The refugees calmed down, but Vig was not about to let some of the boys go.
On his strict orders, Yolen brought out the shield guards, arrested the squire with the worst behavior, confiscated all his property and sent him out of the country. After the results of the trial were announced, the rest of the men paid off their debts as quickly as possible, which greatly improved the refugees' favor with Vig.
For now, the refugee crisis ended in disarray. Vig focused his energy on the wine industry as the next stage of his work.
As for the types of wine, he was faced with the following choices:
First, the most expensive and most delicious wine is produced in West Frank. The area is not suitable for growing grapes, so this option is excluded.
The second is mead, which is widely used in Viking society. The raw materials are honey, water and yeast. It is fermented in wooden barrels for over a month, and wild berries and herbs may be added for flavor. Since honey is expensive, ordinary citizens rarely have the opportunity to enjoy it.
In order to mass-produce honey wine, beekeeping needs to be scaled up. To this end, Vig visited beekeepers in the countryside.
These people use a woven straw basket covered with waterproof clay as a hive. The hive is not mobile enough and must be destroyed every time honey is collected.
After observing the entire process of honey collection, he casually asked: "Why not design a hive that can be used for multiple honey collection?"
"Multiple honey collection?" The beekeeper was confused, not understanding what the lord was talking about.
Grabbing his hair and thinking for a long time, Vig could not come up with a specific design. He could only suggest that the beekeepers exchange experiences with their colleagues and find ways to make a new type of hive.
"Yes, sir."
Feeling the casual and careless tone, Vig shook his head regretfully. Honey production could not be increased in the short term, so this option had to be put aside.
Except for the first two, the only option left was beer, which is made from malt, water, yeast and herbs. When drying the malt, the locals liked to use peat as a fuel, which apparently gives it a unique smoky flavor.
"Why should we use peat?"
Vig asked many civilians who had experience in brewing. The locals not only used peat to dry the malt, but also used peat to burn the inside of the barrel. It seemed to be a generally accepted rule.
Over the next few days, he collected recipes from everywhere and learned that fermentation of beer required the addition of a herbal mixture called gruit, the main ingredients of which were yarrow and dupalm.
In addition, Heligif found a new recipe in the monastery scrolls. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she added rosemary and wormwood, claiming that this could extend the shelf life.
A breeze blew, causing the candlelight to flicker. As he watched his wife add the various herbs, Vig experienced the inexplicable illusion that he was watching an alchemical experiment, and he couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course, the books don't lie." Geligif unfolded the parchment scroll full of Latin and found that she had missed a sentence in the corner.
"Wait, my dear, it mentions that ale is brewed with "Humulus lupulus" in a certain place in East Francia. See if you can get some."
Humulus lupulus? What the hell?
Wig had never seen real wine and didn't realize the word meant hops. After much coaxing from his wife, he agreed to this seemingly absurd request: "When I go to York to pay my taxes in the fall, I will ask the wool merchants in Europe for help and ask them to find the seeds of this strange plant."
...
To be strict, Wig conducted several control experiments. No herbs were added to the No. 1 cask, Groot was added to the No. 2 cask, wormwood and rosemary were added to the No. 3 cask, and all herbs were added to the No. 4 cask.
After brewing, Vig gave the wine to the shield guards to taste, and everyone unanimously agreed that No. 4 was the best tasting. Having decided on the brewing formula, he built a brewery in the west of Tyne Town and strictly controlled the process. Different employees were responsible for malting, saccharification, fermentation, and barreling.
Aside from the brewery and the forge, Vig did not have the strength to manage other industries. He allowed Mitcham to spread the word that Tyne would halve taxes for two years and provide interest-free loans to attract small tradesmen and craftsmen from the surrounding areas to settle there.
Based on his own experiences in York, Leeds and Dufferin, he drew up the following plans:
Food industry: The location of the water mill remained unchanged, and a bakery was built next to it. The sanitary conditions in the cattle market and slaughterhouse were very poor, which easily led to the breeding of mosquitoes and flies, so they were placed in the south-east (downstream) area.
Textile and leather industry: The wool textile industry was mainly carried out by families, and Whig allocated the north-east area to each weaving house, allowing them to develop independently. Tanning leather would cause serious pollution problems, so the tannery was also placed in the south-east area.
The forge was the most important, and it was chosen in the south-west area, close to Tyne Castle, which was convenient for daily supervision. (Tyne Castle is located on a low hill in the south-west corner of Tyne Town, overlooking the entire town and close to the river bank.)
The carpenter's workshop was chosen next to the water sawmill, so that all the carpenter's workshops were gathered on one street for ease of management. The sawmill continuously produces wooden planks and sells them to various carpenters, who then produce furniture, wooden barrels, farming tools and carriages.
The shipyard is located on the river bank south of the city. The Vikings are good at shipbuilding, so they continue to practice traditional crafts.
As for taverns, pottery workshops, barber shops, herbalists, tailors and other shops, Vig is too lazy to pay attention to them and allows practitioners to choose their own location.
In terms of hygiene, following the outbreak of the plague in the late Middle Ages, he introduced a number of measures, including digging drainage ditches on both sides of the road, encouraging residents to keep cats, building public baths, strictly prohibiting the littering of rubbish, and organizing a town-wide clean-up once a month.
...
Gradually, the news spread and people moved to this newly founded town one after another, even from Derwent and Tees. As of October, Tyne Town had over 80 households and a total population of about 300.
To promote Tyne Town, Whig announced that on the first and fifteenth of each month, the tavern would offer discounted drinks to attract farmers from the countryside to the market. The market would initially collect only very low taxes, with the tax rate increasing as it developed.
"If Tain Town can produce basic materials, extract wealth through trade and taxation, and ensure the survival of industry through military defense, it will become more and more prosperous. In a few years, the commercial tax provided by the city can surpass the agricultural tax provided by the village."
As for the candidate for mayor, Vig carefully considered it and chose a shield bearer with mediocre martial arts but a keen mind. "Bafus, this task is your responsibility. Pay more attention and do not let my investment go to waste."
Knowing that the lord valued him, Bafus was overjoyed. He immediately dropped to one knee, grabbed Vig's left hand, and kissed it. "I was born to fulfill your will, my lord."
With all matters settled, Vig led the team south to York to pay this year's tribute.