Rise of Rurik

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Rurik once thought that the white thing in the distance might be the camp of the Cherbourg locals. As the distance grew closer, he saw the Ross flag flying wantonly in the camp area.

"It turned out to be my military camp? Did the navy camp here after landing? Strange, is it not a lake but the sea next to them?"

Having already tasted the water, it was proven that the Ross Land Forces were walking along a freshwater lake rather than an ocean. The water in the lagoon has not been eroded by the sea, and if you think about it carefully, if there was salt in the water, even if the salinity was very low, the dense reeds would still not exist.

The mighty Ross cavalry rushed straight towards the military camp, and the earth seemed to be shaking.

The landing troops who had been waiting for many days were not willing to continue to waste time by the empty and boring lagoon. Since they had begun to have limited contact with the residents of Cherbourg, the shocking poverty of the locals was like pouring ice water on the soldiers' heads, which was hidden deep in their hearts. The desire to plunder was suddenly extinguished.

Military camps are constructed in a regular manner based on flag teams. Each flag team camp is kept at a certain distance, and each hundred-man team within a single flag team further plans. Therefore, when Rurik entered the camp, the camp plan was clear at a glance, and he could easily find the center of the entire camp here.

Four infantry flag detachments landed. They set up camps in the southeast, northwest and northwest based on the central tent.

The camp for the accompanying auxiliary personnel is built next to the western camp area. In addition, some seaside tents are also arranged on the sandbar not far away. The flat sandbar itself has become a landing site for the navy to park its boats.

The central tent was the command center set up by General Goethelund, and it was also where he ascended.

Lu Hou's residence.

Next to the tent there is an auxiliary tent where the accompanying priests stay.

Wooden piles were used instead of stones, and a small boat-shaped altar appeared outside the central tent. A stone brought back from his hometown was originally part of the capital altar, and it was endowed with sacredness when it was erected in the small altar.

Four cavalry teams gathered just south of the camp. Ryuri ordered the soldiers to dismount and rest, while he happily rode into the camp with some of his followers.

At this moment, the soldiers stationed there happily walked out of the camp, and those who were just too lazy to sleep were all sleepless.

After being separated for a while, everyone really saw the King appearing from another direction. Didn't all of this coincide with one thing? It turns out that the map drawn by the king is absolutely accurate, and the Russian army has really completed the feat of crossing the Courland Peninsula.

Rurik was followed closely by a man, none other than Osten himself. Seeing the Ross Navy again, I didn't expect that this army stayed just south of the settlement of Cherbourg. They really kept their promise and did not attack the village area.

Ostan took a deep breath and felt deeply grateful to King Ross.

"Your Majesty, you are finally here!" The overjoyed Goldlund didn't even bother to arrange his clothes. He put the robe on without the lining. After the belt was securely tied, he hung up the sword and left with his two hairy arms bare. See the king.

"You?" Rurik glanced at him arrogantly: "It seems that this place is so hot that you don't wear clothes properly?"

"Hehe, the king really came too suddenly..."

"Dad!" A call like a silver bell came from a tent.

"Velika!"

"Dad." Lovely Verica

Wearing a wreath on his head and a plain white robe, he suddenly ran towards Rurik's horse regardless of dignity, and then grabbed his father's right leg that was on the saddle and laughed non-stop.

"Pay attention to your decency."

"Hehe..." The girl continued to laugh without saying a word.

Verica was free to act coquettishly in front of her father, while the priests behind her lined up and walked out of the tent. Under the command of Blackbird, they walked in two columns towards King Rus.

I saw these young and beautiful priestesses, all wearing wreaths made of newly picked vines and wild flowers. When I saw Queen Ross, she lowered her head slightly, curled her legs and bowed slightly.

This move made Rurik feel a little familiar.

"Blackbird...is this your trick?" He didn't say what he was saying.

After all, Blackbird's original identity was a serious Frankish princess. Although she was separated from the past, she still brought some Frankish court etiquette to Ross after moving to Ross, such as the etiquette of the palace waiters after meeting the nobles.

As soon as Rurik got off his horse, he received a firm hug from his eldest daughter.

