Finally, at the end of April, a large number of cracks began to appear in the ice covering the sea like a rock.
The wind direction finally changed, and people in Roseburg could finally feel the presence of the warm wind from the south, which offset the coldness of the Arctic and brought hope.
The sea ice that once created wonders is disintegrating at a very fast rate.
Those huge ice packs that were once formed due to sea ice stress broke away from the ice, were either blown by the wind, or guided by weak ocean currents. They were large floating icebergs, suddenly transformed into a large number of "icebreakers".
They crash around in the sea, accelerating the thawing of the sea area in the main film.
To the south of Rossburg, on the island of Gotland, the situation has improved greatly.
The freezing period, which was longer than last year, brought great trouble to people in the south. Finally, the floating sea ice left a navigable road. The Gotland fishermen couldn't wait to push their boats back to the sea. In order to fill their stomachs,
They struggled to catch fish at the risk of being squeezed by the ice and destroying their boat.
Their food reserves are indeed running out, and if the sea ice does not melt, famine will kill many islanders.
The situation has become like this. As Gotland Islanders, how much can they miss about the new trade season?
Trade? Of course we have to trade. But the bigger problem now is to survive.
If life really becomes difficult, why not just land in Götaland and continue to attack the north with the local brothers?
The idea of launching a military offensive to solve Gotland's internal dilemma quickly spread within the island. Facts have proved that the Svian alliance is not as stable as it seems, and most of those people's combat effectiveness is relatively weak.
Except for certain tribes in the alliance, such as the Melalen people and the Rus people, they are powerful.
Since the Danes are willing to support the Gotlanders in the alliance and launch an attack with the help of the Danes' military strength, if they suffer fierce revenge from the enemy, the general commander of the Danish Alliance will still lead a large army to participate in the war.
Once a war breaks out, it will not only be the Gotlanders' own problem.
This is the thinking of the Gotlanders. Their thinking is typical Viking style, full of outright adventure, and they are gambling with the fate of the island.
The elders of each family gathered together for a meeting when the ice and snow were still there to discuss what kind of robbery would best maximize the benefits.
Coincidentally, the Russians were thinking the same thing.
Those young people who followed Otto and fought victorious battles in the "Eastern Land" told their fellow countrymen who stayed behind about their experiences. They exaggerated their achievements, bragging about the enemy's strength and how many people they had killed.
Young people marveled at the heroes' feats. They gripped their swords and axes, eager to become new heroes.
Today there is a young hero who is most admired by everyone.
Arik, he is actually the elite of the young Ross tribe, and a former "war chief" who attracts the attention of young people.
"We should continue to fight! We must continue to take revenge! We must grab more food, leather, money, and women." Young warriors always spend boring winter nights recalling the glory of last year and strengthening their identity.
These four major needs of men.
As the ice began to thaw, their calls for a new round of war grew louder. Arik undoubtedly became the spokesperson for this demand among young people, and he became very radical, which made Otto somewhat troubled.
It's entirely because this radicalism suddenly became a little inappropriate.
Otto did not completely reject Arik's decision. As a big leader, he had already determined that the main work this year would be spent on construction. As for launching a retaliatory war, it was okay, but like Arik's previous proposal, what
Don’t even think about sending out a thousand outstanding warriors to sweep across Gotland!
Arik has become extremely warlike. After all, he is a man from the Ross tribe and a fighting hero. After getting the first honor, he desires more. In fact, it is also his responsibility to show a more powerful self in front of his wife.
A simple appeal.
Who can make Arik calm down and carry out a limited-scale revenge rationally? Otto naturally thought of Rurik. Because Arik really liked his younger brother.
The ice and snow continued to melt, and some of the businessmen who paid a commercial tax scolded the Russians for their shamelessness, while some could only comfort themselves and admit defeat because they could accept the loss. If you want them to be happy and clap their hands, the Russians are absolutely right to collect taxes, then
What a crazy idea.
