A stocky cargo ship rode the strong south wind and headed north. A wooden shed was built on the ship, and some wooden boards were pieced together to form a deck to isolate the cargo. A distinguished old woman was sitting here.
Niya has long since lost her beauty. She gave birth to her youngest son Rurik at a very high age, which took huge risks for herself.
After discussing with her husband Otto, she gave the name Rurik. How to explain the meaning of the name "Rurik"? It does mean "making the tribe strong again". That's what Otto thought. It's like those
The ancient memories engraved on the priest's wooden board show that the Rus were very powerful in the past.
Niya had her own thoughts as a woman, and in her understanding, her son's name clearly meant "Get the Baby Again" to commemorate the two dead sons and her ardent hope for the only son who was still alive.
The youngest son was loved by the gods. Niya's trip was to see the northern settlement built under the leadership of the youngest son and whose purpose was to smelt and forge iron tools.
The long voyage made people feel a little bored. In fact, she hadn't gone on a long sea voyage for a long time.
"Anna, get me some water."
"Yes, Master." The Britton maid calmly took Niya's glass and poured the boiled pine needle water with honey from the bronze pot.
The boat was shaking a bit, but fortunately the glass was cleverly designed.
Niya's dry lips were moistened, and her anxious mood was relieved.
She drank enough water and handed the cup to the servant. With just a glance, her eyes noticed the wooden cross hanging around the servant's neck.
"Ha! What a strange belief. I don't know that my son is the one chosen by the gods."
Niya didn't want to say anything more. The merchants bought the Britten women from the market in Mälaren last year. They all had some strange ideas. They just needed to give them a small house where they could perform rituals every day, and then set up a stick and
There was a small wooden stick lying horizontally in the middle of the sticks. After performing the ceremony, they could serve with peace of mind. Niya was a little disgusted but did not stop it.
The surrounding scenery is always the same, and under the wooden planks he steps on, there are a lot of freshly caught fish and some salted fish. Now, multiple transport ships are trying their best to rush to the north as fast as possible.
In order to deliver this pile of herring and cod to the buyer Rurik before the fresh fish spoils.
"How far is it?" Niya muttered impatiently.
"Dear Master, we will arrive tomorrow morning." The captain, who had a beard but was thin, complimented.
"Am I still going to spend the night on the boat?"
"No. We will rest on shore."
Hearing this, Niya's impatience intensified, "Can't it be faster?"
The captain was also in a dilemma: "Master, our boat has no oars. We completely rely on the wind, but there is no wind at night, and..."
The captain also wanted to say that night navigation would be a disaster. Niya waved her hand and refused to listen to anything more.
Even though Ross's ships always have an adventurous spirit, insisting on sailing at night without superb navigation skills is tantamount to courting death. Night sailing is a kind of adventure. If the purpose of the ship is to make a surprise attack at night, there is nothing wrong with night sailing. But it only transports a lot of daily necessities.
For ships, it is better to be cautious.
For more than a day, the fish meat did begin to deteriorate slightly for the fish caught in a relatively low temperature state.
But it doesn't matter, the Russians are forced to live a life of helplessness, and all of them can tolerate this mild odor.
This night, Niya spent the night on the shore.
She was dressed in fine linen and soft ferret fur, and her accessories were gold, silver, gems, or even colored glass beads.
The clothes of the Britton maids were much simpler, just blue-gray cloth. Their simplicity further highlighted the nobility of the master's family.
But in terms of resting on the shore, the leader's wife Niya, like most of the crew, lived in their own tents, listening to the waves and falling asleep on the coast of a small island.
She never thought that she would be able to experience such a thing at her age. She felt that she had become a lonely woman in the vast land and waves of the sea. She could not reach her destination immediately and hold her son in her arms.
The next day, the voyage continued.
Niya was not happy about her sleep on the shore. She did not get a good rest after the fatigue of traveling and traveling, and she sat in the boat again and felt listless.
Until the captain roared a melodious call.
"Helmsman! Ahead is the shore! Let's go east!"
All the ships began to turn around. Niya stood up immediately when she saw a situation. She lay on the fence of the ship's hull and looked into the distance.
"Are we almost here?" she asked.
"It will be fine soon, Master. When you see a brand-new city, it is our Ironburg."
"Oh, then I'm looking forward to it."
Niya's interest was finally aroused, and her eyes curiously looked at the same coastline.
Soon, her fleet encountered a small Russian fishing boat, and it was only then that she realized that her destination was really coming.
This area used to be a deserted land, but now it is gradually becoming more humane.
Her full expectations soon bore exciting results.
"What's going on in front? That river mouth, is that a wooden wall?" Niya opened her eyes wide to see more clearly, but she was old after all.
The captain standing at the bow of the ship looked excited. He pointed to the wooden wall: "Master Rurik is on the shore! Master! We are about to dock, please be prepared."
"Oh! Then you really need to make some preparations." Niya's withered face finally forced a smile.
