For those merchants, the taxes or equivalent goods collected at once reached three hundred and thirty pounds of silver.
Rurik "invented" the concept of commercial tax a year ago in the spring. At that time, how did Otto think that he could reasonably squeeze so much money from merchants in a year's time. Together with the levies provided by Gould, the Roseburg tax this year amounted to over four hundred pounds of silver.
The silver coins from the tax will naturally continue to be stored. The leather used to replace the tax was all sold by Rurik to Fordegen, who owned a tailoring workshop. When Rurik ordered a batch of clothes, he didn't have to pay even a copper coin for the labor service, because Vodgen's labor was offset by the tax. This is a concession to the Fodegen family at this stage, which completely stimulates this guy's fighting spirit.
In Rurik's view, Vodgen's workshop is like a lamb. There is no need to shave its wool before it grows up.
Otto was overjoyed to receive a large amount of taxes, and the white silver coins made him give up his previous concerns.
Want to continue spending huge sums of money to build big ships? Then keep building it!
In the future, some taxes will be raised every year to let those merchants take the money and let them pay for the Russian ships.
Otto took it for granted that the merchants were big fat sheep. He did not encounter any setbacks in this regard, and he did not know that he could not be too ruthless.
At this stage, Rurik does not have any concerns about the tax system, and tax increases and reductions are not the main issue. The population controlled by the Ross tribe is too small. Although its strength is limited, the cost of managing such a "city-state" in an orderly manner is actually not high.
Do the Russians really need those foreign merchants?
Rurik’s soul is still oriental. After some self-examination, he may still have some small farmer ideas in his heart, as well as a big commune idea.
Ask yourself, what are all your efforts for?
In the final analysis, it is not to ensure that the Ross tribe can control all the lifeblood of its survival. Including the original intention of building large ships is to ensure the efficiency and safety of material transportation in various settlements.
In Novgorod, the local Slavs spontaneously formed more than a dozen communes and farms with a population of more than 1,000 people. In the Eastern Land, the Kevin people also formed clan tribes of hundreds of people based on kinship ties.
As for the Russian people, they have been migrating north for more than half a century. For a long time, everyone has lived together in groups.
Rurik made a judgment. He felt that the Russians did not need merchants from other tribes to participate in commodity trade. The Rus have the right to rule the trade of all goods in the northern gulf, either taking full possession of it or giving a small concession to the 90% share of it.
The Russians do not need other tribal merchants to compete for living space unless they swear to join the Russians.
Now that the tribes have built multiple settlements throughout the Baltic Sea, the Rus are fully capable of building an internal trade system, a highly tribalA trading system governed by a chief. In this way, the lifeblood of all survival supplies is firmly controlled and regulated by Leader Ross himself.
Power? centralization?
The tribal council system that was negotiated in the past also needs to be changed.
In the harsh natural conditions of Northern and Eastern Europe, people need a hero. Rurik just wants to be a great hero, but he has already tasted the taste of power, and he longs for more.
So if we really squeeze those foreign merchants and scare them away from coming to trade, I'm afraid it won't do any harm to the Russians. For foreign trade, the Russians can just organize their own fleets. At this moment, the tribes in the alliance need to maintain harmony, and the Ross tribe should not make things impossible.
The goals of Otto and Rurik are obviously highly unified, they just want money. If Otto had the instinct to be greedy for money, then Rurik wanted to continue making money and build strong military strength for the Russians. At present, the Russians do not have to attack others on a large scale, but they must have the ability to withstand the attack of the Danish army.
As the strongest combat force currently possessed by the Russians, the launch of the sailboat Avlora will serve as the prelude to the start of this year’s trade season!
The sailing ceremony is about to begin, and Otto has made some arrangements before that.
This year's Sorgon voyage is still the top priority of the tribe, and Otto handed over the task to Arik and Kawei. These two men definitely did not just leave with hundreds of brothers, they also needed to take their wives and children with them.
The first batch of married Novgorod women gave birth to mixed-race children who were almost one year old. Children of this age can already withstand the wind and waves of the sea. The children really have to participate in this first Sorgon voyage in their lives. They must prove to the leader that they are still strong Russians even with the blood of Novgorod by being safe and sound.
