White Tree Manor is the second richest. After all, it has a population of 2,000 people. Even in an era of low material production levels, such a large number of people, united by the blood of a common ancestor, can still produce some wealth surplus in a natural village.
.
They should have used the surplus of wealth to make their lives better, or use these materials to raise more children.
The Rus came with their axes and swords.
White Tree Manor is like a sheep that has worked so hard to gain wool, only to be sheared away by the Russians.
In this regard, the chairman of the bank, Rigus, had nothing to do.
The Ross people come here twice a year, but the people from Pine Needle Manor can be seen every three or five days.
If it had not been oppressed by Pine Needle Manor, how could White Tree Manor settle in a place still seven kilometers away from Lake Ilmen in a straight line?
In fact, the fertile farmland by the lake has been occupied by the people of Pine Needle Manor. It is impossible for White Tree Manor to reverse its disadvantage in the competition by relying on its own strength.
Now White Tree Manor not only has to pay tribute to the Russians twice a year. This method of collecting tribute has also been learned by Pine Needle Manor.
The Pine Needle Manor imitated the Ross people's tribute strategy. They had a large number of people and were the targets of the Ross people's exploitation. In order to recover the losses, after the Ross people left, it was the Pine Needle tribe's turn to circle around Lake Ilmen to collect them.
It's a tribute. This tribute to Pine Needle Manor is not much. If it is left to them, White Tree Manor has always felt strongly insulted.
Each family in White Tree Manor provides a fortune, which is finally calculated by the manor head's family and finally handed over to the Ross people.
The head of the estate, Ligus, was a tax collector serving the Russians in a practical sense.
What the Russians were looking for was not just the wealth of the manor chief's family, but the wealth of the entire manor residents.
The most powerful family of the manor chief has held the position of hereditary manor chief since ancient times. There are also direct descendants of the manor chief who inherit this position, and other manor members are branches. They all think that the manor chief's family are noble people, and their lives are just like this every day.
, now it can be said that ordinary people do whatever the head of the manor wants them to do.
As for the head of the manor who took the tributes from other families and packaged them to the Russians, but did not hand over a single copper coin himself, ordinary families either did not have such a concept, or simply ignored it because they had nowhere to vent their dissatisfaction.
Each manor probably continued to develop in this way, and the manor eldest family of each manor had truly become aristocrats.
So who are the Russians? Of course they are nobles among nobles!
Due to such factors, it is the right choice for a large number of ordinary people to choose to hide.
The bad news of the arrival of the Russians reached the ears of the manor director Rigus. This "old man", who was several years younger than Otto, suddenly stood up from his bearskin seat, and his aging body seemed to be falling apart.
"Where are they?!"
"Russians have taken to the streets." One of his nephews replied cautiously.
"It's really bad. You go and inform Medved and ask him to come to me. Others, get ready and go with me to meet those Russians. Oh! I hope those Russians can search less."
After a while, a man in his thirties named Medved stood in front of the manor head Ligus. This man was Ligus' eldest son and the next generation manor head.
Rigus has many children, but this son is still the eldest son. Now, Rigus doesn’t think he can successfully live past the age of sixty. Perhaps it is the right thing to transfer the power to manage the entire manor to the eldest son as early as possible.
s Choice.
Ligus still has great appeal, but he must personally participate in any major events.
Especially the relationship with the Rus people, for at least ten years, the great chief named Otto came twice a year. Ordinary people believe that it was the correct negotiation of the manor director Ligus that made the White Tree Manor prosperous for more than ten years.
I have never encountered a bloody disaster at all.
The old Rigus was already fifty years old, and his figure was already a bit stooped. He usually used a walking stick to walk around.
He also lost a lot of teeth, and his old jaw could no longer resist the dry and hard ribs. He could only eat some pulpy wheat porridge on weekdays and wait quietly for the end of his life.
Now, the leader of the Rus people suddenly arrived!
He quickly put on his decent clothes. Considering that it was still a bit cold outside, he had to put a big bearskin hat on his head and a black bearskin coat on his body.
Wearing bearskin clothes will make a man look very powerful. Unfortunately, this good clothes will not reflect much on an aging person.
People from the core family of the manor gathered behind Ligus, and the children of the family also joined them.
I saw the manor head and his family walking out of their well-built wooden house, and other people also came out of their homes.
There were dark clouds again in the evening, and Otto really didn't like this bad weather.
But in the eyes of the people of White Tree Manor, the dark clouds these days are indeed a bad omen!
No, the Russian army searching for wealth came accompanied by billowing dark clouds.
The Russians held their own swords and shields, and each of them wore an iron helmet covering half of their face. Everyone wore leather armor, and some of them were fierce men wearing chainmail.
Their tall image is the most frightening. Every time he sees such a large army marching on the dirt streets of White Tree Manor, Ligus himself is always very afraid.
