The Melalen tribe did not start as a blood-related clan. When large and small families got together, they simply took the name of the lake goddess "Melaren" as their identity, so that no one would be offended.
For this reason, when Rurik marched into the Malaren parliament court with a magnificent ceremonial guard, he saw a group of nobles wearing furs sitting in a circle and clapped their legs. Everything was just as it was in the past.
They were still sitting on leather cushions, and there were no noble seats in the parliament court. The scene like a round table meeting could not show the nobility of Duke Bjorn at all.
Rurik knew the rules of the north very well. He entered the parliament chamber with his sword as usual, but ordered all the armed attendants to retreat. Only the big white fat white fox participated legitimately as the governor.
"The king is here. He's finally here." There was a commotion among the crowd.
Bjorn, who seemed to have yellow legs, suddenly stood up and exchanged pleasantries for a while. The other local nobles also greeted him with smiles, and slowly started to speak polite words.
"Everyone, please take a seat." Rurik extended his hand to signal.
He turned his head slightly and looked around, and the subtle atmosphere of the house was evident. Look! These nobles clearly didn't take Bjorn seriously, but they treated him with respect.
He mourned for a second of silence for Bjorn who had lost his power, and looked at the white fox's ball-like head from the corner of his eyes, feeling a little relieved.
He spoke softly again: "I thought you would improve the Parliament Court of Mellaren very well, but I didn't expect it to be exactly the same as it was many years ago. Bjorn, it seems that you are very economical in this regard."
"Just pursuing tradition. You know, we are very traditional here."
Bjorn borrowed the donkey from Poxia, so he was too embarrassed to pretend to be fat. The current situation of his family can be called rich, and even the expenses are very high.
Rurik himself brought a deerskin mat and laid it out casually, and the white fox did the same and sat beside the king.
No local noble dared to sit with the king, and the king's dignity was highlighted in such a fair forum.
After the king was done, all the nobles smiled at each other and exchanged looks, but no one was willing to start talking first.
The scene was a little awkward for a while.
"Damn it, you were obviously having a lively chat before, but now you're all mute?" Bjorn, who was upset, remained silent, but complained several times in his heart.
The meeting hall was very quiet, so abnormally quiet, as if they had held back a lot of things and didn't know where to start.
"Are they all mute? Distinguished people!" Rurik clapped his hands three times vigorously, like knocking on a gavel to cheer them up. "It's you!" He pointed at Bjorn again, "The distinguished Duke, you are
You send a messenger to invite me to this meeting. Just say anything and don't hesitate."
"this……"
"What? You actually look embarrassed? Is there something you are hiding? You are obviously older than me, why are you not decisive enough?"
After some deliberate harsh criticism, Bjorn still remained hesitant.
Rurik's peaceful face gradually frowned: "What's going on?"
So a local nobleman with his thighs uncovered said: "Rurik, you are the King of Rus. Last year we defeated the Danes, and then we Mellarens withdrew. Why? You are still leading the army south to attack the Franks.
Man, why don't you call us for such a good thing?"
Seeing that the bold guy raised his head, and other nobles saw that Rurik showed no sign of anger, a second noble shouted: "Brothers, it's not that the king is not interesting enough. But brothers missed the opportunity to make a fortune."
"That's right. Some Onkras people continued to go south, but other tribes left one after another. They must have made a fortune, but we missed out on the money and honor."
…
The nobles told all their previous complaints, and their speeches became more and more fierce. No matter how you look at it, they all spoke from the bottom of their hearts.
Rurik was not angry. In fact, he had the idea of instigating these guys to go to war again. Since these people had resentment in their hearts and had a strong interest in continuing to make a fortune. Isn't this a pillow for sleep? They encouraged them a little.
Isn't it a brand new friendly force that invades Frank?
After hearing some complaints, Rurik twisted his neck and reached out to pick out his ears: "Are you finished?"
After that, everyone shut up.
