Rise of Rurik

People who came out of the forest took their stone axes to chop down trees, and a small amount of iron axes and knives worked on the wood.

Men and women used bow drills to create flames, burning the reeds and foxtails everywhere at one time, and regularly opened up deserted beaches on the moist desert beaches by the lake.

They work with each other to build new homes, just like their way of life in the forest.

They dig into the pile foundation and lay logs directly on top of it. A framed wooden shed is built around the pile foundation, and the outer layer is wrapped with moss and lake mud, and then a layer of wood is pasted on the outermost layer. Straight pine trees are used as beams, and the gabled roof is first laid with a layer of thin branches, and then a large number of fresh reeds are piled up. Finally, some soil blocks are thrown in to fix it.

Most of the farm buildings in the forest are like this. As long as these people are given enough time, they can also build the houses neatly enough with the simple tools at hand.

However, they have obvious disadvantages compared to the strong farms living by the lake.

Many people are parasitized by lice and fleas, so the first thing most people do when they go to the lake is to take a bath.

Although it was an outdated commoner and leather coat, they couldn't give up the only things they had to protect themselves from the cold. Clothes that could be soaked in water had basically washed away the parasites, and the problem was solved by roasting the clothes on the fire.

The women began to weave ropes from the vines they found, and the men not only used wooden plows to open up wasteland forcibly, but also tied up rafts and fished in the waters floating near the shore.

Some masters know how to fish with bare hands, and they spread bait to attract fish. The large perch tried to swallow the bait whole, but the fisherman who had been waiting for a long time quickly grabbed the fish's mouth and pulled it out of the water to catch it.

The nets used for fishing in the streams also came in handy, and unlike forest stream fishing, they started to catch big fish in Lake Ilmen, and even more shockingly, the big bass here didn’t seem to be caught. absolutely.

At first, the New Slavs immigrants who left the forest were very afraid of the Varyag boats cruising on the lake. The keel with the bow and stern was the most obvious feature. The thought of this group of outsiders killing the hegemonic Pine Needle Manor in the region overnight. Exhausted, for fear that they will encounter unexpected events.

They were willing to believe the safety guarantees put forward by the Rus in Varyag, and more importantly, when everyone realized that the lakeside life was much better than before, no one was willing to escape back to the jungle.

When there was peaceful contact, the Neo-Slavic immigrants almost instantly abandoned the idea of ​​​​the past.

The Russ are burly and blond,

The fishermen all look very young and generally speak some Slavic.

On the other hand, both men and women are short, even men are thin.

Life in the jungle is not good, and only about half of the newborns will eventually live to be marriageable age. Even so, because the so-called adult men eat too badly during the growth stage, their growth retardation generally can only barely reach about 160 cm. Their food is almost only oatmeal and a small amount of rye, the overall grain reserve is not much, and meat is a complete addition.

The soldiers of the old Pine Needle Manor occasionally entered the forest to exploit, and the villagers did not dare to resist. They could only swallow silently when their teeth were broken, and handed over the small amount of food.

Just a few years ago, the exploitation of Pine Needle Manor suddenly intensified, and the life of the forest people was even more miserable.

What they don't know is that most of Pine Needle Manor also disdain to enter the forest to exploit poor ghosts, all because of the exploitation of the conquerors of Ross, forcing Pine Needle Manor to come up with more oats to deal with it.

The villagers in the forest regard the hegemonic behavior of Pine Needle Manor as a natural disaster, but such a thing as a sneak attack by a vicious bear has to be prevented. Those black-skinned and ferocious beasts will take the farmers who chop wood as their prey, and the bears will even hunt children directly. If a bear rushes into the village, all the men will take stone spears to drive them out.

The bureau of the forest environment has prompted the forest people to be attacked by bears from time to time. On the other hand, in the lakeside area, because the field of vision is wide enough and there are many flat areas, if the bears are present, people can find them early.

The new home by the lake has fertile land and a pleasant climate. It seems that as long as the Rus people are obedient, there will be only a stable life in the future.

It is said that the greatest leader of the Rus will arrive in the autumn harvest season, and the people who are forced to emigrate want to see what the king who conquered them looks like.

Is it really as the so-called Novgorod soldiers said, a blond boy, a young hero who was entrusted by God's grace?

They dare not expect too much, because there are two major things at hand that must be done. One is to wait for the right time to organize the village men to return to their hometown to harvest wheat under the surveillance of the Slavic soldiers who stayed in the Principality of Rus, and the other is to continue the construction. The village withstands the winter that comes in two months.

This kind of forest farm has no class differentiation yet. The strong and wise people are elected as villages. All production and life are done by all male and female villagers. This way of life started out of nowhere, but the villagers felt that they could live like this forever.

