When the Mandate reaches new territory, it has a carefully managed and committee created order of operations for how an expansion is managed.

Pacification

The initial step begins when the patrolboats sail up the Nile and deposit their cargo of Militia to key population centers. Small city states, minor warlord camps, any group large enough to become a blip. They are given opportunities to surrender unconditionally and promises of fair treatment, and any who do not accept are leveled. This process continues until the administration in the new region confirm that opposition forces are no longer active.

Evaluation

When the Militia has secured the roadways and set up new border protection, a committee is created in Old Mansoura to officially manage the new region, and representatives are sent. The first task is food management. Farmers are all forced to operate in the same 'interior market' selling goods to population areas. If the amount of food is insufficient, the committee imports it from downriver until local agricultural sources can improve.

Where law and order exists, it is co-opted and standardized to the Mandate justice system. Most places of course have communal justice, which is not recognized by Old Mansoura, and in such places a local police and judiciary is enforced. These local government measures then start sourcing 'essential' resources such as leather, cloth, and wood. It is at this point that the region is officially given a 'raw potential' rank, which is offered to the many commercial ventures of the Mandate.

Standardisation

Once the region is stable and partially integrated, it is ready for complete reconstruction. At this point the Big Three are invited into the region: the Health Organisation, Slavery Commission, and the Women's Rights Committee. These three groups reach into the social structures that exist and tear out any practices that do not conform to 'international standards'. This period is commonly referred to as the Soft Terror.

Although humanitarian in goals, the harsh Quiet Years taught the Big Three that the firmer the hand the quicker results. After a week of information gathering, lists are given out to enforcers, who break into houses to search for offending material and social situations. Those found in violation of ethics guidelines or promoting uncivilized behavior are dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night and executed on the street without trial. This process is repeated until violations drop below a certain threshold, at which point local offices are established and the Big Three return back to Old Mansoura.

Integration

With the region pacified and standardized, able to feed itself and evaluated for worth, it is then placed onto a ten step program of formal integration. This mostly involves adding institutions such as libraries and public forums to the area, and promoting both urbanization and rural agriculture. Commercial ventures are allowed to follow through on plans and expand into the region, replacing the shattered local economy and offering civilians employment. Ideal quotas for resources are allocated, and roads are built to offer an unbroken connection to the capital. This is also the period when commercial river traffic is allowed, and a basic docking area is constructed by downriver contractors.

How long it'd take to complete the ten step program is untested, but simply reaching the integration stage is considered to be an accomplishment. Or at least, enough success to allow the region to be used as a staging point for another expedition up the river.