Last year, a black army of 500 people paraded through the city.
This year, a blue and white army of one hundred people will do it again.
However, the people of Melalen welcome the Russians more than the dead kings Olegin and Karl.
This is not because the Russians are kind-hearted. It lies entirely in the Birka Market in Mälaren. There are all vendors setting up stalls on both sides of the road.
Everyone knows that the Russians are rich. They come to the market and even the entire lake area every year to purchase all kinds of things, and sell a lot of rare things in the spring.
A large number of powerful traders have made money in trade.
People welcomed the wealthy adults to parade. When they saw this group of well-dressed people, especially the beautiful young man Rurik who headed them, they praised Youjia even more.
It’s just that they don’t know that under this glamorous and benevolent appearance, the Russians hide their fangs and bloody mouths.
Rurik had no intention of interacting with the crowd of traders and left the Birka Monastery under construction. He was already imagining the Frankish missionary Esquier. When he saw himself coming from Britain The stolen "Lindisfarne Gospel", as well as a large number of gold and silver vessels, and diamond crosses, will that guy still maintain the surprise?
Rurik stood at the door of the market tavern again.
The mighty military power scared the ale drinkers on the spot and ran away. Oh, some guys finished their drinks quickly and ran away without paying.
The bartender ran out in a rage, yelling for payment, and collided with Rurik's army.
Is it an attack?
The two mercenaries kicked him so hard that the bartender was kicked hard.
After a while, the bartender got up, and the anger he aroused was naturally lost when facing the Ross army.
"Sir, do you want to go in and sit down?" Jevro asked.
"No need." Rurik raised his head and looked at the tavern again and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Are you a little disappointed?" Gould, the big businessman, asked.
"Yes. Disappointed. This pub is too shabby. You want me to take it over? I'll knock it down and we'll build a new one."
"That's true." Gu De nodded, "Then, the soldiers shouldn't be rough with the bartender. They will all be your subordinates from now on."
Rurik pouted with an indifferent attitude.
"Of course I want a tavern, but these people...get rid of them all."
"Is it necessary? They are qualified tools."
"No. They are tools of greed. I need someone I can trust to manage the tavern for me." As he said this, Rurik turned his head and said, "I can trust you. Prepare some people and you can take over here. By the way, I want to take it." In some areas of the Birka Market, the houses were demolished and rebuilt to serve as specialty stores for our Russian goods."
"Wonderful." Gould was very happy, but he still had some concerns, "That's it. I’m afraid Bjorn won’t give in easily.”
"No. He will. That guy is not Karl, that is a man who knows the current affairs. Let's go, that's enough. We go straight to Bjorn's mansion, hoping that the guy has prepared wine. ”
The parade in the busy city ended here, and the army also left the market.
Compared to walking to Bjorn's mansion, it is faster to take a boat.
The two sister ships, the Aurora and the Gurdot, stood in the port like gods of war. The men, women and children of Melalen came to watch them closely, and then whispered about the strength of the Russians. , and even explore how much cargo such a large ship can carry.
Rurik and his men waited for four long ships, and they successfully floated to the small dock owned by Bjorn's mansion.
The army was walking on the edge of the fields where the oats had been cut. Rurik saw that there were still scattered people bending down to pick up something.
A wheat gleaner? It is really a cold pastoral song.
With its complex waterways and lush pine forests, if you live a prosperous life, this Nordic water town can be a good place for leisure and retirement.
However, the climate here and today's production capacity have made agriculture here extremely fragile. If they weren't too poor, how could everyone be so enthusiastic about going out to sea to plunder?
The wheat roots in the fields are sparse, and it seems that they are not good at farming. Rurik had no intention of criticizing anymore. This place was just too cold. Compared with the benefits of intensive farming, it was not as good as immigrating to the warm French plains or the Ukrainian steppes.
At the same time, the private soldiers of the Bjorn family noticed the visiting army, the fluttering Ross flag and the spearheads reflecting in the sun. The private soldiers and servants guarding the home and courtyard, the first reaction It's fear.
If the Russians were offended and they rushed over, wouldn't they die quickly?
