Tombstone Island or the entire Åland Islands are now surrounded by endless ice floes. You can still see obvious ice layers when looking east and north.
Sea ice is indeed melting rapidly, and it will take time for it to become safe for navigation.
Rurik did not want to risk the fleet, and the soldiers were more willing to continue training on Tombstone Island for a while.
The local area currently lacks a large amount of food and drink, and the soldiers are too lazy to be picky. This island is the core territory of the kingdom. There is a large military camp on the island. Staying here for training is equivalent to going home.
The year-long war crazily consumed the soldiers' energy and energy. The iron-like soldiers relied on their willpower to persevere, and finally became discouraged after returning home.
Everyone is willing to lie around doing nothing, so just lie down for a few more days!
Ask yourself, if he hadn't taken the opportunity to sell the horse leather, Rurik himself would have been willing to take a bath and sauna every day and then sleep soundly.
Through today's inspection, he learned an embarrassing thing. The rich soldiers spent a lot of money on drinking.
They didn't spend all the money. They almost drank up all the drinks on the island with their huge appetites. For this reason, all the drink sellers made a lot of money.
In this regard, the Gould family, who had the ability to hoard large quantities of supplies, made a huge fortune without hesitation.
"If you make most of the money, I have nothing to worry about. In the end, you have to pay taxes and cough up most of the money."
With this in mind, Rurik even intended to pay a high-profile visit to the Gould family mansion on the island and have a good chat with the old man.
No, the generals and nobles all rested and played separately, and Rurik led his guards straight to the Gould house, which had a tall attic.
He was very high-profile, and the servants who were standing guard subconsciously backed away when they saw the king himself coming.
"Hey! What are you afraid of? Let your master come out to face the king!" A guard stretched out his arm and said rudely.
At this moment, Rurik had a stern look on his face, showing no signs of anger.
One of the servants bravely walked over with his back hunched over, nodded and bowed to the king, and made a gesture of surprise: "My masters have... gone to pay homage to you, the king. Perhaps, they are waiting at your official residence."
"Is this happening?!" Rurik was quite surprised.
"Absolutely true."
"It's strange that this old man came to me secretly instead of going to the meeting hall. Didn't he say hello? That's fine..." Rurik waved his hand and said no more, and ordered his subordinates: "Let's go! Go back and take a look first."
Tombstone Island is not too big but not too small either. The settlement is surrounded by a wooden wall. Its original intention was to prevent wind. Later, considering the needs of military defense, it began to be transformed into a fortress. The wall surrounded a city, and there was also a city outside the wooden wall.
Markets and a large number of wooden shacks and haystack houses were built, forming defenseless outer cities and coastal trestle villages.
The early settlers lived in the inner city, and all the large public buildings were also in the inner city.
Although the inner city is not large, it is now as wide as two football fields.
The "Prince's Palace" built that year is still Rurik's residence, and it has always been repaired. If the so-called king does not come to stay, the core residential area will be closed, and other facilities can be used by the island's governor-general.
As a result, some houses were turned into warehouses, and the upright wooden poles were tied with hemp ropes to become places for drying fish.
Rurik was not angry at the fishing village style that was visible to the naked eye. After all, he did not take the so-called palace on this island seriously. What he missed was his "Winter Palace", which was built at the location of the Winter Palace in another dimension.
In addition to the super loft with a five-story roof, it is the only one that can show the domineering power of the king in this era.
Because there are many buildings, the guards can stay together here, and a small room becomes Grund's exclusive residence.
Old Gould and his two sons were bored here. They were really bored and wanted to talk to Grund about the war. Unexpectedly, Old Gould began to mention it, and Grund gradually started talking non-stop.
Grund was beaming with joy as he spoke, and he subconsciously pointed out one person in particular, who was the Blue Fox Gouldson.
"I thought you businessmen were all about war. Each of your family is like a fat pirate, with the exception of Blue Fox. That boy is not simple. He doesn't believe in Frey or Odin, but he believes in God. He is very Being favored by people from the south, and now taking many people deep into the Frankish hinterland, it seems that your family will become rich again in the future..."
Old Gould already knew the basic outline of the matter, and the joy had long since passed. What he most wanted to know now was what the blue fox could do if it went to the extremely far south.
Grund actually felt angry in his heart, and he said sharply: "The king signed an agreement with the king of Frank. The big river called the Rhine has allies on the north side, and our free plundering zone is everywhere on the south side of the river. .It's a pity that Frank is too far away. Blue Fox is now ordered to build shops and also to plunder. This guy now has 500 armored warriors on hand. He can plunder as much as he wants, and he can also make money through normal trade. The king really likes it. This guy is gone!"
