In the area around Lake Yinlmen, people harvested the peas they had ventured to grow before the autumn rains.

All late vegetables are harvested in early September.

Cabbage, onions, and yellow root carrots are the most grown vegetables, among which cabbage is the most important. Cabbage is both cabbage and cabbage. It grows green and white in the field like a ball growing out of the earth. There are also kale varieties that grow hairy, which enriches the variety of cabbage.

Cabbage and onions represent almost all vegetables, even carrots have become a foil.

Because of the king's regulations, even if the food tax is re-imposed, vegetables are not included in the scope of taxation because they are not considered food. Based on this policy, the people spontaneously "take advantage of loopholes", so that the newly reclaimed land is deliberately planted first.

The people are very smart. It is too far-fetched to use new cultivated land to grow wheat. They should first plant vegetables that are easy to survive to estimate the soil fertility, or even directly improve the soil and reclaim the new land for mature fields to create conditions for future wheat planting.

As for the king's public claim: that the field where peas have been planted will, in the second year, be planted with wheat, and there will be an unprecedented harvest.

Is it true? Since the king said it, it should be true. Besides, the king himself was practicing his own propaganda.

This year is the same as the autumn harvest in previous years. The harvest of Rurik's Wangtian is still normal. Because of the intensive cultivation as much as possible, the grain production has increased to a certain extent. But without the real nitrogen fertilizer blessing, this kind of improvement is really limited.

"Maybe the field where I planted peas in 843 will be exchanged for a good harvest of wheat. Yield doubled? Who knows."

Rurik is in great need of increased food production, not only because of the continuous population explosion in the area around the lake, which has caused increasing population pressure, but also because the number of people receiving salaries continues to increase.

Those trained scribes are showing their strong working ability. Paper and quills have replaced swords and shields. These young people must go to the battlefield, but they are the key to assisting the royal family to manage the land directly under the royal family in an orderly manner. .

Their power comes from the reward of the king, and now the men and women of the scribes are married, and soon the children will be born.

The scribes receive a sum of silver coins every month, and the initial salary is set against the monthly salary of an "excellent mercenary". The mercenary team was eventually transformed into the kingdom's standing army, and its salary was increased, just like the salary of the scribes.

Just as officers in the standing army are paid better, scribes have ranks.

At least in the current period, military officers do not receive much higher salaries than soldiers, and there is no gap between them, and the same is true for scribes.

But the army has a privilege that cannot be ignored than the scribes-the right to distribute the spoils.

The spoils of war are not entirely plundered by soldiers based on their ability. As for the seizure of valuables, half of the property belongs to the king (equivalent to the national treasury), and the remaining half is shared between the officers and soldiers. share.

Serving as a scribe to a king is something only a man born weak in the eyes of a true warrior can do. Being a scribe can only get a guaranteed income in drought and flood, even if you can hope to become a close minister of the king. As for the fact that the civil servants around the king can rely on "non-military merit" to gain benefits, even if this kind of corruption is already extremely high-level corruption, it has never been and is impossible to appear in the past era, making it unimaginable for standing army soldiers It's something they don't realize.

The Kingdom of Ross is a war machine full of **** killings! Continue to expand endlessly, and when the expansion reaches the threshold limit, the collapse will suddenly start?

Rurik hadn't thought so far ahead. His idea was very simple. It was based on his oriental mind that he believed that an oriental plan could moderate Ross's violence.

The cold autumn rain gathered, and most of the production work in the Kingdom of Ross was suspended, and it was the light industry of Ross that could not be stopped.

Before the autumn rain, a huge amount of leather from the East and the South arrived in the capital, and the huge family of leather craftsmen had to absorb and digest these leather materials by relying on the smelly family workshops.

The tanned leather is immediately sent to state-run factories and private tailor shops large and small. At the same time, there are also linen cloth woven by women of various ethnic groups on simple looms, which are finally processed into ready-made clothes and various leather products in these shops.

The textile industry does not have much technical content. As long as there is a dumping market, the people during the slack period can calm down and make more money through manual activities.

The Kingdom of Ross itself is a big market, and the Baltic Sea, with its trivial terrain, needs economic activities to maintain the unity of the kingdom, which is obviously more efficient than military control. "Man, you won't have trouble with money, will you?!"

