Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 327: The Kingdom's Blueprint

Salomon stepped into the bustling hall of the Department of Administrative Affairs, the space teeming with people hurrying back and forth. After observing for a moment, he approached the front desk and presented his transfer orders.

The receptionist glanced at the cover. "Transferred from the Hebrides to the Central Authority? You are quite lucky. Head down the right corridor, keep walking straight, and it is the second to last room at the end."

Salomon located the specified room, knocked on the door, and entered, handing his transfer orders to the middle-aged man behind the desk.

The man carefully read the document and examined the series of seals at the bottom, his tone laced with faint confusion as he spoke.

"Your previous position was military. Transitioning from a military to a civilian role while also receiving a promotion is truly rare. Even if you were promoted for meritorious service, you should have remained in the army. Why is this?"

Before Salomon could reply, the middle-aged man fired off several more questions. He reviewed the transfer orders once more, suddenly struck by an incredibly ominous suspicion.

'Odin above, this man lacks the aura of someone who has served in the military for years. Could his so-called military rank merely be a front, and he actually hails from that specific department?'

He picked up his tin water cup and took a sip, then completed the procedures at top speed, not daring to speak another word to Salomon.

Carrying a sealed document bag, Salomon walked out of the Department of Administrative Affairs and headed to the courtyard at number eight Fish Street to finalize his onboarding process, where he also received a Royal Bonus of one hundred pounds.

Now fifty-four years old, Salomon had no intention of saving. He used the money to eat, drink, and make merry, occasionally taking trips to the countryside to observe the promotion of seaweed fertilizer, living an incredibly leisurely life.As for the Iberian War or the Eastern European War that his colleagues frequently discussed, Salomon remained completely unconcerned. He had no idea how much longer he would live, so he planned to enjoy every comfortable day he could get.

The Royal Palace.

Inside his office, Wigg was reading a report from the Canary Islands.

The Canary Islands had now undergone preliminary development, producing sugarcane, grapes, and citrus. The indigenous people on the islands were gradually accepting Helgi's rule, and even without the exiles, the region could develop stably. Therefore, Wigg decided to funnel the exiles to a place where they were needed far more—the New World.

He unrolled a parchment scroll. This was a Map of the Americas he had drawn from memory many years ago. Combining it with the reports from the Voyager, he finally selected three new exile settlement locations.

One was located in the Caribbean Sea, and the other two were on the North American East Coast. Future ships traveling back and forth between Continental Europe and the Americas along the ocean currents could use these three settlements to rest and resupply.

"Puerto Rico, the Cooper River Estuary in South Carolina (Charleston), and the Mystic River Estuary in Massachusetts (Boston)."

In their initial stages, the development model for these three settlements would be similar to Quebec—purchasing goods from the indigenous people, reselling them to passing merchant ships, and buying various necessary supplies.

Wigg personally drafted an official document and handed it over to the Cabinet for implementation. Not long after, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Naval Affairs requested an audience to ask who would govern the settlements.

Wigg replied, "The crew members of the Voyager have collectively been promoted to nobles and granted permission to pioneer territories in the New World. I plan to select three volunteers from among them."

In mid-June, the Voyager and another three-masted sailing ship departed from Londinium, carrying a total of one hundred and five immigrants along with various living supplies. Their destination this time was Puerto Rico, where they would select a suitable location to settle down.

Subsequently, the Admiralty would dispatch a second and third batch of ships. Regardless of the immediate profits, they had to at least occupy a piece of land first to declare the Kingdom's sovereignty over the New World. After seeing off the two sailing ships, Wigg headed to the military stud farm in the eastern suburbs to inspect a new batch of warhorses recently purchased by the Cabinet.

Last year, the Cabinet reached an agreement with the Moors to purchase Andalusian horses from Lisbon. However, the loss rate during maritime transport was typically between thirty and forty percent, making the costs exorbitant and difficult to sustain.

In order to salvage his image in the monarch's heart, the Minister of Naval Affairs came up with another idea: seek out Rurik and have him act as a proxy to purchase steppe horses from the nomads.

Upon receiving the news, Rurik gladly accepted. Novgorod had long been purchasing grain, alcoholic beverages, dyed cloth, and iron ingots from Britain, but the only products they could sell in return were furs, amber, and luxury goods from the Eastern Roman Empire. Moreover, the fur trade was facing competition from the New World's Fur Company, causing profits to decline significantly.

As a result, Rurik's kingdom was facing a trade deficit with a severe outflow of silver. Unfortunately, the production levels in Eastern Europe were too low to produce any other viable export goods.

He dispatched his trusted aides to the Middle Dnieper, using grain and strong liquor to purchase warhorses from the nomadic tribes, which were then transported to the Neva Estuary.

According to the price negotiated by both parties, each steppe horse was sold for two pounds.

During the sea voyage, the merchant ships could dock at Gotland, Bornholm, and Zealand Island, allowing horses in poor condition to recuperate on land. Furthermore, steppe horses had a much stronger adaptability to harsh environments, keeping the transport loss rate at a mere fifteen percent.

"Compared to the warhorses of Western Europe, the steppe horses are indeed smaller in stature."

Wigg observed the hundred-plus steppe horses within the fence. They appeared lean and compact, generally standing at thirteen hands, or about 1.3 meters at the shoulder, whereas Western European warhorses typically stood at fifteen hands, or about 1.5 meters.

Upon closer inspection, the steppe horses had broad foreheads and large, bright eyes that carried an innate vigilance. Their ears constantly swiveled, searching for nearby threats. Their limbs were relatively short, yet their bone structures were exceptionally sturdy. Their hooves were small and hard, perfectly suited for long-distance running across the steppes.

"Factoring in the purchase price and transport losses, the total cost comes to 2.5 pounds per horse. That is far lower than the 7 pounds for an Andalusian. The cost-effectiveness is excellent."

Wigg decided to expand the scale of procurement, allocating the steppe horses as mounts for the Rangers. They were not suited for short-distance bursts of speed and could not carry heavy cavalry knights into a charge like Western European warhorses, but they were ideal for roaming the wilderness for long periods, carrying out reconnaissance and harassment missions.

He instructed the aide-de-camp beside him, "Inform the Minister of Naval Affairs to purchase at least eight hundred steppe horses this year. While you are at it, notify the War Department to recruit commoners with basic horsemanship skills to expand our forces by two Ranger Battalions."

When fighting the Franks, Wigg's greatest fear was encountering a surprise attack or having his retreat path cut off. Because of this, his tactics had remained conservative, leaving him with a stifling sense of being bound hand and foot.

If he had a thousand or even more Rangers dedicated to reconnaissance, the probability of his army being ambushed would plummet. At point, even if the number of heavy cavalry under his command was fewer than Gunnar's, Wigg would have ample confidence to defeat his opponent.

Gazing at the ceaselessly flowing River Thames, he muttered to himself. "Old friend, I hope you stay put in Iberia and quietly work for your new boss. If you interfere in my war with the Franks again, do not blame this brother of yours for showing no mercy."

Suddenly, Wigg issued another instruction to his aide-de-camp:

"The habits of the steppe horses are different from those of Percherons or Andalusians, so have Rurik help recruit some nomads. Nomads love to drink. Tell them that Britain produces an abundance of alcoholic beverages: wine, whiskey, mead, sugarcane rum, beer, ale, and cider. We are guaranteed to have a flavor they enjoy."