Rise of Rurik

The poor people were all emaciated, and even the most ordinary farmers seemed to lack strength.

The overall condition of lower-level nobles, traveling merchants and clergy is much better.

The high-ranking nobles and the followers they support are really strong and strong.

Although a person's wealth cannot be completely linked to his body shape, a fat man is definitely rich.

Henry Nassau admired the two brothers Black Fox and Red Fox very much after meeting them because they were rare fat men. Of course he loved his daughter. As long as conditions allowed, Henry would choose a son-in-law himself. If there was an opportunity to choose a son-in-law with his own background, that would be a perfect plan.

He didn't know if there would be a better man. Obviously, the black fox in front of him, who could speak Latin, was fat, had the status of a Russian noble, had no fiefdom and no military exploits, and had just grown up, was the perfect candidate.

"This boy is willing to call me father? What a wise boy." Henry pinched his beard, and the more he looked at Black Fox, the more comfortable he became.

This kid can make himself so fat, and his daughter will definitely live a good life with him. I just don’t know if this guy wants his descendants to have the suffix "Nassau".

After the short interview, there was a long conversation. Henry intended to chat with the black fox in person. The content of the conversation should not be known to outsiders, not even the red fox, at least not for the first time.

It is understandable that the old Earl of Utrecht used people's money to build his own mansion. Part of the money he collected was also transferred to the diocese's expenses, so the local church was built quite well.

A considerable amount of wealth has been used to build the city of Utrecht. Its urban infrastructure is naturally not very high-end, but there are many high-rise buildings. There are also a group of handicrafts and craftsmen gathered in the city, which has spawned a group of non-agricultural workers. The citizen class can then provide high value-added handicraft output and generate more business profits.

If there is a peaceful environment, a larger local population, and the development of trade with the Viking world, the rise of commerce in the Netherlands can be expected in the future.

It's just that the person in charge is a young nobleman who came from a small inland village! Henry Nassau had a nouveau riche mentality, and he was satisfied with just a light raid in the new territory.

He felt that he was already very wealthy, and he could just collect taxes step by step and live his life. As for what the future would bring, he was too lazy to think about it.

What Henry is thinking about now is his daughter's future and the belonging of his hometown.

At night, the secret room of the mansion.

The flame of the oil lamp on the roof trembled, and the two people in the room were in a soothing mood.

Henry was in a good mood: "I talked a lot with your brother and learned a lot about you."

"Oh? How much do you know?" Black Fox, with his legs crossed, asked casually and thoughtfully.

"Not much. I know that you are a noble of Rus, but you have no merit. I learned that you Rus people are eager to obtain military exploits so that you can be recognized by others. This is understandable! If you are a Frankish lower-level noble, at a critical moment If you make meritorious deeds in battle, you may get titles and territories.”

"So? What are you going to say?"

"Being my son-in-law, you will not only get my daughter. But also! I will officially authorize you to manage my hometown Barony of Nassau for me. I can give you relevant powers, and you can do whatever you want!"

Henry's attitude was determined, and Black Fox could tell that this middle-aged man must have been thinking about it for a long time.

"Do whatever you want?" Black Fox, who felt that this person was very special, thought for a while and deliberately tested: "If I can really do whatever I want, I can marry many women according to the rules of the north."

"This...this is impossible."

Seeing Henry's expression change, Black Fox smiled naively and touched the cross on his chest: "After accepting your faith, I have to give up a lot. I understand! I just said casually. But...it seems that I will not do whatever I want in the future. .”

"Maybe so, but there are some things you must know. I appreciate you so much that I won't lie to you. In fact, your future is in danger."

"Crisis? It's just that we are building our Ross shop in your Nassau village and directly facing the military threat from the Franks. The King of Ross gave me an order to take the initiative to cause trouble after I settled in. Is it possible..." Black Fox He smiled deliberately and said softly: "You think I'm afraid of them?"

What was going through Henry's mind right now? Although he admired this little fat man very much, as an older person, he despised the arrogance of young people. Unless, young people are as arrogant as King Rurik of Rus. What kind of capital does this little fat guy have? All fat?

