novelraw Chapter 228: Army and Navy
Chapter 228: Army and Navy
After forming the Cabinet, Wigg began to restructure the military system.
He intended to maintain a Standing Army of four thousand men, including three infantry regiments, one Mountain Infantry Battalion, two Ranger Companies, and various support personnel.
Furthermore, the directly governed territories possessed a total of three thousand Garrison Troops, tasked with wiping out Mountain Bandits and fending off Pirates. The majority of the Garrison Troops were militiamen with a one-year Service Period, restricted to serving within their own county.
Given their distinct functions, the compensation for the Standing Army and the Garrison Troops naturally differed. The former had an estimated annual military expenditure of twelve hundred pounds, with every soldier equipped in iron armor. The latter possessed a lower Armor Rate, and their wages and overall benefits were notably inferior, with an estimated annual expenditure of five hundred pounds.
Lastly came the Royal Guard. Their troop quota was tentatively set at fifteen hundred men, composed of students and elites selected from various units.
As the core force protecting the Royal Family, the Royal Guard enjoyed the highest treatment, with an estimated annual military expenditure of nine hundred pounds.
The total maintenance cost for the army amounted to twenty-six hundred pounds. On top of that was the newly established navy.
The navy currently possessed four Two-Masted Brigantines. Due to the inherent flaws of the Knarr ships, they were unsuitable as warships. Therefore, all future commissioned warships would be Two-Masted Brigantines, with a tentatively planned fleet size of twenty vessels.
Naval expenses were always exorbitant. In the original timeline, monarchs such as Alfred, William the Conqueror, Richard the Lionheart, Edward III, and Henry V had all assembled massive fleets.
However, these did not constitute a standing navy in the modern sense. The fleets primarily consisted of merchant vessels requisitioned during wartime and mandatory ships provided by the privileged Cinque Ports. Once the war ended, the size of the fleets would rapidly shrink. Sometimes, there were not even enough funds to maintain the royal shipyards.It was not until the reign of Henry VIII (1509–1547) that a standing navy was officially established. He founded the Council for Marine Causes to unify the management of ship construction, personnel deployment, and logistical support.
Wigg used Henry VIII's system as a reference, delegating the relevant affairs to Helgi, the Minister of Naval Affairs. He also founded a small-scale naval academy responsible for training commanding officers like captains and first mates.
"This will cost a lot of money, are you certain?" Having managed the West Sea Fur Company for many years, Helgi's accounting skills had significantly improved. After a moment of thought, he estimated that the establishment costs for this navy and its associated facilities—shipyards and the academy—would exceed three thousand pounds.
Furthermore, the maintenance costs for the navy were equally steep. Even in times of peace, it would cost at least four hundred pounds annually.
"Just go ahead and do it. If you run short on funds, come ask me for more."
They were surrounded by powerful enemies. Even if West Francia did not land their forces, those small bands of Northern European Pirates could still cause considerable damage. Wigg had to seize naval supremacy in the surrounding waters.
Once Helgi left, he picked up a pen and paper for some preliminary calculations, setting the combined maintenance fees for the army and navy at three thousand pounds.
'Looking at it this way, even Ragnar's Royal Family could have borne this expense. It is just a pity that they squandered their wealth so recklessly. From top to bottom, they lacked detailed financial planning, spending whatever money they had. Moreover, their entire system of Civilian Officials was chaotic and disorganized, feeding a massive horde of illiterate degenerates.'
After grumbling for a long time, he suddenly remembered the eighteen hundred troops of the Frankish Army in the prisoner-of-war camp. During their retreat, the Frankish fleet had been scattered by a storm, and some of the ships were damaged. As a result, they had been stranded on the nearby coast and, with no other choice, became prisoners.
According to the tally, there were over eighty Nobles among them. Wigg was unwilling to pass up this source of income, so he dispatched an Envoy to Calais, notifying West Francia to ransom these prisoners as soon as possible.
Facing the Envoy, the Lord of Calais reacted with cold indifference. "Gunnar started this war on his own; you should go ask him for the money. That is, assuming the King pardons his crimes and allows him to retain his title as the 'Duke of Normandy'."
Upon learning the news of Gunnar deploying troops without authorization, "Charles the Bald" felt an immediate surge of fury, wishing he could strangle the ambitious rebel with his own bare hands.
When word of Gunnar capturing Londinium reached Paris, Charles grew wary of the man's power. Suppressing his inner rage, he tacitly allowed Nobles from various regions to send reinforcements. However, the fool actually lost. First, the Supplies in both Londinium and Calais were reduced to ashes. Then, he lost the decisive battle and fled in a panic all the way back to Normandy, abandoning the main force of his army behind to let a massive number of soldiers fall into captivity.
'Neither loyal, nor strong anymore. What use are you to me?'
After careful consideration, Charles demanded that Gunnar present himself in Paris, while simultaneously preparing to suppress the rebellion by force. The man was a Viking who had always been ostracized by the noble factions. Coupled with the defeat in this war, which had squandered the Nobles' investments for nothing and led to the deaths or surrenders of certain Nobles' second sons and illegitimate children, there was no one left willing to protect him.
Upon receiving the message, Gunnar had no other choice but to travel to Paris with the utmost speed to defend himself.
Gunnar's train of thought was crystal clear. First, he would heavily publicize the threat posed by Wigg, claiming that he was far more dangerous than Ragnar.
"Your Majesty, you fought against him on the Banks of the Seine, so you are well aware of this man's Command Ability. Suppose one day Wigg leads a pagan army to invade West Francia—besides me, who else is fit to stop him?"
Recalling the disastrous conditions of that time, Charles still felt a lingering fear. He cast a cold glance at his Vassal, signaling for him to continue.
"I am a Northman. I lack legitimacy in West Francia, and the only thing I can rely on is your trust. You have no need to worry about me colluding with other Nobles. Spare me this once, and I swear to fully support you from now on, helping you sweep away the surrounding hostile forces and making you a true emperor."
Charles leaned back in his chair, staring apathetically at this blonde Barbarian. Reflecting on past experiences, he concluded that this man was a rare and capable enforcer, just with far too much ambition.
'God above, why can I not find a commander who is both loyal and capable?'
As the faces of the other Nobles flashed through his mind, Charles changed his mind, deciding to give him one more chance. "I heard you brought back a British queen?"
"Yes. She is Ragnar's daughter. She has already converted, and a bishop presided over her coronation ceremony."
"A coronation ceremony?" Charles realized that Gunnar had reached some sort of agreement with the Church. "Send her to the Royal Court to receive instruction."
"But, she is already betrothed to my Eldest Son, Robert."
Charles's tone carried a hint of mockery. "In that case, why not send them both over together? What do you say to that?"
Gunnar's chest heaved sharply. The reason lay not in his fatherly affection for Robert, but rather in the true identity of "Enya".
In truth, he had never found Princess Enya at all. Instead, he had picked a girl with a similar appearance and hastily had her crowned to cement the identity of a queen.
If her true identity were exposed, Gunnar's relationship with the Papacy in Rome would be completely ruined.
At this moment, Charles leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing. "Do you look down upon my Royal Court?"
"I am willing." Gunnar had no other choice. He only sought to bluff his way through the immediate crisis; he would have to slowly consider what came after.