Chapter 904： The price of the 10-year tax exemption for the Earl's Country

The soldiers of Rus kept their vigilance, and it was precisely because of the majesty generated by this vigilance that the villagers and warriors who offered tribute were so shocked that they did not dare to speak falsely, so they had to follow.

Villages living in forests are nestled against small streams, they can barely live on their own and are not very active in contact with the outside world.

They had never seen such a warrior, neat and uniform in clothing, young and tall in his soldiers, and equally uniform in his unique weapons.

"These are the armies of the leaders of the Rus, you all be careful, don't annoy this group of strong men." The leader whispered and ordered the people in his village not to cause trouble.

The team of hundreds of people is definitely not small, and they are all armed, which makes the Rus soldiers inevitably suspicious. According to the headman, the gifts and women were dedicated to the conquerors of Rus, and as for the armed soldiers, it was considered that there might be attacks by bears and wolves in the middle of the journey.

Are they allowed to enter the village? In this village occupied by the Rus, they did not see the people ravaged by the conquerors. The villagers here are basically doing normal things. The bored children are still running around. Not only were the cattle and sheep not looted, the women in turbans were busy milking the cows with wooden barrels, even though there were those Rus soldiers stationed not far away.

As if this is no longer the familiar Lakeside Village, but a village of Rus conquerors.

Rurik was in the village at the moment, and he was really sorry for the poor sanitary conditions in Linhu Village.

It stands to reason that the village is not dirty, and there is no **** debris on the ground. Compared to the towns built by Ross, this village is really abysmal.

The Chamber is a large traditional longhouse, and the wood relief decoration at the entrance cannot conceal the shabbyness of its thatched roof.

Rurik would receive other submissive villages in the council, and one happened to come.

More soldiers intercepted the team, and the centurion arrogantly ordered the armed villagers to collect their weapons.

Thanks to "Broken Bone" Gorm's mediation, the situation was brought down.

However, Gorm's exotic clothes are exactly the same as that of the conqueror, and it is obvious that this person has surrendered. Take a look at the new flags that were hoisted by the Linhu Village Council. They really have become part of the conquerors.

As long as surrender is peace, the huge army and huge ships are here, and seeing is believing that the Rus people have not destroyed the peaceful life of the neighboring lake village.

The leader of the visiting village team, nicknamed "Jump" Gosund, is from Linxi Village. He was a burly man who stuttered when he drank too much ale, hence his nickname.

When the head of the village "stutters" Gosund's head, his mouth is also agile.

He ordered his villagers to put away their shields, throw their spears on the cart, and tuck their axe into their waists.

The cows and sheep that were gifts were untied from their ropes, and the sullen women got out of the car one after another.

He walked into Gorm, whom he knew quite well, and had a thousand words for this guy.

But Gorm is no longer an approachable person. He raised his chin and his thick beard and put on a spectrum: "I am now a hereditary nobleman conferred by King Ross, and I will rule this area in the future. You and your people will respect me in the future. ."

This statement made Gosund bewildered.

"We've lived here for generations, how can you suddenly become great. It's just that those powerful Russ are here, why do you want to be another village master? You want to learn from that crazy bear Karl?"

"Karl?" Gorm shook his head. "He was cut by the Rus, and thousands of his people. Listen!"

Taking the opportunity, facing the surprised Gosund, Gorm turned his head over and whispered a warning: "We are all villagers living in this area, and the Rus people made me a noble, and I will be responsible for any problems. The Rus people will not live for a long time. After they leave, we will continue to live. All your villages will listen to me from now on, and we will deal with everything together. With the Rus people covering us, no one will bully us. When the king of Rus comes, , you all get down on one knee, and this will bring absolute peace."

Gossund was suspicious, and with the appearance of King Ross himself, the murmurs between the two came to an abrupt end.

Rurik appeared! He was gorgeous and heroic, with a golden laurel crown on his head, and his golden hair and beard looked quite holy in the morning sun.

A tall golden man stood here, like a **** in myth.

The head of Linxi Village "stuttered" Gosund almost dropped his jaw in shock.

Rurik squinted at the large number of newcomers: "You? The head of another village?"

It's a familiar Norse language, although the pronunciation is a bit odd.

Gosund immediately gave the warrior salute, and Malid made his stunned brothers hurriedly knelt down on one knee.

In an instant, one hundred villagers and soldiers half-kneeled and hooked their heads. Rurik was also taken aback by such a scene, and he was in a good mood to witness this.

