Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 68: The Bastard’s Espionage

A few days had passed since Ragnar visited King Horik, and he was currently sitting on the seat of power in York, where a messenger rushed in and handed him an intelligence report.

The report contained the secret correspondence between the Frankish Emperor and the Archbishop of Canterbury, confirming the funding for the Order of the White Cross.

The Emperor was quite bold in his investment in the crusade. He even went so far as to promise the Archbishop a percentage of the future textile revenue from the conquered North, as such this event caused quite a stir in Ragnar’s office, as a proclamation by a foreign Emperor claiming ownership of Jernheim assets turned into quite the headache as there were plenty of Frankish knights already massing at the ports of Calais.

Surprisingly several Saxon lords came out and quietly supported the trade with Ragnar, especially the Earl of Northumbria whose territory was currently benefiting from the cheap iron plows, which was a great point of contention between the local nobility and the distant Church hierarchy at the moment.

Ragnar read the report with a grimace; he did not know how Leif the Lesser had acquired this high-level intel, but he was thankful for his competence; he was completely oblivious to the fact that Leif had recruited a disenchanted monk named Aethelstan to steal it, but even if he did know he would not be angry as this only gave him a clearer picture of the hostile takeover attempt, in which Ragnar would be able to counter soon enough.

Speaking of Aethelstan, the man was currently working on distributing his "Audit of the Soul" pamphlets in the southern markets and thought it would take some time to foster a full-blown peasant revolt; he had little doubt that soon enough, the Saxon workforce would demand better wages. He began to wonder how his actions would affect the stability of the Heptarchy in this timeline.

As he was going over these details, Leif walked in, saw the serious look on his face, and inquired about the reason for his solemn mood.

"What has made the Director so quiet?"

Ragnar sighed heavily as he placed his paper to the side and turned his attention to his spymaster, who by now was starting to show signs of sleep deprivation from managing the network.

"Nothing much; I just hate seeing my competitors colluding against the free market."

As his Director of Intelligence, Leif had been working overtime as the crusade threat had progressed, and he was rarely resting about enjoying a peaceful life. As such, he was acutely aware of the ongoing schemes in the background.

However, when Ragnar said such things, he could estimate what had happened, and thus he nodded in return.

"That is bad for business."

Instantly a defensive strategy began to form in Ragnar’s mind; considering that nobody was around, he motioned for his spymaster to come over and look at the map; he took pleasure in plotting the downfall of those who threatened his bottom line.

Though Leif’s eyes began to droop in exhaustion, he could not disobey his Director’s orders; as such, he stood by the table in a professional display in the middle of the War Room. However, as he was explaining the supply lines of the Frankish army, General Bjorn just so happened to be walking by and witnessed the strategic planning where he quickly began to interrupt Ragnar as he marched in his direction.

"Director! Just what is it that you think you are doing planning a war without your General?"

Bjorn’s booming voice immediately caused Leif to attempt to step away from the map in surprise, but the young Director managed to capture his spymaster’s attention and keep him in place, which caused him to look down at the map and cover his yawn.

This was truly a critical position to be in. Ragnar, on the other hand, had a smug expression on his face as he responded to his General’s interruption.

"The Board has placed me in charge of the defense during this fiscal quarter; as such, I see no reason why I can not review the logistics while brainstorming with my Intelligence Director. Even a General needs to wait for the briefing now and then..."

Bjorn’s gaze immediately narrowed in response to Ragnar’s claims, though it was true Ragnar was the Supreme Commander in everything but name, that did not mean they should behave in this manner.

Especially so boldly declaring in the open that he and Leif were planning the defense without the military head, did he not care about the chain of command?

Seeing his General’s piercing gaze, Ragnar could not help but scoff internally as he pointed at the map, preventing Bjorn from escalating his complaint. This private display of micromanagement had really gotten him focused.

Nevertheless, he could not do anything at the moment, so he listened to his General’s lecture with a smug expression on his face.

"Regardless as to whether or not you can behave in this way, it is simply inefficient! Have you no delegation skills?"

Ragnar laughed lightly at his General’s words which infuriated the man; if he acted this way as a mere Director, Bjorn could not imagine how he would behave when he was officially the Emperor. However, just when Bjorn was about to chastise him further, Ragnar let out a bold answer to his question.

"Evidently not..." Ragnar truly was shameless, if he really wanted to, he would make Bjorn sit there and listen to a two-hour lecture on supply chain management, but he was not that cruel yet... Nevertheless, his General would not accept his inappropriate actions any further.

As such, Bjorn marched up to the table with the intent to slam his fist on it.

Seeing he had gone too far, Ragnar let Leif go, where he quickly scurried off while filled with an overwhelming sense of relief to be out of the crossfire.

Of course, he made sure to voice his thoughts aloud as Bjorn stopped at the table just across from him.

"Damn..." With that said, Bjorn looked at him with disgust and stormed off to check the perimeter; he could not believe his Director had grown into such a micromanager. Ragnar, on the other hand, began to stretch, now that he was relaxed from the little fun he was able to achieve in this brief moment, he quickly got back to the task at hand. For a man with great ambitions like him, the work was never done.

During Leif’s intense schedule, the position of deputy spymaster was temporarily handed over to his younger brother, Erik the Silent, who operated out of a tavern in Winchester.

He was the younger sibling of Leif, who had since his recruitment been working in the shadows and directly serving Leif’s network. He was not exactly fond of the Saxons due to how he had been treated throughout his youth as a thrall and desperately looked up to Leif as his big brother and the only one who seemed to care for him. As such, he was more than eager to spy on the Saxon capital for his precious big brother.

