Rise of Rurik

In general, Rurik didn't care about how his clansmen traded with those merchants for the time being, until after the time of the Spring Equinox Festival, he heard the clansmen complaining about something in the depths of the sacrifice scene.

What? Five squirrel skins to get four silver coins?

What? A whole piece of very delicate seal skin is only two silver coins?

What? The price of precious ferrets has also been reduced to five silver coins?

Rurik even heard about one thing, the Gould family is the largest fur buyer in the entire tribe. This can't help but make Rurik think more, that guy has pulled a batch of soap and put it in his own warehouse, and that guy is also buying a lot of leather goods at low prices.

Although it is a normal market reaction of capital to frantically stock up goods at low prices, Rurik was really upset when it happened to Gould.

This happened, and his father was still discussing other things with the guys. It is said that they were discussing how to continue to take revenge on the Gotland people, and then they would gather together to drink some burning spirits, as if swallowing fire into their stomachs. Tough guy style.

In recent days, Otto is most annoyed by his own mistakes. The burning spirits burnt off a little bit of his beard, and it seems that he has lost a little majesty. But the hard liquor to drink is indispensable.

Daddy indulges in the extraordinary excitement of spirits, and he is most concerned with robbery and conquest.

Rurik knew that at times like this, he would have to shoulder the responsibility of being the leader. He even felt that this was intentionally done by Father Otto, so that he could continue to practice.

experience? OK!

Then do something right! In order to make a Rus tribe that is already a city-state nationalized in the actual sense, a right must be determined - the commercial tax must be collected.

April in the Julian calendar arrives peacefully in people's expectations.

Calm is superficial, just like a stream that begins to rise, and many flourishing things are gradually graduating in silence.

This year is indeed worse than last year. On April 1, the ice floes in the bay still did not melt. Even the hunters who entered the vast ocean to slash ice to trap seals received bad news. Compared with the previous time, the sea ice has indeed become thinner, but the thickness has been reduced from one meter to half a meter, and the situation is still bad.

The annoying winter seems to be prolonged by some mysterious force, the people of Rus and even all the merchants who live in the country, they need the priest of Rus to divine an answer.

in such a predicament,

The memory of High Priest Veria is not uncommon.

She vaguely remembers a few winters when the sea ice didn't dissolve enough to be barely navigable by ships until May.

In some years, the time is approaching the summer solstice festival, and there are still some backlogs of ice in the shade of the hills.

I'm afraid none of this is "God's Wrath", after all, there are some years when the winter is obviously warm, and the sea thaws enough to sail in March.

In the past, when the sea thawed did not have a significant impact on the lives of the Rus people. Unfreezing in advance, the Rus people did not get rich, and after the thawing, the life of the Rus people is still ordinary.

Perhaps the commotion this year is due to the fact that merchants have hoarded a large amount of goods, and they have an unprecedented thirst for trade, but the ice and snow are still hard and the weather is still cold.

Businessmen want a good revelation most of all.

Otto and his guys, and even a large group of Rus, wanted an answer too.

When the ice and snow melt, the huge fleets of the Rus will go to all directions with their own purposes, whether it is trade, or construction, or simply war. If the sailing is forced to be delayed until May, many things will be disrupted.

Actually? The climate at the beginning of 830 AD was indeed cold, especially deep in the Gulf of Bothnia, where Roseburg is located.

The army of the Rus who ended the "North Hunting" crossed the frozen sea, and the strange and twisted iceberg they saw was extremely rare in itself. It is usually squeezed into long, narrow folds of five or six meters by the stress of the sea ice, and this year it was even more pronounced.

Not only the boundaries of Roseburg, but the entire Nordic climate is colder, so much so that the entire Baltic Sea is frozen!

If the ice block has something good for the Danes, it's that they can walk across the frozen Denmark Strait and walk to Oslo on one foot! They actually exchanged goods during the winter, which was extremely rare in the past.

The small businessmen were anxious. What they didn't know was that Lake Mälaren in the south was also frozen. A large number of fishermen are swimming on the ice lake, or pulling sleds along the frozen river into the territory of the Yilmalun tribe, and with the sudden immigrant Gran people, they exchange fur and flax for some Gran people. Manufactured iron.

Yes, the Gran people who fled to present-day Eskilstina, in order to survive, smelted local iron ore, and sold iron products in exchange for various foods to survive the winter.

But most of the poor beggars who were not led away on the streets of Melalen Market froze to death in this cold winter. In this way, the beggars who were finally included in Rurik were undoubtedly very lucky.

