Rurik had an extra batch of gems in his warehouse, for which he paid a huge sum of money.
The old Eric family from Denmark did get a considerable amount of wealth. They did gain a lot from this adventure to Roseburg, but they were also restricted in their freedom.
Rurik had no intention of using force against these people, but was worried that they would be killed once information about the "Danes" was leaked.
Let the tribe know that the Duke actually received the Danes, and the public opinion will not be good.
The Russians and the Gotlanders had a hatred. The other party had completely collapsed, and this hatred was lifted. There is no hatred between Russia and Denmark, but Denmark and the Kingdom of Sweden are in a state of hostility. This is to force the Russians to be hostile to them. Because of this relationship, openly attacking the Danes was considered justifiable.
Eric Sr. was not a guest, they were still being watched.
However, through this adventure, Rurik came up with some wonderful ideas.
At dawn tomorrow, the "big army" of Beishou will set off. A group of capable men are going to the north for hunting, and Rurik is in urgent need of high-quality timber and important chromite ore from the north.
He had a plan that he urgently needed to discuss with Gould, the great businessman, and just before departure, he came to Gould's mansion.
The banquet was a joyous one, and Rurik was not too interested in the sizzling barbecue on the table.
"My old friend, tomorrow my son Snoleva will also go to Ironburg for training, so tonight you are here to congratulate him..." Gould looked naive. He was very interested in this year's precious leather trade. confidence.
Snoleva, who was as fat as his father, sat cross-legged on the leather cushion. Looking at his figure, he had to hold on to the table to stand up.
Rurik shook his head: "Forget it about experience. Only by becoming thinner can Snoreva possess the basic qualities to become a warrior."
"So how can I lose weight."
Snoleva was indeed dissatisfied with his body, but he was still clutching a barbecued leg of lamb as he spoke. Rurik could only continue to shake his head: "You can't lose weight, this is your fate. .So you can never be a warrior, but you can make a difference in business."
Rurik obviously had something to say, so Gould hurriedly asked: "Are you... planning to arrange some affairs for him?"
"Yes! It's an adventure. You know, any adventure is dangerous. Taking the biggest risk will bring the biggest benefits after success."
Gould's head tightened: "This has absolutely nothing to do with going north?"
Rurik said firmly: "I want him to go to the south."
"Going to the south? My son is often stationed at Lake Malaren. What kind of experience is this?"
“It’s more southerly!”
"Harder? Is it?!" Gould was shocked: "Could it be Gotland? You threw the ruins of Visby to the Malaren people. Don't you dislike it there? Or are you talking about it now? I like it. No! No! You are planning to run the small fishing village where we first landed."
Rurik continued to shake his head with a sullen face: "It's not Slitomo, it's further south."
Gradually, the two businessmen began to hesitate for a surprising answer.
"Could it be...Denmark?" Gould asked tentatively.
"That's Denmark."
"Why?!" As if a steel needle had pierced his tailbone, Fatty, who had struggled to get up, was suddenly ejected into the sky. Snoleva stood up and asked: "My lord! Why! Oh? I mean? Why me?!"
Rurik was also surprised that the fat boy was really anxious. He twisted his shoulders and asked, "Did Duke Ross give you a great and glorious task? Do you think you are not qualified? Do you want to shirk it?"
"Me! I... didn't mean that."
"You have no right to refuse? Snoleva. Your father is old, and you are the eldest son of the family? You should shoulder the heavy responsibility. When Gould was young, he disguised himself and infiltrated into the Danish territory. You are also young and strong? Why do you want to shirk? Listen? If I think I can't do it, I can only find someone else. I think Harald is the father of my sister (sister-in-law) Asraqi. After all, this man was with Denmark before. Business people are very connected.”
Gould, who was originally puzzled by Rurik's sudden decision, gave his son a kick, causing Snoreva's meatball to roll to the ground again. Obviously aware of the huge threat in Rurik's words, Gould stretched out his arms and said harshly: "How stupid! You dare to disobey the order given to you by the Duke, are you worthy of being the eldest son? Why don't I declare now that my main The property will be inherited by my second son."
Snoreva's head was buzzing, and Rurik waved his hand hurriedly when he saw this: "Don't be harsh? Let Snoreva decide."
That Harald was a captured business family leader, who was related to Rurik himself because of his successful marriage.
In fact, Rurik still highly trusts the Gould family? He didn't say it clearly, but in the current situation? Obviously Gould himself was aware of the pressure of the trust crisis, which was exactly the effect Rurik needed.
Snoreva hurriedly agreed? As the saying goes, he has to do it through fire and water.
