Rise of Rurik

Latest website: Those deer farmers who go to the city to sell their goods take the initiative to gather together to sell goods unless there are special circumstances. They are very aware of their situation. Even if the high priest is a member of their own tribe, after all, the high priest stands on the side of King Rus. .

Although everyone's living conditions have improved a lot in the past ten years or so, deer farmers have to keep their tail between their legs when faced with the Rus and people from various Swedish tribes.

They didn't dare to cause trouble, and they were also afraid of being attacked if they were left alone.

After all, in the past years, in the eyes of those people, my status was almost equivalent to a "huntable animal". Even the Covins, Tavastians, and even the once powerful Kareli people were said to be close relatives. A people will also come to capture slaves.

Although Ironburg in the north has become an important trading point in the far north, it is essentially a large iron mine, and the deer-raising clans and families only go there to sell and trade goods nearby. Since this area is also the settlement of most of the Covin people, based on their past memories, they are subconsciously cautious when doing transactions.

In contrast, if the various clans moved to the vicinity of the capital of Rus, that is, in the area around Lake Ladoga, there would be better pastures for reindeer grazing, the capital would be a mixed bag of people, the local governor would govern strictly, and the laws would be implemented well. The most important thing is that Rumia, the high priest from her own clan, is in charge of the capital.

After comprehensive consideration, when the Karelian people in the area around the lake, especially in the northern area of ​​the lake, collapsed, the deer herders who were also herders, they became a brand new "Karelian people", even with their The dialect is called Laap.

At the stall where they gathered, the most eye-catching thing was the big

Amount of reindeer antlers.

Of all reindeer products, antlers are in the largest and most abundant supply.

Both male and female reindeer shed their horns every year, and they fall off their heads naturally like cicadas shed their horns. Although it is made of keratin, hardened and shed antlers resemble a dense wood.

The older a stag gets, the more likely it is to grow giant antlers. The symmetrical C-shaped large horn can be made into various utensils, especially its bent structure that can be easily processed into wooden stick handles and wall hooks.

This characteristic of it has a special name in the local language: Kvin.

The slightly bent antlers can be easily mounted on a wooden stick and become a short spear with a hook, which can be used as a weapon or hung as a salute and carried on the shoulder. The Covin people, who have surrendered to Rus for more than ten years, derived their name from this.

Rurik knew almost nothing about reindeer raising, and for a long time his economic value of reindeer only remained in his simple understanding that the meat could be eaten, skinned, and used for clothing.

What else could it be? During Ross's tribal days, due to the poor environment he lived in, he had no conditions for mainstream livestock breeding, so he had to go to the north to capture rare animals, skin them and sell them to Lake Mälaren in the south to make money.

Ross has always classified caribou as a generally huntable large animal in the past. Due to frequent hunting activities, this animal has become extinct near the living space. But this is not the fault of the Ross family. The entire Swedish tribe has exterminated the reindeer in their own environment. The reindeer in the area around Lake Mälaren have long been extinct.

Although the historical data in Ross's possession are rough, it can be seen that the tribe completed the northward migration when the late high priest was about six years old, and it is estimated that it was around 760 AD.

Fully moved into Rossberg Fjord.

Their arrival directly caused the collapse of the local free deer herder clan.

Times have changed, and now it is King Rus who has become the patron of all deer farmers.

A large number of old Russians and their descendants know very little about deer raising. Even if they divide the captured deer as trophies, only a small number of Russian families are still raising deer, and their scale is not large.

Deer farmers make a living from deer. Their mission is to breed deer for the royal family and regularly slaughter a batch to supply meat to the capital. The proceeds are attributed to the state treasury, and all corresponding leather products are sent to state-run institutions for processing.

It seems that the deer farmers do not receive any real money, which seems to prove that they are slaves working for free.

In fact, this is not the case. Those antlers scattered on the ice field are the objects of collection by various clans.

Reindeer usually shed their antlers naturally and unconsciously. It is not suitable for deer owners to find a gray-black thing in the vast ice field. After all, it is like a dead branch stuck in the snow and difficult to be noticed from a distance.

Unless, search along areas where large deer herds pass.

Deer farmers drive their herds for winter grazing year after year, and reindeer also gather in autumn and winter to complete shedding of their horns.

September is the reindeer breeding season. The giant antlers of male deer are proof of strength. They collide for the right to mate. In the process, a large number of antlers are broken. Since they do not fall off naturally, the deer with broken antlers have no choice but to He left in despair with a bloody look on his face.

