Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 374 Pomerania

After introducing Iberia, Vigé shifted the topic to the recently bustling western Mediterranean.

With the assistance of the Frankish remnants, the Eastern Roman Empire made great progress in Sicily, far exceeding Vigé's expectations. He decided to adopt a defensive posture, allowing Hadava to focus on coastal patrols and avoid provoking the rising power of the Eastern Roman navy.

“If we drag this out for a while, the Abbasid Empire will eventually make its move, and we don’t need to get involved.”

Next is Northern Italy.

The reports from the four dukes were largely the same: starting in the second half of the year, the Frankish remnants reduced the number of raids and instead focused their main efforts on building fortifications in an attempt to block the Vikings' land offensive with a cluster of fortresses.

Southern Italy possesses abundant high-quality volcanic ash, which significantly improved the Frankish construction efficiency. Drawing upon historical records from the Roman era, they had already built fifteen stone fortresses.

The Crown Prince pondered, “Building fortresses is partly to strengthen defenses, but also to exhaust the refugees and prevent them from disrupting the order of Italy. I predict that more fortresses will be completed by 871.”

Vig was unconcerned. "Delaying time is more advantageous to us. Once our national strength is restored, I have plenty of ways to deal with them."

Then there's Moravia in Central Europe, where a large-scale conversion to Christianity is underway, and the situation is extremely volatile. Intelligence agents successfully infiltrated large and medium-sized settlements in Moravia, attempting to contact temple shamans and some nobles whose interests had been harmed.

In response to the war in this direction, Vig decided to send the understrength Third and Fourth Field Divisions, as well as two garrison regiments and 1,500 cavalry.

After the start of spring, these troops successively headed to Magdeburg on the upper Elbe River, ready to intervene in the situation in Moravia at any time.

With the prosperity of Britain's commodity economy, the demand for currency increased significantly. Viggo had to mine enough gold and silver to mint coins and inject them into the market to maintain a sufficient money supply.

In his memory, the Bohemian region under Moravia contained rich mineral resources, such as Kutna Hora, which was the most productive silver mine in the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th century.

Finally, there's Rurik in Eastern Europe, who is still busy with Black Sea-Baltic Sea trade. Vig only mentioned him briefly, as the current disparity in strength between the two sides is too great to warrant investing too much effort.

At noon, the meeting ended, and the ministers walked out of the hall with a sigh of relief, thankful that they had survived the year-end hurdle. From that moment until spring, there were fewer affairs to attend to in various places, making it a rare period of relaxation in the year.

Vig had the same idea. He had been fighting abroad since 867 when he set off for West Frankish territory and hadn't had a winter break in a long time.

Most of the time, he chose to stay in his office reading, sleeping, or fishing on the banks of the Thames, occasionally taking a carriage ride through the streets to observe the capital city he had managed for many years.

After the war, British handicrafts flourished, and people from all over flocked to Rendynewme, where the population swelled to 38,000.

The current urban area can accommodate approximately 50,000 residents. The cabinet has submitted a plan to build new city walls within two years to accommodate more houses.

Through the carriage window, Vig watched the shops flashing past and the arena and opera house towering in the distance, and suddenly felt that this peaceful life was not bad at all.

Two months later, on the Baltic Sea. Under a leaden sky, a cold wind howled, and the seawater repeatedly pounded against the hull of the three-masted sailing ship. The captain steered the ship slowly toward the Pomeranian coast.

In the distance, the settlement gradually came into view, with three hundred low houses encircled by rough log fences. Upon learning of the merchant ships' arrival, large numbers of residents flocked to the dock, eagerly anticipating the various goods sold on the sailing ships.

Before long, the sailboat docked at a simple wooden pier. However, it was not the merchants and their assistants who stepped down, but a naval officer wearing a tricorn hat and a black double-breasted uniform, followed by a squad of marines.

Further on, a man dressed in a black robe and leaning on an oak cane appeared before the residents, looking at them kindly. "Don't panic, children. I am the Raven Whisperer, the Empire's Chief High Shaman. If you have anything to discuss, consult your leader."

Thirty years have passed, and the Crow Whisperer, having held a high position for so long, has gradually developed an indescribable aura. Residents dare not look him in the eye and bow their heads to make way for him.

Nordic polytheism shares many similarities with Slavic polytheism. In recent years, the Tynburg Order has tried to integrate its doctrines by sending shamans skilled in medicine to the area, with considerable success.

The Raven Whisperers' mission on this trip to Pomerania was to persuade the local West Slavic leaders to accept the Empire's rule.

The lord's longhouse sits in the center of the settlement, its low-lying, expansive form resembling a crouching beast. Thick wooden planks form the roof, from which wisps of smoke rise, while the weathered log walls are a deep, dark brown.

The Marine pushed open the heavy wooden door, and a wave of sweltering heat engulfed the Raven Whisperer. He stood for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the dim environment inside.

Then, the raven whisperer bypassed the rectangular hearth in the room and went straight to the leader in the main seat. The guards on both sides did not stop him because of his imposing presence.

"I am a ravens whisperer."

Upon learning the visitor's identity, the chieftain respectfully rose from his seat and immediately pledged to join the empire. His tribe, which controlled excellent ports, profited handsomely by reselling British goods to the interior and then selling the interior's amber and furs to British merchant ships, and was naturally inclined to compromise.

In late March, the leaders of 160 Pomeranian tribes met in a woodland.

The Viking Empire is currently at its peak, encompassing Scandinavia in the north and the Frankish Kingdom in the south. The chieftains discuss among themselves, finding it impossible to imagine any possibility of resistance.

The meeting lasted for more than ten minutes, and they unanimously agreed to join, on the condition that the royal family recognize the hereditary power of the tribal chiefs.

“Of course,” the Crow Whisperer nodded kindly.

Before setting off, the emperor shared his views on Pomerania: the country is covered with swamps and forests, making development extremely difficult; the soil is mainly clay and gravel, with poor fertility, making it unsuitable for agriculture.

The cabinet's administrative efficiency was limited, making it unsuitable for directly managing this land; what the emperor needed was simply the labor force of the various tribes.

These 200,000 West Slavs accepted the missionaries of the Tyneburg Order and were more loyal than the Franks. In peacetime, the cabinet recruited immigrants to settle in the directly governed counties. In wartime, the Ministry of War could form at least five garrison regiments to compensate for the Empire's manpower shortage.

(End of this chapter)