Vikings: Nordic women

Chapter 28 Asking for monthly tickets, hope for support

The man nodded slightly, and under the cold light of the dagger and the urgent gaze of the warriors, he had to accept Eunice's request and agree to pass on her message.

Ouni slowly stood up and gently put the dagger back into Ralph's scabbard. She turned to leave, but was stopped by Ralph's voice.

"Ma'am, please stay." There was a hint of expectation in Ralph's voice.

Ouni turned around, with a questioning look in her eyes. She felt that today's affairs seemed to be endless, but unfortunately no one could help her. She had to do everything herself, and sooner or later she would die suddenly.

"Aren't you going to continue conquering the remaining villages?" Ralph continued, "If you are willing, we can serve you and help you conquer them."

Ouni fell into a brief moment of contemplation, then slowly shook her head.

"Are you really not going to conquer those villages immediately?" Ralph's tone was full of doubt.

Ouni's eyes lingered between the two of them, then she pinched her fingers and said firmly, "We'll take action in a week. Ludwig and the others will be in charge of this matter."

"Why did we have to wait so long?" Ralph's face was full of confusion. "Besides, Robert and I both think that the two of us can solve this problem. Can you leave the task to us?"

Ouni took a deep breath and explained, "The fire last night was too intense. After they found out that Sloms Falls was destroyed, a group of people would definitely flee the village and hide in the mountains. We have to wait until they relax their vigilance and return to the village before we can act."

Ralph seemed a little impatient: "Ma'am, we can handle this!"

Ouni stared at him calmly, "You can't handle it, but you can assist Ludwig and make sure no one escapes."

"Thank you!" said Ralph gratefully.

At this moment, the silence was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps. Ouni looked up and saw a Viking warrior running towards them in a hurry.

"Ma'am, this is an emergency!" he panted, pointing outside the territory.

Ou Ni raised her eyebrows slightly and remained calm: "Don't be anxious, talk slowly." However, all kinds of possible guesses emerged in her mind.

"Several prisoners escaped over the wall!" he reported, with a hint of unintentional pride in his tone. "When we found them, they had already run far away. We have sent people to chase them."

Ouni nodded, indicating that she understood the situation: "Well... you have worked hard."

She thought it was an enemy invasion, but it was just a small matter like this. She began to wonder whether she should set up a chief minister to handle these daily affairs.

But the problem is that she has very few suitable people under her command. Almost all of them are illiterate, and it is a joke to have them as the chief minister.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but envy the environment in ancient China, where there were countless Confucian scholars who could become prefects or county magistrates with a little training.

Perhaps she could try to hold a small imperial examination to stimulate the budding of culture? This would not only promote educational development, but also promote social mobility, enhance political stability, promote social harmony, and reduce class conflicts.

"Madam?" The soldier followed Eunice in confusion. Her contemplation puzzled him. "Don't we need to chase after the escaped prisoners?" His tone revealed his surprise at Eunice's indifferent reaction.

Ouni didn't look back. She pointed at him with two fingers as she walked, and emphasized in a serious tone: "No, you are not allowed to chase him."

"Why?" The warrior's face was full of confusion.

Just then, he saw a Viking warrior walking towards him not far away, carrying three tied-up men.

"Madam, the escaped prisoners have been captured!" He pointed at them excitedly and reminded Eunnie.

Ouni walked up to the Viking warrior, pulled the axe from his waist, and walked towards the three captives. Under the horrified eyes of the captives, Ouni approached them. They struggled and tried to escape, but were held tightly by the warriors and could not move.

Suddenly, Ouni grabbed the ropes that bound them and chopped them off with an axe, and the ropes broke.

The captives and the warriors were all stunned. They looked at each other, especially the warriors, whose expressions were full of confusion. Ouni could see that they probably thought that their pursuit was wrong.

Ouni looked around at the warriors and said firmly, "You are all loyal warriors who do their duty. You are the strength I rely on. But I have other plans." She pointed in the direction of the gate of the territory, "Go and open the gate. Inform everyone that after breakfast, they can come and go freely. Don't stop them."

The warriors hesitated, and they seemed to want to persuade Oni to change her mind, but in the end they did not speak.

"If someone chooses to leave, don't stop them. We won't restrict their freedom." Ou Ni reminded again.

She knew in her heart that it was unrealistic to keep these captives for a long time. Instead of waiting for them to cause trouble, it was better to release them proactively. She believed that without food and shelter, these people who left would soon return due to the pressure of survival.

"Yes, ma'am!" Although the warriors were full of doubts, they chose to obey. Since Eunnie thought it was okay, they didn't ask any more questions.

Ouni kicked the prisoner's shoulder and pointed to the cafeteria in the distance: "There is food there, you can enjoy it. After eating, if you still want to leave, get out immediately!"

There were more and more people in the cafeteria, and Ludwig and other officers also arrived one after another. They were all waiting to distribute the spoils, so they did not leave with their troops.

O'Neal's eyes fell on Ralph, who was holding a bowl of steaming pork rib soup and groaning from the heat.

"Ralph, after you finish eating, go and notify all the officers to come to the main hall for a meeting. Also, tell them privately..." Ouni whispered to Ralph about her plan to hold an imperial examination to promote the development of education. Ralph nodded while biting the meat on the bone.

She knew that this plan would touch the nerves of many vested interests, so she needed to prepare in advance. She planned to observe their reactions first, and then make corresponding countermeasures according to the situation.

She decided to hide first and then show up after observing their reactions and preparing for their response.

……

At noon, in the lord's hall, the canteen helpers brought out roasted venison one after another. The lord and the officers ate with relish. They were vaguely divided into seven factions.

However, Eunnie did not show up yet.

"What do you think about Lady Yar's new decree?" Ralph asked the lords and officers present according to Ouni's instructions. "Lady Yar asked you to discuss it first. She emphasized that you can speak freely and that an enlightened leader will not punish anyone for their speech. Only after sufficient discussion can we determine whether these decrees are suitable for promulgation."

"These need to be discussed unanimously and decided through a 'monthly vote'. If no one agrees, then the decree will be repealed."

"I object!" a lord spoke up immediately.

"I object too!" another lord echoed.

Magrus stood up with a rib in his hand and greasy mouth, attracting everyone's attention. He said: "We must not agree to the so-called official examination. We have gained our status by supporting Xin Yaer and our previous military exploits. Why can a group of untouchables who have done nothing be compared with us after learning to write?"

As soon as Magrus finished speaking, Frederick immediately supported him: "That's right, are we going to hand over the management of the territory to those untouchables? This will undoubtedly weaken our control over the territory and even reduce our tax revenue!"

At this time, Sven hesitantly reminded everyone: "But, will this anger Madame Jarre?"

Hearing this, the lords who were discussing fiercely just now fell silent. The remaining lords looked like they were enjoying the show and did not speak.

(End of this chapter)