Here's my view on this issue - the Lunar tax farmers give specie to the Governor-General. For example, in late 1613, the Third Bridge Association paid 100,000 lunars (or 5000 cattle) to Governor-General =46azzur in exchange for the right to collect the tribute imposed on the Colymar tribe (remember, the terms of the surrender stipulated that rebellious tribes shall pay a tribute of one cow per "citizen" for the first year, and half of that afterwards, each year as tribute). This payment was in coin and letters of credit (in my game this included a huge forced loan from Gringle - forcing Gringle to help the Third Bridge Association collect the taxes in order to get his loan repaid).
The tax farmers collected some 3500 cattle from the Colymar and another 50,000 lunars in wool, cloth, wine, pots, sheep, grain, coin, etc. The fact is, the Colymar just don't have that much specie and there's no way the tax farmers are going to get it. Much of the collected tribute is presumably traded to the Lunar soldiers and administrators, sold to Kethaelan merchants, sold back to the Sartarites, or taken to Tarsh and traded. In many ways, the Lunar tax farming acts as a massive transfer of wealth from agrarian population to the cities - most of the Sartarite cities probably experience a boom of activity under the Lunar occupation. Unfortunately, for the Sartarites, most of that activity profits foreigners.
Jeff
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