Chapter 109： Rurik wants more servants

Otto really didn’t want to say that he and hundreds of his close comrades in arms around the campfire to discuss the establishment of a settlement at the mouth of the river, many people expressed strong doubts. Because of this decision, everyone doesn't know if their ancestors did the same thing, and everyone has a natural fear and rejection of the unknown.

After some explanation, Otto wins the support of many people with his personal prestige.

In fact, what everyone is most afraid of is being attacked by Baltic or Finns. Although these guys are a lot of stupid idiots armed with stones, like the Ross tribe, they will organize hundreds of people to move when they encounter major events. Even if the Ross warrior is a strong man armed with a large shield and battle axe, if there are too many people fighting, he will be swarmed and defeated by hundreds of enemies.

Building a settlement is therefore dangerous. If the leader insists on doing this, he will have to leave more people to look after the camp.

The Ross people will leave this poor Roseburg sooner or later, leave this terrible fjord.

No matter how the future develops, the living space this fjord can give people has almost reached a bottleneck. When people finally can't stand the crowding, it is only a matter of time before the residents leave spontaneously on a large scale.

Lurik was very happy with his father's decision. Taking this opportunity, he also deliberately informed his father of his plan.

"Dad, I need some new servants. Next time you go to Novgorod, can you bring some people back for me? I don't want a lot, ten people at most are enough."

"You..." Otto was stunned for a while, "A maid is not enough?"

"Yes!" Rurik insisted.

"Well...tell me about your specific requirements."

My son is asking for a servant. Otto actually welcomes his son's idea very much. It seems that since the son killed the deer, his mind has changed a lot.

Lurik is a kind person. Such a character is very important to brothers. If there is only kindness, then he does not deserve to be a leader. He needs to have the ability to command, if he can, of course the more slaves, the better.

Otto cheered up quickly and asked, "Do you need Novgorod servants? Very good! I'll get you some back this time."

"Huh? Catch people? Wouldn't it be better to buy a few servants with something?"

"Perhaps." Otto shrugged. "You need some capable servants, so don't expect them to hand over the labor obediently. Although those men are terrible, they at least know how to farm. Novgorod people Don’t obediently contribute strong men to serve you as servants, we can only use an axe to force them to submit."

"I...I don't want those strong men!"

"Not a man? Are they still kids?"

"Oh! It's just some children." Rurik patted the fur on the floor vigorously, "I just want to write about children."

"Child? Servant? What can those servants do?" Then, Otto glanced at Lumia, who was sitting on the floor. "Just like your maid, she only grazes. It's just a poor woman and I won't be able to give it to you in the future. Cut down more trees."

"But she is very loyal to me."

Lurik waved her hand gently, and saw Lumia stand up, and then sat down next to Lulik.

"Dad, look, she has always obeyed my orders."

Lumia hooked her head hard, she knew the leader Otto had been staring at herself. The villain who killed his parents really didn't want to have more intersection with him.

Rurik has his own set of theories: "I just want some children, it's best not to be too different from my age. My sister Peravina and I have learned a little of their language, if it's just a daily conversation, I Can already communicate with Novgorod people.

Dad, since strong men want to farm, can't those kids also farm, right? There must be some girls in Novgorod. With some training, girls can also make a difference. "

Otto’s words really puzzled him, and he thought of other things, so he questioned: "Do you like children of your age so much? Most of the tribe’s children are similar to yours. They are already you. Friends, what do you want? Do you want more Novgorod kids under your control? Do you even need a bunch of useless little girls?"

is very different from the Rus tribe, the Slav tribe of Novgorod, they have no bad habit of not wanting girls, because they do not have the warrior culture of the so-called Odin faith.

But this does not mean that the locals of Novgorod are a group of fat sheep that are slaughtered by humans. They are at least stronger than the Finns, so they can grab Lake Ilmen and build a "new big city". It is just the fighting power of the Varangans. That's it.

They actually have a special attitude towards all their children. The children are like the property of the dealer's family. The child can hardly provide any output until he grows up. If there are too many mouths to eat, even if the child’s parents are particularly kind, they will have to abandon some children because of hunger. Coupled with regular raids by the Rus tribe of the Varangans, and unexpected surprise attacks by other Varangans without warning, the small Slavic settlements outside the city of Novgorod are always facing the situation of their relatives being taken away.

