Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 165: Research & Development

With Eadwig in City Titan and the ink drying on his "Voluntary Restructuring Agreement," Ragnar felt assured that his rise to power was secure.

Thus he spent the remainder of his day visiting Leif the Elder’s workshop.

The man was currently busy overseeing the production of the new high-tensile steel cables; it had been a while since Ragnar last popped by to inspect the R&D department, and there was a particular reason for him to do so this time.

Ragnar had devised a much smaller, concealable weapon based on the principles of the repeating crossbow but utilizing a torsion spring mechanism instead of a bulky bow-arm; the previous Mark II pattern was too large to be kept well hidden by his agents across enemy lands, and he had wanted to fix that issue.

Thus he stopped by Leif’s workshop unannounced.

Ragnar quickly tapped his cane on the heavy iron door, and a few seconds passed before Leif opened it, wiping grease from his hands with a rag.

Seeing his Director for the first time since the London acquisition, a broad smile appeared on Leif’s face before he immediately realized that Ragnar had a set of blueprints in his hands.

"Oh, of course...

The Director is here to give me more work! You couldn’t bother to stop by for a coffee every once in a while like the old days, huh?"

Ragnar chuckled at Leif’s response before limping into the room and laying out his blueprints on a workbench cluttered with gears and springs; as he did so, he responded to the older man’s jest.

"I am afraid with a hostile takeover and a trade war to run, I do not have much time to visit you. Efficiency demands sacrifice, my old friend!"

Leif immediately thought about Ragnar’s current workload and understood his pain.

Thus he pulled out a pair of tin mugs sitting on a shelf before filling them with cold brew coffee; he handed one to Ragnar while taking a sip of the dark liquid himself before getting down to business.

"What is it you have brought me this time? Another steam whistle to deafen the nobility?"

Ragnar pointed at the design before him and said with a prideful smile on his face.

"I call it the ’Pocket Ballista’. The old repeating crossbows which my agents use are much too large to be properly concealed under a cloak. Thus I thought of this weapon for executive protection.

Granted, its range is inferior to the Mark II, but as a personal defense weapon, it offers a high rate of fire in a compact package!"

Leif took a glance at the blueprints, adjusting his spectacles before nodding in approval.

"Torsion springs instead of a prod... clever. It will require high-quality steel for the springs, but it’s doable. As always, you do not disappoint with your designs, Director."

The two men took a few gulps from their coffee before discussing more matters of business.

Ragnar was the first to ask about his production capabilities.

"So, how is the output?"

Leif looked at Ragnar as if he were an idiot; that question was broad to say the least and had many answers he could potentially say. As such, he asked for clarification.

"Director, which production line are you talking about in particular? The steam engines, the concrete, or the new canning factory?"

Ragnar smiled before finishing off the coffee in his mug; he only began to answer after Leif had refilled it.

"The Caliphate Steel order."

Hearing what Ragnar was asking about, Leif scratched his beard slightly before answering to his best ability.

"It is going as planned. Luckily the new blast furnace in Sector 4 is operating at full capacity, so they have been able to alleviate the pressure on our shoulders.

As per usual, the plating will be readily available when the Vizier arrives for the inspection. Why? Are you planning a visit to Cordoba?"

After hearing Leif’s question, Ragnar paused; he indeed planned to visit the Caliphate eventually, but only after he had consolidated his hold on England.

He was still a long way away from achieving such stability. Thus he merely shook his head as he responded to Leif’s inquiry.

"Not at the moment. If I am to travel to the Caliphate, I need more leverage, or else they will try to treat me like a mere merchant. One day though, I would like to see the Great Mosque for myself. I hear their geometry is... efficient."

Leif nodded his head in agreement; he too longed to see the legendary architecture for himself.

However, he did not have the gall to ask Ragnar to take him along for the journey when he finally went. Thus he merely toasted Ragnar with his mug.

"To your future monopoly! May those southern scholars marvel at our steam!"

Hearing such a bold toast, Ragnar merely chuckled before drinking the remainder of the contents in his mug.

Afterward, he began to ask Leif about various stress tests on the concrete; the two men talked for some time before Ragnar bade farewell and returned to the Governor’s Mansion.

After entering the Mansion, he was immediately notified by Gyda that Eadwig had called for a "Board Meeting" in Ragnar’s own office, and thus Ragnar quickly strode towards it.

