However, most families and clans didn’t want to bring on the emperor’s wrath or negative association upon themselves, so they agreed to the empire’s conditions. Furthermore, they were well compensated by the imperial courts for the rental and use of their resources.

The terms of the rentals spanned three years. The payments were made using a new, official currency. Needing something that stored value well, the families and clans readily agreed to this new form of payment.

Around six months later, the first war started.

During this period, the emperor greatly restricted the trading in horse and slave markets until the end of the war. The price of horses and slaves shot through the roof. However, no one was able to obtain large numbers of horses or slaves due to the empire’s restrictions.

The families, clans, and feudal lords were at a loss from the scarcity of horses and slaves. Though they possessed ample money, they weren’t able to obtain any horses or slaves. This lack of horses and slaves affected their ability to conduct long-distance attack operations. Furthermore, with the lack of these essential resources to defend their own areas, many great families, clans, and feudal lords became dependent on the emperor’s assistance, especially his large and well-resourced standing army. This cycle of dependence...