Rise of Rurik

A huge sleigh team is being assembled. On the agreed departure date at the end of February, Rurik must collect the supplies that need to be transported to the capital before the action.

A large amount of new paper is trimmed and neatly stacked in wooden boxes, which are then sealed and packaged.

This was the most important material Rurik wanted to deliver to the Printing Bureau.

He would not give up any logistics opportunities. The old garments stored in the state-owned garment factory in Novgorod were also packed. Together with other local products, Rurik gathered a large number of shipping sleds in order to The capital city was sold to make money to fill the treasury.

The order not to pay taxes for three years is still implemented, and people's wealth is growing at a visible rate. Their birth rate is also amazing, which further stimulates people's yearning for wealth.

Unable to get tax revenue, sometimes Rurik felt that his excessive kindness had hurt his financial resources. Fortunately, he could still maintain his finances by selling materials to make money. Even if you want to make a lot of money, you still have to rely on war to make a lot of money.

The essence of using troops against the Franks was, in the long run, to open up trade lines and make long-term profits; in the short term, it was to intervene in the Frankish civil war and loot and make quick money.

The wooden palace was decorated as grandly and grandly as possible. The walls were deliberately decorated with a large number of ferocious bear heads. Several wooden stakes were set up at the gate, with carved wooden ferocious animal heads hanging on the top. In Old Norse, they were called drike. , the so-called dragon or serpent in the west is an existence secondary to Jormungandr.

Outdoors, there is a big snake that has been killed, and indoors, there is a wild bear that has been killed, showing the bravery of the owner.

Old Otto's residence was deliberately decorated with northern characteristics, which was quite different from the local Slavic houses.

The heavy armor hung on his body. Even though it was heavy, Otto's aging body still had to endure it.

Because, real warriors have to fight!

"Don't think I'm an old man. Tighten my belt tighter!"

"But Your Majesty, I'm just afraid of hurting you."

"Bah! Work harder. Didn't you eat? Remember, when I inspect those brats later, don't help me."

"As ordered." The guard who was serving and dressing had no choice but to reply.

The all-powerful ruthless man at that time found it difficult to accept his own aging and was unable to defeat the fate of aging. Otto just wanted to continue to write glory at the end of his life.

He had a bald patch on the top of his head, but fortunately the gray hair on his temples grew very long, which was gathered up and braided with Tianling Gai, perfectly covering his bald head.

A real golden laurel crown was placed on his son's head. As the Supreme King, Otto had a gold-plated silver crown inlaid with amber and rubies. He wore it on his head and paired it with a gold-plated mail, with the ancestral "Destroyer" on his waist. The sword truly embodies a lifetime of glory and wealth.

At this moment, the selected warriors are already gathering!

The young soldiers of the Seventh Flag Corps each carry a huge backpack. It is essentially a large burlap bag. The two corners of the bottom are tied with a very thick cloth strip, and this cloth strip is then put on the mouth of the bag to make a girdle. Multiple small strips of cloth are also sewn on both sides of the bag, and the curly wool blanket is bent and bundled at a time.

Shovels, hand axes, knives, and the iconic long sword hang from the armed belt, and the huge buckler hangs from the huge pocket.

They even have long strips of pockets that hang diagonally across their bodies, which are filled with wheat grains, just like most of their marching pockets are filled with dry food prepared by their parents.

Their clothes were completely uniform. In order to welcome the review of the Supreme King and His Majesty the King, everyone had to wear chain mail, and the poorer people wore leather coats with iron plates.

The burden they bear at such a young age is astonishing. If they weren't being inspected, they wouldn't have to do this.

In a real battle, the heavy armored stomach would be placed on a cart or ship, and would be worn close to the battle to save energy.

The boys' weight-bearing capacity has reached the limit for their age. Unless everyone has developed a strong enough body through heavy physical labor, it would be difficult to stand in such clothes. Even so, many people were already sitting everywhere on the snow while waiting for the king to appear.

Until, the horn sounded.

Rurik rode in at the head of the cavalry, wearing a golden crown despite the cold. It was a rare good day today, and the golden crown sparkled in the winter sun. He also held his sword high, and the sword was equally shining.

"Young warriors! Learn from the standing army, you all stand up! Stop sitting down!"

Seeing this, everyone stood up bravely and quickly arranged themselves into a matrix according to the organization.

The young man was carrying too much weight of equipment, and for Otto, an old bone was like carrying a big stone.

There was no support, even Otto tried not to use crutches.

He was carrying the patterned steel sword known to everyone in Ross as the "Destroyer". This sword was longer than Ross's standard weapon. Rather than using it to kill enemies, it had become a symbol of power.

There is no peaceful female volume here, not even the queen mother or queen appears.

The only two women, Carlotta and Bayahir, are not only the king's wives and concubines, they are real female aristocrats who have killed enemies and performed meritorious deeds. They participated in this review as "valkyries in the world", He even brought his own army to participate, which was definitely not an ordinary female figure.

