Chapter 857： Stockholm is born

Uppsala Great Temple welcomes new priests, and many artifacts that originally belonged to the temple have returned to their places.

The old priests who couldn't figure out the situation until they died, they also got decent after their death.

The reason for their death is very simple. The Rus Kingdom does not need these old forces that hinder the ruling power. If they were ordinary people, it would be fine to drive them out. It happens that they hold the power of faith for a long time and have the right to explain "what is Odin", so the job of Rurik as the monarch is to help them see Odin in advance.

The corpses were condensed and piled together, covered with a large amount of pine wood and burned, and the final ashes were buried in the ground.

King Rurik showed his cruel side to all the Swedish nobles. In the eyes of the nobles, the king did not choose human sacrifices when he came to the throne, but was even more outrageous than the previous Swedish kings.

Because of the sacrifices of those people, with a group of priests!

The attitude of the nobles towards the king has become quite subtle. The nobles of the small tribes who have infinite friendly fantasies about Rurik have to think about their own future behavior styles. If they annoy the king, it must be a killer. Scourge.

The current Uppsala Temple does not satisfy Rurik. The temple will be overthrown and rebuilt but not now.

This temple can still be used for a few more years, and it still has the value of strengthening and repairing.

The local people of Uppsala came to work. They carve wood to make precision relief panels to add beauty to the temple building.

The wooden base in front of the sacred tree has also been preserved, although the statues in the shrine have been removed, the shrine itself will also be preserved.

The high priest designated by the king brought new ceremonies, and a group of lower-level female priests were selected in the village of Uppsala. The High Priest of Rose Lumia accompanied Lumi, the Priest of Uppsala, to do this. The recruitment of priestesses was an unprecedented success. For whatever purpose, there are not a few families willing to push their daughters out as priests. . A team of twenty-member lower-level priests was quickly recruited, and it just so happens that now there is also ample time for Lumia, who knows most about rituals, to personally train them.

The core task of the so-called discipline is to tell them which deity is the greatest and the most praiseworthy.

That is Odin, the king of gods!

In the huge Kingdom of Rus, although Slavs have the largest population, there are also tens of thousands of North Germanic populations like Sweden and Rus. The Ross people have the highest power in the country, so the gods and custom cultures that the Ross people believe in are also strong. And all Swedes and Russ are highly consistent in faith and culture. So whether they are Slavs or Finns, they must respect the faith and culture of Ross.

Ros’s multiple ethnic groups, relying on the strong force of the Russian army to form a group of nations. There are differences in language and living habits between each other, it is necessary to maintain the unity of the entire group with the same beliefs, and create a stable existence through continuous marriage and mixing.

All people must believe in the greatest deity that they think is Odin! This is unquestionable in the Swedish world in the west. The problem is that the tribes of the Swedish world have various understandings of sacrificial etiquette, and the Kingdom of Ross must determine a unified etiquette.

The "Sacrificial Ceremony" has not been written into a clear code. The conditions for establishing a unified sacrificial ceremony have been fulfilled and are being implemented.

Essentially, only the young John Invar, who was canonized as "Bishop of Ross", and the "Northern Saint" Eskil, who became abusive because of unfair treatment, were aware of Rurik's actions.

Ross is imitating Catholicism.

The capital high priest confronts the pope, and the local high priest confronts the archbishop of the diocese. The inferior priests next to the high priest are targeting the inferior priests.

The kingdom of Ross now legally controls a huge territory, the population is indeed highly concentrated in a few sections, and the total population is not large. Several large temples are attached to some small temples, so that Odin's traditional beliefs can be popular and operated throughout the country.

There are myths and stories about Northern Europe that have been sorted out and printed, and it will take time before they are compiled into a book of "Odin Sakya".

For example, the faith of the Lord is still spreading hard in Denmark today, and the faith is spreading in the more northern world. Rurik is convinced that because he has humiliated "Saint Eskil" twice, the Franks will not send priests to the north to ask for hardships in the short term. eat. This allows enough time for the Kingdom of Rose. Within a few years, the kingdom’s temple system based on the beliefs of Odin in Norse mythology can be covered. With the education of the children, the kingdom’s faith will be stable. After that, the children and grandchildren defended their rights and qualifications as Odin fighters.

