Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 255 No War on the Western Front

After breaking through Daniwijk, French troops poured into southern Denmark. Due to years of accumulated hatred, the nobles deliberately allowed their soldiers to plunder villages, boosting morale and procuring supplies on the spot.

At this time, Uber's reinforcements only reached Wajel in central Denmark. Upon learning that the French army numbered in the tens of thousands, they were so frightened that they stopped and did not advance.

"Oh no, is this a death trap?"

He once again sought help from his third brother Hafdan and his cousin Eric the Younger. In desperation, he even humbled himself and sent envoys to the Kingdom of Britain.

"Tell Vig that the Franks have invaded Denmark. If this continues, the Vikings' homeland will be destroyed."

October, Londeneume.

Vig was powerless to help Uber's surrender. "It's too late. Large-scale transoceanic operations are an extremely complicated and dangerous task. Whether it's Britain attacking the Franks or the Franks landing on Britain, it will take at least three months of preparation time, not to mention the distant Northern Europe."

Back then, when Hafdan and Nils caused a great disaster in Northern Europe, Ragnar led 12,000 soldiers to their rescue. Without any fighting, the expedition cost more than 10,000 pounds, becoming the root cause of the collapse of the royal treasury. Vig was unwilling to pay for it.

Moreover, Gunnar on the south bank of the Channel is watching him closely. If he reveals even the slightest weakness, Gunnar will seize the opportunity to lead a massive cavalry force into Britain.

After hearing a lengthy reply, the envoy, seemingly expecting this, requested to purchase military equipment, only to be met with a question from Vig:

"Do you have money? If it's a transaction, the money and goods must be exchanged. I don't want to repeat the hard experience of collecting debts back then. If you don't have money, I can only give you a small amount of supplies as a symbolic support."

After dismissing the messenger, Vigé continued processing official documents. At three o'clock in the afternoon, he arrived at the South Wharf to inspect the newly formed Thames River garrison fleet.

The garrison fleet consisted of five Kirk ships, anchored at Kenway Island at the mouth of the Thames. After being fitted with two heavy ballistae, the Kirk ships became extremely cumbersome, with an excessively high center of gravity, making them unsuitable for ocean voyages. They were instead used for patrolling and guarding inland waterways and coastal areas.

"Do a good job, the safety of the kingdom is in your hands."

Vig walked through the ranks of the fleet members from beginning to end. The garrison fleet was less dangerous, so the crew members were generally young, consisting of young-looking reserve officers and ordinary sailors, as well as a very small number of older crew members whose bodies were failing and who could not withstand long-distance voyages.

After the ceremony, Vig headed to the newly opened public library in the city center, where people can read in the reading area and also purchase books. Currently, the kingdom's literacy rate is low, and plans are in place to open libraries only in Lundinium and Tyne.

Upon entering the first-floor lobby, the bookshelves in the central area display the Kingdom's Code, as well as Norse polytheistic texts compiled and revised by the Speakers of the Raven and the Shamans.

The bookshelves on the left display scrolls from the Roman period, in a wide variety of genres, including Latin, Greek, and translated Viking versions, such as the Gallic Wars, the Anabasis, and the Homeric epics, as well as fantasy epic novels created by Vigé based on later literary and entertainment works.

The bookshelves on the right side display basic reference books, richly illustrated, such as "The Complete Guide to Sheep Care," which introduces how to care for sheep, deworm them, treat illnesses, and shear their wool.

There are no relatively sensitive books here, such as Vigé's *The War of Britain*, *The War of the Franks*, *Basic Land Warfare Textbook*, *Land Warfare: Training*, *Land Warfare: Logistics*, and *Land Warfare: Tactics*. The first two are kept in the army school library for students to borrow, the third is used as a textbook, and the latter three are kept in the royal palace and are only available to a very limited number of people.

Behind the reference books were newspapers that had been released the previous day. The newspapers were published monthly, and the front page headline was about the war in Northern Europe, reminding merchants to be aware of the local risks and suggesting that they invite immigrants to settle there, with the king willing to cover the related expenses.

Next, there was news about the football league: Stirling County won the league title again, and the final match sparked a large-scale brawl. Fortunately, the Sheriff of Rendynewam was prepared; he was used to this annual chaos and handled the matter with ease.

The football news section also featured reports of fighting in Ireland, and businessmen were advised to exercise caution when traveling there.

Next was a report of Flanders pirates raiding the Kent coast, and the newspaper warned local villages to be on high alert.

A news item about an auction was published in the lower left corner: at the end of this month, an auction will be held in Londinium to auction five Flanders merchant ships captured by the navy, as well as various goods seized by privateers.

The back of the newspaper featured the value of clover and turnips and tips on how to grow them, a tradition for each issue. The rest of the newspaper carried lower-priority news, such as the death of a baron and his son inheriting the title.

Besides the news, the back also features advertisements from merchants. The Harry Textile Factory occupies the largest space, vigorously promoting its own textiles, followed by the Pontiland Merchant Guild's textile factory, and then the Manchuni Textile Factory.

As for the Iris Merchant Guild, Hosa had abandoned the textile industry and focused on the sugarcane and sugarcane liquor business in the south. Lacking competitors, his sugarcane liquor sold widely and was popular among the lower classes.

After quickly glancing at the newspaper, Vig put it back on the shelf. The newspaper had a large circulation, but its price was extremely low, requiring continuous subsidies from the royal family, and no profit was expected for a long time.

"Sigh, money is needed everywhere; governing a kingdom is really not easy."

In the evening, Vig returned to the palace for dinner. Crown Prince Frode, the second prince Frey, and Herijief were sitting at the long table, with the third prince, Grek, in her arms.

In addition, Hosa also joined the dinner, eating his food in silence, seemingly preoccupied with something on his mind.

After dinner, he approached Vig and asked, "Your Majesty, if I were to explore the western seas of Iberia and discover a deserted island, could I be granted a lordship like Helgi?"

Why do you have this idea?

Hosa looked dejected. "At first, I only thought about making money and seeking freedom. In the Canary Islands, although I was the second largest shareholder of the sugar company, Helgi and his barons and knights never looked down on me. Now I realize that without a hereditary noble status, it would have been difficult to keep this enormous wealth."

After a long pause, Vig responded: "The rumors are true. There is indeed an archipelago there, but it is too remote, located deep in the Atlantic Ocean (the European name for the Atlantic).

This voyage is too dangerous. I suggest you buy a ship and hire an experienced captain. If you discover the archipelago and build a port with a hundred inhabitants, I will grant you a hereditary noble title.

(End of this chapter)