Chapter 483 Old Eric's family is the epitome of the crazy Viking merchants of this era
During dinner that night, Rurik shared the gem in his hand with his family.
The beautiful sky blue gemstone is simply the only blue mineral pigment. It can be ground into powder and set on various metal utensils! It can also be melted into molten glass to create sky blue lenses.
Otto's thoughts about Denmark were very simple and straightforward. "Kill the Danish enemies you encounter" was just a casual remark. All he could think about was that his army of hunters in the north should all have a pair of sunglasses to protect their eyes. Besides, The image of Rurik wearing sunglasses greatly touched him. It was a kind of handsomeness that was difficult to explain in words, and it also showed the unfathomable heart and wisdom of the wearer.
The appearance of lapis lazuli made everyone very novel. As for receiving Danes at home, Otto's resistance was also very direct.
"Dad, I'm not afraid of the Danes. I even hope to have a naval battle with them. In this way, we can use our ships and weapons to turn these enemies into fish feed. Those Danes have been to the far east, which is unknown. world. They are still businessmen living in Hedeby, which is a bigger city than Visby. The locals only want to do business, and they have no idea about war. In this case, we have a good chat with them, and we also We can sell some leather and other things over there to earn what we need."
Rurik felt that there was nothing wrong with his words, and Otto suddenly had a very clear mind: "You...why do I think you are planning to make peace with Denmark?"
"That's not what I meant."
"It doesn't matter. Any kind thoughts you have, I think the Danish lords will not be satisfied. Remember, the Ross army killed 10,000 Gotland soldiers under your command. I don't believe the Danes will ignore this. And do business with you comfortably."
Rurik shrugged: "Doesn't this further show that we Russians are strong? I am very interested in the merchants of Hedeby. The current situation is that the ordinary people who produce wealth in Melalen are being used by Melalen." The big family has suffered so much, and we can no longer expect to get a lot of benefits from them. We need to open up new markets. I have two ideas. First, go to the East and go directly south along the river to Rome to try your luck. Second Second, when we develop our relationship with Haidebi, it is not convenient for us to do business in person, so we will find some middlemen."
"It's interesting." Otto nodded, "So that old guy named Eric is a tool that can be used? I think you still have to be careful."
"Dad! I can do it, I have confidence." Rurik assured, patting his chest.
Suddenly there was a flash of lightning! Otto suddenly pulled out the knife he was using to cut meat? What happened in a split second? The blade of the knife was pressed against Rurik's neck, and he was so shocked that his mind went blank on the spot.
Otto said calmly: "You see? I am very close to you? You can be killed in a moment. Boy, I suspect that your bad reputation has spread among the Danes. The great victory of the Russian army belongs to the Danes." Shame? You are the commander and you have to bear all the anger of the Danes. How can you ensure that those businessmen are not assassins?"
"Ah, this... shouldn't be."
Otto put away the knife and inserted the knife directly into the table. He asked: "I'm going to deal with the glasses? You let Jevro and Arik stay in this house, and send some soldiers to protect them. Remember, those businessmen are here to see you. All body searches were carried out..."
"Are you too cautious?" Rurik was a little impatient, but he knew that his father's caution was necessary. As a de facto king? Rurik thought that he should also protect his own safety.
"How about this." Rurik had an idea: "Tomorrow, let's take a steam bath for the businessmen who are going to see you? Give them soap to clean themselves, put on the clothes I provided, and then come to see you again. Afterwards, all their clothes will be returned.
If they hide any murder weapons, take them immediately."
"Good idea, let's do it like this." Otto clapped his hands and applauded.
What can be done by obtaining a batch of gems? Of course, they can be used to enhance one's power.
Rurik also came up with an idea that could be implemented, which is to reward soldiers who have performed meritorious services with a pure token of honor - a medal.
He doesn’t know the exact origin of the medal culture in history? It must be related to the culture of family crests of noble warriors. In the end, both the people and the military can recognize that the medals issued by the monarch have glorious significance? Soldiers sacrificed their lives to get it.
The head sheds hot blood.
Perhaps the blood and spiritual descendants of the Russians are destined to become the group of people who love the Medal of Honor the most? Among them, there are also those who are very successful and use the medal as fish scales.