"Young man, don't be too crazy! I know that you have never fought in a war. Have you...killed anyone?" Henry asked with eyes wide open.

"That's not true. But it's okay. We'll have it soon."

"You are frivolous in your words, boy. At least you are too young in this regard."

"But the people I brought are all ruthless people. They can help me kill, and I only need to strategize. I am a businessman, and I also admire my brother Lan Fox. I think I will also become a good warrior. Bar."

Henry didn't want to force the war. Realistically speaking, if this boy really died in the battle due to recklessness, his family would suffer a big loss. Henry said: "It would be great if you can really pull the strings, because the other side of Nassau Village is Lothair's territory. Do you know Lothair?"

"I heard a little bit about it. King Rus ordered me to attack and plunder the target."

"Then follow the ruthless methods of you northerners. The key to the problem now is what your identity is."

"Me? The third son of Rose's Gould family. And... your son-in-law." At the last word, Black Fox's attitude was very easy-going, and he really regarded Henry as his father-in-law.

"I'm very happy that you called me father, but you really don't have a suitable title. Blue Fox told me that because you are Ross nobles, no one else can give you a title except King Ross who gives you a title. I wanted to canonize you as a knight. I want to come. This is inappropriate. So, if you are willing to accept my arrangement..."

Black Fox became interested: "But it doesn't matter."

"I am still the Baron of Nassau. I hire you as the baron steward, with the right to manage all affairs of the Baron of Nassau. This job does not have any title! However, the son you give birth to with my daughter must inherit my title. . Only in this way can the entire Barony of Nassau and the local priests obey your orders. I know! This may not be comfortable for a man, but for the sake of your Ross Kingdom and you personally, this is an arrangement that everyone can accept. "

The black fox really listened. His tense spirit was completely relieved, and he even wanted to laugh. "Is that just that? I thought you wanted to say something. Okay, I completely accept it."

"Just accept it?"

"Otherwise? Isn't this a result that everyone accepts?"

The nobles of the Frankish world were so coy about their etiquette, this was beyond the imagination of Black Fox. He felt that even if he accepted the canonization of the local nobles, his ultimate goal was for Ross, and the King of Ross must also acquiesce, right?

Thinking about it more carefully, Henry Nassau's move did protect King Ross's face.

Face is of course very important, but unfortunately I am a businessman, and businessmen are cunning foxes, otherwise I wouldn't be called this name.

Holding back what was in his heart, Black Fox happily accepted the status of "Baron Nassau's exclusive butler".

For Henry Nassau, it would be a foolish dream to expect his ignorant and greedy little daughter to have an overview of the baronial affairs. She needs a husband with status, a wise housekeeper, and an army at her disposal. She seems to want a lot, but in reality, all she needs is to take down the fat little Black Fox and solve the problem in one package.

Of course, he also prepared for the worst, and said to the black fox: "If you take the initiative to provoke Lothair's people, and you are unable to defeat them for a while, you must take my daughter and other Nassau villagers with you." Evacuate.”

Heihuxu and Weishe agreed with their mouths, but they were quite impatient in their hearts. When was the Russian army defeated? He could see that this man really loved his daughter, but this kind of love was too deep and obscure.

The third brother likes to mention that the beauty has obtained the status of "Steward of the Barony of Nassau". He is really the fourth red fox in admiration.

The red fox was really upset. Why did he lose the coin guessing game during the voyage? He definitely thought that he might have been played by Loki.

But he also felt that since the secret conversation between Black Fox and Henry, Black Fox's whole person had become much deeper, and it seemed that he was worried. After some questioning, Black Fox did reveal some of his inner worries - God only knows what kind of mess he will encounter when he goes to Nassau Village.

Merchants are not adventurers. Only by having a stable source of supply and sales, as well as a safe and stable trade line, can a merchant make a profit without losing money.

Businessmen are risk-averse, but he, Black Fox, has to become an adventurer. Although this is his own choice, he realizes the complexity of things for the first time now.

It was a blessing to have a beautiful woman in his arms, and the black fox was slightly envious of his brother for enjoying the stability of the Rotterstad trading point.

