Rise of Rurik

Ella personally carried a huge cloth bag, which was full of manuscripts that she had worked hard to organize and proofread.

This trip was planned, it was of great significance, and he was destined to be busy for several months after arriving in the capital.

For this reason, his son could only continue to be placed in Novgorod and receive unified upbringing like other princes.

This is also a good thing. All the princes will grow up together and their relationship with each other will be very close. As a mother, she felt that she owed her son a bit for this move, but her important responsibilities could not be put aside at all. She is the most senior scribe in Russia and is responsible for various audit data in the kingdom, especially on tax issues. She must lead her subordinates to sort out all the data and then archive it.

As her kingdom expanded, she found her work increasingly complicated. She had no complaints and no ideas to improve everything.

The only gratifying thing about this year is that the collection of agricultural taxes has been suspended. The largest tax collection work of the year will not be done, and the pressure on her and the entire team has been drastically reduced.

This doesn't mean Ella can take a break. The first edition of "Russian Saga" has been revised and proofread. Novgorod lacks the ability to print in large quantities, so batch printing and binding into books can only be done in the capital at this time.

Not only is this book about the core of the kingdom's faith, there are also articles written by the king himself. Each "war chronicle" records the full picture of the 840-year war. Each "War Chronicle" article is very long. They have all been proofread and planned to be printed and bound into a book.

Two books will be released in batches and sold, so as to recover the comprehensive distribution costs and earn an income for the treasury.

The two books are available in three languages: Latin, Norse, and Cyrillic, and the Norse and Cyrillic versions are printed in large quantities.

Most of the children who have received two years of education are of mixed race and naturally understand both North and Slavic languages. In the daily life of these children, the two languages ​​are mixed. A concept can be described in whichever language is simple. A new concept of universal Latin vocabulary, so that the three languages ​​are reaching a harmony without violating each other. A new kind of "Russian language" is being formed in the oral communication of an astonishing number of mixed-race children. It will take some time for it to truly become an independent idiom.

The fact that the book has three language versions is in line with the current historical process. Even because the Finnish population is too small, the kingdom does not even compile Finnish characters and there is no corresponding version of the book.

She set off with ten male scribes. These male scribes were generally physically weaker, making it impossible for them to gain honor and wealth through military service. As a result, they became problem solvers, stood out in the final school test, and were hired as salary-earning clerks. The salary rewarded by the king is currently only half of the salary of ordinary mercenaries. Since they are responsible for food and accommodation, it is a good choice. But they are also insulated from making money through military exploits in a short period of time. They can only work quietly and live a very stable life.

Ella carried the most important manuscripts herself, while the male scribes carried piles of papers.

"In the future, Novgorod needs to establish a more complete printing institution." She intended to discuss the matter with the king.

The soldiers of the Slavic flag force were ordered to bring tools and some dry food, so more than 200 people escorted a large amount of food. The news of the construction of the canal was very exciting and attracted the attention of the merchants who were still trading in the city. Some businessmen simply left the trade matters to their subordinates, and personally took a boat to conduct on-the-spot inspections with the traveling team.

The target is the cattle ranch called Balotavo in the upper reaches of the river adjacent to the Calf Manor!

It was not until Rurik issued the order to dig the canal and made preliminary plans with Governor Medvet, until the messenger entered Novgorod in person, Usky of the Boyar of the Calf Manor and his two young sons were informed of this Something big happened to you. Uski was the person involved in the incident, and a messenger easily found him in the city to inform him of the incident.

He is an old man with a clear head. The conditions given by the king are extremely favorable, and he realizes that once the canal is opened to navigation, it will give the manor huge wealth.

So, a fleet of boats gathered at the dock, and then collectively floated towards the Calf Manor.

In an instant, ships gathered on the narrow Wallonda River, and the Calf Manor had never been so grand. When the fleet arrived at his home, Uski and his party faced the sparse villagers in the manor who greeted the fleet, and then they realized a major event - the people had accepted the king's order, and all capable people had gone with their tools. Balotawo!

Because the order issued by Rurik was to gather the labor force of Calf Manor, if you want to enjoy one-tenth of the benefits after the canal is opened in the future, you must go all out now. Most of the villagers did not have much long-term considerations. They were sure that as long as they worked hard, they would be considered "young and strong" by the governor, and they would receive free rice meals after work. Those women and young men who were strong enough rushed over after receiving the news, happily manipulating tools or digging in the mud.

The situation was speechless. Considering that their enthusiasm for excavation could not be dampened, Rurik just pinched his nose and asked Governor Medvet to admit that this group of clear numbers could be regarded as "strong men who can be paid."