"What happened last year, some people complained that their losses were too great, and then Denmark robbed a lot of property and decided to withdraw as soon as it was done. I won't say who it was. The relevant people know who is going to run away. It's them.
I gave up my future glory and wealth, and I didn't stop them."
Bjorn, who had been holding back for a while, felt that he finally got a chance to speak. He did not complain and said: "If you give me another chance, I will continue to fight."
"I thought you were mute." Rurik rolled his eyes at him and asked again: "All the great nobles of Melalen are here, and you gather together just to complain to me?"
In fact, they dare not say that because the market price of grain this year is too low, they feel aggrieved because everyone does not make much. In principle, they can transport their own goods to New Roseburg and the north to sell grain, but the only armed cargo ship
There was a lot of quarrel over how to use it. Every family has contributed money. This is a large ship funded by crowdfunding. It has a strong transport capacity, but there is only one chance to transport grain this autumn. One family has reserved the right to use it, which means
It cannot be used by other families.
In theory, Bjorn can enjoy it exclusively as a duke. However, he was opposed by others at the first sign of his idea. No one can use this big ship. Then if we organize a traditional longship team to transport food to the east and north, there will not be much food transportation capacity.
, the total value of the goods is not much, and even if there are no tariffs for the time being, there are still ship management fees. If you think about it at one time, you will not make much money, and it is not enough trouble.
Being good at calculation, they had no choice but to sell the surplus grain to Governor Bai Hu at a low price, which made everyone unhappy.
Bjorn still kept an eye on it, and he pointed at the ceiling deliberately: "The weather this year is not bad, and the farmland cannot be said to have a good harvest or a bad harvest. How is the situation in the east?"
"Are you asking about the capital? Or the farmland further east?"
"It's Novgorod." Bjorn asked on behalf of everyone.
"Of course it's a great harvest. It's warmer over there than here, and the soil around the lake is fertile. Haha, a lot of new wheat is being transported to the capital continuously, and I have found a new inland waterway this summer. The water flow in the new waterway will always be smooth.
There are new transportation options with the capital..."
It is necessary to inform the nobles of Lake Malaren about some of the infrastructure construction in the Eastern world. Ross built the first canal to create a new waterway with human power. Of course, this matter must be widely publicized.
Bjorn and other nobles had no choice but to smile awkwardly in response. They did not understand how much the canal and the new inland waterway had to do with themselves in Scandinavia.
The nobles realized that the main grain-producing area of Russ had a bumper harvest. Did the grain of Lake Mälaren become no longer important?
"After all, you are just complaining that I did not take you with me in the continuation war last year. No matter what the situation was at that time, it is meaningless for us to argue now."
Rurik asked everyone to relax, and everyone could see that their king had something important to say, so they all listened with high chests.
"Now there is an opportunity, or you have noticed all this. The king has signed an agreement with a distinguished Frankish noble. The Frankish area south of the Inn River can be used as our plundering area. You
Don’t you want to make a fortune? The opportunity is here.”
"I know about this. Our people went away spontaneously. However, they did not come back." Bjorn shook his head regretfully.
Others said: "Who knows whether they are dead or alive? Although the king defeated them once, they are not weak."
"Indeed, who knows?" Rurik shrugged, "This is an opportunity! The Franks are actively engaged in civil war, and the big nobles must be tearing each other apart. We must seize this opportunity. Therefore, I plan to continue to interfere with their affairs.
During the civil war, I have sent people to build footholds and asked them to loot. As long as nothing happens, my people will come back in late autumn to report on their duties. My high priest did a divination, and those who went to explore Frankland are safe and sound.
.What choice will you...make?"
They looked at each other, no one dared to say anything.
Rurik clapped his hands loudly to remind everyone: "Listen! The person I sent is the Count of Gothenburg, Blue Fox Gouldson. All of you know him. How is he? What about his men? Do you think he will fail?
?I don’t believe it anyway.”
The fat white fox was sitting here, and Bjorn hurriedly smiled: "So it's him! Although Blue Fox is a businessman, he is clearly more brave than many warriors. He will achieve great success, so we..."