Female deer admire the winner, but once the breeding season is over, both male and female deer lose interest in the opposite sex. Some of them gather together to eat grass and resist natural threats in a group-like manner. Of course he was slapped

The huge deer population controlled by the deer has been domesticated, and humans have become more powerful masters. Mixing with humans is very beneficial to the reproduction of the population.

Once the time comes and the male deer loses interest in the female deer, their proud giant antlers will naturally fall off.

Most of the deer herds belonging to the royal family are active around Lake Ladoga, and their large camp is near the capital. The number of this population exceeds 60,000, and it is still increasing in value rapidly.

There are as many as fifty deer-raising clans that manage the deer herds in this area. Each clan is basically centered on an old female lady, and relies on blood ties to maintain a large family that ranges from twenty to fifty.

Just like the reindeer that are under the centralized control of human beings, the value of the deer herd has increased at an unprecedented rate, and the population changes are similar.

The deer herder clan, which was once so widely distributed that they refused to communicate with each other for the sake of safety, and even fled to the shores of the Arctic Ocean to survive, at least under Ross's rule, they no longer have to worry about being deliberately murdered and sold into slavery. Living conditions have improved a lot, and more and more children are born. It has been more than ten years since we surrendered to Rus. A large number of children have safely entered the "young people" that Rurik recognized. In fact, in the eyes of their deer farmers, they are a new generation of adults, and they must Take all responsibility.

Fifty clans turned into a group with a population of more than 2,000 people!

And this is just a clan group operating in the camp north of the Neva River. They are authorized to manage the royal family's deer herd, and their living conditions are much better than those of their relatives who are not authorized.

The clans are helping each other, and because of their recent blood relationship, they are connected with the Vipus and the Ludi people-all of them are residents of Lake Ladoga who have surrendered to Rus.

When the king is not in the capital, these fifty clans

The clan was directly responsible to the Governor of New Roseburg.

As for the Governor, Little Cornuson, since these short guys were all poor relatives of High Priest Rumia, he looked down upon these people but did not dare to question the authority of the High Priest at all, so he had no choice but to give the deer herders the green light in some aspects. .

It is still a tax holiday in the kingdom, and merchants large and small do not pay taxes. But even if there is no tax holiday, the deer-raising clans do not have to pay taxes when they go to the city to do business. Although there is no legal inscription requirement here, it is entirely the tacit approval of the governor's palace for the sake of the high priest.

But little Konuson did not allow things to develop into chaos. All deer farmers who came to the city to do business had restrictions on the types and quantities of goods they sold. They could only sell reindeer products. There are also no clear legal provisions here, and they have maintained a tacit understanding with each other for many years.

However, as a tool, the antlers themselves were far inferior to all the usual high-quality iron tools in Ross.

Antlers themselves are worthless unless turned into crafts, decorations, and practical gadgets.

Small statues of gods carved from horns, table forks, wooden combs... Each clan spends a lot of time processing antlers while grazing, and makes some money by selling gadgets, but after all, it cannot be a get-rich-quick industry.

They all make handicrafts. In the capital of Rus, the craftsmen have the best craftsmanship in the northern world. Especially for amber and beeswax carvings, the finished products can be sold at better prices.

The deer-herding clans make money, but not much, and their lives are more than satisfying in the past.

If it were just like this, life would get better at a very slow speed, but those Russians clearly relied on

Get rich quickly through war and plunder. Regarding the war, it seems that the only way for the Deer Breeder to participate in the war is to participate as an auxiliary staff and get a salary. Even so, he will enjoy the dividends of the war.

News spread to the capital that when King Rus suddenly launched a winter campaign, most of the people driving sleighs were relatives who lived in Novgorod and were in charge of the southern deer herds for the king. Those people have enjoyed the dividends and must have received some monetary rewards from the king.

Now the entire capital is immersed in the anxiety and excitement before the war, just like the giant wooden tower that has been erected every winter, and all it needs to burn is a thrown torch.

Now, the warships in the entire mooring are in motion, especially the behemoth Sea Monarch. She is accompanied by sail cruisers and sail destroyers, and a large number of traditional longships are also undergoing final maintenance and repairs.

The appearance of inland river catamarans and human-powered water steamers that entered the capital for the first time also refreshed the residents of the capital - the brothers from the south put the wheels on them, and the hub blades were equivalent to oars, and they could walk with their feet on the pedals.

