Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 154 Achieving Victory in One Battle

In the main seat, Viggo listened to Gwen's account and then wore a utterly astonished smile.

"I sent you over there as an undercover agent, and then the other side sent you back to be an undercover agent again. What is this? A double agent?"

After rambling on for a while, Vig put aside his distractions and began to think about the next battle plan.

"Should we gather more troops and wipe out the entire archipelago alliance in one fell swoop? Or should we set off immediately to deal with the two root causes of the rebellion, Stein and Morgan?"

To be on the safe side, Vig chose the second option.

Due to a shortage of ships, he sent men to the docks to requisition civilian vessels, including traditional Viking longships and two cokes from Dufylin and Manchuni.

"Gentlemen, I have an urgent need to hire your ships. I will pay wages and rent after the war. If any damage occurs, Tyneburg Shipyard is willing to compensate with a ship of the same model."

Using his years of accumulated credit, Vig persuaded the captain and sailors to cooperate, and together they managed to assemble two Kirk ships and ten Viking longships, carrying five hundred soldiers to North Uist Island.

During the journey, the fleet was delayed for two days on Islay due to wind direction, and then continued on its way, arriving at the port ruled by Stein in the early morning of June 20.

Before the battle, Vig ordered the Shrike to lead six longships north to intercept the Pickett rebels. "Focus on Morgan, dead or alive, whatever you do, don't let him escape!"

"Yes!"

After the shrike left, Vig led the remaining two cogs and four longships in a surprise attack, totaling 260 warriors and 40 sailors.

As for the opposite side, Stein's harbor has 140 houses, and assuming each household provides one able-bodied man, it can only gather a maximum of 140 people.

"Raise my flag so that the civilians on the other side can see it clearly."

The next moment, the Duke of Tyneburg's black dragon flag was raised from the towering mast, exacerbating the chaos in the harbor.

As the black flag drew closer, the residents trembled, their faces turned deathly pale, and they inwardly cursed their leader's stupidity for having attracted such a scourge.

"Form a shield wall and prepare to meet the enemy!"

Under the control of Stein and his cronies, more than a hundred militiamen huddled together in a shield wall in the dock area. Before long, the heavy crossbowmen on the Kirk ship pulled the trigger, and the thick crossbow bolts whistled through the round shields, easily killing the militiamen behind them.

Then, the longbowmen aimed at the gap in the shield wall and fired a barrage of arrows. After about six or seven volleys, the entire shield wall collapsed. The militiamen ignored the warnings and fled back to their houses. Stein then disappeared.

"Get ashore quickly! I'm offering a ten-pound bounty on his head! Half the bounty will be awarded for providing information."

As the de facto controller of the archipelago alliance, Stein enjoys considerable prestige on the nearby islands. If he escapes, it could very well cause turmoil.

The ships docked, and a large contingent of soldiers poured into the streets to deliver the Duke's bounty to the people.

In order to obtain this silver coin, enough to ensure a comfortable life for the rest of their lives, the locals vied to provide information, including two caves where people might be hiding and a secluded beach where boats might be hidden.

Under Vig's orders, three squads of the Mandarin Duck Formation went to search the area. Two hours later, the squad that went to the beach killed the target and carried the body back to the port.

With their greatest threat eliminated, Vig kept his promise, and the ten pounds of silver were divided among the fourteen members of the squad, with the messenger receiving five pounds.

In the evening, the shrike escorted sixty disheveled Pickett rebels to report to the Duke, including the rebel leader Morgan.

Reviewing the income and expenditure of this war, Vig remarked: "We solved two problems at once, and were lucky enough to capture more than 500 prisoners. The size of the reclamation team increased, and the number of immigrants we could accept each year also increased."

After calming the local population, Vig returned to Glasgow and, based on the confessions of the captured rebels, searched out more than thirty gentry households that had funded the rebellion, confiscating all of their land.

Thus, the Pickett rebels who had troubled him for three years vanished.

With the rebellion quelled, Vig summoned the Viking leaders of the Archipelago Alliance and the clan chiefs of the northern highlands to discuss the post-war situation.

First, there was the Archipelago Alliance, where thirteen leaders were knighted, their territories remained unchanged, and they were required to pay a certain amount of salted fish each year.

Considering their lack of horsemanship, there is no need to provide cavalry during wartime; instead, four armored soldiers and eight ordinary militiamen can be used as substitutes.

After resolving the Northwest Islands issue, Vig waited for over a week before the chieftains of the Highland clans arrived one after another, totaling fifty people.

"Forget it, let's not wait any longer, let's start the meeting now."

Vig summoned the patriarchs to the hall of the sheriff's mansion. Their attire was largely the same: long, woolen robes with a checkered pattern of red and blue. The red dye came from madder and the blue from indigo.

A wool cloak is worn over a long, belted robe, which can be wrapped around the body when camping in the wild. Depending on the clan chiefs' finances, the brooches that secure the cloak are made of either bronze or silver.

Based on his observations during this period, the highland clans were known for their fierce nature and impoverished lifestyle, unable to provide substantial taxes. Forcibly exploiting them could easily lead to protracted rebellions. After much deliberation, Vig decided to adopt a system of appeasement.

First, the Duke of Tynburg recognized the patriarch's ownership and hereditary rights over the lands within the clan. The new patriarch was first appointed from among their sons, followed by brothers and nephews. Insubordination among clan members was strictly prohibited.

Unsurprisingly, the proposal received unanimous support, and since the Duke understood everyone's good intentions, they readily offered their praise.

"Long live the Duke!"

May the gods protect your family.

The next topic is taxation.

The highland clans were historically poor, and Vig had no intention of exploiting them, only requiring a small annual tribute of wool. While there wasn't much apparent profit, the steady flow of goods like ironware and beer into the clans generated substantial potential tax revenue. This allowed them to profit while avoiding resentment from the locals—a win-win situation.

Once everyone agreed, the meeting moved on to the third item on the agenda—military service. The highlanders were known for their bravery and were well-suited to be light infantrymen harassing the enemy.

Faced with the Duke's proposal, a respected elder patriarch questioned, "Uh, we have no interest in participating in the Southerners' war, please forgive us."

“I can pay, and in addition to the warriors’ wages, the chieftain will also receive an extra commission.”

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, the clan chiefs' expressions changed instantly. They said that the young men wouldn't amount to much if they stayed in the mountains and would be better off going out to see the world.

Having settled the issues of taxes and military service, the next step was faith.

Vig did not force the chieftain to convert to Norse polytheism, but instead introduced them to shamanic medicine. He reasoned that if their illnesses were ever treated by a shaman, the subsequent work would proceed much more smoothly.

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(End of this chapter)