Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 280 Undercurrent
Upon returning to Constantinople, Michael III bestowed upon Basil the honorary title of "Sworded Guard." Subsequently, Bardas suddenly interjected, suggesting that Basil be sent to a military district in Anatolia to serve as a general.

At that moment, Niels, who was standing in the corner, sensed that the atmosphere was a bit strange.

He recently used his spare time to study Greek and mastered some key vocabulary, such as military district (thema) and general (strategos).

At present, the Eastern Roman Empire implemented a military district system, in which a military district general was in charge of the military, political and judicial affairs of the district, similar to a governor.

Bardas recommended Basil for the position of military district general, which was clearly a promotion, but the latter's expression seemed to indicate that he was trying to decline.

Why? Niels fell into deep thought.

Suddenly, Michael III began to speak directly to Baldas. The two spoke faster and faster, and the attendants and eunuchs in the hall lowered their heads as if they had not heard anything.

After an unknown amount of time, Baldas walked out of the hall with a smile, his expression kind and showing no sign of anger.

Inside the palace, Michael III dismissed all "unnecessary people," including Nils. The attendants and eunuchs breathed a sigh of relief, their foreheads glistening with sweat. Nils followed the crowd out of the palace, lost in thought.

Bardas recommended Basil to take up a post in another region, which was nominally a recommendation but in reality an exile, an attempt to drive him out of the central government.
"This is bad. Michael III's relationship with Baldas has become strained. We're in big trouble."

After leaving the palace, Nils wandered aimlessly through the streets, pondering the situation he might face in the future.

As an outsider, he lacked local connections, and even if he participated in the coup, he would not be able to gain more power; instead, he might be made a scapegoat.

After a long while, he muttered to himself with a mournful face, "I finally got used to this new environment, can't I just have a peaceful time?"

Meanwhile, in Londinew.

With less work to do in winter, Vig was leisurely browsing the travelogue of a wealthy ancient Roman merchant in his office. After lunch, he took his usual afternoon nap in a deck chair, enjoying a rare vacation during the year.

Waking up naturally, Vig finally had a task: to receive the envoy from the Kingdom of Denmark.

"understood."

Vig walked toward the main hall, yawning. On the way, he overheard two servants chatting and complaining about the football league at the end of last autumn. He then stood at the corner and listened with great interest.

"Thinking back to Stirling's performance at the time, I'm still angry. They actually lost to a weak Cornwall team and were inexplicably eliminated, especially that damn one."

Upon noticing the king's arrival, the two attendants quickly bowed and hurried away, like two unlucky students caught by their teacher.

main hall.

Vig walked toward the throne, pondering the current predicament of Uber.

As time went by, rumors about the siege of Magdeburg intensified, severely damaging Uber's reputation. Although there was no direct evidence, most people were convinced that he had betrayed Nils.

The rumors were even adapted into a play, "Night in Magdeburg," which involved a love triangle between Nils, Uber, and a shield-wielding woman, and was well received by theaters throughout Londenium.

“Alas, reputation is like a piece of porcelain; once broken, it can never be recovered.” Soon after, the envoy entered the palace and presented Uber’s letter of credence to Vig.

Upon opening it, Vig discovered it was a letter pleading for help.

Nearly a year has passed, and Denmark is still unable to recover from the trauma of war. Famine has driven people to become bandits, and the expansion of bandit groups has further damaged agricultural production, causing more people to be displaced and falling into a vicious cycle.

If sufficient food supplies cannot be obtained, Uber fears a large-scale rebellion will break out within his territory, at which point the Frankish army will take advantage of the situation, which would be a loss for the entire Viking world.

You want me for food?
Vig stroked his chin, feeling the matter was negotiable. "Your king is right, I have no shortage of food. After the situation in Ireland stabilized, grain prices in the kingdom plummeted. Now, the price of a bushel of wheat has fallen from 2 silver pence to 1.7 silver pence, and the price of barley is even less than 0.8 pence. Farmers are using the surplus grain to brew wine, which has caused the price of wine to fall as well. I can provide thirty ships of grain as aid, on the condition that you fully cooperate with British merchant ships in recruiting immigrants from now on."

The messenger bargained: "No, at most one year."

Vig readily accepted. "Okay, one year it is."

A year is enough time to absorb 30,000 immigrants, and if other regions are included, the total number of immigrants is expected to exceed 40,000. Most immigrants remain in the royal domains in the south, while those who cause trouble are sent to western Ireland to become subjects of the directly ruled barons.

After the audience ended, Vig left the spacious but poorly insulated hall, returned to his study, took out his account book, and added a note at the end.

The current financial situation is acceptable. Although the expenses for war and immigration were huge last year, royal income has grown rapidly, reaching £19,000 last year, which barely covers the expenses.

In particular, on the island of Ireland, after the war, Aemon went from being perfunctory to truly submitting, willing to pay homage, pay tribute, and allow the Tyneburg Order all its activities in the duchy.

The direct tribute paid by the islands is not much, but a market of 80,000 square kilometers and more than 500,000 people is enough to generate huge commercial value and indirectly provide high commercial taxes.

Recalling the local conditions, Vig wrote a decree ordering the Duke and five Earls, as well as the Barons of the coastal region, to build roads and ports to facilitate the flow of goods and integrate the island into the unified British market as quickly as possible.

“Collecting agricultural taxes is too cost-effective. It requires hiring a large number of officials, which will cause public dissatisfaction. There will also be ‘losses’ in the middle. It is more appropriate to collect commercial taxes.”

After affixing his seal, Vigé processed a document from the Canary Islands sent by the cabinet.

In just three years, the Canary Islands developed rapidly, capturing two-thirds of the domestic sugar market and exporting its products to Northern and Eastern Europe.

Every year, Hergi pays more than £1,300 in tribute, commercial taxes from the sugar company, and luxury taxes. In a few years, once the citrus seedlings and grapevines mature, the profits will at least double.

At the end, Helgi was still requesting the purchase of ships. He also wanted several skilled doctors to help treat the Guache people on the island, improve relations between the two sides, and recruit more laborers for the plantation.

"Proficient in medicine?"

Vig was amused by the word and planned to send two shamans with a rudimentary understanding of medicine. Nowadays, hospitals are being built all over the country, and he can only send some third-rate ones to appease his vassals.

After quickly writing down a reply, Vig walked to the recliner and continued reading the travelogue. He had to admit, the travelogue written by the Romans was quite interesting.

　Thank you to readers Daowu Huaxia and Tianshuang Jialin for their generous donations.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)