The farthest the Lüdi people set foot to the west were the Vips who lived at the mouth of the Vukshi River, which was just a corner of the west bank of Lake Ladoga. As for how big the lake was, they knew nothing about it. !
The old lady, the female leader, is well-informed. Now she is riding a hunter's sleigh. This is actually the first time that the Luddi people have set foot on the Neva River.
There are many fishermen who cut through the ice to catch pike, bass, and freshwater seals. They set up camps on the ice and light bonfires at night.
They will immediately disembowel the fish they catch, chop off the heads and tails, and even scrape off the scales, and pile the fish strips on the spot like bricks to form a wall. He almost put it on a sled and took it to the New Roseburg Fair to sell it.
Once upon a time, only the brave dared to do production work in winter. It's not that the people under Ross's rule have become brave on a large scale, it's actually a large and sufficient supply of high-quality leather, linen, and wool that has even exceeded demand. Everyone has been armed with high-quality leather, linen, and wool. The main population of the principality is only this small. Winter warmth has been fully solved, and winter labor has been severely frozen. The risk of death is so low that it is ignored by the public. Only a fool would give up winter production gains in order to gain more profits.
It’s not surprising that a sled team was running down the frozen Neva River, but it was a large team.
The fishermen looked sideways and were surprised that the sleds in series were not only holding some bear heads, but also had many women sitting on them.
Did the bear hunting team from the north make any major seizures? Are they fighting again with the remnants of Karelia?
After Hanukkah, Rurik stayed in his loyal city of New Roseburg and was busy researching the city.
He wants to know all kinds of information about the city, and he is also inspecting the warehouses placed here, counting the grain in stock, and the "big money bank".
That is the prince’s money, and anyone who dares to steal it will be hanged!
No one really thought about the prince's treasury, but there were pickpockets in the market. Governor Cornuson and his son were indeed very rough in their work. For any pickpocket they caught, regardless of their ethnicity, they would have their little fingers chopped off for the first time, and the punishment would be public.
Although no violent groups tried to extort money at the market, Rurik was vaccinated against the epidemic in advance. It is said that only princes can collect taxes. If anyone dares to ask for extra money from a businessman, his whole family will be beheaded after being caught.
Only the officials appointed by the princely family and the canonized Great Lakes nobles are truly legal. Anyone who transgresses must be executed without any excuse. Although this seems natural to Rurik, in this regard Blue Fox's description of the old port of Hedeby is necessary.
Old Hedeby is truly a terra nullius. On the surface it is a jungle society, but internally there is an underground ruling group. A group of thugs just didn't call themselves lords. The big businessmen raised private soldiers and were naturally not afraid of them. The small businessmen had no choice but to pay the so-called "tax".
This kind of thing should not and cannot happen in the Principality of Ross.
But the principality has indeed reached a new scale, and it is time to set upto install criminal officers and transform patrol officers into actual peace officers.
Rurik held a meeting in New Roseburg after the festival. The most prominent figures in the city, most of the businessmen who could afford ten pounds of silver coins, gathered in the city's parliament court.
In the parliament chamber, Rurik announced that the governor would nominate a peace officer who would focus on patrolling markets and streets, catching thieves and pickpockets, mediating transaction disputes, supervising fair transactions, and supervising taxation.
It is much better to have specialized personnel responsible for supervision than nothing. It is not surprising that this sheriff is from the old Ross tribe.
The Governor is responsible for a lot of things, and the public security work cannot handle them.
Temporarily, the Sheriff has the power to recruit up to twenty subordinates to implement rotating patrols. The monthly salary of the peace officer is 30 silver coins, and that of ordinary security officers is 10 silver coins. This salary is deducted from city taxes. In a sense, the merchants pay a sum of money to hire people to help everyone maintain trade order.
The public service system, which is very similar to the police, was first born in New Rossburg, the capital of the Ross Principality, where various ethnic groups gather. Since it is an area inhabited by three major clans, it is naturally impossible to rely on the clan members in the same way as in the past clan era. Live life with self-discipline.
Of course, since the birth of this system, the first priority has been to maintain business order, and it has also maintained the interests of businessmen to a large extent.
