Rise of Rurik

The prince's palace is brightly lit, and the main hall has become a banquet hall.

Rurik didn't mean to waste time, but the dinner party needed some time to prepare.

A slaughtered and roasted baby reindeer is the finale of the dinner. This dish takes a long time to cook, so that when Kagan and the others are busy taking a bath, the venison with a lot of salt has already been smeared. Skewered with iron bars and placed in the roasting pit.

In the end, the person who came was the son of Pecheneg Khan, the envoy who sent a hundred horses.

Rurik wanted to take care of this unexpected distinguished guest with extremely high food treatment, so the dinner must be rich and reflect the characteristics of the principality.

Flour and dough are formed into a ball, high-gluten wheat from Britain is rolled into a dough, folded and cut, boiled and placed in ice water for later use. The pottery urn boils venison, venison, diced mushrooms, diced carrots, onion pieces, thyme pieces, and a lot of salt, which is mixed with brine, directly served with a small amount of flour to make it more viscous. If you can add some oil, chicken essence, and pepper, it will naturally make the marinated seeds more flavorful, but high-grade spices are really not available. Even so, such braised noodles are the limit that Rurik can recover.

From this, there is naturally a Slavic-style thick soup boiled with similar materials.

Just after the autumn harvest, people around Lake Ilmen went into the forest one after another, taking advantage of the opportunity after a very short autumn rain to dig for mushrooms.

The most common local Pleurotus eryngii, Agaricus bisporus, and Oyster mushrooms have good yields every year, and these are eaten by the public. After the rare matsutake is excavated, it needs to be sliced ​​and dried. The king is a big buyer of it. The mushroom pickers are very happy to exchange it for a batch of wheat to subsidize the family.

Mushrooms are not a meal after all, they are a good source of protein, but that's about it. The living standards of the people in the area around the lake have indeed improved, but they have not yet reached the point of abundance. They're always hungry for starch, fat, and salt, so mushrooms are just a helpful side dish and a sustenance for bad years.

But here in Rurik, it became a delicacy.

Butter-fried matsutake mushrooms are so fresh and mellow that it has become a Roth specialty.

There are also chopped carrots with yellow roots and stir-fry with chicken, mashed sea bass meatballs and onions, stir-fry chicken gizzards with onions seasoned with ale, and simple fried eggs.

Rurik even prepared dessert, which was a crispy baked egg tart.

The royal family must pay attention to what they eat,

To introduce to all the people some new means to satisfy the appetite, so as to increase the adjustment of life.

Visitors may find it awkward to use silver to beat the braised noodles with a fork. Rurik also prepared biscuits, white bread, and brown bread, which the guests can pick up according to their needs.

Rurik firmly believed that these children of the steppe always have a great appetite, their lifestyle determines their unrestrainedness, and the opportunity to drink must be "blow on the bottle".

If the visitor gets drunk in a short time, things are not going well.

There are three kinds of drinks at the dinner party, ale, mead and kvass. These three wines indeed have both Viking and Slavic characteristics, which will definitely be an unprecedented experience for the prairie people.

Naturally combustible vodka is also to be prepared, and drinking the burning spirits is already a good thing for the feast of the principality, and it has been entertained.

Kagan's stomach growled. He was full of anticipation for the prince's feast. He fantasized about holding a large piece of barbecue and biting like a wolf when he arrived at the venue. Because the companion and the invited Ma Ke Sakyi considered themselves to be from the past, he enthusiastically introduced the "king's dinner party" to the son of the grassland.

Barbecue is certainly the finale, and the various side dishes are like small gifts that are constantly offered, making diners always look forward to it.

The venue has been arranged, and the top elites of the Principality of Ross are already present.

It's just that this banquet is not a simple state banquet, and it is its political attribute to continue to discuss national facts while taking advantage of the banquet. None of Rurik's female family members came, and only the maid and cook could enter the banquet hall to pass the dishes.

This is a feast for men, and it is also the negotiation scene of the top nobles of the two political entities in Eastern Europe, the North and the South.

Rurik needed to use the banquet to continue to implement things about the cavalry, which Kagan could probably guess, and even made some plans for possible situations.

Although he was prepared in his heart, he really entered the prince's banquet hall, and Kagan was deeply shocked by the dazzling array of delicious meals!

He took off his hat, revealing his black hair, just because he had just taken a shower, his braided hair was completely loosened and it was too late to tie it again, so he simply tied it with a rope into a huge black ponytail.

Seeing Kagan's true face, Rurik almost sprayed the table with a sip of honey, but he didn't expect this guy to learn his own hairstyle?

"You're finally here! How? At least I saw that you changed your clothes, very decent!" Rurik said politely in Slavic.

Is Kagan's eyes still gazing at the delicious meal on the table that is divided into meals, the greedy worms are aroused, and the saliva in his mouth is like an open faucet that can't flow out.

With Turkic manners, he cupped his heart with his right hand and said, "Thanks for the gift of the prince, I learned that my subordinates have warm accommodation and rich meals. They are all servant soldiers raised by me, and I can't think of you. They were treated extremely well."

