Rise of Rurik

The wheat harvest has brought the extreme prosperity of the economic circle of Lake Melalen!

Compared with other tribes, Melalen's territory is close to the Great Lake, and the climate in its geographical location is also warmer, and the soil here is relatively fertile.

Melalen farmers reclaimed farmland on a large scale along the lakeside, but due to the farmers' physical strength, each farmer can cultivate an area of ​​about one hectare. Compared with the peasants in Novgorod in the far east, the Melalen peasants really have the advantage of the agricultural tools.

The people of Melalen still do not know that human and animal dung can be used as fertilizer, nor do they know deep farming techniques and advanced sowing techniques.

They are people pulling iron plows to reclaim the fields, and sowing seeds on a large scale without a clear purpose. The next time, it is really a pure meaning to rely on the sky to eat.

In general, the climate of the Svealan Plain is relatively stable due to the existence of the vast Baltic Sea, and the ocean has a climatic adjustment effect. Also bad for all crops.

But it is completely different from the barrenness of Roseburg. Roseburg in the north can only grow some hardy varieties of onions, and the yield is not high.

Melalon's food has begun to be harvested, or the food of the entire Thinka Tribe Alliance has begun to be fully harvested.

From the westernmost Uncles, to the most powerful Melalen, the wheat is harvested everywhere. The men of each tribe took action, the women all participated in the logistical work, and the children went off the farmland to pick up the scattered ears of wheat.

The so-called "death sickle" is the artifact of the entire European nation who smelted iron in the lake.

The long-handled sickle was in the hands of the strong man, and instantly swept down a large piece of yellowed wheat, and was gathered to one side by the sickle. Next, women and children gather the wheat. Either carried on the shoulders, or loaded into his two-wheeled cart, pulled to his own threshing floor, and then rammed the wheat with a huge flail.

Later, the scythe for harvesting wheat was described as a symbol of the god of death. The flail of threshing has also become the weapon of the warrior.

The oats were shaken from the ears of wheat. After a farmer paid off the debt with grain, the remaining grain was not only the family's ration for the next year, but also a medium for trading other daily necessities.

Ordinary farmers do not know basic business knowledge.

When they saw that other farmers were selling wheat, they fell into a panic, and they also began to sell their own wheat. Another reason that forced them to sell their grain quickly was that they did not have good grain storage technology.

Large families can build excellent granaries to minimize accidental losses during grain storage.

The ability of ordinary farmers is really limited, it is more effective to turn it into money.

All the farmers were selling wheat kernels, and it became a carnival for the merchants.

Dried oat kernels, whose price in normal years is often stable at ten pounds for a silver coin.

In order to make more money for farmers, during this period of time, it was really flat land in Melalen, and everything became a drying field. It's also really beautiful. The sunny days for many days have made the work of grain refurbishment very good.

One acre of oats of the Melalen people can reach a harvest of 100 catties (after drying), and the yield per acre is more than that of allied farmers, which is also the key to the strength of the Melalen people.

Melalen ushered in a bumper harvest, and farmers' faces were beaming with joy.

It's just that everyone is selling and selling wheat, and the purchase price has plummeted to the point where one silver coin can buy fifteen pounds, and even the price war has intensified.

As a rule, Gould does not need to be sympathetic to the farmers, because the pricing power is actually in the hands of the merchants.

The merchants did not form a commercial organization with each other, and everyone was dominated by the "invisible hand". Seeing that there was a lot of wheat in the market, the farmers tried their best to sell the rich wheat, and the merchants also took the opportunity to reduce the price radially. The price has gradually reached a level that is more acceptable to everyone.

Gould also follows the trend. As an old man, he understands the rules of the market.

At Melalen, he acted at the market price, and finally when the price plummeted to seventeen pounds of oats for a silver coin.

Masses of wheat were packed into burlap sacks, and sacks of oats were carried to Gould Island so much that they piled up into hills.

Gould was actually a little worried about the financial resources of the Rus, and he did not overestimate his own financial resources.

In fact, Gould sold all the soap for a gross profit of more than 20,000 silver coins.

In addition to his other income, he roughly estimated that his net profit reached 30,000 silver coins. Three hundred pounds of pure silver.

