Chapter 1,141 Give Young People a Chance

Although the eldest nephew Askard is only thirteen years old, he is already tall enough. All that remains is to hope that he will grow tall and strong enough in a few years.

Meeting this nephew, a wonderful idea hatched in Rurik's mind.

He summoned the child himself. There was no one else in the house except Rurik, who was waiting quietly.

Askard, who was wearing thick clothes, was very happy to talk to his uncle intimately. As for what his uncle wanted to talk about, he could probably guess it.

But in terms of age, the age difference between Rurik and his nephew is only nine years. In the eyes of others, both uncle and nephew are very young in appearance.

You are really young, and you have experienced things that many old people have never experienced in their lives.

Are you willing to remain unknown and be a fisherman and farmer for the rest of your life? Or take up arms and go to distant places to explore and conquer in search of opportunities to make a fortune?

Many brave men choose the latter.

But it is undeniable that those who choose to fight are either so poor that they only have one life left before giving it a try, or they already have a lot of wealth and want to organize a more powerful force to seize greater benefits from afar.

Ross belonged to the former at the beginning of the period, and now he is the latter.

The young man passed the guard post alone. He was treated as a sword and walked into the room prepared by the king in the image of a young warrior.

He slowly opened the door, took off his velvet hat, struck his heart with his right fist and straightened his body to salute.

"Your Majesty."

The slightly dim oil lamp illuminated the young man's face clearly, and Rurik nodded with satisfaction: "I came at the right time. You don't need to call me king, just call me uncle."

"Yes! Uncle..."

"Take a seat. There are no outsiders here, no need to be polite. Let's seize this opportunity to have a good chat. Hey, let's talk about your affairs..."

"My business?" The confused Askard didn't hesitate to think that his uncle seemed to want to choose a marriage for him? Thinking of this, I feel really shy and excited.

He quickly approached Rurik and immediately sat cross-legged on the leather cushion, facing his uncle across the wooden table filled with candied fruits and dried meat.

"Drink some hot ale first to warm yourself up."

"All right."

After drinking the warm wine, Askard felt much better, and the joyful mood was written on his face: "Uncle, what is this big deal?"

"Of course it's your big deal."

"Hey? Could it be that uncle is planning to... promise me a woman to be my wife?"

"Oh? You actually think that?" Rurik was startled. He didn't think so at first, so he grabbed his beard and pinched it in thought: "It's not impossible. However, my nephew is born with a noble stomach and is ordinary. The peasant woman is not worthy of you."

"If...if she is the daughter of Boyar from a nearby village, I would actually be willing to accept it."

Askard's words were a little shy, and Rurik could see that this child, like himself, naturally had a strong desire once he reached an age when he was very interested in things between men and women. Rurik couldn't be too harsh on the boy on this issue, because King Rus's reputation for being lecherous was already well known, and there was nothing to be ashamed of.

"Hehe..." Rurik, who pinched his beard, thought a lot. This matter was not the theme of today's secret meeting: "Boy, you have grown up. You can win a beautiful woman as your wife by yourself, and even win the hearts of more female nobles. . But that’s not what you need right now.”

"Huh? So what do I need?"

"Glory! You need glory. Now!" This was the key point. Rurik suddenly beat his chest like a gorilla, and deliberately spoke in a deep voice: "You have to make meritorious service in the war and prove that you are true. man!"

"War! I want it all!"

I saw young Ascard clapped his thigh and stood up happily. He straightened his body and solemnly promised his uncle the king: "I am eager for war, and I want to take my brothers to make great achievements. I heard that in the past this area There is a big traitor, a guy named Vadim, who has fled to Smolensk. It is unreasonable for that evil man to raise his troops to attack us. I want to kill this man. According to what my father said, the man's body should be killed. The head is made into a drinking bowl.”

"Hey young?! You're so brave." Rurik was speechless for a moment. He didn't expect his nephew to be so strong. Wait a minute, everyone can tell lies, but has he remained calm on the battlefield?

In the War of 840, Askard proved that he could remain calm in the face of large-scale battles, but at that time he was part of a larger system. Would it be okay if this kid was given the opportunity to fight alone?

Young people need opportunities. Today, Rurik wants to give his nephew a chance. It's just that the target of attack mentioned by my nephew is not his own intention.

"You plan to attack Smolensk? Sit down first and let's talk slowly."

"As commanded."

Rurik whispered again, and he had to ask one more question: "Is it your own plan? I saw that the new infantry standard team has been training for a long time. This is Arik's idea. Could it be, attack Smolensk?" Is that also his idea?”

"In fact, including Aunt Carlotta, Uncle Fisk, and even those people from Kiev and Prairie, all have this plan."

