Rise of Rurik

Heideby used to have a master, and since the death of the great Danish lord Godfrey, the merchants of Heideby have been freed.

Is this freedom good or bad? No one can understand.

Big businessmen are eager to do business freely, accumulate wealth and then stick to their wealth.

The city of Hazelby has entered a period of absolute and infinite freedom. For more than 20 years, some people have claimed that they are the rulers of the city, but the ruling forces have not successfully penetrated. The memory of many businessmen seems to have been a free coastal city-state from the beginning, and her freedom can almost instantly split the city, and the city disappears.

This is a city of merchants. In order to defend their wealth, they hire heroes from all walks of life as mercenaries. The big businessmen are all sword-wielding merchants. So far, no one can achieve a monopoly. Since no one can be an absolute, let's sit down and talk about various matters!

Merchants formed loose guild organizations, they negotiated and negotiated to resolve disputes, and then divided the scope of trade activities they engaged in, trying their best to avoid future disputes.

Dozens of big businessmen are the "collective city masters", and now the forces of the Rus are strongly intervening, and the balance of power has reversed and then quickly returned to balance.

A large group of small merchants depended on the big merchants, and a large group of mercenaries guarded the large and small merchants.

Various handicraftsmen, fishermen, and farmers provide supplies for these merchants and mercenaries.

It seems that this is a stable urban system, where the sunshine cannot be found, and some forces inevitably exist.

If they encounter it on the vast sea, armed merchant ships can turn into pirates in an instant when they face the fishermen. Fishermen can't help but vote when they encounter a merchant ship that has no self-defense ability.

There is no real order here, the latter saying that the existing order is that the parties rely on fists to achieve a balance.

Murder and violence happen every day in the city, and the twisted streets suddenly appear dead bodies in the early morning. The bodies are also thrown into the sea by people who can't stand the stench in the future.

But it is also full of wealth and desire.

The great missionary Eskil, who was given a huge mission, built his "operation base" here. First, this is part of the Danish world. Second, this is a land without owners, and there are wounded souls everywhere that can be influenced. lamb. He calls it Sin City, which has nothing to do with civilization. Perhaps the Count of Hamburg should lead his troops to occupy this place and incorporate it into the East Frankish domain of Prince Ludwig, thus embracing civilization.

The Earl of Hamburg did not dare to do this. Although this is a city without owners, the attack must cross the Great Wall of Schleswig. This is a simple invasion, and it will first encounter a crazy attack by a large number of Danish tribes.

The wily Esquil knows the benefits well, and he doesn't care about the nobles' struggle for power and profit, but only cares about his own business.

The big businessmen in Hazeby have always lived a rather glamorous life. Their noble lives have been well protected by the mercenaries, because they gave enough money, and the mercenaries also fought to protect their masters for money.

What unscrupulous fellows are trying to snatch wealth from big businessmen through open armed robbery?

No, while Blue Fox and old Eric were selling leather, the investigation after that attack was also going on.

Investigating the culprit is not difficult.

"Grey Wolf Carl? Is this a gang that popped up out of nowhere? It actually has some influence in the city. It seems to be just a dirty gang, nothing to worry about."

Even though he thought so, Lanhu honestly expanded his mercenary team. Nor was he openly recruited,

For fear that the gangster's Ma Zai mixed into the crowd and would be recruited by himself, is this not a domestic ghost?

One place that is really good for recruiting new mercenaries is Hazelby's famous slave market.

Men and women were bound by iron collars and chains, and there were even a group of children.

These people are clearly different from the Danes or Saxons in appearance.

They generally have pointed chins and brown-yellow hair, which is very different from the per capita golden retriever and the former two.

Because they are almost all the Obertidet tribes of the West Slavic forces. Their birthplace is in the Vistula River Valley in Poland, and this morning they have penetrated into the eastern border of Denmark and Frank. Some Danish clans have been facing military attacks from the Obertidet clan alliance, which also attacked Denmark in partnership with their Pomeranian relatives, until the heroic Lord Godfrey led the Danish alliance to crush their opponents.

