Rise of Rurik

Latest website: Facing his father in golden armor, Rurik slowly walked online step by step. Under the attention of countless soldiers, common people, and wealthy businessmen, he knelt down on one knee to perform a warrior salute to the "great king".

"Father! I'm back."

This kneeling touched the old king greatly. Otto's body was shaking violently, which the soldiers supporting him could clearly feel.

"Get up! My son! Come over here and let me take a good look at you..."

In terms of figure and face, Rurik is almost the young Otto. The old man stroked his son's face, his golden beard, and his neck.

Otto knew that today's glory all belonged to his son. As a father, he was very proud of this matter, but as a man, he also felt a little jealous.

After all, Rose was still in a corner when he was young, but now everything is different.

Compared to Otto, Niya couldn't hide her excitement, her excited eyes squeezed out tears, and she threw herself directly on her son to enjoy this moment of happiness.

The Ross royal family is already a large family, and this glimpse is the high-profile self-warrior of the royal family.

All Rurik's wives and concubines in Novgorod attended this event with their children in their arms.

The younger children were generally a little unfamiliar with their father, but a few older children eagerly broke away from their mother's shackles, happily ran to their father, and hugged Rurik.

Karl, Osborne, and Oleg, the three half-brothers are the elder princes of what is now Novgorod.

Reglaf is the de facto eldest son, the most legitimate king of Mercia recognized by the Western countries and priests. He has long been

Arrangements were made to go to Frank World.

In a sense, Reglaf is just a passerby in Rurik's life. This son has status and status, but Ross will no longer provide him with huge resources.

Reglaf's well-being must be fought for by himself. His dual aristocratic lineage and the recognition of the Western nobility are his political capital.

As for what kind of achievements this boy will achieve in the end, Rurik no longer wants to ask.

Of course, if this kid encounters a serious disaster in the Western world, his father will help him.

Now, the three brats hugging him are the three people with extremely high status.

Among all the princes, Osborne has the most noble status.

Rurik could only pick up his son high and simply put it on his shoulders, as if he was holding up the sun of tomorrow.

He deliberately gave Queen Svetlana a wink, and the wink was worth a thousand words...

The hustle and bustle of the city continues, and when the market reopens in the afternoon, it's busier than ever.

The soldiers of the four newly formed flag corps mainly came from the two cities of Novgorod and Mstisk. Although the military camp was in the big city of Novgorod, Rurik immediately fulfilled his promise and served as the army's companion. After the king completed his grand tour of the city, he disbanded.

All soldiers participating in the expedition will have a two-week holiday. During this period, no assembly orders will be issued unless necessary.

The task of the young soldiers is to stay at home. They must recharge their batteries, eat and drink well, check their weapons and equipment, and finally be in the best condition to face new challenges.

The holiday starts in the afternoon, and the soldiers can go home immediately or stay in the military camp.

Every warrior enjoys one

Some loot, especially some good-quality Frankish and Eastern Roman silver coins plundered from the southern world.

Although the Kingdom of Rus has suffered from imported inflation in recent years, this problem is being offset by development.

On the one hand are the fighters who are not that large in number and have plundered a lot of cash from war dividends.

On the one hand, there are Slavic and Finnish farmers with extremely large populations and extremely short of cash.

Rus itself does not produce silver. Over the past decade or so, most of the currency in circulation in the Baltic economic circle ended up in Rus' hands. The grain-based strategy was a means to hedge against excess silver coins. To truly stabilize commodity prices, either the royal family's treasury should store a large amount of cash and not flow out unless necessary, or the coins should flow into the hands of the majority of farmers in a normal commercial manner.

In this era, the cost of long-distance trade was beyond the reach of ordinary farmers. A farmer on an ordinary farm would not go hundreds of kilometers away to Novorosberg to do business unless necessary. For them, Novgorod is already a "super city" in their living circle. Even so, they still have the mentality of going to the market. , going twice a month is enough.

The official exchange ratio of silver coins to grain is defended by the authority of the king and the powerful army. Groups of graduated clerks perform statistical calculations, thus ensuring that each farm can smoothly exchange silver coins at the official price every month. grain within the share.

As for how much grain is stored in the granary, monthly expenditures are recorded.

The extreme inequality of wealth is naturally easing, but it cannot be said that it has resolved the contradiction.

So the commercial significance of Novgorod and Novorosberg

It is extremely huge. The more prosperous the business between the two cities is, the more social conflicts can be resolved.

To be fair, the soldiers who participated in the southern expedition to Smolensk did not get the huge wealth they expected.

The local nobles had a lot of real estate and physical assets, and their favorite gold, silver, and jewelry were not many. After dividing the loot according to proportion, individuals received not many coins.

Even so it was a windfall.

The young warriors immediately began shopping in the city of Novgorod. They bought new clothes, boots, hats, belts and bags, honey, dried fruits, frozen meat and alcohol.