Rurik rested clutching the piece of lapis lazuli as a token. Before falling asleep, he had to think carefully about the prospects in this regard.
Is it enough to simply give money, food and women to warriors who have done meritorious service? For the previously poor warriors? Such rewards are really wonderful. But human desires are endless? When a person has enough wealth and wives and concubines? They will long for it.
Get more. They may not necessarily degenerate into careerists pursuing extremely high power, but they will definitely find ways to gain honor and become the object of praise from others.
"Establish an order, an order called the Hero of the Ross?"
What is a heroic warrior? Heroes need to be quantified! Every hero needs a real token to symbolize that he is a hero to distinguish him from ordinary people.
"Gold or silver is melted into a circular base, which is painted with white lead, and then ground lapis lazuli powder is used to create staggered sky-blue stripes. Finally, a layer of liquid glass is cast. A hook made of wire is installed on the back of the medal.
The medal has another hole drilled for the string..."
Rurik estimated that the current use of lapis lazuli was mostly like this, and his ideas were no different from those of the ancient monarchs.
The new day is clear and cold, and the sun is particularly dazzling because of the ice and snow all over the world.
At the winter market that sprouted on the coast of Rossburg, Otto, Duke of Ross, and a group of entourage set up a stall in a mighty manner.
The news about another interesting treasure that Master Rurik has made has spread wildly throughout Roseburg. It is said that it is a device to protect the eyes, which can soften the dazzling eyes. Some people think that this thing can be used to protect the eyes.
It is dispensable, but some people think it is a treasure.
The price of the sunglasses was set at twenty silver coins. Now all the strong men in Ross have enjoyed the war dividends. They got the money to improve their lives first. There is obviously a lot of money left, so they naturally want to buy some.
It was a strange thing. Twenty silver coins was not much, so busy people rushed to the stall set up by the Duke, first to take a look, and secondly to choose the opportunity to buy.
Hundreds of people gathered together to listen to Otto's speech standing on a small snowdrift.
Otto's appearance became very strange today. Under the sun, he seemed to have a pair of huge cricket eyes. Those are so-called sunglasses, which covered up Otto's old wrinkles and made him look very energetic.
They held their money bags high and crowded around each other, fearing that their brothers would snap up the limited supply of sunglasses if they made one move.
In the evening of this day, as many as 150 pairs of glasses waiting for sale were sold out. Those who were lucky enough to buy them changed their image one after another. After they wore sunglasses, the whole world also changed dramatically.
Look! The frozen sea no longer reflects the sunlight that almost kills the eyes, and people no longer have to squint their eyes.
Those who couldn't buy it felt disappointed. The only comfort was that the Duke promised that the Clavarson family was still making this very special glassware.
The perspective shifts to the other side.
Still in the early morning, a Danish businessman who got up early to go to the toilet suddenly noticed some sneaky eyes outside. The man hurried back to the warm room and reported what he saw and heard to his father.
"Father, we... were careless. If we are targeted by them, will we be killed?"
Old Eric was lying when he said he wasn't nervous: "If the Ross people want to kill us, wouldn't it be safer to do it at night? Wait and see, maybe the Ross leader will meet our father and son today."
Soon, a group of Russian soldiers came to knock on the door.
The leader is none other than Jevlo, who is wearing a white bear leather and a white cloth gown sewn with blue strips. This Finnish warrior, who is slightly short in stature and has a slightly flat face, is now known as the Duke.
The identity of the courier "arrested" these Danish businessmen.
Jevlo and his men acted more roughly and sent the five men directly outside a room where strong steam was emanating.
"What are you doing? What's going on? Did your leader ask us, father and son, to have a frank talk with him in this sauna? It's really an eye-opener for me in your Roseburg." Eric, the old businessman, always has a way.
Feeling uneasy, he was a little worried that his family would be locked up by the Russians and then steamed to death.
This is not impossible. The well-informed old Eric knew that people in the "Eastern Land" like steam baths. While trading leather with the local tribes, he was also invited by the local chiefs to try it many times.
Taking a chance, he once felt that every inch of his skin was burning and painful from the steam.
He really didn't expect that the Russians who spoke Norse were particularly fond of the Easterners?
"Stop talking nonsense! Take off your leather clothes immediately and take off all your weapons. This is the opportunity for you to take a bath! Your Majesty can't bear to meet a dirty person."