This year, the fleet is not just a tribute. The people of Novgorod must provide tribute as usual. Otto optimistically estimated that when they saw their daughter visiting relatives with her children, they would definitely provide more tribute and hand it over to their uncle in person.
After collecting the tribute, Arikdan led his strong tribesmen to continue building New Roseburg.
So in New Roseburg, blacksmith Kawei will play an important role, that is, he will work hard to train a group of new blacksmiths in the local area. As long as conditions permit, he will build a group of furnaces and even look for local ores.
Aric was destined to be absent from the alliance's leaders' meeting, which made him quite regretful.
The order was issued by the big leader, what else can be done?
The younger brother is the truly noble person. Only he can inherit the position of leader and only he can participate in the alliance.
......
The warm southerly wind began to blow from the sea, and it poured into the east-west Rossberg Fjord, giving everyone comfort.
There are still some ice floes floating in the sea, and they no longer pose any threat.
Look, there was once a piece of silverBai's world is now rapidly rejuvenating. It's the large-scale melting of snow that makes the world quite wet.
Rosberg is back to life, as evidenced by the wildly growing grass. Lo and behold, the reindeer herds returned from winter grazing, and the deer herders didn't stop. They started spring grazing around Roseburg. April is also the calving season for reindeer. Reindeer calves are born one after another, and the herd expands rapidly within a week.
The large-scale calving of reindeer is a good sign. In the same month, some Russian babies were also born.
Now, people are looking forward to the perfect conclusion of a grand sacrifice, and then thousands of boats will enter the sea.
The grand sacrificial ceremony is today!
Just the careful preparations in the past few days, the thawed bay has already changed its appearance. For example, the gravel land was cleared and not only became smoother, but also a large number of cylindrical pine trees were laid on it, forming a road leading to the sea. This so-called road is quite special because at its end, it faces a steep slope in the fjord, where the depth of the water drops sharply.
People with smart minds have already understood that this road is the sea road through which the Avora is connected.
Look, the big ship has hung her huge sails. Even if the sails are temporarily tied to the astonishing length of the inclined beams, the way she opens the sails will be very beautiful. People have also noticed that one of the details added to this ship is that she added a foremast (used to fix the cables, and the bow sail is not installed yet), and a wooden sculpture is inlaid under the mast. It was not a ferocious monster, but the image of a girl in a skirt. Even if the wood carving was rough, it could not be associated with words such as scary and majestic.
Many people are willing to ask why, and Gould simply replaced Rurik to publicize the reason.
The wood carving is a lucky female elf, and the elf's name is "Aphroela". This explanation strikes a chord with people. Everyone who is eager to go to sea is extremely eager for luck. The purpose of everyone praying for a big sacrifice is also to get good luck in sea voyage.
The Sailing Sacrifice is sometimes merged with the Spring Sacrifice. It is special this year that a ship as big as the sea is involved, so for this sacrifice, more sacrifices must be made.
The purpose of sacrificing animals is to stabilize people's hearts. Rurik also spent a lot of money this time. He intended to sacrifice ten reindeer to Odin, Frey, Thor, and even the sea god Agil.
Early in the morning, the entire Roseburg residents, wearing thick clothes, crowded to the beach. The total number of people exceeded 6,000.
A group of Ross people have moved to the new settlement, and only those with outstanding strength are left as merchants. These 6,000 people are basically the entire population of Rossburg, and those infant babies have not yet appeared. own existence.
A wooden altar stands on the seaside. As usual, it is surrounded by a large number of stones that form the shape of a ship. Next to it is the road made of pine trees, where the big ship was finally launched.
High Priest Vilia showed off her braided silver hair. She sat on the sedan chair and didn't want to say much, but her heart was excited.
She can say that she has chosen someone. Even though this Rumia is a deer herder, this girl was indeed spared a life by Odin, that is, the new generation of high priest Fuji who was hinted by God. Candidate.
Rumia is indeed very ambitious. This year she will host the most important sacrifice of the year for the Rus people, and she is fully prepared.
