Chapter 138 From Rabbit Island to Little Walnut Castle
Otto held the sword at his waist and stood at the highest point of the slope. A group of people gathered around him.
Looking at the surrounding scenery, he couldn't help but sigh: "It's a really nice place. I just checked it and it's definitely suitable for planting."
"But chief, we started planting immediately, it's too late. If we sow wheat seeds now, we won't be able to wait for this year's harvest season." A man named Konuson said regretfully.
"I know. But we can plant something else." Otto slapped this man who was ten years younger than himself but also had a thick beard. "You are my old brother, and so will all your family members."
The fleet is here, what a risky move."
"I have no regrets. I am willing to be a pioneer."
"Don't worry, this place will develop in the future. We have made an appointment for you to be the leader of New Roseburg. You will face a difficult job at the beginning, don't worry, I will bring other people from the tribe to help you and your brothers
We developed New Roseburg."
"Okay! But this position may be more suitable for Harrow Zuosen." Cornuson asked deliberately tentatively.
"That guy is more suitable for the battlefield, but you are different." Otto paused, "Some people are suitable for fighting, and some are suitable for business. And you... you liked to open up land and grow onions in Fort Ross. Look at
The land here is obviously more fertile, and there is a gentle south wind. It is such a good place, wouldn’t it be most appropriate for you to lead everyone in reclaiming the land?”
Hearing what the leader said, Konuson breathed a sigh of relief.
Because once the new Fort Ross was built, the era when the Ross tribe had only one settlement would be over forever.
For a long time, everyone was accustomed to the political structure of one settlement and one big leader, but now things have changed.
The bearded Cornuson is almost fifty years old. He longs for honor like other men. However, he was a complete loser in all the fighting games he participated in when he was young. He never thought that he would spend his whole life studying how to fight in the cold.
In the barren Roseburg, growing as much edible things as possible, and persisting in it for a lifetime, actually became the reason why he was reused.
New Roseburg must have a leader, who is appointed by the chief.
Although he lost the possibility of competing to become the leader of the Ross tribe decades ago, becoming the regional leader of New Ross Fort in his later years is also an honor.
He solemnly promised Otto: "Great leader, we will start construction now. You will continue to Novgorod tomorrow, and those of us who remain will seize the time to build. When you return, you will see that we have
Many houses were built and there was even... a real dock for ships to dock."
"Then I'll help you." Otto solemnly slapped his old friend on the shoulder, and then looked at the people who were starting to build.
One hundred immigrant families began to build houses, and they immediately began to utilize the nearby forest resources.
There are still many people who start exploring non-stop.
Young Kawi is full of strong curiosity about the unknown world. Not only is he full of wonderful thoughts about the Novgorod girl he has never met but is destined to be his, he has also always imagined that he can become a warrior by working hard to build steel swords.
Extremely rich.
When Rurik becomes the great leader, he and his family will be extremely happy.
Now, he has some ideas about exploring the world.
He led twenty people into a boat, rowed across the fast river as quickly as possible, and landed on a small island on the other side. Once they landed, they were immediately shocked by the sight before them.
Why?
There are actually hares running around on this small island.
A large group of rabbits were so frightened when they saw something strange appearing that they hurried into their caves.
"Haha! This is a good place. Brothers, follow me to catch rabbits, and we will eat rabbit meat at night!"
Generally, rabbits will build their holes very deep and reserve multiple hole openings for escape.
However, this island is unusual. In fact, this island was originally connected to the land, but was later washed out of a channel by the Neva River.
When the rivers freeze in winter, the rabbits communicate with the land, and they settle here across the ice.
Due to the arrival of the flood season, the bottom floors of the rabbit holes have been flooded, forcing the rabbits to run to the ground.
Their days of leisurely munching grass came to an abrupt end because a large group of humans landed on the island.
In that dimension, the inspecting Peter the Great landed on this small island during the flood season of the Neva River. A rabbit fleeing from the flood actually ran to his boots. Henceforth, this small island was named Rabbit Island, because it did live there.
with a large group of rabbits.
Kawei pulled out his steel sword and called on his companions to catch rabbits.