"You all get up! I see your attitude of surrender, that's fine. Chief, you get up first..."

After a brief negotiation, Gossund was happy that he had indeed received the promise of safety, so he immediately took out the tribute he had prepared.

"Please accept our cattle and sheep, our wheat, and these young women. This is our tribute, and we recognize the king's rule."

Gosund had no choice but to make promises on his face. He ordered the villagers and soldiers to bring the cattle and sheep, and then pushed the crying woman.

Rurik wrote a lot of materials and population, the cattle and sheep were a little thin, and the woman they handed over did have some beauty, but her eyes were full of fear and reluctance.

It stands to reason that he should accept these tributes, but this year is not suitable.

In other words, he needs a special tribute.

"Is this your tribute?"

"Yes."

Rurik shook his head and pretended to be disgusted: "You can't satisfy the appetite of my 10,000-strong army, so I simply don't want it. And the women you brought out, are they old enough?"

Thinking that he could not satisfy the King of Conquerors, Gosund hurriedly defended: "If there are not enough cattle and sheep, I can... provide some. And these women, they are old enough to serve... the king."

"Forget it. Take all these tributes and let your village girls go back."

"But the tribute." Saying so, Gossund secretly rejoiced.

"Yeah. Tribute..." Rurik took three steps forward and looked down at the burly man: "Of course you have to take out some tribute." Then he glanced at the villagers and soldiers: "Your man is not bad, he can fight for me. "

"War? Huh?"

"Of course it's fighting. You have to prove that you really surrendered. The best proof is to fight for me. This is exactly what I want to have a good chat with you village chiefs."

For a moment, the coursing in his heart disappeared. Gosund was not afraid of war, but simply felt that he did not need to lead the villagers into a long war. He asked timidly, "So, who is the king's enemy?"

"It's okay to tell you in advance. This king will conquer Jotaland, but the army is not here to travel to the spring. I will directly attack Denmark through the Jota River. You submissives must bring out men to fight for me, which is better than any other. Physical tribute is more important.”

It turned out to be an attack on Denmark, but Gosund didn't dare to refuse. Even if he didn't think so, he could only sell a smiling face and claim that he would send troops to serve.

As a result, the heads of all five villages in the north of the river, including Linhu Village, arrived, and they all brought some tributes and women in common with each other. Sewing villagers armed.

The chieftains gathered in the council, listening intently to King Rurik's decision.

They didn't have any rebuttal greetings, and even if they did, they didn't dare to say it. Because Rurik ordered that they must form a servant army, under the leadership of the newly created Count "Break" Gorm of Wienernstad, rowed their longships into the Rus fleet and joined the operation to attack Denmark.

Death cannot be avoided in war, and the villagers are most afraid that they will be the first to participate in the war, and they will end up with a tragic death in which all the benefits of the war are taken away by King Ross.

Rurik could have guessed the idea, to assuage their fears, unless it made them feel that a war would plunder a great deal of loot and that the gains from the war would outweigh the loss of the population.

Therefore, Natong's strategy against the Swedish nobles is the second repetition of the old trick in this Gotaland region.

The leader of the town of Jönköping on Lake Wettern was invited to the council, and this person came forward and said that the locals could not believe that Lake Wettern was savagely conquered by the army of Ross. It was this leader who came out and said that thanks to the great love of the king, Jonkoping, who had surrendered to the kingdom of Rus, had been granted tax exemption for ten years for assisting the king.

"Yes! It is tax-free for ten years." Rurik told frankly: "You think I will collect tribute? Of course I will, and that will be in ten years. Now we make an appointment, you send troops, each of the five villages will Fifty men are sent out, in addition to bringing their own weapons, the king is responsible for the meal. You fight for me, and you have the right to loot the spoils. In exchange, you will get ten years of tax exemption for sending troops."

The noble king made such a promise, and even swore to Odin that he would carry out his decision.

Smart people have to find ways to maximize the interests of themselves and their villages. Although "not paying tribute for ten years" is very magical, they choose to fully agree with the wise decision of the king.

But Rurik is not at a loss. Ten years of tax exemption does not mean giving up benefits. They were a thin flock of sheep, and it was imperative to fatten them up for later wool cutting. And their portals will inevitably be opened, and Ross's supplies will be transported in. The locals can only exchange food for commodities, including the villagers considering immigrating with their families. Ten years is enough time for them to develop, and then taxation will not cause them any pain.