According to Rurik's plan, Novorossberg on the Neva River has a unique geographical location. It must become the commercial center of the principality and the commercial center of the Baltic Sea. The current number of police officers is sufficient. If it is insufficient, we can expand the number in the future.
The bear hunting sled team suddenly appeared, causing a small sensation for a while.
The merchants stared hard, and they gathered around and immediately asked to buy bear heads and skins.
Those Ludy girls who got off the sled and were deeply shocked by the big city of New Roseburg were also asked about the price by the merchants.
The leader of the bear hunt said bluntly: "These women will be dedicated to the prince, and bearskins and other goods are commodities."
Due to the small sensation caused, the newly appointed Sheriff led The guys came in a hurry.
The sheriff pushed aside the gathering crowd, and then saw a group of timid short women and an old woman holding a wooden stick.
"What's going on? Hunters, please explain the origin of these people."
The bear hunting captain was looking forward to the Bear Festival Town, but he didn't know that the prince had set up a new official position in the big city.
"You? Who are you?" the bear hunting leader asked cautiously.
"I am a peace officer appointed by the prince. What did you say just now? It seems that these women want to be promoted to the prince?"
"Exactly."
"Who are they? New Karelian prisoners?"
"They are Ludians."
"Lydians? I have never heard of them. If they are slaves , I believe the prince will like it." The sheriff felt that this was an opportunity for a major performance, but for the sake of safety, all foreigners who came to see the prince must be inspected.Check it out.
The Sheriff gave an order, and his men pounced on him with ill intentions. Those women from Lu Di were almost pulled out of their fig leaves and were trembling in tears. They cried to the female leader, but saw that the female leader closed her eyes, but the tears still flowed out uncontrollably.
It was such a bad move that the bear hunting leader couldn’t stand it at all. This old guy is not sympathetic to the Ludi people, but because these women are pure, if they are troubled by these guys, will the prince happily acquire them?
"Enough!" the leader shouted loudly: "This is a woman dedicated to the prince. I don't care how powerful you are, you are from the Ross headquarters. We are all relatives. I advise you Restrain your own people and don't be too presumptuous. We don't want the prince to be angry." Hearing this, the Sheriff hurriedly tried to smooth things over and told his men to stop.
"Uncle, we are also fulfilling our responsibilities. If these women bring ritual weapons to assassinate..."
"As for that? A group of women as weak as rabbits, their necks can You pinched them off easily, but you were actually afraid that they were assassins. I hope to see the prince soon and take me there.”
“That’s fine.” The Sheriff shrugged, “Come with me.”
What is Rurik doing at this moment? He stayed in the current palace to rest with his wives and concubines, played with his eldest daughter and second son, and even stayed closely with the pregnant Rumia.
He has already decided on the name "Oleg" for the child to be born, and he is sure that it will be a boy.
For Rumia, the work of major sacrifices has ended, and all she has to do is to rest.
Rurik was busy with his wives and concubines, and the cavalry affairs were temporarily taken care of by Prince Kagan of Pecheneg.
In a snowy field outside the city, the entire cavalry team and the Pechenegs continued their riding and shooting training. The Pechenegs must quickly master the crossbow riding and shooting, as well as the control of ordinary wooden bows. The Ross cavalry are improving their recurve bow riding, which requires crazy target practice.
Their training attracted some loggers to watch, and even some children came to join in the fun.
Some hunter brought a treasure as a gift?
The messenger described to Rurik in detail that the so-called gift was the donation of a group of women and a tribe named Ludi.
"Lydi people? The name is so familiar. Ah!? Could it be them? Wonderful, you surrendered yourself before I even hit you?" Rurik stroked his golden beard Very happy mentally.
Her wives and concubines also came over, especially Nolen and Carlotta, who were powerful female aristocrats, and asked one after another who the Ludi people were.
"They? It is said that they are also servants of the Karelia people. Karelia has been wiped out by us, and the slaves need new masters, so they are here."
Carlo Ta nodded and said nothing after hearing the explanation, but Nolen acted arrogantly: "It seems that we are indeed very powerful. But is it appropriate for slaves to meet you? They are all despicable things."
"You? You..." Rurik glanced at Nolen. This woman, who was as beautiful as Freya in the legend, was not gentle in her speech.
