Rise of Rurik

The expedition fleet finally returned to its home port, and nearly ten thousand people gathered at the dock.

The people were cheering, and the soldiers on the ship were cheering even more.

The dock pier was quickly cleared, and a large number of boats borrowing berths were towed away. Each berth became vacant, and each large ship began to fit into it. Trained sailors dropped ropes for those waiting on shore to catch and tie them to wooden stakes prepared on the pier.

Care must be taken in this job. The displacement of a large ship has reached 400 tons. Even if it docks at the speed of a turtle, its strong inertial force can crush the pier.

Those who caught the cable felt the strong power of the ship. Since the port was at the mouth of the Neva River, they had to overcome the interference of the river water and avoid the ship's yaw. In the end, all operations went smoothly, except that some of the trestles were squeezed and slightly tilted.

The big ship threw down the rope net, and the eager warriors carried their various trophies on their backs, like carrying extremely heavy turtle shells, and staggered onto the land of their hometown.

Everyone onlookers saw it! The victorious warriors had an incredible amount of loot, and they made a fortune!

Soldiers would spend immediately, and everyone doing business in New Roseburg would have the opportunity to enjoy the war dividends.

The warship has its own berth. The middle deck sandwiched between the bow and stern is probably designed to be lower, and the safety wooden rails on one side can also be removed. The wooden railings were removed and replaced by extremely long seesaws.

Rurik's noble body was not suitable for climbing the rope net to get off the ship. It would be unsightly and not domineering!

On the flagship alone, he had already noticed the most prominent figures of the priests among the many cheering crowds.

Rumia was standing at the port, with a huge antlered helmet on her head, a jeweled wooden staff in her hand, her flat face with tears in her eyes.

One of her hands was holding a little girl. The child had her straight brown ponytail draped in front of her body, her face seemed a little confused.

Then, the child suddenly laughed and jumped up and down, waving and hooting enthusiastically.

"Velika..."

She is the eldest daughter of the kingdom, and she is very cute now. She is already eight years old, but according to old Russian calculations, the child is already nine years old.

She has the tallness and precocity of Northern Europeans, and the flatter face of North Asians. The combination of the two just fits Rurik's aesthetic point.

The eldest daughter is here, with her first woman.

"Lumia. Velika." He subconsciously muttered their names, and then saw the dense crowd of cheering people. Now Rurik knew exactly what he should do.

Everyone wants to see the king's gorgeous clothes and majestic image. People need a great hero, so give the people a great hero.

Rurik suddenly drew his sword, pointing straight at the blue sky.

This performance art actually overwhelmed the entire audience. The astonishing noise that roared like a tsunami and mudslide suddenly weakened, and those with keen ears heard the king's brief speech.

"Victory belongs to me! Rurik Ottoson! Victory belongs to Rus! Odin protects Rus!"

He kept shouting the words "victory" and "glory", and continued to raise his sword in a high-profile manner, stepping off the seesaw and standing on the trestle.

Behind him is a bear-headed berserker that is both domineering and terrifying. The ferocious bear's upper jaw becomes a visor, and its exaggerated fangs are the most powerful decoration.

The happy people spontaneously made way for the king. Men, women, the elderly and even children lined the streets to welcome their king and spontaneously shouted inspiring chants.

The governor of New Roseburg, Cornuson Sr., was here. He was pleased to see his son, Cornuson Jr., return safely. More familiar faces were also looking at him, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

For example, "Two Swords" Arik, the king's cousin, imitated the king's performance art. He kept holding up the two swords and playing with them to show his flexible hands, but he did not cheer for the people.

However, Arik's play with the two swords immediately caught the eye of a woman holding a child.

She is Aslaqi, a businesswoman who owns most of the water mill property in New Roseburg, and is the wife of "Two Swords" Arik.

The husband is a ruthless man who kills people everywhere, a general of the kingdom, and a die-hard supporter of the king. It's just that Arik is so brave that he often puts himself in dangerous places on the battlefield. As a woman, she prays to the seven gods in the large temple full of stained glass, hoping that her man will always be safe and sound.

