The Medieval Marine - Rise of the British Empire
Copyright© 2024 by somethin fishy
Chapter 32: Peace?
Time Travel Sex Story: Chapter 32: Peace? - Surrounded by enemies, friends who would stab her in the back, and a hostile court, Marion must guide her nation into an unknown future while trying to rebuild her family. She had no idea how high the cost would be.
Caution: This Time Travel Sex Story contains strong sexual content, including Ma/Fa Fa/Fa Consensual Romantic Lesbian Heterosexual Fiction Military Tear Jerker War Alternate History Time Travel Sharing Polygamy/Polyamory Cream Pie Lactation Oral Sex Hairy Royalty
“Peace is an armistice in a war that is continuously going on.” - Thucydides.
Rome, Papal States. June 1074
For the first time in years, peace reined in the Papal States. It was something everyone was thankful for. The people were tired of paying higher taxes and worrying about foreign armies. The army desperately needed to rest and refit, and the leadership was tired of trying to balance multiple foreign opponents.
Gregory was also glad to see peace. He was tired of Christians killing other Christians and only went forward with the recent operations because they had been planned before he became pope. The last thing Gregory wanted to do was make enemies as soon as he took office. With peace, he could quietly rid the military of officers who looked for conquest. The long-term goal was to turn the military into a defensive force.
Frankfort, Holy Roman Empire. June 1074
Henry was glad for every day of peace he could get. While he had won the war with Philip, it had cost him dearly, and he had to rebuild the army. The new Polish ruler, Dobrosław Zima, was beating war drums and constantly rattling his saber. So far, it had been all noise, but Henry knew one day soon, the threats would turn into action, and the sounds heard would be the scream of artillery rounds and the cloth tearing of rifle volleys.
In a way, though, the recent war had been good. It tightened the bonds holding the Holy Roman Empire together and eliminated the semi-independent kingdom of Burgundy. The region was now a province of the empire, although Henry had thought of changing the name to Deutschland. He would also kick out the Italian city-states since they were more trouble than they were worth, and there was no easy way to get there.
With the victories the army won and the glory the now Field Marshall Von Roon added, there was no shortage of recruits. Henry’s more significant problem was equipping the army with muskets and uniforms. Nobody outside the British was industrialized, and speeding up production in an artisan economy was almost impossible. Henry quickly found that speeding up production reduced quality to the point where some muskets were worthless until reworked.
Thankfully, Henry had someone to help. Brunhild was busy working 18 hours a day to design and help build machine tools to create the machines of war. If they couldn’t increase production, the next war could be their last. There were days that one of Brunhild’s guards would have to carry her back to her and Henry’s chambers, her sleeping in his arms. When Henry first saw this, he shook his head in disbelief. Other times, Henry couldn’t tell who she was as she was covered with grease and dirt.
Brunhild wasn’t the only one working herself to the bone; Henry was right there with her, only he was working to rebuild Burgundy and build defenses in the captured western Poland. Along the border, Henry built a string of small fortresses that would be garrisoned by a company of dragoons. Their goal, if attacked, wasn’t to hold the Polish but to provide a speedbump to slow them down. After the attack was slowed, the defenders would ride away and blow up the fortress.
All the major cities had large detachments to defend them. Instead of building large walls around the city, Henry used the money to hire more soldiers. If the Poles attacked, the defenders would meet them in the field, and if they couldn’t defeat the Poles, they would perform a fighting withdrawal. They would dig in once they had been drawn back to the city. Instead of large walls, small walls surrounded the cities, whose primary purpose was to control trade in and out of the cities.
These measures were meant to stall the Polish until reinforcements arrived. The reinforcements were stationed behind the frontier, and each base was responsible for a section. Henry intended to station 10,000 men in each area, but that would have to wait until he had enough troops. Until then, the army would have to manage. Henry wasn’t too worried because the Poles were busy trying to rebuild their shattered army.
