Chapter 70 Urban Expansion
Cities and towns have their own development process, from scratch, from simple to complex. Cities often begin with wooden fences where residents settle down.
Wooden fences are the simplest and most primitive fortifications, enclosed fence walls with sharpened wooden piles. It is of limited use, but it can prevent the inhabitants from getting their livestock lost and give people a sense of security. The inhabitants settled down to live, work and develop here, calling it a family garden.
After accumulating experience, people in the city will naturally find ways to improve the wooden fence and improve the safety of the town. So upgrade the normal fence to a wooden wall. The wooden walls are not only taller and thicker, but also the materials are changed to wide and neat planks, which are stronger. In addition, a lookout station and a wooden arrow tower were added to facilitate defense. Towns with wooden walls have a decent guarantee, and the inhabitants and their property are safer.
Mature cities are surrounded by stone walls, which are quite strong and reliable as fortifications. Normal ballistas and scorpions cannot shake walls. The stone walls are equipped with arrow towers and gatehouses, which are a formidable force for the defense of the city. If a besieger breaks through the hardwood gates and tries to enter the city, boiling oil will pour down from the gatehouse. This will not only seriously injure the people under the city gates, but also cause panic among the enemy troops.
Of course, the stone walls are not impregnable, and in the face of a truly powerful offensive, the city can be breached. When under siege, it is still better than wooden walls, which increase the city's stock of food and grass, and keep the defenders out longer during sieges. Citizens love the stone walls, which make people feel more secure and proud of the city.
Even the largest and most affluent cities, because of their great military or economic significance, the state will spend money to build them with tall walls. Such walls were expensive, and once repaired, they would further strengthen the city's defenses and expand its grain storehouse. This means that it can withstand strong attacks and can hold out for a long time when it is besieged, until reinforcements arrive.
The walls were so strong that they had been replaced with iron gates, and the gatehouses were defended with thorny logs in addition to oil. Compared with the stone walls, these arrowheads are built more widely, with four arrow holes on each side and window covers, and a spire-like roof. The walls are only temporarily blocking the enemy, and the arrow tower can kill and block the enemy, which is what makes the besiegers reluctant to approach.
The arrow tower of the tall city wall is more reasonable, and basically every section of the city wall is covered by the range of the arrow tower. In order to conquer such a city, the conditions are met: first, specialized siege equipment, and second, an organized attack. Thus ensuring the effectiveness of the siege.
Legend has it that Jerusalem in the East and the city of Carthage in North Africa used huge walls! This kind of wall is unusually tall and intimidating, and first of all, it creates a great sense of fear in the psychology of the besiegers. There were quite a few intruders who simply retreated on their own, because they didn't want to waste time and energy in front of such a defense.
In fact, they are also super-sturdy fortifications. In a conventional siege, the two sides are matched in strength. It is impossible to defeat it without the right equipment, and such a city can be called impregnable.
Ordinary catapults don't work, and the only way to open a gap can be made by concentrating fire on one point with a giant catapult with a strong projectile power. The construction of the huge walls took a long time and was very expensive.
The fortifications of the Macedonian kingdom were basically at the level of stone walls. The king and prince were busy with economic and military development, so they had to abandon the construction of fortifications first. Of course, this is not unrelated to their comprehensive offensive and defensive philosophy. They believe that offense is the best defense; Warriors are the strongest defense of the city.
Garras had all the city-states above the city level build stone walls. Even if the war starts and the city is besieged, the Macedonian army will use the initiative to rush to the nearest reinforcement to relieve the siege, and then cooperate with the defenders of the city to destroy the enemy. In case of an emergency situation and there is no main army nearby, you can choose to retreat if you meet the criteria for abandoning the city. Of course, important cities are exceptional.
If the land is lost, the land can be recovered; If you lose people and protect your land, you will lose your land. This is the idea of Macedonian military warfare, and it has profoundly influenced many other aspects of the kingdom.
With the boundaries of the city protected, the inhabitants will build their own city-state. Residential buildings are the most numerous, but in order for a town to develop, there must be other functional buildings or facilities.
A city always has a central building, which influences the development of the region. This was the office of the governor of the city. Its size and form are commensurate with the importance and population of the city.
Divided into villages, towns, cities, large cities, and megacities, their administrative centers are: the Governor's Residence, the Governor's Palace, the Governor's Residence, the Governor's Residence, and the Imperial Palace.
The governor was the supreme governor of the region, and he was responsible for collecting taxes, issuing orders, promoting the construction of cities, and managing all the day-to-day affairs of the city. The Governor's Palace was the basic center of power and the foundation of the Macedonian kingdom.
The Doge's House and Doge's House are of a lower rank, but they are the best buildings, if not necessarily the most ornate houses in the city.
And at the level of an official residence, the consul's residence must be the most luxurious and largest building in the city. It became a symbol of Macedonian royal power and wealth, and its magnificence convinced the people unconditionally of the strength of the Macedonian kingdom and the unshakable status of the current royal family.
After the central building was upgraded, the city was further developed in other aspects. The army thus trained and organized is more powerful.
The barracks are places where recruits receive basic training where they can hone their skills, learn combat skills, and transform from ordinary citizens into combat-ready soldiers. It is the most primitive and basic military institution, and ordinary towns will have a higher-level town barracks. It was an institution with better facilities and training programs, and the trained pikemen could still stand up to the top of the line on the battlefield.
A city of normal size will have an urban barracks, which is also one of the hallmarks of a developed city. Here it is completely possible to train the main force of the Macedonian infantry - the Macedonian phalanx infantry. The phalanx pikemen had great combat ability and iron discipline, so they formed the main force of the Macedonian army. The urban barracks are also a symbol of the country's military strength and an important part of the army building system.
The highest level is the Legion Barracks, which is often built in a magnificent manner. The mere mere appearance of it is enough to make those with bad intentions feel intimidated and immediately dispel bad thoughts. There are well-established training facilities and the best training institutions.
The troops that will come out of here will be the Macedonian royal pikemen, and some of them will become the Praetorian Guard, and some will become the core of the field army. These hoplites possessed strict discipline, ferocious combat, and the finest armor and weaponry. The overall action ability of the team is strong.