Rise of Rurik

The Russians are outnumbered, and a huge fleet is right in front of them.

The Uppsala people's military power had no ability to stop the advance of this large fleet. Although the Russians' intrusion into the Holy Land made leader Swined very unhappy, as a smart man, he immediately understood his new situation.

Swined showed great support. His only request was that Rose join the team to fulfill his promise.

An open grassland became the camping ground for Ross's army.

The camp was deliberately kept at a certain distance from the Uppsala settlements to prove its peaceful attitude to the local residents. But a powerful army was right in front of them, and the people of Uppsala who fled into the woods and retreated back in the dusk were extremely vigilant against these outsiders.

Those who retreated quickly noticed this strange scene.

I saw some large livestock suddenly appearing on the grassland controlled by the Russians. They were all large animals with antlers of different sizes. If I looked closely, they were all reindeer.

There used to be wild reindeer herds in Uppsala, but they were all eaten up by people's hunting, and they didn't even have time to tame them. In fact, they have better choices, such as domesticating cattle and sheep, which have higher economic value than reindeer.

They were very worried about the sudden appearance of these large animals eating their wheat fields, and they were also very worried about the Russian army trampling on the young crops intentionally or unintentionally.

Oats are what Uppsala people rely on, and most of their lakeside area is surrounded by wheat fields.

Rurik issued some orders, that is, the landing Russian troops were not allowed to trample the green seedlings or leave the designated positions without authorization. This move was not to create a prison, but to ensure that the Ross army would not frighten the locals with rash and unwise moves.

But for the army that has been sailing all the way, the first priority is to set up camp, make a fire and sleep after finally arriving at the destination.

Running around? forget it!

What's more, this area also houses the largest temple in the Swedish world.

The pine trees in the inland area can be cut down at will. If the strong men of the Russian army can cut down a patch of pine trees and fir trees, the Uppsala people are willing to see it.

The Uppsala people have always intended to ask for land from the forest. However, logging, especially felling large trees, is a dangerous physical job. Now that they lack strong men, they have temporarily lost the motivation to do this.

Logging is indeed physical work. A group of Russian warriors of different ages carried their own forest axes, two-man saws, and cables, and ran into the forest area in groups.

The collapse of a large tree causes strong vibrations. When the tree trunk falls, it often hits nearby trees, causing violent noises.

Either felled or sawed down, pine and fir trees each have their uses.

Because the king's enthronement ceremony must show the customs of the Russian people.

What is the custom of Russia? It is the custom of Russia to build a huge steep wooden tower and finally burn it down. This is the custom of Russia, even though there is a so-called sacred tree here in Uppsala.

Thick tree trunks will be piled into wooden towers by building blocks, and a large number of small tree trunks or relatively straight branches will be processed into wooden strips on the spot. The Ross army wanted to build a serious camp on the grassland in the controlled area. From the perspective of others, it was undoubtedly building a city. A large pit was dug into the grass, and some thick wooden stakes were erected. Starting from the wooden stakes, thin wooden poles were used to build a circular fence.

Several towers are also planned for construction, but their construction will be postponed to a later date.

Within the wall is the living and accommodation area for the Russian army. It is planned that the army will live in Uppsala for a period of time. If they stay for a long time, they cannot stay in tents. If it rains, the tents will become meaningless. The army would build a group of wooden houses with rough wooden floors within the walls, and more than ten people would live in a large wooden house.

The construction of the siege was only a small beginning. Most of the soldiers lit bonfires on the shore and rested on the spot, while a small number of people still stayed on the ship.

Let’s put a lot of work into tomorrow. When night falls, the logging work stops completely.

The camp of the Russian army was filled with the strong aroma of wheat, and there were a large number of iron pots and pottery urns cooking oats. Some shelf-stable onions and bacon were thrown into a pot and boiled, and the army ate this delicious hot meal. In the foreseeable future, eating such meals will become the norm.

Rurik himself was naturally not in the army. His wives, concubines, and children returned to the boat to spend the night shortly after landing. It was not that he was worried about anything. It was just that some things on the shore were not done well. He could only anchor and float on the lake safely. A big boat is a good place to sleep peacefully. Of course, there is also an irrefutable reason why ships are safer.

Rurik and Otto, together with several Swedish nobles present, were invited by Duke Swined of Uppsala to enter one of his mansions.

Even though he was a Duke, Swinned's mansion was just a few large longhouses.

The Uppsala tribe has a small population, and a settlement gathered together is simply a large village. Swined had no motivation to build a grand house, especially now that he was short of money, and he didn't want to waste it.

Then when the envoy sent out whispered to him that ordering a large Russian ship would cost two hundred pounds of silver coins, he couldn't believe it at first. Facing the status quo of a done deal, his legs trembled faintly.

Half of the large ship ordered had been deliberately stranded. It was indeed a large ship drifting in the waves, like a slender fish, and the price was very outrageous. The Prince of Rus wants to be the king himself, so it is unreasonable to bargain for the cost of the ships now. In any case, the Rus army is right under his nose, so Swined can only give in strategically and wait until the Prince of Rus becomes the queen. Send him off respectfully.

