Noticing Vig's tact, Queen Thora smiled for the first time in a long time and answered before Ragnar could: "Of course, a loyal minister like you deserves a generous reward."
Meanwhile, Aslach also intended to secure territories for her son Sigurd. Since Vig was willing to give up the fight for Wales, she could do him a favor.
"Your Majesty, Vig's military achievements are outstanding. You deserve a generous reward."
The two queens agreed, and the maids and courtiers in the hall exchanged glances. It seemed that this was a novelty.
Hearing Vig's request for money, Ragnar happily agreed, providing 400 pounds of silver to cover the military expenses.
Based on past experience, Ragnar believed that Vig could defeat the Picts; the key to success lay in his abilities.
He foresaw that the difficult terrain of the North would put Vig in the same predicament as Ivar, who would be overwhelmed by numerous rebellions and unable to help him in the war.
Well, let these two new Dukes of Puy hang around. In any case, he has been focused on domestic affairs lately, and he does not intend to fight with other countries.
"Serve well, I will wait for good news from you."
"Thank you for your generosity." Vig bowed and thanked him.
In the previous year's Mercian-Wessex War he had collected 200 pounds of silver, and in the first half of the Frankish War he had earned 600 pounds, plus the 400 pounds he had received as a reward from Ragnar, for a total of 1,200 pounds of silver. In addition, Tynburg had fully implemented the three-field system, accumulating a large grain harvest, more than enough to conquer the North.
While he was pondering how to use this huge sum of money, Halfdan, standing before the steps, said:
"Your Excellency the Duke, I have heard that the list of surrendering includes Shrike, Snake, and Fern. Is this true?"
"Yes," Vig answered calmly, looking into his own eyes:
"At the meeting in Marathaar, Oleg pardoned everyone in His Majesty's name, including, of course, these three. Later, fearing that you would become Duke of Wales and retribution, they proposed that they all move north together. Forced by the situation,
I agreed."
As an envoy, Oleg knew that he was innocent, so he quickly stood up and explained:
"After I read His Majesty's will, Shrike suddenly jumped out and mentioned the candidate for the Duke of Wales. He was afraid that you would take revenge on them by becoming Duke. The atmosphere at the scene was very tense." Someone suggested that the three of them hide in Tyneburg to avoid disaster. Vig had to agree.
Halfdan: "How can this be? Is my left hand..."
" "Shut up!" Ragnar looked at his son helplessly. "A king cannot take back his words. Regret will only lead to more rebellion in Wales. Vig did the right thing."
After a series of disastrous performances, Halfdan was no longer fit to be Duke of Wales. As compensation, Ragnar granted him Gothenburg, his residence in Northern Europe, so that he could learn more about Viking traditions and escape the decadent lifestyle of the court with English maids.
Halfdan looked up in disbelief. "Gothenburg?"
Due to a long-term decline in population, Gothenburg was on the verge of collapse, with annual taxes amounting to only ten pounds of silver, barely enough to cover basic expenses.
"Father, you are banishing me for just one defeat?"
"You grew up in Norway and live there as the Earl of Gothenburg. Why do you call this banishment?"
"How can you earn anything in this miserable place? It is less than a year's income for a Flemish wool merchant. If you say this is a good place, why don't you give it to Ubber and Sigurd?"
A heated argument broke out between father and son, which resulted in Halfdan receiving a severe reprimand and a week's notice to travel to Northern Europe to seize power.
"Father, one day you will realize that this was a fundamentally wrong decision." Halfdan glanced around the room
and quickly left the hall, slipping past Aethelwulf.
"Your Highness, what are you doing?"
"Just call me Halfdan, my lord the Duke. Be careful when you enter; there are not many good men there."
Aethelwulf paused for a few seconds before entering the hall and bowing to the throne.
"Your Majesty, last month you sent an envoy with orders to thoroughly investigate the activities of Frankish spies. A preliminary investigation yielded two arrests: five abandoned their estates and fled, and one attempted to resist and was beheaded on the spot. Here is the report and confession."
The servant took the ledger and walked up the steps to Ragnar, who could not read Latin, and asked his wife Thora to read it to him.
He muttered to himself:
"Spy, I consider you the greatest Frankish spy, especially for giving away the plans for the trebuchet and the approximate time of its deployment.
That alone deserves to be hanged
." However, Ragnar could only mutter this to himself. Without hard evidence, he could not convict Aethelwulf.
A forced execution would likely provoke a civil war.
"The Viking nobility, the Pangru-Saxon nobility, the recently surrendered Welsh nobility, and the Irish in the west.
By Odin, if civil war breaks out, who knows how many will side with me."
Aethelwulf finished reading his report. Ragnar, not taking any evidence, offered bait:
"I have recently conquered Wales. How do you propose to dispose of it? Should we appoint an outside observer, or let the Welsh choose their own ruler?"
Aethelwulf replied: "Welsh territory is complex, and there is little to gain. Pacification is the priority. You will be the ruler, and they will choose seven members from among their ranks to form a council to settle disputes among the nobles. Even if there is discontent, the council will at least serve as a buffer."
The Council.
At first glance, this seemed plausible, but Ragnar could not tell whether the man was giving advice or secretly sowing a hidden threat.
He questioned Prime Minister Pascal, who had just recovered from a serious illness, and Vig, who was standing in line, confused. Both hesitated and did not give any valuable advice.
After much thought, a wave of fatigue came over Ragnar. "Never mind, we will talk about this later,"
he said, putting his worries aside for the moment. He mentioned Aethelwulf's family affairs. He had heard that his wife was pregnant, so he asked a maid to bring him a gold bracelet.
"May she bear a strong and intelligent child."
Aethelwulf bowed. "Thank you for this gift. I have a feeling that it will be a boy. For some reason, the word Alfred has been coming to my mind lately. It seems to suit him."
"Alfred, Alfred,"
"Ragnar repeated, repeating the English name that literally means "wisdom" without any other special meaning. Soon, feeling increasingly tired, he declared the audience over and dismissed everyone in the hall.
" Leaving the palace, Vig went to the treasury to get 400 pounds of silver. After signing the delivery note for the materials, the scribe told him not to hurry.
"Sir, Charles the Bald has delivered a shipment of silver and horses. The ship is unloading at the dock. Would you like to see it?"