Coupled with all the savings of the family, Gould's wealth barely reached the level of 100,000 silver coins.

Although he has such a wealth of wealth, he is not really rich compared to those big families in Gotland.

The question is who to compare with, compared to the Danes' alliance, the Siya alliance is indeed poor.

Gould's budget for buying food is as high as 10,000 silver coins. Specifically, he will spend so much money to buy the food in the hands of the Melaron people.

For the clansmen in his hometown, he also took out five thousand silver coins to buy them at a high price as the last gift before leaving. From then on, leave Ankras and become a Russ.

In this regard, Ongreth, the leader of Ankras, did not regret it. It would be good to leave a powerful businessman. Even before the businessman left, he did not forget to make a profit on the issue of buying food. In his view, the relocation of the Gould family is the best of both worlds.

How much food did Gould buy?

He bought 170,000 Roman pounds at Melalen, which is equivalent to 66 tons of new sun-dried oats.

He bought 60,000 Roman pounds in his hometown of Anglath, another 24 tons.

The two together amounted to ninety tons of wheat, how could they not pile up into hills?

So, what is the order of magnitude of the food production of the mighty Merlarens? The land reclaimed by the Melarens reached a scale of 8,000 hectares. In a sense, the boundaries between the Melarens and the Vikings gradually disappeared. Although the Mellarens would do some robbery, there was no urgent need at all.

The geographical environment of Lake Mälaren determines that the people living here are more and more restrained. Why risk death and robbery when you can live comfortably just by farming? Besides, the Danes are not easy to mess with, and the Gotlands are not weak.

Based on this economic situation, Olegin, the leader of Melalen, was justifiably conservative in his choice of strategy. He can't always lead his people south to seek revenge on the Gotlanders and Danes, and ruin his harvest season. He also believes that the Danes did not expand the war, mainly because the Danes did not dare to ruin their harvest season stupidly.

In August, the most ferocious pirates also suspend their chopping operations, go back to their hometown to cut the wheat, and then stay in their own homes to face the winter.

The annual output of oats and rye of the Melalen people can reach the scale of 6,000 tons, and there is also a large amount of dedicated farmland for growing vegetables, including yellow root carrots and onions. They do not know the concept of vitamins, only that vegetables are food.

Everyone likes wheat the most. It is impossible for the Melalen people to consume so much wheat. After buying wheat kernels, merchants from all walks of life often start to act immediately, and transport them to the tribes in the alliance who are short of wheat before winter.

There has always been a "grain route" to deliver wheat to the Rus, but the market price of grain in this world is always low.

Rus people are not Kaizi, who will spend a silver coin in August and September to buy only ten pounds of wheat? Twelve pounds for a silver coin is the norm for new wheat shipped to Roseburg. Only in the spring will the price stabilize at ten pounds a silver.

Buying 230,000 pounds of wheat for 15,000 silver coins, plus the old wheat left over before, Gould laughed when he saw the mountains of grain.

The Rus should keep their promises! Then you will get a huge sum of 30,000 silver coins.

There are also a large number of refugees from Ostara and various people gathered by him. Gould pondered that he would have to earn 10,000 silver coins in this regard.

He felt that he was also doing slave traders, but he always believed that because all the captives were taken care of, they were likely to be accepted as tribes when they came to the Rus, and they would always be well taken care of, then he would Not a real slave trader, but a good man.

The huge amount of wealth is obtained, but also the reputation, and even the safety guarantee of the family in the future.

Gould can wake up laughing at the thought of these dreams!

The problem now is that the day of departure is coming.

Gould knew very well that in September, the Russ would start the "Sorgon Voyage" again. The harvest date of grain in Novgorod is later than that in the Lake Melaren area. Even though Novgorod is located on the shore of Lake Ilmen, it is an inland area after all, and the locals suffer from a geographical disadvantage.

Ever since Gould came into contact with the Rus, he had known the traditional twice-yearly skill of the Rus - looting the Novgorods.

Times have really changed, and the Rus have a tendency to annex Novgorod.

He set the departure date on August 20, and I have to say that it was really late.

Moving is no small matter after all, and now it seems that little Gould Island can hardly hold people and goods.

