NOVEL NEXT Chapter 988: Building Tibet (2/2)
Zhangmu
The group of Tibetans stood in silence for a long time, not a word spoken. At last, a man's hoarse voice broke the stillness: "Why has Zhangmu become like this?" His question echoed among them, and soon every gaze turned toward the man who had brought them here.
Jigme Namgyal shrugged and gestured toward the city. "Didn't many of you from the north once ask why the Bharatiyas were taking your metals? Well… look." He pointed towards the city that was unrecognisable to most and said. "It's to build cities like this." His gaze lingered on the distant skyline. "Zhangmu is now where all the metals are smelted. And once this city is finished, I reckon the metals from here will be sent inland to build up other cities as well."
Several eyebrows rose in surprise. "General, you mean those pipes spewing black smoke… that's where the blacksmiths are?"
"Ah!" Jigme Namgyal was stumped about how to explain the matter to these tribal leaders, a matter which he himself did not fully understand. But he still tried. "Well, um... It's not actually blacksmiths, but the Bharatiyas use machines, large, giant machines, for smelting. The blacksmiths do exist, but they seem to be only doing certain things, while the rest of the job is left to the machines."
The silence once again continued to prevail. Jigme Namgyal understood that if he did not take the initiative to bring these people forward, then they might actually make a camp year and never go in.
With Jigme Namgyal leading the way, the tribal leaders exchanged uneasy glances before trailing after him, stepping into a city that spewed black smoke like some monster from the abyss. The sight was daunting; a few even gulped hard, their breaths quickening as their hearts began to race.
The massive door to the city was pushed open, and they could see for the first time the interior of the city, and it was completely different from what they were expecting.
There were no blacksmiths hammering away, no supervisors lashing workers until they bled. Instead, the scene was bustling, people moved purposefully from place to place, some pouring a grey liquid onto the ground, while others in the distance worked to raise wooden towers.
The travellers stood in place, mesmerised, while Jigme Namgyal had gone to have a few words with the guards working there.
The tribal leader from the west couldn't contain his curiosity. He stepped forward, touched the grey, slimy liquid, and picked up a chunk of rock being poured onto one side of the ground. His actions drew odd looks from the workers nearby. Pema Tashi, however, ignored their stares, unfazed by being thought a fool. He was far more interested in the strange substance clinging stubbornly to his hands, refusing to come off with just a flick.
"General Jigme, what is this?" He immediately enquired as soon as he saw the general coming back.
Jigme curiously took a look and then felt amused, "The grey slimy liquid is called mortar, it is an invention of the Bharatiya used to lay down roads inside cities and build tall buildings."
The answer caught the Tibetans by surprise, "But it is almost a liquid, how can it be used for all the things you said?" a northern tribal chief asked, unconvinced.
Jigme Namgyal scratched his head since even he didn't know the full concept of cement, but he made do with what he knew so far, "It may be in this form now, but once it hardens, it becomes the same as a rock."
Not everyone believed these words of the general, but being the general, quite a few people still respected Jigme Namgyal, so that was the end of the discussion, as they continued to follow him around.
In their tour, they came across many novel things which aroused their curiosity.
Jigme Namgyal answered the questions to the best of his abilities and knowledge, but when the question was about something he himself was not aware of, he had to call in a Bharatiya who was around or a resident to inquire if he knew what was going on.
Now was one such incident where the Southern tribal chief Sonam Gyatso asked what the unique-looking building with bold and large wordings was.
Jigme Namgyal looked for anyone in the surroundings; unfortunately, he could not find any Bharatiya around, but he did find a few residents who seemed to be applying some colour to the building.
"Hello, Mr, can you tell me what this building is? It looks quite different from the other houses here."
The Tibetan worker was immediately startled when so many people approached him, but when he heard the question, he calmed down, "I don't know the complete details, sir, but from what our supervisor told us, this is a building for the policemen."
"And from what I heard, police are the people who maintain the internal security in the Bharatiya Empire; they seem to be responsible for enforcing the rules made by the superiors."
Hearing the answer, Pema Tashi exclaimed, "It's like the guards."
The worker hesitated and felt like it made sense, "Maybe..."
However, before he could complete the words, another voice came from inside the police station.
