Rurik generally didn't care about how his tribe traded with those merchants, until after the Spring Equinox Festival, he was deep in the ceremony site and heard his tribe members complaining about something.
What? Five squirrel skins can be exchanged for four silver coins?
What? A whole piece of very fine sealskin costs only two silver coins?
What? The price of the precious ferret skin 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 made Rurik think more. The guy had already taken away a batch of soap and put it in his own warehouse. At the same time, the guy was also buying a large number of leather goods at low prices.
Although taking advantage of low prices to hoard goods crazily is a normal market reaction of capital, Rurik was really unhappy when what happened to Gould.
When this happened, his father still discussed other things with the guys. It was said that they were discussing how to continue to take revenge on the Gotlanders, and then they would gather together to drink some burning spirits, just like that. It's like swallowing fire in his belly to show off his tough guy style.
In the past few days, what Otto was most upset about was his mistake. The burning spirits burned off a bit of his beard, and he seemed to have lost a bit of his majesty as a result. But the strong drink is indispensable.
Dad is addicted to the extraordinary stimulation of strong alcohol. What he cares most about is robbery and conquest.
Rurik knew that the more times like this, the more he had to shoulder the responsibility of the leader. He even felt that this was intentional by his father Otto, so that he could continue to experience.
Experience? OK!
Then get down to business! In order for the Rus tribe, which has become a city-state in the actual sense, to have a right that must be determined - commercial taxes must be collected.
April of the Julian calendar arrives quietly amidst people’s expectations.
Calmness is superficial, just like a stream that begins to swell, and many vigorous things gradually change quietly.
This year’s situation is indeed worse than last year. On April 1, the ice floes in the bay still have not melted, and even the hunters who entered the vast ocean to cut ice to trap seals still heard from them bad. Compared with the previous time, the sea ice has indeed become thinner, but the thickness has shrunk from one meter to half a meter. The situation is still bad.
The annoying winter seems to be extended by some mysterious force. The people of Rus and even all the visiting merchants need the priests of Rus to divine an answer.
Such a predicament is not uncommon in the memory of High Priest Vilia.
She vaguely remembered that in some winters, the sea ice did not melt enough for ships to sail until May.
Even in some years, it is almost time for the Summer Solstice Festival, and there are still some accumulated ice blocks in the shade of the hills.
I’m afraid that none of this is “God’s wrath”. After all, there are some years with obviously warm winters, and the oceans thaw enough in March.Enough for sailing.
In the past, when the sea water thawed, it had no obvious impact on the lives of the Russian people. With the early thaw, the Russian people did not become rich. However, with the delayed thaw, the Russian people's lives remained ordinary.
Perhaps the commotion among people this year is due to the fact that merchants have hoarded a large amount of goods and they have an unprecedented desire for trade. However, the ice and snow are still hard and the climate is still cold.
Businessmen most want to get a good revelation.
Otto and his guys, and even a large group of Russians, also want an answer.
When the ice and snow melt, the huge Russian fleets will rush to all directions with their own purposes, whether it is trade, construction, or simply war. If the departure is forced to be delayed until May, many things will be disrupted.
Actually? The climate at the beginning of AD 830 was indeed cold, especially deep in the Gulf of Bothnia where Fort Ross was located.
The Russian army that ended its "Northern Hunt" crossed the frozen sea. The strange and twisted iceberg they saw was extremely rare. It is usually squeezed into a narrow fold of five to six meters by the stress of sea ice, and this year's situation is even more prominent.
Not only the territory of Roseburg, but also the climate in the entire Northern Europe is even colder, so much so that the entire Baltic Sea is frozen!
If this ice has some benefits for the Danes, it is that they can walk through the frozen Denmark Strait and walk to Oslo on one foot! They actually exchanged goods in winter. In the past years, this kind of thing was extremely rare.
The small businessmen are anxious. What they don’t know is that Lake Malaren in the south is now also frozen. A large number of fishermen were swimming on the glacial lake, or pulling sleds along the frozen river into the territory of the Hjelmalen tribe, and exchanged furs and linen with the Glan people who suddenly immigrated. Made of iron.
Yes, the Gran people who fled to present-day Eskilstuna, in order to survive the hard life, smelted local iron ore and sold iron products in exchange for various foods to spend the winter.
