For those merchants, the taxes or equivalent goods collected at once amounted to three hundred and thirty pounds of silver.
Rurik "invented" the concept of commercial tax a year ago in the spring. At that time, how did Otto think that he could reasonably squeeze so much money from merchants in a year's time. Together with the levies provided by Gould, the Roseburg tax this year amounted to over four hundred pounds of silver.
The silver coins from the tax will naturally continue to be stored, and all the leather used to replace the tax was sold by Rurik to Fordegen, who owns a tailoring workshop. When Rurik ordered a batch of clothes, he didn't have to pay even a single copper coin for the labor service, because Vordegen's labor paid off the tax. This is a concession to the Fodegen family at this stage, which completely stimulates this guy's fighting spirit.
In Rurik's view, Vodgen's workshop is like a lamb. There is no need to shave its wool before it grows up.
Otto was overjoyed to receive a large amount of tax money, and the white silver coins made him give up his previous concerns.
Do you want to continue spending huge sums of money to build big ships? Then keep building it!
From now on, some taxes will be raised every year to let those merchants take the money and let them pay for the big ships of the Russians.
Otto took it for granted that the merchants were big fat sheep. He did not encounter any setbacks in this regard, and he did not know that he could not be too ruthless.
At this stage, Rurik does not have any concerns about the tax system, and tax increases and tax reductions are not the main issue. The population controlled by the Ross tribe is too small. Although its strength is limited, the cost of managing such a "city-state" in an orderly manner is actually not high.
Do the Russians really need those foreign merchants?
Rurik's soul is still oriental. After some self-examination, he may still have some small farmer ideas in his heart, and he also has a big commune idea.
Ask yourself, what are all the efforts you have made for?
In the final analysis, it is not to ensure that the Ross tribe can control all the lifeblood of survival. Including the original intention of building large ships, it is also to ensure the efficiency and safety of material transportation in various settlements.
In Novgorod, the local Slavs spontaneously formed more than a dozen communes and farms with a population of more than 1,000 people. In the Eastern Land, the Kewen people also formed clan tribes of hundreds of people based on kinship ties.
As for the Russian people, they have been migrating north for more than half a century. For a long time, everyone has lived in groups.
Rurik made a judgment. He felt that the Russians did not need merchants from other tribes to participate in commodity trade. The Rus have the right to rule the trade of all goods in the northern gulf, either taking full possession of it or giving a small concession to the 90% share of it.
The Rus don't need other tribal merchants to compete for living space unless they swear to join the Rus.
Now that the tribe has built multiple settlements throughout the Baltic Sea, the Rus are completely able to build an internal trade system, a high-level trade system governed by tribal leaders. In this way, the lifeblood of all survival supplies is firmly controlled and regulated by Leader Ross himself.
power? centralization?
The tribal council system that was negotiated in the past also needs to be changed.
In the harsh natural conditions of Northern and Eastern Europe, people needed a hero. Rurik just wants to be a great hero, but he has already tasted the taste of power, and he longs for more.
So if we really squeeze those foreign merchants and scare them away from coming to trade, I'm afraid it won't do any harm to the Russians. For foreign trade, the Russians can just organize their own fleets. Right now, the tribes in the alliance need to maintain harmony, and the Ross tribe should not make things impossible.
The goals of Otto and Rurik are obviously highly unified, they just want money. If Otto had the instinct to be greedy for money, then Rurik wanted to continue making money and build strong military strength for the Russians. At present, the Russians do not have to attack others on a large scale, but they must have the ability to withstand the attack of the Danish army.
As the strongest combat force that the Russians currently possess, the launch of the sailboat Avlora will serve as the prelude to the start of this year's trade season!
The Great Sailing Ceremony is about to begin, and Otto has made some arrangements before that.
This year's Sorgon voyage is still the top priority of the tribe, and Otto handed over the task to Arik and Kawe. These two men definitely did not just leave with hundreds of brothers, they also needed to take their wives and children with them.
The first batch of Novgorod women to marry gave birth to mixed-race children who were almost one year old. Children of this age could already withstand the wind and waves of the sea. The children really have to participate in this first Sorgon voyage in their lives. They must prove to the leader that they are still strong Russians even with the blood of Novgorod by being safe and sound.
