Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 334 Livonia
In May 867 AD, Pascal the Younger returned to the mouth of the Neva River. Rows of livestock sheds were built near the dock, and many idle Pechenegs roamed around the area.

"It seems Rurik wasn't just giving us the runaround."

Pascal arrived at the dock, exchanged pleasantries with the nobles who came to greet him, and then received the mercenaries and the list of supplies.

At the beginning of the year, the Bulgarian War ended, and many mercenaries lost their jobs. Rurik successfully recruited three hundred nomadic riders and purchased more than seven hundred steppe horses.

"The price of mercenaries and warhorses is fine, but the price of furs can be reduced by another 10%."

The nobleman looked bewildered. "The price was already lowered last year, why are you cutting the fur purchase price again?"

Little Pascal: "Don't worry, I'm not trying to lower the price on purpose. The New World offers a large quantity of furs at low prices, and the British market has an oversupply of furs."

Furthermore, at the beginning of this year, the Navy dispatched a second fleet of immigrant ships. Once new settlements are established and contact is made with nearby indigenous tribes, fur prices will continue to fall.

The two haggled until they reached an agreement acceptable to both. At dinner, Pascal mentioned Rurik, saying he'd heard Rurik had always stayed on the middle reaches of the Dnieper. "Why?" he asked.

The nobleman drank several glasses of fine whiskey, looking dazed, and explained the recent events that had transpired.

At the end of February, the Eastern Roman Empire disbanded its large mercenary force, and thousands of Rus' people returned to their homelands. Some tribes had seized large quantities of weapons and armor, becoming quite wealthy. Rurik, fearing he couldn't control these people, led his guards to Uruberg in the area to prevent any potential rebellion.
Pascal listened carefully, sifting through the drunkard's ramblings to extract useful information. After dinner, he worked through the night to draft a report assessing the strength of the Rurik regime.

To date, Rurik's influence is limited to the Black Sea-Baltic trade route. He truly controls only the area around Lake Ilmen (Novgorod) and Lake Ladoga, with a population of 6 to 8. The Rus' tribes in the middle reaches of the Dnieper River nominally submit to him, but in reality, each harbors their own ambitions.

At the end of the report, he concluded, "It is heavily reliant on foreign trade and is too weak to pose a threat."

After the deal was struck, Pascal Jr. left the fleet at the mouth of the Neva River to load and unload supplies, while he sailed to Livonia on a two-masted sailing ship.

Last year, the Baltic Fleet established a base on the coast of Livonia, naming it Veryanka.

Upon arrival, Pascal the Younger found the terrain to be favorable, with a river flowing from east to west into the sea. The outpost was located on the south bank and had wooden walls and moats, more than enough to deal with the locals who lacked iron tools.

Little Pascal climbed a wooden watchtower. Outside the wall was a large, temporarily cleared area, with wisps of smoke rising from burning tree stumps. Looking into the distance, there was an endless primeval forest, with layers of branches and leaves undulating in the wind like a rolling green ocean.

"It's practically a desolate wasteland."

After observing for a long time, a longboat with oars came from upstream. As it got closer, Pascal noticed that the sails had dozens of holes in them and the hull was studded with many feathered arrows, suggesting that it had been attacked by locals.

problem occurs?
Pascal climbed down from the watchtower and questioned the terrified surviving crew members, learning that they had been attacked about fifty miles upstream.

As the royal envoy, he instinctively wanted to gather more information and act cautiously. But the outpost's garrison couldn't afford to be cautious; they had to respond to the attack with revenge and deter potential enemies.

The next day at noon, the garrison hired guides from a relatively friendly tribe and dispatched four longboats with a total of 180 men to march in a grand procession towards the enemy tribe.

The battle was a foregone conclusion; the Vikings, with their superior equipment and training, wiped out the tribe, seizing grain and livestock and capturing over three hundred prisoners. During his observation period, young Pascal became familiar with the outpost's operating model, which relied primarily on trade and occasionally, on sunny days, clearing forests and land for farming and grazing.

Overall, the returns from the outposts were far less than the investment, and it was estimated that it would take ten or even fifteen years to break even. Little Pascal couldn't understand the king's intentions.

"Livonia lacks mineral resources and is a barren land with little value. It would be better to invest the money in domestic development."

land?

Little Pascal suddenly touched on the truth: perhaps what the king valued was the land itself.

After years of peace, the British nobility multiplied and thrived, with only the eldest son inheriting the title, while the remaining second sons and illegitimate children faced various circumstances.

Some earls carved out small fiefdoms for their second sons or illegitimate children, granting them baronies or knighthoods. The less fortunate noble sons received nothing, ending up as officers in the standing army or in administrative positions or local temples. The most unfortunate fell into the lower classes, working for merchants, engaging in small businesses, or smuggling.
Pascal the Younger had his guards unfurl a parchment scroll to examine a map of Livonia.

"Livonia is flat, and although it is covered with forests, with enough time, pastures or farmland can be cultivated. Moreover, it is hundreds of miles away from East Frankish, which prevents the enemy from making long marches, thus ensuring its safety. Your Majesty is spending resources to develop Livonia, intending to let the second or third prince rule this place?"

Pascal thought it was a great idea.

He has two sons and a daughter, and his younger brother has three sons. The family territory cannot accommodate so many descendants, so it is appropriate to send them to Livonia to assist the prince in governing the land.

Of course, besides Livonia, there was a vast New World to the west, but Pascal the Younger did not want his sons or nephews to settle there, as the two places were too far apart, which was tantamount to exile.

However, he thought some nobles would throw their illegitimate children over there to prevent them from tarnishing the family's reputation.

For the next week, young Pascal traveled to a nearby friendly tribe, diligently searching for any valuable information to demonstrate his work ethic to the king in hopes of a speedy promotion.

In February of this year, Prime Minister Goodwin, due to old age and declining health, resigned and returned to his hometown to recuperate. Home Secretary Mitcham succeeded him as the new Prime Minister. In addition, Industry Minister Lukar "voluntarily" submitted his resignation due to a series of mistakes.

Before departing, Pascal Jr. probed the King's thoughts, and the latter did not object to him entering the cabinet, but the relevant positions were still under consideration, and it seemed that more personnel changes were needed.

"It is expected that there will be two or more vacancies in the cabinet."

Pascal the Younger considered his rivals, the first being Seibert Stormwind, who, as one of the earliest graduates of Tyneburg School, enjoyed the King's deep trust and was the most likely candidate to enter the cabinet.

Then there's the Prime Minister's secretary, Lodge, who has been in the administrative system for over ten years. Lodge even worked for Viggo for a period of time when Viggo was the Prime Minister in Ragnar's cabinet.

After reviewing everyone's information, Pascal frowned and decided to return home as soon as possible to avoid missing this rare opportunity.

(End of this chapter)