Rise of Rurik

Otto looked sharply at Rigus, the head of the manor: "How are the tributes to your manor prepared?" Then he gestured to Peravina as a translator.

"Yes. Great Chief Ross, this year is the same as last spring."

"Are you fully prepared?" Otto continued to ask.

"Yes, we have packed all the tributes together, you can take them away tomorrow morning."

"It's just that the weather tonight is not good enough." Otto sighed deliberately, "Actually, I know that you all expect us to leave early."

Hearing this, Rigus quickly rejected: "I don't mean it at all, you are our master, and we would like you to stay for a long time."

What he said was polite, but he led the entire tribe to migrate to Novgorod. Otto himself did not want this possibility, and he also knew that many tribes already had this idea.

Otto deliberately said: "Stay down? Forget it. You can live in peace as long as you provide us with enough tribute. If those Smolensk people want to beat you, I intend to help you. Compared with other tribes, Your manor is the most cooperative. Tell me, what tributes have you prepared for us?"

"Yes." Rigus nodded, then motioned for his eldest son to come over.

Immediately afterwards, Medwit, the successor of the manor chief, explained the situation to Otto himself.

Residents of the Novgorod region live together in natural villages in the form of traditional manors, but their interiors are of course divided into large and small families.

What is a family?

A couple and their remaining minor children form an ordinary family. Those women who marry off actually form a new family with newly grown men from other families.

The evolution of this traditional homesteader family is naturally reasonable.

It is in Novgorod where the winter is cold and long, a huge manor is formed by a huge family, which is the dependence of everyone's life.

Their family structure and production capacity prevent them from cultivating too much arable land. In order to obtain more food during the harvest season, their sowing skills will also scatter more seeds. In such an environment, a couple will try their best to have children in order to live a good life, even if it is a child, it is also an important productive force.

Paradoxically, with more children sharing the roughly three pounds of wheat rations a day, having more children is something a family cannot afford!

Even if it is the head of the manor family, the family structure of Rigus is still simple.

Rigus had only one eldest son, and two daughters in addition. In addition to this, he has two brothers, and the brothers' family members are equally unwilling.

For the prosperity of her family, Rigus's wife has been trying to have more children, even if she is not young, she still yearns for more children.

As a result, his wife risked giving birth to their last child at a very high age, unfortunately, a girl.

Rigus regretted his last efforts in his life in exchange for the ending of a girl. Although she is a girl, she looks more and more cute, but it makes the life of the aging Rigus a lot more happy.

Ligusburn had three sons, both of whom died of illness when they were young.

He heard that Otto, the great leader of the Rus, also lost his two sons unexpectedly, and invisibly felt that the two groups still had a lot in common.

Even if it is a powerful Rus people, Death can still ruthlessly take their lives!

Otto is trying to plunder the wealth of the Novgorod people, just like not cutting all the wool of his body cleanly against a sheep, Otto's exploitation is still aimed at the richest group of people.

Baishu Manor, with a population of 2,000 people, actually has only about 400 strong laborers, that is, men with the ability to cultivate land.

There are a large number of children in the manor. Boys and girls have grown up to the age of marriage, and they will face all kinds of severe challenges for more than ten years. Many children are destined to die growing up from disease or malnutrition. In order to make up for the pain of losing a child and to make up for the labor force,

Any family is happy to continue to have children, which makes for a large number of children in the manor!

These filthy and thin children will be the alternative resources that Otto will ask for.

The 400 strong and labor-intensive farmers only go fishing or hunting in the slack season. Their wives take care of a variety of household jobs, such as childbirth, raising children, weaving, chopping firewood, and fetching water.

The whole family has no right to leisure, as long as they are lazy, the result is starvation.

Every farmer who was able to till the crops paid a tribute of one hundred pounds of wheat throughout the year. A woman who knew how to weave had to pay for a linen one-quarter the size of the sail of an ordinary longboat throughout the year.

In spring, Otto came with the Sorgon army and took away various goods prepared by Whitetree Manor.

Of all the tributes, the most important was the unprocessed grains that accumulated 20,000 Roman pounds, which was equivalent to a total weight of nearly eight tons of wheat. It takes two full-time transport ships just to carry the wheat!

It has to be said that in order to successfully take away various tributes this time, most of the fleet led by Otto are pure transport ships. It is not suitable for combat at all, and it is difficult to paddle. On weekdays it will be towed by other ships, supplemented by the sails of the mast. That's it, it's big enough to carry four tons! A well-deserved core strength of transportation.

