Rise of Rurik

The iron ore currently piled in Ironburg will be shipped to Rurik's warships as much as possible. They are very good ballast stones. These stones will be transported to Roseburg, and then the warships will be fully equipped with pig iron ingots and return.

The essence of a battleship is a transport ship. Compared with the transportation capacity of a standard cargo ship, a sailing cruiser is more powerful.

The Hotla family's old shipyard in Roseburg is managed by the family's eldest son. Compared with manufacturing the most common rowing longships, sail-powered cargo ships are more economically valuable.

Under Ross's rule, piracy among various departments disappeared. As the volume of transactions in various ports increased, cargo ships with high carrying capacity became more favored by all parties.

The Kirk ship, a traditional cargo ship, has completely begun to be replaced by a standard cargo ship with a slender body and faster speed. The boss of the Hotla family is fully committed to accepting orders in this area. He and his team did not have to worry about a lack of orders, let alone running out of wood, iron, pine rubber and sails. However, they suffered from a shortage of human resources.

Its production cost is relatively high, and only those powerful businessmen are willing to purchase it. The overall hull of a standard cargo ship is slender but not heavy. Even with the keel lying on the sleepers, it will not collapse under its own weight. In order to make construction more convenient, four hulls are built at the same time in the four indoor docks. They are deliberately conservative to allow workers to use their skills. On the other hand, there has not yet been a problem of order squeeze.

The huge pine trees felled from Ellenburg and the oak found from Kovenstad in the east were transported by water in summer and ice road in winter. The wood was transported to Roseburg and sold directly.

The Huotra family bought the large timber, especially the high-quality oak, at the highest price. The rest of the wood was bought by small shipbuilding professionals.

Similar to the scene in the capital, the Hotla family only makes money from the rich. Due to limited strength, shipbuilding professionals focus on the sinking market. They make traditional long boats and sell them to fishermen, which also turns the fishermen's sampans into high-end ones. goods.

Large logs must be placed on the shore to dry in the shade. Even in winter, those logs must be placed in special longhouses. The patchwork longhouse made of wood and mud is a simple ship material warehouse. The interior is kept dry, and the roof is more waterproof. The three brothers of the Hotla family built such warehouses in three big cities in Rus, and there were more than one. This ensures that they have a steady supply of ship materials.

In this way, the Rurik warship took advantage of the situation and once again served as a "giant wood transporter".

Ellenborg's human-powered squirrel cage crane is designed to hoist large pine trees cut down in winter onto a sled, making the overall structure resemble a semi-trailer. It is then dragged across the ice by more than a dozen reindeer and towed back to Ellenborg.

Now, just find a way to pull the barked tree trunk into the sea water.

The returning warship was stuffed with a belly full of iron ore, and a long cable was thrown from the stern to drag two large pine trees. In order to avoid accidentally hitting the thick plank of the stern rudder, the cable was very long and dragged two big burdens. Thanks to The north wind kept roaring, causing the battleship that was sailing smoothly to maintain a high speed.

Rurik stayed in his hometown of Roseburg for one more day. To be honest, there was not much to miss here.

Although the Ross tribe's northward migration was due to being squeezed out in the old days, it was essentially an economic dispute. The tribe moved to the Rossburg Fjord for profit, and it was also for profit that they moved to the warm east.

Even the tomb of his uncle, whom he had never met, was moved to the cemetery in the capital. Families in the tribe who were able and willing tried their best to move the tombs of their ancestors from their original places.

Roseburg has completely become a steel town. It is declining than before, but it has also gained another kind of prosperity.

The weather was getting colder, and the wind was very strong when the fleet returned. The three warships were stuffed with iron ingots. The sufficient ballast and large size allowed the warships to ride steadily on the waves in the Gulf of Bothnia. Rurik did not dare to take too many risks. The three warships drifted as close to the west coastline as possible. However, on the morning of the third day of the voyage, bad rainy weather came!

It's a joke to stay on the deck now, but those professional sailors who have been promoted to the navy must work shifts on the deck.

This is a kind of torture. When the shift is over and the people who are wet and shivering with cold retreat to the bottom of the boat, their companions spread dry wool blankets on them, and then pray that their bodies will recover quickly.

Someone had to control the sails and steering gear in bad sea conditions. The three warships went up and down among the waves. As the hazy scene finally appeared in front of them, this terrible return trip could finally take a break.

Velica and Osborne were still vomiting, and the queen didn't think about food or tea, wishing she could just sleep and then open her eyes and return to the port.

Until they entered the Åland Islands, which are densely covered with reefs and small islands, and entered the correct waterway, the three warships arrived at the Tombstone Island Pier calmly.

It was also here that the wet sailor barged into the captain's lounge of the flagship with a slight impoliteness, and then hurriedly half-knelt down to perform the warrior salute.

