Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 179: Root Cause

After sending Loki away, Wigg gathered his advisors and ordered them to audit the accounts from the past six months. He wanted a detailed list of every source of income and expenditure to prevent anyone from finding fault with him in the future.

Seaxburh stood his ground. "My lord, have you made up your mind?"

"Yes. I poured my heart and soul into this, originally intending to turn around the kingdom's financial woes. Yet, after six months of exhausting work, I suddenly realized the root cause of it all: the royal family and the Cabinet lack any detailed planning. They spend exactly as much as they have. Even if I earn more, it will only serve to make their lifestyles more extravagant. It is pointless."

In truth, Wigg still held back several measures to generate wealth. If the Spinning Jenny, seigniorage, and Bonds were put into practice, they would be enough to give the Kingdom of Britain several more years of prosperity.

However, the root system of this massive tree was completely necrotic, and it could never escape the fate of rotting away. Since he could not save the overarching situation, Wigg had no choice but to prepare in advance, ensuring he could protect himself in the coming frenzy of war.

At the Cabinet meeting the following day, Wigg publicly announced his resignation. The five ministers expressed great regret—perhaps genuinely, or perhaps just putting on an act.

"My lords, it has been an honor working with you all. This position is a difficult one to hold, so resigning is actually a blessing."

With that said, Wigg tucked a stack of documents under his arm and headed to the main hall. In addition to submitting his Letter of Resignation, he also brought a Work Report Document detailing his recent tenure. There were two copies of the report: one for the King, and another to be circulated among the Cabinet members.

"Your Majesty, my two Queens, and my lords, I took office in early February, and it has been six months since then."

While everyone read the Work Report Document, Wigg loudly recounted his recent work. The entire presentation took nearly an hour. Finally, his gaze swept across the entire hall."Even facing the gods, I can announce without a shred of guilt that during my time in office, I have not stolen a single Silver Penny. I am not lacking in such trivial wealth. Unfortunately, this integrity has done nothing to aid my governance. The kingdom's finances are still deteriorating. For the sake of the greater good, I have decided to resign from the position of Prime Minister."

Passing the report to the two Queens, Ragnar had a complex look in his eyes. Having worked together as monarch and subject for fifteen years, he was already intimately familiar with the other man's character—rigorous, meticulous, possessing a fastidiousness akin to that of the Romans, with an indescribable arrogance hidden deep within his heart.

Based on his understanding of Wigg, as well as this Work Report Document and the private briefings from Loki and others, Ragnar acknowledged the truth: Wigg had not embezzled anything, just like his predecessor, Pascal.

"Could it be that I spend too much?" he murmured. "Compared to the Eastern Roman nobles Paffis talks about, I am already quite frugal. I only have two wives, and merely eight sets of everyday clothes for the four seasons..."

After agonizing over this question for a few minutes, Ragnar spoke again. "Who do you think is suitable to succeed you as Prime Minister?"

"Gorm."

Wigg's answer was perfectly orthodox. As the second-in-command of the civilian officials, Gorm should have filled the vacancy right after Pascal's death. Now that he was set to succeed as Prime Minister, aside from Hrolf complaining inwardly, everyone else generally approved.

Ragnar nodded, approving of Gorm as the Third Prime Minister. This Angle had rich administrative experience; while he might not achieve anything monumental, he also would not cause any disastrous blunders.

According to what some Administrators had disclosed, Gorm engaged in a bit of petty theft and skimming, but Ragnar did not care. The vast majority of people were corrupt in some way, with the sole exceptions being Pascal and Wigg.

The former had operated with a mindset of Atonement, hoping to trade his work achievements for the King's protection of the monasteries within his territory. The latter, as a Duke, was fiercely arrogant at heart and had no need for such meager silver coins. He was driven more by a desire to implement his own philosophies on governance, wholeheartedly seeking to emulate the systems of the Roman Empire and the Great Tang Empire, as if every other place was completely beneath his notice.

'Sigh, you're just a Viking barbarian. Is there any point to doing all this?'

The next moment, Ragnar stepped down from the throne and invited Wigg to accompany him for a walk in the gardens. Once they were completely alone, he posed one final question.

"Over the years, Pascal, myself, and others have carefully instructed Ubbe and Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye. Accompanied by excellent mentors, the two princes have acquired wisdom unimaginable to their peers, enjoying conditions far superior to those of their three older brothers.

"Wigg, we have known each other for many years, and you have never disappointed me. As we part ways, I hope you can give me a clear answer. In your eyes, what is the aptitude of my fourth son, Ubbe?"

Wigg remained silent, quietly watching the servants cleaning the lawn a short distance away.

'The royal family favors the eldest son, while the common folk spoil the youngest. Having been a King for over a decade, why does he still have the mindset of a commoner in this regard?'

From his observations, the fourth son, Ubbe, was a reckless brute whose mind was solely occupied with fighting. He severely lacked wisdom. Let alone his eldest and second brothers, he could not even compare to his third brother, Halfdan Whiteshirt. At the very least, Halfdan Whiteshirt could fight for survival in desperate situations, having organized a group of Berserkers to risk their lives for him after being exiled.

Ragnar pressed further. "Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye is young, yet the talent he displays completely crushes the other noble youths. What do you think of him?"

Wigg remained silent, sighing inwardly.

'Talent comes in many forms. The talent for composing poetry and painting, the talent for scheming and political maneuvering, the talent for marching and waging war, the talent for accounting and managing finances... As it stands, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye is only adept at playing petty tricks to tease his companions and occasionally reciting a few ballads from a Bard. I cannot see any other outstanding traits. His behavior is frivolous and his conduct is flippant; how could he possibly rule the world? Compared to everyone else, the long-neglected Alfred is the truly intelligent one. Even if the third, fourth, and fifth sons joined forces, they might not be a match for him.'

Ragnar's expression grew cold. "I heard that when you select a Knight or an Administrator, you value their ability above all else. Why is it that when discussing the next King, you do not support the most intelligent one, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye? Shouldn't we choose a Wise Monarch?"

Relentlessly questioned by the monarch, Wigg was forced to speak his true thoughts.

"What is the definition of wise? Everyone has their own ideas. Whether they are wise or not is simply not up to the princes to decide."

With that said, Wigg bowed deeply to the King and headed straight back to the Prime Minister's residence. Shortly after, Gorm arrived to handle the handover procedures.

"All the relevant information is in the Work Report Document," Wigg explained. "The national treasury has three hundred and seventy pounds of Silver left, along with thirty thousand bushels of wheat and ten thousand bushels of oats... Wait another two months for the Agricultural tax from various regions to be transported to Londinium, and your days will be much easier.

"Oh, right. Ubbe is growing very quickly, and the Queen plans to order a full set of equipment for him. Including a Damascus Steel Sword, the total expense will be nearly a hundred pounds. You had best delay this for a while and wait until autumn before considering it. Otherwise, if an emergency arises, you won't have the money to pay the Royal Guard."

Listening to his predecessor's explanation, Gorm flipped through the account books. Confronted with a massive debt of over twenty thousand pounds, he let out a heavy sigh. "What are we going to do about this?"

Wigg did not answer. The current financial situation had completely deteriorated, with expenditures far exceeding revenue. Even more troublingly, the only group capable of providing a loan were the Flemish Merchants. If they approached them to borrow money, the merchants would inevitably make a mess of outrageous demands, such as various monopoly rights, which would only further shrink the kingdom's financial revenue.