"Okay." Rurik nodded: "Because I have a great plan? It is related to the future of our Russian people. That Danish businessman Old Eric? I want to use this person."
"Do you think he can be trusted?" Gould asked cautiously.
"Trust? He is not my friend, so how can we talk about trust? We just want to use him. When buying and selling gems, you, Gould, were also present. I don't care about the character of that family at all, and I don't care whether they will change. Become an informant. But I can see that they are extremely interested in money. They are eager for money, even if it means betraying the interests of the Danish alliance. So, I want to insert my power into Denmark."
"So you chose me?" Snoleva pointed at his round head.
"Of course! I will arrange you to Hedeby, the largest trading market of the Danes. You are indeed a fat elephant seal. Anyone who sees you can be sure that your life is very rich. No one will I doubt your financial resources. That old Eric will be your guide. In the future, I want you to open a shop in Hedeby and sell our Ross products to make a lot of money. By that time, old Eric's family will be your partners. partner……"
Rurik tried his best to describe a wonderful business picture, but it was so wonderful that Snoleva was very worried.
"My father also tried back then, but my family didn't take root. Once I let them know my identity, wouldn't it be..."
"Why did you expose yourself? You could have chosen wisely to shut up."
"If that old guy betrays me, the king of Denmark will come and kill me, and then confiscate all the payment." Snoleva continued to speak harshly.
Rurik grimaced: "This is an adventure. If you fail, of course you will die, and I will lose a lot. What if we succeed? In my opinion, the success rate here is very high, because Heize The guys I compete with are not interested in fighting or expanding their territory. They just want to do business and expand their own money boxes. These were introduced by old Eric. I can't judge whether he is lying. I can only have a game. It’s a gamble. Don’t worry, Snoleva, if you are really killed, you will be considered dead fighting for the Russians. I will meet Odin in my dream, talk to him, and let you go to the Hall of Valor.”
But Snoleva didn't believe in Odin at all, he only believed in money.
Obviously, any retreat on his part would be seeking death, and would lead the entire family into the abyss of shame.
He could only fully agree with Rurik's decision, and then asked when he would set off.
"Just when spring comes, you and old Eric's family rush to Denmark, and you go straight to Hedeby. It is said that local rare leather is in very short supply, such as white bear leather, which can be sold for a higher price. It happens to be one of my plans this winter Just hunt bears with all your strength in the Ironburg area, and take these leathers with you to make a name for yourself in Hedeby. Then, as my informant, investigate all kinds of things about the Danes as much as possible, and choose the opportunity to quietly pass the information back. .Compared with how much money you can earn, the information you obtain is the most valuable."
To be honest, placing permanent spies in the inner circle of hostile forces is really high-end in today's Nordic world.
Previously, Olegin, who died in the battle, also arranged a few spies to inquire about information in Fort Ross. It was only a very short-term move. With his own death, the Melalen tribe is fiercely fighting among themselves this winter, and it is simply inappropriate to send spies again. .
Through the confessions of the old Eric family, Rurik learned more about the Danes, especially in the ten years since he was born in this world to the current era. He really could not have imagined that the powerful Danes would be as powerful as they are now. Like the Swedes, there was fierce internal fighting.
Every force needs a chief, leader or king at the top of the leadership.
Rurik learned that a Danish chief named Harald Clark had been expelled, was missing, and was rumored to be dead. In the fierce internal fighting among the Danish tribes, the lords who wanted to compete for the leader of the alliance either went to battle in person or sent warriors to rely on "tournaments" to select the winner as the leader of the alliance.
This is nothing short of a clever approach, otherwise the various lords would have to fight each other with their armies in order to compete for hegemony in the region.
A man named Hafgen won the final victory, and he was the mastermind behind a series of subsequent events, such as the catastrophe of the Ostara people. Rurik also learned an extremely crucial thing, that is, the Danish leader Hafgen. The so-called attack on Ostara was not the main purpose. That battle was supposed to directly attack the Melalen tribe and directly seize the entire Meilaren tribe. Laren Lake.
The war-mad Danes intend to conquer the entire Svealand plain!
Even though Old Eric pointed out that many lords felt that this was an adventure and were somewhat resistant to it, the Saxons who fled still wanted to counterattack the Frankish Kingdom to regain the lost territory, and did not want to fight the guys further north. The merchants of Hedeby don't fight wars themselves, but fighting means making money! They are willing to resell weapons and armor to make a profit.
Maybe that Hafgen would be assassinated, or he would choke to death while eating or drinking.