"A bit reckless." Rurik scolded slightly displeasedly.

"Please forgive me, Your Majesty, because..."

"What? You are still shivering. Something happened at the port."

"It's a berth. There are no berths now."

"Huh? That's baffling."

"It's absolutely true." The sailor endured the trembling and continued: "Even the reserved berths are gone. All the berths are large ships, as if your expedition fleet is gathering! Just like... when we moved last spring …”

"Absurd." Rurik was busy taking care of his clothes and comforting his two depressed children.

He didn't know the situation until he stood on the bow deck of the ship, facing the entire port in the cold rain. He was surprised and didn't know what was going on. "It's incredible. Why are there so many cargo ships taking shelter here?"

So what is Naval War Chief Goldlund doing?

The cable released the boat, and he hurriedly boarded the port, yelling at the people on the shore before he untied the anchored cargo ship and moved out of position.

Tombstone Island has two natural coves that make great havens. Under normal circumstances, the harbor dedicated to berthing large ships would not be so crowded, but the returning Rurik had a "collision" with the other two waves of returnees. Perhaps it is also inevitable. This Arctic cold current has not yet caused the early winter snow, but it has also stirred up the wind and waves in the entire Baltic Sea.

The visitors were none other than Blue Fox and Red Fox. They not only had to go to the capital to report on their work, but they also had to transport in-demand goods to the capital, a light industry center.

The value of the cargo made the brothers, who had experienced a long voyage together, not dare to leave rashly again.

And there's a huge reason why the brothers have to stay on Tombstone Island.

Rurik didn't know the situation yet, but fortunately the news of his arrival had quickly spread to Gould's mansion. Blue Fox and Red Fox ran towards the dock in the rain with serious faces. At this moment, the three warships finally entered the berth.

The queen hugged the prince, and Velika hugged her father. The family endured the rain, including the people who came ashore later. Everyone wanted to rush to a warm and dry place to rest.

Rurik never expected that a group of people were running through the mud, including a clumsy fat man among them.

"Blue fox?" Rurik was surprised at first, and after concentrating his mind, he immediately understood everything. His cold and sullen face forced a smile: "You are finally back! You came back in time. Oh! And you. Mud. Is it a red fox?”

However, the faces of the two brothers were still tense, and their expressions were so serious that Rurik had to look down again: "What's going on? I sent you to the Frankish world to do great things, and now... you are actually depressed when you see me. Could it be that? What's the big problem?"

The blue fox looked like a stake in the rain. He tensed up and said with a gloomy face, "My father is dead."

Without any expression, he just described the incident very calmly.

"Gould? Him?! He...his era is finally over." Rurik said with the same gloomy face: "Where is he?"

"Still at the mansion. I'm sorry. Please explain this to the king."

"This is fate. He has already predicted his death. Let's go, I want to visit this old friend first."

The weather was already very bad, with the roar of waves washing over the island and the howling north wind. Rurik was in a better mood after arriving in Hong Kong, but now his chest was pressed like a stone, and the strong sense of depression was almost suffocating.

Rurik had already regarded the old man Gould as his close comrade-in-arms. That man was not a war chief. The guy with a fat head and big ears like a walrus had no fighting ability at all. However, it was this kind of man whose strength was hard to estimate.

Now he is dead.

Rurik led his family into the old man's bedroom, which had been transformed into a mourning hall, and saw Gould lying peacefully, his face bloodless and his whole body white.

"Is he asleep?" Osborne didn't understand. He stretched out his little hand and even wanted to touch the dead Gould.

Queen Lanna, who was very taboo about death, hurriedly took her son away and covered his eyes to prevent him from looking.

Rurik shook his head. He had already said everything before. Gould had already explained the future generations, but he just didn't expect that the old man would pass away after going to the north to see the difference. Gould did not survive the winter after all.

"You all go out first. Men stay here" he said to the queen.

"Okay." Svetlana hurriedly pulled the two children away.

"Okay, there are only a few of us left in the room." Rurik looked at the red fox and the blue fox, "It happened suddenly but it is inevitable. Your father is dead, and now, his descendants will be taken care of by this king. He, It’s worth it.”

"Your Majesty, this... this is my father's mournful honor." The blue fox was very excited when he heard it, and when he saw the red fox, he was even more grateful.

"No need to be formal, this is your father's request. He will be buried in the cemetery of the capital, and the formal funeral will be held there. The high priest will bless him. Although your father's soul cannot go to the Hall of Valor, it will be in Aspen. Gad will enjoy eternal bliss.”

This was a very beautiful thing to say, and Rurik also hoped that the old man Gould could be comfortable in another world.

After all, he thought it was possible.

It was at this time that Blue Fox explained the situation honestly in front of the king and his father's body: "When our brother returned, my father had not left yet. He was really excited and wanted to touch our brother. face. Maybe he left because he was too excited..."