The central shrine of the Great Temple of Uppsala, the three statues of gods were restored by Rurik's orders before returning to their positions.

The three statues represent Odin, the sun and the earth, but the statues must have a new meaning. Among them, the statue of Odin was poured with a layer of gold water. For this layer of gilding, Rurik did not use gold coin inventory less. The other two bronze statues were poured with silver water, so they were clearly different from the statue of the main **** Odin.

The temple was covered with solid wooden boards, and the floor was polished to be very flat. A square table was purposely erected in the temple, and gold and silver plates, bronze lamps and other utensils were always placed on it, and the sacrifices were always placed.

Other rooms in the temple have also been repaired, and dormitories, rooms and toilets have been opened up. The newly recruited priestesses will live here and start a new life.

They are all unmarried girls who will continue to work in the temple until they are at least twenty years old, and then “retire”. During this period, they are not allowed to have relationships with men, the only thing in life is to worship God.

The priests originally held this position, but they have been priests for the rest of their lives.

Lurik many years ago, when he organized a new group of priests of the Duchy of Ross, he established a new system. The candidates for the lower priests must be pure girls, who can return to the vulgar after a few years of work. In this way, the sacrificial team can always maintain a metabolism, and it can also ensure that the priests will not form a group that is too big and will compete with the king for power. In any case, the high priest of this generation is a wife of the king, and the next high priest is the eldest daughter of the king. The high priests of the future generations must also have blood relations with the king.

Can this system last forever? Although the implementation of any system for hundreds of years will cause major problems, for the current Rose, Rurik needs the high priest to make a mythological interpretation of his kingship. As a king, he must also ensure that he is "the spokesperson of Odin placed in the world." His faith is solid.

Repairing the Great Temple of Uppsala and establishing a local priest system is the first thing that must be done when Rurik stays in Sweden.

Another major event was the convening of an all-Swedish aristocracy meeting.

The meeting site was not in the temple, nor was it in the residence of the Governor of Uppsala, nor was it in the council chamber in the village of Uppsala.

The Ross Garrison built a fortified barracks. After claiming the king, Rurik moved all the Ross nobles to live here.

The parliament court, built by pine wood, which serves as the local "Ross Dumas", is a long, narrow house standing on a large number of wooden stakes.

Now all the wooden windows on both sides of the long house are open, and many Swedish nobles all enter. They had just seen the assembly of the mighty Russ army, and they were impressed by their might, and they were also quite worried about the next meeting.

They are sitting on wooden benches placed by the windows. There is no rank of wooden chairs. The nobles can sit on their own.

Sweden area or ring Mälaren area, there are a total of 25 Swedish tribes. Except for the giant Mellaren, and the three tribes of thousands of people, Anklas, Uppsala, and Yilmalun, the rest are villages of three to four hundred people, and even miniatures of more than one hundred people. The village.

At that time, Olekin did not become the leader of the alliance and insisted on claiming the king. In order to show that he was used by a large number of noble users, he was sealed in a random manner. title.

According to the habit of the Frankish kingdom, most of the nobles sitting in each baron title is enough, and even the title of knight is appropriate for some people.

Leurik also didn't bother to be canonized twice, leaving a large group of dukes with a resounding reputation and a shabby population like a joke, and they also made checks and balances on the abdicated and demoted Duke Bjorn of Mellaren.

A tall young man is taking steady steps in front of the Swedish nobles. He is no one else, but King Rurik.

The golden hair is tied with a golden ponytail, and a golden laurel crown is worn on the head.

With high spirits, he ordered the dukes to listen first to the decree he announced. Any questions can be asked freely after the announcement.

Of course, some preaching will hurt the interests of some vested interests. Since I am a king, I am sorry.

Lurik knew that what the nobles were worried about was the issue of offering offerings to the new king. The tribute was not a big issue, and the ownership of a special area had become very delicate.

"Port Birka! This was originally the bazaar of the Mellaren tribe. The abdicated king Bjorn named it after himself. But I am now a new king, and I have the right to deal with this bazaar. I want to change his name!"

It seems that Rurik wants to name it after his own name, such as "Rulika"? No! There is a more appropriate name for her.