The missing persons were either attacked by a black bear and killed, or were looted by other Varanga tribes. If it is a child who is missing, it is a big deal to have a few more. Actually? It is usually a farmer who is missing, and the loss of a labor force is a major loss to the family estate.

"Of course. I need Novgorod boys and girls!" Rurik raised his head, "I just need those children. I will send the boys to the blacksmiths to learn how to strike iron, and the girls to the priests to learn. Some skills necessary for women. So when they grow up, they can only follow me, and they will work for me."

Otto really thinks his son’s words are very strange, in fact Otto has never thought about it.

All the Vikings have a rather strange definition of the concept of "slave".

North Germanic tribes around the Baltic Sea, they have been fighting with each other for many years. Also in the last two hundred years, the Norwegians in the western Scandinavian mountains, the Swedes in the eastern plains of the mountains, and the Danes in Jutland and surrounding islands have formed some tribal alliances. Below, three large tribal alliances are gradually transforming into feudal kingdoms.ァ新ヤ~⑧~1~中文网ωωω.χ~⒏~1zщ.còм

They have not yet become a kingdom. Although they speak the same Gnostic language, the battle between them has never stopped.

is the so-called thinking sub-tribe alliance of the Ross tribe. When their ancestors lived in the Svealand Plain, there were many fights between them.

A fighting tribe, the males are more important than the young women. Strong men frequently launch attacks in order to compete for resources. In order to maximize victory, they will leave the lives of captives and serve as slaves to work for themselves.

Therefore, the concept of "slave" is almost equal to the concept of cowards and losers. Nowadays, in the Gnostic language, the words "captive" and "loser" are often used to specifically describe male officials.

It is almost natural for the loser to become a slave.

They will not raise too many slaves, because these people who also speak Gnostic are not reliable, and keeping them around for a long time may be a disaster.

Male prisoners of war tend to wait for an opportunity to escape, and no one side of the war can get many prisoners of war.

In some battles, one side will take the enemy’s nest, and the winner will occupy the opponent’s wife and daughter. Those captured women will not become slaves, they will become the wives of the victors and a member of the tribe of the victors.

In the barbaric era, survival is the top priority of all tribes. The fighting power of the tribe comes from strong males, and the foundation of the tribe's continuation is the women of the tribe.

Otto really doesn’t like the fact that his tribe has a very bad tradition. The people have been selectively cultivating their offspring. The wealth of ordinary families is not much. In order to obtain more wealth in the future, they are willing to cultivate sons. As for the baby girls who have just given birth, they are often thrown into the woods and let them fend for themselves.

This is true of the Ross tribe, the same is true of the southern allied tribes, and the Danes do the same.

Otto knows the wealthy households of those allied tribes, and they tend to raise some servants, even some concubines. God knows where those foreign women came from, most likely they are the so-called Franks.

In short, the biggest job of those women is to give birth to more sons for the master. The master does not have much prejudice against them because of their motherhood. The master only hopes that his sons can grow into powerful fighters.

Only in this way, the tribe can have more fighters, in order to grab new land from the Danes in the future battle for hegemony that does not seem to cease.

The Rus tribe has never had this opportunity in the past. Now that the mouth has been opened and continues to develop, the tribe will sooner or later be filled with soldiers who can speak the Novgorod language. Otto doesn't care about this at all, the father of the child is a warrior of the tribe after all.

However, Rurik’s determination was completely different from what Otto could think of. Is it possible to use some slaves and raise them first?

Otto closed his eyes and thought for a while before he asked slowly: "Ruriek, if it's just some children, I can bring them back to you in a more peaceful way. I must tell you that those children are idiots, and they Like his father, the future is just a group of farmers who can farm. If they want to work well for you, it will take several years to train them. When you grow up, they can really work for you. You... Are you going to be like raising a deer, feeding them every day until you can work?"

"Yes? Isn't it possible?" Rurik also looked strange.

"You... I really can't figure it out."

"Dad, are you against me?"

