Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 194 Inheritance Tax

In September, Vig returned to Tyne County with two thousand men. He did not completely disband the two infantry regiments, but retained their basic structure to facilitate future mobilization.

After seeing her son for half a year, Britta rushed over and hugged Leif. She cried for a while, then carefully observed his appearance. "Not bad. After accompanying your uncle on the trip, you have indeed become much more composed. It's time to consider getting married and having children."

She approached Vig and asked her brother to recommend a few young ladies from noble families, preferably the prettiest ones.

Vig explained in a low voice, "In the Battle of Auxerre, the king's army suffered more than half its losses. For example, in two villages near Londinium, not a single man who went to war returned, and their families are causing trouble in front of the palace. It's not a good time to propose marriage now; let's postpone it for a while."

For the next two weeks, Vig stayed home to recuperate. The war had taken a toll on his mental energy, leaving him listless and unable to attend to official business or his sons' studies. He often sat in the small garden in the corner of the castle, lost in thought, until Bjorn came to visit.

"How did you come?"

Bjorn sat on the ground, fiddling with the blooming marigolds in the garden. “My father was in a coma, so I made a special trip to Londinium. I was pestered by the Prime Minister and the two Queens for a long time, and I agreed to lend them eight hundred pounds.”

Recalling the queens' expressions, Bjorn found it amusing, yet a lingering sadness filled his heart. Just two years ago, the kingdom had embarked on a campaign to Northern Europe, conquering Denmark and Sweden in one fell swoop, its fame spreading far and wide. Now, it had fallen to this state, and he couldn't pinpoint the specific reason why.

After a long silence, Bjorn changed the subject, "I've heard many rumors about you. To be honest, how did you escape that desperate situation?"

Vig picked up a twig and casually sketched the general terrain of West Frankish territory, explaining his assessment on the day of the attack. Bjorn struggled to keep up with his train of thought and listened in a daze.

Björn: "I still don't understand how you could deduce that our army was about to go to war with the French based on a map and a bunch of letters?"

"It's hard to explain this feeling; it might be a habit that has been unconsciously cultivated due to experiencing too many wars."

Bjorn thought the man was just making excuses for him, so he couldn't help but pat him on the shoulder. "Speaking of which, two thousand cavalry and two thousand mounted infantry, Gunnar clearly wants to kill you. He has completely turned into a Frank."

In summary, the main factor in this defeat was Gunnar, who was a brilliant strategist and well-versed in the tactics of Ragnar, Ivar, and others.

If we exclude him, Charles the Bald has almost no chance of winning; his only option is to cede territory, relinquish the title of emperor, and request reinforcements from Middle Frankish and East Frankish.

After much reflection, Vig suddenly remembered something and invited Bjorn to the shipyard to visit the new sailing ship, the Grey Parrot, which had just been launched a few days earlier.

Compared to the original Kirk, the Grey Parrot had two masts, with square sails on both the foremast and mainmast. A foremast sail was hung aft of the mainmast to improve maneuverability against the wind and help the ship sail against the wind.

In addition, the HMS Parrot eliminated the square sterncastle of the Kirk, lowered the center of gravity to prevent the ship from capsizing in rough seas, and replaced the long wooden rudder on the aft deck with a wheel rudder, further improving maneuverability.

Bjorn stroked the helm and couldn't help but exclaim, "How much can it carry? How much did it cost?"

"This is a ship design that the shipyard spent four years developing. The Grey Parrot was mainly used to test new technologies. Its carrying capacity is equivalent to one and a half ordinary cogs. Its characteristics are speed and sailing stability." The inspiration for the new ship came from the brig that Vig remembered. It was fast, easy to maneuver, and only required 30 to 50 crew members. It was especially favored by Caribbean pirates.

As for the cost, the Grey Parrot cost a total of eighty pounds, and the cost may drop to seventy pounds after the technology matures. This means that the selling price will be at least over one hundred pounds, which is simply unaffordable for ordinary merchants and minor nobles.

“The cost is too high,” Bjorn exclaimed repeatedly. Out of respect for Vig, he agreed to order two new two-masted sailing ships and paid a deposit of forty pounds.

The two shareholders then discussed the West Sea Fur Company, which now had trade relations with half of the tribes in southwestern Greenland. The natives were responsible for hunting seals and occasionally worked for the company as temporary sailors on whaling arks. All things considered, the company's annual profit exceeded eight hundred pounds.

As the business gradually stabilized, it brought a steady stream of wealth to the three shareholders. Vig was very satisfied with this and did not interfere with Bjorn and Helgi's work, staying in Tynburg to count his dividends.

October arrived, and since Vig was away on campaign this year, he did not need to go to Londinium to pay tribute, but he kept an eye on the situation in the south, which was all bad news.

Ragnar remains in a coma, and rumors of the king's death circulate widely among the people, despite repeated attempts to stop them.

Prime Minister Goodwin traveled to Calais to discuss a prisoner exchange with Lambert. Based on the identities and numbers of the prisoners held by both sides, Goodwin agreed to pay the other one thousand pounds of silver. However, the Franks insisted that Ragnar sign an agreement acknowledging defeat and guaranteeing that the British monasteries would receive the full amount of tithes, leading to a stalemate in the prisoner exchange.

The Duke of Wessex and First Lord of the Sea, Æthelwough, has died, and the title of Duke has been inherited by his eldest living son, Æthelbad.

According to the practice of previous years, when a vassal inherits a title and land fief, he/she needs to pay a sum of money to the next higher lord before he/she can officially inherit it. This is called the inheritance tax (Relief, from the Latin word Relevium).

Accepting this money signifies that the lord accepts the new vassal's allegiance, and the two parties formally confirm their feudal contractual relationship.

If the heir is young, the lord can supervise the heir's territory on his behalf and obtain all the profits from that territory until the heir comes of age. He also has the right to appoint a marriage partner for the heir.

Last year, the Earl of Leeds died, and his eldest son ascended to the throne, paying £100 to the royal family. The two queens felt the Duke's inheritance tax should be higher, and despite strong opposition from the Prime Minister, set the Duke of Wessex's inheritance tax at £400!

When the court messenger arrived in Winchester, Ethelbad reacted calmly, neither angry nor saying much, and followed the messenger to Rendynewme.

Upon entering the main hall of the palace, one finds that, due to the king's coma, the two queens have become regents and have accepted Ethelbad's allegiance.

However, when it came time to pay the inheritance tax, Esselbad did not pay in silver, but instead pulled out a debt agreement signed by Pascal from his pocket.

"Two years ago, the King launched a campaign against Northern Europe, and Prime Minister Pascal requisitioned ships and supplies from all over the place, owing my family a total of one thousand pounds. This is the IOU. After deducting the four hundred pounds to be paid, the royal family still owes my family six hundred pounds. Do Your Majesties intend to repay this debt in silver, or in supplies and real estate?"

(End of this chapter)