The speed with which the nobles of Mellaren responded was astonishing, and they seemed to agree to Ross's request without thinking.
"Could their bottom line be any lower?" Rurik regretted not asking for more.
They actually responded the next day, so Rurik immediately took his brothers Rurik to visit Birka Market again.
It was already the third day after the secret meeting, but this time the meeting was public.
Ross and Mälaren, or Sweden, signed a written contract at the mansion of the old King Olegin.
The document was engraved on the wooden board in rune script, and the contract was in duplicate, signed by Rurik and Bjorn respectively.
"In this way, our alliance remains stable. With your support, I, the Melalen tribe, can still hold the throne."
After hearing the public remarks at Bjorn's meeting, Rurik was reluctant to express his outspoken support, but he still had methods to use.
Rurik suddenly made a public statement, "I only support Bjorn and his descendants or designated successors as the king of Sweden. If his family is destroyed, the contract will also collapse."
These were very serious words. Whether it was Bjorn or the wealthy nobles present, their rosy faces instantly turned pale.
They guessed that the Russians were provocative, but no one dared to express their opinions.
Bjorn forced a smile out of embarrassment and loudly talked about his alliance with Ross.
Judging from their expressions and attitudes, Rurik knew that his plan was successful.
Bjorn was a complete usurper. How could he not guard against the rebellion of his own nobles who owned large amounts of land? If they can be suspicious of each other and engage in internal friction, Sweden as a whole will no longer be an obstacle to Ross's future development, but will become a place for Ross's property assets and dumping ground.
Now that the negotiation oath has ended, Melalen immediately began to implement the treaty.
They were not really particularly active, it was entirely the Russians who pushed them too hard.
Rurik strongly demanded that before the fleet heading north to go home left, Mälaren must take out five hundred slaves, and all residents of the taverns and ancillary areas of Birka Market must be expelled.
The nobles of Mellaren acted as villains. They rushed to the market with private soldiers and armed slaves.
Bjorn took away all the people in the tavern, and also took away all the ale in stock, leaving the empty shell of the house and throwing it to the Rus.
As for the nobles, their armed forces wielded wooden sticks and axes, forcing the settled merchants near the tavern to leave immediately, without any room for negotiation.
The merchants left with the money while crying. If they hesitated, they would be beaten. One family who refused to withdraw was directly killed.
The nobles of Mellaren saw those houses being cleaned up and then deliberately demolished while their own people cursed or watched.
A group of wanderers appeared in the market, merchants who lost their houses, and their goods became fat meat with nowhere to save it.
Mellaren's "Vultures" immediately took action, causing yet another humanitarian crisis.
A group of thieves or even gangs emerged from the market.
In other words, it was not a gang. The so-called gangs were the opponents of the late King Olegin and the opponents of the great nobles. They want to establish their own interests in Mellaren and want to replace it.
In the past, Olegin suppressed these bandits with force, but now in the era of political instability, they are taking advantage of the chaos to expand.
In the Melalen tribe, in addition to the external forces of the Ross people, a third force is also rising.
Rurik didn't care about this at all, or the robbers didn't hurt Rose's head. The bandits don't have the courage, because there are rumors among the people that the Russians simply don't want to be the king of Sweden. When will they think about it, Mälaren will be occupied by 10,000 Russian soldiers in one day, so it is better not to deliberately provoke them them.
The displaced merchants were now truly poor, the weather was about to get cold, and many were forced to work as slaves for others.
And their former home had been reduced to ruins. Within three days, the Russians came holding the flag with blue stripes on a white background!
When the Russians came, their formation was extraordinary.
Following Rurik's order, Gould personally stood on a wooden platform built by mercenaries on the ruins. Guarded by many heroic warriors, he shouted loudly at the gathered Melalen people.
"People of Malaren! From now on, this area will be our Chamber of Commerce in Ross. You no longer need to go to the island to trade, future trade will be conducted in this market! Now, the Duke of Ross will give you a reward. Thank you, Duke of Ross for Liuli Come on!"
Gould shouted this many times. He felt that the time was right, so he ordered his men to hold two large sacks and scatter copper coins to the more than 2,000 people who gathered.
Yes, copper coins.
Compared to the Principality of Ross, which is overly rich in silver coins, the people of the entire Lake Malaren region lack transaction currency.
If it weren't for Rurik's authority to force the prices of certain bulk goods to stabilize basic prices, and his crazy strategy of hoarding money inward, the Russians would have been overwhelmed by the huge influx of hot money, causing the economy to collapse and the people's hearts to wither.