But the ships of the times have rushed over, and these newly emerging Slavic people have no independent choice. They must submit to the Principality of Rus and serve in the Principality.

As many as eleven villages that were forced to emigrate were connected in series, and the village leaders secretly held some small meetings. No one proposed to oppose the new conquerors. They all just wanted to live their new lives well. The so-called meeting was to demarcate the scope of their own lives, and to ensure that they would not turn the soil on other people's sites when they opened up the wasteland.

A raft drifting on the lake meets an approaching fleet!

In the eyes of fishing farmers, the Avlora-class sailing cruiser is simply a behemoth that surpasses the three views, which cannot be described in words.

All the working villagers saw the approaching of the strange fleet, and what they remembered most was the flying flag.

They recognized these flags, and the soldiers who escorted them out of the jungle were the ones who showed the flags with blue stripes on a white background.

The comers are all Rus conquerors from afar, and many people are thinking about how to meet the Rus leader who is about to disembark. No one sensed danger, and curiosity overcame all fear.

It's just that those big ships are only floating near the shore, as if they only intend to show their existence?

The sailors were instructed to steer the fleet to appear in front of the villages of the new immigrants. The ships dropped anchor in the afternoon. Then all the sailors watched the group of people gathered by the lake for a while, and then lay on the deck to bask in the sun and sleep. Sleep.

The sailors had completed their task, and when the land army of the prince arrived at the first Neo-Slavic village they encountered, and received a new order, everyone would lift anchor and continue their cruise south along the east bank of the Great Lake.

Rurik brought his army to the rear, and on a long march, even the youngest warriors had plenty of physical fitness due to their usual training, not to mention that they were on an armed parade without heavy weapons and heavy armor at all.

Without heavy equipment and aided by horse-drawn carts and deer carts, the army marched on the flat lake shore, and they soon reached their first destination.

"Stop everyone!" Rurik, the leader of the team, ordered the soldiers with the bullhorn to blow the horn to stop the entire army.

What the hell is going on? Is there a ruined village in the distance? There are also some sporadic thatched houses. There are large fields of ripening here, all of which have been sown with oat seeds, and wheat seedlings are heading.

The young men and women murmured, and then heard the order of the whole team.

Arik and his 200 veterans quickly stood up, and these people watched a large group of young boys and girls also lining up quickly, and they were discussing with each other while being relieved.

Four hundred children are indeed children, and the height of boys and girls should not be underestimated. Girls often carry short wooden bows and quivers around their waists. There is also a long-blade dagger for self-defense. Linen backpacks stuffed with dry food, and curled linen blankets on top. The boy's armament was no longer with the adults, and behind their backpacks hung a large wooden round shield, like a tortoise shell on their backs. A long sword, a small hand axe, and a dagger hang from his waist, and a halberd is held in his hand as a marching battle.

Rurik gave another password: "Fisk! Get out!"

A young and strong warrior of sixteen hurried to Rurik with his helmet steady.

"grown ups……"

"Everyone has expired? Is there anyone left behind along the way?"

"Not at all." After that, Fisk smiled honestly.

Everyone stood in a matrix. According to the rules, 30 people organized "one ship". In the Rus army, it was a "platoon-level combat unit", and it was also the establishment that could at least independently carry out combat missions in Rurik's plan.

In this way, he made everyone regroup to form neat "squares", and then checked and confirmed that there were not many.

He cleared his throat. The sun was shining now, the tin helmets and the spearheads shone brightly, and the army was indescribable.

"Brothers! Do you know where this is?" Rurik roared deliberately.

Everyone just watched the gorgeously dressed prince walk around in front of everyone with his hands behind his back and give orders, and continued to listen to his rhetoric.

"There was a farm here, but they took part in the rebellion! The village was burnt down, and the traitors were executed! The farmland here is still fertile, and I have sowed the other Slavs with wheat. You see! The wheat is about to ripen! I do want to Taking you to scare the weak who leave the forest is also a demonstration of our strength. But now, I will announce another thing, I will build a new settlement here! Mstisk cannot be alone, city There needs to be another one to take care of. So, who will build this new city?"

Rurik's eyes had already glanced at Fisk, and he shouted, "Fisk!"

"grown ups?!"

"I have decided, you will settle here with your young brothers and sisters! The young people of Ross will build a city of youth."

This decision is beyond everyone's imagination. Although there has long been news that everyone should live independently when they are old enough, could it be that the time is ripe for the prince to let go? !

The boy's concept of honor and disgrace determines that they are not willing to live on the help of the prince all the time. They are eager to repay their debts by making military exploits, working for the prince, and paying taxes.

Fisk was a little confused, and he asked weakly on behalf of everyone: "Sir? Do you mean to give this land full of wheat to... us?"

"How? Are you still not satisfied?" Rurik smiled deliberately.