The political ecology of the northern part of the Göta River near Lake Vänern was reshaped. The essence of the so-called Earl of Vänernstad was a loose alliance of five villages with a total population of about 4,000. During the slack season, 250 villages were taken out. Ten fighters is no problem. Here, "Bone Broken" Gorm is the only local earl and the most senior noble to be canonized, and its official title is "War Chief". So, according to the tradition of Rus, the elected heads of the other four villages that maintained the stability of the Earl Kingdom were conferred the title of Baron by Rurik at the meeting. Well", which means the squire assistant of the war chief.

In this way, the more than ten boyars that Rurik canonized in Novgorod means barons. They are the village manor owners, and the governor of Novgorod manages them. Rurik and the royal family will not be harmed unless necessary. Fuck a certain village. This system has been operating in Novgorod for many years and everything is normal, and it is no problem to reproduce it in the newly conquered Gyota Valley.

This is based on the canonization principle of the Rus Kingdom during the transition period from a tribal alliance to a feudal state. Rurik studied the Eastern system and the Frankish system to a certain extent, mainly from the Frankish Kingdom, and then based on the Viking tradition. Currently, there are only dukes, earls, and barons. Three titles.

The canonized nobles are hereditary, which means that with the support of King Ross, those who were selected by the village council by surprise will firmly control the power when they go back. In this northern Europe where the strong are king, the Nordic Council has established the bottom line of survival for "holding together for warmth", but if there is a chance, the strong among them will still be self-reliant kings, and no matter how bad it is, they will have to mix up a pirate leader.

In one day, the north of the Göta River had been pacified, and the number of troops armed by the villagers brought by the newly canonized viscounts had actually exceeded Rurik's needs.

After some screening, those who were obviously pulled together were first repatriated, and in the end the two hundred and fifty best ones, together with the canonized Viscount, were directly managed by Earl Gorm.

In this way, the lakeside village and surrounding areas are completely open to the Rus army, and the army stranded by the lake can enter the inland river area in a grand manner.

Things went more smoothly than Rurik imagined, and it was expected that the three to four days would be finished in two days.

The new Count's army needs to feel the King's generosity! Moreover, the physical quality of these people did not satisfy Rurik.

It stands to reason that the Gotalans are all Vikings. Men and women who can survive to adulthood in the harsh environment of northern Europe are all in good physical fitness, at least surpassing the group of serf villagers in Frank who were oppressed by the lords.

But compared with the Rus army, it is clear at a glance who is stronger and who is inferior.

Why is the Rus army especially the army of the Duchy of Rus so powerful?

When the oatmeal was boiled in a huge iron pot, it was put into the wooden bowl of the new Earl's Army soldier with a wooden spoon.

Rurik fulfilled his promise. The food and treatment of these servant soldiers was inferior to that of the Rus army, but it was really dreamy to be able to eat the rewarded oats unscrupulously during this spring famine.

Earl Gorm and the four barons had more wonderful meals, such as honey water, grilled fish and porridge, and miraculously combustible spirits.

Indeed, they took the unseen flammable liquor as proof of the power of King Rurik, and drinking the flaming liquor felt warm in their stomachs, feeling that they had been blessed by the gods.

The actual strength of the Ross Army is 6,000 people. When large and small ships block the river, and when non-farm fields are crowded with campfire campers, the villagers can't bear to believe that there are 10,000 people.

This is the largest army the locals have ever seen. The abundance of personnel, weapons and equipment and logistics has completely refreshed their understanding of the army.

The banks of the Yota River seemed to be blazing with raging fires, and the huge bonfire stalls were as dense as stars. The aroma of boiled wheat and grilled fish fills the air, where the army is taking a crucial break.

Arik was full of doubts about the fact that his younger brother was too friendly to those villagers in the past. His younger brother was too kind, and many things were clearly unnecessary!

He knew a lot of things. If he was the decision maker, he would accept the tributes and women handed over by the villagers and then give them to his brothers, and then simply force them to hand over the servant army and bring their own dry food to serve.

The younger brother has his own choices. He is almost twenty years old now, and any decision must be full of wisdom.

Arik was too lazy to think because there were still plenty of challenges ahead.

However, this invasion of the Danish mainland has a high probability of encountering resistance, and a **** battle is probably indispensable. All the fleets are drifting downstream, will the locals voluntarily surrender?

"If it were me, I would rather die than surrender."

Based on this kind of heart-to-heart thinking, he ordered his people to be busy preparing for the unexpected.