Rise of Rurik - Chapter 1018

[Chapter 1018 Business Strategies]

The current Tombstone Island or the entire Åland Islands are surrounded by endless ice floes, and you can still see obvious ice layers when looking east and north.

Sea ice is indeed melting fast, and it will be a while before it becomes truly navigable.

Rurik did not want the fleet to take risks, and the soldiers were more than willing to continue their training on Tombstone Island for a period of time.

The local area temporarily lacks a lot of food and drink, and the soldiers are too lazy to be picky.

This island is the core territory of the kingdom. There is a large military camp on the island. Staying here to cultivate is equivalent to going home.

The whole year-long war crazily consumed the spirit of the soldiers, and the iron-like soldiers persisted with willpower, and finally they were discouraged after returning home.

Everyone is willing to lie down with nothing to do, so lie down for a few more days!

They asked themselves, if he hadn’t taken the opportunity to sell the horse leather, Rurik himself would have taken a bath and a sauna every day before falling asleep.

Through today’s inspection, he learned an embarrassing thing. The rich soldiers spent a lot of money on drinking.

They didn’t spend their money cleanly, and the huge appetites almost drank the whole island, and all the liquor sellers made a lot of money for it.

In this regard, the Gould family, which has the ability to hoard large quantities of supplies, made a lot of money unceremoniously.

“If it’s you guys who make most of it, I don’t worry about it. In the end you have to pay taxes and spit most of it out.”

Thinking of this, Rurik even intends to pay a high-profile visit to the Gould family mansion on the island and have a good chat with the old man.

No, the generals and nobles rested and played separately, and Rurik led his guards straight to Gould’s house with a tall attic.

He was very high-profile, and the servants standing guard subconsciously flinched when they saw the king himself visiting.

“Hey! What are you afraid of? Let your master come out to face the king!” A guard stretched out his arms rudely.

At this moment, Rurik had a sullen face and was not angry.

A servant bravely came forward with his back bowed, nodded and bowed to the king, and looked surprised again: “My lord has… gone to pay homage to you, the king. Maybe they are waiting in your official residence.”

“There is such a thing?!” Rurik was quite surprised.

“It’s absolutely true.”

“Strange, this old man didn’t go to the conference hall but came to me secretly. Did he not say hello? Forget it…” Rurik waved his hand and stopped talking, and ordered his subordinates: “Let’s go! Go back and have a look first.”

Tombstone Island is not too big but not too small. The settlement is surrounded by a wooden wall. Its original intention is to prevent wind, and later it began to fortify the transformation considering the needs of military defense.

A city was enclosed by the wall, and a market and a large number of wooden sheds and haystacks also rose outside the wooden wall, forming a defenseless outer city and trestle villages near the shore.

The early settlers lived in the inner city, as did all the large public buildings.

Although the inner city is not big, it is now as wide as two football fields.

The “Prince Palace” built in those years is still the residence of Rurik, and it has been repaired all the time. If the so-called king does not come to stay, the core residential area will be closed, and other facilities can be used by the governor of the island.

As a result, some houses were suddenly turned into warehouses, and the upright wooden poles were tied with hemp ropes to become places for drying fish.

Rurik was not angry at the sight of the fishing village visible to the naked eye. After all, he did not take the so-called palace on this island seriously. What he missed was his “Winter Palace”, which was built on the location of the Winter Palace on another plane. In addition to the super loft with a roof as high as five floors, it is the only one that can show the arrogance of the king in this era.

It was because there were so many houses that the guards could live here collectively, and a small room became Grund’s exclusive residence.

Old Gould and his two sons were bored here. They were really bored and wanted to talk about the war with Grund. Unexpectedly, Old Gould started to mention it, and Grund gradually talked about it.

Grund was beaming and dancing, and he subconsciously pointed out that one character was Blue Fox Gouldsson.

“I thought that you businessmen were interested in war, and all of your family looked like fat pirates, with the exception of Blue Fox. That kid is not simple. He doesn’t believe in Frey or Odin, but he just believes in God. He is very Being favored by people in the south, and now leading many people into the hinterland of Frank, it seems that your family will get rich again in the future…”

Old Gould already knew the basics of the matter, and the joy had long since passed. Now he most wanted to know what the blue fox could do in the far south.

Grund was really angry, and he said sharply: “The king signed an agreement with the king of Frank. That big river called the Rhine, the north side of the river is the allies, and the south side of the river is full of our freedom to plunder. It’s a pity that Frank is too far away. Blue Fox is now ordered to build shops and also to rob. This kid now has 500 armored soldiers on hand. He can rob as much as he wants, and he can also make money by trading normally. Love this guy so much!”

