Chapter 389 Avrolla is facing the boiling Roseburg with her peace
For those merchants, the taxes or equivalent goods collected at once amounted to three hundred and thirty pounds of silver.
Rurik "invented" the concept of commercial tax a year ago in the spring. At that time, Otto thought that he could reasonably extract so much money from merchants in a year. Coupled with the taxes provided by Gould, this year Ross
The fort's tax revenue amounted to more than four hundred pounds of silver coins.
Naturally, the silver coins from the tax will continue to be stored. The leather used in lieu of the tax was all sold by Rurik to Vodegen, who owns a tailoring workshop. Rurik ordered a batch of clothes, and he did not have to pay a single penny.
The labor fee of copper coins is because Fo Degen's labor is offset by taxes. This is a profit for the Fo Degen family at this stage, which completely stimulates this guy's fighting spirit.
In Rurik's view, Vodgen's workshop is like a lamb, which does not need to be shaved before it grows up.
Otto was very happy to receive a large amount of tax money, and the white silver coins made him give up his previous worries.
Want to continue spending huge sums of money to build big ships? Then just keep building them!
From now on, some taxes will be raised every year to let those merchants take the money and let them pay for the Russian ships.
Otto took it for granted that the merchants were big fat sheep. He did not encounter any setbacks in this regard and did not know that he could not be too ruthless.
At this stage, Rurik does not have any worries about the tax system, and tax increases and reductions are not the main issue. The population controlled by the Ross tribe is too small, and its strength is certainly limited, but it has to manage such a "city-state"
It's well organized and the cost is actually not that big.
Do the Russians really need those foreign merchants?
Rurik's soul is still oriental. After some self-examination, he may still have some small farmer ideas in his heart, but he also has a big commune idea.
Ask yourself, what are all your efforts for?
In the final analysis, it is not to ensure that the Ross tribe can control all the lifeblood of its survival. Including the original intention of building large ships, it is also to ensure the efficiency and safety of material transportation in various settlements.
In Novgorod, the local Slavs spontaneously formed more than a dozen communes and farms with a population of more than a thousand people. In the East, the Kovin people also formed clan tribes of hundreds of people based on kinship.
As for the Russian people, they have been migrating north for more than half a century. For a long time, everyone has lived in groups.
Rurik made a judgment. He felt that the Rus' people did not need merchants from other tribes to participate in the commodity trade. The Rus' people had the right to rule the trade of all goods in the northern gulf, either occupying them all, or giving some concessions to 90% of them.
share.
The Russians do not need other tribal merchants to compete for their living space unless they swear to join the Russians.
Now that the tribe has built multiple settlements throughout the Baltic Sea, the Rus are completely able to build an internal trade system, a high-level trade system governed by tribal leaders. In this way, the lifeline of all survival materials is firmly controlled by the Rus leader himself.
Control and scheduling.
Power? Centralization?
The tribal council system that was negotiated in the past also needs to be changed.
In the harsh natural conditions of Northern and Eastern Europe, people need a hero. Rurik wants to be a great hero, but he has already tasted the power of his hands, and he longs for more.
So if we really squeeze those foreign merchants and scare them away from coming to trade, I'm afraid it won't do any harm to the Russians. For foreign trade, the Russians can just organize their own fleets. Right now, the tribes in the alliance need to maintain harmony.
The Ross tribe shouldn't do everything right.
The goals of Otto and Rurik are obviously highly unified. They just want money. If Otto has the instinct to be greedy for money, then Rurik wants to continue making money and build a strong military strength for the Russians. At present, the Russians can
Not to attack others on a large scale, but must have the ability to withstand the attack of the Danish army.
As the strongest combat force that the Russians currently have, the launch of the sailboat Avlora will serve as the prelude to the start of this year's trade season!
The Great Sailing Ceremony is about to begin, and Otto has made some arrangements before that.
This year's Sorgon voyage is still the top priority for the tribe, and Otto entrusts the task to Arik and Kawe. These two men will not just leave with hundreds of brothers, they also need to take their wives and children with them.
The first batch of Novgorod women to marry, the mixed-race children they gave birth to were almost one year old. Children of this age can already withstand the wind and waves of the sea. The children really have to participate in this game for the first time in their lives.