"No! I'm not against you." Otto shook his head. "I'm glad you have your own ideas. I'm just not worth it for you. Boy, I can help you with this, but what about the next thing? It will help you. Now that you have a plan, you will handle everything after that."

"I will take care of it myself, don't worry about it."

"You also worry about the food and the place where the servants live. And their clothes are also your business. And..." Otto enumerated a lot in anxiousness, he thought it was something like this. Just talk can lead his son to give up.

Otto really doesn't understand the forward-looking nature of his son Rurik's plan.

Lurik, he also couldn't figure out whether his father had other concerns or was he simply short-sighted. Do not! and many more! Otto is really short-sighted? No, Otto is a visionary leader. Could it be that there are some limitations in the use of human resources? Maybe that's it.

After hearing a lot, Rurik said bluntly: "At least if I am a new servant, it is better...I would better be a child younger than Lumia. If you are difficult, Dad, I can accept all ten girls. . If you can get more for me, I will not refuse anyone."

Otto grinned his mouth wide and mumbled: "It seems you won't change your decision anymore. Okay... Now you give me some silver coins."

"Silver coins?" Rurik was taken aback.

"Don't be stunned, Rurik. I am your father. Now you insist on becoming independent and I will fulfill you. I tell you clearly that I doubt your decision very much. As a father, I am willing to do this for you. Something. Give me some silver coins so I can give them to the parents of those children. Listen, only silver coins can let the poor guys give away their children."

When Otto said these words, there was no turmoil in his heart, while Rurik felt a little guilty in his life.

Maybe this is the norm in the dark ages of Europe in the ninth century.

For clan tribes that are still barely entering the Bronze Age, the concept of human rights does not exist, or the so-called human rights are only worthy of the strong men of the tribe. Before the child grows to be able to take up a weapon, their parents can abandon the child for money.

Lurik knows that the slave economy has its rationality in the era of low material production efficiency. For those who have become slaves, the slave owners regard them as "talking tools." Since they are a tool, of course they should extend their working hours as much as possible.

is a grind donkey, the owner of the donkey also longs for it to work healthily for ten or twenty years, let alone a living person.

The self-employed farmers who lost their land became serfs of large families in order to survive. The tribal people who have lost everything and become slaves of another tribe are acceptable under extreme conditions. Although it is humiliating, they can at least survive.

But it is still a backward system.

Rurik knew well that the Kievan Rus, who quickly entered the era of the feudal kingdom in history, were not withered under Mongol rule. After they got rid of the Mongol empire, they grew stronger. It was because the nobles were extremely embarrassed and made ordinary farmers. Thousands of them went bankrupt and became serfs to nobles and large estate owners. If the culture of Eastern Rome allowed them to bypass the slave society and instantly upgrade to the feudal era, they would make the social system more and more backward as a result.

In the end, a bottom-up counterattack from the serfs destroyed the corruption and achieved the first "victory of the common people."

The descendants of ordinary residents of the Slavs, how come all of them have gradually become serfs.

Hearing Otto's words, those Novgorod residents would give up their children's support for silver coins and hand them over to the Varangians as servants. The servants of the servants are still servants. In this way, there is a reason for the large-scale slavery of the residents.

This is not good!

Because Rurik doesn't need servants, and they shouldn't be the so-called master-servant relationship. In his philosophy, the best relationship that can be achieved now is to hire and be hired. Take control of yourself, so-called servants do things for themselves. Neither oneself nor even his successor can hurt them at will, and they must be given reasonable remuneration for their contributions.

Youdao is to give benefits to the low-level residents and make them richer, so that their enthusiasm for production will be higher, the wealth of the whole society will be enriched, and more taxes will be paid to realize the prosperity of the people and the country.

Lurik sees this as the most reasonable philosophy of governance.

It seems that Europeans who really can't look at their own time and space highly, their problem is not that they have limited vision of geography, but the most important thing is the limitation of thinking.

"Dad, please tell me, I want some children to be helpers, how many silver coins can I get?"

"You..." Otto thought for a while, "You give me fifty silver coins, you have this money now."

Lurik nodded, and then told his actual key Lumia, "Go get my money box and count fifty silver coins."

"Yes." Lumia nodded respectfully, and after a while, she pulled the heavy wooden box over the leader's long house.