It was raining outside, and it rained continuously. In Novorosburg and Novgorod, in the houses of the two big cities of Ross, the people continued to work by hand. They weaved cloth, spun wool, made leather, and then made clothes, shoes, gloves, hats, and so on.

There are even families that do nothing else but focus on making leather belts out of leather scraps, making essential armored belts for warriors, hunters, and all manner of people. Just doing this is enough to make a family flourish.

What is the economic level of the Kingdom of Ross? Perhaps only when the autumn Fu was collected in the agreed year 844 could we learn about it.

What is collected is not just the traditional food tax, but also the industrial and commercial tax for merchants and handicraftsmen.

Not to mention the capital city, Novgorod's business is already thriving when it doesn't rain. The commercial streets formed spontaneously in the city can't meet the demand, and the wine shops in the city are thriving every day. The fish market at the city pier on the Volkhov River evolved into a new commercial street, and a third commercial street was formed near the shipyard facing the Great Lakes.

Who exactly is in business? The trained scribes are not for nothing.

The whole kingdom is directly controlled by the royal family, that is, the registered personnel, and the thick birch bark paper is piled up in the room, which is the royal family's "household registration archives". Any family that sells their products publicly, or even sells their goods at a commercial street stall, is registered by the clerk.

After all, even if the number of registered personnel swelled to more than 300,000 in a few years, this number was huge but not particularly large. Only more than 200 clerks could handle such complicated statistics.

Qiu Yu gathered and had nothing to do, so he and his wives and concubines endlessly farmed and farmed?

Rurik did this, but didn't spend a lot of time on it.

He is the king of a country, and he has multiple responsibilities. The responsibilities force him to handle some major affairs in person, especially to set a road map for the future development of the kingdom.

The kingdom is still expanding. In Eastern Europe, it means conquering more regions and incorporating them into territories. In Western Europe, it means actively intervening in the Frankish Civil War and developing trade lines to gain economic benefits.

Expansion to the east requires an army to crusade against disobedient tribes, and more importantly, a standing army with high executive power to plant flags in the wasteland.

Expansion to the west will definitely encounter various forms of resistance from the Frankish nobles. Compared with diplomatic mediation, it is better to solve it by force directly, and Ross has the ability to send ocean.

Continued expansion requires more standing armies, and raising soldiers is more expensive than training scribes.

Just in time for the autumn harvest, the supreme scribe Ella arrived in Novgorod by boat.

She was a concubine of the king, and although she was a concubine of the third rank, she was not a concubine, or even a woman, on serious occasions.

She is the highest scribe, the king's financial officer and historian, and her significance is more important than Frank's palace.

Autumn rains are endless, and a solid woodcut still remains warm and dry.

This is the residence of Ella, the supreme scribe, located on the bank of Inlmen Lake, as well as her office, and it is also the comprehensive archives of the kingdom.

It is no longer simple and shabby, and now there are hired security personnel who take turns to watch over it, to prevent people from approaching, and to pay special attention to avoid fires.

Ella Hestoria, she no longer inherited the name of Ostara, her son changed his surname to Hestoria, just like the original meaning of this surnamehistory.

Historian is the main identity of this emerging family, but as the head of civil servants, the descendants have the blood of Rurik, so there is nothing wrong with becoming a palace minister.

The little boy Amberman is already two years old, he can call Rurik Papa in a milky way, and come running to beg for a hug.

Then take this son and this rainy season and live directly in the archives of the kingdom.

Ella didn't say anything, but she felt so relieved that she wanted to cry. When she was with her husband and son, she felt a little dazed, as if everything was supposed to be like this.

She temporarily owns the ownership of the king himself, and can temporarily enjoy the family happiness of a family of three together.

It's just that this happiness is entirely based on one point - she has to produce a work report to Rurik.

After all, it was a husband and wife, especially Ella who had been Rurik's step-sister for many years. She already regarded Rurik as a family member when she was still young, and now they share a formal office together, and she has no restraint.

His son Amberman was sleeping leisurely in another room, and the two simply sat cross-legged on the bed facing each other, talking about major economic issues in a leisurely way.

The files were neatly stacked at Rurik's feet.

"I wrote it in detail and recorded a lot. You have to read it carefully, and my carefulness is not in vain."

"That's natural." Rurik looked at Ella's round head with a smile, picked up the file and examined it...

The document is written in Romanized Norse, with all proper nouns by Latin standard.

