Deep in the Rossburg fjord, the stream has frozen, but is still trickling under the ice.
A pine forest is targeted, and a new town will rise here.
People carrying large axes and two-man saws began to work, clearing the vegetation very violently.
The ground was shaking, and pine trees covered with snow and ice collapsed one after another. The fallen trunks were tied with cables and pulled to the ice immediately, and were pulled away by waiting reindeer and ponies.
Although they are small trees, they are suitable for making general building materials and ship accessories. The wood processed from these logs will first be used in the construction of "Russian Duma", but the most critical beam materials need to be taken from further north.
Giant spruce.
During the short day, nearly a thousand strong men wielded tools. On the first day alone, more than 500 pine trees were cut down. How dazzling was the bare tree stump in the sunset?
Rurik stayed at the construction site with a group of followers. He did not personally go into battle at all. In other words, as a duke, what is the point of doing physical work in person other than to show off and impress himself?
It was here that he supervised the work, not specifically of the logging builders, but of as many as eighty captured Mercian women.
He was also the captured old priest of Lindsay Abbey. This old guy was wrapped in furs and was holding a large cross tied with hemp rope on the snow. He was full of words of comfort to these women.
Twenty large pottery pots and ten large iron pots were set up on the snow. The women moved their hands and poured a large amount of wheat and oats into the pots and pots, as well as a pile of chopped yellow carrots, onions, seal meat and
Simple seal fat, they were ordered to cook a delicious meal with this ingredient.
Almost three women are responsible for one wok or pot, and their task is only to cook, and the reward is the day's meal.
The cold air was gradually filled with strange fragrance, and the people who were busy cutting down trees were drooling with greed.
Encouragement words spoken too often are boring, but a greasy meal is the most comforting thing.
Rurik was very willing to use materials, and in exchange, the brothers who worked hard for them were also enthusiastic.
The soft light of the setting sun turns the silvery world into orange!
Rurik watched helplessly as a forest suddenly disappeared. Looking at the group of strong men, especially the mercenaries who were ordered to cut down the trees, many of them simply took off their leather clothes and swayed with sweat in the snow with their arms full of golden hair.
This is of course a very dangerous thing, and some people must not even know that they lose their body temperature so much.
Fortunately, the daytime hours are limited, and although they can still work at night, the working time given to them will not be very long, and there should probably not be a few people taking risks to work.
The leather drum was beating after work, and they returned with their tools and hurriedly dug out their own delicious meals in their big wooden bowls.
People sat on the snow, holding a bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, ferociously devouring the thick porridge mixed with grains, vegetables, fat and salt.
Their fatigue is actually written on their faces, and their workload is also amazing, which is reflected in their ferocious eating.
Many people stuffed their stomachs with food, and they were very satisfied after eating.
At this moment, Rurik deliberately ordered the drum to be beaten again, and someone shouted: "The Duke is giving money!"
Rurik, who was covered in fur, was sitting upright in the sunset, with a low table in front of him and an open cloth bag placed on it.
As soon as they heard that they had money, those people hurriedly ate from the wooden bowls, licked the wheat grains, and ran over happily.
Just as Rurik promised, workers are paid on a daily basis. The Duke does not give free compensation to workers based on their status. Mercenaries, natives of Rus, permanent immigrants to Malaren, etc. all receive one silver coin.
.
They took the money and ran away happily. Many people even ran all the way east to collect their homes.
Overtime work? Overtime work is not allowed. Staying at the construction site in the cold at night is not a way to die. If the Duke wants to stay, then he can stay. Brothers, they have to go back and rest.
"You... run so fast..."
Rurik couldn't complain, so he let them leave unless he paid overtime.
But given the current climate conditions, working overtime is also full of dangers.
Just as the sun was setting, a group of people pulling sleds appeared like an army of emperor penguins.
Those are the so-called female miners of Tavastia who are under supervision, and other free miners...
They soon parted ways after walking out of the mountains. The real female miners moved their steps and smelled the fragrance of wheat and came to the wheat that was still being cooked. They wiped their hands and faces with snow and held their own wooden bowls to receive the Russian food.
Reward, and then feast on the spot.
"These lambs... are so pitiful!" Old Pastor Lindsay watched helplessly. He felt that Duke Ross's move was merciful, but he hoped that everyone here, regardless of gender, old or young, would convert to the sacred faith.
Like the departed Frankish regional bishop Eskil, these clergy saw it as their mission to spread the faith.
The old pastor wanted to take action, hoping to develop all these black-haired women into believers.
Of course, he also spared no effort to try to influence Rurik, but ultimately failed.
Their current status is that of slave labor in a practical sense.
Rurik and Jevlo, who was ordered to supervise the work, were eating by the campfire, so they naturally talked about these women.
"Are they working seriously?"
"certainly."
"I don't quite believe it." Rurik was indeed a little skeptical.
