Chapter 119 The Agreement with the Big Businessman (2)

Facing Gould, Rurik tapped the table lightly, his serious face looking like an adult.

Rurik asked: "Gould, you really decided that we Rus people will take your fleet south after completing the spring sacrifice?"

"Indeed, I I will sell your soap, furs, and other things as soon as possible."

"Very good. When will you return?"

"This..." Gould. He pinched his fingers and said, "Probably like in previous years, in autumn, when your father is preparing to go to Novgorod to collect the autumn tribute, I will return at that time."

"That is autumn? Very good. Now I promise you that when you return, I will create a tool that can turn ordinary ale into flammable spirits. , I will only sell it to you. "What do you think? "Ah! This is really great," Gould applauded.

"Okay. You are a trustworthy businessman. For this reason..." Rurik thought for a while and said, "You know, I have a business agreement with the priest and the blacksmith. We will The agreement is engraved on a wooden board. Now please find a wooden board and we make a written agreement. My father, the chief of the Rus' people, will serve as a witness to prove that our agreement is valid and protected by us Rus' people. First of all, I will not betray the agreement. But you!" Rurik's eyes widened, "If anyone betrays the agreement, he will be punished by us! I don't think the Anglas tribe will help those who betray the agreement. ”

At this moment, Gould actually felt a deep threat. Rurik was sitting a few steps away. How could he still have the innocence of a child? There was murderous intent in his eyes.

Gould paused for a moment. He was frightened by being polite before fighting. Then he put on a stiff smile to relieve the embarrassment: "Ha! How can I betray you? Rurik, your father is a witness. I Now I swear to Odin that I will be loyal to the agreement. You and I don't need to carve the agreement on the wooden board. If I betray it, the Ross tribe has the right to take my life and take away my family property. I have principles. Businessman, I am worthy of trust!”

Principles? Business principles? ridiculous.

It’s not that Rurik doesn’t believe in Gould’s character, after all, businessmen pursue profit.

The businessman Rurik understands is the kind of madman who dares to commit any crime as long as he has three times the profit. Thinking about the course of history, when some wealthy businessmen went to the New World to conquer the so-called natives, they claimed to be virtuous gentlemen who brought civilization. They may have really brought civilization to the Old World, but they undoubtedly also brought death. and destruction, reality is often so absurd.

"Gould, I am willing to believe you." Rurik said deliberately politely, "I am different from others. You and I are not just buying a few fish in low-level trade, but Not only is it related to the future huge trade in soap, wine, and even some other goods.Just soap and wine, I really intend to go south to buy some other goods through you. We must write our covenants on wooden boards because our descendants will inherit our current covenants. You think, if a hundred years later, they see these wooden boards, they will always remember the agreement of their ancestors, and our descendants will always maintain friendly relations. ”

At this moment, Gould was so moved that he almost cried. Otto was also shocked. He never thought that his son had such a long-term vision.

Gould was so excited He slapped the table and spilled the wine. He was shocked that the future leader Rurik valued him so much at such a young age. Didn't this mean that he was actually protected by the Ross tribe?

After a while, a neat wooden board was brought over by Gould's servant.

" Rurik , now the board must have arrived, what kind of agreement should you and I make? "

"I..." Rurik pinched his chin. When signing a written document at any time, the parties involved must remain serious and vigilant.

About signing with Gould What kind of trade agreement, a very key item is soap, which can quickly bring huge profits to both parties in the foreseeable future.

In addition, profit from selling wine must be engraved on the wooden board. , the value of this matter has yet to be evaluated.

Gould ordered one of his clever servants to hold a knife and prepare to scratch the wood.

"Dear. Rurik, you explain the agreement, and my servant will engrave the words. I hope you understand our rune language. ”

“Of course. Rurik shrugged, "That's our writing. How can I not master it?" I have been studying with the High Priest this winter. ”

“That’s good, you can dictate.” ”

The leader of the Ross people is here. Gould believes that the leader and his son have no intention of harming him, and both parties can benefit from future trade.

On the other hand, , Rurik's provisions on the terms of the trade agreement are also relatively vague.

The first two terms of the agreement between the two parties are:

First, the Ross tribe chief family and his family. His descendants make soap, which is sold by the Gould Oncras family, and the specific price is agreed upon by both parties.

Second, the Gould Oncras family transports ordinary ale, which is sold by the Ross tribe chief family. Made into flammable spirits, the spirits will be sold separately to the Gould Unkras family.

With two terms, Rurik is giving Gould a huge profit. How could Gould not notice it?

This fat old guy was filled with emotion, as if the Russians were preparing to create a golden mountain. Gould and his son.Sun was able to get a large share of the wealth without much effort.

But there must be something fishy about such a concession. Rurik looks like a child, but his insights into things far surpass those of the current leader of the Rus.

A good leader knows how to make profits, and Gould knows this very well, because he spent a large sum of money to support a group of subordinates who dared to work for him, as long as he could be stable. With a large amount of money as a reward, the warriors he recruited were always reliable.

"Rurik, you have given me a great favor, and you must have more plans."

"Of course! It seems that you have understood me. "It means." Rurik raised his head and explained carefully: "Gould, my deal is not just soap and wine, but something more!"

"What else?" Upon hearing that there were new trade possibilities, Gould was very excited and asked, "You said, I am willing to trade."

"Food!" Rurik solemnly asked Say this word realistically.

“Food?”

“Yes! It’s food. Gould, I need a lot of food. The land in Roseburg cannot grow wheat, and at most it can only grow a few onions. You must import as much wheat as possible from the south! Even if the food you bring can pile up, I will still buy it with the silver coins."