Beside the altar, there were more than two hundred little girls from Russia. They wore simple linen gowns and tied their belts with a hemp rope. They all wore garlands on their heads woven with the latest sprouting wild flowers, and the most gorgeously dressed were Rurik's ten Slavic maids. Not only did they have gold and silver nameplates, but the flower crowns they wore were hung with colored glass beads.
Unlike other girls, these ten slaves will participate as priests.
On the other side, as many as thirty cables were thrown down from under the ship.
The entire ship is fixed by cables, but it is really too heavy. Even the pine trees on the ground are smeared with seal oil. It is not possible for dozens of people to pull it. .
There are thirty cables, and each cable can be divided into several more cables, so that multiple people can pull one rope.
How many trackers will there be? Otto waved his hand, three hundred people!
Now, they have taken action!
Russians take it for granted that it is a matter of course to push the boat ashore when not in use. They do not think pushing the boat is a big problem, even if it takes some effort, it is worth it.
They never imagined that one day three hundred brothers would have to work together to pull a large ship into the sea.
The Avora, with its flat bottom, tilted slightly to port and slid slowly on the pine logs.
Thousands of people watching the excitement collectively cheered the movement of the ship, making the entire fjord fall into a long roar, but the trackers remained silent.
Three hundred people pull a ship with a displacement of fifty tons, and with the lubrication of grease, pulling is no longer difficult, but it is not easy either.
Rurik and Otto have been walking at the front of the team and watching the movement of the ship nervously. There is also a group of people around the big ship. They are shipbuilders and a group of warriors carrying wooden stakes. If the ship accidentally rolls over, they need to insert wooden stakes as soon as possible to avoid trouble.
Fortunately, the Russians had rich experience in towing ships, and coupled with the formation skills they had developed during the war, the pace of the three hundred people was highly unified. Even if they did not say a word, the ship was still moving at a steady speed, and Move to the altar in full view of everyone.
The ship arrived at her correct position. Lumia, who was wearing a deer-horned helmet, tried hard to hold up her unprecedentedly heavy head. She stood directly in front of the oak keel of the ship, feeling her own insignificance, and The greatness of this ship.
The switch is like a dream.
She fell into an indescribable daze. Rurik, dressed in fine clothes, hurried over and pulled herhand: "The big ship has arrived. Rumia, it's your turn."
"Yes...yes."
"You? Are you shocked?" Rurik Laughed softly.
"This is a big ship, too huge."
"Then let her launch into the water as soon as possible. Rumia, complete your mission, tribesmen, Grandma Vilia Everyone is looking at you."
Yes, six thousand pairs of eyes are focused on the ship and the altar. Rumia is undoubtedly the star of the entire tribe, because everyone knows that the high priest has essentially become the leader. Someone changed. A deer herder girl is also qualified to be the high priest of the Rus. Is God’s authorization true? Most people still believe that seeing is believing, and only if she does a good job in setting off the voyage, will people really recognize her.
Rumia is a little afraid of giant objects. This is the first time in her life that she has seen such a big ship, and she is sincerely happy for her owner.
"Can we start now?" Rurik urged.
"Okay, let's get started."
Rumia supported her heavy helmet and stood still. Seeing this, Rurik left wisely and waited for the ceremony to proceed step by step. proceeding.
The noisy scene quickly quieted down because of the children's singing. The girls in plain clothes and flower crowns were using their ethereal singing voices to enhance the sanctity of the sacrifice.
Some of the songs are traditional folk songs of the Russian people. In terms of beauty, they cannot move Rurik.
There is only one song, "Turbulent Youth", which Rurik himself deliberately gave to the children to sing. This song is catchy and inspirational. Rurik modified the lyrics to suit local conditions, and it became a hymn that urges young people in Russia to work hard and achieve success. In the lyrics, for example, "turbulence" becomes "challenge", and "my heart is looking towards the distance" becomes "my heart is thinking about the wealth in the distance".
Those middle-aged people will all die, and the future of the tribe needs all the young people and children. Rurik really knew that it was too early to set some great goals for them. They expanded and they fought for wealth and praise from others. For example, this big sacrifice is to make everyone feel at ease in the pursuit of wealth.
The children's songs made everyone very happy, and some people even hummed along with the songs and filled in some weird words and pictures for fun.
