A group of people gathered at the Novgorod pier. It was not surprising that the Ostara people entered the city. Men and women watched with wide eyes as they were accompanied by ten tall horses.
Carlotta, who had a big belly, stepped ashore slightly tremblingly with the help of her entourage, and then walked to Rurik's palace in the city.
Maksakye and his group didn't know what was going on. They were surprised by the hugeness of the city. Seeing the noble woman advancing, they led their horses and walked inside ignoring the pointing fingers of the onlookers.
Because of the construction of schools in the city, a group of workers always came in and out with wood. This city is a society of acquaintances, and the city gate guards will not stop them at all when they see a large number of familiar faces, and they will bow to the noble Duchess Carlotta of Ostara when they meet.
Only the riders and horses were stopped directly.
"Huh? What does this mean?"
The gatekeeper was also a Slav, and he said casually: "You don't look like locals. It's very suspicious that you brought horses here."
"We...we want to see your prince."
It is this description that makes the gatekeepers even more vigilant. Six people gathered together holding whistle sticks. The leader said bluntly: "How can you, the prince, see you casually? Explain your identity, why you are here, and your horses... Could it be that you want to sell the horses?" "
The gatekeeper guessed very well, and the horseman nodded hurriedly, and then took out a silver coin from his pocket.
The leader of the gatekeepers looked at them, then at his men, with a straight face and said nothing.
"Oh, the money is too little." Sakhi hurriedly took out ten coins and gave them to the obvious leader, jokingly saying: "Can you please inform me."
At that time, Carlotta in front saw that the fake behind did not follow up. When he turned around, he saw that the horse was being entangled by the guard. She said casually: "They are my guests. Let them come in when I see the prince."
With the guarantee of the Duchess of Ostara, the gatekeeper let them go. Of course, all ten silver coins were taken away.
"Why are the Russians here like Smolensk, they have to pay for crossing their territory? Well, ten horses will be sold for a big price, and I will make back everything I lost." Sakye was obviously unwilling to pay. money.
But as he actually entered the city and saw the prosperity inside, he gradually understood the reason for collecting money in an instant.
Completely different from the chaos of Smolensk people or the settlements in their hometown of Kiev, the interior of this city called Novgorod is quite neat.
There is still a lot of snow outside the city, but not only is there very little snow inside the city, there are straight roads here, and the amazing thing is that the roads are not muddy. Just the lack of mud was enough to give them a huge shock.
It turns out that major cities in the principality such as Novgorod follow a basic principle in the construction of internal roads. Naturally, the road needs to be rammed with stone piers to keep it flat. After the land is compacted, it can withstand a certain amount of rain erosion, which is still insufficient in the long run. Muddy city roads can be a nightmare. Not only do roads need to be kept dry in special ways, but water stagnant in the city must be dispatched quickly.
Looking at these roads, due to the lack of stone, Novgorod roads were replaced with a large number of pottery blocks. It is actually a kind of fired clay brick. Since it is only used for paving roads, there is no particularly high requirement in terms of shape. The only requirement is to ensure that it is hard enough.
The main roads are densely paved with bricks, and the rest of the roads are simply paved with gravel and broken pottery.
Today's vehicles are structurally unable to transport too much cargo, so Rurik is not worried that the road he spent money to repair will be damaged in a short period of time. He can completely build cement roads. The Principality of Ross has indeed mastered this technology, but the production capacity has limited the paving plan. Cement roads will be built in New Ross Fort, and currently only a small number of roads can be paved.
Brick pavement is an excess, but even so it has gone a long way in relieving city dwellers from spring mud.
The Eastern European world must be faced with an extremely muddy nightmare during the snow melting period. Some outdoor paths made by a pair of feet will be covered with knee-deep mud. Even if spring plowing could theoretically begin now, no one wants to sow in muddy fields.
Almost all city residents belong to White Tree Manor. Thanks to the solid and dry brick pavement, a group of residents rest their farm tools on the public road.
Large areas of flat and hard ground did not exist in the past era. They openly repaired shovels and hoes, and inspected the bent-shaft plow with columbine. They took some of the grain from their homes and dried it in the sun.
Some women took out the stone grinding rods and small millstones at home, then put a piece of linen cloth on the brick road and sat down in the outdoor light, and carefully ground the wheat grains into powder.
Even children were using stone mortars to pound the dried thyme leaves into powder.
There are also markets in the city, where a batch of seabass is hung on a wooden shelf and fishmongers are selling them.
There are also vendors selling live rabbits and chickens, which are put into wooden cages. At the market, there are also many women carrying rattan baskets and wearing headscarves sitting down and chatting. They are all selling eggs. During the free period of trading, they chat with each other to pass the time.
What Maksakye saw was a neat city with no smell of human and animal excrement in the air. The roads here are clean and tidy, and small trees are deliberately planted on both sides of the road, which is obviously a main road. There are ditches on both sides of the path, and the flowing water in them is actually running water.
