Rise of Rurik

Forest, endless forest.

Rurik stood on the pile of rocks in the south of Demyansk, surprised that this was the only small area that was incompatible with the surrounding environment. He could feel himself standing on a high point, but the sea of ​​forest smoothed everything.

The river flows through the gaps between the low hills, washing away the surface covering soil to expose the local shallow stones.

If time passes long enough, a small mountain range will rise from the ground, and the area where Demyansk is located will become a peak.

The entire Valdai Highlands were a large shallow sea in ancient times, which is gradually turning into a mountain range. A human life is only a short moment in the long geological history. This will not happen in the foreseeable future, and it is not something Rurik needs to consider.

He personally hit the rocks under his feet with his hand ax, smashing the stones that were beginning to turn into pieces, and obtained solid quartz-rich granite.

A rest camp rose up on the right bank of the river (the current north bank), which had a more soothing environment. After the cavalry explored it and followed the nearby creek all the way upstream, it was easy to find a small lake.

Completely different from the violence of the Hafen River flowing on countless boulders, the lake surrounded by forests is as quiet as a mirror.

Rurik laid the foundation for a new town at the rest camp. Centered on the wooden pile he smashed with his own hands, the town of Demyansk will definitely expand from there.

The victims of the shipwreck were buried on the spot, and the tombs where they were buried were designated as cemeteries for future settlements.

The Rurik expedition had enough people, so the purpose of the expedition was very strong. When they arrived at the damen area as the target, they not only began to investigate and exploit local stone resources, but also began the logging operations of the Russians since ancient times.

Armed with wide two-man saws and traditional long-handled forest axes, they are "destroying" the local pine forests at an extremely efficient rate.

There are a lot of people working in the forest.

Those hundred-year-old trees that are fifty meters high are gradually losing their center of gravity under the constant destruction of the two-person saw.

"Get out of the way! The tree has fallen!"

As someone roared at the top of their lungs, the tall red pine slowly bent, then gradually tilted with a severe creaking sound under the pressure of its huge weight, and finally collapsed.

The ground was shaking violently, and the pine cones that had just been connected to the nearby trees were shaken down. Birds flew away in fright, pine trees fled into the distance, and prairie dogs and foxes hurriedly burrowed into the ground to hide.

A small cavalry team was walking leisurely along the grassland beside the creek towards the small lake where it watered.

Rurik was in a good mood, but Beyashir, who was following him, was frightened by the loud roars coming from behind.

She tightened her grip on the reins and was obviously very nervous.

"What? Are you still afraid of those collapsed trees?" the calm Rurik asked casually.

"It seems as if there are giants destroying those trees, as if the earth will be smashed with cracks. I have never known such a thing, you..."

"Very good praise. Ross is a giant, we are not ordinary people. Those big trees hinder us from building a town, so of course we need to clear them up quickly. Besides... that will be the main city of your fiefdom, why should you be nervous?"

Rurik, who was riding a horse, still didn't take it seriously, but what he did, which was absolutely normal, seemed really strange to Beyathil, who was a few years younger than him.

Directional felling is achieved by chopping at specific locations and then continuously hitting the wooden wedges with a hammer to destroy the center of the giant tree. Although the number of old guys in the Rurik expedition is small, a large number of young people are willing to cooperate with the old guys in logging.

The young man raised his head and felt that he could not see the end of the tree, and he could not hug the entire trunk with his arms. The big tree still collapsed suddenly, broke apart after being chased, and even broke some small trees.

They were obviously just an expedition team, so why did they immediately cut down trees on a large scale when they arrived at their destination?

Rurik would not stay here for more than a few days. During the limited time they were stationed, everyone had to live in wooden sheds that could protect them from wind and rain, and they also had to use big trees to quickly build a pontoon bridge on the Hafen River.

Dozens of young people who rolled up their sleeves or had a full meal worked together to do the work. They first floated to the other side in a small boat and dragged the slender pine trees to the river by pulling on the cables. The straight pine trunk was longer than the width of the river here. This dragging operation was repeated, and a simple and crude wooden bridge was completed in only three days.