At this moment, Bjorn's emotions are high. He still feels that he has been humiliated and waits very uncomfortably for Rurik to announce the new name of the bazaar.

"Just call Stockholm!"

This name? Why is it called this name? If it were this name, wouldn't it have nothing to do with Rurik himself?

The nobles poked their heads and continued to listen to the king's arrangements.

Birka changed its name to Stockholm, which does have the element of Rurik's evil taste. But the new name is definitely not an exchange. It is a mixture of stock and holm. Because Birka itself is close to the estuary of Lake Mälaren, Stockholm on another plane has grown with the development of the city, covering a huge area with a radius of 30 kilometers centered on the estuary of Mälaren. The Stockholm city has completely covered the old Birka, to a large extent the new city covers the old city.

The new name is neutral and has a very simple meaning. It is precisely "the material distribution center in the coastal lowlands", which is very consistent with the fact that the largest trading point in the Circum Mälaren area.

The nobles were dissatisfied with Bjorn’s change of the name of the market. The new king gave the new name of "Stockholm". Now everyone has nothing to say.

Lurik explained the meaning of her name, and then asked about everyone's attitude. It was found that many nobles were satisfied, and even more specifically asked Bjorn's attitude.

"You ask me what I think? Of course I support it."

Bjorn did keep saying support, and it was obvious that there was a trace of pain in the words.

So, Rurik decided to make him even more unhappy.

"You all support the renaming of Stockholm, I am very happy. This port has belonged to Mellaren for a long time, but I became a king, and she is mine! Stockholm Port is my king’s city, and I support all your nobles to do business. I have infinite expectations for your safe arrival in boats and cargoes. In fact, I know what you are most worried about. Don’t worry about everything. The new Stockholm welcomes all Swedish businessmen. I can assure you that this is a building. Tax-free city!"

duty free? King Rurik's meaning is very clear, come to Stockholm to do business, will be completely tax-free in the future? ! No need to pay tribute to the people of Mellaren? That's a great thing.

The loss of control of Birka Bazaar or Stockholm means that the Mellaren people have lost a certain amount of income. Bjorn himself is the Duke of Mellaren recognized by Rurik. There is no need to worry about his own power, that is, he has lost control of the largest trading port, and the wealth in his pocket is too much. Does the absolute rule of the port mean that he has to pay taxes to the king?

Paying tribute or paying taxes to the king is what all the nobles are extremely worried about.

Lurik repeatedly emphasized that Stockholm will be a tax-free city, or that it will only be tax-free for all merchants who belong to the Kingdom of Ross.

To develop a port’s economy and trade, the privilege of tax exemption during the initial period of wealthy people is conducive to economic development. The top priority now is to attract businessmen from all over Sweden and encourage them to build shops. As for the tax collection, it will not be carried out until a few years later. As the saying goes, to cut wool, at least wait for the lamb to grow up before moving the shears.

Birka Port has been controlled by the Merlaren for a long time. The only shops with tax exemption privileges are Ross shops. The situation must be changed. After the name change, the Port of Stockholm must be a commercial city with firepower.

Following the topic of the concept of "tax exemption", Lurik no longer waited, and used this as a breakthrough point to announce his major decree.

He looked around, and walked in front of the nobles in the corridor of the long house, preaching: "Everyone, you are all Swedish nobles. You are all concerned about whether to pay me tribute and how much. This king is a benevolent king. I declare that all of you do not have to pay me any tribute within ten years! Remember! Within ten years, yours will be completely tax-free! After ten years, whether to collect tribute from you depends on my wishes. I swear to Odin that I will not receive you even a tribute of a copper coin or a grain of oats within ten years."

As soon as these words came out, more than a dozen dukes of extremely shabby tribes stood up with excitement, then raised their hands and knelt down in excitement, clutching their hearts and shouting: "The king is really wise! Your rule will last forever. Keep it.” Similar praises emerged endlessly, and more nobles also joined in the prayer.

Bjorn was so dumbfounded that even the white-bearded Unkrath's Ungriffe was kneeling happily, so he would bow down on one knee and salute.

The whole scene left Rick wanting to laugh. It really hurts feelings when talking about money. As long as he doesn't talk about money, he is a good brother.

