Ch 53: Improved Ships

In the following time, Vig questioned the Berbers in detail about shipbuilding specifics, including timber types, sail materials, and rudder placement.

As the banquet neared its end, Bjorn finally escaped the endless questions, supporting himself against the walls as he walked toward his room. In a daze, he saw a pretty figure standing outside the door.

“Princess Eve?” Bjorn rubbed his eyes vigorously. He didn’t have much acquaintance with her, and for a moment he stood there dumbfounded.

The woman approached proactively, exuding a faint, sweet scent. “I’m very interested in the Iberian Peninsula, Prince Bjorn. Would you have time to give me a detailed introduction?”

“Uh, of course, Your Highness.”

The next afternoon, Vig found Bjorn in the royal garden, the latter strolling with Princess Eve. “Hey, I’ve been thinking about it last night, and I think we should learn from Berber shipbuilding techniques, improve the Viking longships, and produce a large ship suitable for ocean voyages.”

For the convenience of inland river navigation, Viking longships had to sacrifice some performance in exchange for better flexibility, allowing the Vikings to pillage along the river channels.

However, the future development trend of sea vessels is mainly sail-powered, gradually eliminating oars, with larger hulls and stronger stability, eventually resulting in three-masted ships of hundreds or even thousands of tons.

（In the later stages, the displacement of sailing warships generally exceeded a thousand tons. For example, Nelson’s flagship, Victory, had a displacement of 3,500 tons.）

Vig’s idea was to set up a specialized technical team to build new ocean-going cargo ships powered primarily by sails with a full-load displacement exceeding one hundred tons, promoting maritime trade.

Mentioning seafaring, Bjorn immediately became interested, discussing with Vig for a long time before they went to the main hall to find Ragnar.

“Hmm, that sounds reasonable.”

Ragnar stroked his chin, pondering for a long time. Just as he was about to accept the proposal, Pascal, standing beside him, dissuaded him: “Your Majesty, the treasury’s gold and silver are running low. Please be cautious.”

“I know.” Ragnar waved his hand irritably and complained to Bjorn and Vig:

“Being king is less enjoyable than before. Every day countless people surround you for eating, drinking, and everything else. My wife demands jewelry, the guards clamor for pillaging other countries, and gentlemen bother you over trivial matters. Odin above, just because one family’s sheep ate another family’s wheat field, these two gentlemen bothered me for a whole half day!”

Bjorn asked with great interest: “And then? How did you resolve this conflict?”

“I had the guards throw out two swords and let them duel to the death. Haha, the two finally calmed down. Maybe I should adopt the ‘trial by combat’ method. Whenever someone falls into an irresolvable conflict, let them fight publicly.”

After some idle chat, Ragnar agreed to their request. “I’ll contribute twenty pounds of silver and find some experienced shipwrights to build new ships with those Berber captives.”

“Your Majesty, thank you for your wisdom.” Vig bowed and left the Great Hall side-by-side with Bjorn.

The next moment, Bjorn suddenly realized, “Princess Eve is still in the royal garden. Isn’t she going to be angry? It’s all your fault, Vig.”

Before Vig could refute, his figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the passage.

After staying in York for more than a week and dealing with various matters, Vig bid farewell to Ragnar and returned north.

Upon returning to Tyne, Herigifu’s first words were to inquire about the whereabouts of Humulus lupulus.

“I’ve made an agreement with a wool merchant. He’ll probably come to Tyne Town to buy woolen cloth in the summer and bring some seeds along the way.”

After spending two days being pestered by Herigifu, Vig began inspecting the situation in Tyne Town. He went to the carpenter’s street in the southwest area of the town and placed a large order with fifteen carpenters.

“Five hundred bows, ten thousand arrows, one thousand round shields.”

According to the news he had gathered in York, King Eric had accumulated enough money and was expected to launch a war after spring, forcing the nobles throughout Norway to submit to him.

With a major war imminent, Vig intended to take advantage of the opportunity to make a quick profit, and if the battle situation was protracted, he would produce more military supplies to sell to Northern Europe.

“Yes, Master.” Having agreed on the price, the carpenters readily accepted the order. They quickly discussed the share of each family; skilled carpenters would be responsible for making bows, and less skilled carpenters for making arrow shafts and round shields.

In the following period, Vig would take some time to observe the process of making the purple-clothed bows.

First, the carpenters cut the yew wood lengthwise into rough blanks. The heartwood near the heart of the tree was relatively hard, forming the back of the bow, and the sapwood near the bark was relatively flexible, forming the belly of the bow. The entire process required carving along the grain to prevent cracking.

After completion, the blanks needed to be air-dried for at least six months to reduce the moisture content of the wood and prevent deformation. After air-drying, the carpenter would scrape parts of the wood to ensure that both arms bent symmetrically when the bow was drawn.

During his observation, Vig raised a question. “I’ve been to Eastern Europe and Constantinople. Their bows require horns, sinews, and fish glue. Why don’t British yew bows need them?”

After asking several families in a row, an elderly carpenter finally answered: “Master, when I was young, I was an apprentice in Wessex. My master received an order to make war bows with horn pieces and sinews. We worked hard, but found that whenever it rained, the glued bow would come loose. It ended in failure, and we offended that nobleman, so we had to flee to Northumbria to avoid trouble.”

“I see.”

Vig suddenly understood. The humid and rainy climate easily caused the adhesive layer to fail. No wonder the English army used single-piece bows.

Time passed, and soon it was April 846. The waves of the North Sea, which had lasted throughout the winter, gradually subsided, and Viking longships arrived from Northern Europe one after another.

According to the news brought by the travelers, King Eric had assembled an army of two thousand men, personally leading them in various campaigns; three hundred men were equipped with iron armor, with an armor rate of 15%.

Upon capturing a settlement, Eric usually executed the entire lord’s family and exiled the shield-bearers who surrendered after fighting bravely. Then, following the Frankish system, he appointed his retainers as earls or knights to govern the newly conquered lands. Knights had to serve forty days without pay each year; exceeding the limit would earn them wages; if they failed to fulfill their vassal obligations, the king had the right to reclaim their land and noble titles.

“Strange, even the kingdoms of Britain have not fully implemented the feudal system, why did Eric take the lead?”

Vig repeatedly asked for details and learned that Eric appointed a group of merchants who had frequently traveled to the continent as advisors, asking them to recount the history of the Frankish Kingdom, seemingly wanting to become the Charlemagne of the Northern European world.

（Charlemagne, 742~814. During his reign, he vigorously promoted the feudal system, and the Frankish Kingdom reached its peak, its territory covering France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, occupying most of Western Europe. Later, he was crowned “Emperor of the Romans” by the Pope, so his kingdom can also be called the Carolingian Empire.）

“It seems he was greatly stimulated by the Battle of Northumbria, and it might have something to do with me. Forget it, let’s make this war money first.”

After a brief sigh, Vig quickly found those carpenters, urging them to increase production capacity. This war wouldn’t end in a short time; it was a good time to make money.