It started with just a few bottles, then more and more.
The Klavasen family had begun using unique glassblowing techniques, and since much less raw material was needed compared to pressed glass, the production of glass bottles completely exceeded Rurik's ideas.
By the night of August 19, Klavasen had made eighty small glass bottles. In the days that follow, Klavasen can still find time to make five or six bottles, assuming a steady supply of materials.
He even urged his son Kawei to take his valet Kamne to the mountains to collect quartz, gypsum, and other materials necessary for making glassware.
Clavarson stayed in the blacksmith shop. He had to continue his work of blacksmithing, and his daughter-in-law also took care of the work of distilling ale for the time being.
The entire family is busy with three businesses. Only at this moment can the importance of manpower be reflected.
After all, hard work can bring huge benefits.
Although my family already has a lot of money, how to spend it has become a problem. Klavasen is a sensible man. He has prospered in the Ross tribe. Isn’t he following the right master?
Before it was Otto, now it is Rurik.
Is it possible to make glass bottles and distilled spirits just to make money from sales?
Rurik had his own ideas, which really surprised the Klavasen family.
What is luxury? That is the daily necessities sold by wealthy people. Because the users are wealthy, the products used have a very high premium.
These spirits must be affordable by wealthy households at this stage, and they must be able to pay the money to highlight their nobility.
When the money fell into his hands, what Rurik thought of was definitely not his own glory and wealth. Even the glory and wealth of this time and space concept was just that in his opinion.
Money should be used for the benefit of one's own people, especially those who are poor.
In a sense, this is to use some high-value consumer goods as a medium to reasonably take money from wealthy households and subsidize the poor of the tribe.
Rurik felt that such an operation was very beneficial to him.
The strength of the Ross tribe must be based on internal stability. The rich and the poor must have something to unite them.
Rurik felt that to truly unite the Ross tribe, he must become a king that everyone would be happy to praise.
In order for all tribesmen to receive visible benefits, everyone's living standards must gradually improve.
To put it bluntly, Rurik never thought that creating a glass container was such a great initiative.
It is a tool, even less significant than mild steel weapons and tools. However, the Russians must also have them. When the technological level is high enough, the power of glassware can explode.
Now, what Rurik needs most is food, clothing and people.
In the final analysis, a huge population is still needed, and food and clothing are the most critical things to maintain a huge population of an ethnic group. The lack of one of them will result in a sudden and large-scale loss of population, which is even thousands of times more horrific than the destruction caused by war.
It's not just Rurik. An immediate problem is that the construction of New Roseburg requires a lot of materials, the most important of which is winter food. The leader Otto did not doubt the hunting and fishing abilities of his people. The first colonists of New Roseburg should be able to survive the first winter on their own by just fishing and catching seals.
Otto did not dare to be too optimistic. If the mother city of Roseburg did not directly provide assistance, there would still be a lot of population loss in the first winter.
Although Otto Ryurik and his son had different ideas, they were surprisingly consistent in their willingness to obtain food.
They wished that Rossburg could be built as a hill made of wheat, so that the tribesmen could have enough food and clothing, and the rich food could also make wine.
Of course, Otto was most concerned about winemaking.
ah! It can be said that whatever you want comes to you!
A huge fleet of ships is rushing towards Rossburg in a mighty way.
Completely different from warships that can ride waves at high speeds, those Viking cargo ships with huge and fat bellies already have a huge cargo carrying capacity in their thin bodies. The cargo presses on the hull, making the ship sink. In the sea.
Such a predicament made it impossible for Gould to move forward at high speed even though his large fleet was escorted by Ross fishermen.
From the port of Mälaren to the Rossberg Fjord, even a warship has to be maneuvered by oarsmen for more than three days on the sea. When it came to Gould, the situation was even worse.
Five days! Five whole days passed. Gould was still sailing on the route to Fort Ross.
It was already August 25th, and the noon sun illuminated the Rossberg Fjord clearly, and the world fell into a warm golden light.
At this time, on the sea surface outside the fjord, a bunch of trawlers formed an array of twos and threes, continuing to fish for herring.
There are also some larger fishing boats, the paddles in the rowing position are folded, and a large number of wooden sticks tied with hemp rope are held by the oarsmen.
This group of people are masters of crowd fishing, and they are fishing for cod nesting in deep water areas.
During this time, the life atmosphere in Roseburg became more and more subtle. As usual, southern merchants began to go north on the largest scale of the year. They came with all kinds of goods and never left!
The merchants will have to wait until next spring to leave, so in the long winter that follows, Roseburg actually enters its busiest time.
In order to buy more useful daily necessities and to store food for winter, fishermen are particularly enthusiastic about fishing.
Suddenly, some fishing boats rushed towards the fjord without following the routine.
These fishing boats are very big, and the oarsmen row hard, which attracts the admiration of the fishermen who work quietly.
