Rise of Rurik

The Great Temple of Uppsala was never the property of the Dukes of Uppsala, nor even of the people of Uppsala as a whole.

In a sense, Duke Swinned was generous and "sold" the temple to Rurik. Precisely because this temple does not belong to him, the price for selling it is quite cheap.

To be fair, the entire building complex was built by the people of Uppsala with donations. The building itself is not valuable, and the original monks' life was not luxurious.

The local residents do not have much wealth, and it is impossible to support a large and magnificent temple.

The temple is indeed huge. Anyone who sees it for the first time is amazed by its scale. However, when they actually enter the interior, they realize how empty it is.

What's there to be proud of in building a bunch of big wooden sheds out of a lot of wood?

At night, the Rus took full possession of the temple.

The cavalry accompanying the army turned into messengers. They galloped to the camp of the main force of the Russian army, carried out the prince's instructions, and conquered more than 300 people at once.

The most elite warriors, led by General Arik himself, were ordered to rush to the Great Temple. They pulled a handcart, carrying a large amount of daily necessities and a batch of construction tools, and arrived at the temple in the evening.

A considerable part of the fence has been demolished, and the useless scrap wood has been directly turned into firewood for daily life.

So the people of Uppsala not far away saw such a scene.

The sky in the west is dark blue, the sky is full of stars, and only the last shadow of the setting sun is left on the western horizon.

A large number of bonfires appeared at the temple of their faith, and a large number of people were stationed here.

The Russian army camped around the sacred tree. Most of them were laying bunks on the ground and preparing to build a number of sheds tomorrow.

The bonfire boiled the large urn, and the entire urn was carried into the empty central temple.

Hungry people came together one after another, each holding tableware and preparing to share a piece of the pie.

Some small bonfires were lit indoors, and the specially brought oil lamps were also lit.

Look around, here are all relatives and close comrades-in-arms.

Rurik cleared his throat: "Although this temple is very simple, it belongs to us after all. We will spend the night here. From tomorrow on, I will start to make some changes to this temple. I must sleep in it today. Here, I demonstrate my authority. You all also stay..."

After nightfall, no one wanted to wander around anymore, especially the women who were dragging their children with them, and they were even less willing to leave.

Occasionally, such a large family lived together, and a different feeling came to Otto's heart. There are a large number of women here, most of whom are sons' wives and concubines. He was not excited at all, simply because most of the women in it were appointed by him for his sons. As life enters its twilight years, the old couple who have faced many hardships now have a large family.

The women were chirping and chatting about all kinds of things. Rumia, the eldest high priest, cleared her throat and signaled the sisters to be quiet for the time being.

As the high priest, she was the host of the prince's king-proclaiming ceremony. She didn't want to talk about the touching words for the time being. Since Rurik mentioned some key issues, she would talk about them.

"Rurik, this temple is very big, but it is too simple. What do you think? Does the so-called transformation mean that it was demolished and rebuilt?"

"It's not impossible."

"But this place is not directly ruled by you."

Rurik shrugged, because she was right: "Yes. I will be the king, I will take the throne here. Uppsala will be my blessed land, so even if I will not directly rule Sweden, at least I will control a piece of it." Small areas. Like here. It has the largest temple in Sweden and a sacred tree.”

"Do you want to rule here directly?" Otto suddenly asked in a rough voice.

"Exactly, father... In my opinion, the cost of directly ruling the whole of Sweden is very high. I don't believe that the Malaren people, the most populous, will completely surrender to me. But the Uppsala people have a limited population, and that Swinner Germany only has dozens of private soldiers on hand."

"You look down on him?" Otto asked again with narrowed eyes.

"Father, will you look down upon him? We now fully understand that the Uppsala priests are separated from the ordinary people, and those people may not really support their leaders. I at least want to rule Uppsala directly La, I'm going to take the dukedom of Swynedd, and I'm going to make him governor. I'm going to control the entire Swedish faith, and when we have enough wealth, we'll build a better temple here."

Rurik's answer satisfied Otto, and Rumia sounded very comfortable. Because the sacred place here is not this building complex, but the giant yew tree at the door.

