When the autumn harvest begins in Novorosberg, the autumn harvest in Novgorod must be in progress. The food in the capital is far from being able to supply the local population, and a large amount of food to sustain life must be imported.
Novgorod is already a huge grain-producing area, and the area of farmland is still expanding. The best farmland is in the area around the lake, which is a large lake with a width of 40 kilometers from north to south. So far, only a small area has been developed.
The villages arranged like a chain try to open up new fields and fertilize the fields with the village's farmyard manure and lake mud.
The crop rotation model is not used. Since food production is still limited, the crops' capture of land fertility is also limited.
In the fields near the city of Novgorod, some waterwheels were built on the aqueducts built along the Volkhov River. The waterwheels were driven by the power of the river. The oblique wooden barrels on the impellers continuously transported the river water to high places.
The water canals are basically embarrassing.
This technology still needs to be popularized, but the effect is very good. The yield per mu of fields near Novgorod has been further increased, and the harvest in the area around the lake is also good.
The area around Yin'ermen Lake has more surplus grain, which is almost the main production surplus for farmers.
Nowadays, the business of the Novgorod shipbuilding workshop is booming. Each village has raised funds to purchase long boats and made them public property. The village boyar organized his own manpower to form a fleet of small boats to escort the village's properties. In order to make more profits, he no longer works in Novgorod.
Instead of selling locally, you spend your time going straight to the capital to earn more.
It would be better if the canal was put into use. Just as the governor promised, the water channel between the Luga River and Lake Ladoga has been dredged. The water from the upper reaches of the Luga River has begun to pour into the big lake. The marshland through which the water channel passes is being fully washed by the river water.
, the waterway is slowly expanding.
However, the Luga River is unfamiliar to the majority of people. Considering the convenience of water flow, the traditional waterway can transport surplus grain, flax fiber, linen, cables, leather boots, honey...a variety of oriental products to the capital faster.
Rurik is now in the capital, and he is convinced that the teams of his eldest brother Arik, who went to explore the East, have begun to return one after another.
The Valdai Lake in the East is not just a lake, there are many nearby. After the local settlers integrated into the Ross, the villages have become towns. The Valdai town on the lake is the base camp of the Eastern explorers. They can find the way to the Volga River.
The river? If it doesn't work this year, it will definitely work in a few years. After all, the river is there.
The sacrifices before the autumn harvest were over, and the altar was quickly cleaned. After the sacrificial reindeer was skinned, the venison was mixed with the offal, accompanied by a large amount of fresh vegetables, and boiled into a large amount of stewed broth.
Residents of the capital can bring their own bowls and buy one for just two silver coins. Spending two silver coins to buy a bowl of this is a bit extravagant, but it cannot be said that this is a sacrifice to God Frey, and it has been blessed by the god.
, buying it from the king in disguise means getting the blessing of the harvest god. What’s more, the thick soup is really delicious, and the whole family can eat it together with wheat cakes.
Rurik made another small profit, and this money was directly counted as the priest's ceremonial expenses.
He could no longer stay in the capital, and he had no time to wait for the huge amount of movable lead type to be finished.
The batch printing work is now fully taken care of by Ella. Two of her followers have been awarded the title of chief and deputy head of the Royal Printing Bureau, and all the idle workers have a job. Ella has real power, so she recruits a team of people in the capital.
Temporary workers are selected, and based on their hard work, they are planned to be employed as regular employees of the Printing Bureau in the future.
The civil service system cannot be built overnight. Only a small number of the technical talents trained are old enough to take charge of their own affairs. These talents are immediately assigned important tasks. Whether they do a good job or not will be supervised and evaluated by the highest scribe, Ella.
Rurik no longer worked hard on this aspect. He felt that he had already worried too much, and if he continued like this, he might lose his hair.
The autumn wind swept across the land, fearing it was a sign of rain, and the frightened people rushed to harvest.
The sea has become rougher, and a large number of fishing boats have returned to the harbor to take shelter. Such waves do not pose a threat to Ross's big ship, so Rurik wants to leave.
Where to go? Go to Stockholm, go to the Uppsala Temple, go to the Rothsberg Castle, go to the Elon-Olava Castle.
It was a crisp autumn day. Standing on the beach in Rurik, all you could hear were the waves.
"It's really risky to go there. The waves are too big. Maybe...you can wait a little longer." Rumia reluctantly held the king's hand with tears in her eyes.
"Haha, it's just a small storm. Why worry about me?" Rurik smiled at her.
"I'm also worried about Velika. This is her first time..."
Hearing this, the little girl leaning against her father leaned forward unhappily and pouted: "I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid at all! Even Jormungandr can't destroy our big ship."
