Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 207: The Shadow of War

In late October, Wigg ended his period of feigning illness. With the royal authority waning by the day, there was no longer any need to keep up the act.

The moment he returned to Teyne, an endless mountain of administrative affairs hit him like a tidal wave, leaving the Duke, who had been absent from his duties for over half a year, struggling to cope.

First came a technological breakthrough. Tynemouth Shipyard had ironed out the flaws of the Grey Parrot, constructing a two-masted brigantine capable of ocean voyages. It required a crew of forty to operate and cost a total of seventy pounds of silver.

Grey Parrot II was roughly thirty meters long, seven meters wide, with a draft of three meters, capable of carrying nearly two hundred tons of cargo.

With a tailwind, her speed reached ten knots. In headwinds or crosswinds, she relied on a zigzag tacking maneuver, which reduced her speed to five knots.

Last month, Grey Parrot II had sailed to Bergen in Norway fully loaded with woolen cloth and beer. The one-way trip took seven days: four days sailing downwind, two days sailing in crosswinds, and one day docked in Shetland to take shelter from a torrential storm.

During the voyage, the crew rotated in four shifts to ensure the ship was monitored day and night. Along the way, ropes constantly frayed, torn sailcloth needed mending, and the bilge required manual pumping since wooden ships inevitably leaked. Therefore, a crew of forty was considered a standard configuration.

Upon learning of Grey Parrot II's excellent performance, Erik Jr. specifically sent envoys to purchase the vessels. Wigg casually threw out an exorbitant price of one hundred and sixty pounds per ship. After haggling with the envoy for a few minutes, he finally sold them three brigantines at a price of one hundred and forty pounds each.

After receiving the deposit, Wigg poured the sucker a cup of wine. "Wow, I didn't expect your king to be so wealthy. Did you discover a silver mine in your territory?"

"No. After King Ragnar's funeral, my king reached a trade agreement with Rurik to the east."According to the envoy's introduction, Erik Jr. had shifted his focus to internal affairs and trade. He conscripted commoners to repair water conservancy projects and drain swamps, encouraging the domestic nobles to engage in trade rather than plunder. This was the exact opposite of the paths chosen by people like Halfdan Whiteshirt and Niels.

Recalling Erik Jr.'s chubby face and past battle record, Wigg classified the man's military capabilities as mediocre. He wasn't suited for outward conquest; otherwise, he'd likely get himself killed the moment he let his guard down.

Looking at it that way, his decision to abandon the sword for the merchant's scales made perfect sense. Wigg's eyes flickered as he instructed the maidservants to escort the envoy down to rest.

Among the rulers of Northern Europe, Erik Jr. boasted the most formidable strength. As a legitimate descendant of the Norwegian royal family, his advantages in population and economy more than made up for his poor military skills. Defending his father's legacy would not be a problem.

Niels was relatively capable in a fight, but his power was weak and he lacked legitimacy. He wouldn't be able to make any waves for the time being.

As Ragnar's son, Halfdan Whiteshirt held high legitimacy in the hearts of the Vikings. However, his reckless misconduct had angered the Swedish nobility. Even though he had restrained himself somewhat over the past two years, he still couldn't secure the loyalty of places like Kalmar and Stockholm.

Oleg occupied Vejle in central Denmark, an area with little potential for development. Moreover, the lord himself was caught in the political whirlpool of Londinium, leaving him no time to manage his territory. He posed no threat.

Ubbe was nominally the Duke of Denmark, but because of his young age and lack of a reliable inner circle, his threat level was even lower than Oleg's. If it weren't for the fact that he bore the title of Ragnar's son, making the lords under him hesitant, a rebellion would have broken out long ago.

Reviewing all of the above, Wigg assigned the highest threat level to Erik Jr. This man had once plotted to usurp the throne, placed his second sister and third brother under house arrest, and harbored a dark, calculating mind. Furthermore, he possessed the military strength to launch an attack on Tyne County.

"People always change. Who's to say this fat man won't suddenly change his mind one day and decide to abandon trade for war? We must increase our defenses."

Wigg summoned his spymaster, Gwen, and ordered him to dispatch extra agents to Oslo. "Remember, they don't need to infiltrate the royal court. Have the agents open a small tavern near the port and regularly report the prices of various supplies in the Oslo market. If Erik Jr. is rallying his army for war, the prices of iron ingots, grain, and other resources will inevitably soar. Once they notice such a trend, have them send word back as quickly as possible." "Understood."

As the end of the year approached, Wigg tallied the accounts for the year 857. The total annual revenue had risen to three thousand seven hundred pounds. After deducting various expenses, the financial surplus exceeded a thousand pounds.

Adding in this year's surplus, the treasury had accumulated a total of two thousand five hundred pounds of silver and seventy thousand bushels of grain—more than enough to wage a large-scale war.

In terms of population, the number of immigrants this year had surpassed five thousand. Factoring in the natural population growth within the territory, the total number of residents exceeded three hundred thousand. Among them, the Viking population had reached seventy thousand, primarily distributed across Tyne County and the newly established Aberdeen County.

With the inventory complete, every aspect met Wigg's expectations. He closed the ledger and unrolled a meticulously drawn map of Western Europe, which marked mountains, rivers, sailing routes, major settlements, and the territories of various factions.

"It has been nearly a year since the late king passed away, and Aslaug's rule is already crumbling," he murmured. "I wonder which noble will be the first to make a move?"

West Francia, Normandy, Caen Castle.

Ever since Ragnar's passing, Gunnar had been keeping a close eye on news from Britain. Upon hearing the recent rumors out of Londinium, he slapped his thigh hard. "Fuck, how could I have forgotten about this?"

He left the castle to search the nearby village for a woman named Erin. After looking around, a cobbler at the village entrance quietly warned him, "Your Grace, Lady Vivian suspected that Erin had an intimate relationship with you, so she drove her away yesterday."

"What?!"

Shocked and furious, Gunnar immediately dispatched his men to find the maid. She had originally been Queen Thora's personal maid, but after offending the then Prime Minister Wigg, she had fled in panic to Normandy.

Because she possessed numerous secrets of the royal court, Erin had received Gunnar's protection and lived quietly in a village east of the castle. The two of them had indeed slept together, but Gunnar believed he had been very discreet about it. He couldn't figure out how Vivian had found out.

"Never mind that for now. I'll settle the score with that crazy woman when I have the time."

Soon, the Duke dispatched dozens of soldiers to track down Erin's whereabouts, thoroughly confirming the scandalous rumors between them. However, Gunnar couldn't care less about that. The moment he laid eyes on Erin, he quickly pulled her into the shade of a tree. "What is your impression of Princess Enya?"

'Princess?' A flash of disappointment crossed Erin's eyes. She had thought Gunnar's anxiety stemmed from their romantic connection. In reality, he didn't care about her plight at all; he was only thinking about his damn intelligence gathering. Upon recognizing this harsh reality, despair gradually began to fill her heart.

After taking half a minute to compose herself, Erin feigned calm. "I remember Princess Enya was born in the year 848. At that time, you were still the Earl of Cambridge. Do you have no memory of her?"

"Back then, I was bogged down by a pile of bullshit," Gunnar replied. "Why would I care about a baby girl? Tell me quickly, how is Enya's health now?"

"Aslaug expends all her energy on political scheming and taking care of Sigurd, leaving her no time to discipline Enya. Her Highness spends her days playing with young pages like Alfred, so her health is quite good. In terms of personality, she is somewhat afraid of strangers and occasionally likes to sit and daydream."