The two leaders embraced each other after more than ten years. How much friendship is there and how much hypocrisy is there?
Rurik felt that there was more hypocrisy in this.
After all, if economic and trade exchanges are put aside, the Russians do not need the Mellarens, or even the entire alliance.
Otto unceremoniously showed the caution of the Ross people he represented. The so-called secret meeting place was at the edge of the forest. The participants could always be watched by Ross soldiers, and they would naturally intervene immediately if some situation occurred.
Even if Olegin is a little dissatisfied, he must agree.
During this trip, Olegin went in secret. Except for his own bodyguards, there were no other important personnel, not even anyone who acted as a scribe. The key to the so-called secret meetings and secret agreements is not to leave evidence that can be inspected by a third party. It is best to keep the agreement at a verbal level, with both parties tacitly fulfilling the agreement afterwards.
Olegin sat upright, and so did Otto in front of him.
After all, they had not seen each other for more than ten years, and the atmosphere of this meeting was really tense with a hint of embarrassment.
In the end, Olegin was the first to break the silence: "The messenger I sent told you my needs, plus the agreement I made with your Rurik last year. Have all the goods, especially the weapons, arrived?"
"Is asking about this the only reason why you asked me to go to the appointment?"
"It's not just that." Origen pretended to be a "subconscious action". He gently touched the crown on his head, which was obviously a hint.
Otto narrowed his eyes at him and already understood that the rumor was true: "All the goods you asked for have arrived. So what about the things we need? I want money, a lot of money. I also want other things, such as oats and flax. , and even slaves, these are very important to me."
After receiving an affirmative answer, Origen breathed a sigh of relief. Even the Russians mentioned by Otto also requested it. The current situation is really a bit special. "That's really great. I urgently need a batch of weapons now. Since you have fulfilled the contract, I will send someone to pick them up soon."
"Wait! You didn't answer my question."
"Oh, you mean the money to buy weapons? Haha..."
Olegin laughed slightly awkwardly, and the meaning was really self-explanatory. Otto and Rurik immediately cheered up and looked extremely solemn.
Although the following statement is somewhat disrespectful, it must be a major event involving huge amounts of wealth. Otto put on a stinky face and asked extremely rudely: "Don't you plan to give me money?"
"Huh?" Olegin made a skillful tactical move, "I didn't say that."
"What do you want to say?"
"Ah! Actually, I have more to tell you about this matter." Olegin started fighting just as he planned. This move was really uncomfortable.
"If you have anything to say, tell me! Here, you and I are both businessmen, and the key to doing business is to have money in one hand and goods in the other."
"But sometimes things get complicated." As he said this, Olegin did not tell the other party that he wanted to become king for the time being. He did not believe that Otto, the old guy, glanced at the gold crown and did not know what it meant. "You must know what happened in recent years. You Russians have attacked our enemies many times, but the enemy's retaliation has also been very brutal."
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Carlotta, who looked a little dull, and said intentionally: "The armies of the Danes and Gotlanders attacked Ostara, and it is said that there were also Oslo troops among them. They organized A coalition forces launched a large-scale sneak attack when we were unprepared. If I endure this, how can I serve as the leader? I have decided, I want a war!"
When Olegin spoke, Carlotta's brows became more and more frowned, and when the word "war" was uttered, her whole body was trembling.
Carlotta was never afraid of war, she even longed for war and any force that could help Ostara get revenge.
The situation became extremely strange. Rurik and Otto watched helplessly as Carlotta suddenly stood up, then hurriedly knelt down in front of Olegin and asked in a very complimentary manner: "Master, are you...really Are you willing to avenge us Ostara people?”
"Of course. Child, please get up. You are taller and more beautiful than last year. You will become a good leader. Unfortunately, your tribe has suffered too many losses. You can rest assured that I will not because of your tribe. If there are too few remnants, I will ignore you. Ostara is still part of the Alliance."
Hearing these words, the girl's eyes were already covered with tears. It was this scene that really gave Rurik a strong hatred. This is not obvious! Olegin is poaching in reverse, and the child Carlotta is also not up to par. Has she always been a person who lacks independent opinions? Or is it that she can actually sacrifice everything for her revenge.
No, Olegin wanted to use some words to show that he was actually a gifted and loyal person, vowing to get rid of all the unfavorable remarks about his family.
"I will launch a revenge of the same scale to avenge the people of Ostara. I will also collect the bodies of the dead and hold funerals for them. I also learned some information that the Gotlanders did not leave Ostara. They even occupied the old land of the migrating Grants and built their Gotland settlements, and it is reported that there are many Danes inside."
At this moment, Otto was blaming himself. It was really wishful thinking that he had an obedient daughter. Who would have thought that this girl was essentially dependent on the strong. Putting aside her irrational behavior of not being able to see the situation clearly, Otto now completely confirmed the authenticity of those rumors. In this case, other details of the rumors must also be true.