This year, the fleet is not just a tribute. The people of Novgorod must provide tribute as usual. Otto optimistically estimated that when they saw their daughter visiting relatives with her children, they would definitely provide more tribute and hand it over to their uncle in person.
After collecting the tribute, Arikdan led his strong tribesmen to continue building New Roseburg.
Therefore, on the occasion of New Roseburg, blacksmith Kawei will play an important role, that is, he will work hard to train a group of new blacksmiths in the local area. As long as conditions permit, he will build a group of furnaces and even look for local ores.
Arik was destined to be absent from the alliance's leaders' meeting, which made him quite regretful.
The order was issued by the big leader, so what else could be done?
The younger brother is the truly noble person. Only he can inherit the position of leader and only he can participate in the alliance.
…
A warm southerly wind began to blow from the sea, and it poured into the east-west Rossberg Fjord, bringing comfort to everyone.
There are still some ice floes floating in the sea, but they no longer pose any threat.
Look, the once silvery world is now rapidly rejuvenating. It's the large-scale melting of snow that makes the world quite wet.
Roseburg is back to life, as evidenced by the wildly growing grass. Lo and behold, the reindeer herds returned from winter grazing, and the deer herders didn't stop. They started spring grazing around Roseburg. April is also the calving season for reindeer. Reindeer calves are born one after another, and the herd expands rapidly within a week.
The large-scale calving of reindeer is a good sign, and in the same month, some Russian babies are also born.
Now, people are looking forward to the perfect conclusion of a grand sacrifice, and then thousands of boats will sail into the sea.
The grand sacrificial ceremony is today!
Just because of the careful preparations in the past few days, the thawed bay has already changed its appearance. For example, the gravel land was cleared and not only became smoother, but also a large number of cylindrical pine trees were laid on it, forming a road leading to the sea. This so-called road is quite special because at its end, it faces a steep slope in the fjord, where the depth of the water drops sharply.
People with smart minds have already understood that this road is the sea road connected by the Avora.
Lo and behold, the ship has already rigged up her huge sails. Even if the sails are temporarily tied to the astonishing length of the slanted beams, she will look very beautiful with her sails spread out. People have also noticed that one of the details added to this ship is that she added a foremast (used to fix the cables, and the bow sail is not installed yet), and a wooden sculpture is inlaid under the mast. It was not a ferocious monster, but the image of a girl in a skirt. Even if the wood carving was rough, it could not be associated with words such as scary and majestic.
Many people were willing to ask why, and Gould simply replaced Rurik to publicize the reason.
The wood carving is a lucky female elf, and the elf's name is "Aphroola". This explanation strikes a chord in people's hearts. Everyone who is eager to go to sea is extremely eager for luck. The purpose of praying for a big sacrifice is to get good luck in sailing on the sea.
The Great Sailing Festival is sometimes merged with the Spring Festival. This year, it is special that a ship as big as the sea is involved, so for this sacrifice, more sacrifices must be made.
The purpose of sacrificing animals is to stabilize people's hearts. Rurik also spent a lot of money this time. He intended to sacrifice ten reindeer to Odin, Frey, Thor, and even the sea god Agil.
Early in the morning, the entire Roseburg residents, wearing thick clothes, crowded to the seaside. The total number of people exceeded 6,000.
A group of Ross people have moved to the new settlement, and only those with outstanding strength are left as merchants. These 6,000 people are basically the entire population of Rossburg, and those infants are still unable to show their existence.
A wooden altar stands on the seaside. It is surrounded by a large number of stones that form the shape of a ship. Next to it is the road made of pine trees, where the big ship was finally launched.
High Priest Vilia showed off her braided silver hair. She sat on the sedan chair and didn't want to say much, but her heart was excited.
She could say that she had chosen someone. Even though Rumia was a deer herder, this girl was indeed spared her life by Odin, and she was the perfect candidate for the new generation of high priest hinted by God.
Rumia is indeed very ambitious. This year she will host the most important sacrifice of the year for the Rus people, and she is fully prepared.