"Yes. I plan to use troops against Frank, but I need some new manpower. I am worried that as our intervention deepens, when a decisive battle occurs among the top nobles, we will have to send heavy troops to intervene."
"Large-scale war is a good thing!"
"What we ask for is a war."
"The young men in my family need victory as a rite of passage."
…
The nobles were all talking again, and they no longer needed to hide their willingness to fight. Bjorn himself did not object to fighting. As the Duke of Malaren, he had the obligation to lead everyone to form the Malaren Army to fight, and
Doing so will help increase his prestige.
"Okay, it seems that you are very enthusiastic." Rurik simply took advantage of the victory and pursued: "This is a purely voluntary matter. You can organize your own people to rob Frank and rob and capture prisoners based on your skills. I will not say anything. You.
As long as you pay attention to some basic principles, everyone who comes north of the Inn River is our ally, and you can plunder the area south of the Inn River at will..."
There was no need to hold another meeting to discuss the matter with them, so Rurik took the opportunity to solemnly explain the principles of robbery.
He explained in great detail who were the allies and who were the enemies, which areas could be robbed, which areas must not be touched, and how those who robbed those who shouldn't have been robbed would be punished.
In this way, even Rurik didn't take Bjorn seriously. He was instigating the big landowners to use their clan blood relatives and their adopted servants as small-scale pirates to attack the Central Frankish region in the most standard Viking raiding mode.
Rurik had this idea. The so-called Eastern Kingdom had signed an alliance under the city, and King Ludwig was probably too injured to take the initiative to attack again.
In last year's war, the core military strength of the Kingdom of Rus was also severely damaged. Rurik was not sure that the young warriors who had grown up were good at fighting, and the veterans he relied on had suffered too much. At this time of drought, Rus should try to intervene in the Frankish Civil War.
But it is inappropriate to waste huge amounts of national funds and soldiers' lives on it.
The old Russian people are all noble, and this is the basis of Rus' rule.
To disrupt the Middle Kingdom, the best way is to find a group of northern nobles who are interested in getting rich. These nobles are better able to organize ships and manpower than ordinary fishermen, and their organization level is higher, as well as their fighting will.
A standard Viking raid usually consisted of two or three ships, and a hundred or so people launched a sneak attack on innocent villages, looted and killed them, then set them on fire and drove off.
This most standard action is rarely carried out by Ross, because Rurik's pattern is such that he just likes to carry out large-scale battles. The war scenes are large and the human resources are mobilized, so the benefits gained from the war are greater.
The rogue-style Viking raiding method is still useful. Ross will not institutionalize this tactic. The Swedish tribes, especially the Mellaren tribe with superior human resources, can definitely do this.
Including Bjorn, the nobles reached a consensus with Rurik.
As Swedish Vikings, they never felt guilty about raiding and considered it a way of life, just like fishing and hunting.
The enemy's warehouse is my home's warehouse! The key lies in who is the enemy.
Now that the Baltic Sea has been integrated by Rus, Rurik is both the King of Rus and the King of Sweden, and there is a brand new Kingdom of Denmark in the south. In the past, sneak attacks on each other in the vast sea area, and meritorious deeds have become a major crime. Anyone who dares to launch an attack can be conquered by everyone.
, and even the Count of Saaremaa Island was ordered to patrol and enforce the law in the sea.
As a pioneer, the fishermen with itchy hands followed Rurik's advice and had already entered the fringe activities of the Frankish world.
Those people are too weak and can catch more fish in the Atlantic waters, so they are not willing to risk being killed to plunder.
The nobles have too many things to consider, especially to meet their ever-expanding capital expenditures, and they must either focus on self-production or rob. The nobles are still more willing to rob.
The meeting was over, and the nobles who were originally complaining felt refreshed and geared up one by one.
Throughout the meeting, Bjorn, as a duke, acted like an ordinary nobleman. He himself said something, and so did other nobles.
