The rainy weather has finally ended, but the temperature has not yet risen.
Rurik was surprised to find that thin ice floes had appeared on the shore of Gould Island, and the fresh fish hanging outdoors had also become hard.
"Is it a cold winter this year? If the lake freezes prematurely, wouldn't I be able to leave?"
The Avora lacks ice-breaking capabilities, and other cargo ships can be worse.
The sun has come out, and the world has begun to become dry and cold. The ice floes are a very bad omen, and there is not much time left for the Russians.
The elegant phantom of the Aurora appeared at the pier of the Melalen Market, and her appearance once again attracted people to watch.
Many people in Mellaren knew that the Russians were indeed attacking Gould, because the Russians recruited troops under this banner more than two months ago.
The crusade against the Gotlanders had the great purpose of crusading against the rebels. Similarly, the second and third sons of various families, who had no right to inherit the family business, took the risk and worked as mercenaries for the Russians.
After all, they are the children of their parents, so what happened to the people who went to war?
The Russians should have won, otherwise where did those guys get a lot of money and go door to door in the rain to distribute money?
Most of the farmers and fishermen families in Mälaren are complaining about the rainy days. The Russians bought a pound of wheat at an exaggerated price for no reason, and many Melalen people suddenly got ten silver coins. Their happiness came out of nowhere, and they didn't know what to say.
There are also some families whose husbands died, and the weeping women cried even harder in ecstasy. Just because the messenger sent by the Ross people made a clear promise that the Duke of Ross cares about the soldiers of the kingdom who died in the war, and is willing to help the families of the soldiers pay off their debts, as well as the promise that Ross can live and work in peace and contentment.
The promise in the back is too vague. In the promise in the front, the Russians promised to pay off their debts this month!
Public opinions are divided, and they gather together to gossip when they lack entertainment. Some people say that Ross people are generous and the Duke of Ross is a good man. Some people say that the Russians must have some hidden agenda for doing this. There is also a group of people who are itching to wait and see everywhere. The so-called Russians are recruiting mercenaries again and they will sign up immediately.
The only thing they can be sure of is that the Russians really won, so those Maylaren mercenaries who won after the victory are afraid that they will always work for the Russians after receiving benefits. If that's the case, it's a good way out.
The people watched in horror as the huge Ross ship arrived at the port. People crowded around to watch. Then they saw the ship lowering its planks, and a group of people dressed in very neat and uniform clothes got off the ship.
Look at them!
The leader of the warriors has a white bear head on his head, and the bear's upper jaw and fangs shield him from the sun. This man was wearing a white bear skin that was excellent in keeping out the cold. Under the leather was a blue and white gown. A cowhide bag was tied around his waist, and a sword was hung on his body.
This person is holding a gold-trimmed Russian flag, and there are more ferocious beasts on the top of the flag.momentum.
Some dignitaries were guarded by similarly dressed warriors.
Someone recognized a rumored celebrity, and someone started shouting Rurik’s name excitedly.
There were also people, especially women in simple clothes, who raised their hands to thank Duke Ross for the silver coin reward he received a few days ago.
"It seems that our actions have been very effective, and they are grateful." Rurik said casually to Gould.
"Yes, who can refuse money. It's just adults, don't believe too much that they will just follow us for a small favor."
"I know. Haha, it's just me. I enjoy this feeling. The people who gathered here are the people of Mälaren, and they didn’t even enjoy this when the dead Olegin was alive.”
Otto listened to the whole process. Speaking of his son, he felt extremely comfortable. He loved the feeling of being welcomed along the streets. He was loved by the people of the Ross tribe and now cheered for the more populous Melalen.
The entire Melalen Market was in commotion, and people gathered here. They came to see the Russian people with a mentality of watching the excitement, and they also looked forward to more rewards from the Russian people. .
Sure enough, Gould, the big businessman, began to use methods.
Gould’s method caught Rurik by surprise.
The four followers of the big businessman took the bags from their waists and began to throw money liberally at the welcoming people.
This move directly triggered a chaos!
"Gould, what are you doing?" Rurik was shocked because these people were frantically picking up money.
"Haha, look at them! Hahaha..." Gould thought it was really fun to throw money away, and this move really left Rurik speechless.
Throughout the money, he kept shouting a simple sentence and repeated loudly without listening: "This is a gift from Duke Ross!"