Bjorn, with a mixed mood of joy and fear, went out to greet Rurik and his party. At the same time, all the free peasants and serfs who lived with his family's dependents evacuated.
Rurik came with arrogant steps. He was short and had a childish look on his face. But the soldiers around him all looked ruthless.
Bjorn bowed respectfully, "Welcome! Welcome to the mansion."
"Am I here as an invitation? Bjorn, we meet again Now that Karl is dead, you are elected as the leader. Do you want the dukes of all tribes to support you as the king of Sweden?" Rurik put the facts very abruptly. After saying this, Bjorn was surprised at first, and then smiled awkwardly. "You... know it all."
"Yes. I don't mean to say more. Let's go, my army will stand outside for now, and I will enter your mansion with my cronies. Let's talk about you. The matter of becoming king."
Bjorn suddenly woke up, Rurik's last words clearly pointed out this matter.
That is to say, Gould has settled the matter, and the Russians do support Bjorn in becoming king. How much will it cost? Rurik is here to negotiate for this matter.
"Then please come in" Bjorn said with a sullen face and said no more.
The two parties in the negotiation maintained a certain tacit understanding. Rurik had expectations in his heart, but he didn't know where Bjorn's bottom line was.
Rurik stepped into the mansion surrounded by wooden walls. As expected, this mansion was not even as good as Karl's old mansion.
The houses are simple without floors. Those buildings are made of rammed earth and piles of wood, and a large number of haystacks are laid on the roofs. This creates a traditional longhouse.
How can a nobleman show his nobility if he wants to live in such a house?
Rurik and his cronies are no longer able to adapt to such an existence. He had no choice but to endure the discomfort, enter the largest room, and then sit cross-legged on a soft leather cushion, waiting to negotiate with Bjorn.
The so-called negotiation is nothing more than the two parties involved discussing around a warm campfire. There was no one to record the incident, and the witnesses sat separately.
Bjorn did not prepare a meal, and Rurik had no intention of staying here for too long.
“Let’s get started.” Seeing that his old friend had already sat down, Bjorn pointed out his hope with a sullen face, “We killed Karl, and now all the big families support me as the leader. They also support me to replace Carl. However, the other leaders do not support me! I want your support! I support you as the king! My attitude is very clear, I am worthy of your trust."
It sounds like Rurik is worried about himself. Bjorn immediately cheered up, and his sullen face relaxed. He forced out a smile, "So, what's the price?"
"Huh?" Rurik was also sitting up, and couldn't help but murmur in his heart, Didn't this guy, Torgold, send a message promising the ownership of a hundred serfs?
Suppressing the plan in his heart for the time being, Rurik asked, "Then, what will you give me?"
"A hundred serfs. I heard that you are in a distant place To open up fields in the east, you lack slaves to cultivate the fields. What do you think of me giving you a hundred slaves who are good at cultivating the fields?"
"That's it?" Less?”
“They are all men?”
Bjorn thought for a while and said honestly: “They are all men.” The slaves of the Karl family include not only men, but also women and children. "How many adult men are there?" Rurik asked forcefully.
"There are thirty."
Thirty small families? Rurik thought about it and realized that this amount was really not too small. By the standards of this era, thirty households would constitute a "large village" by Nordic standards.
However, this is not enough.
"Too little, I want more. You!" Rurik patted his chest, "I destroyed the entire island of Gotland, and now you Mellaren people are starting to colonize that island. . It is equivalent to saying that you are not only the leader of Melalen, but also the leader of Gotland. You said, give me thirty male slaves and let me support you as king.Is it appropriate? "
"This... of course is inappropriate. Bjorn used the words he had prepared, "I will give you one hundred slaves, plus the accompanying women and children, a total of two hundred and thirty people." "
This number really made Rurik happy.
However, it is still unreasonable.
Rurik continued to say with a sullen face: "Still not enough. Give me at least two hundred male slaves, and their wives and children. There are also women whose husbands died in last year's war. If they don't get married again, they will all be handed over to me. "
"Ah! This...this is not just me paying the price, but also the entire tribe..."