Gently throwing away his daughter, he formally faced his admiral again.

Rurik looked around, and his smiling expression showed his affirmation of the camp: "It seems that you have fulfilled your duties perfectly. Cherbourg is to the north of you. I noticed that we were actually hung up there. flag. You did well to make them surrender without using force."

"It was the king's might that convinced those people. After the guides entered the village of Cherbourg, the locals quickly surrendered." Goedelund complimented knowingly.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. Anyway, this place is the County of Cherbourg." said

Zhururik glanced at Ostan, who had just dismounted awkwardly: "Look, we do what we say, your relatives and friends are all safe and sound."

"I have seen it all. Thank you for your mercy, the king. The gods are with you." Ostan hurriedly complimented, but taking the current situation, he did not know what the next step would be when Ross's army and navy joined forces.

While the king was in high spirits, Goldlund decisively showed off what he had gained in Cherbourg. "Your Majesty, I would like to show you a special gift."

"A gift? Is it from someone from Cherbourg?"

"So be it." Goldlund immediately arranged for someone to take out a large bag of things from the big tent. Looking at the heavy look, Rurik suddenly thought of something.

"Is it a raw amber stone?"

"It's a rough stone."

Goldlund untied the rope himself, placed a piece of coarse cloth on the grass, and dumped the entire sack of rough stones.

This scene was so startling that Rurik's followers all raised their heads to watch.

It is no longer unusual for amber to be found in the Ross Gem Market. In my hometown of Rossburg, some rough stones can be dug and processed locally. On the southern coastline deep in the Gulf of Finland, where New Rossberg is located, there is also a certain amount of rough amber. Distribution available for mining.

However, the young warriors never imagined that they could see rough stones as big as fists in Cherbourg, and there were many of them.

"So much? I can't believe it."

Even if the raw stones of amber and beeswax look rough, Rurik knows very well that they can only show a crystal clear appearance after grinding them, and then they can be made into brown, golden yellow or even rare ones that are so translucent that they are almost colorless. exist.

Looking at them, Rurik suddenly thought of

Maybe this is how the Carlotta sisters’ treasure—the huge spherical amber heirloom in their hands came from.

On the broad Courland Coast, that is, extending from the Courland Peninsula to the Sambia Peninsula of ancient Prussia, such huge rough stones can be unearthed on the narrow and gentle beach coastline. Even in some inland areas, locals have broken ground During the relocation process, rough stones buried in the mud can also be unearthed when excavating building foundations.

A huge rough stone must have a thick layer of mineralization attached to its surface. When it is ground away, the fossilized rosin can show its characteristics. Therefore, whether it is transparent amber or opaque beeswax, it does not matter in the rough stone stage. Does not appear. Amber and beeswax often exist at the same time. First, they exist like butter, and then become as crystal clear as suet. A stone shows a gradient color. After cutting it, the amber and beeswax separate.

"There are so many! I saw that you have arranged a large number of tents on the sandbank in the west. Are you digging rocks there yourself?" Rurik asked excitedly.

"We are doing it. However, if these stones can be purchased from the people of Cherbourg, the army will not have to do it themselves."

"Buy?" Rurik narrowed his eyes slightly.

Seeing this, Goldlund knew that the king would ask about this matter and actively explained it...

Rurik pinched his beard and listened attentively, and couldn't help but murmur to himself: "It is a very smart choice to use a large amount of fresh fish caught in exchange for their stones. If we sell them some grain and some shovels for digging stones, they Will sell me more rough stones. I don’t need these people to grind and process them myself. The stones will eventually be brought back to Ross by my people.

You can achieve perfection by yourself. "

Who doesn’t love gems? At first, people flocked to the crystal clear colored glass, and ordinary people were complacent about getting these "gems". However, colored glass pieces are a kind of mass-produced industrial waste, especially the endless ones that are rumored to be "crystal blocks". Colored glass blocks are all leftover scraps from pressed and blown glassware.

Glass blocks of various shapes are polished and drilled to become a large number of necklaces. When its price becomes very cheap, no one thinks it is still valuable. As a result, after several years of chaos in the gem market, people resumed their love for amber - because it was something that state-owned glass workshops could not produce.

