Rise of Rurik

April 16 on the Julian calendar, a fine day.

The weather in the morning still had a thick chill, and as the sun rose, the climate immediately warmed up. During these days, all the clansmen were pleasantly surprised to find that the water would never freeze after nightfall, and the sea ice and snow would melt faster. The only annoying thing is that the road will be muddy for a while and everyone's boots will always get muddy.

No different from the spring festivals in previous years, this year's festival is still set at noon.

Why? Just because it is warm at noon, it is catering to people's vision of craving for the warmth of spring.

Thousands of clansmen have been dormant for a long time, and each household has not much food, and they urgently need to go to the sea to catch fish. In fact, some people who are not afraid of death have already done this, and the priests have therefore bought some big fish from the daredevils as sacrifices.

Rurik followed his parents and became part of a mighty army. All the clansmen flocked to the stone boat altar. This time, it was slightly different from the festival of Hanukkah. In the spring festival, all the guests without exception put down their work and flocked to the altar of the Rus people with the Rus.

The Spring Festival has exactly the same meaning to all people living in Roseburg, and everyone also has the same beliefs and common fears. It seems that if you don't participate in the big festival, you will encounter storms, sea monsters, robbers, and other disasters that will bring shipwrecks and deaths in the new year.

What the merchants fear most is the death of the ship, even the very powerful Gould, he is not afraid of ordinary pirates at all.

He was just afraid of storms and legendary sea monsters, and once the cargo sank, it would be terrible.

But in this sacrifice, no more reindeer were slaughtered as sacrifices, which greatly comforted Rurik.

He led his servant Rumia, and followed his parents early at the stone boat altar.

Here, the once snow-covered pine forest has completely changed. Not to mention that the snow is gone, and all the pine trees are budding. Many people lezhong pull off the sprouts of pine needles and use it to boil water. Their original intention is to add some flavor to drinking water or soup.

Pine needle water has a bitter taste, and although its taste is not very good, at least it can get some precious vitamins.

This behavior cannot be said to be bizarre. Rurik pondered, didn't the oriental people boil the leaves and drink it? Even Rurik was certain that the Vikings would not carry forward their culture of boiling pine needle water.

Under the huge altar forest, the crowd is full of people,

Men and women chatted about all kinds of things.

Rurik listened carefully, many of whom were young warriors talking about going to Novgorod to get a beautiful wife, or going south to cut down the Gotlanders to avenge their blood.

Obviously, there is a long-cherished wish for future action arrangements in the tribe, and my father has no plans to intervene at all. What will they do next?

Rurik was the only one who knew his cousin's decision best, and that was revenge!

When he finally got the chance, compared to taking his wife to Novgorod to visit his parents-in-law, Arik definitely didn't think it was more important than avenging his biological father's blood. His father died in battle, and to avenge his father, Rurik could fully understand his cousin Arik's mood, and it was also very reasonable.

There is a saying that the feud between the parents is deadly, and Rurik hopes that if the Ross army really goes south, Aric will not be injured in the revenge action.

Thinking of this, he was always worried about his already grown and very strong cousin.

Any war always kills, however, Rurik could not see any fear in the eyes of the young warriors of the tribe in their twenties.

They have only two attitudes toward war, anger for vengeance, and thirst for wealth. It can be said that the warriors whose relatives died in the hands of the Gotlandians in previous encounters have changed their minds since a group of tribal elites suddenly started to promote the battle cry of "revenge on the Gotlandians, and everyone gets a hundred silver coins by the way". Feeling excited, the hatred of the past was quickly driven up, each one longing for revenge, and even more for prosperity.

Rurik hadn't noticed until now that he gave the blacksmith Kravasen the technology to make steel swords, in addition to attracting other blacksmiths to run over to kneel and pray to teach the skills so that they could make a lot of money together, but it also attracted all the warriors to place orders frantically, which also made him. They have to come up with money in a short time to pay for the order.

Just as the warriors were pondering how to get a lot of money, the great businessman Gould made a high-profile claim that the Gotlanders were extremely wealthy, and deliberately made up some legends for his men to spread. The Gotlanders, for example, had so much gold that they could pile up into mountains.

