Chapter 54: Marauders

Frequent wars in Northern Europe brought more and more Viking settlers to Tyneburg. In April alone, six hundred Viking farmers settled there. 

For these people, Vig, following a long-standing tradition, allocated land, exempted them from taxes for two years, and demanded the introduction of a three-field system. 

In addition, many Vikings did not want to engage in farming and demanded that Vig lead them to plunder. 

"Well, I will introduce you to Ireland. Ivar urgently needs workers, and he needs energetic warriors like you." 

To drive away these stars of disaster, Vig ordered two shield bearers to take them west to Derwent, and then by boat across the sea to Dufilin. 

"Finally it is over." From the watchtower on the western side of Tyneburg, he watched the backs of the people leaving and couldn't help but sigh. 

At that moment, Geligiv ran up to them with a frightened face: "Light signal, someone is coming!" 

Vig turned around and saw a black column of smoke rising into the sky in the east. Soon after, the bells of the Temple of Noth in the central part of Tyne Town began to ring frantically, and chaos reigned in the bustling market. A seller weighing salt knocked over his scales, and a fisherman abandoned his mended net and ran home. The whole city was gripped by a premonition of the impending end of the world. 

"Blow the horn and gather the troops." He signaled to the soldiers around him to blow the horn as well. In just a few minutes, forty-five shield-bearers ran out of the barracks one by one and gathered in the open. 

"Why are you panicking? Only the column of smoke proves that the enemy number does not exceed a hundred." 

Vig's face darkened and, after scolding several young men who were too frightened, he led the detachment out of the eastern gate of Tyne Castle. Under the anxious gaze of the inhabitants standing along the street, forty-five armored soldiers crossed the entire city and approached the unfinished eastern wall. 

There are currently two hundred houses in Tyne Town and more than eight hundred inhabitants. According to tradition, every adult male is obliged to participate in the defense in the event of an attack by foreign enemies, and in all three hundred and forty armed civilians were gathered.

For greater security, he sent a hundred militiamen to guard the breach in the eastern wall, and the rest were distributed among the four walls, with 45 shield bearers as reserves. 

Wig climbed an eight-meter watchtower and surveyed the river from the eastern side, but still found no trace of the enemy ship. He ordered five shield bearers to go on horseback to reconnoitre. Half an hour later, the scouting party returned and reported that the enemy was plundering a village downstream, and only about 60-70 men remained there. 

"How dare such a handful of people sack my house?" 

Wig went to the dock to board the ship. In addition to the shield bearers, he hired 50 civilians to fight with him. The civilians fought poorly and were not suitable for close combat, so they all became crossbowmen.

After leaving the dock, the three longboats took advantage of the westerly wind to sail down the river, and the 15-kilometer journey flew by. Vig stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the black smoke billowing in the distance, and every now and then he turned to look at the thick bushes on either side, trying to spot signs of an ambush. 

"My lord, they are there!" 

The sharp-eyed shield-bearer pointed ahead to the left. Two longboats were anchored on the gravel bank of the river. The ragged bandits were ferrying food back and forth. 

Before the enemy could react, Vig ordered the crew to row hard to block them on the bank. "Load your crossbows and listen to my orders!"

At that moment, a tall, thin, bald man stood up and declared himself the Lord of Vasa. He was ready to hand over all the loot, and asked only for a way to survive. 

Vig asked those around him, "Vasa? Have you heard of this place?" 

"I think it's the name of a place in Finland." 

Finland? 

Vig searched his memory and realized that this man was just a small fry, so he ordered him to surrender. "I am the Lord of Tuneburg, appointed by Ragnar. I command you to lay down your arms immediately, or I will kill you without mercy!"

Sensing the naked aura of murder, the leader panicked, "Hey, God's Chosen, is this really necessary for a few English-speaking citizens?" 

"You heard my name and dare to destroy my estate? You dare to kill those I protect, do you think I'm a small character?" 

Vig stopped talking nonsense and waved his hand furiously. Dozens of crossbow bolts flew out, and in an instant, many people were killed. Although the leader was wearing worn iron scale armor, he could not withstand the volley of four heavy crossbows and was killed on the spot. 

Under the continuous hail of arrows, the remaining marauders were forced to shrink into a shield wall, and anyone who dared to leave was shot.

At the same time, the shield bearers jumped off the ship and quickly surrounded the retreating marauders, forcing forty-three men and women to surrender. 

Looking at the large pool of blood spreading along the shore, Vig sighed: "Joren, return the food and livestock to the villagers who are still alive. By the way, if you want to move to a safe place, I will give them land on the southern shore of the Tyne." "

Yes, my lord." 

Looking at the captives with their gloomy faces, he suddenly realized that the next days would be difficult. 

King Eric unleashed a war in Norway, and many inhabitants were forced to leave their homes. The first target, naturally, was the British lands with their mild climate and fertile soil. If the Vikings chose the northern route to Britain, they would inevitably pass by the eastern coast of the Tyne.

"Starting from the west coast of Norway, passing through Shetland and Orkney, then the desert coast of north-east Scotland and the more prosperous Edinburgh area in the south, and then south to the Tyne and Tees." As long as the war continues, the Tyne will see a steady stream of Viking immigrants, causing serious problems. 

Return the supplies, and the fleet will return to the Tyne. On the way, Yolen asked what to do with these prisoners, and Vig replied lazily, "Add them to the wall-building crew. There are many more projects waiting to be started, so this counts as waste disposal." ...

Further

events confirmed Vig's hunch. By mid-May, Tyne Castle had suffered three more robberies, each involving fewer than 100 men.

He prevented two of them, bringing the number of workers in the construction crew to 160. The last group of robbers turned out to be quite cunning. Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, they immediately fled without clinging to the loot, for which Vig cursed himself. 

However, on the other hand, this wave of immigration has its advantages. The number of Vikings in this area exceeds 3,000 people, and the number of Anglo-Saxons is approaching 10,000. In addition, the number of residents of Tyne Town has successfully exceeded 1,000 people, and, finally, there is an unusually lively atmosphere here. 

According to Vig, in medieval Europe, city dwellers usually made up 5-15% of the total population. If the number of residents of small towns continues to increase, I fear that the food produced in the various estates and rural areas will not be enough to feed them.

Therefore, he intended to limit the population of Tyne Town and spread the word that the preferential policy granted last year would be cancelled and land would no longer be provided free of charge except for rare highly skilled talents such as blacksmiths and masons.