Rurik knew clearly that there was a Danish madman who decided to attack Mälaren. Didn't King Olegin of Sweden also die in this man's counterattack? If at first Hafgen simply wanted to expand his hegemony and attacked the north, now Hafgen obviously has too many excuses for war.
Although Rurik used the Mellarens as a shield and strategic buffer, if they were really destroyed in a short time, the Russians would not suffer.
In this way, under the guise of doing business, it is very important for the Russians to place an informant in the trading market of Hedeby. Because any expedition force must be assembled, the news of the expedition will be released before the assembly. At that time, the informants will immediately row desperately to bring back the war warning.
It would be best not to have a full-scale war for a few years, but trade with the Danes had long-term prospects.
Rurik pointed out the strategic value of the secret agent here, and its commercial value is still crucial.
"It turns out that I am Rose's eyes." Snoleva covered her chest. "After listening to your explanation, I finally understood that this is a very important job."
"Not only that, you are still a businessman before reporting the situation. I want you to develop as soon as possible in Denmark, so that local businessmen can see the rise of a new business family. My friends, the Melalen tribe is in internal strife. They I no longer dare to hope for a better future. Besides, they only have 20,000 people after all. The main reason why the Danes are strong is that they have a large number of people. They have a large population, produce more materials, and require more goods. We The Russians need a bigger market and want to transport a lot of wonderful goods to Denmark, and Danish merchants will sell them further afield. You are merchants, so you should be able to understand what I mean."
After hearing this, Gould completely understood. He looked solemn: "The risk is very high. My son may die because of this. But this is an acceptable risk, and this risk is no more serious than encountering a storm at sea."
"Then do it!" Rurik told Snoleva again: "You will still follow me to the north this winter. I want you to talk to those old Eric guys. You also have two daughters who have just grown up. , that old Eric also has a very young son. Marry his daughter and establish an in-law relationship. By the way, eventually I will let that guy keep a son as a hostage in Fort Ross. With this kind of care, I believe that old Eric Even if Rick betrays him, he still has to consider the future of his children."
Rurik is only shown to be small in stature and young in age.
But is he really young? Gould simply didn't think that such a resolution could be made by a child, and it was certainly not something that Otto could come up with.
This is a wise decision that only a king can make, including spies, in-laws, protons, expanding the business market, and very wonderful flexible thinking.
Soldiers in Gould's concept are often single-minded and have no bottom line for revenge. They recognize that the Danes are the enemy and never change their attitude throughout their lives.
Rurik's resolution is full of businessman flavor, because only interests are eternal.
Old Eric's family is highly supportive of Rurik's decision. Old Eric just cut his finger with a knife and wrote "will not tell" on the board with blood. His family is relatively ordinary in Haize, and they are said to be the only ones who would take risks and go to the very far east to get lapis lazuli to make a lot of money. If he could make money by hooking up with the local lord, he would have done it long ago. Unfortunately, he is an unknown person in Denmark. An opportunity gifted by God was before him. Regardless of whether Rurik's claim to be "Son of Odin" was true or not, he at least gave the family a chance to make a fortune.
Rurik left after explaining the matter. He only verbally decided to "implement a strategic layout for Denmark", and the actual implementation will not be until the ice melts next spring.
He had just left Gould's house when he was "in chaos."
Gould's two chubby children and granddaughters were plucked out of their sleep. The two girls were shocked by their father and grandfather's decision.
They are women, and living in such a family cannot influence their marriage at all. Even when they are pampered, they have been taught that when they grow up, they will marry business colleagues, and the luckiest ones will be married to noble warriors.
Now they hope to marry the heroic warriors of Ross. After all, they have settled in Rossburg for so long, and they naturally begin to worship heroes.
However, the father's fate was difficult, so he could only accept this arranged marriage with tears.
On the next day, the two girls put on gorgeous clothes and gold jewelry, and were led by Snoleva and Gould to the new home of the old Eric family, which was closely monitored by the Duke's elite mercenaries. residence.
Old Eric's family had packed their bags, including the servants they brought with them, and were about to head north with the large Russian army.
At this very delicate moment, Old Eric never imagined that a big businessman from Ross would actually bring his daughter to propose marriage.
The two old businessmen had the most in common, and they reached an engagement after some negotiation. Eric Sr.'s two younger sons married Gould's two younger granddaughters. The wedding was scheduled for the spring equinox next year, and the two parties entered into a business alliance.
Of course, the well-informed old Eric also knew that without the pressure of a powerful force, the big businessmen in Ross would be able to marry their granddaughters. He already understood that this was the Duke of Ross's plan. In addition to arranging a son to be a long-term hostage, the in-laws added another lock to his family.
