Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 96 Return
On the banks of the Seine, Vig discovered that the leader of this expedition was Eric the Younger, with a total of fifty boats and two thousand infantrymen.

"Why are these people coming here now that the war is over?"

The seven thousand Vikings were lukewarm towards this belated ally. Ragnar, unable to defy the collective will of the people, refused Eric's request for a share of the spoils, despite Eric being Queen Sora's nephew.

When going out to fight, dividing up the spoils is the most important part. If one shows favoritism in this regard, it will at least cause dissatisfaction, and at worst lead to a mutiny.

"You're half a month late, there's nothing left to share."

“Uncle, is it really that bad?” Eric tried to bridge the gap between them. “We’ve come all the way from Oslo to Paris. If we run back to Northern Europe empty-handed, those bloodthirsty raiders will not let us off the hook.”

"Rules are rules, and nobody wants to share their money with you."

Since Ragnar was adamant, Eric was in low spirits and asked if there were any suitable settlements nearby to raid.

"Yes, but I don't recommend you take action. Your troops are mostly light infantry, their combat strength is too poor, and they cannot withstand the charge of the Frankish knights. It would be better to find another place."

Upon hearing this, Eric gave a mocking smile, tinged with a hint of desolation. "Change? Where do you want us to go?"

Historically, the Vikings' primary target was the Seven Anglo-Saxons, but now that the Seven Anglo-Saxons have been conquered by the Ragnar, they have few targets left to choose from.

Rus', Livonia (later Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania), East Francia.
Names flashed through Eric's mind, but he still decided to raid West Frankish territory. The next day, he led two thousand grumbling raiders down the river, intending to roam along the coastline and plunder whatever they could.

Ragnar remained expressionless as he watched the sails disappear into the distance on the river. Soon after, Lambert arrived, probing whether the Normans had any other plans.

“These are the troops of Prince Eric of Norway. I have no affiliation with them.”

"It was just a misunderstanding." Lambeto wiped the sweat from his brow and rushed back to Occidental to report the news.

“Your Majesty, these are Norwegian raiders, not with Ragnar. From what I’ve observed at the camp, the Normans are busy repairing their ships and counting their spoils, and seem eager to return to Britain.”

“Very well,” Charles said, leaning on his throne, deciding to formally sign a peace treaty with Ragnar in two days.

In recognition of Lambert's contributions to the peace negotiations, Charles promoted him to Foreign Minister.

“You’ve done a good job lately, reducing the 30,000 pounds of silver to 20,000. Moreover, the 20,000 pounds of silver also included the ransoms of various nobles, and the nearby monasteries and gentry also had to contribute, so the royal family only received 5,000 pounds in the end. Very good, I underestimated you before.”

As the weather grew hotter, neither side had the will to fight, and they eventually drafted a peace agreement outside the bridgehead on the south bank, agreeing not to invade each other for five years.

Ragnar then handed over a list of prisoners, indicating to Charlie that he should pay the ransom, "I can't wait too long, why don't you pay it for them?"

"Alright."

Charlie flipped through the register with his left hand and held a quill pen in his right, occasionally tapping a name. There were more than five hundred people in total, including nobles, guards and gentry.

Ragnar: "What about the others?"

Charlie closed the register. "The national treasury is exhausted. We'll have to find a solution later. Don't worry, they're in your hands. I'll definitely pay to ransom them."

Having acquired a total of 900 warhorses and valuables worth 12,000 pounds of silver, the Vikings sailed away from Paris and returned to Kent by sea on June 10.

For convenience, the remaining five thousand prisoners were placed here, with Gunnar in charge of negotiating with the Franks. Once the Franks delivered the goods, he would release the corresponding prisoners. Gunnar was chosen to handle the negotiations because he had the greatest reputation in West Frankish territory.

As a cavalry commander, he invented the tactic of charging with lances between his own and his own forces, defeating the Frankish cavalry with overwhelming numerical superiority. He then disrupted the French formation, killed several knights in shallow waters, and even went alone to the bridgehead on the south bank to challenge them, making a name for himself and earning the nickname "The Bear" from the French army.

As for Vig and Ivar.

One person commanded the troops from a high platform throughout the entire process, while the other led the heavy infantry in a slow advance, failing to achieve the same awe-inspiring effect as Gunnar.

The day after landing, Ragnar divided the spoils of war amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd.

The distribution of the money is the same as last year: 15% to the royal family, 40% to the nobles, and the remainder to the soldiers.

Thanks to his outstanding contributions on the banks of the Seine, Viggo received the largest share of the spoils, totaling 1,400 pounds of silver.

After a moment's thought, he demanded six hundred pounds of silver, one hundred and thirty warhorses, and a large chest of Latin scrolls.

The war brought in far more revenue than last year, and also earned a nominal dukedom, making it a very worthwhile investment. It's just a pity that such a good opportunity will not come again in the future.

The next morning, Vig went to Goodwin to collect the supplies, only to receive 60% of them. His anger flared instantly. "What happened?"

“It’s very simple. ‘Bald’ Charles only paid twelve thousand pounds and more than five hundred warhorses, which is sixty percent of the total. Of course you can only receive sixty percent. Every noble family does the same.”

Goodwin produced the ledger, swearing he wouldn't be foolish enough to embezzle at such a stage. "The rank-and-file soldiers receive their full pay because His Majesty pays out of his own pocket. Yes, you heard right, he not only didn't take any money, but he actually withdrew gold and silver from Landinium's treasury."

After rambling on for a while, Vig reluctantly accepted reality and returned to his camp with his valuables and horses. While he was busy packing, a palace guard found him.

"His Majesty requests your presence."

What are you looking for?

Vig reluctantly went to the central command tent, only to receive unexpected news:

Ivar was originally scheduled to attack Wales, but due to the renewed rebellion in Ireland, he was unable to leave. Therefore, the mess left by Hafdan and Esselwolf was left for Vig to clean up.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your high regard. It is a pity that Wales is rugged and covered with forests, requiring an unimaginable investment of resources and time."

Regarding the Welsh War, he proposed two plans:
First, a combination of suppression and appeasement was used. Through several decisive victories, the various tribes were forced to submit, and the matter could be resolved in a short period of time.

Second, the pursuit of complete occupation.

"Back when King Aufa was in power, Mercia reached its zenith, and the other six kingdoms submitted to him. Even so, King Aufa was unable to conquer Wales. To defend against Welsh bandits, he spared no expense in building the Aufa Causeway, which stretched for 150 miles in the west. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you choose the first option."

From a political perspective, Ragnar's idea was to send a large army to suppress them, so as not to be looked down upon by the Anglo-Saxons in various places. After repeated persuasion from Vig, he finally suppressed his anger and agreed to appease the various forces.

“Very well, as long as the nobles of each tribe are willing to submit and swear never to invade the border again, I am willing to end this war; otherwise, I would rather continue fighting. Damn it, I have only ever heard of Vikings raiding other regions; there has never been a precedent of anyone raiding us.”

(End of this chapter)