Rurik was stunned: "Gul De, is it worth spending so much?"
"It's just some copper coins. They are no longer valuable to us, but they are still useful to them."
"Okay..."
Rurik didn’t want to say anything else. After all, Gould had good intentions when he did this. If you betray your tribe and join others just because of a small favor, it is pure despicable without a bottom line.
The people of Melalen who picked up money just need money.
Who benefits from creating a stampede? Of course he is still a Russian.
No, the actions of the Russians quickly reached Karl’s ears.
"Russian!" Karl once vented his anger to a wife and concubine, and the result was that the woman couldn't stand up for several days.
Now, Carne deflated a small golden cup.
"Russians! Do you think you are your king? Rurik, you are so arrogant! You are humiliating me!"
Russians are showing their domineering power.Their overlord is confident, after all, the great city of Visby in Gotland was destroyed by the Russian army.
Now back in his hometown, Karl cannot quickly organize a capable private army that obeys his orders, and those big families who are greedy for power are ready to move. He was troubled by internal affairs, and now the Russians came to do big things.
In order to raise food, Carl boasted of doing necessary evils. He is not a pure fool and knows that this move hurts people's feelings. However, in order to avenge his father and maintain the king's face, he had no choice but to make this move.
What else can Carl do? He could only suppress his anger and jealousy in his heart, seal up his former arrogance, and put on a smile to welcome the extremely arrogant Duke of Ross.
The wooden wall erected is like a fence, and Carl's mansion is here.
Rurik raised his head slightly and signaled his soldiers to ignore the feared door guards and break through the door directly with brute force.
Of course, etiquette is required when facing a strong person. Rurik doesn't think that Karl today is any lighter. He doesn't even get the love of the people of Mellaren and can only shrink into his shell like a turtle.
The guard guarding the door wanted to say a few words, but was pushed down by the arrogant Russians wearing bearskin, and the short spear he held fell to the mud.
The wooden door was opened easily, and the open door seemed to welcome its real owner.
"Let's go, Dad." Rurik said casually.
Otto was surprised: "Aren't we a little too arrogant in doing this?"
"I think my brother is doing a good job." Aric raised his head arrogantly Picking up his chin, "Karl? You tried to duel with me, but I pushed him to the ground easily. I don't recognize this kind of person as a king."
"That's it. We still want more benefits, and we will do it in the future We need this person." Rurik said nothing more and urged everyone to enter.
The noise outside really made Karl sit on pins and needles while sitting in the dark inner courtyard.
Exactly a year ago, my father Olegin had his first consultation in Rurik here in Rus, and a year later Rurik came again. And he, Karl, needs to repay the huge debt he owes to his father!
Borrowed 400 pounds of silver coins to make excellent weapons for the expeditionary army. The invasion was defeated, and all personnel and weapons were lost.
Even so, the defeat has nothing to do with the fact of borrowing money. He must use food to pay the full principal and 100% interest.
The Russians appeared in the darkness with arrogant steps, but the first thing that caught Karl's eyes was the ferocious bear's head.
"Ah! Bears! Bears!"
Karl and the attendants and slave girls around him were so frightened that they retreated one after another. Their panicked faces were clearly illuminated by the bonfire.
"What? Are you afraid of bears?"
Rurik walked out of the darkness. Now he is short and thin, standing among a group of people wearing bearskin. Under the protection of soldiers, he also looked heroic.
“Ah, turns out to be you. The Russians..." Karl gritted his teeth and hurriedly sat down on the original leather cushion, and finally straightened his golden crown.
Rurik and others immediately sat down. The Duke of Rus and the elite nobles were all here. Poor Karl has only one person.
Poor Karl, now he has no staff to support him and make suggestions. All the elite mercenary leaders in the past were killed in the war. He is pure. The lonely man could only face the aggressive Russians.
Karl pretended to be tough: "You have made my market really noisy. My people told me that you are throwing money everywhere and attracting a lot of people." There was chaos. ”
“Indeed. Rurik shrugged indifferently: "So what?" Do your laws here prohibit merchants from spending money for fun? "
"You! Karl was speechless for a moment. He thought for a while and then muttered: "Since you are very rich, why do you still ask me for food?" You know full well that after doing this, my people will complain. "
"Really? You are the leader of the Mellaren people. What does their good life have to do with us, the Rus? I only focus on wheat. Have you prepared all the wheat now? "
"Wheat? No! "Karl expressed his refusal angrily. Just from looking at this man's face, Rurik had already guessed that he didn't dare to betray.
