Facing Gould, Rurik tapped the table lightly, his serious face looking like an adult.
Rurik asked: "Gould, have you indeed decided that we Rus will take your fleet south after completing the spring sacrifice?"
"Indeed, I will sell your soaps, furs, and other things as soon as possible."
"Very well. So when will you return?"
"This..." Gould pinched his fingers, "Probably like in previous years, in the autumn, around the time your father is preparing to go to Novgorod to collect the autumn tribute, I will be back at that time."
"That's autumn? Very good. Now I promise you that when you return, I will create a tool that can turn ordinary ale into burning spirits. I will make an agreement with you, as long as The spirits I make, I will only sell to you. What do you think?"
"Ah! This is really wonderful." Gould clapped his hands.
"Okay. You are a trustworthy businessman. For this reason..." Rurik thought for a while and said, "You know, I have a business agreement with the priest and the blacksmith, and we will engrave the agreement on the wooden board. Now Please also find a piece of wood. We will make a written agreement, and my father, the chief of the Rus' people, will serve as a witness to prove that our agreement is valid and protected by us Rus' people. First of all, I will not betray the agreement. But you!" Rurik's eyes widened, "If anyone betrays the agreement, he will be punished by us! For betrayal, I don't think the Onkras tribe will help those who betray the agreement."
At this moment, Gould actually felt a deep threat. Rurik was sitting a few steps away. How could he still have the innocence of a child? There was murderous intent in his eyes.
Gould paused for a moment. He was frightened by being polite before fighting. Then he put on a stiff smile to relieve the embarrassment: "Ha! How could I betray you? Rurik, your father is a witness. I swear to Odin now that I will Be loyal to the agreement. You and I don’t need to carve the agreement on the wooden board. If I betray it, the Ross tribe has the right to take my life and take away my family property. I am a principled businessman, and I am worthy of trust!"
in principle? Business principles? ridiculous.
It’s not that Rurik didn’t believe in Gould’s character. After all, businessmen pursue profit.
The businessman Rurik understands is the kind of madman who dares to commit any crime as long as he has three times the profit. Thinking about the course of history, when some wealthy businessmen went to the New World to conquer the so-called natives, they claimed to be virtuous gentlemen who brought civilization. They may have really brought civilization to the Old World, but they undoubtedly also brought death. and destruction, reality is often so absurd.
"Gould, I am willing to believe you." Rurik said deliberately politely, "I am different from others. You and I are not buying a few fish in low-level trade, but are related to the future of soap and wine. Even a huge trade in other goods. Not just soap and wine, I really intend to go south to buy other goods through you. We must engrave the agreement on the wooden board, because our descendants will inherit us The current agreement. You think, if a hundred years later, they see these wooden boards, they will always remember the agreement of their ancestors, and our descendants will always maintain friendly relations."
At this moment, Gould was so moved that he almost cried. Otto was also shocked. He never thought that his son had such a long-term vision.
Gould excitedly slammed the table and spilled wine all over the table. He was shocked that the future leader Rurik actually valued him so much at such a young age. Doesn't this mean that he was actually protected by the Ross tribe?
"Yes! For the sake of our current friendship and the friendship of our descendants, this agreement must be engraved on the wooden board. I will now send people to the shipbuilder to find the strongest oak board!" After that, he ordered his men to find it. board.
After a while, a neat wooden board was brought over by Gould's servant.
"Rurik, the board must have arrived now. What kind of agreement should you and I make?"
"I..." Rurik pinched his chin. Any time when signing a written document, the parties involved must remain serious and vigilant.
Regarding the trade agreement to be signed with Gould, a very critical item is soap, which can also quickly bring huge profits to both parties in the foreseeable future.
In addition, profit from the sale of wine must be engraved on the wooden board, but the value of this matter has yet to be assessed.
Gould ordered one of his clever servants to hold a knife and prepare to scratch the wood.
"Dear Rurik, you come and explain the agreement, and my servant will engrave the words. I hope you understand our rune script."