The sails of the leading longboats of the Rus are not small, and the sail area is relatively uniform. They used the area of ​​the sail as the standard, and they actually asked the people of White Tree Manor to provide a single layer of linen cloth of nearly four square meters. The linen of four hundred families gathered together is a huge number.

Linen is an important source of clothing, another is animal skins.

Thirty sheepskins, ten cowhide skins, fifty fox skins, two hundred rabbit skins, and even two bear skins were all on the list of tributes at White Tree Manor.

Every time I heard the specific number of tributes from White Tree Manor, Otto was very moved.

After listening to Medwit's explanation, Otto nodded with satisfaction: "What a wonderful tribute, you have proved your loyalty. It's good."

Medwit, who had been half-kneeling and reported, raised his head slightly: "Great Russ, are you satisfied with our tribute."

"Satisfied? I'm still satisfied, but..." Otto deliberately picked his teeth with chicken bones and looked at the person in front of him with contempt: "Your name is Medwit, you are the next head of the manor. You Kneeling before me is a sign of loyalty, and now I want more tribute from you."

Hearing this request, whether it was Rigus or Medwitt, sweat instantly oozes from his forehead.

"Big Chief, you..." Rigus was about to refute something, and was immediately stopped by Otto.

"Now listen to me, the people of Whitetree Manor. You must show your loyalty to us further this year. We need more tribute, which you must bear, without any right to argue. Now listen to me!"

Peravina tried to translate it as truthfully as possible. When she heard that the big leader wanted to increase the tribute, she was unavoidably shocked.

"Peravina, don't be afraid, just translate the truth." Otto said.

Otto paused again, his tough tone softened a little, and then took out his specific requirements: "I want fifty chickens, all alive, all in cages. I also want ten cows and ten sheep. , I want two males and eight females."

"You guys, are you going to take all the cattle, sheep and chickens away?" Rigus asked cautiously, "I heard that your hometown is very cold. It may not be suitable for raising cattle and sheep there."

"Oh Rigus, thank you for your kind reminder. We have made some new decisions. It is because of the cold that we have built our new Fort Rose on the river where Lake Ladoga flows into the sea, and it will be a The huge settlement may end up being bigger than the largest pine needle manor you have here. It is only a four-day flight away from you."

Peravina translated the words tremblingly, and she even said something, so-called self-proof, that the Rus people arrived in Novgorod from the Novgorod in four days.

Ligus instantly felt that an axe was hanging over his head and could be smashed down at any time.

The Rus built new settlements, and as long as the White Tree Manor behaved unfaithfully, in just four days, the crusade could come!

The residents of Whitetree Manor know that there is a large lake in the north, and the name Ladoga has been around since ancient times.

However, exploring the shores of the Great Lakes is the limit of activities in the north of Novgorod. The west of the Great Lake is the sea, which is an absolutely dangerous place, because all the Varyags are active in the sea there, and they will die if they step rashly!

Otto added: "When it comes to autumn, you don't have to provide these animals. Listen, fifty chickens, ten cows and ten sheep a year is an added tribute."

Rigus calculated that for the entire manor, the increased tribute is still within an acceptable range.

"Ah, great leader, we will give these."

"I'm not finished yet." Otto quietly tabled, staring at Rigus, "I want you to provide us with some people, and I'm going to take these people away."

"Is it more marriage?" Rigus asked warily.

"Exactly, maybe this is something you are willing to accept."

"Ah, if our mean girls marry you, it will be their happiness."

Rigus' humble and beautiful words hit Otto's heart: "Well, how many girls can you provide to marry? Let me tell you the truth, among the people I brought this time, at least one hundred people must complete their marriages on this voyage. ."

Rigus fell silent, and he had to take a moment to think about the pros and cons.

The Ligus family is the hereditary head of the manor, which has been regarded by ordinary people since ancient times, and it is also a very logical thing. He did not take this position for the sake of power, but to maintain the operation of the entire manor.

Although Rigus will be rich in his own pockets when people from all walks of life collect tribute, what should ordinary people do?

The family of the head of the manor also controls several large kitchens in the manor to bake the big leba that can be eaten for a long time. In addition there are important mills, a number of metal farm tools.

It is precisely because they are relatives with common ancestors that the manor will rent these means of production for free or at a very low price to make life a little warmer.

Living away from the manor is simply courting death! Ordinary families need the protection of the manor and move out to live in the jungle, which may become food for bears and wolves.

At present, there are at least 40 girls of marriage age in the manor, and Ligus basically knows the exact number.

He thought about it for a while, and said, "Thirty people. I can provide thirty girls." As he spoke, Rigus' eyes glanced at Peravina, who had been serving as a translator.

"I just can't think of it, this girl was originally married to your nephew, why..."