It is true that the Gotlanders are not only rich, but also particularly fond of hoarding gold and silver currency.

In many cases, the king of a kingdom cannot control the development of the whole country because of his own will. The so-called national luck seems to have an invisible force that promotes the rise of a country, and it can also bring about decline.

This power is not something illusory, the so-called national destiny is the human heart!

When most of the young people of the Ross tribe learned that the Gotlanders had a lot of money in their pockets, they organized an army to rob them. Moreover, the action will not be a single fight of a few people. Many people have a great hatred against the Gotland people. Moreover, the Ross tribe and them are already in a state of fierce battle, so it is reasonable to attack them.

Therefore, the festival is also a rare gathering day for all tribes, and the most powerful young people of the tribe are here. They don't care about the attitude of the clan elders, elites, and even the leaders themselves. The young people are already spontaneously discussing how to cut off the heads of the enemies and make every warrior extremely rich. Paying huge sums of silver to buy a steel sword from a blacksmith is also a particularly urgent need.

Arik, he spared no effort to call on everyone to crusade the Gotlanders, taking advantage of this opportunity, he easily had more like-minded people.

He's the one who won't give up! Although he could not replace his cousin to become the clan leader, he also sighed at the fact that he was making a lot of money from his cousin.

However, a good leader must have a general who is fierce and daring to fight. Who will be this general? Of course you are!

It's like my father Ogier is my uncle Otto's general, and when Rick is left as the leader, I, Aric, must be the first general!

As a general, you must make achievements and be recognized by the young power of the tribe? How to make merit? That was the crusade against the Gotlanders.

They've even started wailing!

Rurik grabbed his father's clothes so that he wouldn't be scattered in the crowd. The sacrifice was still about to begin, when suddenly a harsh sound came.

"Dad, someone is yelling slogans." Rurik said weakly.

"It's your brother Arik." Otto had heard everything clearly, and couldn't help frowning.

"Ah! I...I get it. They're really going to take down the Gotlands."

"Yes, this Arik." Otto felt that his eldest nephew was protesting to him, or, as his nephew grew up, he would soon become a father. A man alive now needs to make a difference! Besides, Arik must take revenge! Otherwise, he will be ridiculed by others as "a coward who dare not take revenge for killing his father".

It was Otto who never imagined that it was his nephew who roared the loudest, with a group of young people chanting the word "revenge" in unison.

revenge? attack? OK!

Otto was secretly relieved, since those young people had such fighting spirit, since he could not interfere with this powerful force at all.

Who will be the general of the crusade?

Arik! It seems that he has gained the support of young people.

If Rurik is a fan of children under the age of ten, Arik can be trusted by young people in their twenties. Otto knew clearly that Arik was the majesty he played in the savage competition among children, and the losers admired such a king in battle very much.

It was the foreseeable future, and Otto never thought that his nephew might threaten his son's leadership.

Why? Rurik had captured all the young boys of the tribe, and even hired Guards. People all have to grow up. Those children who run around in the tribe will eventually grow up to be the new army of Rurik when they grow up.

A strange thought suddenly appeared in Otto's mind. If the year his brother Ogier died in battle, his wife gave birth to a girl, then Arik would really become his eldest son.

There is indeed a possibility that Arik could become the leader of the Ross tribe, provided that Rurik is a girl.

However, Rurik is a boy, and he is the one who received the "Blessing of Odin". In the foreseeable future, Rurik is also the king of the fight. At least at the age of seven, he has never met an opponent.

They were excited, and their roars attracted more excitement.

Finally, a group of priests formed a team of plain white, and they walked slowly towards the altar with all kinds of sacrifices in person.

Everyone made way for them, and everyone noticed that they were different this year.

The priests were all beautifully dressed, and they were all dressed in off-white linen, partly dyed with indigo and cinnabar. They all wore necklaces, adorned with rubies, sapphires, and plenty of amber.

They also wore beautiful crowns, which were made of several vines, on which were inserted a large number of green pine buds, and small yellow and blue wild flowers of unknown name.

