With reinforcements from Shrike's forces, Breken now commanded over three thousand troops. Ignoring Sweyn's pleas for surrender, he ordered the archers and crossbowmen to unleash a saturation barrage.
More than twenty thousand arrows darkened the sky.
After enduring the storm of missiles, the rebels of Rises suffered devastating losses. The fortress fell in less than half an hour.
Soon afterward, prisoners identified Sweyn's body.
He looked utterly ordinary—a middle-aged man in a worn suit of chainmail, his body riddled with over a dozen arrows.
"This is Sweyn?"
Breken was deeply disappointed. He had the head taken back to Athlone, then ordered two hundred militia to march west toward the coastline some dozen miles away.
Thus ended the first phase of the campaign.
The Second Phase
For the next stage, Vig selected eight thousand of the best troops and marched north. The remaining five thousand soldiers stayed behind along with:
1,500 prisoners
More than 2,000 laborers provided by nearby settlements
Their task: build twenty wooden forts.
Each fort followed the same design:
A ditch four meters wide and two meters deep
A wooden palisade five meters high
Barracks, warehouses, stables, and wells inside
These forts would serve as garrisons—or future fiefs for new lords.
"Maintain steady construction," Vig told Shrike, who remained behind. "There's no need to rush."
He then led the army north along the River Shannon.
The northwestern mountains had the least rebellion. Throughout the march, they encountered no enemy force larger than a hundred men.
With order largely restored, Vig left three thousand militia behind to build ten additional forts with local labor and prisoners.
Once everything was arranged, he returned to Athlone along the Shannon, then pushed south to crush the last resistance in the southwest mountains.
But news of his ruthlessness had already spread.
The rebels panicked.
Most disbanded on their own, as if the rebellion had never existed.
Vig did not bother pursuing them. As usual, he simply ordered local villages to provide labor for constructing more forts.
Under Vig's direct command, the rebellion that had shaken Ireland finally came to an abrupt end.
Though small rebel groups still lurked in remote corners, they were too few to pose a serious threat for a long time.
Military Evaluations
After the war, every unit began recording its merits.
One morning, a group of royal aides arrived at the Third Infantry Regiment to verify the reports submitted by the unit.
Breken knew the procedure and handed over lists of decorated soldiers, allowing them to inspect the companies.
Half an hour later, an aide visited the Second Infantry Company, casually questioning soldiers.
Eventually the topic shifted to the company clerk—Bob.
"Bob isn't on the merit list," one soldier said. "Why ask about him?"
The aide replied,
"He's a student from the Army Academy. This campaign counts as his internship, so we need a performance evaluation."
Most soldiers had little impression of Bob.
Company commander Ingvar offered a neutral assessment:
"Bob fulfilled his duties as company clerk. But he showed no particularly outstanding qualities."
The aide recorded everyone's remarks and politely thanked them.
A Father's Judgment
At noon, the report reached Vig's desk.
After reading it carefully, he reacted calmly.
It seemed his eldest son lacked the qualities of a great general.
But such things could not be forced.
"Well," he thought, "after years of education, he's still far better than Eamon or young Pascal."
The Enfeoffment Ceremony
On August 18, Vig held a grand council in Cork, in southern Ireland.
Since he had conquered the land himself, he personally presided over the investiture ceremony.
Utgard was promoted to Count of Limerick.
Douglas, a Highland mercenary leader, became Count of Galway.
When his name was called, Douglas was ecstatic. He swore he would bring fellow Highland Gaels to settle the region and help govern it. Whenever the king called, his clan would answer immediately.
In addition to the two new counts, Vig created forty royal baronies.
Each baron would command one of the newly built wooden forts and the surrounding villages—typically ten or more settlements with about five thousand residents.
Once granted fiefs, the barons would defend their lands with zeal. Families would work together—far more motivated than bureaucrats.
This was the great advantage of feudalism.
At very low cost, the crown could control newly conquered territories without spending royal funds.
In peacetime: the baronies paid tribute.
In wartime: they supplied quality cavalry and free militia.
If a baron's entire family died suppressing rebels?
No problem.
There were plenty of men eager to take the title.
Eamon's Dilemma
Watching the ceremony, Duke Eamon forced a smile.
The counts and barons were direct vassals of the king, not subordinate to the Duke of Ireland.
In effect, they were royal nails hammered into Irish soil.
But Eamon had no choice.
Most barons were military officers, while others were relatives of powerful nobles:
Goodwin's nephew
Theobulf's illegitimate son
Leonard's third son
Pascal's cousin
This represented the collective will of the kingdom. Eamon could not resist it.
When the investiture ended, Vig looked at him.
"What do you think, Duke?"
Eamon hesitated.
"Well… everyone has worked hard for this war. They deserve their rewards."
Vig nodded.
Securing the Island
After this campaign, Ireland now had five counts, enough to balance Duke Eamon's power.
If Eamon ever tried to rebel, he would first need to win over—or eliminate—the five great lords and the royal barons.
Before he could do that, Londinium would have plenty of time to respond.
Half an hour later, the ceremony ended.
As Vig looked over the kneeling crowd, he calculated silently:
Ireland is finally under the true control of the Kingdom of Britannia.
Population: about 550,000Land: roughly 80,000 km²
Nearly one quarter of the kingdom's total territory.
Finally, he turned to Eamon and offered sincere advice:
"I took control of the North a few years later than Ivar did. Yet today the region is stable and safer than anywhere else.
"Look at Ireland now—you should reflect on that."
"This rebellion forced the Crown, the Cabinet, and the army to mobilize enormous resources. And we had to risk invasion from West Francia as well."
"In the future, keep your subordinates under control."
"Maintain reasonable taxes. Improve relations with the locals."
"And when disputes arise—follow the Kingdom's legal code."
"Invite respected elders from the community to serve on juries."
The message was clear.
Order—not oppression—was the foundation of lasting rule.
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