Rise of Rurik

Blue Fox sat down and the question blurted out.

"Sir, who is this child...?"

"It's my son." Rurik said indifferently.

The blue fox was taken aback, feeling the absurdity of the atmosphere, and immediately said, "Queen..."

"Of course it's not my Lanna. Mary is dead and died in childbirth. Only the child survived. Mary is Princess Mercia, and this child has the right to inherit the throne of Mercia."

"Ah? He... is a noble person. No no, he is your son, born noble." Having said that, Lanhu was even more puzzled, so he asked again: "Did you recruit me, and this Is the child related?"

"Yes." Rurik's eyes were shining brightly: "Tell me what you saw in Hazelby. I remember you said that a monastery was built there."

He immediately pointed to John Ingvar's chest: "Like this pendant, their monastery has such a sign."

"It's a cross, I know. The Franks believe it, some Saxons believe it, and your...that princess she believes in it too."

Rurik nodded: "Now that you know, things will be easier. Listen!"

"Yes."

"You still have to go back to Hazelby, and you have to sell me a lot of squirrel skins."

"Yes, it's my job."

"The reward is indispensable to you. Of course, you should try to sell at a high price, and then buy slaves and other things locally. You must remember, try not to buy things that are too extravagant, and try to purchase materials that are beneficial to life. These materials will be available this fall. Don't send it to Roseburg, send it to me here in the East..."

Rurik described a lot of things, and he didn't believe that the blue fox was well written down.

"Don't worry, I will write down what I want you to do and what I don't want you to do. You just need to follow the requirements of the document."

"Is it the document written on the paper?" Lanhu's mind was sprouting, and suddenly he boldly stuck out his fat ears: "If we ship the paper to Hazelbi, we will make a fortune. Sir, I hope you can think about it. ."

"You think I don't understand? I'm the only one making this kind of good stuff. I won't export it to make money until we can use it ourselves. Don't worry, we will use it to make a fortune sooner or later, but not now."

Rurik sighed again: "You will do business well, this is your formality. Besides, I want you to go to the monastery in Hazelby yourself."

"Ah?! Why? Oh, I see. You let me infiltrate, pretend to believe in their gods, and get what?"

The description of the blue fox really made Rurik speechless, but it attracted the interest of John Invall.

"If you could, would you accept the beliefs of those people?" Rurik asked deliberately.

But I saw this blue fox with an indifferent look: "I just believe in money, as for who knows after death?"

It's like a businessman with no morals sitting in front of him. Also, if this guy only accepts money, this person will be easy to control.

"Okay. You believe what you want, but there's an old friend of mine in that monastery."

"Old friend? Your lord, since when did you get along with those Frankish monks?"

"Yes!" Rurik smiled and pointed to the people around him: "John Invall, he is a Frankish monk. I am sure that the biggest leader in the Hazelby Abbey you saw was Eskil. More than two years This old guy came to Roseburg before,

He annoyed me, and I put him under house arrest for half a year. However, this person can still be used. "

The blue fox suddenly realized: "Oh? You sent me to negotiate with this person and make some secret deals?"

"Yes! No. I want you to take John Ingwah there, and deliver my letter to you accurately. I can tell you the details of the letter." Rurik shook the child in his arms: "He is Ray. Graf, the grandson of Vigraf, King of Mercia, is the heir to the throne. This child has been baptized, and all I need is to have Esquil as bailout, recognize the child's religious status, and then get some Frankish nobles. Admit it. You've got to be clear, maybe you see that old guy who doesn't look good, but he's actually a big guy."

The blue fox glanced at John Invall and raised his head confidently: "It's not a problem to simply send this kid there. Hazelby is a free port, I'm not afraid, and with the help of the old Eric guy, I will Get things done."

"You have to do it well. Ah!" Rurik sighed inexplicably: "Our relationship with Denmark should also be adjusted. I heard that there is a leader named Horrick Klarsson."

"Yes." The prince mentioned the name, and the blue fox instantly became nervous: "Sir, although Hazel is free. But I heard from the locals that if this exiled man makes a comeback, the businessmen will no longer have a good life. This person has been releasing news in recent years to regain his position, this person will definitely take action, there must be Frankish forces behind this person, and I am afraid that this will threaten our interests."

"Maybe there will be a war. Are you afraid of this? I am not afraid. However, I would like to negotiate with this person."

