The best territory designer of all time - Episode 83
83fury. Wrong answer better than correct answer (2)
“I dare to believe that the most urgent task is to build a new bridge over the Majena River, which crosses the entire capital..”
It was a spacious throne room..
It was a space that was spacious, like the king's personality, but had a grandiose feel rather than being extravagant..
Lloyd's voice rang loudly throughout the space..
The King, Alicia Termina Magentano's eyebrows twitched..
“legs?”
“That's right.”
“tell me in more detail.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I have dared to hear that the current bridge over the Majena River collapses frequently, often, forgetfully..”
“……frequently?”
“That's right.”
“Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration??”
“It is believed that collapsing once every few decades means that it collapses very often and frequently in civil engineering terms..”
“……really?”
“That's right.”
Lloyd, who had an iron plate covering his entire face, answered..
Honestly it was true.
Collapse once every few decades.
From a civil engineering perspective, that was equivalent to 'very often'..
In fact, the bridge over the Magena River that crosses the royal capital, Magenta, was exactly like that..
‘That problem was mentioned a few times in the novel, Knight of Iron Blood. Even three years from now, it actually collapsed for the first time in decades..’
The location of this royal capital mentioned in the novel came to mind..
The Majena River, which runs through the royal capital, never dries up all year round. Such abundant water sources allowed the city to prosper for many years..
However, abundant water sources also became a double-edged sword..
‘Floods occur every spring. The amount of water increases rapidly due to the spring rainy season in the east. In addition, the melting of massive amounts of snow accumulated throughout the winter in nearby alpine areas further encourages an increase in precipitation..’
Such spring floods were a chronic problem in the royal capital of Magenta..
It was a disaster, especially for the bridge over the Majena River..
At least once every 10 years. The bridge collapsed due to flooding once every 50 to 60 years. Each time that happened, the royal family had to spend a huge amount of money to build a new bridge..
‘Coincidentally, there was a similar bridge on Earth, I guess..’
Heidelberg, Germany.
The ‘Karl Theodor Bridge’ on the Neckar River came to mind..
‘11The first version of the first Charles Theodor Bridge was built in the middle of the century. And it collapsed in the flood of 1288. Was it the same after that?.’
It seemed like it might have been.
The second bridge was built in 1308..
3The Great and Fourth generations were in 1340 and 1400, respectively..
5Even the great bridge collapsed in 1470..
It happened again after that..
‘6The bridge was built because of drift ice that came with the flood of 1565. The 7th was taken over by the army of Louis XIV during the War of the Palatinate Succession. Afterwards, the eight bridges, which were made stronger and more solid through fortification, collapsed due to floods and drift ice in 1784..’
So, the story that Karl Theodor Bridge, which exists in modern times, is the ‘9th’ came to mind..
However, the situation here in Magenta, the royal capital in the novel, was very similar to Heidelberg in medieval Germany..
“I heard that the current bridge over the Majena River is the twelfth to be built after having collapsed eleven times. Therefore, I think that this practice of rebuilding bridges that collapse every time is truly inefficient..”
“It's inefficient to rebuild what's broken.?”
“So it is, Your Majesty..”
“So we need to build a new bridge?”
“So it is, Your Majesty..”
“So, are you confident that the new bridge you propose will not collapse even in spring floods and drift ice??”
“It is so too, Your Majesty..”
You have to be confident in these betting moments..
With that in mind, Lloyd answered confidently..
King Alicia's eyes became sharp..
“If it collapses?”
“if-”
Lloyd bowed his head even deeper..
‘I need to pack my bags and leave the country right away..’
He swallowed his determination(?) and said,.
“Strike my neck.”
“Are you serious??”
“I'm being sincere. instead-”
“instead?”
“Please forever guarantee my family's status until the new bridge I dared to walk on collapses..”
“It's a guarantee of status. Until the new bridge collapses?”
“So it is, Your Majesty..”
“…….”
Lloyd lowered his head as if he was about to touch the floor..
The corners of King Alicia's eyes became harsh as she looked at the back of Lloyd's chest..