Rurik and his family are already the richest and most powerful people in this sea area. Of course, he would not throw away silver coins. Why should he create an image of a generous coin thrower for the poor Melalen civilians? It would be enough to throw away too many old Roman copper coins that lacked use and were not of good quality (they had been in circulation for four hundred years). .
The poor people were looting like crazy, and Gould, who was standing on a high place, couldn't help laughing.
"Haha! It's like a group of sheep competing for fodder. It's so fun!"
No one thought it was inappropriate. The Ross warriors who formed a shield wall to maintain order were all smiling at the wonderful scenery.
They competed for copper coins, men and women fought over it, and the scene turned into a mess!
Gould could predict what would happen if he did this. He was afraid that madmen would attack his tower, so he ordered the mercenaries under martial law to kill immediately anyone who tried to grab money excessively and attacked him.
The mercenaries were ordered to do so without any fear. What kind of battles have these veterans who have been on the battlefield never seen before? The shield wall and the forced fight are all in vain, so why talk about these rabble?
In order to grab money in the chaos, gang members did not dare to attack the Russian "positions" or the big Russian businessmen who controlled the money. They suddenly pulled out daggers and openly used force during the robbery.
Some people fell directly into a pool of blood, but once the stampede occurred, even the Ba Dao Du gang became victims.
A bloody farce ended. People fled in panic with blood-stained copper coins, and the chicken feathers left behind had to be cleaned up by the Russians.
There were more than fifty corpses lying on the ground. Gould felt distressed for a second, and then cursed: "Don't the nobles of Melalen exist? There are no patrols to clean up the mess? In the end, it's up to us to maintain order."
A mercenary muttered, "Sir, all Olegin's men are dead, so of course there is no one to maintain order."
"Damn it. We are free. Without Olegin's men in black, we have to maintain order by ourselves and ensure our safety. Forget it, Rurik doesn't count on those Mellaren nobles at all."
Ross's mercenaries began to carry the corpses, and the construction of Ross's shop began amidst the ruins and blood.
Gould appointed his second son Stein to be the garrison of the shop and island, anchoring the place for the benefit of Ross and his family.
"Father, I will do it well, just like you once did."
Gould did not encourage much: "Continue to develop and operate here, give yourself a nickname, and let the locals remember you. Let them mention you as your name, not Gouldsong."
Compared to the eldest brother Snoreva, the other brothers seemed to lack attention from their father Gould.
Stein knew that real names were mostly used within the family, but it was nicknames that really made people remember them.
"The eldest brother is the white fox, and I am the blue fox. In my opinion, the brothers should use fox as their nickname."
"That's fine. I'll talk to Rurik about this." Gould thought for a while, "White background with blue stripes, Ross's flag. There is a blue fox head on the flag, so you hang up a flag like this, It symbolizes your existence.”
Gould prided himself on making good arrangements, and even thought his second son's ideas were very constructive. I was originally an unknown small businessman from Onkras. I spent most of my life working hard to save my family fortune, and then I flew directly into the sky on a Russian ship! Should my family have a clear name to continue, such as the "Guldrevas" Golden Fox Family?
Indeed, Nordic snow foxes are cunning and alert, and businessmen really need this trait.
The situation in Gould's new business of running the Russians was very good, while Rurik was troubled by the large amount of goods and slaves being transported on Gould Island.
The goods have their own warehouses, but the slaves are human beings!
These guys were all skinny, so-called "adult men". Rurik felt that they should be able to pick up weapons, but their condition was such that they could even fall down from exhaustion while plowing the fields.
"Damn it. Are you cheating on me, Bjorn? Can you just give me the weakest person? I still have to recover some of the bodies they raised before I can use them."
Helpless, men, women and children have arrived.
Rurik ordered the immediate distribution of food and set up ten large pottery bowls on the island. Oats were cooked over a fire and a large number of chopped onions and yellow carrots were thrown into them. Seeing that the opportunity was almost there, a lot of salt and even the seal oil that lubricated the cable were thrown into the urn.
The air is filled with strange fragrance, and the slaves holding wooden bowls pray for the master's favor.
Standing on the walls of the tall wooden castle were warriors in extraordinary clothes, and Rurik stood high in gorgeous clothes.
The empty space in the wooden castle was filled with slaves, waiting for their master's instructions, but all their eyes were fixed on the urn.
