On October 20, Vig returned to his loyal Londinium.
After preliminary cleanup, the city's appearance had improved. Pedestrians gradually returned to the streets, and the markets resumed business.
According to Gudwin's statistics, the entire city now had barely two thousand residents—only one-fifth of its peak population three years earlier. He subtly reminded his new master not to expect much revenue from a place in such a state.
"Two thousand people? Ruining the kingdom like this—Aslaug deserved to die!"
Amid Vig's grumbling, the group arrived at the new western district of the city. More than a dozen high-end residences stood there, still unfinished. They had escaped destruction during the riots and were suitable for use as offices in the near future.
These residences had been personally designed by Vig. Two-man-high stone walls surrounded them, while inside were two-story main houses with small gardens, stables, and other facilities.
According to the plan, a stone wall would eventually be built around the surrounding area to separate it from the rest of the city, with various facilities added over time to serve as the new royal palace.
Yes—despite Londinium's ruin, Vig still chose to make it his capital.
Londinium lay on the lower reaches of the Thames, only sixty kilometers from the sea. It could berth seagoing vessels and connect inland regions through a dense network of rivers, making it a rare natural harbor and trade hub.
From a military perspective, the Frankish realms across the Channel posed the greatest external threat to the kingdom. Establishing the capital in the south made it easier to guard against invasions from the continent.
"Looking back, the Romans chose this place as the core city of Britannia, and later England kept its capital here for a long time. By comparison, Tyne Town has limited potential—it's only suited for holding a corner of the world. Sigh… people always move upward. So be it."
Two days later, early in the morning, Vig fulfilled his promise. He gathered his meritorious followers in the western square and held a grand enfeoffment ceremony before the public.
First came seven barons. Each had played a vital role over the years, and all were elevated into the ranks of the great nobility.
Joren, with the greatest merits, became Earl of Winchester.
Micham received Swindon.
Torja received Copton.
Sparrowhawk received Bournemouth.
Viper received Bristol.
Baffus received Yeovil.
These six divided Wessex among themselves (excluding Cornwall to the west). Brecken had the least merit; by the time it was his turn to choose, only Liverpool remained.
After enfeoffing the great nobles, Vig took the top parchment scroll from a stack and assigned Cornwall to the Welsh nobles.
Next came the lesser nobles of the royal demesne.
"Utgard."
Enfeoffing more than forty barons and four hundred knights in one go put an enormous strain on his voice. It was not until noon that he was finally free.
After years of war, the old royal demesne's lesser nobles had suffered devastating losses. Most lands were left without owners and were redistributed by Vig to newly risen barons and knights like Utgard. Even ordinary soldiers received thirty acres of farmland—like some kind of cycle repeating itself.
As for Vig himself, he held Londinium, Cambridge, Tamworth, Nottingham, York, Tyneburg, and the five counties of the Northlands—eleven counties in total.
Thus, the enfeoffment ceremony came to an end. But Vig had no time to rest; a mountain of work still awaited him.
The first task was to accept the allegiance of the remaining great nobles:
After conquering Northumbria, Ragnar had enfeoffed ten great nobles, including Vig, Ivar, Leonard, Ulf, and Pascal.
Later, after occupying southern Britannia, Ragnar had enfeoffed Theobulf, Æthelwulf, Gunnar, Niels, Om, Gudwin, and Edmund of East Anglia.
Excluding Vig himself and the three houses that had lost their lands (Æthelwulf/Æthelbad, Gunnar, and Niels), thirteen great noble houses remained.
After Ivar's death, his eldest son Imon succeeded him. Imon was only eleven years old, with power firmly in the hands of those around him. Not long ago, this young duke had sent envoys, offering to recognize the Tyneburg family's rule on the condition that he would not attend court and would pay only symbolic tribute.
Vig's response was deliberately ambiguous. He put on a sorrowful expression and gently comforted the envoy, promising to take good care of his old friend's child. As for political matters, they could wait until Imon came of age.
With the others, Vig was far less accommodating. He sent envoys to each territory, demanding a response within a set deadline.
Having seen the fate of Wessex, the remaining nobles did not resist. One by one, they obediently came to Londinium and swore allegiance to the new king in public.
After settling noble affairs, Vig turned to forming the kingdom's first cabinet.
Gudwin remained as Prime Minister, responsible for finance and overall leadership of the cabinet.
Micham became Minister of Internal Affairs, managing appointments and evaluations across the entire civil service.
Raven-Tongue was appointed High Grand Shaman of the Realm, overseeing temples and the hospitals attached to them. He gladly accepted and requested permission to build stone temples in counties such as Cambridge and Nottingham.
"The land can be granted," Vig replied, "but you'll raise the funds yourself. Don't expect allocations from me."
This short but intense war had drained Tyneburg's reserves. Fortunately, Vig had seized spoils worth two thousand pounds in Wessex; otherwise, he wouldn't even have been able to pay salaries.
Baffus became Minister of the Army, responsible for personnel, training, logistics, and armaments—but without direct command authority, similar to a Ming-dynasty Minister of War.
Minister of Maritime Affairs went to his brother-in-law Helgi. With the Western Sea Fur Company running smoothly and earning a steady annual profit of around a thousand pounds, Helgi had little to do and accepted the cabinet post out of boredom.
Tyneburg's chief artisan, Lucar, was transferred to Londinium as Minister of Industry, overseeing royal armories, the royal mint, other workshops, and major construction projects.
Two days earlier, Om had come to Londinium and spoken privately with Vig at length. In gratitude for his long defense of Rothenburg, Vig appointed this old companion as Minister of Justice.
Kemi Wildfire, former headmaster of Tyneburg Academy, became Minister of Agriculture and Education.
The education system was restructured. From the original Tyneburg Academy, a Royal Court Academy was split off.
The Royal Court Academy was established in Londinium, enrolling the children of nobles and civil officials, with an initial intake of two hundred students per cohort.
The reorganized Tyneburg Academy focused on the orphaned children of fallen soldiers, or the offspring of soldiers who had fought in two wars and earned at least third-class merit. A southern branch was also established in Londinium, enrolling two hundred students per cohort, with extra slots reserved for orphans. Nobles' children were not admitted.
Both academies used identical curricula and programs, with a nine-year system (five years of primary education, three years of secondary education, and one year of military training). After graduation, students served two years in the Royal Guard.
Their loyalty and moral standards far exceeded those of the ruffians once trained by Niels. With such men guarding the royal house, Vig could finally sleep soundly at night.
After completing their service, graduates would advance to higher education or enter other professions.
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