Generally speaking, Rurik didn't care about how his tribe traded with those merchants. It wasn't until after the Spring Equinox Festival that he heard his tribe members complaining about something while deep inside the sacrifice site.
What? Five squirrel skins can be exchanged for four silver coins?
What? A whole piece of very fine sealskin costs only two silver coins?
What? The price of the precious ferret skin has also been reduced to five silver coins?
Rurik even heard about one thing. The Gould family is the largest fur buyer in the entire tribe. This made Rurik think more. The guy had already taken away a batch of soap and put it in his own warehouse. At the same time, the guy was also buying a large number of leather goods at low prices.
Although it is a normal market response of capital to take advantage of low prices to stock up on goods, Rurik was really unhappy when what happened to Gould.
But when this happened, his father still discussed other things with the guys. It was said that they were discussing how to continue to take revenge on the Gotlanders, and then they would gather together to drink some burning liquor, as if they were swallowing fire into their stomachs. Tough guy style.
In the past few days, what Otto was most upset about was his mistake. The burning spirits burned off a bit of his beard, and he seemed to have lost a bit of his majesty as a result. But the strong drink is indispensable.
Dad is addicted to the extraordinary stimulation of strong alcohol, and what he cares most about is robbery and conquest.
Rurik knew that the more times like this, the more he had to shoulder the responsibility of the leader. He even felt that this was done intentionally by his father Otto, so that he could continue to practice.
Experience? OK!
Then get down to business! In order for the Rus tribe, which has become a city-state in the actual sense, to have a right that must be determined - commercial taxes must be collected.
April of the Julian calendar arrives quietly amidst people's expectations.
Calmness is superficial, just like a stream that begins to swell, and many vigorous things gradually change quietly.
This year's situation is indeed worse than last year. On April 1, the ice floes in the bay have still not melted. Even the hunters who entered the vast ocean to cut ice to trap seals still received bad news. Compared with the previous time, the sea ice has indeed become thinner, but the thickness has shrunk from one meter to half a meter, and the situation is still bad.
The annoying winter seems to be extended by some mysterious force. The people of Rus and even all the merchants who live there need the priests of Rus to divine an answer.
Such embarrassment was not uncommon in the memory of High Priest Vilia.
She vaguely remembered that in some winters, the sea ice did not melt enough for ships to sail until May.
There are even years when it is almost time for the Summer Solstice Festival, and there are still some accumulated ice blocks in the shade of the hills.
I'm afraid none of this is "the wrath of God", after all there are some years with distinctly warm winters and the oceans thaw enough for navigation in March.
In the past, when the sea water thawed, it had no obvious impact on the lives of the Russian people. With the early thaw, the Russian people did not become rich. However, with the delayed thaw, the Russian people's lives remained ordinary.
Perhaps the commotion among people this year is due to the fact that merchants have hoarded a large amount of goods and they have an unprecedented desire for trade. However, the ice and snow are still hard and the climate is still cold.
Businessmen most want to get a good revelation.
Otto and his men, as well as a large group of Russians, also wanted answers.
When the ice and snow melt, the huge Russian fleets will rush to all directions with their own purposes, whether it is trade, construction, or simply war. If the departure is forced to be delayed until May, many things will be disrupted.
Actually? The climate at the beginning of AD 830 was indeed cold, especially deep in the Gulf of Bothnia where Fort Ross was located.
The Russian army that ended its "Northern Hunt" crossed the frozen sea. The appearance of the weird and twisted iceberg they saw was extremely rare. It is usually squeezed into a narrow fold of five to six meters by the stress of sea ice, and this year's situation is even more prominent.
Not only the territory of Roseburg, but the climate in the entire Northern Europe is even colder, so much so that the entire Baltic Sea is frozen!
If there is any benefit to the Danes from this ice, it is that they can walk through the frozen Denmark Strait and walk to Oslo on one foot! They actually exchanged goods in winter. In previous years, this kind of thing was extremely rare.
The small businessmen are anxious. What they don't know is that Lake Malaren in the south is now also frozen. A large number of fishermen were swimming on the glacial lake, or pulling sleds along the frozen river into the territory of the Hjelmalen tribe, and exchanged furs and linen with the Glan people who suddenly immigrated to them. Made of iron.
Yes, the Gran people who fled to present-day Eskilstuna, in order to survive hard, smelted local iron ore and sold iron products in exchange for various foods to survive the winter.
But most of the poor beggars left unclaimed on the streets of Mälaren Market froze to death in this cold winter. In this way, the group of beggars who were finally recruited by Rurik were undoubtedly very lucky.
