Chapter 834： When the super order slams on the forehead of Rülik

Rurik wanted to spend the winter in Novgorod, when a reindeer sleigh from Novgorod rushed into the city.

The messenger brought a piece of important news, shouting loudly as soon as he entered the city, forcing the patrolling soldiers to take it directly.

The messenger begged to see Prince Rurik himself immediately and gave a piece of good news with both hands.

"There is good news? Let this person see me!"

is the messenger from the south, if there is nothing serious, there will be no sledge coming in wind and dust. What else can happen? Is it always possible that you accidentally dig gold when you dig a hole?

The hall of the old palace was full of oil lamps, and the bear heads under the lamps looked very hideous.

Receiving a messenger is not enough for many people to watch. As for Rurik himself, he thought about hearing the so-called good news and hurriedly accompanied his wife. It was because Svetlana's stomach was already very bad. It was January 839, and her expected delivery date hit this month, although she was able to give birth to a child. It is this time that I need my husband to be by my side most.

Lurik sat tall and dressed in bearskin, cross-legged casually, yawning inadvertently.

The closed wooden door opened a gap, and when the extremely thickly wrapped messenger entered the room with the documents, the guard hurriedly closed the door again.

The messenger knelt down and sat in front of the prince in a hurry. Without any politeness or sloppiness, he bluntly stated the major event he wanted to report: "Your Majesty, your old friend Pecheneg is here again. They want to trade with you, and this is it. A letter written by their leader, Kagancha."

"It's Kagan?!" Rurik stood up in great joy. He didn't care too much and went straight up, snatching the letter held by the messenger in both hands.

The hard paper is curled into a paper tube, which is bound by a twine.

Lurik found an oil lamp nearby, and after taking apart the twine, he read the text carefully.

The full text of the letter is written in Roman alphabetized Gnostic language, and the writer has shown his identity, but looking at this pretty and elegant font, Rurik also guessed that it was his concubine Ella Hestu Written by Leah.

The letter contains greetings from Prince Kagan of Pechenegg as a brother, as well as an explanation of his current situation, as well as the establishment of a Pecheneg-Kiev joint business group with local residents of Kiev.

The rest of the content is extremely pragmatic.

Kagan’s description is very real: "We can sell six hundred horses, and a batch of cheese, honey, recurve bows, etc. We need your large amounts of salt, iron spears, iron axes, iron horseshoes, leather boots, leather hats, etc. ,gem……"

Even if he unites with the Kievans, Kagan's description of the types of self-carrying goods is still too narrow, but the Ross goods he wants to trade are really diverse.

They have increased their pen and ink, specifically stating that they need a lot of salt and crossbows. Other ironware, leather products and gems are also willing to spend a lot of money.

The details of the content really require Rurik Haosheng to sit down and think about it.

Do not! The matter has become complicated, only because Kagan described that the merchant group brought a large number of horses, but there are still a large number of horses in addition to being sold. The remaining horses will simply take on the work of pack mules, relying on horsebacks to take the purchased goods back to their hometowns.

Rurik had already seen some of the doorways, and slapped his thighs with joy: "Haha! This guy Kagan is really good! I'm worrying that no one will buy my goods, and there will be foreign friends who come to buy them in person, Kagan, can you? Helped me solve a big problem."

The prince was so happy that the guards also laughed.

The messenger's face was frozen and smiled.

Lurik rolled up the letter again, and put the transaction aside for the time being. Since the messenger from the south is in front of him, he can just hear the situation there.

"You did a great job." Rurik pointed to the messenger's face, his smile still on his face: "Is the brother of the First Banner?"

"Return to the prince, I am a back-up fighter of the First Banner Team."

"What's your name."

"Fuddenmat Sconarsson."

"I'm an ice and snow warrior. Now tell me, how about the wind and snow in the south? Is there disaster-like snow on the capital city."

