Well, that and his loving and supportive wife she thought to herself with a secret grin as she returned to her routine.
Chapter 15
Duluth
The good thing about the radio was that she could get an inventory from her sister of what was to be expected in a convoy, then match the manifest. The wagon master was quick to point out that they dropped off some supplies, and used some, but they were careful after the second delivery to not get greedy.
Zara liked having a clipboard and checking the load, and she enjoyed seeing people from the Imperium. Some would remain; she was allowed to keep a third of the guard force. But the rest would be needed to protect the convoy of wagons as they carried her own tributerium and trade goods south in a hafta time.
She had one more meeting left, a meeting of the dominus after the last load of tributerium was in. After that she would not see them all as a group until after the spring thaw and first planting. Only those lords who were residents of the capital or who were neighbors would dare visit during the snow and long winter.
~~~^~~~
Tacitus checked the inventory and then smiled at the crate of rasps and files. These were supposedly of the harder alloys that the Imperium was turning out. They would be handy, both in his work and to sell to the local smiths.
A blacksmith wore out a rasp and file every two to three mens . They were lucky if it lasted a season. Some could be recut, but that was a tedious affair. Supply of the simple tools was always an issue.
Therefore, seeing some in the last convoy of the season from the Imperium made him heartily grateful. It also made him wonder what other minor wonders Max had tucked away for him.
~~~^~~~
Domina Rasmussen took a bath after the ride into Kattegat. She was getting up there in age; she really should have gone with a carriage. But hers was rather shoddy, and the draft beasts to pull it had been sacrificed for food during the long winter. She had yet to replace them; the newborns were too young.
At least the tricks of riding long distance had come back to her.
She played with the tepid water, grateful to have it at all. She had heard that the princeps had put hot water into the castle. She wondered how she could get such a luxury in her own.
She smiled in memory, replaying their brief greeting. Her spies had told her much of the young princeps, especially her relationship with Baron Farragut. She had taken the same approach, appearing with a motherly approach, more concerned for the princeps and warning her not to catch a chill. That seemed to have been the right note to strike with her. The slip of a girl had been taken aback but then had appeared amused and had thanked her for her concern for her welfare.
If she only knew she thought blandly.
She had noted other changes wrought by the intruders. The capital was clean, far cleaner than she'd ever seen it. Even cleaner on the few holidays they'd had recently. And there were minor things here and there that had surprised her. Her spies had not mentioned them, apparently taking them for granted.
Well, she'd have a talk with them when she had the time. She needed to commission one of the technical smiths. Perhaps she could lure one to her domain? She definitely wanted warm water and the water wheels and other things.
Yes, it was definitely past time she had come to the capital. She kicked herself mentally for giving into her fear for so long. The slip of a girl had not shown any indication of being wary of her, of knowing her involvement in the ambush.
More importantly, her spies had confirmed that some of the dominus were disgruntled. She planned to meet them soon, just as she planned to recruit new spies within the castle walls.
~~~^~~~
Siegfried was thrilled by the Thing and his participation in it, but not by what it was doing to his time with Zara. His intended was busy, too busy to find time for him.
She had also been seen with some of the other young dominus to be who had come in with their parents.
It was rather frustrating. He had no way to vent that frustration other than to drink. But with so many people around he had to be on his best behavior.
~~~^~~~
Dominus Berg rode into the capital feeling decidedly uneasy. She had chosen to travel with her neighbors since there was safety in numbers. She had shared a carriage with Dominus Hansen but regretted that decision since the old man had griped the entire way.
She heard a few people muttering or talking openly about the changes in the capital. She looked out to see. She noticed it looked cleaner. There were signs of fresh paint and new plaster. There were also odd things here and there. She was only mildly curious about them. All she wanted was for the event to be over as quickly as possible.
~~~^~~~
Domina Rasmussen met with Domina Berg as soon as she could find the time to arrange the private meeting. Getting them alone was troublesome though, it seemed that Domina Berg did not trust her for some reason. "I want no trouble," Domina Berg insisted.
"And you won't get any."
"Then we are at peace?"
"We are at peace so long as you hold your tongue," Domina Rasmussen stated. Domina Berg nodded. "I admit, you were wise to avoid that … mess."
Domina Berg cocked her head cautiously and then nodded.
"I have washed my hands of the affair. I now wish to get as much as I can out of the princeps to better my domain," Domina Rasmussen stated. Domina Berg nodded.
"I too," Domina Berg said. "There have been so many changes! And I have been confused by the wagons. More flows north than south! Do you understand that?"