Because as long as the Russians are willing, they can easily wipe out the entire manor and eventually burn all the houses.
Ligus calmed down and signaled his eldest son to calmly take care of other family members, Cheng Yan. Then he walked forward with a firm look in his eyes, intending to face the leader of the Rus in person. A follower who knew some Norse language followed closely behind him.
.
People are indeed different. Ligus couldn't imagine that the leader of the Ross people was actually older than him. He felt that he was about to die of old age. The other person's posture was the same as last autumn, he was still a tall and strong man.
No matter how strong his arms are, his gray beard proves his aging.
Ligus trembled his mouth and slowly raised his head: "Great leader Ross, we welcome you."
Ligus was very familiar with some words of respect spoken in Norse, and his respect satisfied Otto.
"Rigus, I thought you were going to die of old age. After a winter, you are still alive!" Otto said deliberately and contemptuously.
The entourage quickly translated Otto's words. These remarks made Rigus quite disgusted, so what could be done?
Ligus deliberately complimented: "It must be God's will, allowing me to continue living just to continue to serve the great Russians."
"Haha! You are very good at talking! Now lead me the way. I want to go to your residence and talk to you about this year's events."
"As you command, great leader."
Rigus turned around and wanted to lead the way, but was stopped by Otto in a hurry.
"Wait! There's something you have to solve for me now."
"As you command, my leader." Ligus murmured in his heart, but on the surface he was still extremely submissive.
"Very good, I want you to settle my people. We will all stay in your manor tonight."
"Ah?!" Ligus was stunned subconsciously, and his crutch fell to the ground.
The servant quickly picked up the walking stick and put it into Ligus' trembling hand.
"Aren't you happy? Or..." As he spoke, Otto's eyes showed a dangerous look. He held the sword hilt with his right hand and quietly pulled out a blade as a threat.
"I do! We all will, but I'm worried..."
"Stop your worries, I won't embarrass your people too much." Otto's sword was sheathed, and his face became kind again. "Compared to other manors, you are the most cooperative. White Tree Manor is
A tamed dog, other estates are only half tamed. In this way, give us some vacant cabins, my people will live in them. You also see, this bad weather is about to rain, if my people get wet
You are responsible for your body."
Ligus quickly understood and nodded, and he quickly explained: "We have some vacant barns, and I hope the great Russians can appreciate them. I will also provide the food your people need. If you need women to serve you,
, I will also...will try my best to be satisfied."
The groveling look of this old guy made Otto look down on him, but to be fair, this old guy did a good job of saving the lives of his people.
Otto nodded: "You are a loyal dog. I want you to give my people a pound of bread immediately. As for women, we need women. This matter is very important. I will give it myself in a moment."
You explain."
A man is a swordsman and a fish is a fish. Ligus is so humble and humble in order to ensure the existence of the manor.
Of course, his humiliating image made some young men of White Tree Manor quite dissatisfied.
Counterattack? Forget it. If you consider the stone hammer and spear in your hand, do you dare to attack the Rus? Provoking them will usher in destruction.
Of course, Otto knew the fear of these weak people.
The intimidation of swords and axes is over, now it's time for some sweet comfort.
Otto clapped his hands, and the crowd of Ross people quickly made a way, and some heavily armed young men from the Ross tribe came out leading their pregnant wives.
Among them was Peravina, who approached Otto very wisely.
"Look, Rigus, we keep our promise. These are the women of your White Tree Manor, and they are already pregnant with our Russian children. We treat them well!"
"Yes..." Ligus was really surprised at this moment, and the onlookers were also surprised.
It’s not surprising that a woman is pregnant, she just seems to change from a skinny woman to a skinny woman with a big belly.
These pregnant women are really different. They have all gained a lot of weight and their faces are rare and rosy.
Some women's parents were among the crowd of onlookers. They recognized their married daughters at a glance and were filled with joy.
Those young men of the Ross tribe who had to pay huge chips to get married, paid a small amount of silver coins to get beauties, and they became fathers one after another. Of course, such men would not treat their wives badly! They would capture a large number of them.
He gave his wife the fat livers of fish, and the fat and fresh meat of seals as much as possible.
This kind of diet is completely different from Novgorod. What a farmer lacks most is fat. In just six months after marrying into the Rus tribe, they ate more salt and fat than they had eaten in more than ten years of life.
.They are basically ordered by their husbands to stay in a warm home and wait for the cold winter to pass.
One winter has passed, and every year there must be fat in the diet. How can they not get fat?
In this era, a chubby body is recognized as proof of a good life.
Seeing the sisters of the same race whom they had married, some women from the manor poked their heads out from the crowd of onlookers and actually looked envious!
Darkness quickly enveloped the land of the main film, and at dawn, bad news about the arrival of the Russians had begun to spread in various estates in Novgorod.
Not surprisingly, the main purpose of the Russians this time was to collect tributes and at most marry a few women. For the sake of safety, it was obviously necessary to bear the pain of cutting off the flesh.
