Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 171: Thirty thousand men?!

With the West Saxon skirmishers liquidated and their contracts forcibly terminated, Ragnar and his Directorate host were once more on the march. It did not take them long to arrive at the outskirts of Nottingham City.

However, when they arrived, the steam from their engines mixing with the morning fog, they noticed that the West Saxon field army had already fled the scene.

There was not a single sight of an ongoing defense of the outer districts, and the blockade they left behind appeared as if it was abandoned mid-shift.

Ragnar was quite disappointed at the sight, seeing how he wanted to test the new High-Explosive Shells on a massed formation and spread market uncertainty among their ranks.

However, it would appear that the reputation of the "Iron Father" had already depreciated their morale, and as such, they had fled the city proper to hole up in the Castle of Nottingham, leaving the industrial districts in the hands of the Directorate.

Though Ragnar had wanted to pursue the retreating West Saxons and serve them their eviction notices immediately, he also had business to discuss with Wulfstan, the younger brother of the Guildmaster appointed by the Saxons.

The man had stubbornly kept the lower mines running despite the chaos, and such Ragnar approached the city gates with his Iron Guard.

The black and silver banners of the Iron Gear were flying behind him as the pistons of his Chariot hissed in rhythm.

When the city militia noticed the massive column of smoke and steel approach their gates, they were filled with trepidation; however, when they noticed the orderly fashion of the troops their concern rapidly dwindled.

As Ragnar approached the gates, they were opened for his arrival, where he was greeted upon entry by the militia captain.

"Director Ragnar, we were not expecting your arrival so soon; I now understand why the West Saxons so rapidly abandoned the factories against such overwhelming leverage; it is no surprise that they would flee to protect their own skins!"

Ragnar adjusted his monocle and smiled as he returned the compliment.

"Even if I were not on my way to restructure this region, I feel as if the industrious men of Nottingham would be capable of protecting the inventory. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Tell me, is it possible for me to meet with Foreman Wulfstan? I have much to negotiate with the man."

Seeing that the Director of the Iron Empire was here on urgent business, the captain dared not to hold him any longer.

He swiftly led Ragnar through the soot-stained streets to the Guildhall, where Ragnar and his executives entered its heavy oak doors and proceeded to the main ledger room where Wulfstan, the younger brother of the traitorous Alderman Godric, was currently acting as the authority within the district.

The man was not expecting Ragnar’s arrival. He was covered in coal dust, reviewing a stack of parchment with a frantic expression.

However, the moment he saw Ragnar’s pristine black tunic and the silver-geared cane, he knew then and there why the Saxons had retreated to the castle.

How could such a disorganized feudal levy compare to the standardized might of Ragnar and his Directorate?

As such, he wiped his hands on a rag and extended a callous palm in greeting to Ragnar as the two leaders quickly approached one another.

"Director Ragnar, I must say I am relieved to see your... assets. I was beginning to fear that you had decided to stay within City Titan and wait out this market crash."

Ragnar smiled as he heard such a remark and responded with a well-crafted statement.

"Unfortunately for King Aethelwulf, I decided to use my capital reserves to buy some time so that I could recruit a massive security force, capable of fully auditing the enemy and driving them out of our supply chain!"

Hearing this, Wulfstan immediately understood why Ragnar had stayed out of the conflict for so many months; in the long term, such an accumulation of capital was bound to yield high returns, though he had no idea how vast of a workforce Ragnar had recruited during this timeframe.

As such, he immediately questioned Ragnar on the size of his payroll.

"Tell me, Director, just how large of a workforce are we talking about here?"

Upon hearing this question, Ragnar’s lips curved into a smug, corporate grin where he proclaimed the size of his army with forced humility.

"Oh, not much, only 30,000 contractors."

Wulfstan nodded his head and responded to Ragnar while pouring a cup of weak ale.

"30,000 contractors, not much indeed... wait a second, you have thirty thousand men?!"

The burly foreman was quite shocked by this figure; such a large army was something a Kingdom or even an Empire could draft, but he had never heard of a private company having such a large payroll before.

Maybe the Franks, but that was because they spent a vast fortune acquiring mercenaries.

Upon seeing the man’s expression, Ragnar of course smiled at him and tapped his cane on the floor before explaining his business plan.

"I have sent 10,000 of them with General Bjorn into Leicester where he, alongside Thane Leofric, will secure the southern rail lines.

Afterward, we will march upon Tamworth and Derby, where we will forcefully drive the remaining West Saxons out of the market!"

Wulfstan could hardly believe Ragnar’s words, and then he came to a sudden realization which he was pretty fearful to ask. Nevertheless, he summoned his courage and spoke his mind.

"So that means you have 20,000 men sitting outside of my Guildhall right now?"

