Chapter 227 I Want All Food and Refugees

There were only a few bottles at first, then more and more.

The Kravassen family had already begun to use the maverick glass blowing technique, and the production of glass bottles completely exceeded Rurik's ideas due to the fact that compared with the raw materials required to press the glassware.

On the night of August 19, Clavason had made eighty small glass bottles. In the days that followed, Kravassen could still find time to make five or six bottles, provided the material supply was stable.

He even urged his son Kawi to take his footman Kamne to the mountains to collect quartz, gypsum, and other materials necessary for making glassware.

Clavason stayed at the blacksmith's shop, where he had to continue his work of blacksmithing, and his daughter-in-law was taking care of his ale distilling work for the time being.

The whole family is busy with three kinds of business, and at this moment, the importance of manpower can be reflected.

After all, labor can bring huge benefits.

Although the family already has a lot of money, how to spend it has become a problem. Clavasson is a sensible person. He is very prosperous in the Ross tribe. Isn't he the right master?

Formerly Otto, now Rurik.

Are glass bottles and distilled spirits made just to make money from sales?

Rurik had his own ideas, and this idea really struck the Kravassen family as very strange.

What is luxury? That is the daily necessities sold by wealthy people. Because the users are wealthy, the goods used have a very high premium.

At this stage, these spirits must be affordable to those wealthy households, and they must also pay this money in order to highlight their nobility.

When the money fell into his own hands, what Rurik thought of was by no means his own glory and riches, and even the glory and riches of the concept of space and time, which seemed to him to be the same.

Use the money on your own people, especially those who are poor.

In a sense, this is to use some high-value consumer goods as a medium to reasonably take a sum of money from wealthy households to subsidize the poor of the tribe.

Rurik felt that such an operation would be very beneficial to him.

The strength of the Ross tribe must be based on the stability of the internal foundation. The rich and the poor must have something to hold them together.

Rurik felt that to truly unite the Ross tribe, he must become a king that everyone would be happy to praise.

In order for the clansmen to receive the benefits that they can see, everyone's living standards must gradually improve.

To put it bluntly, Rurik never thought it was such a great idea to come up with a glass container.

It is a tool, even less meaningful than mild steel weapons and tools. However, the Rus must also have them, and when the technology level is high enough, the power of the glass can explode.

Now, what Rurik needs most is food, clothing and people.

In the final analysis, a huge population is needed, and food and clothing are the most critical things to maintain a huge population of an ethnic group. The lack of either of them results in a sudden and massive loss of population, even thousands of times more horrific than the destruction brought about by war.

It’s not just Rurik. One of the problems at hand is that the construction of New Rose Fort requires a lot of materials, the most important of which is the food for winter. The leader Otto did not doubt his clan's ability to hunt and fish, and only relying on fishing to catch seals, the first colonists of New Roseburg should be able to spend the first winter on their own.

Otto did not dare to be too optimistic. If the mother city of Roseburg did not directly provide assistance, there would still be a loss of a lot of people in the first winter.

The Otoriurik father and son, although they had different philosophies, were surprisingly unanimous in their willingness to obtain food.

They wished that Rosberg could be used as a mountain bun made of wheat, so that the clansmen could not worry about food and clothing, and the rich grain could be used to make wine.

Of course, Otto is the most concerned about winemaking.

what! It's really what you want!

The huge fleet is rushing towards Roseburg.

Completely different from the warships that can sail at high speed, those Viking cargo ships with huge belly fat, their thin bodies already have great cargo carrying capacity, the cargo is pressing against the hull, and the ship will sink to the bottom of the noise. out of the sea.

Such a dilemma made Gould's large fleet escorted by Ross fishermen, but he did not want to advance at a high speed.

From the port of Mälaren to Roseburg Fjord, even a warship, the paddlers have to maneuver it over the sea for more than three days. At Gould, the situation was even worse.

Five days! Five full days have passed. Gould was still sailing on his way to Roseburg.

It was already August 25th, and the noon sun shone brightly on the Roseburg Fjord, and the world fell into a warm golden light.

At this point in time, on the sea surface off the fjords, a group of trawlers formed an array of twos and threes, continuing to fish for herring.

In other larger fishing boats, the paddles at the paddling position were all retracted, and a large number of wooden sticks tied with hemp ropes were held by the paddlers.

This group of people are masters of crowd fishing, they are fishing for cod in deep water.

During this time, the atmosphere of life in Roseburg became more and more subtle. As usual, merchants from the south began to go north on the largest scale of the year. They came with all kinds of goods, and once they came, they didn't leave!

The day when the merchants leave will have to wait until next spring, so the next long winter, Roseburg actually entered the busiest time.

In order to buy more useful daily necessities and to reserve food in winter, the fishermen are particularly enthusiastic about fishing.

