Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 325 Ocean Act
The following morning, Bjorn led three hundred able-bodied men out of Quebec City to the camp of their Indigenous allies.

From Major Lake's perspective, the locals have many tattoos on their faces, no beards, and an inexplicable obsession with alcohol.

With an equal number of allied troops, Bjorn felt he had a significant advantage and launched a preemptive attack on the enemy tribe. Two days later, the two sides clashed in an open snowfield. The Vikings, with more than half of them armored, easily routed the enemy.

After the battle, the crew of the Voyager received their reward of large bundles of furs, feeling elated and thinking they had made a huge profit.

On the other hand, the indigenous tribes that sought help believed they were the biggest beneficiaries, not only eliminating their long-time enemies but also gaining land and people.

Similarly, Bjorn didn't feel he lost out; he acquired land in southwestern Quebec, a region dotted with streams and small lakes, home to numerous beavers, making it an excellent source of fur.

None of the three factions felt they had been taken advantage of. They happily divided the spoils and ended the brief tribal conflict.

On the return journey, Captain Lake approached Bjorn and asked, "Are there any similar operations planned?"

"No, the New World is sparsely populated, and there is less interaction between tribes. The scale and frequency of wars are far less than in the Old World."

The captain was disappointed, but he couldn't force Bjorn to fight the nearby natives, so he could only join the Quebec residents' hunting party to hunt beavers in the shallow waters.

In mid-April, the Quebec River thawed, and the Voyagers eagerly set sail. Benefiting from the North Atlantic Current, their return journey was relatively quick, and they arrived back in Rendiniome on May 15th.

At the dock, Vig personally greeted the forty-one surviving crew members. He kept his promise, bestowing upon Major Leighton the title of Baron, and promoting the remaining crew members to knighthood, granting them permission to explore new territories in the New World.

Thanks to the Voyager's exploration, merchant ships could now travel between Europe and the New World by following ocean currents, greatly improving sailing efficiency and safety.

Two days later, Vigg issued a new navigation law:

Apart from the kingdom's fleet and merchant ships, all other forces are prohibited from traveling to the New World via the southern route; those who disobey will be sunk.

For twenty years, he devoted himself to improving shipbuilding technology, exploring the Canary Islands, and finding new sea routes, determined not to let others, especially the powers of the Iberian Peninsula, benefit from it.

There has been little reaction from the outside world so far.

Bjorn's fur company was listed on the London Stock Exchange, and all the goods it acquired were sold in the British market. It was essentially a British colonial company, and 30% of the company's shares belonged to the royal family. Business continued as usual.

The business community reacted indifferently. The textile industry was thriving and had absorbed the vast majority of capital in the market. Weighing the risks and rewards, they preferred to remain in Britain and only have sufficient incentive to venture into the New World once domestic competition became saturated.

West Frankish shipbuilding technology was outdated, and they could only build cumbersome cogs, lacking the ability to sail long distances.

The Moors (Arabs) possessed relatively advanced seafaring technology, but the Iberian Peninsula was embroiled in war, with the northern and southern factions locked in a fierce struggle, leaving them with limited resources to invest in the development of the New World. Furthermore, the newly formed Canary Fleet was stationed in the south, constantly monitoring their movements.

"Whether it was the Moors or the Byzantine Empire, their galley-mounted warships were unsuitable for sailing the Atlantic and were confined to the Mediterranean. Unless they improved their ship designs, a time-consuming and laborious process requiring a long-term investment of ten or even twenty years." June, Jersey, Channel Islands, south of Britain.

"Sigh, it's time to go ashore for reconnaissance again. I hope I can make it through smoothly."

At this moment, Salomon belongs to the intelligence system—the Investigation Department—West Frankish branch. His treatment is equivalent to that of an inspector, but his actual work is similar to that of a detective or a junior detective, requiring him to go out and collect intelligence.

On June 2nd, a two-masted sailing ship departed from the harbor, quietly heading towards the southwestern coast of the Brittany peninsula. Taking advantage of the absence of attention, the sailing ship lowered a small boat, and Salomon and a young Breton rowed the small boat to the beach.

After landing, the two hid their small boat under nearby rocks, disguising themselves as an ordinary father and son, and made their way through the wilderness with canes.

After crossing a slope covered with white wildflowers, a strong and peculiar salty smell wafted over him. Salomon gazed to his side, where the grey-blue seawater receded with white foam, revealing large areas of damp mudflats with piles of green seaweed on the shore.

They were not scattered randomly, but were carefully arranged into long dikes, like a giant sea serpent that had lost its vitality.

Dozens of steps away, several farmers in coarse linen shirts were working with their backs bent. They were turning over the seaweed piles with wooden forks, while flocks of seagulls circled and chattered overhead, scrambling for the crabs and shellfish they found in the seaweed piles.

In the distance, some seaweed, after being exposed to the long sun, turned into a pile of gelatinous humus, which was shoveled onto horse-drawn carts by farmers and transported to their own fields.

As a native Brittany nobleman, Salomon understood their intentions: rotting seaweed was an excellent fertilizer, which farmers would plow into the soil to increase crop yields. Alternatively, burning the seaweed into ash could also improve the soil.

“Back in last year, I reported the relevant methods to the Minister of Agriculture. I wonder if he has put his heart into promoting them?”

Salomon and his entourage traveled slowly along the country dirt road, occasionally encountering Frankish knights on patrol, who respectfully made way for them like two ordinary Breton farmers.

The following morning, they arrived at Brest, a port city in western Brittany. Years ago, this place belonged to Salomon's cousin; now it was the territory of a Frankish count.

"The walls are still wooden fortified walls, with a heavily fortified side facing the sea. An additional stone wall was also built, and there were eight large catapults."

Salomon strolled around with his cane, noting the height of the walls, the width of the moat outside, and the port's defenses, with a particular focus on the location and orientation of the eight large catapults.

"Franklin's northern coastline is long, but there are few ports suitable for large-scale landings. The French army can concentrate resources to build numerous defensive fortifications. If I were to attack Brest, I should avoid the sea and instead launch a surprise attack around the northern or eastern walls."

After strolling around the wall, Salomon headed to the tavern for a meal. He took out a Denier silver coin, and the bartender carefully examined its purity, remarking, "It's a five-year-old design. Since the king devalued silver coins, the market has been flooded with inferior coins of lower silver content. Not bad, your coin is worth 30% more than the newer ones. What would you like to eat?"

"Four large glasses of ale, two plates of fish pies, and some salted meat for the road, pork or mutton are both fine."

Salomon chose a corner spot, quietly sipping his ale and listening to the conversations of the other drinkers, paying particular attention to prices and the movements of the nobles.

(End of this chapter)