Rumia's mobility and execution ability are very strong. Due to her status and nobility, under the current situation, it is not appropriate to wear the clothes of a priest and take her followers to the sales stalls of her own race to talk with them.

Then, it is better to wait in the big temple.

She then arranged for her subordinates to go to the destination in a low-key manner. The summer priest, who was wearing a brown burlap robe, accompanied by soldiers, mingled with the endless crowd and stood at the stall of the deer breeders where there were not many customers.

Ordinary city residents certainly have discrimination against those people;

The antler products sold are not necessary for the household. The giant unprocessed antlers placed at the stalls will be sold out first. It is a very important income for the deer farmers, but unfortunately it is not much. The rest is expected to be purchased by the people in the capital.

The sudden appearance of the person did not look like a customer, and the owners of more than a dozen stalls present became alert.

The short man in a burqa suddenly showed his face, with distinctive blond hair.

"Don't be afraid, it's the high priest who ordered me to come. All my friends, please have at least one talker from each clan. When the sun sets, go to the entrance of the great temple to gather."

This statement may seem ordinary, but it would be unusual if it were said in Old Finnish.

There are a large number of Finnish migrant workers in the city, and the majority of them are Suomi people. Their language is only slightly different from that of the deer herders, which proves that they have a common origin. Lower-level priests learn the Finnish dialect of the Suomi people because of practical needs.

Rumia ordered a lower-level priest to come who understood their language and dropped a token to prove that it was the high priest's order.

As servants of the king, various deer herder clans also began to believe in Odin. This did not conflict with their animistic belief. What's more, since everyone said that the king was the son of God, the high priest from the same clan was the servant of God. , being loyal to the king is beneficial to oneself, and cannot be violated.

Rumia's order is equivalent to a law of heaven in their eyes!

Just as Rumia returned to the temple to resume her work, as the sun set, the various clans operating outside the city sent their prime men into the city one after another, until they gathered in a group at the entrance of the temple.

Such a group plane is a bit out of the ordinary.

Wu, then, under the guidance of the lower-level priests, fifty deer herders took a side door and entered the interior of the great temple - this was also their first time entering the so-called "sacred territory".

Everyone says that this is a sacred place. It is said that anyone who strays here will be killed by the gods within a few days even if they keep praying. These are the sayings that have been passed down since the days of the Ross tribe and are still used today.

Can a mortal enter? Perhaps this was tacitly approved by the gods of Rus.

They remained reserved, leaning on each other in the open space inside the temple, like a herd of deer in a pen, waiting for the high priest to appear.

They didn't wait long, Rumia finally appeared wearing a deer-horned helmet.

She is still the same girl, but her face has some more vicissitudes of time.

"Brothers!" She declared to the public in the purest native dialect: "I allow you to enter the Great Temple. This is the domain of God, and you will make great contributions to the Son of God."

The words were somewhat formal, and they quickly understood their situation and what to do next.

Since this group of distant relatives of mine had never formed a tight organization, there was no chief or unified speaker. When they were talking to the king, were Rurik required to listen to such a group of people talking nonsense?

Rumia was very happy that they understood her arrangement and she was so happy that they were willing to cooperate.

"Now, which of you talks to the Governor a lot?" she asked again.

Hearing this, everyone looked at each other in shock.

"It seems that the grandmothers of each clan know how to speak best. You... are all ordinary people in the clan. This is not okay! You can nominate a talker for me now. When you organize the deer tomorrow,

If there is a group, there must be a dedicated person to report to the king. Choose now, you act quickly! "

Rumia was urging, and her majesty made everyone think of the old lady in charge of the clan.

Soon, a strong man named Vahvanen (meaning strong man) was selected.

Firstly, this man is willing to stand out, and secondly, he is indeed stronger than the other brothers and lives up to his name.

Even so, this Vahavanin still looked like a dwarf compared to the blond Rus who was actually as strong as a bear.

"It's you. Brother Wahawaning, tomorrow you can represent everyone to face the king. Remember, keep a normal mind, just like when you meet the grandmother of your clan."

"Yes. High Priest." The man lowered his head and insisted to Rumia in his native dialect.

"You can go back now, remember my request, and organize the deer you should have tomorrow morning to wait for the king's inspection."

…

After a full day's rest, Rurik's body and mind were fully restored. He knew that the entire army was actively preparing for war at the last moment, and planned to have a dinner party tonight to gather the officers who were eager to go to war with his cronies for a meeting. He also wanted to recharge his batteries and have a drink with everyone in the evening.