On the altar side, there were more than 200 little Rus girls. They wore simple linen gowns and tied their belts with a hemp rope. They all wore wreaths woven with the latest sprouting wild flowers on their heads. The ten Slavic maids from Rurik were the most gorgeously dressed. Not only did they have gold and silver nameplates, but the flower crowns they wore were hung with colored glass beads.
Unlike other girls, these ten slaves will participate as priests.
On the other side, as many as thirty cables were thrown down from under the ship.
The entire ship is fixed by cables, but it is really too heavy. Even the pine trees on the ground are smeared with seal oil. It is not possible for dozens of people to pull it.
There are thirty cables, and each cable can be divided into several more cables, so that multiple people can pull one rope.
How many trackers will there be? Otto waved his hand, three hundred people!
Now, they have taken action!
The Russians take it for granted that they can push the boat ashore when not in use. They don't think pushing the boat is a big problem. Even if it takes some effort, it is worth it.
They never imagined that one day three hundred brothers would have to work together to pull a large ship into the sea.
With the flat-bottomed Avrora, she heeled slightly to port and slid slowly over the pine logs.
Thousands of people watching the excitement collectively cheered the movement of the big ship, making the entire fjord fall into a long roar, but the trackers remained silent.
Three hundred people pull a ship with a displacement of fifty tons. With the lubrication of grease, pulling is no longer difficult, but it is not easy either.
Rurik and Otto had been walking at the head of the team and watched the movement of the ship nervously. There is also a group of people around the big ship. They are shipbuilders and a group of warriors carrying wooden stakes. If the ship accidentally rolls over, they need to insert wooden stakes as soon as possible to avoid trouble.
Fortunately, the Russians had rich experience in towing ships, and combined with the formation skills they had developed during the war, the three hundred people's pace was highly unified. Even if they didn't say a word, the ship still moved at a steady speed, and moved to the altar in full view of everyone. .
The ship arrived at her correct position. Lumia, who was wearing a deer-horned helmet, tried hard to hold up her head, which was heavier than ever before. She stood directly in front of the oak keel of the ship, feeling her own insignificance and the greatness of the ship.
It's like a dream.
She fell into an indescribable daze. Rurik, dressed in costume, hurried over and grabbed her hand: "The big ship has arrived. Rumia, it's your turn."
"Yes, it is."
"You? Are you shocked?" Rurik laughed softly.
"It's a big ship, it's huge."
"Then let her get into the water as soon as possible. Rumia, complete your mission. The clan members and Grandma Vilia are watching you."
Yes, six thousand pairs of eyes were focused on the ship and the altar. Rumia was undoubtedly the star of the entire tribe, because everyone knew that the high priest had essentially changed. A deer herder girl is also qualified to be the high priest of the Rus. Is God’s authorization true? Most people still believe that seeing is believing, and only if she does a good job in setting off the voyage, will people really recognize her.
Rumia was a little afraid of giant objects. This was the first time in her life that she had seen such a big ship, and she was sincerely happy for its owner.
"Can we start now?" Rurik urged.
"Okay, let's get started."
Rumia supported her heavy helmet and stood upright. Seeing this, Rurik left wisely and waited for the ceremony to proceed step by step.
The noisy scene quickly quieted down because of the children's singing. The girls in plain clothes and flower crowns were using their ethereal singing voices to enhance the sanctity of the sacrifice.
Some of the songs were traditional Russian folk songs, but they did not move Rurik in terms of beauty.
There is only one song, "Turbulent Youth," which Rurik himself deliberately gave to the children to sing. This song is catchy and inspirational. Rurik modified the lyrics to suit local conditions, and it became a hymn that urges young people in Russia to work hard and achieve success. In the lyrics, for example, "turbulence" becomes "challenge", and "my heart is looking towards the distance" becomes "my heart is thinking about the wealth in the distance".
Those middle-aged people will be dead, and the future of the tribe needs all the young people and children. Rurik really knew that it was ahead of his time to set some great goals for them. They expanded and they fought for wealth and praise from others. For example, this big sacrifice is to make everyone feel at ease in the pursuit of wealth.
The children's songs made everyone happy, and some even sang along and filled in some weird words and pictures for fun.
