As for increasing his income, Vig first thought of opening up new industries. Tyneburg is located on the north bank of the river, which is most suitable for building watermills and sawmills.
He spent most of the day thinking and sketching, and called in the blacksmith Kader and two farmers who were skilled in carpentry.
"I intend to build a watermill. You can find a way to get it. Upon success, there will be a reward."
"A mill?" Kader is the blacksmith's second son. He came to report two days ago with a bag of tools on his back. He is only seventeen years old, short and strong, and has rather intelligent eyes.
He took the sketch and looked at it several times, claiming to have seen the thing.
"When I was a child, I accompanied my father to work in the monastery. The monastery had various facilities, including wells, vegetable gardens, vineyards, water mills, and water bleaching plants. It is said that their rule is to build the monastery as close to the river as possible to facilitate the use of water power."
Vig nodded with satisfaction, "Very well, if you need help or other resources, just come to me."
Taking on the task, Khader led the two part-time carpenters to the riverbank. After choosing a location, he began to recall scenes from the monastery.
After thinking about it carefully, the method of operation of the mill is very simple. The flow of water hits the wooden water wheel and drives the grindstone along the vertical axis.
However, comparing with the sketch in his hand, Khader found that the plan provided by the lord was extremely complex. There were four gears in total, and some areas were marked for the use of metal parts.
"Is it necessary?"
He grabbed his hair and went to find Vig, but he replied indifferently, "This is a mill design that I learned from the Eastern Roman Empire. It is more efficient than the traditional water mill. If you are not sure, you can try making a small wooden model first, and then assemble the finished product after understanding the specific principles."
Since the lord had spoken up, Khader studied it repeatedly over the next month and a half, and also took the time to learn some superficial mechanics from the lord, such as the principle of levers and pulleys. After much hard work, he finally made a simple model half the height of a man.
"Haha, I succeeded."
He squatted by the river, looking at the millstone rotating repeatedly, and could not help but scream wildly at the River Tyne, scaring the birds on the river.
Suddenly, four fully loaded Viking longboats appeared downstream, carrying over 200 Vikings.
"The barbarian Vikings are coming!" Kader abandoned the model and ran in haste. Under his leadership, the farmers working in the fields brought their families and drove their cattle to Tain Castle.
Although more than half of the farmers were Vikings, they were not foolish enough to trust these unknown people. In the Scandinavian region, Viking raiders often attacked farmers. Driven by greed, so-called kinship had little binding power.
...
In the watchtower at the southeast corner of Tynburg, Vig looked irritably at the crowd outside the gate and ordered the guards to maintain order: "Push away the oxcarts that are in the way, let the people through first, then distribute weapons to the young men, let the women and children hide in the lord's hall and do not let them run in the street."
This group of farmers really made him nervous. They were clearly running, but they wanted to take all their belongings with them. Some were even carrying a set of tables and chairs, which left Vig speechless.
Turning to the river, he stroked his chin and thought deeply.
"Who is this blind man who has come to rob me? What is there to rob in this ruined place?"
There are currently 61 Anglo farmers and 63 Vikings in the area, out of a total population of only 470, and there is not much to loot.
If you think about it, the most valuable items are the 41 pounds of silver that Vig has hoarded, two pieces of chain mail, twenty pieces of iron scale armor, and the Dragon's Breath Sword in his hand.
"Luckily, I have been digging trenches behind the wall for over a month now. This wall should be easy enough to handle 200 men."
More than ten minutes later, four longboats arrived at the nearest riverbank. More than 200 passengers jumped off the side of the vessel, formed a shield wall, and slowly approached the eastern wall of Tyneburg.
Only 70 meters away, Vig shot a feather arrow into the open space in front of the shield wall and called out loudly, "I am the Lord of Tyneburg, appointed by King Ragnar, Vig Haakenson. I took over this area not long ago. The territory is barren. Why not head south to find a new target for plunder?"
"Are you Vig, 'Chosen of God'?" A tall figure emerged from the shield wall and walked forward more than ten steps.
"A misunderstanding, I did not intend to plunder you. We were going south to join King Ragnar, and accidentally took the wrong road."
Wrong road?
If I had not reacted quickly, you might have made a mistake.
Taking a deep breath, Vig calmed himself and told the chieftain to sail south along the coastline. Once you pass the mouth (the River Tees) and continue south, you will see a large marsh on the shore. The mouth you reach further south is the River Humber.
"When you reach the mouth of the River Humber, another lord rules the area. You can then ask him for directions." "
Is that so?" The chieftain smiled awkwardly. "The brothers live in eastern Sweden, and this is their first visit to Britain. But having said that, it is not a wasted journey, for the shaman has come all this way to find you."
At that moment, a black-robed figure emerged from behind the shield wall. Vig looked closely and saw that it was the Raven Speaker he had once met.
"Surely the omen given to me by the gods has come true. You have occupied Northumbria entirely and accomplished feats unparalleled."
The Raven Speaker removed his cloak, revealing a pale and fanatical face. He repeatedly praised the deeds of Ragnar, Ivar, and Vig, which caused a response from the people behind the shield wall, as if it were a grand fan meeting.
"The Chosen One!"
"The Serpent of the North!" (They believed Vig's dragon emblem to be some kind of serpentine monster)
"The Chosen One of the Aesir."
...
At this point, Vig assessed that the chances of the two sides fighting were very low, and ordered the shield guards to send a cow, two pigs, six sheep, and enough bread and mead to feed the party a large meal.
After a good meal and a good dinner, coupled with the Ravenspeaker's deception, a quarter of the guests decided to stay and settle in. The rest learned that Vig had no plans to go to war anytime soon, so they decided to continue south in search of adventure.
The next day, with ample food, the four longboats set out on the water to the sound of loud boat songs.
"These guys are really good at eating. This will give Ragnar a headache."
Vig rubbed the dark circles under his eyes from his sleepless night. He counted the supplies and found the wine cellar empty. The last jar of mead had also been drained. There was only a small amount of food left. It was calculated that he would not last until the autumn tax collection. He had to ask the squire temporarily
to buy a consignment of emergency supplies on credit. Dragging his tired body, he rode to the moor on the east side of the Tyneburg and granted land to fifty newly arrived Vikings. Among them were single men and families who had gone in search of adventure with their families. They were divided into twenty-five farmsteads, with a total area of seven hundred and fifty acres.
"Exemption from taxes for two years. No fighting, no stealing, no killing."
After a few simple instructions, Vig left, surrounded by shield bearers. This period of unrest passed without any danger. For safety, he planned to set up several beacons downstream to give early warning.