"That's right. Hehe, if we find that big python, we will kill it directly with our weapons." Rurik tried his best to reassure the sensitive Rumia. As the high priest, she could only slowly lower her head before giving final instructions.
A daughter must listen to her father.
"You are so glib. If you can really kill Jormungandr..." Rumia was too lazy to continue mumbling.
No one has ever seen an earthly python. Indeed, many budding navigators regard the cruising minke whales, beluga whales and other large creatures in the sea as it. Whales are just a special kind of "big fish". Ross trawlers equipped with torsion slingshots
The main business is herring fishing. Once a group of whales is spotted swimming, they will immediately start chasing and shooting them.
The number of whales swimming in the Baltic Sea is very small, and more of them are seals basking in the sun on small and large nameless islands. The current waves are relatively strong, and seals are hiding, and fish schools are also taking refuge in the deep sea.
Several sandbars at the mouth of the Neva River not only alleviate the force of the sea tide, but also beautifully weaken the wind and waves. The river branches into a series of branch channels among the sandbars. These waterways are all natural harbors. Rurik selected the "North Hunter Seat"
The ship is also anchored here.
The cool breeze blew the navy soldier's tricorn hat, and the feathers on the hat trembled violently in the wind.
All professional sailors have an honorable status. They are true warriors. According to belief, the honor of these people is enough to make their souls ascend to Asgard.
Although Viking warriors generally worship Odin, the king of gods, the Russian navy worships Thor more. The reason is the legend of "Thor hammered the giant python". Thor, the god of craftsmen, has also become the hero of the ocean warriors.
The patron saint. They collectively wear various styles of hammer pendants. Those who are rich use amber or sterling silver to make pendants, while those who are short of money even use a piece of carved oak.
On this trip, Rurik took Queen Svetlana with him, as well as Countess Noren of Narvik. The eldest daughter Velika and the prince Osborne Slav, the two children were going north with the ship in a short period of time. This was
An intentional trial in their lives.
It is really the power of blood that the half-siblings stick together involuntarily. Osborne has lived in Novgorod during his short life, and he has few opportunities to meet Velika.
This time, holding her eldest sister's waist, Velika was also willing to rub her brother Yuandudu's face.
The warm appearance of the siblings made Rurik very happy, but he didn't know how the two of them could remain calm while sailing on the sea.
The flagship of the Northern Hunting was selected as the Sperosveria. The sacred box on the bow of the ship contained a lock of hair of the priest Vilia who had become a god. Part of the high priest's will was believed to have been transferred to this sail.
On the cruiser, she has the magical power to overcome wind and waves, which adds to the sanctity of Beikari's actions.
All people on the ocean must believe in some magic. Facing the endless unknown, everyone needs divine power to protect themselves.
Generally speaking, you should not sail in current bad sea conditions. Pay attention to the big ship and ignore the wind and waves.
Goldlund, who has the identity of a maritime war chief, must use these patrol escort missions to prove his loyalty and the reliability of his team. Of course, past war operations have already been proven, but this time he is performing tasks purely in his new identity as a navy.
The flagship is accompanied by two wing ships, which are actually three main sailing cruisers taking action.
The big ship was first stabilized by cables. The caravel-like ship had a lower middle deck, a detachable rail, and a long boarding rocker lowered to facilitate the king and his entourage to board the ship safely.
A large ship will not be empty, especially if the current sea conditions are not good, a batch of cargo is needed as ballast. Woolen garments, linen garments, finished leather boots, cables, neatly folded burlap bags, honey packaged in glass bottles, and oak barrels
Packing ale kvass...
The fact that the king's royal fleet transported goods by the way was something that was really talked about. The owner of the property on the ship was Rurik himself. He actually sold a batch of oriental specialties to reward the people in the north.
First of all, the first stop is the seaside fortress of Tombstone Island in the Åland Islands, known as the crossroads of the ocean.
The huge three-sided jib was lowered, and the flagship seemed to have three wings, catching the cool wind from the north, leaving the harbor at an angle, and then sailing due west in the Gulf of Finland, where the waves were getting stronger.
The weight of the transported cargo was still insufficient, so some simple stones were simply placed on the bottom of the ship as ballast. Even so, the three ships were still rising and falling on the waves!
The old voyager felt nothing about it. Rurik himself was completely adapted to the roller coaster-like experience, which was a pain for his two children.
The last time I took my eldest daughter on a voyage, the waves were not violent, and she was already a little seasick. This time, the two siblings kept vomiting. Although the voyage was short, neither of them was mentally interested in anything.
Such sea conditions made it impractical to make a temporary stop at the port of Helminki. The three ships sailed at full strength. It was a cool morning when they set out, and it was already the morning of the fourth day when they arrived at the correct waterway leading to Tombstone Island.
