Harchong Slave Insurrection

Agreed. I suspect the Harchongese also agree. That suggests that the sharp bureaucrats are open to alternatives, eh? Perhaps emigration to the Empire of Charis? They would be more likely to agree if there was some renumeration available to those same bureaucrats.

Bottom line is that it is better for Merlin's plan to have willing imigrants come to Charis than have their enemies go up in the flames of revolt.

Arol wrote:Once the slave/serf insurrection starts, it’s going to be bloody and messy.
We’ve already been prepped by Merlin’s analysis of OWL’s library historical accounts.
Imagine the slave revolt in Haiti in the 1790’s times 10,000.
In an environment like that, education, agit-prop and the like, would only become effective once the initial blood letting had run its course.

PeterZ wrote:Agreed. I suspect the Harchongese also agree. That suggests that the sharp bureaucrats are open to alternatives, eh? Perhaps emigration to the Empire of Charis? They would be more likely to agree if there was some renumeration available to those same bureaucrats.

Bottom line is that it is better for Merlin's plan to have willing imigrants come to Charis than have their enemies go up in the flames of revolt.

That’s a sweet scenario.
A Brain Drain!
Remove the glue (the bureaucracy) that’s all that’s holding The Harchong Empire together.
At the same time the Caleb &Co., can pick an choose among the newly arrived bureaucracy, to try to pick the best.
The  Empire of Charis; with whatlies ahead, will need them to effectively run the Empire.

Arol wrote:Once the slave/serf insurrection starts, it’s going to be bloody and messy.
We’ve already been prepped by Merlin’s analysis of OWL’s library historical accounts.
Imagine the slave revolt in Haiti in the 1790’s times 10,000.
In an environment like that, education, agit-prop and the like, would only become effective once the initial blood letting had run its course.

And the serfs would suffer horribly as well. It's not just the nobles who starve when crops/harvests are burned in riots.

biochem wrote:And the serfs would suffer horribly as well. It's not just the nobles who starve when crops/harvests are burned in riots.

You’re probably right about that.
The serfs might end up between the hammer and the anvil in a slave insurrection.
Not quite slaves not quite freeborn citizens.

Two possible scenarios that could play out. The French Revolution or the Russian Revolution. In both, the underclass rose up and removed the aristocracy. For the French Revolution, the army stood by except for 'a whiff of grapeshot' by a young Corsican officer. In the Russian Revolution, army units became a driving force in overthrowing the aristocracy. The returning army units, demoralized by their defeat by Germany, their poor support, their officer leadership, were ripe for the revolution.

I see more of Russia in Harchong, less of France.

We know south harchong are where the merfhants and artisans are, so if the army goes there I can see the empire splitting. Rebellions are more likely to be had by the middle class, rather the bottom of society. That is more likely to be found in the south.

Not the bureaucrats. Bribe them to allow the slaves to emigrate and pay the aristocrats for the emigrating slaves. The idea is to increase Charis' population more quickly. With the level of productivity Charis has achieved, the increased population will leverage economic output massively.

Offer the bureaucrats and aristos the option of exporting those ex-military serfs and slaves as well as those underproductive women and children. Heck, send more of the women and children and increase productivity even more. Send enough and Harchong might acheive Charisian levels of productivity over all. That logic might well apeal to the aristos and the bribes will appeal to the bureaucrats. Get the worst potential trouble makes out of Harchong and earn a return out of those less valuable women and children (likely female children).

Harchong remains reasonably stable. They will value their human chattle more as Charis has established an objective value in the form Harchongese will understand. Charis develops a reputation of accepting anyone, no matter how base their beginnings. After accepting them, they turn those people loose to contribute willingly to Charisian society.

The women are important. A quick review of named characters suggest that women die in childbirth pretty regularly. King Haraald, Prince Hektor, Protector Stonahr, Samyl Wylsyn and Archbishop Maikel have all outlived their first wives. That suggests that Safehold societies have both older men and younger men competing for wives. An influx of women would aleviate some of this competition.

biochem wrote:

Arol wrote:Once the slave/serf insurrection starts, it’s going to be bloody and messy.
We’ve already been prepped by Merlin’s analysis of OWL’s library historical accounts.
Imagine the slave revolt in Haiti in the 1790’s times 10,000.
In an environment like that, education, agit-prop and the like, would only become effective once the initial blood letting had run its course.

And the serfs would suffer horribly as well. It's not just the nobles who starve when crops/harvests are burned in riots.

PeterZ wrote:Not the bureaucrats. Bribe them to allow the slaves to emigrate and pay the aristocrats for the emigrating slaves. The idea is to increase Charis' population more quickly. With the level of productivity Charis has achieved, the increased population will leverage economic output massively.

A very plausible workable scenario, if a slave insurection is avoided.
But it is long term, and I doubt that it would be viable option once (if?) Zion falls, and DW’s jack-in-the-box pops out of the Temple

You assume Zion will fall inn less than the long/medium term. I suspect Zion stands until the awakening of whatever Sleepers there are beneath the Temple. 20 years can account for quite a few people finding passage to Charis. Especially if Charis builds steam passenger liners to facilitate the process. Passenger liners than can also ship troops should that be needed in the future.

As for avoiding a rebellion, the emigration program would take some of the pressure off of Harchong. Perhaps take enough pressure off to avoid the rebellion. The slaves try to keep cool to avoid not being shipped out. Owners keep cool to avoid killing precious revenue generating assets. Harchong will send their most motivated/driven folks to Charis. Just the sort needed to tame wilderness.

Arol wrote:

PeterZ wrote:Not the bureaucrats. Bribe them to allow the slaves to emigrate and pay the aristocrats for the emigrating slaves. The idea is to increase Charis' population more quickly. With the level of productivity Charis has achieved, the increased population will leverage economic output massively.

A very plausible workable scenario, if a slave insurection is avoided.
But it is long term, and I doubt that it would be viable option once (if?) Zion falls, and DW’s jack-in-the-box pops out of the Temple

PeterZ wrote:You assume Zion will fall inn less than the long/medium term. I suspect Zion stands until the awakening of whatever Sleepers there are beneath the Temple. 20 years can account for quite a few people finding passage to Charis. Especially if Charis builds steam passenger liners to facilitate the process. Passenger liners than can also ship troops should that be needed in the future.

I just can’t see Cayleb & Co., letting the war drag out almost 20 years, especially now when the momentum, and technology is favouring the Allies. It would be the heights of stupidity to allow the CoG to build up their tech base. So their (the Allies) chief war aim must be to take Zion, and topple the CoG as quick as possible.
But in doing that they might bring the jack-in-the-box into play!