The short summer in Northern Europe should come to an end in mid-August.
The climate was no longer warm, and a rain swept across the entire region, suddenly pushing the climate that was supposed to be slowly cooling to autumn. When the temperature drops, it is difficult to climb up. When the rain stops, Gould, who is in the south, stands on his island in the morning and can clearly feel the coolness and the hidden worries that this coolness brings.
Summer is finally over!
Just over the past three months, he carried a large amount of goods from Fort Ross and made a lot of money at the market in Malaren.
What surprised him a little was that Olegin, the leader of Mellaren, a man who had always been considered harsh by the world, was now willing to spend a lot of money to buy leather. Olegin "swept" the leather for sale in the entire market. Due to his power and financial resources, all kinds of leather vendors sold out their goods in a short period of time.
The leader personally executed, forcing a large number of ordinary people who wanted to buy high-quality leather to lose their right to choose. They were holding the limited silver coins that were almost deformed in their hands. They were faced with the few remaining defective items, and their prices were quite exaggerated. Even the last inferior leather, there are still people willing to buy it. For ordinary people, if they can't get linen, they can only rely on leather. They have a sense of shame and need to repair or make new ones.
Shame? Maybe Olegin has become a little shameless in the hearts of his people.
He actually demanded more tribute from all the professional merchants of the Melalen tribe! He also gave this behavior a noun, "tax." In this way, merchants in the market, even Norwegians selling slaves captured from unknown places, as long as they do business, in addition to paying a land rent, they also have to pay a "tax".
"Oh, things are getting interesting. Tax? The tribute is going to increase?"
Gould didn't understand how they knew the word "tax", so the result was He said that he saw that Olegin was trying to find more grease from his people, and he really knew how to manipulate "tax".
But what does this have to do with myself?
At least until now, the people Olegin asked for "tax" were limited to the Melalen tribe. For other tribes, the old method is still the same, that is, as long as they do not set up stalls on the shore, there is no need to hand over even a copper coin as tribute.
The Gould family never had to go ashore to operate. He and his eldest son set up a stall on Gould Island, which was controlled by their family, and customers would naturally come by boat.
Of course the customers include the envoys sent by Olegin.
They were a group of people who spent money lavishly. They came with real money and bought Gould's products in large quantities. It was obvious that they were well prepared for such behavior.
Soap, leather and some ironware were all bought by these envoys.
Especially the stained glassware with beautiful workmanship, and spirits stored in clear glass bottles. They shocked the messenger and also shocked the leader Olegin.
At the beginning of June, Gould’s large stockpile of goods was basically sold out.
The gross profit from revenue is no less than 50,000 silver coins, and the net profit is astonishing. In other words, Gould Island suddenly received a huge amount of five hundred pounds of silver in a short period of time.
He, Gould, is Rurik’s official dealer. This is the case now and should continue to be the case in the future. For him, backed by the strength of the Ross people, Gould is more confident in doing business. He is not afraid of the Malaren people being unfavorable to him. Especially in the current situation, he increasingly feels that he can open up a new world in trade. field.
What is that?
For the greater good, the leader of Ross should make a direct face-to-face transaction with the leader of Melalen.
In July, Lake Malaren is the busiest.
Fishermen from the lake's mouth encountered a large number of Ross fishing boats heading south to catch fish, and some exciting news spread throughout Lake Mälaren.
The Russians have indeed built a camp on a deserted island opposite the estuary, and the Russian army is attacking the Gotlanders!
Isn’t that exciting good news?
The Ostara tribe was destroyed, and a large number of allied tribes in the south were forced to move north. The efforts of the Siya tribe alliance to expand southward encountered serious setbacks when Olegin was the leader of the alliance.
Who would have thought that at a time when people were grieving and angry, the "traitor" Russians who escaped to the north, who had never forgotten that they were part of the alliance, would be wanted by the most powerful Melalen people. brave.
Public opinion became more and more fermented. While a large number of Melalen people praised the Russians for their feats, they also secretly belittled Olegin's cowardice.
This Olegin is not only cowardly, but also bad. He is a greedy guy who only wants to expand his own strength.
People use swear words to express their grievances, but is this really the case?
The reason why he is the leader is to be responsible for the entire alliance.
Over the years, Olegin's understanding of the Russians was that this group of "traitors" who ran north provided a large amount of leather every year, and a group of merchants also ran north every year. It is said that the Russians had a god named Rurik who descended from heaven. The legend came from the mouths of businessmen, and the story became more and more bizarre.