The team that received the letter did not arrive at all, and what pleased him was that in just a few days from the time the messengers left to the time the team returned with the order, the people who stayed in Balotawo had already reaped the fruits of their labor.

Because the cavalry team's equipment already has a small shovel. The shovel is easy to make, it can dig soil, its sharp edge can be used to cut branches, and its flat and slightly concave surface can be used as a pan for frying fish.

The battles in this era are all fights between cold weapons. The production of hot weapons can be made with Ross's current technological level. Considering that Ross already has a strong military level, Rurik has no intention of "making a big one" for the time being. If the current war becomes a battle between rifles and heavy artillery, then digging trenches with shovels is the basic daily task of soldiers.

How much soft earth can one person dig with a shovel in about an hour? Dig out at least one cubic meter of soil.

In line with the principle that labor should not be used in vain, a group of young warriors are all half-grown men. They are usually fed much fatter and stronger than their peers. Now it is time to prove that the salary given by the king is not free of charge.

Now that you have started digging from the side of the Reed River with your own shovels and axes, you should first dig a trench to become a pilot stream.

The 300 cavalry members were divided into thirty combat groups, twenty groups dug soil, and seven groups were responsible for taking care of the army's horses. As for the other three groups, we will not mention it for now because they are scheduled to explore the other side of the river.

Two hundred people took the lead. They were ordered to stay ten strides, or about nine meters, apart from each other, and then dig a single deep pit in the soft and dry soil.

Of course, the original plan was to dig out mud ponds in a land with lots of water. Rurik and Medved imagined that they would immediately use the water flow to wash away the excess soil and continuously expand the scale of the waterway. However, the idea failed in reality, and it was really about efficiency. In other words, it is most reliable to gather manpower to dig soil at the edge of the water and hard ground.

No, Rurik simply took off his coat and exposed his golden chest hair to his soldiers, regardless of the fact that his upper body was covered with black mud. Governor Medved followed suit. The queen and her two concubines cooked wheat porridge for the army on the shore and tried their best to solve logistical problems.

The king has already gone into battle in person and cannot be lazy at such a critical moment.

Rurik's performance art was a show, but it also served as a test to lead the charge. The digging efficiency of a small shovel is indeed not high. Fortunately, the soil here is very soft. The deeper you dig, the sharper the shovel edge feels like cutting through "cream pudding". The soil was very smooth and very moist, and then the water began to precipitate, and water began to seep from each hole, and people dug in the mud.

The young warriors were already digging in the mud, and the wood borrowed from Calf Manor had become a drainage tool.

Rurik ordered: "We will dig as much as we can, and all the holes will be as deep as your chests. Do your job well, and when we arrive at New Roseburg, I will treat you to roast venison every day."

Young boys always hope that others will no longer regard them as weak children. Turning twelve years old is a proper adult in Viking society. Boys are eager for any way to prove that they are real men. They were trained to fight bravely and fiercely. In military training, they competed to see who dared to gallop on horseback, who had better archery skills, and who was the best at fighting with wooden swords. Now, they were competing to see who was the strongest in the digging competition.

Because King Rurik gave the order: Whichever team will be the first to connect the earth caves into a trench, the king will act as a matchmaker and the capital will find a wife for that team member, or at least an engagement.

Digging is like felling wood, it is physical work. Once it comes to competing to see who is more powerful, Rurik can't help but fan the flames, and each team starts to compete among themselves, not to mention that the winner will also receive a good reward.

Each team is responsible for an area equivalent to about 200 meters long. First, they dig a point, and each point is gradually extended and finally becomes a surface. They dug in the mud, and it turned out that digging became easier when the soil was well saturated with water.

What is certain is that the depth of the pit they are digging is already lower than the surface of the Reed River, which is why there is currently a lot of water seepage.

Excavation work was carried out only in the area close to the Reedy River, and the total length of the trenches that gradually began to be connected accounted for about one-third of the total planned length of the canal. The reality was much better than Rurik's previous expectations. He had no idea that the excavation work that was originally planned to be delayed until next autumn would be expected to make a significant improvement as of July this year.

The people who stayed in Balotavo in the Calf Manor followed Rurik's instructions and started digging in the direction of the Valonda River, but their efficiency was far less than that of an organized and disciplined army. At least the strategy of "digging at both ends" is being implemented in an orderly manner, and the leading creek is not far away from the intersection geographically.

Finally, the team that got the news arrived in Balotawo.

Uski arrived here with a large number of his tribesmen and a variety of tools, and what he saw was a construction site.

