Chapter 119 The Promise with the Great Merchant (2)
Facing Gould, Rurik tapped the table gently, his serious face looking like an adult.
Rurik asked: "Gould, you have indeed decided that we Rus will take your fleet south after completing the spring sacrifice?"
"Indeed, I will sell your soap, furs, and other things as soon as possible."
"Very good. When will you return?"
"This..." Gould pinched his fingers, "Probably like in previous years, in the autumn, around the time your father is preparing to go to Novgorod to collect the autumn tribute, I will be back at that time."
"That's autumn? Very good. Now I promise you that when you return, I will create a tool that can turn ordinary ale into flammable spirits. I will make an agreement with you, as long as
I will only sell the spirits I make to you. What do you think?"
"Ah! This is really wonderful." Gould clapped his hands.
"Okay. You are a trustworthy businessman. For this reason..." Rurik thought for a while and said, "You know, I have a business agreement with the priest and the blacksmith. We will engrave the agreement on the wooden board. Now
Please also find a piece of wood. We will make a written agreement, and my father, the chief of the Russians, will serve as a witness to prove that our agreement is valid and protected by us Russians. I will not betray the agreement first.
But you!" Rurik's eyes widened, "If anyone betrays the agreement, he will be punished by us! For betrayal, I don't think the Onkras tribe will help those who betray the agreement."
At this moment, Gould actually felt a deep threat. Rurik, who was sitting a few steps away, didn't have the innocence of a child. There was murderous intent in his eyes.
Gould paused for a moment. He was frightened by being polite before fighting, so he put on a stiff smile to relieve the embarrassment: "Ha! How could I betray you? Rurik, your father is a witness. I swear to Odin now that I will
Being loyal to the agreement, you and I don’t need to write it on the wooden board. If I betray it, the Ross tribe has the right to take my life and take away my family property. I am a principled businessman, and I am worthy of trust!"
Principles? Businessmen’s principles? Ridiculous.
It's not that Rurik didn't believe in Gould's character. After all, businessmen are driven by profit.
The businessmen Rurik understood were the kind of madmen who dared to commit any crime as long as they had three times the profit. Thinking of the historical process, some wealthy businessmen went to the New Continent to crusade the so-called natives, and at the same time claimed that they were bringing civilization
Gentlemen with good moral character, they may have really brought the civilization of the old continent, but there is no doubt that they also brought death and destruction. The reality is often so absurd.
"Gould, I am willing to believe you." Rurik said deliberately politely, "I am different from others. You and I are not involved in low-level trade of buying a few fish, but are related to the future of soap, wine,
Even a huge amount of trade in other goods. Not just soap and wine, I really intend to go south to buy other goods through you. We must engrave the agreement on the wooden board, because our descendants will inherit us
The current agreement. You think, if a hundred years later, they see these wooden boards, they will always remember the agreement made by their ancestors, and our descendants will always maintain friendly relations."
At this moment, Gould was so moved that he almost cried. Otto was also shocked. He never thought that his son had such a long-term vision.
Gould excitedly slammed the table and spilled the wine all over the table. He was shocked that the future leader Rurik valued him so much at such a young age. Doesn't this mean that he was actually protected by the Ross tribe?
"Yes! For the sake of our current friendship and the friendship of our descendants, this agreement must be engraved on the wooden board. I will now send someone to the shipbuilder to find the strongest oak board!" After that, he ordered his men to find it.
board.
After a while, a neat wooden board was brought over by Gould's servant.
"Rurik, the board must have arrived now, what kind of agreement should you and I make?"
"I..." Rurik pinched his chin. Any time when signing a written document, the parties involved must remain serious and vigilant.
Regarding what kind of trade agreement to sign with Gould, a very key item is soap, which can also quickly bring huge profits to both parties in the foreseeable future.
In addition, profit from the sale of wine must be engraved on the wooden board, but the value of this matter has yet to be assessed.
Gould ordered one of his clever servants to hold a knife and prepare to scratch the wood.
"Dear Rurik, you come and explain the agreement, and my servant will engrave the words. I hope you understand our rune script."