"Exactly! Rurik continued to say seriously: "You want to be the king of all Sweden, and your Melalen tribe wants to be the leader of all Sweden." I just want some slaves and poor people from you, and you hesitate. "
"I..." Bjorn felt that he was despised by this boy.
Indeed, Bjorn himself was not a domineering person. He wanted to take away Karl's The power has become conservative now that it has been accomplished.
Rurik has noticed this situation keenly.
Bjorn thought about it and gritted his teeth, "There are many things I owe. There were tenant farmers who had paid their rent, and there were still more serfs. I... can give you five hundred people, including at least two hundred adult men. This is our bottom line at Mälaren, no more. "
Five hundred people? This number indeed exceeded Rurik's expectations. He organized a group of up to 500 absolutely obedient slaves, ordered them to open up wasteland and cultivate land, and directly reported to the Duke of Ross himself. Pay taxes. Such serfs are indeed still serfs, but Rurik is determined not to ask for excessive amounts from such farmers, and will provide relief food to survive in disaster years.
At least for the Melalen people. Here, the local wealthy landowners lacked the awareness to protect the serfs.
Bjorn and others gave Rurik an attitude in return. Further demands.
“Give me five hundred slaves and I will be happy. However, I am the Duke of Ross. With my current strength, I can immediately summon an army of five thousand men in chainmail! You have to believe that I'm not bragging. ”
Rurik was bragging, but he was not completely bragging. Bjorn learned from the tribal immigrants who immigrated to Gotland that east of the hills of Visby Port, there were everywhere The skeletons of the dead in the war.
A very small number of the original Gotlanders who were caught hiding in the mountains told a lot of details about the war.
The present Bjorn. All the powerful nobles in Melalen had to admit that the pieces of bones were the masterpieces of the Russian army.
So to win the support of the Russians, Melalen experienced a series of war defeats. Despite political changes, he can still control Sweden's power.
Now the question is, since they are part of Sweden, why don't the Russians become the king?
Bjorn's bottom line is correct. I spent 500 slaves to buy one support, but I didn’t expect RossPeople will continue to ask for it.
Do we have to retreat again and again?
Bjorn suppressed the anger in his heart. He knew that he could not be angry or anger the Russians.
He simply asked tentatively: "We all admit that Ross is powerful. Then, Rurik, my friend, maybe you should be the king of Sweden."
"I ? I know you will ask this. But I don’t want to be a king.”
“Why? Your power is already inferior to yours.”
In many senses, what Bjorn said is true. In fact, he has gained the alliance attitude of the 20,000 people of the Balmok tribe, plus the fact that there are tens of thousands of servants in Novgorod. Now The Russians are already the de facto Nordic hegemons second only to Denmark.
Bjorn’s words fell on deaf ears to Ryurik.
“Even if my Rus is very powerful, I have no intention of becoming the King of Sweden. Indeed, we Rus once lived by the lake, but you! They drove us out seventy years ago. Now that Rus is strong, you give up. Do you think we appreciate it? I! Rurik! I don’t want to be the king of Sweden. I want to be Augustus, Vladimir, and Alexander. In short, I want to be the conqueror of the world.”
Rurik expected that Bjorn would be shocked by this far-reaching revenge, but the guy's dull expression made him understand that Bjorn could not understand it at all.
Rurik shook his head and said in a gentle tone: "My heart is in the north and in the east. I will not ask for the throne of Sweden. The Russians are very sad about the land of Lake Malaren."< /p>
However, Bjorn also knows nothing about ancient history. He was not sure whether his ancestors actually drove out the ancestors of the Rus. Looking at the grief and anger shown by Rurik, maybe this is indeed the case.
"Then, how should I satisfy you? You...what are your conditions?"
Rurik said decisively: "I am not the king of Sweden, and neither is Ross. Sweden’s subordinate Karl is dead! We, the Principality of Ross, will voluntarily secede from Sweden! From now on, we are two equal countries.”
“Ah! You want to secede. Us! Isn’t this just like the Gotlanders? It’s a betrayal...”
