Otto really didn't want to talk about it. He and hundreds of his close comrades gathered around a campfire to discuss establishing a settlement at the mouth of the river. Many people expressed strong doubts. Because of this decision, everyone has no idea whether their ancestors did the same thing, and everyone has a natural fear and rejection of the unknown.
After some explanations, Otto used his personal prestige to win over the support of many people.
In fact, what everyone is most afraid of is the attack by the Baltic people or the Finns. Although these guys are a lot of fools armed with stones, they, like the Ross tribe, will organize hundreds of people to take action when encountering major events. Even if the Rus warriors are strong men armed with large shields and battle axes, if there are too many people fighting, they will be defeated by hundreds of enemies.
Building a settlement was therefore dangerous, and if the leader insisted on doing so, he would have to leave extra men behind to look after the camp.
Sooner or later the Russians will have to leave this poor Rossburg and this terrible fjord.
No matter how it develops in the future, the living space this fjord can provide for people has almost reached its bottleneck. When people finally can no longer stand the crowding, it is only a matter of time before residents leave on a large scale and spontaneously.
Rurik was very happy with his father's decision and took this opportunity to inform his father of his plans.
"Dad, I need some new servants. Next time you go to Novgorod, can you bring some people back for me? I don't want many, at most ten people are enough."
"You..." Otto was stunned for a moment, "One maid is no longer enough?"
"Yes!" Rurik insisted.
"Okay... tell me your specific requirements."
His son was asking for servants, and Otto actually welcomed his son's idea. It seems that the son's thoughts have changed a lot since he killed the deer.
Rurik is a kind man. This kind of character is very important to brothers. If he is only kind, he is not worthy of being a leader. He needs to have the ability to lead, and if possible, the more slaves the better.
Otto quickly cheered up and asked: "Do you need servants from Novgorod? Very good! I will go and catch some for you this time."
"Huh? Arrest people? Wouldn't it be better to buy a few servants with things?"
"Maybe." Otto shrugged. "You need some servants who can work, so don't expect them to hand over their labor. Even though those men are terrible, at least they can farm. Novgorod people You won’t obediently contribute strong men to be your servants, so we can only force them to submit with an axe.”
"I...I don't want those strong men!"
"Not a man? Are they still children?"
"Oh! Just some children." Rurik patted the fur on the ground hard, "I just want to write about children."
"Child? Servant? What can those servants do?" As he said, Otto glanced at Rumia who was sitting obediently on the ground, "Just like your maid, she only knows how to herd cattle. She is just a poor woman, and she will not be able to give you anything in the future. Cut down more trees.”
"But she was very loyal to me."
Rurik waved his hand gently, and Rumia stood up, then sat obediently next to Rurik.
"Dad, you see, she always obeys my orders."
Rumia raised her head vigorously, knowing that the leader Otto had been glaring at her. I really don’t want to have any more interactions with this evil man who killed his parents.
Rurik has his own theory: "I just want some children, preferably not too different in age from me. Sister Peravina and I have learned a little bit of their language. If we just have daily conversations, I Already able to communicate with Novgorodians.
Dad, since strong men have to farm, why can’t those children also farm? There must be some girls in Novgorod, and with some training, girls can make a difference. "
Otto's son's words really puzzled Otto. He thought of other things, so he questioned: "Do you just like children of your age so much? Most of the children of your tribe are of your age. They are already yours." My friend, what else do you want? Do you want more Novgorod children under your control? Do you even need a group of useless little girls?"
Very different from the Rus tribe, the Slavic tribe in Novgorod did not have the bad habit of not wanting female babies, because they did not have the so-called warrior culture of Odin's faith.
But this does not mean that the locals in Novgorod are just a bunch of fat sheep who are ready to be slaughtered. They are at least stronger than the Finns, so they can seize Lake Ilmen and build a "new big city". It is just the combat power of the Varyag people. Just a blast.
In fact, they have a special attitude towards all their children. The children are like the property of the banker's family. Children can hardly provide any output before they grow up. If there are too many mouths to eat, even if the children's parents are particularly kind, they will have to abandon some children due to hunger problems. Coupled with the regular raids by the Rus tribe of the Varangians, as well as the sudden attacks without warning by other Varangians, the small Slavic settlements outside the city of Novgorod always faced the situation of their relatives being kidnapped.