Aric couldn't see this for a while, so he suddenly drew his sword: " OK Carl! I already knew you would do this. Then let's fight, I'll kill you now. "
"Then chop it! If you kill me, you will kill the king. Those big families will be happy for you to do this, so that they can choose a new king. By killing the king, you betrayed the whole of Sweden, just like the Gotlanders who betrayed their alliance. All tribes will unite to conquer you! You will never get food again! "
"You think I don't dare? ! "Aric gritted his teeth and his eyes were as wide as copper bells. The hand holding the sword kept shaking, just trembling.
Rurik's face was sullen, and he cursed in his heart why his cousin was so impulsive. . However, I didn’t expect that Karl would act so generously.
“I... we, the Russian people, still recognize your king. Rurik tried his best to remain calm: "As my cousin said, if you don't give us food, the natural result will be your death." The truth is not just that, your betrayal will bring destruction to your family. The question now is, whoever provides us with 800,000 pounds of wheat, we will recognize as king. After all, the payment for those weapons was sold to the Mellarens, who launched the expedition, and we only do business with those who keep their promises. If those big families are willing, we can ask them to choose someone to recognize as king. "
" Ridiculous! ”
“It’s not ridiculous. A man named Bjorn came to me and asked us to recognize his power. I refused because what he promised was too little and not as much as your father promised. "Rurik said this deliberately, with a calm face as if everything was fine.Very normal.
But to Karl’s ears, it sounded like a thunderbolt from the clear sky!
How did Karl not know about Bjorn? This person seems to have no ambitions, but he is just an inconspicuous person among the big land families. This person actually has the ambition to become a king?
Karl gritted his teeth and his gums bleed.
Who is the potential rebel? Who is ready to make a move? ! In his rage, Karl did not even consider the question, how did the Rus know these things?
Now it is the Russians who have pointed out the mastermind among the Melalen people.
Seeing that Karl was as angry as an inflated pufferfish, Rurik still had a clean face and continued to provoke: "In Visby, you blamed the defeat on us Russians for not going south to support. This is ridiculous! We defeated the Gotlanders to prevent you from being attacked from both sides. Why did your Melalen tribe have only 1,500 soldiers? Why are the big families with a lot of land watching the show? They just want your family to be defeated and replaced. They have no lofty goals at all. What they value is your family's property and slaves! ”
With such a blow, Karl woke up as if from a dream.
In an instant, Karl suddenly no longer felt that the face of Rurik in front of him was disgusting. If it weren't for this person's decryption, I would still be in the dark, and I might not know when he was killed by the rebellious family.
"It is precisely because you are the king that I tell you these things. What does the grudge between you and us mean? If those guys succeed, who will avenge the hatred of defeat? Remember, you The family has been defeated, and the legitimacy of your rule is in dispute. Any resistance you have now will only bring death. We Russians do not want to kill you. If you refuse to hand over the food today, I can only be a bad person and go again. Support that Bjorn."
"Okay!" Karl stopped evading, and his inner defense collapsed completely.
The most dangerous enemies are not the Danes, nor the Russians, but the careerists within the tribe.
There is nothing more to say. Karl claimed that he would immediately lead a group of Russians to his granary, first display a huge amount of new wheat, and then immediately send people to move it.
But Rurik did not finish his words.
"One more thing. Karl, the Melalen tribe suffered great losses. Hundreds of farmers died. They went out to fight to get the spoils after victory to repay their debts. You did not give them Any compensation, according to our customary laws, their wives and children will become your debt slaves."
"Yes. You...can't say that this is wrong?"
"It's not a mistake, it's just too cruel to those who died in the battle."
"What do you want?"
"Sell it to me."
When it came to this matter, Karl immediately thought about it. He clutched his beard and thoughtAfter thinking about it, I felt that there was something profitable in it. "Do you need those women and children? Or do you need the farmland and houses they own?"
"It's just the women and children, I don't want anything else."
" This is your style. I all know that you Russians have been getting slaves from our tribe and transporting them away, as if the Norwegian slave market was just for you, and you took away all the dirty beggars, me and myself. The dead father is supportive. But you have to take away those women and children..."
"Tell me your conditions."
