Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 320 Army
During the coronation, the Patriarch fabricated a noble lineage for Basil, claiming that he was a descendant of the royal family of ancient Armenia.

Given the presence of Imperial Guard soldiers and Varangian warriors inside the church, the nobles dared not openly oppose it, but could only rant and rave inwardly.

"A country bumpkin dares to call himself emperor?"

"Once the generals in various regions receive this message, how will you respond?"

"Since you were born in Macedonia, why not find an even more noble ancestor, such as Alexander the Great of Macedonia?"

After the coronation ceremony, Basil lavishly rewarded his confidants, and Nils received another awkward honorary title, which he accepted calmly.

On the morning of the third day, Basil summoned the soldiers in the square north of the palace and personally distributed money to them.

Last year, Michael III eliminated Baldas and his cronies, confiscated lands throughout the lands, and put most of the gold and silver into Michael III's sacred treasury.

Basil has now staged a coup, seized Michael III's sacred treasury, and dealt with a large number of nobles who opposed him, confiscating their property. A rough estimate suggests that the wealth he now controls is roughly equivalent to the empire's total annual revenue, which, converted to British and Nordic units, is equivalent to 600,000 pounds of silver!

When Niels first heard the number, he was shocked, but after careful consideration, he felt that the number was quite reasonable.

The Eastern Roman Empire had a population of 850 million, and Constantinople had a population of over 50. Their level of civilization far surpassed that of other parts of Europe, so such a level of income was to be expected. In its heyday hundreds of years ago, fiscal revenue would have been several times higher.

Looking at the mountains of gold and silver piled up in the square, and the soldiers lining up to receive their rewards, Nils muttered to himself:
"If you add bald Charlie and Vig together, their annual income is probably only £100,000. The rest, Rurik, Eric Jr., and Hafdan, are even poorer and not worth mentioning at all."

After two busy days, Basil distributed rewards to every soldier under his command, thus gaining their initial loyalty.

Subsequently, Basil wrote to generals in various places, offering different conditions according to each person's character.

In just one month, through complex political deals, Basil gained the recognition of more than a dozen generals.

With the situation largely settled, Michael III coincidentally died suddenly, allowing Basil to temporarily stabilize the power dynamic. To enhance his prestige and legitimacy, he urgently needed to launch a foreign war to solidify his power through victory.

Currently, the Eastern Roman Empire has a total military force of 100,000, including:

The 65,000 peasant soldiers were distributed across various military regions. They possessed hereditary land, farmed and paid taxes during peacetime, and responded to conscription during wartime. Their morale and training level were relatively poor.

Ten thousand border guards were stationed on the border to defend against foreign invasion.

The 15,000 field soldiers and 2,000 Varangian guards stationed in Constantinople were well-equipped and powerful, forming the core of the empire's military force.

Finally, there was the Eastern Roman navy, with sixty warships and a total of five thousand sailors, craftsmen, and support staff.

In addition, each military region general also has a number of mercenaries, approximately several thousand.

After assessing the situation of all parties involved, Basil convened a meeting with his trusted advisors.

The meeting was not held in the main palace, but on an open-air balcony located halfway up a mountain, facing the Sea of ​​Marmara. It was surrounded by many lush vines, and the table was decorated with figs, grapes, olives and other fruits.

Niels didn't eat anything, but instead cast his gaze to the eastern sea. The sky was azure, and the sea shimmered with dappled golden light in the afternoon sun. Merchant ships of various shapes and sizes came and went, and occasionally, one could spot the naval warships of the Dromon. The oars of the warships rose and fell in unison, gliding swiftly across the sea. Two heavy ballistae were mounted on the deck, and the bow was adorned with a dragon sculpture, said to contain launchers for Greek fire.

"Sit wherever you like, don't be too stiff."

Basil, dressed in a purple robe, smiled as he came to the open-air balcony and had his servants spread out a huge map on the ground.

The Eastern Roman Empire faced three main external threats: the Abbasid Caliphate in the east, the rising Bulgaria in the Balkans, and the pirates entrenched on Crete.

Which direction do you think is suitable for deploying troops?

The crowd remained silent. Basil's gaze swept across the open-air balcony, finding Nils at the edge of the group. "Nobelissimos (meaning noble, an honorary title usually bestowed upon the emperor's close confidants), what are your thoughts?"

Niels replied in broken Greek, “The Abbasid Caliphate is powerful and has a vast territory, making it unsuitable to provoke them. Cretan pirates are skilled in harassment warfare, and their whereabouts are elusive, making them difficult to capture.”

Therefore, I chose Bulgaria; their territory is located north of Constantinople, a shorter distance away, making it convenient for supply transport.

Niels's thoughts coincided with Basil's. The emperor had been abducted to Bulgaria as a child and suffered for more than twenty years. Now that he held power, it was time for him to take revenge.

He nodded slightly, a hopeful smile on his face. "How do you think we should deploy our troops?"

Niels: "The peasant soldiers are weak in combat and are not suitable for being deployed in battle. If they are lost too much, it will easily lead to a weakened defense of Anatolia and trigger an invasion by the Abbasid Caliphate."

I suggest recruiting the Rus' and the nomads of the Eastern European steppes. They live in poverty, and for a small sum of money, we can acquire a large number of mercenaries. Even if they suffer heavy losses, it won't affect the foundation of the empire.

During this period, the infantry of the Eastern Roman Empire was far less effective than the Roman legions of centuries earlier, relying instead on armored cavalry—both riders and their mounts were clad in armor, making them immune to most attacks.

Compared to the Frankish knights who excelled at lance charges, armored cavalry were additionally equipped with bows and arrows, serving as "heavy horse archers." Their weakness lay in their slower speed; the heavy horse armor prevented them from keeping up with enemy cavalry, thus requiring the support of friendly light cavalry.

The emperor believed that assigning Eastern Europeans as heavy infantry and nomads as light cavalry would effectively compensate for the army's shortcomings. The Eastern Roman Empire was wealthy and didn't care about such a small amount of money.

The emperor agreed to Nils's proposal and allowed him to go to the middle and lower reaches of the Dnieper River to recruit mercenaries, with the number limited to no more than 15,000.

Two days later, Niels, the treasurer Titus, five eunuchs, and five hundred guards went to the Golden Horn to board a ship and head to Eastern Europe under the escort of the Dromon warship.

Upon revisiting the area, Niels found that the middle and lower reaches of the Dnieper River had not changed much, and the Rus' people still lived a poor and dangerous life, often entangled with nomads.

Upon learning of the arrival of the Eastern Roman delegation, the Rus' leaders were in high spirits and led the young men of their tribes to the riverside camp in search of a high-risk, high-reward job.

“My name is Niels, the White Raven of Gnutz, commander of the Varangian Guard, Nobelissimos (Nobleman) appointed by the Emperor, and Ragnar's nephew.”

After listing a long list of titles, Niels looked down at a few slightly panicked faces in the crowd. "I have fought alongside some of the leaders, and I'm sure you all know more or less about my deeds. I have some good news to share with you all."

(End of this chapter)