Rise of Rurik

Otto stood on the highest point of the dirt slope, holding the sword at his waist, and a group of people gathered around him.

Looking at the surrounding scenery, he can't help but sigh: "It's a really good place, I just checked it, it's definitely suitable for planting."

"But chief, we started planting immediately. It's a bit late. Now we plant the wheat seeds, we can't wait for this year's harvest season." A man named Konuson said regretfully.

"I know. But we can plant something else." Otto slapped the man who was ten years younger than him, but also had a thick beard, "You are my old brother, and all your family are following The fleet is here, what a risky move."

"I don't regret it. I'd like to be a pioneer."

"Don't worry, this place will develop in the future. We have made an appointment, you will be the leader of New Roseburg. At the beginning, you will face a hard job, don't worry, I will bring the rest of the tribe to help you and your brother. We developed New Roseburg."

"Okay! But this position may be more suitable for Harrodsen." Konusson asked tentatively.

"That guy is more suitable for the battlefield, you are different." Otto paused, "some people are suitable for war, and some people are suitable for business. And you...you like to cultivate land and grow onions in Roseburg. Look at it. The land here is obviously more fertile, and there is a gentle south wind. It’s a good place, isn’t it the most suitable place for you to lead everyone to reclaim the land?”

Hearing what the leader said, Konusong breathed a sigh of relief.

Because once New Rose Fort is built, the era when the Ross tribe once had only one settlement is over forever.

For a long time, everyone was used to the political structure of one settlement and one big boss, and now things have changed.

The bearded Konuson, who is almost fifty years old, is as eager for honor as any other man, but he is a complete loser in all the fighting games he participated in when he was young. I never thought that I had spent my whole life studying how to grow as many edible things as possible in the cold and barren Roseburg, and what I insisted on for a lifetime turned out to be the reason why I was reused.

New Roseburg must have a leader, and this leader is assigned by the big leader.

Although he lost the possibility of becoming the chief of the Ross tribe decades ago, it is not an honor to be the regional chief of New Roseburg in his later years.

He solemnly assured Otto: "Great leader, we will start building now. You will continue to Novgorod tomorrow,

Those of us who stay will hurry up and build. When you come back, you will see that we have built many houses, and even... there are real docks for boats to dock. "

"Then it's up to you." Otto solemnly slapped the old friend on the shoulder, and then looked at the people who started the construction.

One hundred resettled households began to build houses, and they immediately began to use the nearby forest resources.

There are many people who start to explore non-stop.

The young Kawi is full of strong curiosity about the unknown world. He is not only full of wonderful dreams about the Novgorod girl who has never met but is destined to belong to him, but also always fantasizes that he can become a hero because he desperately builds a steel sword. particularly rich.

When Rurik becomes the chief leader, he and his family will be able to obtain the ultimate happiness.

Now, he does have some ideas about exploring the world.

He led twenty people into a boat, rowed across the turbulent river as quickly as possible, and landed on a small island on the opposite bank. As soon as they landed, they were immediately taken aback by the sight before them.

Why?

This island actually has hares running around.

A large group of rabbits, seeing something strange appearing, was so frightened that they hurriedly burrowed into their own caves.

"Haha! This is a good place. Brothers follow me to catch rabbits, we will eat rabbit meat at night!"

Generally, rabbits will make deep holes and reserve many holes for escape.

However, this island is unusual. In fact, this island was originally connected to the land, and was later washed out of a channel by the Neva River.

When the river freezes in winter, the rabbits communicate with the land, which is where they settled across the ice.

Due to the arrival of the flood season, the bottom of the rabbit hole was flooded, forcing the rabbits to run to the ground.

Their days of leisurely grazing came to an abrupt end when a large group of humans landed on the island.

In that plane, the inspecting Peter the Great landed on the island during the flood season of the Neva River, and a rabbit who was avoiding the flood actually came to his boots. So, this small island was named Rabbit Island, because it did live in a large group of rabbits.

Kawi drew his steel sword and beckoned his companions to catch the rabbit.

