Chapter 388 The germination of the Gurdot shipbuilding plan
Gould was a young man, and he would sometimes feel pain in his head that was about to burst (actually due to atherosclerosis). Whenever he had a headache, he would ask his slave girls or his wives to rub his head for him, fearing that his life span was about to end.
Of course he is afraid of death, but death is something everyone will experience.
That's why he hung a deer head, shield and ax in his bedroom. He sometimes imagined that he was a warrior, so that after death, his soul might enter Valhalla gloriously. He would feel better every time he thought of this.
He consciously found a good opportunity when he entered, but he had to seize it to the extreme and obtain a little "god's favor" by contributing to the "Son of God" Rurik. Of course, in reality, it was also to gain political capital for his descendants.
, especially the eldest son Snoreva, who will inherit most of the wealth, needs Rurik to use him for a long time in the future due to his efforts.
"My great, invincible, glorious leader." Gould used many good words to describe Rurik and Otto. Otto felt very happy, and even Rurik had goosebumps all over his body.
Already.
"What do you want to say?"
"Ah! If the leader allows me, I hope to exchange these one hundred pounds of silver coins for a new big ship."
"Huh?" Rurik suddenly understood Gould's intention: "Are you planning to donate a big ship like the Aurora?"
"Yes! Even if it is expensive, I will add more money and let the Hotla family build it. I will give this ship to you as the second large warship for us Russians."
"Okay, since you are willing. I originally intended to build at least five more large ships, and I am touched by your cooperation."
Hearing this, Gould was shocked, "What? There are actually five more ships?"
"Yes, if we had more wealth, we should build ten ships, or more. I must have some powerful ships to protect our future maritime trade."
"That's true." Gould nodded. He admired and was shocked by the kid Rurik's long-term vision. "I only have an extremely humble request now."
"Tell me. If you want to be the sponsor of the second ship, you can have many demands."
"Actually, there's only one. I want to name the ship. I want it to be called the Gould."
"Huh? Is this the end?"
Gould nodded, but Rurik was not satisfied: "What do you call the ship? I need to tell you clearly that you need to call the Gould 'hon (her)'."
"Ah? You..." Gould also slapped his forehead, and then thought of a so-called bad taste that Rurik had always had. "Do you still want to call ships women? It's really strange, but
It’s also kind of fun.”
"Really weird? But like our big ships, each one has to have a unique name. The ship is like a woman, and a man controlling a big ship is like controlling his wife. If the ship has a soul, then it is a woman, or a person.
Beautiful spirit from the sea.”
Gould carefully checked Rurik's eyes and determined that the child was serious.
He felt that this statement was very dreamy, but in fact it was not the case. Rurik was just quoting the statement of the Roman poet Virgil. Roman poetry may have fixed this cultural phenomenon in the classical era of Greece and Rome in the form of literature, and
It affects the navies of all European countries. Oh, except Germany, which treats ships as brothers.
Rurik mentioned the "Sea Elf", and he used the word "elf", which itself is hidden in the cultural life of the Rus, or Vikings.
Gould thought for a while, suddenly enlightened, and suddenly pulled out his necklace. Among the many ambers, he deliberately displayed an individual carved into a little person, or a female elephant.
"This is the Lucky Elf. I probably understand what you mean. Navigation is just like doing business. It is full of risks and opportunities. Every ship needs a Lucky Elf to protect it."
Gould's words also surprised Rurik: "Ah... that's it."
Rurik thought for a while, and under the current situation, he no longer needed to explain to Gould the so-called contribution of Roman poets to the personification of ships, and even the fact that Russians should try their best to learn from Rome if they want to make great achievements.
The Russians obviously have their own excellent culture, so he took advantage of it: "Maybe I should erect a wooden sculpture on the bow of Avrola. It is no longer a ferocious beast, but the image of a beautiful girl, preferably behind her
With a pair of wings, she is the spirit of the ship and will bring good luck to all sailors."
Gould instantly burst into laughter and slapped his thigh: "Wonderful! Everyone is afraid of hitting the rocks, hitting the ice, and storms. If we do this, everyone will feel at ease. Then I can call the boat I donated Gu
gulddotter."
Rurik immediately understood the meaning. This old guy was really smart. He named the big ship after his daughter. After all, the old guy was willing to finance the second ship on his own. The ownership of the ship belonged to the leader's family, and he got a big advantage.