When her husband returns safely, he is destined to bring back a lot of loot.

Nowadays, Aslaqi is the main supplier of food and logistics for the King's team, and she has already made a lot of money during the war. She is already the most powerful grain processor in New Roseburg, and the only one who can turn it into an industry. She shells wheat, grinds it into powder, and makes scones. These tasks are generally low-profit. She has completed it. Monopoly, the accumulation of small interests leads to quantitative changes and qualitative changes.

A female streamer cannot take revenge like a warrior, nor dare to take risks like those male merchants on long voyages. Aslaqi is quietly making a fortune in a very safe way. After all, the industry she created will be inherited by her eldest son Gustav.

In principle, Aslaki is Rurik's sister-in-law, and the great-grandfather of young Gustav is the same person as Rurik's grandfather. She is a relative of the king, and the lively scene is very entertaining as a spectator.

Everyone has seen it! The triumphant king waved his sword in greeting to everyone, and saw that the king did not negotiate with the governor immediately, but walked towards the high priest wearing antlers.

This seems to have become a routine.

Yes, Rurik couldn't ignore his first woman, even though compared to his current body, which was as tall and strong as a bear, Rumia was simply a dwarf.

It was Velika who suddenly broke away from her mother's hand and rushed towards her former father, laughing.

Upon seeing this, the sword was immediately inserted into the ground. Rurik, who opened his powerful arms, hugged his beloved daughter and held her in a happy position as thousands of people watched.

This is just the father's love for his eldest daughter, and it can also be interpreted as the king's emphasis on the next high priest.

King Rurik received Odin's blessing, and the great god often granted him wisdom, and then entrusted him with measures to make Rus stronger.

The high priest is the most important servant of the gods in the world, and this Rumia directly received Odin's "not killing" favor.

The king held his daughter in one arm, and then the high priest.

At least 8,000 people were witnesses to this heartwarming scene, and cheers even came from the towering walls.

"Why are you crying?" Looking at Rumia throwing herself in his arms, Rurik could only comfort her by stroking her forehead.

Rumia didn't answer anything, she just wanted to hug her tighter.

Velika is not the case. She can calmly slaughter a deer in a large-scale sacrifice. Now she can also playfully play with her father's neatly trimmed beard. She also hugs her father's neck and rubs her little face against it, showing the naughty nature of a child. cute.

The arrival of the fleet caused a commotion during the day, and late at night, the entire New Roseburg was still noisy.

The open space was filled with lit bonfires, the victorious warriors were very excited, and the city residents were as excited as wolves smelling the smell of blood.

The Waiguocheng market, which had quickly returned to prosperity after the opening ceremony, was already crowded with people as thousands of soldiers poured in.

The returning soldiers had an idea of ​​how much local goods would sell for, and those who kept an eye on the silver and copper coins in their pockets and deliberately increased their prices were ignored. Soldiers are not taken advantage of. They have a huge desire to consume, and they use the large amount of cash on hand to buy as much supplies as possible.

A "sweeping operation" has begun!

Old Russians, various Viking immigrants, Pan-Finns and Slavs, warriors of various ethnic groups were all caught up in the rush to buy, fearing that they would be late and useful items would be purchased by their companions.

The market is ten times and hundreds of times more popular than in previous years. Buyers and sellers facing the grand occasion are going crazy. They forget their tiredness at night, and the hustle and bustle continues into the day!

But in the palace, it is extremely quiet.

The Supreme King, Queen, and many wives, concubines, and concubines of the royal family are all in Novgorod, so that in the past year, Novorosberg was only the nominal capital, and the entire royal family lived in the east.

This is Rurik's strategic arrangement. Since the Novgorod area has a high probability of facing a large-scale attack by the Smolensk people, the local people are already in a state of borrowing troops. A large number of inferior cast iron spearheads are distributed free of charge to those who are willing to defend their homeland. As a man, the spearhead and the wooden pole make a pretty makeshift spear, thus satisfying the local farmers' most basic self-defense ability.

