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Vol 03 Chapter 81-1: Flood Control II

 

「Almus-sama, I have drafted a preliminary overview for you to read.」

Ismene presented the preliminary flood control plan for the basin of the three rivers that pass through the location of the new capital to me. It was very rough, hardly detailed enough to be called a plan.

However, considering it has been only three days since I commissioned her to undertake the project and they had to do observations first, it was quite well done.

「As for the rivers’ flow and the geological survey of the capital’s planned construction site, I am waiting for the reports from Tetra-sama and the eccentric… Nikolaos. Depending on their findings, detailed adjustments will have to be made to the plan.」

「Hmm…」

In the plan, Ismene had moved the new capital construction site a bit to the east of where the three rivers converge. According to what was written on the plan, the land in this area slopes slightly to the west, so if the rivers overflow, the water will head westward. Therefore, building on the eastern side should be relatively safe.

In the place she had designed, there are seven gentle hills; the plan suggested that the capital’s important facilities should be built on top of these hills so that, even if a disaster occurs, and a flood happens, they will be safe from flooding. However, in the case of a flood as big as the ones that happen once every ten years, the areas at the base of the hills won’t escape the effects of the flood.

Since the flat area at the foot of the hills is expected to house the homes of the plebeians, flood control is essential.

Those were the main points of the report concerning the planned location of the new capital.

「How do you plan to do the flood control?」

「I plan to devise a concrete plan after receiving the reports… For now, I am considering using a combination of diversion and levees. It’s a challenging area, but they are not dangerous rivers, and unless there is prolonged heavy rain, the floods occur at fixed times.」

「Diversion and levees, huh?」

The construction of diversions is a good idea. It reduces the damage from flooding and can also serve as canals for irrigation, improving the agricultural yield of the area. Two birds with one stone.

「Ah, yes. There’s actually something I want to show you.」

I clapped my hands, and two slaves brought in the items I wanted to show Ismene. One slave was carrying a gray, sludgy liquid, and the other was carrying a stone of the same color.

「What’s this?」

「This is something called concrete. It’s sludgy like this at first, but over time it hardens and becomes a rock like this.」

I handed the hardened concrete to Ismene, who examined it with interest.

「It’s made by mixing volcanic ash with lime. We have plenty of materials, and it’s cheap to make so feel free to use as much as you need.」

「This is incredible… If there was such a convenient material, please let me know sooner!」

Ismene approached me with an excited expression.

It took time to develop, and since I wasn’t completely sure it would be usable, I couldn’t tell her earlier. Getting her hopes up to later learn it wasn’t feasible would have been cruel of me.

「So, how many workers do you need for the construction, and how long will it take? I want this project to be finished as soon as possible.」

「First, regarding flood control… For now, we plan to spend one year on the main diversion works and building the priority levees. Then, over the next four years, we will strengthen the levees and will build irrigation channels connected to the diversions. With such thorough construction, unless there’s a natural disaster, I don’t foresee any breaches.」

Five years, huh… Is that a long time or is it short? I don’t really know how much time these things typically take.

「As for the new capital construction… as I explained before, we’ll start from the top of the hills. It would be best to start construction next year when the first phase of the flood control work is finished. This approach will allow us to assess whether the flood control measures are effective, and the construction will be able to proceed more safely. Should the flood control not function as anticipated, or if an unforeseen event arises causing the project to be halted, we would risk having to abandon the already constructed facilities in the new capital. By commencing construction after the completion of the first flood control phase, it should take one year to construct the walls, and an additional three years to complete the palace and other government buildings. Therefore, it should take four years from the initiation of the construction to be in a position to relocate the capital functions.」

Hmm… That sounds quite ambitious…

「How many workers will you need to follow through with this schedule?」

「Two thousand. Considering this country’s capacity, it can only sustain up to four thousand workers for a long period of time. However, using too few workers would prolong the work and increase costs. Two thousand workers is the optimal number for the most efficient construction.」

Two thousand, huh… Our standing army is already a thousand. So, we will be diverting three thousand people from agriculture to military and construction. That’s about 1.2% of the population. It’s manageable, though thinking about the cost of sustaining this for five years gives me a bit of a headache, but it’s not overwhelming.

