Rise of Rurik

At the time of departure, three hundred warriors dragged some sledges and carried a batch of food to the mysterious and dangerous north, full of opportunities.

It's almost March on the Julian calendar, and the warriors are returning in larger groups with brand new vehicles.

A large number of Rus, either carrying swords or short spears, crowded in the sleigh team.

Many people subconsciously touched the giant horns and fur of the reindeer in use, and many people stared at the strong leather tied with hemp rope, and the strange men and women dressed in animal hides and coarse linen.

They are outsiders!

They, most likely, are the new slaves.

But these people have no restraints on their hands and feet, and try their best to avoid staring eyes.

Otto jumped off the sleigh in the attitude of a king, and met Harrodsen, who was the first to charge, on the frozen coast of Roseburg.

"You have been gone for nearly two months, and it seems like you have been gone for a full year. My chief, you are..."

Otto smiled, and he pointed to the east to respond to his close friend: "Hallo Zusen, we are not only hunting, we have explored the land of the east."

"real?"

"Of course!" Otto, who was in a good mood, greeted his Rurik, and immediately, Rurik, who jumped off the sleigh, pulled the siblings and stood beside Otto.

"Look, my sons have new servants. They're from the East, they're not Finns, they're called Kovans."

Haruo Zuo Sen glanced at the two children, and with just this glance, he concluded that the appearance of the two was obviously different from that of his own clan. They look more like Rumia, such as round almond eyes, their faces are flat overall, but their hair is more golden than Rumia.

Looking at other weirdos on sleds, they all have a similar appearance.

Haruo Zuo Sen was really happy for the leader: "It seems that you have gained a lot. My leader, you have made great achievements. We thought you were strange attackers, but I didn't expect you to come across the ice sea."

Otto took three steps forward with a smile and patted the old man on the shoulder: "They are not my slaves, they are Rurik's slaves. I'm back now, tell me, is everything okay?"

"Oh! Of course! All is well,

Everyone's day is peaceful. Now that you are back, everyone is happy. "

"Let's go then! We need a big celebration."

Roseburg, the thick fjords, and the hills near the fjords are like mothers, accommodating her sons who go out.

The "North Hunting Operation" officially ended in a way that no one thought of, and the biggest gain from this operation, where is the large number of furs and hundreds of slaves that were extorted and plundered?

That was a great message that made the borders of the known world in the Rus worldview extend a lot further east.

Those Kowen people from the "Land of the East" are a group that the Rus people have never seen before. Now, after returning to their hometown, the big leader conveyed exciting news - the Rus people have conquered the land of the Kowen people.

"The land of the East! All the land of the East except the Fen's territory is ours!"

The Ross tribe fell into a carnival, and the snow-covered Rossburg soon lit a huge bonfire. Just at night, Rumia, who had just returned, didn't care about the fatigue of the boat, so she put on the antler helmet, and under the guidance of the high priest Willia, at the stone boat altar in the middle of the night, she carried out a "giving back to Odin". ceremony.

This ceremony was luxurious, and there were two stags that were sacrificed.

Although it was a bit reluctant to kill the two deer, Rurik tried to overcome his fatigue, but he still held the steel sword and killed the deer. From his point of view, everyone felt that when this sacrifice was completed, everything would be considered a definite end.

The deer blood stained the altar, and the steaming deer liver was placed on a bronze plate. Rumia carefully placed it on the altar. At this moment, Tianyu, which was originally a dim green aurora, suddenly became brighter.

Veria's face that seemed to be cracked by the earth turned towards Tianyu, looking at the shining aurora, two lines of hot tears wet her withered face.

She couldn't help but murmured in the sanctuary: "God has received our feedback. Your great move across the ice sea has been recognized by God. We conquered those people in the East, and it was also approved by God."

"Grandma, is this a good thing?" Rurik asked deliberately.

Villa lowered his head again, and he slowly looked around, watching Otto and his close associates, as well as all the warriors who participated in the operation and returned safely. She looked at Rurik again: "What do you do with the conquered Kovins? They are your servants."

This seemed to be a question from the soul, and Rurik couldn't help but think a lot!

