Rurik's coronation ceremony was grand, but the dense forest seemed to cover up this momentum.
The altar hidden in the forest seems to be an isolated place, where the priests of Uppsala conduct their summer sacrificial activities in this secret place.
Regarding the occupation of the Great Temple of Uppsala by the Rus, the high priest with a pattern on his face had nothing to say.
He would not curse the Russians or Rurik at this secret altar during the sacrifice. It would be as if the Russians would leave on their own after being satisfied, and the great temple and the sacred tree would still belong to the priests.
However, they were completely unable to estimate what kind of methods a duke would use to some people in the old era after he was promoted to king!
The joy of being crowned queen would not go to Rurik's head.
In other words, becoming king now is not his goal in life at all. He even had no intention of becoming the king of Sweden. It's just that the wheels of time have rolled over now. Manifest Destiny has given Ross the opportunity and even the historical responsibility to integrate the Nordic world.
, it is destiny to be the king of Sweden, Rurik must wear the crown.
He will declare his philosophy of governing the country to all Swedish nobles, and the nobles also need to understand how they and the people will live after the "Russian Dynasty" begins.
He could conclude that the majority of the nobles would feel pressured by matters such as rights, obligations, tributes, etc. For the time being, this group of people did not say anything, but it was possible to predict what they thought of Rurik. As the saying goes, no one hopes
If one's own interests are harmed, as long as the new king can bring benefits to the nobles, no one will have any objections for the sake of interests, and the rule of Rus can last forever.
As long as the tribes in Sweden or the Ring of Mälaren do not unite into one, the Rus Principality part of the kingdom can be easily subdued by its sheer size.
Even so, these nobles still need to see the majesty of the king!
Is it majestic to kill one hundred and eleven deer to sacrifice to Odin?
No! Not enough.
Rus disdains human sacrifice, but some people must die. Some people will be executed. Rurik definitely does not intend to kill innocent people indiscriminately. It is entirely because those who must die, regardless of whether they are intentional or not, their existence itself is a threat to the royal power.
It was already July, and all the Swedish nobles were still staying in Uppsala.
Most of the people taking part in the fun have evacuated, and the not-so-large inner lake has become calm. The Russian army still remains here, and they have been ordered to be on high alert. What makes the local people strange is that the Russian people who are not engaged in production simply live on their own.
In the built city, even the much-loved logging work has been suspended.
Within the walls, soldiers were polishing their weapons to prevent them from rusting due to the humid climate.
King Rurik has already spoken, and a meeting of all Swedish nobles will be convened in a few days. The king himself will elaborate on the relationship between the monarch and his vassals. Before the meeting, the nobles are not allowed to leave or visit to ask for explanations. They must be ordered to wait quietly.
This is like training an eagle. You can leave the eagle aside and make it quiet, thus training its patience and obedience.
Boredom and anxiety accompanied the nobles. Fortunately, the king gave them some spirits in glass bottles and honey cakes. With a delicious meal to soothe their mood, everything was not a big problem.
They didn't know what Rurik was doing these days, but the Governor of Uppsala thought a little and realized that the priests who had fled the forest were coming back.
Rurik did not simply live in a temporary palace with his wives and concubines.
The so-called temporary palace is the Great Temple of Uppsala. The complex of buildings connected into a huge arc shape houses all members of the royal family and the Russian nobles. Even the elite guards led by Grund are also near the palace.
Set up camp.
It was a sunny morning, and the energetic King Rurik received a surprise report from his subordinates.
"Swenned has something to ask for? Haha, what's the important thing now?"
"Your Majesty, do you want to let the brothers go?" the messenger asked cautiously.
"Make a way and let him in."
"As commanded."
Soon, Swynedd hurried over with all his weapons removed. When he saw the king's smiling face, he was just flattering. When the king glared at him, he immediately returned to his serious demeanor.
He wisely half-knelt on the wooden floor to perform the warrior salute, and stood up after being ordered to stand up.
"Svinned, what's the big deal for you? Do you want to ask for something for your son?" Rurik asked casually.
"It's none of Helgon's business. I just want to report one thing to you. Those priests who took away many idols to the forest altar are coming back. Now that you have occupied all the buildings in the great temple, you are bound to...
