The Porfian Princess: The Chronicles of Cornu Book 4

by L J Dalton Jr.

  What I need is a list of people who we can invite to a conference to solicit investors. We’ll have all the details together. What we’d like from you gentlemen is people you think will be good candidates for this.”

  Duke Marvon spoke up. “The project Count Michael is undertaking has the full support of the crown and, needless to say, myself. I believe that this will be successful, and if it is, it will provide a significant boost to the local economy and the economy of the realm.

  Count Michael has started to tell me some of the things he can do if there is an adequate supply of high-quality steel. There will be follow on projects as well, fabrication and new products. The turbines that you produce will be involved in a lot of these projects.”

  Both men did not miss the fact that Michael was now referred to as Count Michael. That was a big step up. They’d heard about the porcelain and had personal knowledge of the turbine project. So, they listened closely.

  Lindale spoke for them. “Duke Marvon, I’m sure that we can come up with a suitable number of people we know who’d be interested in this. If it’s acceptable, we will have a list for you in a week.”

  “That’s more than acceptable, Master Lindale. I believe that Count Michael has another small request for you as well.”

  Mike then outlined the SWAT concept and talked about flashbangs and their use. Then he showed them a drawing of the container used and the blueprint for it.

  Lindale and Hagan examined it and, after a hurried consultation, agreed that they could produce it. Mike wanted three dozen, and they negotiated the price. It was typical Nordian bargaining, and it took a bit to reach a price. Mike had gotten used to this and had been coached by his wife and friends.

  A week later, Duke Marvon got his wives and close advisors together along with Catrina to listen to Mike’s presentation on the steel project. Mike went through the presentation. First, he outlined everything that needed to be done to make the steel itself. This included mining, smelting it into pig iron, and finally producing steel. There was also transportation of the raw materials and the finished product. Then he went over the crown corporation. How it worked and the advantages to the investors. In the end, he took questions.

  Afterward, he solicited suggestions for changes and clarifications that he could make. There were just a few. Everyone was delighted with the presentation. Catrina was very proud of how Mike had handled himself. After seeing it, Duke Marvon and his wives were convinced that they’d made the right choice. Catrina and Mike would be good rulers for the duchy.

  With the presentation set, they sent out invitations to a number of businessmen in the city. They did include Bjorn, his brothers-in-law, and his father. They were pleased by the response; practically everyone they invited accepted.

  A week later, they had the presentation in the Palace. Duke Marvon introduced Mike making sure to call him Count. He didn’t need to explain to Mike that the title carried weight in the kingdom, and it showed the King’s favor.

  Mike then went through the presentation. It was very well received. This was probably the first formal pitch, with visuals that anybody on Cornu had ever seen. There were many questions and much discussion. Mike let people know that he’d be meeting with potential investors in the coming days and making appointments.

  By the time two weeks had elapsed, they had all the investors that he needed. A few provided funds. The key investors provided facilities such as mines and the ability to make the blast furnaces. Mike was thrilled with the response, and they held a reception at the Palace for all the investors.

  Now the hard part was going to be making this all come together. It would be hard work with many obstacles to overcome, but Mike felt that it was doable, but it would be a long haul.

  Afterward, the businessmen in the City were quite impressed with what Michael proposed and the way in which he presented it to them. They’d gotten all the information that they needed to understand what would be needed and make a decision.

  The general consensus was that Michael was a boon to the city. His wife, Princess Catrina, was already showing her acumen. They were a good team. People wondered who’d they’d bring into the marriage. The betting was that they’d find somebody from Centralia to add to the marriage. That made sense as it would give them further insight into a city and duchy that they were just really learning about.

  Bjorn’s father and mother were both impressed with Michael. Bjorn ostensibly agreed with them that he knew what he was doing. Privately he seethed. The Duchy should have been his. He was the next in line to his uncle. That the King would interfere and put his granddaughter and her foreign husband in charge was an insult to him. He’d continue to watch and bid his time. Something would come up that he could use to discredit them. It always did.

  SWAT and Guards

  Catrina had started to take walks through the city. She often carried Jack in a front baby holder. The little guy thought it was great, and the people loved it. They stopped to talk with various people, and they almost always commented on the baby. Naturally, the women were much more interested in Jack. He was such a good baby that he made an immediate positive impression. Mike often accompanied them, but he was clearly second fiddle to both Jack and Catrina. Every time they went out, four guards accompanied them.

  There were two dozen guards in Catrina and Mike’s personal detail. Mike took over training them. The training was basic. How to control crowds with their Halberds, hand-to-hand combat, and other things. They also had to go through strength and conditioning work.

  The other Guards thought that this was a bit much. The members of Mike’s guard detail pointed out that nobody really wanted to take on the Count one on one. Also, that they were fit and able to handle practically any situation that could come up, the other officers in the Guard saw this and started to institute some of his training methods.

  SWAT became another project Mike took on. He found a couple of rarely used buildings on the Palace grounds and turned those into training areas for the team. He carefully considered how to arm them. Instead of muskets or rifles, he chose a short barrel shotgun. The length was 5-foot, which Mike considered reasonable in close quarters. He would have liked something shorter, but the technology was the issue.

