But if a rural is easier to manage and yields more gold than a city, then that just makes the rural the aspirational one, does it not? Is that a problem?
It is a problem when virtually all of the functions necessary for a realm to survive are in cities. Then, the relationship becomes something akin to extortion: a bunch of (or even a few) rural lieges, either motivated by gold or keenly aware of how empowered they are, are capable of bringing a realm to its knees as a consequence of this one issue.
One could argue any number of things as to how this could have been avoided. The point is that it isn't just
easy for a realm to find itself in this situation; the game practically
incentivizes it.