During the Sorgon voyage, they must prove to their leader that they are still strong Russians even with the blood of Novgorod by being safe and sound.
This year, the fleet is not simply asking for tribute. Novgorod people must provide tribute as usual. Otto optimistically estimates that when they see their daughter visiting relatives with her children, they will definitely provide more tribute in person.
To my uncle.
After collecting the tribute, Arikdan led his strong tribesmen to continue building New Roseburg.
Therefore, on the occasion of New Roseburg, the blacksmith Kawei will play an important role, that is, he will work hard to train a group of new blacksmiths in the local area. As long as conditions permit, he will build a group of furnaces and even look for local ores.
Arik was destined to be absent from the alliance's leaders' meeting, which made him quite regretful.
The order was issued by the big leader, what else can be done?
The younger brother is the truly noble person. Only he can inherit the position of leader and only he can participate in the alliance.
…
A warm southerly wind began to blow from the sea, and it poured into the east-west Rossberg Fjord, bringing comfort to everyone.
There are still some ice floes floating in the sea, but they no longer pose any threat.
Look, the once silvery world is now rapidly rejuvenating. Large-scale snow melting has made the world quite wet.
Roseburg is back to life, as evidenced by the wildly growing grass. Lo and behold, the reindeer herds are back after winter grazing. The deer herders did not stop. They started spring grazing around Roseburg. April is also the reindeer calving season.
, reindeer calves were born one after another, and the herd expanded rapidly within a week.
The large-scale calving of reindeer is a good sign. In the same month, some Russian babies were also born.
Now, people are looking forward to the perfect conclusion of a grand sacrifice, and then thousands of boats will sail into the sea.
The grand sacrificial ceremony is today!
Just because of the careful preparations in the past few days, the thawed bay has already changed its appearance. For example, the sand and gravel land has been cleaned up. Not only has it become flatter, a large number of cylindrical pine trees have been laid on it, forming a
A road leading to the sea. This so-called road is quite special because at its end, it faces a steep slope in the fjord, where the depth of the water drops sharply.
People with smart minds have already understood that this road is the sea road connected by the Avora.
Look, the big ship has already hung up her huge sails. Even if the sails are temporarily tied to the astonishing length of the inclined beams, the way she spreads the sails will be very beautiful. People have also noticed that the ship has added
One detail is that she added a foremast (used to fix the cables, and the bow sail was not installed for the time being), and a wooden sculpture was inlaid under the mast. It was not a ferocious monster, but the image of a girl in a skirt.
Even if the wood carving is very rough, it cannot be associated with words such as terrifying and majestic.
Many people wanted to know why, so Gould simply replaced Rurik to publicize the reason.
The wood carving is a lucky female elf, and the elf's name is "Aphlora". This explanation touches people's hearts directly. All people who are eager to go to sea are extremely eager for luck, and they must pray for a big sacrifice in order to get
Good luck on the sea voyage.
The Great Sailing Sacrifice is sometimes combined with the Spring Sacrifice. This year, it is special that a ship as big as the sea is involved, so more sacrifices are required for this sacrificial event.
The purpose of sacrificing animals is to stabilize people's hearts. Rurik also spent a lot of money this time. He intended to sacrifice ten reindeer to Odin, Frey, Thor, and even the sea god Agil.
Early in the morning, the entire Roseburg residents, wearing thick clothes, crowded to the beach. The total number of people exceeded 6,000.
A group of Ross people have moved to the new settlement, and only those with outstanding strength are left as merchants. These 6,000 people are basically the entire population of Rossburg, and those infants are still unable to show their existence.
A wooden altar stands on the seaside. It is surrounded by a large number of stones that form the shape of a ship as usual. Next to it is the road made of pine wood, where the ship was finally launched.
High Priest Vilia showed off her braided silver hair. She sat on the sedan chair and didn't want to say much, but her heart was excited.
She could say that she had chosen someone. Even though this Rumia was a deer herder, this girl was indeed spared her life by Odin, and she was the perfect candidate for the new generation of high priest hinted by God.
Rumia is indeed very ambitious. This year she will host the most important ritual of the year for the Rus people, and she is fully prepared.