The ballad was the prelude to the sacrifice. Otto, who was watching the grand event with a group of soldiers, couldn't help but secretly admire his son's ability to create a scene.
Many of the items in the sacrifice were simply major changes made by Rurik after listening to the preliminary arrangements of the priests. Rumia listened to him the most and continued to act according to the script.
A girl in plain robes stood high on the altar, chanting ancient prayers fluently. She sings praises to the gods and to the ancestors of Rus.
She prayed for God’s blessing, not only for the safety of all ships in this year’s trade season, but also for the safety of large ships.
“O Gods!Please accept your son as an offering on behalf of all Rus’ people. "Rumia opened her arms. Her body couldn't stop shaking because the antlered helmet was too heavy. People who were closer to the altar subconsciously felt that the new high priest was being penetrated by a mysterious force. Body.
In this rare opportunity for the whole clan, Rurik used the words of the high priest to confirm his identity as the "Son of God". He used to be the so-called "child blessed by Odin". , now his status is even more advanced.
After speaking, Rumia suddenly trembled greatly, and then fell directly to the altar. Her unexpected behavior immediately caused an uproar among the tribe. /p>
She stood up slowly and shouted at the top of her lungs: "Kneel down! Odin is asking for his offering. ”
Thousands of people had no doubts, and they knelt down one after another. Ordinary people knelt on their knees, and soldiers knelt down on one knee. The gentle sunshine spread on people’s backs, They felt warm and sacred.
Rurik was also surprised by such a scene. He saw his father kneeling on one knee, and many people stared at him. "Son of God."
With a metallic buzz, Rurik drew his short sword and walked straight into the stone ship altar.
The older subordinates. Priests, they all covered the deer's eyes with cloth and forced them all to the ground.
Rurik was also unambiguous. He was ruthless and stabbed the deer's neck one by one, killing them instantly. Then cut off its blood vessels.
The deer blood dyed the altar red and even flowed to the sea.
Under everyone's thrilling gaze, Rumia Yin Hong raised a piece of blood in his hands. Deer liver, announced in public: the direction of blood vessels is auspicious
All this is inevitable, everyone needs an auspicious answer, no one will question it. The deer liver was slowly placed on the bronze tray. She glanced at Rurik, nodded deeply, raised her right arm, and showed her scissor hand.
The people who had been prepared finally looked. At a signal from the high priest, a roar came from nowhere, and the three hundred strong men pulling the boat started a new action.
Everyone realized that the big boat was finally coming. Entering the sea, no, a road was immediately opened on the beach.
Some strong men were still dragging the ropes, and there were more men as strong as bulls. Fifty or sixty people worked together to hold a thick rope. Pine wood.
There were two pine wood against the stern of the ship, and everyone worked together, dragging and pushing, to finally push the Aurora to a critical position.
" Brothers! The big ship is launched! Let's retreat quickly! "It was Huotra, the shipbuilder, who roared the loudest in his old voice.
All the strong men evaded urgently, because the big ship was like a slide, on the sloping road of grease-covered pine trees, It crashed into the sea.
The big ship made waves that were unprecedentedly high. The waves were probably six meters high, but it was a wash to the faces of those watching on the shore.
Six. thousandMy eyes saw that when the sea calmed down slightly, the big ship was shaking violently from side to side, and gradually returned to calm.
The Avora, she finally entered the sea and finally floated in the fjord of Fort Ross. There was no possibility of her capsizing or sinking, and even slowly drifted toward the depths of the bay due to inertia.
Fortunately, the strong men on the shore pulled the ropes and completely tamed the big ship.
People cheered and were excited. The shipbuilders burst into tears in excitement, while some breathed a sigh of relief and lamented that they had created a great existence.
Rurik, as soon as he finished washing his hands, he was hugged by Carlotta and Ella and cheered, but the corners of his mouth were only slightly raised.
This is indeed a scene worthy of cheering, but it is only the beginning.
The ship is moving, and the person holding the rope gradually points the bow of the ship toward the coast.
The recently carved "Wooden Girl" on the bow of the ship is the soul of the Aurora and a lucky elf that everyone wants to believe exists. Aurora is facing the boiling Roseburg with her calmness...