Vikings: Nordic women

Chapter 18 Taking Over a Mess

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The next morning, Eunice, wearing a new set of noblewoman's clothes, sat quietly beside the unconscious Harold.

She placed her crossed fingers on her abdomen, looking very dignified. This outfit made her radiant, beautiful and exuding an intellectual charm.

Her fingers touched the soft fur. This dress belonged to the previous Madame Yar. She liked it very much. The clothes snatched from the enemy were indeed the warmest.

Expensive clothing is not only a symbol of status, but also a silent language, just like the feathers of a flamingo, the brighter the feathers, the more aggressive the flamingo is.

In interpersonal communication, good dressing can quietly convey a certain message and help her win the recognition and respect of others.

The atmosphere in the Lord's Hall was extremely heavy. Several Viking captains sat around the campfire, feeling uneasy under Ouni's gaze and trying their best to avoid her gaze.

At the same time, I corrected my sitting posture back and forth, and it felt as if there were nails under my butt instead of a stool.

They didn't talk to each other, as if they were waiting for something.

They are Jarl's personal guards, hold great power, are powerful officers in the army, and have experienced many battles.

The high priest, who survived a whole night of freezing, was no longer as mysterious as before. He was now wearing a thick bearskin blanket, sitting by the campfire, shivering constantly.

He shook off half of the bowl of hot soup, but he still held it in his hands and was unwilling to let go, with an expression of enjoyment on his face.

This bowl of soup was specially prepared by Ouni at Hina's request. It contained ingredients such as honey, blackberry, mint, holy grass and wild chrysanthemum that have the effect of treating colds.

The high priest occasionally looked up at Xina, with an inexplicable look in his eyes, like an old elephant trying to intervene in the teaching of a young elephant of the same kind.

"Cough, cough, cough..." He coughed lightly a few times, his voice a little hoarse, then he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"The fire last night was a warning from the god Woden." The high priest spoke calmly, but with a neurotic tone that only a charlatan can have. "Harold's wife, Ms. Ouni, led everyone to break into Jarl's residence under the guidance of the oracle... Unfortunately, our noble Robert Jarl was murdered by Loki in that conspiracy and died a humble death. Harold, as the blood of old Jarl and his brother, should inherit Jarl's position."

Hearing this, everyone turned their eyes to Harold, who was sitting on the throne of Yar and unconscious, and Eunice beside him.

There were complicated expressions on their faces and they opened their mouths but in the end no words came out.

What can I say?

The elder Avar Jarl had only two children - Robert Jarl and Prince Harold.

Since Robert had no children, who else besides Harold would be qualified to inherit Jarre's position?

This person can't be replaced!

As for them wanting to advance themselves, that is even more impossible because other people will not agree, especially the high priest.

No one objected, and the matter seemed to be settled in silence.

But several Viking captains seemed dissatisfied with Ouni's acting rule.

"While Jarl is in a coma, the high priest should serve as the president of the council and form a territory council with us to govern together." A Viking captain proposed loudly, trying to push the high priest to the political center in order to realize his political demands.

"I agree!"

"I agree too!"

Upon hearing this, Ouni turned her gaze to the high priest.

The high priest said nothing. Apart from supporting Harold's ascension to the throne and helping Eunice clear her suspicion, he remained silent on everything else.

He was obviously pleased with the formation of the parliament.

She sighed in her heart. The most important thing at the moment was to stabilize the situation, occupy a favorable position first, and then consider how to gradually centralize power.

She currently has no real power, and these people are eyeing power. If they are pushed to the limit, they may even attack her and the unconscious Harold.

It might end up with nothing!
But Ouni knew that if she let these people act at their own pace, they would only push their limits. She decided to take the initiative and let them passively follow her pace.

Giving something away voluntarily and having it snatched away are two different things. Different from those bosses in later generations who only knew how to promise something to their subordinates, she not only met their demands, but also often gave them double the money.

Make them sincerely convinced, make them kneel before her and kiss her sword... oh no, axe, and swear allegiance to her!
If you are always stingy with power, it is like opening the lid of a pot before the rice is cooked. In the end, everyone can only eat half-cooked rice.