Maybe, everything was released intentionally by Olegin to test the direction of public opinion in the alliance.
Otto's face was solemn and his eyes were deep. He coughed twice suddenly and reprimanded: "This is a meeting place for men. Women should stay away for now."
These words made Carlotta tremble in shock. She hurriedly sat back down in her seat, lowering her head and glancing at Otto from time to time. Her eyes expressed an apology.
Yes, this must be a meeting between two old men. Rurik has long wanted to insert some words, so he will continue to wait and see for the time being.
Otto's face relaxed slightly, and he was glad that the girl Carlotta's conscience had not deteriorated. He pretended to be looking forward to the war and deliberately said: "Based on what I know about the Gotlanders, their preference for burying silver coins and gems cannot be changed by anyone. If we defeat them, it is very likely to make a fortune." "
"No! You will definitely get rich."
Olegin was extremely happy to see the cooperative attitude shown by the Russians. Money! Who could not love it?
"It's not enough to just help the people of Ostara get revenge. This is a war, not a fight between two people. We must expand the results and go south along the coastline. We must organize a huge army. A fleet of ships, a large army. Haha, I saw that you brought a huge transport ship this time, which is great. It may not be suitable for combat, but it can definitely transport a large amount of goods."
Being able to dismiss the Aurora as just a large transport ship, Otto was cursing in his heart, but there was no clue on his face.
What about Rurik? Now he feels secretly happy in his heart. The Melalen people are competitors of the Ross people. The more they ignore the strength of the Ross people, the more conducive it will be for the Ross people to develop. It would be great if Olegin believes that the Russians are "strong and excellent partners."
While showing off to the Mellaren people, he also tried to hide his strength as much as possible. Although this was contradictory, Otto still had to act cowardly according to the agreement with his son and the prepared plan.
"Oh, you mean that big ship? She is indeed a large cargo ship, and only she can transport all kinds of materials that you, the leader, need to Melalen. I know you will happily buy all our goods, we The Rus will receive a vital sum of money, and you will also receive the weapons, leather, soap, glass, and even spirits you need."
"Of course, your cabin will be empty. Let's talk about the money. Our coalition forces will participate in fierce battles and plunder. When the battle is over, I will give you a large amount of loot. In the end, you will return home with a full load. You will definitely get more than Imaginary money. You don’t even need to land to fight, there won’t be any casualties, you just need to wait quietly for me to hand over the loot to you.”
Otto and Rurik never expected that Olegin's opinion would be like this. So the question is, if this is really the case, will the Russians still send troops to join the coalition?
Otto felt a little insulted, and he had to ensure that the Russians had the necessary face in the alliance: "Are you letting us get something for nothing? We are warriors, not businessmen, and we want face! Since you want that, I will give up all the weapons and leather Sell it to you, and you give the money to me in a few days. We Russians can just go back home after participating in the alliance. We have no right to go to the battlefield anyway, right?"
Say it, Otto made a move to get up and leave.
This was a way to provoke the generals. Olegin immediately reached out to retain him and sternly denied: "I am the leader of the alliance, and naturally I am also the commander-in-chief of the alliance. This time the entire alliance will act jointly, and I can arrange the work of each tribe. I will arrange for you Russians to transport some Logistics supplies, such as wheat and dried meat. You happen to have a huge ship, which can naturally transport a large amount of food and fresh water. Isn’t this ship also the best ship for storing loot? "
"I don't want to hear this now. Are you saying that you don't have enough silver coins to buy the leather and weapons we provide?"
When the matter reached this point, Olegin simply stopped hiding it. He said weakly and timidly: "Unfortunately, my funds are very tight."
"Huh? Is it possible that even the richest Melalenite will be troubled by financial problems? Are you going to be the first to renege on the agreement you made with my son?"
"I'm not! I didn't! Don't talk nonsense!" Olegin glanced at Rurik a few times.
Otto was not present when the agreement was made last year, and now it is obviously Rurik's time.
"Leader, we still hope to get the money as soon as possible, even if it is goods of equal value, such as wheat. There is still a lot of wheat in your barn, even if it is old wheat, you can just give me more. Originally, I also We still have to continue to buy your wheat. From now on, we Russians will buy in large quantities every year, and we don’t even need silver coins or copper coins as a medium."
These remarks are very constructive. Origen really hopes that the Russians will buy grains every year so that his tribe can continue to obtain high-quality leather and high-quality ironware. After all, the iron weapons of the Russians are magical. At present, Olegin hid his dagger very tightly just to save face, for fear that the other party would see that the item that the leader of the alliance regarded as a treasure was also made by the Russians.