There are always a large number of poor people in the Melalen tribe. Such a severe cold may destroy some families, and the children who are lucky enough to survive will also have to face loneliness, even hunger and severe cold. The leader of Melalen has no energy or consciousness to manage the orphans under his rule. The wealthy generally regard orphans as pests and should be avoided.
Every day, the leading mercenary patrolling the streets of Melalen collects some dead beggars, throws the frozen corpses into the pyre, and burns them to ashes.
New beggars are still appearing, and new deaths are coming one after another.
The Melalen tribe, and even other alliance tribes, have seen a significant decrease in the number of their tribesmen due to this cold winter. The Melalen tribe has lost as many as 400 people. Most of the dead were children and elderly people. Those with strong physical strength are basically safe. The tribe's current strength has not been significantly damaged.
What worries the leader of Mälaren, Olegin, is that if the ice and snow haven't melted yet, won't the sowing season be delayed? Wouldn't the delay in the most critical trade gathering be more fatal? !
The people of Melalen are holding a grand ceremony to pray for God's grace to let the ice and snow melt and everything return to normal.
The Russians are doing exactly the same thing here!
Although he was extremely reluctant to part with it, Rurik had to sacrifice as many as five reindeer. As a "person blessed by Odin", he has high hopes. It is believed that this child can talk directly to God, and as the leader of Ross, he can ask God for an answer-when the ice and snow will melt.
If possible, Rurik should ask Odin for mercy, and it would be best to turn the frozen sea into thousands of miles of waves on the second day of the sacrifice.
The sacrifice begins with the anticipation of all people and ends with the sighs of all people.
Rurik had to follow the advice of the high priest Vilya. He killed the deer, smeared his face with its blood, then lay down in the deer skin spread in the altar and closed his eyes. Vilya immediately instructed Rumia, who was wearing a deer-horned helmet, to announce that Rurik's soul had now gone to Valhalla in person to see him in person.
People stared wide-eyed waiting for a result. Actually? Rurik was asleep. He could feel how solemn the silent grand sacrificial scene was, and he had already thought of a countermeasure in his mind.
Everything was in accordance with the pre-discussed script. Rurik suddenly twitched on purpose, and Rumia announced that "his soul has returned."
Rurik, deliberately sullen, announced that the ice and snow would melt in May.
Who can not lament this somewhat bad news?
Rurik faced the noise and dissatisfaction of the crowd without any confusion, and continued to announce: "Maybe this is not the answer we long for. This is Odin's attitude. As mortals, you have no right to negotiate terms with gods. , not even me! May is May! This is God’s test for us. If we Russians cannot overcome this small difficulty, there will be no greater development."
Is it inevitable that the ice and snow will melt in May?
Never mind it! If the situation at that time is still bad, there will be another sacrificial drama.
At the sacrifice site, Gould, who was shy and with a big belly, led all members of the family to become key spectators.
Unlike most people who believed it, Gould knew from the beginning that this move must be a trick discussed by Rurik and the priests. First of all, Gould believed that Rurik had indeed received God's favor, but it would be too much for him to believe that Odin favored the child in every way. Odin is the legendary god! Not Rurik's nanny.
Gould is very pragmatic. Because he is well-informed, some people say that when a person dies, he will become a heroic spirit, some say that the soul returns to the sea of souls, and some say that it is sealed in dust in the dark underworld. He also heard his Briton woman say that when bad people die, they will suffer in a world full of fire, while when good people die, they will go to a wonderful place to live forever.
Different people have different opinions. Since death is inevitable, why not enjoy life in this world?
He feels that he has accumulated a huge amount of goods this year, especially the most traditional fur trade, which he operates, and has experienced explosive development this year. He saw the desires of the frozen merchants. Not only the merchants, but also a large number of buyers were also looking forward to the arrival of merchant fleets carrying huge amounts of goods.
Therefore, Gould is not in a hurry. Even with a longer freeze period, he will have more time to prepare for the subsequent trade season.
But what he didn't expect was that not long after the sacrificial ceremony, Rurik actually walked into his house in person.
The ice is still there, but the breeze makes people feel a little gentle.
On the afternoon of April 5th in the Julian calendar, Rurik was accompanied only by Jevlo, and the two of them set foot at Gould's mansion.
Gould, who had already taken a nap, had to get up immediately to meet his old friend.
He quickly set up a small banquet in the solid wooden living room with solid wood floors built by Gould.
