The short summer in Northern Europe comes to an end in mid-August.
The climate was no longer warm, and a rain swept across the entire region, suddenly pushing the climate that was supposed to be slowly cooling to autumn. When the temperature drops, it becomes difficult to climb up. When the rain stops, Gould, who is in the south, stands on his island in the morning and can clearly feel the coolness and the hidden worries that this coolness brings.
Summer is finally over!
Just over the past three months, he had made a lot of money at the market in Mälaren while carrying a large amount of goods from Fort Ross.
What surprised him a little was that Olegin, the leader of Mellaren, a man who had always been considered harsh by the world, was now willing to spend a lot of money to buy leather. Olegin was "sweeping" the leather for sale in the entire market. Due to his power and financial resources, all kinds of leather vendors sold out their goods in a short period of time.
The leader personally took action, forcing a large number of ordinary people who wanted to buy high-quality leather to lose their right to choose. They were holding the limited silver coins that were almost deformed in their hands. They were faced with the few remaining defective items, and their prices were quite exaggerated. Even the last inferior leather, there are still people willing to buy it. For ordinary people, if they can't get linen, they can only rely on leather. They have a sense of shame and need to repair or make new ones.
Shame? Maybe Olegin has become a little shameless in the hearts of his people.
He actually asked for more tribute from all the professional merchants of the Melalen tribe! He also gave this behavior a noun, "tax." In this way, merchants in the market, even Norwegians who sell slaves captured from unknown places, as long as they do business, in addition to paying a land rent, they also have to pay a "tax".
"Oh, things are getting interesting. Tax? The tribute is going to increase?"
Gould didn't understand how they knew the word "tax". As a result, he saw that Olegin was trying to find more grease from his people. How to manipulate the "tax" opponent? know.
But what does this have to do with myself?
At least until now, the people Olegin asked for "tax" were limited to the Melalen tribe. For other tribes, the old method is still the same, that is, as long as they do not set up stalls on the shore, there is no need to hand over even a copper coin as tribute.
The Gould family never had to go ashore to operate. He and his eldest son set up a stall on Gould Island, which was controlled by their family, and customers would naturally come by boat.
Of course, the customers included the envoys sent by Olegin.
They were a group of guys who spent money lavishly. They came with real money and bought Gould's products in large quantities. It was obvious that they were well prepared for such behavior.
Soap, leather, and some ironware were all bought by these destined messengers.
Especially the colorful glassware with beautiful workmanship and the spirits stored in transparent glass bottles. They shocked the messenger and also shocked the leader Olegin.
In early June, Gould's large stockpile of goods was basically sold out.
The gross profit from revenue is no less than 50,000 silver coins, and the net profit is astonishing. In other words, Gould Island suddenly had a huge amount of five hundred pounds of silver in a short period of time.
He, Gould, is Rurik's official dealer. This is the case now and should continue to be the case in the future. For him, backed by the strength of the Ross people, Gould is more confident in doing business. He is not afraid of the Malaren people being unfavorable to him. Especially in the current situation, he increasingly feels that he can open up a new world in trade. field.
what is that?
For the greater good, Chief Ross should make direct face-to-face transactions with Chief Melalen.
Lake Mälaren is at its busiest in July.
Fishermen from the lake's mouth encountered large numbers of Ross fishing boats heading south to catch fish, and some exciting news spread throughout Lake Mälaren.
The Russians have indeed built a camp on a deserted island opposite the estuary, and the Russian army is attacking the Gotlanders!
Isn’t that exciting news?
The Ostara tribe was destroyed, and a large number of southern allied tribes were forced to move north. The Siya tribe alliance's efforts to expand southward encountered serious setbacks when Olegin was the leader of the alliance.
Who would have thought that at a time when people were grieving and angry, the "traitor" Rus people who escaped to the north had never forgotten that they were part of the alliance, and they were actually braver than the most powerful Melalen people.
Public opinion became more and more fermented. While a large number of Mellaren people praised the Russians for their feats, they also secretly belittled Olegin's cowardice.
This Olegin is not only cowardly, but also bad. He is a greedy guy who only wants to expand his own strength.
People use swear words to express their grievances, but is this really the case?
The reason why he is the leader is to be responsible for the entire alliance.
Over the years, Olegin's understanding of the Russians was that this group of "traitors" who ran north provided a large amount of leather every year, and a group of merchants also ran north every year. It is said that the Russians have a god Rurik who descended from heaven. The legend came from the mouths of businessmen, and the story became more and more bizarre.