On the altar side, there are more than two hundred little girls from Russia. They wear simple linen gowns and their belts are tied with a hemp rope. They all wear wreaths woven from the latest sprouting wild flowers on their heads. The most gorgeous ones are
The ten Slavic maids of Rurik not only have gold and silver nameplates, but also the flower crowns they wear are hung with colored glass beads.
Unlike other girls, these ten slaves will participate as priests.
On the other side, as many as thirty cables were thrown down from under the ship.
The entire ship is fixed by cables, but it is really too heavy. Even the pine trees on the ground are smeared with seal oil. It is not possible for dozens of people to pull it.
There are thirty cables, and each cable can be divided into several more cables so that multiple people can pull one rope.
How many trackers will there be? Otto waved his hand, three hundred people!
Now, they have taken action!
The Russians take it for granted that they can push the boat ashore when it is not in use. They do not think pushing the boat is a big problem, and even if it takes some effort, it is worth it.
They never imagined that one day three hundred brothers would have to work together to pull a large ship into the sea.
The Avora, with its flat bottom, tilted slightly to port and slid slowly on the pine logs.
Thousands of people watching the excitement collectively cheered the movement of the big ship, making the entire fjord fall into a long roar. Only the trackers remained silent.
Three hundred people pull a ship with a displacement of fifty tons. With the lubrication of grease, pulling is no longer difficult, but it is not easy either.
Rurik and Otto had been walking at the head of the team and watched the movement of the ship nervously. There were also a group of people around the big ship. They were shipbuilders and a group of warriors carrying wooden stakes. They said that if the ship accidentally rolled over, they would
It is necessary to insert the stakes as soon as possible to avoid trouble.
Fortunately, the Russians had rich experience in towing ships and had the ability to form formations during the war. The pace of the three hundred people was highly unified. Even if they did not say a word, the ship still moved at a steady speed and moved to the altar in full view of everyone.
.
The ship arrived at her correct position. Lumia, who was wearing a deer-horned helmet, tried hard to raise her head, which was heavier than ever. She stood directly in front of the oak keel of the ship, feeling her own insignificance and the greatness of the ship.
The switch is like a dream.
She fell into an indescribable daze. Rurik, dressed in a costume, hurried over and grabbed her hand: "The big ship has arrived. Rumia, it's your turn."
"Yes, it is."
"You? Are you shocked?" Rurik laughed softly.
"This is a big ship, so huge."
"Then let her get into the water as soon as possible. Rumia, complete your mission. The clan members and Grandma Vilia are watching you."
Yes, six thousand pairs of eyes were focused on the big ship and the altar. Rumia was undoubtedly the star of the entire tribe, because everyone knew that the high priest had essentially changed. A deer herder girl was also worthy of being a Rus.
High Priest, is God's authorization true? Most people still believe that seeing is believing. Only if she does a good job in setting sail this time will people really recognize her.
Rumia is a little afraid of giant objects. This is the first time in her life that she has seen such a big ship, and she is sincerely happy for its owner.
"Can we start now?" Rurik urged.
"Okay, let's get started."
Rumia supported her heavy helmet and stood upright. Seeing this, Rurik left wisely and waited for the ceremony to proceed step by step.
The noisy scene quickly quieted down because of the children's singing. The girls in plain clothes and flower crowns were using their ethereal singing voices to enhance the sanctity of the sacrifice.
Some of the songs are traditional Russian folk songs, but in terms of beauty, they do not move Rurik.
There is only one song, "Turbulent Youth", which Rurik himself deliberately gave to the children to sing. This song is catchy and quite inspirational. Rurik modified the lyrics to suit local conditions, and it became
It is a hymn that urges young people in Ross to work hard and be successful. In the lyrics, for example, "turbulence" becomes "challenge", and "my heart is looking towards the distance" becomes "my heart is thinking about the wealth in the distance".
Those middle-aged people will all die, and the future of the tribe needs all young people and children. Rurik really knows that it is too early to set some great goals for them. They expand and they fight for wealth and praise from others. For example, this time
The purpose of the Great Sacrifice is to make everyone feel at ease on the road to pursuing wealth.
The children's songs made everyone very happy, and some even sang along and filled in some weird words and pictures for fun.
