Chapter 1021 Rurik triumphs in his prosperous New Roseburg
The long ice freeze has finally ended, and there is still broken ice floating on the sea, allowing even the smallest fishing boats to sail calmly.
The trade routes blocked by ice and snow were officially restored, and the dormant power of the entire eastern and northern Baltic Sea began to revive.
The huge Ross fleet is about to return to the Kronshtadt anchorage of New Roseburg! A year ago, they assembled from Tombstone Island and set sail for the expedition. Exactly one year later, they returned home with loot and great victory!
After many days of rest, the army entrenched on the island has almost regained its energy. They have been eating dried fish these days, and this kind of food can only be made do.
Or because of the ice blockade, food from outside the territory cannot be transported to the island. The appetite of thousands of people has made Tombstone Island about to run out of food.
Fortunately the difficult period is over!
The fishing operation will be in full swing, and fishing boats from the north will rush wildly to the southern Baltic Sea.
Fishermen of all kinds on Tombstone Island have perfected their own hemp rope nets, fish hooks and lines, and even steel harpoons for hunting whales and seals.
The troops who are about to return home complete their final preparations.
The restless new country is beating wildly. The people who survived the war do not have the mentality of lying down and resting and enjoying the victory after the victory. They are the best labor force. Now they have to go home as soon as possible, just to make a strong contribution to their own spring plowing.
the power of.
They were energetic and anxious. The king had already stipulated that the agricultural tax in 841 would be exempted. There were even rumors that the king Renshan would also exempt the agricultural tax in 842 next year.
Such good policies are very beneficial to the old and new Russians who own fertile land and have made a lot of money. However, the Slavic people in the Novgorod region with a population of more than 200,000 are really grateful for this good policy.
You can rest with the people for at least one year. If the situation is not bad, you can take a two-year break.
Rurik knew very well that the Frankish Kingdom officially split in 843. He learned this history from textbooks, but he did not know the specific details.
Now that he has become the promoter of this period of history, the war in 840 has changed a lot. However, even if he was not involved in it, the rifts among the princes had already appeared and the civil war had already broken out.
There must be a decisive battle to end everything! Maybe it will happen in 843 after all.
Resting with the people in this way does not really show sympathy for the people's strength, but allows the people across the country to slowly accumulate "fat" to calmly face new and severe challenges.
For the benefit of the kingdom, Ross will not hesitate to intervene in the Frankish civil war. In order to prevent Ross from taking a strategic advantage when the decisive battle comes, and even to defend the fruits of victory won in Europe in the War of 840, strategic planning must start non-stop.
The attempt to drive up the price of horse leather was a great success, and the treasury received four hundred pounds of silver coins. Brothers Black Fox and Red Fox handed over their certificates of investment.
The two brothers are about to leave their old father and accept the arrangement of King Rurik. They bring letters of introduction, money, mercenaries, and an armed cargo ship. First, they go straight to the temporary capital of Denmark, Mahobi or Copenhagen, and then to Hamburg.
Stay and wait for news. They will experience a special ceremony in Hamburg - baptism.
Converting to God is the command of King Rus, and Black Fox and Red Fox are even looking forward to it. The two of them are not pious at all, but in a sense they can act very pious. Seafaring merchants will always face many bizarre things, and there are many people for this.
Superstition, it is always a good thing to believe in a few gods. Belief in God is just to have another patron saint for the unknown business road, nothing more. But with the blessing of God's faith, you can act openly in the Frankish world.
Once the good news comes from the hinterland of the Rhine, the brothers will head to Rotterstad.
They will stay in Rotterstad and immediately start building the Ross Shop there, which is a comprehensive base including commercial, military, and material distribution centers. It is euphemistically called the concession area obtained from the Netherlands, and the lease time is unlimited. .
The Gould family is very wealthy. On Tombstone Island, the two brothers easily recruited some Viking warriors who wanted to venture into the world. They still recruited mercenaries, and the mercenaries came from Lake Malaren, and even first from their own ancestral tribe, the Unclas tribe. Recruit folks from the past.