"Oh?" What happened was beyond Rurik's expectation.

I just came back from the capital, and I plan to rest for a while before holding a meeting with the nobles to discuss the war. Have they already decided on a private strategy?

Wait a minute, I'm afraid this matter is actually more of the wishes of the Principality of Ostara.

The current stronghold in the south is no longer just Lukiholm (Great Luki), and the southernmost permanent stronghold is Vitebsk. In addition, Ross's troops have rushed all the way along the West Dvina River to the port city of Riga. Following the old pattern of violent beatings for those who resist and mercy for those who surrender, Ross has theoretically conquered the main body of Latvia.

These things can only be known through detailed discussions with Carlotta and others, not with my nephew today.

Rurik could not deny the plan to conquer Smolensk. Even if no one mentioned it, he would personally conquer it when the time came.

Clearly now is simply not the time.

Rurik spread his hands: "I will tell them. I have no intention of attacking Smolensk, at least not this year."

"Ah? Uncle..."

"You!" He stared at his nephew's face that suddenly looked a little disappointed. He stared at it for a while, then slowly became happy again, and subconsciously patted his nephew's face: "Boy, what's the point of attacking those savages? In my opinion, the real The brave hunter dares to kill the bear with his bare hands. Forget about attacking the enemies in the south, let's attack Frank."

"Could large-scale wars continue?"

"When will we survive? A whole year ago, we just signed a peace treaty with the Eastern Kingdom. Do you think this is peace? They are obviously very rich, and we still have many opportunities."

"But...we are not fighting the defeated king..."

"It's another king." Rurik corrected him sternly: "So I arranged an army to continue destruction in the west. Our new enemy is the Middle Kingdom and the most powerful king in Frankli. He is powerful and richer. . Moreover, by attacking him, we can get a lot of friendly support. My king’s plan is to send troops to intervene in their war, and I want to give you a chance to make a contribution. What do you think? Take your brothers or not."

"I go!"

"very good."

After all, Askard also participated in the Battle of the Elbe with the army. At that time, his only role was to serve as a crossbowman in the military formation. He was considered to have participated in the war, but because he did not fight like an ordinary soldier, he was not considered to have really participated in it, and the young man was deeply worried about this.

He agreed to his uncle's arrangement without even thinking, and only started asking for specific details after he finished speaking.

"You will combine with the warriors of the First Standard of the Standing Army, and about a thousand people will rush towards Nassau deep in the Rhine River. You will meet with the Black Fox Gouldson. Everything will be arranged by the king... …”

Rurik talked a lot. He answered his nephew's questions. He also hoped that the boy would remember clearly and tell Arik what he knew.

Thus, a brand new flag team was officially born.

The seventh flag team of the Kingdom, a flag team composed entirely of the new generation of Ross. The additional establishment is still 500 people, and the flag captain is assigned to Askard.

The biggest feature of this flag team is that the fathers of the members are all men from the old Ross tribe. Their fathers either died in battle or were still serving in the First Flag Corps.

In fact, the First and Second Banner Corps have been recruiting heavily after suffering heavy losses in the 840-year war. The recruits come from a variety of sources. The earliest batch of Russian mixed-race warriors have already joined them, and young people from other Swedish tribes have also joined them. Regardless of their origin, everyone's common identity is that they are Russians, and the language they speak is Norse.

Even the old Russians don't have much scruples about the maternal lineage of their children. Children of mixed blood are still Russians. It’s just that at that time, Rose’s marriage partners often came from the same Swedish race in Lake Mälaren, and the newborns must have golden hair. Now the situation has changed dramatically. Almost all of them are half Slavic, and the change in hair color has been very obvious.

None of this is a problem, everyone still speaks Norse and still believes in the seven main Nordic gods defined by Ross.

It is undeniable that they are indeed very different from the Swedish fellows living on the shores of Lake Mälaren. Whether they are really strong is also a matter of great concern.

There is no doubt that Rurik also used provocation over the identity of his nephew.

"Your mother was an ordinary Slavic peasant woman. Some people say that only pure northern warriors are truly powerful. This must be nonsense. But it is true that those who have done harm to you and even your younger brother My sisters all have doubts about this. It’s really unreasonable!”

To be fair, the bloodline issue can indeed be talked about. In the past, the old Russians also felt that the Slavic warriors were not very good, and leading them to fight was more of a gathering of troops.

The Third Standard was a purely Slavic military unit that gained respect for its ability to prove itself in war.

"Someone is making wild claims questioning my identity? Maybe I should challenge this person to a duel!"

