After much deliberation, Ragnar finally returned north with Aslaki.
Unlike the cold and distant Queen Sora, Aslaki was born into a humble family and had a generous nature. She could drink, play chess, throw axes, and shoot a bow, and she maintained good relations with a group of nobles.
More than ten days later, at a crossroads on the outskirts of York, Vig sighed as the royal cortege drove away: "
This is going to be a good show."
....
In early July, Vig arrived on the southern bank of the Tyne. From a distance, the castle on the hill on the opposite bank was still unfinished.
Arriving by boat at the pier on the North Bank, Heligif met her with a baby in his arms. Wig gently touched the baby's muzzle, and it felt quite nice.
Earlier in the year, after Heligif had given birth to a boy, she had asked someone to send a letter to the front line in Tamworth with a list of names. Wig was busy registering the lands of the Mercian royal family at the time. He was at a loss, and had chosen the name "Frode" for his eldest son.
Back at the official residence in the city centre, Wig and his family took a few days of leisurely leave and began to sort out the backlog of work.
Wig first selected an experienced Viking rider to be the stable manager. At the suggestion of another party, Wig had donated a large meadow two miles west of the Tyne for the new stable.
According to information provided by Frankish captives, mares over three years of age are suitable for breeding, and the gestation period is about eleven months. Basic training of foals begins at two years of age, so that they can bear weight and obey the rider's commands. In addition, they need to develop courage so that they do not become afraid and lose control on the battlefield.
60% of the costs are for feed, which requires large quantities of oats and hay. Labor costs are 20%, and the annual salary of a rider is between 5 and 10 silver pennies. The remaining 30% of the costs go to maintaining facilities such as stables and hay stores, as well as purchasing horse equipment and herbs.
...
Viger had already prepared for this. The territory had enough funds to raise war horses even if their numbers doubled.
"Take good care of these Frankish warhorses and be generous with your expenses. If the stallions have energy to spare, you can try breeding them with local mares to expand the herd. The hybrids that are born will be selected, and the best will be kept at the new ranch, and the worst will be kept at the old ranch in the Eastern suburbs."
After completing the selection of the ranch site, Viger observed the agricultural production in the surrounding area.
After three years of promotion, most farmers adopted the three-field system. As the three-field system spread, some began to use draft horses to plow the land.
He asked a small farmer who was working. According to him, the horses plowed the land faster and could work eight hours a day, two or three hours more than oxen. In general, a draft horse can do the work of two or three oxen.
"Raising horses is more expensive. Is it worth it?
the landowner scratched his head. "I think it's all right. With the adoption of the three-field system, a third of the land is sown with spring crops, mainly oats, barley and peas. The oats produced are just right for horse feed."
So did the promotion of the three-field system ultimately lead to the popularization of horse ploughing in Western European agriculture?
Wig thought for a long time as he stroked the collar on the shoulder of his draft horse. It would be a good idea to popularize horse ploughing.
Farmers who have lived with draft horses for a long time gain experience in training and managing horses. After the war, some young farmers with excellent riding skills were suitable for service in the cavalry, which reduced the cost of training cavalry units.
After wandering around the suburbs for a few hours, Vig went to the cattle market in Tyne Town.
There were many open spaces, separated by wooden fences. Horses snorted impatiently, and sheep huddled together like streaming grey clouds. Cattle dealers in dirty aprons walked back and forth, parting the mouths of the cattle to check their teeth.
He found the manager of the market and asked for the records for the previous year.
As expected, the price of oxen had indeed been falling gradually, from 30 silver pennies per ox to 28 silver pennies.
The price of horses, on the other hand, had risen day by day, reaching 82 silver pennies, while the prices of sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks and geese remained stable.
Finally, Vig concluded:
"If this continues, the rich peasant families with over 30 acres will gradually switch to horse ploughing, and the poor peasants with small plots will continue to use ox ploughing at lower costs. Forget about it, let them choose for themselves, so as not to blame me if they make mistakes." ...
A week
Later, Bjorn brought four longboats full of whale oil to Tyne Town. Vig went to the dock to greet him, and found that the guy looked very bad.
"What happened?"
Bjorn smiled bitterly. "We were caught in a storm while fishing and washed up on an island to the northwest. There were no trees there, and the moss covering the ground was difficult to burn. Almost half the crew froze to death. Alas, I had originally planned to lead the men south to fight in the war. Judging by your current state, it seems I am too late." "
Indeed," Vig invited him to the official residence and told him what had happened over the past six months.
Bjorn was puzzled when he heard about the Battle of Lutterworth. "Not so bad, four hundred Frankish horsemen defeating you like that?"
"That is a fact. If you do not believe it, go to York. His Majesty has confiscated a large number of war horses and knighted many distinguished warriors. It seems he intends to form a permanent cavalry unit. You can see their training and understand for yourself." "
There is some truth in that." Bjorn drank dry beer in large gulps and belched loudly.
After two days of rest, Bjorn sold all his whale oil and went to York to watch the knights train and visit his father and his second queen.
At the docks, Vig watched as the whalers transported hundreds of barrels of whale oil to the candlemaker's for cooking.
The Icelandic whalers dragged the whales they caught onto the beach and cut them with a sickle-shaped skinning knife into strips of fat about a palm's width. They were hung in the shade and salted for preservation, with a shelf life of up to six months.
At this point, the whalers cut the strips of whale oil into pieces, mixed them with water, and slowly simmered them over an open fire. After waiting a while, the top layer of whale oil was skimmed off with a long-handled spoon, and the impurities at the bottom were removed with a bark filter. About a quarter of whale oil could be obtained from one barrel of whale oil.
After this, the whale oil was mixed with a small amount of beeswax and poured into a wooden mold, a wick was inserted, the mold was cooled and taken out, and a whale oil candle was obtained. Its flame was bright and there was no smell when burning. It was a luxury item for the upper class.
In the entire area, only the Wig family could afford whale oil candles. Most of the remaining candles were sold to Flemish merchants, who resold them to the Frankish nobility and monasteries.
As for the nobility and small landowners, they usually used tallow candles and oil lamps, which emitted black smoke and an unpleasant smell when burning. The common people could not afford such expenses, so they followed the principle of "work at sunrise and rest at sunset", making the most of daylight and reducing nighttime workload.