Rurik also made a plan in his mind. If he wanted to build a new temple, he would try to use a solid masonry structure and paste a layer of glass fragments on the outer layer.

A crystal clear building reflects violently in the sun, coupled with a huge sacred tree, it is really doubly sacred.

In fact, these ideas of Rurik are by no means taken for granted. Although in another time and space, the giant yew tree was burned and destroyed due to a fire in the cathedral in the 14th century. The place where it is located has become a holy place and has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the Swedes. A new masonry cathedral was built near the old site, and the adjacent land was assigned to the cemetery of our Swedish dignitaries.

To be the king of Sweden, you must control Uppsala, the center of faith.

Rurik made a choice that was consistent with history. Next, before the nobles arrived, he still had one big thing to do.

The large family slept in the temple for a night, and when the new sun rose, a new chapter began.

In the next three days, the repair work on the big temple was fully launched.

A news spread wildly in the Uppsala village. The so-called old priests betrayed everyone with their artifacts, and the great temple ushered in its true owner. The temple area, which used to be a semi-restricted area, is completely open to ordinary people, and curiosity drives a large number of Uppsala people to find out. They wanted to gain some divine power through prayer, and this long-cherished wish was very realistic, so on the third day, Rurik ordered the gilded statue of Odin that was brought by ship to be solemnly erected in the temple hall.

It was a statue that no one could refuse, and the Uppsala people who entered the temple spontaneously knelt down to worship it.

It was very large and plated with gold. It was placed at such a good angle that the people whispered to each other that the Russians had moved a giant solid gold statue.

There is a leather cushion placed in front of the statue, and a large wooden box stands next to it.

Rumia still wears a pure white bear skin, a huge antlered helmet on her head, and holds a gem-encrusted wooden staff passed down from generation to generation. She was standing next to the idol.

The young junior priests she had trained personally, as well as Rurik's ten Slavic concubines, were all dressed as priests. They collected wild flowers from the meadow and woven them into huge corollas. They wore gray-white plain clothes with a large number of glass beads and amber hung on them. They stood on both sides of the temple and watched the Uppsala people who came into the temple to worship.

Why all this fuss? In fact, Rurik directly transplanted the "precise offering" model of Russia here. The people of Russia accepted this special "self-service sacrifice" on a large scale, and the model should of course be promoted in new areas.

Whether it is silver or copper coins, they must first be thrown into the wooden box, and then worshiped by the huge gilded bust of Odin.

The people of Uppsala had never seen anything like this before. In the past, priests would ask for physical offerings from the people during festivals, and a few people would be able to watch the barbaric human sacrifice ceremony. Sacrificial activities are mostly closed to ordinary Uppsala people, and now the mysterious Great Temple of the Great Temple is no longer mysterious.

Hear what those beautiful priestesses have to say!

"The coins go into the wooden box, and the whole family's soul is Asgard."

No matter whether it is silver coins or copper coins, as long as the people put in coins, the priests will speak in unison.

Many people find it very strange, as if they are not worshiping Odin, but Frey, the god of wealth. So what? In the past, people didn't even have the opportunity to get close to the statues of gods. Moreover, Odin is the Lord of the Gods, and any sacrifice will ultimately be dedicated to this great god.

When the wall was demolished, large numbers of families and families came to Uppsala for pilgrimage. It is said that other people bring copper coins to kneel down and worship the golden statue of Odin. How can we remain indifferent to this?

No matter what you are praying for, if you throw in a coin to worship the god and pray for your long-cherished wish at the same time, maybe Odin will give you a reward.

The fact that people in Uppsala were busy "praying to gods and worshiping Buddha" really moved Rurik and left him speechless. He was moved by how simple these people were, and what made him speechless was that even though they lived next to the big temple, their spiritual lives were still empty?

Even Swined's private soldiers were ready to take action.

To put it bluntly, these private soldiers are all hired fighters. They live a happy life of licking blood while they are young, but as they grow older, they have to consider their future. They encouraged their sponsors and collectively requested to kneel down and worship the golden statue of Odin.

Originally, Swinned thought this was Rurik's trick to seduce people. Almost everyone in the village went, and the great temple was noisy. He was a duke after all, and he suddenly became a polished veteran.

Things are taking a turn for the worse.