People are extremely welcoming to these generous boys. The so-called war dividend is nothing more than this, and all businessmen who set up stalls in big cities have to share in the benefits.

The dividends of the war were passed on layer by layer. Women who were busy doing needlework in winter received silver coins from selling their goods quickly, and then used the money to go to the farm to buy other necessary supplies to improve their lives.

Such prosperity will last for many days! After all, they were a group of young people who had just entered the battlefield. It was their first time to shed blood with their swords, and it was also their first time to get trophies. They had a strong desire to consume to prove that they had "control".

You need to buy everything good to eat and drink, especially new clothes and equipment.

In particular, they want to buy more belts, bags and boots, which are excellent specialties of the city.

They must buy more. After all, the king will only issue one set or even none of these small items. Brothers are just citizen soldiers. In principle, all equipment except a set of standard weapons must be prepared by themselves. In this way, it is natural to prepare more. harm.

Who is qualified to participate in the Frankish expedition after spring plowing?

Although the king

Without saying anything, the situation is actually very clear. The sudden southern expedition was a massive counterattack and an iron-blooded test for the newly formed flag corps. Each team has completed the trial, which means that everyone has obtained the right to expedition.

It has been half a year since the expedition last September. Who would question the incompetence of a group of thirteen or fourteen-year-old mixed-race brats now?

Only God knows how many new difficulties the expedition to Frank will encounter. No matter how much preparation is made, it is worth it.

For every soldier, there are two things that need the most attention: food and clothing.

The experience of the winter war made them understand that food and clothing were more important than weapons and equipment.

How was the rebel Vadim finally defeated?

As those who have witnessed the war, everyone has their own judgment - that guy is menacing and often faints after suffering losses. The main reason is that this guy is in short supply of military rations and is in a hurry to find a warm shelter after the snowfall.

Only God knows how long the new expedition will last.

Askard's Seventh Standard and the elite standing army are still fighting in the Franks, and no one knows what their condition is. They must still be fighting, but now their war has been going on for a full year.

The high-energy honey, pickled fat, and slightly smelly cheese were swept away.

All leather boots on the market were sold out within days.

The four flag teams and cavalry represented nearly three thousand warriors. They had a lot of cash and a strong desire to buy.

Leather boots are consumables. After half a year of fighting, the soldiers' first pairs of shoes were basically damaged. They were reluctant to throw them away and kept them at home to repair them. Just because the soldiers put on their own spare boots one after another

, so that everyone basically does not worry about freezing their feet and losing their combat effectiveness.

(In fact, a group of soldiers who did not participate in the Pskov expedition had to go home early with the Ostara army because their shoes were damaged and their feet were frostbitten).

Such experience has led everyone to reach a consensus in this regard - at least three pairs of leather boots should be prepared.

Suddenly, a huge market for leather boots appeared in Novgorod. Is it true that the Tour of Lake Ilmen can produce 10,000 pairs of leather boots in a short period of time?

There are not enough craftsmen in the city to meet this demand in just one month, so all family workshops rush to work for profit.

As for the soldiers who are in urgent need of new recruits, you can wait a little longer.

After buying all kinds of things, the promising young man returned to his home and shared happy moments with his family.

The sons who went on the expedition returned intact. They grew into real men and brought back a batch of trophies. More importantly, they would also go on an expedition to Frank.

Ross' youth was either on an expedition or preparing for an expedition.

The children's fathers are already old, and many young people are actually the second sons of their families. Their fathers are either old Rus's or New Rus's who immigrated from other Swedish tribes. What they have in common is that they speak Norse and the people they marry are Almost all of them were Slavic wives.

Adhering to the northern transmission, the second son should go out and make a living for himself. This was too cruel in the eyes of the child's Slavic mothers, who preferred that their sons stay with them, cultivate the land, and become rich through agriculture.

The children who have the soul of Varyag cannot be kept. The younger son is eager to see his eldest brother making a fortune due to the expedition. The cultural atmosphere of the entire Mstisk city is like this.

Therefore, it was also transmitted to various farms and Novgorod, a large city dominated by Slavs.

When war and plunder become a business with a very high success rate, extremely fast money, and a rapid improvement of family living conditions, who is still willing to farm the land and fish honestly?

Nowadays, the descendants of a few people still have the power of expedition. These "minorities" are giving birth crazily, and the majority of Slavs are also giving birth to poor people, so the right to go to war is still a privilege of a few people.

But the "minority" here is no longer small.

The standing army was made as cavalry as possible, and now there was an infantry standard corps and four cavalry corps that were heavily armored and berserker-like per capita.

There are as many as eleven people in the National Guards Corps.

There is also an independent naval force.

In theory, this army of nearly 10,000 soldiers was about to arrive. They obeyed the orders of the king himself, and they also held the power to start a war in Rus.

To maintain such a large army, just the cost of maintenance is huge for the current kingdom. Fortunately, the size of Ross's standing army that really consumes national funds is smaller. The vast majority of citizen soldiers have to prepare almost everything by themselves. It is precisely the markets at all levels in the kingdom that can meet the various needs of soldiers.