The river beach that was once full of mud and pebbles was slightly cleaned up by Rurik's men. Some wooden piles were driven into the river mud. With these wooden piles, a pier paved with thick wooden boards was put in that could accommodate eight ships.
By using the ships that come and go in this way, their unloading becomes more convenient, and the settlement's utilization rate of foreign materials is higher.
It can be said that no one realized the need to build a pier.
Rurik gave the order and took out some silver coins and copper coins as reward.
Not only was the pier built, but a road from the pier to the wooden wall of Elon Orava Fort, made of wooden boards embedded in the sand and gravel, was assembled in just two days, so that people who landed on the beach no longer had to worry about wet boots.
.
A sturdy cargo ship, its big sail is really eye-catching.
Rurik, who got up early, likes to supervise the work of the blacksmiths the most during these days, especially supervising the men of the Kewen tribe to see if they are studying and improving their blacksmithing skills.
Rurik also intends to supervise the newly built second waterwheel. Different from the first one, the brand new waterwheel has a smaller wheel, and the two hammers set up are not hammering sponge iron.
Instead, knock the oat grains inside the stone.
Based on the current conditions, Rurik is not yet able to develop a practical watermill grinding disc system. His purpose is to obtain roughly processed oats, so that subsequent cooking becomes efficient and the eater can enjoy better
Absorb its nutrients. For the traditional stone mortar to pound oat flour, it is turned into a waterwheel and hammer to pound. Of course, the efficiency is not great, and the waterwheel is tireless.
Rurik already knew that his mother was coming to visit, probably within the next two or three days.
He understands very well what is "the best gift for parents"? It is for their children to stand in front of them healthy and healthy.
Rurik thought of a countermeasure.
The working people all have their own tasks. In order to get a little reward from Rurik and to get Mingyu, everyone works very hard. It is precisely because of this factor that the settlement can be built at an extremely fast speed. In this regard
Rurik had some insights. What stimulated them to work hard was not only the honor of "working for those blessed by Odin", but also the fact that he not only gave them a good meal, but also a little money.
"Is there a leader who is more sage than me under Purola?" Rurik was actually a little complacent.
Of course he is proud of his strong financial resources.
Nowadays, ferrochrome and chromium steel tools produced in large quantities are sold at different prices, and the daily output value has reached the level of nearly two thousand silver coins. The premise is of course that all ferrochrome tools can be sold at high prices.
In short, no matter what the sales volume will be in the future, Rurik can't care so much. He feels that he must take advantage of the short warm period to mass-produce in order to obtain greater profits in the future.
Rurik also made an economic calculation for himself. The value of various materials consumed by the entire settlement every day may be around three hundred to four hundred silver coins for the time being, which is much less than the initial consumption.
To feed a large number of men who do an astonishing amount of physical labor, food consumes the largest amount of money.
Finally, the virtuous economic cycle is on the right track.
A mercenary hurried over to watch the scene of a water tanker pounding oat kernels. The aroma of wheat filling the air made him intoxicated.
"Sir, the big leader's wife, your mother, she has finally arrived."
"Finally here?!" Rurik turned around instantly, his face full of joy.
After a while, Rurik tried his best to gather a group of his cronies and formed a mighty team towards the dock.
At the same time, the docked cargo ship put down the wooden planks, and Niya, with the help of the maid, finally boarded the destination. She couldn't help but marvel at the road paved with wooden planks under her feet.
"It's incredible. Who came up with the idea? To pave the road with planks?"
Someone hurriedly replied: "That's your son."
"Is it really him? He is indeed my son."
Niya didn't notice Rurik's figure for the time being. She raised her head to observe the spectacular scene in the sun.
What is surrounded by the wall must be Iron Fort, oh, it should be called Iron Orava Fort.
In terms of appearance alone, Niya feels its solidity and the strong sense of security brought by its wooden walls and towers, which is essentially different from the more open settlement of Roseburg.
"Let's go, servants, let's move forward." Niya shook her neck lightly. She estimated that her son was already inside the wall. She estimated that with her son's character, he should repair a beautiful house as a ceremony.
, where guests are received, is also a comfortable bedroom.
She hadn't gone far when the warm south wind blew on her face. From the corner of her eyes, she noticed a group of people walking towards the riverside building not far away.
Youdao had a clear understanding. She turned her head slightly and suddenly saw her son who had been away for a long time.
Suddenly, a mother's instinct prompted her to drive her old body like crazy, get off the boardwalk, and run wildly on the relatively moist gravel ground.
Soon, Rurik was hugged by his mother, and she held her tightly in her arms...
No words can compare to this hug, and Niya was satisfied at this moment. She was very shocked that Rurik actually built a city, but everything she had was not as important as her son.
Only when Rurik complained that he was being held too tightly did Niya relax her hand, but she still kissed Rurik's forehead several times.
"Mom, are you satisfied?"
Rurik's question made Niya a little embarrassed. What could she say?
