Oro sighed and explained helplessly, "My lord, you may not know this, but although the western Disputed Lands under our Tyroshi control have fertile soil, they have one fatal weakness: they lack a stable, reliable source of irrigation water.
Most estates can only rely on rainfall and grow relatively drought-resistant crops.
But you've felt the scorching heat of the Long Summer yourself. When a stretch of hot, rainless weather strikes, the crops can easily wither and die. This is especially true of the small estates and freeholders' lands far from rivers, without wells. Their harvests are the least reliable, and their tax arrears are the worst."
Liu Qian instantly understood the crux of the problem. "A water supply problem? Why haven't canals been built to bring in irrigation water?"
Embarrassment appeared on Oro's face. "My lord, well... the water rights were monopolized long ago by the great estate owners, especially the estates formerly belonging to the Archon and his elder brother. They occupy the best positions upstream, where they've built dams and diversion canals to channel most of the water into their own fields.
The small estates downstream or far from water, and the independent farmers' lands, can only watch helplessly or pay exorbitant prices for water. How could they spare the resources to build canals? Without enough water, their harvests are naturally poor, and their taxes...
Those scenes you saw all came from the great estate owners... ah..."
Liu Qian understood.
The Archons of Tyrosh all gained office through bribery.
Thus, those elected Archon were almost always wealthy merchants or nobles.
They then used the Archon's power to keep profiting from the Disputed Lands, consolidating their wealth and standing.
It was like a cycle.
The rich would stay rich forever, while the poor would stay poor.
Liu Qian could