In fact, from the beginning, Gould revealed that the alliance leader Olegin deliberately designated this area near his mansion as a full-time business area due to management needs, and even stipulated the location of the tavern he controlled.
, and even places where slave traders from all walks of life peddle slaves.
Whether it was the sale of slaves, the sale of cheap pottery, or the largest grain trade every autumn, Olegin stipulated that almost all of these transactions could only be completed in fixed markets.
Rurik guessed correctly, Olegin was indeed a greedy man.
The so-called greed is actually forced by practical reasons.
It is necessary to support a "standing army" of up to 500 people, and to prepare enough iron weapons to arm 2,000 people in a short period of time, and even includes the cost of replacing and maintaining ships. These are simply the "standing army" of the Melalen tribe.
"Defense expenditure" is military expenditure in a practical sense.
When the population of a tribal group reaches a certain critical point, a power structure equivalent to the king will be created, a group of courtiers who take orders from the king, and a standing army that only takes orders from the king will be born. In order to support the army, a tax system is also natural
born.
The use of forceful means to restrain people from all walks of life who came to do business in Mälaren in one place was ultimately to meet the practical needs of convenient collection of tributes.
The era was like this. There was no papermaking technology, and only a few people understood rune. Moreover, the text was often engraved on stones and wooden boards in the form of incantations, and only priests would use it regularly.
In people's daily life, writing almost does not appear. It is for this reason that technical bureaucrats called scribes and tax collectors do not exist. This forces even Olegin, who is the leader of the alliance, to personally
He could only estimate how much tribute he could collect, because it was almost impossible to quantify taxation under such technical conditions.
Tributes are collected every year. Since the agent who infiltrated Rossburg told him that the Russians invented the concept of "tax", the behavior of the Russians alone caused him to misunderstand, but this was a misunderstanding that made him excited!
No, Olegin once again led his men to play the role of tax collector. This time he did not go to ask for tribute, but followed the example of collecting taxes.
What exactly is the Mellaren-style tax? Olegin has a self-consciously reasonable explanation: "If you do business in my territory, you must pay tribute. If you make a lot of profits from doing business, you must pay me tax."
." He estimated that the businessmen were reluctant to spend another sum of money, but the money had to be collected. In order to crack down on those who refused to pay, the private armies they supported would have work to do.
From this point of view, Otto leading the Russian tribute voyage was an armed search for the wealth of the Novgorod people to enrich himself. Olegin was doing the same thing, but his wheat-cutting sickle, whether it was
In both a realistic and metaphorical sense, the sickle is harvesting one's own people.
Today may be a very significant day for Olegin. He has already made a decision, so he puts on gorgeous and noble clothes, organizes as many as fifty private soldiers, and prepares to collect taxes by force.
In order to make another crucial sum of money before the late harvest season, which was destined to be a failure, he had made complete preparations.
Within the wooden wall surrounded by thick oak, his private captain asked cautiously again: "Master, are you really sure? If those people don't pay, will you really kill one or two?"
"Yes, if you insist on refusing to pay, two or three will be executed, so that others can obediently pay."
"But, they are not yours..."
"My people? Not just." Olegin finally looked at his men: "Brothers, think about the money in your hands. If we don't squeeze those people, how can I give you more money?
!Now someone is actually interceding with those guys? Don’t you love money anymore?”
Olegin does not have any mystical aura such as being "loved by the gods". He cannot use these means to win over people's hearts. The best means at his disposal are to support a private army and ingratiate himself with the wealthy households of the Melalen tribe.
, in order to control the throne of the alliance leader, basically his power is maintained by a well-trained private army of more than 500 people. Not to mention the small number of troops on hand, his military strength is unmatched.
With Olegin's encouragement, people with compassionate hearts strengthened their beliefs. As the saying goes, if anyone wants to suffer poverty, as long as it is not me who suffers poverty, then everything will be fine.
The heavy oak door was opened, and a group of sword-wielding warriors wearing leather armor stepped out first, followed closely by the leader of the alliance, Olegin, who was wearing a ferret outfit trimmed with gold. He was not dressed like a warrior today, but
A wealthy businessman. This is just a superficial appearance. Under his leather coat, he is wearing chain mail!
Rabbits can bite people when they are in a hurry. Olegin feels that he needs to be more vigilant. He is afraid that the small businessmen who have been plundered too much by him will suddenly turn into desperadoes. He really knows the Melalen people very well. His own people seem to
They have become farmers and fishermen who live in peace with the world, but in fact they are all brave and ruthless people at heart.