, just let him go as to naming.
As for the shipbuilding plan itself, Otto had no objections. His only concern was the funding issue. Rurik was able to attract funds from Gould, but the total cost of a large ship far exceeded Otto's.
Imagine that if this was put forward three or four years ago, he would have thought it was the opinion of a man who had eaten poisonous mushrooms and gone insane.
After all, three years ago, in a corner of Rossburg, currency as a medium of exchange was very scarce, which resulted in even copper coins having a high currency value. Thirty silver coins were enough to build a fishing boat, and only one long ship.
pound silver coin.
Due to the successful act of revenge, a huge amount of silver coins poured in, which changed not only Fort Ross, but also the entire tribal alliance. Although the price of shipbuilding has skyrocketed due to inflation, there is too much money to build such as the Aurora.
, even absurd.
A ship deserves 20,000 silver coins! Otto only hopes that the Aurora can be as powerful as her original design, so as to demonstrate the authority of the leader.
Gould quickly took out two hundred pounds of silver coins. After taking out the funds, his family actually didn't have much silver left. Due to trade, a large amount of silver coins actually flowed into the Melalen tribe and spread throughout the world.
Among the main tribes in the lake alliance.
The Russians must earn back the money through trade. This year, they have accumulated a large amount of high value-added goods. No matter what the alliance talks about, Rurik will soon have to get on the launched Aurora.
, just let her carry a large amount of cargo to Mälaren and make a lot of money.
Taxation work begins immediately.
As the leader of the tribe, Otto issued a special order to the entire Rossberg Fjord, which prohibited all ships from leaving the port within three days. Even if there was no ban, smart people would not dare to force their way into the fjord, which was still full of ice floes.
In the sea, the entire tribe of fishermen are waiting quietly.
A large amount of iceberg meltwater pours into the fjords and the vast Gulf of Bothnia. The ice floes on the sea are basically not a threat to the purposely built strong ships, as long as the ships are not hit by giant ice lumps. This hydrological state
, many merchant ships have the ability to run away. If they really escape in the dark, Otto will not be able to make any money.
It turned out that some merchants really planned to escape during the night.
But Otto is not a fool, and his old brains are not confused. The fleeing merchants tried to push their boats into the sea, and were soon caught by ambushes. How should these tax-resistant evaders be dealt with?
Otto did not execute them, but they had a hard time. All their goods and money were confiscated, and their entire family was demoted to logging slaves and would be sent to work in distant places for up to three years! For example, if the distribution was in urgent need
Workforce New Roseburg.
Although Rurik feels that this punishment standard is a bit inappropriate, if the punishment is not severe, do they think that Rosberg is actually a good place where they can come and run away as they please, and they can make money without having to pay taxes? Isn't it true?
Say the Russians lost their customs rights?
On a larger scale, this kind of escape is a huge harm to Ross, and strong punishment is necessary.
At least the Russians did not kill these tax evaders. This act of killing the chickens as a warning to the monkeys actually frightened those who wanted to flee. Yes, Rurik thought that his family was a little indecisive last year and allowed some tax evaders to rush out before the ice and snow.
Before it melted, he quietly slipped away with the money he earned. Based on the ice field trek case provided by the Mälaren Courier, Rurik now doesn't think that the merchant who escaped last year would really freeze to death in the ice field.
The agreed day for tax collection was today, and Otto summoned all the merchants in front of the Aurora, which was urgently waiting to be launched.
There were more than three hundred people here, all heads of merchant families.
Since those who tried to escape were caught, no one has escaped. However, all the wealth of those families was confiscated. Thinking of the menacing appearance of the Russian soldiers, everyone is still frightened.
They became submissive and just wanted to hand over the money quickly to ensure safety.
No, Otto stood directly at the bow of the ship. He looked down at everyone and said arrogantly: "You have made too much money in my territory, so you must pay taxes. In the past winter, all businessmen made
When it comes to big money, then you have to pay more taxes."
Otto didn't want to say any more nonsense. He just wanted to clap his hands and announce the start of a performance.
Everything that follows is a drama.
Rurik, dressed in gorgeous clothes, accompanied by more than a dozen strong warriors, stood in front of a group of businessmen who were also dressed in gorgeous clothes. Everyone had seen the beautiful Rurik, and his face was still
It was so clean that a discerning person would inadvertently notice that one of his front teeth was missing.
