Rise of Rurik

What did Old Man Gould mean to the people who settled on Tombstone Island? The wealthy businessman was very wealthy, and his family members were very powerful. This has nothing to do with ordinary people.

The governor of the island fortress and the people could only wait and see what happened. They welcomed the king's visit. During the banquet at night, when Rurik mentioned Gould's death, the mansion on the island immediately became a public facility on the island. Everyone really felt sorry for the old man's passing, but they just made some superficial remarks and said some nice words of "regret", and the corners of their eyes could not hide their pleasure in taking over the entire mansion.

To be fair, the so-called Governor's Mansion only has a resounding name, and the living environment is really average.

As a king of Rurik, his so-called palace on Tombstone Island is actually an ordinary residential level and cannot adapt to its nobility at all. In the past, Russia was poor as a whole. Tombstone Island's greatest significance was that it was the gateway to the Gulf of Bothnia and existed like a pass. The military value of this place was even higher. Therefore, Rurik had no intention of building any major construction projects to live here.

He could have taken his family to live in Gould's mansion, but considering that the old man didn't want others to see his decay, he would have given up.

The celebrities who were still stranded on the island heard the king's call and happily participated in the dinner.

The main course of the banquet was the most common and abundant local catch, paired with wheat cakes and ale. It was autumn, and there were washed fresh Nordic blackberries and raspberries on the dinner plate. Everything returned to the most traditional Viking style. style dining.

The king and queen sat in the most prominent positions, followed by the prince Osborne and the deputy priest Velika.

One is the future high priest and the other is the prince. Rurik and his two children are here to let them see the world, and also to let celebrities from all walks of life in the kingdom see the true appearance of the next generation of top nobles.

The flattery was endless, and Rurik loved to hear the nice words, but he also drank too much without realizing it. He could hear that behind these good words was everyone's desire to make a fortune in the future. Everyone wanted to be successful and prosperous. In other words, the celebrities on the island all hoped that their wealth could be comparable to that old guy Gould.

How to make a fortune? There are many merchants on the island, and since it is close to the pirate den on Saaremaa Island that was recruited, some real pirates from the past have settled on the island. Maritime merchants can turn into pirates in an instant. Their production and lifestyle determine that they mainly rely on fishing to survive in peacetime. If they want to make a fortune, they engage in trade and become second-rate traders.

These methods are safe for today's era, but the efficiency of making money is far less than that of war.

No, they really mentioned the possibility of a new war.

Rurik had no intention of hiding his strong thoughts on intervening in the Frankish Civil War. He was slightly drunk and was in the mood to advocate the benefits of intervening in the Civil War.

They simply shouted: "If you want to make a big fortune, you have to take big risks. You go through the Danish waters and go to Rotterstad in the west. There are more fishes there, the water is saltier, and there are all our allies nearby. We Our allies also have clear enemies. You recruit some mercenaries to develop there. I will need you to deal with the mercenaries of the Kingdom in the future. Or you can go it alone."

What is meant by "do it alone" is exactly what Rurik encouraged the piracy of these mainly Swedish merchants. They have ships. There is still a group of poor but strong young people near Lake Mälaren, the leading maritime merchants. Just gather a team and float all the way to the south bank of the Inn River to plunder at will.

Rurik had thought carefully about intervening in the Frankish Civil War. If he once again had to attack far away, the economic losses to the kingdom would be greater, and the most unbearable thing would be the death of outstanding labor force.

The huge war basically integrated the northern forces, and the Ross headquarters lost more than a thousand pure-blood Ross people. Although Rurik has great expectations for Ross's young children, it is a pity that the large loss of veterans has led to the failure of the "passing-on and mentoring" model. Is their combat effectiveness really excellent? have no idea.

So, what's going on with the enemy? It would be better to encourage a group of Swedish explorers and pirates from various traditional allies to "explore" the world of Central Frank.

And this was Rurik's additional action by going to the Uppsala Temple in the northern waters of Lake Mälaren to perform the autumn festival. He had a hunch that the Swedish lords with duke status would be disappointed in their absence. The war against the Franks in the winter of 840 must have been very frustrating.

What is glory? The Frankish army that once chased the Danes and violently beat them, forcing the Danish leader to kneel down and surrender, actually collapsed in one battle. The Ross-Danish-Saxon coalition won, but there was a lack of serious Swedish nobles to share the glory. These nobles could not enjoy the large amount of benefits gained after the war.

And a group of ordinary Swedish people happily rushed to Rotterstad at the mouth of the Rhine River. The sea there is salty, the fish are plentiful, the climate is warmer, and the living environment is far superior to that of their hometown. There is nothing wrong with betraying their tribe and settling there. After all, their own The old tribe did not bring glory to everyone, so they simply followed the Danes and Russians and forgot about it.

Just as Rurik planned, his small fleet stayed on Tombstone Island for a whole day, during which time he unloaded a small amount of cargo and departed.