After all, the name of the great leader Otto is slightly similar in pronunciation to the great god Odin that everyone revered.
This is great. People need to find something to talk about in their boring lives. Now that the talk is here, people begin to tease Rurik as the "son of the great god" and the "Asgard descended to earth." "God man", the more people tell the story, the more authentic the story becomes.
Olegin didn’t believe these rumors at first, but he couldn’t help but be wary.
The fact is that the sales volume of the traditional bulk commodity leather in Russia has continued to increase in the past two years. It not only sets new highs repeatedly, but also has high quality.The quantity is also quite good. Not only that, the Russians were able to take out some once rare items in large quantities, and the prices they proposed were no longer extremely expensive.
Glassware, soap, and flammable spirits in glass bottles.
Drinking the burning wine and feeling the fire in his stomach, when he sobered up after a hangover, he even claimed to those around him that his soul had left the body.
Xiao Zuo, who arranged to go to Fort Ross disguised as a businessman to inquire about information, claimed that all the changes came from that Rurik.
He described what he saw and heard in detail, but many things seemed to Olegin to be great stories.
A boy rules hundreds of children and even treats them to dinner.
What other bows are made of iron? How is this possible?
Olegin couldn’t completely believe Xizuo’s claim that what he said was true. However, the fact that the Russians demanded money from merchants aroused his strong interest. This is “tax”, Mela Lun leader Olegin, he followed the same method.
The understanding of the Russians has deepened. During this year's trade, Olegin also learned that the Gould family, who were originally from Onkras, had become completely Russians.
Things have become very subtle!
Gould already had a problem with Olegin. After all, he was shouldering a heavy responsibility. In order to complete the task, it was obviously a shortcut to get the support of the leader of Maclaren himself.
What about Olegin? He is eager to know more about the Russians, and he is even more eager to establish some kind of close connection with the leader of the other party. In the past, he had nothing to do with the affairs of the Rus. As long as the Melalen people controlled the vast lakes and the agriculture and animal husbandry of the Svealand plains, everything would be peaceful. Now, facing the increasingly serious threat of war, he needs to obtain more military power for himself in the war that is likely to break out in the future.
Both parties had strong demands for contact, so they set foot on the Gould Road again as a messenger to inform Gould of Chief Gould's wishes. What he received was Gould's unhesitating affirmation.
The time has entered August, but the situation has become very delicate, or rather tense, in the vast farmland cultivated along the lake controlled by the Melalen tribe.
Although some people grow earlier-maturing oat varieties, more people grow traditional varieties.
On normal days, people in Mälaren plant their seeds at the end of March or early April, and by mid-August they begin to harvest oats.
The sowing period was delayed by a month due to the sudden extension of winter. The seedlings that were supposed to be in the heading stage are still green.
Gould originally intended to meet Olegin as agreed, but a continuous rain canceled all plans.
After the rain has passed and the weather has turned cold, the agreed affairs should be implemented.
A small boat left Gould Island, and the most distinguished people on board were Gould and his eldest son Snoleva, who were dressed in costumes.
The ship docked, and the two of them were surrounded by ten mercenaries.Accompanied by (also a paddler), we headed straight to Olegin's mansion, which was surrounded by wooden walls.
Thick oak wood formed a solid wall. Each piece of wood was tightly tied with hemp rope and a sharp blade was cut out at the top to prevent outsiders from entering.
“Dad, is this their house? That Olegin is isolated from his people.”
“Alas, he is worried that his wealth and power will be separated by his people. Backlash." Gould sighed.
"Is a wall necessary?"
"You...how could you ask such a stupid topic?"
"But."
Gould patted his eldest son on the head with his fat hands and face: "Fool, of course the powerful must be separated from the poor."
"But Rurik... "
"Oh? What do you think of him?"
"He...he is a kind person. He eats and lives with those lowly people. He is a good person. "
"Good guy?" Gould wanted to laugh but felt it was inappropriate. "Rurik is an adult, but you are a child. What he calls kindness? What he calls winning people's hearts. Compared to the Oleg we are about to meet, Rurik knows how to be a leader better."
At first, Gould did feel that Rurik was a little too kind, but after the child experienced a war, many things did change. Rurik, he has done whatever it takes to get money, and even Olegin is following his example.
