Rise of Rurik

The scene got a little chaotic, and Otto had to get it under control.

He deliberately waited for the excitement of the tribe to ferment for a while, and when those people saw that the leader did not make a statement, the initial enthusiasm gradually dimmed.

"You're all done yelling? Listen to me now!

We are talking about building a stronghold on the Eastern Passage, how could it turn into an attack on the Gotlanders?

You remember our hatred, how can I forget it. But the Gotlanders aren't weak, and we can't rush to get revenge this year just because we remember those people for a while. We cannot interrupt the plan because of this.

You young people, you should think about your marriage first, rather than going to Gotland to seek revenge.

We want revenge, we want to take revenge with more warriors.

I will take you to Novgorod soon to find a beautiful wife for each of you, and soon each of you can be a father.

When you've all grown into real men, you'll take your son, who can already be armed, with our new leader, Rurik, who will take you for the most complete revenge. "

Otto's eyes were burning at this moment, and a pair of big hands suddenly grabbed the young Rurik who was watching, and hugged him on the table.

How is this going?

Rurik looked left and right for a little while, and he was standing on a high place, a sight that stood out from the crowd, and he found that he could look down on all the heads.

Otto instigated softly behind him: "Son, you heard it all. When you grow up, you want to take them to Gotland to get revenge. Your uncle died at the hands of those bastards, and many people's fathers and brothers died at the hands of those people. , you're going to take revenge."

"I……"

"Repeat my words!"

The exciting scene made Rurik a little flustered for a while, as if their anger was completely ignited, and they wished they had to wait for the ice and snow to melt before heading straight to Gotland on foot.

Otto muttered something behind his back, and Rurik could only repeat it out loud in obedience. These contents are really terrifying. No matter how you look at them, they are all a gauntlet against Gotland, and this gauntlet is published in the name of Rurik.

"I... I have to take them to that island when I grow up, and chop the whole island from top to bottom? To destroy all the enemies? To dig out all their hidden treasures?" Rurik His mind could not help but deeply doubt the rationality of doing so. Is it reasonable? But there is some reasonableness.

They want to avenge their relatives who died in battle, and then they want to get a fortune of gold and silver. Relatives have been dead for many years, if revenge would have rushed over. When it comes to this matter now, looting gold and silver is probably the most straightforward purpose. Of course, blood revenge still has to be avenged.

Rurik obeyed his father and chanted "revenge" while weighing the cost-effectiveness of doing so.

In terms of feelings, Rurik didn't know his uncle Ogier who was killed in action at all, and he didn't feel anything about the Gotlanders who killed his uncle.

Cousin Arik, however, was full of rage and a thirst for revenge when he mentioned the Gotlanders.

Rurik also didn't think Gotland was really a place of wealth, because two things, soap and steel swords, could make a fortune by selling them. In order to take desperate looting, it is the last resort. Using a soft knife by commercial means is more efficient than robbing with an axe in person.

He has already earned a sum of money, and his personal wealth is still accumulating at a high speed. With more money, you can recruit a group of servants, that is, "slaves" defined by others, and support a group of servants, and you will be more powerful.

stand on the seat,

Rurik shouted revenge, causing everyone to roar enthusiastically. He knew that his aging father, Otto, was still making a case for him to this day. If you want to be the leader, you must have enough financial resources. The most important key is to obtain the support of the most powerful group of people in the tribe.

The elite power of the tribe is gathered here, and those who are willing to buy sulfur soap are definitely strong men with financial and military power.

When it comes to personal ambition, however, Rurik prefers to go east. Since everyone is a Rus, the destiny is to become a real Rus, instead of shrinking in a corner of the edge of the Arctic Circle in the form of a city-state, and ultimately still existing as a part of Sweden.

Ross, according to the development of history, she should occupy the whole of Eastern Europe. The wheel of history had already started to work, and Rurik knew that even if they shouted to go south to counter the Gotlanders, building a stronghold at the mouth of the Neva was an impossible decision to change.

Up to now, the tribe has not dared to stand up and oppose Otto directly. There is no such person at all.

They are standing here just to take this opportunity to show the leader that young people are eager to make a difference.

They were tired of shouting slogans, and their aggrieved emotions were vented. Like Arik recalling the grief and anger of his father's murder, he felt better after the shouting, so he took his wife Peravina and went to his father Ogier's tomb to pay homage.

Those who are happy to buy sulphur soap have put their treasures in their arms. The people who were just watching the lively went back one after another as the evening approached.

Rurik had already been put down, watched people leave, and deeply regretted that his sulphur soap was not sold out immediately.

He suddenly mumbled: "Dad, is the price of three silver coins too high? It really doesn't work, I'll... just try two silver coins?"

