"Dad, are you serious?"
"Yes, I am serious." Gould continued to emphasize, "Our family must leave."
Snoleva's mind was very confused. He held his head in his hands and closed his eyes as if to meditate.
"Actually, you still don't want to leave?" Gould asked.
"No. Things are a little sudden."
Gould shook his head and said consolingly: "Oh, silly boy. Even if we leave Unclas, we will still sell our goods in Mälaren. Believe in my determination. Now tell me about the market." Are there any rumors?"
"rumor?"
"For example, there are rumors that the Rus attacked the Gotlanders."
Speaking of this matter, Snoleva could not hide his excitement. He cried out, "At least in terms of fighting, I admire the Russians very much. The merchants in the market are saying that the leader of the Russians is more courageous than the leader of Melalen."
"You dare to attack because of the Russians?"
"Yes, they dare to attack. However, the leader of Mellaren is only defensive. In my opinion, it is best for Mellaren to organize an army and continue to attack the Danes, the masters of the Gotlanders. In this way, we will We can sell our wares to the marching troops. Trust me, Dad. We'll make a fortune."
Now, Gould, who was sipping sweet and viscous red wine from a delicate glass, was very happy to see his son say such insightful words.
He sighed happily: "You are very smart, you already know the good time to do business. Haha, if the Melalen people are willing to organize an army, of course we will take the opportunity to sell goods. They will be very happy with the leather we send. "
Snoleva's face was still flushed, and he continued: "That is, the leader has no intention of gathering an army yet. You know, the businessmen are looking forward to that day."
"Really?" Gould quickly drank the glass of wine, then suddenly forced a straight face and said seriously: "Maybe, they will."
"Dad, what's wrong with you?"
"I'm worried about one thing. I suspect that the Danes will stand up to the Gotlanders, and war may be imminent."
"Oh! Really? That's really a good thing."
Snoleva looked forward to war, while Gould saw only the desire to make war fortune from the eldest son's face, but completely forgot that maybe Mellaren might become a war frontier.
Gould said seriously: "Who will the Danes attack? The Russians? No, that's too far. If the Danes want to fight back, they also want to attack the Melalen people. They must know that Melalen has a lot of wealth, and it is far away from Denmark. The human lair is also very close. The Danes will either do nothing or attack here."
Snoleva's face had become a little embarrassed, and he reluctantly muttered: "In this way, we can sell all the leather to them. We can raise the price, and they will buy it."
"What you said makes sense, but as a big businessman, you must know that if your life is gone, how can you enjoy your wealth? We need a strong backer to prepare a way for us to escape with our wealth. Road. In my opinion, the only way to find the Rus is to go to the far north. According to my understanding of the Rus, they will often attack the Gotlanders after they have the first benefit. Sooner or later, the Danes will Launch a large-scale counterattack, and then I don’t want you to still be here.”
"Ah?! Could it be, dad! You even have your island?"
"Bah! It's just a charity given to us by the leader named Olegin." Speaking of his own experience, Gould was not happy: "That guy claimed that all the land on the land belongs to his tribe. We can only Build shops on the island. Of course we can open shops on the shore, but we have to pay them. Why! Do you really like this island?"
Snoleva smiled honestly: "Actually, I really like it."
"Look at your potential!"
"Oh, Dad, it's my fault." Snoleva quickly surrendered: "Thank you for your teaching, I understand. If we are in danger, we will retreat with all our strength."
"Oh, that's right! I have a good agreement with the Ross people. They are much more generous than the Melalen people! We can set up shops in the Ross people's territory, import their specialty goods and transport them here for huge profits. That The child named Rurik attaches great importance to contracts. He will inherit the position of leader of Rus. Remember, he will be the backer of our family from now on. You must remember that you are my eldest son, and you will inherit most of my property. family business."
"What about my brothers?" Snoleva's heart was beating fast when he mentioned this, and his questioning attitude was full of caution.
"You don't need to worry about them. I can give you 80% of the family property, but all of them can only get 20%."