Ragnar nodded his head in response to this question, and Wulfstan instantly felt his knees give out from under him; he slowly staggered over to his desk, where he sat down heavily.

He was incredibly thankful to the Almighty that Ragnar was on his side, for he could never resist such a hostile takeover.

Ragnar, however, wanted to switch the conversation from talks about his military assets to his long-term corporate goals and, as such, immediately altered the course of the conversation.

"So, Wulfstan, I have heard about your brother, Godric..."

Wulfstan instantly became enraged at the mention of his brother; his eyes contained the fury of a man who had been left to clean up a mess, and he began to grit his teeth in anger.

As such, he quietly snarled before putting on a weary facade and asking Ragnar about his assessment of the fool.

"Tell me, what is your evaluation of my dearest brother?"

Seeing the forced expression on Wulfstan’s face, Ragnar struggled to contain his amusement; ultimately, he decided to limp back and forth in front of the man, the sound of his leg brace clicking rhythmically, before telling him the truth.

"Honestly, he is inefficient and a liability. I am much more impressed with your actions to maintain the output quotas. Albeit keeping the mines open during a siege was risky, I know you could not contend with the West Saxon demands, and thus your actions were the best of a bad investment.

If you had defied them openly, you would have been liquidated, and the mines would have truly fallen into disrepair."

Seeing the analytical expression on Ragnar’s face, Wulfstan instantly began to fear the results of his brother’s mismanagement and thus asked Ragnar about what had happened in the outlying districts while he and the other foremen hid behind their coal heaps.

"How bad is the depreciation?"

Ragnar clicked his tongue before responding.

"Tsk... Most of the pit-heads I have come across were sabotaged and the machinery smashed; not even the ventilation shafts were spared..."

Wulfstan immediately felt great remorse for this fact and slammed his fist upon the ledger on his desk while clenching his teeth.

He could not believe his brother would be so wasteful as to do such a thing to good machinery. Thus he cried out at the top of his lungs!

"That wasteful bastard!"

There was not much the man could do to calm his nerves, but releasing his pent-up anxiety through violent expression was the best he could manage.

Seeing the man’s twisted guise, Ragnar knew that Wulfstan was a man who cared more about the coal and the workers than Godric did.

Thus he was more likely to favor Ragnar’s industrial reforms, and as such, Ragnar wanted him as a Regional Manager.

After coming to such a realization, Ragnar quickly proposed a merger that would benefit both of them.

"It is not your fault. The majority of the Guild’s security detail was lost in the initial invasion, and your brother hid with the remainder of the treasury in the Castle with the King.

You were left with a bunch of pickaxe-wielders and apprentices to protect the inventory. You did your best to protect the assets of your Guild.

If anyone should be held liable for this disaster, it is your brother Godric!"

Hearing Ragnar shift the liability for the disaster that had befallen Nottingham onto his brother made Wulfstan more amicable to the words that came next; as such, he perked up his ears and listened to Ragnar’s pitch.

"Go on..."

Ragnar smiled wickedly when he realized that he had gained the man’s attention, and thus he declared his intent.

"I have been named Trustee of the heir, Eadwig. When we have retaken these assets, I will hold your older brother responsible for the negligence that has transpired here in Nottingham and will proclaim him as having breached his fiduciary duties. I will strip him of his Guildmaster status and hand the position to you."

Wulfstan was shocked by this information. He was unaware that Eadwig had signed over his rights in City Titan, but hearing it brought him a sense of hope for the future.

If he could succeed his traitorous brother, instead of continuing to work under the West Saxon thumb, then maybe he could restore the Nottingham mines to their former output.

However, he knew such a promotion would not come without a price, and thus he inquired about Ragnar’s commission.

"And what, pray tell, do you receive from such a merger?"

Ragnar once more smiled as he heard the man take the bait and thus elaborated further on his plans for the future.

"Well, for starters, I get a competent manager, but more importantly, I will need your voting proxy at a later date. In the upcoming fiscal years, I have many reforms in mind to help establish the Directorate as a monopoly, and with that in mind, I will need a man of your position to back them without question.

So long as you support my future bylaws, the position of Grand Foreman of Nottingham will be yours..."

Wulfstan thought deeply on the matter for a few moments, listening to the distant hiss of Ragnar’s war machines outside.

However, ultimately, he agreed to Ragnar’s request, and thus shook his hand, sealing the deal.

"Alright, I will agree to your terms. Whatever you need from me, you shall have it!"

Hearing the man accept his contract caused Ragnar to grin with anticipation; soon enough, the Midlands would be his, and he could then focus on unifying the Island under one banner! Everything was going according to his projections.

"Excellent," Ragnar said, turning to leave.

"Now, let’s go evict your brother. I believe his lease on the Castle has expired."