"No need." Otto's rough hands covered his son's head, "just don't move at this price. In my opinion, they are just nervous about money! You think they are screaming and asking me for permission to go south and attack the Gotlanders. For what purpose?"

"Vengeance," Rurik said deliberately.

"Bah! For the money, of course! What do you think of the Gotlanders? They're actually very rich."

"Rich? I heard Arik say those guys are a bunch of fishermen."

"Just a fisherman?" Otto shook his head, bluntly criticizing his eldest nephew's ignorance. "Rurik, do you believe him or me? You never imagined that those Gotlanders were once half our allies?"

"Huh? They are also part of the alliance?" Rurik was a little surprised.

"At one time they wanted to join the alliance, but later, the leaders of the Gotlanders revered the Danes as their masters. They gradually became unwilling to do business with us, and gradually became hostile to us under the instigation of those Danes. "

"It's...that's it."

Indeed in Rurik's concept, Gotland is part of Sweden. In this era, the state of Sweden has not yet been formed, and it is still a process of gradual change from the so-called tribal alliance to a formal feudal country, that is, the most powerful tribe, and its leader will reasonably be upgraded from the alliance leader to the king.

Including the Danes in this gradual process, it is obvious that Denmark is one step away from being upgraded to a feudal kingdom.

From his father's description, Rurik could guess that the Danes had been courting the inhabitants of Gotland a long time ago, and now the Danes have indeed established a stronghold in the Gotland region.

The Danes are using their own force and diplomatic strategy to try to form a huge group of tribes who speak the Norse language in the main sea area.

The Danes are determined to unify the Baltic Sea and are trying to accomplish it.

When the traditional trade between the tribes, with the fall of Rome and the development of the shipbuilding industry, the trade between the tribes became more and more frequent. They actually entered a state of vassal division, and frequent trade and wars were actually a process of integration. Because to defeat the enemy in business, and not be defeated by the enemy, the tribes with close ties must sign a covenant to unite.

They must form larger alliances with each other, and still have to woo other minor leagues to join them.

The rise of the Danes is like that! Because the Gotlanders joined the alliance, the Danes' power instantly overwhelmed the Swedes who lived in the Svealan Plain in the north, which was the Siya Alliance.

Rurik had heard more or less that the alliance he was in was fighting the Danes for the southern highlands of Gotaland. It was a rather humid place with a lot of shoal water, and the relatively warm climate nourished a lot of water. of pasture. Unlike the Svealan plains where wheat can be grown, Gotaland is a good pasture.

A group of people grazing here a long time ago, but not from Svealand, but from Gotland.

The so-called Gothalans are still Gotlanders. They grazing on a large scale in the high plains, and then transporting cattle and sheep to Gotland to market throughout the Viking world. The Danes living in Jutland and the surrounding islands head north as soon as they complete their internal tribal unification.

For the Gotlanders, the Danes are their biggest trading partner compared to the Svealans in the north.

Here comes the Danes.

war? Do not!

Acknowledging the Danes as leaders is the best way to make big money.

Perhaps in the Viking Age, Gotland was the center of the entire Viking world. Just because of its geographical location, it is the central position of the Baltic Sea, the inland sea, in a sense, it is very similar to the Apennine Peninsula of the Mediterranean Sea.

From Gotland, the boat is not far in every direction. Islanders have amassed fortunes from overland pastures raising livestock, traditional trade with the Danes, or plundering the Old Prussians, Vinlanders, Poles, and even the Franks southward.

The rich are happy to hoard silver coins, as long as it is silver, they will not refuse silver coins of various specifications.

Older people in the Ross tribe know more or less that the Gotlanders who took the initiative to attack the Ross fleet are wealthy as a whole. If the Siya Alliance can conquer Gotland, it will not only have a lot of wealth, but it will also mean that they can occupy the entire Gotland. The thinking sub-tribal alliance, which has been suppressed by the Danes for an unknown number of years, will rise in an instant.

So, can the Alliance take over the Gotlanders?

How can it be that simple? !

Otto believes that even if the warriors of the entire alliance are assembled to have a decisive battle with the Danes, their chances of winning are not very good. There is no other reason. The other side has a larger population. In this era, they are all warriors at sea in the wilderness. Whichever side can gather more warriors will be the easiest to win.

Moreover, there is another variable here, that is, the Norwegians in the west of the mountains.

The merchants of the Siya Tribal Alliance can travel by land, pass some obstacles in the mountains, and directly trade with the Norwegians by land, but this kind of transaction is far less enjoyable than sailing.

However, the alliance and the Gotlanders have actually become rivals, and the sea route to the outer sea has been cut off. How could the ancestors of the Swedes not itch when they watched the Danes, the Norwegians, and the Gotlanders, who worked with the Danes, make a fortune in the attacks on Britain and the Franks?

