Rise of Rurik

It's early March, and a new snowfall is sweeping across the entire Nordic world.

It is no longer as cold as the past few cold snaps. If you feel it carefully, there is even an inexplicable warmth.

Maybe it's just psychological, but those who cut through the ice to fish have always been concerned about the thickness of the ice. When they sell fish at the market, they often tell buyers about their findings.

Businessmen everywhere need information from these winter fishermen, because when they feel that the ice has become thin enough to make fishing dangerous, businessmen and families should take stock of this winter's profits, correct the spread of intentional stranding on the shore, and wait for thick Once the solid ice turns into ice floes that can be seen everywhere, it’s time to leave.

Now the king arrived at the capital with a large sleigh team.

In New Roseburg, news spread like wildfire about continuing to send troops to the Frankish expedition.

People don't need to talk nonsense. Anyone with a discerning eye can judge the king's intentions through the actions of the state-owned blacksmith shop this winter.

Hundreds of young blacksmiths in blacksmith shops either delayed delivery of private orders or bluntly refused new dingdongs.

The young blacksmith always said casually: "The king wants a war." At this time, people who were not interested in world affairs also realized what would happen in the future.

Rurik returned with a huge army.

The two standing cavalry teams of the kingdom gathered in Harvest Square, with as many as 800 troops. The army was hunting with majestic flags.

There is also a huge infantry unit, and a discerning person can see a large number of young faces at a glance. They looked like children and adults, wearing standard Ross iron helmets and blue and white Ross shirts.

What is surprising is that they all wear the same style of long leather boots, which is obviously Novgorod style.

Compared with other veteran warriors, this group of people were very well-dressed. In other words, they had not been in battle.

It was still the same old rule. The extremely bored people in the capital lacked entertainment, so Rurik gave them some fun.

Leading the army on armed parades, this kind of activity has been done by various Swedish tribes. Ross was born in Sweden and in turn embraced Sweden. Such a big drama had to be staged on a critical day.

On the second day after Rurik's return, he gathered his army and marched around the city in an enthusiastic and majestic armed parade amid the cheers of the people.

The flute player, the drummer, the flag bearer.

Cavalrymen holding lances, navy sailors wearing three-cornered hats, berserkers with bear heads and bear skins on their heads, and a huge number of recruits...

Rurik and old King Otto appear at the same time!

There have long been rumors that Otto, the old king of Rus, is actually deceased. Now the rumors have been disproven.

Even the reindeer pulling the sleigh are covered in colorful striped blankets and wear special hats with a large number of dyed goose feathers on their heads.

There was an assembled platform on the sled, and there was a wooden chair covered with bearskin on the platform. Otto was sitting on the chair wearing a gold-plated mail, wearing a jeweled gold crown, holding his beloved "Destroyer" sword with both hands, and doing his best with a sullen face. You must be powerful and serious and accept the attention of the public.

Rurik and the high priest simply stood on the sleigh, sitting and walking in front of Otto.

Old Otto was enjoying the glory, and the people couldn't help but think about what Rurik was going to do while cheering.

Some people seemed to have realized everything: "Ah! Could it be that the old Otto is planning to lead the expedition himself? Who is he trying to fight?"

People shouted, screamed, and even whistled hard, and there were urchins jumping up and down at the front of the line.

The activities in the capital were vigorous and new news quickly spread throughout the region.

Old Otto not only or! He even intends to go on an expedition himself! That must be it!

The population of Old Rus' in Novorosberg is not as good as that of Novgorod, but it is home to an astonishing number of Swedish immigrants from Lake Mälaren. These people have deserted their tribes and gone to Rus. They urgently need Rus's new identity and subconsciously want to defend it. own new identity. In a sense, this kind of people have to flaunt their Russian identity more than the old Russians.

That's why the crowd cheered at the top of their lungs at Otto's old face.

After all, on the other hand, since Otto is still alive, his life must have been delayed by seventy years.

The old priest Vilia of Rus lived to be eighty years old. This miraculous lifespan shocked everyone. They may have never seen the deceased Viglia, but there is a long-lived and strange Otto in front of them. Many people can't help but think: "I immigrated to Rus, so I should be blessed by the gods and live a long life."

The fuss eventually ended, and in the capital, Rurik continued to admire his father.

Fourteen years ago, it was this old man who decided to build New Roseburg. After many years, he returned to this big city and returned as the master.