"Satisfied! Very satisfied! This favor is too great!"

"Of course! Not only did I give you the right to cultivate the land, but I also gave you the wheat for nothing. Fisk, you are sixteen years old and already qualified for the first flag team. I saw that before me. There is a young and strong army standing, and you should make up your own flag team." Speaking of this, Rurik couldn't help but pinched his fingers and calculated, "Well, you are the sixth flag team. Or call it youth. Flag team. Fisk, there's no one better to be flag captain than you."

Things were moving very fast, and Fisk realized he had a great honor and a weight of great determination on his shoulders.

He simply half-kneeled in front of Rurik in public, and further swore to the prince that his allegiance was in gratitude for the reward.

"Get up," Rurik said.

"As ordered."

Although Rurik was only fourteen years old, this fast-growing body basically had the form of a strong man. Rurik still looks guaranteed as a whole. As he develops, he can still attach a lot of muscles to his bones, but now his looser clothes have made him look strong.

He looked at Fisk, who was two years older than him, and continued to order: "When we finish this cruise, you can bring your brothers and sisters to build a settlement here. I will provide you with various building materials, and I will also Organize a group of Slavic architects to help you build houses. But when your life settles down, I will cut off material rewards for you. Fisk, your childhood is over, and I chose you because you are adults."

Fisk hurriedly picked up the conversation: "Yes! The real Ross warriors will always open up new worlds on their own. We are very grateful for the grace of His Majesty, and in the future we can only repay with endless loyalty."

"Repay me? That's a must. You should never forget, most of you were orphaned for various reasons, or you would have died long ago without my help. Now that you are both Rus, you can't forget the past. Suffering. So when you see other kids starving and homeless, try to bring them back to raise them.”

"As ordered."

"There is one more point. In principle, women are not suitable to be soldiers. I will only recruit female soldiers unless the current situation forces insufficient troops. There are currently more than 100 girls in the sixth banner team, you can combine them! They must be The boys' first wives, as for the unmarried boys, I will find some local girls for you. We can even go to those new villages to find out through this armed parade..."

Rurik was determined to build a new city, and the young children supported it.

Boys and girls who have received military training together and fought side by side on the battlefield will be married? That's a really good thing.

There was a general feeling of affection between them, something Rurik had known for a long time, and a sensible, prime-aged Rus was happy to see such a union. The sons and daughters of many middle-aged people are actually in this team, just because the children have eaten the meals bestowed by the Duke in many years, the parents of the children are consciously guilty of wanting to interfere in their children's marriage.

The children of the newly designated Sixth Banner Team are all loyal to the Maharaja, and only the Maharaja has the highest right to interfere in their marriage.

Secretly, these children have long been matched with each other, and some of the oldest group have secretly had sex. There is a de facto marriage here, it's just not certified by a wedding ceremony with the participation of a priest.

After the harvest, there must be carnivals. The local Slavs will priest their god of agriculture. Naturally, the immigrant Rus people should follow this tradition and believe in the god Frey, who is in charge of "economic development".

Taking advantage of the harvest festival to hold weddings is also a reserved item for the locals, not to mention this year's situation is very special.

After the harvest, it will be the first wedding anniversary of Rurik and Svetlana.

The children admired the farmland here and felt the vastness of the field.

What I have to say is that Rurik finally gave them a great favor. The population of the village that originally lived here was as high as 2,000 people, and the acres of land they owned could support at least 2,000 people. On the other hand, the young men and women brought by Rurik were only 400 men and women. Even if these people married foreign women together, they could only form about 250 couples in the end. If they did not join new immigrants in the future to fill them, These children will have to wait until the third generation to develop a settlement of 2,000 people.

Of course Rurik wouldn't let that day come later, because there was still a group of young cubs thriving, and they naturally filled here when they got old.

Until the settlement is sufficiently populated, it is time to consider building a new city.

For this reason, the ownership of the farmland was held in Rurik’s hands, and he only gave everyone the right to use it, and each family could only be allocated one hectare of ripe land for the time being. The right to use will be revoked. Another reason Rurik did not fully reward ownership was the lack of military exploits of these children. Only those who have done great deeds for the Principality have the right to receive the full rights and interests of the private land from the prince!

On the contrary, the output of this land this year belongs to these children. This is the last favor of Rurik, the prince, to them, just like the start-up capital given by the old father to the children's future life.

Temporarily, Fisk and his buddies have theoretically lost their qualifications to fight for war. Their biggest task is to build a city to develop agriculture, and to build the city of youth enough to give back to the principality's assets in the form of taxes.

The city of youth, according to the Norse Rus dialect, is called Tonorstardt, and when it is described in Slavic, the place name suffix "Skoye" will be added, which means the city of youth by the lake.