The missing people were either killed by black bears or robbed by other Varyag tribes. If the missing child is a child, there will probably be a few more. What about reality? The missing men were usually farming men, and the loss of a single labor force was a significant loss to the family estate.
"Of course. I need boys and girls in Novgorod!" Rurik raised his head, "I just need those children. I will send the boys to the blacksmith to learn blacksmithing, and the girls to the priests to learn Some skills that women must have. So when they grow up, they can only follow me, and they will work hard for me."
Otto really felt that his son's words were strange. In fact, Otto had never thought about this.
All the Vikings had a strange definition of "slave".
The northern Germanic tribes around the Baltic Sea have been fighting with each other for countless years. Also in the last two hundred years, the Norwegians in the western part of the mountains of Scandinavia, the Swedes in the plains to the east of the mountains, and the Danes in Jutland and surrounding islands have formed some tribal alliances. Under this, three large tribal alliances were gradually transforming into feudal kingdoms.
They have not yet become a kingdom. Although they speak the same Norse language, they have never stopped fighting with each other.
It is the so-called Sveya Tribe Alliance of the Rus tribe. When their ancestors lived in the Svealan Plain, there were many fights between them.
A fighting tribe in which the men are more important than the young women. Strong men frequently launch attacks to compete for resources. In order to maximize their victory, they will leave captives alive and use them as slaves to work for them.
Therefore, the concept of "slave" is almost synonymous with concepts such as coward and loser. In the current Norse language, words such as "captive" and "loser" are often used to specifically describe male slaves.
It is almost natural for losers to become slaves.
They also don't keep too many slaves, because these people who also speak Norse are unreliable, and keeping them around for a long time may be a disaster.
Male prisoners of war often seek opportunities to escape, and neither side can obtain many prisoners of war during the war.
In some battles, one side captures the enemy's lair, and the winner takes possession of the other's wife and daughter. Those captured women will not become slaves, they will become the wives of the victors and become members of the victor's tribe.
In the barbaric era, survival was the first priority of every tribe. The fighting power of the tribe comes from the strong men, and the foundation of the continuation of the tribe is the women of the tribe.
Otto really doesn't like that his tribe has a very bad tradition. The tribesmen have been selectively cultivating their own offspring. Ordinary families don't have much wealth. In order to gain more wealth in the future, they are willing to cultivate their sons. As for newly born baby girls, they are often thrown into the woods and left to die.
The Rus tribe did this, so did the allied tribes in the south, and so did the Danes.
Otto knew that the wealthy households in the allied tribes often kept some slaves and even some concubines. God knows where those foreign women came from. There is a high probability that they are the so-called Franks.
In short, the biggest job of those women is to give birth to more sons for the master. The master will not be biased against the sons because of their mother's identity. The master only hopes that his sons will grow into powerful warriors.
Only in this way can the tribe have more warriors and seize new lands from the Danes in the struggle for hegemony that seems to be unending in the future.
The Ross tribe had no chance in this regard in the past. Now that the opening has been opened, if it continues to develop, sooner or later the tribe will be filled with warriors who can speak the Novgorod language. Otto didn't care about this at all. After all, the father of the child was a warrior of the tribe.
However, Rurik's determination was completely different from what Otto could have imagined. Do you want to use some slaves and raise them first?
Otto closed his eyes and thought for a moment before asking slowly: "Rurik, if there are just some children, I can bring them back to you in a more peaceful way. I must tell you, those children are idiots, and they Like your father, the future will be just a group of farmers who know how to farm. If they want to work well for you, it will take several years to train them. When you grow up, they will be able to really work for you. You... Do you want to raise them like deer, feeding them every day until they are old enough to work?"
"Yes? Isn't it possible?" Rurik also looked strange.
"You...I really can't figure it out."
"Dad, are you against me?"
"No! I'm not against you." Otto shook his head, "I'm glad you have your own ideas, I'm just not worth it for you. Son, I can help you complete this thing, but what about the rest? I don't I will help you, and since you have plans, everything from now on will be handled by yourself."
