There is no need to discuss with the Uppsala people any more about how to hold the ceremony for the Prince of Rus to be crowned king.
Rurik came here to tell these people that it would be a fact that he would become king. The Russians could handle all the matters before and after becoming king. But many other Swedish nobles must come to support them. Dare you come or not?
The person immediately regarded it as an act of hostility, so in the autumn, the Ross army and a powerful fleet directly attacked and punished the disobedient.
The first-arrival meeting was not a real meeting of nobles. It was held in the mansion of the Duke of Uppsala by several great nobles from all over Sweden and Rurik was consulted.
Although Sweden has been dominated by these large tribes since ancient times, the meeting would not be perfect without the presence of a group of small nobles.
Rurik set a perfect day for the king's enthronement ceremony.
The twenty-eighth day of June in the Julian calendar is the summer solstice in the legislation. It is the right time to worship the sun and Odin on this day.
The noisy house finally settled down, and the two generations of Russian princes, as well as the old king Bjorn and other big nobles left one after another.
Swined, the ruler of Uppsala, deeply felt the majesty of the young hero, and wished that the great hero would leave as soon as he became king.
Since it is not an informal meeting, everything will be discussed in a formal meeting regarding what responsibilities the Prince of Rus should perform when he becomes queen, and what obligations the various Swedish tribes as vassals should perform.
"There will be a major meeting, and our little lake will become very lively." Swined was a little afraid to face the future, instead of being full of caution.
The high priest took off his antlered helmet and stared seriously at the wooden door covered with leather curtains.
"The Rus have brought their own high priest, and my position is meaningless. Chief, is it really advisable to let them perform rituals under our sacred tree?"
"You don't want to? What can you do?"
"Rurik of Rus is very arrogant and did not listen to my advice. Odin blessed him in the past, but as for the future..." the high priest shook his head and said no more.
"How? Can we still punish him?"
The high priest, who didn't want to say anything more, stamped his boots vigorously: "They treat me as a fool! Just let them do it themselves! My priests and I are not involved. Now the holy tree is under their control
, the big temple is also under their control. The venue for this year's summer sacrifice has been stolen. I will take the priests to the altar in the forest to perform summer rituals. Chief, you stay here and watch that man become the king.
gone!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the high priest indeed left the house with heavy steps and anger.
The Uppsala priest group has served the sacred tree of their faith for generations, and they hold the power of faith, while tribal leaders (duke) like Swinned have long been in charge of the power of general affairs.
When Rurik was present, the high priest behaved very respectfully. When Rurik left, he became surly again.
Swynedd reached out and tried to persuade her to stay and chat with her, but she was leaving too quickly, so she just let her go.
The next day, the Russian army officially began construction of the temporary city in Uppsala.
People who had rested for the night were more motivated to enter the forest area to cut trees. More big trees collapsed, and the earthquakes caused did not stop at all. A number of temporary sawmills appeared in the forest, and the rough-cut big trees were cut immediately.
Materials of different sizes and a large number of discarded branches also attracted a large number of Uppsala people.
There was no economic output from building the city. Thanks to Rurik carrying a large amount of dry oats, wheat and rye in advance, there was enough logistical support for the men to have no worries.
And Ross's construction actions are also good for the local Uppsala people.
Since ancient times, real estate has been a good way to stimulate economic activity.
Thousands of Russian soldiers were busy with construction, and a group of Uppsala people came spontaneously to provide logistics in order to gain benefits.
Those women cooked wheat porridge for the Russians, and they could also take their children to get a share of the pie.
Women also wash clothes for the Russians, and men polish logging axes for the Russians. Many fishermen can work longer and sell the extra fish they catch to the Russians in exchange for silver or copper coins.
At first, only a few people had the courage to come here to the city of Ross to find some work. Ross showed good intentions, or Zryurik was really willing to pay. Within a week, there were already hundreds of Uppsala people.
