Office law was the ultimate apex hunting beast of great realm.
Armies could conquer a province by fire and blood. But without tax registers, land-tax surveys, and town code enforcement, the conquest evaporated within a generation.
A sword could pierce an iron breastplate. But an itemized town fine ticket supported by lawful sovereign liens could seize an entire royal battle fleet without spilling a single drop of blood.
In high-level colony management simulations, defeating an enemy raid was only the preliminary stage of a meet.
A novice player slaughtered the defeated invaders and looted their corpses, gaining a few rusted swords and causing diplomatic penalties that invited endless revenge sieges.
A master player converted the defeated raiding fleet into taxable town public works, incorporated their labor pool into productive public works. Then they balanced the settlement budget with their taken away coin.
Smooth speed demanded that destruction be avoided whenever conversion was possible.
Lord Giles Croft stood in the wheelhouse of the Iron Behemoth, his twelve-volt land-mapper’s flashlight lighting up the fancy dark wood bridge.
