Since the birth of Rurik, the series of auras inherent in him have caused the traditional model of the Ross tribe to select the strongest leader as the leader through competition, instantly collapsed.
Yes, who would refuse the "Son of God" to lead everyone to become rich and powerful? Judging from the current situation, the entire tribe is undergoing positive changes.
The humblest people who had been forced to depend on the strong men of the tribe began to receive favors from the chief family as never before, and they became Rurik's powerful supporters.
The tradition of selecting chiefs through martial arts competitions has lost the ground for its existence, and the Rus tribe began to implement a hereditary system in Rurik's generation.
Many tribes in the alliance have completed this change. Those families that have held power for a long time certainly do not rely on mystical buffs. They rely on strong economic capabilities. By controlling the economic lifeline of the entire tribe, such as becoming The largest landowner has hereditary power.
But among the most populous and powerful Melalen tribe, Olegin's family did not truly control the highest power.
There are many wealthy people in the tribe. They are all large landowners who own a large number of acres, boats, and even cattle and sheep.
They were surrounded by a large number of tenant farmers and serfs, and they relied on this financial resources to support a group of private soldiers.
As usual, they have to pay a tribute to their leader Olegin every year. Of course, for them, the so-called tribute is a symbolic bit of wheat. Tributes were more of a formality, in which numerous wealthy landowners pledged their loyalty to the leader.
At least in the Olegin area, he has huge financial resources and private soldiers, which can ensure the stability of the family's power and the political ecology within the Melalen tribe.
What about the next generation?
The eldest son Karl was born to be a nobleman. He thought highly of himself and never failed to compete with others with weapons in hand.
Olegin was a strong man when he was young, and he had the last laugh in the struggle within the family. However, in this life, I only have one son, Karl. Therefore, he named his only son "Karl", which means "strong man".
Olegin married many wives, and all he got was one daughter after another. Unlike his failed brothers, Olegin could hardly feel their cuteness due to the presence of a large number of nephews. These boys grew up one by one, all eyeing his power.
To hold power, one can really only rely on the eldest son's personal ability.
Young Karl was in the prime of his life. When he started to grow a beard, his father deliberately guided him to approach women in order to make the male family prosperous as soon as possible.
A few years later, when Karl had grown into an extraordinary warrior, Olegin finally got his wish and had his own grandchildren, but he was still a granddaughter...
Only the strongest among men can inherit the identity of their leader. For the benefit of the family, Karl gradually indulged in female sex.
Just like the people of Malaren who ruthlessly spread their crops, Karl also did the same. Finally, in the past few years, Olegin had his own grandsons one after another.
A brightly dressed and very tall and strong young man, he paused his free time for a while and returned to the core of the rule of the leader of Melalen, the castle wrapped in thick wooden walls.
He was Karl. At the age of thirty, he cut off his hair on both temples with a knife, leaving only a section from the top of his head to the back of his head, which was carefully tied into braids. He has a completely alienated Mohawk hairstyle, and his beard is deliberately cut short, making his mental outlook full of competence and manly strength.
A large number of Malaren landowners knew that they could not have the power of a leader. In order to maximize the interests of the family, they had to deliberately have their daughters have an affair with Karl, preferably to give birth to a boy, so that they could rely on their grandson from Karl, who was likely to become the next leader. Relationships get a piece of the pie.
It can be said that each of them really has what they need.
Olegin didn't mean to blame Karl for his rare return, but only welcomed his son.
It was a rare occasion for the father and son to sit down and talk together without the interference of a third person, but Carlton was not in a good mood.
"Father, are you saying that Rurik is coming? He is just a child, and you praise him when you see him, but you actually want to interfere in my life."
"Sigh. That Rurik is said to have been blessed by Odin. The mysterious Rus people have become very active in the past few years. I have to beware of them."
Karl was very disdainful: "Could it be that you are afraid of them?"
"Afraid? Bah!" Olegin's anger suddenly rose: "In the alliance, I will not allow anyone to threaten the power of our family."
"Don't you think that Rurik is a threat?"
"It's just those rumors and the information passed to me by spies, so I have to be cautious."
His father put on a scheming face, which Carl found boring. "The secret agent told me everything, but there is something strange about that boy, and the Russians are also strange. They are training those children, and they have also made some very good weapons. What can this say? A threat?"
"I'm afraid it's a threat." Olegin shook his head with his mouth tightened.
