Rise of Rurik

Oatmeal finally ushered in the harvest season.

Even though it came late and the harvest was bad, the wheat finally began to be harvested.

Unexpectedly, this year's shortfall has become a reality. The farmers are holding their huge sickles. They stand on the field ridge and look at the sparsely drooping wheat ears on their farmland. How do they feel?

The ears of wheat are all withered and yellow, and they are ripe, but there are not many fruits.

The farmers helped each other, and a group of strong men manipulated the giant sickle and began to cut the straw in pieces, and then with a unique strength, accompanied by the straw, they all moved to the side of the field ridge.

Women and children, and even the elderly at home, gathered the wheat, tied it into bundles with twine, and began to carry it home.

Even after the harvest was almost complete, some women stayed on the field ridges, bent down to pick up the scattered ears of wheat, and put them into their rattan baskets.

Since ancient times, they will not waste any ear of wheat, especially in this year of poor harvest, it is extremely important that they do their best not to leave any grain of wheat.

It is already mid-September, and although winter has not yet arrived, the cold every morning tells the residents along the lake that the winter is coming.

I'm afraid this will be a difficult winter. Even if everyone survives the winter, what will happen next year's spring drought?

Even so, you still have to take out the food and sell it at the market to earn some silver coins?

Every household began to clean up the land that had been compacted before the house. This was their threshing ground, and it also took into account the role of grain drying.

All the harvested straw was thrown here, and the family, holding their wooden flails, began to beat the straw ferociously.

They had to use a lot of force, only in this way, the oats can be effectively husked.

The whole Europe is planted with husk oats, which have good cold and drought resistance, but the work of shelling requires great effort.

Farmers spent a lot of sweat to complete their own harvests one after another. A man can often take care of the equivalent of more than one hectare of farmland, and this is the yield, which is normal in a good year. The yield per mu of oats is generally maintained at about one mu and one hundred catties. A strong man can often take care of as many as 20 to 30 mu of farmland. In Melalen, there are many strong men who can take care of a half-hectare farmland. After all, they are Nordic people who are naturally strong.

The farmland is indeed vast,

It is their planting and harvesting techniques that cannot be praised.

The Meralen tribe never appeared, if the traditional rural communities of the Novgorod Slavs, formed on the basis of blood and friendship, are similar to the communities of natural villages. They are fishermen themselves. In fact, after half a century of transition, the economic center of Melalen is more and more inclined to the agricultural planting of the region.

Most of the tribe's inhabitants have become small farmers, and traditional fishing is taking a lesser part in the economy. Of course, this year's poor harvest will force farmers to fish on a large scale in future years. When they start to worry about hunger, they will feel the gift of Lake Mälaren.

In a good year, one and a half hectares of farmland under the care of a diligent farmer can harvest up to two and a half tons of oats, which is 6,400 pounds when converted into the most commonly used unit of measure in the Nordic world! This is an extremely staggering number. A family of several people only needs 1,500 pounds of rations a year, which is enough to get by. If there is a lot of fishing in the slack season, they can further reduce their rations.

This is, of course, the data of a good year, and it is the data that can only be achieved by the most hardworking small farmers, and it is not universal.

Most debt-free farmers can harvest nearly 5,000 pounds of hulled oats during a normal harvest.

How to use these grains is very important. First, the family's rations are preferentially deducted by 2,000 pounds, and another 1,000 pounds are reserved for planting. In theory, the remaining 2,000 pounds of grain can be sold at the market. Even if the grain harvester will keep the price very low, the farmers can still exchange more than one pound of silver in the end.

All this is a beautiful fantasy.

Greedy people don't expect to accumulate benefits only by their own labor. For the big families of the Melalen tribe, any year of disaster is a feast for them to make a fortune!

Because there really aren't many independent smallholder farmers that are debt-free.

In the famine years, the grain borrowed from large households will be repaid in the new harvest season. What is this amount?

Even in the areas of Western Europe that were once controlled by Rome, even if they became new kingdoms ruled by barbarians, the ancient Roman taxation system was inherited. The agricultural tax is also an eleven tax, which farmers must pay to their lords. As for borrowing, because the lord and the peasants are all the lambs of the Lord, the interest rate for borrowing is zero in principle (the dirty work of collecting interest on the mortgage is naturally done by the Jewish merchants to help the lord). In order to protect the lamb in the actual sense, the lord naturally must ensure that the residents of the territory can survive in the famine years. If the bandits pursue it, the lord will also build a wooden castle to shelter the civilians, so as to ensure that his source of tax revenue will not die.

The Melaron people have no such concerns, otherwise, where would the fields of those big families come from?

Ordinary farmers, after tamping the straw and sieving the wheat grains, the new wheat is regarded as the arrears that need to be repaid. They have to return more, and when the spring drought comes, they still have to borrow food.

Almost all debts started in the year of disaster. They only borrowed a small amount of food at the beginning, and it is not a big problem to pay back more during the harvest season. Even farmers are thanking the big households and leaders for their help in difficult times.