Hearing this, Snoleva's heart suddenly dropped!
For many years, this thirty-year-old young man has been most afraid that his father will no longer like him and stop giving him the main family property.
The reason why he thinks so is indeed because of a very simple practical reason. It is just like the unknown ownership of the family property, which has always made Snoleva a little worried.
Gould drank another glass of wine, and by the flickering flame of the oil lamp, he couldn't help but look at his two lovely granddaughters.
The two little girls are innocent, and the eldest granddaughter is almost old enough to get engaged. Which boy can be her husband? That boy must be a business partner of this family!
Alas, it's a pity that they are all girls.
Thinking of this, Gould gave his eldest daughter-in-law a sharp look, which made her tremble all over.
Taking advantage of this, Gould choked again: "My son, you are good at everything. Even though you are thirty years old, you still have not given me a grandson. You are my hope for the future, but How can this be done if you don’t have a son in your life?”
"Oh, Dad. My wife and I will try our best."
"Your wife?" Gould was already a little drunk and couldn't speak clearly. He no longer cared about his daughter-in-law's feelings and said bluntly: "If it doesn't work out, just marry another one. You know better than we do that there are many women in the market, and many of them are beautiful British women. Instead of that, I've made other merchants cheaper, so why don't you buy a few of them back? You should be like me and let them have children, and once they give birth to sons, you will be promoted to wives."
Her father's words were too explicit. Snoleva trembled and didn't know what to say for a moment.
Only the eldest daughter-in-law was on pins and needles hearing these words.
Without letting her husband speak, she left her seat directly, crawled in front of Gould in a humble manner, and said with firm eyes: "Dad, I will work hard. I will definitely give birth to a son. No! Two, Three! And I am now." As she said this, she slowly sat up straight and stroked her belly: "Actually, I already have them."
"Oh? What a happy event!" Gould was so excited that he threw the glass in his hand aside, and the half-drunk glass spilled all over the mat.
Gould stood up, holding his daughter-in-law's chin with his right hand, his face kind.
He understood that the eldest son was a rare person among businessmen and had not married another one for so many years. It was really because he liked his wife. This woman was the wife he personally selected for his eldest son. Because of these past experiences, Gould has had feelings for this woman for many years.
The daughter-in-law is more proactive than the son. She is obviously afraid of losing her status.
"I am like my daughter." Gould showed a rare tenderness: "You have to work hard. I have found a new future supporter for your husband, and our family has received a safety guarantee. And you, the continuation of the family falls on your shoulders, and your responsibility is very important."
"Yes, Dad, I can definitely do it."
After a while, a sizzling roast lamb was finally carried up.
This is a sheep that Snoleva bought ready-made from the Mälaren market. Up to now, there are still more than ten sheep in the sheep pen on the island. Snoleva bought the sheep with no intention of raising them to cut the wool; he just wanted them for meat.
Elegance when it comes to eating meat? That's not the case.
As the most noble man, Gould tore off a lamb thigh with his bare hands. It was almost the best part of the roasted lamb.
The family shared a sheep, and here the two men ate the most. Gould and Snoleva had large bellies, and it was for this reason that they were able to eat suet balls.
At this time, coupled with freshly baked fermented bread, fresh onions to relieve greasiness, and wine, life will be delicious.
Only very wealthy families can live such a luxurious life. The Melalen tribe is very rich, but in fact there is a serious gap between the rich and the poor. Those ordinary farmers still live on porridge made from one pound of oats a day, and sell the extra wheat in exchange for Various daily necessities, and even a series of equipment needed during war.
Every strong man in the Melalen tribe has the obligation to accept the recruitment of the big leader.
Likewise, the Rus, Uppsalas, and people of all tribes have this obligation.
The only exceptions are those businessmen with large assets.
Don't expect the loyalty of this group of businessmen at all. Although they are part of the alliance, if anyone offers favorable terms, they will run to his territory in large numbers. If the situation changes, the merchants will take their wealth and organize a fleet to run away.
