Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 35 Hadrian's Wall

After resting for a night, Vig left thirty Viking farmers behind to load supplies and the wounded back to Tyneburg in oxcarts, while the rest of the men continued on their way.

After traveling west for most of the day, Harry pointed ahead to a long, winding wall ruin submerged in dense grass: "Sir, this is the Roman wall that stretches all the way to the west coast."

Hadrian's Wall?
Vig rode the gray horse closer, and a short memory flashed through his mind.

In 122 AD, Emperor Hadrian toured Britain and, in order to defend against the Picts (whom the Romans called Caledonia) in the northern mountains, adopted a one-time solution—building fortifications that stretched from the River Tyne in the east to Solway Bay on the west coast, a total length of more than 100 kilometers, about 4.5 meters high, and 3 meters wide at the base.

Vig climbed the steps to a relatively intact section of the city wall. Suddenly, several birds darted out from a crack in the wall, and two pale brown feathers fell from mid-air. Reaching the top, he stroked the battlements marked by time, stared blankly at the vast, desolate plain, and was filled with emotion. He subconsciously recited the second half of the Ossimantis.

I am Ossimantis, King of Kings.

The unparalleled achievements he has made will leave you in despair.

The gaze extends into the desolate surroundings.

There was nothing else but ruins, and desolate yellow sand stretching endlessly around them.

"Good poetry, good poetry."

Although they didn't understand what language the new lord was speaking, it didn't stop Micham and Harry from cheering loudly. Their noise dampened Vig's enthusiasm, and the group continued on its way.

Three hours later, they arrived at their second target. The same attack strategy was employed: the battering ram successfully breached the gate, but the manor owner, along with a small group, retreated into a brick watchtower, clearly prepared to defend it to the death.

"Don't charge in, retreat!"

After breaking down the small door of the stone fortress, Vig stopped the soldiers from continuing their attack upwards. Instead, he ordered his men to pile up a lot of firewood on the first floor, using the thick smoke to force the defenders to surrender and end the battle before dusk.

Because the estate was smaller than the previous one, this auction only yielded ten pounds of silver, and the spoils of grain and livestock were also meager. The only notable find was the cellar, which contained many barrels of ale, allowing the entire group to have a good time.

The next day, looking at the drunkards all over the place, Vigé reluctantly announced an extra day of rest.

However, it was precisely because of this precious day that the remaining four manors were able to react. They discussed the matter privately and finally managed to come up with a solution.

Two days later, Vig saw four well-dressed figures standing ahead of him and guessed that these four families planned to join forces to fight him.

"That's great, let's get them done in one go and save ourselves the trouble of running around on the road."

The manor has no more than fifty able-bodied men, and even if all of them were mobilized, there would only be a little over two hundred. Vig doesn't take this force seriously.

"Form a shield wall and prepare for battle."

He looked around on horseback, trying to find traces of the ambush, but after searching for a long time, he found nothing.

Where exactly is it hidden?

Vig stared at the dense grass to the northeast, thinking that this place could not hide more than two hundred people, and there were more than a dozen brightly colored pheasants pecking at grass seeds nearby, so the probability of an ambush was almost zero.

After a long while, four figures slowly approached. Yoren looked up at Vig and said, "My lord, I think they seem to be surrendering."

surrender?

Vig was incredulous. He had expected them to gather all their able-bodied men for a decisive battle, or to raid Tyneburg. He never imagined it would turn out like this. A few minutes later, the four gentry knelt on one knee with mournful faces. "Sir, we absolutely had no intention of rebelling. We were just unable to attend the banquet due to unforeseen circumstances."

In order to preserve their property, the four men were willing to each pay two pounds of silver, plus a horse, two oxen, two pigs, and six sheep, begging the lord to forgive their neglect.

"Let me think about it."

Vig turned to look at the gentry and village chief at the end of the line and asked for their opinions.

Although a very few individuals coveted the estates of the four gentry, the prevailing opinion was to accept surrender and hope that the war would end there.

“That makes sense,” Vigmo stroked his chin, feeling there was no need to go to extremes.

Having secured two deals, four remain. This demonstrates both sufficient strength and tolerance, as the company will still rely on local taxpayers in the future, and it's best not to strain relationships.

"That's it. I hope you've learned your lesson."

Vig extended his left hand, and the gentry at the front quickly cupped the back of his hand with both hands and kissed the gold ring on his ring finger heavily. The other three did the same.

Then, the four men waved their arms toward a hillside, and twelve farmers emerged from behind the hillside, driving their livestock to join them and offering the corresponding ransom.

“Mitcham, check the amount.”

"Yes, sir."

After inspecting the goods, Vig led his team back to Tyneburg and terminated their employment contracts with the remaining ninety-five raiders. As compensation, he paid each raider five silver coins, totaling four hundred and seventy-five coins, approximately two pounds of silver. (One pound of silver equals 240 silver coins)
With the partnership over, these raiders set off south in search of opportunity. Before leaving, Vig asked them to help spread the word when they returned to Northern Europe, saying that Tyneburg was recruiting Viking farmers, offering them thirty acres of land for free and tax-free for two years.

"I know. Maybe one day when I can't fight anymore, I'll move to Tyneburg."

After seeing off the raiders, Vig tallied his earnings: a net profit of thirty-one pounds of silver, a set of chainmail, and several livestock.

"Horses, pigs, and sheep are kept in barns and cared for by hired people. In their spare time, they are driven to graze on fallow wastelands. As for oxen, one ox can support fifteen acres of land, and each household needs two oxen."

After a few minutes of consideration, he decided to sell the oxen to Viking farmers, with the debt to be settled within three years. At the same time, he issued a decree strictly prohibiting anyone from slaughtering oxen privately, with severe penalties for violators.

Furthermore, even if the people were granted permission to slaughter cattle, they would still have to hand over the hides afterward. Since iron armor was too expensive, Vig planned to hire leather craftsmen to make leather armor, then attach dozens of iron plates to the chest and abdomen areas, which would be barely usable.

"Sigh, I was originally thinking of raising more shield guards, but I'll have to think of a solution later."

According to Vig's personal experience, the combat effectiveness of standing armies such as the Shield Guard and the Palace Guard far exceeded that of the militia, but the cost was too high.

Besides paying wages and providing decent equipment, food was also essential. To support the only twenty shield guards, he required the villagers to supply them with twenty river fish and an equal number of eggs every day, and he also had to treat the shield guards to drinks every few days to ensure their loyalty.

In a daze, Vig recalled a typical negative example.

According to tradition, when Tang soldiers went on campaign, each soldier would receive the following reward: two liters of wine, two catties of beef (in lieu of mutton), five he of white rice, two thin pancakes, one steamed bun, one steamed cake, and five liang of miscellaneous vegetables. Later, Emperor Dezong of Tang violated this custom and ordered Wang Xu, the Prefect of Jingzhao, to provide only coarse food as a reward, which resulted in the Jingyuan Mutiny. Emperor Dezong thus became the third emperor to flee Chang'an.

"We can't cut back on these expenses, so we have to find other ways to make money."

(End of this chapter)