Chapter 238 A Different Autumn Sorgon Voyage Sets Off
Compared with last year, this time the Russians' voyage to Sorgon was obviously delayed a lot.
This time, the Ross people did not just ask for more tributes. The reason for delaying the delay was because they had to spend time and energy to prepare materials to support the construction of New Ross Fort.
Otto never thought that Gould would bring enough food from the south to feed the entire tribe for a period of time, and part of it would be used for funding.
The autumn wind was really bleak on September 15th. The cool breeze of the vast season always flowed into the fjord, and the surrounding oak trees kept losing their dead leaves. Only the dark green pine trees were still completely alive.
The climate is creating a chilly atmosphere, and no one likes this.
In fact, no one likes winter. It is not beautiful at all. Instead, if you are not careful, it can freeze mortals into ice cubes. In winter, humans also live like groundhogs, staying indoors as much as possible.
Long winter.
Of course, except on the day of the winter solstice, the whole tribe will go crazy.
There are boats everywhere on the beach, and sails are everywhere on the fjord.
In particular, the pier built by the Gould family has been strengthened and the number of berths available for docking has been increased by four.
Autumn has arrived after all, and some traveling traders sold their goods and sailed back to their hometowns in the south. Finally, those who did not leave were the fur traders who stayed behind. They either decided to hunt in winter themselves, or
Just buy the results of Ross hunters. In a sense, they come here for the ferret's fur that is as white as snow and extremely silky.
Some strong men carried sacks full of grain on their shoulders and carried them to the large transport ship.
Now that things have happened, Gould, who has transformed into a Russian, naturally wants to get a share of the Sorgon voyage.
This time, Gould provided the best transport ships, and only with his help, the Russians were able to load more supplies without using too many ships.
In the fall, those tribesmen who intend to immigrate to New Roseburg will not take risks in this dangerous season.
Because of Rurik's suggestion, the tribe had 50,000 pounds of oats to transport, and more than a thousand pounds of carrots.
Their total weight is actually up to four tons!
The Ross tribe's own transport ship, it is really risky to rely on two or three ships to transport them. Especially in autumn, if the sea is too rough, the ship will be destroyed, people will be killed, and the materials will feed the fish.
The Russians needed Gould's help. Not only did the two large transport ships perfectly load the cargo, there was still quite a lot of space left for carrying passengers.
It is completely different from the rowing boats of the Russians. When a boat is big enough, is rowing still the best way to drive it? Gould raised a group of professional sailors, although they often played the role of porters.
Now he is a very good sail control talent.
There are grains, vegetables, and the latest batch of production tools.
At the beginning, Otto, in line with his responsibility as a great leader, really thought about using his own money to support his people.
His mentality has changed.
Why should we provide free funding? The property and food transported belong to the chief family, and the immigrants must pay for it.
Otto followed Rurik's advice and had already made plans to collect taxes next year.
Grain is both ration and planting grain, and the brand-new curved shaft plow is a weapon for reclaiming wasteland. As for Otto, the livestock that were previously given to the settlers for breeding can be ignored. The grain and tools can be "given" to them by themselves. As for the reward, they will be given to them next year.
One-tenth of the harvest from land reclamation! This tax will continue forever.
Yes, Rurik proposed the concept of "tithe tax" to his father Otto, which itself was also a tax model used in ancient Rome.
Can this tax model also be used in Novgorod?
Otto embarks on this trip with multiple goals, and his actions this fall are of great significance!
At noon, the old Villa built an altar on the beach.
A sheep purchased from a merchant was sacrificed, and Rumia was also entrusted with important tasks in the sacrifice.
This deer herder girl has never been afraid of bloody things, because in her life, any child must live like a hunter. Because that is the lifestyle of a deer herder.
She slaughtered the sheep very decisively, and under the guidance of Vilia, took out the hot sheep liver.
Villa announced that this year's voyage would be smooth sailing and smooth sailing. Of course, regardless of the arrangement of blood vessels in the liver of sheep or other animals, Villa always declared auspiciousness. In fact, this was just a formality, Otto really
She knew the secret behind this, but her announcement was crucial to the ordinary people involved in the operation.
Because we are sailing slowly, what everyone longs for is peace.
An old voice with a slightly hoarse voice announced good luck, and soon, the entire beach fell into a roaring carnival.
The tribesmen were so enthusiastic, and Otto was moved by them.
Otto, who was dressed in leather armor and had a shaved beard, was already standing at the bow of his flagship. He was stroking the "dragon head" with a terrifying relief, and waved his patterned steel sword high.
Everyone on the sandy land was infected by the leader's enthusiasm.
There were even many women holding their children.
"Brothers! Watch your women and your children, don't let them get too bumpy on the sea!"
"Women! When you return to your hometown, tell your relatives that we Russians are strong and kind. Tell them that only by surrendering to the Russians can we receive rewards and protection."
"Brothers! Escort your women to the boat! The high priest has made a wish to Odin. This time we have a safe journey! Let us go!"
A group of young strong men seemed to have been stimulated. They began to push the ship into the sea, and the onlookers raised their hands and cheered.