Grund said this on purpose, he really envied the happy life that General Blue Fox has, he really is like holding a steel sword in his hand and plundering wherever he wants.

Grund yelled at all those things that were there or not, and couldn’t help but add fuel and vinegar to deliberately say that Blue Fox would have even more outrageous achievements.

Actually?

He also told himself.

Grund left his hometown in Jutland when he was very young, and wandered around the world with some fellow countrymen.

He thought that he would die in a certain battle, but now that he was the “hound” of King Ross, he had a life ending worth cherishing.

He boasted that he had been to many places and finally opened his eyes to the vast world through the war that lasted through the entire 840 years. If he hadn’t become an old guy in his forties, he could have ventured to more distant places.

What can the blue fox do?

This businessman is indeed very brave, the most important thing is that this guy is still young and energetic.

So, looking at the two obese and young sons of Old Gould, he couldn’t help shouting boldly: “Your two young sons also have a chance. Actually, I’ve heard one thing.”

“What’s the matter?” Old Gould asked alertly.

“I actually heard what Lan Hu said casually, why the king would reuse his two younger brothers. So, could it be these two bastards?”

This word made Old Gould stiffen in surprise, his squinted eyes were as big as copper bells, and his drooping beard was blown out.

The two brothers, Black Fox and Red Fox, were so excited that their hearts were beating wildly. They had long been whetted by Grund’s words, and their hearts were full of desire for adventure.

“Is this true?” Old Gould asked tremblingly.

“It should be. Anyway, the king will come back, you can ask yourself.”

“Alright! Also…”

They didn’t chat for long, and Rurik came back quickly.

He ordered the two wives to rest separately, and took away the two little princes who had seen the world with the king and continued to sleep.

That’s all, just as I entered the gate of the palace, I saw the figures of three fat men.

“Gould!” he yelled.

No, Gould stood up in a jerk.

The old man couldn’t stand very stably now, and his left and right arms were supported by his two sons immediately.

“Your Majesty…you are finally back.”

“You!” Rurik pointed at him, suppressed his excited smile without any intention of rambling, and shook his neck again, “Come with me, let’s talk in detail.”

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It seems that the king seems to know something, and the old Gould, who is well versed in tacit understanding, hurriedly ordered his two nervous sons: “Isn’t it almost here?! The king invited us into his bedroom to discuss secret matters in detail Don’t be nervous, you two, it’s all up to me.”

The two little fat guys nodded one after another.

Times have changed!

The once fair-skinned little boy with golden ponytail has now become a strong man with deep eyes just like his father.

The blond ponytail is still a recognizable signature hairstyle, and the well-manicured beard is very masculine.

Otto, who was once an elite warrior of the tribe, also had such a face, which was still fresh in Old Gould’s memory.

It’s just that he no longer has any strength to regard Rurik as a child anymore, and now he has to be very respectful, and at least dare not do business bargaining with the king himself.

This time Rurik sat on the edge of the bed with his legs crossed, and the three fat men moved wooden chairs and kept calm, as if Rurik was admonishing them.

“I just heard that you are coming. What is the important matter? You can explain it in advance. I don’t want your nonsense, just talk about your thoughts.”

“Yes.” Gould rushed to say a few words of politeness, and now went straight to the subject: “Our family is only here to buy horse leather.”

“This matter? The news about my plan to sell a thousand pieces of horse leather was spread yesterday. I will take a rest and go straight to the parliament court. I heard that many people have gathered there. You… can’t you wait?”

Old Gould slightly hooked his head and showed a faint smile: “Can we be the same as those people? Of course I want horse leather, and I also learned that these horse leathers are all captured from your battlefield, and the dead horses are all The horses of the Frankish army. I don’t care about the thousand leathers.”

“That is to focus on the horse leather that is more than a thousand pieces away?”

“Yes! No.”

“How?”

“I am eager to make the king earn more money, this is my ultimate goal.”

These words are flattering, and Rurik is very happy to hear them, and the words are said from the mouth of a senior businessman, and they must be enforceable.

“Alright. Tell me what you think!”

Now the old Gould ignored the headache and the discomfort of the old body: “May I ask what price the king is willing to give for the horse leather?”

“You pay attention to this? Do you think?”

“At least it’s more expensive than buckskin. We’ve been short of horses, so horse leather can only be more expensive. But according to my knowledge, it’s not that expensive. I think a fifteen silver coin is feasible.”

Rurik nodded: “As expected of you. But…”

“Hey, but the king is not willing to earn so much.”

“That’s natural.”