Many female priests have their own unique braids, and the crowns do not hide the complex and changeable silver ornaments tied to the braids.

Even some priests use cinnabar mud to paint lines on their faces, and with the help of partners, write words spelled in Rune.

No one thought for a while that the priests would dress themselves up like this because they suddenly had a fortune.

What everyone sees is their image, and some parents even saw their daughters who were rented out to priests, and they actually...become very beautiful!

Yes, no matter the age, the priestesses wear linen clothes that are exactly the same in appearance and only vary in size, including the girls of those tribes, who are also trained by the priests to walk in unison.

Rurik noticed that the girls of the tribe, their new images were like little angels in the legend, with a fresh and refined temperament.

After all, they are all Nordic people. On weekdays, parents are generally too lazy to clean their children. The girls of the tribe are still dirty as they are young. Now they have returned to their original appearance, standing in the forest, like the legendary elves! It would be even better if they had pointed ears.

The fresh image of the tribal girl has inspired countless clan people, and the girl's parents are also greatly surprised by the beauty of their daughter, and can't help but estimate how much dowry they should ask for when their daughter gets married. Not only because they dress up like the legendary women, but after all, they are participating in sacrificial activities, and their own value is obviously greatly improved.

The young people of the tribe paid attention to these girls of the same race completely out of instinct. Some young people who had planned to follow the leader to Novgorod to find local women to marry, could not help but fantasize about asking for the marriage of these girls.

The beautiful women easily gained huge attention, even beyond the sacrifice itself.

Wearing a helmet with huge antlers on her head, she also wears a simple linen that symbolizes the arrival of spring.

"Bona did come up with new tricks. I wear new linen clothes at my age, and I seem to be at least ten years younger!" Or because of psychological factors, Villa felt that she suddenly became stronger.

She wore an antler helmet on her head and leaned on a cane inlaid with gems, and walked slowly. Her walking speed also determined the entire team.

People spontaneously made way for this holy team, and the crowd, which had been made loud by the group of young people eager for revenge, quickly quieted down.

Thousands of eyes watched the procession, watching the most important high priest step across the confines of the stone boat altar and into the so-called sanctuary.

The Spring Festival is about to begin.

Otto squeezed out of the crowd, and he brought the best of the tribe, and all the men over fifty years old, and gathered at the bow of the stone boat altar.

Bow, pointing north.

"High priest, are we... about to start soon?" Otto asked Villa who was preparing across the standing stones.

"My leader, don't worry. Have you seen my standing stick? When its shadow is the smallest, it is the time of sacrifice."

Villa spoke without raising her head. She bowed her hunched back and visited some sacrifices on the stone platform inside the altar.

Now, the sacrifices she was playing with were no longer the fresh meat of deer, but a whole bunch of symbols.

She placed tender pine needles, oak buds, sage and onion seedlings on four small bronze trays. They are symbols, and there are no special requirements for the type, and Villa put them here to imply that spring has come.

As for the lower-level priests such as Bona, their arms were obviously stronger due to the long-term cooking of fat and stirring the soap. No, the most important sacrifice was carried over by the priests together.

Brave fishermen took huge risks and began to operate in the waters where they resumed sailing. Large-scale trawling is not a problem. Fishing, a method for thousands of years, has made fishermen truly amazing.

Two large cod fish more than one meter long were carried over by the priests. They are all fish caught this morning. In fact, the fish market of the Ross tribe has been restored, and the fishermen have been spontaneously selling all kinds of catches.

Two silver coins buy two large cods, which the priest can easily pay for. After the sacrifice, the priests will serve fish as food for the next day or two.

The position of the sun is slowly changing, it is not in the correct position, and there will never be a beginning of the sacrifice here in Villa.

Being exposed to the spring sun, the comfortable feeling of basking in the sun makes everyone intoxicated. The residents of the entire tribe, together with the guests, stood in this sacred forest, keeping each other quiet and enjoying the sunshine. Such a scene might have happened in a dream, but it was reality.

Everyone enjoys this kind of silence, and they are also waiting for the violent moment after the sacrifice!

