People came out of the forest with their stone axes to chop down big trees, and a small number of iron axes and knives to finish the wood.
Men and women use bows and drills to create flames, burn the reeds and foxtail grass everywhere at once, and regularly open up wasteland on the relatively humid wasteland beside the lake.
They work together to create new homes, just like their way of life in the forest.
They dug soil and buried it into pile foundations, and laid logs directly on top of them. They built a frame wooden shed around the pile foundations, wrapped the outer layer with moss and lake mud, and then affixed a layer of wood to the outermost layer. Straight pine trees
To make the beams, the herringbone roof was first laid with a layer of thin branches, and then a large amount of fresh reeds were piled up. Finally, some earth blocks were thrown in to fix it. A rough and warm wood-carved roof was finally built.
Most of the farm buildings in the forest are like this. As long as these people are given enough time, they can use the simple tools at hand to build a neat and tidy house.
However, compared with the powerful farms living by the lake, they have obvious disadvantages.
Many people have lice and fleas on their bodies, so the first thing most people do after arriving at the lake is actually take a bath.
Although they were old cloth and leather clothes, they could not give up these only means of covering up the cold. Clothes that could be soaked in water at will basically washed away the parasites, and the clothes were roasted on the fire, which solved the problem.
The women began to weave ropes from the vines they found, and the men not only used wooden plows to clear the land, but also tied up rafts and fished in the waters near the shore.
Some masters know how to fish with their bare hands and spread bait to attract fish. A large bass cruises here and tries to swallow the bait whole, but the fisherman who has been waiting for a long time quickly grabs the fish's mouth and pulls it out of the water to catch it.
The fishing nets used for fishing in streams also came in handy. Unlike fishing in forest streams, they began to catch big fish in Lake Ilmen. What was even more shocking was that it seemed that the big bass here could not be caught.
Absolutely.
At first, the New Slav immigrants who left the forest were very afraid of the Varangian ships cruising on the lake. The cocked keels at the bow and stern of the ships were the most obvious feature. The thought of these outsiders killing the overlord of the area, Pine Needle Manor, overnight
I am exhausted, fearing that something unexpected will happen to me too.
They were willing to believe in the safety guarantee offered by the Russians in Varyag. More importantly, when everyone realized that life on the lakeside was much better than before, no one was willing to escape back to the jungle.
With peaceful contact, neo-Slavic immigrants abandoned their past ideas almost instantly.
The Russians are tall and blond, and the fishermen all look very young, and they generally speak some Slavic.
Looking back on myself, both men and women are short in stature, and even men are on the thin side.
Life in the jungle is not good, and only about half of newborns can eventually live to the age of marriage. Even so, the so-called adult men generally can only barely reach about 160cm in stature due to poor food during the growth stage.
㎝. Their food almost only consists of oats and a small amount of rye. Their overall food reserves are not large, and meat is just a supplement.
Soldiers from the old Pine Needle Manor occasionally entered the forest for exploitation, but the villagers did not dare to resist. They had broken teeth and could only swallow silently and hand over the meager food.
Just a few years ago, the exploitation of Pine Needle Manor suddenly intensified, and the lives of the forest people became even more miserable.
What they actually don't know is that most of the Pine Needles Manor doesn't even bother to go into the forest to exploit poor people. It's all because of the exploitation of the Ross Conquerors, forcing the Pine Needle Manor to come up with ways to produce more oats to cope with it.
The villagers in the forest regard the hegemony of Pine Needle Manor as a natural disaster, but they have to guard against sneak attacks by evil bears. Those ferocious black-skinned beasts will regard farmers who cut firewood as prey, and the bears will even directly hunt them.
Children, if a bear breaks into the village, all the men will pick up stone spears to drive it away.
The poor environment of the forest means that people in the forest often encounter surprise attacks by bears. On the other hand, in the lakeside area, since the field of vision is wide enough and there are many flat areas, if a bear appears, people can detect it early.
The new home by the lake has fertile land and a pleasant climate. It seems that as long as the Russians become obedient citizens, they will only have a stable life in the future.
It is said that the biggest leader of the Rus people will arrive during the autumn harvest season, and all the people who have been forced to immigrate want to see what the conqueror looks like.
Is it really like what those so-called Novgorod soldiers said, that he was a blond boy, a young hero who received God's grace and instructions?
They did not dare to expect too much, because there were two major things at hand that had to be done. One was to wait for the right time to organize the village men to return to their hometowns to harvest wheat under the supervision of the Slavic warriors stationed in the Rus Principality, and the other was to continue construction.
The village endures the winter that will come in two months.
This kind of forest farm has no class differentiation. Those who are strong and wise are elected to the village. All production and life are done collaboratively by all male and female villagers. I don’t know where this way of life started, but the villagers think they can do this.
Live forever.
