Chapter 037: The Paddy Field Transformation Project

The sketch on the cave wall, as the elder recognized, depicted the terrain surrounding the cave: the cave itself, a small river, the jungle, and some additional structures that weren't there before. Luo Chong was currently pondering how to plan the vast open area in front of the cave.

Facing south with the cave entrance, the area stretched from east to west for 2400 meters and north to south for about 1000 meters, totaling nearly 3600 acres—equivalent to the area of 333 football fields. If all this land were cultivated with rice paddies, the tribe's food supply would be more than sufficient.

However, converting the entire area into rice paddies was impractical, not least because the terrain was predominantly dry land, unsuitable for rice cultivation without significant modification.

Considering the burgeoning population of the Han Tribe, which now numbered 97 due to recent births and new members from the Tree Tribe, the cave was becoming insufficient for habitation. Future plans included constructing residential areas, rice fields, chili pepper farms, wild vegetable gardens, animal husbandry areas, pastures, a large warehouse, a grain storage, a bronze smelting area, and a wood processing factory—intensive planning was essential to accommodate all these facilities on the available land.

The first issue to address was the conversion of dry land into paddy fields, requiring substantial water resources. Creating a water supply involved digging canals to divert water from the nearby river, potentially expanding into an artificial river to ensure adequate irrigation across the vast terrain.

Luo Chong's plan was ambitious: to build a square mini-city in the center of the area, measuring 400 meters on each side. This city would house residential areas, farms, warehouses, granaries, a metal smelting zone, and a wood processing factory. Designed to accommodate between 5000 and 8000 people, the scale of the project was vast but intended to be completed in phases over several years.

A protective moat would be dug around the mini-city, with the excavated soil used to build the city walls. These walls, constructed from compacted earth covered with a brick veneer, would provide effective protection against erosion and minimize brick use. The moat, centered around the mini-city, would channel water from the river through a newly dug canal, creating a large water network to irrigate the land efficiently.

The planned moat and artificial river would each be 4 meters wide, drawing water from the existing river to increase flow rate and accommodate water management installations like water wheels.

Excavated soil from these waterworks would be used to manufacture bricks for city construction. The preliminary phase involved digging a 700-meter long canal to transport water, with the excavated soil directly used for brickmaking, setting the foundation for future construction.

Subsequent phases would include the excavation of the moat, construction of the city walls, and establishment of the return water canal, which would also use the excavated soil for brickmaking.

The city layout would feature a grid of roads dividing the area into nine districts, with a central square for communal activities like gatherings and grain drying. Residential buildings would be single-story brick structures, with each household occupying about 100 square meters, arranged to optimize living space and heating efficiency through connected fireplaces.

The city would also include a 16-meter wide ring road and four main 15-meter wide streets forming a grid, allowing for efficient movement and transport within the city. This urban plan would accommodate up to 8000 residents at maximum capacity, with provisions for future expansion and specialization in storage, metallurgy, husbandry, and woodworking sectors.

Luo Chong's vision was to develop the city gradually, over decades, ensuring a sustainable and secure living environment for the Han Tribe's growing population, turning their ambitious architectural and agricultural dreams into a reality.