"Satisfaction, I am only satisfied if I hold you in my arms. What do you think?"
"Okay." Rurik shrugged, "Maybe I should apologize. I was focused on the construction of the settlement. I haven't returned to my hometown for more than a month. I should have visited you earlier."
"It's okay." Niya pinched her son's smiling face, showing the tenderness of a mother: "I'm here, and I see that you are very healthy. Well, your women are also very healthy."
Carlotta and Ella affectionately called Niya "Mom" and naturally received a warm hug from Niya.
Saipolava, the little girl from the Iron Squirrel Tribe, is still a little dull and cautious. For this reason, she failed to get Niya's intimacy. Of course, Niya can't be intimate with such an outsider. In fact, Niya treats her son's first servant.
Rumia, I can't say how intimate she is.
Rurik's ambition is naturally to build a "huge Rus". However, most real Rus people understand the concept of "Russ" as a tribe with only a few thousand people. A few people want to build a large Rus.
The Ross tribe is the leader of the alliance, and some tribes that serve as slaves are also commanded. This is the highest ambition.
It cannot be said that they are stupid, it is just because they lack a larger view of the situation. Most Russians firmly believe that the Kovin people are slaves of Rurik himself, and the Kovin people who surrendered also positioned themselves in this way.
As everyone knows, after living together for more than a month, Rurik saw the cooperation of these residents of the Kovin Steel Squirrel tribe and their compliance with his own performance. He felt that he had conquered their souls. In this way, these Kovin people could no longer say
They are slaves, but they are tribesmen and clansmen.
He thinks so, but Niya doesn't think so.
Therefore, when Rurik took her to visit his great masterpiece next, Niya marveled at the soundness and safety of the wooden walls built in the settlement, the thick, spacious and numerous wooden houses, and the various buildings for various living purposes that were also built, but she found it difficult to accept it.
The Kovin people can walk around freely under their noses, or in other words, around Rurik.
They don't know their slaves?
Niya's thoughts were just suppressed in her heart. She didn't want to interfere with any of Rurik's actions. Then she thought about it. Rurik allowed his slaves to move around as they pleased, so there must be something else hidden.
Rurik was anxious to show his mother what he had accomplished, especially by showing her around his comfortable wooden house inside the wooden walls.
The light in the room was a bit dim. The wooden window was opened, and the room was finally bright.
In this wooden house, Niya found a little feeling of going home. After all, the current Russian wooden house construction model has been biased towards the more efficient Novgorod wood carving.
Niya sat on the head of the bed, sitting on the sheets made of soft leathered white bear skin.
She recognized that this was a bearskin, and she even knew about it and brought it back from her hometown. How her son got it is self-explanatory.
Then she thought about it, her son was sleeping on a bearskin, what a heroic warrior he was!
Niya has been visiting for a while, and she is the most distinguished guest. Now, she is staying in the bedroom of her son's residence, with her son and "adopted daughters".
"I am very happy that you have built many houses. Ironburg is the most beautiful settlement I have ever seen. There are many houses here. I think even the humblest slaves live in warm wooden houses. Rurik, you must also
Give your slave many things."
Rurik immediately affirmed: "That is natural. If the slaves are hungry, who will give me a job if they starve to death?"
"That's true, but I noticed that you were too kind to them. Especially the Corvin people. I saw those steaming saunas, and you actually allowed them to build this."
"Huh? Is there anything strange about this?"
"Of course it's strange! You actually built it inside the wooden wall. Bathing is a private matter. Now, you..."
Rurik didn't think there was anything wrong. He consciously understood the reason for Niya's displeasure. "Maybe I should build some wooden houses outside the wooden walls for cleaning myself. It doesn't matter. I ask them to finish their work every day."
Work to clean your body. We Russians all jump into the river with soap. Those Covin people like to sit in the sauna for a while and then go to the river with soap. Now, many of our Russian warriors also
I think Kewen’s cleaning method is better.”
"That's just a man. Rurik, you must prepare a place for me to cleanse, like our Roseburg."
"Huh? Mom, actually you hope."
"Yes." Niya chuckled, "My son, this is unlucky. I was standing in a pile of fish all the way. I want to clean myself, and I want to clean you with my own hands. Just like when I was a child, I
You take a bath like that. And for the rest of the night, just stay here." After saying this, Niya patted the bed with a smile: "My son, you must accompany me tonight. I have decided that I will stay here for a few days.
You must stay with me every night."
"Okay." Rurik did not reject it. He just asked: "What about the situation in Fort Ross? Dad and the others may be coming back."
"That's also his business." Niya continued to say with a smile. "Your father has a big job for men. He will not be in any danger. He can handle everything. Rurik, I am satisfied as long as you are here.
."
Rurik smiled awkwardly. He thought for a while. Maybe his mother staying here could stimulate the enthusiasm of the tribe for construction. It could also be interpreted as a hint to other tribesmen that the chief family attaches great importance to Ironburg in the north.