The slaves were all deliberately hunted by the Danish tribes, who were trying to sweep away all the Oberlidite forces in Jutland and turn all the people of the other side into slaves.

Those prisoners of war were transported to Hazelby, where the men were slaves and the women were prostitutes.

The needs of the merchants could not be satisfied, and the Danish tribes continued to send troops to arrest people.

For this kind of barbaric behavior, Esquil can only spiritually pity those poor lambs, but he is doing something good. Ludwig continuously provided funds to enable Esquill to "rescue" slaves, and he aimed at those slave children. He didn't care about the source.

He was keen to spread the faith, and Prince Ludwig supported such behavior. Because Oberritt and Pomerania have long been coveted by various northern noble lords of the kingdom, and Ludwig is the biggest glutton! Bavaria took it from the Wenderslavs, and those Pomeranians were also Wenderslavs.

Ludwig hoped that these aliens could accept the sacred belief and accept their own rule. Then you can not only get a new force, but also in essence expand your territory, increase your tax base and expand your wealth.

Although the eldest brother and the second brother are blood relatives, why not kill them in the struggle for power? To reunite the Franks and open up a lot of new territories in the East, so that his own achievements will far surpass that of his grandfather Charlemagne.

Ludwig would dream, in essence he had been fighting on two fronts all these years. After the father and the eldest Charlie were put under house arrest by the brothers, the civil war between the three brothers reignited. He began to deliberately encroach on the territory of the elder brother Lothair, and bear the brunt of the territory of the Polish tribes in the east. Unlike his two brothers, his East Frankish ethnic composition is the most complex. In addition to the Franks of his own family, the Saxons are the second most numerous, followed by the Thuringians and the Alemanni. In fact, everyone speaks a very similar language and has a common ancestor with each other in essence. Ludwig knew that he had to unite all the people who spoke very similar languages ​​in the territory. Big brother fights. A concept from the past is beginning to be revived, and that is "Germany", which means "we are people who speak the same language".

The prince wanted to give more benefits to his Saxon nobles and Thuringian nobles. The former was eager to invade Pomerania along the coastline, and the latter was eager to seize the Poles' forest areas directly east.

As for attacking Denmark, the prince really didn't want to send troops by himself. Those Danes were unruly and not easy to mess with. On the other hand, the various Slavic tribes were easier targets to attack and embezzle.

In this way, Horrick Klarsson was supported, and now the prince has also received information about his success.

It's just that the situation has become a bit beyond my control...

The blue fox bought as many as 30 Oberlidite men at the slave market, and these people were led into the Ross shop like cattle and sheep.

They were all young men, all of whom had been carefully selected, and were clearly destined to do coolies until they died of exhaustion. Those companions who tried to resist were killed, and seeing their companions fall in a pool of blood, the will to resist also dissipated.

A group of dumb-eyed men squatted on the wooden floor, and it was because they were Slavs that they could squat so easily.

The blue fox appeared in front of them with his entourage in a high-spirited manner, and as soon as he opened his mouth, they all looked up.

"You! You will not be servants! You will be Ross's subjects, and now as my mercenaries."

The words are spoken in the Ilmen Slavic dialect. Blue Fox is a smart man, knowing that the prince is developing the East, so he will quickly learn some Slavic languages.

The language drift of the Eastern and Western Slavic peoples in this era is not dramatic. After all, they almost all lived in a family on the Vistula River two hundred years ago.

The shackles of all the male slaves were smashed, and the blue fox announced that they had restored their freedom, but in this mixed Hazelby, without Ross's protection, his life would obviously be in danger.

In the team guarding the blue fox, there was a small group of eastern warriors. They were the Ilmenslavs, who were ordered by Rurik to guard the blue fox. In addition to these people, there are also Finns who are good at archery.

