No, actually, various places are important (towns, holy sites, mines, etc), but the idea of a "Border" isn't. I can own (control, have troops in, get taxes from/however you want to determine "ownership") this town, that temple and that one over there, and you might own that other temple, and a couple towns over thataway, but frankly, the land inbetween doesn't concern us - the towns might sqaubbble over who has grazing rights in the forest, but as long as the town pays my taxes, *I* don't really care. There's not so much of a "this is the border, - this side is mine, that side is yours" as "This town owes me taxes, and that one will just as soon as I move my troops into it."
If one of your towns gets too greedy and steals grazing lands from my town, they can complain to me and I might actually get off my duff and do something, or I might just say "too bad, but I'm not reducing your taxes, fix it yourself". Control of specific points is more important than "all the land on this side of the line".
Contrast this to modern geopolitical thought, where a line drawn on a map dilineates an actual boundary that armed troops cannot pass without a declaration of war (by one side or the other...).
RR
It is by my order and for the good of the state that the bearer of this has
done what he has done.
- Richelieu
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