"Of course." Rurik stretched his little head to further emphasize, "You get me wheat, whether you buy it with redemption or rob it from someone, I just want a lot of wheat. You bring the wheat, I will buy them all at a price higher than the market price, and I will buy as much as you bring." Seeing Rurik's firm tone, Gould pinched the beard on his plump chin, but wanted to. Think about it.

Because of the pure grain trade, he organized his own fleet to be a "porter" and earned the difference between freight and grain prices. His profit was not high.

Youdao is a self-made businessman. When he was pursuing early-stage capital, he was willing to do small businesses. As his strength grew, his business attitude must have become picky, and he became more and more willing to do risky transactions. For example, he sneaked into the Danish territory and became a Danish businessman to make a lot of money.

Grain trade is indeed different.

In today's era, the Rus' allies living in the Svealan region have always been loyal to reclaiming land and growing wheat. Although the local climate is very close to the Arctic, some cold-resistant oats and rye can complete a growth cycle during the warm period. The total population of the entire Siiya Alliance is only 100,000. They cultivate and plant using very backward methods. Although the yield per mu is very low, each tribe still has enough wheat to eat.

The reality is very magical. In fact, even if various tribes do not eat wheat, there will be no famine.

Everyone faces the sea, and each tribe is a hero in navigation. It is not polite to say that they catch fish.Fishing skills are far stronger than farming.

Each tribe has mastered weaving huge hemp rope nets, and multiple boats cooperate in trawling operations. Although the taste of bread and pancakes is far better than that of cooked fish, the ancestors of the Swedes never suffered from famine due to poor harvests. At most, they felt that due to poor harvests, the following year would become uneasy. .

The failure of the grain harvest will cause famine in the Frankish Kingdom, which will also lead to plunder by the Danes in recent decades.

Unlike Scandinavia, Jutland has a milder climate, and the wheat fields on the peninsula also have higher yields per acre. The Danes had a better food base than their northern cousins, so in the early ninth century Denmark had a larger population and more grain, milk and fish production. But the Danes still can't figure out how to increase grain yield per acre. Perhaps the way to get more grain is to open up more land for planting.

They sow the seeds and enter the slack period. In the past, the slack period was the traditional trading season. Nowadays, the chiefs of Danish tribes are becoming more and more bold. Some people make a lot of money, food, and even scarce female resources through plundering the whole clan. The jealous tribes could no longer endure being poor farmers, and more chiefs led their tribesmen on the "robbery road".

So for various Viking tribes, they are fully capable of surviving in the famine years when they cannot enjoy millet. If they can eat millet, it would be great to buy it at a higher price. . If that doesn't work, then send troops to rob the Franks or Britons.

The current civilization stage of the Ross tribe and its allies is still a clan society dominated by fishing and hunting economy, which is somewhat backward than the Danes.

In the Frankish Kingdom, once the first year's food harvest failed, the price of food in the following year could skyrocket to an astonishing degree. The so-called nobles from various places took advantage of the famine to hoard food, and then exchanged a small amount of life-saving food for a large amount of wealth from the civilians who were almost starving to death, and even acquired a large number of serfs.

Originally, the Frankish Kingdom had a large class of yeoman farmers. Their measures to resist natural disasters are very fragile, and there is no concept of disaster relief in Europe in this time and space. After a drought and flood, in order to survive, it is really an acceptable choice for the yeoman farmers to turn their families into serfs of the nobles and survive.

Ryurik, who lives in the far north, has no control over the lives of ordinary people in the Frankish Kingdom. He allows the local nobles to harm one side like parasites. What does it have to do with the Ross tribe?

Rurik needed a lot of food, and his explanation surprised Gould.

"I will definitely buy the grain you bring, whether it is oats or rye. Peas, turnips (Swedish turnips), onions, cabbage, or whatever else, you just have to bring it here , I am willing to buy it at a high price."

"Is this true?"

"Of course! I will buy whatever you want, this must be our agreement.A clause to be engraved on the wooden board. ”

Over the years, Gould has always spent his winters in Roseburg. It is fair to say that if he could not buy a large number of animal furs here, he would not be willing to spend the winter again. Roseburg can bring him With a stable fur income, he lived here with two maids to serve him all day long, and he did not have to face the quarrels of his five wives and concubines all day long in the south, so he ended up in peace.

Rosberg. The land could hardly grow any crops. The food and vegetables Gould loved to eat were all transported by himself to provide for himself and his men when the sea ice thawed in the coming year.

The Russians themselves do not cultivate the land, but they do. They were able to receive a steady wheat tribute from the Novgorod people.

It stands to reason that they are not short of wheat. How come Rurik's attitude is completely different from that of his father, and how come he has a very different attitude towards food. Urgent need?

Gould asked bluntly: "Rurik, do you plan to desperately buy food so that you Russians can eat at least one pound of wheat every day? "

"Of course not. The various foods you brought are indeed for eating. I don't plan to sell them to my people again. I plan to raise a group of servants now, and for this I need a lot of food. "

Servant? Gould or Otto, both of them were 100% wary of Rurik's words.

"Yes. There are a large number of servants, so Gould, when you go south this year, I will also ask you to find a group of servants for me. I see you have two very obedient Britten maids, and I would like a group of them too. "

"Maid? "Hearing Rurik's words, Gould really felt very weird. Because to Gould, the biggest role of the two Briton women was to provide him with entertainment in the boring winter in the north, if they even gave birth to children for this purpose , Gould will give the illegitimate child a family name, but he will not get any share of the property.

Looking at Rurik's age, what does this child want with so many maids? Is it possible that he should be filial to his father? < /p>

Thinking of this, Gould immediately looked at Otto with evil intentions.

“Rurik, you are not planning to choose some servants for your father. ? Oh, you are such a good boy. "

Otto understood what Gould meant in an instant. He was horrified when he heard it. He immediately refuted the absurdity of Gould's words and then questioned his son's purpose.