Their method of catching rabbits was very violent. They would put their hands into the rabbit hole to explore, and then someone would forcefully pull the rabbit out.
Some people just opened the holes, and as a result, some people caught a group of baby rabbits.
The good news of discovering a large number of hares immediately spread to the people building settlements on the other side. Kawei happily showed off the two lively rabbits he had caught, immediately attracting others to join the action.
The island was really too small. The Russians landed like locusts. More than 200 people swept the island and surprisingly caught more than 300 rabbits.
With so many harvests, the island was naturally named Rabbit Island.
The sun is about to set, and the settlement has turned into a large construction site.
More than forty bonfires were lit on the grassy slopes. The rabbits and fish caught by the Russians in a surprise attack were turned into meat being roasted. The air was filled with the smoky smell of charcoal fire and the smell of fat.
Mouthwatering aroma.
As night falls, there are still people cutting wood in the nearby pine forest.
The Russians used traditional techniques to cut down large oak trees that were too big for a person to hold. The big tree had been cut down. The Russians immediately started chipping away at the trunk and divided the wood into building materials. Even if the light was very weak, in order to live there as soon as possible.
Going up to the cabin, they were still working.
Otto's ears were filled with the crisp sound of an ax striking wood. He ate the roast rabbit sent by his subordinates and gnawed comfortably.
Next to him sat Konuson, who was also chewing roast rabbit and describing to the big leader what people had discovered in a short period of time: "It has been found out that there are many sandbars near our current Fort New Rose. Their names are
It’s already been picked up.”
"Oh? What are their names?"
"The one in the west is called West Island, the one in the north is called Beidao, and the place where we caught the rabbit is called Rabbit Island."
Otto shrugged: "The name is quite casual."
"Oh? Maybe we can think of names again."
"That's it, it's a simple name that's easy to remember. Alas, we haven't stayed here before, so I never thought there were a lot of rabbits in this area."
Konuson said happily: "Valhalla is really blessing us! We can't grow wheat this year, and I can at most lead everyone to grow some cabbage and onions. I used to be very worried about food problems, but now it's different. Maybe it's not just
Through fishing and catching hares for meat, we can easily survive until next year."
Otto patted his old friend on the shoulder again: "You don't have to force yourself. This year I will try my best to increase trade with the allies in the south. I will also try my best to scavenge food from Novgorod. I will not allow New Roseburg.
One person will starve to death, and you! You must ensure that no one freezes to death in New Roseburg this winter."
"I will do it perfectly." Konuson nodded vigorously.
The Russians spent a peaceful night on the slopes.
In the early morning, the green grass is covered with dew, and the gentle south wind blows across the land.
Otto stretched his tired body lazily, got out of the temporary tent, and planned his next action.
The actions of the Russians were proceeding in an orderly manner. People who were about to move on gathered around the campfire and ate the dried meat they had brought with them, and their ears were filled with the sound of "ding-dong-dong-dong".
The sun has not yet risen, and the work of logging and construction has already begun. Otto, who gnawed on a few pieces of dried fish, looked around and saw that the foundation construction of a large number of houses had begun to bear fruit.
A batch of wooden poles brought from Roseburg's hometown did the trick. They were driven into the soil, and the subsequent construction of the wooden house began around these wooden piles.
It's more important to collect taxes.
Looking at the sun and the bustling crowd, Otto felt that he could no longer linger.
He informed a group of people around him to prepare to set off, and soon, the order to set off spread to everyone's ears.
The young people who were ready to go out had been waiting for orders. They all stood up, carrying their necessary equipment, and rushed to the river beach full of boats.
A large number of young people pushed the boats into the wide Neva River. Otto used his sword as a baton and shouted an order: "You push the boats into the river and row with all your strength into the big lake! We must enter the big lake today! Who?
Enter the big lake first and wait there. When all the brothers arrive, we will set off together."
Because of the characteristics of the Neva River, Otto believed that it would be really difficult for him to organize his fleet on the river.
Young Kawei was only accompanied by Otto and, of course, the pregnant Peravina.
All Novgorod women who married into the Rus tribe were very happy to return to their homeland to visit. First of all, they must count on the Rus men to defeat the river.
