Rise of Rurik

Today, Tombstone Island or the entire Åland Islands are surrounded by endless ice floes. You can still see obvious ice layers when looking east and north.

Sea ice is indeed melting rapidly, and it will take time before it becomes safe to navigate.

Rurik was unwilling to risk the fleet, and the soldiers were more willing to continue training on Tombstone Island for a while.

The local area currently lacks a large amount of food and alcohol, and the soldiers are too lazy to be picky. This island is the core territory of the kingdom. There is a large military camp on the island. Staying here for training is equivalent to going home.

The whole year-long war crazily consumed the soldiers' energy and energy. The iron-like soldiers relied on their willpower to persevere, and finally became discouraged after returning home.

Everyone is willing to lie around doing nothing, so just lie down for a few more days!

Ask yourself, if you had not taken the opportunity to sell the horse leather, Rurik himself would be willing to take a bath and sauna every day and then sleep soundly.

Through today's inspection, he learned an embarrassing thing. The rich soldiers spent a lot of money on drinking.

They didn't spend all the money. They drank almost all the drinks on the island with their huge appetites. For this reason, all the drink sellers made a fortune.

In this regard, the Gould family, who had the ability to hoard large quantities of supplies, made a fortune without hesitation.

"If you make most of the money, I have nothing to worry about. In the end, you have to pay taxes and cough up most of the money."

Rurik thought so, and even more intended to pay a high-profile visit to the Gould family mansion on the island to have a good chat with the old man.

No, the generals and nobles all rested and played separately. Rurik led the guards and went straight to Gould's house, which had a tall attic.

He was very high-profile, and the servants standing guard subconsciously retreated when they saw the king himself coming.

"Hey! What are you afraid of? Let your master come out to face the king!" A guard stretched out his arm and said rudely.

At this moment, Rurik had a sullen face, showing no anger or authority.

One of the servants bravely came forward with his back hunched over, nodded and bowed to the king, and made a gesture of surprise: "My masters have... gone to pay homage to you, the king. Perhaps, they are waiting at your official residence."

"This is happening?!" Rurik was quite surprised.

"Absolutely true."

"It's strange that this old man came to me secretly instead of going to the meeting hall. Didn't he say hello? Whatever..." Rurik waved his hand and said nothing more, ordering his subordinates: "Let's go! Go back and take a look first."

Tombstone Island is not big but not small either. The settlement is surrounded by a wooden wall. Its original intention was to prevent wind. Later, considering the needs of military defense, it began to be transformed into a fortress. A city was enclosed by a wall, and markets and a large number of wooden shacks and haystack houses also emerged outside the wooden wall, forming a defenseless outer city and a coastal trestle village.

The early settlers lived in the inner city, and all the large public buildings were in the inner city.

Although the inner city is not large, it is now as wide as two football fields.

The "Prince's Palace" built that year is still Rurik's residence, and it has always been repaired. If the so-called king does not come to stay, the core residential area will be closed, and other facilities can be used by the island's governor-general.

As a result, some houses were turned into warehouses, and the upright wooden poles were tied with hemp ropes to become places for drying fish.

Rurik was not angry at the fishing village style that was visible to the naked eye. After all, he did not take the so-called palace on this island seriously. What he missed was his "Winter Palace", which was built at the location of the Winter Palace in another dimension. In addition to the super penthouse with a five-story roof, it is the only one that can show the domineering power of a king in this era.

Because there are many buildings, the guards can stay together here, and a small room has become Grund's exclusive residence.

Old Gould and his two sons were bored here. They were really bored and wanted to talk to Grund about the war. Unexpectedly, Old Gould started to mention it, and Grund gradually started talking non-stop.

Grund was beaming as he spoke, and he subconsciously pointed out one person in particular, the Blue Fox Gouldson.

"I thought you businessmen were all about war. Each of your family is like a fat pirate, with the exception of Blue Fox. That boy is not simple. He doesn't believe in Frey or Odin, but he believes in God. He is very good. Being favored by people from the south, and now taking many people deep into the Frankish hinterland, it seems that your family will become rich again in the future..."

Old Gould already knew the basic outline of the matter, and the joy had long since passed. What he most wanted to know now was what the blue fox could do if it went so far south.

Grund actually felt angry in his heart, and he said sharply: "The king signed an agreement with the king of Frank. That big river called the Rhine, the north side of the river is our allies, and the south side of the river is our free plunder zone. . It's a pity that Frank is too far away. Blue Fox is now ordered to build shops and also to plunder. This boy now has five hundred armored warriors on hand. He can plunder as much as he wants, and he can also make money through normal trade. The king really likes it. This guy is gone!"