More than thirty private soldiers swarmed into Swined's mansion, shocking him.

"What...are you going to do?"

The leader of the guard was quite respectful: "Master, brothers are very concerned about the statues erected by the Russians. We want to worship them."

"Do you all know the news?"

"Already known."

"Damn it, is that all?" Swined's head became hot and he asked all the serving female slaves to go away.

For a moment, he never imagined that his wife would also be on the side of a group of mercenaries.

"You? What's wrong with you?"

"Swynedd, I've thought about it." She said without changing her expression, "I want to take my son to the temple. Maybe the gods can send blessings to our son."

"You...really believe it?"

"Why don't you believe it? At least there is no harm in believing this. It is said that Rurik of Rus was blessed by Odin. Look at the people of Rus who rose up because of that Rurik. I think if our son is also blessed, it will also Can grow into a great hero. At least... ten times stronger than you."

Hey, this sounds reasonable at first, but upon closer inspection, it feels too wrong.

Swined was furious: "You mean I can't do it?!"

His wife remained calm-faced: "At least I have to make you great as my son."

"Go! Let's all go! I'll go too." He suddenly stood up straight, and a calloused old hand suddenly hit his old face. It is unreasonable to be told "no" by his own woman, but his son must become strong.

Swined made special preparations, so on the fifth day after the Russians took root in the Great Temple, private soldiers escorted all his family members and went straight to the temple.

To this day, people still bring money into the temple to worship, and even more people stand under the huge yew tree to pay their respects, comment on the place of blood sacrifice under the tree, and recall those who sacrificed themselves in the past.

Rurik and Otto then learned that it turned out that the old Duke of Uppsala did not die of natural illness, but was afraid that he would age and become a haggard old man, so he chose to sacrifice himself.

This move left Otto, who was also an old man, speechless and shocked.

Swined's arrival was sudden and inevitable. Rurik thought that this guy would have to come again sooner or later. He never expected that this guy would bring his whole family here.

His son Helgun Svennedsson was almost the same age as Rurik, but this young man did not show a brave appearance. Helgon's expression was rather dull. When he saw a group of young Russian warriors dressed in gorgeous uniforms, a sense of inferiority occupied his head.

Helgon was timidly pulled to his side by his biological father, Swynedd.

His son's cowardice has always worried Swined, so when he got the opportunity to talk to Rurik and Otto alone, he didn't hide it: "My son must become a real man, but it's a pity that he is a Mortal, if I can get even a little blessing from Odin, I will be very happy."

"You're just going to bring him to worship the icon?" Rurik was surprised and snickered inwardly.

"I brought him here. He must come." Swined's wife said without hesitation.

"Oh! Noble woman, you hope that your son will become a real man after being blessed."

"That's right. Lord Rurik..." The woman remained extremely cautious, "Do you think this is really okay?"

"Maybe." Rurik shrugged, "Did you bring any money?"

"Some silver coins."

"This...maybe not enough."

"Huh? How much is it? One pound? Two pounds? Or more?"

"Who knows? Because you are not mortals, you are all nobles! As nobles, if you want to get Odin's blessing, these money may be of some use. But..."

With an opportunity in front of him, Rurik did not continue to answer for the time being, but instead asked the soldiers to cover their mouths and whisper a few words.

The prince's oral instructions were quickly conveyed to Arik, and a group of Rus warriors stopped cutting wood, took weapons, and started fighting with the prince.

Rurik talked some more nonsense to delay time. After all, Swinned's family and the private group were surrounded by the Russian army. The Ross army was not authorized to use force. They formed a circular shield wall, doubling the pressure on Swined, as if his head would disappear in the next second.

"Ah?! What do you mean?!" Swined shouted, but his son Helgon hurriedly hid.

Rurik waved his hand, indicating to the warriors to maintain the shield wall, but put away all the steel swords and halberds. He also ordered some soldiers to drive away the people in Uppsala who were watching.

He himself walked into the shield wall and confronted Swined face to face with his hands behind his back.

"Standing in front of you is the King of Sweden who is about to ascend the throne. Even if I am not proclaiming the king now, it is no different from proclaiming the king. I am different from the past kings of Sweden. I have real power! My army is enough to support me to do whatever I want, and I really just want to be an excellent king.”

