Rise of Rurik

All the members of Carl Brand's team were traveling along the river in oxcarts with the goods obtained from their expedition.

They camped overnight and continued to explain their experiences to the curious guides.

So in the afternoon of the next day, the journey came to an end.

This is the Calf Manor. Since most of the cattle have been driven to Balotavo to graze on grass, there are only a few cattle and goats left on the farm. Some chickens running around are clearly visible. Their flight feathers have been plucked like no other. Even if they are flapping their wings, they are still free-range chickens.

The people who stayed behind gradually walked out of their residences to watch the Russians arriving from a strange direction, and soon some elderly people came to greet them.

"You? Are you coming from the west? Or the north."

"West." Karl spoke bluntly and asked urgently: "Where is your Boyar? I want to talk to him."

"Is it Usky? He is in Novgorod in the north. You...are you kings? Is there anything wrong?"

The old man didn't dare to ask any more questions. After all, Karl and his group had been holding the Ross flag, and he himself was wearing Ross jerseys.

Karl had no intention of staying in this village, even though it was already afternoon. He stared at the small dock on the lakeside, silently commenting on the local boats.

"It's not bad. They say that the third son of the Hotla family is building river boats in Novgorod. They are really doing something." Karl muttered in his heart.

He thought for a while, then faced the old man and said loudly to the entire onlookers: "Let your prominent people stand up. I want to discuss something with you."

What's up? The villagers looked at each other.

The old man continued: "Just tell me, you..."

"Indeed. This matter does have something to do with the king." Karl shrugged, then pointed to the small dock: "I want to rent your ship and take all of us to Novgorod. Don't worry, I will give you money."

When they heard that there was money to be taken, all the onlookers were excited.

But the talkative old guy couldn't help but scratch his old face, and squinted his eyes to look at the setting sun: "It's a bit late. How much labor fee can you... give us?"

Karl could tell that this old guy wanted to ask for more money, so since he spent money to hire a boat, he also hired a civilian husband.

"I want two long boats, and you will provide twenty men and women to row them for us. When we get to Novgorod, I will give you twenty silver coins."

This is an exciting price!

"In this way, we can't refuse, even if we spend the night there." The old man smiled, and the onlookers also laughed.

The people at Calf Manor are too lazy to think too much. In fact, with a little imagination, they can realize that these Russian families coming from strange directions must be hiding something big. Otherwise, they would not have spent a large amount of money to demand that the ship must arrive before night. Arrive in Novgorod.

A considerable amount of the property in this manor is shared by all the people. They raised funds to buy a long boat built by Varyag craftsmen, so changing their clothes can be a real Varyag.

The newly built long boats for inland rivers are overall slender and shortened in width. Considering the practical needs of fishing on the lake, docking facilities are also installed on both sides of the hull. In this way, the two long boats can be connected to each other with long logs to become a catamaran. , or two pontoons attached to the left and right, all of which ensure that the boat becomes a stable and floating fishing platform.

So the outcome of the matter was very different from what Karl and the others thought.

Ten young men came out of the manor. They carried wooden beams and planks with smiles on their faces. They quickly connected the two long boats in parallel at the dock and spliced ​​the planks together. Their actions were quite skillful. Such a move was something Carl had never seen before. Such a long ship directly turned into a barge.

Barges are large floating platforms, and since they were unable to use trawling techniques, they came up with the technique of collective fishing.

Where there is demand, there is a market. The third son of the Hotla family, Stein, is in charge of the shipyard in Novgorod. Although he knows that his second brother has taken over a big business from the king, he is really jealous, but he is There is no need to build ocean-going ships. He focused on building river boats and made a lot of efforts to do so. It is technically feasible to combine two ships into a barge, or even to assemble multiple ships to form a large barge, or even to form a pontoon.

Planks were laid on the wooden beams, and Karl and his party sat on this platform.

The two triangular sails were raised, and ten hired men were manipulating the oars on both sides, shouting chants and rowing while adjusting the course.

The wind in the evening has weakened a lot, and the ship is taking advantage of the warm southerly wind to drift towards its final destination at a faster speed.

