Olegin was levying excessive taxes, and the unprecedented tragic news soon spread to Gould Island.
Rurik didn't want to comment on this, because this approach can be said to have been done since ancient times. Any powerful person has robbed civilians' property in this way, and civilians will only rise up to resist when they really can't survive. This is true at home and abroad in ancient and modern times.
Based on the intelligence that came back, Rurik learned that Olegin had not actually killed the goose that laid the goose to lay the eggs.
However, your violence will definitely make the lives of ordinary people who are already struggling to live even worse.
Looking at the vast lake, Rurik's sense of guilt quickly disappeared.
"If there is no wheat to eat, why don't you eat surimi? What does your matter have to do with me, the Russian people?"
Of course, what Rurik is most concerned about is the delivery of up to 500,000 pounds of grain. For this reason, Gould is already preparing a huge scale to count the shipped grain.
On Gould Island, a large wooden house was cleaned up. It was a warehouse used to temporarily store food.
Many wooden houses on the island are used as warehouses, and now many wooden houses are filled with goods. They are mostly vegetables such as onions and cabbage.
In this era, people did not have any scientific concept of diet. The biggest motivation for Europeans to grow vegetables was for a very simple purpose - they can be eaten.
In the Frankish Kingdom, some farmers had turned into full-time vegetable farmers, and the fees they paid were vegetables.
In the Nordic world, some land that is not suitable for growing wheat is widely used for growing vegetables, among which onions have the highest yield.
Gould's warehouse is stocked with onions purchased from the Hjelmalen tribe in the south. Every time she sees the onions in the warehouse and the stewed onion soup in front of her, Carlotta thinks of the bad things she did a year ago. Relatives have passed away one after another, but fortunately Ostara is still there, and those who survive will even have a richer life.
Because all the grain in the warehouse, as well as the huge amount of grain that will be piled in, belong to Rurik's property.
Rurik, what a kind man!
Even the children of Ostara are rewarded with food from him almost every day, and this reward also benefits a kind of slave child. The best way everyone can repay this gift is to play for Rurik. Practice martial arts well, and when you grow up, you can become a powerful army and take revenge on your enemies.
It is already the end of September, and the Melalen tribe under Olegin has finally completed this year's food harvest. Even though there was a drought, he got more food than last year, so much so that his own barn was not enough. If a cold rain suddenly falls at this time, a large amount of new wheat will be directly soaked by the rain.
Aboard a longship sat a distinguished visitor, none other than Cal the Arrogant.
His expression was very bad, he wore a sullen face but was dressed gorgeously, and his arrogant attitude really didn't deserve a beating.
The ship approached Gould Island and soon attracted the attention of the sailors arranging the ropes at the dock.
Soon, the mercenary who was standing on the wooden wall scaffolding on daily guard duty noticed that "a distinguished merchant" was approaching.
Gould and Rurik were warming themselves around the brazier in the warm wooden house, waiting for Olegin to pull all the wheat over. he
Rurik estimated how many cargo ships they would send, and he estimated that even if they were transported by large cargo ships, there would be seventy ships. Similarly, it is probably an almost impossible task for Ross's fleet to simply transport food back at once.
It can be said that just transporting this huge amount of food is an extreme test of an organization's ocean transportation capabilities.
The mercenary half knelt down and reported: "Sir, a businessman is here."
"Huh? Are there many ships?" Gould asked impatiently.
"Only one. Seems to be a merchant."
"Oh, I got it." Gould looked frustrated.
"What? You don't welcome merchants anymore?" Rurik asked inexplicably.
"Let's go and see what's going on." Gould patted his plump face vigorously.
He really doesn't want to do business anymore. Instead of accepting food, he is worried about another important thing, that is, how to transport the goods. Compared to the past, the fleet I need to organize this fall is also unprecedented. So only now did Gould suddenly realize that Rurik's previous order for two hundred cargo ships to the lions of shipbuilders was really not nonsense.
The two of them, with some entourage, wearing fur hats and coats, hurried out of the wooden castle and approached the dock.
