Chapter 702： Summer order

Blue Fox sat down and the question blurted out.

"My lord, who is this kid..."

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

The blue fox was taken aback, feeling the absurdity of the atmosphere, and immediately set up almost: "Queen..."

"Of course it's not my Lanna. Mary has died, and died of dystocia, 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 man. No, no, he is your son, born noble." With that said, the blue fox was even more puzzled, so he asked again: "Did you invite me to come with this Does the child matter?"

"Yes." Rurik's gaze was torch: "Tell me what you saw in Hezeby. I remember you said that a monastery was built there."

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

"It's the cross, I know. The Franks believe in this, and some Saxons believe in it. Your...that princess also believes in this."

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

"Yes."

"You still have to return to Hazeby, you have to sell me a lot of squirrel skins."

"Yes, this is my business."

"Your reward is indispensable. Of course, you have to sell as high as possible, and then buy slaves and other things locally. Remember, try not to buy things that are too luxurious, and purchase materials that are beneficial to life as much as possible. These materials will be available this fall. Don't send it to Roseburg, send it to me here in the East..."

Lurik described a lot, and he didn't believe that the blue fox was very good at writing down many things.

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

"Is it a document written on a paper?" Blue Fox's thoughts were sprouting, and his fat head and big ears suddenly appeared boldly: "If we ship the paper to Hazeby, we will make a fortune. My lord, I hope you can think about it. ."

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

Leurik let out another sigh: "You will do business well. This is your formality. Besides, I want you to find Hezeby's monastery in person."

"Ah?! Why? Oh, I see. You let me infiltrate, pretending to believe in their gods, and then grab what benefits?"

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

"If you can, would you accept the faith of those people?" Ruriek asked deliberately.

saw this blue fox look indifferent: "I believe in money, but who knows after death?"

is like an unscrupulous businessman sitting in front of him. Also, if this guy only recognizes money, this person is easy to control.

"It's okay. It's up to you what you believe, but there is an old friend of mine in that monastery."

"Old friend? My lord, when have you been dating those Frankish monks?"

"Yes!" Rurik smiled and pointed at the people around him: "John Invar, he is a Frankish monk. I'm sure that the biggest leader in the Hezeby Monastery you see is Eskil. For more than two years. This old guy has been to Roseburg. He annoyed me, so I put him under house arrest for half a year. But this person can still be used."

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

"Yes! No. I want you to take John Invall and deliver my autographed letter accurately. It doesn't matter if I tell you the specific content of the letter." Rurik shook the child in his arms: "He is Ray Graf, the grandson of Mercia’s Wigraf, is the heir to the throne. This child has been baptized, and what I need is to have Eskil as a security, recognize the child’s education, and then get some Frankish aristocrats. Admit it. You have to be clear, maybe you see that old guy is not good looking, but he is actually a big man."

Blue Fox glanced at John Invall and raised his head confidently: "It is not a problem to simply send this kid there. Hezeby is a free port, I am fearless, and with the help of the old fellow Eric, I will Get things done."

"You must 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 Hezeby is free. But I heard the locals say that if this banished man comes back, 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. I am afraid that this will threaten our interests."

"Maybe it will lead to war. Are you afraid of this? I'm not afraid. However, I hope to negotiate with this person."

"Huh? You never go to Hezeby yourself, right."

Rurik shook his head: "I don't know who the Horrick Klarsson is. If he wins the Danish throne, maybe I can cooperate with him. If he is unwilling to cooperate, I will force him to cooperate. Blue Fox Brother, Mälaren’s side is no longer good. The people have become poor. 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, and the previous state of war must be lifted. Wang cooperates. My old Rus people like their interests and are generally repellent to the Danes, so I need you.

This is really an initiation. Anything related to business can deeply stimulate the spirit of the blue fox. He laughed and said: "If that man also has a businessman spirit, everything will be easy."

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

"Only this is the only way you can rest assured."

"Why do you see it?" Lurik asked with a puzzled smile of Blue Fox.

"The former Danish leader Harald Clark believed in the Frankish **** and was jointly expelled by the Danish leaders. I heard that Horrick Klarsson was his nephew. It is said that he worked under the Frankish king for many years and was still in Flanders. He runs his own business. This person has the same beliefs as that Eskil, and he is by no means a rash man with a single heart. It's just that he is such a person, and I am worried that the Danish leaders will jointly expel him."

"Then I will help him gain a position, and then ask for benefits." Rurik said ambitiously.

"If so...sir, we also have to consider the possibility of the Danish civil war. At any time, we must protect our business, unless you decide to be the king of Denmark yourself. I think you have this kind of strength. "

Become the king of Denmark? what is this? Rurik could hear the fellow complimenting, but he never dismissed this proposal. The prince must consider the attitude of his people. Everyone has not been interested in the countless areas of the Danish islands. Where is this beautiful land of aquatic plants in Eastern Europe interesting?

Blue Fox has received his important tasks. As long as these are done well, his personal merits can surpass his eldest brother. At that time, I am afraid that his wealth has surpassed that of his father Gould.

The spring rain continued for many days. When the sky cleared again, the extremely warm south wind swept across the verdant forest, and the whole of Northeast Europe was flourishing into summer at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The growth cycle of oats and spring wheat controlled by the Ross people is very short. From sowing, it takes about 110 days to harvest on average. In the area around Lake Ilmen, the seeds are planted at the end of April in the Julian calendar, so the traditional harvest is in early August. The planting of a large amount of wheat was late, and the harvest season was 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 psychologically prepared for harvest, but also prepared for big immigration.