  Each of the men would also have a pistol and a short sword. The space would be confined, so he liked the short sword. He wanted them protected from shot. There was the brigandine jacket, which was like a flak jacket. Mike liked the idea but felt that the armor plate sown into the jacket was too flimsy to stop a musket ball at close range. Mike had them made with heavier plates. That increased the weight. That would not be a problem as they’d be going into buildings for a quick fight. The extra weight would not be a real hindrance.

  He also procured padded metal helmets that were painted black. He needed shields to be carried by the lead man in the stack. An ironworks fabricated four large steel shields that would stop a musket ball. They were heavy, and the men carrying them would have to strong. He had a small battering ram made to break down doors. It was about forty pounds. A single man would operate it. For sturdier doors, he had a cloth sausage filled with gunpowder and covered with tar so that it would stick to doors.

  The Colonel provided Mike with twenty men. He’d asked for a couple of larger men who could handle the shields. He sent him several. The two biggest were Olaf and Swen. Mike looked at them and could see the two of them playing the line in the NFL. They were massive guys. Strong and agile. All the men were sort of Alpha, at least as Alpha as the men on Cornu got.

  Mike got them together and gave them the spiel about what SWAT would be doing and the training that they would be going through. He then showed them the various pieces of equipment that they’d be using. They came up and looked at all of them. The first question he was asked was. “Count Michael, why are all the clothing black?”

  “That’s easy; if we go in at night, we don’t want something shiny that will reflect light and say shoot here.”

  Th
e men laughed and nodded their heads. They knew Mike’s reputation, and from the equipment and his description of the training that they’d be going through, they realized that he was a professional. Someone who knew what he was doing and was careful about the details. That gave them confidence in what they were going to do.

  Mike's first thing was to turn them all over to the sergeant that was in charge of the training for his personal guards. They would go through the same physical training as those guards. He wanted them to go through two weeks of physical conditioning before he put them through SWAT training.

  After two weeks, Mike started teaching them tactics for entering buildings. They first practiced without any equipment. Lining up in a stack and entering a building. Then they started with empty weapons, going in and clearing rooms. They learned to communicate, letting others know when a room was clear.

  While this was going on, Normon and Jefferson had come back with the minerals Mike needed. He set up a battery so that they could use electricity to separate the magnesium. Lindale delivered the containers, and the magnesium and potassium nitrate mixture was put in cloth bags with a fuse. Then that bag went into the containers.

  They tested it in an empty building, and it produced the results that Mike wanted. The noise and flash should incapacitate anyone for at least thirty seconds, probably a couple of minutes. They did have to experiment with the length of the fuse to get the timing right.

  Then the men started practicing with full equipment but unloaded weapons. They practiced going into buildings. First throwing in the flashbangs and then as soon as they went off, following it in. The team was impressed with the flashbangs, and none of them wanted to be in a room where one of those went off.

  The final step was for them to practice at night. They got that down, and Mike pronounced them ready. Over the next five months, they had to be used three times. Each time they were able to go in and disarm the bad guys without any of their people getting hurt. The bad guys were given various sentences. A couple were sent to exile in the North. There they would have to live in isolation, living off the land. If they lasted ten years, they could come back. Very few did.

  The Nordian code was pretty simple. Murder and banditry got the perpetrators hung. Anyone attacking the royal family or any of the Dukes or their families got staked. That was very rare. Other serious crimes resulted in exile for a set period of time. There were exceptions, and especially heinous crimes could result in the death penalty,

  The exiles were sent to the north of the country. They lived isolated in a cabin. They were provided food, clothing, along with a rifle and ammunition. They had to live off the land for a set number of years. Each year they were given more food such as flour and beans plus ammunition. Each cabin was also equipped with a vial of quick-acting poison. The exiles could choose to end their lives. For many, it was a death sentence. They either couldn’t survive off the land, or they took their own lives. Luckily there were very few that suffered that punishment. Other crimes resulted in fines.

  With regards to the training he was putting the men through, Mike was very pleased with the results. The men he was training, both in their personal guard and the SWAT teams, were turning into Elite units. They wouldn’t compare to the Elite units back home, like Force Recon, Seals, or Delta Force. Also, the weeding out of super aggression that seemed to have happened over the centuries meant that while real Machismo that was highly present in such units back home, in Nordia, and elsewhere on Cornu, it was toned down. They were still brave, just not the super-macho guys that you’d find in those units. Overall, Mike thought it was better.

  Off to the Wedding

  It was time to leave for the big wedding in Koronus. Brandt and his friends were all pumped. This was their first step into adulthood. They’d been given assignments by their fathers to carry out. Brandt told Rolf that he wanted him to check out the security. He didn’t say this, but he had the feeling that Rolf knew more about this than any of the people in Koronus. His brother-in-law Roddrick and he had discussed this, and Roddrick felt that Brandt might be right.