‘Look at this guy.’
The eldest son of the Eastern Corner Baron..
How dare you offer yourself a negotiation on such a topic?.
They are demanding that the baron's status as an aristocrat be guaranteed forever..
security of status.
The meaning was clear.
No matter what happens, the fiefdom will not be confiscated..
And a lifetime pension of a stable amount sufficient to maintain the minimum dignity of an aristocrat will be paid..
Those two things are probably the true meaning behind that request..
‘Moreover, if we just watch quietly, they are talking about the construction of a new bridge as if it is already a fait accompli.?’
I couldn't help but burst into laughter..
It was an embarrassing yet sly way of speaking..
He was using a trick that was clearly visible..
But I thought it was cute because it was so insignificant..
I found it strange that he was acting so shamelessly in front of me..
It was like a puppy whimpering at a lion asking for a snack..
Moreover, if a bridge were built that wouldn't collapse in a flood,?
It would never have been a loss for the royal family..
King Alicia's voice softened slightly..
“Is there a trick to building the bridge you claim will never collapse??”
“Of course it comes.”
It comes over.
I came over.
Lloyd read the mood through the king's soothing voice..
Fortunately, the game worked..
‘it's okay.’
The personality of King Alicia that I remember through the novel Iron-Blooded Knight came to mind..
Indomitable Monarch, Alicia Termina Magentano.
As a person with both absolute power and absolute force, she was bold and unstoppable. She was also impartial and fair and listened to her advice regardless of how noble or noble her opponents were..
That's why I hated servile people so much..
As he did now, he liked people who were straightforward in what they had to say, regardless of their status, and had no hesitation in keeping them close to him..
So you lose one arm.
Being poisoned by the person you trusted the most.
He gives up his arm and saves his life..
The shock of that betrayal completely changes his personality..
Transforms into a cruel tyrant that no one trusts.
He falls from an indomitable monarch to a lord of massacre..
‘But that unfortunate incident hasn't happened yet.’
Based on the novel, that will happen three years from now..
At this time, King Alicia was still bright and fair, shining like a red lion..
So I thought this bold proposal would work..
In fact, the frequent collapse of bridges over the Majena River had always been a headache for the royal family, so he calculated that this proposal would have a good chance of winning..
And the calculation is working..
Lloyd's answer was filled with confidence..
“If we build a suspension bridge over the Majena River, it will never collapse in any flood..”
“suspension bridge?”
“Yes, I do..”
The king tilts his head.
Lloyd spoke more confidently to her..
“Suspension bridges are a bridge construction method suitable for bridges with long spans. Typically, tall pylons are built on both sides, and the pylons are supported by long rope-type cables... … blah blah… … The cables are fixed at anchor blocks at both ends of the bridge... … Nabulnabul… … First of all, the advantage of a suspension bridge is that there is no need to build a pier in the river... … Blah blah… … Therefore, I dare say…….”
“stop. Just there.”
“…….”
“Have you said everything you wanted to say??”
“Unfortunately, His Majesty ordered us to stop.…….”
“That was enough. I fully understand the meaning.”
King Alicia unconsciously expressed disgust. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with a handkerchief..
For some reason, I felt as if all of Lloyd's explanation I had just heard entered my left ear hole and slipped out my right ear hole..
Lloyd's question became more subtle..
“What are your intentions?…….”
“Because it's intentional.”
The king chuckled..
“Jim said he would definitely test your abilities. Since you answered the question and showed enough confidence, why should you hesitate any more? implement.”
“Are you saying we should build a new bridge??”
“It is true. Build it yourself and prove it. If you succeed, I will reward you greatly, in addition to the achievements you made earlier in Cremo. step-”
King Alicia's eyes, which had been laughing, became stern..
“The greater the confidence shown, the greater the cost of failure in construction..”
“I will keep that in mind..”
Lloyd bowed his head in respect..
The die has already been cast.
This is the yard where you ride on the back of a tiger..
Now was the time to show off your skills..
♣
“This is the first time I've seen someone so arrogant and arrogant in front of me..”
