The fishing boats were purchased, but when Rurik personally began to inspect the boats the next day, he regretted his hasty decision.
Jevro reviewed his duties as a mercenary captain. Now his biggest job is to serve as Rurik's personal guard.
He followed Rurik closely, and there were more than twenty mercenaries, dragging the cables on their shoulders and shouting slogans to further tow all the fishing boats to the same position.
It was already afternoon, and the gentle sunshine was shining on the entire fjord. The climate was extremely pleasant, but the many ships in front of Rurik made him a little unhappy.
Looking at these fishing boats, they are certainly built using the shipbuilding techniques commonly used by the Viking tribes. The layers of dry wooden boards are soaked in seawater and expand, and the gaps are smeared with rosin to keep the entire boat sealed.
Rurik's little hand touched the old dark hull, and he could clearly see a large number of scratches on the wooden boards and even signs of aging and cracking.
What troubled him even more was that the overall hull of the ship was too thin.
Under Jevlo's gaze, he wandered around a small fishing boat about five stikas long (nearly five meters), and soon noticed some unusual holes in the ship's deck.
"Jevlo!"
"exist!"
"These ships..." Rurik wanted to say something, but now he didn't bother to say it.
"My lord." Jevro came over and asked tentatively.
"It's nothing. Just put me on the boat. I want to see the structure inside."
"As commanded."
Without a ladder, Rurik could not have climbed directly onto the ship by his own strength. He was lifted up by Yevluto, and then he turned over and entered the cabin.
Rurik was sitting on a relatively flat plank at the bottom of the boat. This was not a real deck, it was just a plank laid out so that fishermen could stack their catch stably and even have a flat place when floating on the sea. Rest on your side.
However, the inside of the ship was not completely straight. A standing pillar covered with wood debris immediately caught Rurik's attention.
He immediately grabbed the side of the ship with both hands and asked Yevlo: "What's going on? Where is the ship's mast? Did you chop it down?!"
Yevluo was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly replied: "Sir, it was us who chopped it down."
"Why?! What was a good sailing fishing boat is now a paddle boat."
"This..." Jevro wanted to say that this was what Arik ordered. Considering that the man was his master's brother, it was obviously unwise to blame Arik.
Jevro had a good reason, and it happened to be Arik's reason: "Sir, we don't have the ability to take care of so many sailboats. In order to avoid chaos during the return voyage, all the masts were cut off. As for those canvases, the brothers from Tombstone Island took them Take it away to make clothes.”
"Making clothes? It's really amazing." Rurik was shocked, then grinned with helplessness on his face. "Are they already so poor? You didn't plunder many good things? How is that possible?"
"My lord, they are indeed... indeed somewhat poor. I'm sorry that I offended them."
"It doesn't matter." Rurik waved his hand, then raised his little head and looked up to the sky and sighed: "Alas! The twenty ships are all broken boats. Those Gotlanders, are they fishing with these broken boats?"
"Yes, their ships are terrible. My lord, maybe you spent four thousand silver coins..."
Rurik immediately stopped Yevlo: "I know you want to say that I wasted money. It doesn't matter, I have always been a man of my word."
In the plunder war that lasted for more than two months, Arik and his straightforward Ross army were the main force in the battle, while Jevro and his mercenary brothers were in principle the auxiliary force. Based on this principle, even if twenty of them carry crossbows, approach the enemy fishing boat and launch a volley, basically hitting the fishing boat with no actual deck, thin planks, and no effective defense in one blow, they will not Permission to share loot.
During the long battle, Jevro and his men were completely the tools of Arik's men.
After all, he is a mercenary, and in this line of work, he must obey his master's orders.
So Arik really used Yevro and others as tools. Almost every day they floated on the sea, and the so-called rewards they received were only fish meat and distilled fresh water. Other Ross people can often rest on Tombstone Island and digest the loot they caught as soon as possible.
They were mercenaries anyway, and Jevro and his brothers were more willing to be Rurik's mercenaries. As for the suffering they suffered at the hands of Arik, the blood and sweat they put in, and the unfair treatment, they had to swallow this pain themselves.