…”
"Conflict with your priests?"
"Yes."
Swined's words were very true, and the hidden meaning of his words was even clearer. It was said that the king should leave when the priests came back. Even though he knew that based on the current situation, the great temple was already the property of the royal family.
"Ah! I thought those people didn't want to come back. It would be better if they didn't come." Rurik pretended to lament.
"What...are you going to do?" Swined's words were more cautious.
Rurik immediately stared at him sharply: "What do you think we should do?"
"I...I don't know. It seems that you think they are...very redundant?"
"Isn't it redundant? So, I plan to annihilate them."
"ah!"
Swined's surprised expression was quite exaggerated. Rurik stepped forward and slapped him on the shoulder: "The Great Temple of Uppsala will always be an important temple. It is my property, as well as the tree.
The big tree is my property. I am enthroned here, how can I let those priests take it away again. They are too redundant. If they dare to come back, they will die."
It was obvious that the king's attitude was extremely serious, and Swined suddenly felt that it was unnecessary for him to come today. The king had already issued a death sentence for those old priests, and now he was just waiting here.
There is nothing left to talk about, and Swined was given an order: "Go back to your home and live in peace, and restrain the Uppsala people from running around in the near future. I will kill those priests, and you must not let this matter leak.
A little rumor. If you obey my orders, your family will surely prosper in the future."
The mercenary team was completely upgraded to the Imperial Guard, and Grund became the first generation leader of the Imperial Guard.
The main members of the Imperial Guard are a large number of teenagers. They have been serving the emperor for many years. They can be trusted for their loyalty. They are young and strong, and their temperament has been trained to be brave and fierce. But these young people should be trustworthy.
Soldiers, the steel swords they were recently issued were also recently forged and polished. The blades were not stained with blood, and they had never killed anyone.
It’s not how ruthless people can protect the safety of the king.
Rurik gave Grund a clear order and led his young brothers to attack the returning priests.
"As long as they dare to come back, do it. Don't think it is taboo to kill the priests. Your monarch is protected by Odin, and there is only honor in fulfilling the monarch's orders."
Grund has his own beliefs. He dreams that his soul can enter the Hall of Valor after his life ends. Now, he is convinced that Rurik himself is indeed Odin's favorite. Although killing priests is taboo, it doesn't matter now.
More than a hundred young guardsmen were specially organized. In principle, they are complex palace defense, but in essence they are also a group of killers.
They are only loyal to the king. The king has orders to kill the enemy. As for who to kill, they have no right and are too lazy to think about it. They just need to perform their duties properly.
The Great Temple of Uppsala hides a murderous plot!
The old priests who pulled flat carts with wooden wheels carrying sacrificial supplies and valuable statues of gods knew nothing about it.
Although the high priest of Uppsala, whose face was covered with patterns, had no favorable impression of Rurik, and his previous smile was flattering, his move to lead his troops away was to vote with his feet, expressing his dissatisfaction with Rurik's claim to the throne.
The priests did not express their position in words, but their actions were against the king! So they must die!
But the priests really don't eat the fireworks of the world. In the past, the great temple was always isolated from the secular world by walls. After more than 20 priests of different ages begged the people for their property, their life was pure worship of the gods. According to
Their logic and such a pious attitude will move the gods, and the soul after death will surely enter Asgard.
They walked in a rather orderly pace, pulling a flatbed truck, showing their cunning figures in the thick morning fog, just like a pair of elves walking out of the forest.
The high priest with a patterned face holds his antler crown on his head, clearly swearing that the real high priest of the Uppsala Temple is back.
When the fog gradually dissipated, the priests who walked into the open area were discovered early by the Ross warriors who were waiting for work.
These soldiers were not actors, and they did not even know that Rurik had given the order to kill. They just watched from a distance.
The high priest saw the building of the great temple and the clump of sacred trees. After a while, it seemed that the Russians had not done anything to the temple. It was just that they could not get the sacred objects of the temple. Damn it.
Do you need to bring your own utensils to complete the ceremony?
The corners of the high priest's mouth curled up slightly, his mood was contemptuous, and he was completely dumbfounded when he realized that the wall was gone and replaced by a large number of tents and temporary wooden sheds.
