Chapter 288 Ross's children! To the turbulent distance
The waves return and the sea ice melts.
Some ice floes are still floating up and down, don't worry, they are no longer dangerous. Even before the big sacrifice has been carried out, the Russian fishermen have begun fishing in the ocean, and a large number of fresh fish have appeared in the revived fish market.
Want to eat last year’s smoked fish again? There’s no need to.
Those merchants who paid the tax did not leave Rossburg immediately. The sea is ruthless, and any voyage is risky. It is common for merchant ships to travel together, and ship owners are also superstitious.
Everyone is looking forward to the sacrifices of the Russians, and everyone knows that when the sacrifices are over, the Russian tribute fleet will set sail.
Year after year, the caravan followed the Ross fleet, which was the most perfect escort.
Everyone is waiting for the good omen given by the priest. This good omen that everyone longs for can only be revealed to everyone when the reindeer's liver is cut open on the altar.
The sacrificial event was held as scheduled, and the location was on the beach.
Listening to the sound of the waves, all the Rus people gathered to watch the sacrifice. A large number of young people showed off their strong muscles and clenched the ropes that pulled the boat with both hands. On this day, all the young and strong men were gathered, and they would use their whole bodies to carry out the ceremony.
With such force, the ships dragged to the shore were dragged back to the sea.
Before the sacrifice, Rurik led his young men to perform a good show for the tribesmen.
"Left! Right! Left!"
"Left! Right! Left!"
…
Rurik, who stood at the head of the team, kept shouting slogans, and several of his proud subordinates were also responsible for giving orders to the teams behind them.
There are more than 300 children, they have boyfriends and girlfriends, they are wearing highly uniform clothes, and the "weapons" in their hands are also highly uniform.
The boys held wooden shields in their left hands and wooden swords in their right hands.
The girls' quivers made of burlap were hung from the hemp ropes around their waists, with five arrows inserted in each. They held their own stringed short wooden bows with both hands. According to Rurik's taste, they held the bows uniformly.
The posture is like holding a firearm.
Rurik even wanted them to raise a flag, but he couldn't think of a flag that could represent his own power. Could he use the "oar" totem printed on the sails of the Russians as a flag? Maybe.
But we are all Russians after all, so maybe we need a more appropriate flag.
There were no flag bearers, no drummers, and no trumpet players. Even so, Rurik led his troops on the beach in neat steps, completely becoming a beautiful sight. As he expected, the child's parents were all there
I am happy that my children can join this great team.
Completely based on the intuition of the warrior concept, the warriors of the tribe saw what it means to be strong from this uniformity.
There is a square formation for boys and a square formation for girls. They are arranged on both sides of the altar.
They are completely the guardians of the sacred sacrifices!
Rurik put on a simple off-white linen gown, and put down his golden ponytail. A hemp rope was tied around his head, and a belt was tied around his waist.
It was entirely because Rurik heard the ridicule that he was a "very beautiful boy". If this is the case, then let's really show off the so-called "pretty"!
He was dressed a bit like a girl, except that the belt tied his waist showed what it means to be handsome.
Rurik was clean, and his bright golden hair looked like strands of white gold under the soft light of the rising sun.
The ten little maids from Novgorod also served as junior priests.
Even the little Kovin girl Lumi who followed Lumia.
In a sense, priestly activities have become very strange. Most of the key priests are not native Rus. They are indeed serving as priests, but their true identity is Rurik's.
servant.
Given this reason, no one thinks there is anything wrong with this year's priests.
In the final analysis, the Russian priests express an attitude to the great god Odin and pray for peace and victory.
The eyes of the tribe are sharp. The normal priest has evolved into a ritual for Rurik to communicate with his "Heavenly Father". The people watching are always lacking in conversational skills. They watch the ongoing ceremony and keep whispering to each other.
The tribesmen compared the three hundred children guarding the altar to the "heroic warriors of Valhalla" and the dozen young priestesses to the "Valkyries". Undoubtedly, the people holding steel swords were
Rurik, who beheaded and cut open the reindeer's sacrificial belly, was "Odin" in a sense. Under the strong sense of ritual, the Russians were proud of their identity.
