Crusader Kings: Prisoners of War

After Ivar resigned from the Governor's Mansion, he was not idle. He was really thinking about the gains and losses.

He has been wandering around the local markets, exchanges, urban areas, etc., to see what new things the Romans brought to the local area. Facts have proved that at least part of what Orville said is correct.

Exquisite and neat clothes, clean and well-planned cities, wide and solid roads... Ivar has been here before, and these are all new changes made after the arrival of the Romans.

It is certain that there are many things here that are worth the Vikings' time to learn, but Ivar's focus now is whether it is really profitable to trade with the Romans.

From this point of view, Orville is still right. Ivar found many new products in the local area-standard ironware, glass, pottery, cheap clothes and food that is much cheaper than in the north, which all confirm what Orville said.

Orville handed him a few more documents later, saying that there is a strong demand for economic exchanges between Gaul and Britain. The British province discovered quite a lot of minerals during the land survey, and these mineral deposits were all taken over by the royal family. Orville was obviously prepared to develop these mineral deposits with all her heart.

The development of these places will certainly drive trade demand. Orville clearly assured Ivar in the letter he gave him privately that as long as the two sides reached an agreement, there would be a share of the Vikings' interests. Ivar was also confident that even without the governor's favoritism, his men would be able to gain an absolute advantage in the competition. The local fleets were completely unable to compete with them in various aspects. Only the Romans' own fleets were competitors that needed to be considered, but the number of Romans in the local area was too small, and they had to rely on the Vikings for transportation and trade.

Ivar's men could drive more than 300 longships, which was certainly not a small number, but now the potential trade between the British province, the Gaul province, the Celts, and the North seemed to be able to accommodate these people, and he seemed to have found something more profitable.

Because the Roman Empire and the Frankish Kingdom were now in a state of hostility, trade between the two sides was restricted, and the emperor ordered a ban on the export of various things to the Frankish Kingdom. The Frankish Kingdom was certainly self-sufficient in basic necessities such as food, clothing and weapons, but the nobles of any country had additional needs.

The Romans now had military and cultural hegemony, and the Franks had been following closely behind them. They also tried very hard to imitate the Romans in culture, otherwise they would not call themselves the descendants of Troy and France. Most of the Franks probably didn't even know where Troy was or what it was, but just wanted to have what the Romans had.

Ivar had traveled in Frank, and the local nobles also needed wine from the Mediterranean, glass from Rome, jewelry from the East, silk from the East and all kinds of handicrafts. After official trade was banned, private smuggling trade was rampant, and the prices of these luxury goods in Frank rose sharply.

If Ivar could get these things in Britain or Gaul, he could smuggle them to the Frankish Kingdom to make huge profits. After all, he still had the final say on the long ships on the sea, and the Romans still had no control over where he wanted the ships to dock.

As for the security issues that ordinary smugglers might worry about, as long as Ivar's fleet hoists his own black crow flag, other pirates would want to avoid him. They would be lucky if they were not robbed. Not many people on the sea dared to rob his ship and goods.

Seeing that the military hostility between the Franks and the Romans had not eased at all, but was developing in an increasingly fierce direction, Ivar thought more and more that armed smuggling was a promising path. The more rigid the relationship between the two sides, the more serious the trade blockade would be. Although the trade blockade in this era was just that, as long as Ivar could get good and cheap goods from Orwell, a high-ranking official in the Roman Empire, he would definitely make money.

Just when he was hesitating and struggling, the new news from the lowlands helped him to firm up his mind.

[Traveler] The fleet led by Rollo raided the Franks' strongholds in the lowlands and burned or towed away all their ships. The Franks, caught off guard, did not organize a decent resistance for a while, and Rollo even broke through their defenses and burned their limited food reserves.

After that, the Roman fleet did not leave. Instead, the mobile forces of various provinces gathered there. These seven or eight thousand Franks were blocked on the island. The surrounding Danish troops wanted to rescue them, but in front of the fleet with the advantages of numbers and terrain, they had no choice but to retreat.

The Frankish army, which was cut off from water and food, was desperate. After two or three days of resistance, they almost mutinied. The helpless commander had no choice but to surrender to the Romans. Now the transport ships are taking these captured Franks back to the British province for custody, and formally negotiating with the nominal lord of these soldiers, the King of Denmark, hoping that both sides would stop fighting.

Based on Ivar's understanding of the situation, it is still unrealistic to expect these losses to make the Franks give up harassing Britain, because most of these people are opponents of the current King Charles, and King Charles is driving them here to die. It would be best if they can cause damage, but if they cannot, it means they have eliminated hidden dangers, so it is not a loss in any case.

But in any case, the Romans have regained the upper hand in the recent series of confrontations. This is a certainty. It seems that it is the right choice to stand on the Roman side while it is still possible to jump ship.

After making a decision in his mind, Ivar immediately ordered his men: "Get ready for me. I'm going to see the Roman governor."

——

After Orville learned about Rollo's victory, he knew that Ivar should be unable to sit still. Sure enough, he had just talked about these things with Tia at lunch, and he came right after, and it seemed that he didn't even have time to eat lunch.

After the servants hurriedly prepared the meeting place, Tia and Orville met each other again.

This time it was Tia who spoke first: "So, Viking leader, have you made up your mind?"

Ivar bowed to the Romans for the first time: "I think this is a fair condition. I accept your proposal on behalf of me and my brothers. From today on, we will not go deep into Celtic land, but please understand that our actions on the coast will take some time, because we still have things to deal with. Most of our families and property are in our homeland. Once we end the hostile relationship with the Roman Empire, they will not benefit."