The fleet made a small circle in the sea, and then turned into the mouth of Lake Malaren.

No one can ignore such a fleet. The ships passing by have made smooth sailing for it, and then admire the phantom of the fleet in the distance.

The huge triangular sail is printed and stitched with stripes, and the flag on the mast loudly promotes the glory of Ross.

Passing through the estuary area dominated by trivial islands and sandbars, the fleet sailed on the correct waterway and successfully arrived in Stockholm.

Rurik stood at the bow of the ship, holding the tightly covered Crown Prince Osborne in his arms, while his arm was held tightly by his eldest daughter Velika.

"Dad, the market is very lively today. They are doing a lot of business?"

"Of course, we are busy trading grain here. Velika, the last time you came here was two years ago. I didn't expect you still remember it clearly."

The girl chuckled. She looked around and was very surprised by what she saw.

Stockholm is a new city that was massively expanded on the basis of the old Mälaren Market. Mälaren Market originally had no clear name, and now it is called Stockholm. However, the original meaning of the name is also simple and crude, with the meaning of "seaside lowlands". The original meaning of "settlement".

The Mellaren Market, which was originally a lane-like street, has long been replaced by a specially opened huge lakeside empty space. This is the core of the market, and the Governor's Palace firmly controls the ownership of this place. Although the main settlement of the Mälaren tribe highly overlaps with Stockholm, Duke Bjorn of Mälaren still only has the right to control one-third of his land.

The most prosperous area is controlled by White Fox Gouldson, the governor authorized by Rurik. The governor's palace is quite beautifully built. The core attic is made of wood and stone, which is solid and reliable. However, the local land is soft, so the attic is built quite solidly.

The attic is equipped with a high tower for observation. In a sense, it functions as a lighthouse. On some calm nights, the bronze urn of the high tower is lit with grease. It can indeed provide navigation for people fishing at night on the lake, making it easier for them to fish at dawn. Arriving at the market with the latest catch as quickly as possible to sell it is the best way to show off the freshness of the catch.

Now, the Great White Fox has indeed taken over the old role of his father Gould.

The territory of the Kingdom of Rus is huge, and the distribution of its products is very uneven. The eastern territory, especially the capital, is the core. Although the capital is at the most critical node of ocean and land trade, the food self-sufficiency rate is extremely low. For safety reasons, the capital cannot rely entirely on the supply of food from the Novgorod region.

No one would think that there is too much food. On the contrary, Baihu, who was born as a businessman and inherited most of the family business, should also realize the additional value of food, such as making a lot of money by brewing wine.

Even when it comes to wine making, the royal family's brewing workshop is also in the capital. White Fox operates a royal wine shop in Stockholm, and most of the wine is imported from the capital.

Perhaps the king will not visit Lake Mälaren this year because of his busy schedule, but after White Fox became the governor, he still kept the sentry at the entrance to the sea. The outpost soldiers who were originally trained by the Melalen tribe were absorbed into the governor's palace garrison. These people generally do not participate in wars, and their daily work is just patrolling.

Patrolling the market, patrolling the streets, patrolling the lake, and even staring wide-eyed at the estuary.

When the outpost noticed the approaching three large ships from a distance, the flags on the masts were clearly visible. Before Rurik arrived at the Governor's Mansion, the fat white fox had already put on an elegant robe and a hat made of white fox and ferret fur, with many wild goose feathers dyed dark blue stuck on top.

The Governor's Palace has been moved out of Gould Island, and the island has been completely transformed into a fortress and warehouse.

The market was bustling with activity, and suddenly a large number of uniformly dressed patrolmen appeared in the streets. These people arrogantly asked the vendors to stay away and the idlers to get out of the way, just because the king was about to arrive in Hong Kong.

Soon, the market was cleared. The dispersed people did not really leave. They gathered at the pier in different clothes. As long as you stand on a high place and look around, you can see all kinds of velvet hats and a lot of blond heads.

The weather has been cool enough that winter is not far away, but fortunately the bad rainfall has not really appeared, and the northerly wind has helped dry the newly harvested oats. The oats that are being sold are not dry enough. In order to rush to sell the wheat to earn the family's largest fortune of the year to improve their lives and pay off foreign debts, just like in previous years, at this time, the wheat in the entire Lake Mälaren region has dried up again. At its lowest point of the year.

An invisible hand set the constantly fluctuating prices, and the White Fox had no communication with the various Swedish dukes on the subject. The Dukes were already big landowners, and during peacetime they relied heavily on large-scale sales of grain to earn wealth. For practical reasons to weaken them, White Fox was happy to see grain prices fall further.

The big fat man's gorgeous fur only made him look fatter. It was this fat man who had two huge lapis lazuli earlobes hanging from his equally fat earlobes.

Who doesn’t love gems? Especially these gems were given by his son-in-law Eric Jr.