Rurik insisted on letting the old lady leader take the lead. All the Ludi women came to meet them, and of course the leader of the bear hunters who discovered the Ludi village.
It was said that the Ludi people who entered the city had never thought that there were such bizarre human settlements in the world. They saw it. There was a tall house and an extremely flat and vast empty space.
They saw the huge stone chamber that was crystal clear in the sun. It was definitely not an ice cube, but a shell made of crystals. The female leader was subconsciously convinced. That is the temple of the Rus people, and this "giant village" is also their core.
The female leader who entered the city was completely collapsed. She saw that there were people everywhere, and it was really a prosperous scene. , and this also means that the Russian army is strong.
As long as they anger their leader, the Russian army will kill Lu Di as easily as a squirrel.
Standing with the prince. In front of the palace, a large wooden longhouse was enough to give this group of tribesmen a huge sense of pressure, not to mention that a larger palace was being built next to it.
The guards received the order and asked the Ludi people to contribute. Everyone enters, and the bear hunter leader must also follow.
Unlike the nervousness of the Ludi people, the bear hunter leader has a cheerful face.
He is younger than Otto, and he is Liurik according to his seniority. Call him uncle. There are only so many old guys in Ross. Rurik forgot his specific name, but he is quite familiar with him.
He is indeed a black-haired man. The old lady must be the leader. She sat directly on the wooden floor. Seeing this, the other women also sat down.
They seemed a little presumptuous. Rurik didn't take it seriously, and asked his concubine Noren, whose eyes showed dissatisfaction, not to be angry.
After some pleasantries at the beginning, Rurik fully understood what the bear hunting team was going through, and sacrificed himself for it. The deer farmer felt distressed.
A mere twenty elderly Russians defeated the attack of 300 Ludi indigenous warriors, and attracted their leader to surrender in person?
Although things are very bizarre, considering the experience of conquering the Vips, Rurik can say that the female leader is very smart.
At that time, the leader of the bear hunters eagerly proposed himself. The request: "Your Majesty, I ordered them to hand over fifty women and two hundred deer. All the deer were placed in Bear Festival Town, and they are regarded as trophies for our brothers. As for these women, I hope you will buy them all. ”
“There are actually deers? Did you take all the deer yourself? Are you going to sell these women? "Rurik poked his head. He originally thought this deal was okay, but then he thought it was not okay.
"No! "
"Huh? Don't you want to buy it? ”
“No. "Rurik cleared his throat. Since there were many precedents, he reiterated: "You have no right to take all the loot for yourself.. Your behavior is an armed robbery that I support, whether it is at sea or on land. For this kind of behavior, you must give me half of your contribution. That's what Speedy and his guys did, and that's what you have to do too. I will not create exceptions to break the rules. If I handle it this way, others will have absolutely nothing to say. What do you think? Besides, the Ludi people are planning to surrender, so you shouldn't take things too far. "
The leader of the bear hunters felt as if he had eaten a fly, but he could not say that the prince was mean. He even felt that the prince's behavior was too fair and disciplined.
"Then what if... …how much money can I get. "
"Take the deer, these women..." Rurik thought for a while, "I saw them, they are all fifty, and half of them are mine. Let's do this, each person pays twenty silver coins, and I will give you ten pounds of silver coins in total. The deer is all yours, I don’t want it anymore. "
At least the transaction was successful, and the leader of the bear hunters was not very willing to accept the deal.
They all talked to each other in Norse, and the word "Lydi" was also I don’t understand.
Then Rurik began to speak in words that the female leader could understand.
“The female leader of the Ludi people! I! He is the greatest leader of Ross! you? Are you planning to take your tribe to be my servants? "
The female leader was shocked. She couldn't believe her ears. This tall, blond and strong man actually said words that she could basically understand.
Her mouth trembled. , there was nothing to say for a while.
Rurik asked again, and then she managed to squeeze out some words.
“I am the leader... We Ludi people. , intending to be your servant. We sacrificed deer and women, asking only for your mercy. We... don't want to be killed by you. "
The words were simple and without rhetoric. Rurik heard the old lady's caution, as well as her humble and fearful attitude.