"Are you hungry? These delicious meals are all given to you. Now, you are all my slaves. If you eat the meals I reward, you must always be loyal to me.
I promise you two things. First, if you obey my orders at any time, your lives will be guaranteed. Second, anyone who disobeys my orders will be killed! "
What complaints could the slaves have? There were constant whimpering in the crowd. Some people shed tears looking at the delicious meal, some looked blank, and some were quite happy.
They were driven by mercenary warriors to line up. Each of them received a bowl of soupy salty porridge and drank it in large gulps.
What is a good meal? Rurik feels that for those suffering from chronic hunger, the combination of carbohydrates, salt, and fat is the best solution.
Huge numbers of slaves poured into the island, and just cooking consumed a lot of energy.
There was also the task of moving materials, which made Rurik think that he should recruit a group of temporary workers.
The mental condition of the slaves has improved, and both men and women have changed their clothes. Especially when the weather is cold, they each have a simple cut leather jacket and quick stitched leather boots.
After their spirits recovered slightly, they all devoted themselves to the intense transportation of materials.
Even if they shouted about Ross's greatness, Rurik would no longer be easily moved by the cheers. From a utilitarian point of view, these people are all tools, and raising them strong and healthy is for better development.
Gould returned to the island, and he no longer had to worry about things on shore.
The next day was the day of departure. So many great things had happened in just ten days. Gould consciously witnessed a major node in the historical process, and his aging body also cheered up.
It's night, and there's another banquet on the island.
Seeing the feast of roasted sheep, Rurik's heart had already drifted back to his hometown.
"How did things go? Everything should go well." Rurik asked casually breaking the lamb ribs.
"Everything has been done. Although my second son lacks experience, now that I give him a chance, he will develop the industry well and serve Ross."
"Very good. I heard that there has been a lot of trouble in the market these days. Bandits and thieves have appeared, and many people have been killed."
"This is nothing. If we are violated, my son will not be lenient, and neither will the soldiers stationed there."
Rurik nodded and said seriously: "The garrison must spend the whole winter setting up the trading company. I want to build a fortress on land to deter any possible bandits."
"This is natural. I ordered my son to take people to move all the debris and then recruit local craftsmen to build a fortress."
"Very good. A large amount of supplies are expected to arrive here next year, and I'm even worried that I won't be able to buy them all."
"Sir, are you worried about the Mellaren people?" Gould asked again.
"Let's talk about your eldest son. There is no news that Snoleva has returned yet?"
"Yes. Sir, are you worried about him, or are you worried about our layout in Denmark?"
"Of course they are all worried, because!" Rurik paused for breath and looked at the closed wooden door. "There is something I haven't told you all this time. It's a very important matter."
"Speaking."
"Put down your precious wine glass first." After a while, Rurik said again: "I! I'm afraid I will kill the king of Denmark on the way back."
"Ah!" Just as Rurik was worried, Gould suddenly lay down.
He hurriedly got up again and held on to the low table: "Is this true? If you didn't lead the Balmoks to attack Britain, why did you attack Denmark?"
"It was an inevitable battle, and I won. The truth about this matter will be revealed when your son comes back. My old friend, in my opinion...it is detrimental to the interests of Denmark to be regarded as a permanent enemy. We must arrest Let’s seize the opportunity and see the changes in the political situation in Denmark. If the new Danish leader lacks ill will towards us northerners, we Ross should send envoys. Besides, in my opinion, it is no longer practical for Sweden to personally send troops to attack Denmark.”
Only the last sentence is the most important. Gould slapped his thigh: "I understand, let my eldest son knit. This... is very dangerous."
"Yes, it is indeed dangerous, but Danes are not fools. You have many sons. If your eldest son dies for Ross, your family will still be alive, and I will take revenge in the name of Ross. I think once I find the opportunity, Si Noreva has no intention of rejecting my request.”
Gould nodded and drank another glass of wine. This wine was no longer sweet, but bitter.
"Okay... everything is ready." Gould said frankly, "Even if we support Bjorn as king, the Melalen tribe is still in a mess. I'm afraid Bjorn is not as good as Karl's governance level. That guy is completely It’s laissez-faire.”
"This is the effect I hope for. If Oleg II really appears and the forces in the entire lake area are twisted into a cable, we in Ross will not be able to fish in troubled waters. Don't think about it anymore. I want to take a bath after dinner. Tomorrow everyone People and supplies are on board and we are going home.”
