Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 164 Mutiny
After several months of hardship, more than a thousand Imperial Guards returned to their old haunts, only to find that the local houses were in ruins and there were very few residents left, causing their morale to plummet.

At the lord's longhouse, a squad leader spoke first, "What do we do next? We have nowhere to live, and people will freeze to death in the winter."

Niels yawned. "Come back to Denmark with me for the winter. The locals say that winters in Schleswig aren't particularly cold. Once we get through the winter, we'll wait for His Majesty's further arrangements."

Without a moment's hesitation, the entire Imperial Guard unanimously agreed to the arrangement and boarded a ship to Denmark that noon, clearly not wanting to stay a moment longer.

Hafdan did not evacuate; he held fast to the nearly deserted settlement to prevent the untrustworthy coalition forces from raiding it during the winter.

As late autumn approached and the war gradually subsided, a series of letters arrived in Rendinium, catching Ragnar off guard. The letters contained contradictory content; each writer had their own difficulties, desperately trying to shirk responsibility while also slandering others.

Eric's letter: "Uncle, Aunt, did you like the polar bear skin this year? My father is in good health; in fact, he's been much better since his abdication. The so-called usurpation is pure rumor. No one in the world loves him more than I do. Also, Niels' attack on Denmark has nothing to do with me."

Oleg's letter: "Your Majesty, the brothers are about to give up. The responsibility is not mine, but rather that Hafdan has been too reckless and the general (Nils) has acted on his own. As a result, the conquest of Sweden has become a pipe dream."

To gain the monarch's trust, Oleg's letters were exceptionally long, spanning three pages. First, there was the betrayal of Nils, the commander of the Imperial Guard; then, Oleg's landing at Gothenburg, where he decisively defeated the Allied forces. Later, during the attack on Kalmar, Hafdan's negligence led to a series of disastrous consequences.
In summary, Hafdan was reckless and made mistakes, Nils had ulterior motives, and the officers under him were mediocre and incompetent; only Oleg was a loyal and capable general.

The third letter was from Nils: "Uncle, the main reason for attacking Denmark was that the young men were too resentful and wanted to plunder the surrounding areas. I could only go along with them. I didn't expect the Danish lord to be so weak. We took over the whole area in the blink of an eye."

You are a seasoned veteran and understand the greedy nature of your subordinates. If you cannot satisfy their appetites, they might turn on you.

Some people have falsely accused me of usurping the throne, but this is pure fabrication! The crown was made by Horst without my consent; he sought to seize the Norwegian throne. I have no intention of overstepping my bounds; my only thought is to serve you and your heirs.

Furthermore, the blame for Sweden's poor performance was placed on Hafdan and Oleg. They led 1,500 armored soldiers and several hundred berserkers, only to be ambushed in Gothenburg by the Allied forces. Afterwards, they cowered in Kalmar, barely clinging to life, and I had to personally intervene to rescue them. They were simply two equally incompetent fools!

The fourth letter was from Hafdan, and its content was very simple: "Father, your son knows he was wrong, please help me one more time."

The fifth letter was from the Swedish allied forces, accompanied by the names and fingerprints of more than fifty nobles.

"Great King Ragnar, your fame is known from Ireland to the Caucasus. We respect your name and are willing to accept your rule. On the condition that those savage berserkers in animal skins are restrained and their rampage in the countryside is prevented. Otherwise, we would rather burn the fields, clog the wells, slaughter the livestock, and fight your army to the last man."

From the perspective of the letter writers, their stance seems inherently righteous, and all their actions appear to be born of necessity. However, considering their statements, Ragnar feels that none of these people are good; their letters are filled with sophistry and slander.

"Is there really no honest and reliable good person left in the world?"

After carefully putting away the stack of letters, Ragnar fixed his gaze on Horst in the right flank of the column. Since the fall of Schleswig, this man had twice rebelled, both times suppressed by Nils, and two days ago he had fled to Landineum to seek refuge with his sister Sora.

Ragnar: "My lord, what do you think I should do?"

The opportunity for revenge had arrived, and Horst immediately stepped to the center of the hall, presenting his carefully prepared speech. From his perspective, neither Eric the Younger nor Nils were good people. The former had instigated the expeditionary force to plunder Denmark, committing countless atrocities, and even staging a coup to seize the throne. The latter, needless to say, was solely concerned with his own interests, which, in a sense, amounted to treason.

As for the crown that Nils found in Schleswig, Horst swore he had never seen it before.

"Your Majesty, please lend me an army, and I promise to help you conquer Denmark, and while I'm at it, capture those two heartless traitors, Eric and Niels."

Another scoundrel spouting lies! The turmoil in Northern Europe has far-reaching implications, and Ragnar intends to delay and observe the situation for a while longer.

Denmark.

Using the power of the Royal Guard, Nils ruthlessly purged resistance forces across the land. In each battle, the slaves and wealth gained were distributed to the Royal Guard soldiers, and the land acquired to his own troops; he took nothing for himself, seeking only to eliminate dissidents as quickly as possible.

Compared to the war in Sweden, Denmark's anti-bandit operations were like a vacation. The local rebels were poorly equipped and demoralized; a single charge by the Royal Guards was enough to crumble their shield wall, followed by an easy and enjoyable capture of prisoners.

As time went on, soldiers of the Royal Guard approached Nils, requesting to become his vassals. Less than six months after the conquest, Denmark had a large number of fiefdoms to choose from, a rare opportunity.

"No rush, let me think about it."

Conquering Denmark was considered disobeying orders in the heat of battle, and Niels was filled with unease. If he were to recruit the Janissaries into his own ranks, he feared Ragnar would tear him apart.

After careful consideration, he decided to refuse.

“You are the King’s royal guard, you have sworn an oath at the temple, and you must return to Sweden next year to help His Highness the Prince fight. You are not suitable to pledge allegiance to me personally.”

The general was deeply worried, but his words unexpectedly enraged his old subordinates. The atmosphere in the army gradually became strange, and some soldiers, without family burdens, decided to risk everything.

One night, Nils and several surrendered nobles were drinking in their tent when suddenly they heard loud footsteps outside. Fully armed soldiers surrounded the area and demanded an explanation from the general.

As Niels lifted the curtain, his spirits plummeted. Cold sweat beaded on his palms. In the flickering torchlight outside the tent, he could see more and more soldiers gathering.

"Gentlemen, in what way have I wronged you?"

At this moment, the leading soldier shouted at the top of his lungs: "General, the brothers really don't want to go to Sweden anymore. We've worked hard for half a year and haven't even gotten a penny. Hafdan is a complete idiot. Following him will only lead to our deaths sooner or later."

Another person chimed in: "In terms of military achievements and strategy, you are far superior to Hafdan. Everyone wants to stay in Denmark and live with you."

(End of this chapter)