"No, it is completely different from the guards, the guards are simply volunteers who patrol the streets of your towns, cities, and villages, but a police is a servant of the Imperial Council whose sole job is to maintain internal security, whether it is by apprehending criminals and enforcing the law for the judicial systems, maintaining proper communications for the communications system, or even maintaining sound logistics for the transportation system."
"And most of all, policemen stay in the line of duty for several years, sometimes even decades, unlike the guards who change every year."
The person who came out stunned everyone because from his appearance alone, you couldn't tell that he was from the Bharatiya Empire, but of course, looking at the way he dressed and the slight accent in his tone told otherwise.
The man who came out, attracted by the badges and the uniform Jigme Namgyal was wearing, was startled.
"Sir!!!"
He stomped his feet and offered a salute.
Jigme Namgyal was taken aback by the sight, those eyes filled with respect, that body that held rigid like a spear, and the faint trace of caution in the man's posture. The feelings it stirred in him were so vivid, so tangible, they seemed to cut straight to his core.
'Was it for the rank I hold?' He couldn't help but come to a realisation that the rank he was given meant much more than he had previously expected.
'I should really master my knowledge in the military academy as soon as possible,' he said to himself, not only to no longer be ignorant but also to officially claim his position, because for now, although he was a lieutenant general, it was a name only. His soldiers were only the few hundred Tibetan people he had fought with. If he wanted to experience the complete benefits of a lieutenant general, then he had to study in the military academy for however long it takes and master all the necessary skills and knowledge an average Bharathiya lieutenant general would have.
"At ease," coming back to his senses, he gave the command.
Karma Wangchuk, the police officer, finally loosened his body and took a more natural stance, but the respect in his eyes did not diminish.
"You speak Tibetan quite well, sir. Have you learnt it in the Bharatiya Empire?" Pema Tashi enquired out of nowhere.
Karma Wangchuk was a little taken aback, but he still answered, "No, but most of my childhood was spent in Tibet, as I grew up here, but due to work, I went to the Bharatiya Empire with my father when I was 12 and stayed there ever since."
"Ohh, no wonder you speak Tibetan so well."
"Hehe, thank you for your praise, this is one of the reasons why I have been chosen as the Director Superintendent of Police for Tibet."
The conversation went on for a long time until eventually Karma joined them on their tour and gave everyone an even more detailed introduction than Jigme Namgyal.
Jigme Namgyal, following from the side, was not offended either; he was instead relieved because explaining things he could not fully understand made him tired.
Being relieved of his guide duties, Jigme Namgyal enjoyed himself quite a bit as he learnt a lot of things which he was not aware of, like, for example, what the giant towers that were being built every so often were. When he understood that these towers could be used to communicate over vast distances in a relatively short time span, he was shocked.
When he learned how it worked, regret welled up in him. If he had possessed something like this before the invasion of Güshi Khan, he could have crushed the Mongols on his own, without relying on the Bharatiyas. The regret deepened when he realised how simple the principle truly was. But knowing well that a book cannot be read backwards and time cannot be turned, he let go of some of that weight in his heart and continued the tour.
On the way, Karma pointed out many things: the carriage stop under construction, the large red boxes dotting the streets that turned out to be post boxes, and even the cement road, dried and coated with tar, that gleamed in the light. These sights finally convinced the tribal leaders, like Pima, of what Jigme had claimed earlier. Seeing their astonished faces, Jigme Namgyal felt a flicker of smug satisfaction, but he quickly masked it.
In the end, they were taken to the iron smelting factory, where Karma called an important person from the Bharatiya Empire who was running the factory and introduced him to them.
There were talks between the two sides, but unfortunately, the communication was not seamless as there was only one translator for both parties.
In the end, the tribal leaders could only ask the most important questions to clear their doubts.
"Are all the minerals dug from the inland brought here?"
"Yes, we are using these minerals to make iron rebar that can be used to lay down the roads and build strong, weather-resistant buildings."
"Will other cities inland be developed like Zangmu?"
The answer they received left them somewhat dissatisfied. Neither the police officer nor the manager of the iron smelting factory had any idea about the empire's plans, and there was no way for them to verify the general's claims. Even so, the manager's words gave them a measure of reassurance.
"This is my personal idea, but I think the government, although taking a slow approach when it comes to Tibet, is not completely ignoring its development, because I was given orders to increase the smelting capacity as much as possible no matter the cost, and this could only mean that resources will be tilted to other cities one step at a time."