Various estates have begun final counting of tributes to buy peace from the Rus.
But here at White Tree Manor, the situation tonight is indeed unique.
After all, it is spring, and many of the once-busy barns have turned into empty wooden houses. There are a large number of wheat fields near the manor. According to Novgorod's agricultural concept, the wheat seedlings are growing well. As long as they continue to wait until Julian
At the end of August on the calendar, the wheat can be harvested.
Many Russians, who had been rowing for a long time, now wanted to take a good rest first, so they quickly poured into the barns provided by White Tree Manor, and then lay down on the wooden floor in a mess.
Completely different from the Rus', the Novgorod area has more water network structures. In winter, this area is basically frozen, and in spring and summer, the frozen soil becomes muddy again.
All houses in White Tree Manor are built by first laying a large number of wooden piles, and then laying wooden floors and building wooden walls.
They also sleep on their own wooden beds, often laying some yellow and dry reeds for comfort. Then the family cuddles up on a wooden bed and sleeps dressed in clothes.
Ordinary families are like this. The most powerful Rigus family has the financial resources to build a real manor for themselves. For safety, there is also a wooden fence to protect it!
The wooden wall is not to ward off the Russians or other enemies, it is to ward off wild animals.
Even White Tree Manor, a large settlement with 2,000 people, encountered the presence of wolves and bears.
Most of Otto's men, who were resting in the barn, began to gnaw on the dried fish they had brought with them. Soon the women from the White Tree Manor came with a large number of bread cubes, and they dropped the bags filled with rye bread.
The sack ran away quickly, as if he would be caught by them if he ran too late, and it would be unpredictable later.
Most young people have no attitude towards a group of older local women. Many of them really want to choose a woman to be their wife in Novgorod. Of course, they must choose a young and beautiful wife!
As for the pregnant White Tree Manor women who returned, they took their Russian husbands back to their natal homes without hesitation.
Novgorod has its own wedding and funeral culture, and so do the Russians. Even though the Russian culture has a lot of elements that emphasize fighting and expansion, they still like to love and be loved.
When they returned to their wife's house, they felt as if they were coming home. The father-in-law, mother-in-law, and the wife's brothers and sisters had close contact with a Russian son-in-law, and their grudges quickly dissipated.
And when they take out one or two pieces of not-so-good amber as a gift, they can immediately make their parents-in-law happy.
Their joy was truly justified.
The Russian son-in-law took out some amber of poor quality as a property for his wife's family to supplement their living expenses.
Let's look at this amber. If you sell it at a low price in Smolensk in the south, you can make a lot of money, and then exchange it for some necessary rations locally. The value of the tribute quota distributed by the manor to all families is completely lower than
One or two pieces of amber.
Some families even hurriedly sell their young daughters to their sons-in-law, hoping to set up a marriage as soon as possible. Not only will the daughters indeed have a materially comfortable future, but also because marrying a daughter seems to be a long-term success.
get benefits.
The tribute distributed was fifty pounds of rye or oats.
Compared with the poor agricultural conditions here in Novgorod, with an area of 15 meters by 15 meters, the wheat harvested can generally only reach about one hundred pounds, which is the so-called eighty pounds. Novgorod people
Instead of fertilizing the fields, the most primitive irrigation system is used to draw water from the lake during drought years. As for how much wheat can be harvested, it all depends on circumstances.
In order to achieve this one hundred pounds, they still need to invest thirty pounds of wheat seeds.
A family will tend their own field with an area of up to twenty acres, because the wooden plow only gnaws out grooves, and a large number of seeds are scattered casually. The children of the family then use wooden rakes to level the grooves, and the sowing is completed.
After sowing the seeds, they hardly care about it anymore. During the long slack period, they just raise some sheep and chickens to supplement their family income.
It is unbelievable to expect a good harvest from farming in such a rough way.
However, their agriculture is enough to sustain themselves. In addition to the annual tribute of one hundred pounds of wheat to the Russians and the sown grains, on average, the family's full-day ration can barely exceed three pounds. Save some and add wild vegetables.
With mushrooms, some goat's milk, cow's milk and eggs, and even catching fish, life is not too hard.
This night, the Russians had three different situations.
Those who lived in dry barns wrapped themselves in animal skins and fell asleep soon after eating bread. They did not feel any embarrassment in sleeping like this, because in their hometown, their wooden houses did not even have wooden floors.
Those Russians who lived in their wives' natal families immediately received the support of their parents-in-law and their families as if they were heroes because of the gifts they gave them.
As for Otto, he and several of his important subordinates entered the "mansion" surrounded by wooden walls by Rigus as a master, and sat in the meeting hall lit by oil lamps in the White Tree Manor.
After Otto performed in front of the public the performance of eating a boiled chicken with five mouthfuls, he then burped and told everything about the tribute request from White Tree Manor.