We started to provide logistics for the Russian army. If we include the fishermen who sell their own fish, the logistics support for the Russian army would be even greater.
At first, the people thought that the Russian army that suddenly entered the Neihu area was an intruder and would destroy the great temple and put everyone's lives at risk. Now, anyone who is willing to cooperate can benefit from the Prince of Rus becoming king.
How not to support a new king?
The construction process of Ross City was very fast. After all, Rurik's first priority was to ensure that everyone could move in safely, and the details of the buildings did not need to be considered.
A summer heavy rain suddenly fell, and the whole world became muddy. The reeds by the lake were already quite lush, and there was black mud everywhere. Anyone who ran around in the rain would have their feet covered in mud.
The situation in the city is much better. A large number of wooden slats are laid on the ground to serve as paths. Each residential house is erected on a large number of wooden piles, which isolates the mud and water. The roof is herringbone-shaped, and a large number of wooden boards are arranged at special angles.
Stacked, they become tiles, channeling the accumulated water into trickles to the outside.
The air is extremely humid, and the temperature has also dropped. Thousands of people are hiding in the houses they made with their own hands, huddled together in fur blankets, one by one like giant caterpillars.
Several large houses were put together with rough logs in a mortise-and-tenon style, and Rurik placed all his wives, concubines, and Russian nobles here.
It was a happy thing for the family to huddle together and protect the children from the rain, but this incident revealed that before Rurik could ascend to the throne and achieve glory, his nobles had to endure some discomfort.
Three days of heavy rain caused the entire Pan-Mälaren Lake to swell, and finally the weather cleared...
When the ground finally became drier, Rurik, who was no longer too lazy to supervise the work, finally decided to take a look at the sacred tree first.
He gathered his young wives and concubines outdoors. The women knew that today they would personally appreciate the big tree that was clearly visible on the boat more than ten days ago, and they all looked happy.
"My women!" Rurik was so happy that his tone became vulgar: "Put on gorgeous clothes! Remember! When I ascend the throne, you will all serve as priests. Now follow me to visit Uppsala.
Temple, go visit the sacred tree. Let’s go investigate and start building the altar immediately.”
The wives and concubines remained silent, and the smiles on their faces hinted at the endless words they could say. They were all dressed up today. Because it was too cool after the rain, they wore white bear fur clothes and a lot of jewelry, and some Slavic-style
Clothing styles with complex stripes make the clothes more gorgeous.
Simple dress is not suitable for this era at all. What the people of this era need is a combination of as many colors as possible. The more chaotic the colors, the more noble they are considered.
Even their hats were decorated with feathers dipped in colored ink, and their bodies were covered with shiny glass beads.
Rurik's clothes were equally gorgeous, but the difference was that he wore chainmail to show his identity as a warrior. As for the golden laurel crown kept in the box, it is still preserved, and it will be there
One day crowns one's head.
More than a hundred warriors were dressed in costumes without losing their martial prowess. These were a hundred tall and strong men, all with a stature equivalent to 185cm. This height is really rare in Sweden today. They are
He carried a buckler on his back and carried a halberd. Each halberd was hung with three-color cloth strips of blue, white and red, and the leather helmet on his head was also filled with blue-dyed feathers.
There is also a small group of special elite troops, all of whom wear bear heads. The concept of "berserker" was embodied in Ross. The teams with bear heads on their heads are all berserkers. Of course, these people's shields are also unique.
, a slightly abstract raven pattern painted in exactly the same style on a shield painted white with chalk mud.
As for the twenty cavalry, they further demonstrated the nobility of Prince Rus.
The Russians made a big noise here. Some people who were nominally "working" for the Russians, but were actually spies, hurried to the large settlement village of Uppsala and informed their master Swined that Prince Rurik
measures.
Let's see the two secret talkers half-kneeling in the house, Swined yawning and listening impatiently.
"What other big things can the Russians do? Are they going to tell me that official envoys from other nobles are coming?"