After all, by now, the group composition of the Rus has become more complex. The huge population added a large number of Novgorod women, as well as Rus and their mixed-race descendants. A group of deer breeders and Kovans joined in, some of the women also became the wives of the Rus.

Rurik didn't think too much: "I am their master, and they are my servants. Servants must be loyal to their masters and do things for their masters. And the master must give shelter to the servants. This is a contract between me and God."

"What a perfect pact. Keep it! Like your name, Rose will be strong again."

Ross will be strong again.

This is a bit mysterious when you think about it seriously. Could it be that the Rus people were very strong a long time ago? Rurik couldn't help thinking that Veria might still have some stories from the past buried in her heart, after all, she was in her seventies. As for those things, it was not engraved on the board.

The grand ceremonies were but part of the larger Roseburg carnival.

The clansmen not only congratulate the returning warriors, but also because the time is coming to March soon, the huge ice mass that is strangely twisted in the center of the ocean will also be loosened quickly and quickly. When the trade season resumed in April, Russ people also intend to find an excuse to consume all kinds of material inventories at home.

Compared with the previous winters, the winter that the Rus people are experiencing is unprecedentedly rich, and the reason for the richness is no other than the huge amount of money looted from the war against the Gotlanders last summer, and Rurik's request for the ancients. Germany and a large number of small businessmen who followed the big businessman brought a huge amount of living materials.

Rurik had estimated that all the grains could support the Rus until early February.

Actually? The small Rus family does not eat wheat every day. Even if the wheat is delicious, they are more accustomed to a small amount of wheat and a large amount of meat.

You can still eat a lot of fresh meat in winter. This is entirely because of the new "soap trade" established by Rurik. The trade has caused a large number of left-behind men to use huge Nordic forest axes to chisel extremely thick sea ice and lure seals to breathe. .

In the two months that Otto's team was gone, more than five hundred Ross men were pulling sleds south along the coastline in search of thinner sea ice to catch more seals.

Fishermen know that herring is better than in southern waters, so they must try their luck in the south to catch seals.

Their luck is a symbol of strength. In just two months, as many as 6,000 seals have been captured. There are so many seals that in Rurik's soap workshop, a large amount of block seal suet can only be thrown into the snow for long-term storage, and only one child's work of soap processing cannot consume dozens of tons in a short time. Seal Oil.

As for the seal meat, they all entered the stomachs of the Ross people. The silky and fine seal skin makes the fur merchants in the guest house go crazy.

Gould, of course, is also part of this "fur frenzy".

All the merchants saw great business opportunities in the future, because those warriors who had just returned began to look for merchants to negotiate a reasonable selling price for squirrel skins.

Therefore, a large number of Rus people are not only drinking ale around the bonfire, they also negotiate with all kinds of businessmen, and some business is completed on the first night.

They take advantage of the carnival to dump their share of the spoils, in order to buy some strange things with the money they earn. And the merchants are not fools, a pair of invisible hands are appearing in the fur trading market in an instant.

According to the past, the fur market began to appear when the Rus hunters returned with a full load, and for a period of time, the entire Rus was a big market.

After the transaction was over, all the families of the tanners in Roseburg began to indulge in the stench of tanned leather.

This year's situation is not fundamentally different from previous years. However, the quantity and quality of furs newly put into the market are unexpected for all those who stayed behind.

Almost from the very first business, some businessmen began to push down the purchase price.

Either in a hurry to sell the leather on hand for cash, to return the credit at the smithy, order a new steel sword, or just to satisfy the appetite with some wheat and hard-frozen carrot soup.

Or simply like the feeling of holding a silver coin in your hand.

The owners of leather began to sell a large number of leather, in order to realize faster, or actively reduce the price, or passively accept the merchant's pricing.

Sacrificial activities can serve as a watershed for prices.

Before the sacrifice, people who sold squirrel skins could get a silver coin and fifty copper coins for a piece of leather.

After the sacrifice, the purchase price dropped at a speed visible to the naked eye, and at one point someone was willing to sell two squirrel skins for one silver coin.

