“Orlish War Production is expanding rapidly! Right now, the Ministry of Economy has released data that fifteen percent of the Orlish workforce are now working directly or indirectly for the war industry, up from the previous ten percent figure in January. The number of men and women working in war-related industries is also expanding, as more and more manufacturing areas finish their retooling and conversion into military plants. The Ministry of Economy has also stated that sixty percent of current construction projects are now being done for the expansion of the infrastructure needed to produce more weapons and employ people in it. Principalities in West Orland are now also seeing the construction of the first “nearly automated” factories by Chipsoft, Rebenslof Steel, and Porter Heavy Industries which had been implemented four years ago in eight major plants in the Free State of Wuringen. These factories are expected to go online within a year or two, which would most likely create a “great bump” in Orlish war production even with the nearly ninety-plus percent reduction of manpower requirements these plants offer.”

- Liberty One Radio

+++

West Orland

Eutstadt

June 17, 2025

Amelie looked at her four ministers with great excitement.

The four major drivers of the Orlish economy were now present in front of her. It was, of course, Anne, Allison, Jan, and Alfred—the Ministers of Economy, Health and Social Welfare, Infrastructure, and Energy respectively. All of them were very much involved in shifting around the rules and laws of the land, alongside its funds (of course) to get the ball rolling and create a powerful Orland.

One that produced insane amounts of weapons. Weapons that could one day blot out the skies. Something that Amelie’s mother could only imagine (since she never fully mobilized during the First Great War, out of fear of angering her people), and something that Amelie could finally send one day to smite and vanquish all of those who opposed her “Great Cause”.

Well…maybe something less grandiose. Amelie thought. After all…Allison’s clearly pouting on the side.

“My Ministry can’t take these cuts any further…” Allison whined, her disappointment clear as the sky. “I’m trying to keep up, but how are we supposed to even manage things? So many people are getting injured…the costs are high…all of our doctors, nurses, staff, and personnel are overwhelmed. And the Social Welfare part of my Ministry is now effectively Anne’s organ to find people that ‘need to work’.”

Anne just chuckled on the side.

“Oh, come on, don’t be such a downer,” the older woman said, as she sipped her tea. “The Welfare State isn’t meant to last. Not with this kind of war going on. And even in peacetime, it has to be torn down and reformed anyway. It’s a literal extraction scheme for men.”

“I know, but there are so many old women clambering my Ministry for help,” Allison complained. “And it’s not like just because we suspended Women’s Basic Income would mean they’d stop banging the walls of my office for it. I have millions of unanswered emails and complaints on my person.”

“Don’t your staff filter them out?” Jan asked.

“Of course they do.”

Then, the Minister of Infrastructure smirked.

“Hey, actually though, maybe that’d help Anne get more of her precious fresh meat for the factories. The college students yearn to weld, after all.”

Allison turned slightly red.

“Don’t make fun of them. They were reliant on it.”

“Well, we can give them cash if they work hard enough…” Jan said.

“Yeah, that’s the new order, unfortunately,” Amelie’s smile faltered a bit. “But onto the good news, guys. What’s the status of our major projects?”

“Good, very good,” Alfred said. “We have now expanded our air defense coverage on our power grid. That, and we’ve managed to open up eight new nuclear plants now. Though, expect nothing in that front for the next three to six years.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not hoping for any major increases there,” Amelie said. “I know that you just expedited the ongoing projects. I hope the budget increases help greatly.”

Alfred grinned, while Allison sulked further.

“Absolutely, Your Majesty. It was a great help. Our construction companies involved were ecstatic about the billions of OBs we injected into them. And they delivered. That, and we now have a massive workforce related to nuclear construction ready and available, being sent to the next one.”

“How much was the increase?”

“For the last quarters, our hirings peaked at around a fifty percent increase, and most of those workers have now turned even more skilled after finishing the construction of our new plants. They’re being sent to speed up construction on the next ones. Rest assured, with these—electricity would not be a problem for Orland.”

“And the coal-powered ones?”

“Still expanding them, we’ve now upped our capacity by at least fifteen percent. More is coming. Those new factories you all are making are power-hungry, after all. And, well, if you want more redundant systems in case the Federalists bomb them…” Alfred smiled. “I won’t mind another fifty billion OB injection to my Ministry.”

Amelie looked at Allison briefly.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Dear Goddess, no,” Allison defensively said. “Please not me.”

“Hey, I wasn’t saying anything,” Amelie said, before smiling. “Calm down.”

“At this point, I’m traumatized whenever those three ask for budget increases. Including Pristina…”

“Well, I really am sorry.”

“I wanna cry in a corner.”

“Please don’t.”

Amelie just sighed, before looking at Jan.

“What about you?”

“The West Orland Main Line is going well,” Jan said. “And it should be done within…six years. Though, if you can ensure us that juicy three-year-long four hundred billion—”

Amelie shook her head.

“Okay, next, shoo, shoo. I get that high-speed rail is cool, but I don’t wanna throw billions to speed it up. It’s not going to benefit us that much right now. The funding for that will remain the same. What I’m asking about is the railway modernization of our standard lines. You know, the ones getting things factory to factory.”