Grund said this on purpose. He really envied the happy life that Blue Fox would have. It was like having a steel sword in his hand and plundering wherever he wanted. Grund was yelling about all the things that were not available, and he couldn't help but make them more jealous. He said that Blue Fox would have even more outrageous achievements. What about the reality? He was also telling it for himself.
Grund left his home in Jutland when he was very young and traveled around the world with some of his fellow villagers. He thought he would die in a certain battle, but now he is the "hound" of King Rus, and he has a life worth cherishing. ending.
He boasted that he had been to many places and finally opened his eyes to the vast world through the war that lasted for 840 years. If he had not become an old guy in his forties, he would still be able to venture to more distant places. How could the blue fox be so good? ?This businessman is indeed brave. The most important thing is that this guy is still young and energetic.
So, looking at Old Gould's two fat and young sons, he couldn't help shouting boldly: "Your two younger sons also have a chance. In fact, I have heard of one thing."
"What's going on?" Old Gould asked alertly.
"I actually heard Lan Hu casually say that the king would reuse his two younger brothers. So, could it be these two brats?"
This sentence made Old Gould tense up in surprise, his squinted eyes were as wide as copper bells, and his drooping beard was all hairy. The two brothers, Black Fox and Red Fox, were so excited that their hearts beat wildly. They had long been beaten by Glenn. De's words whetted his appetite, and his heart was full of desire for adventure.
"Is this true?" Old Gould asked tremblingly.
"Probably so. The king will come back anyway, you can just ask yourself."
"That's okay! That's okay..."
They didn't chat for a long time, and Rurik returned quickly. He ordered his two wives to go to rest, and took away the two little princes who had seen the world with the king and continued to sleep.
Well, just as I entered the palace gate, I saw the figures of three fat men.
"Gould!" he shouted.
No, Gould jumped up and stood up quickly. The old man could not stand very steadily now, and his left and right arms were immediately supported by his two sons.
"Your Majesty... you are finally back."
"You!" Rurik pointed directly at him, suppressing his excitement and smiling without any intention of nagging, and shook his neck, "Follow me, let's talk in detail."
It seems that the king seems to know something. Old Gould, who is well versed in tacit understanding, urgently ordered his two nervous sons: "Isn't this coming?! The king invited us into his bedroom to discuss secret matters in detail. .You two, don’t be nervous, everything is up to me.”
The two little fat guys nodded in succession.
Times have changed! The once fair-skinned little boy with blond ponytail has now become a strong man with deep eyes like his father. The blond ponytail is still an obvious iconic hairstyle, and the extremely well-built beard is very masculine. .Otto, who was once an elite warrior of the tribe, also had such a face, and old Gould still remembered it fresh.
It's just that he no longer has any strength to treat Rurik as a child. Now he must be very respectful and even dare not do business bargaining with the king himself.
This time Rurik was sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed. The three fat men brought wooden chairs and kept calm, as if Rurik was admonishing them.
"I just heard that you guys are coming. Is it important? You can explain it in advance. I don't want you to talk nonsense. Just tell me what you think."
"Yes." Gould rushed to say a few polite words and now went straight to the point: "Our family came here just to buy horse leather."
"This matter? The news that I wanted to sell a thousand horse hides spread yesterday. I took a break and went straight to the parliament court. I heard that a lot of people had gathered there. Can't you... just not wait?"
Old Gould lowered his head slightly and showed a faint smile: "Can we be the same as those people? Of course I want horse hides. I also learned that these horse hides came from your battlefield captures, and the dead horses were from the Frank army. The war horse. I am not interested in the thousand horse hides."
"Does that mean you're eyeing a horse leather that's a thousand pieces away?"
"Yes! No."
"How?"
"I am eager to make the king make more money. This is my ultimate goal."
These words were flattering, and Rurik felt very happy to hear them, and coming from the mouth of a senior businessman, they must be enforceable.
"Okay. Tell me what you think!"
Now Old Gould ignored the headache and the discomfort in his old body: "May I ask what price your Majesty is willing to pay for horse leather?"
"You are very concerned about this? You think?"
"At least it's more expensive than deerskin. We've been short of horses, so horsehide can only be more expensive. But from what I know, it won't be that expensive. I think it's feasible for a fifteen silver coin."
Rurik nodded: "As expected of you. But..."
"Hehe, but the king is not willing to earn only this much."
"That's natural."