After all, the name of the great leader Otto is slightly similar in pronunciation to the great god Odin that everyone revered.
This is good, people need to get some talking points in their boring life, and now that the talking points are here, people begin to tease Rurik as the "son of the great god" and the "god of Asgard who descended to earth". The person who said this The truth of the story becomes more and more intense.
Olegin didn't believe these rumors at first, but he couldn't help but be wary.
The fact is that the Russian sales of leather, a traditional commodity, have continued to increase in the past two years. Not only has it hit new highs, but its quality is also quite good. Not only that, the Russians were able to take out some once rare objects in large quantities, and the prices they proposed were no longer extremely expensive.
Glassware, soap, and flammable spirits in glass bottles.
Drinking the burning wine and feeling the fire in his stomach, when he sobered up after a hangover, he even claimed to those around him that his soul had left his body.
Xiao Zuo, who arranged to go to Fort Ross disguised as a businessman to inquire about information, claimed that all the changes came from that Rurik.
He described what he saw and heard in detail, but many things seemed to Olegin to be really great stories.
One boy ruled over hundreds of children and even treated them to meals.
What other bow is made of iron? How is this possible?
It is impossible for Olegin to completely believe what Sezuo claimed he said was true. However, the fact that the Russians asked for money from merchants aroused his strong interest. This is "tax". Olegin, the leader of Mälaren, Follow the same rules.
The understanding of the Russian people has deepened. During this year's trade, Olegin also learned that the Gould family, who were originally from Onkras, have become completely Russian people.
Things have become very subtle!
Gould already had a problem with Olegin. After all, he was shouldering a heavy responsibility. In order to complete the task, it was obviously a shortcut to get the support of the leader of Maclaren himself.
What about Olegin? He is eager to know more about the Rus people, and he is even more eager to establish some kind of close connection with the leader of the other party. In the past, he had nothing to do with the affairs of the Rus. As long as the Melalen people controlled the vast lakes and the agriculture and animal husbandry of the Svealand plains, everything would be peaceful. Now, facing the increasingly serious threat of war, he needs to obtain more military power for himself in the war that is likely to break out in the future.
Both parties had strong demands for contact, so they set foot on the Gould Road again to inform the leader of Gould's wishes. What he received was Gould's unhesitating affirmation.
The time has entered August, but the situation has become very delicate, or rather tense, in the vast farmland cultivated along the lake controlled by the Melalen tribe.
Although some people grow earlier-maturing oat varieties, more people grow traditional varieties.
On a normal day, people in Mälaren plant their seeds at the end of March or early April, and the oats begin to be harvested in mid-August.
The sowing period was delayed by a month due to the sudden extension of winter. The seedlings that were supposed to be in the heading stage are still green.
Gould originally intended to meet Olegin as agreed, but a continuous rain canceled all plans.
After the rain has passed and the weather has turned cold, the agreed affairs should be implemented.
A small boat left Gould's Island, and the most distinguished people on board were Gould and his eldest son Snoleva, who were dressed in costumes.
The ship docked, and the two men, accompanied by ten mercenaries (also paddlers), headed straight for Olegin's mansion, which was surrounded by wooden walls.
Thick oak wood formed a solid wall, and each piece of wood was tightly tied with hemp rope in misplaced positions, and a sharp blade was cut out of the top to prevent outsiders from entering.
"Dad, is this their house? That Olegin is isolated from his tribe."
"Alas, he is worried that his wealth and power will be backlashed by his people." Gould sighed.
“Is the wall necessary?”
"You...how could you ask such a stupid topic?"
"But."
Gould patted his eldest son on the head with his fat hands and said, "Fool, of course the powerful must be separated from the poor."
"But Rurik..."
"Oh? What do you think of him?"
"He...he is a kind man. He eats and lives with those lowly people. He is a good man."
"Good guy?" Gould wanted to laugh but felt it was inappropriate. "Rurik is an adult, but you are a child. What he calls kindness? What he calls winning people's hearts. Compared to the Oleg we are about to meet, Rurik knows how to be a leader better."
At first, Gould did feel that Rurik was a little too kind, but after the child experienced a war, many things did change. Rurik, he has done whatever it takes to get money, and even Olegin is following his example.
While the two were waiting, the envoy sent by Olegin pushed open the wooden door, nodded and bowed in front of the two distinguished men, and asked to enter Olegin's mansion.