"You...what do you want?" Swynedd was extremely cautious because his family was also trapped.

"Don't worry, I don't mean any harm. I'm just worried that you will resist. You should know that you didn't refuse the money."

"You? What do you want? You know, I support your claim to be king, and as your servant, I am also willing."

"Being a servant? Very good! In fact, you have seen the current situation." Rurik opened his hands, tilted his neck with an arrogant smile, "What I built is the golden statue of Odin of my Ross, Uppsa It’s the one that attracts people to worship! Look at the warriors around you. Some of them are Uppsala orphans who were adopted by me. They even found their parents who abandoned them many years ago. Do you understand? I like your people , the Uppsala people who took refuge with me in the early years, I regard them as my tribe. I will get all the Uppsala people, I am their monarch, I will grant them benefits, and you!"

"Me? So what?"

"I will remove your title of Duke now, and you will no longer be the Duke of Uppsala."

"Ah? As a noble, do I have to become a commoner?"

Rurik shook his head: "Look at your stunned look, would you do it? No! We can handle this matter peacefully. You give up your title of duke, and I will make you governor of Uppsala. Your son is cowardly It doesn’t matter whether you are brave or brave. My family can inherit the duties of governor and manage Uppsala for me. I will build a better and greater temple here in the future. A major responsibility of you Uppsala people in the future is to defend Temple…”

The so-called governor, the word Rurik used is the word "manager". After some explanation, Swinned fully understood the meaning.

Uppsala will no longer be a miniature city-state that develops freely. She has a master, Rurik's family. Uppsala will be the direct jurisdiction of the king of the future Rus-Swedish Kingdom. Specifically, it is the great temple directly under the jurisdiction of this place. At the same time, the city built has a whole new meaning. A small-scale Rus' The army was stationed here to demonstrate the king's authority.

Faced with the current situation, Swynedd had no choice.

He sighed helplessly: "It seems that you are completely different from the old monarch. I will give up the title of Duke and I will be your governor. But you must also promise to protect my family. At any time, my family must As a noble, even if it is my cowardly son, he must take over the position of governor and serve you in the future."

"Can."

Rurik was extremely satisfied with Swynedd's rapid transformation, and he was even more satisfied with the cowardly boy Helgon. When Helgon grows older, he can be directly promoted to the new governor to succeed his still living father. After all, a cowardly person often represents conservatism and obedience. It just so happened that the new Uppsala under the rule of Ross should remain conservative as a whole. People here do not need to have any opinions, as long as they follow the king's arrangements with peace of mind.

The rapid development of the matter surprised the Russian nobles, and Rurikben was also surprised. However, considering that he relied on the power of faith to win over most of the people in Uppsala, and also made a small amount of money, it was not surprising. With a lot of money, he controlled the people's hearts to a certain extent, and the rest fell into place.

Then under the sacred tree of the Great Temple, all the people of Uppsala gathered for the first time, men, women, old and children.

Swinned publicly announced that he had removed his title of duke and in principle was no longer the leader of the Uppsala people.

This announcement caused an uproar, and everyone whispered to each other. Swined was not a bad person, and everyone was satisfied with him as the leader. Why did he suddenly stop doing this?

Then people saw that Rurik, who was about to become king, announced three major events:

First, Uppsala will become a territory directly under the jurisdiction of the king. The people of Uppsala will be the direct subjects of the king. The people's lives will be focused on by the king. In short, the standard of living will get better day by day.

Second, the Great Temple of Uppsala will be rebuilt in the future, and the important task of the people of Uppsala is to guard the temple and the sacred tree.

Third, the Swined family became the governor of Uppsala. The governor was Swined, and his son Helgon was the successor to the governor.

People worship heroes, and Rurik is the hero who defeated the Danes. Rurik also promised that after becoming king, the lives of ordinary people in Uppsala would be better. So now the behavior of washing clothes and fishing for supplies for the Russian army to earn rewards can be continued. Rurik is really a good man.

Of the so-called three major events, people only pay attention to the first one. In fact, it doesn't matter who is the ruler, as long as he can make everyone's life better, he is the best ruler.

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