"So the king hopes those merchants will buy at a higher price, but they are not fools unless we cooperate to take some measures."
Gould meant to say this and indeed intended to do so. His wishful thinking was a good one because Rurik decisively made a positive statement.
Rurik's attitude clearly acquiesced that "cooperation is necessary" and he asked about such things: "You have been on the island for a year. What is the economic situation of the merchants who stay here? Do you think they are rich?"
"Are you asking about the maximum amount of money they will accept for horse leather?"
"That's true."
Gould pinched his beard and thought for a while: "Twenty silver coins is probably the limit."
"These are the people, and I know your family can pay that price."
"That's natural, but my family has been serving the king for more than ten years, and a lot of the money I made will eventually belong to you. We have always cooperated in depth, so... this time we should join forces to make those businessmen bleed!"
No, Rurik slapped his thigh, "Originally, I didn't think so much. I just wanted to dump some horse leather that was starting to stink. I changed my mind. You and I must take advantage of the opportunity to make a game."
"Yes! Make a game!"
That's all, an old man and a young man laughed arrogantly in this secret place.
There is no need for the two of them to reveal their plan in detail, after all, they have already done similar tricks together many times.
Their plan was this: at the so-called business meeting that started at night, King Rurik publicly explained the sale of a thousand horse hides, and he had to give a special description for this purpose.
All horse leathers come from strong Frankish horses. They are taken from the leather of war horses and are all trophies. Horse leather is extremely wear-resistant and much easier to take care of than deerskin. It is strong and airtight, and each piece of horse leather comes with a lot of bristles.
Leather clothing made from such leather is bound to be a hot commodity, so the explanation can be used to promote "this is a garment made of Frank war horse leather". It also has a strong mental buff, which can make many people who think they are brave flock to it.
It is to highlight that it is better than deerskin and has special spiritual significance.
As long as the appetite of the merchants is aroused, they will probably increase their prices.
To turn the meeting into an auction, heavyweights are needed to fuel the fire.
To be fair, the words Rurik and Gould were discussing now, describing the superiority of horse leather were definitely not lies. It was indeed better than deerskin.
Gould wants to be a "shill", and his family wants to raise the price in a big way. After shouting a high price, he must brazenly shout some arrogant words, such as "We can make a lot of money if we get these one thousand pieces of leather."
"One stroke" and the like, but they also deliberately mock those who are unwilling to pay high prices because they don't understand business.
It was necessary to arouse their anger and force them to be willing to pay a high price for money. After a final struggle, the Gould family announced its withdrawal.
Of course, we have to consider practical reasons. It is impossible for any of those businessmen to exist who can spend a huge sum of money to wrap up all a thousand pieces of leather. If there is, it is the Gould family.
So one thousand pieces of horse leather were divided into as many as twenty parts, and the minimum purchase limit for a merchant was fifty pieces per piece. In this way, even if the price was high, those merchants with some strength could still afford it.
They will definitely compete to increase prices for the sake of profit, and the Gould family's task is to add fuel to the fire.
But the Gould family would not buy any of it, so it was unjustifiable that there would be no benefit to such an effort.
As the elder Gould described, his family has always maintained a close relationship with the king. Business transactions are like today's "King's Bedroom Conversation", which can be negotiated in an extremely private form, and outsiders have no way of knowing the secrets.
.
The wise old Gould completely concealed the information he had just learned from the loose mouth of the guard captain Grund. He concluded that the king wanted to promote his black and red fox brothers, but he could not raise the matter.
Things must be done logically, and the black fox and the red fox must prove their abilities through some opportunities to make the king believe that they have a sharp vision.
"I am already old, and neither the white fox nor the blue fox is around. Only my young sons, the black fox and the red fox, can complete the plan for the king. My voice has become hoarse, and the black fox and the red fox can speak for me.
Let those businessmen listen, and these two brats are really young, and those businessmen will despise them. In this way, the more arrogant your words are, the more effective your strategy will be."
In fact, Rurik has been gathering these two little fat guys for a long time. Although they are standard Nordic people, they may be fat and have suppressed their body growth over the years. They are not tall, and the nickname "Fat Seal" is indeed true.
It's not nonsense.
"That's you two? It's rare that your father has given you a chance. Should I believe that you can get things done?!" Rurik asked deliberately.
The two brothers Black Fox and Red Fox hurriedly stood up and half-knelt in front of Rurik: "I used to work for the king."
"Very good. I hope you will be able to use me as well as the white fox and blue fox..."
The two of them understood and suppressed their inner excitement: "I am willing to serve the king."