Suddenly, some fishing boats rushed into the fjord out of the way.

These fishing boats are very large, and the oarsmen rowed desperately, attracting the fishermen who were working quietly.

They are a group of messengers whose mission is to run wild into the fjords to announce the arrival of a huge fleet.

Moreover, Gould also sent his mercenaries and his eldest son aboard a fishing boat that was riding the waves.

Today seems to be another quiet and normal day for Otto.

He knew that the businessmen represented by Gould could come, so he also lost a little hope.

He has nothing to entertain as a big boss, and because he is too old to be a woman, recently, he is more willing to sit with the old guys all his life, sharing the spirits brewed by his son, and cheap ale.

All of a sudden, young children from the clan break into the Harrozussen's house, because Otto, the leader, is staying there chatting with the guys.

"Chief! They're coming!" the young man shouted loudly, and when he entered the longhouse, he approached Otto, who was blushing, in a half-crawling position.

"What's going on? Could it be that there are still enemies attacking?"

At this time, Haruo Zuo Sen, who deliberately hugged the two captured women, also said with a blushing face: "There are still enemies? They are so old, I just happened to try my steel sword."

"What's going on?" Otto asked the young man with a sullen face.

"Leaders, the merchants. Here they are."

"Finally?" Otto was a little surprised, then calmed down again.

The businessmen, they come year after year, it's not surprising at all.

Otto continued to ask: "Isn't it difficult for the merchant ships to start entering the fjord?"

"Neither. But a messenger came, sent by the merchant named Gould. The messenger said he was Gould's eldest son."

Hearing this, Otto came to the spirit: "Oh? Where is the messenger?"

"Just outside."

"Let him in!"

Immediately afterwards, the young man who was ordered rushed out.

At present, Gould's eldest son Snowreva, a fat man in his thirties, dressed in a luxurious fur, has been waiting for a long time outside Harrodsen's apparently frugal longhouse.

Just this longhouse? Is it the home of the leader of the Rus? Is the father doing business with them?

It can be said that because of a misunderstanding, Snowleva did not feel good about the Ross leader.

When he entered the room, he saw that sitting under the dim oil lamp was a large group of strong men dressed in various leathers and burlap, as well as the sharp eyes projected by many strong men, but this fat man was taken aback.

It stands to reason that Snowreva has been selling his wares on Gould Island for years, and he is already a seasoned businessman.

Now, he feels his life is in great danger.

Because Snowreva was indeed in Roseburg for the first time, Otto never saw him.

However, Otto really had too much dealings with Gould.

Otto's face is still the ruddy color after the alcohol, even close to a boiled lobster, coupled with his golden white beard and hair, the image is indeed very novel.

Otto is scrutinized by Snowreva and vice versa.

"Sit down." Otto patted the leather cushion under him.

Snow Leva bowed slightly, then twisted his beer belly, lightly lifted his precious mink coat, and then moved to sit on the leather cushion. He recognized himself sitting on deerskins and cow hides, preferring to sit on bearskins if he could.

It was precisely this action that, without any explanation, Otto completely believed in the identity of the visitor.

"Like! Really like Gould! Even the sitting position is the same."

"Are you the great leader of the Rus people?" Snowreva complimented cautiously, and when he spoke, he put his hands on the ground, showing his humility.

"It's me. I'm Otto, chief of Ross, and as for greatness, I'm glad you can say that. Now tell me, who are you?"

Snowleva continued to bow and reported his identity in detail.

"You are Gould's eldest son? I believe in you, look at your belly, and this outfit, the moment I saw you, I thought of Gould when I saw you about twenty years ago. , and the way you are now."

After all, the father and son are very similar in appearance, not to mention the rare chubby figure, plus the beard with very similar specifications. In Otto's view, the guy in front of him was Gould when he was young.

"Young man, I never added you. I only heard some news about you from your father. You are here, where is your father?"

"Great leader, my father's huge fleet is still on its way."

"When are they coming?!" Otto asked impatiently.

"Yes! Chief! I arrived early, just to let you know about this. I have more things to report to you, and even... get some permission from you."

"Oh? Tell me one by one."

"Yes! The first thing I want to say, our fleet has been sailing slowly for five days, and we will arrive at Roseburg tomorrow."

"It's so slow?" Otto was quite surprised. "My fleet rushed to the mouth of your lake, and it might arrive in two days."

"We are merchant ships! My chief! We can only sail during the day and stay ashore at night. Besides, this year is the relocation of our family as a whole, and the cargo we carry is unprecedented. Our speed is very slow, and those who are attached to We seek a small caravan of safety, and we dare not act rashly."

It's easy to understand what he said about Otto.

