‘Looks like my university’s department merger is finally going to be useful.’
At the university I attended in my previous life, there had once been several related departments—Civil Engineering, Urban Engineering, Architectural Engineering, and others.
But by the time I returned from military service, those departments had been merged.
‘Everyone complained about it back then, but I suppose it has its advantages now.’
It was late at night.
While everyone else slept, I sat alone staring at a sheet of paper.
‘Tomorrow, we begin building the colony.’
Ordinary settlers might simply construct houses wherever the ground looked suitable.
For someone who had studied urban planning, that was unacceptable.
I wanted to think about the future and build a properly organized planned settlement from the beginning.
‘I’ve forgotten a lot of architecture and urban planning because civil engineering was my actual specialty, but I still remember enough.’
Each settler family would receive 160 acres of land.
Compared with the enormous grants offered to American settlers in Texas, that might sound small.
But most Texas grants consisted largely of grazing land, with only around 120 acres intended for farming.
‘Even the US Homestead Act would later grant only up to 160 acres.
This isn’t a small amount.’
Besides, Sacramento lay within California’s Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world.
With the Sacramento River and its tributaries nearby, irrigation water could be supplied relatively easily.
A 160-acre farm would be more than enough for a family to live comfortably.
‘Government offices, the church, and the commercial district can go in the center.
Farms can spread southward.’
Without a computer and with only a handful of maps, I had no choice but to sketch the town plan by hand.
As I drew streets and districts onto the map, my imagination ran ahead of me.
Dams.
Reservoirs.
Water and sewage systems.
Roads.
Railways.
‘Calm down.
Calm down.
It’s far too early for most of that.
We can develop the town gradually.’
Trying to build everything at once would be horribly inefficient.
It would accomplish little beyond satisfying my own desire to see a modern city appear.
‘…Still, a railway within ten years shouldn’t be impossible, right?
I’ll reserve space for one in the plan.’
***
The next morning, I gathered the settlers.
“The first thing we’ll build is a church.
Let’s begin by securing timber.”
In Western settlements, constructing a church early in the colonization process was common.
Catholicism was deeply rooted in Mexico, so a church would serve as an important symbol for the community.
‘And it gives me a chance to practice building design again.’
I planned to use a light wood-framing method known as balloon framing.
In this construction method, continuous vertical wooden studs extended from the foundation toward the roof and were supported by horizontal members such as floor joists and ceiling beams.
The structure was secured using metal nails or screws.
Traditional heavy timber framing produced stronger and often more attractive buildings, but it demanded more time, labor, skill, and wood.
‘Right now, speed matters most.
Balloon framing is faster, simpler, and uses less timber.’
The technique was particularly useful for settlers who needed to erect buildings more quickly than traditional timber framing allowed.
A more advanced platform-framing system would be developed later, but it required more materials and more complicated work.
For the early stage of our settlement, balloon framing was the better choice.
If I wanted construction to follow my plans, I needed to begin with the processing of the lumber itself.
So I gathered everyone and decided to demonstrate.
I looked around.
A large pile of timber lay in front of us.
More than five hundred people, including soldiers, were watching the Crown Prince prepare to cut wood.
‘This is quite a sight.’
“Now I’ll show you how the timber should be processed.
Please pay attention.”
I selected a piece of wood and marked horizontal and vertical cutting lines.
Then I took a saw and cut along the vertical line.
Scrape.
Scrape.
The sound of the saw biting through wood was strangely soothing.
After finishing the cut, I examined the end.
A rough surface could create problems when the pieces were joined later, so I used another tool to smooth it.
“As you can see, precision is extremely important when processing the timber.
If the cuts aren’t accurate, the frame can become unstable.
“We’re building the houses you’ll live in, so take the work seriously.”
The settlers listened attentively.
Next, I chose another piece of timber for a horizontal cut.
I secured it first, then sawed along the marked line.
This piece would become one of the horizontal structural members.
When I finished, I raised it so everyone could see.
“This piece will be used as a horizontal beam.
It has been cut to the proper length and angle, which means we’re ready to begin assembling the frame.”
I placed the finished pieces aside and stepped back.
Now the settlers could process the rest of the timber by following my example.
“Balloon framing allows us to build quickly and efficiently, but the method can be less forgiving of mistakes.
That makes accurate timber preparation absolutely essential.”
I repeatedly emphasized precision.
If the lumber was processed correctly, we could construct the colony rapidly while still following the planned layout.
For a while, I watched the settlers work, correcting mistakes and guiding them through the details.
***
Of the roughly 450 civilian settlers, only ten had experience as carpenters or were truly comfortable working with wood.