"Sure enough, strength is king!"
Bjorn did not complain when he returned home. He was never a domineering figure like Olegin and Karl, but was just a talker elected by a group of landowners. Since his title was not conferred by Rurik, but the chief's.
Change the name to another title, and then just admit it to Rurik. What if one day your family is deprived of the title? Is it hurting your honor? Do you still have to worry about the damage to your honor?
Bjorn is not a petty person. He knows that his strength is enough to show an advantage over the Melalen tribe, and it is not an absolute advantage.
He has no intention of fighting for power, but is more concerned about developing his own large family and making his life better.
He has never been an honest and friendly person. Soon after returning home, he began to count the young men, middle-aged men, and young women who were related to the family. The tenant farmers and serfs also counted the strong ones among them. There were not a single mercenary servant among them.
Falling. Without him, Bjorn was counting the warriors he could mobilize. He found Rurik's encouragement very interesting. Next year, he would take his cronies on an "armed expedition" to the Frankish world as the Duke of Malaren.
”.
As for the other landowners in the tribe, let them have their own fun!
"Anyway, that armed cargo ship is mine! If you try to rob me again, I will let White Fox mediate." Of course, even though my marriage to Governor White Fox really attracted the attention of the other party, or King Rus really paid attention to it,
You also need to have a relatively large personal force in your hands.
How much is too much? For example, let’s assemble a force of 500 people ready to go to war at any time.
Bjorn made such a plan for himself. In last year's war, he lost a lot of his direct subordinates. It was indeed difficult to expand the army to 500 men. No, he included the young women in the family according to tradition. There were not enough female Viking warriors.
Surprisingly, especially when the endurance is not enough, the proportion of female warriors becomes higher and higher.
This was true of Bjorn, and other landowners had the same idea.
Rurik returned to the Governor's Palace in a good mood.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to eat, he confidently talked to the white fox. "I think they are all inspired by the success. It's great. It saves me having to find time to have a detailed chat with them."
"Hey, actually they are crazy about getting rich!" White Fox laughed.
"Oh? You shut up during the whole meeting. What's going on? Do you feel there is no need to speak, or do you have reservations?"
"I actually know them very well. Your Majesty, they are actually poor. They are fierce because of their poverty. They are not like nobles. I think your Majesty still regards them as mercenaries."
"Of course." Rurik fiddled with the warm lamb ribs and cut them off with one force: "Lotel of the Middle Kingdom, this person is our future enemy. Listen, a divided Frankish world is facing
We are in an advantage, and I am trying to create this result. However, King Lothair intends to unify the Franks. If he succeeds, our good days will be gone."
The white fox knew very little about this, so he flattered: "What kind of enemy is worthy of the king's concern? Our army will definitely win!"
"That's true, but we need to change some tactics. Your three brothers are now in the south, and I'm worried that they are in danger. After all, robbery involves the risk of being killed, and I arranged for your three brothers to
Help me expand my commercial territory in the south, and looting is just an added bonus. Let some desperadoes do the bloody work to disturb our enemies, and those who died in the conflicts were all members of the Malaren nobles. In the end, our Ross army captured
Get the most wealth."
"Wonderful!"
"It's not bad. It's just to satisfy those guys' desire to plunder. We and they each get what we need." Rurik shrugged and raised his wine glass: "I won't stay here for long, I will go to Uppsa soon.
After completing this year’s autumn sacrifices at the Temple of Ra, we have to return to the capital. Oh, I also have news about your father here.”
Bai Hu, who had a comfortable face at first, suddenly lost his composure, "I know very well about my father. He..."
"Everything is his own choice. Gould is my old friend. He is too old after all. The will has been completed and he has chosen a destination for himself. Now, you are the new Gould, you are his
Eldest son, do a good job as governor here, just like in the past. Your family and my family are in the same boat, so do a good job."
"Okay." Big White Fatty Bai Hu filled himself up with another glass of strong wine and drank it all in one gulp...