Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 106: Expansion Plan!

While Ragnar and his Track-Laying Division were engaging in Operation: Iron Horse, and Bjorn was securing the perimeter at Northampton to liberate the Midlands from Luddite inefficiency, Gyda was resting in City Titan, presiding over the company’s Q3 reforms.

Through the acquisition of Nottingham and the liquidation of King Burgred, she had begun incorporating the region into the Directorate’s jurisdiction.

Though she did not allow for the "Mandatory Internship" of the northern population yet (as they were already paying taxes), infrastructure projects and agricultural overhauls were underway.

The sooner she got the drainage ditches dug, the sooner the land value would appreciate.

The people of Northumbria enjoyed their lives during this time of chaos, as they were well insulated from the famine and the banditry that was appearing across the Saxon world.

However, many young men, seeing the consistent paychecks and the shiny new "Iron Gear" uniforms, decided to fulfill their career goals and volunteered for the security forces.

Of course, the volunteers were only a small percentage of the workforce being raised to not only aid in Ragnar’s campaign but ensure the defense and stability of the entirety of the North, which Ragnar would soon monopolize.

As such, thousands of young men were currently undergoing basic training, where they would then enter specialized training in the field they were most suited for (mostly shoveling).

After receiving the first batch of Mercian interns in Leicester, Ragnar instructed General Bjorn to continue specialized training.

With "Track-Layers" being the main focus, followed by "Grenadiers", and then the "Mobile Strike Wing".

Ragnar currently had an entire Cavalry Battalion under his command, and because the unit had suffered limited depreciation during the war, it was more than enough to deter the horse-lords of any potential Earldom he would come across.

At the moment, the newest batch of interns had begun their onboarding process and were going through basic PT to get them into digging shape quickly.

Lifting heavy rocks, swinging hammers in unison, and synchronized marching became a daily exercise for the men who had been forced into the corporate family.

They also practiced how to operate their tools efficiently, as a set of drills were created to quickly instill the "Standard Swing Arc" of the pickaxe into the muscle memory of the men.

As such, the temporary barracks used to house and train recruits were overflowing with thousands of young men who had just entered the workforce.

Some of them had been here for weeks and would soon ship out to the railhead, whether that was laying sleepers or guarding the coal reserves.

As for the Officers, the surviving Thanes and Huscarls of the captured regions were incorporated into Ragnar’s management structure and were effectively trained to fulfill the position of "Middle Management".

Seeing as how they went from being Lords and Warriors to Site Foremen, there was an initial degree of defiance by the Cadets.

Still, when they came to realize how effectively organized Ragnar’s supply chain was—and how good the coffee tasted—they quickly changed their tune.

There was a degree of civility and authority afforded to Foremen much like that of a Thane, and as such, they quickly found themselves at home within the Management Class.

Granted, it was a meritocratic force, and they would not be afforded the position due to their bloodline; they would still have to graduate from the so-called "Officer’s Orientation Seminar" and climb through the ranks through a display of competency.

Yet, at the moment, there were few if any peasants among the Officer class who could read a blueprint, so for the time being, it had essentially been turned into a position held by the Saxon nobility within Ragnar’s corporate hierarchy.

While the interns continued their training, Gyda was reading the news she had received from Princess Judith about the standoff at the Thames.

The likelihood of King Aethelred surviving the "Lunch Break Maneuver" without signing the contract was slim, but there was a chance the stubborn old man could refuse the stew and retreat to Winchester.

While she was reading the report in her solar, the heavy oak door opened to reveal Queen Eadburh, whom she had not seen since the awkward breakfast meeting a few days prior.

After appearing in the office, Eadburh noticed the look on the Prime Minister’s face and began to question what she was reading.

"Is the news... bad?" Eadburh asked, wringing her hands in her wool dress.

After realizing that she had been smiling with fiscal satisfaction, Gyda placed down the letter for the former Queen to read.

"Your husband’s rival, King Aethelred, is trapped at the Thames, and Ragnar has begun to bridge the river with iron. It is only a matter of time before Wessex signs the trade agreement. I suggest you find out where your loyalties lie before the merger is complete. After all, Ragnar is ruthless when it comes to dealing with... redundant assets."