"You? Are you afraid that I will raise my troops and kill you? Rurik pointed out with a serious face: "Master will not kill loyal slaves. Those slaves of my tribe have all got a good life." Female leader, I highly appreciate your act of sacrificing women, and I believe your servants are real. "
Hearing this, the female leader was overjoyed, and her tense nerves were slightly relieved. She continued: "It must be fate that you can speak our language. You are our master, and all these women are given to you for your enjoyment. ”
“Forget it. Rurik wanted to laugh but couldn't, so he asked again: "How many people are there among you?" With so many women out there, wouldn’t you be greatly harmed? ”
The female leader naturally did not dare to describe her pain truthfully. This time she first described Ludi’s native population of more than a thousand people, and one hundred of them were killed by Ross hunters in one battle. As for taking out the woman, it was really difficult.
“Let me tell you. You are by no means willing, you just hope to exchange women for peace, just like using tribal women to buy the kindness of the Karelia people. "Rurik's words hit the nail on the head, and the female leader was speechless.It can be said.
"But, I am not a Karelia. Your woman is not my slave." Rurik continued.
There is no need to say more to this female leader. Rurik saw all the trembling Ludi girls and announced that they were all going to stay: "You! You all need a man! You will go to the south, each of you. You will all get a husband. From now on, you are no longer Ludi people, nor are you slaves, you will become new Russian women!”
The women still don’t know what this means. The female leader lay on the ground and cried gratefully. The female leader believed in the promise of the Prince of Rus that they could marry Rus and live a safe life. They were indeed not slaves.
Rurik’s calculation was right. Many Slavic men in the south were not yet married. The current situation forced them not to be picky. It didn't matter whether their wife had black hair or yellow hair. It was enough that she was a young woman.
Rurik decided to finally sell them conditionally. Slavic men who came to buy wives must be young and unmarried, must be healthy, must be registered grain tax payers, and must also pay one pound of silver coins or one pound at a time. It's a thousand pounds of wheat.
Rurik wants to turn this into a scissor gap. A young and hard-working Slavic farmer can definitely use this money to get a wife. If he can't get it in a short time, relatives and friends can just borrow it from each other. , and what Rurik received was a total of 50,000 pounds of farmers' surplus grain, which just relieved the consumption of materials.
The Ludi people are too weak, and the female leader’s act of dedication is too sincere. As a monarch, Rurik felt relieved, but did not indulge.
It's like arranging for Terravis, a Coven man, to be the leader of the Vips tribe and be granted the title of earl. Maybe a similar drama can be repeated here in Ludi?
That’s it for now.
Rurik directly assigned: "You! Female leader! I want you to continue to be the leader of Ludi. You are indeed old. You can appoint a new heir before you die. But it must be confirmed by me. At the same time I will give you the flag, and your village must fly the Russian flag. You will donate fifty reindeer to me every year, and that will be enough.”
To be honest, this tribute is more than what the Karelia people ask for. It's much lower, not to mention that Rose is obviously extremely powerful.
Rurik also granted Rudy trading rights, but Rus hunters can also enter Rudy’s territory.
Those who kill will be killed, those who steal will have their hands chopped off, and those who verbally abuse will be slapped. Rurik made this agreement. If the Ludi people were harmed, the leader could come to New Roseburg in the west of the lake to complain to the governor.
Now, Rudy has been legally incorporated into Ross and placed under the jurisdiction of the Governorate of New Rossburg.
The female leader Lu Di was grateful. She did not find Prince Ross to be repulsive in the first place. Now she feels more and more comfortable looking at this tall, young man.
Since the Ludi people live in the east of the lake, Rurik took this opportunity to make a surprise inquiry: "Do you know the situation in the east? Are there any Karelia people there? It seems that you have taken them in Some, are there more?"
"Yes!" The alert female leader immediately discovered that this was another opportunity.
"Where?"
"Further east, there is a large lake. The Karelians and some Perm people are rebuilding their camp."
"How many people are there?"
"At least...two thousand people." The female leader didn't actually know, so she just said it casually.
Rurik nodded and figured out a plan. He felt uncomfortable thinking about the Karelian forces now, just like it was difficult to remove the diseased athlete's foot, and it was time to cut it again.
Of course, Karelia itself is not guilty. But there is no room for two tigers in one mountain, and Ross does not allow arbitrators to exist!