  There were two carriages for the women and several wagons that held supplies for the journey, plus improved seeds and farm equipment. The wagons were pulled by Jorgenson horses that would be left in Tantulus. This would give them breeding stock. It was the present from the Nordian Royal Family to the new Duke and Prince Arken.

  The supplies for the trip included a portable bathtub, which the women wouldn’t leave without. The women would sleep in the carriages during the part of the trip where there were no inns. They all got in the same carriage for the trip so that they could talk and be together.

  Brandt was riding Sable and was pleased that he no longer had to ride in the carriages. Especially with his sister and the other young women. Brandt and his group rode together. Roddrick, Mathias, Petor, and Wilhelm, the doctor and wife of Talia, all rode together. The King assigned fifty guards. They’d be met at the Nordia Pass by an escort of Sudlund Royal Guards. The combined group would head to Koronus.

  Everything went fine. The staffs at all the inns were pleased to see them, especially the ones at The Resting Lion. When they got to Midport, they were warmly welcomed by Duke Edwin and his family. Marta was glad to see them, especially James. She appropriated James from the start. She’d gotten older, filled out, and learned more about how to deal with the opposite sex.

  When there were meals, she sat right next to James and would lean into him and talk to him. She also made sure he got a good look at her developing bosom. James was fascinated. His friends just looked on and didn’t make a comment. Edwin and his wives knew what their daughter was up to and thought it quite normal.

  After dinner, Marta took James out for some privacy. Brandt and the rest of their friends headed up to their rooms. They all gathered together, and they teased Brandt. “Prince Brandt, you are supposed to be the ‘chick magnet,’ as Michael says. You bring them in, and we’ll take them off your hands, just like James has relieved you of having to entertain young Marta. It’s the least that we can do.”

  “She likes James because he’s a good dancer.” Was Brandt’s reply.

  “Also, because he was more than willing to go out and try kissing with her.” Added Rolf.

  Brandt threw a pillow at his friend, which broke them all up. Later, when James returned. They called him twinkle toes.

  James didn’t mind. “Please note that while you slugs were up here by yourselves. I was out having a very pleasant time with an attractive young lady. The rest of you are just jealous.”

  The next day they headed out. They were joined by Leona, Duke Edwin’s heir, Aldon, her husband, and Melissa, her co-wife. Marta also came along. That night they’d stayed at the new village. They’d camp out the night after that. The next day they’d arrive at Vinfarm.

  Christiana had several gifts for Alania and her husband, along with her nephew, Jersey. She was pretty excited to meet Alania and see the young boy. She’d been instructed to let Alania know that Catrina had a boy named Jack, who was Jersey’s half-brother. Although on Cornu, he was just considered his brother. Even if this situation was a bit unusual.

  Roddrick also wanted to see the young lady in question as Mike had described her as attractive and had called her ‘Miss Bouncy Tits of Wherever.’ He would never mention that to anybody else. Yet it sounded intriguing. He was allowed to look. Christiana wasn’t looking for a co-wife just yet. But that was generally left to the first wife to vet possible candidates.

  When they got to the new village, which was called Firstfarm, they were impressed. The refugees were doing well. The houses were quite sturdy. Petor and Sharon were rightfully proud of the whole thing. Mathias was pleased as well. Normon had put together a slim book that outlined Petor’s process for prefabricating the houses. Mathias had several copies with him. He was sure that Sudlund could use them as well as Tantulus.

  From what he heard, the houses that the peasants had in the villages in Tantulus were
little better than crude huts. These would be much more comfortable. Add in improved crops and techniques, and the living standards of the peasants would significantly improve.

  The camping out didn’t disturb the men. The women didn’t force them to set up the bathtub as they could go a day without a bath. They’d soon be at Vinfarm, where they could rest and get clean. They also wanted to buy some of the fine wine and cheeses that Vinfarm was famous for. These they’d bring to the wedding.

  When they got to Vinfarm, they got settled in the guest quarters. The village leaders, along with Alania and Ludwiq, came to greet them. Jersey was with his mother and father. He was growing and was now walking and talking. Christiana could see that he resembled Mike.

  Christiana and Roddrick invited the family into their quarters, and they sat down to talk. Alania and Ludwiq were glad to hear that Catrina had a healthy baby boy. Christiana and Alania quickly established a rapport and talked easily. Ludwiq found that Roddrick liked hunting, and soon they were having a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of different hunting techniques.

  Jersey was interested in the gifts that his aunt and uncle had brought him. Then Brandt and his friends came to meet everyone. They’d gotten cleaned up. Brandt introduced everyone and then squatted down to be on the same level as Jersey and told him that he was very glad to meet him. He was his Uncle Brandt.

  Once the introductions were over, Brandt told his sister that he and his friends were off to explore. Like most little kids, Jersey found that these were big boys and far more interesting than his Aunt and Uncle, who he just met. He offered to show them around, and Brandt accepted his offer. He winked at Alania. Then they left with Jersey practically dragging his Uncle Brandt along. Jersey was thrilled to act as a tour guide. Brandt and his friends were very accommodating of little Jersey. In a world where men were outnumbered, the guys had to stick together.