Chapter 546 Ross Trading Company rises from the ruins
The speed with which the nobles of Mellaren responded was truly astonishing, and they seemed to agree to Rose's request without thinking.
"Could their bottom line be any lower?" Rurik regretted not asking for more.
They actually responded the next day, so Rurik immediately took his brothers Rurik to visit Birka Market again.
It was already the third day after the secret meeting, but this time the meeting was public.
Rus and Mälaren, or Sweden, signed a written contract at the mansion of the old King Olegin.
The document was engraved on the wooden board in rune script, and the contract was in duplicate, signed by Rurik and Bjorn respectively.
"In this way, our alliance remains stable. With your support, I, the Melalen tribe, can still hold the throne."
After hearing the public remarks at the Bjorn meeting, Rurik expressed his outspoken support, but he still had methods to use.
Rurik suddenly made a public statement, "I only support Bjorn and his descendants or designated successors as the king of Sweden. If his family is destroyed, the contract will also collapse."
This was a very serious statement. Whether it was Bjorn or the wealthy nobles present, their rosy faces instantly turned pale.
They guessed that the Russians were provocative, but no one dared to take a stand.
Bjorn forced a smile out of embarrassment and loudly talked about his alliance with Ross.
From their expressions and attitudes, Rurik knew that his plan was successful.
Bjorn is a complete usurper. How can he not guard against the rebellion of the nobles of his own family who own a large number of acres? If they can be suspicious of each other and have internal conflicts, the entire Sweden will no longer be an obstacle to the future development of Ross.
The property’s asset location and dumping location.
Now that the negotiation oath has ended, Melalen immediately began to implement the treaty.
They were not really particularly active, it was just the Russians who pushed them too hard.
Rurik strongly demanded that before the fleet heading home from the north left, Mälaren must take out five hundred slaves, and all residents of the tavern and ancillary areas of Birka Market must be expelled.
The nobles of Mellaren acted as villains. They brought private soldiers and armed slaves and stormed to the market in a fierce manner.
Bjorn took away all the people in the tavern, and also took away all the ale in stock, leaving the empty shell of the house and throwing it to the Russians.
As for the nobles, their armed forces wielded wooden sticks and axes, forcing the settled merchants near the tavern to leave immediately without any room for negotiation.
The merchants left with the money while crying. If they hesitated, they would be beaten. One family who refused to withdraw was directly killed.
The nobles of Mellaren saw those houses being cleaned up and then deliberately demolished while their own people were cursing or watching.
A group of wanderers appeared in the market, merchants who had lost their houses, and their goods became fat meat with nowhere to save it.
Mellaren's "Vultures" immediately took action, causing yet another humanitarian crisis.
A group of thieves or even gangs emerged from the market.
In other words, it is not a gang. The so-called gangs are the opponents of the late King Olegin and the opponents of the great nobles. They want to establish interests in Mellaren that are beneficial to them and want to replace them.
In the past, Olegin suppressed these bandits with force, but now in the era of political instability, they are taking advantage of the chaos to expand.
In the Melalen tribe, in addition to the external forces of the Russians, a third force is also rising.
Rurik didn't care about this at all, or the bandits didn't hurt Ross's head. The bandits didn't have the courage, because the public opinion was that the Ross people simply didn't want to be the king of Sweden. When did they think about it? Melalen
It will be occupied by 10,000 Rus warriors in one day, so don't provoke them intentionally.
The displaced merchants were now truly poor, the weather was about to get cold, and many were forced to work as slaves for others.
And their former home had been reduced to ruins. Within three days, the Russians came holding a blue flag with a white background!
When the Russians came, their formation was extraordinary.
Following Rurik's order, Gould personally stood on a wooden platform built by mercenaries on the ruins. Under the protection of many heroic warriors, he shouted loudly to the gathered Melalen people.
"People of Malaren! From now on, this area will be our Chamber of Commerce in Ross. You no longer need to go to the island to trade, and future trade will be conducted in this market! Now, the Duke of Ross will give you a reward. Thank you, Duke of Ross, for leaving.
Come on!"
Gould shouted this many times. He felt that the time was right, so he ordered his men to hold two large sacks and scatter copper coins to the more than 2,000 people who gathered.
Yes, copper coins.
Compared to the Principality of Rus, which is overly rich in silver coins, the people of the entire Lake Malaren region lack transaction currency.