The ballad was the prelude to the sacrifice. Otto, who was watching the grand event with a group of soldiers, couldn't help but secretly admire his son's ability to create a scene.
Many items in the sacrifice were simply major changes made by Rurik after listening to the preliminary arrangements of the priests. Rumia listened to him the most and continued to act according to the script.
A girl in plain robes stood high on the altar, and she sang ancient prayers fluently. She sang praises to the gods, and also to the ancestors of Russia.
She prayed for God's blessing, not only for the safety of all ships during this year's trade season, but also for the safety of large ships.
"Gods! Please accept your son as a tribute on behalf of all the people of Russia." Rumia opened her arms, and her body couldn't stop shaking because the antlered helmet was too heavy. People who were closer to the altar,
Subconsciously, he felt that a mysterious force was penetrating his entire body.
In this rare opportunity for the whole clan, Rurik relied on the words of the high priest to confirm his identity as the "Son of God". He used to be the so-called "child blessed by Odin", but now his status is more advanced.
After speaking, Rumia trembled violently, and then fell directly to the altar. Her unexpected behavior instantly caused an uproar among the tribesmen.
She stood up slowly and shouted at the top of her lungs: "Kneel down! Odin is asking for his sacrifice."
Thousands of people knelt down without any doubt. Ordinary people knelt on their knees, and soldiers knelt down on one knee. The gentle sunshine spread on people's backs, and they felt warm and sacred.
.
Rurik was also shocked by such a scene. He saw his father also kneeling on one knee, and many people's eyes were staring at him, the "Son of God."
With a metallic buzzing sound, Rurik pulled out his dagger and walked straight into the Stone Ship Altar.
The older lower-level priests covered the deer's eyes with cloth and forced them all to the ground.
Rurik was also unambiguous. He was ruthless and stabbed the backs of the deer's necks one by one, killing them instantly, and then cut off their blood vessels.
The deer's blood dyed the altar red and even flowed to the sea.
Under everyone's thrilling gaze, Rumia Yin Hong raised a piece of deer liver with both hands and announced in public: The direction of blood vessels is auspicious.
All this is inevitable, and everyone needs an auspicious answer that no one can question.
Rumia slowly put the deer liver into the bronze tray. She glanced at Rurik, nodded deeply, raised her right arm, and showed her scissor hands.
The people who had been prepared for a long time finally saw a signal from the high priest. A roar came from nowhere, and the three hundred strong men pulling the boat began a new action.
Everyone realized that the big ship was finally entering the sea. No, a road was immediately opened on the beach.
Some strong men were still pulling the rope, and more men were as strong as bulls. Fifty or sixty people worked together to hold a thick pine log.
There were two pine logs against the stern of the ship. Everyone worked together, dragging and pushing, and finally pushed the Aurora to a critical position.
"Brothers! The big ship has been launched! Let's evacuate quickly!" It was Huotra, the shipbuilder, who roared the loudest in his old voice.
All the strong men hurriedly dodge, because the big ship was like a slide, slamming into the sea on the sloping road covered with grease-covered pine trees.
The big ship stirred up unprecedented waves, which were probably six meters high, but it was a great relief to the onlookers near the shore.
Six thousand pairs of eyes saw that when the sea calmed down slightly, the big ship was shaking violently from side to side, and gradually returned to calm.
The Avora finally entered the sea and finally floated in the Rossburg fjord. There was no possibility of her capsizing or sinking, and she even slowly drifted toward the depths of the bay due to inertia.
Fortunately, the strong men on the shore pulled the ropes and completely tamed the big ship.
People cheered and got excited. The shipbuilders burst into tears in excitement, and some breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that they had created a great existence.
Rurik, as soon as he finished washing his hands, he was hugged by Carlotta and Ella and cheered, but the corners of his mouth were only slightly raised.
This is indeed a scene worthy of cheering, but it is only the beginning.
The ship was moving, and the person pulling the rope gradually pointed the bow of the ship toward the coast.
The recently carved "wooden girl" on the bow of the ship is the soul of the Aurora, and she is also a lucky elf that everyone wants to believe exists. Aurora is facing the boiling Rossburg with her peace...