The attic-style palace of New Roseburg was empty. It was still being cleaned daily, and Governor Cornuson continued to send heavy troops to take charge of its defense. Even if the tall building is empty, the money bank is strictly guarded, and the royal family's various daily living objects are strictly guarded, including the gold coins and sword-wielding guards at the gate who take turns standing guard.

The market in Waiguo was too busy and lacked management, so the patrol team ordered by the governor picked up more than ten fights that night and captured twenty thieves.

Although the kingdom does not have a large number of laws written with dense general rules and detailed rules, the basic written laws have been formulated and posted in Harvest Square. The governor has the responsibility of a judge and orders his subordinates to act in accordance with the laws.

Most of the thieves are Finns who have settled in Finland, and a few are Slavs. The old Russians would not do such dirty things because of their dignity, and because they have already enjoyed the dividends of the war and are rich, there is no need to test the law.

There is no need to directly kill or hang the thieves. At this time, human resources are still tight, the thieves are quickly sentenced, and there is only one arrangement waiting for them - to transport the stones to the quarry on the shore of Lake Onega for a year to excavate the stones.

Rurik has no intention of knowing about this kind of thing. As the king, he has many things to pay attention to.

Although he has triumphed, his triumph has just begun.

The triumph should not be about the return of the king, where everyone can be happy and it can be over in one night, and the kingdom will not be so poor.

The kingdom must pay attention to pomp, must prove the greatness of the king, prove that the dividends of the war are huge, and must satisfy the people's desire for glory.

Soon after arriving in the inner city, in the huge parliament court of Rus Duma, a ceremony called "Triumph" was immediately mentioned to the king.

The governor also wanted to have a few polite words with the king, thinking that the king would praise his great achievements in the expedition out of joy.

Clearly the king wanted to enjoy himself with all the people.

"I want a triumphal ceremony, and the soldiers will parade around the city in costumes! I have brought back the ashes of those warriors who died as much as I can. The heroes will be buried in Hermon Valhalla, and I will personally dig and fill their graves. Earth. I also want to hold a grand fire tower sacrifice to announce our victory to the gods. I am pressed for time. We have to complete all the rituals within three days, and then the soldiers have to continue to Novgorod to start spring plowing... …”

Rurik made such arrangements, and the old governor was surprised by the king's anxiety and even the great importance he attached to agriculture.

His time was very tight, but on his first night back, he finally enjoyed the long-lost and luxurious peace.

His first woman, Rumia, was nestled in his arms, and his eldest daughter, Velika, was rubbing against him.

There are only three people in the bedroom on the third floor, leaving aside the subjects, soldiers and close relatives at this moment. As a man, a husband and a father, he finally enjoyed complete stability and happiness.

"The wool-cushioned bed from home is still more comfortable..."

This kind of scene also happened to Arik. His wife's home was his own home, and he didn't feel any discomfort at all. Old Harald, the father-in-law, looked old and smiled, while Asraqi took her eldest son Gustav and her babbling younger son Karl to face the returning heroes.

There was a sumptuous meal on the wooden table, all made by Aslaqi.

"Here is the ale you like, the honey scones you like, and barbecue. Take a good look at your sons, Gustav and Karl." Aslaki seemed to have a lot to say, she tilted her head slightly What does it imply?

Arik was not a rough guy who didn't understand the charm. He feasted and boasted about his experiences in distant worlds. Considering that his little wife was a born businessman, it was just because of her status as a prostitute that it was not suitable to take risks to extremely remote places. But I still have to say something, especially with my two sons present.

"You know the Gould family. Old Gould's life is coming to an end. All four of his sons have been reused by my brother. Is this good? That boy Rurik is too fond of Gould. This is a family." Arik, who was slightly drunk, spoke without any scruples, and shouted: "Is there anyone who likes my brother more than me? I'm just afraid that those businessmen will not benefit him when they become big. So!"