Better think about it! At least Prince Rurik claimed to build a city after landing to accommodate his army of thousands. After the Russians have finished their work, can they still take the city away? ! "If you leave, Mucheng will be mine! Just in time, I will move the mansion and private soldiers there." Swynedd has such a little Jiujiu.

Now, King Bjorn of Sweden is just one step away from abdicating the throne. He has never received any courtesies from the king, and he is even less so now.

At Swinned's mansion, Rurik was the most distinguished guest. Obviously the old Duke Otto was also present, and Otto's status was already lower than that of his son.

Eighteen-year-old Rurik faced a group of smiling nobles. After some polite remarks, the most important matter of proclaiming himself king and offering sacrifices was naturally discussed.

The person who started speaking first faced a bit of embarrassment. Swined, who stroked his beard, was polite again: "Lord Rurik wants to be king, which is a good thing. You are a hero! Especially the victorious expedition to Denmark." The teacher brought me here and made me feel the glory that I have never experienced before. So..."

Rurik felt warm all over at the flattery: "So what should you do?"

"The most important thing is that I understand it very well. You will be crowned king under the holy tree, and only then will you be recognized by Odin."

"That's what I'm planning to do."

"So..." Swined knew that the next words might be a little offensive, so he said: "You should perform the ritual according to our rules here, and my high priest should bless you."

"Your high priest?" Rurik did not object for the time being. He was curious and didn't know what the role of the high priest of the Uppsala people was. She will never be a young woman, or an old lady with a wrinkled face. "Have your high priest come quickly, I want to pay you a visit."

When he spoke like this, the eyes of most of the nobles present lit up. Everyone has known about the Ross people's plan for a long time, but now only Swinned doesn't know. Could it be that Rurik suddenly changed his mind and wanted to use the Uppsala high priest to preside over his coronation ceremony?

Swinned thought something was going on, so he urgently sent people to the big temple to invite the priests who worshiped the gods all day long.

After a while, a man wearing cowhide, a deer's head (with obvious stag antlers) and holding a wooden staff, accompanied by some lower-level priests, entered the house where the nobles were meeting.

The high priest's eyes were sharp, and Rurik's dress was too gorgeous. The two of them stared at each other for a while.

"You? Are you Rurik of Rus? A noble noble, a hero protected by Odin..." This was followed by some vague-sounding spells.

The whole scene was so noisy that the arrival of the High Priest of Uppsala attracted so much attention that even Otto looked at the somewhat rickety man.

This man was wearing a cowhide and a deer's head. If he stood on the edge of the twilight forest, he would look like a monster coming out of the forest.

Otto thought of the late High Priest Ross and the current Rumia. It's just that the two priests of Rus were both short women. The Uppsala priest was obviously taller. It was obvious that he was also a strong man when he was young.

"Do you know my name?" Rurik asked with interest.

"When your heroic deeds spread among the people, we also learned about it. I had doubts, but those heroic deeds were indeed real. We have been waiting for the moment when you become king, and now we have finally waited."

Rurik glanced at the corner of his mouth and smiled: "Great priest, are you also flattering me?"

"This is your destiny. It seems that I will preside over your enthronement ceremony, which is my honor." The high priest was indeed flattering.

Rurik didn't know what the person sent by Swined to report the news said to the priest. Does this guy really think he can get glory? Are we going to let this old man with whom he has no familiarity crown the new king?

A golden laurel wreath is placed in a wooden box stuffed with wool, and Rurik will wear the laurel wreath as king under the sacred tree.

Still keeping his plan secret, he now asked the priests of Uppsala to remove his antlered helmet.

The old priest showed off his bald head and gray beard that was covered by leather clothes and shadows. Although the priest is bald, his head and face are covered with black patterns. The patterns are actually easy to identify. They are all phrases spelled out in runes, and together they form spells.

Many warriors who claim to be brave will have words and phrases about working hard tattooed on their bodies to clarify their ambitions and later believe that this can bring some mysterious power.

The high priest's practice of making tattoos even more outrageous is the epitome of this belief.

But Rumia, the high priest of Rus, does not need such a move at all. After she assumes the position of high priest of Rus, she cannot be treated as a woman. She is one of the incarnations of faith, a tool to maintain people's faith, and is also recognized as a woman who has received special favors from Odin. There is no need to use some strange tattoos to strengthen her legitimacy.

The tattoo of the High Priest of Uppsala aroused Rurik's intense trypophobia reaction. He had never wanted to use this priest to crown him, but now he felt a strong disgust in his heart.

Rurik did not explain verbally and continued to endure the discomfort in his heart. He invited the priest to sit down and continued to cover his head with his antlered helmet to participate in the meeting.

He continued to ask: "I heard about some of the rituals of your Uppsala people, but I didn't hear them thoroughly. You know these things best. Can you explain them to me?"

"Can."

"Then let's talk about some of the most important ritual steps."