Yevluo patted his chest and said with a smile: "I took some measures. Sir, they are all afraid of death, so I pulled out the lazy ones and took off their leather clothes in public..."
"Ah!" Rurik was shocked and couldn't believe that Yevlo would do this. "They are women who are going to be handed over to the Balmok people. You can't do this..."
"Are you worried that I would humiliate them? I didn't do that. But the cold will freeze people to death, so I used this to warn them that the price of laziness is freezing to death."
"Then they were completely compliant?"
"Exactly."
Jevro looked proud, and Rurik didn't question anything.
"Today is the first day of work. Killing the proud ones among them is not a bad thing. I am more concerned about their results."
Jevro thought for a while, "You should ask the blacksmiths accompanying you about this. In my opinion, they are women after all. They seemed to be so weak that they almost starved to death some time ago. Their achievements are very limited, and they are not worth the wheat they only have now."
Rurik shrugged: "It doesn't matter. They will become stronger through labor, so they will not die on the way to Balmok."
Night has fallen, and the well-fed women are still sitting on the ground, and the high-carbohydrate, high-fat and high-salt food continues to keep them entertained. They are all wrapped in leather clothes and don't know what else they have planned for the evening.
At this moment, only a group of Rurik's elite mercenaries are left on the construction site. They bring tools to cut firewood on the spot, or repair new wood piles in order to smash them into the ground tomorrow. There are also guys who have eaten enough to hold pickaxes.
Axes and shovels dug themselves into the earth to create the foundations for the walls…
After a while, mercenaries with weapons gathered, and the frightened Tavastian women who were on standby gathered one after another.
They almost instinctively felt that even if they were exhausted now, they would have to please these tough and strong men again before they would be let go.
Of course something tragic cannot happen.
Rurik had just talked with the blacksmith who was the supervisor. Due to the thermal expansion and contraction mining technique, the work of these women basically consisted of breaking the large ore into small pieces and then transporting it to the sled with bare hands.
, and finally pulled out the heavy sled.
For really strong men, these tasks are not very tiring, but for these women it is a kind of torture.
The blacksmith's disdain was written on his face. However, due to his humble status, he had no intention of questioning Rurik himself. The blacksmith was very pleased that Lord Rurik was not dissatisfied with the amount of ore excavated.
Seeing that Rurik was in a good mood, he approached the group of women and shouted loudly in ancient Finnish: "You have done a good job, let's continue tomorrow! You should leave immediately after finishing your meal. I order you to go to the warehouse and rest."
Is this the release order? They are still terrified, all because Yevro really punished a few disobedient people in the mine, causing the entire group to fear that they would be deliberately frozen to death.
Seeing that they didn't go back, Rurik had to order the mercenaries to drive them away.
No, they pulled the sleigh and rushed to Fort Ross, which was not far away.
Late at night, a large number of bonfires were lit at the construction site, and the light of the fire was clearly visible in the three-story "palace" in Rurik.
Roseburg was very rare and lively at night. The women unloaded a large amount of ore at the blacksmiths' mansion, and another group of free miners also came with the ore.
The Tavastian female miners hurried back to the warm warehouse to sleep after unloading the ore, leaving a group of Russians who had doubts about the price of ore arguing with the Russian blacksmiths, which caused some noise.
Rurik was on the third floor. The wooden window was opened a crack, and he happened to see the light of the fire in the distance.
Not only is the light from the construction site deep in the fjord, but there is also fire on the eastern ice surface. It is a senior angler who drills holes for night fishing, relying on the phototaxis of fish to catch fish in winter.
There was a soft sound of footsteps, and Rurik pricked up his ears.
"who is it?"
"It's me, Mary..."
"It's time for you to sleep. According to the rules, I have to accompany Rumia tonight."
"Yes. But there is something..."
Mary walked directly towards Rurik, half of her eyes illuminated by the cold moonlight. She grabbed Rurik's hand and put it against her belly.
"You? Have it?" Rurik was surprised.
"Yes, even if I am unclean, the child must be yours."
Rurik suppressed his inner surprise and asked again: "Does everyone else know?"
"Only Rumia knows. I told her that this child will have the power of Mercia and will not interfere with other people's heirs. She...she blessed me."
"I wish you the same. Are you sure this is a boy?"
"For a boy like you, it must be like this. I asked Lindsay's pastor and that John Ingvar, and they all said this is my destiny."
A boy? Rurik laughed out loud, he really wanted it.
"Can you think of a name for the child?"
"Yes, it's called regraf."
This name? It's clearly a reference to Wiglaf. Rurik still doesn't know whether the dead Wiglaf is Mary's cheap father. Anyway, he was the failed king of Mercia. Mary gave birth to a successor named Reglaf.
, according to the inheritance system of the British kingdoms, if the prince dies, the princess's heirs have legitimate rights of inheritance.