However, in the Nordic region, the agricultural environment itself is extremely fragile. In this region, it is not impossible to rely on farming to maintain small farmers, but the level of technology in today's era is too low, and no one can expect to use the current technology to ensure a good harvest is the norm.

No, every disaster year deepens the debt of farmers.

The big family and the leader Olekin had no intention of harming their own clan at first. They were willing to help the troubled clan, and it was only natural that they would charge a certain amount of interest afterwards.

After all, the debt is getting bigger and bigger, the strength of ordinary farmers has been declining, and the big households who have been accumulating wealth have already ignored all kinds of famines. After they became stronger, their eyes became more and more ambiguous when they saw their former clan. When they began to raise a large number of slaves and serfs who sold their land cheaply to survive, their trust relationship with the tribe became dim.

Quantitative change has finally arrived at the time of qualitative change!

I don't know when it started, the Melalon people helped each other to keep warm, and became the leader and several big families, ruling the entire tribe. In recent years, this domination has intensified.

Let’s talk about this year’s harvest.

The harvest season of 830 was an unprecedented disaster for the people of Mellaren. It will not be completely closed, and 50% of the debt has been settled.

Some farmers began to count this year's harvest, and the result was a disaster of blood and tears.

Families that could harvest 6,000 pounds of grain in a bumper year are only getting 3,000 pounds this year. If they had no debt, the harvest would not be too bad, at least starvation would not have occurred.

But wait!

There are many farmers who want to pay back debt equivalent to 1,000 pounds of oats.

During the harvest season, there are many families who harvest only 2,000 pounds of wheat, but they have to pay back their debts, and so on...

Although there was still a large amount of wheat in his hands, he had to pay back the debt, and there were more than a thousand pounds left. Men are crying, women are crying, and the elderly have the idea of ​​seeking death. Only the innocent children didn't know what was going on, and they cried out for new wheat, but they also cried.

As a result, a very bad problem loomed over the entire Melalen tribe.

Those who already exist entirely as handicraftsmen do not cultivate their own fields, but wait to be able to buy large quantities of new wheat from the farmers during the harvest season.

Although it is a famine year, even if the bad news of the failure of agricultural harvests has long been heard in Uppsala in the north, in Melalen, people still have extravagant hopes.

However, the prosperous farmers' market that everyone hoped for has not replicated the prosperity of last year.

The situation this year made everyone stunned. There were no farmers who carried their own food to sell at the market.

This time, those grain merchants who conspired to negotiate the purchase price, their plan completely collapsed.

Yes, there are only a handful of grain left, and there is still a part of the grain left to grow, and the rest is full of rations. Even if there are not many rations, at least the family has to survive the winter, and then think of a way when there is really no food to eat.

Nobody sells food? !

The shocking news quickly reached Gould Island.

Gould, who was greatly frightened, had to tell the bad news to the wise Rurik at a dinner banquet, and to get a wise explanation.

And Rurik knew the news early. Because it's never been a secret, little Gould Island is already a little scary.

Courtesy gongs staggered, a fact Gould stated with concern.

"That's it. It seems that there are really no farmers selling grain this year. I learned that everything is the result of the lack of grain harvest. They really don't want to sell grain. What do you think about this."

What else could Rurik say, he seemed to be making a statement of fact, in which his concerns were hidden.

"Oh? You're worried Olegin won't get the half a million pounds of grain?"

Rurik asked the question directly, and Gould nodded hurriedly: "That's 500,000 pounds! Even if Melalen has a large population, it is necessary to collect so much food in a famine year... I'm really worried."

"You, are you worried that those peasants won't be able to get so much food, or are you worried that Olegin will break his promise."

"Of course I'm worried that Olegin will go back. In my opinion, he has no choice but to drain his clan this year."

"That's his business, don't be too pessimistic." Rurik shrugged.

"Huh?" Gould was stunned, "I thought you would be kind..."

"What will happen?"

"Weigh the peasants. You are kind after all, and you are kind to the poorest."

"You're wrong." Rurik shook his finger, "I only regard those who are willing to submit to me as my own clan. Even if they are lowly slaves, as long as they are truly willing to do things for me, I can give them benefits. , this is my principle. I am not related to those Melarens, so why should I care about them? Unless, they are almost starving to death, begging me to take them in, and swear to do things for me.”

"You think so." Gould sighed deeply. "Well, maybe this time next year, you'll add more servants."

There are some things that Rurik and Gould understand, and the two of them are tacit understanding of each other now.

"Rurik, do you really believe that Olegin will keep his promise?"

Rurik looked strange: "You've been dealing with him for so many years, are you worried about him?"

"I..." Gould sighed to himself how he was so close to Olegin? "I just don't worry, Rurik, among all the leaders, I only believe that you value the contract the most."

The flattery was good, Rurik smiled, and took a sip of the chrysanthemum tea: "Trust him. Maybe he will regret it, at least not this year."