The high priest nodded: "Since it is a king-making ceremony, the ceremony must go beyond the ceremony of succeeding the leader. You will kneel down and pray to God Odin, God Sora, and God Ubo in our great temple. And offer you His blood was used to smear the three statues of gods with blood."

"Sacrifice with blood, I can understand."

"You should know that our holiness is not Yggdrasil, but it must be related to it."

Rurik hurriedly sat upright and raised his head slightly: "Could it be that the roots of this big tree are always connected to the World Tree?"

"It's very possible." The words of the high priest immediately became divine: "I can be sure that the earth veins of the big tree are connected to the World Tree, although the gods are all high in the sky." The priest pointed his finger at the sky first. , then pointed to the ground: "But here, the best way to contact the gods is this tree. Your prayers will pass through the earth's veins, from our Midgard to Asgard. "

"There is still such a statement? Is it true?"

"Indeed." The high priest emphasized again.

Even Bjorn had never heard of this. Otto was already very old and had never been heard of.

Otto then started to talk eloquently: "I've heard that you Uppsala people built a big temple. You spent a lot of wealth on the construction. I didn't expect this to be the reason?"

"This is indeed the reason." The high priest immediately affirmed.

Otto sighed softly, his aging face showing sharp eyes under the oil lamp: "But you Uppsala people are still a small tribe, and you have never been glorious in the past. Does this mean that although you are sitting on a tower connected to the World Tree? Big tree, but not religious enough?"

There were thorns in the words, and the nobles felt that this was Otto's sarcasm, and they felt secretly happy in their hearts. Undoubtedly, these words were a mockery of Uppsala, and they also made the high priest look embarrassed.

But this is a fact!

Otto glanced at his son Rurik lightly and gave him a meaningful look.

In this way, Rurik took in his father's words without hesitation, and immediately spoke with this help: "It is a real holy tree on earth, and it is waiting for a real king. So I am here."

"That's true." The high priest hurriedly took over the words.

"Are there any other major ceremonies?"

"The blood of warriors is still needed to water this sacred tree. Lord Rurik, you... need to hand over at least one warrior to nourish it with blood. At that time, you must at least prick your finger and smear the blood on the trunk of the tree. superior."

"Human sacrifice?" Although Rurik asked knowingly, he still sounded shocked.

"Exactly, human sacrifice." The high priest emphasized solemnly: "I heard that the former King of Sweden, Olegin, killed five or ten slaves and used the blood of the slaves as a sacrifice to the God of Melalen (the God of the Great Lakes). He sacrificed to the wrong person and did not receive Odin's blessing, so he died in battle. As for the person who did not even perform sacrifices and became a king, he will not receive any blessings from the gods."

The words of the high priest are very untrue. Bjorn himself is here. Even if his throne is a joke, he is still the king of Sweden in name only.

Bjorn didn't bother to get angry. Looking at the situation of the Uppsala people themselves, they couldn't match the strength of the Melalen tribe.

Rurik became alert: "Are you asking me to hand over a warrior so that the warrior can sacrifice for me to become king?"

"That's right."

"This is really unreasonable!" Rurik stood up suddenly in anger, and a strong bear became angry.

But at this moment, the high priest's face remained unchanged, his head raised, and the oil lamp shone on his patterned face: "Only in this way can you gain the recognition of the gods. And the sacrifice of the warrior was not in vain, his soul Will go directly to Valhalla.”

"No need! This set of rituals you have is completely meaningless to us in Ross. I understand what you said, and I will not carry it out. I will not let a warrior die in vain for me to become king. This is not honorable at all. It’s even more meaningless.”

"But..." The high priest of Uppsala wanted to emphasize something, but was ruthlessly interrupted by Rurik.

Next, Rurik preached about the Russian people's understanding of the World Tree in front of the great nobles present, and what he said also gave a huge shock to the high priest with a patterned face.

Is it credible? Maybe very believable.

The late high priest of the Russian people was really upgraded to a Valkyrie. Find the book www.zhaoshuyuan.com The warriors of the Russian people have a shortcut to the temple!

Is this why Ross is opposed to human sacrifice? But they are not opposed to blood sacrifices. The so-called sacrifices are none other than the reindeer herds that were shipped off the ship.

The High Priest of Uppsala realized that he was just a footnote in Rurik's King Ceremony. The Rus' people moved the entire group of Rus' priests here. Now they already know some of the essentials of performing ceremonies under the sacred tree. The rest is obviously up to them.

However, the sacrifice was actually one hundred and eleven reindeer? ! A huge herd of reindeer sacrificed for the birth of a king? How grand this is.

The high priest of Uppsala was so shocked that his mouth trembled: "What a grand occasion is this? The deer's blood will turn into a lake. Such a blood sacrifice is so spectacular!"

"High Priest? Do you still feel that such a ritual is incorrect?" Rurik looked down upon him.

"Don't dare, don't dare! You are the king, and we... all of us, the Uppsala priests, are willing to contribute our help in your enthronement ceremony."

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :