Chapter 1121 The King’s Northern Hunting

Remember [new] in one second! When the autumn harvest begins in Novorosberg, the autumn harvest in Novgorod must be in progress. The food in the capital was far from being able to supply the local population, and food to sustain life had to be imported in large quantities.

Novgorod is already a huge grain-producing area, and the acres of land are still expanding. The best farmland is in the area around the lake, which is a large lake with a width of 40 kilometers from north to south. Only a small area has been developed so far.

The villages arranged like a chain try to open up new fields and fertilize the fields with the village's farmyard manure and lake mud.

The crop rotation model is not used. Since food production is still limited, the crops' use of land fertility is also limited.

In the fields near the city of Novgorod, some waterwheels were built on the aqueducts built along the Volkhov River. The waterwheels were driven by the power of the river. The oblique wooden barrels on the impellers continuously transported the river water to high places. The water canals are basically embarrassing.

This technology still needs to be popularized, but the effect is very good. The yield per mu of fields near Novgorod has been further increased, and the harvest in the area around the lake is also good.

The area around Yin'ermen Lake has more surplus grain, which is almost the main production surplus for farmers.

Nowadays, the business of the Novgorod shipbuilding workshop is booming. Each village has raised funds to purchase long boats and they have become public property. The village boyar organized his own manpower to form a fleet of small boats to escort the village's properties. In order to gain more benefits, he no longer works in Novgorod. Instead of selling locally, spend your time going straight to the capital to earn more.

It would be better if the canal was put into use. Just as the governor promised, the water channel between the Luga River and Lake Ladoga has been dredged. The water from the upper reaches of the Luga River has begun to pour into the big lake. The marshland through which the water channel passes is being fully washed by the river water. , the waterway is slowly expanding.

However, the Luga River is unfamiliar to the majority of people. Considering the convenience of water flow, the traditional waterway can transport surplus grain, flax fiber, linen, cables, leather boots, honey...a variety of oriental products to the capital faster.

Rurik is now in the capital, and he is convinced that the teams of his eldest brother Arik, who went to explore the East, have begun to return one after another.

The Valdai Lake in the East is not just a lake, there are many nearby. After the local settlers integrated into the Rus, the villages have become towns. The Valdai town on the lake is the base camp of the Eastern explorers. They can find the way to the Volga River. The river channel? If it doesn’t work this year, it will definitely work in a few years. After all, the river is there.

At the end of the pre-autumn harvest sacrifices, the altar was quickly cleaned. After the sacrificial reindeer is skinned, the venison is mixed with the offal, accompanied by a large amount of fresh vegetables, and cooked into a large amount of stewed broth.

Capital residents can bring their own bowls and buy one for just two silver coins. Spending two silver coins to buy a bowl of this is a bit extravagant, but it cannot be said that this is a sacrifice to God Frey. It has been blessed by the god. Buying it from the king in disguise means that it has been blessed by the harvest god. What's more, the thick soup is indeed delicious, and the whole family can eat it together with wheat cakes.

Rurik made another small fortune, and the money was directly counted as the priest's ceremonial expenses.

He could no longer stay in the capital, and he had no time to wait for the huge number of movable lead types to be finished.

Ella is now fully responsible for the batch printing work. Two of her followers have been awarded the title of chief and deputy head of the Royal Printing Bureau, and all the idle workers have a job. Ella had real power, so she recruited a group of temporary workers in the capital, planning to recruit them as employees of the Printing Bureau based on their hard work.

The civil service system cannot be built overnight. Only a small number of the technical talents trained are old enough to take charge of their own affairs. These talents are immediately assigned important tasks. Whether they do a good job or not is supervised and assessed by the top scribe, Ella.

Rurik no longer worked hard on this aspect. He felt that he had already worried too much, and if he continued like this, he might lose his hair.

The autumn wind swept across the land, fearing it was a sign of rain, and the frightened people rushed to harvest.

The waves have become rougher, and a large number of fishing boats have returned to the harbor to take shelter. Such waves pose no threat to Ross's big ship, so Rurik wants to leave.

Where to go? Go to Stockholm, go to the Uppsala Temple, go to the Rothsberg Castle, and go to the Iron Olav Castle.

This day is really crisp and clear in autumn, and standing on the beach in Rurik, all I can hear is the waves.

"It's really risky to go there. The waves are too big. Maybe... you can wait a little longer." Rumia reluctantly held the king's hand with tears in her eyes.

"Haha, it's just a small storm. Why worry about me?" Rurik smiled at her.

"I'm also worried about Velika. This is her first time..."

Hearing this, the little girl leaning against her father leaned forward unhappily and pouted: "I'm not afraid! I'm not afraid at all! Even Jormungandr can't destroy our big ship."