In any case, Jevlo did not like these captured fishing boats.
Although in the raiding battle, most of the enemy ships were destroyed immediately, the best ships became the treasures of the settlers of Tombstone Island, and the rest of the inferior goods were all thrown to the settlers. Rurik.
Jevro felt sorry for his master.
"These ships are terrible. Since you need ships, why not just hire local shipbuilders from the tribe? There is a lot of wood suitable for shipbuilding in the mountains and forests here. You can make better ones, so why use the broken ships of the Gotlanders?" .”
"I just need it now," Rurik corrected.
"Sir, do you... do you expect me to take my brothers and sail these boats to fish? Oh, you think so highly of me." As he said this, Yevluo smiled heartily.
"Then why not? You are from Fen, and almost all the other brothers are from Mälaren. You all know how to row and catch fish."
"But we are warriors."
"I know. But you will all grow old one day! What will you do when you are old and can no longer hold weapons to fight? You have to continue fishing to support yourself."
"Then fight to the death in the last battle." Jevro joked, "Those people's belief is to fight to the death."
"Can you? Are you Odin's warrior?"
"I don't care. You know, I am a Finn. Thanks to your concern, if I am too old to lift the sword, please let me stay with those Covin people. I have more in common with them."
Rurik suppressed his laughter. He was still lying on the side of the boat, looking at Yevluo: "These broken boats can still be pushed into the sea to fish, and they can be paddled without sails. Yevluo, you and your brothers have it." One day when you get old, if that day comes, don't worry, I will not forget your achievements when you were young. I will reward you with a fishing boat, and you can fish on your own and continue to live. If you are really old and can't even fish, , you still don’t have to worry. I will send people to reward you with fresh fish every day until you naturally come to the end of your life.”
Rurik's words were really unheard of by Evro. He was a little moved, but still found it ridiculous.
The conversation between the two gradually attracted some mercenaries who had finished towing the ship. They gathered and soon realized the wonder of Rurik's words.
Because his master is talking about something that no one has ever considered - retirement care.
Talking about old age care in ancient times? It's really an unrealistic luxury.
Rurik is not unaware of this. Regarding this matter, in fact, more often than not, it is not that he is unwilling to do it, but that he is forced to do it due to the era of poor productivity.
There is an ancient saying from the East that when traveling on the great road, widows, widowers, lonely people and disabled people all have some support. This is a philosophical thought put forward very early in the Eastern world, and it is also the theoretical basis for exploring the feasibility of building a harmonious and harmonious society.
However, the Western world has been in a "jungle ecology" for a long time. The so-called concepts of social relief and elderly care are really magical for a kingdom established by a group of barbarians. Even if they generally believe in God, they still believe that it is the job of priests to relieve the poor, and that weddings and funerals are also managed by priests. Finally, the nobles were more concerned about whether they got the land tax.
Therefore, for tribes like the Ross tribe, which are more backward in civilization, Rurik has long been trying to change something.
Now, Rurik didn't bother to mention to Jevro his attacks on tribal governance, such as organizing a group of widows and poor women to buy their labor for tailoring work; hiring a group of older men, buying them to cut wood and Construction labor.
Especially for the orphans of the entire tribe, and even all the young children, regardless of gender, Rurik controlled them all, trained their bodies, educated their minds, and gave them better food.
Since the mortality rate of men and women in the tribe rises rapidly after they reach the age of fifty, the Russians do not need to consider the issue of old-age care.
Therefore, a haggard old woman like High Priest Vilia, who is now seventy-four, is truly a miracle of life.
But Rurik had to think about something in advance, and that was the tribe under his rule. As people's living standards began to improve, everyone's life span also increased. Especially with the widespread use of soap and the emergence of the new and warmer Novgorod woodcut rugs, the health status of the tribe has improved significantly.
Although everyone still believes that everyone has their own destiny, now the leader can properly take care of the children of the tribe. If he can also take care of the elders of the tribe, then the leader's power can be further supported.
From the beginning, Rurik did not believe that the so-called "Son of Odin" myth could maintain his prestige for a long time. Maybe he was indeed the "Son of Odin", but in reality, what the tribesmen need most is always sufficient food and warmth. residence and clothing.
