Rurik was a little worried about the future. It was undeniable that the Russian army did go on a killing spree on Gotland. The army did not want to fight a rout from the beginning, and they did not intend to turn around and leave without asking for ransom.
Adhering to Clausewitz's philosophy, Gotland was washed away like a swarm of insects by the Russian army. The island's population was not large, and it is now almost a no-man's land.
Not necessarily, a new group of immigrants lived in the ruins of Visby. The survivors of the old Gotlanders fled into the woods, and the Mälaren immigrants occupied the living space.
The huge Ross fleet left Gould Island almost in the freezing cold.
On the lake covered with thin ice floes, a group of large ships gathered together, and the huge triangular sails raised showed the might of the Russians.
Every cargo ship is packed to the brim, and the Russians have purchased more food and vegetables than ever before. With a population of over 10,000, they will surely have an extremely comfortable winter.
Some people are happy while others are worried. For the ordinary people of the Melalen tribe, they have been full of joy in the past year, looking forward to a good harvest, and hoping to share some dividends from victory in the war.
They died in the battle, the wheat was taken away by the powerful, and they lost their lives and wealth. Their sadness and anger continued to ferment in the cold wind. But King Karl was not in a good mood at all. He stood on the shore and watched Panda Ross off.
As the fleet left, I watched with extreme anxiety a group of local merchants following the Russians as they left.
"Such a powerful fleet. The Avora, such a big ship! Unfortunately, if I also have such a fleet, I don't have to worry about who dares to covet my throne. I can also directly go south to destroy the Danish army..."
It is very realistic that organizing such a fleet requires a lot of money.
The Russians became the final big winners in the entire warm season war. They had already made a lot of money through trade in the previous years, and now they were plundering a lot and becoming richer.
He sighed and didn't care too much, because of the rebel forces within the tribe that were ready to move, and the rising Bjorn had become the most deadly threat. It was unlikely that the Danes could reach Lake Mälaren in one go.
En and others had the ability to assemble a group of armed farmers and knock down the wooden walls of their homes.
"We have to find a way to get rid of them! I have to do it first."
The Russian fleet moved further and further away, gradually disappearing among the tens of thousands of small islands and sandbanks at the mouth of the lake.
The cold wind was as sharp as a knife, and Karl called his lack of ability followers back with a sad mood.
He is brewing a plan, a plan similar to the Hongmen Banquet, to behead the leaders of big families and kill all the doubters with this violent method. It seems that only this can ensure the stability of his identity as king.
…
The Ross fleet arrived at Tombstone Island and some supplies were unloaded, especially the key wheat? This was to ensure that this stronghold could survive the long winter safely.
Not so long ago, was the Åland Islands an uninhabited land? A large number of offshore reefs made it full of dangers.
The Russians took possession of this place, and a trading post and military fortress were built. It became a sea pass into the Gulf of Bothnia.
After Tombstone Island is the huge Gulf of Bothnia? Even with the cold wind, there are still a group of herring fishing boats scattered on the sea.
There are Russian fishing boats everywhere? The soldiers temporarily withdrawn their armor and resumed active operations as fishermen. They tied blue and white strips of cloth on the top of the masts of the fishing boats to identify themselves.
The massive Ross fleet is back!
The huge Avora is the pride of the people? She leads all the ships and rides the turbulent waves against the north wind in the north wind.
She is an unsinkable warrior in the ice sea and an elegant Valkyrie. The Ross flag flying on the mast attracts nearby fishing boats to come closer.
The return voyage is entirely under Rurik's control. Although the waves have become rough, any fully loaded ship is rising and falling in the waves.
The structure of the cargo ship was extremely solid, and the deck design blocked most of the seawater from splashing in. There were a group of people in the cabin, the women and children of Mälaren who had passively immigrated, and they were "dying" from the constant vomiting.
The multi-day voyage came to fruition. A stone hill appeared in the distance? As the fleet approached, the stone hill turned into a stone mountain range.
Rossburg is in the fjord under this stone mountain? The boulders block most of the cold wind, and the fjord is the best shelter.
All the cargo ships docked smoothly at the trestle pier? People on the shore hurriedly took over the cables and firmly fixed the ships? Then the cargo was moved nervously and orderly.