But the ship of the times has rushed over, and these newly emerged Slavic people have no independent choice. They must submit to the Rus' Principality and serve the Principality.
As many as eleven villages that were forced to immigrate connected with each other, and the leaders of each village secretly held some small meetings. No one proposed to oppose the new conquerors, they all just wanted to live their new lives, so-called
The purpose of the meeting is to delineate the scope of each other's lives and ensure that when opening up wasteland, they will not dig up soil on other people's sites.
A raft drifting on the lake encountered an approaching fleet!
In the eyes of fish farmers, the Avora-class sailing cruiser is simply a behemoth that transcends three perspectives and cannot be described in words.
All the working villagers saw the approach of the strange fleet, and what they remembered most vividly was the fluttering flags.
They recognized these flags, and the soldiers escorting them out of the dense forest showed off the flags with blue stripes on a white background.
The visitors were all Russian conquerors from afar, and many of them were planning how to meet the leader of the Russians who was about to disembark. No one felt danger, and curiosity overcame all fears.
It's just that those big ships are just floating near the shore, as if they just want to show their existence?
The sailors were ordered to maneuver the fleet to appear in front of the new immigrants' village. Each ship anchored in the early afternoon. Then all the sailors looked at the group of people gathered by the lake for a while, then they lay on the deck to bask in the sun and sleep.
Sleep.
The sailors had completed their mission. When the prince's land army arrived at the first Neo-Slavic village they encountered and received new orders, everyone weighed anchor and continued to cruise south along the east coast of the great lake.
Rurik was leading his army at the rear. After a long march, even the youngest warriors had sufficient physical fitness due to daily training. Moreover, they were on an armed parade this time and did not carry heavy weapons or armor at all.
Without heavy equipment, but with the assistance of horse-drawn carriages and deer carts, the army marched on the flat lake shore, and they soon reached their first destination.
"Everyone stop!" Rurik, the leader of the group, ordered the soldiers holding the horns to blow the horns to halt the entire army.
What happened? There are ruins of a village in the distance? There are also some scattered thatched houses. There are large mature fields here, and oat seeds have been sown on them, and the wheat seedlings are heading.
The young male and female warriors whispered, and then heard the orders of the entire team.
Arik and his two hundred veterans quickly stood up. These people looked at a large group of boys and girls who were also lining up quickly. They were happy and discussing with each other.
The four hundred children are indeed children, and the height of boys and girls should not be underestimated. Girls mostly carry short wooden bows and quivers on their waists. They also have a long-edged dagger for self-defense. Linen backpacks are stuffed with dry food, and there are also
Curly linen blankets. The boys were no longer armed as adults. There were large wooden bucklers hanging on the back of their backpacks, as if they were carrying turtle shells. Long swords, small hand axes, daggers, and a halberd were hung on their waists.
Serve as a marching guard.
Rurik gave another command: "Fisk! Get out!"
A young and strong soldier of sixteen years old held his helmet steady and hurried to Rurik.
"grown ups……"
"Everyone has expired? Is there anyone left behind along the way?"
"Not at all." After saying that, Fisk smiled honestly.
Everyone stands in a matrix. According to the rules, there is a "ship" of thirty people, which is a "platoon-level combat unit" in the Russian army. It is also the organization that can at least independently perform combat tasks in Rurik's plan.
He used this to reorganize everyone into neat "squares", and then inspected them to confirm that there were not many of them.
He cleared his throat. The sun was shining now, and the iron helmets and towering spearheads were shining brightly. This army was unspeakably powerful.
"Brothers! Do you know where this is?" Rurik shouted deliberately.
Everyone just watched the richly dressed prince walking around in front of everyone giving orders with his hands behind his back, and continued to listen to his spiel.
"There was a farm here, but they participated in the rebellion! The village was burned and the traitors were executed! The farmland here is still fertile, and I have asked other Slavs to sow wheat seeds. Look! The wheat is about to mature! I do want to
Taking you to scare the weak who left the forest is also a demonstration of our strength. But now, I want to announce another thing, I want to build a new settlement here! Mstisk cannot exist alone, the city
Another city is needed to take care of it. So, who will build this new city?"
Rurik's eyes had already glanced at Fisk, and he shouted again: "Fisk!"
"grown ups?!"
"I have decided that you and your young brothers and sisters will settle here! The young people of Ross will build a city of youth."
This decision is really beyond everyone's imagination. Although there has been news that everyone should survive independently when they are old enough, could it be that the time has come and the prince is determined to let go?!
The boys' concept of honor and disgrace determines that they are not willing to rely on the prince's support all the time. They are eager to make military exploits, work for the prince, and pay taxes to repay their debts.
Fisk's mood was a little chaotic. He asked weakly on behalf of everyone: "Sir? Do you mean to give this land full of wheat to...us?"
"How's it going? Aren't you satisfied yet?" Rurik smiled deliberately.
"Satisfied! Very satisfied! This favor is really great!"