"Ah? You wouldn't go to Hazelby yourself, would you?"

Rurik shook his head: "I don't know who that Horrick Klarsson is. If he gets the Danish throne, maybe I can cooperate with him. If he doesn't want to cooperate, I will force him to cooperate. Blue Fox Brother, Melalen is no longer available, the people have become poor people, and it will not be easy for us to make big profits in the future. We need the Danish market to make a lot of money, the previous state of war must be lifted, and we have to work with the possible new Denmark The king cooperates. My old Rus likes that interests are generally exclusive to the Danes, so I need you."

These words are really enlightening. Anything related to business can deeply stimulate the spirit of the blue fox. He joked: "If that man has some businessman spirit, everything will be easier."

"I'm afraid that guy is a stubborn warrior, full of war and conquest, like Hafgen who was killed by me."

"Only this you can be completely at ease."

"Why?" Rurik asked, puzzled by Lan Fox's awkward smile.

"The former leader of Denmark, Harald Clark, believed in the gods of the Franks and was expelled by the Danish leaders. I heard that this Horrick Klarsson is his nephew. He runs his own property. This man has the same beliefs as that Eskil, and he is by no means a warlike brat. It's just that he is such a man, and I fear that the chiefs of Denmark will join forces to expel him."

"Then I'll help him get a seat and ask for benefits." Rurik's words were ambitious.

"If so... my lord, we also have to consider the possibility of a civil war in Denmark. We must secure our commerce at all times, unless you decide to be king of Denmark yourself. You have the strength, I suppose. "

Become the king of Denmark? what is this? Rurik could hear the guy complimenting, but he never dismissed the proposal. The prince must consider the attitude of the people under his command. Everyone has always been disinterested in the countless areas of the Danish island. Where is the land of Eastern Europe, which is rich in water and plants, interesting?

Lanhu has received his important tasks. As long as he does these well, his personal achievements can surpass his elder brother. By that time, I am afraid that his wealth has surpassed that of his father Gould.

The spring rains lasted for several days, and when the sky cleared again and the incomparably warm southerly wind swept through the emerald green forests, the entire Northeast Europe was flourishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The growing cycle of oats and spring wheat controlled by the Rus is very short, with an average harvest of about 110 days from sowing. The area around Lake Ilmen is sown at the end of April in the Julian calendar, so the traditional harvest is in early August. This time, the large amount of wheat was planted a little later, and the harvest is destined to be delayed until the end of August and the beginning of September.

The situation is not bad, because Lake Mälaren in Sweden is harvested at this time every year, and the Ross immigrants are psychologically prepared.

They are not only mentally prepared for the harvest, but also prepared for the big immigration.

Those women and children who rushed to Novgorod with the boat were all describing the same fact, that the people of their hometown in Rosburg were eager to try it. People in Rossburn have the right to immigrate, and they generally demanded to move. Rurik listened to the women's descriptions. It seemed that as long as he brought the fleet back and the old family members boarded the ship one after another with their luggage, the big immigration would be easily accomplished.

Of course things are not so simple, many people are not allowed to immigrate. Especially in the current era, although the place in Roseburg is not suitable for farming at all, and half of the year is frozen, it has great economic value - the pioneer of industry.

Roseburg must endure and become the iron smelting center of the Duchy along with Elrond Castle in the north. There is also an acceptable shipbuilding base, but the shipbuilding environment is obviously not as good as Novorossburg, or even Novgorod under his feet. With the current technological conditions, it is difficult to build too large a spread, and to build more Avrolla-class sailboats, it is completely possible to build a shipbuilding dock in the warmer, tree-filled Lake Ilmen.

Of course, if too many people immigrate to Eastern Europe, one side will lose a large number of people, and the other side will be a large number of people entering, too radical immigration will do great harm to the Principality of Rus.

Rurik hoped for stability, so he had to organize a fleet to return to his hometown.

The rain has stopped, and a key meeting is being held in Rosduma, in the city.

Many people came to this meeting. The Boyar nobles from all the Slavic farms around the lake gathered together, and Carlota and Aric, who were building their new homes, also arrived. The elites of the region gathered to listen, first to tell the old stories and report on their work, and then to listen to the preaching of the prince Rurik.