Karl sat cross-legged, holding the flagpole with the Ross flag flying. The scene of floating on the lake opened his eyes. They were basically staying on a stable platform that was constantly floating, and they couldn't feel any fluctuations at all.

There is always an endless stream of ships going to and from Novgorod, and there are many old Russians living here. The sudden arrival of Karl and his party cannot cause any waves at all.

What's more, every evening is the city's evening market. The market in the city is very lively, and the fish stalls outside the city, especially the pier, are even more lively.

Freshly caught perch, smelt and whitefish are traded here, and occasionally large sturgeon can be seen for sale.

The city was bustling inside and outside. Karl and his friends originally lived in Chengli, Novorosberg. When they arrived in Novgorod, the second largest city, they saw much the same thing.

Karl kept his word and handed twenty silver coins to their civilian husband as soon as he landed, and then carried all the luggage directly into the city.

He was very smart, wearing a Ross jersey and carrying a flag, and deliberately swaggering through the city with his friends, just to attract the attention of the city's security patrols.

There was no patrol for the time being, so the group went directly to the city gate and chatted up the guards on duty, thus quickly attracting the captain on duty.

"What's wrong with you guys?" The captain on duty spoke normally and had a very kind attitude. After all, the visitors were all old Russians with blond hair.

"We are coming from the capital, I want to see the king!"

With this request, the captain on duty was instantly punished. "Sir, under our status, how can we lead you to see the king ourselves? It's almost dark, but you have something very urgent?"

"It's very urgent." Karl lowered his face and said, "We must meet the king. If we delay the time, you are guilty."

The duty captain does this job in peacetime, and in war, he is the centurion in the flag team. Although I don’t know what it is, I’m afraid it’s better not to know.

A captain guarding the city gate was not qualified to report directly to Rurik, but although Novgorod was a large city in this era, its population was still too small. A city with a population of less than 10,000 does not need a complicated management structure, so Governor Medved has great power and equally many responsibilities.

Medved was in the city. When he heard the surprise report from the guards at Chengmen, he immediately realized that the situation was serious. He hurriedly changed his clothes and rushed to the city gate without finishing his meal.

He soon saw the waiting group of people claiming to be travelers, and saw clearly the gray-bearded flag-bearer in the classic Russian warrior dress.

He held the hilt of the sword and walked forward vigorously. It was a test, and he saw that the other party was not nervous at all.

"Where did you...come from?"

"I recognize you. Medved! I am a veteran of the Second Flag, and the men in front of you are also veterans. We are from New Roseburg." Carl knew him well.

They have no reason to lie, and their blond hair and familiar attitude are good proof.

"It's not surprising that many people came from the capital." Medved's attitude softened. "I saw that you carried a lot of things. Do you have any good things that you want to sell to the king personally? You might as well... take them first. Come out and take a look.”

"It's nothing special. It's all dry food along the way. Listen, as an old Russian, I am qualified to report some important discoveries to the king personally. I must see the king immediately."

"A major discovery? An interesting new news? What new discoveries can you make while floating along the river? Ships pass by on the Volkhov River every day."

"It's not the Volkhov River! We..." Karl coughed hard and cleared his throat: "We set out from the bay and didn't go through the Neva River at all. Medvet, if you are smart, you should be able to understand what I mean. .”

"You guys? You...you?!"

Medved couldn't help but cover his mouth: "This is impossible! There can't be a second river leading here."

"Really?" Karl laughed so hard that his beard trembled, and his wild laughter also attracted many passers-by to watch.

He glanced left and right, considering that the matter should not be made public for the time being, he moved his mouth to Medved: "This is how we came here. There is indeed no direct waterway, but we just walked through a swamp. We once We have fought side by side, and I am still an old Russian, so how can I entertain the king with nonsense? This matter is very important, and we need to see the king immediately."

"Okay. It's really a big deal. Come with me."

Of course Karl and his party know the rules. The king is the king after all. In the past, when old Otto was the leader, the brothers could still talk to him with weapons, but now they can't.

The group of people took off all their weapons for the time being and waited outside the low wooden wall of the palace.

