Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 154: Settling Everything in One Battle

Sitting at the head of the table, Viggo listened to Gwen's report, a look of absolute astonishment forming into a smile on his face.

"I sent you over there as an undercover agent, and in the end, they sent you right back here to continue being an undercover agent. What is this? A double agent?"

After exchanging a few more absurd remarks, Viggo pushed aside his distracting thoughts and pondered their subsequent battle plans.

'Should I gather more troops and completely wipe out the entire Isles Alliance in one fell swoop? Or should I set off immediately and eliminate Steinn and Morgan, the two root causes of the rebellion?'

To be safe, Viggo chose the second option.

Due to an insufficient number of vessels, he sent his men to the docks to requisition civilian ships. This included traditional Viking longships, as well as two Knarr ships from Dyfflin and Mancunium.

"Gentlemen, I have an urgent matter and need to hire your ships. I will pay your wages and rental fees after the battle. If any damage occurs, the Teyne shipyard is willing to compensate you with a ship of the exact same model."

Relying on the credibility he had accumulated over the years, Viggo convinced the captains and sailors to cooperate with the operation. In total, he gathered two Knarr ships and ten Viking longships, loading them with five hundred soldiers to head toward North Uist Island.

During the journey, the fleet was delayed at Islay for two days due to unfavorable winds. Afterward, they continued their advance, arriving at the seaport ruled by Steinn in the early hours of June twentieth.

Before the battle began, Viggo ordered Shrike to lead six longships north to intercept the group of Pictish Rebels. "Focus on Morgan! Dead or alive, just make absolutely sure he does not escape!""Yes, my lord!"

After Shrike departed, Viggo led the remaining two Knarr ships and four longships to launch a surprise attack, commanding a total of two hundred and sixty warriors and forty sailors.

As for the enemy, Steinn's seaport contained one hundred and forty houses. Assuming each household provided one able-bodied man, they could muster one hundred and forty men at most.

"Raise my banner. Let the civilians on the other side see it clearly."

The next moment, the exclusive black dragon banner of the Duke of Tainburg was hoisted high upon the mast, exacerbating the chaos within the seaport.

As the black flag drew closer, the residents' legs trembled and their faces turned deathly pale. In their hearts, they frantically cursed their chieftain's stupidity for drawing the ire of such a ruthless figure.

"Form a Shield Wall! Prepare for battle!"

Under the strict commands of Steinn and his trusted aides, over a hundred militiamen huddled together to form a Shield Wall in the dock area. It did not take long for the heavy crossbowmen on the Knarr ships to pull their triggers. Thick, long bolts whistled through the air, piercing the round shields and effortlessly slaughtering the militiamen behind them.

Following this, the longbowmen aimed at the gaps in the Shield Wall and fired in continuous volleys. After about six or seven rounds of feathered arrows, the entire Shield Wall violently collapsed. Ignoring all attempts to stop them, the militiamen fled back to their homes, and Steinn subsequently vanished from sight.

"Hurry and get ashore! I am placing a bounty of ten pounds of silver on his head! Anyone who provides information will receive half the prize money!"

As the de facto ruler of the Isles Alliance, Steinn still held a decent amount of prestige across the neighboring islands. If he were to escape, it was highly likely he would stir up more trouble in the future.

The ships docked, and throngs of soldiers flooded into the streets, relaying the Duke's bounty order to the local populace.

Eager to obtain a sum of silver that would ensure a comfortable life for the rest of their days, the locals scrambled to provide information. This included two caves where a person might hide, as well as a secluded beach where a ship could be concealed.

Under Viggo's command, three squads utilizing the Mandarin Duck formation set out to search the distinct locations. Two hours later, the squad that had headed to the beach killed their target, carrying the corpse back to the port.

Having eliminated his primary threat, Viggo fulfilled his promise. The ten pounds of silver were divided among the fourteen members of the squad, while the informant received five pounds of silver.