The throne room where Lloyd and Javiel retreated.
King Alicia, who remained there, smiled bitterly..
Soon, a middle-aged man's voice was heard as if responding to her bitter smile..
“You seem like a clever and calculating person, Your Majesty..”
He was the head of the Knights of the Royal Guard who had been quietly following the king until now..
“Lord Czerny, did you see it that way too??”
“So it is, Your Majesty..”
“Ha, yeah. He's much smarter than I thought..”
The bitter smile on King Alicia's lips deepened..
Suddenly, I remembered the report I received from the Count of Cremo..
The report made this assessment of Lloyd Frontera:.
‘A clever person who will surprise everyone by showing off his or her abilities to the fullest when there is a clear benefit to be given to him/her..’
……The evaluation was.
“In reality, it seems like that too. But I didn't know you would give such a wrong answer..”
“Saying it's a wrong answer……?”
“Lloyd Frontera's answer to Jim's question..”
“Are you saying that it is urgent to build a new bridge over the Majena River??”
“okay.”
“If you say that is the wrong answer…….”
“There was a different answer I had in mind..”
King Alicia spoke as if cutting with a knife..
Actually, there was a different answer I had in mind from the time I asked Lloyd the question..
The answer she thought was not building a bridge.
It wasn't even about the flooding of the Majena River or anything related to the river..
“In fact, the correct answer that Jim was thinking of was the royal palace's compensation..”
“ah……!”
Lord Cherny gasped in amazement at Alicia’s words..
“That certainly makes sense. It also happens to be the time when the royal castle maintenance period, which is regularly carried out every 10 years, is approaching.…….”
“okay. that's right. It was built too thick and strong to prepare for the dragon's attack. So heavy. It needs frequent maintenance. So I thought that was the correct answer. I thought that anyone with knowledge in construction would naturally say the correct answer Jim thought..”
But it wasn't.
Lloyd gave a completely different answer than she thought..
It was an undeniably wrong answer..
But it wasn't just a wrong answer..
‘In fact, bridge construction over the Majena River was needed long ago. But there was no obvious way..’
it actually did.
Previous kings also had the same concerns..
Floods that occur regularly every spring when the snow melts. The only way to face such a ferocious natural disaster was to build stronger bridges..
Every time a bridge collapses, a new bridge is built stronger than before..
However, it could not survive for several decades and collapsed again..
The reason was simple.
It was an engineering dilemma..
‘What did the builders say? In order to build a strong bridge, the piers that support the bridge must be made larger and stronger. However, as the pier becomes stronger, it becomes thicker and receives more water pressure from the river..’
She knew very little about construction..
However, I was able to understand to some extent what the construction engineers said..
It was a simple principle.
Piers are pillars built in water to support a bridge. The flowing river always receives the force of pushing it to the side..
However, when the piers become thicker,?
As the area becomes larger,?
The area subject to river pressure and hydraulic pressure also increases..
To overcome this, the builders tried making the face upstream of the pier into a wedge shape. A separate wooden structure was installed on the upstream side of the pier to prevent drift ice..
But they were only temporary measures.
Once every few decades, a flood occurred that was difficult to handle even with such measures..
Every time that happened, the bridge collapsed without fail..
So deep down I was just giving up..
Just do your best to build it strong. If it collapses, we assume there is nothing we can do and build again. It is considered a regular tax paid to the forces of nature..
That was the policy of the present-day Magentano royal family regarding the bridge over the Magena River..
Therefore, King Alicia did not have any expectations that there would be a novel solution to the problem. No, I couldn't imagine it..
‘But Lloyd Frontera, he brought it up as an answer to my question..’
The correct answer you had in mind.
The wrong answer was much better than the correct answer..
‘Let's just watch for now.’
King Alicia thought to herself..
The bridge that Lloyd spoke about, the suspension bridge.
Let's watch them build that new bridge. Let's observe Lloyd Frontera's abilities. So, if his ability is proven, I will definitely use him heavily..
As expected, Lloyd's bridge construction preparations proceeded steadily, receiving the King's look of anticipation..
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