Some women even gathered together and sang ancient songs of the Rus tribe.
The melody is beautiful, and Rurik can also hear the wife's expectation of victory for her husband from this ballad. There is no trace of sadness in it, simply because everyone believes that any form of expedition by the Ross tribe will bring harvest.
It's all just victory.
This time Rurik was standing on the shore, in front of his father's flagship.
The young strong man pushed the flagship hard, leaving a trace of the keel on the sand and gravel.
Just like his father who had been holding his sword, Rurik also drew his own dagger.
"Dad! Remember our agreement, our tribe will be stronger because of this."
"I know! Rurik, stay in your hometown. When I come back, you'd better come up with some new tricks for me." Otto shouted loudly.
It seemed like it was just a farewell from the leader and his son. No one knew what the "new trick" meant.
At the same time, what pleased Otto was the two girls standing next to his son. Carlotta and Ella. They tried their best to shout "Goodbye, daddy", which really made Otto feel a little dazed. It was as if they had indeed inherited the inheritance.
own blood.
A fleet of fifty ships rushed toward the east.
This time Otto brought an army of more than 500 people.
If it was just to collect tribute, why did he bring so many people with him? To put it bluntly, Otto was wary of the Novgorod people.
White Tree Manor was willing to be a loyal dog because it knew that cooperation would bring great benefits. Besides, White Tree Manor itself was squeezed out by other local manors, so they naturally needed a strong backer.
In addition, their cooperation with the Novgorod Manor was based on the strong military deterrence of the Russians.
Among them, the most populous Pine Needle Manor must be further weakened. Otto feels that supporting the white trees, attacking the pine needles, and pulling one faction to fight another is the only way to effectively control Novgorod.
As for the kind treatment described by his son Rurik, giving them some useful tools, they will readily surrender to this kind of conjecture, this kind of thinking is really naive.
Of course, those tools for plowing and turning the soil must be given to loyal dogs. These are good things and are currently only available to White Tree Manor.
Not only for her own strategic purposes, but also because the eldest lady of White Tree Manor was sitting on her flagship with a slightly bulging belly. Most of the women carried by the fleet were also from White Tree Manor.
Otto could feel that the relationship between the two groups had never been so close as it is today.
The fleet gradually disappeared from sight, but the people on the shore still did not retreat.
Everyone was talking about the future prospects, and many people began to discuss the possibility of immigrating to New Roseburg.
After all, New Roseburg was warmer anyway, because the previous rumors of sea monsters had been destroyed by the public display of the curved shaft plow. It turned out that this thing was a farming machine invented by Rurik.
This shows what?
The tribesmen are almost all illiterate, which does not mean they have no life experience. The leader's family began to study farming equipment, which does not mean that there is a future in going to the land where wasteland can be reclaimed.
Reality also forces the tribesmen to have the idea of immigrating. The area in Roseburg is indeed too crowded. If you don't want to live on a hill near the beach, then you have no choice but to immigrate.
The cool breeze dried Niya's tears, and she was a little sad that her husband was going on a long journey again. Although there was no danger in her husband as a leader taking a strong man on a voyage, she was old and her mind was full of worries.
The only thing that makes her happy now is that her son is still with her. Now, there are two more girls by her side.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and Rurik returned to his home.
Suddenly a strong man who loved drinking was missing. Niya prepared dinner as usual, but felt a little empty in her heart.
"Mom, are you worried about something?" Rurik noticed something strange about his mother.
"No, it's nothing." Niya squeezed out a smile from her numb face. She subconsciously stroked her son's little head and said, "Eat quickly. After eating, go to bed early."
"But, my Rumia hasn't come back yet."
"Her? She's doing well this year. Maybe the high priest will continue to teach her some lessons."
Rurik had to admire the decisiveness of his head maid, and he even felt scared.
When he stabbed the sacrificial deer to death, Rurik was very nervous for a time. However, what Rurik witnessed today was that Rumia cut the sheep's neck in a very calm manner, and while the sheep was still moaning slightly
While he was trembling and dying, he cut open the belly of the sheep. He was so skillful that he looked like a real butcher.
During the sacrifice, Rurik and Otto both knelt on one knee by the altar on the beach. Rurik was fully aware of everything that happened.
Rurik ate some meat, and the meat in this pottery bowl was the cooked sheep that was sacrificed at noon. Not to mention, the boiled mutton sprinkled with sea salt had a smell of mutton.
Paired with sea salt, it's simply salty and delicious.
At this time, Rumia suddenly came back.
As if she had returned to her own home, she continued to wear her linen robe, smelling the aroma of the food, and subconsciously moved closer to Rurik's position. She adjusted her robe, sat down cross-legged, and then took off her hood.
, revealing her clean little face and the braids on the back of her head.
"You're back, I thought Villa kept you late again and asked you some complicated prayers."
Rumia smiled: "She praised me and said that I really look like a high priest."
"Are you the one who killed this sheep?" As he said this, Rurik pointed at the meat in the bowl.
Rumia laughed out loud: "Yes."
"You are so decisive, as if you...are an expert."