By evening, Shrike escorted sixty disheveled Pictish Rebels to report back to the Duke. Among the captives was the rebel leader, Morgan.

Taking stock of the campaign's overall gains and losses, Viggo sighed in satisfaction. "Solving two problems at once is a stroke of good luck. We have captured over five hundred prisoners in total. The scale of the Reclamation Teams will expand, and the number of immigrants we can accommodate each year will increase as a result."

After pacifying the local populace, Viggo returned to Glasgow. Acting on the confessions of the captured rebels, he rooted out over thirty households of gentry who had funded the rebellion, stripping them of all their estates.

With that, the Pictish Rebels who had plagued him for three years vanished into thin air.

With the rebellion quelled, Viggo summoned the Viking chieftains of the Isles Alliance, along with the clan chieftains of the northern Highland Clans, to discuss the post-war situation.

First was the Isles Alliance. Thirteen chieftains were knighted; their respective territories remained unchanged, but they were now required to pay a certain quota of salted fish as an annual tribute.

Taking into consideration their lack of equestrian skills, they were not required to provide cavalry during times of war. Instead, four armored soldiers and eight ordinary militiamen would serve as a substitute.

Having settled matters with the northwestern islands, Viggo waited for over a week as the clan chieftains of the Highland Clans arrived one after another, totaling fifty attendees.

"Forget it, we will wait no longer. The meeting begins now."

Viggo summoned the clan chieftains into the grand hall of the Sheriff's residence. Their attire was largely identical, consisting of woven wool tunics dyed with alternating red and blue checkered patterns. The red dye came from madder, while the blue dye was extracted from woad.

Over their tunics, they wore wool cloaks that could be wrapped around their bodies when sleeping outdoors. Depending on the financial status of the respective clan chieftains, the brooches used to fasten these cloaks were made of either bronze or silver.

Based on his observations over this period, the people of the Highland Clans were fiercely independent and lived in poverty. They could not provide much in the way of taxes, and forcefully squeezing them would likely trigger a prolonged rebellion lasting for years. After careful consideration, Viggo decided to adopt a system of loose governance and appeasement.

First, in his capacity as the Duke of Tainburg, he officially recognized the clan chieftains' ownership and hereditary rights over their clan lands. The position of a new clan chieftain would prioritize their offspring, followed by biological brothers and then nephews in the line of succession. Subordinates and clan members were strictly forbidden from insubordination.

Unsurprisingly, this proposal received unanimous support. Since the Duke was so considerate of their struggles, they naturally seized the opportunity to shower him with praise.

"Long live the Duke!"

"May the gods bless your family."

The next topic on the agenda was taxation.

The Highland Clans had always been poor, and Viggo had no intention of wringing out their meager assets. He only requested a small annual tribute of wool. On the surface, this yielded little profit, but as goods like ironware and ale flowed continuously into the various clans, it would generate a substantial amount of potential commercial tax. Earning a profit while preventing the locals from harboring resentment was simply the best of both worlds.

After confirming that no one had any objections, the meeting proceeded to the third topic—military service. The highlanders had always been fierce and brave, making them ideal light infantry for harassing the enemy.

Faced with the Duke's proposal, a highly respected elderly clan chieftain raised a doubt, "Er, we have no interest in participating in the wars of southerners. Please forgive us."

"I can pay. In addition to the warriors' wages, the clan chieftain will also receive an extra broker's fee."

Hearing that there was money to be made, the clan chieftains instantly changed their tune. They declared that their young lads would not amount to much if they stayed cooped up in the mountains, and that they would be better off going out to see the world.

Having settled the matters of taxation and military service, the next topic was faith.

Viggo did not force the clan chieftains to convert to the Norse polytheistic religion. Instead, he introduced them to the medical practices of the shamans. If, one day, their illnesses were cured by a shaman, any subsequent integration efforts would go much more smoothly.