Chapter 668: Four-Way Road and Water Network, 500-Li Kingdom Directly Governed

The night was getting darker, and the firelight in the tent was also dim. The captain of the guard, Eckart, stood aside, looking at His Highness who was meditating in front of the desk, summoned a guard, and gave a few instructions in a low voice. After a while, someone came with a birch candle.

The so-called birch candle is a candle made of birch bark. Of course, other flammable barks can also be used, but they are more troublesome than birch bark, and most of them need to be steamed first. This kind of candle was an ancient candle in the Celestial Dynasty. It appeared around the Han and Tang Dynasties and did not enter people's homes until the Song Dynasty. For the nobles of the Alliance, they also have an equally ancient method of lighting, splitting pine wood into thin strips and lighting it, which is the "Song Ming" of the Celestial Dynasty.

Eckart carefully lit the birch candle and placed it in the corner of His Highness's desk, then stepped back and stood. Shulot raised his head, glanced at the candlelight, and nodded slightly. Then, he picked up the quill, dipped it in blue ink, and wrote on the yellow paper.

"Going south from Huaguo City, there are two roads, east and west, that can lead to the south. The east line is a steep waterway, along the Yuan River, downstream for 140 miles to the mouth of the Yuan River. From here, go south for 10 miles , is the western part of Atoyak Lake!”

The third county road, the east line of the second section, is the waterway from Huaguo City-Yuanhekou-Atoyak Lake. Among them, Huaguo City is 1,700 meters above sea level, the height of the Yuan River mouth is only 240 meters, and the water level of Atoyak Lake is between 160-190 meters. The 140-mile waterway has a drop of more than 1,400 meters, and the dangers can be imagined. The current of this river is extremely fast and turbulent, so it is called "the river leading to the abyss" by the locals, Yuan River!

"During my southern expedition, I sent three legions south. The Guards legion took the Aoya River, while Ezpin's Second Lancer legion took the Abyss River! Going south along the river, the boat was extremely fast. However, accidents involving ships hitting rocks and cliffs, causing shipwrecks and fatalities, also happen from time to time.”

"This steep river requires a lot of manpower to be dredged and the small waterfalls in the mountains must be opened or bypassed. A first-class dirt road must also be built along the river to facilitate fiber pulling back and forth."

Shulot thought about this and concentrated on it. He is well aware of the importance of the Yuanhe waterway to the rule of the southern part of the kingdom.

Yuon River has a huge carrying capacity and is the most convenient road connecting Gyeonggi and southern counties. Although the passage of this river is dangerous, it is still the main channel for bulk goods and trade between the north and south of the kingdom.

The coal from the Black Rock City mining area is transferred from Huaguo City, through the raging Yuan River, all the way to Atoyak Lake. Then go downstream, along the tail end of the Tulsas River, to the Black Rock Mountain Iron Mine on the waterfront. This river and lake are smooth, flowing from north to south, and can carry goods for more than 100 miles a day. It cannot be replaced by any land route in the mountains!

Caravans shuttled back and forth, and there was a lot of traffic. In the middle of this waterway, there are several large villages that earn tolls from business travelers and provide manpower for fiber drawing. Traveling along the river requires not only pulling fibers upstream. When going downstream, if the mouth of the river is too steep, the fibers must be pulled in the opposite direction to slow down the boat speed.

The village closest to Atoyak Lake is at the mouth of the Yuan River. Between the mouth of Yuanhe River and Atuo Lake, there is a deserted ten-mile tidal flat, which is usually a river. In summer, when heavy rains occur and the water level rises, it will overflow into a lake.

"Every time it rains in the summer, the water level of Atoyak Lake will surge. The reason is that not only the Yuan River and the Ou River in the north merge here, but also the Talsas River in the east and the Apa River system in the west. It also needs to be merged here. And the Apa River system is connected to the Chapala Lake area through the Chatao River, which leads the water from the upper reaches of the lake to the south. Reservoirs must be built in various rivers upstream! "

Xiulote pondered for a moment, and then drew several red circles on the west side of the north side of Atoyak Lake to build the reservoir.

Lake Atoyak, the real "big water lake". When this large lake was at its peak, it could reach 150 miles from east to west! The small half of Lake Chapala, the entire southern part of the kingdom, and the entire lower reaches of the Talsas River, with more than 200,000 square kilometers of precipitation, will flow into this place. Then, the vast precipitation converges into a raging river, three hundred miles south, rushing into the Pacific Ocean around Trout Town, and forming a fertile impact plain at the outlet.

