Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 311 Heir

At noon, the nobles returned to the palace to attend a lavish banquet hosted by the royal family. Gunnar, accustomed to a life of luxury, showed no interest in the various dishes on the table.

He is facing four troublesome issues.

First, Gunnar's conservative tactics in the war drew the ire of Charles the Bald and many nobles. A very few, such as Prime Minister Lambert and William the Earl of Orléans, approved of his approach but remained silent for various reasons, allowing him to suffer criticism.

"Your Grace, you have three thousand cavalrymen, why do you dare not fight Vig? If it were me, one charge would be enough to raze the Viking lines and kill or capture this evil heretical king."

Gunnar turned his head and coldly stared at the nobleman not far away. "In that case, if we ever go to war with Vig again, I will definitely recommend you as the commander."

The nobleman raised his glass and sipped his wine, choosing to avoid the topic. Gunnar remained silent, casually eating his fish soup, occasionally glancing at the two laughing and talking teenagers, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.

This is his eldest son, Robert, and his future daughter-in-law, Enya.

After the British Civil War ended, the two were sent to the Royal Palace in Paris to be raised by Charles the Bald, where they have been for six years.

Gunnar's wife, Vivian, was the king's niece, and Robert was, in a sense, a member of the royal family, receiving far more treatment than ordinary noble children. This led to a serious consequence: he became addicted to the luxurious court life, lost the bravery and perseverance of his father, and was practically spoiled.

Upon closer inspection, Robert had a delicate but pale face. His skin was unusually white from long hours indoors, and his eyes were unfocused and lacked sharpness.

Thanks to his father's bloodline, he was taller than his peers, but due to a lack of exercise, he was thin and frail, showing no signs of becoming a warrior.

Gunnar's second worry was that his heir was indulging in pleasure.

After the banquet, he found his son and future daughter-in-law. The three of them looked at each other, and Gunnar felt a sense of powerlessness.

How much time do you practice martial arts each day?

"Two hours." Sensing his father's sharp gaze, Robert quickly corrected himself, "One hour. Okay, I've been busy studying Latin lately and haven't had time to practice swordsmanship."

Gunnar suddenly uttered a long string of Latin to ask Robert a question, but Robert stammered and couldn't come up with an answer for a long time.

“Is this the result of your study?”

Gunnar instinctively clenched his fists, but worried that the man's body was too weak to withstand the beating, so he suppressed his anger and gathered information at the mansion.

Through the servant's account, Gunnar learned that his eldest son usually enjoyed playing chess, dice, and playing the lute with his peers, and had no interest in physical activities such as hunting and swordsmanship training, believing that such activities were not suitable for his status.

It's over, it's completely over now.

Gunnar approached Robert and Enya again and gave them serious advice.

"Why did the king bestow upon me the title of Duke of Normandy? Because I am a good warrior and have sufficient value. What can you do for the royal family after my death? What makes you think you can retain this ducal title?"
Okay, even if he lets you inherit the title because of our weak blood ties, are you confident you can stop Vig's attack and defend this territory? Learn more; it will come in handy later.”

After much deliberation, Gunnar mounted his horse and hurried back to Normandy to handle some business.

The capture of the Channel Islands by the British Fleet was the third troublesome thing he faced.

Back at his castle, Gunnar convened a meeting of his trusted confidants. Normandy's long coastline meant that only focused defenses were feasible. He planned to deploy more catapults in ports like Cherbourg and establish a beacon tower system to transmit alarms as quickly as possible.

"Sir, this expense is enormous, I'm worried."

Gunnar ignored the treasurer's concerns, saying that if the funds were insufficient, they could simply levy an additional tax. After the meeting, Gunnar rode to a village fifteen miles away. Under an old oak tree at the village entrance, a group of boys were playing and frolicking. The boy in the lead was about fourteen years old and had smooth blond hair.

The boy's name was Henry, the Duke's illegitimate son, and this was the fourth trouble he faced.

Henry's mother was the wife of a nearby miller. Two years ago, she fell seriously ill and, feeling that her days were numbered, she went to Gunnar and told him everything.

Upon learning of the illegitimate child, the Duchess's relationship with Gunnar broke down, but Gunnar did not banish Henry, instead entrusting him to a loyal and reliable Norman knight.

The knight treated him well, never neglecting Henry's needs in terms of food, clothing, or other necessities. Thus, he spent two years in a life of comfort and ease, like a weed growing vigorously unattended by the roadside, spending most of his time with boys of similar age. They chased each other, shouted, played rough games, sometimes wrestled, sometimes brandished branches as swords, and sometimes went fishing in the river.

Day after day, Henry seemed to never feel tired, like a bull charging ahead, his body brimming with inexhaustible energy.

Occasionally, the knight would teach him some basic swordsmanship, which Henry learned quite well. However, he preferred weapons such as one-handed axes and warhammers. As he grew taller, Henry even begged the knight to prepare a Viking-style two-handed axe for him.

"What a rough kid, he's got the makings of a real warrior."

As the Duke rode on horseback and looked into the distance, he seemed to see his younger self.

As time passed, most of the children were called home by their parents to do chores, leaving only Henry standing under the old oak tree in a daze. Gunnar walked over and took a two-handed battle axe from the saddle.

"This is my weapon from when I was young. It's been so long since I used it that the axe head is all rusty. I had a blacksmith polish off the rust and replace the handle. It's still quite handy to use. I'm giving it to you."

"Thank you for the gift, Your Grace."

Henry took the iron axe and sat back down in a daze, while Gunnar sat beside him, gazing at the farmers busy in the fields.

Suddenly, Henry brought up the war between Denmark and East Frankish. Popular rumors claimed that the Duke was a coward who avoided battle and let the main force of the Serpent of the North escape, but Henry refused to accept these rumors and thus fought several battles with his companions.

“Don’t fight over such trivial matters; they are all your friends.” Gunnar smiled and shook his head, then picked up the pebbles on the ground and showed Henry Vig’s formation outside Hamburg.

"At that time, Vig had 10,000 soldiers, all equipped with standard iron armor. Notice that he set up seven bayonet squares."

Gunnar patiently described the formations, troop composition, and common tactics of both sides.

Sensing the boy's confusion, Gunnar shifted the topic back to his own youth, starting with battles involving hundreds of men, then mentioning the expedition of 843 AD, followed by the conquest of Mercia and Wessex, and the First Viking-West Frankish War.
"Remember, in small-scale battles, the bravery of the commander is very important, as it can inspire the morale of those around him. However, in battles involving thousands or even tens of thousands of people, the most crucial element is the formation. Once the formation breaks down, the morale of the troops will plummet, and it can even lead to a chain reaction of defeats."

Taking advantage of the rare opportunity, Gunnar recounted all the combat experiences he could remember, interspersed with many personal insights.

Prior to this, the father and son had only met five times, with their conversations totaling no more than ten minutes. Today's conversation lasted for more than three hours, until sunset.

As they parted, Gunnar patted the boy's broad, sturdy shoulder and handed him a small booklet with messy handwriting.

"You are still young, with plenty of time to think. Goodbye, Henry, and hopefully one day the contents of this booklet will be of some help to you."

"Goodbye, Your Grace."

Gunnar mounted his horse, and the knights in the distance gathered around, escorting the duke away. Beneath the old oak tree, Henry watched the receding figure, silently thinking:

Goodbye, Father.

(End of this chapter)