There are always a large number of poor people in the Melalen tribe. The severe cold has caused some families to be destroyed, and the children who survived have to face loneliness, even starvation and severe cold. The leader of Melalen did not have the energy and consciousness to manage the orphans under his rule, and the wealthy generally regarded orphans as pests, which they should avoid.

Every day, the leading mercenaries who patrol the streets of Melalen gather some dead beggars and throw the frozen corpses on the pyre and burn them to ashes.

New beggars are still emerging, and new deaths follow.

The Melaron tribe, and even other alliance tribes, had significantly reduced the number of their tribesmen because of this cold winter. The Melalen tribe has lost as many as 400 people. Most of the deceased are children and elderly people. Those with strong physical strength are basically safe, and the current strength of the tribe has not been significantly damaged.

What worried Olekin, the leader of Melalen, was that the snow and ice had not melted, and the planting season had been delayed? Wouldn't the delay in the most crucial trade assembly be more deadly? !

The people of Melalen are holding a grand ceremony, praying for the gift of God, so that the snow and ice will melt and everything will return to normal.

The Rus are doing the exact same thing here!

Although extremely reluctant, Rurik had to sacrifice as many as five reindeer. As "the one blessed by Odin", he is even more highly expected. Everyone believes that this child can directly talk to God, and as the leader of Ross, he can ask God for an answer - when will the ice and snow melt.

If possible, Rurik should ask Odin's forgiveness, preferably on the second day of the sacrifice, let the frozen sea become a thousand miles of breaking waves.

The sacrificial ceremony began with the expectation of the people and ended with the lament of the people.

Rurik was compelled to follow the advice of the high priest Veria, who beheaded the deer, smeared his face with the blood of the deer, and closed his eyes while lying in the hide of the deer that lay in the altar. Vilia then instructed Rumia, who was wearing the antler helmet, to announce that Rurik's soul had now gone to Valhalla in person, to face God in person.

Eyes widened and people waited for a result. Actually? Rurik was dozing off, he could feel the solemnity of the silent grand sacrifice scene, and he also thought of a countermeasure.

Everything was according to the script that had been negotiated in advance, and Rurik was in a deliberate convulsion when Rumia announced that "his soul has returned".

Rurik, with a deliberate sullen face, announced that the snow and ice would melt in May.

Who doesn't lament this somewhat bad news?

Facing the noise and dissatisfaction of the crowd, Rurik's mind was not disturbed at all, and he continued to announce: "Maybe this is not the answer we desire. Odin is such an attitude, as mortals, you have no right to negotiate with God. , not even me! May is May! This is God's test for us, and if we Russ cannot overcome this small difficulty, there will be no greater development."

Is the snow and ice bound to melt in May?

Leave it alone! If the situation at that time is still bad, then there will be another sacrificial drama.

At the sacrifice site, Gould, with a big belly, led all members of the entire family to become key spectators.

Contrary to what most people believed, Gould knew from the beginning that this must be a trick Rurik had negotiated with the priests. First of all, Gould believed that Rurik had indeed received the favor of God, but it would be absurd to make him believe that Odin was looking after the child everywhere. Odin is a legendary god! Not Rurik's nanny.

Gould is very pragmatic. Because of his extensive knowledge, some people say that when a person dies, he will become a heroic spirit, some people say that the soul returns to the sea of ​​​​souls, and some say that it is sealed in the dark underworld. He also heard his Britton woman say that when the bad guys die, they suffer in a world full of flames, and when the good guys die, they go to a wonderful place to live forever.

Different people have different opinions. Since death is inevitable, why not enjoy the present life?

He feels that he has hoarded a huge amount of goods this year, especially the most traditional fur trade that he runs, which has experienced explosive growth this year. He saw the ** of the frozen merchants, not only the merchants, but also a large number of buyers are also looking forward to the arrival of the merchant fleet with a huge amount of goods.

Therefore, Gould is not in a hurry, and even with a longer freezing period, he has more time to prepare for the subsequent trade season.

But what he did not expect was that soon after the sacrificial ceremony, Rurik actually walked into his house in person.

The ice is still there, but the breeze makes people feel a little gentle.

On the afternoon of the fifth month of the Julian calendar, Rurik was only accompanied by Yvelo, and the two set foot on Gould's mansion.

Gould, who had already taken a nap, had to get up immediately and meet his old friend.