After three rounds of wine, five delicious dishes, and a comfortable meal, Gould was lying on his side, with one arm resting on his head. His whole body was like a pile of rotten fat.
Seeing her father enjoying himself so leisurely, Snoleva felt that his reception must have made his father particularly satisfied.
Seeing this, Snoleva asked, "Starting from tomorrow, shall we go to the lively area of the market?"
"Tomorrow? No, a day off."
"Okay, we can just take stock of the goods."
"Our goods do need to be counted again, and there is one more thing." Gould stared into his son's eyes: "You must prepare at least one hundred pounds of silver."
"Huh? So many? What to do?"
“Of course I’m going to the market to do some shopping!”
"Purchasing?" Snoleva was puzzled when he heard this: "Dad, but those crystal cups have been bought by others. If we go there again, we won't be able to buy any expensive treasures at all. There are only a lot of bulk goods there now, and I can’t afford to spend so much money?”
"Really? What do you think I want to buy?" Gould sat up as he spoke.
"For example, gems? Oh, those gems are very rare. Besides, amber is not expensive here."
"I want to buy someone." Gould said concisely.
"People? Those people who are locked up, those women. Oh, Dad, are you so confident in your body? Mom is here too."
Snoleva subconsciously felt that her father was following her hobby again and wanted to recruit more young women to serve him.
Gould smiled stupidly: "Child, you are thinking too much. I know that the Norwegians must have gone to the island in the west to kidnap some women, probably some Briton women again. I want to buy a batch, all of them. Send it to the Russians. I forgot to tell you that the Russians have given me many tasks this year and promised me huge benefits after the tasks are completed. They need a large number of servants, both men and women."
"Oh? Is this still the case?!"
"In my opinion, we should buy all the people from the market, even the children, and bring them back to this island."
Hearing his father's bold words, Snoleva was really shocked.
The Vikings in the Baltic Sea region had been trading slaves since ancient times.
For example, bankrupt farmers became debt slaves, and creditors were sometimes taken to the market in exchange for a good price to pay off their debts.
In addition, many of the poor people tied up with ropes were simply ordinary people from Britain and Frank. In the past fifty years, there have been more and more foreign slaves like this in the Mellaren Market, and it can be said that the majority of them are women.
Women are women, and the farmers in Mälaren can't control that much. They will try their best to sell the food they grow, accumulate wealth, and then buy a foreign woman from a Norwegian businessman. Their purpose is very simple, that is, to make this woman their wife.
For example, the chiefs of the Melalen tribe and the powerful and wealthy local households chose the most beautiful ones to stay in their houses as servants.
Gould continued to ask: "Son, you should know the prices of those people, are they still the same as before?"
"Yes, the average man still gets twenty silver coins, and the woman still gets thirty silver coins. A good-looking woman, or a strong man, can get up to one pound of silver coins, usually around fifty silver coins. That is, those Norwegians No kids. At least I didn’t find any this year.”
"What's the use of children!" Gould shrugged and couldn't help complaining: "That Rurik, he told me that he must get some children for him, saying that good servants should be trained from an early age. Those Norwegians will not kidnap Even if the child is kidnapped, he will die on the vast sea."
"That's true." Snoleva smiled honestly.
"So, there should be many young men in the market who are eager to work as mercenaries for others? Are there many of them?"
"People like this always exist, dad, you should understand. If you need more mercenaries, you'd better go to the taverns in Melalen."
"Okay. I will recruit some more people and send them all to the Ross people. I am recruiting a group of mercenaries for them at the request of the Ross leader. You see, we will get a lot of men and women, and they will have to stay for the time being. On this small island. Children, you have to prepare to feed them until at least August."
"Huh? Our island"
"Then you build some wooden sheds! Go to the market to buy some food, and go to the fishermen to buy some fish. Remember how much you spent, and send me a report in August. Don't worry about anything. The Russians will eventually use this money Give it back to us.”