Rurik shrugged, “It’s nothing, we Rus were expelled by you seventy years ago, if it weren’t for the late King Olegin. Decided to attack Gotland and Denmark, how can we invite us to continue to join? In the past, we only belonged to the alliance in name. Now that Karl is dead, the legal leader is dead, and the alliance has collapsed with the destruction of the Olegin family. What's the point of betrayal? So, what do you think is the real reason why those dukes refused to become king?"
"Is it because I'm not legal?"
"You are not legal. But..." Rurik raised his fists, "Using force can make it legal. So as two countries, we, the Principality of Rus, support you as the new king of the New Sweden Kingdom. In response to our military support.Grant some privileges. ”
“Please speak. ”
“First, we Russians will not pay any taxes for any activities in Sweden. Second, if we Russians commit crimes in Sweden, we should hand them over to Russia and deal with them in accordance with Russian rules. Third, I want to get the tavern in Birka and the land with a radius of 50 stika as a shop specializing in us Russians. "
It seems that it is just a prohibition on tax collection. Bjorn's attitude towards the first two demands was completely indifferent.
Bjorn immediately said, "The first and second clauses do not question. You Russian businessmen have always been very particular about contracts. Even when old Olegin was alive, he never collected taxes from you. You even invented the tax collection thing. "
Rurik nodded, already laughing in his heart. This Bjorn is probably because of the limitations of the times and does not know about "extraterritoriality", "consular jurisdiction", and "free trade rights" " and "tariff autonomy" are all gone!
On the other hand, these powers are firmly controlled by Ruik in Ross.
Bjorn ended up struggling with the issue of the tavern. Get up.
Rurik shook his head, "I must get the tavern, and I want to build a shop exclusively for Russians. This way you Merlaren merchants no longer have to go to the narrow Gould Island to trade. In the future, our business will be further prosperous due to the shops located in the downtown area of Birka, and Gould Island will only become our Ross's warehouse. As long as we agree to these and we sign a written agreement, I! "
Rurik clapped his chest again, "I will declare loudly in front of all the leaders that I support you as king. However, the warrior salute of kneeling is dispensed with. I will support you in becoming the king of Sweden. Once you intend to go to war with a foreign country, we, Russia, will also send troops to join the war. "
Bjorn's heart was beating wildly, and he said tremblingly, "Okay! I agree, I totally agree. I will convene a meeting with all the nobles and give you an answer within two days. Don't worry, our alliance is forever. ”
Obviously, Bjorn didn’t know that he had betrayed huge profits in exchange for the apparent “surrender” of the Russians.
No! The Russians were even submissive. , Face was not lost.
This was actually the first secret meeting, and Rurik knew that he had won a great victory.
Bjorn and the nobles of the Melalen people. I didn't dare to ask for any taxes from Ross, and I didn't dare to offend such a wealthy and powerful force.
The final failure of the war has caused the entire Sweden to vomit three liters of blood, coupled with the consumption of civil strife. The landowners and nobles of Melalen will only harm their inherent alliance with Ross unless they are all idiots.
Oh, the two large ships anchored in the port are actually the Ross authority standing there, no. Giving it to the common people is an intimidation against the Malaren nobles.
The so-called selling out some interests can get the approval of the coup from the Russians and the continued alliance between Sweden and Russia.
However. , sadly, after urgent consultations with Bjorn and his friends,I feel like what I'm paying is just a small benefit.
Especially the old guy Swain, who proposed an alliance with Ross. Seeing how determined the senior nobles were, no one else had any objections.
It seems that everyone just needs to take out a few slaves, and then lead people to capture the widows of the tribe, and gather 500 people and throw them to the Rus.
As for the ownership of the tavern, it was originally given to Bjorn himself after a dispute. It was generous to others. What do you have to complain about? It even weakened Bjorn's strength, and everyone was secretly happy.
Because the landowners and nobles do not want Bjorn to become the new "King Olegin" and gain personal hegemony. We don't want to be a king and face all kinds of pressure. We just want to share the power of the king and reap the benefits of our family.
But those small tribes whose combined population and strength cannot compete with Melalen must recognize that Melalen is the eternal hegemony, and that the leader of Melalen is the King of Sweden!
And this is the so-called Swedish version of "the king and the nobles rule the world together."
Russ and Rurik are still on the road to becoming Augustus and the third Rome.