Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 244 The Non-existent Alliance
Winter passed and spring came, the storms subsided, and the anxious Edmund received news that reinforcements from Flanders had arrived.

Rushing to the stables, Edmund rode his horse to the coast more than ten miles away, where he saw more than a dozen hullboats crowded together in a fishing port. The poorly equipped militiamen emerged from the cabins one after another, their eyes filled with bewilderment and a little excitement.

Looking around, Edmund saw only five hundred disorganized infantrymen, less than ten percent of whom were armored.

Upon further inquiry, it was discovered that they were not natives of Flanders, but rather poor people from the interior of East Frankish territory. They had been lured to Britain by textile merchants at extremely low prices and were only suitable for making a show of themselves.

He found the commander and sternly questioned him: "You said there were over four thousand men, why are only this many? Where are the rest of the troops? Where are the cavalry?"

The commander's tone was somber. "Your Excellency, some people don't trust you and suspect this is a trap deliberately set by Vig. They'll send a second wave of troops as soon as you openly break with Vig."

With things as they were, there was no point in regretting it. Edmund led the reinforcements back to Norwich and then summoned the barons and knights within the territory.

Two days later, more than forty minor nobles entered the castle and found that many armored guards were standing on both sides of the hall. The elderly Edmund sat upright in his chair, wearing chainmail for the first time in many years, with a solemn and dignified expression.

"Gentlemen, Vig is greedy and harsh, allowing his men to extort civilians and even sending a large number of agents into East Anglia in an attempt to seize my territory."

Edmund launched into a tirade against Viggo’s “bad policies,” his tone growing increasingly impassioned, leaving everyone bewildered.

During the British Civil War, Edmund refused the invitations from Gunnar and Ethelbad, choosing instead to remain in his territory for self-preservation. Later, seeing the situation turning against him, he allied himself with Vig, driven entirely by self-interest, showing no trace of any real faith. Now that Vig is at the height of his power, wouldn't rebelling at this time be suicidal?
Finding his subordinates' lukewarm response, Edmund produced letters from Gunnar and the towns of Flanders, claiming they pledged to fight and liberate the suffering British people. Furthermore, he had made arrangements with Budden of Scunthorpe and Eamon of Ireland to jointly overthrow the tyrant.

At this point, the vassals finally understood why so many guards were standing in the hall. The crowd whispered among themselves, and ultimately no one objected to Edmund's proposal.

Historically, they belonged to a different culture and religion from the Viking kings, and were forced to submit to Ragnar, Sigurd, and Vig due to circumstances. Since Edmund was determined to wage war, they, as his subordinates, had no choice but to comply.

"Thank you all for choosing the right side."

Edmund sent his vassals to conscript militia to Norwich, intending to hold the castle rather than engage Vig in direct combat. He reasoned that if he could stall until Flanders sent a second wave of reinforcements and Gunnar and Imon were ousted, the main enemy force would inevitably leave.

Three days later, news of Edmund's rebellion reached Rendynewum, and the Prime Minister and cabinet members approached Vig.

Goodwin: "Your Majesty, Edmund's rebellion will surely gain the support of the Franks. Immediately order the fleet to blockade the strait."

Bafus: "Your Majesty, how many troops do you intend to assemble? Will you conscript troops from the entire territory, or only from certain regions?"

After listening to everyone's suggestions, Vig remained indifferent. He ordered the mobilization of troops in the south-central part of the kingdom, but did not mobilize the royal fleet, seemingly allowing the enemy to land.

In fact, he had received a letter of denunciation from the Duke of Emont as early as last year, accusing the Earls of Edmund and Budden of rebellion.

This was undoubtedly the most correct decision. Aemon was under fourteen and unable to control the situation in Ireland, allowing the three earls and barons to act independently and maintain a superficial balance. Had he convened his vassals for a secret plot, he might very well have been betrayed by some eager-to-rise men.

In contrast, the Earl of Budden, who was three years older than him, appeared much more immature, serving as a typical negative example.

Budden was initially tricked and coaxed into joining Edmund's scheme. After much hesitation, he finally sent someone to contact Edmund. However, before Edmund could reply, Budden's uncle Rickard and messengers from four barons arrived at the palace.

After careful consideration, Vig did not act rashly. Instead, he instructed Edmund to keep quiet and pretend nothing had happened. On the other hand, he put Rickard and the four barons in charge of Scunthorpe to continue to appease Edmund, intending to lure out more traitors at once.

Of course, even if Eamon and Rickard hadn't reported it, Vig would have known about Edmund's actions in advance through the intelligence system—conscripting an army required stockpiling food and manufacturing weapons in advance, leading to abnormal prices in East Anglia, and even the merchants noticed something was wrong.

After seeing off the cabinet members, Viggo walked to the window and gazed at the view of the back garden, a bottle of whiskey in his right hand, feeling particularly relaxed.

"No rush, let's play with this monkey first, and see who will support him."

Half an hour later, the royal fleet received a strange edict, ordering them to set sail but avoid the Strait of Calais and allow the Flanders reinforcements to land.

As time went on, troops gradually arrived at Rendynewum to assemble, but Vig did not launch an attack. He only stationed two thousand men in Cambridge, seemingly waiting for something.

one day.

Two days.

After waiting for a full week with no movement from Flanders, Vig summoned the fleet admiral, suspecting that the navy had launched a private attack and scared away the Flanders.

The latter quickly retorted, "Your Majesty, our brothers have been fishing in the open sea these past few days. The five merchant ships we encountered were seized by us, and we have absolutely not revealed the fleet's location."

"Really?" Vig felt particularly disappointed as his expectations were dashed.

The weather in the Calais Strait has recently cleared, and sea conditions are favorable for a large-scale landing. The fact that this has been delayed until now proves that Flanders has no real intention of participating in the war.

"pity."

With a domestic labor shortage, Vig had originally planned to capture several thousand prisoners to participate in various large-scale projects, but now it seems that this plan is no longer viable.

Three more days passed, and Flanders and Normandy on the south coast of the Channel still had not joined the war, nor had any other major noble family in Britain responded to the rebellion. Viggo’s “fishing” plan had completely failed.

"The promised alliance of five families, in the end only Edmund put it into action?"

As time passed, the officers' calls for battle grew stronger, and Vigé, left with no other choice, led eight thousand soldiers to East Anglia. They encountered no resistance along the way, as if it were an armed parade.

On March 5, Edmund secretly escaped in a longboat, and the 1,400 soldiers stationed in Norwich surrendered.

Afterwards, the prisoners revealed the location of Paffes' burial. Upon learning of the former Grand Steward's death, everyone felt it was somewhat unreal, believing that the manner of his death was too absurd and inconsistent with the ruthless and vicious nature he displayed when he supported Sigurd's ascension to the throne.

Meanwhile, Rickard and the four barons escorted Budden south, bringing the six-month-long rebellion to an abrupt end without a single battle taking place.

(End of this chapter)