Ch 128: Nobles’ Income
The fleet’s load capacity was limited, so the soldiers prioritized selecting amber, fur, woolen cloth, and iron ingots, abandoning lower-value supplies such as grain and pickled fish.
Staying in Bergen for two days, Vig found no trace of Ohr and his retainers nearby. Taking advantage of the favorable wind direction, Vig decided to leave as soon as possible.
Before leaving, he had the soldiers summon the two thousand residents of Bergen to deliver a speech:
“My friends, I am Vig, Duke of Tyne. All this is a personal matter between myself and the Lord of Bergen. He has long been in arrears, and last month he even killed my envoy. He simply doesn’t respect me. I hereby offer a bounty of fifty pounds of silver for his head!”
Noticing the somewhat low spirits of the crowd, Vig intentionally announced some good news.
“I deeply apologize for disturbing your lives. The remaining grain, pickled fish, and drinks in the storehouse are free for you to take. You can also freely move the furniture from the lord’s longhouse. Consider it a small compensation from me.”
After speaking, amidst the cheers of two thousand residents, Vig led his troops aboard and departed.
In mid-May, the fleet arrived at the nearshore waters of Edinburgh—the Firth of Forth. Vig did not rush south to return to Tyne, but instead took the time to travel to Stirling County to inspect the local ironworking situation.
According to previous letters, he learned that the mine overseer was attempting to lay wooden rails to alleviate the increasingly serious transportation problems.
After sailing upstream along the River Forth for a distance, the Bluefish furled its sails, slowly approaching the North Bank dock. Sailors cranked the capstan to lower the iron anchor, then used cables to secure it to wooden stakes onshore.
Walking on the wooden planks, Vig approached Kesso, who was surrounded by miners. “How effective are the railroad cars?”
“Very effective,”
Kesso led the Duke to the north of the ironworks, where a temporary hundred-meter-long section of wooden rail had been laid. The spacing between the wooden rails was approximately 1.5 meters.
On the superintendent’s orders, the workers brought a draft horse and used it to pull a mine cart loaded with reddish-brown ore. After two round trips, the draft horse’s stamina was still strong.
According to later measurements, the draft horse’s speed was approximately six kilometers per hour, and the weight of the mine cart was approximately 1.5 tons—twice that of a traditional wagon.
If transporting miners to the mining area, the draft horse’s speed would increase further. A journey that originally took two hours could now be completed in half an hour to reach the mountain foot.
Regarding the current track, Vig offered several suggestions: lay sleepers under the wooden rails, fill the crevices between the sleepers with gravel, allowing rainwater to drain out through the gravel cracks, and prevent the track from being submerged in water for extended periods, which would shorten its lifespan.
In a few years, when ironworking technology improves, it might even be possible to nail a layer of iron sheet onto the surface of the wooden rails, increasing the mine cart’s load capacity and extending the wooden rail’s lifespan.
Vig then shifted his attention to the iron furnace. On this visit, he decided to add a step in the ironworking process—stirring the molten iron.
Spreading out the blueprint, he explained to Kesso and the other workers: “This is a water-powered stirrer used to stir the molten iron produced by the iron furnace.”
This technology appeared in the Han Dynasty. Vig vaguely remembered its effect: Iron ore contains many impurities. During the stirring process, the impurities in the molten iron react with the oxygen in the air. The resulting oxides have lower density and therefore float to the surface of the molten iron, making it easy to remove them with a long-handled ladle.
Iron produced in this way has a lower carbon content, making it easier to process into ironware. In Vig’s estimation, if the quality of the iron material is significantly better than previous products, it may be possible to slightly increase the price.
“Well, according to Kesso, using the railroad cars increases the daily transport volume by at least fifty percent.”
Vig wrote an equation on the papyrus. After adding the railroad cars and the water-powered stirrer, the annual pig iron production increased further. Converted into silver coins, the annual profit could reach four hundred pounds of silver!
“Excellent. The iron mine on the North Bank of the River Forth alone is sufficient to cover the costs of the entire North’s garrison, preventing Tyne from having to subsidize it.”
With the increased supply of pig iron, peasants could purchase more iron tools, including heavy iron plows, horseshoes, and iron farming tools. The crop yield would increase, and agricultural tax would also gradually increase.
Thinking of this, Vig was in high spirits and gave the ironworks employees an extra reward.
Returning to Tyne, Vig informed Herigifu of the good news from the ironworks. They calculated and confirmed that there would be no more financial deficit this year, and the anxiety in their hearts dissipated.
Holding the quill pen, Vig suddenly felt inspired and began to calculate the income of other nobles.
First was Ragnar, the High King of Britain. Initially, Vig was responsible for organizing the income of the Mercian Royal Family, and later in Londinium he prepared supplies for the expedition to Francia. During this process he came into contact with a large amount of financial information. Overall, Ragnar’s annual income was roughly equivalent to 6000-8000 pounds of silver.
Then there was King Eric of Norway. Norway’s land area surpassed Britain’s, but its climate was harsh and crop yields were low, leading to a large number of people migrating to Britain to live.
Based on snippets of information from merchants, Vig estimated that the Norwegian Royal Family’s annual income was approximately 1000-2000 pounds of silver.
Within Britain, Wessex’s financial situation was good. After conquering Winchester, Vig had examined the relevant accounts. Excluding Oxfordshire and Southampton’s customs, the Duke of Wessex’s annual income was about 1500 pounds.
As for Duke Theodulf of Mercia, his territory was about half the size of the original Mercia. Recently, a small silver mine was discovered there. Overall, his annual income was roughly a thousand pounds of silver.
Then there were Vig, Ivar, and Gunnar, the three newly appointed Dukes.
Let’s start with his own territory. Stirling County’s iron mine was operating well, and the newly established Four Counties had begun to collect agricultural tax. Overall, the income in AD 850 is expected to be in the range of 1000-1400 pounds.
As for Ivar, he currently controlled Derwent and two-fifths of Ireland. Unfortunately, he was deeply mired in war, and all the taxes collected each year were invested in the war. Every now and then, he had to borrow money, even mortgaging his wife’s jewelry to a wool merchant.
To clarify his tax revenue, Ivar sought help from Vig in March, borrowing a team of officials to handle years of accumulated accounts.
So far, Ivar’s annual income is worth five hundred pounds of silver, with enormous growth potential. If the war ends and he patiently manages his land for a few years, he could at least double it.
Next is Duke Gunnar of Normandy, whose situation is unique.
Nominally, Gunnar remains the Lord of Cambridge, but in reality he has broken away from Ragnar’s control and is now associating with his new boss, Charles the Bald. Rumor has it that he and his Viking subordinates are gradually adopting Frankish customs and abandoning their faith in the Norse gods.
Vig was unsure of Normandy’s tax revenue and could only make a rough estimate:
The climate and soil conditions in West Francia are far superior to those in Britain. It is the most habitable land in Europe. The local produce is abundant, and adding the horse trade, he estimated Gunnar’s annual income to be in the range of 2000-3000 pounds.