The village of the Botswana tribe, the central tribe of the tribal union.
As soon as I arrived here, I immediately met with the tribal chief, Malik.
Malik, upon seeing me, approached and embraced me warmly.
“My brother, it’s been a long journey. Are you feeling well? No illnesses or injuries?”
“Thanks to your concern, I’m perfectly fine.”
“I heard you were going to have a wedding before you left. How was the ceremony?”
“Thanks to it, I’ve officially become an adult.”
There are countless cultures and customs in the world, and ways of thinking that vary from one place to another.
Eskimos, for instance, must burp when they are served a meal, or in some countries, they bake sardines into pie dough and eat it.
In a world full of customs that are hard to understand by normal standards...
The concept of becoming a full adult upon marriage exists everywhere.
“Congratulations on becoming an adult. How is life with your wife?”
It’s a bit of an odd question coming from someone who is practically a king.
But, then again, this place isn’t exactly where high aristocratic culture is prevalent.
‘As long as it doesn’t cross any boundaries, I should go along with it.’
As long as Malik isn’t asking the inappropriate questions like, “How is your wife in bed?” or anything of the sort, I could humor him.
“She’s beautiful and kind.”
“Good. A woman who’s kind and beautiful is the best.”
I shrugged casually.
“It’s not just flattery. She’s as beautiful as Chloe and Chris, whom I brought last time.”
Beauty standards are generally similar across different eras and cultures.
Large breasts, a slim waist, and a small face—those are the standards of beauty everywhere.
Although this can change depending on culture and education—such as in medieval Europe, where ‘large breasts’ were considered unattractive, and ‘flat chests’ were ideal.
But that’s a rare case. Here, the aesthetic standards are similar to those of the Toscanian Empire.
“I’m glad to hear that. But, just between us, my wife wasn’t as beautiful when we first got married. Her personality was great, though.”
I didn’t really know how to respond to that.
“Well, let’s drink some rum before we get into more serious talk.”
Malik poured about 200 ml of rum for me, while he took a much larger 400 ml glass and began to pour for himself.
Then, without me teaching him, he recited a toast and downed his drink in one go.
Does he not die from drinking that strong liquor?
I wonder if the men in this tribe are going to turn into Russian-like tough guys after all this.
“After you left, our tribe—no, the Maasai Union—successfully conquered and subdued 24 neighboring tribes. We led the charge with armored soldiers, and the other tribes couldn’t even put up a fight.”
The Maasai Union’s level of civilization was roughly in the early medieval period, or at best, early Roman times.
They were just a bunch of primitive people with only the basic technology of the Iron Age.
The surrounding civilizations were probably not much better.
But when the Maasai showed up with plate armor, matchlock guns, and steel weapons, those tribes couldn’t stand a chance.
“Before we went to full-scale war, we dismantled any tribe that surrendered, turning them into serfs under the Maasai Union. Unlike your country’s serfs, these people have the same rights as other tribal members, except they don’t have the right to fight in wars or go hunting.”
In the era I lived, the higher the rank, the less likely they were to be conscripted into the military.
That’s because military service was considered a natural duty.
But once military service became a privilege and honor, not being able to serve became a reason for mockery.
In neighboring China, conscription often led to joining the Communist Party, and those who couldn’t serve in the military sometimes even committed suicide.
Some crazy people even devoted their youth just to serve in the military.
For the people in the Maasai Union, going to war and hunting were considered such ‘privileges.’
Would a serf, who was excluded from such rights, truly be considered equal to others?
“After we defeated the surrendered tribes, we made them serfs. They’re lowly people, so we only give them the bare minimum for food and force them into hard labor.”
History teachers often paint African slaves as pure victims, but I wonder if these people ever actually read the scholarly articles on the topic.
Before the late 18th century, African slaves were often captured and sold by the local tribes themselves.
Why ignore this historical fact?
‘It’s the exact same thing going on here.’
“Like me, the Maasai Union is also willing to trade slaves in exchange for purchasing matchlocks and rum.”
Slavery is inefficient, you idiot.
But no matter how logically I try to explain this, Malik won’t understand.
It took humanity nearly 300–400 years to realize that slavery was inefficient.
‘Didn’t George Washington say that slavery would naturally be abolished because it’s inefficient?’
No matter how ahead of my time I try to be, I’ll just look like an idiot.
“Slavery is one thing, but don’t you think you should use human lives more efficiently?”
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Malik let out a thoughtful hum, agreeing with my point.
“Well, unlike those Nadorians, who can churn out soldiers like harvesting wheat, we’ve always had a shortage of people.”
He took another gulp of rum.
It was so strong that it stung his throat.
How bad must their situation be that they’re downing such strong liquor as soon as it’s served?
‘Well, if they have nothing else to do, getting drunk must be the best entertainment.’
“You should use your serfs and vassals more efficiently.”
“We’re already sending them to battle as cannon fodder, just like you told us. Of course, some of them we’ve already freed and given equal rights with the rest of the tribe.”
The speed at which the Maasai Union was growing and expanding was at a pace comparable to that of a typical nation.
To be honest, what they were doing was enough.
But these guys were expanding way too fast.
They had defeated 24 tribes in just three months—if they kept this up, in a year, they could easily subdue 96 tribes.
That would mean a whole lot more serfs and vassals, far more than the number of legitimate tribes in the union.
There’s no way they could manage that.
Even if they tried a system like Sparta, where every citizen becomes a warrior, they still wouldn’t be able to handle it.
“With the speed you’re expanding, what you’ve done so far won’t be enough. You’ll need more aggressive and radical measures.”
“Exactly how should we proceed?”
“You should continue to focus on expanding your territory, but you also need to give your serfs and vassals more hope. If they rebel because of their miserable conditions, make an example out of them, but those who accept Maasai rule should be sent to fight or hunt, and if they achieve even a small victory, quickly free them.”
Lions and tigers generally don’t attack when their bellies are full.
The reason is that beasts don’t hunt unless they’re hungry.
Humans, too, share similar traits.
A person who’s discriminated against and ignored will throw away their life if there’s a clear opportunity to escape that position.
“The ones who rise from such miserable lives will embrace Maasai rule more eagerly than anyone else.”
In fact, they’ll become the most zealous followers of the system.
Why? Because they’ll always be thinking that, if they fall out of favor, they could be sent back to being serfs at any time.
“And the hope of one day becoming a full member of the Maasai Union will wipe out any desire for rebellion among the serfs and vassals. If they think they’re stuck with no way out, they’ll resist with everything they have... but if they believe they can rise and become part of the system, they won’t resist.”
“There’s no need for rebellion. If those who were once serfs lead the way, managing those we’ve conquered will be much easier.”
He’s got a sharp mind, that’s for sure.
Yes, in order to lead a group, this level of resourcefulness is a must.
“And create different social classes. A ten-man unit leader, a hundred-man unit leader. That sort of thing.”
“If we put freedmen in some of those positions and push others up with my authority, my power will grow naturally. I like the sound of that.”
Power works like that.
When people gather who don’t necessarily trust each other but acknowledge that they are where they are because of someone else, that’s when power can be maintained.
“And when the wars break out, if anyone disobeys the orders, they should be punished severely. Even if they are the old chiefs.”
“Are you suggesting I get rid of competitors? If I kill them under the guise of disobedience, they won’t be able to object... that’s a good idea.”
This is a strategy that was used during the Hundred Years’ War in France.
By using this, France was able to achieve centralization faster than any other European power.
“I’ll accept all of it.”
Then, I swallowed hard and said the most important thing.
“And would you be willing to accept the religion of our Granada Kingdom, or rather, the Toscanian Empire?”