Lord of Industrialization

The development of the Lukang area cannot be rushed. Dealing with such a large swamp requires a lot of manpower and material resources, and also relies on the power of nature.

In terms of manpower, Frederick took a fancy to the refugees outside the city of Hanma and discussed with Thoth whether some people could be brought here now.

The biggest reason why Earl Toth was able to serve as the deputy leader of the Royal Mage Corps in his early thirties is that his father, the old Earl Toth, was the deputy leader.

The second is that he went to Weissenburg University to study eleven years ago. After graduation, he first stayed at the school to teach for two years, and then joined a construction company. He is the most powerful magician among civil engineers and the best at civil engineering among magicians.

One of the reasons why Frederick entrusted him with the Lukang project was to see to what extent magic could improve the efficiency of civil engineering.

Between last summer and the end of winter this year, a circle of dams more than 90 kilometers long and 2 meters high has been built around the first 190 square kilometers of estuary swampland.

Thoth told Frederick how to build the dam.

The soil beneath the estuary swamp is not waterproof. If a dam is built directly above it, water will seep through from underneath.

So Toth ordered a large number of wooden boards at the shipyard in Amstel City, and inserted the wooden boards into the impermeable soil layer to form grids that were hundreds of meters long.

Next, it was the turn of the magicians. They turned the soft swamp soil into mud, and then used tornado spells and other methods to pump it away until the impermeable soil layer at the bottom was exposed.

There are mountains in the upper reaches of the river. After blasting the mountains to get rocks, they are transported by boat and the gravel is filled into wooden grids until it is higher than the normal river level.

In addition to rocky mountains, there is also clay soil upstream. After it is turned into mud, it is pumped to the ship and transported to the ship. It is turned into mud again and pumped into the wooden grid. When the magic effect disappears, it can be integrated with the fragments without even tamping. .

At this time, the lower wooden boards can be taken out and taken to the side to repeat the work just now. Then use other wooden boards to build a smaller grid on the completed foundation. Repeat the work just now to build the dike in two layers to a height of two meters above the water surface. s position.

Toth optimized the construction sequence. In theory, the foundation, 0~1m and 1~2m sections can be constructed continuously, and the embankment continues to extend forward and grow taller.

Because wages were reasonable and paid on time, laborers and magicians from the lowlands, the northern part of the Kingdom of Gaul, and even the Kingdom of England across the sea came one after another, providing enough manpower to work in three shifts.

It's the tail end of the spring flood season, and the murky river water is blocked by temporary dams and pours into the fenced-in marshland through gaps left by the dams.

There are many reeds growing in the swamp, and now that the weather is getting warmer, new shoots are beginning to emerge.

These reeds slow down the flow of water, and the mud in the water gradually settles.

In order to speed up the accumulation of soil and prevent people from being idle, Tote negotiated with nearby landowners and helped them level several hills, and pulled the soil to the water inlet and dumped it.

On the seaside, there is a kilometer-long embankment with only gravel foundations, from which clear river water seeps out and flows into the sea.

Toth pointed to the reeds in front and said to Frederick: "We encountered some trouble at the beginning. Too much sediment accumulated near the water inlet, blocking the flow of water behind it."

"So we dropped explosives from the hot air balloon and blasted out several channels for the water to pass through."

"Later on, we arranged for people to watch from the hot air balloon every day and kept opening new channels."

"This year's flood is larger than in previous years, with a height of 1.5 meters."

"We diverted water from three nearby rivers, and it is expected that the soil will be silted out about half a meter higher than the normal river level."

After hearing this, Frederick said: "It is a good thing to draw more river water, but it will also cause siltation of the river channel. When the water level drops, it must be dredged to ensure future navigation."

"More than half a meter is enough. Any higher is not conducive to agricultural water use and requires laborious pumping."

"After the water recedes and the reeds are burned, we can check whether the ground is flat on the hot air balloon. If it is flat, we can proceed to the next step."

"When the time comes, you inform the College of Agriculture and they have already formulated a plan."

"You can build farm terraces first, and don't worry about the canals and lakes. We'll wait until next year to let the pests covered in silt suffocate to death first."

"The reeds in the ground are a nuisance and must be cleared."

"After the reeds are burned, they will use the nutrients stored in the roots to grow new leaves. You need to arrange for people to burn the reed leaves before they grow to half a meter high. Sporadic ones can be removed with a tractor or manually."

"In this way, the nutrients in the roots of the reed are consumed, and the new leaves are disposed of without producing nutrients for the roots. After a few times, the roots will die."

At this time Toth said: "Principal, why not bring some swamp deer over? They will eat the reed leaves, and we will eat them after the reeds are eaten."

Frederick thought it made sense. The reason why this place was called Lugang was because there were many swamps and there were many swamp deer eating reeds.

Nowadays, without chemical herbicides, biological control is the easiest method.

Frederick nodded and said: "Yes, I think we can even set aside a special area to raise deer. The economic benefits should be good."

Deer's whole body is full of treasures, especially its blood, which is popular for its nourishing effect.

Frederick did not mean what he said, he just said it casually.

But Archduke Wesson was well-known in the business field, and Thoth immediately decided that this was a good way to make money.

"The port must also be well planned." Frederick's eyes narrowed slightly, "There will be nothing going on without Amstel City in the future."

The south of Lugang is an estuary delta area with flat land and dense water networks. In addition to the Rhine River system that runs deep into the interior of the continent, the rivers that flow into the sea here also include the Scheldt River system that runs deep into the north of the Kingdom of Gaul. It is a unique location for a sea-land transfer port.

However, there are many swamps here and it is difficult to develop, so the city of Amstel, which has a better terrain, bears the burden of the sea-land transfer port.

Frederick will not miss this opportunity, but at present, he does not stimulate the city of Amstel. He will build infrastructure and military facilities on the grounds of developing swamps, and it will naturally come to fruition in the end.

Professor Habib, an expert hired from the Kingdom of Gaul, is only used to confuse outsiders. He can only touch the surface.

Toth was one of the few people who knew about this plan. He said to Frederick, "I planned an industrial zone in Lugang according to the principal's wishes, mainly to introduce food processing plants and slightly expand the fishing port under the pretext of processing seafood."

"The naval barracks and ports are planned based on the fishing fleet and fish processing plant of the Dawn Chamber of Commerce to be established."

Frederick nodded. This kind of planning is very much in the style of doing business wherever you go.

After the two talked about the port, Toth hesitated for a moment, and quickly made up his mind. He said in a very low voice: "Principal, I heard a rumor that someone doesn't want us to go to the front line of Hanma City."

Frederick frowned.

The only person in the Rhine Alliance who can mobilize the Royal Mage Corps is Rudolf, and it was through him that he transferred half of the Corps to help.

In other words, someone tried to persuade Rudolf to reduce the power of Hanma City.

Toth grew up in Cologne and had a network of connections that he could use to get a lot of information.

"Forget about her." Frederick shook his head, with some guesses in his mind, "If you don't go, just stay here and do your work. I want to see what our queen is going to do."