Chapter 618 New City on the Grassland (Please vote and subscribe)

If the main building of New Steel County is the steel mill, then the rails in the steel mill are definitely the focus of this construction.

In the metallurgical process of the Han tribe, the blast furnace is only the most basic step in mineral extraction. It is responsible for smelting iron ore into molten iron, but it cannot make steel, so the molten iron needs to be placed in a huge crucible and transported to the bottom of the fan. It was very difficult to do this step in the past. The first is that the temperature of the crucible is too high, and the second is that the weight of the crucible is too large. Ordinary roads or cars cannot bear such a heavy weight.

If this thing is put in modern times, it must be hoisted with a gantry crane or other tools, but such technical difficulty is even more difficult for the current Han tribe to achieve, so Luo Chong came up with something like a railroad track and planned to lay a railroad track between the blast furnace and the fan to transport the crucible containing molten iron.

There are many advantages to putting the rails here. First of all, it has a greater load-bearing capacity than ordinary roads. After all, the wheels are stuck on the entire rail, and there will be a lot of sleepers under the rails. Each layer of structure can reduce the local pressure of the wheels. Even if it is used to carry a crucible weighing several tons, it is estimated that there will be no problem.

In addition, because the rails are more heat-resistant, it is also a very suitable choice for transporting high-temperature crucibles.

The last point is some of Luo Chong's little thoughts. He wants the people of the Han tribe to get in touch with railways as soon as possible. Even if there is no steam locomotive head now, and it is not officially used in transportation, at least let these people know that the road can be built like this. Compared with ordinary roads, what are the advantages of railways? Plant a seed in the hearts of the people first, so that even if the technology of the Han tribe has not developed to that point before he dies, it will leave hope for the emergence of railways in the future.

However, Luo Chong is still confident in this regard. Even if he can't do this, he believes that his children will eventually be able to make a train.

After Luo Chong and Dali discussed the construction of the steel mill, he still asked him to build the houses for residents as soon as possible, as well as the city walls and streets, as well as government offices, banks, schools and other public facilities. He would also send people to help him in this regard, and said that a new batch of slaves would be mobilized next month.

After arranging all this, Luo Chong returned to his home in Hanyang City with peace of mind. A month had passed, and the two children had opened their eyes long ago, and the time they were awake every day had become longer, and they finally had the opportunity to meet Luo Chong.

Luo Chong was a nanny at home, studying some things to coax the children every day, while remotely directing the construction tasks in various parts of the Han tribe.

On this day, just when Luo Chong had just assembled the rocking bed sent by the woodworking workshop and the rattle he had ordered to build was also completed, You Zhi, who had been away for almost three months, finally sent the news.

The Eagle Letter said that he had successfully received the Qianniu Guards who came by boat, but they did not land directly at that time. Instead, You Zhi boarded their boat himself and took the fleet south for a day's waterway. Finally, he landed on a rocky shore and prepared to build a city here.

According to You Zhi's introduction, he also drew a sketch of the spheres of influence of each party and the general terrain of the lakeside area. This place is located in the south of the west bank of the lake, but it is right at the junction of the spheres of influence of Maodun and Su Ritu.

With this location as the dividing line, Su Ritu's territory in the north is obviously larger, but this side is relatively dry and barren. Although Maodun's territory in the south is small, there is an underground river flowing out of the lake, so the water and grass in the south are more abundant, and there are some large forests that can provide them with wood and fuel.

Even in the south of the lake, there are some tribes living between the lake and the bay. They do not live by grazing, but live a settled life of fishing, hunting and gathering wild fruits. The population of these tribes is more hardworking and has a high combat effectiveness. However, because the place where they live is not suitable for raising horses, their mobility cannot be compared with Maodun. After Maodun's several raids, they are now completely crawling at Maodun's feet and have become his objects of exploitation and his lackeys.

The place selected by Youzhi is located in the middle of the two forces. The shore here is full of rocks and the water level on the shore is relatively deep, which is suitable for building deep-water docks to dock large ships.

There is also a forest covering dozens of hectares on the south side of the shore, most of which are shrubs and trees. In the mouths of the locals, these forests are where the grassland underground river flows. Along the line of this underground river, some places are covered by forests or lush vegetation, and some places are flooded with water, forming some large and small ponds and lakes, nourishing countless pastures and livestock on the grassland.