The women and children who rushed to Novgorod with the boat are all describing the same fact, that the people in Roseburg’s hometown are eager to try. People in the Ross headquarters have the right to immigrate. They generally ask to move. Lurik listens to the description of the women. It seems that as long as they take the fleet back with them, and the old family members board the ship with their luggage one after another, the big immigration is easily completed.

Of course things are not that 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, it is frozen for half of the time every year, but it has great economic value-a pioneer in industry.

Rossberg must survive forever and become the iron smelting center of the Principality along with Elronburg in the north. There is also an acceptable shipbuilding base, but the shipbuilding environment is obviously not as good as Shilla Fort, or even Novgorod at my own feet. With the current technological conditions, it is difficult to build too much spread, and to build more Aurora-class sailboats, it is entirely possible to build shipbuilding piers in the warmer, tree-rich Lake Ilmen.

Of course, if too many people emigrate to Eastern Europe, there will be a large population loss on the one hand, and a large number of people will enter on the other. Too radical immigration will do great harm to the Duchy of Ross.

Lurik wanted to be stable, so he organized a fleet to return to his hometown.

The rain has stopped, and a key meeting was held in Rossdumar in the city.

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

There is no need to say more about the time of plowing the fields. The surveying and mapping team composed of those wives and concubines has been in a boat to continue to the manor after the completion of the spring plowing. They are the women of the princes and the daughters of Dahu, and they are protected by mercenary soldiers. They represent the authority of the prince. If they neglect, they will coquettishly complain on the prince’s bed, and the disasters of the farm will follow one after another.

Ryurik raised his chin and announced loudly: "I will bring the fleet back to my hometown, and two thousand people will arrive here soon! You Boyar, many years ago we asked you to hand over a group of women to be the wives of our Russians. , I know you are of course very reluctant. Now they are about to come back with their children and will never leave again. So I want to build new settlements on the lakeside, besides Mstisk, which is under construction, there are more. So , You want you to cut down more big trees and ask for land from the forest.

The newly arrived Russ will mainly hit Novgorod and Mstisk. This lake area will become more densely populated and our farmland will be more.

I will also build a permanent altar and erect a golden statue. I want to build a bigger granary, a bigger city, and a better dock. There are also blacksmith shops, leather workshops and other various workshops..."

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

A few hundred people in a village cannot create many things. If more than a dozen villages form a group, things will start to change. When multiple village groups form a city, the inevitable urban life will prompt a group of outstanding people to create more.

Lurik specially ordered Governor Medvete, and everyone had known this in advance.

"I heard that there are a lot of villages in the dense forest beyond the lake. You Boyar are all here. Those who are hiding seem to be in good contact with you. In fact, you have a common ancestor. Now everything has changed! Mei! DeWitt, I order you to lead the soldiers to find them! This is an order to find a farm and force it to surrender, determine its location and route to the farm, and bring a son or daughter of the leader to Mstisk As a hostage."

Medvedt naturally obliged to agree, he actually knew that such radical methods might provoke resistance. Revolt? Fight against it!

This order is not all given to him. The so-called only relying on Medvedt's single-man commander to search the vast forest sea, this can be a waste of time.

Rurik changed his mind a little: "All Boyar orders, you are obliged to find the hidden farms. You go to find, persuade them to submit, and bring the hostages back. I will follow yours in the harvest season this year. Achievements, reduce or exempt your taxes. If you do well, I will give monetary rewards."

Is there such a good thing?

Many farm dwellers dare not go deep into the dense forest. First of all, finding those hidden farms in the dense forest is a hassle. The biggest problem is that they will be attacked by wild animals. They lack bear hunting experience. It just so happens that brown bears in this area treat humans as food.

The prince did not quantify the amount of tax relief and bounty, but everyone is sure that the prince will keep its promise. With visible rewards, they are willing to take the risk. The farm is past the busy period of farming anyway, if the men are organized to pick up the iron spear and explore together, they will not be killed by the bear, right? If you hit a bear in the middle, everyone will share the meat, and the terrifying bear head and large leather will be sold to the Ross people to make a fortune.

They participated in this meeting, and by the way brought some dried squirrels hunted in winter ~ www.novelhall.com~ Merchant Blue Fox decisively bought it at a very low price, and both parties were very satisfied.

The Boyars slapped their chests vigorously, guaranteeing that they would desperately find the person who was hiding.

These guys were so firm that Medvedt had to make a bigger guarantee.

This rare physically fit person among the Slavs made greater promises: "I will find them and move their farms directly to the lake. I want them to open up new farmland by the lake, and the population will accept it directly. The prince’s governance. Since the prince needs manpower, I think this is the best way. If they don’t follow, I will forcefully coerce, dare to resist and go to war! If you kill one or two hidden farms, you can deter others who are hiding. Its cooperation, I will take the initiative to do so."

Medvedt promised that his words seemed to be what a real Viking said.

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

Leurik thought for a moment, completely affirming Medvedt's more radical plan.

In this way, finding hidden villages and forced relocation of residents has become a must for Novgorod this summer. The strength of the means depends on Medvedt’s wishes. If this guy can take the Slavic flag team around in the forest and make a big change, even if there are 10,000 new residents on the lakeside, this group of new subjects will be Lik. There is also a material basis to support them until the autumn harvest next year, and also harvest their labor wealth by the way.