But today's situation is indeed very different.
Olegin saw that there was a large group of ragged children, with only a few fig leaves left on their bodies, and they all rushed towards him.
"Damn it! Is it an enemy attacker? Protect me! Protect me quickly!"
God knows why there is a group of children staying near the door of their house. They seem to have come out of a lot of adobe houses, but they are definitely not local children of Melalen, because the residents of the entire tribe are afraid of their power as the leader of the alliance.
, as long as the anger explodes, all the children will be frightened and cry.
The guards were not in a hurry to draw their swords and hold axes. They stood in front of their master and formed a human wall very skillfully.
They are very good at this. They say that if a war breaks out, everyone will wear heavy armor and cowhide shields and form a human wall to protect the master.
The children were like hungry little wolves. Their target was Olegin, who was the most elegant and neatly dressed. They ran and shouted for food.
The private soldiers who only cared about protecting their masters raised their feet and kicked these skinny children violently.
After being violently kicked down, the children still stood up tenaciously, even if they were crawling, they still had to crawl towards Olegin.
They were all skinny children, and there seemed to be girls among them. Although they were young, their burst of willpower actually gave Olegin a hint of fear.
The children continued to be kicked down by the private soldiers, and they got up again, shouting about hunger, and continued to stretch out their thin and trembling little hands to reach out to Olegin for help.
Their purpose is actually very simple, just to get a bite to eat and avoid starving to death.
Olegin had never encountered such a thing. How could he listen to a group of children who suddenly appeared? Seeing that these "dirty guys were determined to commit crimes", he became cruel.
"Guard, beat me! Whoever comes over will be beaten until he is killed!"
Beating children? Many private soldiers feel that they have insulted their reputation. Since their masters are pressing them hard, they are no longer human beings.
Then a private soldier pulled out his sword and flashed the sharp blade. Many children who were begging for food finally felt scared and began to flee.
Can you avoid being killed by running away?
The escaping children were caught up one after another. The private soldiers did not actually kill them with one knife, but followed Olegin's latest order, which was to use their fists to torture these "wild dogs blocking their doorstep" little by little.
The children's wails kept coming one after another, and some locals from the Mellaren people came over quietly looking for the sound. When they saw that the one who was being beaten was not their own child, they sighed and consciously avoided it.
That was the most powerful leader! No one dared to stop the leader's actions. In fact, when everyone saw that the child being beaten was a begging child, some people secretly cheered, hoping that the leader would eliminate these potential thieves.
Some people came after hearing the news and actually smiled in public. Because what happened now was exactly what they hoped for.
Yes, if they had not been instigated by others, how could the hungry foreign children who had fled from the refugee camp have the temerity to squat in front of the leader's house?
Children's screams and cries were heard not far away, and the ferocity of the sound instantly aroused Rurik's alertness.
"Jevlo!"
"exist!"
"Are there parents beating their children? Didn't you say that the alliance leader's home is not far ahead? Is this how the alliance leader educates his children?"
Yevro wanted to laugh when he heard this, but someone from the accompanying mercenaries pointed out: "Master, that Olegin's son is already thirty years old."
"Maybe to educate the grandson?" Rurik shrugged: "Let's go, let's look for the sound and see what happened."
In a moment, Rurik and the others had already seen the wooden wall erected at Olegin's mansion, and the screams continued one after another.
After passing through several adobe houses and encountering several women with solemn faces and walking in a hurry, the chaotic scene unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Rurik's scalp tightened and his whole body was trembling.
"What's going on?! Jevlo, a group of men with swords and armor, they are...ah?! Beating children?!"
"Oh, it seems so." Aric looked at the atrocities of those armored men with a nonchalant expression. Under his robe was his contemptuous eyes. He shook his head: "I hope they will do this when they deal with the Gotlanders."
Such bravery. Bah! I think highly of them. The Malaren people are cowards who only dare to beat their children. They don't dare to use force against the Gotlanders at all."
Rurik did not comment for the time being, he immediately took stock of the surrounding environment.
In front of the tall and thick wooden wall, there is a small square that has been trampled very solidly. A group of children with almost nothing but a fig leaf gathered at the base of the wooden wall. They were surrounded by men wearing armor and holding swords, and they were shivering.
There were more than a dozen children being beaten. Looking at the posture, a well-dressed man was obviously the leader. This man was instructing the perpetrators to beat them to death.
The more Rurik looked, the angrier he became. He also noticed that Carlotta, who was following him, had quietly hidden behind the mercenary.