Are the merchant ships following? They rushed directly to the sandy beach as usual and deliberately ran aground? The people on the boat disembarked with the cables, knocked out wooden piles on the sandy ground and tied them to the cables to secure the long ship.
For the local residents of Roseburg, the return of the huge commercial fleet means that the end of the warm period has completely ended.
The north wind seemed to be getting stronger day by day. It was like a knife, forcing people working outdoors to cover their bodies with leather.
To the great relief of the people, as a large amount of grain was transported to the warehouse, the Duke soon set up a market to openly sell the latest wheat.
It is still the old rule. The Ruos people bring steel-stamped wooden vouchers and silver coins issued in advance to buy wheat. They have to be restricted by the purchase restriction order. Once the wheat they buy is eaten, they can only wait until the next month to clear the market.
Open and continue to buy cheap food from the Duke.
Rurik established the "grain-based constitution" of the Principality of Ross, and at least in Rossburg this policy must be implemented stably for a long time. One silver coin is exchanged for ten pounds of wheat, and the price will always be this regardless of good years or bad years.
Rurik used mythical stories to explain his nobility and the legitimacy of his rule, and used the most basic economic measures to stabilize people's hearts.
Rus' warriors were civilians during peacetime, and the rope-girdle backpacks made of burlap used in battle have now become excellent food sacks.
They happily returned home carrying a sack of wheat, so that their newly married wives and concubines could share a feast of wheat porridge that night.
Silver coins only make sense if they are exchanged for the daily necessities that soldiers need most. For the most ordinary warriors, participating in the war is equivalent to meritorious service. Meritorious service means receiving a large amount of silver coins, and everyone can exchange silver coins for wheat. The Duke is fair,
The amount of wheat that each person can redeem each month is limited. They hold the newly cooked wheat porridge in earthenware bowls and look forward to the Duke's new war order.
Otto finally enjoyed the long-lost peace. He lay on his warm bed at home, thinking that he had completely defeated the Gotlanders and that his life was complete.
He turned into a puddle of mud for a moment, looking forward to the newly arrived ordinary ale being continuously distilled into spirits, and then enjoying it himself.
But my son Rurik, this kid’s energy seems to have no limit!
The days were getting shorter and shorter, and the temperature continued to drop. The north wind blew the sky into a deep blue. In this cold state, Rurik did not leave his young men idle.
The boys and girls who went to war told their friends who stayed in their hometown about the battle, and the victory stimulated them to howl and scream.
They don't seem to know the horror of war, they only know the joy after victory?
Rurik no longer cares, because most of these children are people who deserve to die. What is humanity? Giving the weak a bite of food and a piece of clothing to keep out the cold is the greatest humanity in this barbaric era.
Most of them died as a result of the war or natural disasters, which resulted in the death of their parents.
They were also lucky. Rurik believed that he was a great benefactor. He not only provided them with food, clothing and shelter, but also promised them a bright future.
The children from Mälaren immediately joined the group as they got off the boat. The number of boys and girls aged six and under twelve in Rossburg immediately exceeded one thousand.
Facts have proven that in ten years a thousand children will definitely become the brave soldiers of the Principality of Ross. People naturally have doubts about the strength of female warriors, but no one will deny that their participation in the war will bring very positive effects.
.
It’s just that before they grow up, the cost of supporting them is almost paid by the Duke of Ross!
And this is just the beginning!
Because those Slavic women who were married in the past few years, as well as women obtained through other channels, their childbirth is equivalent to completely becoming Russians recognized by their tribe. This group, together with the local women of the Russians, has changed as their living conditions have improved.
In order to improve, they are desperately trying to have children.
There are almost no automatic machines in this era. The operation of the country relies entirely on manpower. The size of the population greatly determines the upper limit of a powerful power.
Rurik, who returned to his hometown, seemed to Otto to be very busy indeed. He had to have an estimate of the population directly controlled by the Rus' Principality. He had not yet conducted a detailed census, but he had basically figured out the population structure of the Principality.
Currently, there is a group of children with a population of 2,000 in the four strongholds of Roseburg, Ellenburg, New Roseburg and Tombstone Island under the Principality of Rose. Looking forward to the long term, this group will still be there in the next ten years.
