely out of the head. Even if he has a certain cost advantage, Hudson will not choose a price war foolishly.
The main purpose of developing the steel industry is to make money, not to seize the market. He can still distinguish the difference between being the number one steel tycoon in the mainland.
"Earl, do you really want to cut production capacity?
Recently, we have received a lot of orders, especially from the big chambers of commerce. According to the current production capacity, orders may be able to be scheduled until next year. "
Riha asked with a puzzled mind.
From a blacksmith to a project leader, Riha's ability and vision have long been unable to keep up.
To be able to stay in office all the time, in addition to doing a good job in grasping production issues, the most important thing is that the ancestors have been working for the Koslow family, and their loyalty is guaranteed.
"They just paid a deposit, which was still the minimum deposit. We are not the only ones who have received similar massive orders.
So many commodities, if they are all produced, who can they sell to in the end?
Although the storage time of iron products is long, the maintenance cost of long-term storage is not low. Once the market capacity is exceeded, it is easy to cause market collapse.
Just wait and see, there will either be a large-scale default or a second price cut. This kind of abnormal high-priced purchase is destined to be impossible to continue for a long time.
Mr. Riha, the people in the sales department will be responsible for these problems, so you don't have to worry about them. "
Originally wanted him to learn from him and broaden his horizons, but Rihana's full head of white hair directly dispelled Hudson's idea.
Cultivating talents must also select the younger generation. This kind of master who is getting old and may retire at any time, let him go!
Deep in his heart, Hudson faintly felt strong dissatisfaction with the major chambers of commerce. Fortunately, he still treats those guys as "friends", and he didn't expect to trick people, these guys don't even let "friends" go.
You must know that in the previous cooperation, everyone made a fortune with blood. Although a large piece of meat was taken away by Hudson, he also made great efforts in it.
Without the cooperation of Hudson, the major chambers of commerce would not be able to obtain so much huge profits no matter how well planned they are.
Obviously, those guys are obviously addicted to playing. After defrauding a group of nobles in the Alpha Kingdom, now they are eyeing the arms tycoon who made a fortune in the war.
With the help of grassland development, deliberately create a "huge demand", unscrupulously spread orders in various places, just waiting for everyone to take the bait.
If it weren't for the familiar routine, Hudson would have been almost fooled. After all, under normal circumstances, as long as the deposit is paid, there are very few defaults.
Knowing that there was a problem, it was impossible for Hudson to jump in, but it didn't prevent him from watching a group of colleagues jump in.
As a competitor, it is considered ethical not to add insult to injury. It is impossible to actively remind everyone to pay attention to traps.
Besides, even if this kind of thing is reminded, people may not appreciate it. Maybe it will attract more hostility and create trouble for myself out of thin air.
Under this background, Hudson accepted the order with a smile, extended the production time of the order as much as possible, and asked for a deposit by the way.
Business default has never been a problem. As long as the production speed is slow enough, he has the ability to dispose of the produced goods even if there is a default time.
It would be even more perfect if he could hit his competitors by the way. After all, the steel industry is an asset-heavy industry, which is a test of the strength of capital.
It cannot be said that there is no production without money. Anyway, steel giants that lack capital investment will definitely be at a disadvantage in the long-term competition.
After years of development, human beings have actually reached the threshold of the industrial revolution. It's just that the eruption of science and technology is different from the ordinary steam engine revolution, and more like the magic industrial revolution.
In Hudson's view, with the special political system of the Aslante continent, the most effective means to break out the industrial revolution is war.
Conservative nobles are willing to spend money on research and development of only one project - the military. Any scientific research results that can improve military strength are always the easiest to transform into results.
For example: the magic crossbow that shined in this war will enjoy a wave of development dividends next.
Since he thought he could not compete with the major forces in scientific research capabilities, Hudson encouraged Caesar III to concentrate the power of the kingdom to do it.
The effect can’t be seen for the time being. Anyway, the Kingdom’s Mage Association has taken over this burden. Many alchemists with experience in making magic crossbows have joined the research and development team.
The technology owned by the kingdom is not equal to the possession of the domestic nobles, but the magic crossbow products produced by the kingdom can be purchased by the domestic nobles.
Hudson doesn't have extravagant expectations. How advanced the magic crossbow produced by the kingdom is, as long as it can keep up with the world's first-class level.
Weapons and equipment, once everyone has it in their hands, it is equivalent to being pulled to the same level, and the final competition is the commanding ability.
When it comes to the use of magic crossbows, Hudson is not boasting. He is the most experienced in the entire continent of Aslante.
In a sense, the magic crossbow can shine in war, and Hudson also contributed a lot.
If he hadn't insisted on using the magic crossbow together, no one would have known the power of this thing after it was scaled up.
In addition to the different shapes and cumbersome manufacturing techniques, these magic crossbows are essentially replicas of old-fashioned rifles.
Anyone with a little bit of strategic vision knows that once this kind of magic crossbow, which tests productivity, becomes popular on a large scale, it can have a profound impact on the situation on the mainland.
Putting aside the cranky thoughts in his mind, Hudson got busy again. Originally thought that after the war was over, returning to the territory would allow him to rest for a while, but it turned out that this was purely an extravagant wish.
First, he was busy taking over the new fiefdom, and then adjusted the management without stopping, and then happened to discover the conspiracy of those unscrupulous profiteers.
After finishing all this work, now I will start patrolling the territory again. After leaving his own territory for such a long time, if he didn't come out to check the lord's presence, accidents would easily happen.
…
"Miss Isabel, the Earl just went out to inspect the territory, why don't you come back at another time?"
Tom whispered persuasively.
It can be seen that he is still very afraid of the woman who is suspected to be the lord's lover, and he doesn't even dare to look at her face.
Not only was Tom jealous, but as the first woman brought back by Hudson, Isabel had a special status in the entire Lord's Mansion.
The hostess is out of reach, and the guests seem to have stayed too long. The only reasonable explanation that can be accepted by everyone is the status of a lover.
"Is it such a coincidence? I just came here, and the Earl happened to be away?"
Isabel asked with a smile.
Relying on her good communication skills and her status as the lord's lover, during these days in the lord's mansion, she has been able to get along like a duck to water.
The most important thing is that no matter who she faces, she always greets her with a polite smile, which gives everyone a good impression.
In the past two years, it was also the happiest time for Isabel. All kinds of cultivation resources are sufficient, there is no need to intrigue, and there is no need to worry about being spied on.
But with Hudson's return, everything has changed.
As a prisoner, he lived a life similar to that of a hostess. That was because the Lord Hudson was not around, and everyone could not figure out the relationship between the two.
In addition, Isabel has always been very quiet, and she is not practicing every day, or practicing piano, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing and dancing and other eating skills.
Just withdrawing some cultivation resources from the government, even Baron Redman didn’t say anything, let alone others dare to interfere.
What can be fake is fake after all. It can deceive other people, but it can't deceive the real owner. Isabel doesn't think that Hudson's advantage is easy to take advantage of.
…
(end of this chapter)
