Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 373: The Current State of the Viking Empire

In November, Oryphas obtained Basil's consent and used his fleet to transport the Franks from Naples to Sicily, carrying a force that included nine thousand infantry and one thousand cavalry.

In truth, Alfred claimed he could provide twenty thousand men, but Oryphas politely declined. He worried that if there were too many Franks, they would simply refuse to leave Sicily once the fighting was done, creating yet another troublesome issue to deal with.

During winter, the Mediterranean Sea was dominated by prevailing westerly winds, and sea conditions were at their worst, making it incredibly difficult for the Moors in North Africa to transport large-scale reinforcements. Taking advantage of this precious time window, Oryphas led fifteen thousand men on a campaign to eradicate the Moorish settlements scattered across the island.

During the offensive, Oryphas was surprised to discover that the Franks had mastered a highly efficient siege technique: sapping.

When assaulting a city on flat terrain, Frankish soldiers needed only twenty days to excavate a tunnel reaching directly beneath the city walls. They would then ignite the wooden frames supporting the shaft, causing the walls above to cave in and collapse.

"Truly inventive. Who came up with this method?"

Hearing his employer's praise, Alfred looked slightly embarrassed. "We learned it from the Vikings. They used this exact method to conquer the Frankish lands north of the Alps in merely two and a half years."

Immediately afterward, Oryphas asked for countermeasures. In return, he promised that once this matter was settled, he would hand over the captured Moorish ships and sailors to the Franks.

Alfred used a branch to draw on the ground, visually explaining the defensive measures. Utilizing counter-mines against enemy mines could significantly delay the attackers' sapping progress.

Oryphas meticulously recorded the operational procedures, advantages, and disadvantages of these tactics. He reported his findings to the Emperor in Constantinople, hoping the knowledge would accelerate the suppression of their own domestic rebellions.Following that, he advanced steadily along the coastline, setting his sights on Palermo in the western part of the island.

With the aid of the formidable Frankish knights, the Eastern Roman Empire successfully captured this largest Moorish settlement, nearly wiping out the city's entire garrison. Reclaiming the rest of the island was now merely a matter of time.

December, Londinium.

As the end of the year approached, reports from various regions poured into the Cabinet. The sudden expansion of population and territory had exponentially multiplied the Cabinet's workload. At the Prime Minister's request, the annual meeting was postponed to January 5, 871.

That morning, nine ministers entered the Cabinet meeting room to deliver their reports to the Emperor regarding the various developments of 870.

As of now, the British mainland held a population of 2.8 million. The three Northern European countries had a total population of about 900,000, and the newly occupied Frankish territories held a staggering population of approximately ten million.

There were also several scattered territories, such as Livonia, Gotland, Bornholm, the Canary Islands, the Sea of Azov, and the New World settlements, totaling roughly eighty thousand people.

Overall, the Empire boasted approximately 13.8 million residents. On paper, it appeared to possess vast territories and an immense population, but central control over most of these regions remained remarkably low.

The territories under the highest degree of Imperial control were the direct domains of Britain, comprising eighteen counties and 1.3 million residents.

Next were the noble territories across Britain, accounting for 1.5 million residents.

Following that were the direct domains situated on the southern coast of The Channel, comprising twenty counties and 1.8 million residents, where the situation was far more complicated.

Normandy was once Gunnar's fief, inhabited by many converted Northmen (Vikings). This particular demographic had always respected the strong. Since Wigg had conquered Francia, these Northmen were more than happy to accept the teachings of the Teyneburg Order and submit wholeheartedly to the Emperor's rule, resulting in an exceptionally low degree of rebellion. Over the past few decades, the Brittany Region had been attacked by the Franks multiple times. The local populace had suffered deeply and was long completely exhausted by war. They implicitly accepted the Emperor's rule, making uprisings almost nonexistent.

In the remaining regions, such as Île-de-France, Orléans, Rouen, Calais, and Flandre, the populace deeply resented the Emperor's rule, and small-scale rebellions broke out frequently.