After all, merchant ships are different from war ships. The construction mode of both is different, and merchants are not warriors. It is crazy to expect merchants to continue sailing at night.

Snowleva emphasized: "I heard that you need a lot of food this year, as well as a group of slaves. My father completed this task."

"Oh, are you all finished?" Although these plans were made by his son Rurik, now, the above plans are really beneficial to the future of the Rus people.

The situation has indeed changed a bit, and the Rus people are really in need of food now.

"Your father, how much food did you get?" Otto asked.

"With all the new wheat harvested this year, and last year's old wheat, there are two hundred and thirty thousand pounds."

Shock! What else is there to say? !

Otto opened his mouth in surprise, and his old pals doubted their ears. Because the number is so huge!

Seeing that they were all surprised, Snowleva hurriedly said: "Chief, I learned from my father that you will pay double the market price to buy our wheat. I think you will honor this promise."

"This..." Otto was in trouble, and he calculated the so-called purchase price with his fingers.

Although the son offered to double the purchase of the grain brought back by Gould, Otto didn't care because the son had a lot of money in his hands.

Food, how expensive can it go?

But isn't the market price always stable at ten pounds of wheat for a silver coin? As a Viking, Otto's mathematical ability is not bad. He estimated that he would have to pay 40,000 silver coins to buy this huge amount of food.

There is no doubt about the importance of food, it is the money of Rosburg now...

Snow Leva saw Otto in trouble, and he estimated that the Rus might also have wealth problems.

yes! The purchase price was double the market price, and Snowleva did not quite believe that the Rus would fulfill this promise.

Are they a bunch of fools?

Snowlev hurriedly complimented: "Great leader, I heard that the great Rus people have been taking good care of our family's business for so many years. Especially the leader's successor Rurik, he must be sent by a businessman. Messenger to the mortal world. I tell the truth, because of your favor, my family's summer income is equal to the previous three or four years! Since you desperately need food and now a huge amount of food has come, we can talk about everything."

Merchants always pursue a fair deal, while warriors pursue one word. Both sides have a common pursuit, that is, integrity.

Of course, Otto could buy 40,000 silver coins to buy food, but this operation was too crazy.

In any case, if the tribes bought Gould's grain, it would probably be as much as the Novgorods' autumn tribute. Was it just Gould to carry the grain? Certainly not.

Thinking about it this way, Otto felt that the tribe could buy 300,000 pounds of wheat just by buying it. Up to now, these wheats will greatly benefit the wintering of the colonists of New Roseburg.

Otto was generally very happy, he tried to keep his composure, it was the drunken red face that made him look a little weird.

"Is there grain now, and leather, and a whole host of slaves?"

"Exactly, that's what I want to say specifically," Snowlev said solemnly. "Perhaps I should immediately inform the honorable Rurik in person and inform him that my father has completed the task of collecting slaves."

"Slaves? Are they all strong men?" Otto asked without thinking.

"No! It's a bunch of kids."

"A group of children? Alas..."

"What? Chief, aren't these what you need?"

"What your son Rurik needs. Sigh... I really don't understand him." Otto was really helpless. In his opinion, a good slave must be a strong man. Slaves, keep them as servants for work. The son is good. The so-called slave is called a servant. He does not matter whether it is male or female. A rigid standard is that it must be a child of his age.

Raising loyal servants from an early age? Otto didn't think this was wrong, but he felt that what his son Rurik needed at this stage was a large group of strong people to carry out tedious and tiring work.

Snowleva continued: "There are women and children, and there are also a group of Britons. We have completed the task very well, and now the number of slaves is more than 100."

"So much?!" Otto was startled.

"Yes..." Speaking of which, Snowleva's eyes jumped involuntarily, "There is one more important thing, I..."

"Are you hesitating?"

"Yes! It's no trivial matter, maybe a humble person like me shouldn't explain the situation."

"It doesn't matter what you say," Otto ordered.

Snowleva knew how to get along with the strong, especially facing a room of strong men with sharp eyes. He is really smart, that is, he can see from his eyes that this group of people must have cut off more than double-digit heads, and he must maintain extreme respect.

He put his hands on the ground and hunched his back. "Great leader, there is very bad news. Our ally, the camp of the Ostara, has been utterly destroyed by the Danish army."

"Huh? What did you say?" Otto couldn't react for a while.

"It's the Ostarans whose homeland was destroyed by the Danes."

Immediately, the men in this room who were extremely sensitive to war straightened their backs instantly. No matter what everyone's attitude towards the merchants was, when they smelled the war, they couldn't help but be vigilant.

In response, Snowleva told Otto what his father had told him.

That's what Gould learned about the ins and outs of the attack on the Ostarans, and even more detailed changes in the situation in the south.

Otto was really taken aback, and shock is not an exaggeration to describe it.