Of course, he was not happy with the Saxons for making Leif work so hard; Erik thought that Leif’s loyalty had blinded him to the Saxons’ true nature and that in truth they were absolute scoundrels, much like the Danes.

However, if supporting them was what Leif wanted to achieve Ragnar’s goals, then he would comply.

Even if he believed the Vikings were deserving of the position of masters and not that fat King from Wessex.

Currently, Erik was cleaning the tables at the tavern frequented by the Royal Guards, where he came across a variety of rumors exchanged between the Captain of the Guard and a visiting Frankish knight.

Now that the blockade was officially lifted by Princess Judith, the Frankish plans relied entirely on a surprise naval landing. As such, a rift had grown between the Frankish knight and the Saxon Captain, who kept insisting on staying neutral for the sake of the velvet trade. Seeing literally no benefit from this war, the Captain had abandoned the Frankish pleas. Instead, he sided with the trade to keep his wife happy and potentially gain an even better deal on the cloth.

Erik listened over all of the information he could gather from the Frankish knight and the Captain’s conversation and added it to the web of knowledge he had collected.

As he was wiping the table, he heard heavy footsteps and a pair of voices approaching, one of which he recognized to be the Frankish Envoy’s.

Thus he quickly moved to the corner and began to sweep the floor, making himself look busy. By the time the Envoy and the unknown figure arrived at the table, they noticed the tavern boy fulfilling his duties of cleaning the room and felt no suspicion whatsoever.

After all, as a lowly servant, that was something he ought to be doing.

The Envoy did not even mind his presence as he began to speak with a man dressed in the attire of a Bishop, who Erik recognized as Bishop Eadred’s messenger; the man was gaunt and was easily in his forties; he had a particularly rat-like face, and was completely clean-shaven with a nose that looked like a beak which was as sharp as a knife.

This rat bastard looked suspiciously at Erik as he cleaned the floor in the background. Noticing his wary gaze, the Envoy snapped at him.

"Ignore the boy!"

Considering the rat-faced man was here to negotiate with the Franks about coordinating the landing with a local uprising, the man snarled but ultimately retracted his gaze before speaking to the Envoy in an obviously fake polite tone.

"Sir Knight, I’m sure you are aware that by delaying the landing, your very mission is at risk of failing before it begins."

The Envoy pulled out a pair of tankards and then filled them with ale, handing one to the rat-faced messenger before discussing his terms with the man.

"Cut to the chase; I do not want to hear any piety from you. If you do not give me the landing coordinates, then I will not think about paying you the gold."

The messenger grimaced as he heard those words; he was well aware of the Franks’ deep pockets, he was also aware of the Bishop’s ambitions to purge the North, and as such, even with the overwhelming support of the Emperor he would have to provide the intelligence in order to convince the Knight to trust him.

Erik keenly listened to this conversation as he quietly swept in the background; neither of the two men was concerned about whether or not he overheard their conversation and the potential conspiracy it may contain. As such, the messenger quickly spoke his terms he was willing to present to win the Franks’ favor.

"Very well, what the Church is willing to offer you is the keys to the coastal fortress of Scarborough."

Not only was the Envoy shocked, but so was Erik; this was no small fortress owned by a local lord which bordered the North Sea. It contained a deep harbor and a relatively large garrison.

If the Franks acquired this, they would be able to land their heavy cavalry and supply ships safely.

He could not believe the Church was willing to go so far to put down a rival economy; as such, he had to clarify the issue.

"You will give us the entire fortress of Scarborough?"

The messenger nodded his head in approval as his next words confirmed his offer.

"The Bishop has already arranged it; all you have to do is land your fleet there when the moon is new and march on York alongside the local zealots."

The Envoy thought about it for several moments; the strategic value, safety, and supplies he would gain from Scarborough would be worth more in total than a risky beach landing. As such, he had no reason to decline, especially when he considered the fact that he despised the Vikings who had undercut his family’s steel business. As such, the Envoy reached out his hand and cemented the alliance with the Church.

Though he would still officially remain in negotiations with Wessex for the time being, when the time was right, he would turn on the Saxon peace treaty and bring fire to the North once more.

He did not care who ruled over England so long as the Industrialists were crushed.

The rat-faced messenger laughed heartfully as he shook the Knight’s hand and declared their alliance on the spot.

"I knew you were a man of great resolve; together, we shall destroy this industry and prevent their machines from corrupting Europe! They have already caused more damage to the social order than you may realize."

The truth of the matter was, with the scandal the Church had found itself in over the matter of publically endorsing the theft of Ragnar’s assets and the decree of support the Princess had made against them, Ragnar’s popularity was rising among the Saxon peasantry, and his views were currently being spread in Aethelstan’s propaganda. It would not be long before this "New Way" in which the Church had officially deemed the "Mechanical Heresy" spread to every corner of the island. At that time, the Church would lose significant tithes, and as such, they were willing to give up such a strategic fortress to get rid of Ragnar as quickly as possible.

After all, they did not want the Frankish Knights to have to face Ragnar’s "God Hammer" on an open beach nor did they wish to engage in a prolonged siege just to put down this growing power.

Overhearing this grave threat to Ragnar, and more importantly, his dearest brother Leif, Erik was more than happy to report this news to the Intelligence Director at the first opportunity available.

As such, after witnessing this despicable alliance being formed, he used the first chance he got to leave the tavern and write a coded message to Leif informing him about the threats that had begun to manifest within the Frankish plans.