Otto didn't have time to say goodbye to Cornuson. He was in a hurry. When the flagship slid into the river, he couldn't wait to shout slogans and command all the oarsmen on the ship to move as hard as possible.
The Neva River has entered the summer flood season, and the water flow in the river has increased dramatically.
The average width of the river is 350 meters long, and the depth is generally 25 meters. Since ancient times, almost the entire water of Lake Ladoga has flowed into the Gulf of Finland through this river.
When winter comes, the Neva River is completely frozen, and only the riverbed part still has a large amount of lake water flowing into the sea. At that time, its flow is at its lowest.
It is the flood season now, and more than 3,000 cubic meters of water flows through the river bed every second. What does this mean?
If a Viking ship floats on the river, and the people on the ship do nothing, the ship will be pushed forty meters by the current in one minute. In other words, the ship will be pushed 1.3 nautical miles in one hour.
By simply paddling, the Russians could keep the ship at a speed of 5 knots for a long time. After being offset by the speed of the river water, they could barely maintain a net speed of 4 knots.
How far is the voyage waiting for them? A full 40 nautical miles!
They set off when the sun was just rising, and had to row non-stop for ten hours. When the sun set, the boat, carrying a group of exhausted people, drifted into Lake Ladoga.
Fortunately, according to the direction of the Neva River, they headed straight to the southeast at first, and were able to make use of the south wind to sail against the wind. After passing a big bend, the river ran toward the northeast, and the ship flattened its sails and could still sail
Take advantage of the south wind.
The wind gave the Russians a certain amount of power, and the main driving force for the ship's advancement was still rowing.
They are people with super endurance. In order to challenge a difficult and great retrograde, they prepared a large amount of dried fish and a few precious wheat cakes.
Lunch time? Non-existent.
When you feel hungry, quickly grab a piece of dried salted fish and stuff it into your mouth to chew it. Don’t stop moving your hands, let alone disrupt the rhythm of the entire team.
The dragon-headed warship of the Russians became a dragon boat in the literal sense, that is, it did not have the super assault speed of the dragon boat at all, and the entire ship rushed towards the big lake at a relatively fast speed.
"Brothers, work harder! The river runs to the north! Children who are here for the first time, just hold on, you will soon see a big lake. It is the largest lake you have ever seen in your life!"
Otto was already aware of his own signs of fatigue, which was understandable because he himself felt the same.
Everyone must have a goal to strive for. He is calling on everyone to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Lake Ladoga as soon as possible. To this end, everyone still needs to work hard.
Fortunately, all actions were planned. The Russians organized thirty more ships for this trip, half of which carried 500 people, and the other half were purely empty ships being towed, just to collect tribute.
In the evening, ships arrived at Lake Ladoga one after another. The huge lake made young people who came here for the first time take it for granted that this was another sea.
The cold and pure lake water made them wake up.
At the injection point where the water of Lake Ladoga begins to flow into the Neva River, there is a small natural sandbar. The southern part of the sandbar is obviously a protrusion formed by the river channel.
This place has strategic value. Wouldn't it be great to build a small settlement here to serve as a rest stop for ships?
After the fleet entered Lake Ladoga, they immediately headed south. They did not go straight to the entrance of the Volkhov River, but simply looked for a resting place where they could dock.
They soon found a wonderful place. A short distance away from the protrusion, there was a gravel river beach that was almost purely east-west. For some unknown reason, the river beach here lacked aquatic plants, and the river beach was full of crystal clear gravel.
, most suitable for ships to land on the beach.
Otto had already had the idea of building another settlement. He ordered his tired men to land on the river beach to take a look at this beautiful river beach. It would be a waste not to use it.
Perhaps this is a historical necessity. Anyone who lands on this beach will want to build a settlement.
In another dimension, Kievan Rus established a trading stronghold on the riverbank where Otto landed. With the development of the times, in order to resist the aggressiveness of the Swedes, the rising Principality of Muscovy gradually built the trading stronghold into a military fortress.
, especially the castle was built on the sandbank at the throat of the river, and a fort was erected, which was called "Little Walnut Castle" in order to make it as hard as a walnut.
The Little Walnut Castle has also become the eastern gate of the historical St. Petersburg urban agglomeration.
