At dinner that night, Rurik shared the gem in his hand with his family.
The beautiful sky blue gemstone is simply the only blue mineral pigment. It can be ground into powder and set in various metal utensils! It also includes melting into molten glass to create sky blue lenses.
Otto’s thoughts about Denmark were very simple and straightforward. “Kill the Danish enemies he encountered” was just a casual remark. All he could think about was to make the army of hunters he hunted in the north look like this. Sunglasses to protect the eyes, and the image of Rurik wearing sunglasses touched him greatly. It was a kind of handsomeness that is difficult to explain in words, and it also showed the unfathomable heart and wisdom of the wearer.
The appearance of lapis lazuli made everyone very novel. As for receiving Danes at home, Otto's resistance was also very direct.
"Dad, I'm not afraid of the Danes. I even hope to have a naval battle with them, so that we can use our superior ships and weapons to turn these enemies into fish feed. Those Danes have been to distant places The east is an unknown world. They are still merchants living in Hedeby, which is a larger city than Visby. The locals only want to do business, and they have no idea about war. Let’s have a good chat. We can also sell some leather and other things over there to earn what we need.”
Rurik felt that there was no problem with his words, and Otto suddenly had a very clear mind: “You... ...Why do I think you are planning to make peace with Denmark?"
"That's not what I meant."
"It doesn't matter if you have any good intentions, those Danish lords must not. Satisfied. Remember, the Ross army killed 10,000 Gotland warriors under your command. I don’t believe that the Danes will ignore this and do business with you comfortably.”
Rurik shrugged: "Doesn't this further prove that we Russians are strong? I am very interested in the merchants of Hedeby. The current situation is that the ordinary people who produce wealth in Melalen are being exploited by Melalen's The big family has suffered so much that we can no longer expect to get a lot of benefits from them. We need to open up new markets. I have two ideas. First, go to the east and go directly south along the river to Rome to try your luck. Second, it is not convenient for us to do business with Heidebi ourselves, so we will find some middlemen.”
“It’s interesting.” Otto nodded, “So the one named Eric. Is the old guy a useful tool? I think you should be more careful."
"Dad! I can do it," Rurik assured, patting his chest.
Suddenly there was a flash of lightning! Otto suddenly pulled out the knife he used to cut meat. In a split second, the blade of the knife was pressed against Rurik's neck. He was so shocked that his mind went blank.
Otto said extremely calmly: "You see, I am very close to you, and I can kill you in a moment. Boy, I suspect your bad reputation has spread among the Danes. The Russian Army A great victory is a disgrace to the Danes, you are the commanderYou will bear the entire wrath of the Danes. How do you ensure that those businessmen are not assassins? "
"Ah, this... shouldn't be. "
Otto put away the knife, inserted the knife directly into the table, and ordered: "I will deal with the glasses. You let Jevro and Arik stay in this room, and send more soldiers. Guard. Remember, those businessmen all searched themselves when they came to the meeting..."
"Are you being too cautious? "Rurik was a little impatient, but he knew that his father's caution was necessary. As a de facto king, Rurik thought that he should also protect his own safety.
"Just like this. Rurik had a flash of idea: "Tomorrow, the businessmen who will be invited to the meeting will take a steam bath first, give them soap to clean themselves, put on the clothes I provided, and then come to the meeting." Afterwards, all their clothes were returned. If they hide any murder weapons, take them immediately. ”
“Good idea, let’s do it. "Otto clapped his hands and applauded.
What effect can a batch of gems have? Of course, they can be used to embellish one's power.
Rurik also came up with a method that can be implemented His idea was to reward meritorious warriors with a pure token of honor - a medal.
He didn't know the exact origin of the medal culture in history, but he thought it must be related to the family crest of the noble warrior. The culture of badges has something to do with it. In the end, both the people and the army can recognize that the medals issued by the monarch have glorious significance, and the soldiers sacrifice their lives and blood to get it.
Perhaps the blood and spiritual descendants of the Russians, Destined to become a group of people who love the Medal of Honor the most, there are also those who are very successful and use the medal as fish scales.