"You have to pay more."< /p>
Karl could not answer what Rurik expected: "Money is not a problem. I can pay double the slave price, and I will directly give you the best Frank silver coins."
"All debt slaves, together with the debt principal and interest they owe. Will you pay?" Karl has straightened his head.
"Of course. We came prepared, but we brought a lot of money."
"Let's make the deal!"
Visby's wealth was The Rus were wiped out and they became very rich, as Karl knew very well. His attempt to extort some wealth as a king finally gave up. Now selling debt slaves has become a way to make money, which really surprised him.
The negotiations quickly produced excellent results.
In the next three days, more than four hundred Ross warriors wearing gorgeous and heroic clothes landed at the Melalen Market and the core area of the Melalen tribe.
Russian warriors showed off their prowess here, supervising the slaves of the Carl family to transport a large number of sacks full of new oats to the dock.
There is an endless stream of long boats on the lake. They are fighting for their fate for food, and a huge amount of wheat is on Gould Island.
More supplies arrived on the island, which were a large amount of vegetables, mainly onions and yellow-rooted carrots, and a small amount of cabbage. The ships of the big landowning families are also constantly transporting to Gould Island. After unloading the food, they get enough good-quality silver coins as soon as possible to go home happily...
As many as five The women and children of more than a hundred people were all the debt slaves of the Karl family. The Russians helped them pay off their debts and arrived at Gould Island alone.
Reminiscent of the promise made by the Russian people many days ago, they originally had the idea of immigrating, but they did not expect that the Russian people's promise has been implemented. This is far from happy. The child hugged her mother tightly, looking confused about the unknown future.
There are also more than a hundred men from Melalen, most of whom have young faces. The younger sons in these families are destined to be unable to inherit the family business and find it difficult to marry within the tribe. Their destiny seems to be to work as mercenaries for big families, or to find ways to go out and make a living. Since they were all mercenaries, the Ross people promised more commissions, so these people came to Gould Island.
It is already the fourteenth day of October in the Julian calendar, and large areas of floating ice have begun to appear on the lake!
The lake is generally calm, soCan allow for the emergence of large amounts of thin ice. It was already a signal of extreme danger, indicating that the huge Russian fleet would not be able to escape unless they evacuated.
The time for the return journey has been determined. It is the 16th of October. The plan is to return to Roseburg before the 20th of October.
The night before departure, the entire Gould Island finally fell into peace.
All the preparations have been completed. The new mercenaries who have defected and the debt slaves they bought, like most of the Ross warriors, are recuperating in a warm place.
Rurik was still holding a fish bone under his maid's post and picking a molar of a deciduous tooth that was about to fall out.
The Russians imported another batch of ale packed in oak barrels, and all of them were to be distilled into spirits.
Otto happily drank a few large glasses of wine, and while drunk he suddenly spoke harshly, accusing his son of his wrongdoings. "Rurik, you...you shouldn't have told Karl about Bjorn."
"Did I do something wrong?"
"I think it's too unwise. You say! Why..."
"Let them fight among themselves! Let Karl and Bjorn or others fight among themselves. Dad, we don't need a powerful king to tell us what to do. The Mellaren tribe must sink. Let those families blame each other, and we just need to do business every year. It’s just..." Otto was slightly drunk and his mind was still clear, and his son was sobering up. He admired his ability, and then laughed stupidly: "What else do you have in mind?"
"This year we imported 1.8 million pounds of wheat for the first time in this area. I did the math. , enough for our tribe to eat for half a year without production."
"This is not a good thing. As a result, our people will not be able to produce enough food. Once the Melalen people encounter a natural disaster, we will also suffer a famine. Then many people will have difficulty in living. So I will still actively develop the East. This year we will. We will get a large number of people, and we will transport them all to the East together next spring, give them farming tools, and let them open up the land, and we will collect the taxes they pay, and we will be able to eat wheat every day."
Otto couldn't think of that much, or he couldn't think of the wonderful scene that Rurik had sketched. He only knew one word to describe such beauty.
"It's so beautiful, like Asgard?"
"Yes, Asgard in the human world. Do as I say, a few years later It will come true."
"It's up to you." A great body lay down, followed by snoring.
"Okay! Okay..." Rurik was speechless. He gently pinched the two Slavic maids who continued to be devoted to each other: "Anna, Bella, your hometown, the future is mine. The world of Asgard."