In the solid wood living room with solid wood floors built by Gould's police officer, he quickly set up a small banquet.

Gould took it for granted that Rurik's sudden visit must be to discuss a new trade plan.

However, it was a little worrying to see that Rurik was not interested in the extremely sweet dried plums on the table, but kept a cold and calm face all the time.

Gould murmured in his heart, is it a person who has experienced a real war, a child who used to be naive, has it changed?

"Rurik, you are an auspicious bird who flew to my house again today to bring me good news?"

Gould's rosy face was full of flattery, as he always did with important trading partners.

Rurik still had a calm face, he didn't even have any courtesy, and he didn't even care about the snacks and wine on the table, and he went straight to the topic.

"Gould, this time I am the representative leader, announcing a very critical order to you!"

"Huh?!" Gould was taken aback, and his hand holding the pure gold wine glass trembled.

"Are you afraid?"

"No!" Gould flatly denied, "I'm already from Rus, and of course I have to do what the leader tells me to do."

Hearing that, Rurik suddenly cheered up, and a slight smile appeared on the corner of his calm mouth: "Is this your attitude? It's really nice."

"So, what can I do for you?" Gould complimented.

"I want money."

"New trade? All right! I still have a lot of wealth in my hands."

"You misunderstood what I meant." With that, Rurik's little hand tapped the low wooden table rhythmically, and he said slowly: "This is the chief's order! The chief has already decided! Taxes will be collected from this year."

Tax is tax. Since 829 AD, Rurik proposed the concept of tax in the Rus tribe, and most people have had a certain understanding of it, and Gould is no exception.

"Taxes? Huh? I'm a businessman, and I didn't sign an agricultural contract with you. Even so, do I have to collect taxes?"

Maybe someone else can be stopped by Gould's questioning.

To be fair, Gould was absolutely right. Whether in the East or the West, the so-called tax originally referred to the agricultural “tribute” provided by the grassroots individuals to the group organizer, and its appearance was very consistent with the natural development of a group.

Those who moved to New Roseburg signed a contract with the leader's family, that is, they got the high-quality farming tools provided by the leader to reclaim the land, and they got the crops and a large amount of rations provided by the leader. Give a small portion back to the leader.

The people of the ethnic group generally have such an understanding of the term tax.

Of course, they have a superficial understanding of the concept.

Rurik said bluntly: "You and I do not have an agricultural contract. We are clearly a commercial contract. With a contract, you have to pay taxes."

"Ah? But, on your contract with me..."

"Listen to me!" Rurik stretched out his head and raised his voice: "Listen, your contract with me is only a contract between two people. In fact, as a businessman, you still have a contract with our Ross tribe."

"what is that."

"Don't you understand? A large number of merchants do business in Roseburg, importing our goods and transporting them to other places to sell, making great profits. Thousands of merchants come every year and they can do business in Roseburg safely. Business, don't worry about bandits attacking their wealth, even if there is, we Rus will punish bandits with capital punishment. Tribes provide security for businessmen and a peaceful business environment. But this peace is not natural, I The tribal effort needs to be paid for.”

Gould reacted instantly: "So you asked me to pay the tax to pay this special price?"

"Yes, you are worthy of being a big businessman." Rurik felt that things had been done, and his attitude became very kind.

At this time, Gould was in trouble. He shook his head slightly: "Although the interpretation is different from that of the Mellarens. Rurik, you have become a little bad, a bit like the Mellarens are doing things."

"Oh? I've changed? I'm still the same."

"No! You have given a more reasonable reason than the Mellaren. Even so, please listen to my opinion." Gould said boldly.

"Really? Say it."

Rurik didn't think Gould could come up with a theory, and he was mentally prepared to argue with it.

Rurik has decided to "invent" the business tax himself and to start collecting it this year. He didn't expect that all the businessmen would cooperate, and even pessimistically believed that a large number of businessmen would not cooperate. After all, who would willingly spit out part of their money?

If you run into some trouble, use a little power to solve it. After all, he will succeed, and this business tax will also be charged every year in the future.

Of course, if the merchants generally cooperate, there is no reason to be rude.

Therefore, Rurik felt that he had to deal with Gould, the richest businessman first. As long as the Gould family supported him, other businessmen would agree with it when they saw the trend.

But Gould's remarks were somewhat unexpected.

Rurik initially thought that businessmen are highly self-serving in order to obtain higher profits, but never thought that their self-interested attitude has reached such a field. However, this seems to be a normal thing.