Choosing this place to build the city is more in line with the requirements given by Luo Chong at that time. First, it meets the needs of the dock. Secondly, there are trees to provide fuel. Third, it is on the edge of two forces, and it can suppress and win over any of them, which will be extremely convenient to manipulate in the future.

And it is also very beneficial for the development of trade. First, it is located in the middle of the two forces. Any party coming to trade will not be disturbed by the other party, and will not be blocked by the other party economically. It is relatively free. Secondly, it is not far from the bay, so it will be more convenient to communicate with the Xin tribe of Zhudao. The Han tribe can completely rely on this city as a base and gradually reach out to the Xin tribe. At that time, he will not agree, because after getting closer, the Han tribe can directly leave him and win over the sub-tribes under him.

In addition, there is the issue of arable land mentioned by Luo Chong. Because this place is close to the water source and there is a large forest, some fields can be reclaimed around the lake and the forest. If you don’t want to do this, you can also dig an artificial river to divert water for irrigation, but this project is relatively large, and it may not be done well within one or two years.

There is no clear limit on the building area left for this city. Youfu did discuss the land area with Su Ritu before, but now the Han tribe has chosen the city site at the border of his sphere of influence, and he can't say anything, because even if you let him manage this land, he may not be willing to come.

To be precise, this piece of land should be regarded as a relaxation zone between Maodun and Su Ritu. Both sides tacitly use this land as the boundary and rarely interact with each other. However, because Maodun has been a little inflated recently, he often crosses the border from here and runs to Su Ritu's territory to grab a handful.

However, the Han tribe does not need to care about Maodun's attitude at all. Luo Chong even hopes that Maodun will take the initiative to fight with him.

As we all know, most of the nomadic tribes in ancient times were poor. They had no fixed property at all, not even houses and homes. They lived in tents and had no fixed place to live. They drove cattle, horses and sheep directly to where there was more water and grass, and moved to another place after eating all the grass.

It is precisely because of this lifestyle that they are difficult to deal with. Most agricultural peoples live on farmland and are not good at herding horses, so they have fewer horses and poor riding skills.

The biggest advantage of agricultural peoples is that they are settled, good at developing resources, producing and inventing superior weapons, and are very good at fighting, especially in attacking cities, which is no worse than nomadic peoples.

However, after comparing the two sides, it was discovered that the farming tribes represented by the Han tribe were indeed very capable in fighting, but they were only good at defensive battles, siege battles, and city defense battles. As for field pursuit battles, they often could not catch up with the enemy due to the lack of cavalry.

The biggest characteristic of nomadic tribes is not that they can fight, but that they can see the wind. If they can't win, or even if the benefits of the victory can't make up for the losses, they will run away on their horses, and they will run on four legs, which makes the farming people stare blankly and can't catch up.

Therefore, Luo Chong hopes to stimulate Maodun and let him take the initiative to attack him, and then he will use the advantages of the heavy armored infantry of the Han tribe to humiliate him severely. If the Han tribe takes the initiative to find Maodun's main force to fight, Luo Chong will be very worried.

The first is that the troops are tired from marching, and they attack the opponent with tired soldiers. Unless Luo Chong's head is filled with water, and there is a considerable possibility that Maodun will not fight to the death with the Han tribe, this does not conform to the wolf-like thinking of the nomadic people. If they can rob again and again, why must they fight with you to death.

Therefore, Luo Chong estimated that once the Han tribe took the initiative to attack strategically, Maodun would probably run away immediately, and then hang the infantry of the Han tribe from a distance, and wait for these infantry to get tired, and then rush up to take a bite. This is the wolf pack's tactics, and it is in line with the interests of nomads.

There must be a fight. There will definitely be a life-and-death battle between the Han tribe and Maodun. It's not because of anything else, but because this guy is still holding the payment for tens of thousands of cattle and horses from the Han tribe. If he is not given a taste of his own medicine, he will become more and more aggressive in the future.

But how to fight is still up for discussion. Luo Chong's plan is to transfer all the troops first, and then build a city while training cavalry. First, use diplomatic means to urge Maodun to pay for the cattle and horses as soon as possible. It would be best if he could take the initiative to hand them over. If he can take the initiative to attack, it would be even better. If he doesn't hand them over, then he can only choose another opportunity to start a war. I hope that the cavalry of the Han tribe can also be used by then.