Regraf's original meaning is "the returning noble", and his name contains his destiny.
"What a good name. You must give me a boy named Reglaf!" After saying that, Rurik patted Mary's cheek again, and her affectionate look aroused interest again.
However, as the first Sea King of Ross, and even the Sea King in every sense, Rurik gave all his love to his first woman, Rumia, that night.
The first daughter Velika is already eating liquid food. As the destined successor to the high priest, she does not have the right to be weak. Even though the weaning process was a bit cruel, Rumia was very worried as a mother, but she still made up her mind, just because
The daughter inherited the will of the old priest Vilia, and her perseverance must be cultivated from an early age.
Although it was quite sudden, after this night, Rumia felt that her second child was not far away.
She enjoyed the process and subconsciously thought that it would be perfect if the new child was a boy. He would be an outstanding boy who would fight for his father.
In this era, the number of people determines the strength of a country. Ordinary people in the Principality of Rus don't think much about it. They simply believe that as long as the number of their children is large, and the children will either work or fight in the future, their wealth will definitely increase.
The more you come, the more comfortable your life becomes.
What's more, the Duke has kept everyone in the dark!
People really don't think much. What men and women see is that when a child reaches the age of six, he can be sent to the Duke for training and learning. Not only will he gain physical fitness and knowledge, but the most important thing is that the Duke is responsible for the child's food.
The level makes everyone envious!
The Duke already had eighteen named wives and concubines, and had a child at the age of thirteen. The Duke had ensured the food of the children under his command for several years. The Duke also raised the orphans of all the heroes who died in the war.
All signs indicate that the Duke encouraged the people to seize the opportunity to have children. Now that a large amount of wealth and materials are hoarded in Roseburg, people no longer worry about being unable to raise many children due to poverty.
Why should we worry? When the children are six years old, the Duke will help raise them. Of course, we must repay this kind of national favor, and how to repay it is naturally subject to the Duke's arrangements.
What will happen to the children when they grow up? After eating the Duke's food, of course, they will open up the land for the Duke, expedition, and will always win. Ordinary Russians don't have big ambitions. They just follow the decision of their hero king, so what they have to do now is the right thing.
It is to seize the time to be happy with your wife.
Many young people in Russia no longer have wives, and strategies such as polygamy, which Frank regarded as barbaric and absurd, have become popular in Russia.
The old pastor Lindsay criticized this as a barbaric behavior of the Vikings.
So what? This is the most correct way for Russia to accumulate strength due to its population explosion. Because the fathers of the children born are all Russians, and the children will naturally identify themselves after they are born, and tens of thousands of people will turn to Russia.
Men and women were born.
Rurik estimated that in Rossburg alone, there were more than 3,000 fertile women. Taking into account the young women living in other areas, it was theoretically feasible for the women of the Principality of Ross to give birth to 5,000 people a year.
Humans are not beasts. He conservatively estimates that there will be an explosion of 3,000 babies a year, and there will only be more in the future. Coupled with the much better health conditions and greatly improved living standards than before, the child mortality rate has also plummeted.
.
This is such a huge mouth of the abyss. If the local steel industry in Roseburg cannot make a significant improvement, tens of thousands of children in the future will impoverish the principality.
There is no crisis yet, so it is indeed a far-sighted move to gather huge financial resources for construction.
So before Hanukkah, all the work was carried out smoothly, and there were no accidents during the period. If there were any, it would be that a logger was accidentally injured by a fallen tree trunk.
Hanukkah is not far away, and sunshine every day has become extremely rare.
A forest disappears, and a fence rises from the ground! Within the fence, a large number of solid wood-carved frames have been constructed.
In essence, they are slave workers, free miners, and even some guest merchants and other idle craftsmen. They are not picky about the efficiency of obtaining money. These people are mining and transporting back, and they just built a building in the industrial zone of Fort Ross.
Mountain of minerals!
As for the ignorant guy who dug up a pile of granite, these stones were immediately bought by the blacksmiths' union.
This group of senior blacksmiths are already taking advantage of the trend to build large-scale stone buildings.
The environment is bitingly cold, but the 10,000 men, women, and children living in Roseburg are extremely hot inside.
The days are extremely short, but business activities are quite lively. Mr. Ross, who earned money by selling his labor, immediately started trading to exchange for daily necessities to improve his life. By night, the couple was busy creating new life, and their life was full of hope.
So this Hanukkah, let’s build a giant wooden tower on the frozen coast.
All Russians, allied peoples, Slavic and Finnish wives living in Rosberg, should watch a great show of fire.
In the "sunless day", use the fire tower as the sun, and finally see the first ray of sunshine in the east in the new year.
Hanukkah is tomorrow!
The busy people of all kinds stopped all work, and even the female miners of Tavastia took a holiday.
Without him, pure darkness is about to fall. When the stars reach the correct position, the already erected wooden tower will burst into flames...