Rurik's words were somewhat cautious, but Rumia was even more proud: "This is normal. I am a deer farmer, and I have killed deer myself. There are even marmots, rabbits and the like."
"This..." The scene was a bit awkward, and Rurik was shocked again. He never thought that Rumia was a "butcher".
Rurik reluctantly asked: "Rumia, how old were you when you executed the first animal, and what tools did you use?"
"I'm about six years old. It's a rabbit. I used a stone knife. I can't remember many things. Oh, I'm so hungry now. Can you reward me with something? Masta?" Rumia's words
Becoming gentle is how she suppresses the pain in her heart.
Rumia didn't hate the Rus as a group, she was cruel to Otto. And her favorite was Otto's son Rurik.
Although this is very contradictory, it is also a real reality.
She even hoped that the blood vessels in the sheep's liver would show bad omens. If Otto's fleet capsized, Rurik would naturally take over the position quickly. And by that time, her status would be improved again.
Rumia, who is only eleven years old, has already had the idea of entering a higher power position in her heart, but what is completely different between her and the dead Bona is that she actually knows that everything she currently has comes from Rurik.
of rewards.
She especially believed in the absoluteness of that oath - if she was unfaithful to Rurik, Odin would send down extreme cold in retaliation.
Rurik noticed that Rumia also had a cruel side, and Niya, for the first time, felt that Rumia was dangerous. She didn't want Rumia to be squeezed into the same wooden bed with Rurik.
Well, how can a humble servant be qualified to enjoy such high treatment?
Since her son didn't mention it, Niya couldn't say much. But now she really found a reason.
"Rurik." Niya said.
"Mother?"
"Your father has gone to the East. You sleep with me tonight."
"This..." Rurik glanced at Rumia and responded hurriedly: "Okay, mom."
It was Rurik's subconscious behavior that made Niya even more vigilant. As soon as Rumia entered the door, the girl's previous humility and cowardice were gone. Instead, she approached her master very casually, without any trace of a servant.
attitude.
Niya accidentally understood the unnaturalness here, but the reason is actually very simple.
Rumia will never forget the ruins of her home on a snowy night, the ferocious face of Otto, the leader of Ross, and the violence of this man binding his hands and feet with hemp ropes. If Otto is not there, there is only one master who cares about her very much.
Rurik, what else is there to be afraid of?
Niya continued: "Before your father comes back, you sleep with me every night, do you understand?"
"Oh fine."
"That's right." Niya smiled happily.
Then, she asked: "Rurik, have you decided what to do? Your father hopes that you will do something new, and you may have promised."
"yes."
"what exactly is it?!"
Rurik's face calmed down, and he looked at Carlotta and Ella who were sitting quietly eating meat.
He especially looked into Carlotta's eyes: "Carlotta, I think you will never forget the hatred of the destruction of the tribe."
Originally a calm girl, her fair face suddenly turned ferocious, and she pouted, revealing the gap between her cracked baby teeth. She hated Xiaoya so much that she gritted her teeth and clenched the two wooden sticks tightly in her little hands (Carlotta was learning how to use them)
Picking up slices of meat with chopsticks).
"I must take revenge! Tooth for tooth!"
She was indeed talking about tit for tat, and Rurik felt that when the words came out of the mouth of a toothless child like her, it really meant "tit for tat" in a realistic sense.
"Okay." Rurik knocked on the table and said, "I have thought about it, the children of your Ostara tribe are mainly little girls! I want you to organize them, I want to train them like boys
That way, train them."
"Ah?! Rurik?!" Carlotta was shocked. "Do you want to train my people to fight? They are all women!"
"Why doubt it? Can't women be warriors?"
"This...if you don't mind that we are women."
"How could it be? I have already decided. No matter what, I will train the girls of our tribe sooner or later. I believe that only excellent women can give birth to excellent men. You Ostara people accept the help of us Rus people,
Of course you have to obey my command."
There are many legends of female warriors in the Viking world. Although everyone does not want women to enter the battlefield, because the Valkyrie who selects heroic spirits is female, everyone also likes to hear the legends of female warriors on the battlefield.
Rurik did not want the future young women of his tribe to actually become female warriors in formation. They must at least receive certain military training. This training is more about cultivating their obedience and overall discipline.
Rurik continued: "So I need a woman I can trust to serve as my deputy. Carlotta, I think you can do it."
"I?"
"Yes! I will also organize my maids, who are probably the same age as you. In the end, you may command one hundred and fifty girls. You know what I do in the back mountain, and the girls must also
After completing such training, when you appear in front of my father with neat steps, even if you Ostara people are just a group of children, you will be praised by us Russians."
At this point, the only thing the Ostara people can no longer lose is their own glory.
Carlotta agreed wholeheartedly because it would bring new glory.
What about Rurik? He just has to give military training to a group of girls and must also receive weapons training. Rurik thinks that maybe one day he will use the power of women so that he can no longer rely on the number of men in the Ross tribe to equalize.
The fighting power of the rebel tribe.
In critical moments, women must become some kind of reliable fighting force to defend the glory and dignity of the Russian people.