"Of course." Rurik shrugged, "That's our writing. How can I not master it? I have been studying at the high priest's place this winter."
"That's good, you can dictate it."
The leader of the Russian people is here, and Gould believes that the leader and his son have no intention of harming him, and both parties can benefit from future trade.
On the other hand, Rurik's provisions on the terms of the trade agreement are also relatively vague.
The initial two terms of the agreement between the two parties are:
First, the Ross tribal leader family and its descendants make soap, which is sold by the Gould Unklas family. The specific price is agreed upon by both parties.
Second, the Gould Unkras family transports ordinary ale, which is made into flammable spirits by the Ross tribal leader family. The spirits will be sold to the Gould Unkras family separately.
With these two terms, Rurik was giving Gould a huge concession. How could Gould not be aware of this concession?
The heart of this fat old guy was filled with emotion, as if the Russians were preparing to create a golden mountain, and Gould and his descendants could share a large amount of wealth without much effort.
But there must be something fishy about such a concession. Rurik looks like a child, and having such an understanding of things is far beyond the current capabilities of the Russians.
A good leader knows how to make profits, and Gould knows this very well, because he spent a large sum of money to support a group of subordinates who dared to work for him, as long as he could steadily spend a large amount of money as rewards.
, the samurai he recruited are always reliable.
"Rurik, you have given me a great favor, and you must have more plans."
"Of course! It seems that you have understood what I mean." Rurik raised his head and explained carefully: "Gould, my deal is not just soap and wine, but also other things. There must be something more.
Lots of stuff!”
"What else?" When he heard that there were new trade possibilities, Gould was very excited and asked, "You said, I am willing to trade."
"Food!" Rurik said this word solemnly.
"food?"
"Yes! It's food. Gould, I need a lot of food. The land in Roseburg cannot grow wheat, and at most it can only grow a few onions. You must import wheat from the south as much as possible! Even the food you transport
If it can be piled up into a mountain, I will still buy it with the silver coins."
"Is this...is this necessary?"
"Of course." Rurik stretched out his little head to further emphasize, "You get me wheat. No matter you buy it or rob it from someone, I just want a lot of wheat. You bring the wheat, and I will follow the instructions.
I’ll buy them all at a price higher than the market price, and I’ll buy as much as you bring.”
Seeing that Rurik's tone was very determined, Gould pinched the beard on his round chin, but he had to think carefully.
Because it is purely a grain trade, if he organizes a fleet to act as a "porter" and earns the difference between freight and grain prices, his profit is not high.
Youdao is a self-made businessman. When he was pursuing early-stage capital, he was willing to do small businesses. As his strength grew, his business attitude must have become picky and he became more committed to risky transactions, such as sneaking into the Danish territory.
Qiao Zhuangcheng, a Danish businessman, made a lot of money.
Grain trade does make a difference.
In today's era, the allies of the Rus living in the Svealand region have been loyal to reclaiming land to grow wheat. Although the local climate is very close to the Arctic, some cold-resistant oats and rye can completely complete a growth cycle in the warm period.
The total population of the entire Siiya Alliance is only 100,000 people. They cultivate and plant using very backward methods. Although the yield per mu is very low, each tribe still has enough wheat to eat.
The reality is very magical. In fact, even if various tribes do not eat wheat, they will not suffer from famine.
Everyone is facing the sea, and each tribe is a hero in navigation. To put it bluntly, their fishing skills are far better than farming.
Each tribe has mastered weaving huge hemp rope nets, and multiple boats cooperate in trawling operations. Although the taste of bread and pancakes is far better than cooked fish, the ancestors of the Swedes never suffered famine due to poor harvests.
, the most common feeling is that the next year will not be easy because of the poor grain harvest.
The failure of the grain harvest will lead to famine in the Frankish kingdom, which will also lead to plunder by the Danes in recent decades.
