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History of the Greatest Territory Design - Episode 337

337fury. Shortcut to hegemony (3)

Pantara Mountains in the southwestern part of the kingdom.

It was a natural barrier that could never be overcome..

There were layers of steep cliffs lined up..

The mountain slope was so steep.

Even the climate was harsh.

Severe alpine weather that often changes rapidly.

Severely cold snowstorms occurred frequently..

But even so, it was too precious a place to just leave it alone..

If we develop a trade route that can pass through those mountains,?

So, if we could trade with the other side directly without having to bypass the mountain range,?

There will definitely be huge benefits.

The kingdom's position will rise vertically..

All the previous kings of the Magentano royal family had the same thought..

Therefore, the royal family made countless efforts to build a road through the mountain range..

A total of 9 kings attempted construction..

So I failed all 9 times..

The reason was simple and clear.

‘Because there were so many technical difficulties. With the civil engineering skills possessed by the royal family's engineers, the only method that could be attempted was to create a side road..’

The King, Alicia Termina Magentano, bit her lip..

Jando.

It was a technique to make a path on a rugged cliff..

First, dig a hole in the cliff slope to insert a stake..

put in a stake.

Place a plank on a stake.

keep repeating that action.

Eventually, a boardwalk supported by piles was created along the cliff..

That was Jando.

‘But that jando had too many shortcomings..’

The King recalled the nine previous kings who attempted to build a road in the Pantara Mountains..

I also remembered why they failed.

‘I was able to forcibly create Jando. But I couldn't keep it up. Wooden planks and stakes? As the process of getting wet, freezing, and thawing was repeated in bad weather, it all rotted and fell apart in less than two years..’

In an instant, durability fell to the abyss..

No matter how much you manage.

2Years have passed and it has become an impossible road to travel on properly..

Moreover, the structural limitations of the jando itself also hindered the attempts of previous kings..

‘It's narrow. Since the road was made of planks on a cliff, it was only wide enough for one person to pass. So even if a road was opened, many people and goods could not move at once. It was not uncommon for the cupboard itself to collapse while trying to forcefully move a large load..’

That wasn't all.

Once people or goods entered the island, it became impossible to return by any other route..

Even going back was not easily allowed..

It was because the road was too narrow, one side was a cliff, and the other side was empty space..

‘Therefore, it was not suitable for use as a trade route. I was at the level of failing.’

So some previous kings made a more bold attempt..

‘I also tried to make the cup itself large, strong, and wide using steel. But I failed. The materials also became larger and heavier. There was no way to get it to the site through the bad weather. Hundreds of workers died during the two-month attempt. At the end, construction was stopped.’

That was what happened during the time of King Seonjeon..

After the construction was halted at that time.

The Magentano royal family had temporarily abandoned the project to open a trade route in the Pantara Mountains..

This was because it was concluded that the project could not be succeeded with current technology..

‘But what? Narrow gauge railway? Loop track and switchback system?’

King Alicia was taken out of her thoughts..

narrow gauge railway.

Loop track and switchback system.

It was a term I didn't remember, it was my first time encountering it..

Naturally, her gaze towards Lloyd became stern..

Her grip on Lloyd's neck became even stronger..

“tell me in more detail.”

Crackling!

“……Geek!”

The sound of a pig being ripped from the throat came out of Lloyd's mouth..

I looked at the king with eyes full of resentment..

He flailed as hard as he could and pointed to his neck..

I'm suffocating to death.

How can I tell you this?.

It was a powerful gesture of protest..

Only then did the king realize his mistake(?) and stopped..

I slightly relaxed my grip..

Immediately after that, Lloyd moved instead of answering..

With one hand, he loosened the king's grip..

He pushed away the king's wooden sword with the shovel in his other hand..

Go go go go-!

The aurors pushed each other away, scattering sparks and noise..

Lloyd's rebuttal was mixed in between them..

“Perhaps you would like a detailed explanation of the method I just gave you??”

“Of course I do..”

“Excuse me, but that seems difficult..”

“Are you in trouble? Does this mean you don't want to explain what the loop track and switchback system are?.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Why?”

“This is because it is a trade secret..”

