PFC Chapter 96, First Ally
Chapter 96, First Ally
Chapter 96 The First Ally
The next day, Roger sent a wagon to fetch two hundred yards of cloth from the textile mill, and loaded eight thousand pounds of crude salt, one thousand pounds of refined salt, and five hundred pounds of fine salt from the saltworks.
Two ships, loaded with a small amount of cargo and fresh food, sailed out of Ramrush Bay toward County Ayr.
Two ships left Arran Island and sailed east to Adrosson, a port town in western County Ayr, where they sold some cloth and then bought a bag of wool.
While Bitter Gourd Face was haggling with the merchants at the port, Roger led Bald Black Dog and his few henchmen off the ship for a stroll around town.
This was not a prosperous place; the whole town reeked of dead fish and rotten shrimp. Roger really didn't want to stay any longer. He found a church, climbed to the top of the bell tower, looked around, noted the terrain and the town's defensive facilities, and then led his men back to the ship.
To Roger's surprise, Baldy and Gray Rat actually had quite a few familiar cronies here. The two bought the town's "intelligence network" for ten silver pence, and the thugs promised to collect any information Gray Rat provided and report it to Alan Island.
The two ships stopped in Adrosen for half a day, had a simple lunch of beer and bread on board, and then set sail for Skelmorley.
Skelmorley, located at the mouth of the River Clyde in the northern part of County Ayr, was not originally a large port, but it had a shipping route to the Isle of Bit and served as a transit point for goods, where wool and salted fish were purchased.
After Skelmorley, the Seawolf and the Noor sailed in separate routes.
The Nore ship, led by Bitterface, piloted by an old fisherman and three other fishermen, and escorted by four soldiers led by Marne, will carry Grey Rat and his henchmen to Glasgow.
This line was the main cargo acquisition route, where Bitter Gourd Face would buy goods heading south from Glasgow and along the coast and sell most of the coarse and fine salt and cloth.
Roger, along with the Seawolf and the remaining cargo, will sail westward along the outline of the Argyll Peninsula under the control of Captain Toran and two crew members. Small groups of pirates occasionally appear in this area, so Roger has Olaf, who was once the third leader of the pirates, accompany him as a bodyguard.
The Seawolf sailed along the edge of Bit Island in Bit Bay, passing towering mountains, deep valleys, and swirling clouds. The hills and plains were filled with a rugged and lonely natural beauty, and the scenery was breathtaking. Even Roger, who was used to seeing beautiful scenery, couldn't help but marvel at God's miracle.
If it weren't for the occasional ill-intentioned fishing boats appearing on both sides of the strait along the way, Roger might have really thought this place was a paradise.
The Seawolf sailed out of Bit Bay, rounded a peninsula promontory on the west side of Bit Island, and continued northwest through the narrow bay to reach Taber Castle, a strategic pass in the central part of the Argyll Peninsula.
Tarbert Castle is a knightly castle belonging to Glenn MacDougall, nephew of Count Alexander MacDougall, a marginalized minor lord.
Roger met the young knight at Baron John's tournament and they became friends through a business partnership.
Roger's visit to Talbot was to fulfill his promise, bringing him salt and cloth, things Argyle lacked.
Argyll is already a highland area with an extremely low population density; it's difficult to find a village for dozens of miles.
On the evening of the second day after leaving Arren Island, the Seawolf finally arrived at the choke point of the Argyll Peninsula.
The ship caused quite a stir when it entered the inner bay to prepare to dock, as several sharp-eyed fishermen recognized the pirate ship "Sea Bitch," even though it was not flying a flag that day.
Thanks to the fishermen's warning, when the Seawolf entered the dock on the Tabbert coast, Knight Glenn was already waiting on the shore with two mounted squires and a dozen or so people armed with harpoons and farm tools.
Roger, clad in armor, stood on the ship's tower, announced his name to the shore, and laughed, "Sir Glenn, just over a month ago you were drinking and calling me a friend, but today, a friend has come to visit your territory as promised, and you've turned on me with swords."
The Seawolf docked at the pier, and the other side recognized Roger. They quickly ordered their men to put away their weapons and ride their horses to the pier.
Knight Glenn was a young lord in his early twenties, with blond hair and blue eyes, and a fairly tall stature. He was better looking and of slightly better birth than Roger, but his circumstances were worse.
Glenn was an illegitimate child; his father was the younger brother of the patriarch of the MacDougall family, the vicar general of Argyll, and a philandering old parishioner.
Glenn's mother was just a cook who was forcibly taken by a playboy who was then the young master of the McDougall family.
Glenn was born after the spoiled young master had already been sent to the church to serve as a priest.
The McDougall family naturally refused to acknowledge the cook's son as a member of their family, so young Glenn was treated like an ordinary servant.
When he was fifteen, his charlatan father became the vice-abbot of Argyll Monastery and the vicar general of Argyll.
Glenn was only accepted and officially recognized by the MacDougall family a year ago, and was knighted and given a small castle as a reward.
Roger had a close relationship with Glenn's charlatan father, which will not be detailed here.
