Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 240 Land Investigation
In the following days, on the advice of the sugarcane workers, Hergi moved the camp to a hillside more than ten miles to the south, where a small river flowed nearby, making it suitable for a sugarcane plantation.

With time running out, Herji arranged for more than 300 people to clear the bushes, and it took them more than half a month to clear a small piece of land.

Then, sugarcane workers cut the sugarcane into suitable stalks, smeared the cut surfaces with wood ash, placed them in the plowed furrows, covered them with soil, and then irrigated them.

Lacking irrigation canals and waterwheels, the laborers could only carry water in buckets to irrigate the fields, leaving them exhausted and lamenting that they could no longer endure this hardship.

After the planting season ended, the busy work did not stop. The sugarcane workers approached Hergi and asked him to arrange for people to weed regularly, dig irrigation ditches, and build waterwheels.
"They're too tired to work anymore, let them take a break first."

The workload was too heavy, so Helgi approached investors like Hosa and suggested they return home by ship and send the next batch of workers and supplies as soon as possible.

Coincidentally, Hosa grew tired of the endless labor, so he went up on the deck, gazed at the sun-drenched archipelago, and was filled with a myriad of thoughts.

"The scenery here is beautiful, and the climate is pleasant, but the initial development was too tiring, and we need to hire more workers. Sigh, in a few years, when the island is initially developed, I will build a resort."

With the help of the westerly winds and ocean currents, the fleet made a quick return trip, arriving back in Londenium in early June.

Upon learning that sugarcane had begun to be cultivated in the Canary Islands, some nobles became interested and sought out Hosa to inquire about the details.

“Hergi is right. The local area has plenty of sunshine and a suitable climate. The only drawback is the presence of indigenous tribes,” Hosa truthfully reported on the local situation, advising the nobles to be cautious with their investments and not to cause trouble for them if they lost money.

A few days later, he took his five children to visit Helgeif and presented her with a strange bird that was entirely green and could mimic human voices.

"A parrot?" Herigel had read about this bird in ancient Roman scrolls; it was said to have been quite popular at the time. With the fall of the Roman Empire, this brightly colored bird gradually disappeared from Europe, and she never imagined she would one day see it with her own eyes.

"Where did you get it?"

Parrot: "Where did you get this?"

Hosa waved his arm. "Idiot, shut up."

Parrot: "Silly bird, shut up."

"Hehe, what an interesting little fellow." Herigel laughed from the bottom of her heart for a long time, and instructed the maid to take good care of the parrot.

The parrot was taken away, and Jossa answered his sister's question, "On the return journey, the fleet stopped in Lisbon, and I specially bought one for you. The Moorish nobles in Iberia live extravagantly and possess all sorts of novelties. Compared to them, we are like a bunch of uncultured country bumpkins."

Sensing that her younger brother had something to say, Harrigif instructed the maids to take the children to dessert. She herself sat up straight, her previous languidness gone, replaced by an air of authority and alertness.

"What do you suggest?"

Josa mentioned the climate and terrain of the Canary Islands, claiming that the area is suitable for growing sugarcane, grapes, and citrus fruits, and urgently needs a large labor force.

"Because of the long distance, even if we offer triple wages, we still can't recruit many people. I think it would be better to do this..."

Hosa's idea was simple: since they couldn't recruit commoners, they should have the king amend the law to exile criminals to the Canary Islands, thereby promoting local development and reducing the crime rate in the mainland.

At first glance, Harrigif thought the idea was quite feasible. "Alright, go back and wait for news. I'll discuss it with Vig tonight." After hearing Harrigif's account, Vig's reaction was indifferent. Whether in Europe or the Central Plains dynasties, "exile" was not uncommon. Now that his wife was pregnant, he didn't bother to argue about it and agreed after a little thought.

the next day.

Vig personally attended the cabinet meeting. Initially, he discussed Hosa's idea with the cabinet, and no one objected. The plan was easily passed.

The meeting then moved on to its main agenda—investigating the fields in the five southern prefectures.

According to Vig, William the Conqueror conducted a census of population and land covering all of England in 1086, the largest of its kind in medieval Europe.

Given the chaos in the five southern counties, he decided to conduct a small-scale investigation, with staff consisting of civil servants from Tyne County and the five northern counties, as well as graduating junior high school students.

He and his cabinet spent half a day developing a detailed work plan—starting in County Rendene, they would conduct surveys village by village, with investigators asking villagers questions using a standardized questionnaire, mainly covering three aspects:

First, there is land information. Investigators record the names of estates or villages, as well as the area of ​​arable land, woodland, pasture, and fishponds, and calculate the value of the land.

Secondly, there is population information, including gentry, independent farmers, border farmers/thatched farmers (who own little land and are not enough to make a living, and occasionally accept employment), wirans (shareholders who are required to perform labor for the manor lord), and slaves (who are completely dependent on the lord and have no land).

Finally, there is information on livestock, including pigs, cattle, sheep, horses, and beehives.

Besides commoners, the direct territories also contained a large number of fiefs belonging to barons and knights who performed military service obligations without having to pay land taxes directly.

If they purchase additional land, that land must be taxed according to the standards for ordinary people. This is a key concern for Vigé, and he will not tolerate any compromise on it.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Vig's gaze swept over everyone present. Goodwin, Mitcham, Orm, and Bavers were high-ranking nobles, and their earls were not within the scope of the investigation, so their interests were not affected and they had no reason to object to the bill.

The Minister of the Navy, Hergi, was growing sugarcane in the south and voluntarily abstained from voting.

As the chief high shaman, the Raven Whisperer oversees all the temples within the kingdom. The temples are funded by royal appropriations, donations from believers, income from medical practice, and revenue from affiliated landholdings, which are also subject to taxation—a matter Vig had previously negotiated with him. Therefore, the Raven Whisperer did not oppose the bill.

The remaining ministers are Agriculture and Education, Kemi Wildfire, and Industry, Rugal, both newly promoted barons whose fiefs are located in Cambridgeshire and whose interests are directly affected.

Kemi served as a shaman for a long time, was indifferent to worldly interests, and supported the king without hesitation.

Last year, Lukar took advantage of cheap land prices to buy up large amounts of land, thus suffering losses, and therefore he remained silent. Hearing his colleagues' statements, Lukar reluctantly agreed.

In a few minutes, Goodwin personally drafted the bill, affixed the Prime Minister's seal, and handed it to the King.

After carefully reviewing the bill, Vig stamped it at the end, instructing the cabinet to implement it as soon as possible. "I'll try to get it done within six months. I'll send an infantry regiment and two ranger companies along to deter any audacious individuals."

(End of this chapter)