Seeing his mercenaries gathering one after another, Rurik was just a chatterbox, but now he had to take it seriously.
It was indeed a dream in the past, but now Rurik feels that it is necessary to draw a giant pie for these guys who have worked hard for him before they grow old.
Rurik immediately stood on the bow of the ship and said loudly: "Brothers, you are in the prime of life now, but you have to think about what you will do when you are old."
Everyone looked at each other because no one had really thought about this problem.
"What do you care about?" a mercenary said carelessly, "We work for you and you give us money, that's enough. If we are rewarded by you for our military exploits and become members of the Ross tribe, that will be our greatest pleasure."
"What? That's all you ask for?"
"Otherwise?" Jevro shrugged, "Sir, do you really want to follow through on your words? Reward your brothers with fish and meat every day in a few decades?"
As soon as Jevro finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
To be clear, these guys obviously have an indifferent attitude towards their future.
Then someone laughed and said: "We are all soldiers, how can we grow old one day? Maybe we will die in the next battle."
"Yes! As long as we who died in the battle can be buried or burned into ashes, that will be fine."
Of course, some people think that if they are lucky enough to live long enough to be unable to hold an ax or a sword, and are rewarded by Rurik's master, then they will bless their master's family with eternal prosperity in another world.
Therefore, no one doubts that the wealthy Rurik is bragging. They really don't have that much thought about their future. The so-called life is one day at a time.
Only a young mercenary said carelessly: "Sir, as long as you reward me with a woman, I will fight for you for the rest of my life, no matter what kind of battle."
I'm afraid this is the only thing a mercenary should never say!
Yevluo slapped the kid on the head directly: "You are an idiot. How can you make such a request to an adult?"
"What he said makes sense!" Rurik slapped the boat gang to attract everyone's attention: "Don't you just want women? Okay! You are loyal to me. You are my warriors now and will be my warriors in the future. Now I want to You promise that when you have fought for me for five years, I will find beautiful and young women to be your wives. You will give me more boys, and your sons will continue to be my soldiers. When you are old, Don’t worry, you’ll have some food until the end.”
Everyone believed that Rurik would never break his promise. This kid was never a liar. He had fulfilled too many promises, and he must have fulfilled what he solemnly said now.
In this regard, Yevluo felt very happy, but did not show his excitement on his face.
On the other hand, other mercenaries stamped their feet and shouted Rurik's name, praising his greatness.
After encountering such an episode when inspecting fishing boats, Rurik thought about the feasibility of implementing these matters.
Anyway, in this era, the highest level of consideration everyone has for elderly care is to get some food that will prevent them from starving to death when they are too old. After all, no one wants to die. Everyone wants to live forever. Once strong and proud warriors, they would rather die in battle than commit suicide when they grow old.
If you give some fish as a reward, it will be considered as a pension, but the financial expenditure of this kind of pension is too small.
Rurik thought about it, and based on this standard, he felt that he could simply build some nursing homes, especially the old guys who had been fighting for him all their lives, gather them together, continue to take care of them until they die of natural causes, and finally circle a piece of land as a cemetery for veterans to bury.
In the final analysis, Rurik felt that doing so would provide him with psychological satisfaction and the support of elite warriors.
Yes, a young soldier recruited by a company, because he fought for his master, got his own woman, house, and even a livelihood industry that he could engage in after he retired from the army. If he couldn't do it anymore, his master was still responsible for the pension in the last period of his life.
With such a good thing, Rurik didn't believe that they didn't work hard.
When Rurik saw that the young warriors of the tribe were supporting his cousin Arik, a fighting hero, what could he do? The young soldiers under his command, even including girls, currently only number more than 300. They are all children!
Facing his cousin, Rurik really felt a hint of worry. All he could think of was to recruit more warriors, especially warriors from other tribes in the same alliance, and give them good treatment in order to make them work hard.
The more he thought about it, the more Rurik felt that the slogans of ancient generals to motivate generals, such as "grab money, rob food, rob women", seemed vulgar and even ugly, but actually had underlying logic. In particular, the group of tribal warriors from the Ross tribe are more appropriately described as pirates than warriors.
