novelraw Chapter 194: Inheritance Tax
Chapter 194: Inheritance Tax
In September, Wigg led two thousand men back to Tyne County. Instead of completely disbanding his two infantry regiments, he maintained their basic framework to facilitate future mobilization.
Seeing her son after half a year, Breda rushed over and pulled Leif into a tight embrace. After crying for a while, she carefully examined his features. "Not bad. Accompanying your uncle on this journey has certainly made you much more composed. It is time to consider taking a wife and starting a family."
She then sought out Wigg, asking her brother to recommend a few young ladies from noble families, urging him to pick the prettiest ones available.
Wigg lowered his voice to explain. "In the Battle of Auxerre, the King's army lost over half its men. Take two villages near Londinium, for instance—not a single man who marched to war returned. Their families are currently protesting outside the Royal Palace. This is not a suitable time to propose marriage. Let us hold off for a while."
For the next three weeks, Wigg stayed home to recuperate. The war had thoroughly exhausted his mental fortitude, leaving him listless all day. He ignored his official duties, neglected his sons' studies, and often sat dazed in a small garden corner of the castle until Bjorn came to visit.
"What brings you here?" Wigg asked.
Bjorn sat on the ground, casually plucking at a blooming marigold in the garden. "Father remains unconscious, so I made a special trip to Londinium. The Prime Minister and the two Queens pestered me for a long time until I agreed to lend them eight hundred pounds."
Recalling the Queens' expressions, Bjorn found it amusing, yet a lingering sorrow wrapped around his heart. Just two years ago, the kingdom had launched an expedition to Northern Europe, swiftly annexing Denmark and Sweden, spreading their fearsome reputation far and wide. To end up in such dire straits today—he simply could not fathom the exact reason.
After a long silence, Bjorn changed the subject. "I have also heard many rumors about you. Tell me the truth, how exactly did you escape such a desperate situation?"
Wigg picked up a twig and casually sketched the rough terrain of West Francia in the dirt, explaining his reasoning on the day of the ambush. Bjorn struggled to follow his train of thought, listening in utter confusion.Bjorn asked, "I still don't get it. How did you use a single map and a pile of letters to deduce that our army was about to clash with the Frankish forces?"
"It is difficult to explain that instinct," Wigg replied. "It might just be a habit I subconsciously developed after experiencing so many wars."
Thinking Wigg was just brushing him off, Bjorn could not help but pat his shoulder. "Speaking of which, two thousand cavalry and two thousand mounted infantry... Gunnar clearly wanted you dead. He has completely turned into a Frank."
Summing up this defeat, the most critical factor was Gunnar. The man possessed outstanding strategic brilliance and was intimately familiar with the tactics used by Ragnar, Ivar, and the others.
Had Gunnar been out of the picture, "Charles the Bald" would have found almost no chance of victory. His only option would have been to cede territory, renounce his imperial title, and beg Middle Francia and East Francia for reinforcements.
After lamenting over the situation for a long time, Wigg suddenly remembered something. He invited Bjorn to the shipyard to inspect a new type of sailing ship launched just days prior—the Grey Parrot.
Compared to the original Knarr ship, the Grey Parrot featured two masts, with both the foremast and mainmast flying square sails. A spanker sail was rigged to the aft of the mainmast, enhancing maneuverability upwind and aiding the vessel in tacking.
Furthermore, the Grey Parrot discarded the square stern castle typical of a Knarr ship, lowering the center of gravity to prevent capsizing in rough sea conditions. The long-handled wooden tiller on the quarterdeck was replaced by a steering wheel, elevating its maneuverability even further.
Bjorn caressed the steering wheel, unable to hold back his awe. "What is her cargo capacity? And the cost?"
"This is a hull design the shipyard spent four years perfecting. The Grey Parrot is primarily meant for testing new technologies. Her cargo capacity is equivalent to one and a half standard Knarr ships, but her true strengths lie in her speed and sailing stability." The inspiration for this new vessel came from Wigg's memories of a two-masted brigantine—fast, highly maneuverable, and requiring only thirty to fifty crewmen, a design especially favored by Caribbean pirates.
"As for the cost, the Grey Parrot required a total of eighty pounds to build. Once the technology matures, the cost might drop to seventy pounds, which means the selling price will easily exceed a hundred pounds. Ordinary merchants and minor nobles simply cannot afford it."
"That is far too expensive," Bjorn exclaimed repeatedly. However, out of respect for Wigg, he agreed to order two of these new two-masted brigantines and paid a forty-pound deposit.
Afterward, the two shareholders discussed the affairs of the West Sea Fur Company. Today, the company had established trade relations with half the tribes on the southwestern tip of Greenland. The natives were responsible for hunting seals and occasionally accepted employment from the company, serving as temporary sailors on whaling cogs to hunt whales in the open ocean. Altogether, the company's annual profit exceeded eight hundred pounds.
The gradually stabilizing business provided a continuous stream of wealth for the three shareholders. Wigg was highly satisfied with this arrangement. He refrained from interfering with Bjorn and Helgi's operations, content to stay peacefully in Teyne and count his dividends.
October arrived. Having marched to war earlier in the year, Wigg was exempt from traveling to Londinium to offer tribute. Nevertheless, he kept a close eye on the situation in the south, which yielded nothing but bad news.
Ragnar remained unconscious, and rumors of the King's death spread wildly among the common folk, impossible to suppress.
Prime Minister Gorm traveled to Calais to negotiate a prisoner exchange with Lamberto. Based on the status and number of captives from both sides, Gorm agreed to pay a thousand pounds of silver. However, the Franks insisted that Ragnar sign a treaty acknowledging his defeat and guaranteeing that the monasteries of Britain would receive their tithes in full. The prisoner exchange reached a deadlock.
Ethelwulf, the Duke of Wessex and Minister of the Ocean, passed away from illness. His ducal title was inherited by his eldest surviving son, Ethelbald.
According to the customs established in recent years, when a vassal inherited a title and landed fiefdom, they were required to pay a sum of money to their liege lord before formally succeeding. This was known as an inheritance tax, or Relief (derived from the Latin Relevium).
Accepting this payment meant the liege accepted the new vassal's fealty, formally confirming their feudal contract.
If the heir was underage, the liege could act as a regent over their territory, reaping all the profits from the land until the heir came of age, and even retained the right to arrange a marriage for them.
Last year, when the Earl of Leeds died of illness, his eldest son ascended and paid the royal family one hundred pounds. The two Queens felt that a Duke's inheritance tax should be much higher. Ignoring the Prime Minister's fierce objections, they set the inheritance tax for the Duke of Wessex at four hundred pounds!
When the royal messenger arrived in Winchester, Ethelbald reacted plainly. He did not lose his temper or say much; he simply followed the messenger to Londinium.
Entering the main hall of the Royal Palace, since the King was comatose, the two Queens acted as regents to receive Ethelbald's pledge of allegiance.
However, when it came time to pay the inheritance tax, Ethelbald did not hand over any silver. Instead, he pulled a debt agreement signed by Pascal from his breast pocket.
"Two years ago, when the King launched his campaign against Northern Europe, Prime Minister Pascal commandeered ships and supplies from all over, accumulating a debt of one thousand pounds to my family. This is the IOU. Deducting the four hundred pounds I owe, the royal family still owes my house six hundred pounds. Do Your Majesties plan to repay this in silver, or in supplies and real estate?"