novelraw Chapter 334: Livonia
Chapter 334: Livonia
In May of 867 AD, Pascal Jr. arrived at the Neva Estuary once again. Rows of livestock pens had been constructed near the pier, and many idle men from the Pecheneg tribe were wandering around the area.
"It seems Rurik didn't brush us off."
Pascal Jr. approached the pier, exchanged pleasantries with the welcoming noble for a moment, and accepted the list of mercenaries and supplies.
At the beginning of the year, the Bulgarian War came to an end, leaving a large number of mercenaries out of work. Rurik had successfully recruited three hundred nomadic horsemen and purchased over seven hundred steppe horses.
"The prices for the mercenaries and warhorses are fine, but the price of furs needs to drop by another ten percent."
The noble looked astonished. "We already lowered it once last year. Why reduce the fur purchase price again?"
Pascal Jr. replied, "Don't panic, I'm not intentionally suppressing the price. The New World provides a massive quantity of cheap furs, meaning supply currently exceeds demand within the British Market.
Furthermore, early this year, the Admiralty dispatched a second wave of colonist fleets. Once the new settlements are established and they make contact with nearby indigenous people, the price of furs will continue to plummet."
The two haggled back and forth until they finally reached a mutually acceptable agreement. Over dinner, Pascal Jr. brought up Rurik, noting he had heard the man was lingering around the Middle Dnieper. "Why is that?"
The noble downed several glasses of premium whiskey in a row. Looking somewhat dazed, he began to explain the recent turn of events.In late February, East Rome disbanded its massive mercenary troops, sending thousands of Rus men back to their homeland. Some of these tribes returned with vast quantities of captured weapons and armor, making them incredibly wealthy. Rurik worried he would not be able to keep these men in line, so he led his personal guard to the local Urulu Fort to deter anyone from plotting a rebellion.
Pascal Jr. listened carefully, filtering the useful information from the drunkard's ramblings. After dinner concluded, he stayed up through the night to draft a report assessing the true strength of Rurik's regime.
As of now, Rurik's influence was strictly limited to the trade route connecting the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea. He truly controlled only the territories surrounding Lake Ilmen—specifically Novgorod—and Lake Ladoga, with a total population of roughly sixty to eighty thousand. The Rus tribes in the Middle Dnieper nominally submitted to him, but in reality, each harbored their own hidden agendas.
At the end of the report, he summarized: "He relies heavily on foreign trade, and his own power is too weak. He poses no threat."
With the deal finalized, Pascal Jr. left the fleet at the Neva Estuary to load and unload their supplies, while he boarded a brigantine to inspect Livonia.
Just last year, the Baltic Fleet had established a coastal outpost in Livonia, naming it Vilyanka.
Upon arriving, Pascal Jr. found the terrain quite favorable. A river flowed from east to west into the sea, and the outpost was situated on its southern bank. It was fortified with a wooden palisade and deep ditches, which was more than enough to deal with the local indigenous people who lacked iron tools.
Pascal Jr. climbed a wooden watchtower. Outside the walls lay a large clearing that had been hastily leveled, with the residual smoke of burning tree stumps curling slowly upward. Gazing out into the distance, he saw an endless expanse of primeval forest. The overlapping layers of branches and leaves rose and fell with the wind, resembling a churning green ocean.
"It is simply a savage wasteland," he muttered.
After observing for a long while, a rowing longship sailed down from upstream. As it drew nearer, Pascal Jr. noticed its sails had been pierced by dozens of holes, and the hull was studded with countless feathered arrows. It appeared they had suffered an attack by the locals.
'Did something happen?'
Pascal Jr. climbed down from the watchtower and questioned the terrified surviving crew, learning that they had been ambushed about fifty miles upstream.
As a Royal Envoy, his instinct was to gather more information and proceed with caution. However, the outpost garrison cared little for restraint. They needed to respond to this ambush with immediate vengeance to strike fear into any potential enemies.
At noon the following day, the garrison hired a guide from a relatively friendly tribe and deployed four longships. Carrying a total of one hundred and eighty men, the formidable force sailed out to slaughter the hostile tribe.
The battle lacked any suspense. Relying on their vast advantages in equipment and training, the Vikings utterly annihilated the tribe, plundering their grain and livestock, and taking over three hundred captives. During his observation period, Pascal Jr. familiarized himself with the outpost's operational model. It mainly relied on trade, though they occasionally took advantage of clear weather to clear the forest and open up land for farming and grazing.
Overall, the returns generated by the outpost were far lower than the initial investment. It was estimated that it would take ten or even fifteen years just to break even, and Pascal Jr. could not fathom the King's true intentions.
"Livonia lacks minerals and is a wasteland of little value," he observed. "We would be far better off investing this money in domestic development."
'Land?'
Pascal Jr. suddenly brushed against the truth. Perhaps the land itself was exactly what the King valued.
Thanks to years of continuous peace, the nobles in Britain had multiplied and flourished. However, only the eldest son could inherit his family's title, leaving the remaining younger sons and illegitimate sons in vastly differing predicaments.
Some Earls carved out small parcels of their territory, allowing their younger sons or illegitimate sons to serve as Barons or Knights. Less fortunate noble scions received absolutely nothing, forced to join the standing army as military officers or take up mundane posts within the administrative system and various local temples. The unluckiest of them all plummeted to the common class entirely, working for merchants, running small businesses, or resorting to smuggling.
Pascal Jr. instructed his guards to unroll a parchment scroll so he could examine the map of Livonia.
"Livonia boasts flat terrain. Although it is covered in forests, as long as one takes the time, it can always be reclaimed into pastures or arable land. Moreover, it is hundreds of miles away from East Francia, preventing enemies from attempting long marches and guaranteeing security. Is His Majesty expending so many resources to pioneer Livonia with the intention of having the second or third prince rule this place?"
Pascal Jr. thought this was an exceptionally good idea.
He himself had two sons and a daughter, while his younger brother had three sons of his own. Their family territory could never accommodate so many descendants, making it incredibly suitable to toss them over to Livonia to assist the prince in governing the region.
Of course, aside from Livonia, there was the vast expanse of the New World to the west. However, Pascal Jr. was entirely unwilling to let his sons or nephews settle there. The distance was far too vast, making it tantamount to exile.
Still, he figured that some nobles would happily dump their illegitimate sons over there, ensuring they could no longer tarnish their family's reputation.
Over the following week, Pascal Jr. visited nearby friendly tribes, diligently scrounging for any valuable information. He wanted to prove his devoted work ethic to the King, hoping to secure an early promotion.
In February of this year, the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Gorm, grew old and frail. He resigned to return to his hometown for recuperation, and the Minister of Interior, Mitcham, took over his position to become the new Prime Minister. In addition, the Minister of Industry, Lucar, "voluntarily" submitted a letter of resignation due to a series of blunders.
Before his departure, Pascal Jr. had probed the King's thoughts. The latter was not opposed to him entering the cabinet, but remained hesitant regarding the specific position, seemingly preparing for further changes in personnel affairs.
"It is expected that the cabinet will have two or even more vacancies."
Pascal Jr. pondered the rivals he currently faced. First was Seaxburh. As one of the earliest graduates of Tynefort Academy, he was deeply trusted by the King and stood as the most likely candidate to enter the cabinet.
Next was Loki, the Prime Minister's Secretary. This man had navigated the administrative system for over a decade. Back when Wig served as Ragnar's Prime Minister, Loki had even worked for him for a period of time.
Running through the information on everyone involved, Pascal Jr. frowned deeply and decided to return to Britain as soon as possible, lest he miss this rare opportunity.