The Iron Horse and the telegraph were revolutionary, but they created a new tactical problem: the "last mile" of communication.
Commander Elric's armies were moving too fast for fixed copper wires, and the bulky, static-filled field radios only had a short, unreliable range. The war was turning into a series of massive, decentralized battles, demanding instant, clear communication between rapidly moving command posts.
"We have solved strategy with the telegraph, and logistics with the rail," Alex determined. "Now we must solve tactics."
The solution required taking the principles of the telegraph and the radio and making them portable, reliable, and clear.
Alex knew the principle of sound transmission via electricity was the key. He tasked Garth and Marcus with creating a simple microphone and receiver—the first rudimentary field telephone.
* The Microphone: They used a simple diaphragm (thin wood) attached to carbon granules, enclosed in a small wooden box. Sound waves compressed the carbon, changing its electrical resistance and modulating the current from the Voltaic Pile.
* The Receiver: On the other end, the modulated current passed through a coiled magnet, vibrating a thin steel diaphragm to reproduce the sound.
The result was an unwieldy, primitive system, but it transmitted the human voice over several miles of thin, hastily laid wire, far surpassing the speed and complexity limits of Morse code pulses.
The field telephone solved clarity, but the reliable power source—the heavy, acid-filled Voltaic Pile—was too bulky for troops on the march.
Alex returned to the principle of the steam engine: motion creates energy. He needed to invent the dynamo or generator.
He had Garth construct a small, powerful magnet surrounded by simple copper wire coils. A simple hand crank or a belt attached to a mule would turn the armature. This movement would cut the magnetic flux lines, generating a continuous, portable electrical current.
This hand-crank generator was immediately paired with the field telephone. The Arren Syndicate was now producing portable, on-demand electricity.
The war effort immediately devoured this new technology. Commander Elric's tactical commands were no longer relayed by mounted messengers but spoken instantly from headquarters to forward posts. The speed of command coordination became insurmountable for the enemy.
***
The deployment of the field telephone and the new portable generators had unexpected social effects on the troops:
The soldiers were terrified of the field telephone at first. They spoke into the box, believing the sound traveled magically to the distant commander. When a junior officer first heard the distinct voice of the faraway Commander Elric crackle through the receiver, he immediately fainted, convinced he was hearing a celestial being.
Security Chief Kael, now managing hundreds of AGC personnel guarding the expanding rail line, used the generators to solve a logistical issue: light. He installed simple electric lamps at key checkpoints—powered by the portable hand-crank generators—making night watch far more effective and scaring off opportunistic local thieves who feared the "unnatural light." Kael's AGC men hated the manual cranking, but they loved the security the light provided.
***
With the war effort reaching its crescendo, Commander Elric visited New Arren again. He did not ask for a negotiation; he came to surrender his entire logistical system to the Syndicate.
"Viscount," Elric stated, weary but impressed.
"The North is broken. Your steel is unbeatable, your rail is miraculous, and your Mind-Speaker Boxes make us move as one man. We owe this victory not to bravery, but to your efficiency."
Elric signed the Protocol of Total Supply—a contract giving the Arren Industrial Syndicate a twenty-year exclusive monopoly on all military equipment, communication technology, and infrastructure construction. In return, the Syndicate would manage all military logistics, ensuring armies never ran out of food or pikes again.
Alex had effectively done what no noble or king could: he had monetized the end of war and secured his empire's future by making the state reliant on his sustained efficiency. The Arren Industrial Syndicate was no longer a regional power; it was the engine of the kingdom.
Next priority: The war is ending, but peace brings a new danger: the need for economic transition. The Syndicate is built on war revenue and needs a massive new civilian market to prevent collapse. Alex must focus on large-scale public utilities to ensure continued growth.