In particular, some businessmen who were watching the grand event were communicating. Although the Ross people forced themselves to pay a so-called tax, it seemed that the Ross leader was not obsessed with money. The Ross people were the most god-revering beings in the entire alliance, and they held sacrifices.
Their pomp far surpasses that of the powerful Melalen people.
Some businessmen made their own judgments in shock - the Russians worshiped gods, so they would also pay more attention to contracts.
Among the onlookers, there are also some sneaky eyes.
It was a detailed work sent by Olegin, the leader of Mälaren, disguised as a businessman. They remembered the true situation of the Russian people in their minds. They also wrote down everything about the Russian people's northern hunting and eastward expedition. They also wrote down everything.
There are some magical weapons, courtesy of Chief Rus.
The most important thing is Rurik, the future leader of the Russians.
Seeing the beautiful boy cutting the deer's neck without hesitation and calmly taking out the liver, the craftsmen couldn't help but be nervous. After all, they were just spectators, and they didn't expose themselves. They just silently recorded everything they heard and then returned.
Mellaren reported to their master.
Some of the rituals of the sacrifice were carried out in an orderly manner, and they ended with Rumia obeying the orders of the high priest Vilia and announcing in her high and sharp voice that the sacrifice had received auspicious omens.
It is as if Rurik asked God for a blessing. In the next year, those who receive the blessing will be safe across the sea.
A large number of ships rushed to be pulled into the sea. Starting from May 10, the stagnant ocean trade resumed.
Rossberg's business practices have completely recovered like the thawing sea.
People throughout the settlement took action and started their work according to the established plan.
In an orderly manner, on the third day after the sacrifice, Otto led a team of up to 700 people and took up to 30 ships to start the route to Novgorod. Among them
, there are actually only three hundred real warriors, and the rest are either the tribesmen of Novorosberg who decided to immigrate to the mouth of the Neva River, or the Novgorod women who returned to their parents' home with their husbands to visit their relatives with their newborn children in their arms.
Otto kept his promise, and the women were grateful for the leader's integrity. With a strong sense of pride, they hugged the mixed-race children they gave birth to and set out on the blue route with some production tools that would be useful to their parents' families.
Naturally, they were followed by a large army of merchants, among whom the fleet of the great merchant Gould was the most critical.
This time, Gould carried a large amount of rare goods among all the goods he carried. There were as many as two hundred pieces of glassware of various forms. They were beautiful containers, and the target customer was Melalen.
of rich people.
In addition, there were as many as 10,000 pieces of soap. In recognition of Gould's activeness in paying taxes, Rurik deliberately lowered the price of soap. All soaps were deliberately made into a Roman pound.
, these soaps for external sale do not contain sulfur powder, but are just saponified seal oil. It is relatively simple to give this product recognition, and the price given by Rurik is only one silver coin.
Of course, compared to its actual cost, Rurik still made a lot of money. In fact, he also gave Gould a big profit. The final price of this batch of soap will depend on Gould's ability.
Rurik's thoughts on this matter are relatively simple. Perhaps due to the limitations of the times, he cannot properly formulate a tax rate, let alone hope to organize a special team in an instant to audit businessmen's accounts and combat tax evasion.
He just thought that when Gould made enough money in the new trading season, he would lead others to extort money.
Gould, who went south, of course also shouldered many missions assigned by Rurik. The most important thing was to continue to collect those beggars and bankrupt farmers living in the dark streets of Mälaren. Rurik's own request
This old guy went to try to win over all the people in the tribes in the south who felt that life was too difficult to survive, and asked them to sign a contract and move to the Rus.
What is the simplest solution to the arrangement of this kind of people? The settlements in the north, the settlements in the east, there will always be a need for labor! As long as they can work and decide to follow the leader of Ross, the pragmatic leader of Ross and his son are very interested in their
I don't care much about my identity.
As many as 4,000 people left Fort Ross in just one day. At one time, the population of the settlement exceeded 8,000. After a short period of extreme excitement, it quickly fell into a trough.
