Chapter 994 A Land of Thousands of Miles, a Country of Millions, and the Coastal Alliance Controlled by the Kingdom!

"Huh? That's how it is! A double flower...huh?! What?!..."

The morning light breaks dawn, and the side hall is clear. Shulot suddenly stood up, waking up from his intoxicated sleep. He stared wide-eyed, looking at the rising sun in a daze, but there was a buzzing sound in his mind. He rubbed the center of his brows with a headache, and the clear and unforgettable call like a pair of silver bells still seemed to be echoing in his ears. After a while, he looked around and saw the two sisters who were sleeping and entangled, and their faces were bright instantly.

"This is... sister? Is this... sister?..."

This time, even though the two sisters closed their eyes and couldn't see their expressions at all, Shulot could clearly distinguish them, like some kind of instinct carved into the bone marrow. He was startled, and then he understood an old saying from the Celestial Dynasty.

"What is done on paper is always superficial, but I know that this matter must be practiced..."

"No!...All conditioned dharmas are like dreams and bubbles, like dew and electricity, so you should observe them like this..."

Shulot stood up, squinted his eyes, and looked at the dazzling sunrise. The hangover and dizziness after indulgence still made him a little dazed, and even the sun in front of him seemed to shake out of nothing. He tried his best to adapt to the meeting and talked to himself, but he distorted the Buddhist scriptures.

"Witness of the Lord God! This unforgettable joy, this magnificent dreamlike flower shadow, this wonderful flower dew, and the trembling electric light... Let me experience it a few more times, and then try to break free from the most difficult entanglement!..."

Sunrise and sunset, flowers bloom without trace. Several more days of such absurd and indulgent days have passed. Only then did Shulot barely understand the principles of Buddhism, escape from impermanence and change, and continue to handle the government affairs of the Seaside Alliance.

"Bless the Lord God! The population of each tribe in the Seaside Alliance has been roughly estimated by the priests of each tribe. On the vast seashore, each tribe is too loose, unlike the alliances and kingdoms on the plateau... There are no divisions of states in this thousand-mile seashore, only one city-state center! Specifically, the Seaside Alliance controls two large cities, eight small cities, and a total of ten city-states!..."

The desk table of red sandalwood is very long, and documents from various cities are mixed with pictures and texts, which are spread on the table one by one. Xiulot sat cross-legged in front of the table, carefully reviewing the reports from various cities and ministries. Behind him, two clerks with similar appearances smiled sweetly and looked bright, just like the fragrant flower buds after the rain. One of them mixes blue-black ink, and the other burns pleasant balsam, but they work together seamlessly, creating a unique scene.

"The ten seaside cities are actually directly under the Kingdom! Eight small cities, Wushan City, Snake City, Twenty Water City, Cone House City, Coyote City, Carved Stone City, Sacrifice Lake City, and Caotan City. With each small city as the center, it covers a surrounding area of ​​60 miles. Each has 30,000 to 50,000 tribes... It is estimated that the population of the banner team is more than 300,000!..."

Xiulot looked at the map of the seashore and drew smaller blue circles with a pen. On the vast seashore, the jungles and swamps are dense, and the rivers flood during the rainy season... Before the completion of large-scale water control projects, the suitable sites for reclamation are actually very limited.

Therefore, the kingdom's rule on the seashore is not actually connected as a whole, but approximate circles centered on the city-state. In fact, the same is true for the ruled areas of the Mayan emirates, which are determined by the natural conditions of the jungle and mountains!

"The two big cities, Jinwan City in the center of the seashore, has a surrounding area of ​​120 miles and a population of 160,000. And the easternmost Yinshe City has a surrounding area of ​​160 miles and has a population of 150,000. The two big cities add up to more than 300,000 villages and flag teams! ... The ten cities add up to a total of more than 600,000 people!  …"

Xiulot's eyes moved slightly, he drew two big circles, and then fell silent. Most of the 600,000 Totonac tribes live on the seashore. They are the most traditional seaside tribes, and they are also the location of the Eastern and Western Totonac Alliance in the perception of the alliance.

"Witness of the Lord God! These more than 600,000 people are the people of the directly-governed tribe who formed the banner team, established the village, and are directly in the hands of the kingdom! These people have converted to the Lord God, dispatched the priest of the Lord God, and placed the kingdom's banner captain and village chief. They can provide a large amount of taxes and food, and they can also provide the largest number of soldiers and young men..."

"From the ten seaside cities to the inland area, there are three Totonac city-state tribes that surrendered to the Seaside Alliance. They are located in the deep inland jungle, and they can also be regarded as the Totonac tribes in the jungle. These three cities are Feather City, Tuhe City, and Rabbit Hill City...with each city-state as the center, within a radius of 100 miles, there are about 60,000 to 70,000 tribes. Together, there are more than 200,000 and a half direct-controlled tribes, or vassal tribes..."

The so-called semi-directly governed, in simple terms, means that they have not experienced large-scale purges of nobles and leaders, and have not changed the original tribal system, but only made them convert to the main god with blood oath. Therefore, these semi-directly governed tribes still maintain a considerable degree of autonomy. The reason for self-government is mainly due to the geographical separation of the jungle, and the high cost of establishing a direct jurisdiction, making it difficult for the kingdom to gain deep control.

"Well, for the vassal tribes, it can provide more soldiers to recruit, but the provision of taxes and food is far from enough... And the subsequent direct control still needs the construction of jungle roads and the development of inland river transportation..."

Shulot continued to swipe his fingers, moving to the deep inland of the eastern coast, where the kingdom's rule was even weaker, and the southeast jungle was only established in name to submit and pay tribute.

"In the depths of these jungles, there are estimated to be more than 200,000 Totonak tribes, large and small, scattered all over the place. But the value of more than 200,000 tribes to the kingdom is even more limited, and they are almost completely autonomous... They hardly have large city-states, and there are no decent fortresses. The tribes are poor and tough. Apart from gathering together to rob, they can't provide much taxation and labor at all..."

"The absence of large-scale settlements also means that they can easily migrate, flee or guerrilla. For these poor jungle tribes, the cost of military conquest is even higher, and the possible gains are extremely low, which is completely out of proportion..."

"Therefore, the coastal alliance controlled by the kingdom can only establish political tributary rule and religious rule in belief in this inland jungle in the southeast for the time being! For them, the kingdom will send missionary priests to spread the belief of the main god, and guide them in agricultural production, build cities and fortresses... until step by step, they will transform into semi-direct tribes..."

After reading the reports from various ministries of the seashore and marking the entire seashore map, Xiulot had a clearer and clearer understanding of the kingdom's control of the seaside alliance.

"More than 600,000 tribes directly under the seashore, more than 200,000 tribes directly under the jungle, and more than 200,000 autonomous tribes in the jungle... The thousands of miles of seashores and jungles, millions of Totonac tribes, are the foundation of the Seashore Alliance! The area of ​​the entire Seashore Alliance is roughly equivalent to the Kingdom of the Lake. The population and potential of it are at least half of the Kingdom of the Lake!..."

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