Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 368: King of Livonia

Mid-May, Londinium.

Inside the office, Wigg summoned his second son, Frede, to inquire about his intentions. "You have come of age and possess ample experience and capability to govern a territory. Right now, there are two choices: Nantes or Livonia. What do you think?"

Frede did not answer immediately. Instead, he stared blankly at the map on the wall. The natural conditions of Nantes were exceptional, and its location at the estuary of the Loire River made it ideal for developing both agriculture and commerce simultaneously.

However, the region directly to its north was a royal domain, while the east and south were territories belonging to various dukes and earls, heavily restricting its future development.

In contrast, Livonia boasted a vast expanse of land with no formidable enemies nearby, offering boundless prospects for expansion. The drawback was the agonizingly long period required for pioneering. It was estimated that for the next three or four generations, the revenues generated by Livonia would fall short of those from Nantes.

At this moment, Wigg offered an additional condition. "Livonia is covered in dense forests and the environment is harsh. If you choose Livonia, I will subsidize you with three thousand pounds annually for the next fifteen years. That will be more than enough for you to establish a firm foothold there and expand into the surrounding areas."

'Three thousand pounds?' This was equivalent to six times the annual income of the King of Sweden. It was simply an astronomical sum.

Frede's concerns instantly vanished. With this level of funding, he could maintain an army of two thousand men, wipe out any disobedient native tribes, and then organize the locals to clear the forests and cultivate the wastelands.

"Alright. If you are willing to give me two thousand sets of captured armor, I will choose Livonia."

Noticing his younger son's excitement, Wigg slowly nodded and cautioned him, "Forested regions are the most susceptible to ambushes. I will allocate a batch of seasoned military officers and non-commissioned officers to you. You are to formally grant them enfeoffment as minor nobles and use them as the backbone to form two mountain infantry battalions. Also, remember to stay in the rear when fighting.""I know. I followed you through the campaigns in Francia for two and a half years. What kind of scenes haven't I witnessed? You think I'd be afraid of those Eastern European barbarians?"

As a younger son, Frede had long yearned for this moment. Now that his wish had been granted, he gathered his childhood classmates and invited them all to head to Livonia.

The eldest sons of nobles and wealthy merchants politely declined. Destined to inherit their family estates, they had no reason to run off to the forests of Eastern Europe to risk their lives fighting the locals.

Conversely, the younger sons and illegitimate sons were highly enthusiastic. They would sooner or later be swept out of the house by their older brothers, so they might as well find a suitable destination in advance. Livonia was vast and sparsely populated; if they served the second prince for a few years, they would eventually earn a fiefdom of their own.

After more than a month of preparation, the second prince's fleet sailed away from the docks of Londinium.

The entourage included his newlywed wife, fifty experienced military officers and non-commissioned officers, twenty-five younger sons and illegitimate sons who volunteered to follow him, and one hundred clergy who could double as doctors, scribes, or teachers. In addition, there were three hundred soldiers and over a hundred servants.

Their destination was Vilyanka. After four years of construction, the settlement boasted a population of two thousand residents, making it perfectly suited to serve as the capital of the Livonia region.

On the pier, Heregyth hugged her youngest son, Greger, weeping uncontrollably, though she made no attempt to stop the departure. From a political standpoint, granting an adult prince a territory abroad was far better than leaving him in the royal capital.

Unknowingly, the massive silhouettes of the sails faded over the horizon at the end of the River Thames. Wigg did not say much; he simply turned and walked away.

According to his memories, the eastern and southern shores of the Baltic Sea would become crucial grain export hubs in the late Middle Ages. The Hanseatic League would purchase crops like rye and wheat, then transport them to Britain and the Netherlands, where the handicraft industries flourished.

In a few decades or perhaps a century, once the British mainland began to industrialize, Livonia would be able to provide ample agricultural products, allowing both sides to complement each other perfectly.

After sailing for over twenty days, the fleet successfully arrived in Vilyanka.

Once the three-masted sailing ship anchored steadily, the naval captain in charge of the escort brought out a royal edict and read the Emperor's decree to the garrison. From this moment onward, Vilyanka officially became the territory of the King of Livonia. The King took a stroll through the town. Aside from the three standard infrastructural facilities—a post office, a temple, and a hospital—there was also a newly built school that had not yet been put into use.

"It looks about the same as a small town under the jurisdiction of Londinium."

This was the King's first impression of Vilyanka. He followed the garrison up to the wooden palisade. Outside lay flat, expansive wheat fields, and further in the distance was a vast stretch of primeval forest. A group of residents was currently clearing the woods to reclaim the land. The black smoke from their fires rose into the sky, lingering for a long time without dispersing.

The next day, the King ordered the chieftains of the nearby tribes to be summoned. Twenty-five of them answered the call. He greeted these leaders with a warm smile and rewarded them with high-quality clothing, alcoholic beverages, and cane sugar.

After the meeting adjourned, the King flipped open the register and discovered that fifteen tribes had refused the invitation. He nodded slightly. "Excellent. I will use this exact excuse to deal with you all."

Following his father's advice, the King dispatched his military officers to Northern Europe to recruit soldiers. "Recruit at least a thousand men and form two mountain infantry battalions. Do not drag this out too long. I intend to launch an offensive in September."

Very soon, the news from Livonia spread all along the shores of the Baltic Sea.

At this time, Halfdan was conducting business in Pomerania. To be precise, he was collecting debts on behalf of the Ponteland Chamber of Commerce from Britain. In return, Halfdan would receive forty percent of the recovered funds.

After a brief but intense negotiation, Halfdan forced the debtors to compromise, making them hand over valuables worth two hundred and sixty pounds, which included silver, amber, furs, and plenty of rye.

"This is all of it. See if it's enough to cover the amount." Halfdan let the chamber's manager calculate the value while he pulled a tin flask from his coat, taking small sips of the mellow wine.

Half a minute later, he let out a satisfied, drunken burp. "This tribe is incredibly weak. My two hundred armored soldiers could have settled everything in just ten minutes. Why go through all this trouble?"

The manager clicked the beads of his abacus and explained in a low voice, "Doing business is all about reputation. It's perfectly reasonable for us to come knocking to collect a debt when this tribe refuses to pay. But if we completely annihilate them, it would seem far too excessive, which would be detrimental to the chamber's future development."

Once the inventory was complete, the manager instructed the workers to load the goods onto the chamber's brigantine, leaving the silver and rye for Halfdan as his commission for this operation.

"Your Majesty, on behalf of the Ponteland Chamber of Commerce, I sincerely thank you for your help."

"It was just a small matter. Remember to find me if you have any similar business in the future." Now that Wigg had occupied Britain and Francia, Halfdan lacked the courage to plunder his territories and was forced to sit idly at home. If he could monopolize the debt collection business for the major chambers of commerce, it would greatly alleviate his kingdom's financial pressures.

Upon parting, Halfdan mentioned the new King of Livonia. The casual tidbits of information dropped by the chamber's manager left him absolutely astounded.

"Three thousand pounds a year? That wretched place has nothing but forests! I doubt they'll even recoup the investment in a hundred years. What on earth is Wigg thinking?"

Thinking about how he had to lower himself to cooperate with a merchant guild just for a hundred pounds' worth of goods, Halfdan's mood instantly plummeted to rock bottom. In the past, the two of them had interacted as equals, but now the disparity between them was overwhelmingly vast. There was nothing worse in the world than this.