"I do not," Domina Rasmussen stated with a shake of her head. "I hope to find out about it sometime soon."
"I too."
~~~^~~~
Baron Farragut arrived with a small entourage early. He looked about him, noting the changes in the capital. They were all for the better, the place was cleaner and people were busy. They looked like they'd eaten well too, and food and wares were out in the market. There was even bunting and colorful flags fluttering in the breeze.
He was looking forward to seeing his fellow and comparing notes. Even with the modest changes he'd made following the directions of the Terrans he had seen an improvement in harvest yields. He was interested in comparing notes with the others and ribbing those who had not done as well as him.
He had some coin with him; he hoped to pay deposits for new equipment to be delivered before spring.
He noted the castle had banners from the battlements, each with a house that had arrived. As his entourage made the final approach to be challenged at the gate, he noted his family's crest was unfurled on a banner.
He rather liked that touch. It let others know who was in and it showed the princess was paying attention.
When he greeted her, he was amused to see she had switched to Duluthian dress. It was clear she'd bought the outfit locally, but had it tailored to suit her own sense of style. He approved; it would show her support for his home and a unity with it while also showing a bit of style and her own desire to put her stamp on things.
Some of the cut, especially the shorter skirt and V line might scandalize some, but it would intrigue some of the dominus too. He was looking forward to seeing their reactions.
~~~^~~~
It didn't take long for Domina Rasmussen to identify the conspirators. Her spies had picked them out. What surprised her was that the princeps and others hadn't identified them. Surely a turncoat would have done so. Even Farragut, though he seemed more intent on drinking in whatever the princeps said.
She was not at all eager about picking up some of the crumbs the Imperium sent their way. They sounded expensive. But she could afford to at least listen. And, she of course could take what was freely given.
~~~^~~~
From time to time Zara tried to detail some of the changes in the Imperium as examples of what she'd like to see done in Duluth. She hated having to explain it over and over in one-on-one meetings. From time to time she tried to go over it with the
dominus as a group. Unfortunately, without some sort of primer coming at them cold with outlandish ideas made it hard for them to grasp. All they saw were the costs involved.
She patiently explained about the changes being made to mining and transportation in the Imperium. She did her best to explain about trains and railroads. When it was clear her explanations and the images and video she showed weren't enough, she asked the Tacitus to create a model but the technical smith was clearly overworked. The best he could come up with was a block of wood with wheels.
Despite the lack of props and the understanding of her audience, Zara pressed on. She decided to try a new strategy; she explained how the railroad could move large loads of ore or grain or timber in a short time at low costs. "They can ship bales of hay or wool to different locations and other loads back. If we can do something here, connect there, we can ship raw materials south."
She saw the instant repugnance at that suggestion and realized she'd erred. "Of course only part of that would be tributerium. Most would be in trade. For instance for silk or other goods and materials," she stated.
A few of the dominus looked thoughtful.
"For instance, we can ship lumber, or, better yet, finished furniture and wood products. And we can improve the mills here as well as woodcutting. Make it faster and safer."
A dominus snorted. "How is that?"
Zara blessed her time spent talking to her sister and Eugene over the radio the evening before. They had suggested timber farming over wild harvesting. Wild harvest had better grain structure in the wood, but if they switched to farming and industrialization it would be easier.
"Well, for one thing, the king spoke of how many places on Patria have switched to farming trees."
A couple of the men laughed.
"No, I am quite serious. They grow them like crops. Of course it takes time to harvest them but done right they can make quite a business out of it," she insisted.
"What would that entail?"
"We would plant the trees evenly spaced apart and clear the ground of plants that would interfere with their growth. The owner of the land would make sure that they have proper irrigation like other crops." Heads nodded. "Over time they would grow to the point where we could harvest them. And since they aren't dense, we can get in easily and get the timber out."
A few people nodded.
“Treated like the roads, pulling up bushes that would suck away food from the trees like weeds, and the trees will thrive. And it will deprive cover for the predators. Trim the limbs and cull the trees that don't grow as desired and you have a crop.”
"The basilisks and other predators wouldn't like it," Count Mallory said thoughtfully.
"Exactly," Zara said smugly. “Let them stay in the mountains and old growth forests.”
The count blinked and then snorted.
"What sort of the kind of trees grown?"
"The Terrans grow several kinds. There are those in the Imperium doing it now too. It is best to grow mixes of them so they can grow at different rates." A few heads nodded in understanding at that point. "But I know some of you know of poplar and how fast and straight it grows." A few of the heads nodded. "And some can mix in stands of Ironwood, Oak, pine, and other kinds. They can harvest at different times, cutting only the trees that are of sufficient size while not tearing them all out. The Terrans are showing the Imperium how to make machinery that does it fast . Great machines that can cut a tree down and set it down where you want it in mere momentis ."
