Rurik had no intention of forcing Ragnar's men to do anything excessive, and Ragnar's cooperative performance also made everyone relax their vigilance.
However, all this is not enough to make Rurik feel completely at ease with them. The entire exiled Stonewall tribe still has a group of women and children. These people are not suitable for heavy manual labor, but it has become a fact that they have been well retained.
hostage.
With this group of people as a threat, Rurik was not afraid that Ragnar would suddenly start piracy in the hinterland of Rus, and could instead work as a labor force with peace of mind.
Women were gathered together to work on sewing leather, and they had to work hard to obtain today's bread and wheat porridge.
The children who are still old enough are not allowed to really take their time, they have to use hand axes to chop firewood for winter storage.
Only the youngest children have the right to live a life of "getting something for nothing".
Winter can restrict most people's production work, but it basically does not affect the flourishing indoor handicraft industry in the Principality of Rus. A new group of Danish women and children have arrived. They are an extremely cheap labor force. They only need to pay rations to make them work hard.
.
Do they have any complaints? In fact, compared to asking for more compensation, it is very good to survive now, and is it a good thing to be exposed to the sight of the Russians at will? Maybe they will be attacked.
They could not judge that all the people of the Rus' Principality maintained a non-hostile attitude towards the Danes entering the country.
As for Ragnar and his three hundred warriors, they all changed their clothes and became industrial workers in the principality.
These men were divided into multiple groups, and a large number of groups became professional loggers, carrying large axes into the forest area to ask for the land farmed by the Russians from the forest. As for the reward they received, they were only rations and accommodation.
The tall spruce and red pine felled by Nordic logging were pulled out of the forest, and even the roots of the trees were dug out with shovels.
Some groups are responsible for cutting small trees into small pieces and taking them to charcoal kilns in the city.
Some groups are responsible for peeling off the bark and transporting it to the group working in the boiling workshop, which completes the preliminary processing of the pulp.
Some groups were even sent to the shipbuilding factory in Novgorod to work as heavy laborers for the Hotla family.
There is also a group of blacksmiths who must work hard at the state-owned blacksmith shop in Novgorod.
A brave Viking army was dismantled by Rurik. Novgorod can be said to be a city with a large scope. This group of people are distributed in different areas of the city. If they want to connect privately, they must
There is troublesomeness.
Ragnar personally became a woodcutter. Even though he was worried that he didn't see many brothers, and they all had to live in logging camps in the forest most of the time, at least now everyone finally had peace.
The exiled Stonewall tribe handed over a batch of trophies and sold their labor for the Prince of Rus. Ragnar did not dare to ask for too much. The current situation was even more subtle, and his personnel were too scattered. All of this was intentional by the Prince of Rus. In fact,
To rebel for letting yourself go.
He didn't want to rebel, but the prince still hadn't invited him for a secret talk, or even established any alliance. The strategy of joining forces to counterattack the King of Denmark was still out of the question, not to mention the dream of moving the whole family to Gotland next year.
On the contrary, there will be Slavic women wearing headscarves driving small carriages, walking on the rugged road in the forest regularly every day, delivering all the provisions for today.
There were always plenty of scones and dried fish, and a small barrel of ale was delivered every few days.
At least the Russians are generous when it comes to providing food.
Every time the woman delivering the food unloaded the food, she hurriedly left. In the recent period of work, a large area of forest had been wiped off the map. Ragnar also noticed that including the cooks who delivered the food, they were all Slavs. It felt like
Resembling Pomeranians and Oberliddites.
The brothers haven't been with a woman for a long time, and even the cook who delivers the food has become a peerless beauty in everyone's eyes.
The brothers joked in the Norse language in public, and Ragna, who was afraid that his subordinates would go berserk, also ordered them to take care of their lower bodies at all times, and never cause the detained family members to suffer because of their recklessness.
This is a large group of people in the forest. It is inevitable that the cook who delivers the food will run away quickly.
Time goes by like this, and the climate is getting colder quickly.
Today, the carriage carrying supplies came again, but it was not the "beautiful cook" but a familiar face.
"Is it you?! Brother Arik." As he said that, Ragnar waved to the hot spot escorting the supplies.
The men who were resting during the logging break also stood up one after another. They had cleared away the five cedar trees and were busy cutting off branches and peeling off the bark. Now they were just waiting for a good meal before working hard again.
Ragnar came at the right time for the weather.
"It's me, I'm here."
"You are the one delivering supplies today? What a rare visitor. We have been busy pioneering in the forest these days and know almost nothing about what is going on outside. How are my family members?"
"Of course everything is fine with them. Now look at the provisions the prince has given you."
Arik escorted more than one small carriage. When the cloth was pulled down, more sesame cakes were neatly stacked.
"Aren't the supplies delivered once a day? Why are there so many today? No! Could it be that you won't be delivering them for a while in the future?"
"Indeed." Arik pointed his finger at the hazy sky, "The first snow will fall soon. There will be no long autumn rain this year, so the snow will fall early. I originally suggested that the prince let you suspend work and go back to the city to rest..."