They were just taking a quick look at the scene, but suddenly someone called them angrily.
It was a soldier patrolling with a sword. When he saw that the person leading the horse did not stop, he simply intercepted him.
"Huh? Did we do something wrong?"
The patrolling soldier drew his sword and pointed it directly at the horse dung on the road: "You have committed a crime! If you dare to throw dung on the road, you are under arrest!"
Sakhi wanted to explain, but the soldiers acted directly. All the riders were arrested, and the commotion attracted hundreds of people to watch, leaving Carlotta who was walking in front speechless.
Obviously Novgorod is not a very big city, but why are those Kiev horse riders always causing trouble?
It is true that this is not a big city. Rurik was busy in the palace compiling teaching materials for the children. The noise outside attracted him to simply go and see what was going on, so as to change his mood.
This was because Sakhi and his group regarded the patrolling soldiers' actions of holding the horses as robbery. What was worse was that when they resisted, they were searched by the soldiers. At this time, they even confiscated the entanglement in the leather jacket and the defensive daggers and daggers hidden in the leather jacket.
The soldier simply said bluntly: "We have learned that you are businessmen in a foreign land. You must be punished if you do not follow the rules. It is also dangerous for you to carry weapons. This matter should be decided by the Governor."
When things got to this point, the number of men and women watching the show had gathered to the number of 500, and a large group of children were running around in front of their parents, laughing and joking as they watched the soldiers take people away.
Carlotta gently stroked her forehead and complained: "Can Rurik still do business with these guys?"
Medved was the first to be alerted and brought more soldiers to resolve the situation. A soldier rudely dispersed the crowd, calling for everyone to disperse.
Seeing a big shot, Sakhi hurriedly made his intentions clear. The patrol soldiers also hurriedly reported the situation.
"Sell the horse? Sell it to the prince? Okay. But... you have made a mistake and should be punished. You still have weapons hidden on your body, and you want to see the prince like this? It doesn't make sense. If you come, take him to a cage and lock him up until the prince Disappointed."
As soon as he finished speaking, when Sakhi was at a loss, the distinguished person finally arrived!
"No need to bother, let them explain the truth now."
It was Rurik, walking out of the palace with Svetlana.
Due to various actions in the past, Rurik has always been shown to the public as an image that is too close to the people. The onlookers cheered the prince's appearance and continued to watch the development of the situation.
At this moment, all the riders were pressed to the ground and had to kneel down. Sakhi raised his head and saw a blond young man with a mustache and another noble woman. He really couldn't imagine that this was the prince of the Russians. couple.
"Sir, these people from far away want to see you. They seem to want to sell horses." Medved said on his behalf.
"Selling horses? Merchant? You..." Rurik looked at the horses carefully, and his heart began to beat wildly.
Oops, it’s a heart-pounding feeling!
Rurik didn't care about the others. He hurriedly walked over, stroking the horse's mane with both hands, and gestured at the horse's shoulder height and his own. This comparison didn't matter. Unexpectedly, there was no obvious difference between them.
"Ah, these horses are so tall. Are they... all horse sellers?"
"Yes." Medved responded hurriedly.
Rurik's eyes were fixed on the horses and he said without looking back: "Let them go and bring them all to Rusduma. I bought all these horses."
"But sir, they are responsible for the horse manure on the ground."
"So just because of this, you arrested them?"
"Exactly."
"Yes, if you dare to leave feces on the road, you must be punished, even if it is horse manure. Let's settle this debt first, and I will have a good meeting with these businessmen. You shovel the horse manure into the drainage ditch and settle it."
In this way, the confused Sakye stood up again. He had been completely disarmed and had to admit one thing. The young man with the golden ponytail was the supreme ruler of the Principality of Ross.
Rurik had long seen the presence of Carlotta with a big belly. Compared with his own woman, the presence of ten horses was too eye-catching.
Carlotta glanced at her mouth slightly, but she just watched silently without bothering to interrupt.
After a while, Rurik came to chat with her in a friendly manner, and of course he also asked about the condition of the child in her belly.
"Everything is fine, your son will be born soon." She said.
"Indeed, everything is fine. Stay with me tonight, and you will stay in Novgorod until the child is born." Rurik had good intentions and was sure that Svetlana would fully support her.
Carlotta nodded, pointed to the horsemen and horses, and said: "They come from the southern city called Kiev..."
"What?" Rurik was startled, and the sudden change in his expression was shocking.
"What's wrong?"
"What city is it?"
"ki~yev~" Carlotta pronounced her words carefully, and her pronunciation was very standard. Because of this, Rurik's expression became even more exaggerated, and when he looked at Mark, his attitude became more complicated.
"It's actually a businessman from Kiev, coming from such a far away place. Come on! They are all guests! There will be a banquet tonight to welcome distinguished guests."
The words are all in Norse, so naturally when talking to Carlotta, he uses the language of his hometown. The horsemen didn't understand. It seemed that the brothers didn't have to worry about being harmed by Prince Rus.