Although Henry didn’t have the sophisticated intelligence agency Marion had, his was good enough to get the job done when the adversary was lazy. Luckily for Henry, Dobrosław wasn’t only lazy but extremely arrogant. Henry knew almost everything that happened in the Polish court. Best estimates put the Polish total strength at 10,000 men and no artillery.
The Poles would have difficulty breaching an entrenched German Army with no artillery. From studying all the British campaigns, Henry knew that. He also understood why Luke referred to artillery as the God of War. What nobody but Luke and Marion’s inner circle knew was it was Joesph Stalin who first made the God of War reference to artillery. Since artillery is historically responsible for most battlefield casualties, the god of war is appropriate.
To make things better for Henry, he had artillery. The Frankfort Arsenal was turning out four bronze cannons a week to aid in rebuilding the army. While building bronze cannons, the arsenal was experimenting with iron-barreled cannons with little success. German ironworks were in the process of producing higher quality iron, but the iron ore they had available to them was of low quality. So far, none of them had been able to reverse engineer Luke’s method to create steel, and he wasn’t sharing.
Although the iron wasn’t good enough for artillery, it worked fine for small arms. Henry’s small arms arsenal at Köln was almost to the point of producing a single-shot bolt action rifle. They knew how, but their machining wasn’t accurate enough to deliver the necessary tolerances. To create percussion caps, they cheated and reverse-engineered caps stolen from the British.
Even with arms production running at full speed, it would take time to rearm the newly expanded army. Henry’s goal was to have an army of 50,000 men divided into five divisions by the end of the year. Field Marshall Von Roon didn’t think that goal was achievable but would give it his best shot.
Henry also had to grow the economy to pay for the expanding army. Here, several books and observations Gretchen sent back before she left Henry’s service were of great use. With the money from the Polish peace settlement, Henry went on a buying spree to buy British railroad equipment. He needed thousands of kilometers of track, hundreds of railcars, and several hundred locomotives.
The only metal parts German industry could build were the spikes used to hold the rails to the crossties; everything else came from Britain. This required vast amounts of money, which was why Henry couldn’t grow his railroad any faster until after his wars ended. His only wish was he had managed to defeat Philip to extract more money, but from what his spies told him, Philip didn’t have much, and the German Army destroyed most of the remaining wealth.
Paris, France. June 1074
Philip looked across Paris and sighed. His recent war had cost Parisens dearly, as almost no structures were left standing. Between the fire and the Germans getting revenge, the city and its populace had taken a beating. Paris wasn’t the only thing destroyed. The French Army had been reduced to a strength of 2,000 men and lost all their artillery. What hurt worse was most of the weapon manufacturers had been raided by the Germans. If they couldn’t cart it off, they destroyed it. This was the second time in five years that French arms makers suffered devastating losses.
Making the war worse was Philip had been soundly defeated, and if it hadn’t been for the Polish, he would have most likely been captured. As it was, the only positive result of the war was his debts to Marion were paid off. He could focus all his energy on rebuilding his kingdom and army.
Standing next to him, Bertha sighed.
“Well, I hope this was worth it, Philip. Our home has been destroyed, and everything of value has been carted off.”
“It was. I am no longer in debt to Marion. Our farmers were able to sow their crops this spring, and most still have their equipment.”
“What about everything else?”
“What about it? We’ll rebuild the industries that were destroyed. Thanks to the rush the Germans were in to get home, they allowed us to keep the spoils of our invasion of Burgundy. That means, unlike the last time, we have the money to rebuild.”
“So, what are your long-term goals?”
“I want Burgundy and all the lands west of the Rhine River.”
“And you think Henry IV will just hand over those lands?”
“No, that’s why I’m going to take a few years to rebuild the army.”
“Focus on rebuilding the economy, Philip.”
“Why?”