At this moment, Carl has landed.
The two sides looked at each other, and seeing the disdainful look on this guy's face, Rurik felt an unknown fire well up in his heart.
Fortunately, Rurik suppressed his anger. When he saw Gould put on a good-guy smile, he had no choice but to keep a straight face and follow behind him without saying anything.
It's true that Karl really didn't want to say anything to Rurik. He didn't think a little boy could do anything other than imitate adults and say "great" words.
Karl was still arrogant and faced Gould: "I originally refused to land on your island, but the leader of the alliance asked me to be a messenger. I am here to tell you only one thing today."
"Oh, noble Karl, can you come to my..."
"Shut up! Listen to what I have to say!"
Gould, who was already half-clothed, immediately stood at attention, wondering why this guy was so arrogant.
"I'm just telling you that the grain harvest has been completed. Tomorrow you will bring your linen bags, boats, and your manpower to land at our dock, and we will complete the delivery of the grain."
As soon as he finished speaking, Karl immediately turned around, as if staying on Gould Island made him uncomfortable.
Gould stretched out his hand to say something, but Carl had already boarded the ship. The accompanying oarsmen were also very interesting. They listened to the master's order and directly pulled off the hemp rope that fixed the long boat, and then took out the oars, making the entire long boat run away as quickly as a water strider.
Until then, Rurik stuck his head out and said disdainfully: "This fool is so arrogant, he will pay the price sooner or later."
"But not now, my young master."
"I heard what Karl said, what should I do next?" Rurik asked.
"That's the news we're waiting for, just do what he says."
"However, we actually have to go and bring the food back in person. I heard that this was not the case last year."
Gould shrugged helplessly: "Who calls him the leader? The leader is a good face, even if we are a big customer."
"Are there enough ships and sacks?" Rurik asked anxiously.
"You don't have to worry about this." After Gould finished speaking, he sighed deeply. This move was self-evident. Obviously, Gould also lacked confidence.
The delivery date came unexpectedly, but fortunately Gould also made some preparations.
First of all, Gould's own cargo ships can gather twenty, and ordinary longships can gather thirty, which can be said to be basically his entire family fortune. So many ships were almost all built by the shipbuilders of the Melalen tribe, so the previous shipbuilders were very happy to see further transactions with the Rus.
Not enough ships? Since it can be solved with money, it is naturally not a problem.
Gould quickly discussed the plan with Rurik. Since buying grain saved forty pounds of silver, this money must be important to the farmers who were on the verge of bankruptcy. They could use it to buy their ships. Both sides could solve the problem. Urgent need. Of course, the boats you buy are all fishing boats, so don’t count on their carrying capacity.
Therefore, the two people's plan was that since it was impossible to transport the food away at once, they would do multiple operations. Anyway, as long as they continued sailing, from the island to Fort Ross, and back and forth in seven to eight days, the problem would not be big. It takes at most two round trips and uses existing ships to bring back all the personnel and materials.
Therefore, in order to ensure the priority of food transportation, cargo ships transport food and develop its transportation potential! In short, it is overweight transportation.
Of course that would involve some risks, but Rurik couldn't care less. Rurik couldn't believe it. The Malaren people, especially when they saw Karl's face that didn't deserve a beating, felt the hidden malice of the Malaren people. A huge amount of food is left on Gould Island, and this place may become a target.
The promised date is fleeting.
Over the past day, Gould put his men into full action.
All the cargo ships completed their various operations, together with a large number of ordinary longships, and even twenty Gotland fishing boats with average performance brought by Rurik, they all gathered on Gould Island and surrounded the island. live.
Using financial means, Gould easily hired some fishermen, promising them a silver coin as a reward and asking them to do the hard work of porters. As for the vast number of mercenaries and Ross warriors, most of them were sitting as guards and oarsmen.
