Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 74: Meeting

Nearly three months had passed since Ragnar’s diplomatic coup with Princess Judith, and he had long since returned to the daily grind of York, where he continued to oversee the pouring of concrete for City Titan, the hostile takeover of the local economy, the standardization of his armies, and of course, the progress of heavy industry.

It was now early Spring, and Ragnar stood in the middle of his newly constructed Grand Assembly Hall, which operated as the boardroom for his Corporate Directorate.

Seated within the long, timber-framed room were the many Jarls, Chieftains, and Saxon Lords who had been deemed wealthy, compliant, and ambitious enough to represent the "Shareholders" of the Industrial Empire.

The Director of Industry was giving a powerful presentation to the Board Members regarding Jernheim’s Q1 achievements since King Horik had voluntarily delegated all actual work to him, leaving him control of the entire operational budget.

"Over the past fiscal quarter, we all have worked tremendously to optimize the assets we call home. Thanks to the Ministry of Chemistry and Ms. Helga’s tireless titration, we have been able to refine a massive stockpile of Black Powder and Dragon Sludge, which has been instrumental in expanding the blasting operations of the coal mines, which have fueled our blast furnaces. Bringing us a significant degree of explosive potential and market dominance!"

The ears of the former raiders who were now "Commissioned Officers" of the Imperial Army listened intensely to Ragnar’s impassioned speech, carefully paying attention to each word spoken as if it was a promise of infinite silver.

"The mighty walls which shall secure the future of City Titan have been partially erected, constructed from Ferro-Concrete—liquid stone reinforced with iron bars; they shall provide ballistic immunity and asset protection for every employee who dwells within them for centuries!"

Several of the Jarls nodded in approval; the investment into the Star Fortress walls was considered of dire importance and had been the first among many rapid changes that had come to the floodplains south of York.

They had seen the tests; catapult stones simply bounced off the strange grey rock.

"As far as defense is concerned, we have amassed three whole ’Can-Opener’ battalions armed with Lucerne Hammers, two entire ’Range Department’ battalions manning the Torsion Spikes, and a full Mobile Strike Wing to act as the First Imperial Corp. Star Fortresses have been constructed at key logistical hubs within East Anglia and are fully garrisoned, as is the Capital, thus adding a great degree of risk management to the lands and its people! I dare say City Titan could be laid siege to by an army of fifty thousand Franks, and we would still be the victors!"

The Board of Shareholders was all too familiar with the Army’s funding and was fully supportive in the endeavor.

Even though the government was originally supposed to be a traditional Viking Monarchy, the organizational chart was already redrafted four times to the point where it now greatly resembled a massive Military-Industrial Corporation from the future.

However, the primary differences being in regards to the degree of authority in which the CEO (Ragnar) held, which was significantly more than a modern CEO, and the succession laws which remained hereditary, albeit with more "performance reviews" in place to ensure a peaceful transition of power from one Director to the next, and to avoid any form of embezzlement within the treasury.

In essence, Ragnar still held absolute authority as the Director and could do practically whatever he wanted as long as the dividends kept flowing.

In truth, the Council of Jarls acted more as a means to alleviate the heavy burdens of local administration that Ragnar had to endure rather than act as a way to limit Ragnar’s authority.

Ragnar continued his fervent speech as he began to transition from the topic of hostile defense to that of human resources and housing.

"Thanks to the ongoing efforts of Cedric and the Ministry of Infrastructure, a series of fire-resistant Brick Tenements have been erected to reduce the horrendous conditions in which the workforce has had to endure as a result of our rapid increase in urbanization. With proper vitrified clay plumbing and the Cloaca Maxima sewage system, we have significantly reduced the risk of ’Camp Fever’ and dysentery, thereby increasing worker longevity and reducing sick leave!"

Every one of the shareholders had a look of pride on their faces as many of their own kin were living in these wonderful apartment complexes, which had sprawled up and replaced the muddy shanties in which York had previously been plagued with.

They continued to listen to Ragnar as he moved on to the topic of Agriculture.

"Our agricultural initiatives have proven to be a resounding success as the independent farmers have been contracted, and the thralls who chose to remain in the fields have been given the iron plows and the knowledge of the Four-Field System necessary to tend to their fields with a minimal amount of labor while resulting in the greatest yields possible. The turnip and clover harvest this year was 300% larger than any in the history of Northumbria! As such, we have stored plenty of grain to sustain our population.. and feed the Franks, should we decide to take prisoners.. for the years to come."

The last topic in which Ragnar addressed was the field of information technology.

"Under the Ministry of Propaganda and Brother Osric, the printing presses have begun mass-producing technical manuals and Aethelstan’s ’Audit of the Soul’ in every inhabited region, and we have seen a rapid rise in literacy rates among the merchant class. We will continue to work hard to provide the knowledge and resources that both the young and the old need to succeed in the path they choose in life! As such, I implore every one of you to do your best in the upcoming fiscal quarter as many of these directives are still incomplete and will need your assistance. I ask this of you all so that we may turn this land we call home into a Corporation in which we can all be proud of!"

With his closing statements, the entire crowd of shareholders rose to their feet and erupted in applause, banging their drinking horns and sword hilts against the tables.

Not a single man had stayed seated, as that would be a sign of disrespect to the man who helped transform a Viking raiding camp into an industrial superpower.

While Ragnar was basking in the glory of his accomplishments, sipping water and checking his pocket watch, far to the south in the port of Calais, the time had finally come.

***

The Port of Calais, Kingdom of Frankia

The air was salty and cold. The Grandmaster of the Order of the White Cross, Pierre de Valois, stood on the deck of his flagship.

He was a giant of a man, encased in Milanese-style plate armor that gleamed under the torchlight. His white tabard bore the red cross of his order.

Around him, a massive fleet bobbed in the water. Hundreds of ships. Transport barges for the heavy horses. Galleys for the archers. It was the largest invasion force assembled since the days of Rome.

A messenger ran up the gangplank, bowing low.

"Grandmaster," the messenger panted. "The Bishop sends word. The moon is new tonight. The gates of Scarborough are waiting."

Grandmaster Pierre smiled. It was a cruel, fanatical smile. He touched the hilt of his sword.

"The Heathen thinks he can hide behind his machines," Pierre growled, his voice like grinding stones. "He thinks his ’Industry’ can stop the righteous wrath of God."

He looked at the horizon, toward the dark waters of the North Sea.

"Signal the fleet," Pierre ordered. "We sail for Scarborough. We will burn their factories. We will smash their looms. And we will hang this ’Director’ from his own smokestack."

With his command, the horns blew. The sails unfurled. The stability and peace Ragnar had bought with silver and velvet would come to a brutal end.

When the Industrial Corps became aware of this information, the English world would be embroiled in the fires of the first true Industrial War.

No region was safe now that the Crusade had launched, not even Titan...