Olegin expressed an idea and followed Rurik's words: "This year's climate is very warm, even warmer than in previous years. The wheat harvest season has returned to August, and we will definitely have a bumper harvest this year. But I don't have much grain in stock now. Many people in Malaren are actually starving. The food in my barn will be used as rations for the soldiers on the expedition. Before the rations are used up, we must attack the Gotlanders and Danes. We must plunder their wheat and cattle. Sheep. This is not just for revenge, but also for us to survive."
Rurik estimated that this guy finally spoke his mind, about revenge and glory. The underlying logic in his simple words was that the Melalen tribe had no food left.
But they had no food left, so what did the Russians lose? Ross actually owns the fishing rights in the entire internal area of the Gulf of Bothnia, and with the tribute from the Novgorod people, even if he is so poor that he eats fish every day, it is just a return to the normal days of the past. It can be said that the Russians have eliminated famine, and everyone has begun to study hard to "eat well and eat well".
If famine did hit Mälaren, what was going on with the large number of fishing boats cruising the lake?
Otto asked about this and received a pessimistic reply from Olegin. The so-called fish in the lake are not as abundant as in the sea.
"The best fishing ground is occupied by the Gotlanders. We were the losers in the past and lost it. This time we will take back the fishing ground."
Otto really couldn't complain, and he didn't want to reveal that the alliance's lost fishing grounds, that is, the waters from the Åland Islands to Gotland, had fallen into the terrifying shadow of Ross warships and cutting-edge weapons last year. Of course there were plenty of ships cruising there, but many of them were identified as Ross.
Otto's attitude towards the Melalen people is really complicated. It must be an alliance. Today's alliance leader Olegin actually kept his attitude very low. He actually frankly revealed the internal dilemma of the Melalen tribe. He believed This guy will not show Melalen's weak side to other tribes.
The alliance leader is trying to win sympathy, as for the reason! Otto actually guessed that of course this guy would give money for the sake of glory and credibility, but it was impossible to give money immediately. Strictly speaking, it was the alliance leader who violated the agreement last year.
Rurik kept a careful eye on the wooden document signed last year, but he always carried it with him. Given the current situation, he had no intention of letting Yevro take it. Everyone cares about face, and Rurik really didn't want to see the fact that "the alliance leader openly violated the agreement."
Of course, old agreements can be revised, and people doing business must behave flexibly. Based on this principle, Rurik deliberately pinched his fingers and said with strokes: "Fifteen hundred weapons, according to the agreement, the price is a battle ax of 30,000 silver coins, and a spearhead of 10,000 silver coins. There are also fierce Wine, soap, etc., if you are interested in buying them, the price will not change. Oh, the price of soap can be reduced a bit. The goods we can provide cost more than 60,000 silver coins."
Sixty thousand silver coins is a huge sum of money for Olegin's family from any point of view! After all, the Melalen tribe is not his private property. Many wealthy families have the ability to compete for the alliance leader. It's just that these scheming businessmen are just busy making money. They continue to support and support the Oleg family. Glory returns. Olegin, of course, he should be responsible for anything that happens. The Olegin family has the power to collect taxes, but the tax collected cannot reach those large households. Therefore, the Melalen tribe itself is also a small "tribal alliance" in a strict sense.
The Sveyan Tribal Alliance is like a matryoshka doll.
Olegin was not the supreme emperor and could never be one. He made a golden crown for himself and even imitated the Franks in calling themselves "kings". He also had a long-cherished wish to break this matryoshka pattern.
However, the title of "King" is just a title. If there is no loyal and powerful military guard, this person calls himself "Augustus", which is nothing more than a plaything of a powerful chief.
The plan for the war had been conceived since last year, and rumors had spread long ago. Olegin was interested in raising troops, so he spent huge sums of money to add armor and weapons to what he regarded as elite private soldiers. He also selected a group of qualified soldiers from the tribe. With the young people, the number of private soldiers has skyrocketed to 800 people. This is the source of his power! It is very expensive to feed this army. He actually has a strong gambling element. If he does not get enough spoils in the war, he will not be able to maintain an army of this size for long.
The number of private soldiers increased, and so did the number of warships. What troubled Olegin was that why did the Hotla family, who were good at building large ships, move to Rus? It was so embarrassing to talk about, so he simply didn't mention it.
Rurik calculated the accounts for the alliance leader. If all the goods were bought by Olegin, there would indeed be 60,000 silver coins in the account, but it was a pity that the other party could not afford so much money.
Therefore, there are huge operable elements here. Rurik coaxed and said: "I believe that the alliance leader has actually kept his promise. Some things happen during the performance of the contract, and sometimes it is irresistible. We can talk slowly."
"Well! I'm very happy with what you said." Origen calmed down a little.
Rurik showed that sweet smile, and the lake breeze blew, making him elegant and refreshing, making the gold silk even more beautiful. What Olegin saw was a handsome young man, but he didn't know that behind this handsomeness there was a special "knife" that he had never seen before.