"let's start!"
Otto roared from high up, and people still didn't know what happened. They saw a fat man with a stout figure. He was also dressed in gorgeous clothes, especially the velvet hat on his head with two green feathers (previously high price).
(Purchased peacock feathers), this person is undoubtedly Gould. Behind him, there are several fat guys following him. Needless to say, these are all sons of the same family.
The fatter the person is, the more it proves the wealth of the family. The merchants are not fools. They all know that the family has done some shitty things in recent years. They are jealous of the Gould family and wish they could do some shit themselves.
Make big money from Chief Ross.
Some mercenaries raised by Gould worked together to carry two large wooden boxes. They walked very slowly on purpose to arouse the curiosity of the anxious merchants.
Their eyes were all focused on the heavy box, as if the contents inside were too heavy to be described in words.
The mercenaries were also acting. They unloaded the boxes in front of Rurik, pretending to be extremely tired, and their heavy breathing sounded like they had just finished fighting.
Gould deliberately complimented loudly: "Great leader Rus, Rurik, who was blessed by the great Odin, this is this year's tax burden that my Gould family has presented. According to the contract, I have presented this year's 20,000
A silver coin to thank the Ross tribe for providing security and stability to my family."
Gould himself revealed a principle, the so-called tax is not paid in vain, it is equivalent to the payment of "Russian security".
The tax amounted to 20,000 silver coins, and the clear figure shocked all the merchants present. They were not only shocked that the tax burden was so high, but also surprised that the Gould family could do such a big business.
"Very good, now I want to open the box." Rurik said the lines according to the script, "I want to see genuine silver coins."
The box was opened, and the white silver coins immediately attracted the onlookers to gather around.
They were more than three hundred people, the heads of all the foreign merchant families, and the people in charge of wealth. Their number was not large, so they almost all saw Rurik squatting down, stirring the silver coins with his hands on the spot.
, making a violent metal collision sound.
This was also part of Rurik's plan to deeply stimulate their hearts.
"Big Chief, what do you think?" Gould raised his head and asked.
"You're doing a great job! You're such an honest person. I hope all businessmen can be as honest as you."
Seeing what he said, other merchants were standing under the huge ship. A strong sense of oppression made everyone nervous. Now the leader of the Russians hinted at a threat.
The merchants were whispering to each other, and gradually some began to shout that they would get their money immediately.
More and more people are raising their voices, claiming that they are also honest businessmen. Infected by such an atmosphere, who else dares to say no?
The performance soon ended. Otto ordered the merchants to go back quickly. Soon, he personally led a group of soldiers to collect their taxes or tax-deductible goods door-to-door. In order to speed up the tax collection work, he appointed
His nephew Arik, his old friend Harold Johnson and others also led their brothers to collect taxes separately.
This almost turned into a "plundering feast". Although goods and money worth the equivalent of 30,000 silver coins were collected, it was normal for the tax collectors to take the opportunity to get a little more benefit. No one resisted the merchants, they would rather pay more
Send these tax collectors away with some money. In fact, they have no need to resist. Firstly, resisting is seeking death. Secondly, they have known the Russian tax policy from the beginning. They are all businessmen with some foundation.
They could pay as much as a pound of silver for the tax.
The tax collection work went extremely smoothly, and was finally completed in only two days. The tax currency was gradually moved to the priest's longhouse, and the tax-deductible goods were moved to the warehouse built in Rurik for storage.
Rurik and his mercenaries happily moved the two large boxes filled with silver coins to the longhouse of the priests and then to the room where the wealth was stored.
He took the opportunity to visit Vilia. The old woman's condition was still bad, but her pain could not be seen on the surface. If death without illness is a person's luck, when she saw that what she had guarded all her life had become as great as before.
Is it greater luck to leave with hope for the future?
Wei Liya was extremely weak, but his thinking was still rigorous when he was awake.
She determined the time for this year's Great Sail Ceremony, which was set on April 15 in the Julian calendar.
The day is very close, and Mia has been walking around the longhouse of the priests, reciting this year's sacrificial prayers.
Of course, this year's sailing ceremony is destined to be extraordinary, as the Aurora is launched on this day.