“…….”

Kakak! Tookwakwang! Kwasik!

The king's sword attack suddenly became more ferocious..

Lloyd barely held on and continued answering..

“……That, that, that, that! Pfft! I really come here. Apologize... … Yikes! Of course, the moment I tell you the method in detail, your Majesty may reject my proposal..”

“Do you really think that I will start construction on my own after hearing the construction secret??”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“…….”

Quack! Tukkeung! Tookkuk!

The king's swordsmanship became more brutal..

However, Lloyd was able to endure without being pushed back like before..

Meanwhile, a wry smile appeared on my lips..

‘It's true. I can't tell you the method in detail. I really don't think the King would do such a wasteful thing as stealing technology from me, but she doesn't know anything about people..’

You and the King are not blood relatives, nor are you friends..

It is not a relationship of unconditional favor..

It is only a cooperative relationship, a partnership in which interests are aligned..

‘So, no matter how friendly you become, you have to keep the line. Hey, if we act like this without any lines between us, we end up getting dirty..’

What to protect thoroughly.

Ensure mutual benefits and rights.

We must distinguish, make a distinction, and keep a distance..

That was the reason why Lloyd did not tell the king the secret of the new method..

This was also the reason why the construction of a trade route in the Pantara Mountains was not proposed until now..

‘Actually, I was thinking about it a while ago, but there was no real reason to do this project until now..’

Opening of trade routes in the Pantara Mountains.

In fact, it was a long-cherished wish of the Magentano royal family..

It was also mentioned three or four times in the novel Iron Blood Knight..

So he himself had been aware of the need for that construction for a long time..

But no mention or suggestion was made..

This was because I did not feel the need to do construction..

‘of course. Because this is a great card. It's a card that gets better the longer it is stored away. I thought it was a card that would one day lead to significant profits and negotiations with the King..

So I've been keeping it quiet until now..

So today, it was used as a bargaining chip to obtain the royal family's new summer eyes..

‘Besides, this project has a lot of potential. you can do it. Because there was a similar case on Earth..’

Lloyd suddenly remembered the project he had proposed for the construction of a narrow gauge railway in a mountainous area..

There was a similar case on Earth too..

It was India’s ‘Darjeeling Himalayan Railway’..

‘1870Was it in the 1990s? At that time, Britain was colonizing India. But what do you mean by England? Isn't it black tea? Wherever the people of this tea country went, there was a peculiarity that immediately caught my eye whenever I saw a neighborhood suitable for growing tea..’

However, a region called Darjeeling in northern India caught the attention of the British..

Elevation is approximately 2,100 meters.

A town located in the tropical highlands.

It happened to be the exact point where the warm air from the Bay of Bengal meets the Himalayas..

Thanks to this, huge fog used to occur all year round..

It also has the characteristics of a highland area with a large temperature difference between day and night..

The conditions were ideal for growing high-quality black tea..

‘So I set my sights on Darjeeling, which was barren at the time. I figured it out. Oh, if you build a tea plantation there and hire thousands of workers, you will make a lot of money. To do that, we need a way to transport large quantities of supplies and tea. But the terrain is rough? I say so.’

So the people of Hongchaguk?

A mountain railway was built to replace the existing carriage road, which took 5 to 6 days one way..

safety.

in bulk in one queue.

Construction was carried out so that materials and manpower could be transported in regular packages..

‘The railway line was about 88 kilometers long. Winding into the mountains. This is not just a railroad, but a railroad with an extremely narrow gauge that is unconventional..’

Gauge refers to the gap between tracks, that is, the gap between two rails of a railway..

In the case of Korea?

1.435The global standard gauge of meters is used as is..

KTX, Saemaeul trains, and subway trains running on numerous railways in Korea were all designed to run on the standard gauge with an interval of 1.435 meters..

However, the narrow gauge gauge that the British built in Darjeeling was?

It was only 61 centimeters long.!

‘Because we had to pass through rugged and steep mountainous terrain. But what if you want to lay a track as wide as the existing standard gauge? As the scale of construction grows, so does the size of the train. This makes overcoming difficult terrain more dangerous and difficult. So both the gauge and the size of the train were reduced. As compactly as possible without interfering with material transportation..’

