Rise of Rurik

The child sleeps most of the time and screams when he is awake.

Nolen and Bejahir were not mentally prepared to give birth to a child on the battlefield. They are very weak now, but they still insist on holding their precious children in their arms.

Rurik named his two sons immediately after they were born.

The golden-haired one is Warrod, which means "Lord of War." His father was Rurik, and his mother was Nolen. His bloodline could not be more pure and he was a North Germanic Viking.

Such a name immediately received unanimous praise from Biyongni and Floki. Their nephew's name is domineering, and it is really suitable for the current large-scale war.

The one with brownish-yellow fetal hair is Hazal, which means "unfettered" in the Pecheneg dialect of Turkic language. Just like riding a horse on the grassland, Beyasier hopes that his children will be free from worries and restraints, and Rurik really likes this name. Because it means the same thing as Cossack.

Outside Hamburg, the battle clouds were thick and the wind and snow obscured the view, raising concerns that the Frankish army was approaching.

The howling wind was like the wail of evil spirits, coupled with the erosion of the cold, all the soldiers of the coalition army were living in their shacks.

The fortress in Hamburg is still warm, and Nolen and Bejahir are isolated from the war here.

The maid's service relieved them a lot of pressure, especially when the maid changed the child's diaper and even bathed the child in a silver basin.

The dirt and blood stains on the baby's body are washed away immediately after birth, and in principle there is no need to take a bath in the next few days.

But if the child is squeaking all over and screaming, it won't work if he doesn't wash it.

This is an opportunity! Eskil made some mental preparations and decided to go in person.

Nolen and Beyathil were walking freely, and their childbirth process was very smooth, so they thought this was a gift from the gods.

But it is too dangerous for a child to be born in the cold winter. If he can get further blessings from the gods, the child will be able to survive the first dangerous winter safely.

They had this inner appeal, which was heard by the maids who spoke Saxon.

The maids are indeed maids, and they all have sterling silver crosses hanging on their chests. When Esquier asked them something, the maids told the truth without reservation.

"Ah! This is an opportunity. When you bathe the baby again, you must inform me in advance. I...will grant the baby divinity."

So, when the child was naked again and took a bath while changing the diaper, Esquier suddenly appeared with two young priests and several pure gold utensils.

Eskil is not a stranger to the two women. He is a foreign monk, essentially the same as the high priest of Rus. Nolen and Beyathil were not disgusted with him. As for this guy's sudden request to bless the child while taking a bath, although the two women found it a bit strange, they only wanted the child to survive the winter safely, so they agreed.

The sterling silver basin was filled with boiled and sterilized warm water. The child had been completely washed, and Eskil personally held up the baby Warrod with his old hands.

A little rose essential oil was poured into the silver basin, and Esquier slowly soaked the energetic Warrod. He kept reciting some Latin scriptures, which were all words of blessing.

The child kept moving around in his hands until the top of his head was directly above his head, and then he was taken out in an instant. With such a short action, the child would not drown, but the ceremony was completed.

The accompanying priest flipped through a page of parchment and handed the name of the first person he saw to Eskil.

"Give me a name, Adam. You will be protected by the Lord, and the Lord will give you health, Amen."

Taking advantage of the opportunity to take a bath, Eskil personally baptized a prince of Rus. He was able to carry out the baptism for the archbishop of the north, but countless Saxon nobles and even some Frankish nobles could only dream of it.

But the child's mother, Nolen, didn't think so. In another world here, the local god bless his child and he will survive the harsh winter here.

However, Eskil had assigned his followers to write down the child's Christian name, which was equivalent to confirming the child's religious status.

Next came Hazal, who had tawny fetal hair. Following the same process, the child was named Isaac, and after being baptized by Eskil, he immediately became a Christian.

"Okay, two queens." Esquier finished his work and spoke politely and respectfully. "Your children have been protected by God. The devil will stay away. They will find peace and health in this sacred place."

For this, Nolen and Bejahir were also very grateful to Eskil. He even accepted two sterling silver crosses given by him as "talismans."

The plan has been completed, and the two new princes of Rurik are now Christians after this operation! Eskil knew that his move might make Rurik angry, but he didn't care and insisted on doing it. Now it was done, and the two princes had special identities, even if the baptism ceremony was not upright.

Snowflakes like broken ice filled the whole world, the sky turned gray-white, and visibility was really low.