"Oh, Chief Ross is really particular."
What happens next is a surprise, because there are other bathing facilities in this so-called sauna room, which is a shower.
There is a wooden barrel high in the room. Hot water is prepared in the barrel. There is a wooden stopper on the side of the barrel. When you open the barrel, the hot water is released. The light in the room is very dim, but the yellow-white soap that smells of sulfur is clearly visible.
Of course old Eric had seen soap and knew how it was made. In Hedeby and the small town in the south, Schleswig, there were craftsmen who specialized in washing tools. Their prices were relatively high, but for their washing effect,
Well, no one can tolerate its poor condition.
The yellow-white soap actually smelled of sulfur? He thought that those sulfur ores had this color. Driven by curiosity, Old Eric became the first to eat crabs.
He saw a strip of burlap hanging in the room, and naturally rubbed himself up with it.
Finally, he experienced the ultimate bathing experience, as if the mud shell covering his body had been washed away, and he felt relaxed. After leaving the steam room, he was even in a trance.
The father and son were forced to put on simple and neat new clothes, made of white linen inside and warm leather outside. They also had hats, which were made of fine cloth mixed with soft pine bark.
At this time, old Eric completely understood the intention of the Ross leader, and realized that his sons were actually complacent about the clothes "rewarded" by the Ross people, so he immediately scolded him with a straight mouth: "Don't be happy. My old clothes were stolen by them."
After a thorough inspection, the Russians are actually worried that we are assassins."
This remark happened to be overheard by Javlo, who did not look kindly on it: "I advise you to take care of yourself. Listen, you are Danes and you must keep a low profile here."
"Yes. We are unarmed now and have no malicious intent." Old Eric bowed his head in greeting to show his cooperation.
After a while, they finally arrived at Duke Ross's residence.
This scene surprised Old Eric a little. He was not surprised that the houses in this area were all Slavic wood-carved buildings, but also that the so-called Rus chief's mansion was not as majestic as he had imagined.
"Let's go, my master is waiting for you in the house." Jevro finally urged.
At the same time, Rurik and Arik were sitting cross-legged in the small living room indoors in gorgeous clothes. At the same time, there were more than a dozen of the strongest warriors selected by Arik.
How could old Eric not be afraid when he entered the house? There were two rows of bear heads hanging on the wooden wall, and the warriors in the room were all uniformly dressed, and each of them carried a sword.
"Are you a Danish businessman? There is an old man named Eric? That's you? Sit down."
The speaker was a girl? No! The voice was clearly that of a boy, a handsome boy.
In extreme embarrassment, old Eric and his sons sat at the door one after another. He noticed the current situation. The Russians were afraid of the possibility that the outsider was an assassin. But fortunately, the other party was not so hasty as to hear that the visitor was a Danish businessman.
If there are factors, use the knife.
Old Eric's eyes noticed another person in the room, this old guy who was as honest as an elephant seal. His gorgeous velvet coat was either covered with gold threads or gemstone pendants. He was a big businessman.
"I...I am Eric Torulf. Thank you, Chief Ross, for not killing me..." Now that the old Eric had put away his surprise, he was willing to believe that the boy in front of him was Ross's eldest son.
Chief, even if this is very fantasy.
"Oh? Are you very sure that I am the leader?" Rurik and Old Eric looked at each other without any excitement.
"Exactly. You sit in the middle position, with a bonfire behind you, and the most precious person will die."
"You are very discerning. Listen, I am Rurik, Duke of Ross. I am the highest authority in Rossburg that you have seen. It was also me who commanded the army to attack Gotland and annihilated 10,000 local enemy soldiers.
.It was also me who commanded the army and participated in the expedition to Kalmar, Denmark."
Rurik was not trying to hide his achievements at all. He was not afraid of the Danish naval power at all, and even looked forward to a naval battle that would crush the pile of power. He was looking forward to the angry expression of the Danish businessman, but look at old Eric's expression.
They actually didn't take it seriously.
"What? Do you think I am just a child and what I say is ridiculous?"
"Don't dare! I already know all this news." Old Eric slapped his heart with his right fist, "Hafgen, the great leader of Denmark, am I not his subordinate? Our family is just from Hedeby Market.