It will expand rapidly.
After all, during the conquest of Gotland, most of the mature men in Russia were given at least two young women. Based on his understanding of men, Rurik was completely convinced that these women would all be pregnant next spring.
After giving birth to a boy or a girl, Rurik planned to give a small reward to express the Duke's attention emotionally.
When these children grow up, they can no longer be left alone as they were in the past. The elites of the principality must take care of them, both men and women, to regulate their daily lives and provide education.
The distant stronghold of Rurik cannot be well controlled for the time being, such as Konuson, who is responsible for the construction of the city of New Roseburg. This person's behavior is simply the "Governor of New Roseburg".
Rurik gave his children a very simple order, that is, to go to a remote place to cut trees on a large scale, and to organize a group of self-proclaimed boys to dig iron ore in the stone mountains.
How much food does a child need for a day? Rurik estimated that half a pound of oats and a pound of fish a day for a long boy would be enough, while a girl would need even less. He was so stipulated, but what is the reality? Just
Such an extreme level of food is much better than before!
In the past, none of the children of the Rus tribe were hungry and full. Rurik asked himself, and he was even forced to eat very unpalatable shark meat to survive. There was no way, the Rus people in the past would eat anything, until now.
Only when their condition improves will they be qualified to say no to some weird foods.
Even if there were three thousand children, Rurik could raise them until they reached adulthood at the age of twelve with his own financial resources.
There is no concept of "children" in this era, only "non-adults". No matter how young children are, they are a kind of labor force, and Rurik needs them to work as hard as they can.
Just exercise in logging and mining! Just practice martial arts in woodland hunting!
It was already the end of October, the clear sky was gone, and dark clouds were covering the whole world like a blanket.
In fact, at this time, the fjord where Fort Ross is located has been covered with a thin layer of ice, and those who went out to fish have completely finished their operations.
In particular, most of the people who went to the Aylon River (Kemi River) and the Oulu River to fish for salmon have returned with boatloads of salmon and bass that were as frozen as sticks.
Everyone knows that it is going to snow, and the world will completely change after this snowfall.
Before the snowfall, the whole world had already fallen below freezing point. People no longer worried that the stored food would spoil. Outside the fisherman's house, a large number of frozen fish with their guts disemboweled were piled up like bricks. Indoors, it was thick and thick.
A large amount of cured meats, bacon, vegetables and wheat purchased in limited quantities from the Duke were hung in the wooden storage room.
They didn't have to worry about the lack of firewood for their fireplaces, because the children under Rurik's command completely destroyed a pine forest not far from Roseburg with axes and double saws! Even children could control it.
After acquiring new tools, they will become the craziest loggers. They produce a large amount of firewood, which is used as heating fuel in their dormitories and sold to various Ross families to earn a small amount of money to support their lives.
Even if a large number of people suddenly entered Roseburg, the various buildings can indeed accommodate so many people, but everyone has to squeeze in for daily rest.
The snow finally fell!
First there were snowflakes, then endless snowflakes. Large clusters of snowflakes quickly attached to everything in the north wind. Although everyone didn't like it, a bad snowstorm hit the entire Nordic world!
A cold current from the Arctic penetrated through the geographical gap between the central mountains of Scandinavia and the Murmansk Highlands. It directly swept across the Russians' Elon-Olava Fort, and then swept through Rossburg. Next,
It is the entire Gulf of Bothnia, Lake Mälaren, the entire Svealand Plain, and finally rushes directly to the Rhine River, and its remaining power is blocked by the towering Alps.
Trapped in the blizzard, Liurik was naturally worried about the safety of other residents of Roseburg. Unfortunately, the wind outside was like a tomahawk, and the air was so cold that it seemed to freeze everything.
"Maybe the temperature at night is already minus 20 degrees. It's cold in the Nordic world, but fortunately it's really warm in Mukoleng." Rurik can only place his hope in the large-scale construction projects that have taken place throughout Rossburg in the past few years.
A large number of wood carvings can replace the traditional mud wood longhouse and bring ultimate warmth.