The ballad was the prelude to the sacrifice. Otto, who was watching the grand event with a group of soldiers, couldn't help but secretly admire his son's ability to create a scene.
Many of the items in the sacrifice were simply major changes made by Rurik after listening to the preliminary arrangements of the priests. Rumia listened to him the most and continued to act according to the script.
A girl in plain robes stood high on the altar, chanting ancient prayers fluently. She sings praises to the gods and to the ancestors of Rus.
She prayed for God’s blessing, not only for the safety of all ships during this year’s trade season, but also for the safety of large ships.
"O Gods! Please accept your son, on behalf of all the people of Russia." Rumia opened her arms, and her body could not stop shaking because the antlered helmet was too heavy. Those who were closer to the altar subconsciously felt that a mysterious force was penetrating the entire body of the new high priest.
In this rare opportunity for the whole clan, Rurik relied on the words of the high priest to confirm his identity as the "Son of God". He used to be the so-called "child blessed by Odin", but now his status is more advanced.
After saying that, Rumia trembled violently, and then fell directly to the altar. Her unexpected behavior immediately caused an uproar among the clan members.
She slowly stood up and shouted at the top of her lungs: "Kneel down! Odin is asking for his sacrifice."
Thousands of people, without any doubt, fell to their knees. Ordinary people kneel down on their knees, while warriors kneel down on one knee. The gentle sunshine spreads on people's backs, making them feel warm and sacred.
Rurik was also shocked by such a scene. He saw his father also kneeling on one knee, and many people's eyes were staring at him, the "Son of God."
With a metallic buzzing sound, Rurik drew his dagger and walked straight into the Stone Ship Altar.
The older lower-level priests covered the deer's eyes with cloth and forced them all to the ground.
Rurik was also unambiguous. He was ruthless and stabbed the backs of the deer's necks one by one, killing them instantly, and then cut off their blood vessels.
The deer's blood dyed the altar red and even flowed to the sea.
Under everyone's thrilling gaze, Rumia Yin Hong raised a piece of deer liver with both hands and announced in public: The direction of the blood vessels is auspicious.
All this is inevitable, everyone needs an auspicious answer, no one questions it.
Rumia slowly put the deer liver into the bronze tray. She glanced at Rurik, nodded deeply, raised her right arm, and showed her scissor hands.
The people who had been well prepared finally saw a signal from the high priest. A roar came from nowhere, and the three hundred strong men pulling the boat began a new action.
Everyone realized that the big ship was finally entering the sea. No, a road was immediately opened on the beach.
Some strong men were still pulling the rope, and more men were as strong as bulls. Fifty or sixty people worked together to hold a thick pine log.
There were two pine logs against the stern of the ship. Everyone worked together, dragging and pushing, and finally pushed the Aurora to a critical position.
"Brothers! The big ship has been launched! Let's evacuate quickly!" It was Huotra, the shipbuilder, who roared the loudest in his old voice.
All the strong men hurriedly dodge, because the big ship was like a slide, slamming into the sea on the sloping road covered with grease-covered pine trees.
The big ship stirred up unprecedented waves, which may have been as high as six meters, but it was a wash to the faces of those watching from the shore.
Six thousand pairs of eyes saw that when the sea calmed down slightly, the big ship was shaking violently from side to side, and gradually returned to calm.
The Avora, she finally entered the sea and finally floated in the fjord of Rossberg. There was no possibility of her capsizing or sinking, and even slowly drifted toward the depths of the bay due to inertia.
Fortunately, the strong men on the shore pulled the ropes and completely tamed the big ship.
People cheered and were excited. The shipbuilders burst into tears in excitement, and some breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that they had created a great existence.
Rurik, as soon as he finished washing his hands, he was hugged by Carlotta and Ella and cheered, but the corners of his mouth were only slightly raised.
This is indeed a scene worthy of cheering, but it is only the beginning.
The ship was moving, and the person pulling the rope gradually pointed the bow toward the shore.
The recently carved "wooden girl" on the bow of the ship is the soul of the Aurora and a lucky elf that everyone wants to believe exists. Aurora is facing the boiling Roseburg with her calmness...
