More than two hours later, the atmosphere in the hall became more tense, and some nobles even drew their swords to intimidate the others, which almost led to a fight.
Before the situation could deteriorate further, the three returned to the hall. Feeling the expectant gazes of many people, Ragnar cleared his throat,
"After this largest expedition in history, we have achieved unprecedented achievements. As the initiator of the plunder, I feel sincere pride, and I am also deeply grateful for your efforts."
After that, he raised his glass, led everyone to drink a glass of wine, and asked Pascal to unroll a parchment scroll with various settlements in Northumbria marked on it.
"Dear brother, I will not enjoy this honor alone. If you have any requests, simply raise them."
"Wait a minute," Leonard called out loudly, asking an important question, "Your Majesty, which brothers are you talking about? Besides us, are there any new members joining?"
Leonard's words woke up the other six nobles.
The more new people, the less benefits the old ones would get. After some thought, they decided to temporarily unite and put pressure on the new monarch.
Ragnar sipped his wine, smiling tightly, "Yes, some people have made a great contribution, I plan to grant them the title of noble."
The next moment, Ivar walked to the center of the hall under everyone's gaze, his face calm, "I captured the royal flag of Northumbria at the Battle of Manchun. In the two sieges of Leeds and York, I was the first to scale the city walls twice, and I personally killed King Elaud and his queen. Are these enough?
After he finished speaking, the mid-level leaders present at the banquet shouted the name of the "Boneless" in unison, banging their glasses on the table in recognition of the services of this legendary figure.
After Ivar, Vig also walked to the center of the hall. Feeling that dozens of eyes were focused on him, he seemed unusually calm:
"In the Battle of Manchun, my tactics helped the army turn defeat into victory and inflicted serious damage on Elaud's palace guard. In the subsequent siege of York, I was responsible for the construction of various siege equipment and planned an ambush in the center, forcing the surrender of almost 3,000 militia. Ladies and gentlemen, if there were no catapults and towers, would York have been captured? Even if the traditional long ladders had been used to breach the city walls, how many soldiers would have been killed or wounded? "
The Chosen One!"
"The Chosen One!"
Everyone chanted Vig's name in unison, acknowledging that he was worthy of becoming a member of the aristocracy, but the cries were a little weaker than Ivar's. After all, Viking society rewards bravery, and Vig lacks the merit of beheading generals and capturing flags, which is a little lacking.
But even so, he eventually passed. From a low-level farmer in the Gothenburg countryside, he finally shed his past stigma after countless hardships and obstacles and became a member of the ruling class.
"I have done the king's work and earned a good reputation in life and after my death. Now I am finally worthy of eating at the same table. Phew, none of this is easy."
Looking back, Vig had mixed feelings. If he had not been knighted this time, he would have been ready to go to Eastern Europe to join Rurik, or go to Constantinople to serve as a mercenary. There were many options, and he would not stay in Britain to work for nothing.
After this, Bjorn also spoke of his achievements - the murder of two Anglo-Saxon nobles. Too bad that kind of merit could not impress everyone, and there were few calls.
The seven nobles whispered, and based on the principle of limiting the power of the monarch, they rejected Bjorn's request.
Now Ragnar is king and occupies the most important city of York. Ivar and Vig are his confidants. If there are more loyalists who serve as powerful nobles, Leonard and the others will have a hard time.
Bjorn, who was furious, angrily left the scene. Nils stepped forward and said, "At the Battle of Manchuni, I led the archers to wound King Elaud and force the enemy to retreat. At the Battle of York, I also led the archers to shoot the defenders on the city wall..."
"It was Vig's idea to let the archers concentrate their shooting," Ulf said dispassionately, word by word. "As for shooting at the enemy, that's just an archer's job. You have no outstanding achievements, and you cannot be a powerful noble."
The Vikings revered the warriors who broke through the line in armor and with sharp weapons, and there was a vague contempt for the archers. Ulf simply dismissed Nils and asked if there were more men.
After this, Gunnar and Orm each showed their merits, but were rejected, as expected.
The instinct of nobles is to limit the king's power. If not for the brilliant achievements of Ivar and Vig, perhaps many of Ragnar's close associates would not have even received a place.
Feeling that Ragnar's rationality was at its limit, Eric secretly rejoiced, pretending to be impartial and neutral at first glance:
"Rewarding according to merit is a tradition passed down by our ancestors. Now that the number of nobles has been determined, let Pascal detail the situation in each place, so that everyone can make a choice." As a newly promoted nobleman with no command, Wygh knew his forces were small and he was too lazy to compete with others for the rich areas to the south. He took the initiative and asked for Tyneburgh as his fief. The land is on the north-east coast of Northumbria. Further north is the territory of the Picts, which later generations called Scotland. The belly of the golden-castrated silver-horned grass. In Wygh's mind, Tyneburgh adjoins the border, which is convenient for future development in the north, and also avoids retaliation from Mercia, Wessex, and other countries to the south, which is, one might say, the best of both worlds. "Have you thought it through?" Ragnar couldn't help but urge him to think again when he found that his confidant had chosen the usual territory, but Vig insisted on choosing Tyneburg. Seeing that persuasion was ineffective, Ragnar nodded wearily, "As you wish." Ivar then asked for a piece of barren land—Derwent, located on the northwest coast, also near the northern border, with a latitude similar to Tyneburg, which surprised everyone. "I can't compete with you, so I'll have to choose a piece of free land at random, is that okay?" The request was approved, and Ivar glanced at Vig next to him, and they both smiled knowingly. They had similar ideas. Vig coveted the land of Scotland in the north, while Ivar had his eyes on Ireland in the west.In Ivar's mind, this island was full of great and small powers, free and easy to conquer, and the island's precious metal technology was exquisite, producing precious accessories such as necklaces, brooches, and dinner cups. For example, the huge and magnificent wine cup in Ragnar's hand was made mainly of silver, with a circle of gold inlaid on the body of the cup, as well as enamel, malachite, amber, mica and other decorations, woven animals, birds and geometric patterns, which was a unique treasure. "The title of Earl (Jael) is only the beginning for me. Only a crown is worthy of my person." Ivar's eyes sparkled, as if he had set himself the goal of becoming the king of Ireland.