Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 255: All Quiet on the Western Front

After breaking through the Danevirke, an endless stream of the Frankish army poured into southern Denmark. Due to years of accumulated grievances, the nobles deliberately allowed their soldiers to plunder the villages. This not only boosted morale but also allowed them to gather supplies on the spot.

Meanwhile, Ubbe's reinforcements had only just reached Vejle in central Denmark. Upon learning that the Frankish army numbered in the tens of thousands, they were too terrified to advance any further.

"This is bad. Are they trying to fight to the death?"

He once again sought the aid of his third brother, Halfdan Whiteshirt, and his cousin, Erik Jr. In his desperation, he even swallowed his pride and dispatched an envoy to the Kingdom of Britain.

"Tell Wigg that the Franks have already slaughtered their way into Denmark. If this continues, the homeland of the Vikings will be completely wiped out," he instructed.

October, Londinium.

Regarding Ubbe's submission, Wigg could offer no help. "It is too late. A large-scale cross-sea military operation is an incredibly tedious and dangerous endeavor. Whether it is Britain attacking Frankia or Frankia landing in Britain, it requires at least three months of preparation, let alone the vast distance to Northern Europe."

He recalled when Halfdan and Niels had caused a massive disaster in Northern Europe. Ragnar had led twelve thousand soldiers to their rescue. Even without a single battle taking place, the expedition's expenses had exceeded ten thousand pounds, becoming the root cause of the royal family's financial collapse. Wigg was completely unwilling to spend that kind of money.

Furthermore, Gunnar was currently watching him closely from the southern shores of the Channel. If Wigg revealed even the slightest weakness, Gunnar would seize the opportunity and lead his massive cavalry force pouring into Britain.

After listening to this lengthy reply, the envoy seemed to have anticipated it and requested to purchase military equipment, only to be met with Wigg's sharp retort:"Do you have the money? If this is a transaction, the payment and goods must be settled immediately. I have no desire to repeat the exhausting experience of chasing down debts. If you have no coin, I can only gift you a small amount of supplies as a gesture of symbolic support."

Having dismissed the envoy, Wigg continued to process his official documents. At three in the afternoon, he arrived at the southern city docks to inspect the newly formed Thames River Guard Fleet.

The Guard Fleet boasted five Knarr ships, stationed at Canvey Island at the mouth of the River Thames. After being fitted with two heavy ballistae each, the Knarr ships had become exceedingly cumbersome. The center of gravity for the hulls was simply too high, rendering them unsuitable for ocean voyages. Instead, they were repurposed to undertake patrol and defense duties in the inland rivers and nearshore waters.

"Work hard. The safety of the kingdom rests in your hands," he encouraged.

Wigg walked down the ranks of the fleet members from beginning to end. Since the danger level for the Guard Fleet was relatively low, the crew members were generally quite young. The lines were filled with fresh-faced cadet officers and ordinary sailors, along with a tiny minority of aging veterans whose declining health meant they could no longer endure the rigors of ocean voyages.

Once the ceremony concluded, Wigg headed to the newly opened public library in the city center. This establishment allowed the populace to read in the designated reading areas, or to purchase books to take home. Currently, the kingdom's literacy rate remained low, so there were only plans to open public libraries in Londinium and Teyne Town.

Entering the first-floor lobby, the bookshelves in the central area displayed the Kingdom's Legal Code, alongside the Norse Polytheistic Scriptures compiled and revised by the raven-speakers and shamans.

The bookshelves in the left wing showcased scrolls from the Roman era. The categories were quite diverse, featuring Latin, Greek, and translated Viking editions of works such as the "Gallic Wars," "Anabasis," and the "Homeric Epics." There were also fantasy epic novels that Wigg had fabricated, drawing inspiration from the entertainment literature of his past life.

The right-wing bookshelves displayed basic practical guidebooks, rich with illustrations and text. One example was the "Complete Guide to Sheep Rearing," which detailed how to care for sheep, expel parasites, treat various diseases, and shear their wool.

One would not find any highly sensitive texts here, such as Wigg's own writings: "Records of the Britannic Wars," "Records of the Frankish Wars," "Basic Land Warfare Textbook," "Land Warfare: Training," "Land Warfare: Logistics," and "Land Warfare: Tactics." The first two were kept in the Army Academy library for students to borrow, the third served as a formal textbook, and the final three were securely stored away in the Royal Palace, available only to a very select few.

Behind the practical guidebooks lay the newspapers released just yesterday. The newspaper was published monthly, and its front-page headlines focused on the ongoing war in Northern Europe. The articles warned merchants to be wary of local risks and suggested that they invite immigrants to come settle in Britain, explicitly stating that the King was willing to cover the associated expenses.

Following that was the football news. Stirling County had once again claimed the Football League championship, though the final had sparked a rather large-scale brawl. Fortunately, the sheriff of Londinium had come well-prepared; having grown accustomed to this annual chaos, he handled the situation with practiced ease.

Below the football updates were reports on the conflicts in Ireland, similarly advising merchants to exercise caution if traveling there.

Further down was a brief on Flandre pirates raiding the shores of Kent, with the newspaper agency warning local villages to strictly bolster their defenses.

In the bottom-left corner was an advertisement for an upcoming auction. At the end of the month, Londinium would host an auction to sell off five Flandre merchant ships captured by the navy, along with various assorted goods seized by privateers.

The back page detailed the value of clover and turnips, along with precautions for planting them—a standard inclusion in every issue of the newspaper. The rest of the page was filled with lower-priority news, such as a baron passing away from illness and his heir inheriting the title.

Aside from the news, the back page also featured advertisements placed by merchants. Harry's textile workshop took up the most space, vigorously promoting its fabrics. This was followed by the Ponteland Chamber of Commerce's textile workshop and the Mancunium Textile Workshop.

As for the Elis Merchant Group, Hrogeir had entirely abandoned the textile industry to focus exclusively on the southern cane sugar and sugarcane rum business. With a complete lack of competitors, his sugarcane rum enjoyed massive sales and was widely popular among the lower-class populace.

After skimming through the newspaper, Wigg returned it to the bookshelf. The newspaper had a massive circulation, but its selling price was staggeringly low. It required continuous subsidies from the royal family and wouldn't see any real profit for a long time.

"Sigh, money needs to be spent everywhere. Governing a kingdom is truly no easy task," he muttered.

That evening, Wigg returned to the Royal Palace for dinner. Seated around the long table were his heir Fridleif and his second son Frede. Heregyth sat nearby, cradling their third son, Greger, in her arms.

Hrogeir had also joined them for dinner. He silently picked at the food on his plate, seemingly weighed down by heavy thoughts.

Once dinner concluded, he sought out Wigg. "Your Majesty, hypothetically speaking, if I were to explore the western waters of Iberia and discover an uninhabited archipelago, could I be enfeoffed as a lord like Helgi?"

"What brought about this idea?" Wigg asked.

Hrogeir's expression was downcast. "At first, I only thought about making money, aiming for a life of complete freedom. In the Canary Islands, even though I am the second-largest shareholder of the Sugarcane Company, Helgi and his subordinate barons and knights have always looked down on me. Thinking about it now, without the status of a hereditary noble, it will be very difficult for me to protect this massive fortune."

After a long pause, Wigg finally replied, "The rumors are correct. There is indeed an archipelago out there, but its location is incredibly remote. It lies deep within the Atlantic Ocean.

Such a voyage is far too dangerous. I suggest you spend the money to buy a sturdy ship and hire an experienced captain. If you actually discover this archipelago and establish a port there with a hundred resident households, I would be willing to anoint you as a hereditary noble."