"Why? This year is a disaster year."

"Unless he feels that as the leader of the alliance, he can play the Ross people at will. Anyway, our alliance with each other is very fragile, and he does not want to lose us."

"Okay, but there's no farmer selling grain, so where did the half a million pounds we want come from? His own farmland alone can't provide that much."

"What else can I do?" Rurik's eyes widened, and he suddenly pulled out the dagger that was swiveled at his waist. The buzzing sound was so loud that everyone present was frightened and looked sideways.

"you……"

"Are you afraid? Gould? You're right. What can Olegin do? This is the method!" Rurik held the dagger and slammed it into the wooden table in front of him, which was self-evident.

How did Olegin get food? Just one method: force to buy.

Fortunately, he is the leader and the leader of the alliance. To maintain the most basic face, he cannot simply plunder like attacking outsiders.

This is not to ask for tribute from the merchant, but the tribute he wants is actually silver and copper coins. For a long time, he has no reason to collect taxes for those farmers who own farmland, because in normal years he can only rely on his own farmland for food and clothing, and now it is still a famine.

Melalen is not a city-state after all, she only has a prototype, and has only just begun to implement a tax system in the true sense.

There is no agricultural tax in Melalen, but a commercial tax called "tribute" that adapts to local conditions. The "tax" that is now being levied is also a tribute to what Olegin calls a variant, and it is also a commercial tax.

In order to fulfill the contract, to gather enough 500,000 pounds of grain during the harvest season and hand it over to the Rus, it is no longer a simple purpose to obtain more than 400 pounds of silver, but also to regain the absolute support of the Rus. Russ people think of themselves as weak, and if they believe it, they are fools. Later, Olekin thought about it, and he decided that the Rus people were actually very strong. Since they did not clearly express their coveting of their own power, Olegin did not say anything.

To accomplish this, Olegin began to commit what he called "necessary evils."

He took a mighty action with his private army, and it was none other than the wealthy farmers of the same clan who he wanted to "attack".

First, as a leader, he worried about the men of all the tribes, and held an empty meeting in an empty field.

Nearly 10,000 people came at one time!

It was an extremely rare meeting, and a large number of allies and businessmen who were watching the fun also took the opportunity to join in the fun.

The clansmen did not know what important things the leader of the alliance said, but as expected, it was really important, and the angry clansmen thumped their chests.

In the final analysis, Olegin is stating an order: "Each household must put out three hundred pounds of grain, and I will buy it at the price of fifteen pounds a silver coin. You must complete it within three days, and the one who completes it will be issued by me. The wooden plaque will be used as a certificate. If you do not give it overdue, I will lead the soldiers to get it in person, and you will not get a silver coin by then.”

To put it bluntly, this is a clear robbery!

The powerful Melalen tribe is a behemoth with more than 20,000 people. There are more than 10,000 strong men in the entire clan, and a small family of five or six (a couple can have more children if they can), and there are 3,000 households.

In normal years, farmers don't need to force them at all. They often take up to 1,000 pounds of grain to sell in the market. What is 300 pounds?

But now is the year of disaster, and the little food left has caused the entire tribe's farmers to fall into pessimism. I never imagined that the leader not only did not give comfort, but also joined the priests to emphasize in the meeting that the tribe must do this. .

What else can be done? After all, he is the leader of the alliance. After all, those big households and priests support him.

After all, everyone was at the rally and saw those private soldiers raised by Olegin!

Five hundred warriors in leather and chain armor appeared, who would dare to question the authority of their leader? Really looking for death!

What can a normal person do? It seems that he can only take out the food obediently, squeeze 300 pounds out of his teeth, and finally get 20 silver coins.

The lesser of the two evils is the lesser of the two evils. A wise farmer knows that if they really sell grain, fifteen pounds of wheat is only a silver coin, which is absurd. The leader is such an order, and he will get a sum of money if he obeys.

In this way, Olegin's intimidation got a satisfactory result. After the appointed time, of course, there are also farmers who have not handed in the grain. The reason for them is very simple: if the last grain is taken out, the family will go bankrupt after the winter.

Counting on Olekin's mercy? Do not! He forcibly took away the grain. As for the bankruptcy of the farmers, he gave what he said was a very suitable solution to solve the worries of the bankrupt farmers - being a serf.

"Rurik, you Russ can make money, but I will never lose."

By the time you count the food that was forcibly purchased or even looted, all of these together add up to more than one million pounds! And this is not even Olekin's own harvest.

That's what he planned. Half a million pounds would be delivered to Rurik, and the rest of the grain would be hoarded by himself. As for how to use this huge amount of food, that's up to you.

For example, when farmers fall into starvation, they open warehouses to sell grain.

I am a strong buyer of fifteen pounds of silver, and when I sell my grain, I can't be higher than ten pounds.

He planned this, but he hadn't imagined that his move to search for food would bring him a solid stockpile of supplies for his major decision a year later, and give his allies strong confidence in "doing" with him.