Ordinary businessmen, and even the whole of Hedeby, only recognized that man's rule in name only.
We are here for business. We came here precisely because we heard the news about the great victory of the Russian army. You must have looted a lot of wealth from Gotland. It just so happens that our family has imported from the distant desert land in the east.
Lapis Lazuli. We lack a suitable buyer, maybe you are the most suitable."
Rurik was moved for a moment, but Gould immediately glanced at him.
"Okay." Rurik sighed, "I believe you are honest. You claim to be from Hedeby, Denmark. Is that a very wealthy existence?"
Old Eric hesitated for a moment, and he consciously smelled the breath of war. He must have seen many arrogant Danish lords, some of whom crossed the Great Wall of Schleswig to attack the villages of the Frankish Kingdom in Saxony, and more small lords
He personally went into battle and took two or three long boats with dozens of brothers to thresh straw in the Friesland area on the western coast. They even drifted all the way to the mouth of the Seine River and robbed the gold and silver of several monasteries at the mouth.
Got it all clean.
The Rus people speak Norse, and the leader of Rus seems to be just a child. He actually gave himself the title of "Princip (Duke)". This move proves his ambition!
They didn't have any murderous intentions towards them. Could it be that they knew information about Hedeby and Denmark in order to prepare for a large-scale invasion in the future? Because the old Eric family disguised themselves as Mälaren businessmen and followed Hao in their boats.
The mighty Ross fleet arrived at Rossburg. It was truly an invincible fleet! Therefore, when Rurik personally said that he had annihilated 10,000 Gotland warriors, Old Eric had no doubt at all.
Old Eric hesitated for a while and then said: "Sir, if you want to know anything about Denmark, I will tell you with all my knowledge and completely sincerely. Haideby is indeed rich, but she
Where is the wealth of Frankish Paris? The ambitious lords of Denmark have gathered a large number of Saxon refugees and are also planning to attack Paris.
But what does Paris mean? Our family has also been to a country called Rome in the east. I hope the wise leader of Ross can understand."
Upon hearing this, Rurik stood up suddenly with his eyes widened: "Have you been to Rome? You have been to Constantinople. No! Have you been to Istanbul?"
Now it was the turn of old Eric, who was pretending to be low-key, to lose his temper. He was shocked: "You! Lord Rurik, the leader of Ross, you actually know that common name?"
"I do know that the common name Istanbul is Greek, which means 'go to the big city'."
Old Eric's heart was beating fast, and his sons were restless with excitement. As merchants roaming the world, they longed for a confidant. They didn't expect that the young leader of Ross actually knew so much. The Ross people were not like him at all.
On the surface, they are professional hunters living in the far north. They clearly know a lot.
"Where else have you been?" Rurik asked: "Have you really been to Afghanistan? I mean, it is a dry and cold wasteland, full of dangers, but it is also the origin of lapis lazuli."
Now Old Eric told the truth: "We have not been there, but we know the term Afghanistan. Legend has it that there is a big mountain in the east. The local businessman who likes to wear a turban said that beyond the mountain, there is a desert. If you walk through the desert, there is a desert.
The end of the east. There is an extremely powerful country there, more powerful than Rome I know."
"I know that place, a dreamy place." Rurik didn't ask any more questions, because the Tang Empire in today's era was declining in the vassal structure, which was a sad evolution. From just these words, he terrifyingly concluded that this Eric
They must have explored all the way to the edge of the Central Asian world for business. This family is a crazy microcosm of the Viking traders of this era.
Rurik solemnly declared: "I can protect you and will not kill you just because you are Danish. I am also not worried at all that you will tell the Danes about what you saw in Rus. We are not afraid of a full-scale war at all. I like you.
If you get the gems, I will leave and take out the silver coins to buy them all. And you, you must tell me everything about Hedebe. Don’t worry, I have no hostility towards pure merchants. Ross welcomes merchants to trade. And we Ross people are interested
To open up the Danish market, it’s just that the current situation makes it difficult for us to do it ourselves. We need an agent, and maybe your family is suitable.”
There was a breakthrough in the matter, and old Eric clapped his hands and applauded. He felt that he had made the right bet, and immediately began to talk endlessly, becoming a complete story teller...