No, Rurik personally handed over the throne of his palace to his father.

The nobles drank and chatted happily, shouting friendship while drinking wine.

For the first time, the precious wine of the past could be drank without restraint. Otto, who had been having fun all day, looked at the fine wine in the glass and the oak barrel that was specially placed on the table to exude the smell of drunken grapes. He held the glass and looked at it in ecstasy. Unlike others, he tasted it slowly and sighed: "This is an enjoyment that was impossible in the past. A barrel of wine is enough to buy a good long boat."

The old king's words couldn't help but make many people think deeply, and everyone happily lamented the good days now.

Here, Governor Cornuson Sr., as the youngest among Otto's peers, remembers the past days clearly. When it comes to building the capital, he has made great achievements and has been in the governor's seat for thirteen years!

He raised his glass: "Brother, we are richer now than before. The hard days are forever over, and it will be better in the future."

"You call me brother? Yes, we are brothers. But we are both old."

"Everyone will grow old. This is fate. Some soldiers cannot die in battle. It is also a fate." Old Conuson also hates his own aging, so what can he do?

Sad topics would dilute the joy of the banquet, and Rurik couldn't help but look at the table to interrupt the slightly sad conversation between the two old guys.

As suggested by Rurik, he raised his glass and loudly advocated: "Next step! We will attack the Franks! The young Russians will make achievements, and I! I will stabilize the new trade line against the Franks, so that we You can drink wine every day. Come on! Cheers to victory!"

"Here's to victory." People raised their glasses one after another.

It was not only the traditional Russian nobles who were invited to enjoy the banquet, but even the Slav Kamni, who was recognized as Rurik's first male slave. This strong blacksmith with arms thicker than his legs also became a guest. .

There are also the "Bread Master" Aslaki and the shipbuilding expert Stein Hortrasson.

After all, Asraci is Rurik's sister-in-law. She is a little regretful that her husband Arik is still staying in Novgorod, but she is very satisfied with Askard's participation in the banquet.

She is Askard's baby mother. According to the rules, the boy has to call her mother, but this boy is too shy to speak.

These three people have different identities. Their appearance at the banquet is not due to their blood status, but mainly based on their special status in the Kingdom of Ross - they are masters in various fields.

Just the concept of "moving forward with food before troops and horses are deployed" makes the Ross stronger than other tribes. This has enabled the Ross army to maintain combat effectiveness throughout the war cycle due to sufficient advance preparations in past expansion wars.

How is the granary stocked? This is what Governor Cornuson and his son want to answer.

Can you prepare a large amount of dry food for the march? This is what Aslaki wants to answer.

What is the completion status of the ordnance production task? Kamnier wants to give a conclusion.

Can the Sea Monarch be launched this spring? Stein Hortrasson has something to say.

Old Otto had four major purposes for coming here: to see the capital, to see Gould's tomb, to find a cemetery for himself, and to watch the launch of the giant ship.

What was the purpose of the expeditionary force and how to fight it? He could not go to the front line in person, nor did he know how the battle would take place. He had no choice but to listen to his son Rurik's excited words.

He didn't want to mention the cemetery at this happy banquet. Stein of the Hotla family happened to be present, and this person happened to answer his questions about the ship.

I saw Otto's quietly empty glass.

"Father? How about another full glass?" Rurik couldn't help but ask.

"Don't worry. You!" Otto pointed his left hand at Stein: "Boy, you were very young back then, but now you have grown into a great craftsman who has been given divine power by Thor!"

"Ah! Thank you... for the great leader's praise."

Feeling flattered for a moment, Stein actually called Otto by his old name, which made Otto particularly happy.

After all, only people of this tribe are worthy of calling themselves "big leaders."

"Okay! I will ask you now," Otto said with a smile, "I heard that the construction of the Sea Monarch started three years ago. I don't understand. Can a ship be built for three years?"

"This...is actually now the fourth year."

"Too slow! So slow."

Otto's words seemed to be harsh, and Stein couldn't help but sweatdropped on his head. He wiped his face with his hands, using the excuse that he was feeling hot from drinking.

"Because it is an extremely huge ship. You should have seen her huge mast in the dry dock from a distance. She is... extremely huge, and it is a big ship that even Jormungandr cannot damage. She is like A huge mountain has been built to this day, and we are still amazed by its size."

Stein has been using various metaphors to describe the hugeness of the Sea Monarch, and he revealed more details to let people present try to understand its hugeness.