But most of the poor beggars who were left unclaimed on the streets of Mälaren Market froze to death in this cold winter. In this way, the group of beggars who were finally recruited by Rurik were undoubtedly very lucky.
There are always a large number of poor people in the Melalen tribe. Such a severe cold may destroy some families, and the children who are lucky enough to survive will also have to face loneliness, even hunger and severe cold. The leader of Melalen has no energy or consciousness to manage the orphans under his rule. The wealthy generally regard orphans as pests and should be avoided.
Every day, the leading mercenary patrolling the streets of Melalen collects some dead beggars, throws the frozen corpses into the pyre, and burns them to ashes.
New beggars are still appearing, and new deaths are coming one after another.
The Melalen tribe, and even other alliance tribes, because of this cold winter, the number of their tribesmen hasSignificant reduction. The Melalen tribe has lost as many as 400 people. Most of the dead were children and elderly people. Those with strong physical strength are basically safe. The tribe's current strength has not been significantly damaged.
What worries the leader of Mälaren, Olegin, is that if the ice and snow haven’t melted yet, won’t the sowing season be delayed? Wouldn't the delay in the most critical trade gathering be more fatal? !
The people of Melalen are holding a grand ceremony to pray for God's grace to let the ice and snow melt and everything return to normal.
The Russians are doing exactly the same thing here!
Although he was extremely reluctant to part with it, Rurik had to sacrifice as many as five reindeer. As a "person blessed by Odin", he has high hopes. It is believed that this child can talk directly to God, and as the leader of Ross, he can ask God for an answer-when the ice and snow will melt.
If possible, Rurik should ask Odin for forgiveness. It would be best to turn the frozen sea into a ten thousand-mile breaking wave on the second day of the sacrifice.
The sacrifice begins with the expectation of all people, and ends with the sigh of all people.
Rurik had to follow the advice of the high priest Vilya. He killed the deer, smeared his face with its blood, and then lay down in the deer skin spread in the altar and closed his eyes. Vilya immediately instructed Rumia, who was wearing a deer-horned helmet, to announce that Rurik's soul had now gone to Valhalla in person to see him in person.
People stared wide-eyed waiting for a result. Actually? Rurik was asleep. He could feel how solemn the silent grand sacrificial scene was, and he had already thought of a countermeasure in his mind.
Everything was in accordance with the pre-discussed script. During a deliberate twitch, Rurik was announced by Rumia that "his soul has returned."
Rurik deliberately looked solemn and announced that the ice and snow would melt in May.
Who can not 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 long for. This is the attitude of Odin. As mortals, you I have no right to negotiate terms with God, not even me! May is May! This is God’s test for us. If we Russians cannot overcome this small difficulty, there will be no greater development. ."
Is it inevitable that the ice and snow will melt in May?
Never mind it! If the situation at that time is still bad, there will be another sacrificial drama.
At the sacrifice site, the shy and paunchy Gould led all members of the family to become key spectators.
Unlike what most people believed, Gould knew from the beginning that this move must be a trick discussed by Rurik and the priests. First of all, Gould believed that Rurik had indeed received God's favor, but it would be too much for him to believe that Odin favored the child in every way. Odin is the legendary god! Not Rurik's nanny.
Gould was very pragmatic, and because he was well-informedGuang, some people say that when a person dies, he will become a heroic spirit, some say that the soul returns to the sea of souls, and some say that it is sealed in dust in the dark underworld. He also heard his Briton woman say that when bad people die, they will suffer in a world full of fire, while when good people die, they will go to a wonderful place to live forever.
People of all kinds have different opinions. Since death is inevitable, why not enjoy life in this world?
He feels that he has accumulated a huge amount of goods this year, especially the most traditional fur trade, which he operates, and has experienced explosive development this year. He saw the excitement of the frozen merchants. Not only the merchants, but also a large number of buyers were also looking forward to the arrival of the merchant fleet carrying huge amounts of goods.
Therefore, Gould is not in a hurry. Even with a longer freeze period, he will have more time to prepare for the subsequent trade season.
But what he didn’t expect was that not long after the sacrifice, Rurik actually walked into his house in person.
The ice is still frozen, but the breeze makes people feel a little gentle.
On the afternoon of April 5th in the Julian calendar, Rurik was only accompanied by Jevlo, and the two of them set foot at Gould's mansion.
Gould, who had already taken a nap, had to get up immediately to meet his old friend.