Are those Pecheneg soldiers actually slaves? Although this surprised Rurik, it made sense when he thought about it.

All grassland peoples have something in common. The leader family must have a group of supporters. Among them, the slaves are the most loyal because of their survival reasons. They are not like free herdsmen.

Rurik didn't answer for a while, and pointed to the empty seat on his left, "Kagan, you are sitting on this. The fattest leg of the deer is yours, don't be polite, I believe you can eat it in one meal. "

"Oh?! Then I will obey."

Kagan strode forward and seemed very imposing, and he was also very happy that the Rus people understood the principle of "left is respect".

He lightly lifted his robe and sat cross-legged, looking at the delicious food in front of him, if it wasn't for his willpower to control his hands, he would have eaten the deer legs in his hands.

"What a delicious meal! This is a feast that can't be enjoyed on the grasslands." He complimented him without forgetting to swallow the salami.

"How?" Rurik asked knowingly.

"The perfect feast. There are so many delicious meals I've never seen, just smell it and know it's a delicacy."

Rurik nodded: "You are the most noble guest to visit our country, and this feast was ordered by me. Just for you!"

The last sentence Rurik accentuated his tone, which shocked Kagan for a moment. Kagan wasn't sure whether the young prince of Ross really understood the etiquette of the grasslands, but the attitude of the prince of Rurik, wasn't it...

Kagan hurriedly tried: "Your Majesty, I'm just a visiting envoy who sold a horse, and you are so fond of me?"

"I admire you!" As he spoke, Rurik held up a glass with honey water.

Seeing this, Kagan also held up a noble cup in return.

"You came to the north through forests, swamps, ice and snow. You are the sons of the eastern grasslands, and we are the conquerors of the northern seas. Although separated by distant paths, we want to unite and at least make trade flourish. So I think Now, let's build mutual trust. I know some Eastern etiquette."

"Ah! Are you trying to make an alliance with blood?!"

"Exactly!"

Rurik affirmed that the whole banquet hall was indeed shocked by the fact that blood is an alliance.

Otto is old and doesn't even have a good appetite. He just loves to drink. As for the son's alliance with other tribes, as long as the alliance is the result, it doesn't matter how the process is. Severing his fingers, dripping blood into the wine and drinking it together, his son has done this before, and the result is a close connection with the group of people in Narvik Port, and now he legally controls the northern port.

When everyone was surprised, only old Otto smiled naively. He knew that time was running out, and he probably guessed the wonderful future in the distant future - one day Ross would be able to annex the grasslands in the far east.

Although Otto has never seen an endless grassland in his life.

No one objected to Rurik's intentions, not even his real cousin Arik. What everyone is surprised is that it happened so suddenly. The guests arrived at noon and the horse transaction completed in the afternoon. How can they be called brothers now that it is night?

Rurik has his own opinion, the so-called opportunity is fleeting, and the opportunity for union is close at hand, and it is time to strike while the iron is hot. As long as the two sides are united by blood, Rick is not afraid that this Kagan will not give in to the rest.

With fine wines and delicacies, Kagan opened his eyes and felt that he was so valued by Prince Ross!

He just thought about it for a moment, grabbed the table knife on the table after a slap on the thigh, and without hesitation, the tip of the knife cut the index finger of his left hand, and blood dripped into the wine glass.

Seeing him so decisively, as a de facto ruthless man who killed the enemy like a numb, Rurik also drew his knife and cut his fingers, and also dripped blood into the wine glass.

The transparent glass clearly showed the dissolution of the blood drop, and Rurik stood up with the glass in hand: "Let's exchange the glass, go outside and swear to the moon that we are all brothers, what do you think?"

"it is good!"

The banquet has not yet started, and it is first a big show of blood for alliance.

The so-called "alliance" is to hold blood sacrifices towards the sun and the moon.

Rurik pretended to be mysterious, knelt on one knee in the snow and held up a bloody glass, and suddenly asked Kagan, "In your language, is the god called Tengri?"

Kagan was not only surprised, but also felt a stronger favor in his heart. "You Rus people actually worship Tengri?"

"Yes! No. You call it Tengri, and in our Ruth language it is Odin."

"In the greatest existence?"

"Really!"

"It seems that I should do as the locals do." After speaking, Kagan was raised even higher and said bluntly: "Odin of the high heaven, you will witness our oath..."

Hearing that, Rurik laughed secretly, thinking that this person is really good at judging the situation, which just proves that this person is not constrained to believe in a certain god, and his interests are above everything else.

Then, it was the oath expressed by each other, and the two of them drank the sacrifice wine.

Without warning, he was trusted and worshipped as a brother by the powerful khans (maharajas) of the Rus. He had no merit, and he enjoyed such high-standard treatment. Kagan felt extremely happy.

He is not only happy about this, but also optimistic about Pecheneg's prospects.