Rurik cleared his throat, "The year is now 842. You dug a dry dock and became king in 83, and the war of conquest against Jotaland has not begun. After more than three years, the water is finally going to be launched?"

"Yes!" Stein didn't hesitate at all this time.

"How far has it come?"

"In fact, when the sea ice melts, we can open the sluice gate and fill the dry dock with water. The weather is not good now, otherwise, we will start the operation of installing the sails."

"Has it come to this?" No one was more excited than Rurik, who was erect.

"I guarantee it with my honor." Stein covered his heart and assured the old and new kings, as well as all the nobles present: "For this ship, the kingdom has consumed countless national funds. I am the general person in charge of shipbuilding. If the shipbuilding has What happened is that even if you kill me ten times, you won’t be able to bear the responsibility. Therefore, I must do this well."

While there was a sworn guarantee, Otto was thinking more practically. "So, how much did you spend?"

"Reporting to the chief, we have accumulated two thousand pounds of silver coins now."

"So many?!" Hearing this, Otto's old heart couldn't help but be startled. "Is there something wrong with my ears? I really haven't heard of it."

"Exactly two thousand pounds. Because... this is a long-term additional investment project. Your Majesty has ordered us to use the best materials and try our best to ensure that our ships can swim the sea for a hundred years. We have also devoted all the technology in building large ships In this big ship, the wood is the best, the iron required is the best, the cables are the best, and the sails... are also the best. Even the sails require huge investment!"

"Is it different from ordinary sails?" Otto asked.

"Yes. To weave with better materials, we need to blend hemp and wool, and then back-stitch the three pieces of cloth together." Stein gestured: "The final sewn wide sail is already three layers thick. . The sail alone is relatively heavy, and the materials are solid and expensive, but the effect is definitely very good.”

Otto, who prided himself on sailing all his life, realized at this moment that his knowledge was too little.

Stein's talk is so lofty, it is better to go to the shipbuilding factory to actually inspect it. He named them: "I want to see the big ship soon, and I want to personally verify that what you said is true."

"As commanded."

Stein hoped that the king would go and have a look early. Since this was the "scenic spot" requested by the old king Otto, he must make the old guy happy, otherwise it would be worthy of the king's huge investment.

You know, in fact, due to large-scale planting and production, the production capacity of hemp and flax has been greatly increased. Due to the increase in input of wool, the prices of several goods have been greatly reduced. However, due to the unprecedented demand for the area and strength of sails, as well as the demand for cables With huge demand, the purchase cost remains high.

Two thousand pounds of silver coins is an understatement, in fact it was more. This kind of investment is enough to build ten Auroras.

Otto was very excited to see the big ship!

The banquet was over, and Otto, who had taken a comfortable rest, specially climbed to the top of the attic-style palace.

The sky is still a little hazy, and the dense snow makes the world a gray place. Even so, you can still see the virtual image of the Sea Monarch that cannot be concealed.

With Rurik's help, Otto climbed all the way to the roof. He stood here overlooking the entire city from a new perspective.

The observation deck was clean and tidy, and the squinting Otto's eyesight was not seriously impaired. He always carried the sword, and now he pulled out the patterned steel sword and pointed it directly at the black shadow in the west.

"There! Sea Monarch. Son, where is the giant ship you invested in?"

"Of course. How about we go take a look?"

"Go quickly."

"Then let's go." Rurik helped his father go downstairs. At this moment, he could already feel the old soldier's impatience that could not be hidden. His old body clearly had to go downstairs three steps at a time. If he were young, , why don’t you pull off the cable and rappel directly?

The sleigh arrived late, and Otto, who was eager, couldn't help scolding the driver for delaying.

Rurik mounted his horse in time, escorted his father with his entourage, and ran towards the shipyard outside the city.

In this way, the giant ship is no longer just a black virtual image in the snow and fog. Passing through the dense shanty towns outside the city, the image becomes larger and larger and more concrete.

Otto couldn't help but tear off his scarf and subconsciously opened his mouth.

Because the sled ran all the way to the construction site in front of the dry dock. The big ship sat quietly on the thick sleepers, and its huge appearance seemed like a hill rising out of the flat ground. Otto had to raise his gray-bearded head as if looking up at a god. Look up at her and be filled with emotion.

"Huge! Huge! This is our ship! Oh, I am so small."