“Without a strong economy, you cannot have a strong army. That’s why Marion is so strong. It’s not her military; it’s her economy. Her people can get whatever job they are best at and use their natural talent to increase their wealth. As the people gain wealth, they spend it in a higher proportion than the nobility. When they spend their wealth, Marion sees tax revenue. She then uses that revenue to invest back into the economy, allowing more people to use their natural talents. And so on.”
“So, what should I invest in?” Philip said through gritted teeth.
“Roads and canals. With those, the farmers can get their crops to market and use that money to buy goods for their farms. Also, you must strengthen property rights so your remaining nobles can’t steal land from the farmers. If the farmers believe they can lose their land at any time, they won’t invest money into improving their harvest, which will keep the harvest low. The more crops each farmer can harvest, the more farmers can move to towns and cities to engage in more valuable labor.”
“Is that all?” Philip asked sarcastically.
“No, everyone needs to be taught to read and write. If you genuinely want to have a powerful kingdom, the people have to be able to read.”
Philip growled. He was tired of spending money on boring things like the economy or education. He wanted to spend money on arming his military to conquer the lands he wanted. Cannons and firearms were expensive, and the recent destruction of Philip’s arms manufacturing only made them more expensive. Arms had to be bought from foreign suppliers, or Philip would have to purchase all the raw materials and pay his inexperienced artisans to build them.
Niðaróss, Norway. June 1074
Ingegerd watched Marion leave and smiled. She always enjoyed it when Luke and Marion visited. It gave her a chance to talk to someone who knew her challenges. One of her challenges was the alliance between the Swedes and other native tribes. Even though Ingegerd’s forces landed behind the lines, Anund Gårdske reacted quickly and pinned the Norse in their beachhead.
In total, Ingegerd had 5,000 soldiers pinned down by only half the number of natives. If the land had been cleared, the Norse wouldn’t have had a problem, but the land was one of thick forests and deep marshes. Any time the Norse tried to attack, their formations would break apart in the forest, only to be chewed up by the native defenders.
Ingegerd didn’t want to withdraw the amphibious force because they divided Anund’s attention, which stopped the Swedes from continuing their drive south. With the Swedes stopped, the Norse had to figure out how to launch a successful counter-offensive.
A week after Marion left, Ingegerd had a surprise visitor. Magnus had to return for business, and Anna came with him since she was a fully trained doctor. After her graduation, Anna took a job at the hospital, and although she wasn’t raking the money in, she felt fulfilled with her career. Besides, Magnus earned more than enough money for the both of them. While they traveled to Norway, their two children were under the care of their governess.
Ingegerd was busy at her desk when her secretary told her she had a non-nobility visitor. It was abnormal for Ingegerd to get a visitor who wasn’t nobility, so she was interested. The door swung open, and Ingegerd was instantly on her feet. Magnus walked in and put his arms around his sister to say hello. Ingegerd finished her hug when she noticed Anna and turned red. Anna laughed and hugged her, too.
“What are you two doing here?” Ingegerd asked once they were seated.
“Magnus has some business, and I felt like coming along since I’ve finished my doctor training.”
“Ah. So, Magnus, what kind of business are you on?”
“Just getting some new iron contracts signed.”
“Are you concerned about the new British settlement in Lapland?”
“Nope. Even with the iron produced in Lapland, their industry will still strain the iron supplies. Actually, I expect their demand for iron to increase. I think everyone will want stainless steel once they learn its advantages.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” Anna said, jumping into the conversation. “because, with stainless steel, I won’t have to oil my tools to keep them from rusting. Also, our maid won’t have to spend as much time cleaning our knives and cutlery.”
“I like the sound of that. I wonder if I can get Marion to send me some?”
“Wouldn’t hurt to ask,” Magnus replied.
“When can I go meet my nephews?” Anna demanded
Ingegerd and Magnus laughed as Ingegerd led the way. Anna finally saw her nephews for the first time and rushed to pick one of them up. Being a doctor, she automatically checked the boys’ health, and aside from being a little small, they were healthy. As Anna played with the twins, Magnus and Ingegerd sat at a nearby table and talked.