Both men and women like some beautiful things. Women use amber as jewelry to decorate their beauty, and men will inlay it in their belts, sword hilts, scabbards, etc. to show their nobility.

The Kingdom of Rus itself has a large domestic demand market. Even the Lapps who herd reindeer in the polar regions are willing to pay a fortune in exchange for some gems to decorate themselves.

A large bag of amber rough stones opened Rurik's eyes, and he suddenly thought that this was probably just the tip of the iceberg, and he only had to wonder how many rough stones were still buried under the vast and narrow Courland Beach.

The larger reindeer group entered the wild grassland of Hebin Lake in an orderly manner.

Hundreds of years ago, the Courland region was also a place where wild reindeer herds migrated freely. However, the large-scale hunting operations of the Baltic ancestors wiped out the Courland reindeer population that was accustomed to moving in large groups.

In the eyes of the residents of Cherbourg, reindeer are a very novel large livestock.

The Danish immigrants here still retain the memory of reindeer, but they have never obtained deer species and cannot raise them in Cherbourg.

Take a look at the forests and coastal deserts here. Since the Courland Peninsula is still relatively cold as a whole, sheep are very popular among the people. Sheep are raised not for meat, but for cutting their wool to make warm clothing. They don't raise many cattle, so they have to pay special attention to keeping their cattle sheds warm every winter. However, the cold and humid environment in winter may cause the cattle to freeze to death if they are not careful.

Due to these factors, the people of Cherbourg did keep horses and cattle, but their numbers were far less than that of sheep, but even so the overall livestock population was still pitifully small.

Because the cold wave from the Arctic hits the Courland Peninsula every year, there are no mountains to serve as a barrier. People in the settlements can only build a circle of wood for their homes. Preventing pirate attacks is not the main purpose. It is to shield the cold wind in winter. greatest purpose.

A severe cooling may lead to the loss of people, livestock and poultry, and even severe hypothermia caused by extremely cold air can cause chickens to quickly freeze into icy lumps while walking.

What the people of Cherbourg can best offer is a large amount of amber rough stones. In addition, some sea salt and by-product Glauber's salt may be of value to the Russian expeditionary army.

The Ross Expeditionary Force paid special attention to logistics, so they brought a lot of miscellaneous things. Most of them are production and living tools that are urgently needed by the people of Cherbourg, and Rurik actually has a lot of capital for them.

Even without hesitation, they launched a plunder that satisfied both parties.

Rurik once sat down and carefully played with these rough stones. He clapped his hands and stood up, saying to Osten: "Now I will enter your Cherbourg. Go to you."

of the meeting hall. I want you to gather all the leading figures in the entire settlement when you go back, whether they are Danes like you or local Kurlanders, all gathered together, and I want to have a chat with them. "

Worried about the fear of the locals, Rurik added: "I will only bring a small number of guards in, so all of you can rest assured."

In fact, the entire Cherbourg residents did not have the slightest intention of resisting.

Why the opposite? The Ross army only promised temporary residence. They camped in a wasteland that was insignificant to everyone, and tried not to interfere with everyone's lives, even if the presence of the Ross did cause trouble to the Cherbourg people.

You can't say anything if you are troubled, because their troops are everywhere, and smart people will never do anything provocative to prevent accidents.

The cautious transactions between the two parties have slightly improved the lives of the Cherbourg people. They bought some new iron tools, and Ross's ship's blacksmith also repaired some old metal tools for them.

Since everyone spoke Norse, communication went smoothly without any problems for several days.

Now, the residents of Cherbourg who were still vigilant finally waited for the legendary King Ross and the returning caravans.

Regarding the death of some relatives and friends in a sudden war, when they chose to take the inland route to transport stones, they were already prepared to be killed on the way. Fortunately, a large number of people returned safely. When they returned home, they were immediately surrounded by relatives and friends. The question It came down like a barrage of cannons.

If one person speaks, he may tell some lies. If more than ten people are describing the same thing, even innocent children say they saw the destruction of the Semigalians. The entire residents of Cherbourg have to believe this fact.