Now the Gould family has only a small number of mercenaries and a small amount of property left in their hometown to watch people go to the empty old house. A fleet of more than 30 boats, carrying people and materials from their hometown, swayed around. Arrived at Gould Island.

Through hiring, Gould hired ten more transport ships. Adding the left and right ships together, he organized a huge fleet—one hundred and forty ships of various colors, and employed as many as one thousand rowers. Five hundred!

To this end, Gould had to pay the rowers two silver coins each to go to the sailing flagship of Roseburg, and the gold master also needed to provide a ration of not less than one pound of wheat a day. The final statistics of the employment expenses also surprised him. Who would have thought that a job of moving and transporting goods would turn out to be a terrifyingly expensive thing. At the same time, all the mercenaries, including their own family members, the refugees from Ostara, must participate in the rowing, the so-called cost saving.

August 19th, a night with a lake breeze.

Beneath the cool breeze is the lively night of Gould Island.

Carlotta and Ella adjust to their new lives on Gould Island, during which time the two landed on the trade island of Verdegen and saw their lost people. At that meeting, everyone recalled their own suffering, and all hugged and cried.

It is precisely because of this that the identities of the two girls' leaders and granddaughters have been certified by all refugees. The refugees also fully accept Carlotta as the female leader. Everyone is somewhat uneasy about the relocation of the whole family to the territory of the Rus, but also There are no good options.

It was late at night, in a sophisticated wooden house, Carlotta, whose leg had healed and only a huge dark red scar, lay quietly, surrounded by her dear sister, the two girls wrapped in a soft sheepskin blanket. They are not sleepy, it is entirely because they are excited that they can't sleep.

"Sister, we're leaving tomorrow, Ross, will they be really nice to us...?"

"Do you believe it?" Carlotta stroked her sister's tresses.

"I...I don't know. I'm just scared."

"Trust them, we can only believe now."

"Trust Rurik, that man was a child too. Just like us."

"No, he's different." Carlotta let out a sigh of relief, she really had very high expectations for Rurik.

During this time, out of curiosity and spying on intelligence, Carlotta pestered Gould to learn a lot about Rurik. As he learned more, Carlotta felt more and more bizarre, and perhaps can only be described as "the child blessed by Odin".

Those who are blessed by God must be good people.

"Ella, sleep peacefully..."

"All right."

In the middle of the night, under the faint moonlight, Carlotta still kept her eyes open, her sister finally fell asleep, and her own mind was still thinking about too many things.

After all, they are children, even if they are the leaders of the Ostara tribe, they are basically unable to help Gould, and all the clansmen need Gould's continuous help.

Fortunately, this old guy is also a doer, and the fat all over his body did not wear down his mobility.

Among the one hundred and forty ships, there are also more than thirty ships provided by Fodgen, on which all the refugees from Ostara are seated, as well as as many as three hundred sets of coats made of cowhide, and one hundred Several pairs of leather gloves carefully sewn with leftover materials, and even more than fifty black cowhide hats covering most of their heads.

The flax was also harvested in July and August. Gould has been busy collecting grain, and Fodgen seized the opportunity and collected nearly five tons of rough flax. As for the textile work, that is the Russ. thing.

Of the ships here, thirty are loaded with oats and ten with vegetables. There are also more than forty ships loaded with various daily necessities of the Gould family, and even the most precious treasure.

There was even a ale in which Gould bought twenty oak barrels. Winter is not a good time to make wine, but life cannot be without wine, and the long winter needs it even more!

Family members, hired Melalen rowers, mercenaries, collected beggars, Britton slaves, and even friends of businessmen, all together, have formed a behemoth of 1,900 people.

To describe it in one word is madness.

Gould's huge fleet shocked even the leader of Melalen.

The leader and the main military generals under his command subconsciously thought that this group of people was going to seek revenge from the Danes or something. After some investigation, it was unexpected that they were heading to Roseburg.

Gould's actions have played a role in benchmarking. He has advertised that he wants to immigrate to Rosburg to become a Rus, attracting the attention of many businessmen.

Originally, the Melalen tribe alone, more than a thousand people like migratory birds, go to Roseburg to "winter" every year. The people of various tribes going north often reach the scale of 3,000 people, among which there are many small businessmen belonging to the Melalen tribe.