Otto immediately understood what he meant, and laughed indulgently in reality, and then asked Peravina to explain it herself.

On this occasion, Pelavina, who will be the mother of the Rus, has already stood with the Rus and returned to her homeland, and he will also consider the feelings of the villagers.

Peravina immediately explained her life in Roseburg, what a life of starvation, such as eating fatty meat and fish every day, really surprised Rigus.

"Darling, you were obviously very thin when you had your wedding, but now you have really changed. Your husband, that young man, he..." Rigus never thought that the Rus people could be divided into two groups this year. An army of nearly 500 people has gone to crusade against the enemies of the Rus, and Peravina's husband is the commander of the army.

The child in her womb is none other than that young man's.

What really surprised Rigus was that Peravina kept saying that the big leader of the Rus was actually a good person.

These signs do show that girls married to Rus are well looked after. If marriage can be more beneficial, why not do it?

Although the number of people in White Tree Manor is large, because they are all relatives, the principle that men and women of the same race are not allowed to marry is also implemented.

Even if they don't marry the Rus, the girl who is to be married in the manor is also married to another manor. Each manor realizes the flow of people through marriage and maintains each other's social relations.

Marrying anyone is to marry a daughter. For ordinary families, marrying one's own girl to a sturdy Rus may be a greater security guarantee.

Wife's husband swinging battle axe at parents-in-law? This was something that Rigus felt absolutely impossible.

Rigus had already thought about it, and he said, "Thirty women, what do you think?"

Otto nodded: "Very good. In addition, I still want more people."

"what?!"

For a split second, Rigus thought of another word—slave.

The reason why the Varyag people who have arrived in the Lake Ilmen area all the way, leaving a notorious image to the locals, all comes from the initial contact. The Varyag people are everywhere arresting people as slaves.

In fact, Otto's ancestors did. Even if the Rus people did not have the ability and energy to engage in slavery in the following decades, it does not mean that the evil their ancestors did was forgotten by the various manors of Novgorod.

Otto mentioned the matter again, which immediately caused Rigus to be highly alert.

The fear of the people of White Tree Manor was written in his eyes, Otto waved his hands slightly, and explained in particular: "I want you to provide some children, preferably boys, if they are girls, it is also possible. I only need ten children, and they will act as My only son's personal servant. I can promise you that these children will be well-served as servants, and for this I will pay a sum of money. Also my young men who are going to marry, and the women who marry you, will also give A woman's family is absolutely acceptable money."

If the matter involves money, the issue will be discussed.

Rigus had an idea and immediately said: "Okay, my leader, I can provide you with some children, but they are too young, I hope you don't mind..."

"Of course I don't mind." Otto was telling the truth, and now he was working for his son Rurik. "My son is a great man, just like your eldest son will inherit the position of head of the estate. When my life comes to an end, my son will inherit the position of head of Ross. Listen, Rigus! You are an old man , I am an old man too. When we are old, it will be my son who will deal with you."

"But your son, he is too young..."

Regus basically knew Rurik's age. What can a seven or eight-year-old child do, who can't deeply question it?

Otto didn't bother to publicize what great actions his son had done, because after calming down, Otto looked at his son. A child could reasonably get 5,000 silver coins in half a year, and his actions really improved the tribe. residents' lives. He can only interpret this as the grace of God, and he thinks it is bizarre, let alone the people of White Manor.

Otto deliberately untied the small burlap bag around his waist and untied the rope to reveal the treasure inside—a small handful of unprocessed amber rough stones.

"You give us tribute, and these are your rewards. Rigus, you can have these for yourself. Listen, this is a treasure for you, a return for your loyalty. As for the other manor, you can't get my favor. "

"Ah? Is it true? What a great gift!"

Rigus felt that this was a method used by the Ross leader to buy people's hearts, and this method was also implemented by the Rus last year. He really didn't understand that the price of this bag of amber after processing it and selling it might be close to the value of all the tributes. What are the Rus people trying to do? Just the adoring allegiance of another group?

Maybe this is another form of trade? Just because of the arrogance of the Rus people, it is still called "receiving tribute" and "special reward".

Otto hurriedly tied the rope and handed the sack of burlap to Medwit.

He continued: "Ten children, preferably boys. They should preferably be about the same age as my son. Remember, they are my son's servants, and they will be well cared for as long as they obey my son's demands. Boys and girls, I will give ten silver coins to their parents."

Rigus responded immediately: "Okay! I will provide it immediately, and I can guarantee that many families will support this deal. Let's toast!"

After all, Rigus raised the glass full of ale, as did Otto who was in a good mood.