Lurik’s reassuring and trust in Lumia are reflected in many aspects. Giving her silver jewelry is on the one hand, and on the other hand, she gives her the key to managing her cash box.

Every man has his own money box, and under normal circumstances the keys are kept by his wife.

Lumia has already understood the reason why the young master ordered her to control the keys, and some rumors also spread to her ears, that is, the young master planned to marry herself as his wife in many years.

Be Rurik’s wife? Nonsense! But if that becomes reality...

Lu Mia is not complacent, her mood is very complicated, and now she tries to hide her emotions.

Since soap began to pit his people at high prices, Rurik’s so-called cash box was originally an empty wooden box, but now it has become heavy. The tribe’s soap market is still quite big, and it will eventually become saturated, that’s okay, just sell the soap to the allies in the guest house.

Fifty silver coins are half a Roman pound, and Rurik turns out to be the silver coin that Lumia handed over to his father.

Otto saw that his son's attitude was so determined. What's even more surprising is that his son just doesn't have that kind of money or that stingy.

"Ruriek, are you sure?" Otto asked seriously.

"Yes, if fifty silver coins can be bought..." Rurik wanted to say the word "slave" at the beginning, but he still hated the word, so he shouted, "If you can get ten new friends, That would be great. I will give them a better life than in Novgorod, and they will be very loyal to me because of this."

"Are you willing to be friends with the servant? It's strange." As he said, Otto looked at Lumia from the corner of his eyes, and he didn't talk any more nonsense.

Otto continued to explain the serious facts, "Those Novgorod people are willing to sell their children to us as goods, just like the marriage rights of a beautiful Novgorod woman that can be exchanged for some amber. Rurik , You are very smart. Those girls will grow up when they are twelve years old. It is impossible to expect to exchange a few silver coins for one. If it is just a child of your age, it is not a big problem.

I actually know the quotation over there. A boy like you is worth five silver coins, and a girl is three. "

Hearing this, Rurik took a breath.

In his philosophy, human life was priceless at the time, but everyone in this barbaric era was marked with a price. After all, human beings are higher than animals, but they are not as tall as there. A large reindeer is worth two silver coins, and a rare ferret may be worth as much as six silver coins.

Hearing what his father said, Rurik had to examine himself.

This picture of my own body is no more than a child. According to Otto’s words, it is worth five silver coins. With two deer on top, it is not as good as a cute ferret. How can it be true?

However, it is such a realistic truth.

In any case, it is better to get at least ten servants with a large amount of silver than the father to take people to carry the battle axe to be more civilized.

"I want ten servants. If they can't bear the boy, at least get one for me. I want him to take orders from my blacksmith. At least ten girls, I want to train them to be soap-making women~www.novelhall. com~There are also masters who can make clothes. All of them only serve me. Dad, according to the agreement signed with the priests and blacksmiths, I have the money to support these servants." New 81 Chinese network update the fastest computer terminal: https://

Otto nodded: "I have accepted all your money, and I will do it for you. However, you have contributed a lot these days, and you are indeed different from those kids."

"Of course." Rurik smiled, "I am the one who received Odin's blessing."

"Not only that." Otto shook his head deeply, "I have lived for so many years. I only know that a child of you can earn 300 silver coins in just tens of days, and no child can quickly spend a hundred silver coins. A silver coin. You really have to pay attention, if you have been generous, it’s not good for you."

"I will pay attention, thank you for your reminder." Rurik was surprised that Otto mentioned the concept of "thrifty".

Speaking of frugality, if Svealan’s thinking sub-tribal alliance has this kind of thinking, we can really understand why their descendants more than a thousand years later have achieved such an extreme in the concept of environmental protection, so extreme that everyone wants to do it. There is almost no carbon emissions.

"I will try my best to be frugal and try to make more money. Dad..." Rurik tilted his head slightly, "Don't think I know soap and swords, believe me, I have other inventions. It’s all from Odin’s wisdom. Next year is a new beginning."

"Okay." Otto put a big hand on Rurik's head, rubbed a few times like a cat, and exhorted: "Then you do it. I hope you can get me some when I come back. New tricks."