If it weren't for Rurik's authority to force the prices of certain bulk goods to stabilize basic prices, and his crazy strategy of hoarding money inward, the Russians would have been overwhelmed by the huge influx of hot money, causing the economy to collapse and the people's hearts to wither.
Rurik and his family are already the richest and most powerful people in this sea area. Of course he will not throw away a lot of silver coins. Why should he create an image of a generous coin thrower for the poor people of Melalen?
Old Roman copper coins that are useful and of good quality (circulated for four hundred years) are enough.
The poor people were looting like crazy, and Gould, who was standing on a high place, couldn't help laughing.
"Haha! It's like a group of sheep competing for fodder. It's so interesting!"
No one thought it was inappropriate. The Russian soldiers who formed a shield wall to maintain order were all smiling at the wonderful scenery.
They competed for copper coins, men and women fought over it, and the scene turned into a mess!
Gould could predict what would happen if he did this. He was afraid that madmen would attack his tower, so he ordered the mercenaries under martial law to kill immediately anyone who tried to grab money excessively and attacked him.
The mercenaries were ordered to do so without any fear. What kind of battles had this group of veteran warriors never seen before? They were able to fight against each other with a shield wall, so how could we talk about these rabble?
In the chaos, gang members wanted to grab money, but they did not dare to attack the Russian "position" or the big Russian businessman who controlled the money. They suddenly pulled out daggers and openly used force during the robbery.
Some people fell directly into a pool of blood. However, once the stampede occurred, even the gang members who drew their swords became victims.
A bloody farce ended. People fled in panic with blood-stained copper coins, and the chicken feathers left behind had to be cleaned up by the Russians.
There were more than fifty corpses lying on the ground. Gould felt distressed for a second, and then cursed: "Don't the nobles of Mellaren exist? There are no patrols to clean up the mess? In the end, it's up to us to maintain order."
A mercenary muttered, "Sir, all Olegin's men are dead, so of course there is no one left to maintain order."
"Damn it. We are free. Without Oregin's men in black, we have to maintain order by ourselves and ensure our safety. Forget it, Rurik doesn't count on those Melalen nobles at all."
Ross's mercenaries began to carry the corpses, and the construction of Ross's shop began amidst the ruins and blood.
Gould appointed his second son Stein to serve as the garrison of the shop and the island, anchoring it here for the benefit of Ross and his family.
"Father, I will do it well, just like you once did."
Gould did not encourage much: "Continue to develop and operate here, give yourself a nickname, and let the locals remember you. Let them mention you as your name, not Gouldsong."
Compared to the eldest brother Snoleva, the other brothers seemed to lack attention from their father Gould.
Stein knew that the real name was mostly used within the family, and it was the nickname that really made people remember him.
"The eldest brother is a white fox, and I am a blue fox. In my opinion, brothers should use fox as their nickname."
"That's fine. I'll talk to Rurik about this." Gould thought for a while, "White background with blue stripes, Ross's flag. There is a blue fox head on the flag. You can hang up a flag like this.
It symbolizes your existence.”
Gould prided himself on making good arrangements, and even felt that his second son's ideas were very constructive. He was originally an unknown small businessman in Anglas, and he spent most of his life working hard to save the family business and board a Russian ship.
Fly directly! Should your family have a clear name to continue, such as the "guldrevas" Golden Fox family?
Indeed, Nordic snow foxes are cunning and alert, and businessmen really need this trait.
The situation in Gould's new business of running the Russians was very good, while Rurik was troubled by the large amount of goods and slaves being transported on Gould Island.
The goods have their own warehouses, but the slaves are human beings!
These guys were all skinny, so-called "adult men". Rurik felt that they should be able to bear arms, but their condition was such that they could even fall down from fatigue even if they plowed the fields.
"Damn it. Bjorn, are you trying to trick me? Just give me the weakest ones? I still have to recover some of the bodies they raised before I can use them."
Helpless, the men, women and children have already arrived.
Rurik ordered the immediate distribution of food, and set up ten large pottery pots on the island. Oats were boiled over a fire, and a large amount of chopped onions and yellow carrots were thrown into them. Seeing that the time was right, a large amount of salt was even used to lubricate the cables.
The seal oil was also thrown into the urn.
The air was filled with strange fragrance, and the slaves holding wooden bowls prayed for the master's favor.
Standing on the walls of the tall wooden castle were warriors dressed in extraordinary clothes, and Rurik stood high up in gorgeous clothes.
The empty space in the wooden castle was filled with slaves, waiting for their master's instructions, but all their eyes were fixed on the urn.