Rurik pretended to be magnanimous: "We Russians have an obligation to fight against our enemies. Over the years, our alliance has united to fight back against the enemy, and we Russians should provide manpower and material resources. I can immediately provide you with our weapons, which The price is 40,000 silver coins, you can get it even if you don’t have money now. But..."
Olegin's eyes trembled rapidly, and things took a huge turn. As a man with strong needs, he couldn't wait: "I will try my best to satisfy your request. I want weapons."
"We Russians can serve as the logistics force of the coalition forces. As you said, we need to divide the spoils. This spoils should not be less than the value of 40,000 silver coins. Oh, the best is 40,000 silver coins. In addition to this , you have to give us additional benefits, after all, we are not your transportation team."
"Huh? I can allow you to participate in the looting after the battle. How much you loot is your own business."
"That's not the case." Rurik stretched out his right hand to object, "We Russians are not vultures that eat carrion, and it's not like we didn't fight against Gotland. They killed my uncle, and I can't wait to eat his flesh alive. We Of course there will be victory, but the Russians are taking a huge risk. What if you loot less? What will you pay back?"
"It's wheat."
"Okay! Wheat." Rurik waited for Olegin to say these words: "Since it is a bumper harvest this year, the price of wheat in the market will inevitably rise to no less than one silver coin for fifteen pounds. We will follow the instructions Let’s calculate it at fifteen pounds. Forty thousand silver coins can be exchanged for six hundred thousand pounds of wheat.”
Olegin pinched his chin. He was a little hesitant. He always felt that he would suffer a big loss in the future.
Before Rurik finished speaking: "I will also charge additional money, which is called interest. You have to pay for the risks we Russians take."
"Ah! This..."
Rurik had a stern face, he was no longer cute, and Olegin realized a kind of coercion: "Interest, how much?"
Of course Olegin understood the concept of "interest". This abstract concept emerged naturally and was mainly reflected in the collection of land rent. Olegin actually understood it very well.
It's a loan shark! Today's era has no restrictions on interest rates. For the future of his Ross tribe, Rurik wants to be a "evil person" this time.
"I want an interest of 100, and you can get the weapons of the Ministry quickly. When the harvest season comes, you have to return me 1.2 million pounds of grain. Or after the battle, you can give us Russians 80,000 silver coins. "
Olegin almost broke his few teeth. The boy in front of him was still handsome, but his words were really vicious. This guy can talk about such crazy interest rates! But! Weapons are just needed! Axes and spearheads made of "hard iron" can turn ordinary iron into waste. The leader did not want his men to be equipped with such magical weapons.
But he didn't think about it carefully. The Russians had come up with so many high-quality weapons in a short period of time. What was the real military strength of the Russians?
Olegin gritted his teeth and asked: "In that case, can your crossbow..."
"No." Rurik refused directly without any consideration.
“Can’t you buy just one piece of wheat for 10,000 pounds?”
To be honest, Rurik is a little excited now, but this is still a matter of principle at this stage, and it cannot be broken. "No! It just can't be done. Leader, have you thought about it? I don't believe it..."
Suddenly, Rurik suddenly came to his senses. He changed his honorific term and called Origen the king.
"Dear king, my respected king, great king." Rurik deliberately emphasized that the word "king" is nobler than "leader", and he said it three times, which really made Olegin extremely excited.
"You...I haven't said anything about this yet, but you have already..." Olegin's old face was shaking with excitement.
"Yes. I believe those legends are true, that's why you wear the crown. If you become king, my father and I will support it, as long as you can meet the requirements of us Russians." Rurik has already made these plans Discuss with Otto, "We Rus people and Ostara people will support you at the formal alliance meeting, even if we kneel down to you, we will set an example for other tribes. We have done this, you You will get glory, and you must also give us tangible benefits. For example, give us 80,000 silver coins and the equivalent amount of wheat."
Otto took advantage of the situation and expressed his position: "I have noticed your actions since I saw your crown. As long as you meet our needs, I will take the initiative to salute you as a warrior."
It can be said that Olegin, who was in a dilemma just now and had sweat on his forehead, now faced with the promise of Otto and his son, he no longer had any reason to refuse.
What Origen needs most now is the support of the Ross people. He knows that the strength of this tribe cannot be underestimated, but he does not want the Ross people to really steal the show in future wars. Only the Olegin family of Malaren can steal the show. The Russians are actually the best support team. How great would it be if they could be appeased with a lot of money?
Because Olegin, what he needs is power! What is needed is for some powerful tribes in the alliance to set a clear example and kneel down on one knee, which cannot be bought with a million pounds of wheat!
Origen stood up and solemnly expressed his position: "I completely agree. You support me in becoming king, and I will give you huge benefits. We will always be brothers and comrades-in-arms..."