You must know that although squirrel skins in normal times are not as amazing as six silver coins per piece of ferret skins, they are also close to the price of forest cat skins, which are two silver coins. Well now, who made a fortune in the "North Hunting Operation" and in the attack on the tribes of the Kewen people? !

It's businessmen!

And this is the economy, and it is the biggest profit motive that once could have guest residents drag their families and bring their mouths to the guest house.

The merchants are waiting for the opportunity to make a fortune. A large number of small merchants have joined the crazy army. The merchant families who live in the guest house are busy buying furs at night, even forgetting what embarrassment is. The whole family is fantasizing about the trade season. After recovery, he went to the south to sell leather products and make a fortune.

All of this happened quietly when Rurik couldn't perceive it.

The fun goes on until the sun rises!

In Roseburg, a large number of bonfires are still slowly burning with hot embers, and many drunk and overly tired people are lying beside the bonfire and sleeping soundly.

There were also many warriors who took part in the operation, who sold their pelts and slept with their long-separated Novgorod wife, who had just given birth, carrying a large pile of silver coins.

Isn't that the case with Rurik?

Fortunately, why did Otto reminisce with the old guys who stayed behind? He took a batch of spirits from the blacksmith shop and told the guys about his great journey at Harrodsen's house. A large group of rotten and unshaven uncles fell into a ball, just like the soldiers who had just ended a bloody battle, lying directly on the battlefield to rest.

This has led to the leader's home, which has completely become a child's nest.

"The new children, I must make them reliable partners. Either a wife, or a hero."

No, Rurik was dragged directly onto the bed by Niya, who was thinking about him, and hugged him hard. This bed was supposed to lie on Otto, the sturdy old guy. When the team was hunting north, Nia pulled Sister Carlotta over because of her emptiness.

However, in any case, she was not as reassured and happy as holding the son she gave birth to.

A big bed was crowded with a total of four people, one big, three, small, and even though it was a bit crowded, everyone felt happy.

Rumia led Rumi, the daughter of the tribal leader of the Salmon Lord, a little girl with the same name as herself, and the two slept on the bed in Rurik's room.

As for the Telavis siblings, they lived in the room that belonged to Rumia.

Seven children were packed into a warm woodcut, and Rurik was naturally one of them.

The three newcomers marveled at the wonderful feeling of sleeping on the bed, the wonderful feeling of being wrapped in a blanket, and the inexhaustible safety and warmth.

Compared to his sister, Telavis is very sensitive to everything that is going on. The child knew that it was impossible to defeat the Rus people on the battlefield, and the Rus people also expressed their kindness to those who surrendered, and surrendering as a servant was the only cost-effective option.

However, this so-called kindness is simply a kind of care!

"Slaves? Are the Kewen people who entered the homeland of the Rus really slaves?"

What Telavis knew was that all the Kewen people who brought their families and families were required to temporarily live in an empty desert. There are also those deer farmers, who have been designated to live in another deserted beach.

Chief Russ provided a batch of sackcloth and leather, as well as a low-quality axe, which enabled the Cowen people to set up tents that could avoid the wind and cold at a very fast speed. On a new day, Kewen people will start building their own houses on the spot.

All Kovins are said to have migrated to the mines in the north, where they built a new settlement.

Originally full of worries about the future, Telavis fell into fear for a while when he saw the large-scale Rosburg and the amazing number of Roths. Now, he is lying on a soft bed, his feet are on a pure wood floor, and because of a built-in stone hearth, the air of the whole room is warm.

He couldn't describe the feeling of happiness in words, everything was like a dream. He was even in a trance. The Rus people were flesh-and-blood people and even paid great attention to the existence of joy, and they were even full of warmth. This and their terrifying performance on the battlefield were fundamentally different concepts.

Telavis knew that he had left his homeland, and neither his future nor his sister's future could be controlled by himself. What Kewen people enjoy is clearly preferential treatment, and this treatment is probably the pure favor of their masters.

He and his sister became wanderers who wandered to the world on the other side of the sea. For the Kewen people, the land of the West also existed in legends.

The fact is completely different from the legend. The Varyag people are not savage monsters that emerged from the land of ice and snow. They are people who know how to enjoy themselves.

Roseburg is the existence that completely shocked Telavis.