“So the king hopes that those merchants will buy at a higher price, but they are not fools, unless we cooperate to take some measures.”

Gould said this intentionally and did intend to do so. His wishful thinking was well planned, because Rurik decisively made a positive statement.

Rurik’s attitude clearly implied that “cooperation must be done” by default, so he asked something like this: “You have been on the island for a year, how is the economic situation of the merchants staying here? Do you think they are rich?”

“Are you asking how much they can accept for horse leather?”

“Exactly.”

Gould squeezed his beard and thought for a while: “A piece of twenty silver coins is probably the limit.”

“It’s those people, and I know your family can pay that price.”

“That’s natural, but my family has been serving the king for more than ten years, and a lot of money I earned is yours in the end. We have always cooperated deeply, so… this time we should join forces and make those businessmen bleed!”

No, Rurik slapped his thigh, “I didn’t think so much at first, I just wanted to dump some stinky horse leather. I changed my mind, you and I must take the opportunity to make a game.”

“Yes! Make a game!”

Forget it, one old and one young, the two laughed arrogantly in this secret place.

There is no need for the two of them to explain the scheme thoroughly, after all, they have already done similar methods many times in partnership.

Their strategy was this: the so-called business meeting that started at night, King Rurik publicly explained the sale of a thousand pieces of horse leather, and he had to give a special description for this.

All the hides are from tall Frankish horses, and they are taken from warhorse hides, all of which are trophies.

Horse leather is extremely wear-resistant and much easier to take care of than buckskin.

It’s strong and airtight, with plenty of bristles attached to each hide.

Leather clothes made of such leather must be in high demand, and only by explaining can they advertise that “this is a dress made of Frankish warhorse leather”. It also has a strong spiritual buff, which can attract many brave people.

It is to highlight that it is better than buckskin and has special spiritual significance.

As long as the merchants’ appetites are mobilized, they may compete to increase prices.

To turn a meeting into a snap auction, it takes heavyweights here to push the envelope.

To be fair, the words Rurik and Gould are discussing now, the so-called description of the superiority of horse leather is not a lie, it is indeed better than buckskin.

If Gould wants to be a “treasurer”, his family will raise the price with great fanfare. After clamoring for a high price, they must blatantly shout some arrogant words, similar to “we can get a lot of money if we get these thousand pieces of leather.” Make a fortune” and so on, but also deliberately ridicule those who are not willing to pay high prices for not understanding business.

To arouse their anger, to force them to be willing to pay a high price for money, and after a final toss, the Gould family announced their withdrawal.

Of course, practical reasons must be considered. In fact, it is impossible for those merchants to have a family that can spend a huge sum of money to cover all 1,000 pieces of leather. If there is one, it is the Gould family.

As a result, one thousand pieces of horse leather were divided into as many as 20 pieces, and the minimum purchase limit for a merchant was 50 pieces, so that even if the price was high, those merchants with some strength could still afford it.

They will definitely increase the price for the sake of profit, and the task of the Gould family is to add fuel to the flames.

But the Gould family would not buy any of it, so it was unreasonable that such a toss would be of no benefit.

As the elder Gould described, his family has always maintained a close relationship with the king, and business transactions are like today’s “king’s bedroom secret talks”, which can be negotiated in an extremely private form, and outsiders have no way of knowing the secrets .

The smart old Gould completely concealed the information he had just learned from the slack mouth of the head of the guard, Grund. He concluded that the king wanted to promote his black fox and red fox brothers, but he could not mention this matter.

Things have to be done logically, and the black fox and red fox have to prove their abilities through some opportunities, so that the king believes that his vision is sharp.

“I’m old, the white fox and the blue fox are not around, only my young sons, the black fox and the red fox, can complete the scheme for the king. My voice has become hoarse, and the black fox and the red fox can speak for me. Listen to those merchants, and these two cubs are really young, those merchants will despise them. In this way, the more arrogant the words, the better the effect of your plan, Your Majesty.”

In fact, Rurik has been massaging these two little fat guys for a long time. Although they are standard Nordic people, they are probably fat and have been suppressing the growth of their bodies all these years.

They are not tall, and the nickname “fat seal” is indeed not nonsense.

“It’s just you two? It’s rare that your father gave you a chance, should I believe that you can handle things well?!” Rurik asked intentionally.

The two brothers, the black fox and the red fox, hurriedly got up and half-kneeled in front of Rurik: “I used to work for the king.”

“Very good. I hope you will be of good use to me like the white fox and the blue fox…”

The two of them understood, and suppressed their inner excitement: “I am willing to serve the King.”

[End of this Chapter]