There are indeed businessmen who plan to leave and never come back. Most of the businessmen are forced to make a living, so they have to row back in the autumn, because without the Russian fur trade, what else can they do?
All people staying in Roseburg are welcoming the melting of ice and snow in their own way.
The frozen Roseburg became lively, and all the streams that fed into the fjord became violent.
There are a large number of ice cubes floating on the sea. The golden light of the rising sun shines on them. The ice floes are as densely intertwined as a warrior's chainmail. Their dull collision sound makes the Russians full of hope.
The priests are organizing a large-scale sacrifice, which is also a large-scale festival for the Rus people after the Winter Solstice Hanukkah.
It must be the blessing of worshiping the gods. The old high priest survived the coldest days, and the breeze from the south began to blow. Her haggard body seemed to have regained a lot of vitality.
Veria continued to assign Rumia to concurrently serve as the high priest, responsible for a series of sacrificial activities.
Parla, who had been making soap for Rurik for a long time, was a priest by profession, and she also began to lead a group of maids under Rurik to serve as lower-level priests.
Compared with last year, this year's sacrificial activities will be more impressive.
Not only has the number of types of sacrifices increased, but this sacrifice does not only belong to the Rus.
Those Covin people and deer herders have their own gods they worship. Even if they were forced to move to the territory of the Ross people, in Rossburg, they got the tacit approval of the leader and built their own altars with stones and branches, before the Ross people.
People started their own sacrificial activities.
Because they know that when the ship can sail, each will rush to their respective destinations.
Even if the deer herders know that Rossburg is the hometown of their ancestors, they don't mind if they live in pursuit of water and grass. The only condition for the deer herders to receive Rurik's protection is to take good care of the deer herd belonging to Rurik and reproduce them.
Their ultimate goal is to achieve self-sufficiency in leather and venison.
This has never happened before! The Russians just watched the strange sacrificial rituals of these aliens, or rather the alien slaves of Rurik. Those so-called priests made themselves look like birds, and
Around the campfire, beat two sticks and imitate the chirping of birds.
The "little warriors" under Rurik's command will also perform their own sacred performances in the new sacrificial activities.
To put it bluntly, compared to dedicating sacrificial activities to the gods to obtain God's favor, Rurik felt that this idea was too idealistic.
For so many years, Rurik has lived in such an environment. He believes that this is the real reality. There is a God who created everything in the vast universe. That God is the singularity of the Big Bang. God is God. As the saying goes, "Heaven and Earth are not kind."
"Everything is a rotten dog", and the Russians cannot always think that they can get God's favor in everything.
Whether you can do anything well depends on whether you make the effort first.
The target of sacrifice is not God, but the majority of people. To put it bluntly, sacrifice is for the people to see. Since everyone believes in this, it is normal to do a ceremony to make everyone feel at ease. Based on this mentality, Rurik is
We need to make this year's sacrifice even grander to improve the self-confidence of our people!
The boys and girls have started a new training. They were asked by Rurik to line up in a neat square array around the future beach altar, and to parade on the beach with neat steps, so that all the onlookers can see that the Ross children are not alone.
The same style.
This matter is within Rurik's calculation. As a parent, how can you not be happy when you see your son doing amazing things? A large group of children are doing goose steps and complex formation changes. The parents of the children are excited at the same time.
, and will also be impressed by the wisdom of the leader.
When exactly is the Day of the Priest? That depends on the conditions of the sea ice.
By May 5th of the Julian calendar, a group of fishing boats boasting thick hulls have appeared on the sea full of ice floes. Some fishermen can't wait, they just want to go fishing for cod in the current harsh land reclamation. Wait and see
Others who had returned with big fish on their backs were also eager to grab their own big nets, eager to carry out this year's trawling work.
Finally, the day of the sacrifice was determined to be May 10th. On that day, after the morning sacrifice was completed, the priest announced that all ships could safely run to the sea.
Villa believes that on that day, there will no longer be threatening ice floes.
Just like in previous years, this year Otto must convene a meeting of all respected members of the tribe to formally determine this year's "Spring Tribute Navigation" that has been late.
