Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 317 New Crops

In his first week in office, Frode found the job extremely easy. There were no thefts or fights in the area; the only two disputes were over inheritance. However, the division of inheritance was a legal matter to be decided by the circuit court, and Frode was merely an observer, which bored him greatly.

"It would be better to transfer me to the Navy Department, or some other department."

Bored to the extreme, Frode helps his wife Ostella grow flowers in the garden and occasionally goes hunting and fishing in the woods, living a retirement life that many people can only dream of.

This cannot go on.

Frode led fifty guards to begin patrolling the villages within the territory. It was the time when the spring-sown crops (barley and oats) were filling out, and the fields were a continuous expanse of green. Farmers were busy weeding under the scorching sun and placing scarecrows in the fields to drive away the annoying birds.

"Your Highness, something has happened!"

Suddenly, Frode was pulled off his horse by soldiers. Surrounded by shields, he saw through the gaps that a large group of farmers, armed with pitchforks and bows and arrows, were rushing towards him menacingly.

I didn't do anything, is it really that serious?

Frod sent his soldiers to investigate and discovered that it was just a misunderstanding. Two large and three small wild boars had wandered into a nearby oat field, and the villagers were just about to drive the beasts away. They had no intention of targeting His Highness the Crown Prince.

"Make way, don't frighten the villagers." Frode stepped aside, letting the villagers pass, and then followed them to watch this rare hunt.

After walking for a few minutes, he saw a woman sitting on the edge of the field, wailing loudly. Five wild boars were rampaging through the oat field, digging through the soil, tearing off the green ears of wheat, and greedily devouring the immature wheat seedlings.

“The charge of a wild boar is similar in power to that of cavalry; the farmers can’t withstand it. Should we lend them a hand?” Frode looked at the Royal Guard officer, who sighed and ordered twenty soldiers to escort the Crown Prince to safety, while he led thirty men into battle.

"Fire arrows!"

Ten archers fired their arrows, and five hunters followed suit, releasing their bows. The arrows whistled as they flew toward the largest wild boar, but with little effect.

Wild boars like to wallow in the mud, and over time, their fur becomes covered with mud and resin, like an extra layer of armor. In addition, wild boars' skin is very thick and tough, and there is a layer of fat under the skin, which prevents iron arrows from penetrating.

Sensing the pain, the wild boar suddenly raised its head, its eyes burning with a primal and ferocious light, and charged towards the crowd. Its heavy body smashed through the green wheat fields, mud flying everywhere, with the force of a thunderbolt.

"Scatter! They're charging at us!" This was the villagers' panicked shout.

"Hold your formation and do not retreat!" This was the order issued by the Imperial Guard officer.

The Imperial Guard soldiers formed an irregular circle, with the front-line soldiers kneeling on the ground, their spears raised diagonally forward, while the archers in the middle of the formation continued to fire, trying to exhaust the wild boar's life force.

The wild boar charged forward, knocking down a villager. With a sudden thrust of its tusks, the villager's blood quickly stained the soil beneath it. The remaining forty-seven villagers were thrown into chaos. Some used pitchforks to stab the wild boar's soft belly, while others grabbed their farm tools and ran for their lives, trying to escape this incredibly brutal battlefield.

“It’s in such a mess. These Vikings have lost their fighting spirit and are not much different from the Anglo villagers.” The Royal Guard officer complained under his breath, ordering the archers to avoid the boar’s front and focus on shooting its belly.

After a long while, annoyed by the villagers' crying and commotion, the team leader picked up a short spear and left the formation. He jogged up to the side and rear of the male wild boar, threw the spear, and the spear pierced the target's back. The wild boar's heavy body collapsed with a thud.

Then, the archers focused their fire on the larger boar, causing it to bleed to death and collapse. The remaining three boar cubs were smaller, and the guards quickly broke formation and killed them, ending the bloody chaos.

After a hearty stew of pork, Frode and his soldiers spent the night in the village and continued their inspection of the remaining settlements the next day.

Along the way, the fallow land and public land are covered with lush weeds, with scattered flocks of sheep and shepherds wandering around. Occasionally, you can see private pastures enclosed by hedges, planted with clover imported from Ireland.

"With the booming development of the textile industry, the purchase price of wool continued to rise. Not only nobles, gentry and rich farmers, but even the lowest-class tenant farmers were raising sheep and selling wool to supplement their household income. All social classes were benefiting, and the situation was very good."

However, the domestic market will eventually become saturated, and the only hope lies in expanding into overseas markets, but the purchasing power of residents in Northern and Eastern Europe is too low.

Given the current trend, Frode is worried that this problem will erupt after he takes office, and his desire to find new markets is even more urgent.

After turning past an oak forest, he saw fields of corn, pumpkins, and beans planted on the hillside ahead. This was the first time he had ever seen people in the region trying out crops from the New World. He found the owner and struck up a conversation.

"How are the profits?"

The farmers' answers were disappointing: "The corn yield is not bad, but my family doesn't want to eat it, so I can only sell it cheaply to the local gentry at the market as livestock feed. The pumpkin tastes okay, but the downside is that it's not filling. I ate two big bowls of pumpkin this morning, and I started feeling hungry again at ten o'clock in the morning. The bean harvest isn't much better."

"Sigh, we only have fifteen acres of flat land, so I'm forced to plant new crops on the slope. Our neighbors have plenty of flat farmland; they prefer to graze their sheep on the slope—it's easier that way."

By listening to the farmers' answers, Frode understood the merits and demerits of these new crops, and that they were better suited for promotion in hilly and mountainous areas, such as the North, Wales, and western Ireland.

On July 8, Frode toured the various settlements in the territory. The two-field system had been largely replaced by the three-field system, iron farm tools were widely used, and the farmers' lives were maintained at a subsistence level. He could not find any area that needed improvement.

Upon returning to Luton, he continued his dull and monotonous life, occasionally visiting the town's post office, temple, and hospital.

The work at the post office was equally easy. Few villagers came to send or receive letters. The postman's job was to travel to and from Londinium once a week, occasionally collect and send letters at the post office, and spend the rest of his time cultivating his own land.

The temple was managed by a newly graduated apprentice shaman. The young man lacked enthusiasm for his work and often did things half-heartedly. Sometimes he was called to help out at the hospital, and in his spare time he would sit under the shade of a tree, reading various miscellaneous books he had bought from Rendinium.

Compared to the former two, the hospital is extremely busy, with only two doctors and one non-staff member (trainee shaman), who are responsible for the medical needs of more than 8,000 villagers.

One doctor treats common illnesses, while the other primarily handles childbirth. In addition to their medical work, they also dedicate time to promoting hygiene and occasionally work as veterinarians.

(End of this chapter)