All the priests were dumbfounded! They simply froze on the spot.
Shock was followed by anger that their sacred home had been desecrated.
"Rurik? The Russians?! This is all what you did?!"
The old man's right hand clenched the wooden stick tightly, and the high priest used the wooden stick to make a deep hole in the soft soil, and ordered all the priests to walk quickly.
At the same time, Rurik's wives, concubines, and family members had all avoided, and even old Otto also evacuated in an orderly manner with the team.
Inside the temple hall is a large gilded bust of the Russian god Odin, which is currently the only statue of a god.
Rurik put on his chain mail, and his beloved golden laurel wreath was firmly on his head with a flowing golden ponytail.
More than a hundred young Janissary soldiers sharpened their steel swords and all hid in the temple building.
Centered on the sacred tree, a small area has been cleared. What was once a noisy place is now extremely quiet!
The angry Uppsala priests wanted to confront Rurik, but when they returned to the temple without walls, they were confused when they saw the strange tranquility here.
"Rurik! Could it be that you desecrated my great temple?"
"Russians, please show up! Explain what you did and why you demolished the wall?"
"Look at the good deeds you have done, why you built this strange wooden platform in front of the sacred tree."
The high priest's voice is quite hoarse as he gets older. He has taken off his hood, revealing the patterns on his face and head. At first glance, he looks really scary.
Not just him, all the Uppsala priests present had this pattern of tattoos. They didn't even have much intact skin on their bodies, so everyone tattooed as much as possible, with densely packed words of worship, believing that this move could reach the sky.
More than twenty men with patterns all over their bodies showed their true faces. They felt that the high priest's inquiry was just to vent their anger. The Russians should have left. Just like everyone left with the sacred weapon and left the Russians in a mess, now the Russians They followed the same example and left a mess behind.
Suddenly, the priests saw a tall man walking out of the darkness of the hall.
It's Rurik! That flowing golden ponytail proves everything.
What the high priest was waiting for was Rurik's appearance. This time, she suddenly appeared, and the high priest was immediately stunned.
"You?!" Rurik suddenly held a steel sword, which reflected violently in the sun. "High Priest of Uppsala, we meet again."
"Rurik? You..." The high priest saw the crown on this man's head and was convinced that he had become the king. This strong threat was really infuriating when he was pointed at with a dazzling sword.
The high priest showed no fear and began to criticize.
Unexpectedly, Rurik didn't want to hear that this person was needed, and casually shouted an order: "My soldiers! Show up!"
In a moment, the Ross Imperial Army hiding in the temple filed out. They moved extremely quickly and surrounded more than twenty priests with patterned faces. The shields painted with blue patterns on a white background matched the warriors' uniforms with the same patterns. , build a unified and mighty circular shield wall.
"Ah? Rurik of Rus, what do you want?!"
As soon as the high priest asked the question, he saw this group of crazy warriors coming to attack him.
The round shield was held in front of him, the steel sword stabbed wildly, and the priests who were unaware of the situation were bayoneted one after another.
The first time he was ordered to kill someone, the young Forbidden Army soldier witnessed blood for the first time in his life. What was splashed on him was no longer the deer blood used for courage training, but the blood of the enemy!
Their hearts were beating wildly, and even though they knew the other person was already lying dead in a pool of blood, they still stabbed him wildly.
Only when the shield is stained with blood can you truly prove your bravery to the king and be worthy of your salary.
The high priest of Uppsala had countless swords in his possession, and until his death he did not know why Rurik, who became the king, did such a violent thing under the shade of the sacred tree.
The high priest died, and his blood-stained antlered helmet was collected by Rurik after his death.
The sacrificial vessels they brought back were all captured by Rurik.
The hearts of the Forbidden Army soldiers who had completed their tasks were beating wildly, and their faces seemed to be smiling, with rather distorted expressions.
This crazy act was witnessed by Governor Swinned who was hiding in the temple and was reluctant to show up.
He was asked to stay here to witness the killing ordered by the king, and at this moment he realized that this was an act of killing a chicken to scare the monkeys.
Swynedd walked out of the temple tremblingly and was still trembling when he stood in front of the king.
