Progress II

At Chuta's house.

"Over the past two years, our expansion hasn't been significant", I reflected as I examined the map. The year after the formation of the five great cities, our need to expand our territory had stopped. I was aware that I needed to be cautious about any rapid expansion, as this could lead to instability, lack of control, and internal conflict.

"I haven't played enough strategy games to ignore these kinds of problems", I thought, realizing the significance of what we had achieved. Therefore, during the first few months, I began training a group of young people—or rather, adults—who would be the designated leaders of some key cities. These cities would not only manage essential resources but also occupy strategic positions, allowing me to maintain a certain degree of control in different areas of our territory. I knew that they were unlikely to betray me, as I was not only a political leader but also a spiritual one, although I decided to take precautions.

Once I appointed the leaders and they began to perform their duties in the assigned cities, I began a new phase of reforms. The first consisted of establishing libraries in various cities and towns. The priests, along with individuals chosen by the respective leaders, would oversee documenting various topics and forming study groups for young people and adults who wished to learn. This primary education system would allow me to create a base of educators who would facilitate future educational reform and the creation of schools. Furthermore, the priests would have the opportunity to train new generations of their own guild, although registration would be voluntary.

Another significant reform was the organization of cities. I designed guidelines for how houses, buildings, and green spaces should be distributed within a large city. This plan included the creation of sewers, public baths, plazas, amphitheaters, stadiums, and roads.

Finally, the routes were reformed, establishing land and river connections between cities. The main land route would begin in the southernmost city in the territory, where I had placed a leader close to me, and extend to Mountain Crossing City. From there, it would continue to Central Mountain City and, finally, we would reach New Valley City.

For the next section of the new route, it was decided to use an ancient path that had been traveled long ago, winding through the mountain range to reach the former territory of the northern people. This route would now link New Valley City, governed by a leader appointed by me, with the recently built Mountain Crossing City. From the latter, the route would continue to Lake Mountain City and, finally, conclude in the northernmost city in the territory.

This project represented the largest construction project in these parts since the arrival of the first migrants, who inhabited these lands thousands of years ago. In addition, alternative routes were considered that would establish connections between the large cities and the newly built cities, as well as with some villages near the river, which were essential for the waterway. Rural roads were also planned to link towns and villages with surrounding cities.

The final reform of that year addressed the creation of various military forces and their corresponding divisions. These would be structured into two main fronts: the land force, composed of four divisions.

The first division, the Attack Force, would be responsible for carrying out offensives in new territories and controlling newly acquired or conflict-ridden areas.

The second division, the Civil Guard, would be responsible for territorial defense, establishing regiments on the outskirts of each city.

The third division, called the Heavenly Guards, would ensure the safety of priests and city leaders.

Finally, the fourth division, the Explorers, would be dedicated to surveillance of nearby territories and long-distance reconnaissance missions.

The navy, meanwhile, would have three divisions.

The first, the Flow Division, would be responsible for the security of river routes and the exploration of new waterways.

The second division, Sand, would be responsible for protecting the territory's coasts and controlling incoming goods.

The third division, Blue, would be responsible for maritime security and the exploration of new lands.

"This is fine for now", I reflected as I reviewed the reform I had drafted. "Although it would be prudent to include the creation of an intelligence division in the plans. I could train its members from a young age and relocate the wounded and veterans to that division", I thought after a brief analysis. However, the formation of this division would be put on hold until further notice.

Both forces were established quickly, with the people in charge initially appointed by the city leaders. However, over time, these appointments were based on merit and loyalty. Throughout that year, the necessary facilities for each branch were built, including the construction of two separate shipyards for the maritime forces.

"Though I must say the technological improvements were the most significant", I commented as I touched the map. I had leaned closer to the wall where it was displayed, recalling everything that had happened in recent years. Its texture was smooth; this canvas had been prepared with great care, and the paintings were also part of those innovations. These improvements focused on X main areas:

Tools and Metallurgy.

In this area, notable progress was made from the beginning. Iron ore was discovered first, high-capacity ceramic-lined furnaces were built, and alloys of different metals were determined by their uses. In addition, forges, research centers, and hydro powered factories were established to produce precise tools.

Agriculture and Forestry.

In this area, progress has been somewhat slower, as we began implementing the rotational crop system in my second year here. We tried experimenting with different planting techniques, adjusting the amount of water, and making changes to the crops, but the improvements achieved have been minor. One aspect that has evolved is the use of homemade fertilizers in certain fields; however, this method is relatively new, and unlike what will happen in the future, the fields still retain their vitality, so the improvement is not very evident. We have also begun applying natural nitrogenation, since, despite my desire, I don't have the capacity to produce ammonium, at least not yet.

In addition, we have introduced new crops and trees that were not found naturally in this region but can be grown in certain seasons, such as tomatoes, various varieties of potatoes, and some fruit trees. We have also established reforestation areas and soil nutrition programs in areas that were previously forested.

Livestock and Domestication.

In this area, the people who live here possess far greater knowledge than I had in my previous life, so I could only offer suggestions on animal husbandry management. From the beginning, our community has raised some animals, including the curi or guinea pig, a small rodent that I had to eat even against my will. Along these lines, I proposed the breeding and domestication of several other animals, such as wild cats, birds, rabbits, and some local dogs. Some of these animals would be domesticated for food, such as rabbits and birds, while the others would be used for more civilian or recreational purposes. We have also obtained a wide variety of alpacas, llamas, and other similar animals, which are currently being raised and reproduced.

Construction.

In the field of construction, significant advances have been made. Technologies were not widely implemented from the beginning, as it was assumed that our population would move to areas more suitable for their well-being. Therefore, these innovations only became public knowledge when large cities were founded. For civilian housing, various construction techniques were introduced that made it possible to build multi-story houses, whether made of wood, stone, adobe, or a combination of these materials. Although the use of cement had been explored, it was not economical to build this type of housing for civilian use. It was not so much difficulty in acquiring it, but rather that traditional housing, along with the improvements that had been applied to it, was more than sufficient to advance the construction methods of the time. Furthermore, gathering the necessary materials was labor-intensive and required significant human effort. However, certain emblematic structures, such as temples, leadership residences, and military buildings, were being built with cement, and reinforced iron rods were used for greater stability.

Vessels.

At first, improvements were limited by the tools and capacity of the shipyards, which were essentially houses adapted for the construction of small boats. However, once we began producing tools and iron products, significant improvements to vessels were possible. Large-capacity transport boats, albeit with limited mobility, were developed, as well as rowboats that, despite their limited carrying capacity, offered great maneuverability, like the Drakar. When we established our first coastal city, my first order of business was the construction of a proper shipyard, which would in the future be responsible for manufacturing the first large-tonnage ships. Currently, work is underway on the creation of our experimental caravel-type vessel, and we would need another year to design a ship that could safely travel to the Caribbean islands. In addition, this new shipyard is building larger-capacity transport boats and some boats that will be used for the construction of floating bridges.

"In a couple of years, I'll be able to command my own ship", I exclaimed excitedly, as I touched the soft brushstrokes of blue that represented the sea on the map.

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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED

Hello everyone.

Another chapter on progress.

Generally, there will be chapters like this when the territory expands.

Unnecessary fact of the day: the gods of this ethnic group consisted of two main gods, the Sun and the Moon. However, they also had other "powers," such as fire and death, among others.

Comment if you have any questions.

Read my other novel, The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.

You can find it on my profile.]