"My lord, this is Prince Rurik of Rus." Mi Tan suddenly raised his head and said.
"how?"
"Rurik is coming."
Suddenly getting out of bed and getting angry, Swynedd suppressed the evil fire and reprimanded: "Don't talk nonsense, speak quickly!"
"Yes! We heard that Rurik summoned some elites to visit our sacred tree. They are already in action, and a small army from Ross will arrive soon."
"Is this happening?!" Swinned was not sleepy at all now.
Logically speaking, it was just a big tree, so why was the Duke of Swinnede so surprised?
The reason is not complicated either.
Just like the Rus people in the tribal era in the past, the old temple of Rus is simply a large longhouse. It is called a holy place, the residence of the priests, and an area where sacrifices are performed. People who know it know that
There is nothing special about the house, but for most people, it is a restricted area that cannot be entered even half a step.
This situation is even more outrageous in Uppsala. The Great Temple is not only a complex of buildings surrounded by big trees, it is a restricted area! On ordinary days, people do not dare to set foot in the restricted area. Those who enter without permission are men, women, young and old.
They would all be caught and even killed, and their blood would be sacrificed to the holy tree to atone for their sin of disrespect to the gods.
The tattooed High Priest of Uppsala is not as harmless as he seems. He always sticks to his beliefs and even takes some drastic actions.
This is what Swinned was afraid of! He was afraid that Rurik and his troops would break into the holy land on the wrong day and directly conflict with the priests. Originally, it was Swinned who would lead the troops to deal with those who trespassed on the holy land.
The people who were about to set foot in the Holy Land were actually Russians, and he didn't dare to stop them in the slightest.
"Come on! Go and mobilize the brothers!" he shouted.
Someone immediately came up and said, "Sir, what should we do? Do we really want to prevent the Russians from entering the Holy Land by mistake?"
"Bah! We are going to mediate, I'm afraid those priests will get hot..."
The high priest himself is old, and a group of lower-level priests are indeed priests on the surface. They pick up weapons and transform into warriors. They also mastered the cooking method of special mushroom soup. After drinking a bowl of "Holy Red Mushroom Soup", they immediately became crazy.
Warriors, be ruthless in killing those who stray into the Holy Land.
When it came to battle, Swynedd was convinced that his priests were no match for the Rus.
He hurriedly woke up all his private soldiers who were sleeping late, and cursed at the large group of slackers standing in front of him. He also clapped his hands desperately to attract their attention. When everyone realized that there might be an armed conflict, they all became nervous.
Swinned went out with his private soldiers, and the people of Uppsala saw their Duke running in a hurry with his men, but they only watched their backs run away.
After Rurik, the whole team walked with great interest on the wilderness path that was forcibly trodden by people. The wind blowing in the face carried the fragrance of the earth. If you look closely, you can see that blue and purple colors began to emerge from the green grass after the rain.
of flower bones.
He has lived for sixty years. Otto never thought that he could live for such a long time. Now he also understands why the deceased High Priest Vilia's legs and feet were not in good condition. His current condition is not bad.
This body could no longer bear the heavy armor. When he was old, he used a wooden pole with the head of his halberd removed as a staff. The warrior's arrogance refused anyone's support.
The cavalrymen held high the flag of Ross, and the costumed people lined up in a single file.
Rurik was in a good mood, even though there was a lot of mud on his boots.
A gray column hurried towards them, immediately arousing the vigilance of the leading cavalry.
"Sir, there are armed men running towards us."
"Armed men?" Although Rurik thought it was ridiculous, he immediately ordered everyone to be on alert.
The team immediately calmed down, the soldiers took off their shields and drew their swords one after another, and the warriors with crossbows immediately unstrung their bows. The female relatives were protected by the group, and they all held the hilts of their swords.
Old Otto admired the quick response of his young tribesmen, and cleared his throat vigorously: "There is no danger, don't be too alert."