Rurik rested clutching the piece of lapis lazuli as a token before falling asleep. I have to think carefully about the prospects in this regard.
Is it enough to simply give money, food and women to the warriors who have done meritorious service? For the previously poor warriors, such rewards are really wonderful. Infinitely, when a person has enough wealth and wives, they will desire more. They will not necessarily degenerate into ambitions pursuing extremely high power, but they will definitely find ways to get honor and become the object of praise from others. .
"Establish an Order, an Order of Heroes of the Ross? "
What is a heroic warrior? Heroes need to be quantified! Every hero needs a real token to symbolize that he is a hero to distinguish him from ordinary people.
" Gold or silver is melted into a round base, which is painted with white lead, then ground lapis lazuli powder is used to create staggered sky-blue stripes, and finally a layer of liquid glass is cast. A hook made of wire is installed on the back of the medal. The medal is drilled with another hole to thread the cord..."
Rurik estimates that this is generally how the current lapis lazuli is used, and his ideas are no different from those of the ancient monarchs.
The new day is clear and cold, and the sun is particularly dazzling due to the ice and snow all over the world.
The winter market that sprouted on the coast of Roseburg, Luo.Duke Otto, with a group of followers, set up a stall in a mighty manner.
The news that Lord Rurik has created another interesting treasure has spread throughout Roseburg. It is said that it is a device to protect the eyes, which can soften the dazzling eyes. Some people think this thing is dispensable, while some people think it is a treasure.
The price of the sunglasses was set at twenty silver coins. Now all the strong men in Ross have enjoyed the war dividends. With the money they got, they first improved their lives, and there is obviously a lot of money left. It’s natural to want to buy some strange things. Twenty silver coins was not much, so busy people rushed to the stall set up by the Duke, first to take a look, and secondly to choose the opportunity to buy.
Hundreds of people gathered, listening to Otto's speech standing on a small snowdrift.
Today, Otto's appearance became very strange. Under the sunlight, he seemed to have a pair of huge cricket eyes. Those are so-called sunglasses. They covered Otto's old wrinkles and made him look very energetic.
They held their money bags high and crowded around each other, fearing that their brothers would snap up the limited number of sunglasses if they made one move.
In the evening of this day, as many as 150 pairs of glasses waiting for sale were sold out. Those who were lucky enough to buy them changed their image one after another, and the whole world changed dramatically after they wore sunglasses.
Look! The frozen sea no longer reflects the sunlight that almost kills the eyes, and people no longer have to squint their eyes.
Those who did not buy it felt disappointed. The only comfort was that the Duke promised that the Clavarson family was still making this very special glassware.
The perspective goes to the other side.
It was still early in the morning when a Danish businessman who got up early to go to the toilet suddenly noticed some sneaky eyes outside. The man hurried back into the warm room and reported what he had seen to his father.
"Father, we...were careless. If we are targeted by them, will we be killed?"
Old Eric is lying when he says he is not nervous: "If If the Ross people want to kill us, wouldn't it be safer to do it at night? Wait and see, maybe the Ross leader will see our father and son today."
Soon, a group of Ross soldiers came to knock on the door.
The leader was none other than Jevro, who was wearing white bear leather and a white cloth gown sewn with blue strips of cloth. This Finnish warrior, who was slightly short in stature and had a slightly flat face, now "arrested" these Danish businessmen as the Duke's messenger.
Jevro and his guys acted roughly and sent the five men directly to a room where strong steam was flowing out.
"What are you doing? What is going on? Did your leader ask us, father and son, to have a frank meeting with him in this sauna? It's really an eye-opener for me in your Roseburg." Old Businessman Eric always had an uneasy feeling. He was a little worried that his family would be locked up by the Russians and later be killed alive.Steamed to death.
This is not impossible. The well-informed old Eric knew that people in the "Eastern Land" like steam baths. While trading leather with the local tribes, he was also invited by the local chief. After trying it many times, he once felt that every inch of his skin was burning and painful from the steam.
He really didn’t expect that the Russians who spoke Norse were particularly fond of the Easterners?
"Stop talking nonsense! Take off your leather clothes and all weapons immediately. This is the opportunity for you to take a bath! Your Majesty can't bear to meet a dirty person."