"I will handle it myself, you don't have to worry."
"You also have to worry about the food and the place where the slaves live. And their clothes are also your business. And..." Otto listed many things in his haste. He thought that this was the case. Just talking can lead your son to give up.
Otto really didn't understand the forward-looking nature of his son Rurik's plan.
Rurik also couldn't figure out whether his father had other concerns or was simply short-sighted. No! etc! Is Otto really short-sighted? No, Otto is a visionary leader. Could it be that there are certain limitations only in the use of human resources? Maybe that's it.
Rurik heard a lot, but he still said bluntly: "I at least want to be a new servant, preferably... preferably a child younger than Rumia. If it is difficult for you, dad, I can accept all ten being girls. .If you can get me more, I'll take it all."
Otto grinned his big mouth and muttered: "It seems you won't change your decision again. Well... now you give me some silver coins."
"Silver coins?" Rurik was startled.
"Don't be stunned, Rurik. I am your father. If you insist on becoming independent now, I will help you. I tell you clearly that I am very doubtful about your decision. As your father, I am willing to do this for you. Something. Give me some silver coins so I can give them to the parents of those children. Listen, only silver coins can make those poor guys give away their children."
Otto said these words without any emotion in his heart, while Rurik felt some guilt in his life.
Perhaps this was the norm in the Dark Ages of Europe in the ninth century AD.
For clan tribes that are still barely entering the Bronze Age, the concept of human rights does not exist, or the so-called human rights are only enjoyed by the strong men of the tribe. Parents can abandon their children for money before they are old enough to hold a weapon.
Rurik knew that the slave economy had its rationality in an era of low material production efficiency. For those who became slaves, slave owners regarded them as "talking tools." Since they are a tool, of course they should extend their working hours as much as possible.
Even if it is a donkey used for grinding, the donkey owner also hopes that it can work healthily for ten or twenty years, let alone a living person.
Homeowners who lost their land became serfs of large households in order to survive. It is acceptable for tribal people who have lost everything to become slaves of another tribe to make a living under extreme conditions. Although it is humiliating, they can at least survive.
But it is still a backward system.
Rurik knew very well that the history of Kievan Rus, which quickly entered the era of feudal kingdom, did not wither in population under the rule of Mongolia. After getting rid of the rule of the Mongol Empire, they grew stronger, but the nobles were extremely embarrassed and made ordinary peasants miserable. Thousands went bankrupt and became serfs of nobles and large estate owners. If the culture of Eastern Rome allowed them to directly bypass the slave society and instantly upgrade to the feudal era, as a result, they made the social system even more backward.
In the end, the most thorough bottom-up counterattack from the serfs destroyed the corruption and achieved the first "victory of the common people."
How could the descendants of ordinary Slavic residents gradually become serfs?
Listening to what Otto said, those Novgorod residents would give up raising their children for silver coins and hand them over to the Varyags as servants. Servants of servants are still servants. In this way, there is a reason for the large-scale enslavement of the residents.
This won't work!
Because what Rurik needs is not a servant, and the relationship between them should not be the so-called master-servant relationship. In his philosophy, the best relationship that can be achieved now is between hiring and being hired. He holds the power, and his so-called servants do things for him. Neither you nor your successors can harm them at will, and you must give them reasonable compensation for their efforts.
Youdao aims to provide benefits to the residents at the bottom and make them rich, so that their enthusiasm for production will be higher, the wealth of the entire society will be abundant, and more taxes will be paid, making the people rich and the country rich.
Rurik believes that this is the most reasonable governance philosophy.
It seems that Europeans who really cannot think highly of this time and space have a problem. Their problem is not limited geographical vision, but the most critical issue is the limitation of their thinking.
"Dad, tell me, I want some children to be helpers. How many silver coins can I get?"
"You..." Otto thought for a moment, "You give me fifty silver coins. You have this money now."
Rurik nodded, and then told his actual key, Rumia, "Go and get my money box and count fifty silver coins."
"Yes." Rumia nodded submissively, and after a while, she pulled over the heavy wooden box placed in the leader's longhouse.