“Okay…okay…hmm. Fine. The Secondary Network Upgrade Project is going well enough. We’ve now nominally updated the rail lines in around thirty-five percent of rail in West Orland. That, and we’ve completed the replacements of the dilapidated and bombed-out railways, and expanded our shipping capacity with the new trains we’ve been ordering.”

“That’s good…that’s good…” Amelie said. “While the expansion of trucks and stuff has been going on well, connecting our manufacturing areas with rail is going to be more cost-effective. And efficient.”

Then, the man leaned forward, his face contorting into that of a man trying to weasel more funds.

“Just throw us a few more billions and it’ll be even—”

“Shush!”

I swear these two. Amelie sighed. I gave them some emergency budget increases and now they’re hounding me like hungry wolves for more.

“Now, onto you, Anne,” Amelie said. “How’s the Wartime Production Act going?”

“Very good,” Anne replied with a grin. “I must say, completely murdering social security and the basic income scheme to free up trillions this fiscal year is quite the move, but yes, the Ministry is spending every single dime of that eight hundred billion very well on our select corporations.”

“Mhm?”

“Conversions, new plants, the hiring of millions of men and women into these factories,” Anne smiled. “It takes billions of OBs. We’ve now so far set up eighty-nine major plants this quarter. That’s massive. All of them are involved in producing components, parts, or straight-up assembling military equipment…it’s massive. As of now, our deliveries to the MoD have increased by another fifteen percent, and more is coming. I have received word from our companies that they project that by next year, we would be collectively manufacturing tens of thousands of tanks, planes…all the heavy equipment we need.”

“Good, because I have heard that Wuringen is still outproducing us.”

“That’s because of the infrastructure already present there,” Anne defended. “Wuringen was set up as an industrial special economic zone from the get-go by your mother. We cannot hope to match them within a year or two out of nowhere. That eight hundred billion may not go directly into ordering military equipment, but it sure as hell is a massive subsidy and capital for our corporations shifting to the production of military equipment. A factory producing cars…for example, needs billions in tooling and machinery to start assembling jets.”

“I understand that,” Amelie said. “So what are your projections for the next quarter?”

“We’re hoping for an increase in production of around twenty percent by the end of Q2 2025.”

“And are we on track to that? I need to ship more crap to our failing allies, after all. And, well, replacing our losses here.”

“We’ll be on it, Your Majesty. Even if we fall short of our targets, that’d just be a temporary delay. Eventually, those manufacturing sites will finish transitioning to our new realities. We’ll get there, no matter what.”

“Okay…” Amelie smiled. “You’re going to be the architect of Orland’s victory against the CFN after all. I want you to know that I appreciate your work, but also, I’m telling you, I cannot have you falling short. Orland’s survival is at stake. Every inch of productivity…I need you to squeeze it.”

“I understand that well and fully. That’s why I’m ruthlessly organizing every corporation and individual into working for the war effort,” Anne grinned. “Orland will triumph, and it will be because of our homefront.”

“Mhm…I just…you know, these things are all very important for Orland, and me. Seeing you three do your work to increase the capacity and efficiency of our economy for this war…it’s admirable. So, good job.”

“Heh, thanks,” Jan said.

“I appreciate your words, Your Majesty,” Alfred nodded.

“We’ll try our best to keep you satisfied,” Anne added.

“And, of course…” Amelie turned to Allison. “Now, you, well, you’re getting the short end of the stick, but I applaud you for keeping your Ministry’s duties still afloat even with these hard times. That’s…good.”

“That I am,” Allison said. “I get that it’s war and that niceties to our people has become a secondary problem, but still…all of this. It harms them, you know? Anne here is employing millions of women in dangerous working conditions. Long hours, bad regulations. The workplace accidents that are being reported to my office are worrying. I can’t help but wonder, can we at least cool down a little?”

“Anne?” Amelie turned to her.

“Regulations increase the cost,” Anne said. “Regulations also increase the time to produce. Regulations…only help in the long-term, when you want to keep your workers healthy, and when you don’t want to lose any of them to a bad accident. But right now, we have millions of replacements being forced into the dirty jobs. It’s ruthless, but I’ve seen the data. Any regulations won’t help us now when we’re trying to win a war. The benefits are decades away. I thus consider it a useless investment.”

“Quite the callous way of treating young women, Mrs. Economic Minister,” Allison bitterly shot back. “Making a few rules and expanding safety conditions so they don’t run to me when they get debilitating injuries isn’t going to hurt you.”

“All the resources are going to more urgent projects. I can write the rules, but no one has the capacity to follow them when I’ve ordered them to aggressively convert and produce.”

“Well…” Amelie frowned. “I just hope that we’re at least learning from all these problems. I want a proper agency to oversee worker safety and conditions at least once the war ends. So that’s your extra task, Minister Wittfield. I may accept these problems for now, but I cannot accept them once it’s over. It’s a stupid policy of my mother to neglect this for decades.”

“To be fair, it sure helped bring costs down and turn Orland into a wealthier society.”

“Well, a wealthy society in shambles, more like,” Amelie shook her head. “You’d imagine with our gigantic economy, trillions of money, and our near continental size country, that we’d have fixed the problems of the majority of our population. Instead, half of them have been driven so badly into despair that they now dragged the other half into hell.”

The two women in front of her fell into silence before Jan gave his comment to that.

“That does make it sound like a downer when you put it that way.”