This kind of document looks like a Latin document at first glance, but it can only be understood by the top nobles and educated children of the Ross Kingdom.

It is Ella's assessment of the economic conditions of the metropolitan area.

The number of people engaged in various industries, the number and types of commodities in the market, the population and employment of Finns, Danes, and various Swedish tribes living in the capital, etc.

The total number of shops in the three commercial streets of the capital, the overall assessment of the income of merchants and handicraftsmen, etc.

Counting these and making assessments are all important references for future tax collection.

The document couldn't be read in a short time, so Erla stared at Rurik's concentrated face with wide eyes, not daring to disturb her easily.

After an unknown amount of time, Rurik finally completed the preliminary examination of the documents.

"ah!"

"How?" Ella raised her head slightly, looking forward to being praised.

"You did a great job and hopefully the assessment is largely in line with the facts."

"You're not questioning me, are you?"

"Doubt? How could it be? How could I doubt my woman."

"Hey." Ella smiled coquettishly and pretended to be naive: "I arranged the task, and the lower-level clerks in the capital were busy with their affairs. I also found the Governor Konusson Jr., and your navy admiral Gottlund. Asuraki, the owner of the big bread house, the leader of the big shipyard, and Kamne, the blacksmith, all reported their achievements."

She looks good when she is serious, and it will be even more interesting if she wears a pair of myopia glasses.

Rurik nodded: "That's the best. Novgorod is mainly responsible for agriculture. As I told you, if you want to make a lot of money, you need to do higher value-added industries. The tax holiday has not yet come, and I Now I am completely relying on the royal monopoly industry to earn money to live."

"The current financial situation is not a problem." Ella immediately added seriously.

"Yes. If there is a problem, I can no longer expand the army."

"You expanded your army again?" Ella was a little surprised.

"How? Do you have an objection?"

"I dare not. Now your income is still increasing, and your money bank is still full. But you have also taught me that a large-scale military expansion is a large-scale expenditure. Could it be..." Ella narrowed her eyes slightly: "You Are you planning to fight on a large scale?"

Rurik stared into her eyes and smiled without saying a word, as if tacitly acquiescing.

"My sister is expanding in the south. I am very aware of this. Our expeditionary force is fighting in Frankland, and we have already spent a lot of initial investment for this. If many of those soldiers did not carry their own weapons and equipment, we would inevitably have to spend a lot of money. Pen."

"But if you get a lot of spoils, all the sacrifices are worth it." Rurik added.

"That's right. The benefits of our war must be far greater than the initial expenditures. Now the main force of Ross's army has not been dispatched. Brother!" She simply called out affectionately: "I have only come back not long ago, and I don't know how many more troops you have in Novgorod."

"Two cavalry."

"Well, if that's the case, your expenses are really not small."

Although Ella is a woman, her status as the highest scribe is well known, but her specific job is rarely known.

She calculated Rurik's various expenditures, and she knew better than Rurik himself whether the state treasury was in balance.

How much does a large ship cost? The kingdom's largest ship, the Sea Sovereign, has been a money-burning monster until now. It has already spent 4,000 pounds of silver coins in successive expenditures, and the subsequent expenditures are still increasing slowly!

Why so extreme? Because the expenditure of a ship is not just the cost of shipbuilding, personnel salaries must be paid every month, which is a follow-up hard expenditure. The core components are generally not replaced, and the maintenance of the large and small wood of the ship is a sum of money to be continued.

But she is a warship, and the Ross Army is widely equipped with torsion slingshots. The Sea Sovereign must not only equip it, but also have more of it. When a large number of heavy weapons are assembled together, the money invested can rebuild the hull of a large warship.

Not only the Sovereign of the Seas, but since the admirals truthfully took out the ships stationed at the Kronstadt berth and counted the personnel expenses, Rurik had to know the cost of raising the navy based on the documents compiled by Erla.

The navy is an aristocratic military branch, and it is a huge gold-swallowing behemoth if nothing else is said.

At least a large number of naval ships are acting as transport ships, and the northern ore and cast iron ingots are transported to the state-run iron smelting complex in the capital. At present, the income from ironware far exceeds the expenditure of raising the navy, which is gratifying to Rurik.

Compared with the navy, the construction of the cavalry has obviously become an emerging grand strategy of the Kingdom of Ross.