"Your second brother will explore the way for you first, and eventually he will control the security of the entire Götaland in Gothenburg. In the end, you two brothers will each take charge of the Ross Shop in Rotterstad and Nassau Castle." This was Rurik's arrangement, and the two of them kept it in mind.
The old Gould will eventually meet his end. When he thinks that his last two adult sons will leave him to start a career, the loneliness is enough to make this old man cry.
He sent the blacksmiths on the island to create two pairs of special and precious amulets, which were actually two pairs of silver and gold cross pendants. Wearing these, they looked like wild Christians! In fact, they were not.
The two brothers also own a pure amber Lucky Elf pendant, a sterling silver hammer pendant (representing Thor), a sterling silver bird pendant (representing Odin), and a sterling silver pig pendant (representing Frey).
The two of them brought letters of introduction written by Rurik himself, one of which was in pure Latin. After arriving in Hamburg, they handed it to Archbishop Eskil, who then baptized them. By.
This matter was Rurik's last concern on the island, followed by the final triumph.
According to tradition, Rurik organized people to hold the spring sailing ceremony on Tombstone Island.
Those brave fishermen took the risk first and caught fish, which became one of the sacrifices. The other sacrifices were wheat grains, and the catches together represented the gifts of the earth and the sea.
Any sacrifice has its own details, and its interpretation is firmly controlled by the king himself.
Rurik had his own explanation for this.
A small pine wooden platform was built on the shore of the pier. Fish and wheat were placed on the platform, and then the entire wooden platform was lit with fire to worship the god Frei, who was in charge of the harvest.
Regarding the belief in the Nordic gods, each tribe has different belief emphasis. Rurik regulated it and established seven gods as the main worshippers.
God Frei is a god believed by all tribes, and any work related to wealth is under his protection.
Because the Nordic ocean god is always frightening because of the waves he makes, people don't worship this god, they are just simply afraid.
Frey and Odin were the chief priests of this small-scale sacrificial event. When the sacrifices turned into smoke in the fire, the ceremony was completed.
The once bustling Tombstone Island will enter a brief hiatus, but with the influx of ships from the north and east, it will enjoy prosperity again.
The huge fleet was divided into two groups, and some ships were stationed on Tombstone Island and served as merchant ships communicating with Lake Mälaren.
Most of the ships of the Grand Fleet will go all the way east, and Rurik will no longer be able to stop on the way, and will go straight to New Roseburg.
In this way, the heroic king wears a golden laurel crown and stands at the bow of the flagship ship. The north wind blowing is no longer like a knife, but like Freya's caress. This warm wind can bring the power of immediate revival to the dormant earth.
Even the war horses were transported to the armed cargo ships, and the cabins were filled with warriors carrying their respective trophies.
The king drew his sword, pointing directly at the rich east.
"let's go!"
For a moment, the whole army blew the horns collectively, and the melodious sound shocked the dawn.
The sailors sang chants to raise the triangular sail, and quickly retrieved the anchor head with the winch.
The entire fleet temporarily sailed against the south wind until a vast sea appeared in the east, and they rushed towards the Gulf of Finland...
There was no longer any obstruction, no need to stop anymore, ships of all sizes were sprinting at full speed, their keels smashing into all the floating ice in the way. During this period, Javlo and his Finnish army happened to pass by Helminki, and they did not return directly.
home, but continued to follow the army to New Roseburg.
The Finns have their own goals. They also obtained a lot of spoils in the war. Everyone has a lot of silver coins. Unfortunately, there is no place to spend them in their hometown. Either Novorosberg or Novgorod, there are only two big cities.
The market allows them to buy a large number of daily necessities. It is rare to enter a big city, and it is even rarer to have a huge amount of money. They do not need to sell grain, cloth, ready-made clothes, iron farm tools, and iron tableware on a large scale. This is what they need most.
.