Gould took it for granted that Rurik's sudden visit must be to discuss a new trade plan.
However, it was a bit worrying to see that Rurik, the kid, was not even interested in the extremely sweet dried plums on the table. Instead, he always had a cold and calm face.
Gould murmured in his heart, after all, are people who have experienced real wars, who were once innocent children, have they changed?
"Rurik, you are an auspicious bird and you have flown to my home again today to bring me good news?"
Gould's ruddy face was full of flattery, the way he always treated important trading partners.
Rurik still had a calm face. He didn't even have any courtesy. He didn't care about the snacks and wine on the table and went straight to the topic.
"Gould, this time, on behalf of the leader, I am announcing a very important order to you!"
"Huh?!" Gould was shocked, and his hand holding the pure gold wine glass trembled.
"Are you scared?"
"No!" Gould denied flatly, "I am already a Russian. Of course I must do what the leader told me to do."
Hearing this, Rurik suddenly cheered up, and a slight smile appeared on his calm lips: "Is this your attitude? That's great."
"So, what can I do for you?" Gould complimented.
"I want money."
"Is it a new trade? Okay! I still have a lot of wealth in my hands."
"You misinterpreted what I meant." As he spoke, Rurik's small hands knocked rhythmically on the low wooden table, and he said slowly: "This is the leader's order! The leader has decided! We will start collecting taxes this year."
Tax is tax. Since Rurik proposed the concept of tax in the Rus tribe in 829 AD, most people have had a certain understanding of it, and Gould is no exception.
"Collecting taxes? Huh? I am a businessman and I have not signed an agricultural contract with you. Even so, do I still have to collect taxes?"
Maybe someone else would have been stunned by Gould's questioning.
To be fair, Gould was absolutely right. Whether in the East or the West, the so-called tax initially refers to the agricultural "tribute" provided by grassroots individuals to group organizers. Its emergence is very consistent with the natural development of a group.
Those tribesmen who moved to New Roseburg signed a contract with the chief's family, that is, they would receive high-quality agricultural tools provided by the chief to cultivate the land, and receive grain and large amounts of rations provided by the chief. As a price, they would receive every year's harvest in the future. Give a small part and return it to the leader.
This is how the tribesmen generally understand tax and the word tax.
Of course, their understanding of this concept is too superficial.
Rurik said bluntly: "You and I do not have an agricultural contract. We clearly have a commercial contract. With a contract, you have to pay taxes."
"Huh? But, the contract between you and me..."
"Listen to me!" Rurik raised his voice and raised his head: "Listen, the contract between you and me is just a contract between two people. In fact, as a businessman, you have a contract with our Ross tribe."
"what is that."
"Don't you understand? A large number of businessmen do business in Roseburg, import our goods and transport them to other places for sale, making great profits from it. Thousands of businessmen come every year, and they can do their business safely in Roseburg. For business, there is no need to worry about bandits attacking their wealth. Even if there are, we Russians will punish the bandits with capital punishment. The tribe provides businessmen with security and a peaceful business environment. But this peace is not natural, I The tribes need to be compensated for their efforts.”
Gould reacted instantly: "So you ask me to pay taxes to pay this special price?"
"Yes, you are indeed a big businessman." Rurik felt that the matter had been settled, and his attitude became very kind.
At this time, Gould was in trouble. He shook his head slightly and said, "Although it is different from the explanation of the Malaren people. Rurik, you have become a bit bad, and you are acting like a Malaren person."
"Oh? Have I changed? I still have the same nature."
"No! You gave a more reasonable reason than the Melalen people. Even so, please listen to my opinion." Gould said boldly.
"Really? Just tell me."
Rurik didn't think Gould could come up with any theories, and he was mentally prepared to argue with them.
Rurik has decided to "invent" the business tax himself and start collecting it this year. He does not expect all businessmen to cooperate, and even pessimistically believes that a large number of businessmen are actually uncooperative. After all, who would willingly spit out part of their money?
If you run into some trouble, use a little force to solve it. In the end, he will succeed, and this business tax will have to be collected every year in the future.
Of course, if the businessmen generally cooperate, there will be no need for them to use force.
Therefore, Rurik felt that he must first get rid of the richest businessman Gould. As long as the Gould family is supportive, other businessmen will surely agree when they see that the trend is this way.
But Gould's remarks were somewhat surprising.
Rurik initially thought that businessmen were highly self-interested in order to obtain higher profits, but he never imagined that their self-interested attitude had reached this point. However, this seems to be a normal thing.