"The priests...the priests are all dead."
"Dead. As I said, these people are not needed."
"Ah! What can we do? Oh no, I mean, you still have to keep some priests. Even if you kill these old priests, the temple will not be abandoned."
Swined was standing next to the corpses of the priests, and in his nervousness he actually mentioned the future, which shows that this guy is very wise.
Rurik did not kill any priests, and his sword was still kind. Then he returned the sword to its scabbard, glanced at the high priest of Uppsala, who was still staring at death, and said to the governor: "These people are very important to me.
I said that they will die if they dare to come back. You, Swined, don’t have to worry about anything, I will leave behind a team of priests, and I will leave behind a wife and concubine to serve as the new high priest of Uppsala."
"A woman? Priestess?"
"Are you surprised?"
It is true that in the tradition of Uppsala, women cannot be priests. But when Russians become kings, the Russian tradition is clearly the other way around.
Swined hurriedly explained: "Any decision you make is wise."
Rurik shrugged: "You must have understood your necessary position. I tell you clearly that you must assist the new priestess. I will give birth to a child with the new high priest of Uppsala, the future high priest.
It will be hereditary and will definitely continue the bloodline of this king. I warn you, you have no right to make irresponsible remarks on the high priest I appointed, you must do your best to assist."
"As you command!"
Regarding Rurik leading his troops to annihilate the old priests of Uppsala, it really gave the people a huge psychological shock.
The Russians hailed the king's courage, the Uppsala people were in awe of the king's ruthlessness, and the nobles who stayed here felt that this was the king's intimidation.
"You really dare to kill a priest! You are so cruel. If Odin hadn't given you a blessing, no one else would have dared to do this." Bjorn, who abdicated, could only sigh silently.
Not long ago, King Rurik summoned all the nobles and publicly introduced the high priest of Uppsala whom he had consecrated.
She is a little girl, obviously much younger than the High Priest of Rus, Rumia. But she is not very young either. As a woman, she already has the qualifications to be a mother.
She is Rumi, one of Rurik's wives and concubines. As a follower of the high priest Rumia, she participated in the entire enthronement ceremony as a lower priest.
Rumi is usually Rumia's follower. In principle, their names have the same meaning, and their bloodline is exactly the same as the deer herders (Lapps) and the Kovins.
Rumi, the daughter of the chief of the Salmon Lord tribe in Kewen, is in her hometown and has a high chance of becoming a female shaman of the Kewen people.
In the past years, he has been working as the assistant of the high priest of Rus, and was established as the third level by Rurik at the "Wives and Concubines Conference". Queen Svetlana, and the high priest Rumia, are this Lurik with the same black hair.
rice.
To be honest, her appearance is not outstanding, and she is not tall. Even so, the giant King Rurik has favored her many times in the past few days, which surprised her, and she accepted it happily after knowing the reason.
She realized that she, the daughter of a tribal chief, now had an important position in the emerging kingdom of Rus.
She has completely believed in the Nordic gods, especially in the greatness of Odin and the nobility of Rurik.
The captured Uppsala priest's antlered helmet was placed on her head, and the temple's old artifacts were completely returned to their places. From now on, Lumi must be fully responsible for the Uppsala Great Temple.
She believed that she was pregnant with the king's child, and that her child would inherit this priesthood and protect this, said to be the largest temple in Sweden, for the Kingdom of Rus.
She herself is actually one of the symbols of Rurik's royal power. She will have the right to select some women from the Uppsala tribe as lower-level priests, just like Sister Rumia, who established a team of priests.
The appearance of Lumi wearing the antlered helmet really looked like Lumia a few years ago. Even Otto recalled the past. At that time, the high priest Vilia completed his sacred mission and his soul returned to Tianyu and he was upgraded to the Valkyrie.
The Lumia who took over her position was exactly like the Lumi before her.
As an old father, Ottoba could not allow his only son Rurik to have more wives and concubines. Although this Lumi was a daughter of a subordinate tribe, she had served as an auxiliary priest in the past years and had always been calm and unhurried, and there had been no mistakes in any of the rituals.
Now, she is the high priest of the Uppsala Temple under the rule of the Kingdom of Rus! A high priest who is responsible only to the royal family!