Rise of Rurik

The shovel digs the soil pit, and the two saws cut off the large fir tree.

The White Tree Manor became the city of Novgorod, and the city wall construction project entered the fast lane.

Medvedt served as the governor of Novgorod. He seemed to be in power, but he was actually constrained in many ways. The right to use large tracts of farmland will be handed over to various Varyag settlers, although the Grand Duke of Rurik has determined in the form of a law that all are Rus, but Rus is different from Rus.

The real Varyags are the real Rus, and the population of the Rus tribe is the most noble.

A massive immigration operation is poised to take place, and the Lake District will soon have a large Norse-speaking population.

Maybe this is a good thing, the intermarriage of the Varyags and the Slavs has been practiced for many years, I am afraid that after many years...

Medved was too lazy to think about it.

The counter-insurgency war ended in June, it is now the end of June, and the Slavic Summer Festival is approaching.

It's a good thing that the war can end at this point in time.

Those who left the manor, they returned home and immediately announced the peace promised by the Rus conquerors. The people's fears were relieved a lot, and when the people knew they could plunder the population wealth of the five estates that followed Vadim's rebellion, they scrambled to launch a partition operation.

After all, they were all neighbors living in the Lake District. They hurried and forced the woman whose husband and son died to join their manor.

For a time, those manors were tossed and jumped, and within three days, the manors were demolished, including the houses because the wooden beams were coveted.

The once bustling farmsteads have become quiet as if they have experienced a war, they have been abandoned, and only a few people have fled aimlessly with a small amount of belongings.

Although it was not the autumn harvest, the faces of the people in each manor were filled with joy of the harvest.

The situation after the war is so wonderful, but anyone who does not follow Vadim to overturn Ross's manor will be rewarded materially.

Of course, the Baishu Manor is the most profitable, and the amount of fields owned by the Calf and Fisherman Manor is directly doubled.

Each manor is busy celebrating their own summer festivals. They have to do traditional ceremonies on the summer solstice to pray for a good harvest this year.

They are all in a hurry,

I don't think this year's summer festival will be grand.

In fact, just outside the wall under construction in Novgorod, on the banks of the Volkhov River, a batch of fir, pine and flower trees that have been sawn to roughly the same size are rapidly being stacked into wooden towers.

The wooden tower will be turned into a torch, the Rus, the Balmers, the Ostarans, the Melarens, the Kovins, the Slavs, the greatest commonality of all the people who make up the Rus army is the worship of flames.

Fire is the symbol of Odin's power, the fire god of the Finnish tribes, and the incarnation of the Slavic god-king Peron.

People will sing and dance in front of the fire tower, throw offerings to the fire tower, and complete various ceremonies.

The Pine Needle Manor turned into powder, and was pushed out to the White Tree Manor on the banks of the Volkhov River to become the new core of the Lake Ilmen. She is Novgorod, and the population of military and civilians living and staying here is close to 10,000.

Large boats are moored on the river, and fishermen are working on the lake.

Walls, towers, the Governor's Palace, the "Ros Duma" of the Regional Council Chamber, new granaries, warehouses are all under construction.

Most of the builders were local Slavs, and they were almost all men and women from White Tree Manor, who built the city of Novgorod under the leadership of Medvet.

Rurik ordered his subordinates to provide some help, such as logging work, among other things.

Because the army rested for a few days, the flag teams began to practice again.

In the past wars, the Russ lost some soldiers, and the casualties all appeared in the final chaos, and even entering the farm to hack and slaughter essentially turned into street fighting, and some Russ soldiers died in sneak attacks.

The entire army had only 20 dead soldiers, and as many as 50 were injured. The organized and experienced army wiped out 10,000 enemies with this weak loss! However, not many people feel that this is glorious. Killing cowardly enemies and unarmed people is not a commendable record.

The dead are cremated, their swords are handed over to their children, the children of the deceased continue to be raised by the prince, and the widow inherits the wealth of the deceased husband.

As for the wounded, regular cleaning of the wound with spirits is more effective and safer than grass ash. The threat of septicemia no longer exists, and their bodies recovered quickly, which in the eyes of the local Slavs is simply the grace of the gods.

It was the Romans who developed a calendar that everyone can learn from, but it was not revised after the decline of the empire.