"Of course! Not only will I give you the right to cultivate the land, but I will also give you a field of wheat for free. Fisk, you are already sixteen years old and are already qualified to be included in the first flag team. I saw in front of me
There is a young and strong army standing, and you should form a flag team yourself." At this point, Rurik couldn't help but pinch his fingers and think about it, "Well, you will be the sixth flag team. Or call it youth.
Flag Captain. Fisk, there is no one more suitable to be the flag captain than you."
Things developed very quickly, and Fisker realized that he had a great honor and an important and decisive responsibility on his shoulders.
He simply half-knelt in front of Rurik in public, and further swore his loyalty to the prince and his gratitude for the reward.
"Get up." Rurik said.
"As commanded."
Although Rurik is only fourteen years old, this rapidly growing body has basically taken on the shape of a strong man. Rurik still looks strong overall. As he grows, a lot of muscles can be attached to the bones, but now his body is relatively fluffy.
The clothes already make him look strong.
He looked straight at Fisk, who was two years older than him, and continued to order: "When we complete this tour, you will take your brothers and sisters to build a settlement here. I will provide you with various building materials, and also
Organize a group of Slavic construction masters to help you build houses. But when your life settles down, I will cut off the material rewards I will give you. Fisk, your childhood is over, I selected you because you are already adults."
Fisk hurriedly caught the words: "Yes! The real Ross warriors always open up new horizons on their own. We are very grateful to His Majesty the Prince for his kindness. In the future, we can only repay him with endless loyalty."
"Repay me? That is necessary. You must never forget that most of you have become orphans for various reasons, or you would have died long ago without my help. Now that you are all Russians, you must not forget the past.
Suffering. So when you see other children who are hungry and homeless, try to bring them back and raise them."
"As commanded."
"One more thing. In principle, women are not suitable to be soldiers. Unless the current situation forces a shortage of troops, I will recruit female soldiers. There are currently more than a hundred girls in the Sixth Flag Team. You can combine them! They must be
The boys’ first wife, as for the remaining unmarried boys, I will find some local girls for you. We can even go to those new villages through this armed patrol to look for them..."
Rurik decided to build a new city, and the young children supported it.
A boy and a girl who have received military training together and fought side by side on the battlefield will get married? That is really a great thing.
They are generally in love with each other. Rurik has known about this for a long time. All the rational Russians in their prime are happy to see this kind of union. Many sons and daughters of prime men are actually in this team, just because the children eat
After so many years of receiving food from the Duke, the child's parents feel that they are wrong even if they want to interfere in their child's marriage.
The children of the newly awarded sixth flag team are all loyal to the prince, and only the prince has the highest right to interfere in their marriages.
Secretly, these children have been matched with each other for a long time, and some of the oldest ones have secretly had relationships. There is a de facto marriage here, but it has not been certified through the wedding ceremony with the participation of the priest.
There will be a carnival after the harvest, and the local Slavs will priest their god of agriculture. Naturally, the Russians who immigrated should follow this tradition and priest the god Frey who is in charge of "economic development" in the Russian faith.
Taking advantage of harvest festivals to hold weddings is also a reserved item for locals, not to mention that this year's situation is very special.
After the harvest, it will be Rurik and Svetlana’s first wedding anniversary.
The children admired the farmland here and marveled at its vastness.
What I have to say is that Rurik finally gave them a great favor. The population of the village that originally lived here was as high as 2,000 people, and the acres it owned could feed at least 2,000 people. On the other hand, the young people brought by Rurik
There are only 400 boys and girls among them. Even if these people combine to marry foreign women, they can only form about 250 couples in the end. If new immigrants are not added to fill them in the future, these children will have to wait until the third year.
It takes generations to develop a settlement of 2,000 people.
Naturally, Rurik will not let that day come later, because there are still a group of young cubs growing vigorously, and they will naturally fill this place when they reach age.
Until the population of this settlement is large enough, it is time to consider building a new city.
For this reason, the ownership rights of farmland are held by Rurik. All he rewards everyone is the right to use it. Each family can only get one hectare of mature land for the time being. If some families commit crimes, the farmland will be lost.
The use rights will be taken back. Another reason why Rurik did not fully reward the ownership rights is that these children lacked military exploits. Only those who have made great contributions to the principality have the right to receive full rights and interests in private land from the prince!
On the contrary, all the output of this land this year belongs to these children. This can be regarded as the last favor of Rurik, the prince, to them, just like an old father giving his children the starting capital for their future life.
For the time being, Fisk and his men are theoretically disqualified from being recruited to fight. Their biggest task is to build cities, develop agriculture, and build the City of Youth enough to return the assets to the principality in the form of taxes.
The City of Youth is called Tonorstardt according to the North Russian dialect. When described in Slavic, the place name suffix "Skoye" will be added, which means the City of Youth by the lake.