Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology

Nirmal paid extra attention to the sketching of his majesty

"With the construction of the canal, the city of Coimbatore could become a major trade hub, supplying materials to some of the inland cities within the empire, such as our capital, Bengaluru. There are also numerous agricultural benefits, as the canal would aid in efficient water management. It would provide a huge boost to the economy and also help with flood mitigation."

Vinod's eyebrows were raised as he had not expected so many benefits to be gained from this canal project. In the end, he was also on board with His Majesty's plan.

"So, in my estimation, this canal will be a total of 456 kilometres long, but actual measurements should be done by you, Karunanidhi. You're the expert in this area—map out the most suitable terrain for the canal to be built." Vijay said as the Dean of the Bharatiya Institute of Map Sciences, Karunanidhi, readily accepted the first order from His Majesty with a smile on his face. "Leave it to me, Your Majesty. I will get it done in no time."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Vijay pursed his lips, pleased. "Good. As I was saying, this canal is built after connecting three rivers and a few inland cities, so a lot of construction is involved. Sanjeev Bansari, you are the expert in fluid mechanics, and you have been a crucial part of the empire's flood control protocols and technologies. You will be responsible for figuring out a way to expand and fortify the riverbeds of the three rivers, ideally during the seasons of March to May, when the rivers are at their driest."

Sanjeev Bansari readily took over the order.

"As for you, Chaitanya, you're the expert in building water infrastructure like dams and aqueducts. You will be mainly responsible for engineering the canal project in the land portion of the stretch."

"Also, for the portion of the stretch where you have to work with the rivers, come up with a complete and suitable plan for the canal, including all the water reservation facilities, flood avoidance facilities, dams, bridges, water diversion channels, and whatever else you may need when the water from the main river needs to be diverted in order to deepen the riverbed or widen the river."

Chaitanya readily agreed.

Vijay then went on to explain, "Then for the second project, it is what I call a backbone railway network foundation laying project."

"Huh? Railway?" Minister of Transportation Nirmal was immediately confused, as he had never heard such a term before.

Everyone else in the room had similar expressions.

Vijay knew that this would happen.

"It's natural that no one has any idea about railways," Vijay said, understanding their clueless expressions. "But Nirmal, you are familiar with the rail carts used during mining, aren't you?"

Nirmal thought about it for a while and suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean those small metal buckets used to push the ore? Your Majesty."

Vijay nodded. "Yes, that's exactly it. The track on which that cart moves is called the railway track."

"And multiple such tracks coming together are called a railway network, similar to a single road and a road network."

Nirmal and the others nodded their heads in understanding.

"But Your Majesty, are we going to construct such railways throughout the empire? But they are so small, what can they be used for?" Nirmal asked, still unable to understand how such a small railway could help alleviate the labour problem in the empire.

"Small? No, no. You have misunderstood," Vijay immediately smiled. "I'm not talking about constructing small railway tracks, but large ones. For this railway to be laid down, I need the width to at least be the same as a single-lane road."

"This railway does not need to stop at every intersection and turn like a road, but instead goes directly from one major point to another."

"In my mind, the railway is only used to transport large cargo from one place to another as fast as possible."

"But Your Majesty, if you're constructing such a large railway, then doesn't it mean the carriages carrying the cargo should also be humongous? Are you planning to increase the population of elephants by any chance?" Nirmal asked, as he really could not make any sense of the existence of this railway.

'Is His Majesty planning to make a dedicated cargo transportation channel exclusively pulled by elephants?' Nirmal thought.

Vijay knew that he had been misunderstood again, but he did not try to correct the Minister of Transportation, as it would be ridiculous to mention, "a steel monster breathing steam would be invented a few years later that would be able to not only pull a single carriage but multiple carriages, dozens at a time, and thousands of tons at a time."

If he really did say that, even though he had accumulated a lot of prestige in the empire, he would really be embarrassed when all his subordinates looked at him like he was some sort of a liar.

So, it was best that they stayed in their misunderstood state of mind for now, as long as they completed the objective according to his requirements.

"Yeah, just like you said, Nirmal," Vijay said, which made Nirmal seriously nod his head in understanding.

"So, each state will have this internal railway network connecting all its three major capitals—the economic capital, the educational and cultural capital, and finally, the political capital. Make sure that the railways are interconnected between the three capitals, and also, if in case the three capitals are too close to each other, then it is possible to extend the railway outward with connectivity to other states in mind."

Vijay once again looked at Karunanidhi, the dean of the Bharatiya Institute of Map Sciences.

"Karunanidhi, once again, I need you to prepare a map of the preliminary Bharatiya railway network, encompassing the whole of the southern part of the Empire. The map should include the internal railway network of the state, connecting all major cities within the state, and an outer state network that connects one state to another with the help of dedicated railway tracks. Finally, connect all the interstate and outer state railway networks to the key nodes, that is, the central points where all the logistic channels can meet and the central hubs in the Empire. For now, they are the capital city Bengaluru and the central city Nagpur."

"You can make use of the resources from the Bharatiya Institute of Civilian Sciences. They have quite a lot of experience in road layout planning and also take help from the algorithm scientists. They will assist with the most efficient route from one railway station to another."

Karunanidhi quickly noted down all the orders and nodded his head in agreement.

Finally, Vijay looked at Vinod. "Both these projects, if started together, can immediately mobilize a population of at least a few million at its minimum and 20 million or more at its maximum. So I need you to directly keep an eye on both of these projects. Make sure that no resources are wasted and no major mishaps occur."

Vinod immediately got up and replied with a serious expression on his face, "I am determined to get the job done, Your Majesty."

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21st January 1659 - Bharatam Daily Headline:

"Empire's Ambitious Mega-Projects Set to Revolutionize Transportation and Infrastructure: Railway and Canal Networks to Mobilize Millions"

In an unprecedented move, His Majesty Vijay has unveiled plans for two monumental infrastructure projects that aim to transform the Empire's logistics and connectivity. The ambitious railway network will span the Empire, linking key cities and states, while a groundbreaking canal project promises to enhance trade and improve flood control across the region. Experts predict that these developments could mobilize up to 20 million people and reshape the future of Bharatam's economy and infrastructure.

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In various cities:

"Hey, Soma, have you seen this? Look, look!"

"Finally, there are jobs! I was sure I'd be fired by my boss, and my job would be taken by those northerners." An excited young man, who had just gotten his first job after completing middle school, wiped a cold sweat from his forehead. "Isn't it amazing, Soma?"

The decision Vijay took had come like a breath of fresh air into the overheated southern part of the empire. It was as if all the contradictions that had been brewing due to the 6 million unemployed migrants hanging around in most urban regions of the southern part of the empire had completely disappeared in a single day.

Even though the labourers could not read or write the Bharati language, they could still understand that they would be getting the livelihood they required very soon.

They were very happy that they didn't have to be scorned by the locals for no apparent reason

"Yes, we are saved! We don't have to starve anymore!"

"Hahaha, thank you, Shiva, thank you for your blessings!"

"Aha, Devi Mata, thank you for looking after your child!"

The labourers, whose complexions were previously ashen, clueless, and without direction, were suddenly lit with relief, anticipation, and a better hope for tomorrow.