There is no need to say much about the time of ploughing the fields. The surveying and mapping team composed of wives and concubines has already continued to go to various manors by boat after the completion of the spring ploughing. They are the women of the prince and the daughters of Dahu, and they are protected by mercenary soldiers. They represent the authority of the prince. If they are neglected, they will complain on the bed of the prince, and disasters will follow.

Rurik raised his chin and announced loudly: "I'm about to take the fleet back to my hometown, and soon two thousand people will arrive here! You Boyars, many years ago we asked you to hand over a group of women to be our Rus' wives. , I know of course you are very reluctant. Now they are coming back with their children and they will not leave again. So I am going to build new settlements by the lake, and more besides the Mstisk that is under construction. So , you want you to cut down a lot of trees and ask for land from the forest.

The new arrivals of the Rus will mainly hit Novgorod and Mstisk, the lake area will be more and more populated, and our farmland will be more.

I will also build a permanent great altar with golden idols. I want to build bigger granaries, bigger cities, better docks. And blacksmiths, leather workshops, and other kinds of workshops..."

In a word, Rurik hopes that the Lake Ilmen area will become an economic belt far beyond the Lake Mälaren. Unlike Lake Mälaren, this lake area will be directly ruled by the Prince of Ross, and the internal structure will be more orderly.

Hundreds of people in a village can't create much. If more than a dozen villages form a group, things will start to change. When multiple village groups form a city, the inevitable birth of urban life will prompt a group of people who stand out to create more.

Rurik specially ordered Governor Medvedt, and everyone knew about it in advance.

"I heard that there are a lot of villages in the jungle beyond the lake. You boys are all here. Those who are hiding seem to be in good contact with you. In fact, it is obvious that you have a common ancestor. Now everything has changed! Mei! Dewitt, I order you to lead your soldiers to find them! This is an order, find a farm and force it to surrender, determine its location and route to the farm, and bring one of the chief's sons or daughters to Mstisk as a hostage."

Medved naturally obliged to agree, he actually knew that such a radical approach might lead to resistance. Resist? Fight against it!

This order was not all given to him. The so-called relying on Medvedt alone to go to the vast forest to search, it would take a long time to find someone.

Rurik changed his mind slightly: "All the Boyars obey the orders, you are all obliged to find the hidden farms. You go and find them, persuade them to surrender, and bring the hostages back, and I will follow your instructions in this year's harvest season. Results, your taxes will be reduced. If you do well, I will give you a monetary reward."

And such a good thing?

The residents of many farms are afraid to go deep into the jungle. First of all, finding those hidden farms in the jungle is a hassle. The biggest problem is that they will be attacked by wild animals. They lack experience in bear hunting, and it just so happens that the brown bears in this area use humans as food.

The prince did not quantify the amount of tax deductions and bounties, but everyone was sure that the prince would keep his promise. With a visible reward, they are willing to take risks. The farm has passed the busy farming season anyway. If they organize men to pick up iron spears to explore together, they will not be killed by bears, right? If a bear is hit in the middle, the bear meat will be shared by everyone, and the terrifying bear head and large leather can be sold to the Rus people and make a fortune.

They participated in this meeting and brought some dried squirrels from winter hunting by the way. The businessman Blue Fox decisively bought it at a very low price, and both parties were satisfied.

The Boyars slapped their chests hard, all promising that they would try their best to find the person hiding.

The attitude of this group of guys was so firm that Medved had to make a bigger guarantee.

The now-rare Slavic physique made a bigger promise: "I will find them and move their farms directly to the lake. I will let them open up new farmland by the lake, and the population will accept them directly. The prince's governance. Since the prince needs manpower, I think this is the best way. If they don't obey, I will use force to coerce them, and if they dare to resist, I will go to war! If killing one or two hidden farms can deter other people who are hiding and force Its cooperation, I will take the initiative to do so.”

Medved's assurances sound like what a real Viking would say.

If this is the case, then the means are indeed crude and very necessary for the Principality. What the principality needs is a large population that can be directly controlled, and the population must be densely populated in order to create greater wealth and stronger comprehensive strength.

Rurik pondered for a moment and fully affirmed Medved's more radical plan.

In this way, finding hidden villages and forcibly relocating residents has become a must for Novgorod this summer. The strength of the means depends on Medvedt's wishes. If this guy can walk around the forest with the Slavic flag team and make a big change, even if 10,000 new residents are created by the lake, this group of new subjects Rurik There is also a material basis to support them until the autumn harvest next year, and by the way, they will also harvest their labor wealth.