some new development in the south: [[Republican Herald]]
doesn't look good for Aurvendil.
Madina got some frustrating days trying to appoint a duke in Madina City.
Actually, Aurvandil is being quite clever.
I believe they are making two bets:
1. Madina will not/can not launch a big attack on them in the near future
2. A powerful rural base is most important to survive the winter
As such, they are clustering food in rural and townsland regions, starving the city, betting that its decreased food demand will allow them to run a food surplus faster. Or they have a generalized food deficit, and they are just prioritizing rurals.
Prioritizing rural development is absolutely necessary in tight food situations. For Aurvandil, they may be trying to "curb demand" for food in advance of the winter, while simultaneously boosting supply. The only major losses to that strategy are:
1. Gold
2. Region loyalty
Candiels is the capital of a small realm with devoted nobles, so loyalty can be maintained readily enough. Gold is a serious issue, so I suspect they're just betting on no long-run large-scale war with Madina.