"How about we switch?" The red fox couldn't stand the so-called complaints of the black fox. It was simply showing off in disguise.

"No. I won't change. I'll still do the dangerous things."

It is unlikely that these two foxes will stay in Utrecht for a long time. The black fox and Henry Nassau's family seem to be as close as one family, while the red fox is busy exploring the local business situation.

There are various ways of commerce. In today's era, whether in the Mediterranean or the Baltic Sea, the form of commerce is nothing more than cross-regional trafficking of specialty materials.

The prototypes of high-end finance such as lending and exchange do not exist. In other words, they actually existed, but they only existed in the Eastern Roman world, while other areas were either barbaric, accumulating power, or aristocratic fights on the ruins of Rome.

Bartering is still popular in most areas, and merchants must adapt to the situation of buyers and sellers. The materials they traffic are almost all bulk daily necessities, the most common of which are agricultural products, cotton and linen. Like the business of trafficking in gems, this is a high-end business and cannot support the prosperity of a small feudal country.

With the city of Utrecht as the center, farmland has been opened up near the rivers passing through it.

The locals apparently widely cultivated spring wheat and spring oats, as well as some rye and buckwheat, and these were obviously the most basic food crops for the locals. In addition, the red fox discovered a wonderful sight!

He saw large fields of onions, cabbages and peas. These crops are also grown in the area around Lake Mälaren in Sweden, but the scale is far smaller than here, and the growth of the crops is also much worse.

"If you can plant them in large quantities, I will transport the storable onions to the north. The ships I own are very large and can transport huge quantities at one time. Even if the price is cheap, the final profit will be huge!"

Just like what the elder Gould did back then, even if low-value-added materials are trafficked, they must be involved based on the plan of small profits but quick turnover. The Gould family tradition is not to dislike the low value of goods. If it were not for the order of King Rus, the Gould family would not have the right to penetrate into the eastern market of the kingdom. The so-called avoidance of monopoly, in fact, several brothers of the Gould family believed that this was the selfish intention of the king. The reality was that the king Rurik's cousin Zhi was busy developing trade in the eastern region.

Of course, King Rus would have nothing to say if he penetrated into the world of the Franks.

And compared to the northern world, just from Utrecht you can see that the warm southern world has more products, and even trading in agricultural products is very profitable.

“Of course it’s not just where peas are grown!”

Red Fox had a sum of money in his hands, and he wanted to build Ross's Shop in Rotterstad, south of Utrecht. Naturally, he got the support of Henry Nassau and the local church. They still don't believe in Danish immigrants. After all, Durist was a Danish pirate den in the past, and Rotterstad that replaced it is probably just as dirty. Perhaps the Ross nobles moved in and could rely on the reputation of the Northern Overlord to suppress the Danish pirates.

The Ross Shop at the mouth of the Inn River had to be built. In order to quickly complete the project, Red Fox hired a group of idle laborers on the spot.

The Russians have been nice this year at least, but is hiring and paying construction workers really a good thing? What if it’s actually a conspiracy? The villagers went to work for them, but what if they were resold as slaves.

However, some people are faced with huge debt pressure. If they cannot pay back the money on time, they can only become debt slaves (serfs) of the knights. The situation is not much better than being a slave of the Normans.

Red Fox then recruited more than fifty people locally, promising to take care of food and lodging, not to use whips, and five silver coins every month. After finally completing his conversion, he deliberately found the local bishop Arbery as a witness and vowed that he would fulfill his promise.

Is there such a good thing? Originally, these farmers who were in debt said that the total price of Po Datian's debt was less than ten silver coins. The root of the problem is that local prices are very low, and monasteries and noble residences are dens for storing silver coins. This is artificial deflation. So when the average monthly price for hiring strong laborers in the north skyrocketed to ten silver coins due to the influx of large amounts of silver coins, Red Fox did not conduct a thorough inspection of Utrecht's prices and paid five silver coins for a month's work. Good things are both enviable and suspicious.

