The Emperor in debt

phillies wrote:

PeterZ wrote:
Waaaayyyyy to simplistic, Larry. Gold doesn't oxidize or react much to many other checmicals. It is soft and doesn't shatter, so is easily formed into useful shapes. As a means of storing wealth goes, there are fewer materials out there that are better suited. One of the reasons so many cultures over the millennia decided that gold was optimal for storing wealth was because they didn't find many other better options.

Our Greek ancestors viewed silver as the basis of exchange, and gold as a metal for jewelry. Alexander used gold coins.

Perhaps simplistic, but Larry's basic point is right. The real measure of a society's wealth is not its gold or whatever, but its economic productivity. Yes, traditionally wealth has been stored in gold, but other choices could have been made.

Don

n7axw wrote:
Perhaps simplistic, but Larry's basic point is right. The real measure of a society's wealth is not its gold or whatever, but its economic productivity. Yes, traditionally wealth has been stored in gold, but other choices could have been made.

Don

China is an example of doing it differently. the highest value items were jade, and pressed bricks of tea leaves were a common mean of exchange, mostly because there was taxes on those and once payed, which was noted via a seal, no further tax or local toll was authorized.

I wonder if using forgery, and the semaphore network, could they manipulate the financial system of the mainland or the church. SInce it is spread out so much, and there is minimal communication between them, a scheme of such a large scale badid could be difficult to see until too late.
WHy not help the church? The group of four basicly let the treasurer act as he wants, so long as his actions give them money to help the jihad. So what if he recieved files listing accounst from people hiding their true value from the church. The inquisition has been backing every other plan that brought in money why change now. He does not even need to consult with any one else, he can just order those fund to be paid directly, No matter what special interest or friends those people have.

People have argued that the angels did not build a canal between howard and haven as it was too difficult even for their advance technology. WHat if they only built teh bsic infrastructure of canals? And a canal there was not really needed, only if there was extensive world trade would a canal there be worth the cost, and the planet was just establishing it self, when the angels built them.
SO potentially using better machines and explosive, sharter, yet better canal could be create between howard and haven.
This would also explain why harchong did not get a canal built, as when it was just starting out, it did not justify the expenditure. We know the harchog have plenty of slaves and serf, so why not simply use them to force build a canal, look at the pyramids.
COuld owl design a canal system for harchong? Link the areas best suited for along term water way, and best position to join with existing bodies of water.

I'm not sure why there has been so much discussion about building a new canal(s) to support the war. Wouldn't building a new canal take decades?

SWM wrote:I'm not sure why there has been so much discussion about building a new canal(s) to support the war. Wouldn't building a new canal take decades?

That would depend on how much manpower and/or heavy equipment -- ie steam shovels and trains -- the canal buidlers are willing to commit.

Also, the difference between old-style black powder and Charisian New Model Powders and high explosives will make a huge difference in the time and manpower needed.

The harchong canal system would be a great way to drain their accounts, it would allow one of the strongest economies in the world to potentially regain its power. Before charis was driven to it, harchong was the better producer by sheer quantity. So what if a plan is proposed to allow harchong to regain its former dominance, by giving it a canal system. THey are an ancient art given by the angels themselves, so no even the harchong conservatists be against them. WHile costly, in the future, it would allow lots of wealth to flow into the country, and potentially help deal with the loss of charisian goods.

I think talk about the harchong canals spread from discussing the salathar canal. The reason it is not short as it was deemed to hard to build through the mountains. We know that the archangels used advanced tech to make other canals, and believed it was simply too costly to do so there. WHat if the salathar canal was not built directly not due to costs, but ther was no need fro a canal there, and would not be for centuries, until the enclaves had developed world wide trading networks.
The republic could help to repay the empire by loaning miners to carve a brand new and improved canal system, which not only is shorts, but means they will permanently give the jahras bay, and allow the duchy os silkiah to absorb the northern most tip of the desnair empire.

Hi SYED,

The canal Shan-wei built in Silkiah, was built there because she could get water to fill it unlike the rather mountainous route you've proposed, even though its nominally shorter.

Building a wider canal even with high explosives like dynamite will have to wait until after the war, given the Panama canal took over ten years and was around 20 times shorter, an entirely new canal might take a couple centuries.

OTOH, deepening and widening 'wait' basins around the locks might permit larger ships to pass through on a schedule of 2-3 days with far less work.

L

SYED wrote:I wonder if using forgery, and the semaphore network, could they manipulate the financial system of the mainland or the church. SInce it is spread out so much, and there is minimal communication between them, a scheme of such a large scale badid could be difficult to see until too late.
WHy not help the church? The group of four basicly let the treasurer act as he wants, so long as his actions give them money to help the jihad. So what if he recieved files listing accounst from people hiding their true value from the church. The inquisition has been backing every other plan that brought in money why change now. He does not even need to consult with any one else, he can just order those fund to be paid directly, No matter what special interest or friends those people have.

People have argued that the angels did not build a canal between howard and haven as it was too difficult even for their advance technology. WHat if they only built teh bsic infrastructure of canals? And a canal there was not really needed, only if there was extensive world trade would a canal there be worth the cost, and the planet was just establishing it self, when the angels built them.
SO potentially using better machines and explosive, sharter, yet better canal could be create between howard and haven.
This would also explain why harchong did not get a canal built, as when it was just starting out, it did not justify the expenditure. We know the harchog have plenty of slaves and serf, so why not simply use them to force build a canal, look at the pyramids.
COuld owl design a canal system for harchong? Link the areas best suited for along term water way, and best position to join with existing bodies of water.