Zion's food supply

Something I was thinking about. Zion is a big city and a net importer of food given the local climate, but even so many go hungry in winter. Much of which would come in through Hsing Wu's passage on ship. After the Battle of Darcos Sound, the Charisian policy was to send privateers after commerce to shut down non Charisian trade, that would include ships full of Desnarian Potatoes or Harchong Emu Jerkey destined for Zion.

In practical terms for the people of Zion this would mean that the price of food would go up. More people would hungry and more still would suddenly find themselves paying more to get by. This would be a big boon for the Group of Four by having them put up posters that say "your children starve because of the looting wrought by the Charisian Servants of Shan-wei!" and there would not be much some reformer could say to counter such a statement.

Just the thoughts of one Zor.

Zor

imperatorzor wrote:Something I was thinking about. Zion is a big city and a net importer of food given the local climate, but even so many go hungry in winter. Much of which would come in through Hsing Wu's passage on ship. After the Battle of Darcos Sound, the Charisian policy was to send privateers after commerce to shut down non Charisian trade, that would include ships full of Desnarian Potatoes or Harchong Emu Jerkey destined for Zion.

In practical terms for the people of Zion this would mean that the price of food would go up. More people would hungry and more still would suddenly find themselves paying more to get by. This would be a big boon for the Group of Four by having them put up posters that say "your children starve because of the looting wrought by the Charisian Servants of Shan-wei!" and there would not be much some reformer could say to counter such a statement.

Just the thoughts of one Zor.

Zor

That's almost certainly the way the Go4 will try to spin it when the Charisian alliance besieges Zion.

OTOH, this could boomerang right back into their faces when the citizens begin asking pointy questions: "well now, if food is so scarce and my kiddies are going to bed hungry, how come the vicarate's not getting any less rounded, but instead having ten-course meals?"

I foresee massive morale drops.

Zion will not be taken by storm, I think, but rather as a result of internal revolt. Food riots, for example. And I bet we'll see some textevs of cannibalism before the smoke clears.

Thoughts, anyone?

I don't think Charisians operated in Hsing-Wu Passage. Hsing-Wu, bar its Siddarmarkian part, is basically Church's internal waters, and as seas go, it's rather narrow-ish. I doubt the privateers would risk it, so this might've been (ironclads rather changed this status) the last Church-controlled naval area on Safehold. We know nothing about canals in Northern Harchong, but I guess we can assume that with Charisian privateers preying on the seas, food went to Zion by canals through Harchong to some ports on the Passage and then sailed to Lake Pei undisturbed. Zion's food situation might, then, be not so much different from what passes for normal there.

peke wrote:I foresee massive morale drops.

Zion will not be taken by storm, I think, but rather as a result of internal revolt. Food riots, for example. And I bet we'll see some textevs of cannibalism before the smoke clears.

Sounds probable - unfortunately, given that last thing. Now, this might sound cold, but in this situation Charisians might actually be seen not as incoming heretical conquerors, but as a rescuers and salvation, which would be pretty handy for Charis' international opinion, such as it is.

And it would make an interesting scenery for one of the final scenes. Say, group of Charisians troops (maybe with Merlin leading them) fighting and sneaking their way through riot-torn city towards the Temple, where they must stop [insert ominous thing here].

Kakai wrote:I don't think Charisians operated in Hsing-Wu Passage. Hsing-Wu, bar its Siddarmarkian part, is basically Church's internal waters, and as seas go, it's rather narrow-ish. I doubt the privateers would risk it, so this might've been (ironclads rather changed this status) the last Church-controlled naval area on Safehold. We know nothing about canals in Northern Harchong, but I guess we can assume that with Charisian privateers preying on the seas, food went to Zion by canals through Harchong to some ports on the Passage and then sailed to Lake Pei undisturbed. Zion's food situation might, then, be not so much different from what passes for normal there.

The biggest weakness of the ironclads is their (relatively) short legs. Without a secure coaling station near or on the passage, the ironclads will not be able to secure the passage for any length of time. Given a protracted war, I can see Charis establishing a series of such bases to allow them to opperate around the world, but only enough to cover the regions of high activity will be established in the near term.

Kakai wrote:
Sounds probable - unfortunately, given that last thing. Now, this might sound cold, but in this situation Charisians might actually be seen not as incoming heretical conquerors, but as a rescuers and salvation, which would be pretty handy for Charis' international opinion, such as it is.

And it would make an interesting scenery for one of the final scenes. Say, group of Charisians troops (maybe with Merlin leading them) fighting and sneaking their way through riot-torn city towards the Temple, where they must stop [insert ominous thing here].

Sneaky commando mission, hell: the best use for Merlin's sneaky capabilities would be smuggling food into Zion for the starving population. Just think of the PR coup this could be: the vicarate's bellies are full, they are rounding up all the food they can for themselves and their guardsmen, and the population is hungry. And lo and behold, the heretic army on the other side of the wall is actually trying to feed the civilians on the other side.

The Go4 would obviously try to spin this as "Shan-wei's cunning plan" and how she's the "mother of all lies"... but seriously, there's a point where that twisted "reasoning" simply can't stretch any further.

Thoughts, anyone?

Why limit yourself to using Merlin? There have been numerous reports of using hot air balloons... drop food into the city with information detailing the gluttony of the vicarate.

ChaChaCharms wrote:Why limit yourself to using Merlin? There have been numerous reports of using hot air balloons... drop food into the city with information detailing the gluttony of the vicarate.

Neither Merlin nor balloons could possibly carry enough food to make any difference to a city the size of Zion. Smuggling food in quantities that could actually make a difference is likely to be discovered by the Guard. I think we are talking about a population in the hundreds of thousands.

I would guess that more food moves along the canals (that aren't on the map yet) into Zion than along Hsing-Wu's passage. Just saving farms on the interior from having to ship to the coast, I mean.

Also, if their is a food shortage in Zion that can in some way be blamed on Charis what this means that there is a plentiful supply of people in the city willing to serve for three squares and the chance to kill those who have brought said starvation upon them.

Zor

My impression is that Zion is not fortified. After all, prior to the current furbar, who would have dared attack the place....

So whether by land or by sea, all the allies really have to do is to defeat the Temple armies and move into Zion proper. That doesn't necessarily provide them with access to the Temple, but occupying Zion can be done without a siege.

As for food, my impression is that most of Zion's supply happens by land, probably either by way of the canals or by those good roads that the Havens are known for. I think that most of it originates in the Temple Lands.

My guess for Zion's population is about 2 million. I could stand to be corrected on that figure.

Don