I planned to teach those men how to assemble the beams and posts using the timber we had prepared.
‘Truthfully, from this point onward, I’m also improvising a little.
But there’s no other choice.’
What civil engineer had actually constructed an entire building using balloon framing?
I had only encountered the method while studying for university examinations.
“All right.
We’ll use the timber we’ve already processed to construct the posts and beams.
Watch carefully.”
First, I selected a piece of timber to serve as a vertical post.
Because it would carry compressive loads, I chose a particularly strong and rigid piece.
“The post carries the building’s vertical load.
That means the timber needs sufficient strength and stiffness.
This directly affects the safety of the structure.”
Once the post was raised, I checked whether it was truly vertical.
Carpenters were naturally accustomed to checking level surfaces, but accurate vertical alignment was just as important to structural stability.
I paid close attention to it.
“Checking plumb is extremely important.
Even a slight lean can cause serious problems later.”
Next came the beam.
Beams carried horizontal loads between posts and needed to resist both bending and other stresses.
I selected suitable timber, measured it, and cut it to size.
“The beam must withstand the loads placed upon it.
We need to consider stiffness, strength, and weight.”
Once the pieces were ready, all that remained was connecting them.
I used metal nails and screws to secure the beams to the posts.
“The nails and screws used at these joints directly affect the safety of the structure.
Make sure they’re installed properly.”
The carpenters nodded.
“Hmm… It may be less stable than traditional timber framing, but there’s no question we can construct wooden buildings much faster this way.
“Your Highness, where did you learn this technique?”
“I was looking for methods of constructing buildings quickly and efficiently with limited resources.
I found this one described in American books.”
***
Of the fifty soldiers under Major Manuel, twenty-five handled security while the other twenty-five assisted with the work.
To improve efficiency, I appointed a man named Andrés Ortega as chief carpenter.
He was a mestizo somewhere in his thirties or forties and had worked as a carpenter for twenty years.
“Andrés, choose about twenty people with good hands today and teach them what I showed you yesterday.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
‘We’ll rebuild this church later anyway, so it makes a good practice project.
‘General construction and civil engineering aren’t identical, but they overlap in many ways.
I just need to remember what I learned in university.’
Because this church would be the settlement’s first building, I decided to keep it small.
A proper church would eventually require materials such as glass and other specialized features.
Once the colony grew, this first structure would inevitably be replaced.
That realization relieved some of the pressure.
I designed the prettiest church I could within the limits of my ability.
After wasting dozens of sheets of paper over three days, I finally produced a design that satisfied me.
“Andrés, here are the church plans.
I’ve also prepared a list of the timber we’ll need, so process the wood according to these specifications.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I consulted the experienced carpenters to finalize the construction method.
Then we began with the foundation.
While I struggled through the construction of our first building, the rest of the settlers continued gathering and preparing timber according to my instructions.
‘Once the foundation is complete, we assemble the frame.
Then the roof and exterior walls.
After that comes the interior finishing, and finally the inspection.
‘There’s no reason to rush.
We simply need to follow the proper sequence.’
I involved myself in nearly every stage of building the colony, supervising and working alongside the settlers from beginning to end.
“…Amazing.”
Major Manuel looked genuinely impressed.
“This is our very first building, yet everyone is working in an organized manner under Your Highness’s direction.
“To be frank, I expected major mistakes and delays.
Instead, I feel as though I’m learning something new.”
He had been beside me constantly as my guard, so my ability to assign tasks and keep hundreds of settlers working smoothly must have looked even more surprising to him.
‘After years working on civil-engineering sites, this much should be expected.
‘I’ve even assigned work to teenagers.
But in this era, if I told them to sit around while everyone else worked, they’d probably feel guilty.
There’s not much I can do about it.’
“I simply thought about how Father commands his soldiers.
Once I approached it that way, organizing everyone became much easier.”
“…I see.”
Another excuse improvised on the spot.
“Major Manuel, now that construction is progressing steadily, I want to explore the surrounding area in greater detail.
“We had several problems on the journey because our maps were inaccurate.
At the very least, I want this region surveyed properly.
“You and the First Company should remain here to protect the colony.
I’ll take the soldiers of the Second Company with me.”
“Your Highness, as the officer responsible for your safety, I believe I should accompany you.”
“The only real dangers around here are wild animals.
“I won’t be gone for long.
I’d rather have you remain here and keep watch over the settlement.”
“…Very well, Your Highness.
Please be careful during the expedition.”
It was finally time to pursue my real objective.
@.
T.
R.
3.
0.
N to get access to 50 additional chapters!
/Meegoatbaa Whether you join as a free or paid member, you’ll also get access to 2 extra chapters.