An ordinary wooden stick is inserted into the "bow" of the altar. Once its shadow is aligned with the central axis of the altar, it means that the hour has come.

The time has finally come!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Villa raised his head and slowly opened his arms.

At the same time, two priestesses wearing a garland of pine needles, one beat a small leather drum rhythmically, and the other plucked a small harp. The sound of music meant that the sacrifice officially began.

In the simple rhythm of the music of the Rus, Villa recites the hymn of spring.

The other priests knelt down on their knees in the altar, raised their heads toward the sun, closed their eyes, and received the sun's bath.

Seeing this, all the clansmen who participated also knelt down reverently.

It is not some act of human confusion, but has a strong symbolic meaning. Because the sun is also considered to be a part of Odin, Yuchun sacrifices kneeling to face the sun, which is to praise Odin.

When the time comes to the summer solstice, which is the so-called "night without night" of the Ross tribe, the priests will also be priests for the sun once, singing the great sun, the great Odin.

Villa chanted the ancient rites, and when she was quiet, everyone opened their eyes and stood up again.

Villa whispered to Bona: "Go to the next item! Start."

Bona understood, then took out a knife and cut the two fish with a blank expression.

She swiftly opened the belly of the fish, endured the strong fishy smell, and pulled a large amount of fish intestines into the bronze tray, and the two fish made the exact same treatment.

Rurik was completely stunned by this scene. Because he was still young last year, he was led by his mother and stood behind the crowd. He didn't know the details of the ceremony inside the altar. Rurik only knew that the priests would play some ancient folk songs with ancient instruments, but did not know that the priests still had the process of killing fish.

He never imagined that Bona was actually a very good female fisherman.

Without anyone's help, Bona quickly removed the internal organs of the two big fish, and with a few more knives, she was stunned to break open the fish ribs, and the whole big fish was opened along the ribs, as if the next step should be skewered. Several branches, roasted on the fire!

Is this a sacrifice? Simply prepare ingredients for a grilled fish feast!

Rurik's eyes were still on those fish, he suddenly noticed the restlessness of the people around him, and when he looked around, more tribesmen trembled.

A furious action is just about ready to go!

A pair of big hands suddenly clapped on him!

"Dad!" Rurik raised his head vigorously.

"Son, are you ready? Just like last year, I won't carry you again this time."

"I... I'm ready." Rurik gritted his teeth, the most intense thing was coming.

Vilia looked calm, she fully knew that her clansmen were like arrows ready to go, waiting for her to issue an order.

She faced the sun again, opened her arms, raised her head, which was about to be crushed by the antler helmet, and shouted as much as she could: "Great Odin! Thank you for giving us spring, thank you for melting snow. We are your loyal servants. , we're going. Please give us your blessing!"

After a while, she said loudly: "The warriors of the Rus, now... let's begin!"

For a moment, the men of the tribe seemed to hear the starting gun athletes, and they suddenly ran at a frantic speed, with only one goal - the beach.

Anyone worried about stampede? Do not! Nobody cares!

There was only one thing everyone cared about, and that was to push all the boats that lay on the beach into the sea. Priests and clansmen have "visited" Odin at the altar. Everyone believes that they have been blessed by God. With it, it will be safe to go out to sea this year, and every fisherman can catch huge fish. Every merchant can make big money safely!

Rurik, his weak figure joined the torrent to the sea.

The same goes for children his own age, who sprint to the beach to fulfill the obligations that every capable Ross man needs to do.

Rurik's little hands finally touched the hull of a long ship on the chaotic beach.

Everyone has a legend that as long as this is done, it will bring good luck. If you don't touch the hull of any ship today, your fortune will not be very good this year. Whoever owns the boat, just participate in pushing it into the sea!

There are nearly a thousand wooden boats of various types stacked on the beach. For the convenience of driving, many boats have been made wooden slides. On the morning of the sacrifice, the slides were also smeared with some grease.

All Viking longships are not very sinking, they are built to have a wide but not high deck. They gain the advantage of lightness and lose their strength, making them unsuitable for sailing in the vast ocean at all. Particularly suitable for the waters of the Baltic Sea.

