Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 363: The End of the War

In February of 870 AD, a piece of news reached Zaragoza:

Gunnar had caused a drunken disturbance at a banquet, severely injuring the Earl of Orléans and two others. He was temporarily detained by Charles the Bald, awaiting punishment.

Instantly, the Duke's Residence was thrown into chaos. Charles, Wulfstan, and others gathered to discuss the situation. They speculated that Charles the Bald's true reason for detaining Gunnar was not the drunken assault, but rather to force him to continue his service, aiming to drag Asturias into the war against the Vikings.

A royal court attendant looked panicked. "No, I must hurry back to León and report this matter to His Majesty."

He rode out of Zaragoza, only to find a young man closely following him. "Henry, what are you trying to do?"

The court attendant recognized Henry as the Duke's illegitimate son. Although such individuals possessed noble blood, they were ostracized by mainstream society. The attendant thought little of him and tried to drive the young man away.

Riding a white horse, the illegitimate son, Henry, replied anxiously, "I want to go to León to seek an audience with His Majesty and beg him to rescue my father as soon as possible."

The next moment, a heavy cloth bag was tossed to the attendant. He weighed it in his hand, discovering it was filled with numerous gold and silver coins. Instantly changing his tune, he allowed the young man to join his party.

Five days later, the group returned to León and delivered the bad news to Alfonso III.

"Hah, this is Charles the Bald taking his revenge on me." Alfonso leaned back on his throne. After a long while, he waved his hand to dismiss everyone, only to notice a tall young man standing in place, looking as if he had something to say.Alfonso asked, "Who are you?"

The young man replied, "My name is Henry."

Gunnar's illegitimate son? Alfonso came to a sudden realization. "You want me to rescue my father as soon as possible?"

At this moment, with only the two of them left in the grand hall, Henry slowly shook his head and voiced his true thoughts:

"No. No matter how you demand it, Charles the Bald will never let him go. He is like a wretched man on the verge of drowning, desperately trying to grasp at anything.

"If my guess is correct, he will next use my father's name to demand wheat and other supplies from Zaragoza. Even if Zaragoza refuses to deliver the goods, he will put on a facade of having received aid. This will mislead Britain into thinking my father still stands with the Frankish faction, thereby dragging us down into the mud as well.

"Now that my father has become a puppet of the Franks, I believe it is time to select a new Duke to demonstrate our neutral stance to Britain."

Alfonso gazed at the young man, who was around his own age, and said with great interest, "To have such insight as an illegitimate son is quite impressive. Who taught you this?"

Henry fell to his knees. "An illegitimate son is unlike a legitimate heir. They are born with everything, while my identity cannot see the light of day. I am like a weed that no one cares about. With nothing else to do, I can only observe more, learn more, and think more.

"Your Majesty, I am different from Robert. I care nothing for Vikings or Franks. In my eyes, there is only one master, and I pledge my loyalty solely to you."

Sensing the ambition of the person before him, Alfonso leaned against the back of his chair and closed his eyes in deep thought. Comparing the two, Henry was far more suited to inherit the Duchy of Zaragoza.

First of all, Robert grew up in the royal court of Paris and viewed himself as part of the Frankish nobility. He would certainly lean towards Charles the Bald. Allowing him to inherit the noble title would inevitably lead to future conflicts with Britain.

Secondly, the kingdom had been locked in a prolonged war with the Moors, and Henry would serve as a capable enforcer. Robert's own abilities were mediocre, making his practical value much lower.

"Very well, I agree."

The next day, Alfonso issued a royal edict, declaring that the Duke of Zaragoza had been detained by the Franks without cause, and any orders issued by the Franks in his name were completely invalid.

To ensure the normal operation of the duchy, the King officially recognized Henry as Gunnar's biological offspring, permitting him to temporarily handle all affairs in Zaragoza as the Duke's heir. From this day forward, Henry was granted the use of a noble surname and became known as Henry de Zaragoza. When addressed by outsiders, the prefix "Don" could be added before his name, making him Don Henry.

Before long, the news reached a manor on the outskirts of Genoa. Under house arrest, Gunnar initially found it hard to believe, but then he burst into uproarious laughter, leading the servants to mistakenly assume he had gone completely mad.

"Discarding everything for the sake of ambition. Hah, he truly is my son. It seems he studied very diligently to actually pick up this kind of trait."

Inside the room, Vivienne was frantically smashing every piece of furniture in sight. "Stop laughing! The Duke title has been stolen by that bastard. What about our son?"

"What else can be done?" Gunnar restrained his smile and wiped the corner of his eye.

"True, Robert is my only legitimate son born of wedlock, possessing the rightful claim to inherit the title of Duke. But so what? I did not become the Duke of Normandy by relying on rightful claims, nor did I become the Duke of Zaragoza by leaning on so-called status or bloodline. It was simply because I can fight and I have value to be exploited.

"From Alfonso's perspective, Henry's usefulness and reliability far exceed Robert's. Of course he would choose the former. Throw whatever tantrum you want; even bringing this to The Papacy would be meaningless."

In March, Wigg left garrison troops stationed at strategic chokepoints and led his army on the journey back north.

With the situation developing to this point, although there was no official armistice agreement on the surface, the war had essentially ended.

The remnants of the Frankish forces cowered in the Italian region, utterly powerless to mount a counterattack in the short term.

Similarly, separated by the treacherous terrain of the Alps, the grand Viking army could not push their way in for the time being.

From the beginning of the war until now, two years and nine months had passed. The soldiers yearned for their homeland, the domestic finances were stretched to their absolute limits, and a vast expanse of new territory lacked governance, urgently requiring an effective ruling order.

Regardless of what the King's thoughts were, the only option right now was to withdraw the troops.

During the return journey, sensing the faint restlessness among his men, Wigg held private conversations with each of the commanders to ascertain their true demands.

On March twentieth, Wigg led the expeditionary force into Calais and boarded ships to return to his loyal Britain.

At the docks of Londinium, the Crown Prince and the cabinet had prepared a grand triumph. A golden cart, an enthusiastic populace, and flower petals scattered along both sides of the streets seemed directly copied from the customs of Rome.

For the rest of the time, Wigg and the expeditionary force paraded through the city. During the war, the domestic economy had taken a hit, slowing Londinium's pace of development. The number of residents had seen only minor growth, reaching thirty-two thousand people.

At ten in the morning, the ceremony concluded. The golden cart returned to the gates of the Royal Palace. Stepping down from the carriage, the very first words Wigg spoke were, "How much money did we spend this time, and how much debt have we accrued?"

The cabinet's reply was that before the campaign began, the national treasury had accumulated various supplies valued at thirty-five thousand pounds. Over the past two years, all financial surpluses had been poured into the war. Five batches of war bonds had been issued in total, amounting to a value of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds. Meanwhile, using various assets as collateral, the royal family had borrowed another fifty thousand pounds from the public.

In summary, the kingdom spent approximately two hundred and forty thousand pounds on this war. The total value of the gold and silver vessels, armor, and supplies acquired amounted to one hundred thousand pounds, resulting in a net expenditure of one hundred and forty thousand pounds.

Wigg said, "In other words, over the next few years, the royal family needs to pay off a massive debt of over one hundred thousand pounds. Being this destitute, you people actually still had the mood to hold a triumph?"