Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 248: Vassal Kings
City Titan, The Iron Keep Observation Deck
Ragnar, Surrounding him in a nervous semi-circle were the puppet rulers of his subjugated territories: King Aedh of Leinster and the hollow-crowned monarchs of Wessex and East Anglia.
Shivering violently in the biting northern wind, the vassal kings pulled their fur cloaks tightly around their frail shoulders, casting deeply suspicious glances at a crate resting upon the deck.
Ragnar ordered a pair of Tang laborers to pry open the reinforced lid. Stepping forward, the laborers aggressively utilized iron crowbars, snapping the locks.
Opening the heavy lid entirely, Ragnar revealed rows of perfectly machined, polished brass cylinders.
These were a batch of brand new, highly experimental tactical assets, not the destructive fragmentation shells Ragnar had previously utilized to slaughter the Byzantine cavalry, but a specialized, chemical-based illumination munition.
Staring blankly at the gleaming, conical items resting securely within the padded crate, King Aedh bit his fingernails nervously.
"Iron Father, what exactly are these metal totems?"
"Vassal Kings, are you at all familiar with the concept of eastern black powder?" Ragnar asked.
"We have heard the terrifying tales from the Middle East, my Lord..."
Upon hearing the mere mention of explosive powder, the vassal kings’ eyes widened in fear.
Ragnar continued smoothly, "These munitions utilize the same propellant, but instead of bringing death, they aggressively conquer the darkness itself!"
"Conquer the darkness?" King Aedh muttered.
A weapon was meant to kill men and shatter walls; what did conquering the darkness have to do with military supremacy?
"Rather than waste my breath explaining, let me simply demonstrate," Ragnar declared.
He had specifically brought these experimental munitions to this diplomatic gathering, meticulously planning to add an overwhelming layer of psychological terror to the night’s negotiations.
Since he was officially attempting to transition his status from a mere King to the supreme Emperor of the British Isles, he needed to make this an unforgettable display of power.
Moreover, if these illumination rounds successfully broke the minds of these primitive rulers, it would seamlessly grant Ragnar the perfect opportunity to officially strip them of their remaining political autonomy.
Picking up a specialized, wide-barreled steel flare gun, Ragnar smoothly loaded one of the heavy brass cylinders into the breech.
"Watch the heavens closely, Kings of the old world!" Ragnar commanded, aiming the steel launcher upward at a steep angle toward the sky before aggressively pulling the heavy iron trigger.
The brass cylinder suddenly shot into the sky at a terrifying velocity.
After disappearing completely into the clouds of industrial smoke, the gathered monarchs watched intently, holding their breath.
Instantly, a blinding, searing sphere of pure white fire erupted in the sky, completely tearing through the midnight darkness.
"By the old gods!"
At the exact moment of the detonation, the vassal kings and their attending nobility screamed in sheer, instinctual panic, throwing themselves face-first onto the cold steel grating of the observation deck.
But once they cautiously opened their tightly shut eyes and looked up at the terrifying display, they were instantly captivated by the stunning spectacle.
The pitch-black night had been violently transformed into the brightest, most vibrant noon!
While standard black powder simply explodes, Chief Engineer Ludwig and the captive Tang alchemist Master Wei had been frantically experimenting with alkaline earth metals extracted deep from the coal mines. By meticulously packing highly purified magnesium shavings alongside a perfectly timed explosive charge, they created a chemical reaction that burns at an incomprehensible four thousand degrees Fahrenheit!
Furthermore, they cunningly packed a tightly folded silk parachute into the rear of the brass casing.
When the shell detonates at maximum altitude, the parachute violently deploys, allowing the blinding, artificial sun to slowly and gracefully float down over the battlefield.
This terrifying invention completely eradicated the concept of night-time ambushes, allowing Ragnar’s rifled artillery to accurately bombard enemy positions in the dead of night.
"Iron Father, what dark sorcery is this?!" King Aedh gasped, his eyes wide.
"We are familiar with torches and oil fires, but how does this metal cylinder conjure the very sun itself?" the King of East Anglia cried out incredulously.
"It is the undeniable absolute work of my industrialized craftsmen!" Ragnar explained.
King Aedh wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow. "Indeed, your Iron Empire possesses power beyond human comprehension... Please, allow us to return to our chambers; we yield to your majesty."
"Not yet," Ragnar commanded, reaching into the crate and pulling out a second brass cylinder.
Loading the weapon, Ragnar pointed the launcher toward the horizon and fired again, sending yet another blinding, screaming flare into the heavens.
"Mercy! Have mercy upon us!" After the next magnesium flare detonated, illuminating the entire sprawling expanse of City Titan, the terrified monarchs crawled backward on their hands and knees, desperately seeking the safety of the iron stairwell.
Laughing heartily, Ragnar loaded and fired the remaining flares.
One by one, the magnesium rockets flew into the sky, filling the heavens with overlapping spheres of blinding daylight.
The vassal kings wept openly in fear, while the Viking Vanguard guards watched the display, equally fascinated but entirely disciplined.
The city’s armed patrols and factory overseers also noticed the apocalyptic spectacle.
However, unlike the uneducated masses, they did not panic.
Meanwhile, down in the filthy lower districts of City Titan, the tens of thousands of captive Tang laborers and English peasants saw the beautiful, blinding flares floating above the Iron Keep.
Utterly amazed by the sight of the midday sun appearing at the stroke of midnight, the uneducated masses completely lost their minds.
Thousands of soot-stained laborers immediately dropped their iron shovels and fell to their knees in the streets, bowing fervently toward the Iron Keep.
Believing with absolute certainty that the Iron Father had literally conquered the heavens and chained the sun god to his will, their fear instantly morphed into a fanatical, religious zealotry!
While the vassal kings were still shivering on the deck, Commander Leofric hurried up the iron stairs.
Kneeling respectfully before Ragnar, Leofric reported, "My King, the laborers in the lower districts are completely losing their minds! They claim these artificial suns are a definitive sign of divine, unstoppable favor for the Iron Empire! Production in the foundries has just spiked by thirty percent!"
"Hahaha!" Ragnar, who had been preparing to lock the empty flare launcher away, suddenly laughed loudly.
Ragnar suddenly stepped forward,
"The heavens have spoken!" Ragnar declared, "Therefore, the era of vassalage is officially terminated! Tomorrow at dawn, you will formally dissolve your respective kingdoms! You will sign the Imperial Unification Treaty, unconditionally surrendering your crowns, your lands, and your armies to the Iron Throne!"
Upon hearing this, Gyda and Commander Leofric smiled happily.
However, the gathered monarchs looked extremely displeased, their faces twisting in helpless despair as they realized their sovereignty had just been stolen by a man wielding a brass tube.
"We submit, Emperor Ragnar..." King Aedh whispered.
The title of Provincial Governor meant he was now merely a glorified administrator, instantly reduced to the exact same political level as a factory foreman.
The vassal kings had never expected that a few floating magnesium flares would force them to entirely surrender their ancestral birthrights without a single drop of blood being spilled.
Since the night was late and their spirits were completely broken, the former kings could not stand to remain on the observation deck any longer.
Escorted by heavily armed Viking guards, they shuffled miserably down the iron stairwell, returning to their designated guest quarters to weep in the darkness.