In this way, Gould rested for a whole day on his own island. After recuperating his energy for June 5, he tentatively rushed towards the mouth of the river where the core of the Melalen tribe was located, towards the area. The most prosperous land market. Because it was just a test, he did not land with his own goods in person.
He is not worried about the sales of his goods at all. Some of his colleagues have personally gone to the island under his control and brought money to trade. For those people, the eldest son takes charge. After the roast lamb dinner, the eldest son had already witnessed the magic of soap. Gould fully believed that the eldest son would become an excellent salesman. In the coming days, it is estimated that the news that his family is selling a magical washing tool will be revealed in May. Word spread among the Laren tribe.
At that time, a group of wealthy people who have money at home and especially like novelty gadgets will come to their island uninvited.
Regarding the current situation of commodity trading in the market, his son had already made a good report to himself, so Gould no longer had so much curiosity here.
Gould was still wearing gorgeous clothes, and accompanied by more than a dozen guards headed by Jevlo, he began a revolving door of "shopping."
As expected, most of the things on the market are bulk goods, such as linen, cowhide, sheepskin, wooden daily necessities, and even last year's surplus grain. It is these bulk goods that are the largest commodities.
Still in a familiar corner, this is the so-called human market that has long been dominated by Norwegian businessmen. The poor souls who were taken from Britain in various ways were sold here.
The reality was very different from what Gould had imagined. After some inquiry, he learned that most of the people had already been bought by the wealthy households in Melalen.
A sturdy Norwegian businessman with a Norwegian forest cat fur hat on his head told Gould bluntly that he drove a caged carriage over mountains and hired fishing boats to transport his "goods" here. . Gould knew that this man was just eager to make more money.
There are five poor women here who are trembling with fear. Their clothes are completely different from the locals. Even in appearance, there is not much difference in reality.
They were all Briton women, and they even had some beliefs that Gould found strange, but their beauty did not satisfy him.
Gould especially remembered the two Briton women he bought two years ago. Because of their good looks, in order to get them, he paid the profiteer two pounds of silver and a cordial greeting!
The Norwegian businessman offered a man thirty silver coins. As a result, Gould spent one pound of silver and another forty silver coins to buy the man's two unique Norwegian forest cat skins and took them all away. Although the Norwegian businessman was unwilling to do so, considering that he had not sold them for many days and had to buy food for nothing, he simply went ahead with the business even though he was suffering a loss.
After all, they were Norwegian businessmen who traveled over the mountains. Gould felt that they were either trafficking some foreigners or selling extremely soft and unique cat skins. Other than that, they didn't seem to have many good things to offer.
Today, Gould was just doing a survey. He even went to a tavern to investigate the prices of the ale and calculated how much craft ale he could bring back to Rurik.
He also conducted some research on young people looking for employers and gained some understanding of the status of this year's "manpower employment market."
Some farmers in Mälaren owed money to their landlords. In order to avoid becoming debt slaves, they had to sell their land to pay off their debts. As a result, such men have only one physical strength left. They need to do manual labor for an employer, or even serve as mercenary bodyguards, to earn some money to support their families and themselves.
Most of Gould's own guards were composed of this kind. It's just that Gould selected young people who were alone, so they had no family members and could only be loyal to their sponsors.
Since the agreement between Rurik and himself did not have so many restrictions, there was no problem in hiring people with families and sending them all to Fort Ross.
For the time being, Gould did not make such a decision. He first brought the five women he originally bought to his island, removed the shackles of their hands and feet, gave them food, and announced their future. No one paid attention to their mood, and Gould felt that it was a great kindness for him to reward them with leather blankets for temporary sleep, as well as some fish and wheat porridge.
Indeed, Gould's only responsibility was to send all the people he absorbed to Rossburg safely.
If Rurik and Otto intended to show greater mercy, that was their business. At that time, they can just pay these people three months' living expenses, which won't be much anyway. I want to talk about "The Rise of Rurik" with more like-minded people, follow "Youdu Literature" on WeChat, chat about life, and find confidants~