Rurik's reassurance and trust in Rumia are reflected in many aspects. On the one hand, he gave her silver jewelry, and on the other hand, he handed over the key to his money box to her management.
Each man has his own money box, and the key is normally kept by his wife.
Rumia already knew the reason why the young master ordered her to take care of the key, and some rumors reached her ears, that is, the young master planned to marry her after many years.
Be Rurik's wife? Nonsense! But if that becomes a reality...
Rumia didn't feel complacent at all. Her mood was very complicated, and now she was trying her best to hide her emotions.
Ever since soap began to deceive his own people at high prices, Rurik's so-called money box was originally an empty wooden box, but now it has become heavy. The tribe's soap market is still quite big. It will eventually be saturated, and that's okay. Just sell the soap to your allies who live there.
Fifty silver coins were half a Roman pound. Rurik handed the silver coins that Rumia handed over to his father.
Otto saw his son's attitude was so determined, and what was even more surprising was that his son was not that stingy about these coins.
"Rurik, are you sure?" Otto asked seriously.
"Yes, if fifty silver coins can buy..." Rurik wanted to say the word "slave" at first, but he still hated the word, so he said loudly, "If I can buy ten new friends, That would be great. I will give them a better life than in Novgorod, and they will be especially loyal to me for it."
"You are actually willing to be friends with a servant? It's really strange." As he said that, Otto looked at Rumia from the corner of his eyes. He didn't talk nonsense anymore.
Otto continued to state the serious facts, "Those Novgorodians are happy to sell their children to us as goods, just like some amber can be exchanged for the right to marry a beautiful Novgorod woman. Rurik , you are very smart. Those girls will grow up when they are twelve years old. It is impossible to exchange a few silver coins for one. If they are just children of your age, it will not be a big problem.
I actually know the prices there. A boy your age is worth five silver coins, and a girl is three. "
Hearing this, Rurik took a breath.
In his philosophy, human life was priceless at that time, but in this barbaric era, everyone was marked with a price. After all, humans are higher than animals, but they are not that high. A large reindeer was worth two denarii, and a rare ferret could be worth up to six denarii.
After hearing his father's words, Rurik had to take a look at himself.
My body is nothing more than that of a child. According to Otto, it is worth only five silver coins. On top of it are two deer, but it is not as good as a cute ferret. How can this make sense?
But this is the reality.
No matter what, being able to get at least ten servants with a small sum of silver coins was more civilized than his father bringing people to carry battle axes.
"I want ten servants, and if they can't bear to part with a boy, at least get me one, and I will have him answer only to my blacksmith. At least ten girls, I will train them to be women who make soap, and who can Master of clothing. All of them serve only me. Dad, according to the agreement I signed with the priests and blacksmiths, I have money to support these servants."
Otto nodded: "I have accepted all your money, and I will do this for you. However, you have invested a lot in these days, and you are indeed different from those children."
"Of course." Rurik put on a smile, "I am the one who has been blessed by Odin."
"It's not just that." Otto shook his head deeply, "I have lived for so many years, and I only know that a child like you can earn three hundred silver coins in just a few dozen days, and no child can spend one hundred silver coins quickly. A silver coin. You really have to pay attention. If you are always generous, it will not be a good thing for yourself."
"I will pay attention, thank you for the reminder." Rurik was surprised that Otto mentioned the concept of "frugality".
When it comes to frugality, if Svealan's Sweiya Tribe Alliance has such thoughts, it can indeed be understood why their descendants more than a thousand years later have taken the concept of environmental protection to an extreme, so extreme that they wish everyone could do it. Almost no carbon emissions.
"I will try my best to be frugal and find ways to earn more money. Dad..." Rurik tilted his head slightly, "Don't think that I know soap and swords. Believe me, I have other inventions. It’s all wisdom from Odin. Next year is a new beginning.”
"Okay." Otto put a big hand on Rurik's head, rubbed it a few times like a cat, and encouraged: "Then just do it. I hope you can get me some when I come back. New tricks.”
Tip: Enter "giant panda literature" in the search engine to find this site, thank you.
Chapter 109 Rurik wants more servants