Their method of catching rabbits is very violent, that is, they put their hands into the rabbit hole to explore, so someone pulled the rabbit out.

Others directly dismantled holes, and as a result, some people caught a group of small rabbits that were still young.

The good news that a large number of hares were found immediately spread to the people who were building settlements on the other side. Kawei happily displayed the two lively rabbits he had caught, which immediately attracted others to join the action.

The island was really too small, the Russ landed like locusts, and more than 200 people swept the island, only to catch more than 300 rabbits.

With so many harvests, the island was naturally named Rabbit Island.

The sun was about to set, and the settlement was transformed into a large construction site.

More than 40 bonfires were lit on the grassy slopes, and the rabbits and fish caught by the Rus were turned into meat being roasted. Mouthwatering aroma.

As night fell, there were still people logging in the nearby pine forest.

The Rus used traditional techniques to chop down a large oak that no one could hold. The big tree had already been felled, and the Rus immediately chiseled the trunk to split the wood as building materials. Even if the light is very weak, they are still working hard in order to live in the wooden house as soon as possible.

Otto's ears were filled with the crisp sound of axe hammering wood, and he nibbled at the roasted rabbit meat sent by his subordinates, nibbling comfortably.

Beside him sat Conuson, who was also eating roasted rabbit meat, and described to the big chief what people found in a short period of time: "It has now been found out that there are many sandbars near our current New Roseburg, their names It's already taken."

"Oh? What are their names?"

"The one in the west is called Xidao, the one in the north is called Beidao, and the place where we caught the rabbit is called Rabbit Island."

Otto shrugged: "The name is quite casual."

"Oh? Maybe we can think of names again."

"That's it, simple names to remember. Well, we haven't stayed here before, and I never thought of the large number of rabbits in this area."

Konuson said with relief: "Valhalla really blesses us! We can't grow wheat this year. I can at most lead you to grow some cabbage and onions. I used to worry about food, but now it's different. Maybe not only Through fishing, we can catch hares and eat meat, and we can easily last until next year."

Otto patted his old friend on the shoulder again: "You don't have to be too reluctant. This year, I will try to increase the trade with those allies in the south of the conference, and I will try to scavenge food from Novgorod. I will not allow Novgorod Fort. Starve a person to death, and you! You have to make sure that no one will freeze to death in New Rose Fort this winter."

"I'll do it perfectly." Konusson nodded vigorously.

The Rus spent a peaceful night on the slopes.

In the early morning, the grass is full of dew, and the gentle south wind blows the whole land.

Otto stretched his tired body lazily. He got out of the makeshift tent and planned his next move.

The actions of the Rus people are proceeding in an orderly manner. The people who are about to move on are nibbling on the jerky that they bring with them around the bonfire, and their ears are full of ding ding dong dong.

The sun has not yet risen, and the work of logging and construction has begun. Otto, who has eaten a few pieces of dried fish, can see that the construction of the foundation part of a large number of houses has begun to bear fruit.

A batch of wooden poles brought from Rosburg's hometown made a contribution. They were driven into the soil, and the construction of the wooden house was carried out around these wooden poles.

It's still a matter of collecting taxes.

Looking at the sun and the hustle and bustle of the crowd, Otto felt that he couldn't linger any longer.

He told a group of people around him to prepare to leave, and soon, the order to start spread to everyone's ears.

The young people who were already ready to go have been waiting for orders. They stood up in unison, carrying their necessary equipment, and rushed to the beach full of boats.

A large number of young people pushed the boats into the wide Neva River, Otto used his sword as a baton, and loudly ordered: "You push the boats into the river and row into the Great Lake with all your strength! We must enter the Great Lake today! Who! Enter the big lake first and wait there, all the brothers will go together when we arrive."

Because of the nature of the Neva, Otto believed that it would be difficult for him to organize his fleet on the river.

The young Kawhi only followed Otto and, of course, the pregnant Peravina.

All Novgorod women who marry into the Rus tribe, they are very happy to be able to visit their homeland. First of all, they must count on the Rus men to conquer the river.