Ordinary people think that Ross has more and more horses in recent years, and Ella, who understands financial expenditure, can clearly calculate the money for raising cavalry, and how much more money the increase in the number of cavalry means.

A war horse, armor and weapons for the cavalry, salaries for the cavalry, feed for the horse, maintenance for the horseshoe and saddle...

If Rurik's newly expanded two cavalry units become a fully out-of-production standing army, the initial investment will be no less than rebuilding a Sea Monarch.

Of course, the treasury can still withstand this consumption.

However, Erla still gave Rurik a pragmatic warning: "You must not expand your army without restraint. Unless you plan to launch a large-scale war. I also learned about the attitude of the people in the capital. Looking forward to a new big war, looking forward to plundering wealth during the war. But Frank is too far away, if you intend to attack them! We...need to make preparations earlier."

The last words spoke directly to Rurik's heart.

This wife's eyes are piercing, and Ella, who is not the main wife, is now acting far better than Queen Svetlana's good wife!

She shouldn't be jealous of other women, right? After all, she is the highest scribe without military power, and her son Amberman will inherit everything from his mother, and she will not have military power either.

"I have long wanted to continue to attack Frank! The expeditionary force sent this time is just a small matter, but I don't know if they will come back this year. I guess they can come back."

But Ella, who was nestled in Rurik's arms, directly objected: "Brother. If Askad and Blue Fox go well in the battle, they will need a lot of time to carry the spoils. Who doesn't like money? Since they can get rich this year, in After the winter in warm Frank, they can obviously continue to raid. Any man who grows to twelve years old wants to build a career that is not his father's, your Seventh Banner...you don't even pay them, they want To get rich, you can only fight. You! You are clearly forcing them to plunder."

"Oh? You actually thought of this layer?"

"Yes. Even...some words may be very inauspicious to say."

"Speak." Rurik said seriously.

"If they come back early, it's just a bad sign. They lost the battle."

Rurik was still tense when he heard this, and hurriedly asked, "Do you think they will be defeated?"

"Only the gods know. But we are so godly, and Odin gave them power. They will win and make a fortune, so... at the end of October this year, we may not be able to wait for their returning army. But it does not mean that we have lost contact, There will be messengers arriving in the capital by boat, and we'll know what's going on in the West."

A wise woman was nestled in his arms. Rurik never imagined that the seemingly weak and dull girl in the past was so smart? !

"Indeed." Rurik cleared his throat, "It's time for us to get ready! Follow the public opinion, and attack the Franks again. For our benefit, I cannot let Lothar win, nor can I let Ludwig have the last laugh."

"You." Ella raised her head suddenly: "Are you going to eat a piece of Frankish land?"

"That's right. Nassau is my nail in the heart of Frank, where we have drunk wine. We can get more benefits from it, black fox! That little fat man, I need him to be bigger. And, I I also have to investigate it myself to confirm that kid's loyalty to me."

"So. Are you planning to gather a large army to conquer?"

"What do you think? I have suggestions. My good woman, you are the one who settles the accounts for me." Looking at Erla's face, Rurik couldn't see any surprise from her.

"Thank you for your praise. Then...maybe it's still the same as in the past wars. Three thousand people, you personally command three thousand people, leading our fleet to launch an expedition, it must be very safe."

"Why only 3,000 people? I can bring more~www.mtlnovel.com~ Rurik was a little surprised.

"Of course you can. But your expenditure will become even larger. Brother, there is no need to bet on fate for Ross now. Before making sure that you can actually plunder far more money than you spent in the new expedition, it is better not to overdo it." Too aggressive."

"Suggest me 3,000 men?" Rurik couldn't help looking at the ceiling and then to the west: "Three thousand elite soldiers are enough. Three thousand Yuejia can swallow Wu, and three thousand elite soldiers join the Frankish civil war. I focus on plundering and get rich."

Ella smiled slightly, she didn't think war was a disaster, and being the top clerk for so many years made her more proficient at calculating accounts. Fighting a war is a question of whether the benefits are cost-effective or not. She is actually the same as her elder sister. The war once destroyed the Ostara tribe. The two sisters who survived the catastrophe did not fear the war. Instead, they felt that they failed because they were too weak.

Ella is supporting Rurik's expansion and revenge in her own way.

She clearly felt Rurik's killing intent, and her own man made her feel more secure.