The wind was slightly weaker and the violent sea waves also healed the trivial Åland Islands. The situation of the siblings was a little better, but the haggardness was still written on their faces.
If the prince cannot endure such storms, how will he bear the burden in the future?
Rurik did not want to be an irritable father, and he would not criticize the young prince for being too tender.
He held Osborne in his arms and simply stood at the bow of the ship, holding his son's armpits with his thick big hands. To ensure safety, a hemp rope tied his son's waist.
Osborne was so frightened that he screamed and kept twisting his body. He seemed to be flying in the air. As long as he looked down, the dark seawater was retreating continuously, and the seawater was pushed away by the bulbous bow to produce violent white foam.
Is the prince afraid? The sailors did not dare to make any comments. People, including Goldlund, could only watch from a distance and whisper.
"Just cry! You won't be afraid after this experience once. Take a good look at the sea. In the future, you will conquer it!"
After all, Osborne was too young. On the other hand, Velica had dared to cut the throat of a stag herself. She was not afraid of such storms, but was in awe of the power of the world. Was Jörmungandr really at work? Not necessarily.
God-King Odin calls for wind and rain, and this trip can be interpreted as a test for the Rus royal family.
Now the fleet overcomes the waves and takes a closer look at the island ahead. There is an obvious wall there, as well as a gorgeous blue and white color!
That's the Ross flag on Tombstone Island fluttering in the strong wind, proclaiming the identity of this fortress in the sea.
Now is the wheat harvest season across Sweden, but there is bad weather. People are praying that the damn rain will not ruin the wheat harvest.
A large number of merchant ships that should have been anchored at Tombstone Island are now entrenched in the port of Stockholm. They are not sheltered from the wind, and despite the rough seas, Lake Mälaren, with its small islands, will always remain calm. The ships parked here are waiting for Sweden to have a storm this autumn.
Annual grain trade.
The Rus' king's attitude towards his Swedish allies was that they would be tax-free for ten years, and the Swedish lords did not need to pay a tribute to the king until 850. In the past, each tribe paid tribute to the Swedish chief and accepted military edicts. In exchange, one party
The leader of the suffering group is obliged to send troops to assist, and this model has been accepted by all tribes.
This is still a tribal alliance model like "family brothers". It is superior to the Frankish aristocratic system in that the affiliated lords must pay real gold and silver to the king on a regular basis. In theory, the king's financial situation is better.
But in Rurik's view, relying on vassals, large and small, to pay tribute is only enough for them to survive. They live the old life step by step, and their limited production capacity cannot provide more surplus products. A capable monarch must lead the innovation of productivity,
By increasing the production efficiency of various materials, coordinating logistics efficiency, and creating prosperity, the royal family can make a fortune even by simply collecting tribute.
However, a major feature of the royal family headed by Rurik is that the royal family is actually the most powerful industrial owner and businessman in the entire Rus Kingdom and the entire northern world.
The three large ships arrived at the port of Tombstone Island in the wind and waves. Standing on the tower and enduring the sea breeze, the sentry patrolling on a daily basis saw the pangbo triangular sail and the high-hanging Ross flag in the distance.
The elderly Governor of Tombstone Island was surprised and tried his best to gather the people who were hiding at home in a daze.
The bronze bells and drums in the fortress kept beating like an enemy attack, and the messengers ran in the winding streets and shouted: "The king is coming! Get dressed quickly and go to the dock to greet him!"
The king is here?
In a mansion, a dying old man was helped by a waiter to stand up, but then he collapsed due to a strong headache.
This fat old man was poorly dressed, his complexion was pale, and his gray beard could not hide his dark age spots.
This old man is none other than the great businessman Gould.
Now, he can already foresee his own death...
The three large ships were successfully anchored in the natural shelter of Tombstone Island.
"It's strange, there aren't many boats here, what's going on?!"
Rurik was beeping, and it was Goedelund who pointed out: "The king always has more important things to deal with, ignoring that it is the Swedish autumn harvest, and merchant ships from all walks of life are going to the lake area to wait to transport food. For a while, here
Naturally empty.”
After hearing his explanation, Rurik slapped his thigh: "Hey, I really forgot! It seems that I haven't visited my hometown for a long time."
Rurik thought a lot in an instant. On this Tombstone Island were buried the fallen soldiers of the Russians' first expedition thirteen years ago. Since then, Russia has officially started its expansion. The years have been calm and ruthless. That is the most terrifying weapon.
He took away many old friends.
Today's weather was only slightly better than the previous few days. Feeling sad, he couldn't help but think of some old friends.
"Klavason, Gould, how are you? Especially you, Gould. You were weak in the summer. How are you recovering now?"