At this moment, Rurik was enjoying an ordinary dinner with his wives and concubines, and his ears were filled with the chirping of women and the laughter and crying of children. The royal family has a huge family. Most of the little princes cannot walk yet, but all of them can crawl very well. It seems that they will grow into brave warriors in the future.

The queen had been left out in the cold as she had to deal with too many big affairs before, and Rurik, who had a little leisure time, would not stay in Novgorod for a long time. He formed the Second Cavalry, hoping that Captain Brody's "devil training" would train a group of cubs to ride better in a short period of time. He is also organizing a fleet of boats to go down the river, so that the waterway and enter the Volkhov-Neva Waterway, intending to reach the loyal capital in a mighty manner.

So before setting off, Rurik's family arranged to have dinner with all the wives and concubines, which was actually the king's love for them.

Undoubtedly, the most favored ones are Queen Svetlana and the three-year-old Prince Osborne.

It's true that a long absence is better than a new marriage. Lanna has been looking forward to her king. She plans to have another child, and Rurik is very willing to meet her wishes. The other wives and concubines also had the same appeal. After weighing their own body and bones, Rurik resolutely went for it, which made him a little tired.

Multiple direct line princes may compete with each other for power, but the state of a single direct lineage is also a disaster. To put it another way, if the population of new nobles is extremely large, then there will be far fewer people who can threaten the status of the direct heir apparent.

At least what Rurik sees now is that Osborne and his half-brother Oleg are close to each other in age and are good playmates. The way they play is really comfortable to watch.

Medvet's appearance surprised Rurik. He was not angry. He subconsciously realized that something big was going on, so he suddenly put on a serious face. Suddenly, the venison braised noodles in Kuaizi's bag were not tasty. .

"What's the matter? Are you in such a panic to come to the meeting?!"

Medved hurriedly knelt down and saluted: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for being reckless. There is really a big matter."

"Big deal? Don't worry, my cousin came back in advance with good news." What Rurik thought was that the western expedition team had discovered the channel leading to the Volga River.

"They were some explorers. They started from...the Gulf of Finland, found a small river on the south coast and got into it. As a result, it miraculously appeared here."

"What?!" Rurik burst into anger, and even the glass bowl of noodles was smashed all over the table. This move shocked the wives and concubines present to change their expressions.

"Is this true? They just... drifted all the way to Yin'ermen Lake?"

"It's basically true. Unless they lie. Oh, they are old Russians, they will never lie to the king!"

"Where are they?!"

"Just outside the palace."

Forget it, Rurik looked at the cracked noodles and the surprised face of the queen. "We can't eat this meal. Go and inform them to come to see you. I'll wait for them in the meeting room."

"As you command!"

In the end, only men from five families were able to enter the palace. They were all old Russians, and they could all claim to have watched the king grow from a baby to the handsome and strong man he is today. Of course, they also participated in all the early expansion wars of Rus, and their retirement was in early 840.

Therefore, Rurik had a good attitude towards the old Rus' people who were from the Rus' tribe. They respected the king but also showed less awe. Everyone still got together happily as before and discussed various matters in a harmonious manner.

This was indeed the case for Rurik, so he brought his father along with him.

Otto came with a cane, sat cross-legged on the leather cushion like this, wore a gold-plated leather helmet and put on thicker clothes, which immediately hid his aging.

Since Otto had been arriving at Lake Inelmen every year forty years ago, he was shocked when he first heard that there was a second waterway leading to the lake. Discovering a new waterway is a glorious feat. Maybe I should have won this honor long ago, but unfortunately...

At least it was the old Russians who discovered the new waterway, and the honor still went to his family. Otto was still very pleased.

Two generations of kings from the Kingdom of Rus were sitting in this room, and the surroundings were brightly illuminated by oil lamps, making their golden laurel crowns and gilded helmets shine.

After a while, Karl, Brand, and three others came happily to face the king.

But they were also surprised when they actually saw the two kings. Old Otto is really old, even if he has been trying his best to pretend. King Rurik is different. Looking at him from a distance, his appearance is exactly the same as the one he had been kissed by Otto for forty years. It is extremely similar.

