Upon learning of the death of the crown prince and the loss of his crown, the old king who owned Tamworth Castle fell into despair.
He ordered the castle to be doused with kerosene and then dismissed all servants and soldiers. Under the watchful gaze of countless eyes, he silently climbed to the top of the castle and set fire to the building that symbolized the Mercian kingdom.
It took the Viking army more than two months to capture Tamworth, behead the royal family, and successfully complete the task of the first stage.
After this, Ragnar announced that he would rest there. Despite the harsh cold and wandering in the wild, discontent in the army was gradually growing. If they were forced to continue fighting, there would be a high probability of mutiny.
...
The fortress was burned, and a huge amount of valuable information was reduced to ashes. The most important of these was the ledger that recorded the various incomes of the royal family. In desperation, Ragnar commissioned Pascal to take inventory. Vig knew Latin well, so he was hired as Pascal's assistant.
"This is simply a bad report. I will be busy with the next one."
With a sigh, Vig suggested that they search for the clerks and servants who served the royal family, and then interview each one separately and record information about each.
"Right," Pascal accepted his proposal and began the long and boring statistical work.
The most important income of the Mercian royal family comes from the land. Farmers attached to the royal estates are required to pay taxes in kind (such as grain and honey) and to work for two weeks each year without pay.
In addition, the royal family owns a large forest. Poaching is strictly prohibited. Every hunter is required to accurately record information and pay regular fees for furs. Even the daily chopping of firewood requires villagers to pay appropriate taxes.
In addition to agricultural taxes, two other sources of income are trade and coinage:
The royal family has the right to establish tax offices on its territory to collect duties and market taxes. Two small silver mines produce silver bullion annually, which are melted down into silver coins bearing the king's head at the royal mint.
Finally, the old king issued five trade charters, allowing Flemish merchants to monopolize the export of wool and honey, which brought him considerable income.
…
After more than ten days of hard work, the two poor men still could not count the exact number. Fortunately, reinforcements from Goodwin arrived from York with a group of officials. Vig was happy to leave these trifles to them and found a quiet place to read books.
In February, Ivar arrived late with a force of 400 men. Ragnar did not scold his eldest son or show much enthusiasm. He simply held the usual welcoming banquet.
"There are too many nobles in Ireland. If one family is defeated, another will arise and cause trouble. It is an endless rebellion. I have hardly rested for a year."
Ivar took a glass of wine, his eyes showing lingering fatigue. In order to appease the locals, even his irritable and fierce character was forced to compromise and marry the daughter of a minor nobleman. At the same time, he reduced taxes and ruled the Dufillin region according to local customs.
After drinking, he uttered a rare dejected phrase for him:
"I fear that in the coming years, or even more than ten, I am destined to vegetate in this bottomless quagmire. Some suggest that I recruit more Viking settlers. Alas, I can only move step by step."
Vig had been silent the entire time, listening to Ivar's complaints, thinking about the situation in his territory. Suddenly, a rider in a thick woolen cloak burst into the hall and announced that the Nottingham garrison intended to surrender.
"Nottingham?"
Ragnar shook his head and tried to make some sense of it. Indeed, this border town had not yet surrendered and had been holding out for three months. To prevent an attack on the supply routes, a thousand Vikings had positioned themselves outside the city, making up a fifth of the mobile forces.
"What are the terms?"
The rider handed over a scroll of parchment, Ragnar tore off the wax seal and asked Pascal to help with the translation.
To confirm its identity, the letter contained a long, polite speech. Ragnar listened patiently to the end of the letter and learned that Siowulf was not ready to be loyal to him. He was ready to surrender Nottingham on the condition that he moved his family, warriors and property south, and that the Vikings did not attack along the way.
"The Mercians are a disaster."
As the alcohol took effect, Ragnar's mind became increasingly clouded. He did not want to think too much, so he randomly pointed to a nobleman and asked him to take charge of the matter.
The next moment, Ragnar was lying unconscious on the table, snoring rhythmically.
From the right at the long table, Vig looked at Ivar with a blank expression: "Your Majesty, were you just talking about yourself or me?"
Ivar shook his head: "I don't know."
"Forget it, I was born to be hardworking." Vig came over, took the parchment, glanced at it, returned to his room to pack, and the next day set out north.
…
At the beginning of February, Vig led his troops to Nottingham.
Compared to the previous year, Nottingham had changed little, and a thousand Vikings were not enough to completely surround the city. Every night, the defenders secretly sent out small detachments to chop wood and search for supplies in nearby villages, and they lasted for three whole months.
When Vig was 200 meters from the wall, he dismissed all the shield-bearers and remained alone in the snow, waiting.
Soon the eastern gate of Nottingham opened slightly, and a horseman in rich robes appeared to negotiate: "Who are you?"
"Lord of Tyneburg, Wig."
The horseman turned over and dismounted, smiling wearily: "I am Theowulf, Lord of Nottingham."
With a quick glance at this thin young man of about twenty, Wig took the parchment from his hands: "Your Majesty accepts your terms. Tell me, when will you formally surrender?"
"Please give us a week to prepare."
"Three days at most, I am too lazy to waste time on the wilds. You have until the morning of the third day to open the gates and surrender, otherwise I will send troops to besiege you."
After the negotiations, Vig led his men to the abandoned village. On the way, Yolen couldn't help but ask, "Sir, why don't you come into the siege camp and rest?"
"Do you want to live in this dump?" Vig replied, displeased. He had just entered the camp and turned the corner, and the sight was shocking.
The original plan was to bring in 1,000 Viking warriors, but there were hundreds of strangers in the camp. Traders and prostitutes walked freely through the barracks, as if it were a noisy and dirty open-air market. If Theowulf had seized the opportunity to attack by surprise, the chances of victory would have been at least 70%.
Fortunately, thanks to the impact of the capture of Repton and Tamworth, the defenders of Nottingham did not dare to make small moves. They hastily packed up and surrendered the city before the deadline.
"My lord, I hope you will keep your promise."
Theowulf led the soldiers, their families, and the civilian volunteers out of Nottingham, 1,700 in all. Whig led the crowd after him, and it took five days to send these slow-moving civilians south.