"That's right. Hehe, if we find that big python, we will kill it directly with our weapons." Rurik tried his best to reassure the sensitive Rumia. As the high priest, she could only slowly lower her head before giving final instructions. A daughter must listen to her father.

"You are so glib. If you can really kill Jormungandr..." Rumia was too lazy to continue mumbling.

No one has ever seen an earthly python, and indeed many budding voyagers regard the minke whales and beluga whales that are swimming in the sea as giant creatures in the sea. Whales are just a special kind of "big fish". The Ross trawler equipped with a torsion slingshot is mainly engaged in catching herring. Once a group of whales is found swimming, it will immediately start chasing and shooting.

The number of whales swimming in the Baltic Sea is very small, and more are seals basking in the sun on small and large unknown islands. The current waves are so strong that seals are hiding and fish are taking refuge in the deep sea.

Several sandbanks at the mouth of the Neva River not only alleviate the force of the tide, but also beautifully weaken the wind and waves. The river branched off into a series of branch rivers between the sandbars. These waterways were all natural harbors, and the "North Hunter Ship" selected by Rurik was also anchored here.

The cool breeze blew the navy soldier's tricorn hat, and the feathers on the hat trembled violently in the wind.

All professional sailors have an honorable status. They are true warriors. According to belief, the honor of these people is enough to allow their souls to ascend to Asgard.

Although Viking warriors generally worship Odin, the king of gods, the Rus navy worships Thor more. The reason is really the legend of "Thor hammered down the giant python". Thor, the god of craftsmen, has also become the patron saint of ocean warriors. They collectively wear various styles of hammer pendants. Those who are rich use amber or sterling silver to make pendants, while those who are short of money even use a piece of carved oak.

Here Rurik took Queen Svetlana and Countess Nolen of Narvik with him. The two children, the eldest daughter Velika and the prince Osborne Slav, have to go north on the ship in a large amount of time. This is a deliberate test in their lives.

It's really the power of blood that makes half-siblings stick together involuntarily. Osborne lived in Novgorod all his short life. He rarely had the chance to meet Velika. This time he hugged his eldest sister's waist. Velika was also willing to rub his younger brother Yuandudu. s face.

The warm appearance of the siblings made Rurik very happy, but he didn't know that the two of them could remain calm while sailing on the sea.

The flagship of the Northern Hunt was selected as the Sperosvelia. The sacred box on the bow of the ship contained a lock of hair of the priest Vilia who had become a god. Part of the high priest's will was believed to have been transferred to this sailboat. On the cruiser, she has the power to overcome wind and waves, which adds to the sanctity of Beikuri's actions.

All people on the ocean must believe in some magic. Facing the endless unknown, everyone needs divine power to protect themselves.

Generally speaking, you should not sail in current bad sea conditions. Pay attention to the big ship and ignore the wind and waves.

As a maritime war chief, Goldlund must use these patrol escort missions to prove his loyalty and the reliability of his team. The past war operations have certainly been proven, and this time the mission was purely carried out in the new capacity of the Navy.

The flagship is accompanied by two wing ships, which are actually three main sailing cruisers taking action.

The big ship was first stabilized by cables. The caravel-like ship had a lower middle deck, a detachable rail, and a long boarding rocker lowered to facilitate the king and his entourage to board the ship safely.

A large ship will never be empty, especially if the current sea conditions are not good, a batch of cargo is needed as ballast. Woolen garments, linen garments, finished leather boots, cables, neatly folded burlap bags, honey packaged in glass bottles, ale kvass in oak barrels...

The king's royal fleet transporting goods by the way is something that is really talked about. The owner of the property on the ship is Rurik himself. He actually sold a batch of oriental specialties to reward the people in the north.

First of all, the first stop is the seaside fortress of Tombstone Island in the Åland Islands, known as the crossroads of the ocean.

The huge three-sided jib was lowered, and the flagship seemed to have three wings, catching the cool wind from the north, leaving the harbor at an angle, and then sailing due west in the Gulf of Finland, where the waves were getting stronger.

The weight of the transported cargo was still insufficient, so some simple stones were simply placed on the bottom of the ship as ballast. Even so, the three boats were bobbing up and down on the waves!

The old navigator had no feeling about this. Rurik himself was completely adapted to the roller coaster-like experience, which was a pain for his two children.

The last time I took my eldest daughter on a voyage, the waves were not violent, and she was already a little seasick. This time, the siblings kept vomiting. Although the voyage was short, neither of them was mentally interested in anything.

Such sea conditions made it impractical to dock temporarily at the port of Helminki. The three ships sailed at full strength. It was a cool morning when they set out, and it was already the morning of the fourth day when they arrived at the correct waterway leading to Tombstone Island.