They are a group of messengers whose task is to rush into the fjord and announce the good news of the arrival of the huge fleet.
Moreover, Gould also sent his mercenaries and his eldest son to board the fishing boat riding the waves.
For Otto, today seemed to be another quiet and normal day.
He knew that even though the businessmen represented by Gould could all come, he would lose something to look forward to.
As a big leader, he has nothing to entertain himself, and it is also because he is too old to be lazy with women. In recent days, he is more willing to sit with his lifelong friends, sharing the spirits brewed by his son, and the cheap of ale.
Suddenly, some young children from the tribe broke into Harozosson's house, because the leader Otto stayed here chatting with the guys.
"Chief! They are coming!" The young man shouted loudly. After entering the longhouse, he approached Otto with a red face in a half-crawling posture.
"What's going on? Is it possible that there are still enemies attacking?"
At this time, Harold Zuosen, who deliberately hugged the two captured women, also said with a red face: "There are actually enemies? They are old and good, I just want to try my steel sword."
"What's going on?" Otto asked the young man with a dull face.
"Chief, they are businessmen. They are here."
"Finally here?" Otto was a little surprised, then calmed down.
Businessmen, they come every year, it's not surprising at all.
Otto continued to ask: "Is it possible that merchant ships have begun to enter the fjord?"
"No. But a messenger came, sent by the businessman named Gould. The messenger said that he was Gould's eldest son."
Hearing this, Otto got excited: "Oh? Where is the messenger?"
"Just outside."
"Let him in quickly!"
Immediately afterwards, the young man who had received the order rushed out.
Currently, Gould's eldest son Snoleva, a fat man in his thirties, dressed in expensive furs, has been waiting outside Harold Johnson's obviously relatively simple longhouse for a long time.
Just this longhouse? It’s actually the home of the leader of the Rus people? Father is doing business with them?
It can be said that Snoleva did not have a good feeling towards Chief Ross due to misunderstanding.
When he entered the room, he saw a large group of strong men wearing various leathers and burlap sitting under the dim oil lamp. The sharp looks cast by many strong men shocked the fat man.
It stands to reason that Snoleva has been selling his own goods on Gould Island for many years, and he is already a business veteran in his own right.
Now, he feels that his life is under great threat.
Because Snoleva had indeed come to Roseburg for the first time, Otto had never seen him.
However, Otto really had too much dealings with Gould.
Otto's face was still the rosy color of alcohol, even close to a cooked lobster. Coupled with his golden-white beard and hair, his image was indeed very novel.
Otto was scrutinized by Snoleva and vice versa.
"Sit down." Otto casually patted the leather cushion under him.
Snoleva bowed lightly first, then twisted his beer belly, lightly lifted his expensive mink coat, and then moved to sit on the leather cushion. He recognized that he was sitting on deerskin and cowhide, and if he could, he would rather sit on bearskin.
It was precisely this action that, without any explanation, made Otto completely believe in the identity of the visitor.
"It looks like! It does look like Gould! Even the way he sits down is the same."
"Are you the great leader of the Rus' people?" Snoreva cautiously complimented him. He put his hands on the ground while speaking to show his humbleness.
"It's me. I am Otto, chief of Rus, and as for greatness, I'm glad you can say that. Now tell me, who are you?"
Snoleva continued to bow and reported his identity in detail.
"Are you Gould's eldest son? I believe you. Look at your belly and your clothes. The moment I saw you, I thought of the Gould I met about twenty years ago. , which is also what you look like now."
After all, father and son look very similar, not to mention that they both have a rare chubby appearance, and they have very similar beards. From Otto's perspective, the guy in front of him was Gould in his youth.
"Young man, I have never known you. I only learned some news about you from your father. You are here, where is your father?"
"Great leader, my father's huge fleet is still on its way."
"When will they arrive?!" Otto asked impatiently.
"Yes! Chief! I arrived early just to inform you about this matter. I have more things to report to you, and even...get some permission from you."
"Oh? Tell me one by one."
"Yes! The first thing I want to say is that our fleet has been sailing slowly for five days, and we will arrive at Fort Ross tomorrow."
"It's so slow?" Otto was quite surprised. "My fleet will rush towards the entrance of your lake. It may take two days."
"We are a merchant ship! My leader! We can only sail during the day and stay ashore at night. Besides, this year is the relocation of our family as a whole, and the cargo we carry is unprecedentedly huge. Our speed is very slow, and those who are attached to Our small caravan seeks safety and we dare not act rashly."
It’s easy to understand when he talks about Otto like this.
After all, merchant ships are different from warships. The construction models of the two are different. Merchants are not warriors. It is crazy to expect merchants to continue sailing at night.
Snoleva emphasized: "I heard that you need a lot of food this year and a group of slaves. My father completed this task."