「Before I forget, Ismene, I actually want to lay down some roads as well… Can I leave it to you as well?」

「Roads? Where to? Most of the main population centers should already have them.」

True, simple roads already exist all over the country. Although calling them roads is a bit of a stretch, they are more paths that people have trodden so frequently that the soil has hardened and later widened to ease the use of carriages.

They’re about four meters wide, so they are reasonably spacious. They’re good enough on sunny days, but on rainy days, it’s a different story. As they are made of dirt, they turn into muddy messes when it rains. In such conditions, feet sink, carriages get stuck, horses slip…

Not exactly prime infrastructure. I want to boost commercial activities and increase tax revenue and these roads don’t help with that.

「I want roads sturdy enough for carriages to run at full speed. First, from the current capital to King Domorgal’s Country, King Evile’s Country, and King Belvedere’s Country. These roads don’t need to be very fancy but should be usable even with rain. After those are finished, I want roads from the new capital to the same places as before. These roads should be sturdier and wider.」

The current capital will become a normal city in five years if everything goes as planned.

It will continue to be a populous and fertile area, but the roads around here won’t be as necessary as the ones of the new capital.

「What characteristics do you want the roads to have?」

「Make the roads from the current capital with crushed stone pavement. That should prevent them from becoming impassable mud pits. For the new capital’s roads, use cobblestone. I’ve been to Lezado, and I want roads of equal or better quality here.」

「I see… Something like this?」

Ismene sketched a road design on paper. First, the ground is dug deep, and at the bottom, a first layer of gravel is laid, a mix of clay soil and gravel is used for the second layer, and then stones larger than a fist are packed in a gently curved shape for the third layer. The top layer would be square-cut large stones laid so their surfaces align.

The curve is designed to prevent water from pooling during rain.

「This is the most advanced road structure in Kirisia. Important areas in Claris and Alto have such roads. If completed, they will undoubtedly surpass those in Lezado.」

「Can our country handle the construction of such advanced roads?」

「Probably. It shouldn’t be too difficult. The main concern is sourcing the stones for the top layer… But I think we can manage.」

Wow, that’s impressive. It seems our country’s technological capabilities aren’t so far behind after all. When you think about it, the palace and the surrounding houses in the capital are pretty well-constructed.

While pit dwellings are the common dwellings in the countryside, those are handmade by plebeians who can’t afford to spend much on their homes.

「I have something to add.」

「Do you want to add something to the design?」

「Please include drainage alongside the roads and construct sidewalks as well. If the same path is used by both pedestrians and carriages, the carriages would have to reduce their speed every time they encounter pedestrians.」

It’s essential to separate the paths for people and vehicles to prevent unfortunate accidents. And we need to ensure there’s enough space for two carriages to pass each other. The carriage paths should be more than four meters wide, and I’d like the sidewalks to be at least three meters wide on each side, making a total width of ten meters. It will depend on the traffic, but that should be the minimum standard for the main roads.

「How many workers will you need?」

「How quickly do you want the roads constructed?」

「I’d like the crushed stone paved roads done within a year. For the cobblestone-paved ones… I’d like them to be done in four years.」

Is that too demanding? If my calculations are correct, each road would be about 110 kilometers long.

「About a thousand workers will be necessary.」

「Alright, let’s mobilize an additional thousand people.」

So, the total number of people we’ll be maintaining is four thousand. That’s 1.6% of the population. It’s a bit tight, but considering the potential increase in tax revenue, we should manage.

「Once I receive the geological survey report, I will revise and formally submit the plan.」

「Good. I’ll take care of all the land rights and other troublesome matters. You just focus on the rivers and the land at hand.」