Arik, who no longer wanted to waste any more time, suddenly raised his head: "What then?"
"The prince forbids it."
"Why? Rurik doesn't trust me?"
"Maybe this is still a test." Aric sighed, and then patted Ragnar on the shoulder, "You and I have fought side by side. I personally trust you, but my brother... you must have more
Practical actions satisfy him.”
"Is it like being forced to continue logging in the snow?"
"The prince has asked me to convey this order. You must complete the agreed logging tasks. As long as you work hard to cut down trees and create large areas of farmland, the prince will not ignore this achievement. The prince also ordered me to pass on a message."
"Speak quickly," Ragnar urged.
"Your eldest son, the disabled Ivar. Prince Rurik liked him very much. The prince decided to teach this child wisdom himself. Legend has it that Odin gained wisdom by sacrificing an eye, so it was him who Ivar sacrificed.
legs and everything will be fine."
This description was really refreshing and warm like a bonfire in winter. Ragnar was very happy: "Did the prince really say that? I never thought that my poor Ivar could still get his favor. It reminded me of that banquet. My Ivar was indeed
He is a distinguished guest."
Aric shrugged: "And your second son Bjorn, he is destined to be a brave warrior, so he needs to be taught. Brother Ragnar, I have come a long way. Now we sit down to drink ale together. Let's
We can have a good chat."
"Okay. I really want to hear about my family..."
Indeed, Rurik was treating Ragnar's family well.
Ivar the Boneless and Bjorn the Warrior, two legendary figures, are now a disabled kid and the other is still a toddler.
Rurik noticed Ivar's low self-esteem. This boy had a serious disability and had nothing to do with being a warrior by Nordic standards. He couldn't stand up to fight, so his hands had to be stronger.
He was trying to cover up his weak legs with strong arms. Unfortunately, he had never been able to move on his own in the six years of his life. If he wanted to go to another place, even to use the toilet, he had to be carried by a slave.
Now, a miracle happened!
Rurik's Novgorod Palace and the larger governor's residence have a large number of wooden floor structures. Since the city's main roads are paved with clay bricks and the side roads at least have sand roads, the entire Novgorod
There are no unpleasant potholes in Vgorod.
A small wheelchair specially made for Ivar was quickly designed by Rurik himself, and local carpenters and blacksmiths produced suitable parts and put them together.
The key to the wheelchair is the wheel system. There are no ball bearings, but they are cheap bronze axles that must be greased and matched. The wheel itself is a whole round piece of wood with a ring of handles nailed to the side. There is also a stone hanging from the lower end of the wheelchair.
, which plays the role of adjusting the center forward, and a movable small wheel at the front provides maneuverable steering capability.
Ivar the Boneless is finally free! He can finally control his body to move far away by his own will.
His hard-trained arms, which are different from those of a six-year-old child, have really replaced his legs. Even though this wheelchair is structurally too heavy, it is not flexible. Ivar has no complaints, but praises the Prince of Rus for giving him this treasure.
He is the "best brother".
"Don't call me brother. I treat you as your uncle. I will teach you wisdom. This is your only chance to become a warrior." Rurik ordered.
The child didn't think much about it. After carrying the wheelchair, he called Prince Rus his uncle in a small mouth.
Rurik also likes to mention an eldest nephew. Although the age difference between the two is ten years, judging from his height, body shape and golden beard, Rurik appears to be twenty years old at first glance.
After the autumn harvest, the school in Ross was temporarily closed, and the school was still building new buildings. The wood used was naturally the result of Ragnar's crazy logging team.
The entire Novgorod is still a big construction site in full swing. At one time, Rurik was also worried about his crazy expansion of all aspects of production capacity, infrastructure, and whether the remuneration to be paid, especially food supplies, was enough? As Arik systematically reported himself
The seizure, and even the subsequent transport ship from New Roseburg stopped to plunder a large amount of Frank Flanders wool. Rurik's eyes were opened. Now he must completely believe in his cousin's glorious capture.
I also have to completely believe another thing - Werder Bremen was indeed reduced to ashes.
Burning Bremeruric did not feel inappropriate at all. If so, it was because the actions of his troops made the old guy Eskil very embarrassed.
The news about the city of Bremen reduced to ashes has spread!
Rurik even promoted it openly!
There is a notice posted on the information board of the Threshing Square in Novgorod. The title is very eye-catching, it is "The Frankish War of the Principality of Rus".
Like other documents recording the principality's military exploits, this document must be displayed to the public with great fanfare.
The first version of it was written in Romanized Slavic. At least the children in the city could spell it out according to the text, and even their Slavic parents understood it.
As a result, Eskil, who was living as a guest, couldn't even think about it.
The old guy heard that Bremen was in ruins, St. Peter's Cathedral was reduced to ashes, and thousands of people were killed, especially the little priests he had left there.
After learning the news, he fainted for a while, but after regaining consciousness, he confirmed it again and again.
"Oh God, I am guilty for being with Satan! I am actually having illusions about these barbarians."
He rushed to the palace on crutches to confront Rurik. Until now, he could not care less about this transgression. He even hoped that Rurik, the Satan, would kill him.