In addition, Otto also had to put on a serious face to face his ambitious nephew Arik.
The wooden house where the meeting was held was extremely warm. After all, young Rurik was already a real figure in the tribe. He participated in a formal meeting of the tribe for the first time.
Looking at the bearded old guys around him, most of them he knew, and some looked familiar but could not name them. They were all old acquaintances of his father, and they were also the so-called "wise men" of the tribe residents.
What is very special here is undoubtedly Arik sitting cross-legged and his very unique way of appearing.
"Aric, why are you wearing a chainmail?" The moment they met, Otto's dull face suddenly became energetic.
Arik then beat his chest with his fist: "Big boss, this is my attitude! You understand."
"Yes! I understand..." Otto didn't say much. He grinned and shook his head, thinking that I would convince you later.
There was no conference table, everyone sat cross-legged, with some dried meat and prunes beside them, and most importantly, the strong drink "rus vodka".
Based on such a meeting scene, Otto's noble leader image was not revealed. He seemed very approachable, and his deep eyes showed his sophistication.
With a pair of big hands on his shoulders, Rurik was forced to nestle in his father's arms.
This boy is extraordinary. He has beautiful blond hair, an extremely clean white face, and a pair of clear blue eyes. His clothes appear to be simple but are actually gorgeous. The steel sword inlaid with gems on the patterned belt makes it even more impressive.
Noble.
Otto had a drink first and announced the most critical topic.
"We have been discussing for many days, and the further construction of our New Roseburg must be implemented. I will lead a group of people to continue to demand tribute, and also inspect the wintering conditions of our stranded tribesmen. So some of the tributes I asked for
, will support those tribesmen, I hope you all agree."
"I completely agree." Haro Zuosen rushed to speak: "Everyone here can see that your actions are for the good of our tribe after all. If it can make us stronger, I will fully support it."
Others also expressed their opinions one after another. In the final analysis, everyone agreed. They only had some unique but insignificant opinions on some trivial issues.
"Very good, you have made the final decision and you fully agree with it." Otto looked at everyone and mentioned something else. This time, he specifically pushed Rurik to the front desk.
"You saw it! My son participated in our meeting for the first time, and he will participate in all future important meetings. In the future, they will be the big leaders you need to respect!"
Otto just wanted to reiterate Rurik's dignity, but in fact, this was a slap on the face of Arik and ordered him to obey his brother.
Now that things have happened, the elders no longer feel that it is necessary to hold any tribal competitions in the future to choose the leader. Since Rurik has received the favor of God, Rurik and his descendants will naturally be the hereditary leader in the future. Is it still possible?
Is there a better arrangement than this?
"I will appoint Rurik to an important position." Otto announced in a rich voice: "I will appoint him to the official position of war chief."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar!
Rurik was shocked, and then felt relieved. As expected, he was not the leader yet. He always solved many affairs on behalf of the leader. It was just the responsibility of the "imperial envoy".
Serving as the "war chief" of the tribe is basically the third-ranking figure in the tribe (the second is the high priest). As long as the big leader does not make new arrangements, this position will be extended indefinitely.
For example, Harold Johnson, who often takes on important tasks, is the "war chief". Theoretically, if the leader of the tribe dies in battle, the "war chief" is more likely to be elected as the new "big chief".
Theoretically, this is the case. Nowadays, the Russian system of selecting leaders, everyone can see that it has clearly begun to "family the world".
Upon hearing this arrangement, the person who expressed the most intense reaction was Arik, because this young man was waiting for Otto to arrange for him to be the "war chief" at this meeting. This is the position of a military commander, and the person who wins this position will
Have the right to lead the tribe's warriors in battle.
Arik was shocked: "Big Chief, do you plan to let your brother... let him lead the troops to fight now?"
Otto did not explain on the spot, nor did he appease the suspicious Rurik.
"What? Isn't it possible?"
"But he is only eight years old! Chief, do you object to my idea and just want your younger brother to participate? This... is really too early for him."