Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 142 Ships and Fur

Springtime of 851 AD.

Bjorn and Helgi strode into the main building of Tyneburg and demanded three Kirk ships. "Those natives have gone too far. We must get our revenge this year!"

Next, Bjorn gulped down mead and recounted his tragic experiences. Vig didn't interrupt him immediately, but quietly stroked the half-meter-long walrus tusk, its surface a pale yellowish-cream color.

After the other party finished explaining the background, Vig gave his quote:
"As it happens, the shipyard has two Cokes for sale and one more that is nearing completion. Each ship is priced at eighty pounds (costing fifty pounds), for a total of two hundred and forty pounds for the three ships. Should we pay in silver or with the goods?"

The Coke was well-suited for maritime trade, requiring only 20 to 30 sailors to transport hundreds of tons of cargo, significantly improving transport efficiency.

Unfortunately, its drawback was its exorbitant price; the price of one Coke was equivalent to that of several Viking longships, making it unaffordable for ordinary merchants, who could only purchase it through joint ventures.

Currently, the Tyneburg shipyard has produced a total of five Kirk ships. The Mackerel is reserved for the Duke's use and is responsible for transporting goods to Calais and then returning to Tyneburg with Frankish warhorses, wine and other products.

The second ship was sold to Harry's Tyne Wool Merchants, transporting wool, iron ingots, paper, and salted fish to Flanders, and purchasing books, glass, and spices to return to Tyne.

The third ship was sold to a Danish nobleman named Horst, whose fief was in Schleswig, and who was responsible for the shipping route between Denmark and the mouth of the Neva River (the site of later St. Petersburg), and for trading with the Rus' people of Eastern Europe.

The fourth and fifth ships have yet to find buyers and remain quietly at the south dock of Tyne. In contrast, traditional Viking longships sell for only £10 to £20 and are in high demand.

Björn: "I'm short of money right now. I've spent all the silver I got from the Frankish Wars. Can I buy on credit?"

Vig: "."

The two stared at each other for a long time before Vig couldn't help but speak up: "Two hundred and forty pounds, that's no small amount. I'm waiting for this money to pay off my debts. This request is excessive. Besides, you should go to the royal shipyard in Rendinium. His Majesty has promised to give you 20% of the profits, which can be used to purchase ships."

Bjorn rolled his eyes. "I checked. Half of the Kirk ships from the past two years were sold off, and the other half were used as warships. The shipyard didn't make much money, so naturally there was no profit for me."

Does this work too?
Vig didn't say anything more. Seeing that he was going to refuse, Helgi stepped forward to plead, "As long as we defeat more than two hundred barbarians, we can hunt any walruses and seals on the nearby beaches. The profits will be beyond your imagination!"

Vig remained unmoved. The indigenous population of Greenland is definitely not limited to these few; what if that tribe brings in more reinforcements?
After hesitating for a few minutes, and considering their past friendship, he promised to provide ships and arms, but on two conditions:
First, assuming that he and the archipelago alliance are at war, Helgi must not have any connection with Stein and others.

Second, establish the West Sea Fur Company to develop the land west of Iceland in the form of a company. Tyneburg will have priority to sell any goods obtained from the expedition.

The three got into a heated argument over the division of future profits, but reached a compromise half an hour later.

First, regarding the ownership of the fur company, Bjorn holds 45%, Vig holds 30%, and Hergé holds 25%.

Regarding the sale of goods, the Duke of Tyneburg guaranteed to provide ships, ironware, and grain at the best prices available at the market. In return, the company would give priority to the Duke for the sale of goods obtained from expeditions, with prices negotiated every two years. They found parchment, each of the three signed their names, stamped their seals, and carefully kept their respective copies of the document.

Ultimately, the three Cokes were transferred to the Fur Company on credit, along with armor, crossbows, and other weaponry, for a total value of £320, which was later repaid with goods.

Clutching the supply list, Bjorn grinned from ear to ear. "Haha, don't worry, including the armor I've collected, we'll gather a hundred armored soldiers, enough to take over that coastline. Then we can use the hunting profits to buy more weapons and seize more beaches."

According to Bjorn's estimate, there are thousands of walruses on the beaches near the landing site alone. Greenland is a vast island with a winding coastline, and the number of walruses and seals is virtually endless.

His only regret was that Iceland and Greenland had harsh climates, so not many Viking immigrants were willing to go there voluntarily; he could only buy slaves to expand the population.
Sensing the excitement of the two, Vig remained silent. Being beaten like this by a group of natives equipped with animal bone weapons was utterly humiliating.

He thought to himself:
"By Odin, I hope Bjorn and his brother-in-law will take it easy and stay in the southwestern fjords of Greenland. Don't go to the Americas, and especially don't provoke the local powers in Central America. Muskets and cannons haven't appeared yet, so don't rush over there and make a fool of yourselves."

The indigenous population in Mexico is vast; assembling an army of several thousand wouldn't be a problem. If we were to be sacrificed, Ragnar and her sister might take their anger out on me.”

For the next two weeks, Bjorn traveled to various places to recruit raiders. Based on the size of a kirk ship with sixty men, he planned to build a force of two hundred and forty men, with about forty percent of them armored, to crush these barbarians with an overwhelming advantage in equipment.

Helgi took some time to return to Skye, and now that he has found a new career to devote the rest of his life to, he decided to entrust his Skye settlement to an old brother and completely let go of that life.

In mid-April, the expeditionary fleet was assembled, and Bjorn and Helgi led more than two hundred greedy raiders on their journey to Greenland once again.

After seeing the fleet off, Vig left the dock and followed Rugal to the blacksmith's shop to inspect a new set of cloth armor made by the craftsman.

The main reason for choosing cloth armor is cost. Chainmail requires thousands of interlocking iron rings, and lamellar armor requires hundreds of plates, making it far more expensive and time-consuming than cloth armor.

"Although the protective performance is slightly inferior, the advantage of cloth armor is that it is suitable for large-scale deployment. The armor can protect against attacks and also boost the morale of ordinary soldiers. With a layer of iron armor on their bodies, their concerns about charging and fighting will be reduced."

Vig carefully examined the dark brown cloth armor.

The outer layer consists of multiple layers of coarse linen fabric to enhance cushioning. Inside are over two hundred armor plates, secured to the linen fabric with iron rivets.

Besides riveting with nails, the armor plates could also be fixed by sewing, using hemp thread threaded through the holes in the armor plates and sewn in place, with the knots hidden inside. After discussion, the blacksmiths chose the first method.

To balance protection and flexibility, the armor plates on the chest and abdomen are arranged closely together, while the armor plates on other parts are relatively sparse.

The inner lining of cloth nails is made of soft, fine linen, and it is also layered in multiple layers to prevent the edges of the nail plates from scratching the wearer's skin during exercise.

(End of this chapter)