Gould Island became extremely lively, and the fishermen passing by couldn't help but look sideways. Those who didn't know it thought that the Gould family was about to return. Many eyes were staring at Gould's actions. They were a large number of merchants. They were waiting to follow behind Gould's fleet. Just like previous actions, they took advantage of the blessing of Gould's fleet and arrived safely in Ross. Fort continues its leather business this winter.
However, Gould didn't say anything, so everyone had to wait and watch in uneasiness.
Who would have thought that this huge fleet would sail northward against the north wind with its sails raised, and the ships would dock near the shore one after another.
A large number of men waded ashore and soon formed a large procession. Onlookers saw that they were also carrying some huge utensils.
ah! They turned out to be several large scales, which were only needed when weighing wheat, vegetables and large fish.
A mighty team was walking in the slightly deserted streets of Mellaren. It was not because the tribe was depressed, but simply because no one dared to provoke such a mighty team. Their momentum can completely suppress the leader's powerful private army! At this moment, who would dare to wander around on the street without opening their eyes?
A group of people went straight to the warehouse of Olegin's family. At this moment, Olegin himself had got the news and he was ready.
All the wooden doors of the warehouse were opened.
Only when preserving grain, Olegin would use wooden houses with wooden boards. What he was most afraid of was that rainwater would contaminate the grain and cause it to rot on a large scale.
Inside the warehouse are crates made of wooden boards, with a large amount of wheat piled inside. In order to save costs, Olegin was of course too lazy to use sacks to carry grain, which made it easier for rats to breed.
Rurik and his entourage finally arrived, and the huge crowd really shocked Olegin. Fortunately, the hundreds of private soldiers who rushed over in an emergency bolstered his self-confidence.
Olegin stepped forward and faced Rurik, the only person of noble status.
He pointed to several barns with open doors: "Look, the food is all here. You seem to be carrying a lot of people, ah, I'm also thinking of finding some people to help you carry it."
This was just a boring polite statement. Rurik said bluntly: "Dear leader, please let me do it, so that I can rest assured."
Olegin suddenly felt a little unhappy. Is this kid still worried about himself?
"Well, at least let me provide you with a scale to weigh the wheat."
"Okay, okay." Rurik immediately signaled to Gould, and he brought over a large scale without tools. At the same time, stones used as standard measuring tools were also brought out. These stones are the so-called weights, each weighing one hundred pounds. .
"You...I prepared a scale for you, but you insist on using yours?"
"Why not?" Rurik shrugged, "Or are you worried about us doing something?"
Olegin couldn't say this kind of thing. He did want to do something a bit unreasonable during the weighing, but the Russians brought their own scales. Once the two sides compared it, wouldn't it be very serious if something went wrong? Awkward?
Olegin gritted his teeth and pretended to be generous: "Okay, Frey (the God of Commerce) is supervising, and our trade is fair."
just? Gould and Rurik both agreed that this guy must be a stumbling block, because he has the ability and motivation to cause a stumbling block.
People carrying the food were sent down, including local porters from Melalen, as well as mercenaries and strong Rus warriors. Especially the accompanying Ross warriors. They were asked by Arik to go shirtless in order to use their strong muscle texture to demonstrate to the leader.
It was Olegin who had the final say which barn the Russians moved.
The grain outlet of a barn was opened, and a large amount of shelled oats rushed into some large wooden boxes like a mudslide. They were carried to a scale erected outdoors. Under the supervision of Gould and others, the wheat began to To ship the sack, weigh it to 100 pounds and tie it (a sack is folded over the counterweight for accuracy).
It seems that everything is going on in an orderly manner.
Rurik looked at it curiously, but under the sun, he always felt that there was something wrong with these oats.
He stood up straight and looked around, only to see that Gould was only asking his men to carve words on the wooden boards to make statistics. From beginning to end, no one paid attention to the quality of the wheat.
Rurik glanced sideways and noticed the guy Olegin from the corner of his eye. There was always something strange in his eyes. Only people who had taken advantage could have such eyes.
"All pause!"