A large number of bonfires were lit again, and the aroma of barbecue began to fill the air.
No matter how tired they were, the Russian people's old fishing skills were not abandoned. While they were still floating on the lake, they threw a large number of hemp ropes with iron fish hooks into the lake, hooking the bait.
Soon, the Russians were surprised to find that they had caught a group of all kinds of fish, including many big ones.
The most abundant fish is seabass, followed by Ladoga salmon.
There were also five men who worked together to pull up a big and fierce pike.
The easy availability of large amounts of fresh fish soothed the sore muscles of the young people's arms.
As a big leader, a large number of young people courted him, and the plump fish fillet of the caught pike became his dinner.
While eating fish and meat, Otto did not forget to pay attention to his niece-in-law Peravina.
He handed over a small piece of fish fillet sprinkled with oil and salt, and said: "Eat, my child. Remember, you are feeding two people with one meal."
Peravina nodded and held out her hand, keeping her mouth shut to avoid embarrassment from her greedy mouth.
Throughout the day, the Russian people struggled on the river. She marveled at these people's ability to keep paddling from morning to evening. What kind of perseverance is this? Because when moving forward in the sea, the Russian people of course pay more attention to
Taking advantage of the wind, paddling becomes mainstream only after entering the river.
For the first time in her life, Peravina participated in a long journey upstream. Thinking that after a day's struggle, they still had the strength to fish, she thought that if the people in her hometown were enemies with them, wouldn't they be seeking death?
She was somewhat fortunate that the White Tree Manor where her natal family was located was the most willing to cooperate with the Russians among all the manors in Novgorod. Since there was no way to hide from the powerful Russians, wouldn't it be good to be a group of slaves with peace of mind?
After living with the Russians for half a year, Peravina still cannot integrate well into the new group. The grudge in her heart may be resolved with the birth of her child.
She understood at least one thing. People in her hometown always said that Roszhe and other Varangians were a group of hungry wolves that ate people without spitting out bones. In fact, this was not the case. They were people who followed another way of life.
Facing the big leader Otto, Peravina still remained cautious. She sat on a small piece of animal skin on the sand and stones, and ate grilled fish steaks in front of the warm campfire.
One big advantage of marrying into the Ross tribe is that every meal has salt. Once upon a time, she had to be very frugal when eating in her hometown, and her salt intake was even rarer. Now, she can no longer imagine a meal without salt.
How do you live your life?
Otto watched her sullenly eating meat, and his eyes subconsciously glanced at her bulging belly.
"Pelavina, I have already thought about it. We will set off tomorrow and try to reach Novgorod in one day. I will lead the army to spend the night at your White Tree Farm!"
Peravina was startled and almost instinctively thought of something terrible.
She asked in horror: "Dad, do you want to collect tribute at night?"
Otto looked at the dancing flames: "If possible, I will collect them as soon as possible. And your sisters of the same race will marry into our tribe as much as possible. You see, I have brought a large number of young people here.
We need to choose wives for them. I believe that the head of your estate will support it."
"This...I don't know."
Peravina really didn't know what the head of the manor was thinking, because she herself was the most ordinary woman, and it was probably because of her beautiful face that she was chosen by the man in front of her to become his nephew's wife.
Otto continued: "It's nothing, that guy has no right to refuse. I don't want to use force from the beginning. It's better for them to obey my arrangements. So you see, if I ask you to go with the ship, am I just allowing you to return?"
Visiting relatives in hometown?”
"Isn't it?"
"My child, I just want to show you and other women to the people in your hometown. Tell them that all the women who marry in are well taken care of. Your child should be born in the autumn.
The newly born child is too delicate, so you should not come with us in the autumn. So by this time next year, you will return to your hometown with the child in your arms, and you will tell your relatives in person that your life is very happy."
Peravina nodded, she still didn't care about the deep meaning of the big leader's actions.
She had fallen deeply in love with Arik. After eating the delicious grilled fish steak, she couldn't help but caress her belly, silently praying in her heart that her husband Arik, who was on an expedition to seek revenge, would achieve a great victory.
Ah! Peravina, she didn't even realize that she was supposed to spend her short life as a Novgorod peasant woman.