what's your reaction to Cayleb declaring at whatever peace conference:
"Charis and I are ready now to buy any and all serfs!"
There's another thread that has what the Silverlode gold etc might be used for, but most of the suggestions including mine were thinking too small.
We know the smallest of the 4 lodes is worth 10 trillion Charisian marks, probably more money than all of Safehold is currently worth, if the average wage is around a local mark per day, perhaps by an order of magnitude or so.
Cayleb can spend it pretty much how he wants, which is a sign of a true emperor, while eliminating the war taxes and most other taxes.
I can see Sharleyan using her nobility's interest in 'investing' or doing 'surveys for a gold mine' on Silverlode to negotiate better terms on industrial, infrastructure, and factory contracts etc in Chisholm as well as increasing the size of the Royal Survey Corps and Institute etc.
I can see the deterrent value of rumors in the peace to come that Cayleb spends a million marks a day building and training his army and navy in peacetime will have.
Of course Sharleyan will see to it some keep their combat experience while developing their latest weapons and tactics as they're crushing, conquering, and civilizing Trellheim.
Paying for the rebuilding of Siddarmark, Charisian R&D, becoming the world's greatest banker (with the Church of Charis becoming number 2 thanks to its 20% etc), developing industry throughout the empire while cushioning its effects, buying goodwill abroad, NTM major education have all been suggested; and in the main aren't that bad a list of suggestions, but they still pale besides such a vast quantity of wealth, and while subsidizing the race to space and rediscovering federation technology etc when the time comes might head the list, there are more important things than all of the these; the simple freedom of man.
The CoGA population on the two continents is over 800 million but how many are serfs?
At least 500 million are serfs, and how much are they worth?
Harchong adult serfs are at most probably sold for a couple hundred marks, because there are so many, and are treated like dirt because they are so cheap, so if half are children or too old all of them should be less than that for a theoretical 10 billion Charisian marks or just 1% of the first lode, but it won't come close to that.
However where most of the freed serfs may go is another place Cayleb can safely spend lots of money.
Though there is plenty of land now available in the republic and elsewhere on the continents, having physical separation will be critical in establishing new free communities and nations, and the ICN can provide that physical isolation and protection for the Barren Lands which evidently aren't so barren anymore, besides Greentree and Westbreak Islands, though only Greentree and the Barren Lands each have a named town at the moment.
I'm sure the Holy Writ has plenty of scriptures exclaiming how creating lots of concentrated ground is God's blessed work, so Cayleb and Charis ought to theoretically get lots of credit for that though the TL's won't see it that way, but it will be work the serfs know how to do but now they'll be paid and it'll be their land.
Creating a labor shortage (thereby improving the conditions of those serfs remaining) by buying as many serfs as possible after the war will be hard to stop given a peace treaty requiring recognition and trade with Charis, because Charis will insist, since those nobles and/or bureaucrats throughout the continents who haven't made a fortune yet will want theirs, so it will be politically hard to stop.
This will be a long term process, but I should review my expectation that Haven's political map will be drastically redrawn as the allies advance.
All the 'Border States' have a combined population of 102 million, Dohlar has 97 million, Silkiah 46 million, and the Temple Lands' 89 million; for 334 million of which perhaps 75% or 250 million are serfs or near it regardless of what the Temple Lands' euphemism is.
Without the CoGA to prop them up, the Border States will collapse, prodded by the levelers who saw how they were played by the SoS in Siddarmark, NTM having been disarmed by Magwair they won't be able to resist any suggested changes by the allies, even if they don't physically occupy said border state on their way to Zion (or very much).
While I expect the republic to occupy or include the eastern half of the temple lands in its new sphere of influence that includes the former Border States, Dohlar and Silkiah under more friendlier management if not outright republics, many of the 'serfs' in the western half ought to have at least some opportunities during the fighting and negotiation periods to head east while their owners are preoccupied with avoiding various armies etc.
That means 30-40% of the serfs may be freed as a result of the war, while opening the door to free the rest.
While we don't know the population of southern Harchong, Howard's serf population could be between 200-240 million, most of whom will be available for purchase until they become more rare, given Desnar, Sodar and Delferahk have little else that Charis wants.
Charis might make free trade dependent on freeing serfs, but buying outright will have its appeal regardless of various official policies, and arranging non official purchasing missions [smuggling] will further subvert the official government's remaining power.
Another great advantage of this process is that most of the expected inflation will be exported to the slave nations, further weakening them not Charis or its allies.
Cayleb and Sharleyan are both under 30 and their nanites' ought to let them live till they're in their '80's, so they potentially have 50-60 years to effectively eradicate slavery or serfdom during their lifetimes, a notable accomplishment for anyone, even if their children are doing most of the legwork the last 20-30 years.
Your thoughts on how this concept can be improved will be appreciated, so please feel free to vent any and all ideas.
L
Best to all,