They are soldiers and producers, and the families behind them are farmers, fishermen, hunters, and people engaged in various handicraft workshops. It is precisely because the king invests little in these citizen soldiers that they spend a lot of money to prepare their own weapons and logistical supplies in peacetime in order to save their lives on the battlefield. After all, money can only be earned while a person is alive.

The prosperity of Novgorod really opened the eyes of Olafin, Bohm and others.

How do you see this city?

Both have a larger population than Novosibirsk, and the entire environment is similar to Pskov, with people coming and going speaking a mixture of Norse and Slavic. The relationship between the two races is obviously very harmonious. Is this the reason why there are a large number of mixed-race people in the local area?

Thirty families in the small Danish community of Pskov have the right to choose. They can live directly in Novgorod and become ordinary people to enjoy "modern life" immediately, or they can follow Olafin to stare at Lake Lubans in the future. Traveling in the name of a nobleman.

Out of very practical considerations, some families decisively settled in the city, and the family's names were registered in the scribe's pen, and marked as "merchant" in the identity column.

With just one experience, they now know the Pskov-Novgorod inland trade route, transporting Novgorod's good products to the bitter Pskov, and the local Kremlin The villagers of Livich must sell a large amount of agricultural products in exchange, and then they can transport the leather purchased locally to Novgorod. By simply being a second-hand dealer, they can make money on both sides. This is a good thing in the world.

This is what Bohm thinks. As for how many more years he can continue to do long-distance trade, does he know?

At least the family should enjoy a stable life. When the son grows up, he can continue to be a merchant and run trade. When the daughter grows up, she can marry nearby so that the family can find a backer in Novgorod.

Although Orafin and several of his old friends were moved, considering that King Rus had granted him the title, the prospects for his development as an earl in Lake Lubans were even greater.

At least it was a count! There is no money to earn, and he is accepted by the King of Ross.

The noble title you recognize cannot be bought with money.

These people either settled or lived in Novgorod city, and it was up to them to decide when the Olafin branch left.

Rurik's thoughts were no longer on those traveling with him.

All the Theron boys who came with them as hostages had their fathers named boyars from Rurik, and they themselves would inherit the titles in the future. After the children arrived at the destination, they were sent to a trustworthy foster family by Rurik in this city.

The people of White Tree Manor make up the main body of this big city, and the people are not stupid. When they learned that these little boys were the future lower-level nobles, people who were eager to have connections with the nobles were vying for the right to send samples.

What kind of wishful thinking do these people have? Rurik and Governor Medved knew everything.

The little boys will receive a complete education in this city, and they will be "Russianized". When they return to their hometown in the future, they will definitely want to be Rus. Even if they are the unheard-of Seron people, they are still a group of small nobles personally granted by the King of Rus. Their territory is said to be sandwiched between Riga and Polotsk. In short, they are not people from far away.

Raise the boy as a son and marry your own daughter. It is best to hold a wedding according to Slavic tradition when the two are twelve years old to completely solidify their relationship. In this way, an ordinary family in White Tree Manor has suddenly transformed into a noble background.

This is what Rurik is happy to see. It is expected that those Seron people will become supporters of Ross in the future, which is equivalent to the royal family placing tentacles in the lower reaches of the West Dvina River, an area that has lacked direct control capabilities for a period of time.

Among all children, a brother and sister are the most important.

Witness and

Costis, they are a pair of grandchildren of the leader of the Thron people.

Eight-year-old Witness will become the next generation of Earl Theron, and his future wife can be chosen from the girls of Ross.

Six-year-old Kostis can marry a Rus noble.

Such large and small Thron forces have established blood ties with Ross.

However, Rurik would not foster these brothers in an ordinary family. Anyway, there were many children in the royal family, so there was nothing wrong with having another pair of young siblings.

Now, Rurik is the adoptive father of the brothers and sisters, and Svetlana is their adoptive mother.

Otto, who was over seventy years old, had a pair of grandchildren.

But the population of the Rus' royal family is increasing and will continue to increase.

Queen Svetlana's belly is already too big. She was already pregnant when Rus was marching south in the winter. Now half a year has passed, and a little calculation of the expected date of delivery shows that the baby will be born before or after the spring plowing. It will be the second in the direct line. A prince or a princess.

But Rurik will not be limited to this.

The plowing season in April is not far away, and it will be followed by spring plowing, followed by the Ross Expedition.

Rurik counted the days, and when he personally led the army to intervene in the Frankish Civil War, it would be around the summer solstice at the earliest. This period is neither too early nor too late.

What is "April Bull"? Rurik's nickname is not a joke. Everyone knows that their king can control those eighteen wives and concubines. It is strange that the king who has returned now does not use his ability.

Rurik shouldn't be so impatient, Svetlana is the real wife, and the right thing to do now is to spend time with her.