"Of course." Rurik shrugged, "How can I not master our writing? I have been studying at the high priest's place this winter."
"That's good, you can dictate."
The leader of the Ross people is here, and Gould believes that the leader and his son have no intention of harming him, and both parties can benefit from future trade.
On the other hand, Rurik's provisions on the terms of the trade agreement are also relatively vague.
The initial two terms of the agreement between the two parties are:
First, the chief family of the Ross tribe and their descendants make soap, which is sold by the Gould Unkras family. The specific price is agreed upon by both parties.
Second, the Gould Uncras family transported ordinary ale, which was made into flammable spirits by the chief family of the Ross tribe, and the spirits were sold individually to the Gould Uncras families.
With these two terms, Rurik was giving Gould a huge concession. How could Gould not be aware of this concession?
The heart of this fat old guy was filled with emotion, as if the Russians were preparing to create a golden mountain, and Gould and his descendants would be able to share a large amount of wealth without much effort.
But there must be something fishy about such a concession. Rurik looks like a child, but his insights into things far surpass those of the current leader of the Rus.
An excellent leader knows how to make profits, and Gould knows this very well, because he spent a large sum of money to support a group of subordinates who dared to work for him, as long as he could steadily spend a large amount of money as rewards. , the warriors he recruited have always been reliable.
"Rurik, you have given me a great favor, and you must have more plans."
"Of course! It seems that you have understood what I mean." Rurik raised his head and explained carefully: "Gould, my deal is not just soap and wine, but also other things. There must be something more. Lots of stuff!”
"What else?" Upon hearing that there were new trade possibilities, Gould was very excited and asked, "You said, I am happy to trade."
"Food!" Rurik said this word solemnly.
"food?"
"Yes! It's food. Gould, I need a lot of food. The land in Roseburg cannot grow wheat, and at most you can only grow a few onions. You must import wheat from the south as much as possible! Even the food you transport If it can be piled up into a mountain, I will still buy it with the silver coins."
"Is this...is this necessary?"
"Of course." Rurik stretched out his little head to further emphasize, "You get me wheat. No matter you buy it with redemption or rob it from someone, I just want a lot of wheat. If you bring the wheat, I will follow the instructions. Buy them all at a price higher than the market price, and I will buy as much as you bring.”
Seeing that Rurik's tone was very determined, Gould pinched the beard on his round chin, but he had to think carefully.
Because of the pure grain trade, he organized a fleet to be a "porter" and earned the difference between freight and grain prices. His profit was not high.
Youdao is a self-made businessman. When he was pursuing early capital, he was willing to do small businesses. As his strength grew, his business attitude must have become picky, and he became more and more willing to do risky transactions, such as sneaking into Denmark. Land Qiao Zhuang became a Danish businessman making a lot of money.
Grain trade does make a difference.
In today's era, the Rus' allies living in the Svealan region have been loyal to reclaiming land and growing wheat. Although the local climate is very close to the Arctic, some cold-resistant oats and rye can complete a growth cycle during the warm period. The total population of the entire Siiya Alliance is only 100,000. They cultivate and plant using very backward methods. Although the yield per mu is very low, each tribe still has enough wheat to eat.
The reality is very magical. In fact, even if various tribes do not eat wheat, there will be no famine.
Everyone faces the sea, and each tribe is a hero in navigation. To put it bluntly, their fishing skills are far better than farming.
Various tribes have mastered weaving huge hemp rope nets, and multiple boats cooperate in trawling operations. Although the taste of bread and pancakes is far better than that of cooked fish, the ancestors of the Swedes never suffered from famine due to a poor harvest of grains. At most, they felt that the following year would become uneasy due to a poor harvest of grains. .
A poor harvest of grains would cause famine in the Frankish kingdom, which would also lead to plundering by the Danes in recent decades.
Unlike Scandinavia, Jutland has a milder climate, and the wheat fields on the peninsula also have higher yields per acre. The Danes had a better food base than their northern cousins, so in the early ninth century Denmark had a larger population and more grain, milk and fish production. But the Danes still can't figure out how to increase grain yield per acre. Perhaps the way to get more grain is to open up more land for planting.