"Oh, have you finished it?" Although these plans were made by his son Rurik, looking at it now, the above plans are really very beneficial to the future of the Russian people.
The situation has indeed changed, and the Russians really need food now.
"How much food did your father get?" Otto asked.
"With all the new wheat harvested this year and last year's old wheat, there are 230,000 pounds."
Shock! What else is there to say? !
Otto opened his mouth in shock, and his old friends were doubting their ears. Because this quantity is so huge!
Seeing that they were all surprised, Snoreva hurriedly said: "Chief, I learned from my father that you will spend double the market price to buy our wheat. I think you will fulfill this promise."
"This..." Otto was in trouble. He calculated the so-called purchase price with his fingers.
Although his son proposed to buy double the grain that Guldela brought back, Otto didn't take it seriously because his son really had a lot of money at hand.
Food, how much more expensive can it be?
But isn’t the market price always stable at ten pounds of wheat for one silver coin? As a Viking, Otto had pretty good math skills. He calculated with his fingers that he would have to pay 40,000 silver coins to buy this huge amount of grain.
There is no doubt about the importance of food, as is Roseburg's money now...
Seeing that Otto was in trouble, Snoleva guessed that the Russians might also have wealth problems.
yes! The purchase price was double the market price. Snoleva did not believe that the Russians would fulfill this promise.
Are they a bunch of fools?
Snoreva hurriedly complimented: "Great chief, I heard that the great Russian people have been taking good care of our family's business for so many years. Especially Rurik, the heir to the chief, he must be sent by the business people Messenger to the mortal world. I tell the truth, because of your kindness, my family’s summer income is equal to the previous three or four years! Since you are in great need of food and now a huge amount of food has arrived, everything is easy for us."
Businessmen always pursue a fair transaction, while warriors pursue integrity. Both parties share a common pursuit, which is integrity.
Of course Otto could afford 40,000 silver coins to buy food, but even this operation was too crazy.
In any case, if the tribe had purchased Gould's grain, it would have probably been as much in quantity as the Novgorodians' autumn tribute. Is it just Gould transporting food? Definitely not.
Thinking about it this way, Otto felt that the tribe could buy 300,000 pounds of wheat just by purchasing. By now, the wheat would be of great benefit to the New Roseburg colonists during the winter.
Otto was generally very happy. He tried to remain calm, but his drunken red face made him look a little weird.
"Is there food, leather, and a large group of slaves now?"
"Exactly, this is exactly what I want to explain in particular." Snoleva said solemnly, "Perhaps I should immediately inform the distinguished Rurik personally and inform him that my father has completed the task of collecting slaves."
"Slaves? Are they all strong men?" Otto asked without thinking.
"No! It's a bunch of kids."
"A bunch of kids? Sigh..."
"What? Chief, aren't these what you need?"
"You and my son Rurik need it. Alas... I really can't understand him." Otto was really helpless. According to his concept, an excellent slave must be a strong man. Slaves? Keep them as slaves for work. What a good son, a so-called slave or a servant, he doesn't care whether he is a man or a woman. A rigid standard is that he must be a child of his own age.
Raise a loyal servant from an early age? Otto didn't think this was wrong, but he felt that what his son Rurik needed at this stage was a large group of strong people to carry out tedious and tiring work.
Snoleva continued: "There are women, children, and a group of Britons. We completed the task very well, and now there are more than a hundred slaves."
"So many?!" Otto was startled.
"Yes..." At this point, Snoleva's eyes started to jump unconsciously, "There is another very important thing. I..."
"Are you hesitating?"
"Yes! The matter is not trivial. Maybe a humble person like me shouldn't explain the situation."
"It doesn't matter if you say so," Otto ordered.
Snoleva knew how to get along with strong men, especially when facing a room full of strong men with sharp eyes. He was really smart, and he could tell from his eyes that these people must have chopped off more than double digits of heads, so he had to remain extremely respectful.
He put his hands on the ground and arched his back and said: "Great leader, there is very bad news. Our allies, the camp of the Ostarans, have been completely destroyed by the Danish army."
"Huh? What did you say?" Otto couldn't react for a moment.
"It's the people of Ostara, whose homeland was destroyed by the Danes."
Suddenly, the tough men in this room who were extremely sensitive to war straightened their backs. No matter what everyone's attitude towards businessmen is, if they smell the smell of war, they can't help but be alert.
In response, Snoleva relayed to Otto what his father had said.
That was what Gould learned about the ins and outs of the attack on the Ostara people, and even the more detailed changes in the situation in the south.
Otto was really shocked. To describe it as shocked is no exaggeration.
"Gould's analysis is that our revenge against Gotland indirectly triggered the destruction of the Ostara people?" Otto asked rhetorically.