"That's right. He kept talking about not being able to see you, and it seems that he got his wish." Rurik shrugged and asked for more details.

The blue fox added this time: "I brought back a lot of wine. Your Majesty knows my father's preferences best. There is endless wine in Nassau, and my father is overjoyed. Vodka, honey and wine, he mixed them together and drank them. A lot. The next day, we found out that his soul had gone to Asgard."

Hearing this, Rurik suddenly understood. He looked at Gould's obese body again and shook his head: "I understand everything. You chose the way to leave in extreme happiness."

On the last day of his life, Gould got extremely drunk on the ultimate nectar and passed away peacefully...

But Blue Fox's words revealed extremely shocking details. What does "Nassau have endless wine" mean?

This matter needs to be discussed in detail.

Due to the bad sea conditions, the wind and waves on the sea are very difficult for ships from Lake Malaren to enter the sea. Governor White Fox originally planned to arrive at Tombstone Island with the last batch of Swedish supplies this year, but bad weather forced him to delay slightly.

Rurik would stay on Tombstone Island until the sea calmed down, and he could understand what was happening in the south.

Old Gould's body will be placed in a wooden coffin, and according to Viking habits, various daily necessities of the deceased will be placed in the coffin.

Glass wine cups, agate utensils, amber utensils, a batch of gold and silver coins, beautiful clothes, etc.

Only the slaves were not buried.

If the old father had not asked for it, then the female slave who served him in the end would be buried as a sacrifice. To be fair, no one thought this was inappropriate. Those female slaves had no worries about eating and drinking in Gould's house, but in the end they did not have any children. It was only appropriate for them to continue to serve their masters.

Gould had a clear will document and no burial. All slaves not only became free persons after his death, but were also recognized as Russians. Rurik certified the will as valid, and now all the slave servants in the mansion were legally free. Who gave them freedom? The first is the master Gould, and the second is the king who admits that the matter is legal.

They were unwilling to leave, intending to send their master on his last journey, and were also waiting for the king's fate.

The Gould family mansion on the island has also legally become a public facility, and no one will touch the furnishings here until Gould's body is removed.

If you want to discuss matters with the two foxes who have returned, it is best to stay at your palace on the island, even if the so-called palace is still crude.

What happened in the South?

The two brothers Red Fox and Blue Fox reported one after another, and Rurik had to be shocked by the unexpected surprise caused by his strategic layout...

He understood that the Nassau-Lewingau area was actually a grape producing area, and naturally it also became a wine producing area. Rurik knew best that Provence had the best wine, but he ignored that the middle reaches of the Inn River were also wine producing areas.

He realized that the Frankish nobles and high priests were very pragmatic in the face of practical difficulties, and they were willing to do so once the Russians chose peaceful trade.

He was surprised that he and Ross could monopolize the wool trade in Flanders County. Ross could make money by transporting wool to Cologne as a transporter, and he could also bring the wool back and digest it himself.

He was surprised that the Count of Raiingau, who had lost his strength, was about to defect. He even sold the entire Raiingau before planning to escape, making the place legally annexed to Nassau. But what practical significance does this have for the Kingdom of Rus? The significance was ridiculous. Rurik never expected that the Black Fox boy would actually become Henry Nassau's son-in-law. Now, the Gould family's Black Fox suddenly changed his name to Nassau...

The reality was much more outrageous than Rurik's estimate, including the annexation of Koblenz, the sneak attack on Trier, and the merger of Nassau and Ingau. What started out as a Ross Shops store in Nassau has grown to something very large.

So much so that Rurik had to consider the possibility of rebellion by that boy Black Fox.

Blue Fox had already predicted the king's concerns, and made a special request to Rurik: "The situation in the south is very complicated, because Ludwig and Lothair fought another war, and each other suffered heavy losses, but they both intensified. Recruiting troops. Ludwig is weak and needs our support in the end. The Ross flags are flying in Nassau and Coblenz. The king should continue to send troops to Nassau. I have a bad feeling again, next year There’s a big battle.”

"A big battle?" Rurik also had this premonition, but he didn't expect that his intuition was so accurate.

Perhaps it can also be said that Rurik had no illusions about the Frankish Civil War. The two opposing sides had to negotiate peace because the battlefield was so dark. Ludwig was too stubborn to compromise with his elder brother, proving that the war could only end abruptly when Ludwig was killed or captured.

After all, the Blue Fox has been working in Nassau for nearly half a year and knows the local situation better than anyone else.

No one knows Frank better than Blue Fox!

"The army of the Middle Kingdom is targeting Mainz. Ludwig will hold on. I don't think he can really stand it. In the end, he will still need our military assistance. Your Majesty, this is our opportunity to expand our influence. .”

"Mainz?" Rurik clenched his fists: "Now, we have a clear strategic goal. Increase troops in Nassau, for sure!"