Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 173 Slaves and the New City District
When the topic of land reclamation came up, Ragnar seemed thoughtful and asked where the labor force would come from.

Vig explained, "Some came from Scandinavian immigrants, and some from the slave market. The cabinet reached an agreement with the slave traders to organize slaves to cultivate the land, and paid the slave traders ransoms for five consecutive years. After five years, the cabinet released the slaves as self-sufficient farmers."

Self-sufficient farmers were the backbone of society. They provided the rulers with soldiers and taxes. Those with stable property had stable minds, and in order to protect their own land, their loyalty was higher than that of foreign mercenaries and slave soldiers.

Taking the Roman Empire as an example, as land was annexed, the number of self-sufficient farmers continued to decrease, the citizen-soldier system was weakened, and the empire was forced to recruit more mercenaries and barbarian soldiers, which eventually led to endless political turmoil and civil war.

Ragnar stroked his gray beard. "I'm afraid the slave traders will complain about this practice."

Vig replied calmly, "As long as you agree, the cabinet will handle this small matter. What can a mere group of businessmen possibly do?"

Politics is essentially about distributing interests; there will always be one side that suffers losses, and it's impossible to please everyone. Mr. Viggo had the entire British Isles on his mind, so he couldn't afford to complain.

Realizing the Prime Minister was determined, Ragnar and the two queens discussed the matter in hushed tones for a long time and decided to give it a try to reverse the current financial predicament.

Clutching the plan personally stamped by the king, Vig convened a cabinet meeting that afternoon to assign tasks to everyone.

First, there's the additional luxury tax, which is under the full responsibility of the Sea Secretary, Esserwolf. In any case, it will bring in at least £500 more this year.

Secondly, there was the issue of slavery. Vig handed the task over to Goodwin, instructing him to negotiate with the slave traders.

"Your Excellency, your plan benefits both the royal family and the slaves, but it overlooks the thoughts of the slave traders." Goodwin frowned. The so-called five-year repayment plan, with a total amount equivalent to 1.2 times the redemption price of an adult slave, had an annual interest rate that was too low and exceeded the tolerance limit of the merchants.

Vig remained unmoved. "This group has plenty of leverage, so I'll send you, the Minister of Justice, to negotiate. If they're willing to hand over the person, everything is negotiable; if they're unwilling to do so gracefully, you can try another approach."

The next unlucky guy was Horst. Vig asked him to introduce the undeveloped vacant land in his jurisdiction, but Horst just shrugged.
"Your Excellency, I have only recently taken office and am not yet familiar with the situation in this area."

Left with no other choice, Vigé then personally went out to explore the land around Rendinium with his staff.

Empty, flat grasslands are suitable for conversion into farmland, and development is the easiest.

Land with trees and shrubs is of moderate difficulty to develop. It is suitable for cutting down trees to sell for money, then burning the shrubs to reclaim farmland and pasture.

The most challenging aspect of development was the swamps; large areas of accumulated peat bogs and reed marshes surrounded Lundinium, limiting the town's expansion.

Vig rode his gray horse to the high ground outside the city, overlooking the chaotic, cramped town, and suddenly an idea came to him.

"The permanent population of Rendinium reached eight thousand, and during the summer and autumn seasons, when trade was frequent, the population often exceeded ten thousand. By early October, when vassals from all over came to pay homage, some knights who were short of money had to sleep on the streets."

"If we organize slaves to drain the swamps, the resulting land can be used to build houses, trading posts, workshops, and luxurious residences, which can then be sold to different groups of people. The cost-effectiveness is far greater than cultivating farmland in other areas." Having made up his mind, Vig summoned Goodwin and inquired about his progress over the past few days.

As the largest town and trading center on the British Isles, Rendinium was a hub of slave trade. Goodwin convened a meeting of those involved in the trade, which, unsurprisingly, was met with unanimous opposition.

The slave traders' trump card was that most of their slaves were kept on plantations in various places, with Londinium merely serving as a trading center. If the Minister of Justice went too far, they could simply move to another location to conduct their business.

In response, Goodwin unusually adopted a tough stance, stating that this was a unanimous decision by the Royal Family and the Cabinet, and that anyone who disobeyed would be barred from doing business in Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, and other countries, effectively cutting off their source of income.
While Goodwin was drinking water, Vig stroked his chin. "So, they compromised?"

"I suppose so. We reached an agreement whereby the slave traders would gather a thousand adult men, and the cabinet would pay for their redemption, repaying the debt over five years. The total repayment amount has increased, now equivalent to 1.5 times the redemption price. If needed in the future, they can provide two hundred adult men each year, with the repayment agreement remaining the same."

After finishing his report, Goodwin stretched and yawned as he walked out of the Prime Minister's residence.

Unlike Pascal and Vig, he did not strive for perfection in handling official business; achieving seven or eight out of ten points was sufficient, leaving more room for all parties and trying to avoid conflict.

With the labor problem solved, Vig applied to Ragnar to expand the town's area. Permission was granted, and he designated a large area outside the western wall, directing a construction team to level the land and build a wooden stockade along its edge.

By May, the village wall was basically completed. The construction team built houses according to uniform specifications, adopting a "shop in the front and residence in the back" layout.

The house has two floors and uses an oak truss structure. The walls are filled with "twig plaster," a common medieval material, which is a mixture of woven branches, clay, reeds, and lime.

The original thatched roof was replaced with terracotta tiles, and a chimney structure was added. The central hearth inside the house was replaced with a brick fireplace.

For fire prevention reasons, the streets and alleys in the new urban area were deliberately widened, and wells were placed at intervals.

As the Sheriff of London, Horst occasionally came to the construction site to join in the fun. Comparing the messy houses in the old town, he couldn't help but sigh, "Isn't this a bit too extravagant?"

“Luxury? You mean cost?” Vig, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, explained to the other party, “The houses are all the same size, and each worker is only responsible for a specific process, which greatly increases the construction speed and saves costs to some extent.”

"How much exactly can you earn?"

Vig gives a general conclusion: "It's not clear yet, but in Tyne, these new houses sell for £0.6. In Lundeneum, with its larger population, they could sell for at least £0.7, and after deducting costs, we expect to make a profit of £0.6 per house."

so much?
Horst was greatly shocked. If two thousand houses were built, wouldn't he be able to earn twelve hundred pounds?

Then his gaze shifted to another area, where the houses were larger and constructed of stone, seemingly a noble residence.

As Horst calculated the profits from a single mansion, his eyes grew increasingly eager, and he decided to find a way to make a fortune.
(End of this chapter)