Isn't it? Most of those who went out to work hard left, and those who stayed behind were also temporarily left behind.
In 830 AD, Rossburg was destined to become extraordinary. She would surely enter the moment when the number of residents was the lowest in history. It was not that the population was declining, it was simply because the Ross people spread the construction stalls too big, making the mother city no longer.
No matter how powerful it becomes, it will temporarily degenerate into an ordinary small Nordic tribe.
Because after Otto and the fleet that followed him left, six more ships left the fjord in a very special way.
Those were six dragon-headed warships! The bows of the ships were all equipped with newly carved reliefs with lizard heads. The reliefs were also dipped in blue water boiled with blue lichen, making the reliefs also blue.
Arik led his crusade, and Jevro left his master temporarily and started a new war as Arik's general.
To be honest, Jevlo doesn't like Arik at all. The only reason is that this person seems to be too arrogant. It's not that Arik's attitude towards others is unreasonable. On the contrary, he doesn't even object to a Finn being his subordinate.
, because he really understands that on the battlefield, as long as you are in the same camp as your buddy, he is a brother. If you protect his back, he will also protect yours.
Aric did not regard the Gotlanders as a strong enemy at all, which made Jevro a little worried. Fortunately, this experienced mercenary had cutting-edge weapons in his hands. He trusted the crossbow developed by his master, and even more
A mercenary comrade who trusts him through life and death.
Two hundred probably the most elite Ross warriors rushed towards Tombstone Island with their infinite desire for victory, and then to the south of the Åland Islands where the island is located, towards the unknown battlefield.
Everything seemed to have returned to calm, but the clansmen left behind could not feel any peace at all.
The leader's house became quiet again. Niya was somewhat looking forward to the future, but when she thought about her precious son having to lead a group of tribesmen in a very unique capacity, and the servants who spoke the same language as Rumia
, to run towards the "unknown land" in the north, she thought of her two sons who died in infancy, but she realized that if Rurik could not experience such power, even if he had a noble status, he would not be able to completely convince the public.
Under the oil lamp, she sewed a snow fox fur coat for her son. Seeing her son sitting at the table in the hall of her home, Rurik murmuring something attentively, she felt that it was like a song, and she couldn't help but
Asked: "Are you ready?"
"Ah?" Rurik was stunned.
"I mean, are you ready for the expedition? You also want to select some children to follow you on the expedition. You are very bold."
Rurik did not look very excited, as if this was fate: "Of course I am ready. I know that you are very worried about me."
Niya's nose felt sore, and she wiped away her cheap tears.
At this time, the Carlotta sisters, who were busy sewing their own rabbit skin gloves with precious imported steel needles, came closer to the crying Niya.
"Mom, don't worry. We will take good care of Rurik. We Ostara people are not afraid of anything. We will not encounter any danger. We will build Ironburg well." Carlotta's comfort was not enough.
When it took effect, Niya cried even harder.
Her rough hands caressed Carlotta's little face. At this moment, she really regarded this little girl as her biological daughter.
In an instant, all the children in the already lively house left one after another. Only Rumia, the girl who served as the priest, would stay.
Rurik even took away the ten little maids from Novgorod and actually trained them as warriors, just like the Valkyries beside Odin.
Many children who were valued by her son had to participate in the operation. Niya didn't understand why her son had to select a large number of children to participate in it. Could it be that this was a kind of military training?
Niya's speculation was not explained, but this is the fact. Rurik wanted to lead a group of his subordinates to train them in the name of building Iron Castle to explore the value of the mine. In a sense, this is the literal meaning.
"Rothsburg Boy Scout Summer Camp". Of course, this so-called "summer camp" must be dangerous, otherwise Rurik would not be determined to bring thirty crossbows in one breath.
Rurik kept explaining his dream, especially emphasizing that after the development of Ironburg, the Ross tribe would have a steady supply of the highest quality iron. He even claimed: "In the future, my warriors will all wear chainmail. My warriors
In any battle, at most there will only be minor injuries, and no one will ever die in battle. This is the reason why I must dig for iron ore, and it is also my promise to the Covin people who surrender to us."