The wind was slightly weaker and the violent sea waves also healed the trivial Åland Islands. The situation of the siblings was a little better, but the haggardness was still written on their faces.

If the prince can't even endure such storms, how will he bear the burden in the future?

Rurik did not want to be a violent father, and he would not criticize the young prince for being too tender.

He held Osborne in his arms and simply stood at the bow of the ship, holding his son's armpits with his thick big hands. To ensure safety, a hemp rope tied his son's waist.

Osborne was so frightened that he screamed and twisted continuously. He seemed to be flying in the air. As long as he looked down, the ink-colored seawater was continuously retreating, and the seawater was pushed away by the bulbous bow to produce violent white foam.

Is the prince afraid? The sailors did not dare to make any comments, and people including Goldlund could only watch from a distance and whisper.

"Just cry! You won't be afraid after this experience once. Take a good look at the sea. In the future, you will conquer it!"

After all, Osborne was too young. On the other hand, Velica had dared to cut the throat of the stag herself. She was not afraid of such storms, but was in awe of the power of the world. Is Jörmungandr really causing trouble? uncertain. God-King Odin calls for wind and rain, and this trip can be interpreted as a test for the Rus royal family.

Now the fleet overcomes the waves and takes a closer look at the island ahead. There is an obvious wall there, as well as a gorgeous blue and white color!

It was the Ross flag on Tombstone Island fluttering in the fierce wind, proclaiming the identity of this fortress in the sea.

Now is the wheat harvest season in the entire Swedish region, but there is bad weather. People are praying that the damn rain will not ruin the wheat harvest.

A large number of merchant ships that should have been anchored at Tombstone Island are now entrenched in Stockholm's port. They are not sheltered from the wind, and despite the rough seas, Lake Mälaren, with its trivial islands, will always remain calm. The ships are parked here waiting for the annual grain trade in Sweden this autumn.

The Rus' king's attitude towards his Swedish allies was that they were exempt from taxes for ten years, and the Swedish lords did not need to pay a tribute to the king until 850. In the past, each tribe paid tribute to the Swedish chief and accepted military orders. In exchange, the chief of one of the suffering parties was obliged to send troops to assist. This model has been accepted by all tribes.

This is still a tribal alliance model like "family brothers". It is superior to the Frankish aristocratic system in that the affiliated lords must pay real gold and silver to the king on a regular basis. In theory, the king's financial situation is better.

But in Rurik's view, relying on vassals large and small to pay tribute is only enough for him to survive. They live a step-by-step life, and their limited production capacity cannot provide more surplus products. A capable monarch should lead the innovation of productivity, increase the production efficiency of various materials, and coordinate logistics efficiency. By creating prosperity, the royal family can make a fortune even by simply collecting tribute.

However, a major feature of the royal family headed by Rurik is that the royal family is actually the most powerful industrial owner and businessman in the entire Rus Kingdom and the entire northern world.

The three large ships arrived at the port of Tombstone Island in the wind and waves. Standing on the tower and enduring the sea breeze, the sentry patrolling on a daily basis saw the pangbo triangular sail and the high-hanging Ross flag from a distance.

The elderly Governor of Tombstone Island was surprised and tried to gather the people who were hiding at home in a daze.

The bronze bells and drums in the fortress were beating continuously as if they were attacked by an enemy. The messengers were running through the winding streets and shouting: "The king is coming! Get dressed quickly and go to the dock to greet him!"

The king is here?

In a mansion, a dying old man was helped by a waiter to stand up, and then he collapsed due to a strong headache.

This fat old man was dressed roughly, his face was pale, and his gray beard could not hide his dark age spots.

This old man is none other than the great businessman Gould.

Now, he can already foresee his own death...

The three large ships were successfully anchored in the natural shelter of Tombstone Island.

"It's weird, there aren't many boats here, what's going on?!"

Rurik was bemoaning, and it was Goedelund who pointed out: "The king always has more important things to deal with, ignoring that it is the Swedish autumn harvest, and merchant ships from all walks of life are going to the lake area to wait to transport food. For a while, here Naturally empty.”

After hearing his explanation, Rurik slapped his thigh: "Hey, I really forgot! It seems that I haven't visited my hometown for a long time."

Rurik thought a lot in an instant. This Tombstone Island buries the fallen soldiers from the first expedition of the Ross people thirteen years ago. Since then, Ross has officially started its expansion. The years are calm and ruthless. It is the most terrifying weapon and has taken away many old friends.

Today's weather was only slightly better than the previous few days. Feeling sad, he couldn't help but think of some old friends.

"Klavason, Gould, how are you? Especially you, Gould. You were weak in the summer. How are you recovering now?"