However, due to practical factors, the Eric family who trafficked gems no longer took the risk of being killed in recent years and traveled thousands of miles to the Roman-controlled areas to engage in high-end gem trade. The amber resources along the Baltic Sea coast can be used to explore the wealth potential as much as possible. As long as you dig enough and craft well enough, you can make a lot of money.

Eric, an old guy, certainly hopes that his descendants will inherit his career. He has a good idea, but after all, he cannot escape the orders of his superiors.

Governor White Fox is the one in power. He is now like Old Gould who is twenty years younger in every aspect, especially his fat face and fat belly, which makes his appearance very similar to Old Gould. This makes the local Swedish people even more confused. Nobles appreciate and are familiar with it.

Eric Sr. was too lazy to run a boat, so his son went to the Gould family's chubby granddaughter. As expected, his grandsons also became chubby.

A businessman with a fat body can make customers think that he has strong financial resources without any time, and it is easier to negotiate a deal.

Old Eric is leaning on a gold-plated wooden staff inlaid with lapis lazuli, and his gorgeous fur hides his age. His son was high-spirited, and his obese daughter-in-law stood next to her father Bai Hu, holding her little daughter in her arms.

A group of guards lined up at the pier, holding the wooden shield with a uniform pattern in their left arm. The sword in their right hand was sheathed, and they tapped the hilt of the sword rhythmically. Twenty people holding horns blew the low and melodious horns rhythmically, trying their best to suppress the roar of the noisy crowd.

The fleet was heading towards the dock. Seeing their enthusiasm, Rurik, who was already in a good mood, was full of smiles.

The strong man took the cable thrown by the big ship, and the three sail cruisers docked steadily.

Rurik and the white fox, who were standing at the bow of the ship, looked at each other and saw the fat white man. The flattering smile on his face was too artificial, right?

Following the lowered plank, the king holding the prince in his arms stood on the land of Stockholm.

The white fox took off his hat and luggage to the king and his wife with his close entourage, and deliberately murmured some heart-warming polite words in the cold wind.

"It seems that the trade situation this year is very hot!"

"It's all thanks to the blessing of the king."

"Haha, glib. I like it very much." After saying that, Rurik looked at the cronies who were following the white fox.

Although he didn't have much contact with him, Rurik remembered very clearly the old guy who used to sell lapis lazuli. Old Eric is indeed old, but he has not changed much except that his beard has grown greatly. His son and grandson are all present. Just look at the chubby face of little Eric, which proves the warmth of the marriage.

The fleet docked first, and the supplies that were to be unloaded were temporarily placed in the cabin. Rurik was convinced that it was because of his sudden visit that he frightened Governor White Fox into urgent action, which suddenly caused trouble to the prosperous market. Let the market return to the prosperity it deserves! It is the most important annual grain trade fair in Sweden, so there can be no further delay.

Rurik took his family and turned directly into the Governor's Palace. Most of his entourage entered the Governor's Palace area and rested in the vacant dormitories. Only a few people stayed on the ship to guard the ship.

The towering and generous Governor's Mansion is very eye-catching. Osborne, who was nestled in his father's arms, was shielded by the shadow of the attic, so he poked his head to take a closer look.

The son kept raising his head, and Rurik couldn't help but build a lot more. "Haha, Baihu, Baihu, you expanded the attic while I was away?"

The big white fat man who was leading the way had intended to report on all kinds of affairs. He took advantage of the opportunity and said with a smile: "How can I embarrass the king? My family's wealth is all a gift from the king. If my governor's palace is too small, it will be a disgrace to the king." The king is slandering. I expanded this attic and repaired the island fortress. I also expanded the wine shop in the city and added warehouses. The king's flag is flying on all buildings. Of course, all of this is the king's wealth. I am your loyal steward. Instructions It’s my duty to do anything.”

With his mouth full of honey, Rurik suddenly found it difficult to continue. He was happy and a little embarrassed, and he wanted to believe that this smooth-talking guy was really loyal.

One thing White Fox said was very honest. If he hadn't joined forces with Gould, where would the early funding for Rose's rise come from? Of course, without the help of the Gould family, Ross can still rise, but the speed will be too slow.

The power Baihu and several of his brothers have today is the result of the continuous renewal of contracts after the success of the first commercial contract.

Legally speaking, the White Fox is the governor. He has no fiefdom or title, but some real property sealed in the form of gold and silver. In a sense, this kind of person is the big fat sheep in the king's hands.

White Fox is a useful and meritorious minister. If this person is disloyal, he can naturally be deprived of the power he has been given. Now he is loyal and is the most important dealer of the royal family's direct industry in Sweden. And this is what White Fox only needs to be a good governor. Paying more attention to maintaining law and order is the reason for the wealth.

The Governor of Stockholm is the royal businessman of King Rus. Since this person has inherited most of the old Gould's business, there is nothing to say about doing things step by step. It is also reasonable for each transaction to receive a sales increase according to the old contract.

Thinking about it this way, Rurik felt that the fat man's sweet words were still repeating a fact.