There is a possibility that the Elbe River will freeze. At least now, the slow-flow areas on both sides of the river are covered with ice floes, and people can even stand in the area next to it.

If the river is covered with enough ice, the uniqueness of the pontoon bridge will be lost, so the enemy troops arriving in Hamburg can directly cross the river on foot to launch a strong attack. However, this is what Rurik wants to see.

So, will the river freeze?

Count Robert, who had been stationed in the Hamburg area for a long time, gave an ambiguous answer. It is said that when it gets cold enough in a certain year, the Elbe will freeze, leaving most winter rivers unchanged.

It has been said but not completely said that only God knows whether the winter at the end of 840 was an extremely severe winter.

At least the main force of the Ross fleet has built a "city wall" on the river to protect the pontoon bridge.

A few months ago, the extensive excavation of ditches and construction of a moat around the city of Hamburg was still going on. In order to fear that the enemy might attack from unexpected places, a low wooden wall was placed on both sides of the moat, which was more like a fence than a wall. , This operation is only to delay the enemy's attack at the necessary moment.

The defense of Hamburg is very strong. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians gathered together to keep out the cold while waiting for work.

Ice-breaking snowfall continued, and there was enough intelligence to indicate that the Frankish army had at least arrived in Bremen. Even if there was snowfall interference, it could march to the Elbe River within a week.

However, this situation that Rurik hoped for did not happen.

As the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, he went to great lengths to build defense projects. As a result, the enemy did not show up for a long time, which was really harmful to morale.

At first, the soldiers were eager for a one-sided killing across the river. To this end, senior engineers such as Kawei led his entire team to repair and maintain long-range weapons. Ordinary soldiers and people were not idle either. They took the old arrow clusters that were recycled, made new arrows that could be used, and received some rewards at a time. Almost all of the people who remade the arrows were local Saxons, and their work would be exchanged for wheat provided by the Rus. It was really a win-win deal.

There was no fighting in the Elbe, and the morale of the Allied forces declined as a result.

They were like groundhogs hiding in caves. The cold outdoors forced everyone to be too lazy to go out. If it wasn't for patrolling and sentry duties, they would reluctantly go outside for a walk.

When soldiers lacked entertainment, they came up with some games. Using arrows as small javelins to throw into pots was a new entertainment, and short arrows from crossbows were used as darts to smash against wooden boards.

The traditional Viking game of "grabbing the clay pot" has not been abandoned either. The clay pot was replaced with a cloth bag stuffed with rags, and people from each flag team were sent out to compete. This is the most primitive rugby sport and a rare pastime for them in winter.

Some soldiers were sent to the other side of the Elbe River, and they were ordered to serve as scouts with crossbows. They were not allowed to go too far into the forest. They walked south along the forest road for a while and stopped immediately.

The troops were waiting, and scouts were sent out.

It's best to rest on cold days. Rurik boasted that he had settled everything, so he could settle down and take good care of his two wives and concubines.

The fortress made of wood and stone was warm enough due to the stove, but once the stove stopped, the cold would quickly erode in. The fortress cannot be airtight at all and even has air leakage from all directions, so you don't have to worry about gas poisoning by placing some fire pots indoors.

A tall, blond man walked into the warm stone room. His footsteps were light and there were no followers around him.

The two mothers live together, each holding their own child.

They chatted quietly to each other so as not to wake their sleeping children.

Rurik's visit was quite sudden, and everyone was overjoyed to see their man finally showing up despite their busy schedule.

"Looking at your faces, everything is fine."

"Of course. You are finally back. You made me think you had forgotten me." Nolen held the baby in his arms and chuckled.

Rurik nodded and walked straight away.

"Is everything okay, Warlord?"

"Everything is fine."

"Then." He looked at Beyathil and said, "Hazareth is as healthy as ever."

"Hazareth is good, and..."

Beyathil still had something to say, but saw Rurik already approaching.

The sleeping baby would inevitably start crying again if he was woken up again. He sat on a wooden window and asked the two girls to sit over with the baby in their arms.

With a happy smile, the woman gently sat next to her man, holding their children in their arms, and then gently pressed her shoulders with her big hands.

"Thank you for your hard work."

"In this way, I will soon be able to fight on horseback again." Beyathil raised her little face and her eyes trembled.

"Yes." Nolen also raised his noble head, "I can also take up arms. My brother and the army from my hometown are here, and I also want to try to fight."

They are warriors, but now they are weak and they should stay in confinement to cultivate themselves.