Grund said this deliberately. He really envied the happy life that Blue Fox would have. It was really like having a steel sword in hand and plundering wherever the ship went. Grund was yelling about all the things that were and was not, and he couldn't help but add fuel to the fire and deliberately said that the Blue Fox would have even more outrageous achievements. What about reality? He also told it to himself.

Grund left his home in Jutland when he was very young and traveled around the world with some of his fellow villagers. He thought he would die in a certain battle, but now that he has become the "hound" of King Ross, he has a life ending worth cherishing.

He boasted that he had been to many places and finally opened his eyes to the vast world through the war that lasted for 840 years. If he had not become an old guy in his forties, he could have ventured to more distant places. How can a blue fox be so virtuous? This businessman is indeed brave. The most important thing is that this guy is still young and energetic.

So, looking at Old Gould's two fat and young sons, he couldn't help shouting boldly: "Your two younger sons also have a chance. In fact, I have heard of one thing."

"What's going on?" Old Gould asked alertly.

"I actually heard what Lan Hu said casually, why the king would reuse his two younger brothers. So, could it be these two brats?"

This sentence made Old Gould straighten up in surprise, his squinted eyes were as wide as bells, and his drooping beard was all hairy. The two brothers, Black Fox and Red Fox, were so excited that their hearts were beating wildly. They had already been whetted by Grund's words, and they were full of desire for adventure.

"Is this true?" Old Gould asked tremblingly.

"Probably so. The king will come back anyway, you can just ask yourself."

"That's okay! That's okay..."

They didn't chat for long, and Rurik returned quickly. He ordered the two wives to go to rest separately, and took away the two little princes who had seen the world with the king and continued to sleep.

Well, just as they entered the palace gate, they saw the figures of three fat men.

"Gould!" he shouted.

No, Gould stood up in a hurry. The old man was now standing unsteadily, and his left and right arms were immediately supported by his two sons.

"Your Majesty... you are finally back."

"You!" Rurik pointed directly at him, suppressing his excitement and smiling without any intention of nagging, and shook his neck, "Follow me, let's talk in detail."

It seemed that the king knew something. Old Gould, who was well versed in tacit understanding, urgently ordered his two nervous sons: "Isn't it almost here?! The king invited us into his bedroom to discuss secret matters in detail. .You two, don’t be nervous, everything is up to me.”

The two little fat guys nodded.

Times have changed! The little boy with fair skin and blond ponytail has now become a strong man with deep eyes like his father. The blond ponytail is still an obvious signature hairstyle, and the extremely well-groomed beard is extremely masculine. Otto, who was once an elite warrior of the tribe, also had such a face. Old Gould still remembered it.

It's just that he no longer has any strength to treat Rurik as a child anymore. Now he must be very respectful, and even do not dare to do business bargaining with the king himself.

This time Rurik was sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed. The three fat men moved wooden chairs and kept calm, as if Rurik was admonishing them.

"I just heard that you guys are coming. Is it important? You can explain it in advance. I don't want you to talk nonsense, just tell me what you think."

"Yes." Gould rushed to say a few polite words and now went straight to the point: "Our family came here just to buy horse hides."

"This matter? The news that I wanted to sell a thousand horse hides spread yesterday. I took a break and went straight to the parliament court. I heard that a lot of people had gathered there. You...can't wait?"

Old Gould lowered his head slightly and showed a faint smile: "Are we the same as those people? Of course I want horse hides. I also learned that these horse hides were captured from your battlefield, and the dead horses were from the Frank army. The war horse. I am not interested in the thousand horse hides."

"Does that mean you're eyeing a horse leather that's a thousand pieces away?"

"Yes! No."

"How?"

"I am eager to make the king make more money. This is my ultimate goal."

These words were flattering, and Rurik felt very happy to hear them, and coming from the mouth of a senior businessman, they must be enforceable.

"Okay. Tell me what you think!"

Now Old Gould ignored the headache and the discomfort in his old body: "May I ask what price your Majesty is willing to pay for horse leather?"

"You are very concerned about this? You think?"

"At least it's more expensive than deerskin. We've been short of horses, so horsehide can only be more expensive. But from my knowledge, it won't be that expensive. I think a fifteen silver coin is feasible."

Rurik nodded: "As expected of you. But..."

"Hehe, but the king is not willing to earn only this much."

"That's natural."