Even so, the crossbows were already equipped with arrows, and the cavalrymen dug their flagpoles into the mud one after another and pulled out their long swords.
Swinned, who came with his men, was startled. When he saw the Russians setting up a shield wall, he immediately opened his arms and walked away.
Swined's private soldiers showed enough peace that he simply ordered his men to stand where they were, and he walked alone to Ross's team who was on guard.
Facing the cavalry with their swords drawn, he felt even more worried, and the rapid reaction speed of the Russians made him even more convinced that these people were really well-trained. He was also quite pathetic, so he gathered fifty private soldiers.
, I just had to slap them one by one to wake them up.
"Russians, don't be nervous, it's me! Swined."
"Is it the Duke of Uppsala?" Seeing that he meant no harm, Rurik immediately got out of the shield wall and put his steel sword back into its sheath. "What do you mean by coming here?"
"You... where are you going?"
"You..." Rurik hesitated: "You seem to know something?"
This question made Swined quite speechless. He was sure that Rurik knew that he had sent his own eyes and ears. Rurik asked this, which made things very embarrassing.
However, since the matter was serious, he simply said bluntly: "I know you want to go to the Grand Temple, but this is not appropriate."
"Is there anything inappropriate?" Rurik also opened his arms to express peace: "I want to ascend the throne there. Now if I go to see the venue, I can't say this is wrong."
"But this is wrong."
"What did you say?!"
"Ah! I mean, it's inappropriate for you to take your men to the Great Temple now! Those priests will fight to the death to prevent you from...trampling on the holy land at the wrong time."
Swined also took the risk, and the result was obvious. Rurik became furious because of this description.
"Ridiculous! Your priest can still stop me. You? Are you trying to stop me too? Tell you, I must go and take a look today."
"However, your army will easily defeat those priests. The blood of the priests will be spilled on the Holy Land, which will cause disaster to us Uppsala people."
"Disaster? Your priest dares to stop me? Didn't that high priest say he would be used by me?! You'd better get out of the way!"
In his desperation, Swynedd couldn't care too much: "That's true, but only on the right day can the priest really be used by you."
Rurik had already heard everything. He paced in front of everyone for a while, shook his head and said fiercely: "You can't stop me! Swined, stay away! I have to go to the Great Temple today.
!I also brought a rope, and I’m going to measure how thick that big tree is today!”
He said this as if he was King Wu of Qin who wanted to measure the weight of the tripod.
The fact that things can make Swined so nervous reflects the importance of that big tree to Uppsala. Just because of this, Ross has to go even more!
He let out his final harsh words: "Swynedd, the matter is actually very simple. You take your people to convince the priests to stay away for the time being. I visited the big temple, measured the circumference of the big tree, and then left on my own.
As for it being easier if they don't want to leave, what I want the most is those who agree on the surface but oppose behind the scenes. After all, my enthronement ceremony does not need your priest group. It is unreasonable for a priest group to not listen to you, a noble. Why don't I help you?
Clean it up, you are training some obedient priests, what do you think?"
That's all, Rurik burst out laughing.
These words really pierced Swined's heart. Regarding the departure of the late Russian high priest, all the priests died mysteriously, and were eventually burned to ashes in a fire. With the vivid description of this matter by the businessman, he also had some thoughts.
He had heard it. He was now completely sure that it was the Rus who killed their old priest group and later established a very obedient new priest group.
He believed that the Russians could really do it.
Seeing that he could no longer resist, Swined had no choice but to obey his orders. Even if they were tied with ropes, he would take all the priests away and force them into confinement until the Russians left with satisfaction.
Of course, those mortals dare not enter the Holy Land area, and their most immediate worry is that they are afraid of encountering sanctions. However, the punisher is Swined. In principle, he and the private soldiers he maintains are the guardians of the Holy Land and can arrive at any time.
He then turned around with his team and ran towards the large temple area that was not too far away, and towards the giant tree that looked like a dark green mass hanging alone on the ground.