Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 291 The Noble Class
After a five-day journey, Om led more than eighty riders to the outskirts of Manchuni. Nearby, there were vast oak forests, which were dyed golden yellow by the autumn colors. In the forest clearings, villagers' domestic pigs were scattered, grazing on the acorns scattered on the ground.

While resting at the inn, Om deliberately sent someone to inform Leonard in advance, which puzzled Frode.

He suppressed his confusion, nibbled on his dry rations, and observed the Fourth Infantry Regiment building a road not far away.

From Rendinium, only this short stretch remains under construction, and Frode estimates that it will take another half month to complete.

"Lundium-York-Tynburg, Lundium-Manchuni, what is Father's next plan?"

After resting, the group headed to the south gate of Manchuni, where the Count and his entourage had been waiting for a long time.

After a brief introduction, Orm explained his purpose, stating that he was there to investigate the accounts of the textile factory and requested the Count's full cooperation.

Before he finished speaking, Frode noticed a slight change in the expressions of Leonard and the people around him, indicating that the intelligence system's prediction was correct.

Touched on his sensitive spot, Leonard forced himself to remain calm and shifted the topic to Frode, claiming that he had prepared the best room and the most sumptuous banquet to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince.

The next moment, countless flattering remarks flooded Frode's ears. He was overwhelmed and squeezed next to Orm, using the latter's authority to block out such distractions.

“Your Excellency, the Crown Prince was merely accompanying us on a tour and is not involved in this case. You have the wrong person.”

Om insisted on going to the textile factory. Along the way, he suddenly recalled the Battle of Manchuni twenty years ago, when the Viking coalition poured into the breach in the city wall, only to be caught by the Northumbrian royal guards and ultimately retreated from the city in disarray, fleeing eastward.

Perhaps because of the passage of time, most of the memories of this battle are vague. Orm only remembers that he accidentally lost a small bag of silver coins during the retreat, and he was heartbroken for a long time.

"Twenty pence, or fifty?"

Behind him, Frode surveyed the busiest settlement in western Britain, its narrow streets teeming with people, flocks of sheep herded across the streets, their bleating mingling with the Anglo-language shouts of merchants.

Compared to other regions, Manchuni's greatest advantage lies in enjoying twenty years of peace, with a slow population growth exceeding five thousand and a level of prosperity surpassing most settlements.

Frode's body swayed slightly on the horse's back, and before he knew it, he had arrived in the northwest of the town, which was adjacent to the Mersey River, making it convenient to transport goods along the river. Leonard's textile factory was located here.

The factory covers a large area, with a water-powered washing workshop built near the riverbank, and piles of wool stacked high on the open ground. Rows of factory buildings are distributed on the east side, housing dozens of new spinning machines.

At first glance, the textile factory seemed to be operating well and could generate high profits even under normal circumstances. If it were Frode, he would never have resorted to such underhanded tactics.

While Om and his bureaucrats were auditing the accounts, he wandered around, surrounded by the royal guards. There were no dye houses here; they only produced ordinary raw-dyed cloth, and the stitches on the cloth were uneven, making it of below-average quality. "Why?" he couldn't help but ask the count, receiving only a helpless, bitter smile in return.

"I don't know the specific reason either. We spent a lot of money building factories, purchasing raw materials, and hiring workers, but the fabrics we wove were never as good as the products of merchants like Harry. We fired several managers in a row, but it still didn't work."

Leonard stood beside the Crown Prince, muttering to himself about the business that had been troubling him for two years. He had initially made some money, but as market competition intensified, business became increasingly difficult, and the income he received was barely enough to keep the factory running.
More than ten minutes passed, and after listening to the other party's experience, Frode did not rush to express his opinion.

“Your Excellency, I am only responsible for observation. You should convey these words to the Minister of Justice.”

Undoubtedly, Leonard concealed the unfavorable aspects of his actions, pretending to be a misguided and pitiful nobleman, shifting the blame for falsifying accounts onto his steward and workshop manager.

Over the next few days, Om's team stayed at the textile factory, focusing on clearing up the accounts. Frode observed the whole process and realized that his previous view was wrong; the factory was in complete disrepair and it was almost impossible to make a profit.

With things having progressed to this point, Leonard obediently handed over the steward and workshop manager. Soon it would be time to pay the tribute, and he promised to personally go to Lendenium to explain to the king in person.

Before departing, Leonard saw Orm and the others off outside the city, appearing remarkably nonchalant. "As an earl, a whole bunch of people are counting on me to support them, so I took the steward's terrible idea. Alas, it seems we're destined for a life of hardship from now on, unless the king leads us to attack West Francia and plunder a fortune."

Listening to Leonard and Orm's casual conversation, Frode was utterly speechless. It seemed that the older generation of Viking nobles all shared this mindset: going out to war, bringing home spoils to squander, and then going out to war again, lacking any awareness of saving or managing their territories.

Moreover, their fighting methods gradually became outdated, and they were accustomed to using traditional shield wall tactics, which were not suitable for more complex battlefield situations. Over time, the influence of the old aristocracy would inevitably decline slowly, while the influence of the urban class would rise accordingly.

"Was this also within Father's expectations?"

Back in Londinium, Frode posed this question to Vig, who put down his pen and paper and countered, "What do you think nobility is?"

After much hesitation, Frode asked, "Hereditary warriors with territories?"

"To be precise, they are hereditary warriors dependent on the manor economy, such as a knight's manor covering thousands of acres, where tenant farmers provide labor and rent in kind to meet the daily needs of the knights and their servants, allowing them to focus on practicing martial arts and horsemanship, and occasionally go hunting for leisure. In a sense, the kingdom is exchanging a portion of its taxes for high-quality soldiers."

However, in commercially prosperous regions, the numerous entertainment options led nobles to indulge in pleasure, neglecting their martial skills and significantly weakening their wealth. Furthermore, the higher mobility of the populace meant they lacked the dependency relationships found in rural manors.

After listening to Vig's long speech, Frode managed to summarize one key point:
The foundation of the aristocracy lies in the manorial economy. Rural areas are relatively isolated and highly self-sufficient, thus the influence of rural nobles is stronger. Conversely, the influence of nobles around towns is slowly declining and difficult to reverse.

Realizing this trend of the times, Frode was deeply shaken. He had a lot to say, but didn't know where to begin. He remained in his office for a long time before Vig sent him back to school to continue his classes.

(End of this chapter)