NOVPUBIt was precisely by relying on these data that Xiulote was able to outline the details of military and civilian settlements and roughly plan future tax levels, envisioning the direction of further reforms.
Military settlements would farm 10 acres per able-bodied man and contribute 2.5 dan of grain, with the surplus provided to the troops. Civilian settlements would farm 8 acres per able-bodied man and contribute 2 dan, half for self-sustenance, and the remaining three-fifths as tribute, two-fifths as village savings—taxes were around 30 percent. Adult women were to till 6 acres and contribute 1.5 dan; the elderly and infirm would farm 4 acres and contribute 1 dan, calculated in the same manner. Including corvée labor during agricultural downtime, the future level of taxation in the fief would be equivalent to that of the Qin Dynasty after its centralizing reforms.
"Encourage farming, construct water conservancy projects; register households uniformly, reward childbirth; develop metal farming tools, and assign land according to military merit... The fief’s land would support ten people with every twenty dan of grain, and three able-bodied men were required from every ten people. In times of war, one of these three would be conscripted, so six thousand soldiers would be mobilized for every one million two hundred thousand dan of grain..."
A multitude of thoughts flashed through the young king’s mind, eventually settling into a smile on his lips. Learning from Shang Yang’s reforms, imitating the Qin Dynasty’s agricultural and military system, was the direction he intended for his future governance. However, details still needed to be clarified. He continued to ponder over the map, considering the current population of his fief.
"The northernmost part of the fief is bordered by the Lerma River, with the Rivermouth Fortress at its center, and a few dozen miles to the southwest is Lake Cuitzeo. This is also where the Alliance’s naval forces are moored. Kuluka, have you been to the Rivermouth Fortress to see my father?"
Upon hearing this, Kuluka nodded and proceeded to give a detailed report.
"Your Majesty, I have visited the Deputy Marshal. He oversees the Rivermouth, having refurbished the fortress anew, and has arranged the logistics very adequately. The wounded have also been treated, and the recovered samurai are beginning to rejoin the legion. The collapsing forces in the vicinity have been reorganized or eradicated, and the towns and villages maintain order and compliance. The farmers have completed the spring plowing on schedule. However, there is a severe shortage of priests there; after the nobility were purged, most villages are managed by the elders themselves."
"The land around Lake Cuitzeo is replete with water and fertile. Within a few dozen miles of the lake, numerous villages are densely spread, once aggregating a population of two to three hundred thousand. There are millions of acres of cultivated farmland, all free of tree roots and stones."
Hearing this, Xiulote nodded. He stood up, paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, lost in thought.
The area around Lake Cuitzeo in the north of the fief originally had over forty large villages and market towns, teeming with people and rich in products. However, the north had been ravaged by war, with the kingdom frequently conscripting troops, and the towns had suffered the most destruction. Now, with the northeastern area of Akanbaro State having been partitioned away to become Tepopolo’s fief, the entire north needed to be reorganized. Determining the fief’s administration was the first step in the new policy.
After much deliberation, the young king made a decision.
"Monkey, take a pen and record this."
Kuluka nodded in acknowledgment. He took out a fine brush, dipped it in ink, and began to scribble and sketch haphazardly.
"Redesign the state and county system, demarcate boundaries and population. South of the Lerma River and north of Huayamo Fortress, the northern part of the fief extends 150 miles east-west and over fifty miles north-south, encompassing the entire Lake Cuitzeo area and half of the Saka State—to be set as a ’county.’ The Rivermouth Fortress will serve as the county government, hence called Rivermouth County. It will govern over forty large villages, a population of one hundred thousand, and ten thousand able-bodied men. Quickly register households uniformly and establish civilian settlements!"
"County?"
As Kuluka wrote, he drew figures and simplified radical characters. His face then showed confusion.
"Your Majesty, what is a county? How is it different from a state?"
Xiulote pondered for a moment, then smiled slightly.
"Autonomous states and directly subordinate counties!"
Next, the young king’s gaze moved from the north to the south, settling on the heart of the fiefdom—the Patzcuaro Lake region and the basin. This was where the most prosperous Capital City lay; it was also the cosmic center in the mythology of the Prepetcha people.