The Gotlanders are rich and powerful, and it might not be a wise choice to provoke them now.

After all, Otto is very old, and now he is more willing to pinch soft persimmons, not to mention that the problems faced by the Ross tribe and allies are indeed different.

He could be sure that at least fifty years had passed since the Ross tribe developed the Eastern Inland Route.

Ancestors have a legend, the so-called: as long as you find a river flowing south or east in those intricate waterways, along it you will enter a salty sea, and eventually you will meet the powerful Romans.

Roman? Otto himself did not see it, but not only did the high priest see it, but there was also a precious Roman parchment in the longhouse as evidence.

How could Otto change the decades-old strategy of clan development because of the excitement of the youth? When he is alive, he must repair the new stronghold at the mouth of the sea. After his death, his son Rurik must inherit the long-cherished wish of his ancestors and continue to expand eastward. As long as it develops from the Romans' trade line, why should the Rus tribe still use the attitude of the thinking sub-tribal alliance to help those ineffective allies to do with the Danes?

Although the Gotlanders were indeed wealthy, the young man had already expressed his long-cherished wish for a wave of looting in front of his own face, and Otto knew that he would not understand it at this time.

For the time being, life in general is boring. Although the time has entered February, the climate has become a little warmer, but the sea ice has no intention of thawing.

Young people must not ignore the action of attacking Gotland to steal money in the name of revenge. They have a strong desire to loot gold and silver. Individuals may be worried. If everyone gathers together, the fear will be overwhelmed by the desire for wealth.

Although they had left, Otto reckoned that a group of young people were afraid to go back to sharpen the axes and blades.

Otto piled up the silver coins he earned this time, and the priests who made soap behind the scenes walked out of the longhouse one after another. Bona and everyone stared at the pile of silver coins and their eyes went straight.

"It's time to split the money." Otto turned around, and he deliberately faced Bona. New 81 Chinese website updates the fastest computer:

"Bona, according to the agreement, eighteen of the ninety silver coins earned here are yours. Now I will give them to you."

"Thank you, great leader!" Bona's heart was beating wildly, not only because she saw so much money, but also because the leader was willing to help the priest sell things.

She received the money, and not only asked aloud: "Boss, I saw that there are twenty bars of soap. You said that you can help us sell all the soaps we make."

Otto was a little embarrassed: "But they didn't buy it. Bona, I really need to tell you something about the soap."

In this era, we cannot expect ordinary people to have much economic common sense. Even Vikings are more active in thinking than those in Western Europe who have completely degenerated into purely agricultural social life, and do not understand concepts such as "supply and demand balance".

Otto just noticed this very simply, and the reason for not being able to sell it right away is very simple-the tribesmen simply can't make it possible for each small family to pay silver coins to buy soap.

Otto even suggested: "Maybe, you should suspend production. When I return with people and distribute the wealth, many people will come to buy soap."

But Bona just likes silver coins, and only silver coins can bring a better life to these so-called priests who "don't do anything to produce, don't do looting, and rely on food and tribal worship".

The faces of all the priests showed embarrassment, and the deeply sunken wrinkles made them hesitant.

They were women after all, and Rurik couldn't bear the resentment of women, so he couldn't help feeling pity.

The money from selling soap is all his own, Rurik gritted his teeth, and from the 80% he got, took out twelve silver coins and handed them over to the resentful Bona in person.

"Rurik, this..."

"You take it. Just pretend the soaps are all sold, Bona, I won't let you suffer. You can keep doing it, and I'll give you the silver directly, just like they're all sold." Starter

Bona immediately understood and asked, "Is this okay?"

"Of course. I'll pay you the agreed 20% first, and you don't have to worry about it. If I suffer losses, it's my business, and I'll never let you suffer losses. Even...even if I Being a leader will guarantee your life!"

"Oh! What a respectable child you are!"

Having said such words, Rurik asked himself, what a profiteer he really is! There is a saying that double the profit can make the capital sell its conscience, but this is five times the profit! The simple priests still feel that they have made money! Do they really think their labor is so cheap? !

The money was given to them, and Rurik noticed his father Otto's slight displeasure out of the corner of his eye.

Just as the scene was a little embarrassing, just as the priests were all smiles, a man with ferret fur on his head, a tan furry bearskin coat, his collar was trimmed with ferret velvet, and his belt was hung with a string of gold ornaments. The man came over, and behind him were two more armored warriors as entourage.

This person is rich and gorgeous, and wherever he goes, he will definitely attract the attention of others.

Otto's alert out of the corner of his eyes noticed this person, he was especially alert to those warriors who were dressed differently from his tribe, and his big hands were instinctively alert and tightly grasped the hilt of the sword.

But the comer is not the enemy.

A smile soon appeared on Otto's face, because the visitor was a wealthy guest businessman who he really knew.