——The journey to Amber by land will indeed be safe and smooth from now on.

This is really a good thing that King Ross has done for everyone.

Of course, the local smart people also clearly realized that in fact, Ross's war and peace were entirely due to the attitude of King Ross. Baiostan's smart surrender attitude and leading the way contributed to this. This old guy helped Cherbourg leave a good impression on King Ross. Otherwise, if King Ross planned to attack Cherbourg, it would be as easy as squeezing an ant to death.

So on the day when Rurik's navy and army met here, Rurik stood in the chamber, the only public building in Cherbourg, which looked very simple.

The locals have never elected a real chief on their own. They follow Nordic democracy, and now Rurik has given them a big leader, a hero who will bring peace and a better future to the entire settlement, the villager Ol. Stan. But this guy is now the Earl of Cherbourg.

What Rurik wants is a stable amber supply chain. At this stage, Ross is actually unable to exert strong control over the Courland coast. At most, a small number of naval ships are stationed here.

An earldom of Cherbourg can be given the monopoly right to mine local amber. They dig the stones themselves and sell them directly to Ross ships docked in the port area. The ships then immediately transport the stones to Tombstone Island at the T-junction of the ocean. The locals can mine the amber. It is rough-processed and then shipped to Neurosberg or Stockholm for further processing and sold.

Rurik also followed the Romans, he was the most noble person, and to show his sincerity of kindness, this time when he entered the court of Cherbourg, he specially brought his daughter Verika with him. However, Verika on this trip called herself "the Kingdom of Rus" Participate in the festival as deputy priest

Sacrifice.

Women are generally not allowed to participate in discussions, except if she is a high-ranking priest.

In the eyes of these Danish immigrants and the leading figures of the Kurlanders, King Rus and his daughter were sitting together. There was no hostility between the father and daughter, but rather a great affinity.

This is what Rurik wants. He has a large army and has already surrounded Cherbourg. He is young and energetic, and he is a very standard warrior in the Nordic concept. He doesn't need to wink or show off his power to win the locals into submission.

What do the residents of Cherbourg want? Their request is extremely simple, that is, a better and better life. Although amber is good, it cannot be eaten as food.

Now King Ross has given a product made of amber, beeswax, salt, Glauber's salt, sheepskin and other locally produced materials, especially amber and beeswax rough stones, in exchange for a variety of daily necessities produced by Ross, which are especially important for the survival of local people. Important food.

Is there a better deal than this?

The so-called meeting has turned into a joke among men. Osten is very popular in Cherbourg. He is now the earl (war chief), and this group of brothers supports him.

So Rurik publicly announced: "Take out all the amber rough stones you have, and I will immediately exchange them with you for food and fine iron tools. The price is negotiable."

Because Gothlund had no right to secretly take out the general's grain and trade with the locals, only the King of Rus had this power. In fact, everyone knew that the Rus' army had brought a large amount of food, and they were also praying to the admiral to sell some to their brothers.

Now King Rus is personally opening the deal of "food for stones", he is excited

people are smiling.

"Give us as many stones as you can. Our transactions will be stable and frequent in the future. Just prepare the stones and wait at the lagoon port. My grain ship will come every year."

The Cherbourg people firmly believe that the King of Rus will fulfill his promise today, and everyone will be able to eat the wheat of the Rus that night.

So a Kurlan with brown hair happily introduced this matter: "Since King Rus needs amber rough stones so much, and my hometown is also digging for stones, why not... my hometown also surrenders to the king."

"Your hometown? Are you a native of Courland? The king welcomes all Courland people to join Rus. Where is your hometown?"

"Just south of Cherbourg, our village is called Palanga, and we are willing to serve the king."

The words came from a Viking-like Courlander who spoke Norse. Rurik couldn’t help pinching his beard. According to this man’s description, the village of Palanga was on the path that the Russian army must pass through in their expedition to conquer it. It's a matter of convenience.

Now that he can seize another settlement and regain a large number of people without using weapons, he thinks that Ross can continue digging rocks happily. This good thing is like a pie from the sky.

Rurik nodded: "Very good, you lead the way."