The Ilmen and the Obertides spoke very similar languages. They were shocked that they were actually the same race, but after inquiring again and again, they found that something was wrong, and they began to realize that the size of the world was far beyond everyone's imagination. .

The Ilmenslavs have always been indifferent to Denmark's attitude. Lord Rurik led everyone to attack Denmark and made a fortune. Because of the initial experience, the Ilmen people naturally believed that Denmark was actually weak. The Obertides are a completely different set of cognitions. They describe Denmark and Frank as hungry wolves that eat people and giant fish that devour everything.

Since the Rus Wang Guild protects everyone, Ross's attitude towards Denmark is also hostile, and the male slave's heart will soon be shaken.

The slaves changed their identities, and the new brothers put on the white and blue robes of the Rus. They swore to the flag of Rus, swore allegiance to Rurik, the prince of Rus, and swore that they would try their best to protect the big businessman Blue Fox and Ruth shops. security. They were trained to fight and were given round shields and hatchets. They enjoy a good meal, with wheat and fish every day.

Wearing a unique outfit in one, and then wearing a leather helmet that can protect half of the face, stepping on leather boots, and wrapping the calf with cloth strips.

Ross's first flag team of warriors is dressed like this, and Blue Fox's mercenaries in Hazeby are exactly the same.

The Blue Fox appointed a man named Vadi Zdalovich as the leader of the team, and he was also very principled in recruiting 30 new guards, because 30 people happened to be full of a battle ship, the so-called one " boat", and four "boats" constitute a centenary. Four centurions may form a flag team.

All the mercenaries and sailors formed a hundred-man team of more than 120 people. They were well-trained, with swords and shields and shooters. Among them, the old mercenaries had sufficient experience in defeating the Danes, and they regarded themselves very highly. I even felt that the Maharaja's attitude towards the security of the Danish Ross store was too much.

There were indeed attackers. Those blind idiots were annihilated by chopping melons and vegetables. Killing them was as easy as crushing a poultry.

Taking in a group of new mercenaries just means an upgrade of the security force? These newcomers are from the Obertidet tribe who have resisted Danish encroachment for generations. They also speak Slavic and believe in the god of fire. In all aspects, their performance is quite similar to what the Blue Fox learned about in Novgorod and Novgorod. to be similar.

"If the prince is still against Denmark, I can suggest that he win over the Obertides and buy their things to sell a batch of weapons. With one more ally, there will be one more choice."

The open-air shop counters continued to sell goods, leather has been sold clean, and the Russ are now selling high-priced pure transparent glass and stained glass. There is also a smelly sulfur soap, which is said to be able to kill lice and fleas on people. There are also wonderfully scented honey butter soaps, regular seal oil soaps and whale oil soaps.

Big and small businessmen who are very particular about life are important customers, but Ross's cheapest soap can be bought by local craftsmen, and Ross is selling these supplies smoothly.

One is selling and the other is buying.

The order given by the prince, Rurik, was to buy all useful things, among which the seeds of the crops were named.

"Since Ross doesn't lack wheat seeds, he also needs all kinds of vegetable seeds."

Coincidentally, the Danish spring cabbage has entered the harvest season. A batch of cabbage will be deliberately kept by professional planters until the cabbage blooms. Blue Fox will send people to act in advance and give a sum of money, asking a vegetable farmer to keep the whole field of cabbage completely until the cabbage blooms, and finally turns it into a big bag. Blackened seeds.

As for buying other vegetables, Blue Fox really has no choice in Hazelbi. First of all, the local Danes do not like to grow vegetables, so they go fishing in the slack period after planting wheat. The vegetable farmers were either Franks or Saxons, and they also lived in Hazelby, but in villages near Schleswig under the supervision of the Frankish army, and they rowed boats to transport vegetables to the city.