“What has been happening in eastern Scandinavia?”
“My army ran into a small kingdom called Sweden, and their king is a competent commander. The Swedes allied themselves with the other tribes, retreating before our army. They use the forest to hide their army until we march in, and they ambush us. Before we can fight back, they melt away. They drove us back until I landed troops behind them, but the Swedes pinned down my amphibious troops, and now neither group can advance. Every time we try, the forest breaks up our formations, and the Swedes attack the broken formations, driving us back.”
“Sounds like you need some elite assault troops like Marion’s grenadiers.”
“That would be helpful, but I don’t have any right now. I wouldn’t even know how to train them.”
“Can you use your close relationship with Marion to get her to loan you some grenadiers to train yours?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never bothered to ask.”
“You should. I know her grenadiers have been vital in winning battles the British shouldn’t have been able to win.”
“I wonder how long it would take to train enough grenadiers to make a difference?”
“From what I have heard, training grenadiers takes about six months.”
“Damn. That doesn’t do me much good. By then, I may not have much of an army left.”
“Will Marion loan you a unit of Grenadiers to break the Swedes?”
“I can ask, but I doubt she will.”
“Offer to pay her for their services.”
“Anything else, Magnus? Do you think I’m made of gold?”
“Who said anything about gold? You have other goods that Marion needs.”
Ingegerd stared at Magnus and wondered if he would have been a better ruler than her. He had no interest in ruling and was glad his father had sent him and his wife to Britain years before. Now, he and his wife had successful careers in a nation safe from external attack and internal strife. Ingegerd was working toward the same end in Norway but had a way to go.
The siblings continued to talk about Norway’s future until Anna wore the twins out, and they started snoring. After putting the children to bed, they retired to Ingegerd’s chambers for a private dinner. There, Sunnifa joined them, and together, the four ate a feast of roast reindeer. Anna and Magnus missed the wider varieties of food available in Britain, although they didn’t bother complaining because they thought they would be home in a week.
Ingegerd wrote a letter to Queen Marion the next day, begging her to loan her the services of a unit of Grenadiers. While Ingegerd expected to be denied, she wouldn’t know for sure unless she asked. With the letter sent by a special courier, Ingegerd returned to her usual work of keeping her people safe, fed, and happy.
While Ingegerd was working, Anna reviewed the medical and sanitation in the city. She concluded sanitation was a joke as many people still threw their garbage in the street, where it fed the rats, which helped spread disease. Anna almost threw up when she saw where the water was brought into the city.
The area around the wells was covered with fecal matter and other rotting garbage. Many buckets people used for their water were the same ones they brought the garbage in. They just rinsed the buckets out and took water home. Anna didn’t stick around long as she took off to confront Ingegerd about the horrid conditions. The city had suffered the usual disease outbreak that spring, and Anna knew why.
Anna didn’t stop running until her hands were planted on Ingegerd’s desk, and she was panting.
“Ingegerd, you must stop people from drawing their water from the wells immediately!”
“Why?” Ingegerd wasn’t angry but curious.
“The wells are contaminated! When I was down there, I saw people rinse their trash buckets with well water before drawing their water. Do you know how much of a potentially serious disease risk you have? I’m actually surprised there is anyone alive, never mind healthy.”
“I still don’t understand what the big deal is.”
“The water from those wells is a literal soup of diseases, and if I had a microscope, I could show you. For now, just trust me. Shut down all the wells in the city until the areas around them can be cleaned, and order anyone who uses water from the city wells to boil it for five minutes before using it. Once the areas around the wells are clean, you should cover them to prevent new contamination. There’s a company in Britain that makes hand water pumps. If I were you, I would order several thousand pumps, and after installing them in the city, I would install them nationwide. After you install the pumps, I would begin working on an aqueduct to bring fresh, clean water into the city. Marion is almost completed with the first aqueduct to bring water into York if you need a design.”
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