Result: Wells failed because no one studied groundwater. Warlords kept raiding through the unguarded northern pass. The kingdom collapsed into chaos. Elara did three things Rumelt emphasizes:
– She declared: “We will cede the southern fields temporarily, concentrate our army at the northern pass to stop raids, and dig a single deep well at the eastern aquifer to save our core farmland.” This was a hard choice — abandoning southern fields meant short-term loss, but it focused resources.
Aurelio spread resources thinly: half the army guarded the south pass (no threat there), while farmers were told to "dig wells anywhere." Money was wasted on a new palace garden to “boost morale.”