Schleswig is still under the control of the Count of Hamburg. A Frankish army is stationed in this city. Not far to the north of the city is the Great Wall of Schleswig. A city sandwiched between Denmark and the Franks.

Today's Nordic countries don't have a good choice of vegetables, except for cabbage, which is yellow root carrots, and Ross is in high demand. Carrots are already being grown in New Roseburg, which Ross is already self-sufficient.

Not so with cabbage, but take this packet of seeds back and wait until next year to plant in Novgorod.

How much does it cost to buy vegetables? But it's a very small expense.

Looking at the blue foxes that can be seen everywhere in Hazelby, he was not interested. He entrusted old Eric and little Eric to buy gems and amber, and he bought more than ten female slaves himself.

Just like those male slaves have been selected, these selected women are young and beautiful, their fate is destined to be prostitutes in Hazelbi, and the blue fox bought them all and appointed them as servants.

This young fat man certainly loves women, but he is far from developing into a promiscuous affair. He was happy with the unnamed favorite concubines he raised, and he really didn't know which one to make his wife, so he just put it on hold.

It was already the end of June, and the merchants on Hazelby's side celebrated the arrival of the summer solstice on their own.

Hafgen, the old leader of the alliance, has been dead for almost three years, and no one is willing to hold a grand gathering of killing a large group of slaves to sacrifice to Odin in Hezeby.

The Ross Store is not the same here. The smart blue fox knows that his safety depends on the protection of his mercenaries. He must give this group of armed men comfort and a generous reward.

They lit a bonfire in the enclosed wall, and the blue fox learned Rurik's tricks, and then used the beating flames to priest the Viking gods and the Slavic fire gods, and everyone had a big meal together.

Blue Fox has his own tricks, he bought an old sheep and deliberately kept it until the summer solstice at the end of the month. The old mutton is not delicious, and it is different after roasting it.

Everyone has a share of the roast lamb, and even the newly bought maids get a large piece of oily lamb.

Compared with the beginning, the Oberlidite mercenaries have become stronger, and they can eat delicious meals that are difficult to eat in their hometowns in a short time. Later, they learned that Prince Ross has set a standard for all soldiers. He was a mercenary, and he had to eat a pound of oats a day, and the cost of these meals was not included in the payment.

They were very grateful at first, but as they got used to this kind of life, they couldn't bear the prince of Ross.

In a sense, these mercenaries are guards in various senses, and everything from meals, military salaries, etc., is all paid for by the prince, Rurik. Even if the blue fox has a private army that seems to be managed by him, it is actually a person from Rurik. When the autumn comes, the blue fox has the right to find Rurik to reimburse the living expenses of the personnel this year.

In this way, the blue fox can devote a lot of energy to trade, and the time has entered July. Although there are rumors that the self-proclaimed king Horrick Klarsson will come to Haizeby to collect taxes in person, the news has been in the air for a long time. It is rumored that it has been July since there was no substantial movement on Hazelbi's side, and the businessmen had no time to take care of it.

Because a group of merchants who bought Russ leather had already entered Schleswig by boat, the local Frankish army asked for some bribes as usual, and let them go into the city to sell the leather to the Frankish merchants on the spot. It was just the sheer number of squirrel skins that instantly shocked the Earl of Hamburg. He really couldn't imagine how the ghost place in Denmark, where there were not many squirrels, could transport so many high-quality and huge squirrel skins.

The Earl of Hamburg quickly understood the reason through the mouth of the merchant - these were shipped from the Rus.

Ross? The count did not understand, so he described rus as "rosa", which means rose, through the transliteration of the description of the merchant, and the letter written to Prince Ludwig in the assault was also described in the same way. Squirrel skin is a good thing! He ordered the messengers to hurry up and tell Baron Schleswig to keep all the Danish merchants, and they must be delicious and delicious. Then he used his wealth and stockpiles, and also started the Frankish and Saxon merchants in Hamburg to go north to win Buy all the huge amounts of leather.

And that's the aftermath.