"Organize a council? I don't think it's necessary!" Ouni stood up, walked away from Harold, and came to the captains to stare at the door that was temporarily replaced by a linen curtain. The day was getting colder and colder, and soon the daylight hours would be reduced to two hours.

Several captains who were warming themselves by the fire looked up at her, and she continued, "Tomorrow, on behalf of the New Yar, I will anoint you as the New Yar and grant you fiefdoms!"

"Remember, it's a fiefdom, not land!" Her words were loud and clear. The positions of several village chiefs were not rare in her eyes, so she just gave them out.

With so many territories, there is no need to start wars for trivial rights and delay precious opportunities for development and growth.

Besides, she has not yet firmly established herself as acting lord, and she must stabilize the situation first.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at the new Mrs. Yar in astonishment, as if they were looking at a crazy woman who had spent all her money prodigal.

Not only did he not fight for power, but he took the initiative to hand over Yar's rights to others.

This approach was beyond their imagination, but how could they understand the Chinese wisdom of retreating in order to advance?
Ouni smiled at them, and there was an indescribable confidence in that smile.

All the captains avoided her gaze, as if intimidated by her presence.

"I never hesitate to be stingy with those who are willing to follow me." Ouni's voice was firm and powerful. "You will soon find out how correct your decision is. I will bring you more rights that you could never imagine!"

She turned back to the unconscious Harold, raised her proud head, and looked down at the dumbfounded captains: "Tomorrow, gather all the landowners and swear allegiance to your leader Harold and his family in front of them!"

She had a premonition that Madame Yar would definitely jump out to cause trouble tomorrow, because this was her last "chance" and also a trap she had set.

But we still don’t know what cards the other party might play.

The landlords that Oni mentioned were the warriors who owned the land, while the freemen were those who did not have the land and were usually not welcomed or valued in the territory.

As for serfs, they were slaves or hired laborers who helped the landlords to farm the land and had neither land nor freedom.

These people are collectively called "Karl", which means common people, while the nobles are called "Yar".

"As you command, Madam Yar, your generosity is admired by the gods!" Everyone expressed their opinions one after another. They were like being hit on the head by a nugget of gold. They were stunned but ecstatic. "We will always support your husband and your family!"

Ounnie watched these people leave and ordered her men to carry Harold into the house. She looked at Harold, who was being carried like a dead pig, sat down to warm her hands, and looked outside, feeling a headache.

The barley fields were burned and the barns were burned down, all done to save her, and it was all her own fault.

Without food, many lives might be lost this winter. She had to stabilize the territory as soon as possible and conduct a large-scale hunt before the snow closed the mountains to get through the difficult times.

But many people will freeze to death, right? She seemed to see a disaster.

She couldn't bear to watch others freeze to death or starve to death because of her. She had to send people to burn more charcoal, as population was an important factor that directly determined the power of the lord.

The burned ship had to be rebuilt, the town wall was too low and had to be rebuilt, the barn also had to be rebuilt, everything needed to be rebuilt.

She felt like she had escaped from a small mess, but at the same time she had taken over a bigger mess.

If I had known this earlier, I would have found a place in the mountains and forests to be a bandit. At least I wouldn't have to worry about these problems.

"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight!"

If she's not careful and there's a riot, she can basically be killed and reborn.

In this situation, the choice is either to start a war or starve to death, but waging a war in winter is too risky. If things go wrong, the entire army may be wiped out.

While Ounnie was getting anxious, the high priest looked at Hina, as if he was fooling her student, which made Hina's eyes shine.

"Would you like to learn from me how to serve the gods and become a priest?"

Hina didn't say anything, but looked at Eunnie who was lost in thought, as if seeking her opinion.

"Madam Yaer, I plan to let Xina become the priest of Wodeng. Are you willing to let her learn from me?" The high priest's proud voice floated over, as if it was a kind of alms.

"impossible!"

Her voice froze the high priest's smug expression. "Why?"

　Thank you all for your continued support during the new book period, thank you everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)