Building functional administrative systems, managing immigration, and suppressing these persistent rebellions occupied the vast majority of the Cabinet's energy. The Prime Minister estimated that it would take at least a generation to transform these twenty newly acquired counties into true, stable core territories.

Aside from the three categories of territories mentioned above, the remaining vast areas were effectively left in a state of laissez-faire self-governance.

As for the Dukes and Earls of Continental Europe, Wigg's demand was simple: maintain local stability, keep their respective finances balanced as much as possible, and avoid provoking large-scale rebellions.

Regarding Erik Jr., Halfdan Whiteshirt, and the Northern European nobles under their command, Wigg did not expect true loyalty or regular taxes from this group; what he valued above all else was the raw population of Northern Europe.

According to their grand strategy, the Cabinet would continue to absorb Vikings from Norway and Sweden, progressively relocating them to direct counties like Paris, Rouen, and Flandre to systematically enhance the Empire's control over those specific regions.

Wigg held an overwhelming, undeniable advantage over Northern Europe and enjoyed the full backing of the Shamans. The Northern European nobles simply did not dare to oppose him, only managing to desperately negotiate some meager monetary compensation for their losses.

Compared to the noble class, the bottom-tier populace of Northern Europe eagerly and enthusiastically responded to this policy. Migrating from the freezing, barren lands of Northern Europe to the wealthy, comfortably warm lands of West Francia was the absolute blessing they had always dreamed of.

The Prime Minister read aloud the briefing regarding this exact matter. "This year, over ten thousand Northern Europeans migrated to the Paris county. The area held a massive amount of abandoned real estate formerly belonging to the royal family, nobles, and monasteries, which proved more than enough to comfortably settle these immigrants. The overall situation there remains quite stable.

"Next year, the Cabinet plans to recruit thirty thousand people, systematically relocating them to the Calais, Bruges, and Cambrai counties, properly distributing ten thousand immigrants to each county."

At half past nine in the morning, the meeting transitioned to the next critical topic: finance.

The newly conquered territories currently yielded absolutely no agricultural tax, but Wigg had acquired a vast, bustling market covering approximately one million square kilometers with a massive, hungry population. Britain's domestic handicraft industry had developed rapidly to meet this demand, causing commercial taxes to strictly double, and they were still continuing to grow at a blistering pace.

Thanks to this economic explosion, fiscal revenue surged massively in 870, reaching 115,000 pounds. Simultaneously, the Empire's administrative, educational, and medical systems were also rapidly expanding, pushing total state expenditures past 70,000 pounds.

"A surplus of forty-five thousand pounds. We project we will fully clear our existing debts within two years." Wigg rapped his fingers thoughtfully against the desk, feeling that their current financial situation was fundamentally sound, and formally shifted the discussion to the evolving situation in Continental Europe.

First on the agenda was the ongoing war on the Iberian Peninsula. The intelligence network had successfully detected that Alfonso was actively building a navy to attack Moorish transport fleets and securely protect his own coastline.

In Wigg's practical view, building a proper navy entirely from scratch was a massive waste of time and effort. Alfonso would be far better off spending those exact funds on his army to forcibly capture coastal Moorish towns. By taking enemy sailors and seasoned shipwrights as captives, he could directly acquire advanced shipbuilding and navigation technology, saving himself a tremendous amount of time.

The Minister of Naval Affairs leaned forward and asked, "What type of warships are they currently fielding?"

Wigg smoothly handed over a compiled document. "Knarr ships, as well as the lateen-rigged dhows used by the Moors. Alfonso officially requested to purchase our brigantines, but I flatly refused him."

To rigorously ensure absolute naval superiority, Wigg never sold the new sailing ships to any external powers. Furthermore, he strictly mandated that only the British mainland possessed the right to construct these new sailing ships. This forcefully prevented advanced shipbuilding technology from proliferating outward and ever threatening his own maritime hegemony.