After all, the order had long been given to Gould, who was going south to do business. Presumably, this old guy will arrive in Roseburg at the end of August or early September with a large amount of daily necessities and a group of people. At that time, a group of new mercenaries will definitely join the team, and a group of poor children will also join.
I'm afraid there will be another problem by then. Rurik is a little worried that the old mercenaries will inevitably have objections when they see the newcomers earning the same salary as themselves, even if they keep it to themselves.
what to do? Increase your salary!
As a result, Rurik quickly increased the salary of his mercenaries. The so-called monthly salary of an ordinary mercenary is ten silver coins, which has now increased to fifteen. For an expert like Yevro, the salary increased to thirty silver coins.
Of course, getting more pay means that mercenaries have to continue to do hard and boring work in peacetime. Usually they have to do logging work, so that they can exercise their physical fitness, and they can also earn some money for Rurik through wood processing and selling firewood, thereby reducing some net expenses.
The mercenaries have a new job, which is to use the captured ships to fish in the sea.
After all, most of the mercenaries were fishermen themselves. They were too poor in their hometown of the Melalen tribe. Since they could not compete with their brothers for the family business, and they were not recruited by the leader of Melalen to become private soldiers, they had to go out alone to make a living. In their hearts, the Russians gave themselves a chance to develop. Even if their master was a child and had a magical legend, the master really gave them real silver coins and good weapons. They thanked themselves. 's master.
Therefore, when Rurik asked them to take turns being fishermen in peacetime, everyone was very satisfied. If I am not satisfied at all, it is that the boat I am using is too old.
Everyone complained that the Gotlanders used the poor quality wood on the island to build broken ships, but they only had such ships on hand.
In fact, Rurik arranged for all twenty ships to be sent out!
There are some elderly men in the Ross tribe. They are actually only in their forties, and they are aging quite seriously. They can no longer go to war, and the work of logging and fishing is actually not very affecting.
Rurik quickly signed a contract with some people, that is, up to fifteen fishing boats were rented out. As for the rent, half of the catch was paid entirely.
For the time being, because of the simple folk customs of the tribal residents, Rurik does not have to worry about these boat charterers paying less than half of the fish without conscience. If they are really greedy, Rurik does not want to attack them immediately.
As for the other five boats used by the mercenaries in turn, all the catches will naturally belong to Rurik. Even so, the mercenaries still work hard, because they know that the fish they catch are not for their masters, but what they catch is the rations of the mercenary brothers! They think it is reasonable to catch fish for their brothers, so that in future battles, because of the friendships established in life, they will have brothers to protect their backs.
Captured fishing boats are finally starting to show their value!
Rurik also personally selects tenants when renting a boat. He chooses fishermen who only have worse boats at home. Their hard fishing is actually saving money to buy new fishing boats. Now they can rent Rurik's boat for a long time. They think it is Fortunately, I did another financial calculation and found that my living standard will improve. So is there any reason not to sign the contract?
Renting fishing boats to obtain catches was Rurik's purpose. It can be said that only in this matter, Rurik became a "classical landowner" in the true sense. However, Rurik does not need to sell the fish caught by the fishermen. Rurik even gives priority to purchasing the remaining catches of the charter fishermen. All the catch was eaten by the children. What was the result of this?
Its benefits are obvious.
Even if the technology of the current fishing industry is underdeveloped, the number of fishing boats can be increased, and the catch yield can be increased.
The total amount of food Rurik gave to his children has not changed, but Rurik's financial expenses have indeed dropped significantly!
What’s even more interesting is that because Rurik’s men nailed strange letters on the captured fishing boats with wooden strips, all twenty boats had hull numbers on their bows.
The so-called ship number is from "RFB01" to "RFB20". The meaning is very simple, R stands for Ross and FB stands for fishing boat.
They are Rurik's boats. In order to avoid suspicion, other fishing boats dare not disturb these fishermen's operations. This brings about another interesting effect - the average catch of the fishing boats under Rurik's command is more than that of his peers. .
