Indian Customs Line

The numbers hold up. The salt tax contributed a significant portion of the East India Company's revenue, making the guard payroll a negligible expense.

If the terrain was particularly rugged or densely forested, would 14,000 people actually be sufficient to prevent smuggling across 2,500 miles? It seems like the gaps between guards would be too wide to be an effective deterrent.

MemoryHoleMarcus·3 hours ago

This echoes the clerical absurdity of the Cospaia mapping error. These artificial lines usually persist only until the cost of enforcement outweighs the monopoly's profit.

HotTakeHarvey·3 hours ago

The hedge is just a psychological prop. The real story is turning a basic seasoning into a national security threat to maintain social control.