It has no bridge piers, and if there is anything that can serve as a bridge pier, it is the stones at the bottom of the river.

The entire wooden bridge is bent due to its heavy weight, and a small amount of river water in the middle can wash directly through the bridge deck. Even though it is very simple, it has basic practicality. It was arranged to go to the open-pit quarry on the other side of the river to try digging. The stone people have already transported stones from the other side to the city on the other side that is in urgent need of construction.

It seems that as long as there is no serious flood, there is no risk of the simple bridge being washed away.

Rurik finally stood by the calm lake, and the roar of logging not far away had turned into a low vibration.

He dismounted, and Beyathil came over consciously, gently pulled his arm and held him in his arms quietly, and slowly pressed his cheek against him.

"What do you think of the lake?"

"Hmm...it's quiet. It would be better if there wasn't the roar of logging."

"It is indeed very quiet here, and maybe you can find something more wonderful." Rurik pointed to the obviously raised hills to the north: "Let's get on our horses and go over there to have a look."

"That's fine."

The lake they were in was the present-day Moslino Lake. The name of the lake came from the name of later missionaries, and from Rurik's perspective, this lake urgently needed to be given a name.

As he personally led his brothers to explore, he soon discovered a wonderful place - a mountain spring - next to the hills due north.

The clean stream is gurgling. The north bank of the river still lacks stones. Instead, the entire low mountainous area forms a huge water tower. The filtered spring water does not have a fishy smell, and even has a hint of sweetness. This horse team was a great comfort to the expedition. Rurik and his men squatted by the stream and drank from the stream with both hands.

He drank enough water and then washed his face well. He stood up and looked down at Beyathil, who was still in the quiet river: "It's time to give the lake a name."

"What is it?" She turned her head and asked softly.

"Qingquan Lake. Qingquan Lake in Demyansk. In my opinion, in the future, your city will expand towards the lake, and the creek connecting the Haven River will be dug into a directly navigable waterway. You can build the imperial palace here. , you can look at the beautiful lake water and taste the slightly sweet spring water.”

After hearing this and looking at the smile on Rurik's face, Beyahil felt even more uncomfortable. It sounds like my man wants to keep her here, which is really painful for a woman.

However, this is also the fate that a female noble must accept.

In the final analysis, her existence itself is a bargaining chip for the Pecheneg Khanate. A married princess exists as a way to win over new allies. It is best to maintain an unbreakable alliance, at least through marriage to ensure that allies will not backstab. This behavior is inherently " The essence of "Pecheneg", each tribe relied on marriage and childbirth to ensure that the nobles had a situation where there was me and you.

As the most noble princess, even her brother Kagan is not interested in her life in Rus, but her mixed-race son and nephew Hazal. That little boy is more important than the princess. Importantly, the child's existence is like a chain, binding two rising powers together by blood.

Rurik discovered the secret of Demyansk spring water. The lakeside area is also the only place where mountain spring water flows in the region. People who drank here no longer had to endure the muddy smell of river water. They took off their leather sleeping bags one after another, poured out the "dirty water" inside and filled the clear spring with joy.

Demyansk is a key node in the expedition, and now is not the time to mobilize manpower to build it.

Rurik left a small number of Ostarans to maintain the basic framework of a settlement.

They welcomed the king's decision very much. After all, the so-called Ostarians here were just in name, but in essence they were Slavs. These people are less interested in large-scale logging and more interested in mining stone.

Hard granite can not only be used as a building material, stone rollers are used to make semolina, stone slabs are used to squeeze out excess moisture in yogurt cubes, and so on.

Rurik and others stayed in Demyansk for nearly two weeks. When they came, there was still a boat accident here. When they decided to leave, the basic prototype of the city had been born.

Even some large rocks in the river that can be moved quickly and have been rounded by the river water are dragged to the shore. Dredging the river is a passive behavior. The Ostara people who were ordered to station here are already using ready-made stones and processing them with axes and hammers. The stone was used for his own use.

