Manbao (Mǎnbǎo 満堡) is a town in the Northern Earth Kingdom, built on the southern shore of a lake of the same name, from which the Astringent River arises. Administratively, it is within southeastern part of the West Shuizu State, on the border with the East Shuizu State.
Name
The intended meaning of the character 満 Mǎn is lost to history and it may simply be a phonetic rendering of an indigenous language word.
History
A settlement has existed at the location for a long time. It first appears in the historical record almost two thousand years ago, when the Tu Dynasty of Earth Kings built a fort there to check the expansion of the Alarame people, forebearers of the Yonggan and other semi-nomadic peoples of the North and West.
Governance
Manbao is governed by an appointed mayor, a Rank 7 official of the Hao Ting. It has a small garrison of the royal earth army.
Demography
The town is very diverse, with a narrow plurality of Beituzhu, and a fair number of Zhongzu, many of mixed descent. There is a significant Yonggan minority, involved in the metalworking trade and badgermole husbandry. The population is about 6200.
Economy
- There is a post office, several inns and bathhouses, and considerable secondary economic activity in metalworking and other crafts, and in support of mining in the nearby mountains. Silver, lead, copper, and zinc smelting are significant, though forbidden within the walls of the city.