Both the Nordic world and the Slavic world are using the old Julian calendar. June 28 is also the summer solstice of various nations. On this day, the sun and fire are sacrificed to pray for a good harvest.

This year is clearly the beginning of a new era for White Tree Manor, and the majority of the manor people are still looking forward to a big event.

One peaceful night, in a spacious room, the old man Rigus solemnly asked Rurik for a wedding.

"Svetlana has become your wife according to the Rose etiquette. As long as there is another Slavic wedding, everyone will be happy."

There was no need for Rigus to say anything, his father and brother were also present, including Svetlana with her braided hair like a wreath sitting on her side.

"Then hold the wedding according to your etiquette. What should I do..."

Svetlana immediately blushed, even though she already loved sticking to Rurik.

The son-in-law agreed unconditionally, and Rigus immediately became full of energy, and then looked at the expectant eyes of old Otto, "I will let my daughter marry Rose beautifully."

There is no rush for the Karelian crusade for the time being, and there are many things that can be done after summer, such as measuring fields and sending a squadron to Britain to ask for food tribute from King Ernred.

The Slavic wedding of Rurik, Duke of Ross, and his wife should be held on the night of the summer solstice fire festival.

Since he claimed to be willing to marry according to the Slavic etiquette, Rurik obeyed and changed into a long shirt of traditional Slavic patterned linen and Slavic felt mixed leather boots on his feet. His blond ponytail was lowered, and his loose hair was tied around his head with a leather cord.

His blond hair was as smooth as a woman's, his eyes were deep, his golden beard grew, and his face was fair and freckled, and he showed the handsomeness of a young man.

The extraordinary temperament is here. Even if he dresses like a traditional Slav, he can speak Slavic fluently, but he is clearly different from the Slavs.

As for Svetlana, she put on a beautiful patterned gown, and the white tone accentuated the red pattern. This is a long gown of white, blue, red, yellow, and brown, and it is also the five kinds of cloth that the local Slavs can dye.

On her head was a huge wreath of vines of flowers, with several blocks of stained glass hanging from it, and a rare pendant of gold inlaid with lapis lazuli hung around her neck.

Another necklace made of amber, glass beads, and rubies is even more special. These necklaces are all gifts from Rurik.

According to Slavic wedding rules, there is also the custom of giving each other tokens, such as a pair of newlyweds giving each other necklaces.

They are purely agricultural people, and they have plenty of time to study strange rituals and etiquette in their slack.

What the wedding would do Rurik had learned, some wonderful etiquette he had learned from his sister-in-law Lilia.

There are too many women around! Only this Svetlana is the most important, this is the political marriage, actively participating in the wedding ceremony, showing joy to all the Slavs present is to win over their emotions.

The girl is very beautiful, and the pointed chin of a traditional Slavic woman does trump the flat chin of a Viking woman in Rurik's aesthetic.

On the summer solstice, in the orange evening, Svetlana, who had disappeared for most of the day, reappeared wearing a huge flower crown.

Accompanied by the flower girl, she slowly walked towards the burning tower with a smile.

After all, this is the Slavic wedding of the prince of Rus, and the messenger with the news rowed to various farms, and ordered the owner of the manor to come to this event in person.

Could it be a conspiracy? Another "Hongmen Banquet"? They got the benefit and think that the Russ people have no reason to use swords again. Since they are participating in the prince's big wedding, it is also the summer festival wedding, so let's bring some gifts on this happy day.

Fourteen manor owners gathered at White Tree Manor. They experienced the size of the Ross fleet moored on the river and were surprised by the towers under construction and other large structures that were being staked. They are building construction, a strong fortress is being built, this is the city of Novgorod, who can rebel here in the fortress city?

Or to show their sincerity, they scrambled to offer sacrifices. The so-called sacrifices are just some fresh fish and livestock. Originally, these were to be thrown into the flames to sacrifice to the god Peron, and now they have achieved the glory of the prince of Rus.

They had come in person, and all Rurik needed was a large group of powerful Boyars to be his witnesses.

Rurik was dressed in traditional Slavic clothes and looked like a traditional Slavic youth.

Tens of thousands of people gathered on the riverside where the fire tower was burning. The light of the fire made everyone's faces turn red, and the fleet of anchored ships also shone brightly, echoing the splendid sunset.