When he opened the door, he saw the little brat sitting in Ragnar’s high-backed leather chair, feet up on the desk, surrounded by General Bjorn and Thane Leofric, who gazed at him with annoyed expressions on their faces.

Ragnar’s monocle twitched when he saw the boy in his chair. This was Ragnar’s personal sanctuary, and the brat treated it as if it had belonged to him.

However, for now, Ragnar had to suppress his ire and put on a respectful facade of a Trustee.

As such, he nodded gracefully before greeting Eadwig.

"Mr. Eadwig, I came as soon as I heard. What is so urgent that you must call a meeting at such an hour?"

Eadwig had a smirk on his face as he began to interrogate Ragnar about his plans for the Midlands.

"Trustee Ragnar, exactly how long will it take you to raise a security force to recapture my mines?"

Ragnar could tell this little brat was trying to push him into the war ahead of schedule.

Clearly, the boy was impatient and did not want to sit around in City Titan reading bylaws.

However, Ragnar had no plans to march until his armies were powerful enough to sweep through the Swiss Mercenaries without incurring heavy losses. As such, he merely smiled before giving the projection he had in mind.

"Three more months and a sufficient number of contractors should be finished with their training. By then, we can march on Nottingham, where we will liberate it from the West Saxons. The plan from there is to seize the rail lines to Derby and Leicester before marching on Tamworth."

A frown immediately appeared on Eadwig’s face as he heard these words; he did not desire to stay in Titan for three whole months doing nothing but waiting for troops to be raised.

As such, he asked the question on his mind.

"How many contractors do you have available at the moment?"

Ragnar struggled to maintain his respectful facade as he answered the boy’s inquiry.

"Aside from the personnel necessary to maintain the security of the Directorate, I can field at most 15,000 men at the moment."

Before Ragnar could explain the logistics, the boy interrupted him by asking General Bjorn the same question.

"How many men do you have available at the moment, General?"

Bjorn frowned while being asked such a question by a civilian. However, he eventually answered.

"Roughly half that amount are combat-ready. The rest are still in basic training."

Ragnar not only had one of the largest standing armies in England but also due to his growing industrial base, he could equip them significantly better.

As for Thane Leofric, he had the lowest number of troops, as his lands were currently under occupation. Eadwig quickly asked the same question to which Leofric responded.

"I can spare at most 2,000 men. My best huscarls were lost in the initial siege."

Eadwig then looked at Ragnar with an impatient expression on his face as he began to question Ragnar’s efficiency.

"You are telling me, a heralded ’Iron Father’ like yourself will be incapable of taking Nottingham with 25,000 men? Maybe I need to name a more aggressive Trustee, like General Bjorn, after all."

Hearing this, Ragnar began to frown; this boy was starting to push his limits.

Nevertheless, he kept his wits about him and thoroughly lectured the boy who would be Figurehead about the reality of modern warfare.

"Mr. Eadwig, it is a possibility to win with such a small amount of troops. However, King Aethelwulf has hired Swiss Mercenaries. Their pikes are long, and their discipline is absolute. If we charge in now, we will suffer substantial depreciation of our human assets. In my honest opinion, we should wait three months for my next division of Grenadiers and Steam Cannons to be properly trained and outfitted before we begin our campaign.

With 40,000 men in total, and superior firepower, we will stand a much better chance of winning this merger with minimal overhead. I urge you to be patient; hostile takeovers are not won overnight!"

The other executives quickly nodded in agreement to Ragnar’s terms and attempted to convince the boy to listen to reason; Bjorn was the first to speak on Ragnar’s behalf.

"Mr. Eadwig, listen to the Director’s counsel; he knows the market."

After hearing Ragnar’s reasoning and Bjorn’s support, Eadwig knew he was not going to get his wish, and as such, exhaled deeply in disappointment before accepting the terms.

"Three months! Not a moment longer! As soon as your troops are ready, I want them deployed!"

Ragnar smiled and nodded as he finally convinced Eadwig to go with his plan. Eadwig’s following words brought an even greater smile to the young Director’s lips.

"With this understanding, I hereby name you Ragnar, Director of the Iron Empire, as my Sole Trustee, until the day I have mastered the corporate bylaws!"

With this, Ragnar had finally gotten what he wished for, and Eadwig had unwittingly sealed his fate.

It would not be long before Ragnar and his armies marched to war, and when they did, the West Saxons would learn firsthand the might of steel and steam!