Chapter 73: Ragnar, the Common Ruler, and Floki, King of Iceland

Margaret left the cottage, hardly knowing how she managed to walk out. Hearing the faint sobs trailing from behind, she felt as though every ounce of strength had been drained from her entire body.

"Let's move on. We still have sixty-one notices of casualty to deliver. Once we return, recruit the fallen soldiers' sons into the Huscarls and their daughters into the royal palace, and I shall raise them myself! Prioritize orders for military uniforms and the like for the families of the fallen! From now on, use slaves for combat as much as possible!"

"Your Majesty, it is our honor to follow a king like you! But you cannot deprive us of the chance to win the Valkyries' attention!"

Margaret did not reply. She was the monarch, and it was for her to decide who went into battle. She approached another doorway, hesitated for a moment, and braced herself as she stepped inside.

Wailing erupted from within the dwelling.

As the bags of flowers and gold carried by the squires grew steadily fewer, Margaret's spirits sank into a deep melancholy.

Yet her reputation echoed far and wide across her domain. Wherever she went, she was met with the fervent, adoring gazes of the common folk.

The populace generally believed that Margaret was a "gift" brought to the local people by Lady Eon from the Palace of the Fog Sea, Fensalir.

They bestowed upon Margaret a unique royal title, calling her the "Queen of the Fog Sea."

...

"Polly, your arrival is truly timely. During your absence, I found the progress of state affairs to be exceptionally sluggish. This new territory is in desperate need of your governance and wisdom!" Upon returning to the lord's hall, Margaret was utterly exhausted, forcing a strained smile.

Lady Polly smiled and said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. I have heard of your recent glorious victories. You are far more outstanding than any of your family's previous lords! Furthermore, I brought all the provisions and assets from our original domain along with me, which is why it took some time."

During Margaret's tour of condolences, the Viking warriors, led by their various regiment officers like packs of wolves hunting prey, pursued the fleeing enemy, conquering city after city along the way. They successfully captured six territories in succession, firmly bringing them under their control.

The Huscarls promptly reported this string of victories to Margaret. A flash of sharp insight crossed Margaret's eyes upon hearing the news, and she swiftly made her decisions.

She immediately enfeoffed the newly captured towns of Krashenov, Lokum, Nicolson, Sayeic, and Zebuzil—five in total—to Ralph, Joachim, Sigrun, Magnus, and old Florent, ordered by distance from nearest to farthest. Meanwhile, the coastal base town of Balnia was granted to Polly, allowing her to easily assume her duties as Chief Minister close at hand.

The subordinate villages were likewise distributed by Margaret to other minor lords. She deliberately bestowed the remaining extra villages upon several warriors who had made outstanding contributions during the wars, such as Jermal, who had bravely negotiated with old Florent.

Amidst the looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred from all the soldiers, Jermal knelt on one knee and kissed Margaret's oath ring, his eyes filled with gratitude and fierce loyalty. He solemnly swore, "You are truly generous, and I swear to remain forever loyal to you and your lineage!"

Sven also offered his congratulations to Jermal, his eyes sparkling with admiration for his good friend.

Through this series of actions, Margaret signaled a clear message to everyone: under her rule, as long as one was willing to obey her commands and make contributions, everyone had the opportunity to reap generous rewards and even ascend to the rank of a Jarl.

After executing the family members of the lords she had put to death and offering them as sacrifices to the gods, Margaret distributed grain to the lords according to their needs. As for all the spoils of war harvested this time—leaving not even a single coin behind aside from the food—she bestowed them generously upon the warriors who had followed her in the campaign and the subsequent arriving settlers. Even though these later arrivals only received silver ingots the size of rings, they were overjoyed.

However, only adults received a share, and regardless of how much treasure was acquired, it was divided strictly equally to stimulate economic development.

She would eventually earn it back through commerce, and only by doing so would the lords have tax silver available to collect.

The distribution method Margaret persistently adhered to was not haphazard; she had profound and far-reaching considerations. She wished to forge a martial environment through this approach, making everyone rejoice at the sound of battle, and inspiring all mothers and wives to encourage their husbands and children to join the fight.

All the prisoners of war were evenly distributed among the lords, with strict instructions to treat them well. Yet she steadfastly upheld one principle: Norsemen would forever remain first-class citizens of the Kingdom of Gotland, while only those slaves who secured enemy beheadings in battle could become second-class citizens.

Dividing people into various hierarchical ranks and then opening up channels for upward mobility—this was Margaret's European version of the twelve-tier nobility system.

Within this single week, Margaret allocated vast territories as knightly fiefs and distributed slaves.

Everything seemed to be stepping onto the right track. However, reports from her subordinate lords mentioned frequent friction along the border regions.

"I intend to pile up stones to build a magnificent foundation for the royal palace, and for that, we need a vast number of slaves. I plan to teach those neighboring enemy kingdoms a lesson and seize their wealth and grain!"

Holding a chess piece, Margaret played the king's game with Polly while chatting idly.

"Your Majesty, the present moment is not the optimal time for an offensive. I suggest waiting until next year, and launching a war once the territory is more stable. After all, our strength is growing day by day, whereas the enemy's strength remains relatively static."

"A good idea. By the way, have you looked over the palace blueprints I gave you?"

Just as Margaret and Polly were discussing the construction of the royal palace, a Huscarl hurried in to report.

"Your Majesty, a band of Vikings has landed near the western village of Balnia! Lord Jermal requests reinforcements from you!"

Margaret immediately stood up, strode toward the exit, and commanded, "Gather all soldiers, including the slaves, and distribute weapons to them! The Huscarl Knights, follow me first!"

Jermal was her newly appointed lord, backed only by the ten soldiers she had assigned to him and over thirty slave households; he was by no means a match for the Viking raiders.

Moreover, her fleet was docked right on that coast, and it would spell disaster if those people managed to seize it!

That would disrupt too many of her plans.

...

"Hehehe, Ragnar, we've struck it rich! So many ships—if we take them all away, we can sell them for a fortune!" A tall Danish raider captain twirled a hand axe above his head and cheered.

"Floki, the enemy won't let us just take them away!" Ragnar gazed with a fierce glare at Lord Jermal and his men, who were watching them from not far away.

They were none other than the future co-ruler of Denmark and parts of Ireland and Britain, Ragnar, and King Floki of Iceland.

Jermal knew very well that his men were no match for this raiding party three hundred strong. Bearing deeply in mind the words Margaret had spoken when charging with her fire-oxen—which had swept through the soldiers' minds and been passed down by word of mouth—he did not act rashly. He wisely retreated the moment the enemy approached, and whenever they gave up pursuit, Jermal would lead his men right back up.

His strategy was simple: if you can't beat them, drag them down. Slippery and elusive, he was impossible to pin down.