There are not many members of the Old Ross tribe. Since many older people died naturally or died in battle, there are even fewer old guys from Old Ross who are still alive.

In the past era, people like Karl and Brand have never been able to join the high-level tribes, so even in tribal wars, they performed the duties of ordinary warriors.

These five people represent Rose's past. All of them have golden hair that is beginning to turn gray. Although their status was not high in the past, they are all treasures now. What's more, they seemed to have discovered a second waterway.

Rurik and Otto had no intention of showing off to their family members. Just like the past rules, Otto whispered deeply and asked in an old voice: "Someone has already reported to me. You... Oh, no. First. Tell me your names. And where you used to live in Roseburg."

Since the initiators of the operation were the two Karl Brands, they responded to Otto's questions and told a lot of past events just to prove their identities.

After hearing this, Rurik also nodded: "I have no doubt about your identity. Karl, you are the leader of the entire expedition! Because of your urgent report, I even stopped eating. Tell me, what exactly did you encounter. Put Detail your experiences and take responsibility for your own narrative.”

"Follow your orders. Here's the thing..."

Karl kept talking, and Brand kept saying that everything he said was comfortable, and added some things along the way.

The unnamed estuary of the Gulf of Finland, the twists and turns of the reed-filled river, the large flight feathers and leg bones of a strange bird, the mysterious Finnish-speaking Sawalki village, as well as the chance encounter with a cowherd boy and the help of a calf estate.

They brought gifts, which were the so-called giant bird's huge flight feathers that were longer than an adult's forearm, and a bird's leg bone that was nearly as long as an adult man's entire arm. Rurik could estimate that it must be a kind of crane. In his understanding, only cranes have such amazingly long legs.

What Karl and Brand said cannot be ignored. Rurik completely believed them and was even more interested in personally conducting an on-the-spot investigation at the named Reedy River, especially since the Finnish-speaking village must be included in the rule of Rus.

An idea of ​​​​personal inspection has sprouted in Rurik's mind. Once he had the idea, he immediately set off to take a look. After all, the Calf Manor was not far away. He continued to visit its so-called cattle ranch. The cavalry rushed there and it was estimated that it would take two days. arrive.

"A piece of watery land that is not very long?" Rurik clasped his chin and tugged at his beard, "I believe in your exploration. I never expected that you accidentally discovered the second passage."

"This is Odin's gift! God protects Rose." Karl said seriously.

"Indeed, the gods protect us. So, what really cuts off the waterway is just a swampy land?"

"That's right. There are many ponds and mud pits in that swamp. Without these bad mud, our ships would not stop at the Reed River, but would float directly to the big lake. Your Majesty, I have an idea."

"Idea? Okay, actually, I also suddenly had an idea." A smile suddenly appeared on Rurik's face. "Oh, let me guess. You have been emphasizing the mud in the swamps. Are these smelly things blocking our ships? This problem is easy to solve. Just dig some and build the river channel. That's it."

Karl's heart was pounding: "That's what I mean. Your Majesty hopes to open up a second route to Novgorod, and everyone in Novorossberg knows this. We had no intention of actively discovering a second waterway, and now a miracle It has happened."

"Build the canal! Ah! I thought we had to cut a land passage through the forest! It seems that it is not necessary. This matter is of great importance. I want to go and see for myself."

Rurik's attitude was determined. In fact, he didn't want to play with his wife, concubines, and children every day in the palace. It was fine for a few days, but it would be a kind of torture for a grown man over time. Rurik wanted to hunt on horseback, fish, ride outdoors, and inspect the kingdom.

Now, there's a perfect reason to leave. And just the idea of ​​"building a canal" excited him. As a rigorous person, I must investigate this time in person.

After all, once it is determined to build the canal and connect the second waterway, it will be the first national-level project of the Rus Kingdom. The diversion channel is dug along the main river road, so that the river water washes the city drainage channel and all the garbage is washed away. The Slavs had experience.

"Maybe it's not difficult to dig out canals from the swamp, right? All I need is a waterway that can carry traditional long boats," he thought.