Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 87 Lundinew
The next morning, Vig arrived at the military horse farm outside the city, where it was bustling with activity, with four hundred cavalrymen, including Gunnar, gathered there.

Considering his subordinates' weak horsemanship, Gunnar decided to specialize in one skill—the spear-clamping charge, charging with a shield in his left hand and a three-meter-long spear tucked under his right armpit.

Thanks to the improved high-bridged saddle and long stirrups, the swaying of cavalrymen during charges was greatly reduced, improving the accuracy of lance attacks.

Vig stood on the sidelines, quietly watching their training session.

Under the warm winter sun, twelve Viking knights stood in a horizontal line.

"Keep moving forward!"

The lead knight tucked his training lance under his arm, the spurs gently nudged the horse's soft belly, and his warhorse snorted and strode toward the scarecrow in the distance.

After walking for a while, the lead knight shouted, "Move forward quickly!"

Instantly, all the warhorses began to trot, the yellow dust kicked up by their hooves startling the sparrows on the wooden fence.

With only a hundred paces left to the scarecrow, the knight shouted at the top of his lungs, "Charge!"

In an instant, the sound of Bao Tie's horses' hooves thundered like rain. Thirty paces from the scarecrow, all the lances were simultaneously lowered to their sides. In just a few seconds, the training lances, carrying immense force, slammed into the target. The scarecrow's head shattered with a deafening roar, sending countless bits of straw flying through the air.

After the training ended, an older officer came over to check the results:
Five men hit the target, three missed, and four lost the target altogether.

"Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!"

He slapped each of the four men across the face with such force that the onlookers, the cavalrymen, fell silent.

"How could someone of this skill level possibly defeat an experienced Frankish knight? His Majesty granted you a manor; is this how you intend to repay him?"

After a full two minutes of scolding, it was the next group of knights' turn to train. Afterward, the officer, as usual, reprimanded those who had lost their bearings.

Throughout the training ground, insults such as "idiot" and "useless" were constantly heard. If the performance was ridiculously poor, Gunnar would even personally go down to the field to punish the player.

After watching for a full half hour, Vig thought to himself, "Compared to them, am I too good-natured?"

Judging from the overall training results, Gunnar is well-suited to command cavalry, having achieved such results in just six months. With these knights charging with lances, their chances of victory this time could increase by another ten percent.

After his visit, Vig left York and continued his journey. A year later, he found that heavy iron plows were becoming increasingly common in Mercia, with almost every wealthy family owning one.

In addition, a few fields have begun to implement the three-field system. If no lord forces its implementation and instead the people decide for themselves, it is estimated that it will take more than ten years to be fully implemented.

"With the widespread application of the three-field system, the prices of spring crops such as oats, barley, and peas will decrease, while the price of wheat will increase slightly."

On the bumpy saddle, Vig decided to write to Tyne, telling Helgeif not to rush to sell the wheat in the warehouse, but to try to keep it for as long as possible.

Upon returning to Oxford, the watchtower flew the blue flag of Theowough, embroidered with a blooming red camellia in the center.

Out of etiquette among nobles, Theowough invited his guests to a dinner party.

Any news from Yorktown?

"Asraci gave birth to a boy and a girl, and His Majesty is in high spirits. In addition to holding a celebration, he has also promised to reduce the taxes of York." Upon hearing this, Theowuff quickly raised his glass, "May the two newborn princes grow up healthy and strong."

Because he was the first to surrender, he had a bad reputation among the Anglo-Saxon nobility. The key to maintaining his rule was to please Ragnar. As long as the new boss was willing to protect him, the lords below would not dare to rebel.

"I bought two nice gemstone necklaces last month, one for each of you Your Highnesses."

Vig didn't comment much on his colleague's actions. Giving away the necklace would improve Ragnar and Asura's favor, but it would also anger Queen Sora. Although the latter had been behaving well recently, she would eventually clash with Asura, both for her own face and for her son Uber's claim to the throne.

As for Vig, he had maintained a harmonious relationship with Ivar and Bjorn ever since they went on their adventure to Eastern Europe.

Now that Björn has fled to Iceland, seemingly abandoning any thought of vying for the throne, if a war of succession were to break out one day, Vig would have no choice but to side with Ivar, or...
"Fighting wars, managing territory, suppressing bandits, learning Anglo-Chinese and Latin, and carefully managing relationships with members of the royal family—it's all so difficult for me."

Vig's mood suddenly plummeted. Seeing this, Theowuff assumed he was worried about shipbuilding and armament preparations, and patted his chest in response:

"Speak freely of any needs you may have. I will prove to His Majesty with my actions that Theowough's loyalty is no less than that of any nobleman."

"Thank you."

Leaving Oxford, the group headed southeast along the Thames River. The river was relatively slow-flowing and had many small streams along the way. By the time they reached Rendenewme, the river was hundreds of meters wide.

"What a desolate scene."

At this time, Londinium was far from the international metropolis it would become; it was merely a somewhat chaotic town on the north bank of the Thames, where the stone walls left by the Romans still stood, protecting the inhabitants from small groups of pirates.

Passing through the city gate, the interior was exceptionally desolate. The public baths and arena had long since collapsed, and a group of children were playing and frolicking among the tall, magnificent ruins. Wild grass grew wildly from the cracks in the paving stones, evoking an indescribable sense of sadness.

"The ruins are silent, yet they speak of rise and fall; the broken tiles still retain their former splendor. In another hundred or two hundred years, even these ruins will probably be lost."

At the official residence in the city center, Vig showed the sheriff a handwritten letter from Ragnar, announcing that he would be in charge of the city for the foreseeable future.

As the forward base for this campaign, Lundnium will receive a steady stream of supplies from various locations in the coming days, and Vig will need to repair the warehouses and store them in different categories.

At the same time, he also needed to settle the various groups that had come to gather, maintain order, and prevent them from disturbing the people—Ragnar had specifically mentioned this point before setting off, as Londinium, as a royal domain and the future capital, must not be damaged in any way.

After reviewing the ledgers, Vig went out to inspect various locations, starting with the dock area outside the south gate.

Compared to the dilapidated and crumbling city, this place exudes a sense of prosperity. Wooden boardwalks extend into the clear river, with more than thirty merchant ships of various sizes moored beside them. Workers carrying sacks on their shoulders shuttle back and forth on the gangplanks, wisps of pale white mist rising from their bodies.

Inspecting the goods, Londinium's main trading partner was the Flanders region, exporting agricultural products such as wool, dried fish, and cow and sheep hides, and importing glassware, wine, and metals such as iron, copper, and tin.

Yoren lowered his voice and reminded him, "Sir, should we detain these merchants to prevent them from leaking information?"

"Wessex has probably already secretly informed West Frankenstein that it's too late."

Vig rubbed his eyes wearily, but finally agreed to Yolen's suggestion.

(End of this chapter)