Otto didn't have time to say goodbye to Conuson again, he was in a hurry, and when the flagship slid into the river, he couldn't wait to shout slogans and command the boat's rowers to do their best.

The Neva River entered the summer flood season, and the water flow in the river increased sharply.

The average width of the river is 350 meters, and the depth is generally 25 meters. Since ancient times, almost the entire Lake Ladoga has flowed into the Gulf of Finland through this river.

When winter comes, the Neva River is completely frozen, and only the riverbed part still has a large amount of lake water flowing into the sea, which is also the time when its flow is at its lowest.

The current is the flood season. Every second, more than 3,000 cubic meters of water flows through the riverbed. What kind of concept is this?

A Viking slave boat floats on the river, and the people on the boat do nothing. After one minute, the boat can be pushed away by the current for 40 meters. Converting it, the boat is pushed away 1.3 nautical miles in one hour.

The Rus can maintain a speed of 5 nautical miles for a long time by simply paddling. After being offset by the current flow of the river, they can barely maintain a net speed of 4 nautical miles.

How far is the voyage waiting for them? A full 40 nautical miles!

They set out just after the sun had risen, and had to paddle for ten hours non-stop, until the sun went down and the boats were carrying a crowd of weary people before they could float into Lake Ladoga.

Fortunately, according to the direction of the Neva River, they went straight to the southeast at first, and they were fully able to use the south wind to operate against the wind. After a big bend, the river ran to the northeast, and the boats set their sails flat, still taking advantage of the southerly wind.

The wind gives the Rus a certain strength, and the main driving force of the ship's advancement is still the oars.

They are all people with super endurance. In order to challenge a difficult and great retrograde, they prepared a lot of dried fish and a few precious wheat cakes.

lunch time? nonexistent.

When I was hungry, I quickly grabbed a piece of dried salted fish and stuffed it into my mouth to dry it. I couldn't stop the movement in my hand, and I couldn't disrupt the rhythm of the entire team.

The leading warship of the Rus people has become a dragon boat in the literal sense, that is, it does not have the super assault speed of a dragon boat at all, and the whole ship rushes towards the big lake at a relatively fast speed.

"Brothers, work harder! The river runs to the north! The children who are here for the first time hold on, and you will soon see a big lake, the largest lake you have ever seen in your life!"

Otto was aware of his apparent fatigue, which was understandable, because he himself was the same.

People must have a goal to strive for. He is calling on everyone to enjoy the beauty of Lake Ladoga as soon as possible. For this, everyone still needs to work hard.

Fortunately, all the actions were planned, and the Russ organized another 30 ships on this trip, half of which were seated with 500 people, and the other half were purely empty ships towed just to pull tribute.

In the evening, ships arrived at Ladoga Lake one after another. The huge lake made the young people who came here for the first time take it for granted that it was another sea.

The cold and pure lake water wakes them up.

At the point where the water of Lake Ladoga begins to flow into the mouth of the Neva, there is a small natural sandbar, the southern part of which is clearly defined by the channel as a protrusion.

This place has strategic value, wouldn't it be good to build a small settlement here as a rest stop for passing ships?

The fleet went south immediately after entering Lake Ladoga. They did not go straight to the entrance of the Volkhov River, but simply found a resting place where they could dock.

They soon found a wonderful place, a short distance from the protrusion, a sandy beach that ran almost purely east-west. For some unknown reason, the river beach here lacks water and grass, and the river beach is full of crystal clear gravel, which is the most suitable for boats to land on the beach.

Otto came up with the idea of ​​building another settlement. He ordered his tired subordinates to land on the river beach. Take a look at this beautiful river beach. It's a shame not to use it.

Perhaps this is the inevitability of history, and anyone who landed on this beach will think of building a settlement.

On another plane, Kievan Rus established a trading post on the beach where Otto landed. With the development of the times, in order to resist the aggressive pressure of the Swedes, the rising Principality of Moscow has gradually built its trade strongholds into military fortresses, especially built castles on the sandbar at the throat of the river, and erected forts, which are called "small walnuts". Fort" for it to be as hard as a walnut.

The Little Walnut Fort has also become the eastern gate of the historical St. Petersburg city group.

