novelraw Chapter 121: Trade Agreement
Chapter 121: Trade Agreement
Ch 121: Trade Agreement
Midnight. In a soft velvet bed, Gunnar alone sipped a fine Bordeaux wine, finding this life quite pleasant. As for that dilapidated place in Cambridge, let it fend for itself.
In a daze, he recalled Vig’s proposed trade agreement.
This request wasn’t unusual. Ivar, Leonard, Ulf—almost every noble sought to purchase warhorses from him, ranging from ten to a hundred or more.
Currently, the demand for warhorses in Britain is high. Driven by enormous profits, even if Gunnar didn’t sell, there were plenty of nobles willing to.
But the key was, he didn’t have enough stock!
“I can’t swallow this sum alone; I must find a capable partner.”
The next day, he found the Foreign Minister, Lambert. The two dismissed their attendants and walked and talked along the Seine Riverbank.
The reason for choosing Lambert, besides his extensive network, was his courage; he dared to make any kind of money.
In the past, “Bald Head” Charles dispatched reinforcements to Wessex. Having witnessed the power of a knight’s charge, Æthelwolf proposed purchasing horses. Lambert readily agreed, making a huge profit from this business. Sadly, his secret was inadvertently leaked by his mistress, forcing him to hand over the spoils to secure a pardon. Now, faced again with the proposal to procure warhorses, Lambert hesitated slightly before ultimately accepting.
“Your Grace the Duke, you will be responsible for selling horses to Britain, collecting their silver coins and goods. I should warn you beforehand; it’s advisable to only accept the following types of goods.”
Lambert carefully listed a few names, including iron ingots, tin, furs, amber, and pickled fish. These goods originated from Britain or Northern Europe and were suitable for sale within West Francia.
Gunnar added, “You can also sell some wine over there. I’ll handle the business in Britain, and you’ll handle things in West Francia. We’ll split the profits fifty-fifty and get rich together.”
After considering for a while, Gunnar selected three primary trading partners: Vig, Ivar, and Ulf.
Vig and Ivar were deeply embroiled in war, resulting in a high demand for warhorses. Furthermore, they controlled the Northern Border and Ireland respectively, providing sufficient income to purchase horses.
Ulf’s territory, Kent, is located in the southeast corner of Britain, facing Calais across the sea. Smaller orders could simply be given to this fellow, leaving him responsible for the transfer.
As for Æthelwolf and Theodulf, these two dukes were wealthy, but their status was delicate. They dared not make large-scale purchases of warhorses, lest they arouse Ragnar’s suspicion. Therefore, Gunnar classified them as “potential trading partners,” to be further engaged with in the future.
Finally, there was Ragnar. As the High King of Britain, he was considered the most valuable client. However, since Gunnar defected to West Francia, he had yet to decide how to face this old friend and former superior, and he could only temporarily set this aside.
The two were silent for a while, before Lambert spoke again: “What would be an appropriate price for the warhorses?”
“Slightly lower. Three pounds of silver per horse. This will prevent orders from being snatched away by places like Brittany, Rouen, Amiens, and Flanders.”
Looking at the busy marketplace on the Northern Coast of the Seine River, Gunnar was deep in thought. He had originally intended to set the price at four pounds of silver, but considering the numerous competitors, he had to slightly compress his profit margin to gain a larger market share.
Having settled everything, Lambert sighed, “Money attracts covetousness. If His Majesty investigates later, I’ll probably have to hand over a portion of the profit to the Royal Family.”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as it makes money.”
After thirty years of life, Gunnar now only trusted his own strength. “Bald Head” Charles had indeed been good to him, but it couldn’t erase the deep unease in his heart. Wherever he was, there was always a voice whispering, tempting him to constantly accumulate power to face the various threats he might encounter in the future.
“That’s it. I’ll return to Caen tomorrow and write to Vig, Ivar, and Ulf, asking them to prepare the payment in advance.”
Early October, Londinium.
Vig led a caravan through the North Gate. The soldiers guarding the gate dared not offend the Duke, and after a cursory check of the goods, they were allowed to pass.
Arriving at the Royal Palace, he found the place unusually quiet. He inquired of a Court Guard on the right:
“Where is His Majesty?”
“At the South City Docks. Last month, a new cargo ship was built at the Royal Shipyard. The shipwrights sailed her to Northern Europe for sea trials. She returned to the Mouth of the Thames this morning, and His Majesty led a crowd to greet her, celebrating the maiden voyage of the ‘Gothenburg’.”
Proceeding to the docks, Vig found the place crammed with people. After verifying his identity, he reached the dock where the Royal Family was located.
“Your Majesty, this is this year’s tribute.”
Taking the list, Ragnar noted that it only contained three items: woolen cloth, tin ingots, and iron ingots. He casually handed it to Pascal behind him and slowly said, “I’ve heard about the war in the North. It was fought well; in just a few months you eliminated the enemy’s main force. It’s a pity that you’ve encountered the same predicament as Ivar. Despite winning, you haven’t made any wealth, and you’re running around borrowing money.”
Vig: “The situation is manageable. If I can hold on for two years, once my finances gradually improve, I will prioritize repaying your loan.”
Sensing that his vassal was still trying to maintain a brave face, Ragnar was speechless, shifting his gaze to the cargo ship in the middle of the Thames River.
At this moment, the Gothenburg was demonstrating its handling performance. It possessed a larger hull than ordinary Viking longships, approximately twenty-five meters long and six meters wide. The hull employed a lapstrake construction, with several layers of oak planks overlapping, resembling roof tiles. The seams were filled with tar and felt to prevent seawater from entering the cabin.
A mast of more than ten meters tall stood in the center of the deck. The sail area was large, capable of harnessing more wind power, increasing speed in favorable winds.
Soon, the Gothenburg docked. Vig stepped onto a wooden plank and boarded the ship for inspection. The ship’s cargo hold was divided into two levels, and a square sterncastle was added to the stern. It could roughly carry a hundred tons.
“In terms of design, this carrack is similar to the ship types of the Age of Exploration. In other words, the carrack evolved over hundreds of years, from a single mast to three masts, ultimately giving birth to the three-masted ship suitable for long-distance trade.”
Stroking the oak hull, Vig inspected the twelve square oarlocks on both sides of the ship’s side—in headwinds, twenty-four rowers would be needed to operate the oak oars.
In comparison, Viking cargo ships also required twenty to thirty rowers, but their load capacity was only ten tons. Fresh water and food occupied cargo space, increasing travel costs.
According to his vision, the carrack, with its larger load capacity, better resistance to waves, and large sails providing sufficient power, wouldn’t require numerous rowers and would quickly become popular throughout Western and Northern Europe.
Thinking of this, Vig inquired about the carrack’s construction cost from the shipwright.
The shipwright replied, “Fifty pounds of silver. The larger the ship, the higher the construction cost, possibly even exceeding hundreds of pounds.”