They sow the seeds and enter the off-farm period. In the past, the off-farm period was the traditional trading season. Nowadays, the chiefs of Danish tribes are becoming more and more bold. Some people make a lot of money, food, and even scarce female resources through plundering the whole clan. The jealous tribes could no longer bear to be poor farmers, and more chiefs led their tribesmen on the "robbery road".
Therefore, for the various Viking tribes, they are fully capable of surviving in the famine years when they cannot enjoy millet. If they can eat millet, it is best to buy it at a higher price. If that doesn't work, then send troops to rob the Franks or Britons.
The current civilization stage of the Ross tribe and its allies is still a clan society dominated by fishing and hunting economy, which is somewhat backward than the Danes.
In the Frankish Kingdom, once the first year's grain harvest failed, the price of grain in the following year could skyrocket to an astonishing degree. The so-called nobles from various places took advantage of the famine to hoard food, and then exchanged a small amount of life-saving food for a large amount of wealth from the civilians who were almost starving to death, and even acquired a large number of serfs.
Originally, the Frankish Kingdom had a large class of yeoman farmers. Their measures to resist natural disasters are very fragile, and there is no concept of disaster relief in Europe in this time and space. After a drought and flood, in order to survive, the peasants and their families became serfs of the nobles and continued to survive. It was really an acceptable choice.
Rurik, who lives in the far north, has no control over the lives of ordinary people in the Frankish Kingdom. He allows the local nobles to harm one side like parasites. What does it have to do with the Ross tribe?
Rurik just needed a lot of food, and his explanation surprised Gould.
"I will certainly buy the grain you bring, whether it is oats or rye. Peas, turnips (Swedish turnips), onions, cabbage, or any other vegetables, just bring it over, and I will be happy to buy it at a high price. "
"This is real?"
"Of course! I will buy as much as you transport. This must be a term of our agreement and must be engraved on the wooden board."
Over the years Gould spent his winters in Roseburg, and it is fair to say that he would not have been happy to spend another winter there if it had not been for the large quantities of animal pelts available for purchase. Roseburg could bring him a steady income from furs, and he could live here with two maids to serve him all day long. He would not have to face the quarrels of his five wives and concubines all day long in the south, and he would be in peace.
The land in Roseburg could hardly grow any crops. Gould's favorite food and vegetables were all transported by him to provide for himself and his men when the sea ice thawed in the coming year.
The Russians themselves did not farm, but they received a steady wheat tribute from the Novgorodians.
It stands to reason that they are not short of wheat, but how come Rurik's attitude is completely different from that of his father, and why do they have a very urgent need for food?
Gould asked bluntly: "Rurik, do you plan to desperately buy grain so that you Russians can eat at least one pound of wheat every day?"
"Of course not. The various foods you brought are indeed for eating. I don't plan to sell them to my tribe again. I plan to raise a group of servants now, and for this I need a lot of food."
servant? Gould or Otto, both of them were 100% wary of Rurik's words.
"Yes. Just a large number of servants. So Gould, when you go south this year, I will also ask you to find a group of servants for me. I saw that you have two very obedient Britton maids, and I also want a group of them. maid."
"Maid?" Gould felt really weird when he heard Rurik's words. Because for Gould, the biggest role of the two Britten women was to provide him with entertainment in the boring winter in the north. If they gave birth to children for this purpose, Gould would give the illegitimate child a family name, but he would never expect to get it. property.
Looking at Rurik's age, what does this kid want with so many maids? Is it possible that he still needs to be filial to his father?
Thinking of this, Gould immediately looked at Otto with evil intentions.
"Rurik, you are not planning to choose some servants for your father, are you? Oh, you are such a good boy."
Otto understood what Gould meant in an instant. He was horrified when he heard it. He immediately refuted the absurdity of Gould's words and then questioned his son's purpose.
Tip: Enter "giant panda literature" in the search engine to find this site, thank you.
Chapter 119 The Agreement with the Big Businessman (2)