"Gould's analysis means that our revenge against Gotland indirectly caused the destruction of the Ostarans?" Otto asked rhetorically.

"Ridiculous!" Harrodsen couldn't listen any more, and cried out in righteous indignation: "The Danes and Gotland are so sinful, don't the Danes start less wars? Are we Rus still the sinners who caused the wars?"

Suddenly Snow Leva panicked: "Boss, our family definitely doesn't mean that."

"No!" Otto raised his right hand to stop his subordinates' discussion. "This matter does have something to do with us. The moment we set off on the expedition, we thought of the possible revenge of the Danes. But who would have thought that they would not attack us, but attack our weaker allies."

"It's still a surprise attack," Snowleva added.

"Didn't they attack the Mellarens?"

"No. The enemy completely destroyed Ostara, killing almost all the locals. There are survivors who say that the Danes said something..."

Seeing that the fat man was beginning to say nothing, Otto asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Those enemies said that because the Rus destroyed a settlement on Gotland, the Danes had to fight back, and only a few of the Ostara survived."

"Oh! What a tragedy. What did the Mellarens do? I don't know any of these things."

It is indeed difficult for Otto to know things in the South, and this is also the choice of the Rus. The Rus expressed their intention to break away from the Thinker Tribe Alliance. In this way, the powerful Melalen people don't have to think about the Rus people, and the alliance with each other will exist in name only in a sense.

Following Snowleva's explanation, although Otto couldn't believe it, he was still willing to trust the fat man's words.

Finally, Snowleva came to a very crucial point.

"The Ostara tribe was destroyed, and the only refugees fled. The Melarens refused to take in these poor refugees, some of the Yermarens, as for our family. We heard that the Rus needed a large number of slaves, It took in more than 100 refugees from Ostara. Because almost all men died in the battle with the Danish army, almost all of the survivors were women and children. My father could not bear these people to die pitifully. It is said that the Rus people are kind , my father came with them.

I'm just a businessman, and I venture to suggest to you that you take in these people. "

"Is there such a thing? Are there many young women among the refugees?" Otto's words made Snowleva misunderstood.

"There are indeed many women, even..."

Unable to help him speak, Otto slapped his thigh without even thinking: "Take in! Of course I have to take in! Those women are so good! My people long for wives, and everyone has to go to the East to find foreigners to be wives. They come Okay, I'll take them and the children. I want all the refugees in Ostara."

"Oh! The Rus are really kind."

Otto laughed, and so did his guys.

After all, refugees are different from hard work. These refugees belong to the population of the Alliance. Now it seems that the Melalon people refuse to incorporate them, which is a vicious betrayal. The Rus people will definitely become bigger and stronger. Otto is keenly aware that the benefits of recruiting refugees are not only to increase their strength, but also to earn word of mouth and credibility.

To be the leader of the alliance requires both force and credibility.

Snow Leva's words have not been finished: "Leader, not all the chief family of the Ostara people died in the battle, so far only two children have escaped."

"Are you a survivor?"

"Yes. Not only the survivors, but now the refugees elect the eldest child among them to be the head of Ostara."

"A little boy?" Otto pinched his beard and couldn't help thinking about the future: "Let him come over and I will take them in. That boy will be my son's friend, and I will reward the Ostarans with a new life, the future, Aosta The pullers must accept the leadership of our Rus."

Snowreva, who didn't care about anything else, especially corrected Otto's estimate: "Leader, let me explain. There were two girls, nine and seven, and they were very beautiful."

"Huh? Pretty little girl? Could it be that they elected the little girl as the leader? It's amazing." Otto's mind couldn't react for a while, and it seemed that this was the truth.

"Yes, the refugees have no choice. My father's intention was also to approve the girl's new identity, after all Ostara needs a reasonable new leader in order to deal with the Rus. Even surrender, there must be a leader to come. Kneel down on behalf of the Ostarans."

"Kneel down?" Otto laughed: "What did you just say? Two very beautiful girls? Oh, they don't need to kneel, just lay down for me! My only son Rurik is also eight At nine years old, my son will grow into a real man in a few years, and he will always lack a wife. Haha, I am also eager to have more grandchildren in my lifetime."

"So? Chief, are you even willing to take in those two girls?"

"Did I say that?" Otto smiled in denial, then raised his right index finger and pointed to the sky: "God is a testimony, I will take in the Ostara people. But the two girls are the leaders, before meeting the girls I can't decide yet. If they are beautiful, then I will admit that I want them as wives to my sons, and I will adopt them and allow them to live with my family. I can treat them like my own daughters . Provided that they are as beautiful as you say."

Snowleva smiled: "Oh, my dear chief, I dare not lie. They are really beautiful!"

"Then wait and see!"