Rurik, who led the cavalry on a majestic patrol, dismounted, causing all the cavalry to dismount and take off their hats to show their respect to the old king.

The kingdom needs honor! The Kingdom needs history!

This is why, when Rurik returns to Novgorod, he must give his father enough face.

The white beard is tied into multiple braids and flows in the north wind. The golden old man is eye-catching in the sunshine.

Everyone saw that the old king used his sword as a weapon, ordered the guards on both sides not to assist him, and personally climbed onto the pine wood platform custom-made for him.

Everyone was tense, fearing that the old king would suddenly fall.

Otto would rather move slowly, as he would never make a fool of himself in front of the younger members of his clan.

There were sword marks left on the wooden steps. The old king stood on the high platform, panting heavily. He just took a few deep breaths and raised the sword high. The whole image was like a golden sculpture.

"Otto! Otto!"

The stooge who had been prepared shouted out the old king's name, which quickly resonated with everyone present. Even the ordinary people watching from a distance were infected by the warm atmosphere and called out Otto's real name in a common rhythm.

The Viking war cry seemed to shake the snow off the branches of nearby trees, causing the squirrels to crawl into tree holes. It turned into a low roar that spread far away.

What people see is the glory and vicissitudes of the old soldier. As for what he said, people near him listen attentively, but people far away can only see his body movements.

No one expects a seventy-year-old veteran to shout with great vigor. He is too old, but he does not look very old.

Who would have thought that Otto would live to be seventy? He didn't even think of it himself.

I'm sixty-nine years old, if my memory is correct. This age has exceeded most people's understanding. Regarding old Otto's exaggerated age, many people estimate that he can live as long as the late high priest.

However, isn't this a punishment for Otto?

The vast majority of childhood playmates have died for various reasons, and those of the same age who are still alive are very old and even can only lie down at home this winter. If they don't have family members to take care of them, they will definitely die.

There are also many old people, although they are peers and younger brothers, all of them are in poor health. Even though their lives are much better than before, they are still dying, and many of them have died this winter alone.

For a man to live to be sixty years old is the limit for most people. They lived in an era when supplies were scarce, and they tried their best to survive. If they had not died in hunting or war, their bodies would have been severely overtaxed in the barbaric actions in the past, and they would have left early one by one.

In sharp contrast is the incredible vitality of the younger generation of Russians. Just looking at their faces and their images in fighting, Otto could feel that the gods seemed to be blessing every child. Their strength is extraordinary, and now they are carrying heavy luggage at such a young age, but they still stand like straight red pines.

Otto Sr. got some very philosophical words from his son.

Now, he is trying to preach a famous saying as loudly as his aging body can: "Old warriors will never die! They will just wither away!"

He repeated it three times in a row just to get as many people to hear it as possible.

Forget it, he added: "I have never been defeated by a strong enemy, only by time! Children! I am an old warrior of Ross, the greatest warrior ever! My era is over, and the future is yours. In your hands. Your expedition to Frank this time will create your own merits. Remember, you will not insult your ancestors or the gods. Remember, you are Russians!"

He still had to repeat the last words: "Remember! You are Russians!"

The blade of the sword was deeply embedded in the wooden board. Otto gritted his teeth after saying this, breathing hard through his leaky teeth to hide his exhaustion.

The young man's blood boiled with excitement, and now, Otto's response was the roar of swords hitting bucklers.

"Otto!" Rurik took the lead in shouting, causing everyone to roar and knock their shields once.

The absolute rhythm is accompanied by the long and low accompaniment of the horn, which is a tribute to the former first warrior of Rus.

The core troops being assembled were the Qian Luo Jianyong who were eager to go on an expedition. They were all young people. This time they received strong mental focus and their morale reached its peak.

Through this gathering, Otto has handed over the glory of the older generation to the new generation.

Of course he will not be satisfied. This feeling of being admired by everyone is so satisfying! The specific affairs of the kingdom were his son Rurik's business. Expansion and war were all done by that boy with the elites. But the glory of victory can only be part of my old bones, and I won’t be able to enjoy it for many years anyway.

At the end of February, Novgorod organized a huge team of up to 500 sleds. Each of these sleds can seat at least ten people, and it is possible to squeeze in 20 people.

At least four reindeer are required to pull the sleigh for this purpose, as are the horses.

Reindeer are still the most widely raised livestock in the local area. Only a small number of reindeer have special hoofs installed on their hooves. This is a trick of the Lapp people. Most of them still have primitive hooves.

The reindeer pulling a heavy sled running along the frozen river was not a big problem. The biggest problem was that it was February after all. Although the water surface as far as the eye could see was entirely covered with ice, the thickness of the ice was already decreasing day by day.

