Chapter 54: Nirmal
As Vijay finished appointing a Minister for the Ministry of Communication, he returned to the previous room where he had assigned the task to the three candidates for the Ministry of Transportation.
Upon entering the room, his attention was quickly drawn to the three types of roads that were nearly completed by the candidates. As he saw that they were adding the finishing touches, he quietly waited for the candidates to finish the construction so he could inspect them.
These roads were 9 meters in width and 15 meters in length. Vijay had decided to implement this standard after gaining an understanding of roads from future generations. The maximum width allowed for vehicles in India in future generations is 2.5 meters, so a two-lane road was around 7 meters, and a three-lane road, which allowed for one-way travel, was approximately 9 meters wide.
In the future, National Highways like NH7 used to have two separate three-lane roads for travel, along with another two-lane road on both sides of the main highway. Vijay planned to implement the same standard throughout the empire. Major cities would have roads connecting each other with National Highway standards, with more room for expansion if needed, while villages and towns would have a standard three-lane road with two-way traffic.
While Vijay was lost in his thoughts about his plans for the future of the empire, the construction of the roads was completed by the three candidates.
The guard reminded him, "They're ready, your Highness."
Jolted awake from his thoughts, Vijay looked around and saw that the candidates had completed the construction. He nodded as he went to inspect the roads that had been built. Vijay stepped onto the leftmost road, finding it smooth to walk on. He looked at the candidate who had built the road and asked him, "Explain the construction process."
With excitement, the candidate responded, "With pleasure, Your Highness. My road uses strong clay that has been hardened in the sun as a foundation. On top of that, we placed red soil and flattened it with a boulder to make the road smooth and prevent bumps along the way."
Vijay took a moment to consider the construction process of the road. He then instructed his attendant to bring a pot of water and pour it all over the road. As he expected, the water began to seep into the road, forming puddles in some areas. He knew that this method of building roads was commonly used in this era, but even in future India, It was not rare, as politicians would often use such roads to convince the illiterate people to vote for them, as it was a quick and cost-effective way to show progress.
Vijay realized that this method could be employed to build roads in some remote tribes that had not yet been contacted, especially in forested areas. However, it might not be suitable for the urban environment where better road infrastructure is needed.
Next, he examined a green-coloured road that felt sturdy and smooth as he walked on it. He was impressed and asked the candidate how this road had been constructed.
The candidate explained, "Your Highness, the lower layer of the road is constructed using boulders the size of an arm, arranged in a flat pattern. Coarse sand is poured on top of this layer of rocks to fill any gaps between them, and then a layer of bricks is placed on top of it. On top of that, I applied a layer of red soil. After flattening the road with a boulder, in order to achieve a smooth finish and a water-repellent effect, it is topped off with cow manure as a plaster."
Vijay nodded, recognizing that this road was solid and likely to withstand the test of time. To find out of its durability and practicality, iron ingots were pulled over the road multiple times, leaving no marks. Additionally, water was poured onto the road, but due to the cow dung plastering, the water didn't adhere to the road and simply ran off to the side.
Vijay decided to reject this idea, not because he was disgusted with the cow manure (he knew it was commonly used in many places), but because he was concerned about the construction and maintenance costs. While he understood that cow dung was used as a waterproof plaster in many areas, he believed that the layers would wear off relatively quickly. Additionally, the use of bricks, which required significant labour, would lead to high maintenance costs that the Vijayanagara Empire couldn't afford.
As Vijay walked on the last road, he was surprised by its prickly texture, making it uncomfortable for him to walk on the road with bare feet. He inquired about the construction of this road, and the candidate explained, "Your Highness, for this road, I first levelled the field into flat land. On top of that, I placed large rocks the size of a fist, followed by a layer of smaller rocks the size of marbles. Finally, I added the dust formed after breaking down boulders into smaller pieces. After that, it was flattened multiple times for the road to settle down. Essentially, Your Highness, the main raw material for this road is nothing but boulders."
Vijay was pleased with this idea as he realized that this road was just a few ingredients away from becoming a cement road, which required limestone and slag from the blast furnace. Unfortunately, to achieve the maximum effect, calcination is necessary for the limestone, but slag can be used as it has already undergone chemical alteration. However, there is currently not enough slag from his factory for the entire road network, but this situation is likely to change by the time construction begins. To assess the road's properties, he poured water directly onto it, and it flowed right through the road without leaving any puddles. The road also withstood the weight of a carriage carrying a load of iron ingots.
Satisfied with these results, Vijay turned to the thin, dark-toned candidate and asked, "What is your name, and what was your previous occupation?"
The thin man was overjoyed by the question. He replied with excitement, "Your Highness, my name is Nirmal. I used to work as a craftsman for a noble household. I got the idea for this road when I observed the different layers of soil dug out when digging a well. I thought that maybe a road could also be constructed using a similar method."
Vijay was impressed with Nirmal's ability to apply his natural observations to his work. Without any doubt, he appointed Nirmal as the Temporary Minister of the Ministry of Transportation. He also appointed the previous candidate as the Temporary Head of the Department for Roadways for his excellent innovation in road construction. Furthermore, he quickly granted them the seeds of knowledge to assist them in their work.
Finally, Vijay had found the talented individuals he needed to begin the transformation of the kingdom from an agricultural country to an industrial one.
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