But one item was added this morning.

In essence, Rurik did not have full confidence in the power of reindeer. Their past strength was reflected in pulling sleds. How about using them as pack mules and rideable beasts? It is not surprising that a few people ride deer. If thousands of deer move together, the cavalry who are supposed to be mounted have become "deer cavalry". The scene would be too outrageous.

Rumia swore on her pillow that she would

It’s a big surprise, and Rurik will wait and see.

The king, the high priest, and some of his entourage arrived at the training ground outside the city. The army received the news and will open the training ground today for the arrival of "royal slaves" driving carefully selected reindeer.

In fact, when Rurik heard the noise in the city, he hurriedly stood on the top floor of the attic-style palace. From the highest point in the city, he saw the darkness of the training ground outside the city.

"Ouch?! Is it really a herd of deer? They move really fast?!"

Rurik's suspicions had basically dissipated. He personally stood outside the training ground, facing a huge army.

He couldn't help but wipe his eyes and realized that this was a herd of deer and not a herd of horses.

"How is it?!" Rumia, who had changed into a low-key dress, pulled Rurik's lapel: "I do what I say. Deer breeders are all about credibility. You see, this is the deer that is used as a matching set for the cavalry. Army. Look again, those riding on the backs of deer are your servants."

"Them? Deer farmers?!"

Rurik still had to rub his eyes hard, otherwise he would misunderstand those people once he was dazzled. After all, at first glance, they were clearly horsemen.

But this cannot be blamed for his dazzling eyes, because the deer that appeared this time have indeed been specially selected.

They are all stags, each of which is comparable in size to the Turkic horses that Rus is equipped with in large numbers.

If these deer's physiological structure did not make them always droop their heads, they would be more like horses.

There are more than 5,000 stags gathered on the training ground. They are all very young deer, and their body functions are in their prime, so that they are able to make an epic long-distance journey. add

Now is the female deer's birth and nurturing period. The male deer has no interest in the female deer at this time. Their bare heads are sprouting new antlers.

The deer herder put a saddle on his chosen mount and rode the deer in horseback riding mode. The people who came here were not fifty people, but as many as two hundred and fifty people. The deer riders gathered together and The momentum is very much like that of a cavalry flag corps.

Rurik saw this astonishingly. He had originally planned to send out at least two hundred deer herders to take the deer herd to the expedition, and the whole team would serve as the logistics personnel of the cavalry corps. Unexpectedly, in just one day, these slaves loyal to them could complete their mission? !

The deer riders approached Rurik one after another. Under the whistle, they dismounted the deer one after another, and then gathered together to kneel down to King Rus as a collective salute. After all, they were all slaves.

"You all get up! What I see seems to be a cavalry team. Maybe the king should consider equipping you with real war horses in the future." Ryuri Long was delighted.

The person who was given the authority to speak, Wahawaning, raised his head: "Your Majesty, I am your servant. My name is Wahawaning. Let me report to you."

"you?"

Rumia hurriedly added: "He is the person I chose to talk to you. From now on, you can give him orders directly during your expedition, and he will convey them to everyone on your behalf."

"Are you talking about this?" Rurik pinched his beard. He was in an extremely good mood now. It was the first time in his life that he saw a gathering of all stags. "How can we just be a talker? If we want to do it, we have to do it more thoroughly. "

On a whim, Rurik stamped his feet vigorously and suddenly drew his sword, accompanied by the buzzing sound of the sword wind.

With a buzzing sound, the sword pointed directly at the face of the kneeling Wahawaning: "Stop being a talker. You and your brothers are very important in the future expedition. You are the person chosen by the high priest, and I will give you the gift." Your position as flag captain! You and your brothers will form Ross’s deer army flag team, dedicated to guarding the logistics supplies for the king’s cavalry..."

Although they still didn't know what such an appointment meant, when they saw the king in action, he was so happy that his beards grew taller than usual, so they all knelt down to thank him.

It is true that Rurik had a sudden idea here. When he calmed down and thought deeply, he had to admire that he did the right thing.

Even if Rumia doesn't take action, she still has to choose a leader among the logistics staff. One good thing about the deer herders is that they are all relatives. Even if the bloodline has faded, they are willing to maintain this kinship. With blood as a bond, fifty small clans can be integrated into one under any opportunity. group.

Now is the opportunity.