"I don't think so. No one can challenge our power."
"At least it was no problem during the era of my rule, but you! When you are the leader, you must beware of the Rus. Their ambitions are no worse than yours."
Karl was really unhappy with his father's threatening tone. He clutched the knife in his hand and said viciously: "It's a good idea that he comes tomorrow. Then kill him to avoid future troubles."
Olegin was trembling with fright at his eldest son's words. He estimated that because of his eldest son's slightly frivolous and self-respecting character, he could really do harm regardless of the overall situation.
"That's not okay! If he really dies here without any reason, he will be enmity with the Rus people. At that time, other tribes will not trust us, and they will feel that they will encounter a conspiracy if they go to the meeting."
"So what? Is there anyone more powerful than us? We in Melalen don't need any outsiders."
"You!" His son actually said something to him? ! When Olegin thought of something, he slammed the table angrily: "Stupid! Our ancestors forced the Gotlanders to withdraw from the alliance, and now they have become the hounds of the Danes. Do you want more allies to withdraw from the alliance? Are we enemies? Now the Rus are frequently attacking the Gotlands and Danes, and I did not seize the opportunity to rescue the Ostara people from the crisis. Many tribes resent me, and many tribes respect the Rus. Otto, and you actually want to kill Otto’s son.”
"It was your mistake not to save the people of Ostara! If I were the leader of the alliance, I would have organized a large army to fight back." Karl could no longer control his emotions and directly contradicted his father.
"But if we do that, we will have to fight the Danes, and we will suffer heavy losses. The other tribes will stand aside, and in the end, we, Melalen, will suffer the most. Do you think I don't want revenge?" Olegin tried his best to explain what he thought was a political maneuver, but In Karl's opinion, it is really reasonable for the world to criticize his father for being unreasonable.
Karl shrugged: "Then I will meet Rurik tomorrow to see what the so-called Son of Odin is."
Hearing the disrespectful words from his eldest son, Olegin was a little scared: "It's better to be more respectful. At least we have to respect the great god Odin. Maybe that child has really received a favor."
"Forget it. I think it's useful to sell the grain in exchange for a lot of silver coins. Since the Russians have brought a lot of money, let's make a deal with them. The words of Odin's son and Odin's blessing are not important at all."
What else could Olegin say about this? The only thing he felt gratified about was that while his eldest son was hanging out with a group of women, he not only miraculously maintained his physical strength, but also looked at some issues very pragmatically.
Yes, getting money is the last word now. The Ostara tribe was destroyed, and Olegin was infamous for not saving his life. He felt that he needed a victory to reestablish his authority. The war required the Melalens to take the lead, so in order to have a greater chance of winning, he You need to get money by various means, and use the money to upgrade your army to better swords and shields.
When Olegin revealed his demands to the businessman Gould, he never expected that the Russians would respond so quickly. The Russians came with huge amounts of silver coins, and he already had a plan in mind to get the money.
The appointed day has arrived.
In the morning, Rurik changed into his best clothes. He wore a coat sewn with ermine, and a tight leather band wrapped with gold wire restrained his waist. On the belt hung a short sword and a dagger as usual. He deliberately wore necklaces strung with amber and glass beads and displayed them in a flamboyant way. A hat of snow fox fur is worn on the top of his head, with a fluffy fox tail hanging on the back of his head, echoing his golden pony tail.
He is a beautiful boy, his gorgeous clothes show his power and wealth, and his firm eyes make anyone who sees him for the first time think that this child is extraordinary.
This time, Kawei also rarely put on the clothes tailor-made for him by Gould. He felt that he was no longer a warrior risking his life, but a businessman. Putting on this gorgeous outfit that Gould had obviously given to his sons who were about to grow up, Aric's mentality was really contradictory.
If possible, he would rather put on a piece of leather armor inlaid with gold and silver, put on a helmet riveted with copper leather, and spin his two swords around his waist to meet the leader of the alliance.
Of course, Arik also longed for wealth. He longed to express himself with beautiful things. It was best to maintain his martial prowess while wearing colorful clothes, so that standing in front of the battle could let his opponents know that he was a unique ruthless character.
"It's really strange. I'm a warrior, not a businessman. Now I feel like I'm your son."
Gould sighed secretly in his heart. He wished that one of his sons could have even one tenth of Arik's martial prowess. He smiled and said: "The servant will help you put on your clothes. My hero, I am sorry to have to wrong you today, just play the role of a businessman."