Rurik just touched it lightly and tried to push it a few times, and soon his small body was pushed aside by a group of strong people. Because the owner and his friends value their boat, which is an important tool for their livelihood. They rushed to their own ship immediately, and since they had already marked and planned the running track, generally no one mistakenly recognized their own ship.

There was no point in going deeper into the crowd. Rurik subconsciously stepped back. He didn't want to get in and get trampled and injured, and he didn't want his clothes to get wet by the sea.

Rurik went to the heights, and the children who received his military training were crowded out by the adults, and the children also subconsciously gathered towards the beach heights.

I saw a boy with a golden ponytail, a saber hanging from his waist, and a maid next to him, and he was undoubtedly his little leader.

The children gathered one after another and gathered beside Rurik. Everyone looked at the ships that suddenly appeared on the sea, and subconsciously discussed the future they had heard about.

Bald Fisk is still a big bald head. Her mother who chose to live as a widow knows the benefits of soap, but she can't afford it at all. In order to prevent her son from being bitten by head lice, she insists on continuing to shave his hair with a knife against his scalp.

"Rurik, I've heard that many men want revenge on the Gotlanders. I really envy them." As he spoke, Fisk's eyes never left the sea.

"Do you have any regrets?" Rurik asked.

"Yes, I'm too young to be pushed by the adults. Maybe when I can push the boat into the sea myself, I'll really have the strength to participate in the expedition. But...my father."

"You're going to take revenge, I can understand." Rurik sighed. "They're going to attack the Gotlanders, and my cousin is going to take revenge. Looking at his performance before the sacrifice, I think he wants to be an expedition warrior. leader."

"He's the leader?!" Kanuf leaned over in confusion, "I think it's still my father! My father and our big leader are good friends. By the way, Rurik."

"What's wrong?"

"You said, the crusade against the Gotlanders, our great leader, your father, will he personally lead everyone?"

"This... I don't know, maybe not."

"Oh, it seems that it is more important to go to Novgorod to ask for tribute. But I heard from my father that the Gotlanders are very rich. They even have a mountain of gold?"

Looking at Kanuf's excited and trembling eyes, and listening to his childish words, Rurik really wanted to laugh.

Children have a huge thirst for wealth from a young age, and it seems that they generally feel that it is better to loot the hostile wealthy than to produce and create wealth.

Either way, they simply lack education, and they don't know or understand that with knowledge, they can obtain wealth more efficiently and safely.

Rurik smiled and asked, "Do you believe they really have mountains of gold?"

"Of course, my dad said, that's there."

"Okay. Unfortunately, we are still too young, brothers!" Rurik took advantage of the opportunity to gather his young fans together, and he issued an order. The large group of children stood in five rows consciously. It's like the queue when they were training, and then they all sat down cross-legged and listened to the "boss".

Any normal child, they all have the need to follow the older child, just because they feel that the older child is a strong man they can trust.

Rurik has a set of grappling routines, and his physical fitness is also excellent year-on-year. He has never been false in fighting, and he also has a lot of wonderful ideas, and he will draw big cakes and promise a wonderful future.

He suddenly pulled out his bright white steel sword that gleamed in the sun, pointed at the ships that had raised their sails and started sailing against the wind, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, are you envious?! I know you are envious. You don't have to be envious, ten years later, it's me..."

Saying that, Rurik deliberately gave himself a thumbs-up with his left hand, "It's me Rurik, after I became the leader, just like what you saw today. I'll take you on an expedition. What do you want? Gold Silver? Or a beautiful wife? A servant? A servant like Rumia? And a great victory? You can get it! You can get whatever you want as long as you stay loyal to me. Remember our slogan? ?!"

Looking at their eager eyes, Rurik's eyes widened and he raised his steel sword and roared, "Ulla! Ulla!"

His roar attracted the roar of all the children, and everyone's expressions were particularly ferocious.

The appearance of Rurik easily ruling over a hundred children and a future wild warrior made Rumia subconsciously take three steps back. This is his master! An unstoppable strongman in the future.

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