Arik pointed directly at his young wife and said very directly: "My Peravina gave birth to warriors and war chiefs. You are different! You are the woman I captured from Gotland. You are better than Peravina." Wei Na knows more about style! I like you more, but..." He shook his head: "Let those go to hell! Aslaqi, you also have to give birth to four boys for me. Our offspring will be my brother. Relatives. Only relatives are the most trustworthy people. Our son can continue the business you like. If the king encounters a problem, our son can help him."

Although Aslaqi didn't think so much about it, she is indeed a strong woman with beauty, ability and scheming.

There is no harsh criticism of strong women in this era, but everyone is more willing to talk about female warriors. It is still a bit strange for a woman to be a big businessman.

This meeting was a rare opportunity. Aslaqi didn't know if she would be able to give birth to a third child. Arik had already done what a man should do, and all that was left seemed to be to go to the temple to pray to the goddess Freya.

Rurik and Arik, two brothers who were loved by their respective wives.

After waiting for a whole year, these women who kept the house faced not only the hardships of life, but also lived with fear.

In the past year, the Gemstone Temple in New Roseburg has been extremely popular. It is said that throwing at least one silver coin will get the chance to worship the statue of the golden god. The seven gods can protect everything in the world, and the greatest Odin is the most revered. Those who invest a lot of money just to kneel down and worship, almost all pray to the statue of Odin to pray for their husbands or sons in the war to go well.

But war will definitely be accompanied by death, not to mention that the war that lasted for more than a year was the largest war operation ever launched by Russia. Rose bet on the destiny of the country for this, and would rather fight on two fronts at the risk of being overwhelmed from beginning to end.

Facts have proved that the results of this gamble were extremely exaggerated, and the human losses paid were also the largest in history.

The men who grew up in the tribal era suffered heavy casualties, and the various Vikings who later joined Rus and became the so-called New Rus also suffered huge losses.

Even the sea god Egil secretly interfered in this battle, but this god was an evil god as the legend said. He raised huge waves and caused the heroes to drown in the water, as if he was jealous of the achievements of these warriors who were loved by Odin. .

Those who died on land at least kept their ashes, and the dead were sealed in small boxes with their names engraved on them.

The household registration system that was enforced in the past was used for land allocation, tax collection, and military recruitment. Nowadays, this system can also be used to hand over the ashes of victims to their families.

The ashes and ashes of those who died in the battle from New Roseburg were given to their parents together with their share of the loot. They received all this while crying uncontrollably, but the pain would not last. Most of the people who can be recruited at New Roseburg are soldiers from the Second Flag Corps and the Standing Army, whose families have multiple children.

Most of the people who joined the army were not the eldest sons, but the family had a quota for additional soldiers, so a boy in the family immediately replaced his brother who died in the battle and continued to serve the king and inherit the glory of the sacrifice. Because this family needs the king's salary and their children to gain spoils on the battlefield.

For those warriors who died, it was all over.

However, as many as 3,000 people of the Viking race, including the Rus, died in normal wars. The sacrifice rate of thirty-year-old soldiers in the old Ross tribe was as high as that of Ke. He had always hoped to cleanse the remnants of the Ross tribe era. After all, those old guys did not necessarily have absolute support for him as the king.

The younger generation began to grow up and join the army one after another. Most of them were of mixed race, and they were different from the Russians in the narrow sense in all aspects. This is not a problem. What people pay most attention to is the paternal bloodline. Almost all mixed-race people have an old Russian father.

Rurik sacrificed the past of Ross, and what followed was the era of the latest batch of young people.

Then, let’s bury old Ross’s past in Hermon Valhalla, the cemetery in the south of the city.

Three major ceremonies, including a parade around the city in costumes, a fire tower offering sacrifices in return to Odin, and a burial of heroes in the cemetery, began amidst the cheers of thousands of people.