"No need. You are the captain of the Seventh Banner appointed by this king, and you will also get a suitable title in the future. Listen, your origin determines that you are weaker than some nobles. Don't be depressed, you are the real Men, you should fight for glory and wealth by yourself. This year there will be a big fight against the forces of the Middle Kingdom. Maybe you can snatch a noble aristocratic woman from the west as your wife, and seize a large number of gold and silver coins. You will have a chance to become famous in one battle! "

Rurik drew a fantastic picture of a soldier for his nephew. The brat was completely convinced and started gearing up.

…

Because of the war plan revealed by Rurik, Carlota, Fisk, Arik, and other nobles staying in Novgorod were either mentally prepared or already preparing for war.

On the other hand, the brothers Blue Fox and Red Fox followed the king to Novgorod with only a small entourage. The brothers knew the king's strategy. They came here to see the new army prepared by the king for the Western Expedition and to investigate the current situation of the local textile industry.

Most of the Flanders wool is sold directly to Cologne, and the good quality part is transported thousands of miles to Novgorod.

The brothers were already frightened by the prosperous local textile industry, because the goods they shipped were sold out in a short time, and the textile raw materials fell into the hands of buyers immediately to start spinning operations.

This is true in state-run garment factories, and it is also true in people's homes.

The difference is that northern families such as Russia focus more on leather textiles, while Slavic families focus on wool and linen textiles.

Although it is cold winter, every Slavic person basically has a workshop. Although the daylight hours are short, the women and children at home burn the midnight oil and work at night.

Advanced textile machine technology has not yet spread to Eastern Europe, and people still hold on to the oldest set of primitive textile machines. The women sit on leather cushions, use their hands and feet to open the loom, and hold the shuttle with their heads raised for frequent threading operations. Its production efficiency is very slow, but the huge actual demand has forced all the laborers in the family to work together, even children as young as four or five years old have to help.

In the past, the population of the area surrounding Yin'ermen Lake was only one-tenth of its current size. Nowadays, large-scale land reclamation movements have demonstrated strong production capabilities and remarkable agricultural results.

Not only the population of the Rus is expanding, but also the Slavs, the most populous people in the region, are expanding at an equally rapid rate.

Human beings need food and clothing to live, and reclamation requires not only large areas of wheat fields from lakes and forests, but also large areas of flax fields and pastures for sheep.

Leather clothing made from the leather of large livestock is still expensive for ordinary families, while soft linen clothing is much cheaper. Ordinary families can simply complete the entire process from flax planting to final weaving by themselves.

Each village adheres to the ancient agricultural customs of the community. They collectively reclaim wasteland and plant it collectively, setting aside a batch of newly reclaimed fields with poor fertility to grow flax. After harvesting, the whole village, young and old, come together to process it. In the end, it is they who spin clothing for themselves. used and the surplus sold. Faced with the increasing demand for textiles from all walks of life, people are very enthusiastic about production. Winter, which is supposed to be a time for rest, is also used. It can be said that every household is a handicraft workshop.

The more this happens, the more raw materials are needed. Novgorod is in urgent need of sources of raw materials and a sales market.

Linen is used as a lining, and a large amount of cheap squirrel skin is sewn together, or squirrel hair is used as filling to make a unique cotton coat, becoming affordable winter clothing for ordinary people.

Villages also continue to maintain old traditions. They collect a variety of grass leaves and grind them into juice to dye defatted and decolorized twine. Different colors of twine are blended with skillful hands to continue to make colorful striped clothes with local characteristics.

Among them, the fabric with alternating blue and white stripes has become a new fashion favorite.

The clothes sewn with it are called sea soul shirts. According to the king, warriors wearing such clothes can better conquer the ocean. By extension, it has become a victory robe like an amulet.

The people already know the news that the king plans a new war, and the general public can make a fortune by taking advantage of the special needs of the war.

On the surface, the ice and snow suppressed the people's enthusiasm for life, but in fact, in the smoke-filled woodcarving rooms, all kinds of people were working.

Blue Fox and Red Fox traveled around in a reindeer sleigh. The two businessmen were very concerned about the commercial value of this place. The businessman's instinct drove them to make a clear judgment: this place has huge human and material resources and huge wealth.

Being restricted by the king to develop here, Blue Fox made a personal inspection to see the real situation, which inevitably caused a trace of dissatisfaction in his heart.

It's hard for him to say anything. He's here just for tourism.

The most important thing was to get in touch with the king's new army. The original plan was to form a new flag force as soon as the king arrived, and along with the standing army, form a thousand-man army and rush to the west.

The current situation is very good, the new flag team already exists, and the flag leader is still the kid Askard. The flag team will be recognized by the king. As for whether they can make great achievements in Nassau? It should be possible.

Fortunately, the king has already arranged the next insurance, and the standing army will also be divided into a strong force. It is already very clear who will fight.