"You can buy anything you can think of at the Outer City Market in New Roseburg." They firmly believe this statement and are happy to tell people they know about it.
The Finns also have no fear of the capital city of the kingdom. Some of their fellow countrymen have already settled there, and the royal city has long been a melting pot for all ethnic groups in the kingdom.
New Roseburg has unique water conservancy advantages. Both sides of the Neva River can be transformed into oat fields and natural grazing land. The channels leading from the main river provide the city with an easily accessible water source, and the water from the channels drives the wooden wheel waterwheel.
, more and more water-powered mills were built.
The agricultural production base is in the area around Lake Ilmen, including the large city of Novgorod.
New Roseburg is the seat of the royal family and the largest economic and trade center in the East.
Even if the king and the expeditionary army have not returned, the high priest Rumia will still hold the sailing ceremony as usual.
The sacrifice was a reindeer. Since this is the largest city in the kingdom, the opening ceremony of New Roseburg means that all commercial activities here have begun. No one can tolerate the shabby ceremony.
Due to the principle that cannot be overstepped, the slaughter of a hundred deer for sacrifice will not damage the population size of the royal herd in principle, but the sacrifice should only be carried out during the new king's coronation ceremony or when the king declares a war to destroy the country.
Rumia was beaten in half, and fifty deer were moved to the banks of the Neva River by strong men.
Even though she wears a tall antlered helmet, she is still a short woman, which makes her even more mysterious. She is holding a gemstone amber staff passed down by the high priests of Rus for generations, and actually ordered her daughter to hold a dagger inlaid with gems.
, assassinate the deer that are tightly controlled by the strong man one by one.
Velika has passed her eighth birthday. She is a cross between Ross and Deerherder, with dual genes from Northern Europe and North Asia.
Rurik liked his eldest daughter very much, because she was good at his aesthetics, and because she was the eldest daughter, it was easy for her father to love her. Most importantly, she was destined to be the next high priest.
The high priest of the Great Temple of Uppsala is Lumi from Kovin, and the "Gem" Great Temple of Rossburg must be inherited by the descendants of Velika and his bloodline.
Even though she is only eight years old, she must attend important ceremonies. She performs the duties of a deputy priest, even if the work is very bloody.
Killing a deer that was taller than you was really scary at first. After being forced to do it many times by your mother, you became relieved. Especially when your mother scolded you so harshly: "When your father was your age, not only did he dare to
Kill a deer, and dare to cut out its liver. You must prove to everyone that you are a qualified high priest."
For a time, both sides of the Neva River were crowded with people, and even the tall city walls were full of onlookers.
The scene of the deer slaughter was very large. They saw a short figure stabbing out a bright white dagger, and then the red slurry flowed into the rapids of the Neva River full of ice floes. Some old guys were jealous of the little Willy.
Ka was critical and critical, especially her bloodline.
Velica is not a pure-blooded old Russian. Until all the old guys die, the secret discussions about mixed blood will never stop, but no one publicly criticizes the bloodline issue because she is the eldest daughter of the king!
More people were eager to see the little Velika calmly complete the ritual, so every time she stabbed a deer, thousands of onlookers cheered enthusiastically.
The Neva is flowing, and navigation will be fully restored when the ice is cleared.
High Priest Rumia is also officiating at the sacrifice of Odin and Frey. Due to the habits of the local Slavic people and the Pan-Finnish people, this sacrifice is also regarded as a sacrifice to the God of Lake Ladoga and the God of the Neva River.
People felt at ease. After the ceremony, the sacrificial deer was immediately skinned, cut, and transported to the market for sale.
Now, snapping up "opened" venison is a spring trend again, and fresh deer skins immediately flow into local leather workshops.
Even the deer bones were picked up by the Suomi people of Finland who stayed in Finland, just to make string triggers. Because the materials were taken from the sacrifices, people believed that this kind of triggers had the magic power given by the Russian harvest god Frey, and bow hunters would hit the target with perfect accuracy.