< p>"Oh, Chief Ross is really particular about it."The next thing happened again, because there are other bathing facilities in the so-called sauna room, which is a shower.
There is a wooden barrel high in the room. Hot water is prepared in the barrel. There is a wooden stopper on the side of the barrel. When you open it, the hot water will be released. The light in the room was very dim, but the yellow-white sulfur-smelling soap was clearly visible.
Of course Old Eric had seen soap and knew how it was made. In Hedeby and the small town of Schleswig in the south, there are craftsmen who specialize in washing tools. The price is relatively high. If it were not for its good washing effect, no one would tolerate its poor quality.
Yellow-white soap actually smells of sulfur? He thought about the color of those sulfur ores. Driven by curiosity, Old Eric became the first to try something new.
He saw a strip of burlap hanging in the room, and naturally rubbed himself up with it.
Finally, he experienced the ultimate bathing experience, as if the mud shell covering his body had been washed away, and he felt relaxed. He was even in a trance after leaving the steam room.
The father and son were forced to put on simple and neat new clothes, made of white linen inside and warm leather outside. There are also hats, which are made of fine cloth and soft pine bark.
Now Old Eric fully understood the intentions of the Ross leader, and realized that his sons were actually complacent about the clothes "rewarded" by the Ross people, so he immediately scolded him with a tight mouth: "Don't be happy. My old clothes were thoroughly inspected by them, and the Russians were actually worried that we were assassins." This was heard by Yevluo, and he didn't look kindly on it: "I advise you to take care of yourself. Listen, you are Danish and you must keep a low profile here."
"Yes. We are unarmed now and have no malicious intentions." Old Eric bowed his head to show his cooperation.
After a while, they finally arrived at Duke Ross's residence.
This scene surprised old Eric. He was not surprised that the houses in this area were all Slavic wood-carved buildings, but also that the so-called Ross chief’s mansion was not as big as he imagined. Majestic.
"Let's go, my master is waiting for you in the house." Jevro finally urged.
At the same time, Rurik and Arik were dressed in fine clothes.Li Yi was sitting cross-legged in the small living room indoors. At the same time, there were more than a dozen of the strongest warriors selected by Arik.
How can you not be afraid of old Eric when he enters the house? There are two rows of bear heads hanging on the wooden wall. The warriors in the room are all uniformly dressed, and each one of them carries a sword.
"Are you a Danish businessman? There is an old man named Eric? Is that you? Sit down."
Is the speaker a girl? No! The voice was clearly that of a boy, a handsome boy.
In extreme embarrassment, old Eric and his sons sat at the door one after another. He noticed the current situation. The Russians were afraid of the possibility of outsiders being assassins. Fortunately, the other party was not so hasty as to take action upon hearing that the visitor was a Danish businessman.
Old Eric's eyes noticed another person in the room, this old guy who was as honest as an elephant seal. His gorgeous velvet jacket was either covered with gold threads or gemstone pendants. He was a big businessman. .
"I...I am Eric Torulf. Thank you, Chief Ross, for not killing me..." At this point, old Eric put away his surprise, and he was willing to believe what he saw before him. This boy is the big leader of Ross, even though this is very fantasy.
"Oh? Are you very sure that I am the leader?" Rurik and Old Eric looked at each other without any excitement.
"Exactly. You sit in the middle, with a bonfire behind you, and the most precious person is there."
"You are very discerning. Listen. Yes, I am Rurik, Duke of Ross. I am the most powerful person in Rossburg as you have seen. It was also me who commanded the army to attack Gotland and annihilated 10,000 local enemy soldiers. It was also I who commanded the army to participate. Expedition to Kalmar, Denmark."
Rurik did not hide his achievements at all. He was not afraid of the Danish naval power at all, and even looked forward to a naval battle that would crush the pile of power. He was expecting angry expressions from the Danish businessmen, but looking at old Eric's expression, they actually didn't care.
"What? Do you think I'm just a child and what I say is ridiculous?"