The contract was completed, and the fifty or so people hoped that the Russians would keep their promises. They looked forward to repaying the debt smoothly after completing the work, and even fantasized about making a fortune. Others were forced to watch, and many even said sarcastic words to themselves: "A bunch of idiots, you will be taken away as slaves."

Red Fox and Black Fox have no intention of arguing with a group of farmers. They have been destined to be businessmen since they were born, and their lives have been filled with business thinking. During their most critical growth period, they have seen Ross in all aspects. Regarding expansion, especially commercial expansion, King Rurik of Rus repeatedly emphasized the importance of contracts, and even publicly signed written contracts. After hearing and seeing it for a long time, the two brothers felt that this was the truth and needed to be obeyed.

They are cunning and will not go back on the terms they have set unless the other party goes back on them first, then they have a reason to retaliate.

Now Red Fox is obviously the strong one, and subjectively he will pay these laborers room, board, and remuneration, provided that they will not slack off in their work.

Therefore, in his preliminary plan, the Ross Shop in Rotterstad was essentially a small castle integrating commerce and military. The most critical thing was to carry out large-scale construction. Therefore, the people he brought were all powerful people who could go into battle to kill enemies or chop down a big tree in a short time. However, the rewards for these ruthless people were too high.

Both Red Fox and Black Fox received development funds from King Ross, and they themselves were quite wealthy, so Red Fox was very willing to spend money. Of course, this kid is too young. He has a large amount of money at a young age and is prone to overspending. At least now, he still has the dilemma of budgeting to the end.

As a result, the two foxes arrived at the entire Rotter River Basin, which was being built by the Danes.

Both sides of the small Rotter River had been demarcated by the lords from Zealand, Denmark. It was really difficult for them to give up a large piece of land to Ross.

"All the good places have been taken up by these guys who came first! If we had known this, we might as well have spent some time before going to Utrecht." Red Fox couldn't help complaining.

Black Fox was too lazy to complain: "Then choose another piece of land nearby."

"What should we do?"

"Just to the west of the territory controlled by the Danes! We opened up wasteland to build a port so that we can go to sea more easily."

Ross's store laid its foundation on the north bank of the Laike River, a tributary of the Rhine River that splits at the mouth of the sea. In view of the soft soil here, they began to cut down trees and smash the pine trees deeply into the soil. The so-called wet and dry process means that the red fox will lay a dense foundation of pine wood piles in this swamp, and then build a small fortress on top of it. This does not mean that the red fox is very smart at a young age, because the two brothers realized that the geographical conditions here are very similar to the Lake Malaren area where their ancestors were. It also has many islands and the land is torn by the lake. Targeting the soft lake Several tribes on the shores of Lake Mälaren have figured out how to build houses on the ground.

Out of brotherly love, Black Fox wanted to wait until his brother stabilized a bit before leaving. He supervised the construction of Ross' shop and also supervised that the purchased food could go into the workers' stomachs smoothly.

Those hired farmers work really hard, and they have the right to eat enough food. Fish and boiled peas are currently easily available foods. Thanks to the trawling technology of the Russians, the herring harvest in the offshore has improved the food situation on the construction site, and the extensive use of salt has made them happy for heavy manual labor.

There are currently nearly 200 people involved in the construction. Red Fox feels that with the current progress, it is far-fetched to build a wooden fortress that can survive the winter unless more labor is recruited. He has already planned a new recruitment plan, and also deliberately lowers the salary of the new labor force. His destination is Utrecht. He is sure that the local farmers will actively sign up when they see the profit, and will not complain about the salary reduction.

It was under this situation that Ragnar's looting fleet of plundering Britain drifted into the River Rhine.

Another great steward from the Count of Flanders, Pepin III, also took his entourage on a small boat. As the special envoy of Count Baudouin, he wanted to directly discuss business possibilities with the great merchants of Ross. To this end, he took out the A bargaining chip to ensure that the other party will never turn a blind eye - a large amount of ready-made wool.

Various forces gathered in Rotterstad, and in an instant, the commercial atmosphere in this salty wasteland easily eroded by the tide at the mouth of the Inn River became lively.

It's finally starting to look like Rotterdam.