That was a sacrifice of fifty deer! Nowadays, the deer herders (Lapps), the royal servants of the royal family, have bred a huge herd of royal deer, and the expense of huge sacrifices for grand priests has become normal.
People firmly believe that if they are more pious to the gods, their lives will be better this year.
After all, the Great Temple is also a tradition of the Ross tribe. The Hotla family, a shipbuilding family from the Melalen tribe, has always had its own sacrificial customs.
The offshore fishing catch piled up in a big basket, the herrings were dead, and the smelly fish were all dumped into the sea. This act, which can be called performance art, is a tribute to the violent sea god. Carl, whose family manages the New Roseburg branch,
Huo Larson performed the ceremony and then continued their great project - the construction of the hull of the Sea Monarch.
When the ice completely thaws and turns into densely packed ice floes, ceremonies for setting sail and worshiping the god of agriculture will be held in various places.
They were looking forward to a prosperous year, but they never expected that just two days before the grand ceremony in New Rossburg, the fishing boats and merchant ships rushing to the Gulf of Finland and sailing west would directly encounter the huge fleet rushing eastward.
Look! The flags are flying everywhere, and the exaggerated blue lines on the huge triangle sail.
"The king is back!" A family of cod fishermen completely stopped their men. Their boats were bullying the waves, but the couples and children raised their hands and cheered desperately.
Rurik, who was standing high up, noticed this situation, while the sailor riding on the top of the mast had descended quickly to report shocking information: there were small boats everywhere due east!
"They have already held a sailing ceremony, a little earlier than I thought?! That's good, so business will resume early, which will help me dump the spoils."
At least a hundred large and small fishing boats gave up their work and spontaneously moved closer to the large fleet.
The fishermen cheered when they saw the king sitting on the bow of the ship with his flagship, and his golden ponytail flowing in the wind became the most conspicuous feature.
The fleet was still huge, and astute people suddenly noticed the abnormal draft of the main ships.
The most exciting thing is when a large ship on a long voyage arrives at the port! Obviously, the collective draft of the triumphant fleet is very deep, which means that a huge amount of loot is about to arrive in the royal city.
The king is fulfilling his oath. The war has gained huge benefits for Ross. The wealth is about to arrive in the royal city, and those who are prepared can get a share of it.
Do you still want to continue fishing? Bah! Return to Hong Kong quickly!
Bring your savings at home to snap up the loot unloaded by the king!
We should not forget the victorious soldiers. Even in Fort New Ross, a large number of men participated in the war. People ignored the sacrifices and the sadness caused by it. They expected the victorious folks to go home with a large amount of loot and then sell it to foreign countries quickly. Realize.
Then Kotlin Island came into view, and the outline of the eastern coastline became clearer.
At this moment, Rurik held onto the railing at the bow of the ship. He was not excited enough to jump. Instead, the soldiers crowded in the cabin were all standing on the deck, causing the battleships to move their centers upwards.
The soldiers were cheering, as were the fishermen who were following behind.
Who can ignore this joy!?
Rurik was so satisfied that he continued to smile. He ordered the semaphore: "Order everyone on each ship to make as much noise as possible."
Thousands of people responded to the order and cheered, accompanied by horn horns and war drums. They made a huge noise that even the strong south wind could not stop.
New Roseburg with its towering walls is already very clear, and a tall attic in the city is the royal palace.
He still did not fall into ecstasy until his eyes swept across the densely packed shanty towns outside the walled main city, and his eyes were fixed on the shipbuilding workshop far away from the main city.
"That! That's the hull? It's been a year and a half since the dry dock was excavated. The hull of my warship is almost ready?!"
Rurik could no longer suppress his inner joy. He knew that he had given the Hotla family a difficult task, promising significant funds and bonuses, as well as hereditary noble status for family members in the kingdom. Apparently they really Orders are implemented in an orderly manner and results begin to show.
His heart became more and more excited, thinking that the world's first Galen ship would be born in his own hands.