Therefore, after receiving this news, Luo Chong immediately contacted You Fu and asked him to take the fleet back to find some small tribes on the grassland that had traded with the Han tribe. It would be best if they had only a few hundred people or only one family of savages. He would see if he could conquer some of them directly, and then arrange for these people to live in the new city, and recruit a group of young and strong men as a temporary cavalry team to help the Han tribe fight.

In addition, when You Fu returned to the previous residence of the barbarian tribe, he would pick up the fleet that came to replenish supplies and tools, and then send the soldiers of the Huben Guard to You Zhi, so that they could join the Qianniu Guard and maintain sufficient troops to defend against Maodun. He

also ordered these people to build the dock there first. As for the construction of the city, Luo Chong had to go there in person to see it.

In fact, Luo Chong had already planned how to build the city on this grassland, but he had not measured it on the spot, so he could not make a final decision.

In Luo Chong's conception, this city should have multiple layers of defense mechanisms to deal with various possible encounters. First of all, there must be a large dock to berth a large number of ships at one time, and even allow all people in the city to be evacuated at one time.

And this dock must also be surrounded by a wall, extending all the way to the deep water area to prevent the nomadic tribes from coming to rob ships or goods.

Then extend this dock and the wall to the shore to form an inner city that can connect to the dock. The inner city is mainly composed of a large number of warehouses, residences, bank vaults, administrative officials, barracks, and schools. A road is built directly to the dock. This place must be strictly guarded and only the residents or merchants of the Han tribe are allowed to enter and exit.

Then build an outer city around the outside of the inner city. The outer city is mainly divided into two major areas, east and west. The East City District is a commercial area, mainly trading some daily necessities for people, of course, also includes business places such as inns, taverns, and restaurants; the West City District is a professional livestock trading place.

The grassland people didn't have any goods to sell. The only things they could bring out were cattle, horses, sheep, or animal skins, cattle and sheep horns, etc. They could sell these livestock to merchants from the Han tribe in the West Market, exchange them for coins, and then go to the East Market to spend money. Those who had money but didn't want to leave could of course choose to live in the inn.

Moreover, this outer city also needed to be habitable. Luo Chong planned to use the outer city to accommodate those grassland people who were willing to join the Han tribe. They would have the right to live in the outer city and enjoy all the treatment of ordinary citizens of the Han tribe. The main function was to let these people manage the livestock sold to the Han tribe.

The walls of the inner city would be built thicker and higher, and they would have to have excellent defensive capabilities. Then, several sky bridges would be built to connect with the walls of the outer city, so that the defending army could flexibly cross the inner and outer cities without being attacked by the enemy.

The reason for this design was that once a fight broke out, the outer city would basically be abandoned and could not be defended at all. At the critical moment, the inner city had to be defended as the main thing.

This is not because Luo Chong has no confidence, but because the purpose of this city is to trade with the grassland tribes, so you can't let them in, how can you do business.

But once you let them in, who knows if these people will suddenly attack and rob, so Luo Chong didn't plan to defend the outer city at all.

Of course, you still have to defend. Once this happens, there are only two possibilities. One is that someone is greedy for money and impulsively wants to attack the city. The other is that there is a plan and premeditated attack, and then some people are sent to disguise as merchants to sneak into the city in advance, in order to scout the defense situation and create chaos, and open the city gate at a critical moment.

It is for this reason that Luo Chong thought of dividing the city into two areas, the inner and outer areas, placing all the important facilities in the inner city, and then setting up several sky bridges to connect with the outer city wall.

In this way, once someone sneaks into the city to cause chaos, or a large number of enemy troops attack from outside, all the gates of the inner and outer cities can be closed immediately. The inner city will not be short of supplies because the warehouse is in the inner city, and there is a dock leading directly to the lake. People inside can also evacuate by boat at any time, and supplies and reinforcements from outside can also be replenished by boat at any time.

The troops in the inner city can also be quickly deployed through the overhead bridge between the two walls. Taking advantage of the inner and outer walls, the entire outer city area can be turned into a super large urn city. No matter how many enemies sneak in, they will die without a burial place under the attack of the inner and outer walls.

In addition, outside the outer city wall, several wallheads should be built so that people can attack the enemies clinging to the wall from the side from the extended bunkers, so that the entire city defense can truly have no defensive blind spots.

(End of this chapter)