Although Rurik learned that the Luga River-Inelmen Lake Canal had been dug in principle, he did not even think about using the frozen Luga River to go straight to the capital.

The sled team became larger, with many people and more supplies. The team needs thicker ice and a wide enough ice path so that each sled can see each other clearly and not fall behind.

There is no room for error in this action, and the old path is the best choice.

On the appointed day, there were crowds of people on both sides of the frozen Volkhov River.

People were beating drums and trumpets or simply shouting, and the family members of the young warriors were holding baskets and passing extra food to the hands of the children sitting on the sleigh waiting to set off.

At this scene, the young warrior could not hide his tears, as if this was a farewell.

Maybe.

In any expedition there will be casualties, the only difference is how many. Death in battle is the best fate for every Nordic warrior who believes in Odin. When children are receiving education, the things they hear and see in their daily lives are mostly related to war, wealth, and sacrifice. They longed for war, but when they saw their mother's sadness, the tenderness in their hearts was deeply touched, and they inevitably burst into tears.

Because, their mothers are almost all Slavs.

If it were really Old Rose or women from other Viking tribes, they would encourage their sons to fight and explore. ·This is the Nordic way of life. When necessary, mothers will also bring weapons and fight together with the whole family on the battlefield.

The Slavs, who were completely accustomed to farming, were different. They certainly hoped that their eldest son would conquer the West and plunder a large amount of wealth, but they were also worried that their eldest son would be injured or die in battle.

What's more, Frank is too far away. I heard that it would take a month to sail continuously from Novgorod to Nassau, which is far beyond a woman's knowledge.

But this is the fate of the sons, because they inherit the name of Ross, and the blood of the old Ross tribe flows in their veins.

"Let's go!" Rurik on horseback greeted the people and also greeted his wives, concubines, and children.

This time Rurik didn't even bring the queen or the prince with him.

What follows is a purely male military action that reflects the wildness of men.

At this moment, the leather-padded wooden board beneath him was trembling. Through the glass window, Otto could see that the outdoor scenery was moving back. He could clearly see the movement of the horse's legs, and the brave men of the 1st Cavalry were firmly guarding it.

"We are finally arriving in the capital. Ah, are those old guys surprised to see how old I am?"

Old Otto murmured to himself.

He didn't want to endure loneliness along the way. No, the old king was accompanied by two brothers, the blue fox and the red fox, in the sleigh, which was equipped with a small iron stove with an iron chimney. In the eyes of the two brothers, the old king was never an outsider. From another perspective, Otto can also say that he grew up watching these two boys.

The former guest merchant family is now a pure old Russian. Both of them are the second sons of the family, and they are destined to work hard in their own careers. Both of them are heroes, businessmen, and the most cunning armed businessmen. They are followers of the god Frey and are indispensable generals in the following military operations.

Especially the Blue Fox, Otto never thought that the second fat boy of the Gould family could become the leader of a party.

Maybe God Frey really blessed this kid secretly, and even Odin secretly helped.

It is precisely such a person who is well-informed, has actually participated in large-scale wars, and has interacted with many Frank nobles, who is worthy of entrusting him with such an important task.

"Blue Fox, you have to take good care of Rose's piglets."

Blue Fox was a little surprised. He didn't expect the old king to say that, so he agreed without hesitation.

"Of course, fighting is inevitable, and injuries and deaths are also inevitable." Otto started talking again: "Don't be too risky, don't be too greedy when launching an attack..."

How about Blue Fox? Keep responding with a good yes and a yes, which sounds perfunctory. Otto also knew that this boy was perfunctory. He just talked to relieve the lingering worry in his heart.

The huge team lined up in a long snake formation. Considering the possibility of falling into the ice cave, a certain distance was maintained between each sled. Some thick cables specially designed for ship cables were also prepared for rescue when necessary.

Fortunately, when people faced the vast and endless frozen Ladoga Lake and asked the people who cut ice for fishing in Ladoga Town, they confirmed that the ice here is still very thick.

The biting cold wind blew from the endless ice field. All the soldiers were wrapped in leather blankets. At most, they exposed their blue eyes to observe everything around them, and some simply covered their bodies.

They continued to advance along the frozen shore of the lake and successfully reached the entrance to the Neva Estuary of Lake Ladoga.

There is a small island here, which is connected to the mainland by an ice road in winter. What may be built on this island in the future is the "Little Walnut Fort". Today it is still bare, but some people are taking advantage of it. These are fishermen from Fort New Ross and several fishermen from the Vips tribe. They come here just to catch the local specialties of pike and seabass.

The mighty sleigh team each waved the Ross flag, and they paused their hands to salute the huge team that was passing by.

Rurik no doubt lingered, and the cavalry continued to escort the sled convoy into the Neva.

Soon, the mighty procession was noticed by the people of the capital.

This time, there was a crowd of people watching again, but no one knew that this time even the real founder of the capital, the Supreme King Old Otto, was here.