Steel Empire
Industrial Miracle

After the party was over, Berengar saw his guests going to their residences in his town. He had made a good impression on these Byzantine nobles and merchants, and in the following days, would make sure to negotiate a proper trade agreement with each of them. The more contacts he made in the East, the better his business would be. After reclaiming most of their lost territory since the Crusades began, the Byzantine Empire became rich, far more so than territories such as Germany; after all, the Byzantine Empire became rich, they were at the center of trade between the West and the East. 

Although the Byzantines had to repel Saracen invasions several times in a decade, for the most part, their strength was stable, and Berengar saw an opportunity in establishing relations with them. Therefore, he made sure to take care of his guests during this party. After sending the men away, he returned to his Castle, where he sat down and drank a glass of wine with his beautiful young lover. The wine was a gift from the Byzantine Empire and had significant qualities, so Berengar wanted to taste it. 

After stirring the wine in his cup and inhaling the thick aroma, Berengar took a sip of the fine alcohol before nodding his head in agreement. 

"The Byzantines really knew how to make good wine..."

On the other hand, Linde had a few questions on her mind and was not afraid to talk about them; therefore, she quickly asked Berengar about her intentions.

"It looks like you are treating these people from the east quite well. Do you intend to trade arms with the Byzantines?"

Berengar smiled and nodded his head before explaining his plan.

"The eastern half of the Roman Empire had always been the richest region, with most of their land reclaimed, the Byzantines had accumulated quite a lot of wealth over the previous centuries. Because of being near Saracens, they were constantly under threat of invasion and spent a lot of money.The amount of wealth in their military Now they know I have a sizable supply of steel, they said, when they return to the East and spread this news, the generals of the Byzantine army will plead with me to supply their troops with high quality equipment."

Berengar predicted that the Byzantines would most likely prevail in their ongoing war with Egypt and reap much of the spoils from the region, further increasing their wealth. Therefore, he intended to get on their good side and make as much money as possible from their war. War is a profitable business for those who have the means to exploit it. Linde carefully observed Berengar's estimation before nodding in agreement; what Berengar said was most likely true, and obtaining the good graces of the Byzantine Empire provided great benefits. Therefore, he praised her for her plan. 

"You really think about everything, don't you?"

Berengar chuckled as he gulped from his wine glass before replying.

"Not everything, but I try to be a few steps ahead of my potential rivals. Make no mistake, in the future, when I have unified my German Empire, the Byzantines will be rivals for global hegemony, at their rate of expansion. , they can be a threat if the relationship isn't well maintained."

Luckily for Berengar, he knew about the new world and the resource-rich region of Africa, which was largely sparsely populated and did not pose a major threat to advanced forces like his. After uniting his Empire, he would utilize his knowledge and claim the best territory in the world for colonization. By the time the Byzantine Empire and other powers realized the value of this territory, the critical area was already under German sovereignty. 

Linde saw a proud expression on Berengar's face but could not read his mind, and therefore, did not know what he was as comfortable as. However, he knew when it came to Berengar and his ambition that it was best not to exceed his limits, and therefore, he decided to change the subject.

"So, will you show the trader your steel supplies?" 

"of course! They need to know how much I can make so they can brag to the Empire about my surplus steel. The greater the surplus, the greater the Empire's interest in my steel. I will show them the extent of the hard work of my people tomorrow; it will definitely leave a lasting impression on these merchants and nobles from the East."

With that said, the two lovers quickly finished their wine before returning to their bedrooms, where they hugged each other vigorously for hours to a long night. After sunrise in the morning, Berengar woke up and began his daily routine. It was past noon when he finally met Arethas and the others in the city below. 

After meeting Arethas, Berengar patted the man on the back with a wide grin on his face.

"Come on! Let me show you the extent of my industry!"

Hearing these words, flashes of greed filled the eyes of the merchants from the east who surrounded Berengar like a flock of hungry hawks. Berengar knew what they were thinking from the radiance in their pupils; unfortunately for them, he did not allow them to see the machinery used to make such a large pile of steel, only the product of production. 

Because of this, Berengar led the men through the industrial district of Kufstein, whose secrets were closely guarded by the garrison; only authorized personnel were allowed to pass through the gates, but because these people were traveling with Berengar, the police said, they can easily pass through tight security. After all, Berengar had this entire city.

Berengar made sure to give the men a tour of an industrial area outside of a critical construction area; thus, the armory and weapons factory were his first to show. Of course, he pointed to factories that explicitly produced equipment for export, not the manufacture of his own equipment. Looking at a huge warehouse filled with hundreds of employees working on a well-organized assembly line to make brigandine sets and steel plates, the Byzantine merchants were struck by the magnitude of the operation. Berengar smiled complacently at their facial expressions before introducing the area.

“This is an armory, where we produce brigandine and plate armor for export to our customers. Of course, if you want a different style of armor, we can also produce it for you. From my understanding, the Byzantine army used a mixture of letters and mirror-patterned armor, and I would be happy to make such equipment if a deal could be reached."

Mirror-patterned armor is a style of armor used by eastern forces; it consists of a group of interlocking iron plates, usually in the form of circles and boxes that protect the torso; these plates are grouped together by a riveted letter ring. In general, mirror pattern armor is worn over the letter hauberk. Berengar produced very little letter armor because it was a time-consuming exercise, far more so than brigandine and plates. To be honest he preferred to introduce this western-style equipment to the Byzantine army, but that was not his decision. 

Seeing the amount of production of the equipment, Arethas felt the need to ask where the supply would be sold.

"Who's your customer for such a large supply of equipment?"

Berengar smiled and did not hide that this equipment was specially ordered and paid for by the Duke of Austria and his followers.

"My biggest customer right now is Count Otto of Steiermark. However, Duke Wilmar recently started ordering his personal troops as well. Lucky for him, he got a large supply of weapons and armor from the late Count Lothar and his army; because of the size and speed of my Industry, because of the, he has given me the task of repairing and equipping equipment for his needs. However, many of these were also new productions; as the war progressed, demand for more equipment expanded."

The sight of the armory left a lasting impression on Arethas, and he could hardly believe his eyes. Of course, when the Byzantine nobles and merchants arrived at their next destination, they would be as surprised as the industrial scale Berengar had developed in Kufstein. If the mighty Strategos knew that Kufsatein was only one of the industrial cities of Berengar and that Innsbruck had developed its own industrial sector, he would have completely lost his mind in astonishment.