Rurik looked left and right to prevaricate: "Now is not the time. The enemy never appears as if giving in. The snow outside is still continuing. I will not risk taking the initiative to attack, but the enemy will obviously have to wait for a while. It may happen. You can rest assured and cultivate. After a month, your body has fully recovered and the child is strong enough. I will give you a chance to participate in the war. No! I still have to carry the child to the battlefield to see the world. My son must be a real Men must be cultivated from an early age.”

It is not absurd to bring a handful of children who are just one month old to a winter battlefield. From this experience, the two children have truly experienced a war, which has become a useful gilded experience in life.

Take another good look at the child!

On the left is Volod with blond hair, and on the right is Hasal with tawny hair.

The two sons were very cute when they were little. Seeing their little breathing faces, Rurik could guess what they would look like when they grew up. As a pure-blooded Nordic, Volod is likely to grow into a strong blond man with a height of two meters. The mixed-blood Hasal is in a worse situation, but he will definitely become an excellent cavalry general, simply because this is his destiny.

Rurik wished he could hold the children one by one and lift them up high, watching the children twist their limbs comically in his hands and laugh along with them.

He noticed the small amulet hanging around Volod's neck. It was a small sterling silver statue of Freya, an abstract Balmok-style deity believed to protect the health of young children.

He also noticed Harzal's silver pony amulet, apparently a Pecheneg style.

The children have a talisman in common, which is the pure gold statue of Odin prepared by Rurik. It is said to protect the children from evil spirits with the spirit of God.

However, during this inspection, he saw a brand new amulet.

No! It was a sterling silver cross.

"Huh? What's going on? Why do they have crosses? Has anyone come here? Are you in contact with some priests, or are you the maids?"

Rurik was shocked beyond words. He felt very weird. He suddenly felt that someone was making a fuss about his child and was giving him eye drops.

Beyathil just wanted to say something, and now she has the opportunity.

"It was the great saint...the priest named Eskil."

"It's him!? Ah! I... I think I guessed it." Rurik wanted to yell a few times, but he only heard his two little babies groaning, and he swallowed the displeasure held in his throat again. go back.

Seeing her man's displeasure, Beyahil didn't want to say anything anymore even if she had something to say, but the outspoken Nolen still explained what happened that day exactly.

Rurik was sitting here. After hearing everything, he was really angry at Eskil, a guy who was unwilling to give up.

"It's really ridiculous. You're obviously changing diapers, why take a bath? Just take a bath, and then baptize my son? That old guy... has really planned it for a long time..."

It's easy to stab Eskil to death with a sword, but what about a mere old man? But this must not be done, just because Eskil is an important chess piece, and even a bridge figure that maintains the alliance between Ross and Saxony.

Unexpectedly, Nolen was quite surprised by his man's anger. She plausibly said: "Why are you unhappy? I heard that this is no longer the territory of Odin and the gods. It is ruled by the gods of the south. We need the protection of the local gods when we fight here, especially my child, Volo De was born in winter, and the old man said that the child had been blessed by God and that he would not be in danger here."

"Huh? Is this what Eskil said?"

"it's him."

"You still think it makes sense?"

Nolen shrugged: "It does make sense."

When she said this, Rurik suddenly didn't know what to say. He stood up gently, pursed his lips and shook his head: "It seems that I have to have a good chat with him."

Meanwhile, Eskil continued his work as Archbishop of the North. This is for an old man who is willing to live in poverty. He is indifferent to any enjoyment and just wants to spread the gospel to the ends of the world. He is essentially opposed to war and believes that the power of faith can eliminate disputes. For example, in this war, he chose to support the Principality of Saxony in the hope that he could act as a mediator during the decisive battle and force Ludwig and Liudov to sign a peace treaty. , and then ended the war between the Franks and the Saxons.

As for Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and many unnamed northern barbarians, their lives are coming to an end, and it is no longer possible to persuade many lords and nobles to convert to God. Then, try to convince some noble children that many things will slowly change in the future.

So while Eskil was doing his daily activities in the simple monastery in Hamburg, Rurik suddenly broke in with a group of guards, which scared the priests and ran away.

A slightly hunched old man stood here all the time. He took off his burqa to reveal Rurik's very familiar face.

"Eskir, what you do makes me angry. They! They are not believers in God, let alone lost lambs. They are Odin's warriors!"

Rurik spoke in Latin and his diction was quite accurate.

When Eskil did what he did, he had expected it for several days and even prepared some words.