The messenger Fodenmat reported truthfully: “The situation in the south is as bad as here. Some people’s houses were crushed and some people died. Novgorod was not hit by disasters, some Slavs were hit, and the governor has sent someone to help. NS."

The messenger did not answer as expected, but Rurik did not believe how reliable the Governor Medvete would provide.

is Medved, who took the army into the forest during the warm period, unearthed the star-like farms hiding in it, and forcibly moved the people to the shore of Lake Ilmen.

Although Lake Ilmen is not comparable to the huge Mälaren Lake and Ladoga Lake, the only place there can be low enough and there are many rivers flowing into it. The area around the lake is fertile as a whole, but because of the absolute shortage of population. It has been developed extremely limited.

What kind of good intentions can Medvedt have? Those who are unwilling to move go directly to war, and those who are willing to leave must also evacuate within a time limit. They are obviously from the Slavigne ethnic group, and their ancestors are all people who came here from the Smolensk region north, but they have split into completely different classes. Medvedt was a Slav, but he was also promoted to the top nobleman of the Duchy of Ross. For a group of forest savages, he didn't care about the same race and different races.

is precisely this group of people who have recently moved to the area around the lake to start a new life. This is the first winter after the relocation and was hit by the snow disaster.

Of course, even if this group of people hide in their old place in the forest, a snow disaster will still kill many people. After relocating to the lake, a large number of small villages composed of only a few dozen people were merged into a settlement of hundreds of people, and then a number was given to elect the village chief for administrative management and tax collection. They can take care of each other as much as they can.

Although the messenger had some information, he also pointed out that Medvete’s handling method was nothing more than resettling refugees to ensure that the victims would not freeze to death and starve to death.

At last, the deceased was taken directly to the public cemetery. According to the etiquette of the Slavs, after digging a large hole, he wrapped the body in linen and buried it directly.

Medvedt will only take care of the aftermath of the disaster of the people in the ruled area. As for the farms managed by the native aristocracy, natural disasters are a test for them, and the Ross Principality has no energy to help them.

Novgorod security, Mstisk security, Youth City security, Novgorod security.

The houses built in the four large settlements in the south are very strong. No building collapsed in the city. Although the lives of the people were severely disturbed by the snowstorm, their lives were still normal.

The messenger also solemnly mentioned the Hanukkah ceremony that took place in Novgorod. A fire tower was lit as a traditional project for the festive season. Although the prince himself was not involved, the old Duke Otto took part in it personally while dragging his aging body. The atmosphere of the festival in the south seems to be as lively as in the north. A group of Pechenegg fighters participated in the festival and sang and danced.

No, the messenger was particularly lethal. When the Slavs danced around the fire tower, the Pechenegs were also actively dancing their dances.

Because the winter solstice is a grand festival for everyone throughout the year.

The messenger said very truthfully: "I saw that the old duke praised the prairie man Kagan as a good dancer, a warrior who dared to fight ice and snow. Those prairie people were praised by everyone."

Ross or other Viking clans admire brave people. Looking at it, there is a vast grassland like the sea. Such a landform is unimaginable for the Russ. If the Russ had established Murmansk, a seal hunting settlement at the far end of the north, then the Pechenegs might have lived at the far end of the south.

Kagan's subordinates also revealed a clear message to all the Vikings in the south-Pechenegg can contact Rome, and they are already bordering each other.

Rome? This concept has always existed in the memory of the Rus tribe. It is an illusory concept, which seems to be a great country that has passed away, or a country that exists in another world.

Fantasy things are gradually becoming real.

Lurik was extremely satisfied with the messenger’s report, and he waved his hand: "Go down and rest, and I will give you a hot bath and eat a good meal. It's good to rest, and I will go to Novgorod in person on the next day."

This matter was very important. Thinking that he could get five to six hundred good horses at once, Rurik simply found a separate room, where he roared and laughed wildly, so that the guards thought his master was lost. Crazy.

But when the closed door opened, all the tense guards saw the prince who was so energetic after some venting.