"No! We can't let them continue to commit violence." Rurik felt a sense of justice in an instant. After saying this, he was about to move forward, but was grabbed by Yevro.
"What? You stopped me?"
"Sir, the man in the ferret suit is... Olegin."
"Ah? That guy?!" Rurik raised his head suddenly and couldn't help but clenched his teeth that had begun to loosen. "Then I have to stop him even more!"
Rurik suddenly broke away from Jevro's hand, and his little figure in a burqa walked in front. Feeling that his master was facing huge risks, Jevro shook his neck and ordered other mercenaries to follow hurriedly.
The strong Arik held the hilt of the sword in his robe with his right hand. He observed the perpetrators and already planned in his mind what technique he would use to cut their throats immediately.
More than a dozen people wearing burqas walked out from the cracks in the adobe house.
Olegin had actually noticed that there was such a group of people observing secretly. Thinking of the boy from the winery who just came to report the important event, he could be sure that these were the Norwegians who dared to spend a lot of money to sell wine and perform arrogantly.
Already.
No! Could it be that a group of wild children are making themselves uncomfortable, which is what the Norwegians do?
For a moment, Olegin felt that the child who was beaten was actually a slave child kidnapped by the Norwegians from nowhere. They let the children make trouble for themselves, and they also caused trouble in the tavern. There must be some ulterior motive for his group of guys?
Those private soldiers who had not yet started to beat anyone also drew their swords. After all, the newcomers were uniformly dressed and walked steadily. There was also an invisible murderous aura. A gust of north wind struck, and the chilling feeling made the private soldiers secretly fear.
.
"Stop it!" Olegin ordered, and the perpetrators closed their fists one after another, while the children who were beaten were already as limp as death.
The children with bruises all over their bodies and bleeding from the corners of their mouths were squirming hard, as if they were making their last struggle before dying.
Rurik couldn't help but stop, and he was soon guarded by his men.
Arik lowered his head slightly and cursed in a low voice: "You are such a reckless fool. You are just a child. Do you want to be beaten to death by them?"
"I……"
"Stand behind me now. If they dare to use force, I will chop off their heads." Arik ordered with gritted teeth.
Arik is young and energetic and has rich experience in killing people. Rurik is really glad that he has his protection now.
After a while, the door to the wooden wall was opened, and more than thirty armored men armed with short spears and swords came out, and they all guarded the leader.
The scene was quiet for a while, and for a short period of time, both parties were sizing each other up.
Olegin felt that he had enough manpower, so he pushed back the wall of his private soldiers, held his long sword and asked: "It's you! Norwegians! The people in the tavern told me about you, you are so brave."
Arik now fully represents his younger brother, not to mention that the saucy operation in the tavern was entirely his own idea. Being able to be pointed directly by the sword of the legendary leader of the alliance, Arik did not feel even a trace of fear, nor did he have any
Of excitement, all he had was anger.
If you are threatened by someone, the best way to defeat the threat is to kill the person who threatens you.
Sure enough, he was regarded as a Norwegian? Then he used the trick.
After being threatened with a sword, Arik's next move can be described as a conditioned reflex.
He suddenly lifted his hood, revealing his blond hair and thick beard that made him solid and reliable. He shook his robe violently, accompanied by a strong metallic buzzing sound, revealing his bright white hair under his eyes.
long sword.
And this is just his first sword.
Arik also reached into his waist with his left hand and pulled out another bright white long sword with a more gorgeous pattern on the hilt.
Seeing a strong young man holding two swords high, the private soldiers were frightened by this aura and didn't know what to do for a moment. Everyone has heard of heroic legends, that is, certain heroes on the battlefield can use a
There are hundreds of enemies, and anyone who approaches rashly will be easily killed.
This man with two swords is so strange! Everyone is thinking, if the master orders an attack with swords, should he be the first to charge?
The mercenaries present, and even some of the elite Russian warriors, had plundered and killed hundreds of enemies in the waters south of Lake Mälaren two months ago. The brave Aric drew his sword, but what about himself?! Bah! No matter what
What kind of leader is Olegin? He is a fool!
"Brothers, draw your swords! Prepare to fight." Jevro gave an order, and the others drew out their bright white steel swords one after another, and squatted down, forming an arc-shaped wall of people, with the sword tips pointed straight ahead.
.
Steel swords, they are so dazzling in the sun.
The people in burqas were clearly not a mob. From Olegin's perspective, they were clearly a well-trained army!