Those craftsmen who were rewarded for their military exploits and made money followed the trend and built new houses. Thick logs were stacked with mortise and tenon, covered with a layer of moss soil on the outside, and then a layer of logs was stacked, with matching stone fireplaces and stone masonry
Chimneys make heating comfortable.
It took a lot of effort to build this kind of house. Fortunately, the Russians simply helped each other, and the strongest men had their houses completely renovated.
As for the people who still live in the old houses, they...
Although this is cruel, a group of poor and weak people are likely to die in their sleep on a cold night. They are all elderly people. During the warm period, Rurik required these old people to work hard and get a little reward for life extension.
There was really nothing he could do about the current snowstorm.
No one will complain or even feel sorry for this.
Thunder is Thor's divine power, then the blizzard is the test sent by Odin! Those who cannot withstand the test will naturally freeze to death.
The cold wind whistled outside, and snow had already covered the thick doors. A large number of people wrapped in animal skins were crowded into each wooden cellar. They had no choice but to get out before the snowstorm ended.
This snow can't last for a month, right?
Rurik believed that when the snow stopped it would already be November in the Julian calendar, and that there would probably be a second snowstorm.
In a warm and calm room, Rurik gathered with his family and the closest women.
Rumia, Carlotta, Ella, and Saipolava surrounded Rurik, and they, Otto, and Niya sat around the square table in front of the fireplace.
As if hiding in a safe cave, they have forgotten time. Life has become extremely boring, and Rurik has no choice but to do something related to mathematics to let his women develop their IQs.
Of course, this year is just like previous years, and some very critical things still need to be discussed.
In the warm home, Rurik and Otto had already discussed the formal resettlement method for the captured people.
It is necessary to increase immigration to New Roseburg. Some of the native men in their prime must take their families to move to the warmer New Roseburg and open up new farmland to settle.
Especially for those debt slaves, the Duke of Ross controls the creditor's rights and has the right to arrange their future. Almost all of those debt slaves are women and their children, and they must all immigrate to New Rossburg. As for marrying a new husband, Rurik remembered
A group of 400 Slavic men betrayed their own farm and moved to New Roseburg. They had already made meritorious service in the war. Perhaps just a few silver coins and iron tools were too little, so they were rewarded with a group of Varyag women.
Isn’t it wonderful to be a wife?
But the price is that generations must pay agricultural taxes and accept military conscription.
Otto did not object to these plans of Rurik, but he did not explicitly support them either. This was because Otto was quite irritable now. The spirits were still being distilled, but due to the extreme outdoor climate, the wine could not be transported.
Otto was still worried about one thing: "Rurik, when the snow stops, we have to go to Ironburg."
"Winter hunting, I understand! We'll make another fortune doing it, and we'll have all the wood."
"Not just these. There are also merchants from Balmok. Maybe they are already staying in the warm house of Ironburg."
Balmok people?! Rurik slapped his forehead and suddenly remembered the business trip of the Balmok tribe of Norwegian visitors from Narvik Port.
"Their salt is very good, we should fully trade with them. There is also a new batch of mast wood. The quality of the northern fir is excellent. I was originally worried that the mast of the Avora was fragile, but now it seems that I have more
Think about it. There are still two large ships that have completed the hull construction, and only one mast is missing!"
Otto smiled: "I am indeed very concerned about this matter. Haha, next year we will have three Auroras."
"No! One of them has been named the Gouldot, and she was built at Gould's expense. The name of the other is yet to be determined."
"Oh, you have to think of a good name then." Otto subconsciously looked at the closed air door again and patted his old face that was heated by the bonfire: "The Kovin people from Ellenburg, and the Kovin people from the Oulu River.
Literati, they have all completed their tribute. Now I just want to go hunting bears again. Listen, the warriors in bearskin actually scared Karl. It seems we need to organize a berserker in bearskin."
"It's not difficult." Rurik shrugged. He was reminded by his father, and he had a strong idea of hunting bears in his heart.
The snowstorm also ended on November 3rd of the Julian calendar, and it has been raging in Roseburg for more than a week!
The world has changed as a result, because the water in the Gulf of Bodnia has completely frozen, and ice packs bulging due to sea surface tension have suddenly appeared.