In fact, one person was suffocated, and even a very important matter was about to be stated, and even issued a clear crisis warning to Rurik.

This person is Langstall, the actual ruler of the Yilmalun tribe. He never thought that King Rurik could beat his chest and swear to Odin, so-called no tribute from the nobles within ten years. Does Rurik really fulfill his vows like this? He cautiously held a wait-and-see attitude, but after witnessing the huge pomp of the new king ascending the throne, he was willing to believe in Rurik's promise.

Langstall, as a wise man, thinks that Rurik is a good person, but not a pure good person. The past two kings Olegin and Karl, it can be said that they were forced to pay tribute to the tribes who were surrendered because of their poor soldiers. Bjorn, the abdicated king’s claim to the king was illegal, and the tribes did not dare to clearly oppose it, so they stopped paying tribute, and even did not go to Birka to do business, and went directly to the Tombstone Island trade of the Rus in the ocean.

He also thinks that Rülik does not collect taxes. To a large extent, he thinks that Ross can't get a lot of oil and water in Sweden. Wouldn't it be a good name to take a step back and declare tax exemption?

Other nobles are more pure-hearted, and they are happy to hear that they are exempt from tax for ten years.

Langstall is indeed a wise man, he guessed part of Rurik's thoughts. What about the essence? There are no trade barriers in Sweden, and it is one-way transparent to Russia. The economic entities are in the Eastern Baltic Sea and the Rus Principality part of the more eastern kingdom. It has extremely strong economic strength. Compared with the benefits of tax collection, it depends on the annual With a trade surplus, Rose can continue to **** blood from Lake Mälaren in Sweden. After all, this kind of blood sucking secretly has been almost ten years. The economic significance of not collecting taxes is not much, but the political significance is the greatest.

But if a strict tax system is really implemented, it also means that Ross will directly rule the Swedish region, and the cost of governance will be too high for the current kingdom. At present, the best price-performance ratio is naturally economic control. All the nobles only need to declare that they are loyal to the king, willing to do business year after year, and allow the king's army to travel freely in their own territory. This is enough.

Originally, many large families of the Mellaren tribe wanted to get a share of the tax profits of the Birka Bazaar, and the Bjorn family took the most share before the abdication of the throne. The renamed Stockholm Port is completely tax-free, so that Bjorn himself does not even need to raise the port’s escorts, and his family only needs to spend their energy on doing business.

In the past, part of the tax revenue of Birka Fair was used to maintain the stability of the port area and to hire patrols. Even if the name is changed, the Stockholm patrol system must be retained, even the city’s chief or governor must retain.

The nobles strongly supported the tax exemption policy, and pointed out one by one that they would bring the newly harvested grain to Stockholm for trade in this autumn In this way, the next appointments would be logical. .

Lurik solemnly appointed Snoreva Gouldsson, the Ross businessman nicknamed the White Fox, this fat man was an old acquaintance of many nobles. This person succeeded his father Gould, inherited Gould Island, and was ordered to take root in Lake Mälaren to do business. The nobles knew this for a long time.

The white fox is a real and conservative person. He can't dared to rush to the Alps and drift on the Danube for a while like his younger brother, Blue Fox, and even transform into a businessman who is good at fighting.

If it weren’t for the slight difference between his face and his father’s face, he would be the businessman Gould 20 years ago. Unkras’s Ungriffe knows this best. For emotional considerations, Ungriffe hopes that the fat white fox will do it. Better, after all, the ancestral home of that guy in blood is our Unklas's. Bjorn married his youngest daughter to the white fox and became a concubine. Although he lost control of Stockholm's financial rights, he was still able to reap the benefits of his in-laws.

Arctic Fox was appointed Governor of Stockholm City, with the right to train garrison troops to maintain public order and commercial order, and even arbitrate commercial disputes. At the same time, he is still the king's only designated merchant in Sweden to provide an overview of the royal family's business in Sweden.

As for the Rose shop, which is already quite impressive, it is indeed still a big shop. But the fortress on Gould Island became the governor's palace. The guards recruited were transformed into the Stockholm garrison. In a sense, it was Rurik's local garrison.