As Alfred stared at the inquisitive young prince, his mind scrambled to parse the logic of their sovereign's grand design.
The boy's assessment was, in fact, accurate...
Ragnar could have marched his musketeers into Vannes, ordered the execution of Salomon and Rudolf, burned their banners, and installed his own English lords to rule the territory directly.
That was the traditional method of conquest... That was how empires were forged in the blood-soaked history of this era.
Yet, Ragnar had chosen the path of vassalage.
Why?
The Lord of Winchester and the Lord of Exeter subtly exchanged a brief glance. In their minds, they were equally as stumped as the Breton prince.
The sheer disparity in intellect between the Iron King and his highest-ranking subordinates was a chasm too wide to bridge.
In truth, these men were not confidants to Ragnar's ultimate master plan; they were merely highly efficient cogs in a massive machine they did not fully comprehend.