Every year at the end of August, a large number of ships full of supplies leave Lake Mälaren, and the destination is Roseburg.

This has become a habit for the leader of Melalen, and the leader Olegin has never regarded the Russ as any magical existence.

Only this year, he felt an inexplicable threat - something must have happened to the Rus.

Otherwise, how can the size of the fleet heading north be unprecedented? !

No, the leader dispatched his cronies, and Qiao Zhuang dressed up as an ordinary businessman and mixed in with the team going north. The leader's meaning is very simple. He does not want his subordinates to contact the Rus leader in the name of the leader of Melaren. He ordered his cronies to do ordinary business as ordinary businessmen, and by the way, go deep into the lives of the local people to conduct investigations to find out what it is. What attracts a big businessman to relocate at home, even with a huge amount of food.

Gould, he doesn't care whether the leader of Melalen has any intentions, he only cares that the unprecedented huge fleet he mobilized can safely reach the fjord of Roseburg.

On the 20th of August, Carlotta and Ella, they were standing on the platform of Gould Island, stepping on the rocker to enter the large cargo ship.

The two children wore white fox fur hats on their heads, and they also wore white fox fur coats. This set of clothes is actually the clothes of Gould's granddaughter. Since several girls have become playmates (and Gould is particularly fond of them), Carlotta wears it with peace of mind.

In the end, Fodgen did not return the amber, and Carlota did not feel that she was at a disadvantage. She stood on the bow and would soon lead the tribe to start a new life.

In front of her were ships covering the lake, and she couldn't help thinking of the terrible scene of the Danish warships covering the entire Blow Bay attacking Ostara.

But these ships are gentle, they are only cargo ships with broad bellies, each without the dreaded faucet decoration, some just lay flat on the bow bar, which serves as a fulcrum for the cable.

"Don't look any further," Carlotta, Gould of the Alfred ship, said panting loudly, dragging his robes.

Carlotta turned his head immediately: "Sir, are we going now?"

"Soon. When I raise my sails, my flagship leads all ships."

"Is it time?"

"It's probably here." Gould didn't hesitate any more, he didn't even bother to do the sacrifice before the voyage. Because he felt that since he was entrusted by Rurik, and now he obviously still overfulfilled the task, could God still bring disasters? It should be a blessing, right?

He even thought that God would suddenly send a gust of south wind, so that the fleet could go all the way north and reach the destination unimpeded.

However, many of the accompanying rowers still invited the priests of Melalen together to slaughter an ox on the shore for sacrifice, in order to ensure the safety of navigation.

The sail was lowered, the excellent rower steered the direction of the sail, the boat moved slowly, then the rower sat down and began to paddle hard.

The flagship moved, and the rest of the ships set sail.

Gould's fleet of one hundred and forty ships formed a mighty army, and the load on it was also amazing.

If there is anything more amazing than the boats in the tail row. It was a large number of merchant ships, like migratory birds. Thousands of people heard about Gould's actions, and they gave up their determination to go north freely. This time everyone followed Gould's action, and the scale was spectacular.

As a result, an "army" consisting of as many as 400 ships of various types rushed to the estuary by the lake in a battle that shocked Meralen's leader Olegin and all the residents of Melalen.

But Gould never imagined that the "mighty army" he led would soon crash into the Rusian ships wandering in what is now Stockholm.

That was the Rus people stationed at the Tombstone Island stronghold.

Gould felt that he really got the protection of God, and in the final analysis, it was the happiness that Rurik brought.

The Rus people built strongholds, and now the people in the strongholds become their own navigators to Roseburg.

Of course the Russ were more surprised.

Who would have thought that the guests who returned to Roseburg this fall would be a behemoth composed of 400 ships. The size of the fleet terrified the Rus, and they laughed and burst into laughter after boarding the ship for inspection.

Wandering Ross ships were more than willing to be pilots, and even volunteered for armed escort.

Because, there is no one who refuses the merchants who carry huge quantities of goods.

The arrival of this group of merchant fleets, the people of Roseburg will cheer for them, and this cheer will turn into a carnival.