"Don't dare! I know all this news." Lao Ai Rick slapped his heart with his right fist, "Hafgen, the great leader of Denmark, am I not his subordinate? Our family is just an ordinary businessman in Hedeby Market, and even the whole Hedeby only recognizes it in name. The rule of that man.
We are here for business, and it is precisely because we heard about the great victory of the Russian army that we came here. You must have looted a lot of wealth from Gotland, just in time. Our family has lapis lazuli imported from the distant eastern desert. We lack a suitable buyer. Maybe you are the most suitable."
For a moment, Rurik was tempted, but the people around him. Gould immediately winked.
"Okay." Rurik sighed, "I believe you are honest. You claim to be from Hedeby, Denmark. Is that a very wealthy existence?"
Old Eric hesitated for a moment, and he consciously smelled the breath of war. He must have seen many arrogant Danish lords. Some crossed the Great Wall of Schleswig to attack the villages of the Frankish Kingdom in the Saxony region. More small lords went into battle in person, leading dozens of brothers to row two or three long ships. The ship went to the Friesland region on the west coast to thresh straw, and even drifted all the way to the mouth of the Seine River, where it robbed all the gold and silver from several monasteries at the mouth.
The Rus people speak Norse, and the leader of Rus seems to be just a child. He actually gave himself the title of "Princip (Duke)". This move proves his ambition!
They have no intention of killing themselves. Is it possible that they know information about Hedeby and Denmark in order to prepare for a large-scale invasion in the future? Because Old Eric's family dressed up as Mälaren merchants, rowed and followed the mighty Ross fleet to Rossburg. It was really an invincible fleet! Therefore, when Rurik personally said that he had annihilated 10,000 Gotland warriors, Old Eric had no doubt at all.
Old Eric hesitated for a while and then said: "Sir, if you want to know anything about Denmark, I will tell you with all my knowledge and completely sincerely. Heideby It is indeed rich, but how can she be as rich as Frankish Paris? The ambitious lords of Denmark have gathered a large number of Saxon refugees and are planning to attack Paris.
But what does Paris mean? ? Our family has also been to a country called Rome in the east. I hope the wise leader of Ross can understand." Upon hearing this, Rurik stood up suddenly with his eyes widened: "You still have. Have you been to Rome? You've been to Constantinople? No! You've been to Istanbul?" It was the low-key old Eric's turn. He was shocked: "You! Mr. Rurik, the leader of Rus, you actually know that common name?”
“I do know that the common name Istanbul is Greek, which means ‘go to the big city’”
Old Eric's heart was beating fast, and his sons were restless with excitement. As businessmen roaming around the world, they longed for a confidant. They didn't expect that the young leader of Ross actually knew so much. The Ross people were not like they seemed on the surface, they were professional hunters nesting in the far north. They clearly knew a lot. .
"Where else have you been?" Rurik asked: "Have you really been to Afghanistan? I mean, it is a dry and cold wasteland, full of all kinds of dangers, but it is also lapis lazuli The place of origin."
Now Old Eric told the truth: "We have not been there, but we know the term Afghanistan. Legend has it that there is a big mountain in the east. The local businessman who likes to wear a turban said that if you cross the mountain, you will find it. It is a desert. If you walk through the desert, you will see the end of the east. There is an extremely powerful country there, which is more powerful than the Rome I know."
"I know there is a dream. Place." Rurik didn't ask any more because of the current era.The Tang Empire is declining in the vassal structure, which is really a sad evolution. From just this few words, he made a terrifying conclusion that this Eric must have explored all the way to the edge of the Central Asian world for the sake of business. This family is a crazy epitome of Viking merchants in this era.
Rurik solemnly declared: "I can protect you and will not kill you just because you are Danish. I am not worried at all that you will tell the Danes what you saw in Rus. We are not afraid of a fight at all." Total war. I like your gems, and I will leave and buy them all with silver coins. Don't worry, I have no hostility towards pure merchants. Merchants are welcome to come. Trade. We Russians intend to open up the Danish market, but the current situation is not easy for us to do it ourselves. We need an agent. Maybe your family is suitable."
Things have made a breakthrough, Lao E. Rick clapped his hands and applauded. He felt that he had made the right bet, and he immediately started talking endlessly, becoming a complete story teller...