"The two counties of Zicao and Apa that were reclaimed by the immigrants from the Kingdom are both in the upper reaches of Lake Atuo, on the north and west sides of the lake. And in large settlements such as Apa City, Zicao City, and Taotu Town, Build a series of reservoirs and dams along rivers and lakes to regulate the amount of water in the rainy season and prevent flooding! "

Shulot kept writing and drew a few more red circles. The reservoirs to be built here are not the "four major reservoirs" whose storage capacity was measured in billions of cubic meters during the Huaihe River governance in later generations, but the tens of thousands of small rural reservoirs with a storage capacity of one hundred thousand cubic meters.

In the grand plan, the entire water conservancy construction process is similar to that of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The development of the Bashu Plain will last for a long time, and small water conservancy projects will continue to be built. The main amount of work is to excavate rivers and lakes, build dams and ponds, and build embankments and weirs. The ultimate goal is to achieve the goal of "taking care of people when it comes to floods and droughts, and not knowing about famine"!

"This is a long project that will take decades. However, I have to start planning from now on, and I also have enough patience and time!"

Shulot was thinking about the prosperity of the Kingdom of Shu, and had the same hopes for the two southern counties of the kingdom. After a moment, he looked towards the seaside further south.

Right in the middle from Lake Ato to the outlet of Tulsas, the raging Tulsas River flows through a series of towering cliffs. The terrain here is twists and turns and is a natural large reservoir node.

Shulot stared at this position and slowly picked up the pen. He first drew a red circle, then filled it in, and softly read a name that no one could understand.

"Infiernillo Dam, Hell Dam, is one of the largest dams in the world in later generations. It has a storage capacity of 10 billion cubic meters and a power generation of more than 1,000 megawatts!. At the end of the Tulsas River, such abundant water power can be utilized if What a powerful force it will generate!”

The king's finger gradually moved south, finally settling on the location of the Black Rock Mountain Iron Mine. He has given instructions and rewards to many priests and craftsmen in the Institute of Divine Enlightenment to research hydraulic machinery! As long as he can make qualified hydraulic machinery, he will generously give him titles, bounties, fields, and serfs!

"Keel waterwheel. Barrel wheel, water mill, water mill, feng shui drainage power forging machine"

Shulot opened the "Book of Divine Revelation" he carried with him and looked at the name of the hydraulic machinery written on it with his own hands, looking forward to it.

In this era, based on mature metallurgical technology, hydraulic machinery had gradually become popular in Europe, especially hydraulic forging machines that could forge iron materials and make armor raw materials. If we can recapture a few European blacksmiths and a few mechanical scholars to limit the kingdom's material and technological bottlenecks, we will achieve a dramatic breakthrough! And by that time, the end of this raging river will become a powerful source of power for the kingdom!

"There are three years left. The prelude to the great era, three years left!"

After a long time, Shulot sighed quietly. He shook his head, moved his fingers patiently, and then moved towards the western road leading to the south from Huaguo City. This is a red land route, and it is also the western route that Black Wolf took when he led the canine army south to conquer Apa City.

"From the starting point of Huaguo City, walk a 150-mile mountain road to the foot of Apa City. This mountain road is not narrow and can pass large armies, but the mountains are undulating and quite steep. And this 150-mile road is also the last one that needs to be built. County Road!”

The altitude of Apa City is about 350 meters. Its terrain is higher than Lake Ato, located in the upper reaches of the west. Huaguo City is 1,700 meters above sea level. This 150-mile mountain road has a drop between 1,300-1,400 meters at both ends. However, the middle section of this county road passes at the foot of the towering Tancítaro volcano, with the highest point at about 2,300 meters, making it quite difficult to walk.

"Tencitaro volcano, sulfur mines and avocados. And maybe, volcanic ash."

Shulot took the quill and placed a red dot on the location of the Tensitaro volcano. This volcano is the highest peak in the Mikencho region, with an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters. The overall terrain is very high and the mineral resources are relatively rich.

There is an irresistible main reason why the Kingdom's county road passes through the foot of the volcano. Surrounding this volcano is the Kingdom's sulfur production area, which provides the raw materials for the Kingdom's gunpowder. Another less important reason is that the land around this volcano is extremely fertile and there are many avocado trees. Several nearby mountain villages are famous avocado producing areas.

As for the fertile land at the foot of Tensitaro volcano, it also means the presence of volcanic ash. If the volcanic ash needed for cement can be found, the construction standards of this section of county road can be improved nearby. Road sections that are prone to damage will be replaced with stronger, more waterproof cement-sand-sand roads.

"Once this 150-mile western county road is built and can be used for transporting wheelbarrows, the connection between Gyeonggi and Apa City will suddenly be closer! And the most important significance of this county road is to strengthen the central part of the kingdom. As for the rule of the Apa Plains, after all, there are tens of thousands of Tecos immigrants and more than 100,000 Tlaxcala immigrants, almost all of whom are surrendered tribes. Gather!”