While the two were waiting, the envoy sent by Olegin pushed open the wooden door, bowed and bowed in front of the two distinguished men, and asked to enter Olegin's mansion.
The dirt road outside the wall is also the same inside the wall.
Gould looked left and right. It was indeed the first time in his life that he had entered Olegin's territory. Unexpectedly, when he actually entered it, what he saw was a simple scene.
It was a building made of a large amount of wood. Only one house was the tallest and could be seen directly from outside the wall. It was a tapered building, but it had no wooden floors.
“I can’t believe that this noble guy is actually willing to sleep on the ground?”
Gould was a little speechless. He and his eldest son did not have any mercenary guards, and followed the guide straight to the place. The simple main hall is the tallest building.
The wooden door was opened, and a thin-looking guy sat upright on a low chair wrapped in bearskin. Beside him were some wives, concubines, and servants, but not a single armed warrior.
There are a large number of wooden steps on the wooden wall, and a large number of bronze lamp holders are placed on them. In particular, there were chains hanging from the ceiling and a chandelier with glowing fire, which kept the room from being too dark.
The hall is just dry land, with some hewn stones and some leather placed on them. There is also a large amount of leather on the ground, which is obviously for people to sit on.
"Are you Gould? Oh, look at your clothes, you are indeedHe is a noble person. "
Gould and his eldest son bowed slightly with their right hands on their hearts as usual. He had heard about Olegin's appearance and knew that he was a somewhat thin man.
"Dear Chief Mellaren, I am indeed Gould. The weather was really bad and I apologize for delaying our meeting. "
"It doesn't matter. "Olegin waved his hand, and at the same time, the wives, concubines, and waiters all retreated knowingly.
In a short period of time, Gould realized that he was the only one left in the huge hall. The eldest son, Olegin. At the same time as things became very delicate, Gould also realized that today's meeting was probably very secretive for both parties.
"Distinguished leader. ..."
Gould tentatively wanted to ask, but Olegin went straight to the point: "My friend, I like the Ross products you sell very much. Perhaps you already know some of the reasons why I invited you here. I also learned that you have become a Rus. hurry up! I want to know more about the Rus. "
"Ah! Is this why you asked me to see you? ”
“Of course! Tell me quickly, and I will satisfy all your demands as long as they are reasonable. ”
Gould’s question was knowingly asking, and he was already prepared for it. But he didn’t expect Olegin to be very proactive, and even this man, who was obviously much thinner than the leader of Ross, Otto, had an attitude. It became even more urgent.
Under the delicate situation, Gould took on the role of Rurik's "foreign minister" and safeguarded the interests of the family. < /p>
On this issue, Gould knew that he had to be precise.
He had already prepared some words. While touting the strength of the Ross people, he also deliberately kept many things. , for example, the Russians conquered the "Eastern Land", as well as the construction of New Ross Fort, Elon-Olava Fort, etc.
Of course, some things cannot be concealed, and that is about things. The fact that Otto, the leader of the Russians, went to Novgorod in the far east to ask for tribute has been going on for decades, and this matter cannot be hidden at all from Olegin. It’s not surprising, and he has no reason to take his tribe on a large-scale expedition to ask for tribute. He only needs to ask for tribute from the tribesmen who farm and fish.
After all, compared to the Russians, The people of Mälaren and all the people living in the Svealand Plain can completely rely on growing wheat, growing vegetables, fishing in the lake, and raising livestock on small flats. They can meet their own needs and have a certain surplus. They are even self-aware. If you can't defeat the powerful Danes, then you can tentatively expand your grazing pastures and cultivated fields. For them, times have really changed. Although they are all Viking tribes. Melalen's expansion ambitions were gradually diluted by the stable life of farming.
Gould wanted to show that the strength of the Russians was "not to be underestimated" and that the Russians were very committed to trade.Chang is keen to express the poverty of Roseburg and take the opportunity to praise the people of Malaren for sitting on a geomantic treasure. He simply did not mention the expansion of the Rus and the ambitions of Otto and Rurik.
In Gould's description, Rurik is a smart boy, but he is not the "son of God" in the legend. Otto is also a courageous leader and a ferocious pirate.
There is a big discrepancy between Gould's description and his detailed description. Olegin would rather believe Gould's statement, because in this set of statements, the various bizarre legends about the Russians are completely interpreted. The exaggeration of the facts makes Olegin feel more credible. They are just ordinary people who are better than ordinary people. Rumors are just rumors after all. Olegin let out a sigh of relief.