"The area of a hundred li north to south and two hundred li east to west, with the Huayamo Fortress to the south, the state of Apachigan to the north, the mountain regions and river sources as the Western Domain, and Xitaqualo as the Eastern Domain, is designated as the Capital Region, centered on Qinchongcan Capital. It governs one hundred villages and towns, with over two hundred thousand people including about seventy thousand able-bodied men and surrendered army. Among them, fifty thousand are allocated for military settlements and one hundred fifty thousand for civilian settlements, with about thirty thousand residents in the Capital City itself."
By July, the two thousand of the surrendered army promised by Aweit had already arrived in the heartland of the Lake Region not long before. They had endured the rainy season on their journey, suffering from food shortages for months since their surrender, looking gaunt and haggard. Now, these militia turned surrendered army had missed this year’s spring plowing, and their bodies needed recuperation.
Xiulote just dispatched officers and Priests to organize the newly arrived surrendered army on the one hand, and on the other hand, to have the Priests convert and teach them faith. These able-bodied men would be able to participate in the autumn harvest. The young king had another plan in his mind, one that awaited inspection.
"Designate the area from the copper mines a few dozen li south of Ihuatzio City as the Northern Domain, the Tarsas River as the Southern Domain, east to the mountains of Xitaqualo, west to the first north-to-south river, with a hundred li from north to south and over a hundred li from east to west, with Kulamo City at the center of the entire Apachigan state, as Kulamo County, same as Zicao County. It governs nearly a hundred villages and towns, with two hundred thousand people, including forty thousand able-bodied men. Hmm, quickly investigate the local Nobility’s fiefs to implement the next step in the plan!"
The area of the Apachigan state was vast and could roughly be divided into three parts according to its features. To the slightly northern part, there were several shallow copper mines; the southern part boasted a lot of exposed Gold and Silver mines. In fact, deep within these veins were branches of copper mines where Gold, Silver, and copper coexisted. Towards the extreme south near the Tarsas River, which runs through half the world, there were many towns thriving on riverside trade—a land rich in mining resources and commercial prosperity!
Kulamo City is located in the very south of the Apachigan state, slightly to the west, a large city by the river. The first great river of the southern central part of the world, the Tarsus River, expands here, forming a broad lake basin and connecting to the edges of the Colima Mountain Region. This large city is a famous trading hub; merchants from Mistec, Zapotecs, Tepanec, Tekos, and other groups all gather here, together making it one of the most developed cities in the southern region.
The advance force of Iskali had landed in the southeast of Apachigan and had not passed through Kulamo City. Thus, the city was spared during the war but also retained its traditional Nobility rule.
In the Prepetcha language, the meaning of Kulamo refers to the broken cloth tree of the indigo family, a type of beautiful, tall tree which can grow up to 8 meters and has bright corymb-shaped flowers. In full bloom during summer, the broken cloth tree is extremely appealing and greatly beloved by the people of Prepetcha. It is worth mentioning that the seeds of the broken cloth tree have a high oil content, making it one of the rare sources of oil in Central America.
With thoughts flickering rapidly, Xiulote once again approached the large wooden board. His hand traced over the meticulously marked map; this north, central, and south tri-county area was the core of the lake-centered fiefdom.
During the western campaign, the northern Rivermouth County and the central Capital Region had seen the fires of war, with the Tarasco Nobility nearly completely purged, losing their local influence. The population of the Capital Region had already been divided into military settlements, civilian settlements, and were under the direct jurisdiction of the central government; whereas the population of Rivermouth County was in a semi-autonomous state, only waiting for the new batch of Priests to arrive to be wholly brought under control. Only the southern Apachigan state, planned to become Zicao County, had not experienced much war and, while retaining the majority of its population, also retained too many remnants of the old Nobility.
At this thought, the young king’s expression grew cold. He firmly pressed his palm onto the position of Kulamo City on the map, his gaze turning profound.
"Your Majesty, what is the next step in the plan?"
Seeing the prince’s actions, Kuluka looked up. His eyes sparkled with intelligence as he cautiously inquired.
Xiulote smiled. He reached into his chest and pulled out a scroll, slapping it onto the wooden table before him. And on the top of the scroll were neatly written four large characters.
"Granting land for military merits!"