The Pecheneg Khanate is not the overlord of the grasslands. There are the Kasa Khanate and the Bulgarian Kingdom in the south, the Mazar (Hungary) Khanate in the east, the Bulgar Khanate in the north, and a group of Oguss in the east. The southern Russian steppe and the Kazakh steppe are geographically connected, and the Pecheneg Khanate is still in the expansion stage, so how to get the help of a distant power is naturally the best.

Coincidentally, Kagan's trip has the meaning of alliance. What makes him ecstatic now is that he, the son of the Khan, has become the bloody brother of Prince Rus.

With a close relationship, the rest is easy to talk about.

The American cuisine of the Principality of Ross opened his eyes to him. Whether it was braised noodles, a large number of side dishes, or the most wonderful roasted venison, a major feature of Ross's cuisine is that it is willing to put salt, which is impossible to enjoy on the grasslands. the ultimate experience.

It is true that the blood flowing in Kagan's veins has a very low salt content. He is a top noble, and he must save on the issue of salt. People do not die if they don't eat crystalline salt. People can get key salt from a variety of foods, but the body's salt content can only be kept at a lower limit. Such people can easily become tired and paralyzed after doing heavy physical work. The overall lack of salt seriously affected the combat effectiveness of the Pecheneg fighters, so this meal gave Kagan too much shock.

As Rurik estimated, Kagan really had to eat a deer leg. It wasn't over yet, he finished eating a small pot of braised noodles, which wasn't enough, so he asked for another pot.

All the side dishes under the meal-sharing system were wiped out by him like a storm, and when he was not happy, he nibbled the sesame cake with one hand. As for the baked egg tarts, he simply took one bite.

Wine is of course indispensable, and mead is a rare fine wine that must be drunk. The taste of Kvass is very strange. I have experienced this wine in Kyiv, and now it can be poured into the stomach in Novgorod, and the opportunity cannot be missed.

Kagan has a big appetite, but he is not a ball of suet, just because he is a doer, he eats a lot and does a lot of things. The expedition took three months.

His belly is hard, and he has gone to the kidney four times. Of course, the prince even prepared a special toilet, although he was surprised. On second thought, there is no trace of excrement and urine on the road of this big city, which is obviously a useful attention of the Rus.

He was slightly drunk, and the feast could go on even though it was late at night.

Ale with hops is beer, and Rurik prepared a lot of ale for this feast. He instructed the cooks below to continue cooking, but the delicious meal was mainly made of charcoal kebabs.

The banquet has turned into a literal midnight food stall, and Rurik is no longer pretending. The 60-year-old soul in his young body appears in the form of an old man, because the interior has been burned enough by lights and fireplaces. Hot, he simply took off his jacket, wearing only a light shirt. He stopped sitting honestly, and then he was slightly drunk, sitting casually, his right hand resting on the knee of his standing right leg, and he was clutching a bunch of roasted chicken gizzards. Chatting and laughing.

Only seven people continued to stay in the banquet hall. Rurik and Kagan were the protagonists, as well as Medvet, Arik, Spuyut, Yevlo, and the Kyiv Maks Sakyi, who had already thought they were lucky enough to participate.

Everyone drank ale with open stomachs, and shouted to one another about their personal exploits.

Kagan didn't understand the Norse language at all, but he still learned a lot of the "bragging rights" of the Rus. It turns out that the northern world is not very peaceful, and the Rus people used to be just a small tribe, relying on the guidance of a wise and young prince to create a large territory and become rich. He was even surprised that Novgorod was indeed not a royal city, and this palace was just a palace. The real royal city of Rus is in the coastal area in the northwest, and even farther north, there are a large number of people, until Murmansk, the city of beast trapping facing the "sea at the end of the world".

Kagan's mind couldn't think of the dangerous possibility. He only thinks that this group of Rus is a big hero, and they are brothers with their princes, and Pecheneg has successfully obtained an ally.

Rurik was half-drunk and suddenly mentioned: "Kagan, since your people are all your slaves, why don't you divide them into brothers and me."

Kagan was also excited: "Very good! In principle, I should sell the slaves. They are well-trained fighters, but if you are my brother, I will give you ten! What do you think?"

"Okay!" Rurik's appearance was Xiaole, but the right hand holding the wine glass was too honest, and the delicate goblet fell and shattered directly on the ground.

"Ah! The baby actually cracked?!" Kagan was slightly surprised in confusion.

Rurik pursed his lips and smiled: "It doesn't matter, just take another one."

"Ah, you are indeed very rich."

"That's natural. Of course I'm very happy about your guest in Ross. Brother, I have one more request."

"Go ahead."

"Now I bought a batch of good horses from you, and I want to build a cavalry to defend my homeland. But we don't have a good coach, and you can't go back to your hometown this winter. Just be my coach. What do you think?"

What Kagan eats and enjoys are all provided by his sworn brothers. He has the mentality of being indebted, and he decisively stops the opportunity to show it: "I totally agree. Cavalry."

"That's great." Rurik was very happy, and he was under control to get such an answer.

He snapped his fingers again, and ordered the cook to bring another barrel of ale to open the cork, and motioned to Kagan: "Let's continue drinking! Until the sun rises tomorrow!"