Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 363 The war is over
In February 870 AD, a message reached Zaragoza:
Gunnar caused a drunken disturbance at the banquet, seriously injuring the Count of Orléans and two others. He was temporarily detained by Charles the Bald, awaiting his fate.

In an instant, the Duke's mansion was thrown into chaos. Charles, Oliver, and others gathered together to discuss the matter, speculating that Charles had detained Gunnar not because he was drunk and had injured someone, but because he wanted him to continue serving and try to get Asturias involved in the war with the Vikings.

The court attendant looked flustered. "No, I must return to León immediately and report this to His Majesty."

He rode away from Zaragoza and noticed a young man following closely behind. "Henry, what do you want?"

The court attendants recognized Henry as the Duke's illegitimate son. Despite their noble lineage, this group faced rejection from mainstream society, and the court attendants, disregarding him, attempted to drive him away.

Henry, the illegitimate son, riding a white horse, replied anxiously, "I wish to go to Leon to see His Majesty and beg him to rescue my father as soon as possible."

The next moment, a heavy cloth bag was thrown at the palace attendant. He weighed it in his hand and found that it was full of gold and silver coins. He immediately changed his tone and allowed the young man to join his team.

Five days later, the group returned to León and delivered the bad news to Alfonso III.

"Ha, this is Bald Charlie getting revenge on me." Alfonso leaned against the throne for a long time. He waved the crowd away and noticed a tall young man standing there, seemingly wanting to say something.

Alfonso: "Who are you?"

Young man: "My name is Henry."

Gunnar's illegitimate son? Alfonso suddenly realized, "You want me to rescue your father as soon as possible?"

At this moment, only the two of them remained in the hall. Henry slowly shook his head and revealed his true thoughts:

"No, no matter what you ask, Bald Charlie will never let him go. He's like a drowning wretch desperately trying to grab onto anything."

If I'm not mistaken, he will next demand wheat and other supplies from Zaragoza in his father's name. Even if Zaragoza doesn't deliver, he will feign receiving aid, leading the British to believe that their father is still on the Frankish side, thus dragging us into the mess as well.

Now that my father is a puppet of the Franks, I feel it is time to choose a new duke and demonstrate our neutrality to Britain.

Alfonso gazed at the young man, who was about his age, and said with interest, "As an illegitimate child, you actually have this kind of insight. Not bad. Who taught you that?"

Henry knelt down on the ground. “Bastards are different from legitimate heirs. They are born with everything, while my identity is hidden from the light of day. I am like a weed that no one cares about. When I have nothing to do, I can only observe, learn, and think more.”

"Your Majesty, I am not like Robert. I don't care about Vikings or Franks. I only have you as my master, and I will only be loyal to you."

Sensing the ambition of the man before him, Alfonso leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pondered. Between the two, Henry was more suitable to inherit the title of Duke of Zaragoza.

First, Robert grew up in the Parisian court and considered himself a Frankish nobleman, so he would definitely favor Charles the Bald and let him inherit the title, which would inevitably lead to conflict with Britain.

Secondly, the kingdom was at war with the Moors for a long time, and Henry was a good fighter, while Robert himself was mediocre and had less value.

"Okay, I agree."

The following day, Alfonso issued a decree claiming that the Duke of Zaragoza had been unjustly detained by the Franks and that all orders issued by the Franks in his name were invalid.

To ensure the smooth functioning of the duchy, the king officially recognized Henry as Gunnar's biological son and permitted him to temporarily handle all affairs of Zaragoza as the duke's heir. From that day forward, Henry was permitted to use a noble surname and was known as Henry de Zaragoza. When addressed by others, he could also be preceded by the prefix "Don Henry," thus becoming Don Henry.

Soon, the news reached the estate on the outskirts of Genoa. Gunnar, who was under house arrest, was initially incredulous, then burst into laughter, leading his servants to believe that he had gone completely mad.

"He'll do anything for his ambition, ha, just like my son. It seems he's been studying very hard and has actually picked up this trait."

Inside the room, Vivian was frantically smashing the furniture in her line of sight. "Stop laughing! The ducal title has been taken by that bastard. What will happen to our son?"

"What else can we do?" Gunnar's smile faded, and he wiped his eyes.

"That's right, Robert is my only legitimate son and has the right to inherit the dukedom. But so what? I became the Duke of Normandy not because of my title, and I later became the Duke of Zaragoza not because of any so-called title or bloodline, but simply because I was a good fighter and had some use to me."

From Alfonso's perspective, Henry's value and reliability far outweigh Robert's, so the former is the obvious choice. "No matter how much trouble you cause, even taking it to the Vatican won't make a difference."

In March, Vig left his garrison troops stationed in strategic locations and led his army northward.

At this point in the situation, although there was no explicit ceasefire agreement, the war was effectively over.

The remnants of the Frankish forces were confined to the Italian region and were unable to launch a counterattack in the short term.

Similarly, the Viking army could not break through the treacherous Alps for the time being.

From the start of the war until now, it has lasted two years and nine months. Soldiers are homesick, the local finances are on the verge of collapse, and a vast new territory is in need of governance and urgently requires an effective system of order.

Regardless of the king's thoughts, the only option at this moment was to withdraw the troops.

On the return journey, noticing the subtle anxiety among the group, Vig spoke privately with each of the commanders to confirm their true demands.

On March 20, Vig led his expeditionary force to Calais and sailed back to his loyal Britain.

At the Londineum docks, the Crown Prince and his cabinet were preparing for a grand triumphal procession, with golden carriages, enthusiastic crowds, and flower petals scattered along the streets—a direct imitation of Roman customs.

For the rest of the time, Vig and the expeditionary force toured the city. During the war, the domestic economy was affected, and Londinium's development slowed, with the population increasing slightly to 32,000.

At 10 a.m., the ceremony ended, and the golden carriage returned to the palace gates. Vig stepped down from the carriage, and the first thing he said was, "How much money did we spend this time? How much debt do we owe?"

The cabinet's reply was that the national treasury had accumulated supplies worth £35,000 before the campaign. For more than two years, all the fiscal surplus had been invested in the war, with five batches of war bonds issued, totaling £120,000. At the same time, the royal family used various assets as collateral to borrow another £50,000 from the public.

In summary, the kingdom spent approximately £240,000 on the war, acquiring gold, silver, armor, and supplies worth £100,000, resulting in a net expenditure of £140,000.

Vig: "So, in the next few years, the royal family will need to repay a huge debt of over 100,000 pounds. You're so poor, yet you still have the mood to hold a triumphal procession?"

(End of this chapter)