A large number of bonfires were lit again, and the aroma of barbecue began to fill the air.

No matter how tired they are, the old line of fishing of the Ross people is not abandoned. When they were still floating on the lake, a large number of hemp ropes with iron hooks hooked the bait and threw them into the lake.

Soon, the Russ were surprised to find that they had caught a variety of fish, many of them large.

The most common fish is sea bass, followed by Ladoga salmon.

There were also five men working together to pull a fierce big pike abruptly.

The readily available abundance of fresh fish soothed the sore arms of young people.

As the chief leader, a large number of young people galvanized him, and the fat steak of the pike he caught became his dinner.

While eating fish, Otto did not forget to take care of his niece Peravina.

He handed over a small piece of fish steak sprinkled with oil and salt, and instructed: "Eat it, my child. Remember, you are now feeding two people with one meal."

Peravina nodded and held out her hand, her mouth shut to prevent embarrassment from the greedy harazi.

Throughout the day, the Rus people fought in the river. She marveled at the perseverance of these people who could keep paddling from morning to evening. Because when traveling in the sea, the Rus people of course pay more attention to the use of wind, and paddling becomes the mainstream only after entering the river.

For the first time in her life, Peravina participated in a long journey upstream, thinking that after a day's struggle, they still had the strength to fish, thinking that if the people in her hometown were their enemies, wouldn't it be courting death?

She was a little fortunate that the White Tree Manor where her family was located was the most willing to cooperate with the Rus among the various manors in Novgorodri. Since you can't hide from the powerful Rus, isn't it good to be a group of servants with peace of mind?

After living with the Rus people for half a year, Peravina still cannot integrate into the new group well, and the grudges in her heart may be resolved with the birth of the child.

She knew at least one thing. People in her hometown always said that the Roszee and the other Varangians were a bunch of hungry wolves who could eat people and don't spit out their bones. In fact, they were people who followed a different way of life.

Facing the big leader Otto, Peravina remained cautious. She sat on a small piece of animal skin on the sand and nibbled at the grilled fish steak facing the warm campfire.

There is indeed a big advantage of marrying into the Ross tribe, that is, every meal has salt. Once upon a time, eating in my hometown would have to be very economical, and eating salt was even rarer. Now, she can't imagine how she lived in the past without salt in a meal.

Otto looked at her sullenly eating meat, and glanced at her bulging belly subconsciously.

"Peravina, I've already made up my mind. We'll leave tomorrow and reach Novgorod in as little as one day. I'm going to spend the night in your White Tree Village with a large army!"

Peravina was startled, almost instinctively thinking of something terrible.

She asked in horror: "Dad, do you want to collect tribute at night?"

Otto looked at the beating flames: "If possible, I will collect them as soon as possible. And your sisters of the same clan, as many as possible should marry into our clan. You see, I brought a large number of young people here, that is We will choose wives for them. I believe that your manor will support it."

"This...I don't know."

Peravina really didn't know what the head of the manor was thinking, because she herself was the most ordinary woman, and it was probably because of her beautiful face that she was chosen by the man in front of her to become his nephew's wife.

Otto continued: "Nothing, the guy has no right to refuse. I didn't want to use force in the first place, they'd better be obedient and follow my orders. So you see, I asked you to go with the boat, did I just allow you to come back? Hometown to visit relatives?"

"Isn't it?"

"My child, I just want to show you and other women to your hometown. Tell them that all the women who marry are well looked after. Your baby should be born in the fall. The newly born child is too delicate, so don't come with us in the autumn. So by this time next year, you will carry the child back to your hometown, and you must tell your relatives in person that your life is very happy. "

Peravina nodded, she still didn't care what the big leader's actions meant.

She had already fallen in love with Arik deeply, and after eating the delicious grilled fish steak, she couldn't help stroking her belly, and silently prayed to her husband Arik, who was on the expedition for revenge, for a great victory.

what! Peravina, she didn't even realize that she should have lived her short life as a Novgorod peasant woman.

Now, her mentality has become more and more Russian.

Most other women do too.