"I understand!" Niya cried with joy, "There is also that girl named Saipolava."
"And Taravis, that boy is the future leader of Ironburg that I have chosen."
Niya was surprised: "You believe him so much? He is from Kewen."
"No! He is my subordinate and my servant. But I am more willing to be a brother with him. I want those Kewen people, especially those Kewen children, to know that I am their most reliable leader."
Speaking of excitement, Rurik simply said: "Mom, do you know? I just made up a song."
"You...you can also make up songs?" Niya asked happily, "Did you just hum it?"
"Exactly! Now let me sing."
Rurik cleared his throat and stood up. Under the flame of the oil lamp, he sang softly in Norse.
always remembered by us,
is a great dream.
May my dear hometown be beautiful,
May Holy Rus be glorious.
Listen to the howling wind and snow and watch the aurora fly.
My soul calls to me,
Run towards the turbulent distance.
Even if there is difficulty after difficulty,
Nor can we retreat.
Let us become brothers,
We are full of strength.
Listen to the howling wind and snow and watch the aurora fly.
My soul calls to me,
Run towards the turbulent distance.
…
Rurik softly sang this famous song "Singing the Turbulent Youth" for which he changed some of the lyrics, but the core idea of course remained unchanged at all.
The melody of the song is beautiful and full of vitality, and it also has a touch of the deep feeling of the vast Eastern Europe. In his opinion, perhaps this song is the most suitable for the young people in Ross.
Yes, after all, this song was originally composed by the descendants of Ross in history, but its intention is even greater. It calls on young people to build their own country for the great and glorious ideal.
Niya was stunned, and Carlotta and Ella had smiles on their faces. Not only were the lyrics of this song full of hope, but also because it was sung by Rurik himself, the meaning became extraordinary.
"What? I can't sing well?" Rurik asked his mother deliberately.
Niya let out a long sigh of relief; "What you sang is so beautiful. No ballad is more mellow than it, and no ballad makes me happier than it. Rurik, just like your lyrics, you...
Do you want to be brothers with those Kewen people?"
Rurik was caught off guard by his mother's question, and without any hesitation, he said bluntly: "Yes! The Kovin people, deer herders, or other tribes conquered by me, as long as they surrender, they will all be Rus's.
I want to recruit those children as my subordinates, and I want to make them proud of being a member of the Ross tribe. And this song, I have decided that before I set off, all of my subordinates must be able to sing it!
"
Niya's thoughts are limited to this era, and her perspective is narrower than Otto's. She even instinctively feels that her son's dream is too idealistic. After all, he is her only son, and out of doting, she has to fully accept Liuli.
Gram's decision.
"I hope they can be your most loyal brothers."
Rurik responded decisively: "This time, I will lead the subjects of the Kovin people to build their new settlement. I just want to win their favor. From now on, those Kovin people will also be our warriors."
In this era of lack of entertainment, children's fighting and wrestling have become important entertainments. Nowadays, the oldest rugby sports, including robbing "leather dumplings", and archery competitions, are important entertainments for children.
They are never born purely aggressive, and they also have the pursuit of literature and art in their hearts. Boys and girls will spontaneously sing some songs, so-called folk songs.
The folk songs of the Russian people are long, and they seem to correspond to the vast land after winter. The songs are long, ethereal, and even a little cold.
Suddenly, Rurik's song "Singing the Turbulent Youth" quickly became a favorite for children to learn. Not only because Rurik took the lead in singing the song, but also because of its wonderful conception.
Even children, they know what kind of great journey they are about to embark on, and it is just the right time for this song to appear before their departure.
It is a hymn to the young people of Russia who went on an expedition!
It is also a hymn to dreams.
The children no longer think that their goals in life are just to get rich and get married. They treat each other as brothers. Our higher ideal is not just to achieve our own happiness, but to work hard to make the Ross tribe stronger.
In an instant, the rush to the north to build Ironburg was ramped up.
The children finally ushered in their first "great career" in life.