Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 380 Plan Leaked
At the end of the year, Vig reviewed the work summary submitted by the cabinet. Since there had been no war in the empire throughout the year, the economy had grown rapidly, and the population of Lundinium had swelled to 47,000, with the textile industry absorbing most of the new citizens.

Vast quantities of textiles were exported from Britain to continental Europe, bringing Vigg enormous tax revenue. In 1871, fiscal revenue reached £175,000, with commercial taxes accounting for over 70%.

On the expenditure side, two major expenditures were added in 871: casting cannons and expanding Lundenium.

Initially, the cost of each bronze cannon in the arsenal was £150. With improvements in technology, the cost was reduced to £120, bringing the total expenditure on casting cannons to £15,000. Fortunately, the economy developed rapidly in 871, and the cabinet did not complain too much.

The expansion of Rendeneum cost over £20,000. After the completion of the various projects, the city council will sell the land in batches, which will quickly recoup the construction costs and may even generate a huge profit.

In summary, the fiscal expenditure in 871 was £105,000, with an annual surplus of £70,000.

"So much? After paying off all the war bonds, I'll still have 50,000 pounds left."

Sound finances are key to maintaining monarchical rule. Vigé, having witnessed the collapse of the old dynasty, took this very seriously.

Over the years, he has lived frugally and insisted on investing a large amount of money in economic development and the expansion of external markets. It was as if the snowball was getting bigger and bigger, and today, he has finally created a powerful and prosperous empire.

A sound financial situation meant that the nine departments had sufficient funds, and the completion of various tasks met expectations. Vig turned to the last page of the report, which contained information about the New World.

The situation in Boston, Charleston, and Puerto Rico was stable. Meanwhile, the Governor of the Caribbean and Baron of Puerto Rico sent a hastily drawn map, including the Caribbean islands and western Central America.

The governor claimed that the situation in Central America was turbulent and most powers were in decline, so he requested further authority to act.

Vigmore stroked his chin. "What does the cabinet think?"

The Prime Minister shook his head. "The western Mediterranean, northern Italy, Moravia—there are potential conflict sites everywhere. It's not suitable to send troops to the New World and fight a group of indigenous countries we've never even heard of."

Vig shared the same opinion; he left his seat and paced back and forth around the room.

The current firearms technology is outdated and has not yet achieved an absolute advantage. After much consideration, he forbade the governor from interfering in the wars of the native kingdoms, allowing him to at most sell some textiles, wine, and iron weapons.

The year is January 872 AD.

Central Europe, Hradec on the upper Elbe River.

In the dead of night, a cold wind howled through the air, carrying snowflakes. Most residents were asleep, but the town lord's banquet was still in progress.

In the center of the hall, a stone hearth burned with thick oak wood, sparks occasionally crackling and then quickly fading away. The woolen tapestries hanging on the wall swayed slightly in the firelight, their embroidered hunting patterns flickering in and out of focus.

"Drink, another one!"

Various kinds of roasted meats, as well as cheese and white bread spread with honey, were laid out on the long table, and twenty-three nobles sat around the table on both sides.

Most of them had beards, wore thick wool robes and leather boots, and the wine in their silver cups reflected in the firelight. Occasionally, they complained about this year's harvest and the king's newly increased taxes.

"The standing army has been expanded to two thousand, but the king still thinks it's not enough and even wants to impose a luxury tax. With him exploiting us like this, the prices of wine, whiskey, mead, sugar, and spices will rise sharply in the future."

"Not only that, dyed fabrics are also considered luxury goods, all because of those awful Greek consultants!"

Resentment gradually built up, and finally, the young nobleman on the main seat roared, "Rebellion! Rostislav is a puppet of the Greeks; he is unworthy to rule this kingdom!" Instantly, the hall fell silent; everyone stared blankly at the increasingly agitated young man. Not long after, a middle-aged nobleman rose to take his leave, saying, "I have some matters to attend to; I must depart."

The remaining guests took their leave, each for different reasons. Rebellion was the most serious crime, and they simply wanted to avoid the disaster.

After everyone left, the young nobleman continued to chatter until a guard reminded him.

He exhaled a breath of alcohol, "Where are my guests? Where have they all gone?"

Soon, Kozel of Zataize received the news, and he couldn't resist drawing his longsword and frantically hacking at the long table in the lord's hall.

"God above, why would I contact this big-mouthed idiot!"

According to the previously planned strategy, he would launch a rebellion in early April, leading the Viking army into the east to overthrow the old king's rule and become a duke or even the new king.

Now that the plan has been exposed, Kozel can no longer hide it. He quickly summons the minor nobles and gentry from the surrounding areas and forces them to choose sides.

"The king is incompetent and a mere puppet of the Greeks. I intend to raise an army to defend the ancient traditions of Moravia. What do you think?"

A minority agreed, the majority remained silent, and five minor nobles who had converted to the new faith loudly denounced the lord's crime of rebellion.

Kozel did not respond, but glanced indifferently at the guards on both sides of the hall. Instantly, five minor nobles were hacked to death by a flurry of swords, and their bodies were dragged out of the hall, leaving streaks of crimson on the floor.

Intimidating the crowd, Kozel forced them to sign multiple declarations of war, which would be sent to various locations, cutting off the participants' escape route.

"Very good, thank you all for choosing the right direction."

After finishing everything, Kozel found Red Snapper in the backyard and asked him to contact the Viking army as soon as possible.

The agent explained with a pained expression, "Sir, the weather is freezing cold. If you declare war in winter ahead of schedule, we are not prepared. We will probably have to wait for a while."

After saying this, he rode away from Zatatza and hurried to the border of his country, forty miles to the northwest.

Three days later, the news reached the military camp in Magdeburg, causing chaos. A third of the officers were on leave in other places, and the necessary supply wagons and ships for the expedition were not ready, meaning the expedition would be unable to proceed for at least a month.

Similarly, the Duke's family in Regensburg was also unprepared.

The shrewd Duchess clutched the letter, complaining repeatedly, "The weather is freezing, and the farmers just want to stay home for the winter. This war is impossible to win."

Douglas glanced at her. "So, you're planning to use this excuse to fob off the Emperor?"

Douglas instructed his two sons to travel to various places to recruit militia, and regardless of the outcome, he had to take action to demonstrate his loyalty to the emperor.

On January 10th, Agent Red Snapper returned to Zarates and, after delivering a string of bad news, reported the only piece of good news:

Two thousand sets of armor and a large quantity of weapons were secretly stored in Dresden, on the west side of the border. According to the contingency plan, the equipment was being transported to Zataize, so that Kozel could find a way to hold out until February.

(End of this chapter)