"Hey. What are you looking at me doing? I'm not stupid. Oh, right." Rurik thought for a while and decided not to do anything else: "You immediately send my order to invite some important personnel. I will tonight. A meeting in Ross Dumas!"

The messenger who delivered the letter finally enjoyed peace and comfort. He soaked his hair soaked, and then drank the mead and ate grilled fish, and even ate the tiramisu cake specially rewarded by the prince.

The envoy named Fodenmat is quite young, now he is just reaching his age, and he can make up for the first flag team after this year. But Rurik paid more attention to this guy's daring to ignore the snow disaster, manipulating the sled to run wild for ten days, and so courageous, he did not hesitate to think of the guy Spuyute.

Unfortunately, because his age is stuck in an embarrassing stage, Fodenmatt is not eligible to join the youth force that Rülic trained many years ago. In other words, Fodenmat is already the last group of fighters in the old era of the Ross tribe.

Since him, the Principality of Ross has ushered in a new generation dominated by mixed races.

Many people received invitations from the princes to hold meetings. Even though it was in the cold, it was abrupt to hold the Duma meeting. The prince made a rush to make everyone dare not to refuse.

The venue was crowded with people at first, and after they looked at each other's identities, they all wondered what the prince meant.

Who are the visitors? There are craftsmen who do all kinds of handicrafts, as well as a group of businessmen. Even all the Swedish nobles and messengers of the nobles who lived there.

Bjorn just wanted to sleep, but he was invited by Rurik beggarly, and it was said that he was going to announce a major event.

What else can the kid declare after he has won the throne of Sweden? Look here again, how come there are craftsmen worshiping the **** Thor everywhere, shouldn't there be a group of warriors sitting there?

Liurik came here deliberately for a while, leaving enough time for them to babble.

When he searched for the noise to enter Roth Duma, the brightly lit and warm long house instantly quieted down.

He was standing on the podium, and he looked at his current posture as if he was teaching a large group of people.

"You are all invited by me, that's good! I won't waste my tongue, you just have to listen quietly."

Bjorn saw that Prince Rose did not intend to do any discussion here. Only Rurik was eloquent in the audience, but the content of the explanation was too strong.

Up to six hundred horses? Can the Principality of Ross get so many horses at once through a deal with the prairie people?

Those who know the strength of the Principality in the venue can optimistically estimate that as long as this transaction is completed, the Principality can accumulate 1,000 horses for riding. Last summer, the army made a temporary expedition to Denmark, but was severely beaten by Danish cavalry in the Danish capital. At the price of blood, all the people of insight in Ross realized the necessary value of cavalry.

But each riding horse is expensive. The cheapest one is five pounds of silver coins, and the mare must be ten pounds of silver coins.

Based on the previous trading experience, the prairie people must bring the mares in order to maximize their profits. Then Rose will pay a huge sum of 6,000 pounds of silver to purchase.

When Liurik pinched a finger to explain the price, the audience was really forced to hold their breath, a huge rock was pressed in their hearts, and everyone was shocked by the terrifying number.

Although there are opportunities for bargaining, the final total price is still a huge number.

"This is better than a transaction, we have to do it! Although the price is outrageous, I can still afford it!" Rurik deliberately raised his voice so that the Swedish nobles and envoys such as King Bjorn could hear it well. He took this opportunity to prove two things to the nobles of the old world: First, the Principality of Ross received an outrageously large sum of money. Second, the Principality has a very southern trading ally.

Lurik took advantage of the opportunity to show muscles to the Swedish nobles, and at the same time gave Bjorn and others an invitation-let’s go to the Lake Ilmen of the Ross people to see, and see where there is a relationship with Lake Mälaren. How many similarities and differences.

To buy all the horses, Rose must take out the goods of the same price, because the other side's picture is not an inedible silver coin, but a real material.

Salt and iron, this is Rose’s most valuable fist product.