After the war, the sunny weather for many consecutive days made people feel comfortable, and the beautiful sunset clearly indicated good weather for many days to come.

The male priests of White Tree Manor again covered their hairless heads with chalk mud, and their upper bodies were also pale.

This group of priests suddenly fainted for some reason, then woke up one after another, and announced that God Peron had seen everything in front of the fire tower.

Rurik was already holding his wife's hand at this moment, and he noticed the Slavic high priest whose head resembled a fat-headed fish.

The fat-headed fish announced in a long voice: "God said! Let the wedding begin!"

That's it? It's that simple?

Rurik also felt that they would have some lengthy prayers, not to mention that the local Slavs do not yet have their own words, and the prayers for rituals are also mere formalities...

In front of the two, a small bonfire was blazing.

A pair of newlyweds jump over the fire barefoot, which is the most important part of the wedding ceremony, and other ceremonies are irrelevant.

The locals believe that as long as they cross it hand in hand, they can get Peron's blessing.

Arik watched with a smile, thinking that a few years ago, he and Peravina had also done a "crossing the fire ceremony". Obviously, his brother's Slavic wedding was even more grand.

This is a Slavic wedding, and despite the presence of thousands of thousands of people, it cannot be pure after all.

There is a rare opportunity for gatherings at weddings. People who are bored always happily go to the wedding scene to participate in the carnival, and eat and drink by the way.

The Vikings were booing, they were yelling, and the shields were banging spontaneously as if a thousand drums were rumbling, and the horn-bearer simply blew the trumpet.

"Let's go." Rurik looked sideways at his beloved wife.

"I am a little scared."

"It's just crossing the flames, isn't that your tradition?"

"Okay, you have to hold me tight, I'm afraid of burning my feet."

Rurik nodded, dragged Svetlana's barefoot two books, and the two jumped at almost the same time, leaping across the bonfire, and everyone cheered at this moment...

The most important ceremony ended in an extremely brisk manner. The newlyweds were tested by fire, representing the blessing of the Peron god on behalf of the prince of Rus. This marriage will also be safe and secure forever.

Their feet were not scalded, and the two flew directly over!

The old Rigus and the old wife were overjoyed, and the old couple were afraid that they would be scorched to the feet, and that would be bad luck.

The rest of the ceremony was no longer exciting. When night fell, the fire tower by the river was full of people, and there were dancing people everywhere.

Rurik and Svetlana are well-deserved protagonists, but according to tradition, the woman should live in the man's house immediately after the wedding.

The Grand Duke's Palace under construction in Novgorod is still early!

In this way, the Avrora, the first ship of the Principality of Ross, was Rurik's mansion.

Although it was necessary to live on a boat according to Slavic tradition, the ecstatic girl with tears on her face accepted it.

All the manor owners by the lake, the most powerful army in the Principality of Ross, the people of the entire family manor, tens of thousands of people are their witnesses.

Svetlana felt that she was the most beautiful woman in the world, and she was blessed by Peron to successfully cross the fire. Do not! And the blessing of the god Odin.

The two of them stayed here in the captain's room under the bow of the Avrora.

Svetlana was lying flat on the leather blanket with anticipation, she had already folded her beautiful gown and removed her jewelry.

The moonlight and the light of the fire tower shone through the wooden porthole and shone on her fair body.

After a grand wedding that attracts the attention of thousands of people, according to tradition, she must immediately become a real woman and thus become a queen.

Rurik immediately became emotional when he saw her like this.

"Finally... it's today. Hurry up." She urged with a smile.

"Okay, I have nothing to say now. Lanna, have you thought of the child's name?"

"Wow, you decide."

"Oleg, just call him Oleg."

She covered half of her face and sneered: "What if it's a daughter?"

"It's called Olegia."

"It's all good names..." She said nothing, just relaxed her body quietly.

In the end, enduring the strange pain, she hugged her husband tightly, hugged the great prince Rurik tightly...

The next morning, the morning fog had dissipated, and most of the people who had been partying all night were still sleeping soundly.

There was still a group of people gathered by the river, a large group of Slavs led by Rigus, who wanted to witness the results of the marriage.

There are only two newlyweds on this big ship, and they have no right to interfere in what they do.

Svetlana stood on the deck holding Rurik's arms, her legs were a little weak, because Rurik acted like a bear last night, but she couldn't stop.