Unlike Scandinavia, the climate of Jutland is milder, and the wheat fields on the peninsula also have higher yields per acre. The Danes' food foundation is more solid than their relatives in the north, so in the early ninth century
, Denmark has a larger population, more grain production, milk production and fish catch production. But the Danes still can’t figure out how to increase grain yield per acre. Perhaps the way to get more grain is to cultivate more land for planting.
road.
They sow the seeds and enter the off-farm period. In the past, the off-farm period was the traditional trade season. Nowadays, the chiefs of the Danish tribes are getting bolder. Some people make a lot of money, food, and even scarce female resources through plundering the whole clan. Others are jealous.
The tribes could no longer bear to be poor farmers, so more chiefs led their tribesmen on the "road of leisure farming".
Therefore, for various Viking tribes, they are fully capable of surviving in the famine years when they cannot enjoy millet. If they can eat millet, it would be great to buy it at a higher price. If it doesn't work, then indulge
soldiers to rob the Franks or Britons.
The current civilization stage of the Ross tribe and its allies is still a clan society dominated by fishing and hunting economy, which is somewhat backward than the Danes.
In the Frankish Kingdom, once the first year's food harvest failed, the price of food in the following year could skyrocket to an astonishing level. The so-called nobles from various places took advantage of the famine to hoard food, and then bought it from the hands of civilians who were almost starving to death.
A small amount of life-saving food was exchanged for a large amount of wealth, and even a large number of serfs.
Originally, the Frankish Kingdom had a large class of yeoman farmers. Their measures to resist natural disasters were very weak, and there was no concept of disaster relief in Europe at this time and space. After a drought and flood, the yeoman farmers, in order to survive, became serfs of the nobles with their families, and then survived.
It's really an acceptable choice.
Rurik, who lives in the far north, has no control over the lives of ordinary people in the Frankish Kingdom. He allows the local nobles to harm one side like parasites. What does it have to do with the Rus tribe?
Rurik just needed a lot of food, and his explanation surprised Gould.
"I will definitely buy the grain you bring, whether it is oats or rye, peas, turnips (Swedish turnips), onions, cabbage, or other vegetables. As long as you bring it over, I will be happy to buy it at a high price.
"
"This is real?"
"Of course! I will buy as much as you transport. This must be a term of our agreement and must be engraved on the wooden board."
Over the years, Gould has always spent his winters in Roseburg. To be fair, he would not be willing to spend the winter again if he could not buy a large amount of animal furs here. Roseburg can bring him a stable fur income, so living here
With only two maids to serve him all day long, he did not have to face the quarrels all day long with his five wives and concubines in the south, and he ended up in peace.
The land at Fort Ross could hardly grow any crops, so Gould brought all the food and vegetables he loved to eat to feed himself and his men when the sea ice thawed in the coming year.
The Russians themselves did not farm, but they received a steady wheat tribute from the Novgorodians.
It stands to reason that they are not short of wheat, but how come Rurik's attitude is completely different from that of his father, and why do they have a very urgent need for food?
Gould asked bluntly: "Rurik, do you plan to desperately buy grain so that you Russians can eat at least one pound of wheat every day?"
"Of course not. The various foods you brought are indeed for eating. I don't plan to sell them to my tribe. I plan to raise a group of servants now, and for this I need a lot of food."
Servant? Gould or Otto, both of them were 100% wary of Rurik's words.
"Yes. A large number of servants. So Gould, when you go south this year, I will also ask you to find a group of servants for me. I saw that you have two very obedient Britton maids, and I also want a group of them.
maid."
"Maid?" Hearing Rurik's words, Gould felt really weird. Because for Gould, the biggest role of the two Briton women was to provide him with entertainment in the boring winter in the north.
After giving birth to a child, Gould would give the illegitimate child a family name, but he would never expect to receive any property.
Looking at Rurik's age, why does this child need so many maids? Is it possible that he still needs to be filial to his father?
Thinking of this, Gould's eyes immediately looked at Otto with evil intentions.
"Rurik, you are not planning to choose some servants for your father, are you? Oh, you are such a good boy."
Otto understood what Gould meant in an instant. He was horrified when he heard it. He immediately refuted the absurdity of Gould's words and then questioned his son's purpose.