On the shore, young soldiers shouted chants, and they acted as trackers to drag all the ships through the rocky waterway that was full of dangers. Manpower and horse power acted together, and Rurikben worried that there would be a painful and tiring scene presented by the "Volga River Trackers", but the result was far better than its negative expectations.

The current section of the Hafen River is indeed a bit turbulent. Since most of the necessary supplies have been transferred to the shore, a large number of war horses temporarily came to pull the cargo pack horses, so that the long boats pulled by everyone were close to empty.

But even so, they still spent almost a whole day before they stood at a gentle bend in the river.

At this moment, a small mountain suddenly appeared directly in front of him.

"What is that? It looks like a fortress." The setting sun blurred the influence of the abrupt hills. Out of a warrior's instinct, Rurik subconsciously felt that it was a well-defended castle.

Everyone should have camped and had a good rest, but out of absolute safety considerations, Rurik still called Brody, who was covered in sweat.

He pointed at the mountain under the setting sun: "Take a few brothers to explore. Remember to bring weapons and retreat immediately if you are attacked."

"Your Majesty, did you predict that there would be enemies there? But...Hafen said it was a wasteland."

"Of course I know. It never hurts to be cautious, go!"

"As commanded."

So, the twenty riders staggered straight towards the mountain. As the distance got closer, Brody understood more and more the reason for the king's nervousness.

so similar! There are forests all around, and there is a large area of ​​watery meadows in the riverside area. The war horses are simply able to move forward among the reeds that cover the horse's legs. I see the mountain standing alone by the river. Its existence does not appear to be a natural occurrence. Some settlers deliberately piled earth for construction.

Because it is summer now, the water plants here are too lush. The wildly growing reeds and rushes gave the horses a huge temptation. Once the riders stopped urging them, the horses immediately lowered their heads and gnawed on the grass.

"Boss, what should we do? Go take a look?" a subordinate asked cautiously.

"Go and have a look! I don't see any danger. Now let's rush up and see what's special about this mound."

Indeed, the sudden appearance of a fortress-like mound on the banks of the Haven River, which has returned to calm, can easily make a battle-hardened warrior nervous. In a cavalry charge, Brody led his brothers directly to the designated location on the mound.

They stood on a high point in the area. To everyone's surprise, the mound was covered with grass. There was not even a small tree here.

Looking around, apart from the winding river not far away and the forest in the distance, there are natural meadows in a large area.

"This place looks so much like a fortress, in fact, it could really be the foundation of a fortress."

A soldier's casual remarks immediately attracted Brody's attention: "Very good! The king is building a new town, and a large area is the fiefdom of the prairie princess. She likes a good place where she can graze, and it seems that the gods have rewarded her. .”

The setting sun shone on the faces of men and horses, and Brody also noticed the large army that was slowly advancing towards the mound. At this moment, some brothers had resumed sailing.

"Let's retreat for now. Follow me."

As a result, the cavalry rushed down the mound at lightning speed, and then ran happily on the riverside meadow.

This scene was seen by Beyahil. Although the surrounding environment was an endless sea of ​​forests, the galloping scouts and cavalry gave her a long-lost dream of her hometown.

The cavalry reined in their horses before Rurik.

"Brody, did you notice anyone moving?"

"No! Your Majesty, it's so empty there. It's amazing that there aren't even trees on the mound. I stood on a high place and looked far away. There was a grassland for grazing, and there was a forest in the distance. It's really a rare flat area, maybe We can camp there tonight.”

"Very good, I am in need of a flat camping site." After saying that, Rurik noticed the excited eyes of Beyasier and smiled casually: "My dear, this place also belongs to your fiefdom. It seems that The northern gods still love you. Don’t you need a pasture for grazing? Now the gods have given it to you.”

"Yes. I'm glad."

Rurik nodded: "Then it's settled, we will camp near the mound. I, the king... will also climb up and have a look."

A fire appeared near the mound, and a large expedition team buried stoves and cooked wheat here. Everyone crushed the overgrown reeds into sleeping holes one after another. However, everyone soon discovered that there was a special discomfort in this environment. --insect.