Knight Glenn is a fine young man, that's Roger's assessment of him.
He was of semi-aristocratic blood but had the experience of a commoner. He had neither the arrogance of a traditional aristocrat nor the vulgarity of a flea's nest. He was handsome yet approachable, and straightforward yet polite.
This is what a protagonist should be like.
Roger led the way off the ship, chatted with Glenn for a while, and was then invited into the Knight's Castle.
Tarbert Castle is located on the eastern shore of a narrow, strategic pass in the central part of the Argyll Peninsula. It is a crucial pass controlling the peninsula's land and water routes, making it strategically important. This is why Glenn was granted this place, after all, he was a member of the MacDougall family.
But at its narrowest point, Tabbot is less than a mile wide, and the valley is flanked by gradually rising mountains, leaving little arable land that is also barren.
The entire knight's fiefdom had only about thirty households, half of whom were fishermen.
If it weren't for the fact that both ends of the canyon are by the sea and can be sustained by fishing, it would probably have become a no-man's land long ago.
Talbot Castle was well-built, with walls that were thirty feet high and protected by towers at the corners. The McDougall family coat of arms flew from the corner towers and the tops of the towers.
It was clearly not the work of the local lord; it was probably a peninsula fortress built by the ancestors of the McDougall family.
At the other end of the canyon is a watchtower and lighthouse, located to the west of Tabbot, hence the name West Tabbot.
"Sir Roger, Tarbert is not as wealthy as Milk House Manor, and we have little to offer our distinguished guests. Please forgive us." Sir Glenn prepared dinner for Roger and his party.
It was clear that the preparations were rushed, as the table was typically set with only hard bread, pudding, cheese, and beer.
But there was plenty of seafood: salted fish stewed with beans, herb-baked fish, stewed eel, clear-stewed oysters, and fresh oysters—seafood made up the majority of the long table...
I reckon they've been going out to sea quite a bit lately.
Glenn emerged from a room on the inner side of the banquet hall, carrying a narrow-necked silver bottle. "Make do for today. I've already instructed the servants to slaughter a goat. Tomorrow, I'll treat all of you to a delicious stewed goat."
After saying that, he walked over to Roger's side and poured some blood-red liquid into the single silver goblet in front of him, then returned to his seat and poured half a goblet.
It was clear that this was something he treasured; he only poured Roger a cup, and didn't want to give any to the others.
"This is a French wine, a gift from an elder when I was knighted. I've never been willing to drink it. Please." Glenn raised his glass and politely clinked it against Roger's, then took a small sip.
Roger took a small sip, savoring the sweetness and acidity with the tip and back of his tongue. Finally, he swirled the wine in his mouth and swallowed. The "thin and rough" texture indicated that this wine was not a fine brew, but it was a luxury enough in the barren North.
"Good beer, but I prefer to gulp it down in a big glass." He said, picking up the conical wooden mug in front of him and taking a big gulp of beer.
Glenn was initially worried about not being a good host, but seeing Roger's straightforwardness, he was in a great mood. He put down his wine, picked up his beer glass, and drank it all in one gulp. Olaf, who was initially a little reserved because of his pirate background, also started eating and drinking freely.
The two soldiers who came ashore also drank heartily, accompanied by their attendants.
After a few rounds of drinks, Roger got down to business.
The main topic, of course, is to establish an alliance with Glenn.
Knight Glenn's fief was truly barren; wool was not abundant, food was scarce, and the only thing he could rely on, fishing, was not an advantage at all, since the west coast of Scotland had no shortage of fishermen.
However, Roger was interested in the McDougall family behind Glenn and the Argyle region they controlled.
The two parties agreed that Glenn would be responsible for purchasing timber, wool, leather, mountain products, salted fish, and other local specialties in Argyll and sending them to Argyll Island as Roger's raw material supplier, while Roger would give Sir Glenn the agency rights for coarse salt and cloth in the Argyll region.
Glenn could send ships to transport goods from the saltworks and textile mills on Arran Island free of charge, and return the payment and pay two-thirds of the profits after the goods were sold. He immediately decided to leave the 1,000 pounds of coarse salt, 100 pounds of fine salt, and 50 yards of brown cloth carried on the Seawolf for Glenn to sell.
This can be considered as sending money to the impoverished Knight Glenn.
Glenn didn't hesitate and immediately had his butler write out a contract and affix his seal, thus formally establishing a business partnership with Roger.
The next day, he wanted to leave early, but Sir Glenn insisted on keeping him, saying that he had already killed a fat sheep and was preparing a formal dinner.
Unable to refuse such hospitality, Roger had no choice but to stay for another day.
Upon learning that Roger enjoyed roasted rabbit, Glenn immediately organized a hunting party. Roger spent the afternoon hunting rabbits with Glenn, and also enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the lush canyons, magnificent wilderness, and colorful mountain peaks of Highland Bay.
After another banquet where everyone was thoroughly entertained, Roger finally left Talbot with the Seawolf at noon on the third day.
The next stop was Islay, owned by the Macdonald family; that was Roger's true destination on this voyage.