Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 129 King and Vassal

After estimating the income of the King and Duke, Vig turned his attention to the Earls.

Looking back, Leonard, with Manchuni as his territory, was far more powerful than any other player. However, as Ragnar's territory expanded, Leonard's power waned, and he fell out of the top tier.

In contrast, his old neighbor, Ulf, was living a very comfortable life.

For his achievement in killing Prince Bergred of Mercia, Ulf was reassigned to Kent, on the southeastern edge of Britain.

Kent was the closest point to continental Europe, and merchant ships often stopped there, making it ideal for entrepot trade. By reselling warhorses, wine, wool, and salted fish, Ulf made a fortune.

Vig estimated that this guy's annual income had long surpassed Leonard's, making him the richest among the many counts, and possibly even exceeding Ivar's.

After finishing the calculations, Vig rubbed his aching wrists. "In the next few years, with the promotion of the three-field system and heavy iron plows, the income of lords in various regions will gradually increase. It seems I need to hurry up and make money so as not to be left behind by others."

Just as the Viggs were tallying up their accounts, Lord Ohe of Bergen had arrived at the Oslo docks.

Four years ago, Oher joined forces with nobles on the west coast of Norway to oppose King Eric, and eventually reached a peace agreement, nominally submitting to Eric without having to pay homage or respond to summons.

Now, his territory has been plundered, his savings of many years have vanished, and even the furniture in the lord's longhouse has been taken away by the scoundrels. He is truly desperate and has no choice but to shamelessly seek justice from his lord.

Following the dirty and chaotic streets, Oher, guided by locals, arrived at an open space in the north of town.

Several years later, the original lord's longhouse disappeared, replaced by a brick and stone castle.

The castle has a stone wall, which is as tall as three adults. A moat was dug outside the wall and water was introduced to serve as a moat. There are also towering arrow towers at intervals.

"Where did that old man get so much money to build stone structures?"

Oher muttered to himself, then identified himself to the soldiers guarding the drawbridge and requested an audience with His Majesty the King.

By crossing the drawbridge and the city gate, Oher discovered that only the main part of the castle had been completed, and the rest of the building was still under construction, with at least another year to go before it was finished.

Upon entering the main hall, Oher ignored everyone's astonishment, respectfully walked to the front of the throne, then knelt on one knee, took Eric's large, rough left hand, and kissed the ring face heavily.

what's the situation?
Eric was startled by the man's appearance and instinctively withdrew his left hand, suspecting that the man intended to assassinate him.

He winked at the guards on his left and right, signaling them to be on high alert, and then tentatively asked, "Sir, did you need something from me?"

In the next few minutes, Oher presented a carefully crafted statement, claiming that Vig had plundered Bergen without cause and requesting the king to seek justice for him.

Pfft!

Eric was overjoyed to learn that the lord who often disagreed with him had been plundered, and he almost couldn't contain himself.

Good, good, good, you've finally met your match! It's retribution for bringing together the allied forces to fight me to the death. The gods have finally done something truly just.

To avoid laughing out loud, Eric downed two large glasses of mead in quick succession before straightening his posture.

“Vigg has always been audacious. Seven years ago, when Ragnar and I raided Northumbria, he actually stood in front of me for a group of Anglo prisoners of war outside York. Now that he has risen to the rank of Duke, it’s not surprising that he would do something like this. My lord, there’s no need to worry. I will write to Ragnar to discuss this matter and will certainly give you justice.” Eric wouldn’t be foolish enough to send troops to attack Vigg. He was fifty-three years old this year and had long since come to terms with reality. His command abilities were mediocre; he could only deal with some country nobles who had never seen the world. If the roles were reversed, he would never have been able to annihilate the main French army in a single battle outside Paris.

“Vig, Ivar, Gunnar.”

Eric kept repeating those three names to himself, complaining about why the gods favored Ragnar so much, allowing him to gather such top commanders under his command.

"Compared to them, my men are a bunch of useless trash. They don't even reach the level of Bjorn, Nelson, or Om, let alone the three mentioned above."

Seeing that the monarch was distracted, Oher wanted to continue to persuade him, but suddenly, little Eric, who was standing next to him, spoke up:
"Sir, I have a question about Vig's actions in Bergen. You said he gave grain to the common people. Was it a gift, or a sale?"

Oher: "Free."

Upon learning that Vig had not charged any price, Eric guessed the truth: "His willingness to distribute food, refrain from seizing territory, and not plunder civilians is intended to send a signal to the outside world that he is only targeting you. Ha, it seems you have offended the Serpent of the North quite badly."

His son's words brought King Eric back to his senses. He beckoned to a clerk and dictated the contents of the letter:

"To King Ragnar of Britain, in early May your vassals marched against Bergen."

Despite the attack on his territory, Eric's remarks were devoid of hostility, as if he were discussing a harmless trifle with an old friend.

After saying this, he also had the messenger bring four fine white bear skins, one for Ragnar, one for his sister Sora, and one for his nephew Sigurd and one for his niece Enya.

Sensing that the king intended to downplay the matter, Oher couldn't help but loudly question, "Your Majesty, I think you could take a stronger stance."

In an instant, Eric's roar echoed through the hall, "You're teaching me how to do things!"

As he spoke, the guards around the hall stepped forward toward Oher, their right hands gripping the hilts of their swords, ready to kill him on the spot.

Eric gave Oher a cold look, then raised his right hand, signaling the guards to return to their places. “Vigg doesn’t know the rules. I will send a messenger to warn him. If he still doesn’t listen, I will call in an army to attack. My lord, you have traveled a long way and are not fit for overexertion. Please go and rest for now.”

That's it?

You don't even dare to say a harsh word to Ragnar, do you really have the guts to invade Britain?

Oher's eyes suddenly turned cold. He was utterly disappointed in the old, fat man on the throne. He bowed and left the hall.

After he left, Eric sent two messengers, one with gifts to Londenium and the other to Tyneburg, demanding that Vig respond to the attack on Bergen.

Ten days later, Eric's messenger entered the main hall of Tyneburg and relayed the king's warning verbatim.

Hearing this weak and feeble threat, Vig remained unmoved. He was absolutely certain that he could defeat Eric if he led his troops across the sea to attack.

"I have sent a report to Lentinium detailing the events, along with two witnesses from Shetland and Bergen. With both witnesses and physical evidence, I am confident that King Ragnar will take appropriate action. If you are interested, you may take a copy of the report back to Oslo."

(End of this chapter)