"Lord Rostislav! Do you want to be the King of the Baltic Sea? Do you want to strengthen your power to all Baltic Sea cities?"
A scolding voice sounded, and the tone was full of anger. Rostislav saw a man wrapped in gorgeous furs. The Grand Duke of Kiev knew that this man was an envoy from Gotland.
Gotland is an extremely powerful party in the Baltic trade. Its location almost in the middle of the Baltic Sea makes it a transit point for the entire trade, and the city can be said to make a lot of money from it.
Therefore, if Rostislav wants to reshape the order of the Baltic Sea, then this island will definitely be the hardest hit, and it is normal for them to react so violently.
Rostislav also knew this, but this was the alliance preparatory meeting after all, so the appearance had to continue, but acting did not mean showing weakness.
"Your Excellency, this is why I formed the alliance. Under the leadership of Ross and the alliance, the trade environment in the north will only be better, we will only gain more benefits, and no one will suffer from this."
Although Rostislav's words sounded soft, the meaning contained in them was still sharp. The Grand Duke of Kiev almost explicitly declared his need for hegemony.
Normally, Rostislav would undoubtedly have made a mistake by doing this, but it was different now. Rostislav had actually decided from the beginning who was his friend and who was his enemy.
Those who can win over have long been attracted by his words. Even those who are not interested will remain as neutral as possible. As for those who cannot win over and will become enemies of his alliance, they can only rely on blood and fire.
to make them surrender.
"It is absolutely impossible to achieve your goal! Sir! We have to leave first. There is no need for us to stay in this place any longer!"
Gotland's envoy opened the door and left, and some envoys from the Baltic powers followed him, most of whom had close trade relations with Gotland.
The envoy of the King of Denmark also left. As a kingdom guarding the strait, Denmark is really not interested in a trade alliance. After all, they control the strait and can collect taxes no matter what.
"Okay, very good, the person who disturbed us has left."
Rostislav lamented that most of the people who left with the Gotland envoy were Norse, and the Norse played a very important role in today's Baltic trade, so most of the people on the field suddenly disappeared.
The reason for them to stay is very simple. Some of them act for the future outlined by Rostislav, while others want to continue to see it. The last few people do it because of one person, King Olaf of Norway.
Sitting calmly next to Rostislav clearly told everyone that the two of them had gotten along well.
The combination of Norway and Russia is enough to make many people decide to take a gamble to see if they can change their position in the Baltic trade and win more benefits.
"Everyone, it seems that you all have made your own decisions. Well, let's talk about the details. Oh, you don't need to look at His Majesty Olaf, he has already decided to join us."
Following Rostislav's words, young Olaf nodded, expressing his support for the Grand Duke of Kiev. The King of Norway's affirmation made everyone feel relieved.
Everyone then talked for several hours. The towns that were interested in the trade alliance asked about various details, but Rostislav answered them fluently and solved their doubts one by one.
The final result was also gratifying. Rostislav's main target, the envoy from the Diocese of Hamburg-Bremen, was quite moved. It seemed inevitable that the King of the North of this church would join.
As for the towns, large and small, their choices are also different. Some people choose to join the alliance to gamble on the future, while others plan to wait and see. Anyway, now the alliance can join or withdraw at any time.
But for all of this to be truly implemented and for everyone to truly be in this alliance, in the final analysis, war is still needed, and Rostislav knows this better than anyone.
After the first version of the member list was finalized, the Free Trade Alliance was established. Rostislav made a flag for the alliance, which was a black bear and a harpoon, indicating that Russia could supply the most valuable goods to this trade network, which was also Russia.
manifestation of status.
To celebrate the establishment of the alliance, Ivangorod held a huge celebration that night. The entire city was immersed in joy and toasted to the establishment of the Free Trade Alliance.
While the people were immersed in joy, the two kings of the city, Rostislav and Olaf, met on the lookout of Ivangorod Castle.
"It's exactly what you said. Gotland and Denmark will not join our alliance, but will become our biggest obstacle. We still need to deal with them in the end."
Rostislav sighed to Olaf, but Olaf just said not to care, "As the leaders of the Baltic trade, how can those two companies join any alliance, and I know that many pirates emerged from them."
Compared with his father, Olaf can be said to have only inherited his height. The biggest characteristic of this King of Norway is that he is rational and calm.
Moreover, he didn't like war, and he wanted to build Norway, which was in chaos because of his father's war. He was two extremes from his violent and fiery father.
He is obviously more devout to Christ than his father. He does not carry the hammer-shaped cross with him, but the real cross. There are obviously more Christians around him than in his father's time.
Seeing him, Rostislav couldn't help but echo Harald's words. An era was passing, and this was especially obvious with this king.
Olaf's series of actions after Harald's death made him known as the peacemaker, because he ended the series of wars in the Northern Thunder and allowed Norway to finally truly calm down.
As for why he sided with Rostislav, on the one hand it was because he saw an opportunity, and on the other hand, it was Harald's instruction to follow Rostislav, and Olaf strictly followed it.
Facts have proved that Rostislav is indeed quite reliable.
"After all, there will only be war next. It doesn't matter. This is what I'm best at. Speaking of which, I haven't fought in a naval battle yet. It's good to have some experience."
Rostislav's tone was more relaxed than serious, because for Rostislav, he wanted to see the naval battles of this era and experience something he had never experienced before.
As for naval battles, with the Kirk ship, he has never doubted his own superiority, and most importantly, he had no intention of fighting a formal naval battle in the first place. It would be foolish to use his own weaknesses against other people's strengths.
Already have the idea, it just needs to be practiced by the child.
"Mr. Rostislav, well, then I am packing up and getting ready to go back. I estimate that the war will start again in a few months. This ocean will not be calm for long. I must go back and be prepared. Then I will have to bring the Danes back."
Contained on this side of the strait."
After Olaf made his decision, he acted very decisively. He stood up immediately and planned to organize the team, which surprised even Rostislav.
However, in terms of his vigorous and resolute behavior, he does look like his father, and this is indeed Harald's son.
And Rostislav continued to look at Ivangorod. This city carries his hegemony and is the foundation of his hegemony. But it won't be long before it catches up to the next level and even becomes the entire Baltic Sea.
center.
Relying on warships, furs and salted fish, Rus will surely establish hegemony.
Rostislav was confident in his plan and never doubted that he had been planning and preparing for a long time, and everything would be rewarded sweetly.
Next, we only need to wait quietly for a few months. In just these few months, everyone will change the situation. By then, a wonderful drama will be staged in the Baltic Sea. Rostislav is looking forward to that moment very much.
Because that was when he was practicing his dominance.