Constantine's remark of putting the Ndebele people in the east to dig a canal is not just talking, but a huge project that has already been completed and is ready to be started.

The East African government named the project the "Central Canal" project, which is mainly to connect the three major rivers in the central province and develop their shipping value.

The three main rivers from north to south are the Vamy, the Lesser Rhine (Ruvo) and the Rufigi.

The Vamy-Lesser Rhine stretches from the semi-arid Dodoma region to the inland marshes of the Morogoro region, to the coastal cities, and finally to the Bagamoyo region, with a basin area of about 62,000 square kilometers, of which the Wami River basin covers an area of about 43,000 square kilometers and the Lesser Rhine basin covers an area of about 18,000 square kilometers. There are about 12 lakes larger than 0.1 square kilometers in the basin, and the famous Morogoro and Sadani National Parks in Tanzania are also in the basin.

In the past, Tanzania was one of the more economically developed regions, and Tanzania's largest city, Dar es Salaam, and the capital Dodoma were located in the basin.

Similarly, it is also the most developed region in East Africa, with the first towns, Dar es Salaam, Bagamoyo, three of the top ten cities in East Africa, and Dodoma, the capital of Plateau Province, so there is great potential for future development.

The Rufiji River Basin was the largest river basin in Tanzania in the previous era, with an area of about 177,400 square kilometers, accounting for one-fifth of the total area of the country, and the Rufiji River is also the largest river in Tanzania. The basin provides about 25% of Tanzania's renewable water resources, and the basin ranges from 0 m in the Indian Ocean to about 3,000 m in the Mbeya region at elevation levels, with climate change ranging from the humid eastern tropics to the temperate southern highlands.

The river sections to be developed in East Africa are mainly concentrated in the middle and lower reaches of these three rivers, and the terrain is relatively gentle, that is, the eastern coastal plain.

After the completion of the project, covering an area of about 70,000 square kilometers of the three river basins, the flow of people and logistics can be realized through the canal, and the second vein of the central provincial transportation will be opened.

……

May 3, 1871.

Palazzo Vette.

The chief designer of the canal project, the Austrian hydraulic engineer Vaskov, presented the construction plan of the "Central Canal" project to Konstantin and East African officials on the sand table.

Vaskov: "At the moment, our plan is to build a 47-kilometre-long canal in the upper reaches of the Lesser Rhine to connect the middle reaches of the Rufigi River, and then connect the Rufigi River through Lake Nazka in the east of Mpanga, so that the water of the Rufiji River can flow naturally into the Lesser TRhine. ”

Konstantin: "Mr. Vaskov, if you look at the sand table that there are two rivers flowing into the upper reaches of Lake Nazca, the terrain here should be sloping from northwest to southeast, and it should not be the Lesser Rhine flowing into the Rufigi River?" ”

Vaskov gestured at the sand table and said: "Your Majesty, the area through which the Rufiji River flows is higher than the Little Rhine River as a whole, and the terrain of the Little Rhine River basin is relatively special, the northwest is an extension of the East African Plateau, and the Rufiji River basin in the south is also higher than the Little Rhine River basin, so the Little Rhine River is a depression in East Africa as a whole.

But, as you said, the upper reaches of Lake Nazka are obviously inclined from northwest to southeast, after all, it is common sense for water to flow lower, but to the east of Lake Nazka, this topography has been reversed, and it has encountered the lower Lesser Rhine basin, and the area where Lake Nazka is located is like a high ground, which has become the watershed between the Lesser Rhine and the Rufigi River.

So we can solve this problem by opening an opening in the northeast of Lake Nazka and digging a channel to divert water from this highland to the Lesser Rhine Plain. ”

Everyone looked at the place where Vaskov's finger was pointed, where the effect displayed on the sand table was a whole plain, but in fact, Vaskov personally found that although it was a plain, there was also a certain terrain difference.

Konstantin: "So the topography doesn't prevent the excavation of the canal?" ”

Vaskov: "That's right, the terrain difference here is nothing compared to Austria, and you only need to dig one or two meters deeper from Lake Nazka in the south to the Lesser Rhine Plain to ensure the normal operation of the canal, a distance of about three kilometers, and the amount of work will not increase too much." ”

Konstantin: "Then deepen." ”

Anyway, it was the natives who dug the canal, and Konstantin didn't feel distressed at all when he used it.

Vaskov continued: "The above is the southern route of the Central Canal, mainly connecting the Rufigi River with the Lesser Rhine, and as for the northern route, connecting the Lesser Rhine and the Vami River, there are now two plans, which still need to be decided by Your Majesty. ”

Konstantin: "Let's talk about it first. ”

Vaskov: "The first option is to build a channel along the coast at the bottom of the two rivers, so that the purpose of connecting the Lower Rhine and Vami is achieved, but in this case, it will be parallel to the sea route, and the distance between the two is too close (see the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal), which is a bit less difficult to build. ”

Konstantin: "What about the second option?" ”

Vaskov: "The second option is to dig a northwest-southeast canal inland, near Morogoro, to connect the Lower Rhine and the Vami with the help of the difference in topography, but this route would have to be built along the plains on the eastern side of the Ulugolu Mountains, and it would be almost twice as long as the first option, and it would be a lot of work and more technically demanding. ”

Konstantin asked, "Is that technically up to the mark?" ”

In this regard, Vaskov is full of confidence: "Your Majesty, I have a wealth of experience in Austria, and I believe you know the topography of Austria, where the terrain conditions are far more complex than the eastern coastal plains of East Africa, and the construction of a canal in this area is not too difficult and challenging as the construction of a canal in Hungary, but from the perspective of economic interests, I prefer the first option, after all, the east is more developed, and the length of the canal is shorter, and the construction cost is lower." ”

Konstantin: "This matter, we can't focus on the present, although the eastern city is relatively mature at present, but with the development of East Africa, the inland development speed is also very fast, as for the two plans, each has its own advantages and disadvantages, can we build two canals at the same time?" ”

Vaskov: "Theoretically, it is possible, but then the cost of building the canal is high, and it will take a lot of manpower to fill it. ”

Vaskov's words translate to be prepared for the death of a large number of manpower due to the doubling of the project.

"Hehehe!" Konstantin sneered: "Don't worry about this matter, I have prepared a lot of manpower for the construction of the canal, but it will take time for them to get here, we can first complete the section of the canal with the least difficulty and the least amount of work." ”

Vaskov did not care about this, there was certainly no shortage of slaves in East Africa, he said: "The least difficult is the first plan to transport the Vami River to the Lesser Rhine, as for the smallest amount of work is the canal connecting the Lesser Rhine to the Rufigi River, if you consider it comprehensively, then the canal from the Rufiji River to the Lesser Rhine River is the most suitable for your requirements." ”

Konstantin: "Then build a canal from the Rufigi to the Lesser Rhine first, and then consider the canal from the Vami to the Lesser Rhine." ”

The Central Canal project is about 180 kilometers long and is divided into three sections, the length of the Suez Canal, connecting the Lower Rhine, the Vamy and the Rufigi rivers.

Among them, the canal from the Vami River to the lower reaches of the Lower Rhine is called Canal No. 1, the canal from the Vami River to the upper reaches of the Lower Rhine is called Canal No. 2, and the canal from Lake Nazka to the upper reaches of the Lower Rhine River is called Canal No. 3.

Among the three sections of the canal, the water of the last two sections of the canal flows to the Lower Rhine, which will not only improve the navigation conditions, but also provide irrigation water to the areas along the route, further enhancing the development potential of the three river basins.

(End of chapter)