"So the king hopes those merchants will buy at a higher price, but they are not fools unless we cooperate to take some measures."

Gould meant to say this and indeed intended to do so. His wishful thinking was good because Rurik decisively made a positive statement.

Rurik's attitude clearly acquiesced that "cooperation is necessary", so he asked about this matter: "You have been on the island for a year. What is the economic situation of the merchants who stay here? Do you think they are rich?"

"Are you asking about the maximum amount of money they can accept for horse leather?"

"That's true."

Gould pinched his beard and thought for a while: "Twenty silver coins is probably the limit."

"This is one of those people, and I know your family can pay that price."

"That's natural, but my family has been serving the king for more than ten years, and a lot of the money I make ends up being yours. We have always cooperated in depth, so... this time we should join forces to make those businessmen bleed!"

No, Rurik slapped his thigh, "Originally, I didn't think so much. I just wanted to dump some horse leather that was starting to stink. I changed my mind. You and I must take advantage of the opportunity to make a game."

"Yes! Make a game!"

That's all, one old and one young, the two of them laughed arrogantly in this secret place.

There is no need for the two of them to reveal their plan in detail, after all, they have already done similar tricks together many times.

Their plan was like this. At the so-called business meeting that started at night, King Rurik publicly explained the sale of a thousand horse hides, and he had to give a special description for this.

All horse leathers come from strong Frankish horses. They are taken from the leather of war horses and are all trophies. Horse leather is extremely wear-resistant and much easier to care for than deerskin. It's strong and airtight, and each piece of horsehide comes with plenty of bristles. Leather clothing made from such leather is bound to be a hot commodity, and the explanation can be used to promote "this is a garment made of Frank war horse leather". It also has a strong mental buff, which can make many people who think they are brave flock to it.

It is to highlight its superiority to deerskin and its special spiritual significance.

As long as the appetite of the merchants is aroused, they may compete to increase the price.

To turn a meeting into an auction, heavyweights are needed to fuel the fire.

To be fair, the words Rurik and Gould were discussing now, describing the superiority of horse leather were no lie. It was indeed better than deerskin.

Gould wants to be a "shill", and his family wants to raise the price in a big way. After shouting a high price, he must brazenly shout some arrogant words, such as "We can make a lot of money if we get these one thousand pieces of leather." "One stroke" and the like, but they also deliberately mock those who are unwilling to pay high prices because they don't understand business.

To arouse their anger and force them to pay a high price, the Gould family announced their withdrawal after a final struggle.

Of course, we have to consider practical reasons. It is impossible for any of those businessmen to be able to spend a huge sum of money to wrap up all the pieces of a thousand pieces of leather. If there is one, it is the Gould family.

So a thousand pieces of horse leather were split into as many as twenty pieces, and the minimum purchase limit for a merchant was fifty pieces per piece. In this way, even if the price was high, those merchants with some strength could still afford it.

They will definitely compete to increase prices for the sake of profit, and the Gould family's task is to add fuel to the fire.

But the Gould family would not buy any of it, so it was unjustifiable that there would be no benefit to such a deal.

As the elder Gould described, his family has always maintained a close relationship with the king. Business transactions are like today's "King's Bedroom Conversations", which can be negotiated in an extremely private form, and outsiders have no way of knowing the secrets. .

The wise old Gould completely concealed the information he had just learned from the loose mouth of the guard captain Grund. He concluded that the king wanted to promote his black and red fox brothers, but he could not bring up the matter.

Things must be done logically, and the black fox and the red fox must prove their abilities through some opportunities to make the king believe that they have a sharp vision.

"I am already old, and neither the white fox nor the blue fox is around. Only my young sons, the black fox and the red fox, can complete the plan for the king. My voice has become hoarse, and the black fox and the red fox can tell the right words for me. Let those businessmen listen, and these two brats are really young, and those businessmen will despise them. In this way, the more arrogant your words are, the more effective your strategy will be."

In fact, Rurik had been gathering these two little fat guys for a long time. Although they were standard Nordic people, they were probably too fat to suppress their physical growth over the years. They are not tall, and the nickname "fat seal" is indeed not nonsense.

"It's you two? It's rare that your father has given you a chance. Should I believe that you can get things done?!" Rurik asked deliberately.

I saw the two brothers Black Fox and Red Fox hurriedly stood up and half-knelt in front of Rurik: "I used to work for the king."

"Very good. I hope you will be able to use me as well as the white fox and blue fox..."

The two of them understood and suppressed their inner excitement: "I am willing to serve the king."