A few eyes gleamed over that.
"They have other machines that can gather the logs up and drag them to a safe place where machine saws can cut off the limbs. They can then be sent to the mill."
"By this railroad you mentioned?"
"Or by other means," Zara replied with a nod. "If a river is near, they could be floated to a mill." A few heads nodded at that. "Or draft animals can pull carts, or machines can do them if it the land is hilly and steep."
She paused and looked at them, then singled out Count Mallory. "Dominus."
"Yes?" he asked warily.
"You are updating your home with stone, right?"
"When the weather permits," he said warily.
"And each stone has to be hauled by wagon to you. And many of you have built where stone is near," she said, looking at the others. "What if I were to tell you that you could move great amounts of stone along the rail?" That earned a surprised look from some. "Imagine it. Machines that cut the stone to your specifications, load it, and then whoosh, it is at the nearest point to your building site! From there you can use machines to unload it and then set it."
Building in stone was the preferred construction material on their world since it was hardy and more or less beast proof. But it was also expensive and time consuming. She understood why so many structures in Duluth were made of as much wood and other material as possible.
"With less men?" Domina Rasmussen asked, with a small smile.
"Or none at all?" Another domina asked skeptically.
"With some," Zara allowed. "Some to operate the machines, to guide them as you would a draft animal. Others to maintain them as Tacitus does here. And others to guide the work and plan ahead." A few heads nodded. "But not so many would be needed to lift the stone and move it. A few men could do the job of dozens."
"Putting the others out of work?" Domina Berg asked.
"No, for they could be working on something else." Zara said, trying not to gnash her teeth in frustration. The domina did have a point though. It wasn't like they had men to spare though.
"This railroad, how fast is it?" Domina Rasmussen asked.
"Well, if it is on a track that has been made as flat as possible, quite fast. Fast enough to get from the Imperium to Duluth in mere dies ."
That made a few people look thoughtful, others strangely troubled.
"And the reverse is true." She brought up an image of a long train. "This one is loaded with many different goods and is a leuga long." That made them stare at the image. "It has four machines in front to pull it, and a few in the back to push. Like a cart, once it is moving it is easy to keep it moving. It is hard to start moving though."
"So, it can do away with the wagon trains? Moving goods faster?"
"Yes to some degree. But the wagon trains can get to places the railroad can't. The train only goes as far as the tracks allow. They work best if they are in concert. Get a load of goods to a town or place, and then distribute them from there by wagon or other means," she explained.
"This is a lot to take in," a dominus said carefully.
Zara smiled. "I know, for me as well. I hope to have a Terran come here to show us. Or if possible, for some of you to go see what is being done in the Imperium with your own eyes and then you can come back inspired as I have become."
"Truly an interesting idea," Baron Farragut said with a sage nod.
"Of course, if Max and the king manage to get their flying vehicles going, you'd be able to fly their and back in a single dies ," she said with a twinkle.
The baron groaned as some of the dominus gasped.
"Enough! Please, it is too much to take in at once!" an elderly dominus pleaded.
Zara smiled and nodded.
"Very well then, to other matters …"
~~~^~~~
Later that evening, Dominus Percival and the other conspirators met for a late dinner to compare notes about the lecture. They realized that a train could move troops and equipment just as easily as materials.
"Troubling," Dominus Fenton said unnecessarily. He was one of the new members of their little cabble.
"Indeed," Stephan said. He had once been a loyal guardsman in the castle. But he'd lost his job to drinking and had been demoted to the lowest position available. His red-haired wife Freya had not been amused by the slight and had told him of the conspirators.
The dominus and domina had allowed him into their ranks because he might prove useful. The information he and his mate had
acquired certainly was.
"If they can make a machine to cut down trees and move them fast, they can surely do the same to a castle!" Domina Rasmussen said, sounding alarmed. It had taken a bit of judicious arm twisting to get into the group without being killed. Her offering her own sources and not outing them to the princeps had helped.
Stephan's allegation that she had been behind the ambush of the princeps convoy had sealed the deal. Or, at least when she hadn't confirmed or denied it.
"And a flying machine? Tis most alarming," Dominus Stephan murmured. He didn't sound like he believed it though. They had seen images, but those too were hard to believe.
Hostage Rescue (Princess Rescue Inc Book 2) Page 21