"Absurd!" Harrow Zuosen couldn't stand listening anymore and shouted with righteous indignation: "The Danes and Gotlanders have committed heinous crimes. Didn't the Danes launch enough wars? Could it be that we Russians have become the criminals who caused the war?"
Snoreva suddenly panicked: "Chief, our family definitely doesn't mean this."
"No!" Otto raised his right hand to stop his subordinates from talking. "This matter does have something to do with us. At the moment we set off for the expedition, we thought of the possible revenge of the Danes. But who would have thought that they would not attack us, but attack our weaker allies."
"It was still a surprise attack," Snoleva added.
"Didn't they attack the Mellarens?"
"No. The enemy completely destroyed Ostara and killed almost all the locals. Some survivors said that the Danes said something..."
Seeing that the fat man began to speak vaguely, Otto asked: "What exactly are they talking about?"
"Those enemies said that because the Rus destroyed a settlement on the island of Gotland, the Danes must retaliate in kind, so only a few people of the Ostara tribe survived."
"Oh! What a tragedy. What have the people of Mellaren done? I didn't know about these things."
It is indeed difficult for Otto to know things in the south, and this is also the choice of the Russians themselves. The Rus people expressed their intention to break away from the Siya tribal alliance through actions. In this way, the powerful Melalen people no longer need to consider the Ross people, and the alliance between them will be in name only in a sense.
As Snoleva explained, although Otto found it difficult to believe it, he was still willing to trust the fat man's words.
Finally, Snoleva came to a very crucial point.
"The Ostara tribe was destroyed, and the only refugees fled in all directions. The Melalen people refused to take in these poor refugees, and the Yelmalen people took some in. As for our family. We heard that the Rus need a large number of slaves, He took in more than a hundred Ostara refugees. Because almost all the men died in the battle with the Danish army, and almost all the survivors were women and children. My father could not bear the pitiful death of these people. It is said that the Russians are kind. , my father brought them together.
I am just a businessman, and I boldly suggest to you that you take in these people. "
"Is there such a thing? Are there many young women among the refugees?" Otto's words caused Snoleva to misunderstand.
"There are indeed many women, even..."
Without letting him speak, Otto slapped his thigh and said without even thinking: "Take them in! Of course you have to take them in! Those women are so good! My people are longing for wives. We already have to go to the east to find foreigners as wives. They come Yes, I will take them in, and those children. I want all the refugees in Ostara."
"Oh! The Russians are really kind."
Otto laughed, and so did his men.
After all, refugees are different from efforts. These refugees are all members of the Alliance. Now it seems that the Malaren people's refusal to accept them is a vicious betrayal. The Russians will definitely become bigger and stronger, and Otto is keenly aware that the benefits of incorporating refugees are not only to enhance strength, but also to earn reputation and credibility.
To become an alliance leader, you must have both force and credibility.
Snoreva hadn't finished his words yet: "Chief, not all of the Ostara leader family died in the battle. Only two children have escaped so far."
"A survivor?"
"Yes. Not only the survivors, but now the refugees elect the eldest child among them as the leader of Ostara."
"A little boy?" Otto pinched his beard and couldn't help thinking about the future: "Let him come over and I will take them in. That boy will be my son's friend, and I will reward the people of Ostar with new life. In the future, Ostar The La people must accept the leadership of us Russians.”
Snoleva didn't care about anything else. He specifically corrected Otto's estimate: "Chief, let me explain. Those are two girls, one is nine years old and the other is seven years old. They are very beautiful."
"Huh? Beautiful little girl? Did they elect the little girl to be the leader? It's amazing." Otto's mind couldn't react for a while, it seemed that this was the truth.
"Yes, the refugees have no choice. My father also means to recognize the girl's new identity. After all, Ostara needs a reasonable new leader to negotiate with the Rus. Even if it is surrender, there must be a leader. Kneel down on behalf of the people of Ostara.”
"Kneel down?" Otto laughed: "What did you just say? Two very beautiful girls? Oh, they don't have to kneel down, just lie down for me! My only son Rurik is also eight years old. At nine years old, my son will grow into a real man in a few years. He will always be short of a wife. Haha, I also long to have more grandchildren in my lifetime."
"So? Chief, are you even willing to take in those two girls?"
"Did I say that?" Otto denied with a smile, then raised his right index finger and pointed to the sky: "God will bear witness, I will take in the Ostara people. But those two girls will be the leaders. Before seeing the girl I can't decide yet. If they are beautiful, then I admit that I still want them as my sons' wives. I will also adopt them and allow them to live with my family. I can treat them like my own daughters. . The premise is that they are really beautiful as you said."
Snoleva smiled: "Oh, my dear chief, I dare not lie. They are really beautiful!"
"Then let's wait and see!"
Tip: Enter "giant panda literature" in the search engine to find this site, thank you.
Chapter 227 I want food and refugees all