In addition, the processing of complex leather products is the most traditional skill of the Russ. Now, with the tailoring skills of the Slavs, the combination of the two makes the tailoring handicraft more developed.

"Hellafeld, I'm glad you brought a huge amount of salt from your hometown, I have all your salt!"

"Camnier, the people who took you with me desperately forged sword embryos, spearheads and horseshoes."

"Arik, how much leather do you still have not sold? I bought them all."

……

Even if it was some merchants who didn't remember well, Rurik asked them to sell all the goods at the market price.

For this reason, the Principality of Russ will use the power of the national treasury to raise materials and seize the time to build more competitive products.

This makes it even more so that the price of salt is extremely high. Lurik decides to increase the price of table salt. While selling a large amount of salt to the Pecheneg people, the price must be increased. At the same time, even in winter, people continue to dig ice for seawater. Even if the seawater salinity in the Gulf of Finland is too low, the Principality forcibly produces salt to increase the volume of trafficked goods.

According to the imperative market price, one pound of salt is equal to one hundred pounds of oats. After conversion, you get the official price of one pound of silver coin for ten pounds of salt. In fact, the price of salt has always been high, but the Nordic people are in a cold area, and they inevitably take in some salt when eating sea fish, and lack the opportunity to sweat a lot. The high salt price situation has always been affordable for the people.

But for prairie people like Pecheneg, there are too few opportunities to get salt, especially the geopolitical pressure they are facing today. The only one who can give them a large amount of salt is Faraway Ross, a kind force.

One hundred pounds of salt can buy a mare, and fifty pounds of salt can buy a stallion. Rurik estimated at this price and asked his slave laborers to go all out.

And Kamnier and the more than one hundred official "iron slaves" he manages will provide a lot of key iron products.

A carbon steel sword must be raised in price, and there is no time to sharpen it. Once it is reluctantly built, it will be shipped directly. A semi-finished steel sword sells for one pound of silver coins. The Chenegger can do whatever they want.

Horseshoes are also made in batches, and the price can be lower. After the wrought iron is formed, it can be carburized and quenched at low temperature.

The carpenters in the whole city can't be idle either. They make the wood part of the crossbow, and the remaining counters are all the crossbow machines that mass-produce bronze castings in the state-owned smithy. Rurik was actually very aware of Kagan's intention to purchase crossbows in his letters.

They just bought it and dismantled it immediately. Even if the Pecheneg people can't figure out the fine structure of the crossbow machine and the paddle and tenon The short wooden bow can be dismantled and installed quickly by installing the recurve bow. There is no need to install a short wooden bow on Sussing Ross's side, just make the crossbow body and shoulder rest with the crossbow machine system and pack it. But after all, this is the powerful weapon of the Rus people. Even if it is a monkey version of the weapon, the prairie monster will be changed to the "human version", so the price must skyrocket!

The prices of goods sold to the Pecheneg and Kyiv people have to go up. Since they also ask for the glass beads and amber that Rost has, this is an opportunity to make money!

Besides, the Ross people not only have amber, but also lapis lazuli, these gems are difficult for the prairie people to get.

Who is Kagan, but Pechenegg's next khan is destined, this person will definitely find ways to show his power, he needs a mighty army town, and he needs gems and gorgeous clothes to show his extraordinaryness. This requires Nordic gems, gold, and cherished leather to decorate this extraordinary, and his guard soldiers must be unique. Without hesitation, Rurik looked at the polar bear skin, brown bear skin, ferret skin, forest cat skin, and even the hideous bear's head with his brain clean.

Lurik even wanted to remove all the bear heads used to decorate his old palace, and sell all his brains to the Pecheneg people.

Still need not stop.

He has already planned. Throughout January, Shilla Fort will unite the Finns, the Vips, the Ludi people not far away, and the stronghold of Bear Festival Town far north of the Great Lakes. The whole people used various methods to obtain high-value goods, and in February organized a sled team to transport the amazingly valuable goods to Novgorod to complete the state-level trade with the steppe people.