Rurik climbed out of the mud hole only after receiving the report from the messenger. He could not immediately restore the king's neat clothes, so he simply used a very original image and ordered his subordinates to suspend the work at hand and ride to the meeting together on horseback. crowd.

A large group of barebacked men, all wearing wide-brimmed sun hats, sunglasses, only breeches and leather boots, followed the king on horseback holding the reins.

Rurik is full of style, his chest muscles and biceps are quite strong, and the golden hair on his chest is stained with a lot of mud. Although the whole person looks a bit dirty, it can be said that he is now full of the rough charm of a man.

The cavalry swarmed in, their collective shirtlessness looking like performance art. Ogus was astonished, as were the two Slavic centurions who came with the order. The latter had participated in many bloody battles in 840. Seeing the king and his young warriors this time, they all remembered the Varyag berserkers during the bloody battles at that time. Indeed, some of the flag soldiers who were caught in the fight were so furious that they even threw away their protective chainmails. They rushed into the enemy's formation with their bare backs and axes, killing them wildly, as mad as bears.

Rurik, who was riding a horse, signaled to the stunned people. He noticed that there were actually businessmen watching the excitement. The well-dressed dress proved everything.

"Businessmen? What are you doing here? Oh, you must think that the canal has a future. That's fine..." He muttered silently.

He dismounted and greeted the gathered people, and immediately started chatting with Uski, who didn't know what to say.

Rurik was very tall, which made his mount seem too small. He was easily a full head taller than the old man Uski. He looked down at the old man and asked, "Do you know about my plan to dig the canal?"

"I know! I...I have brought all the available people in the manor. Thanks to the king for the reward, I dare not ignore this opportunity."

"You are very smart! Very good. I think you are too lazy, so I have brought young soldiers to help you dig the soil first. I will lead the team to the capital, and then the work of digging the river here will be handed over to you. Since you Knowing that digging the river channel is also beneficial to the interests of your Calf Manor, then go ahead and do it with all your strength!"

"As ordered. I...I don't dare to neglect." As he said that, Uski was already trembling a little.

Although the team is here, in theory Rurik can now organize his troops to assemble on the bank of the Reed River and leave through the simple bridge.

Don't rush it yet.

He first gathered the two Slav centuries of more than 200 people, held a meeting with everyone together with Governor Medved, told them briefly what to do next, and reiterated the compensation issues. Then he gathered the people present at the Calf Manor, and they also briefly explained that the completed canal would bring huge benefits to the manor, and even the value of the Calf Manor in the future.

Compared to them, Rurik simply invented a new term "doban", which is actually "doban".

He proposed some new concepts. For example, the name of the canal can be called "Calf Canal". The meaning of the existence of Calf Manor in the new historical period is the canal road class. First, there will be a large amount of labor to dig out the canal, and then all maintenance will be the responsibility of the Calf Manor. Therefore, the one-tenth toll fee is not really earned by lying down. They must maintain the smooth flow of the entire canal. If the canal is blocked, they will be held accountable and fined.

To get benefits, you have to pay a price. Uski did some mental calculations and was convinced that his manor could make big profits as long as he did things well, even though most of the tolls belonged to the state.

Forget it, Rurik summoned the businessmen who came to find out what was going on.

There are more than a dozen businessmen, but judging from their clothes, they are not rich or wealthy.

The businessmen wanted to hear what the king had to say, and taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Rurik happened to give them a sales pitch.

"This year, I will take the cavalry to New Roseburg via a brand new road! We will take the Reed River and eventually reach the sea, entering the city from the west of the capital. I will personally explore the road to prove that the Reed River route is reasonable! I hope you will After returning to Novgorod, explain this matter to people you know. If you immediately return to Novorosberg via the old waterway, I implore you to tell everyone immediately that the king will arrive from the west with his cavalry! We will be slower, so that will be enough. Your time. You act quickly! Say your name and please wait for me at New Roseburg. Go and spread the word as much as possible, and then I will reward each of you with ten pounds of silver coins."

It is tantamount to saying that Rurik wants to take advantage of the merchants who are watching the excitement and order them to urgently return to the distant capital to advertise for him. For merchants who lack strength, a reward of ten pounds of silver coins is enough for them to suspend all commercial activities and do their bidding. They left their names and addresses in Lake Mälaren, the location of the rental in New Roseburg. Without him, these businessmen are all from Maylaren.

How to dig the pilot stream? This matter does not need to be discussed at all. All it takes is to order all kinds of civilians to take action with tools. This matter is supervised and coordinated by Governor Medved. It is the Governor's task.

Rurik then asked his tired young warriors to rest, and then ordered everyone to rest for a whole day before setting off.