Seeing the letters Gyda had provided, which contained great intelligence about the ongoing hostile takeover, Eadburh could not comprehend why the "Witch Queen" would allow her to see such valuable information.

"Why... why show me this?"

Gyda merely laughed lightly and rested her sharp chin onto the palm of her hand while staring at Eadburh with a gaze filled with calculating pity.

"Because you are a survivor, Eadburh. And I do not want to see you end up liquidated like your husband. So I am giving you the option to make an informed choice. Either sign the ’Consultant Agreement’ and recognize the Directorate as the primary infrastructure provider of Mercia. Or cling to the old ways, and fade into poverty. Though if you publicly voice your support for the old regime, when the railway is finished, you will be sure to suffer as a luddite."

Thus an important decision was thrust upon Queen Eadburh; she could either show her loyalty to a dead husband and a failing system, condemn Ragnar as a demon, and reject his claims to the Midlands—which by the looks of it would end with her sweeping floors in the factory.

Or she could submit to Gyda’s authority and throw away her family’s obsolete title for a pension plan.

Before she made her choice, Eadburh had one final question to ask Gyda about the Director’s plans for the future.

"If I do as you ask... what becomes of my daughters? Will they be... thralls?"

Gyda stretched her back into the soft velvet chair and grinned with a comfortable smile as she informed Eadburh of the company policy.

"They will obviously lose status as Princesses for a while. But Ragnar’s ambitions don’t lie at simply being a King, nor does he wish to be an Emperor as your priests fear. When Ragnar finally unites the island into a single Common Market, he will need talented and loyal women to fill the positions in his administration. At the moment, his educational reforms are in a stage of infancy, but I will let you in on a little secret..."

Gyda leaned forward, her blue eyes gleaming.

"It will not matter which noble title you have in the coming years. By gaining the favor of the Board and proving yourself as a competent administrator... that is how you will gain power in the future. Your daughter Elfwynn has a talent for drafting. If she applies herself, she could be the Head of Architecture by the time she is twenty."

When Eadburh heard the height of Ragnar’s ambitions from his wife’s mouth, she could hardly believe it.

A world where women held power based on skill, not marriage?

Still, she could hardly consider herself a skeptic when thinking about how quickly Mercia had fallen into Ragnar’s hands. If the man could bridge the Thames with an army of interns, what could he do with a nation of engineers?

Thinking about the position she stood in and that of her daughters, Eadburh sighed heavily and nodded her head as she decided the important crossroads she had found herself in.

"Alright. I will support the Directorate in any way you need me to. From the intelligence you have shown to me, the Saxon resistance is doomed to fail, and England will soon fall into the Iron Age. It is doubtful the Church would trust us after we drank your coffee anyway... so I hereby submit to the new management."

Gyda smiled devilishly as she heard the Queen relent, and she rose from her seat to pat the older woman on her shoulder.

"You have chosen well, Consultant."

With this, Ragnar’s legitimacy in the Midlands could no longer be argued if the widow of the former King was willing to relinquish her claim in favor of the Directorate.

Unknowingly, Ragnar had gained a valuable asset in his future expansion; after all, Eadburh knew where all the bodies were buried.

***

Meanwhile, at the Leicester Railhead

Ragnar stood on the rear platform of Locomotive No. 1, watching as the sun set over the newly laid tracks.

General Bjorn climbed up onto the platform, holding a plate of beans.

"Director," Bjorn grunted, gesturing with his spoon. "The track is laid to the city gates. The Leicester garrison is staring at us over the walls. They look terrified."

"Good," Ragnar nodded. "Fear is a powerful motivator. But curiosity is better."

"Curiosity?"

"Yes," Ragnar pointed to the steam whistle. "Tomorrow morning, we don’t just blow the whistle. We invite the Mayor for a ride."

Bjorn choked on his beans. "A ride? Director, this is a siege engine!"

"It is a demonstration vehicle," Ragnar corrected. "If the Mayor rides the Iron Horse and lives... the people will want to ride it too. And then, Bjorn... we start selling tickets."

Ragnar looked south, toward the darkening horizon where the Thames lay.

"War is just a failure of marketing," Ragnar murmured. "Tomorrow, we launch the Leicester Line. And after that... Winchester."

The tracks gleamed in the twilight, two silver lines pointing straight to the heart of the old world.