"Are you hungry? These delicious meals are all given to you. Now, you are all my slaves. If you eat the meals I reward, you must always be loyal to me.
I promise you two things. First, if you obey my orders at any time, your lives will be guaranteed. Second, if you disobey my orders, you will be killed!"
What complaints do the slaves dare to have? There were constant whines in the crowd. Some people shed tears looking at the delicious meal, some looked blank, and some were quite happy.
They were driven by mercenary soldiers to line up, and each received a bowl of mushy salty porridge and drank it in large gulps.
What is a good meal? Rurik thinks that for those suffering from chronic hunger, the combination of carbohydrates, salt, and fat is the right one.
Huge numbers of slaves poured into the island, and just cooking consumed a lot of energy.
There was also the task of transporting materials, which made Rurik think that he should recruit a group of temporary workers.
The mental condition of the slaves has improved, and both men and women have changed their clothes. Especially when the weather is cold, they each have a simple cut leather coat and quick-sewed leather boots.
After their spirits recovered slightly, they all devoted themselves to the intense transportation of materials.
Even if they shouted about the greatness of Ross, Rurik would not be easily moved by the cheers. From a utilitarian point of view, these people are all tools, and raising them strong and healthy is for better pioneering.
Gould returned to the island, and he no longer had to worry about things on shore.
The next day was the day of departure. So many great things had happened in just ten days. Gould consciously witnessed a major node in the historical process, and his aging body also cheered up.
It's night, and there's another banquet on the island.
Seeing the feast of roasted sheep, Rurik's heart had already drifted back to his hometown.
"How are things going? Everything should be going well." Rurik casually broke the lamb ribs and asked.
"Everything has been done. Although my second son lacks experience, now that I give him a chance, he will develop the industry well and serve Ross."
"Very good. I heard that there have been a lot of troubles in the market these days. Bandits and thieves appeared, and many people were killed."
"This is nothing. If we are violated, my son will not be lenient, and neither will the soldiers stationed there."
Rurik nodded and said seriously: "The garrison must spend the whole winter setting up the trading company. I want to build a fortress on land to deter any possible bandits."
"This is natural. I gave orders. After my son took people to move all the debris, he recruited local craftsmen to build a fortress."
"Very good. A large amount of supplies are expected to arrive here next year, and I'm even worried that I won't be able to buy them all."
"Sir, are you worried about the Mellaren people?" Gould asked again.
"Let's talk about your eldest son. There is no news that Snoleva has come back yet?"
"Yes. Sir, are you worried about him, or are you worried about our layout in Denmark?"
"Of course they are all worried, because!" Rurik paused for breath and looked at the closed wooden door. "There is something I haven't told you all this time. It's a very important matter."
"Speaking."
"Put down your precious wine glass first." After a while, Rurik said again: "I! I'm afraid I will kill the king of Denmark on the way back."
"Ah!" Just as Rurik was worried, Gould suddenly lay down.
He hurriedly got up again and held on to the low table: "Is this true? If you didn't lead the Balmoks to attack Britain, why did you attack Denmark?"
"It was an inevitable battle, and I won. The truth about this matter will be revealed when your son comes back. My old friend, in my opinion...it is detrimental to interests to treat Denmark as an eternal enemy. We must arrest
Let’s seize the opportunity and take a look at the changes in the political situation in Denmark. If the new Danish leader lacks any ill will towards us northerners, we Ross should send envoys. Besides, in my opinion, it is no longer practical for Sweden to personally send troops to attack Denmark.”
Only the last sentence is the most important. Gould slapped his thigh: "I understand, let my eldest son knit. This... is very dangerous."
"Yes, it is indeed dangerous, but Danes are not fools. You have many sons. If your eldest son dies for Ross, your family will still be alive, and I will take revenge in the name of Ross. I think once I find the opportunity, Si
Noreva has no intention of rejecting my request."
Gould nodded and drank another glass of wine, but the wine was no longer sweet, but bitter.
"Okay... everything is ready." Gould said frankly, "Even if we support Bjorn as king, the Melalen tribe is still in a mess. I'm afraid Bjorn is not as good as Karl's governance level. That guy is completely
It’s laissez-faire.”
"This is the effect I hope for. If Oleg II really appears and the forces in the entire lake area are twisted into a cable, we in Russia will not be able to fish in troubled waters. Don't think about it anymore. I want to take a bath after dinner. Tomorrow everyone
People and supplies are on board and we are going home."