Rurik ran to the grain outlet of the granary and stopped his men from moving wooden boxes. He stretched out his hand to scoop up some oatmeal, rubbed it vigorously and threw it into his mouth. He chewed hard, and a very familiar feeling in his memory came to his mind.
"Alliance leader!" he shouted.
"Ah? What's wrong with you?" Olegin came over with some private soldiers, his hands behind his back.
Rurik pretended not to be angry. He raised his head and asked seriously: "You are using Chenmai to deal with me!"
"Chen wheat? This is new wheat."
"No, it's Chenmai! It's drier and has a strange taste. This is Chenmai, you can't lie to us."
Knowing that his plan had been discovered, Olegin not only did not feel guilty, he put his hands on his waist and looked like an adult criticizing a child: "Did the contract say that I must bring out new wheat?"
"Ah! You?! Oh!" Rurik then realized that he had made a small mistake. After this result, he actually admired Olegin. In such an era, people in the Nordic world were able to use loopholes in the contract to do bad things.
It's just that Rurik never expected that the Olegin family would still have enough food all year round. This is simply miraculous.
But the loss cannot be in vain.
Rurik directly ordered: "Stop weighing! Leader, from now on I want new wheat, even if they have not been properly dried. Leader, I think you don't want to get a bad reputation, right? The Russians are all here, and from now on We do business every year, and it's not right for you to lie to us. You give me new wheat, or all the wheat we weighed before will be returned to you. We go back with the money, that's it."
"You...are you despising me?" Olegin's eyelids couldn't help but tremble.
Rurik did not back down: "You are the leader, not a god. The tribes respect you as the leader because they believe in your credibility. When you lose your credibility, where is your majesty? Leader, do you care so much about yours?" That bit of old wheat? Or do you never care about us Russians and think we are just some fools from the north who only know how to transport furs?"
Olegin had no choice but to laugh happily. His right hand subconsciously rested on Rurik's hat, but Rurik immediately pushed it away.
Rurik said with a sullen face: "Give me new wheat, and I will give you high-quality silver coins. Let me give in. If you insist on giving me old wheat, I will have to give you the worst silver coins. In this way, neither you nor I will lose."
For a moment, Olegin was stunned.
Olegin didn't want to make things perfect. He was as miscalculated as Rurik. He really didn't expect that this child could actually tell the difference between fresh wheat and old wheat. When he thought of his arrogant son Karl, who had no family and no relatives, he suddenly wished he had a son like Rurik, even if his grandchildren also had such a boy.
However, the Russians got a treasure.
Soon, the transported wheat was completed into new wheat, which had a strong aroma unique to oats and grass, proving their quality.
Weighing and moving is a huge job that starts early in the morning and continues at night. Is just weighing enough? The porters began to walk straight to the dock with Maizi in good health, and carefully waded into the water to move the sacks to the ship. As soon as the ship was basically full, they returned immediately.
The Russians are using ants to move as much as 500,000 pounds of wheat, which is equivalent to nearly 200 tons of wheat!
When night falls, the work of weighing, handling, and shipping continues. There were a lot of torches lit on Gould Island this night, especially the wooden castle. There were even some small boats floating quietly on the lake, with only oil lamps on the bows. More than thirty small boats desperately lacked carrying capacity, and their lights formed a line, which was the route that guided the grain ship to safely reach Gould Island.
The final shipment of half a million pounds of wheat was not completed until the evening of the next day.
During this period, silver coins weighing 455 pounds were loaded into more than 20 wooden boxes and all moved to Olegin's home.
When he saw these coins of good quality, Olegin's whole bones froze, and Karl, a desire called possession, also penetrated his mind. He immediately asked his father for a box of silver coins as a reward for reporting the news, which was naturally rejected by Olegin.
The father and son even quarreled over it, but this was no longer Rurik's concern. The plan has been achieved. Although some of the wheat is still old wheat, overall I still make a profit.
This is good, a large amount of wheat has been put in place. Theoretically, only the final preparations are needed before the huge fleet returns and ends this wonderful journey of the Melalen tribe.
Of course, returning home is another nerve-wracking event.