Shulot looked at the vast Apa Plain, and thoughts flashed in his mind. Cultivation of fertile land, construction of villages, and installation of flag troops. Ezpan did a good job in Apa County. His loyalty has been tested many times, and Shulot is reassured.

However, Shulot knew that this kind of loyalty only belonged to the king and Ezpan, not to the kingdom. Once Ezpan dies or Shulot has an accident, a rebellion will inevitably break out in Apa County! In order to increase the kingdom's control, the construction of this secondary county road is urgent. And large-scale priestly missionary work, cultural assimilation and forced intermarriage also need to be strictly implemented!

"The first three county roads in the grand plan are all connected from north to south. This last Apa River system is connected from east to west!"

Xiulote's eyes stayed in Apa County, falling on the crisscrossing Apa water system. The reason why it is described as "water system" is because the Apa Plain has a flat terrain and dense water networks. Among the rivers with sufficient flow, there are Apa, Hetao, Kan and Bo rivers.

These rivers meander and intersect with each other, flowing through a radius of 150 miles, connecting Apa City, Taotu Town, Kanhe Village, Bohe Village and other settlements together, forming a waterway transportation network with convenient communication. Then, the Apa River travels a hundred miles eastward from Apa City and merges into the Atuo Lake.

"The Apa River System, in the upper reaches of the west, is Olive Lake in Taotu Town and Lake Peli in Bohe Village, and in the lower reaches of the east is the vast Lake Ato. From west to east, it is about 220 miles long, and the terrain is quite flat , the drop is only over a hundred meters.”

"The requirements of the Grand Plan for the management of the Apa River system are to enable the passage of longboats and prevent floods during the rainy season! After the autumn harvest this year, the water levels of all rivers will drop. All flag teams and settlements in Apa County will have to send men to serve. Mobilize tens of thousands of men to dredge the river, dig river mud, and build small reservoirs and dams! The excavated riverbed mud can be used to fertilize the fields."

Xuluot looked at both ends of the Apa River system, thought for a long time, and wrote down the requirements to Ezpan in detail. This Apa River system is actually an extension of the western downstream branch of the Talsa River. In other words, the Talsa River, this golden waterway, extends from east to west for two or three thousand miles!

"No, it's more than that long!"

The king pondered for a moment, and the tip of the pen moved upward from the clay town, drawing a tortuous southern line all the way to the Chapala Lake area.

"In addition to the three north-south county roads and one east-west water system, there is another waterway of more than 300 miles, the Chatao River!"

Chatao River was named by Xiu Luote himself. As the name suggests, it is a long river from Lake Chapala to Taotu Town in Apa Plain. Well, the naming of the king is so concise and direct!

Chatao River is not narrow and can accommodate a large army. This long river flows down from the southern end of Lake Chapala, first southeast for 200 miles, and arrives at Shegu Village in the northwest of Apa County. Then, it turns southwest, passes through Bohe Village, and the tributary connects to Lake Peli. The main stream flows out for 100 miles and connects to Olive Lake outside Taotu Town.

"So, Lake Chapala is the upper reaches of the Apa water system. Only by conquering the Chapala Lake area can a solid barrier be established for the developed Apa Plain."

Xiuluot put down his feather pen and drew a heavy red circle on Lake Chapala. Prince Feather's power is gradually weakening, and he has no spare energy to go deep into the Apa Plain to plunder. But if the kingdom wants to have complete mountains and rivers, it must conquer the Chapala Lake area and form a complete waterway.

So far, the north is the Leman River--Hekou City--Chapala Lake area, the south is the Talsas River--Zi Cao City--Apa City--Apa Water System, the middle is the Hekou City--Patzcuaro Lake Area--three southbound routes, and the west is the Chapala Lake Area--Chatao River--Apa Plain--Taotu Town--Apa Water System.

The four waterways and the land trunk roads form an irregular quadrilateral. 500 miles north and south, 500 miles east and west, about 60,000 square kilometers. And with such a complete road network and water network, this 60,000 square kilometers of area is the hinterland that can be directly governed by the center of the kingdom! Based on this, and then extending in all directions along the waterway, the territory that can be controlled is several times more than this!

Thinking of this, Xiu Luote's eyes sparkled, his chest surged, and he was full of ambition to conquer the four directions and annex the world!

"The first major plan of the kingdom will be to mobilize more than 100,000 laborers and more than 10,000 warriors after the autumn harvest to start construction in various counties at the same time! The most important part is to build four sections of secondary county roads totaling 600 miles, dredge three sections of rivers totaling 600 to 700 miles, and completely connect the north and the south!"

"Once the county roads are initially built, the will of the king's capital can pass through the south. And the next step is to attack the Chapala Lake area. After the Chapala Lake area is captured, the second major plan is to extend the road network ruled by the kingdom again!"