The dirt road outside the wall is also the same inside the wall.
Gould looked left and right. It was indeed the first time in his life that he had entered Olegin's territory. Unexpectedly, when he actually entered it, what he saw was a simple scene.
It was a building made of a large amount of wood. Only one house was the tallest and could be seen directly from outside the wall. It was a tapered building, but it had no wooden floors.
"I didn't expect that this noble guy would actually be willing to sleep on the ground?"
Gould was a little speechless. He and his eldest son followed the guide straight to the simple hall, which was the tallest building, without any mercenary guards.
The wooden door was opened, and a thin-looking guy sat upright on a low chair wrapped in bearskin. Beside him were some wives, concubines, and servants, but not a single armed warrior.
There are a large number of wooden steps on the wooden wall, and a large number of bronze lamp holders are placed on them. In particular, there were chains hanging from the ceiling and a chandelier with glowing fire, which kept the room from being too dark.
The hall is just dry land, with some hewn stones and some leather placed on them. There are also a lot of leathers on the ground, which are obviously for people to sit on.
"Are you Gould? Oh, looking at your clothes, you are indeed a distinguished person."
Gould and his eldest son bowed slightly as usual with their right hands on their hearts. He had heard about Olegin's appearance and knew that he was a somewhat thin man.
"Dear Chief Melalen, I am indeed Gould. The weather is really bad and it delayed our meeting. I apologize to you."
"It doesn't matter." Olegin waved his hand, and at the same time, the wives, concubines, and waiters all retreated with interest.
In a short period of time, Gould realized that he, his eldest son, and Olegin were the only three people left in the huge hall. While things became very delicate, Gould also realized that today's meeting may be very secretive for both parties.
"The noble leader..."
Gould tentatively wanted to ask, but Olegin went straight to the point: "My friend, I like the Ross products you sell very much. Maybe you already know some of the reasons why I invited you, and I also learned that you have already Became a Rus. Hurry! I want to know more about the Rus."
"Ah! Is this why you asked me to see you?"
"Of course! Tell me quickly, and I will satisfy all your demands as long as they are reasonable."
Gould's question was knowingly asking, and he was already prepared for it. But he didn't expect that Olegin was also very proactive. Even this man, who was obviously much thinner than the leader of Ross, Otto, was even more urgent in his attitude.
Under the delicate current situation, Gould abruptly assumed the role of Rurik's "foreign minister". To safeguard the interests of the Russians is to safeguard the interests of the family.
On this issue, Gould knew he had to be precise.
He had already prepared some words. While touting the strength of the Russians, he also deliberately kept many things, such as the fact that the Russians conquered the "Land of the East", as well as the construction of New Ross Fort and Elon Orava. Fort et al.
Of course, there are some things that cannot be concealed, and that is the matter of the Russian leader Otto going to Novgorod in the far east to ask for tribute. This has been done for decades and cannot be hidden at all.
This incident was really not surprising to Olegin, and he had no reason to lead his tribe on a large-scale expedition to ask for tribute. He only had to ask for tribute from the tribesmen who farmed and fished.
After all, compared to the Rus, Mälaren and all the people living in the Svealand Plain, they can completely rely on growing wheat, growing vegetables, fishing in the lake, and raising livestock on small flats. They can meet their own needs while having a certain degree of satisfaction. surplus. They knew that they could not even defeat the powerful Danes, so they held on to their territory and tentatively expanded grazing pastures and arable farmland.
For them, times have really changed. Although they were all Viking tribes, Melalen's ambitions for expansion were gradually diluted by the stable life of farming.
Gould wanted to show that the strength of the Ross people was "not to be underestimated", and that the Ross people were very keen on trade. He also wanted to reflect the poverty of Rossburg, and took the opportunity to praise the Malaren people for sitting on a geomantic treasure. . He simply did not mention the expansion of the Rus and the ambitions of Otto and Rurik.
In Gould's description, Rurik is a smart boy, but he is not the "Son of God" in the legend. Otto is also a courageous leader and a ferocious pirate.
There is a big discrepancy between Gould's description and his detailed description. Olegin would rather believe Gould's statement, because in this set of statements, the various bizarre legends about the Russians are completely interpreted as an exaggeration of the facts. Make Olegin feel more believable. They are just ordinary people who are better than ordinary people. Rumors are just rumors after all. Olegin let out a sigh of relief.