"Even if I did something wrong. However, the two Russian princes have been baptized. The blond one is Adam, and the tawny-haired one is Isaac. I! I am the Archbishop of the North appointed by the Holy See. I am Rurik, even if you Without conversion, he must understand our faith better than many priests." As he spoke, the old guy kept approaching Rurik with a cane inlaid with a cross, his face showed no fear. "Actually, you don't hate us in your heart. When you decided to go to war with the Franks, when you formed an alliance with the Saxons, you must have thought that your kingdom would have to have more contact with us. You don't hate us. Beliefs, you focus on whether those beliefs subvert your authority.”

"you……"

"Do you think your barbaric faith can be permanent? Our sacred faith is great. In fact, you know this subconsciously. So the sacred object of your Russia is the book of Exodus. You plundered Lindesfa En Monastery, you burned everything but especially preserved the Gospels. You even converted your eldest son, and I am his godfather. So, what’s the problem with me being the godfather of your other two sons?”

"Absurd. Aren't you afraid that I will kill you in anger?"

"No! Young man, you are very wise. You know that if I die suddenly, it will bring you a lot of trouble. Young King! You Vikings have taken many people from the south captive, and those women will give you Give birth to children, but they were all converted before being kidnapped, and their children will slowly change their beliefs. Rurik, this is something you cannot change."

Eskil is old, and he tells his secrets without hesitation.

These words sounded extremely arrogant to Rurik, but they made sense.

When strong Viking men robbed a few daughters from the south to become wives, what they robbed was definitely not their bodies, but probably their beliefs as well. Any child must be longer than a woman's hands. Mothers will pass on their knowledge and beliefs to their children, which will change many things subtly.

There was no war in the Elbe, but the secret war was indeed initiated silently by the priests.

A feeling of powerlessness suddenly arises, but...

Rurik suddenly perked up and stared into Eskil's eyes: "You are quietly declaring war on me, but you will not win... I have already thought of a countermeasure."

"Only time will prove that I will succeed, even if I am already dead..." Eskil said silently.

"Okay. Things have happened. Even if I deny it, you will not deny it. You are the godfather of two children, I will admit it. However, you must pay some price."

"What price?" Eskil asked hurriedly, suppressing the secret joy in his heart.

"Where are your manuscripts? I want all the gospels you have. You know, I know Latin very well. I want to study it myself and I will definitely find a way to change everything. Maybe you won't agree. .”

"No! I agree!" Eskil didn't want to answer immediately, "Actually, you are still very interested in our beliefs. My child, you will be inspired and become one of us."

Forget it, the old guy opened his arms and straightened his back with difficulty. His whole body was like a living cross.

Rurik shrugged and looked at the performance of Eskil's "old friend".

Well, in the monastery, Rurik immediately obtained a complete set of gospel manuscripts, or a copy deliberately prepared by Esquier.

Only Ross has the technology to make paper in Western and Northern Europe, and only Ross can do printing in Europe.

All the Gospels taken together are called the New Testament.

After today's experience, Rurik was no more aware of the huge shortcomings of Nordic faith than he was today - there were no written and thick scriptures, only various trivial stories and legends passed down orally.

Odin's belief is too thin, and each tribe has different interpretations of the gods. Unlike Catholicism, which is an extremely strict belief system, now it is also a ruling system that is different from the aristocracy. It is a system formulated by the Roman Empire, a system that can provide a crude explanation of everything in the world, a hierarchical system of monks, so that the people think it is the eternal truth.

Rus has established a belief system of seven gods, of which Odin is the greatest.

Unfortunately, this set of beliefs lacks a detailed scripture.

Rurik knew very well that his power was primarily based on the faith of the people. He is "the one blessed by Odin", and this status is very attractive to ordinary Vikings. If people's beliefs change silently, their family's authority will decline, which will be a catastrophe.

If you don’t have one, create a solid written scripture!

How to write this book, the Catholic method has certain reference significance, and some paragraphs can be modified for reference.

Even Rurik had already thought of the name of the book, and it was called "Saga".

The compilation of "Sakya" has actually started a long time ago. The person in charge of it is Ella, the highest scribe. However, compiling the legends and stories from all sides is a troublesome project. She can only compile it slowly after finishing her official duties.

This project can no longer be delayed, it must be faster and more efficient. Rurik will personally participate in this matter.

Eskil has silently declared war. Ross must not be careless. This reform must be done after the end of this war.