However, Eskil was not allowed to see the prince in person at all, and he was intercepted and detained by soldiers. Ryrik heard about it. Eskil was an old man. After all, his subordinates burned down his future workplace.
It's not even possible to give him a reasonable explanation.
Someone has to be the nominal scapegoat.
If we really meet and confront this man, I don't think Eskil will break the commandments, curse, and even seek to be killed and strive to become a martyr. What will happen if this old boy dies? This man should be put back, preferably him
I can meet that Prince Ludwig, and explain my experience in the Principality of Ross, so that the guys in East Francia know that Ross is not a small country.
Rurik wrote a letter, all in Latin, he took away all his responsibilities. The evil man who burned Bremen was found, the Danish gangster in exile. The so-called Ross fleet was just invited by the Count of Bremen.
When doing business, it is very reasonable to do business with a sword in the vast sea. The so-called destruction of the city has nothing to do with Ross. If you want to blame it, just blame the Danes! Because this is a war between Frank and Denmark, Bremen is on the border, and there is a risk of being attacked.
Eskil is not a fool. The Prince of Rus said it lightly. Who doesn't know that the fleet expedition is to attack the Franks.
This Latin letter was written on paper like scratched paper, and the prince's refusal to answer the question in person was further proof of his guilty conscience.
Proof of the prince's guilty conscience was once again shown. No, because Eskil's act of trespassing on the prince's behalf was sanctioned, and he himself was placed under house arrest again, only this time he was placed under house arrest in a small monastery in Novgorod.
Although he had no worries about food and drink, he couldn't even leave even half a step. The monastery became a prison.
The first snow fell in mid-October. There was no continuous autumn rain this year. The first snow came with the cold wind from the north. In just a few days, the world changed.
The snowfall lasted intermittently for five days, and the entire area around Lake Ilmen directly entered traditional winter life. However, the lake has not yet frozen, so ice fishing is not yet allowed.
Ragnar and other loggers stayed in the forest camp for as many days as it snowed. They looked like hibernating bears, receiving a large amount of supplies but having no worries about food and drink.
They couldn't help but think of the scenery in their hometown. Snowfall always came suddenly. People had to hide in shacks made of rammed earth and thatch, and were wrapped in leather to survive. It was really uncomfortable to think about it now.
Once he experienced a more comfortable life, Ragna could not accept the past way of life. For example, the forest camp where everyone lives, they are currently the only residents here, but in fact, during the warm period, it became a small town, with up to hundreds of people gathering.
Here, the Slavic loggers were so full that they were able to cut trees in the snow. They returned home and planned to spend some time recuperating.
Ragnar and his group are the only ones in the camp. They live in thickened wooden ridges with flat wooden floors and fireplaces. They wrap themselves in deerskin blankets and sleep around the fireplace. They don't feel crowded at all, just because there are many wooden ridges here.
.
When the winter sunshine returned, this group of hibernating bears picked up axes and double saws and went out. The world had completely changed, and the winter sunshine became extremely dazzling due to the snow.
"Brothers, clear the snow at the door first. Let's cut down the wood quickly and complete the tasks required by the Russians!"
Arik must fight. He and his guys have no right to slack off. They have a weekly workload of logging. Although a lot of work will be interrupted due to weather conditions, there is also an additional workload every month. Since there is a time delay, at least
When the weather is good, we should work hard to cut wood to make up for it.
The snow helps transport large trees and makes sleds useful.
They were busy digging away the snow to clear the camp, and the sled team transporting supplies marched along the snow-covered path accompanied by the sound of copper bells.
A dozen people with huge black eyes are heading here on horse-drawn sleighs.
They are so weird! Are they human? With huge black eyes.
Ragna concluded that the people who came were the Rus, and they actually covered their eyes with strange things. Indeed, the sunlight on the snow was indeed dazzling.
It wasn't until they approached Ragnar that they noticed that Arik had come to personally escort the supplies again.
Arik easily took off his wooden-framed sunglasses, revealing a familiar face. Ragna was stunned by this move.
"Why, you are interested in my sunglasses."
"it……"
"You can experience it. Oh, even if it is given to you, it will be fine."
With curiosity, Ragnar put on sunglasses for the first time in his life. The whole world dimmed, and he immediately commanded the beauty of this baby.
"Ross has such a wonderful thing? Now it belongs to me?"
"Give it to you! You can see more." Arik asked again: "How do you feel when the snow stops? Are any of you sick? Have you finished the food?"
"Everything is fine."
"Very good. The prince still asked me to send a message. You must continue logging and complete this month's logging tasks. There may be more snowfall this month, so you must hurry up. I have nothing else to say, and we will leave after unloading."
"Ah? Why don't we stay and talk again?"
"That's fine. I have good news for you. The prince has made a wheeled seat for your eldest son Ivar. Ivar can turn the wheels by himself and move indoors. He is no longer a useless person."
"Ah?! Is there such a miracle?"
"Of course, the prince is no ordinary person..." Aric praised, and then called the Danes who were watching the theater to unload the goods.