Carlotta continued to explain, especially the horses. She particularly emphasized the importance of a group of horses to the principality, and even put forward her own outstanding insights: "Strong bulls are widely bred, and a large number of strong calves can be obtained. There are two strong stallions here, you control the most horses, and soon you will have a strong herd, and you will be very powerful."
Only a few elites can have this insight, and she seems to understand higher things.
Rurik thought about it for a while. He encountered a strong cavalry attack during the conquest of Britain. Ross needed a cavalry, but the existing horses were not suitable for riding. The horses brought by the horse riders were astonishingly high at the shoulders. They were clearly born to be war horses. The purpose of the horse riders was indeed very far-fetched.
Could it be that they were entrusted by the Slavs in Kiev to contact Russia?
Carlotta patted Rurik, who was lost in thought, and chuckled: "I didn't expect you to care more about the horses. Anyway, how are father and mother?"
"They? Everything is fine. They are busy entertaining the children now."
"I'm going to visit them just in time. You...you should be busy with your important things." Then she looked at Svetlana again and said in a friendly tone: "Sister, I am finally back. Let's go, we sisters can talk... …”
Because according to traditional Nordic customary law, Carlotta is Otto's adopted daughter, and her relationship with Rurik is that of a biological sibling who is not related by blood. Also, because they are not related by blood, their union is in line with the rules. With this relationship, Carlotta and Svetlana sisters are compatible and compliant, and because there is no so-called competition for favor between them, the relationship is quite harmonious.
The women left on their own, and Rurik was very pleased with their understanding. In this way, he can negotiate trade with merchants well.
In the parliamentary chamber of the Rus Duma, Rurik sat on one side and all the riders sat on the other side.
The house is spacious and tidier, and the wooden windows that open make the house brighter.
Rurik gave them a glass of ale with honey, and after drinking it, they went straight to the topic.
"Since you are selling horses, tell us your price."
"Ah! My lord, I didn't even introduce myself," Thackeray said, clutching his heart.
"Really? Your accent is a bit strange, but fortunately I can still understand it. Tell me your name."
"I am Sakhi, a businessman from Kiev."
"Oh, your name is a bird of prey, a very brave bird. You come from Kiev, and I know that place."
"So, you..."
"I am the Prince of Rus!" Rurik opened his eyes with a smile, "This is my southern city, Novgorod. Our country has a very vast territory and rich products. My army is very powerful, and I also have a lot of gold coins. and silver coins. And what is the price of the horses you sell?"
The conversation really changed. Maksakye lamented that he was an extremely noble person at a young age. He was ordered to continue: "I have ten horses, two males and eight females. They are all very young horses. I can't hide these from you." Your eyes. They are very good horses…”
"Are you hiding something? Tell me your selling price." Rurik narrowed his eyes slightly and urged.
Sakhi still insisted on his words: "We Kiev people bought horses from the Pechenegs in the grassland. After two months and a lot of hardships, we finally got the horses here..."
"So, you plan to offer a high price? What are you talking about? Pechenegs? These are actually the steppe horses of the nomadic tribes?"
"Indeed, it's just..." Sakye couldn't help but open his eyes, "Actually, you knew from the beginning that these were excellent Pecheneg horses? You are really a wise man."
"That's too much praise." Rurik waved his hand, his heart beating wildly, and added, "You talk a lot of nonsense, and you just want to show that the price is high and reasonable? You should just tell me a price, and we will discuss it carefully. Don't worry, I am very rich. , won’t be scared.”
"Yes." Sakhi swallowed hard: "They are both good horses. The male horse costs five pounds of silver coins, and the female horse costs ten pounds because it can breed foals." Compared with the initial discussion with Carlotta, Unhappy with the price, he was afraid that Prince Rus would be resentful and had to lower the price a bit, but it was still an astonishingly high price.
"That's it?" Rurik, who was listening attentively, was actually startled.
"What? You think it's too expensive? You are interested in buying it, and we can talk about it again. But you also have to think about it. We have gone through too many adventures to deliver ten horses to you with great difficulty."
"It doesn't matter, I know your hardships." Rurik said calmly: "Actually, you just casually say what price a horse should be sold for. Indeed, this price is astonishingly high for ordinary people. If you are rich like me, this is no problem. I know the location of Kiev very well, and I also know something about the Pecheneg people. I actually like Kiev especially. It is very warm and fertile. The grasslands there are running with horses, and the grassland transformed into farmland is the best black field, which means The high yield of wheat…”
Rurik couldn't help but talk a lot. At first glance, the horsemen felt that it was certain that they would make a fortune from this adventure, and the Prince of Rus showed great favor and even claimed that he would hold a banquet for the brothers to celebrate at night. A great success in horse trading.
Horse riders are already immersed in the joy of making a fortune.
This is what Ma Ke knew. They had no idea that Rurik's heartfelt remarks were clearly full of ambitions for the Kiev region.