British civil engineers added two ideas:.

It was a loop track and switchback system..

‘Thanks to this, it was possible to lay railroad tracks on steep terrain without building nearly any tunnels. Why don't you build a tunnel? The construction period was also greatly shortened. We were able to complete a usable material transportation route with a reasonable and cost-effective investment..’

The result was the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway..

Lloyd also planned to lay such a railway in the Pantara Mountains..

‘It's quite possible. You can succeed.’

I felt that confident..

This was thanks to completing the data research early..

‘Just in case, I also referred to the construction records of the Magentano royal family. Thanks to this, the actual core section where the railway needs to be laid in the Pantara Mountains is about 60 kilometers long, and which section has the steepest and most difficult slopes. Because I was able to get a general understanding..’

Lloyd based his foundation on such confidence and confidence..

With the belief that the secrets prepared in this way cannot be given away for free,.

With the stubbornness of not wanting to reveal it without any compensation,.

answered the king's question.

“Anyway, I apologize, but these are my trade and technical secrets. Your Majesty, please make your choice..”

“Are you asking me to choose whether to accept your offer?.”

“That is so, Your Majesty. Because the Noble House will call me..”

“I guess so. Because of the revelation that came this time.”

“It's like that too.”

As expected, the king is quick-witted..

Even if I don’t explain it in detail,.

Because I can easily guess this side’s intentions..

This is why I feel comfortable talking to this sister..

Lloyd said with a grin..

“I fully expect that the Noble House will send me a request for admission within three or four days. As you said, it must be because of revelation..”

“I guess so. They will call you, hold a hearing, and ask you a variety of questions. Those in favor of revelation will try to prove the legitimacy of revelation through your testimony, and those opposed will try to prove the unfairness of revelation by finding loopholes in your testimony and attitude..”

“Yes, I do..”

“In other words, if Jim wants to accept your offer, he needs to make a decision on the spot and respond with action. Is that what you mean??”

“It is so too, Your Majesty..”

“I'll give Jim some time to think.?”

“Since you have accepted me so much, I don’t know what to do with myself..”

“What should I do with my body? It's really obvious that he's trying hard not to get hit even once..”

“…….”

bang! Kakakakakang!

It's not that it's not, but I'm trying hard to explain and talk with my mouth..

Lloyd was dancing wildly trying to avoid being hit by the King's sister..

The king chuckled at Lloyd’s appearance like that..

“……I understand. If you do that, let’s stop sparring at this point..”

Kwaang-!

“……Wow!”

Is this a blow to decorate the end(?).

The king’s wooden sword shattered the space with the force of a mountain..

Lloyd, who barely managed to block the blow, was pushed back about 10 meters..

But there was a satisfied smile on his lips..

“Whoo, whoo! Truly, Seong-eun, I am devastated..”

“It's so crazy.”

“…….”

“I understand what you mean. If you do so, I will see you again on the day you enter the academy at the request of the noble house..”

“If you say so, my suggestion is…….”

“I'll think about it until then..”

“I am devastated, Your Majesty..”

“I don't know where that castle is, but if I keep looking for it, I think I'll be told to spar again.?”

“The time is dark, so I will leave quickly, Your Majesty..”

“Either that.”

Was it because of this warning(?)?.

Lloyd quickly bowed and stepped away..

Fearing that I might get caught again, I quickly left the training ground..

From then on, the king was alone..

Standing in the center of the lone training ground.

I thought about Lloyd’s suggestion I just heard..

It was an attractive offer.

It was definitely a profitable offer..

On the one hand, it was an amazing proposal that made me laugh..

‘He is truly amazing and funny..’

Lloyd Frontera.

The more I think about it, the more I laugh..

Because he is such a bizarre and unexpected person..

On the other hand, he seems to be a more amazing person than I thought..

“……I didn't know that I was already close to my level..”

King Alicia looked back at the exit of the training ground with a meaningful smile..

The sparring with Lloyd seemed leisurely throughout..

Contrary to its appearance,.

Her hand holding the wooden sword was trembling slightly due to the muscle pain she had not experienced in a long time..