The sun was sinking into the horizon. Except for the stars of fireflies flying in the grass near the camp fire, no one thought it was very romantic. Everyone should beware of bugs getting into their clothes and making them itchy.

Also, the campfire cleared a small area, and the heat felt drove away the mosquitoes.

Taking advantage of the setting sun, Rurik and Beyashir rode their horses and finally reached the top of the mound where rushes grew wildly.

Rurik dismounted his horse and did a little exploration. Compared with the soft soil elsewhere, the soil here is harder. There are various signs that this mound is indeed not a natural product.

who is it? Look at the meadow next to the flat, it is as out of place as the forest.

A simple idea emerged - this was a settlement at some time.

Beyahil, who was getting a little cold at night, subconsciously hugged Rurik's arm. They stood on a mound about thirty meters high and watched the sunset completely sink into the earth. The cool breeze blew, and an inexplicable sense of desolation forced her to Hold your man tighter.

"What do you think of this mound?" Rurik asked softly.

"It's fine, but I'm a little... cold."

"Then hold me tight."

She snuggled up to the Rurik man for a while before slowly speaking: "I am certain that there was an existence here a long time ago. And this mound was built by people at that time."

"Ah?" She was surprised: "It seems that we are all the first ones to arrive here."

"No. My dear, the history is older than you think. Maybe we can dig in the grass with a shovel and find fragments of clay pots from a long time ago. Who knows? In short, they left and this place was occupied by us. Specifics As far as this is concerned, this place is still your fiefdom.”

"Yes." Beiyashir made no secret of his joy for this environment: "I still like the life of grazing cattle and sheep. Compared with the Demyansk you requested to build, the environment here is more superior."

"Of course, you could even actually build a fort on a mound."

"Yes, yes. I... still like to build a house on flat ground. I feel cold when living in high places."

"You will be an earl. The royal palace is high up, and you can look down on your subjects every day. Besides, this place is sacred. It must have been an altar for people in ancient times. It was blessed by some gods. Now it belongs to you. I have decided that I will name the mound Princess Mountain." As he spoke, Rurik gazed at Beyathil's face lovingly: "It is named after you."

"Alright alright……"

Therefore, this place is forever named Princess Mountain, and history is on a special track here.

Princess Mountain is Princess Mountain.

Its name no longer comes from a princess of the Tver Principality in the eleventh century, but from the Pecheneg princess Beyashir who married Rus in the ninth century.

But this mound has stood on the banks of the Hafen (Yavin) River a long time ago. It was actually built by a Finnish tribe that immigrated in ancient times. The Finnish tribe settled here for a period of time and then moved away.

In fact, the Kingdom of Rus continues to expand eastward, and it is inevitable that they will encounter the new Finno-Ugl tribe.

Especially the Perm people, who had merged with the Karelian tribal confederation many years ago. The Perm people are not a tribe, but a mixture of dotted herding clans. They are in the process of forming a unified tribal alliance. The war with the Rus and their defeat have been a huge blow to this mixture.

No one knows who established a settlement in the area very close to Lake Viliye and abandoned it a long time ago. The Perm people, Karelia people and even other tribes have no idea about this, or they have already Forgot too much.

As an outsider, Rurik does not need to have a deep understanding of this place. Since this place has already been developed, it would be cheaper for the Kingdom of Rus to take over the development, so why not do it? What's more, the Haven River waterway here, although it is not an excellent waterway for navigation due to the existence of fast and dangerous rivers, at least long boats with some caution can still operate unimpeded. The Haven River has become an optional shortcut to enter the eastern lakes, and The location of Princess Mountain is very subtle.

As a settlement, Princess Mountain can provide a good rest for people who are going through the rapids in the reverse direction, and it can also allow people who are about to face the test of the rapids to take a rest and recharge their batteries to face the challenge.

It could exist as a future shipping terminal, but it would still be just an episode in the adventure.

It is said that according to the information of old man Hafen, he saw this strange mound soon after entering the river, so he deduced that Rurik believed that he was not far from Lake Villiers.