"Oh, I'm just worried that the guy won't recognize me if I change my clothes."
"Olegin had better not pursue what happened a few days ago. But an apology must still be made." Gould continued, "We are not going to seek revenge and provocation this time, but to implement what we have negotiated before."
Hearing this, Arik stretched out his hand to stop the two maids from serving. He turned his head and said, "Attention! It's your negotiation. I'm here just to help my brother get things done."
"Oh, yes. We all need you to bring courage to everyone. I hope your aura can intimidate them and make them accept the money and hand over the food obediently."
The conflict in Arik's heart will never go away, and he will never make a so-called apology. If he was required to make some statement at that time, he planned to not say a word at most, using silence as a form of contempt. He also has his own bottom line. For example, if he, his brother and the Ross tribe are verbally insulted by each other, what can he do? Draw your sword and fight them!
Arik could not imagine the risks that would arise if something like this happened. He thought highly of himself and thought he could fight his way out single-handedly. As for thinking of the worst outcome, I'm sorry, but Arik had never tasted the taste of failure. He had no idea. fear.
Rurik guessed a lot of these thoughts in his mind.
Yes, is it possible for a ruthless man who has killed countless people on the battlefield to surrender to someone he hates?
Rurik just hoped that nothing would happen after landing for a while, and his cousin must not take the initiative to lose control. Rurik still took some insurance, so the entourage was all carefully selected. For example, the mercenaries from Melalen were all arranged to continue resting on Gould Island, and all of them were replaced by veteran soldiers from Russia, and the battle Experienced Jevlo.
Two polar bear skins as gifts were tied up and placed in a wooden box. Placed on top of the leather were two bear heads with their brains removed and their mandibles removed. The hole-shaped eye sockets on the bear's head and the sharp fangs on the upper jaw show its fearsomeness. The upper jaw bone was completely knocked off, so that the entire bear head can be placed on any warrior's leather helmet.
After the meal, Rurik and his party were energetic. They boarded a long boat, facing the refreshing lake breeze, and the oarsmen rowed hard to the shore.
This time, for the first time, Gould hung a small flag on the crowd of gathered sailors. It was a piece of white linen cloth, with two pieces of cloth in the shape of an oar dyed sky blue stitched onto it.
This is the "oar" style used by the leader of the Ross tribe, and those who understand will understand it.
Hanging up this temporarily stitched flag is actually Rurik declaring his power to the Melalen people.
The ship docked, and the Melalen messengers who were waiting for the two "princes" of the Ross tribe had been waiting for a long time.
In fact, this private soldier was waiting on the beach with a group of private soldiers, and finally helped the private soldiers pull the long boat to the shore. They had already had a confrontation with Rurik and his group for many days. Only this time, the two brothers were dressed in costumes, and the accompanying guards were also carefully dressed up by Gould.
The private soldiers were busy paying attention to the fact that all the Russians were wearing expensive leather clothes and delicate furry hats on their heads. Their wealth was really enviable.
So, who cares about the faces of Russians?
At that time, Rurik and his party all wore burqas, and most of their faces were always covered.
None of the private soldiers realized that something was wrong with the situation, but they also discovered something was wrong, that is, there was a little girl obviously accompanying the fat Gould. Oh no! Maybe it should be two little girls.
The bald messenger looked very funny and held his heart in a warrior salute to Arik, who was dressed in costume. "You must be Rurik of Rus. Distinguished guests, please allow me to lead you to meet the most distinguished leader."
Facing the own goal, Arik really wanted to laugh.
Fortunately, he noticed the real Rurik's signaling look from the corner of his eye. Not only did he hold back his laughter, but he also suppressed his emotions and tried his best: "Oh, we are here. I don't want to say anything else, take us away."
Hearing "Rurik's" voice, the messenger always felt a little familiar. He was looking at the group of Russians who had landed, and especially glared at the two little men who were accompanying them.
The messenger's mind was a little confused: "Wait a minute! My master ordered me to welcome the two sons of the leader of Ross. My master does not allow women to meet him, even girls. Maybe that Arik did not come? If so, you ...Noble Rurik of Rus, you can go alone."
At this point, Aric could no longer hold back his voice. He laughed heartily, causing the Melalen messenger and other private soldiers to look confused.
