In October, Vig found time to travel to York.
Since the nobles were fighting the royal family outside the city this year, they did not have to pay tribute, they only had to show up at the palace to make
their presence known. At the banquet, Queen Sora sat to Ragnar's right, silently drinking red wine. Aslaki, who sat to Ragnar's left, was full of energy. Despite her pregnancy, she had still had a good time with the nobles.
Ivar, ignoring Queen Sora's occasional cold glances, spoke quietly to Vig. "Someone suggested that the royal family move the capital to Londinium. What do you think?"
"Let me think. Was this proposal put forward by officials like Pascal and Goodwin?" Wig looked at the English-speaking officials across the long table and, after half a minute of thought, gave three reasons for moving the capital:
First, during the Roman rule, Londinium was an administrative, military and commercial centre. The Romans built an extensive infrastructure and road network leading to York, Chester, Winchester and other cities that are still in use today, hundreds of years later.
Second, the River Thames is wide and connects the interior of England (Oxford) by inland navigation, and also allows trade with the European continent via the North Sea, exporting wool to Flanders and making a profit.
Third, moving the royal family to the south of Britain would help maintain power in the newly conquered territories and strengthen the three principalities of Wessex,
Mercia and East Panglia.
In conclusion, Viger summed up: "Comparing the conditions in York, Tamworth and Londinium, Londinium is more suitable as a capital."
"This is similar to what Goodwin and others said." Ivar's brows knitted together: "If my father had moved the capital to Londinium, the distance to West Francia would have been shorter. To ensure safety, with his temperament, he would certainly have decided to attack Charles the Bald first, so that the enemy would not dare to even think about attacking."
At this point, Ivar began to get irritated. "This year we will attack Wessex, and next year West Francia. I have no time to deal with Dufilin's affairs. Alone, when will this end?"
"Neither do I. The bandits in the northwest and the marauders on the coast are causing me a lot of trouble. I hope that the looting will soon end next year and will not develop into a long war."
Besides Vig and Ivar, Nils, Orm and Gunnar had recently been knighted and were busy with their own affairs. They also did not like the idea of sending troops to West Francia.
In contrast, nobles like Leonard had little to do and were idle all day on their lands, so they supported the sending of troops and took advantage of the opportunity to make money.
Thus, a strange situation arose.
Ivar, Vig and other close associates opposed the king's request to send troops, while nobles like Leonard, who were usually protected, supported the sending of troops. English-speaking civilian officials like Pascal and Goodwin did not need to go to the battlefield in person and took a relatively neutral position.
But despite everything, faced with Ragnar's unprecedented reputation and authority, the nobles could not object and could only accept him.
Back in Tyneburg, Vig asked the financial manager Miham to find some reliable merchants and instructed them to gather local information as they traveled to Edinburgh to trade, focusing on news of the Pictish-Gaelic alliance.
"My lord, you need not worry too much. The North has never been united. Relations between the nobles are complex, and there are blood feuds that are difficult to settle. Only when the new generation grows up and gradually forgets the old hatreds can the alliance be truly realized." "There is some truth in this, but I never place my hopes on the stupidity of an enemy. Go and buy the merchants now. Money is no problem."
Having dismissed Miham, Vig devoted his full potential to the war the following year.
Given the superiority of the West Franks in cavalry, he immediately recruited 800 Viking settlers, 200 shield bearers and 200 crossbowmen, and the remaining 400 spearmen.
The spearmen were armed with round shields and spears, and wore the standard Viking iron axe on their belts.
The spear was set at 2.5 meters in length, and was used for close combat or defense against cavalry charges. Vig considered increasing the length, but it was awkward to wield one-handed, so he eventually abandoned the idea.
In the following months, in addition to developing the soldiers' fighting skills, he also focused on training the phalanx to repel cavalry charges.
In February 848, when the ice and snow had not yet completely melted, a dusty palace guard hurried to Tyne Town: "My lord, Pascal is ill, and His Majesty wishes you to go to Londinium to prepare for the campaign."
By the warm and cozy fireplace, Vig handed the child to Geligif: "Will you build ships or make weapons?" -
"Both." -
"Very well, go downstairs and rest first, and I will set out tomorrow."
The next day, Vig said goodbye to his wife and children and led more than 800 men on their way. Arriving by boat on the southern shore, he took a last look at the landscape on the opposite shore. The dock was full of people of all kinds. The construction of Tyne Castle, located on a low hill, was going smoothly. After returning from this battle, he would probably be able to move into his new home.
Four days later, the company passed York, and Vig rode into the city to meet the king.
Suddenly, his vision went dark.
"What is happening?"
Vig instinctively jumped from the saddle and rubbed his eyes. The landscape before him was still gray.
He looked up, and the entire sky was like parchment splattered with ink, and the sun seemed to be blocked out.
A solar eclipse?
In an instant, the market was in chaos, the crowd was filling up, the grey horse was whinnying anxiously, and the hound tied up in front of the tavern was circling like crazy. The shaman climbed onto the roof and shouted Odin's name to the sky, asking him to quickly drive away the sun-devouring monster.
This strange phenomenon lasted for three minutes, after which the world was illuminated by light again. Vig looked back at the pale guards and gestured for them to follow him.
Entering the palace gates, Vig noticed that the atmosphere was tense. He asked the guards and learned that Queen Aslaki was about to give birth.
"My lord, His Majesty is not in the mood for state affairs. Please wait here."
"Understood."
Vig stood silently in the hall. He didn't know how long he waited. He heard two faint cries.
The queen gave birth to a boy and a girl, to the whispers of her maids. Ragnar named them Sigurd and Enya respectively. The boy's eyes were a rare dark green, like the pupils of a snake.
The nickname "Snake's Eye" soon spread throughout the palace. Combined with the strange phenomena in the sky and on earth before his birth, many Vikings subconsciously associated him with the legendary monstrous serpent Jormungandr.
Up until this point, Vig had still maintained an impassive expression, as if nothing had happened. It was only in the evening that Ragnar finally remembered to call him.
"We have another son. How do you think I should celebrate?"
Vig offered a standard solution. "Have a celebration, and let the whole city rejoice together."
"You are right. We must celebrate properly." Ragnar was excited, and his speech was somewhat confused. He spoke patiently with Vig for two minutes, and then quickly returned to the nursery.