In the solid wooden living room with solid wood floors that Gould had sent to build, 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 is a bit worrying to see that the child Rurik is not even interested in the extremely sweet dried plums on the table, but always has a cold and calm face. .
Gould murmured in his heart, after all, are people who have experienced real wars, who were once innocent children, have they changed?
"Rurik, you are an auspicious bird, and you have flown to my home again today, bringing me good news?"
Gould's ruddy face Full of flattery, he always treats important trading partners like this.
Rurik still had a calm face. He didn’t even have any courtesy. He didn’t care about the snacks and wine on the table and went straight to the topic.
"Gould, this time, on behalf of the leader, I am announcing a very important order to you!"
"Huh?!" Gould was shocked. The hand holding the pure gold wine cup also trembled.
"Are you afraid?"
"No!" Gould denied flatly, "I am already a Russian, and of course I must do what the leader told me."
Hearing this, Rurik suddenly cheered up, and a slight smile appeared on his calm lips: "Is this your attitude? That's great."
"Then, What can I do for you?" Gould complimented.
"I want money."
"Is it a new trade? Okay! I still have a lot of wealth in my hands."
"You misinterpreted what I meant." As he spoke, Rurik's small hands knocked rhythmically on the low wooden table. He said slowly: "This is the leader's order! The leader has already decided! From this year Start collecting taxes.”
Tax is tax. Since Rurik proposed the concept of tax in the Rus tribe in 829 AD, most people have already had a certain understanding of it, and Gould is no exception.
"Collect taxes? Huh? I am a businessman and I have not signed an agricultural contract with you. Even so, do I still have to collect taxes?"
Maybe someone else can do it I was stunned by Gould's question.
To be fair, what Gould said is absolutely correct. Whether in the East or the West, the so-called tax initially refers to the agricultural "tribute" provided by grassroots individuals to group organizers. Its emergence is very consistent with the natural development of a group.
Those tribesmen who moved to New Roseburg signed a contract with the chief's family, that is, they received high-quality agricultural tools provided by the chief to cultivate the land, and received grain and large amounts of rations provided by the chief. A small portion of the year's harvest must be returned to the leader.
This is how the ethnic people generally understand tax and the word tax.
Of course their understanding of this concept is too superficial.
Rurik said bluntly: "You and I do not have an agricultural contract. We clearly have a commercial contract. With a contract, you have to pay taxes."
"Ah? But, the contract between you and me..."
"Listen to me!" Rurik stretched his little head and raised his voice: "Listen, the contract between you and me is just a contract between two people. In fact, As a merchant, you still have a contract with our Ross tribe."
"What is that?"
"Don't you understand? A large number of merchants are doing business in Rossburg. Thousands of businessmen come every year to import our goods and transport them to other places for sale, and they can do business in Roseburg in peace without fear of bandits raiding their wealth, even if there are. We Russians will also punish bandits with capital punishment. The tribe provides security and a peaceful business environment, but this peace is not natural, and my tribe needs to be rewarded for its efforts.”
Gould reacted instantly: "So you asked me to pay taxes to pay this special price?"
"Yes, you are indeed a big businessman." Rurik felt that the matter was over Once done, the attitude became very kind.
At this time, Gould was in trouble. He shook his head slightly: "Although it is different from the explanation of the Melalen people. Rurik, you have become a bit bad, a bit like the Melalen people." "Oh? I've changed? I'm still like this." "No! You gave me a more reasonable reason. Even so, please listen to my opinion," Gould said boldly.
"Really?You say it. ”
Rurik didn’t think Gould could come up with any theories, and he was mentally prepared to argue with them.
Rurik had decided to “invent” himself. "Business tax will be levied this year. He does not expect that all businessmen will cooperate, and even pessimistically believes that a large number of businessmen will not cooperate. After all, who will willingly spit out part of their money?
If you encounter some trouble, use a little force to solve it. You will eventually succeed, and the business tax will be collected every year in the future.
Of course, if businessmen generally cooperate, there will be no need to do so.
So, Rurik felt that he must first get rid of the richest businessman Gould. As long as the Gould family is supportive, other businessmen will surely follow suit when they see this trend. Agreed.
But Gould’s words were a bit unexpected.
Ryurik initially thought that businessmen were highly self-interested and wanted to obtain higher profits. Their selfish attitude has reached this point, but this seems to be a normal thing.