The two descended the rope ladder to the boat, and in the process alone, Rigus was satisfied that she had become a woman.

This is a ceremony more important than a grand wedding! This is another kind of covenant. Rigus has tears in his eyes, because his daughter is already a queen, and his lifelong plan to go to the Rus people has been completely successful, and the eldest son has also become the governor, and the manor has become a city. There is no regret in this life.

Even if it was a political marriage, Rurik could not put it down when he saw Svetlana's beauty, obedience and sudden bravery.

Only Carlotta, who is obviously his woman, but...

"This is fate. I'm the Duchess of Ostara, I..." Carlotta stroked her belly, sighing involuntarily, even a little scared. "I can't do it, right? I shouldn't! No, I have to..."

No, wait for the fire tower to turn into warm embers, and wait for the life of the manor to be on the right track.

Carlotta had a private meeting with Rurik on the grounds that there was a secret discussion, but it was a meaningful secret meeting.

Carlotta was content for the time being, but Rurik also knew that this woman who was a year older than him would never give up without seeking Ostara's heir.

This is a secret meeting in the empty lower deck of the Avrora, and the so-called "meeting" has ended. Carlotta gasped and said quietly: "Is Svetlana that beautiful? It doesn't matter, you don't need to explain, you are a prince, and you have seventeen women now. Presumably there will be more in the future."

Rurik let out a sigh of relief: "This is my destiny."

"Yes. It's your destiny, and hardly any other man has the privilege of yours."

"Does it only refer to many wives and concubines?"

"Exactly."

"Hey." Rurik stared at Carlotta's smirking face: "You never want to have just one boy. Well, I have something to tell you."

"What is it."

"Soon, I will invite your sister Ella, she will be there soon."

"Ah? You, you want to be with her? You are really a man."

"So what? She's of age. If she takes the initiative like you, I don't mind. But I want to give her a task."

"Please be a good person!"

"Are you scolding me? I'm afraid she will never listen to your sister's persuasion." Rurik shook his head, "I will send a boat to pick her up, as well as my ten maids."

"Ah? Are you going to be with so many people! You..." Carlotta blushed: "You are the bull of April!"

"That would be a good thing. Carlotta, don't be surprised. They are all wise men and good at calculation. Your sister has no right to inherit the Duchy of Ostara. I made her Hestoria (the recorder), and I will let her go now. Measure the area of ​​farmland in Novgorod and write it down on wooden boards."

"What does this... mean?" Carlotta tried to calm down, but she really didn't understand the importance of the scribe group to a kingdom.

"It means that she will become a female saint and a wise man in the Duchy of Ross."

"Okay..." Carlotta stood up and hurriedly changed into clothes: "Let's leave quickly, Lanna will be embarrassed to find out."

Embarrassed? Svetlana knew what it meant when she learned what secret Carlota's husband was going to say.

Living together for a long time, she really knew what her sister was longing for.

Lanna deliberately pretended to be confused, as if nothing happened. She knew that she really shouldn't care about these things. It was already July, and she was in awe when she saw the atmosphere in Ross's camp.

The soldiers of the army were sharpening their knives again, including the men of their family's family's White Tree Manor. It was obvious that the expedition to the Karelians in the north was about to begin. After all, without this rebellion, the Rus army has conquered Karelia.

Probably so...

But in fact, it's not.

Rurik solemnly announced one thing: the Rus army will receive oats at the end of July, and will also carry out a thorough investigation of the fields, as for the war to conquer the Karelians in August.

Those who were looking forward to the war were surprised.

This does not mean that the Ross army will be out of work for nearly a month.

The army must participate in the construction of the Novgorod Wall, fish for food, and military drills.

It even organized a raiding reconnaissance team to conduct an armed expedition to the north of Ladoga Lake to investigate the situation of the Karelian people at zero distance.

No one is really at ease, and if there is, it's old Otto.

The old guy revealed an amazing proposal to Rurik: "This warm place is really good. I want to bring your mother here to retire, and bring Willika to help you raise your eldest daughter to live in the years... …”

Strange as it may be, Rurik had no objection. Has the old leader who opened the full expansion of the Russ finally chose Novgorod as his destination? Fortunately, Otto's majesty will shock the entire Novgorod.