White Tree Manor is the second richest. After all, it has a population of two thousand people, even in an era when the level of material production was low. A natural village with so many people united by the blood of a common ancestor can still produce some surplus wealth.
They should have used the surplus of wealth to make their lives better, or use these materials to raise more children.
The Rus came with their axes and swords.
White Tree Manor is like a sheep. After working hard to gain wool, all of it was sheared away by the Russians.
In this regard, the chairman of the bank, Rigus, had nothing to do.
The Ross people come here twice a year, but the people from Pine Needle Manor can be seen every three to five days.
If it had not been oppressed by Pine Needle Manor, how could White Tree Manor settle in a place still seven kilometers away from Lake Ilmen in a straight line?
In fact, the fertile farmland by the lake has been occupied by the people of Pine Needle Manor. It is impossible for White Tree Manor to reverse its disadvantage in the competition by relying on its own strength.
The current White Tree Manor not only has to pay tribute to the Russians twice a year. This routine of collecting tributes was also learned by Pine Needle Manor.
The Pine Needles Manor imitated the Ross people's tribute strategy. They had a large number of people and were the targets of the Ross people's exploitation. In order to recover the losses, after the Ross people left, it was the Pine Needles tribe's turn to circle around Lake Ilmen to collect them. Tribute. This tribute to Pine Needle Manor was not much, and leaving it to them, White Tree Manor has always felt strongly insulted.
Each family in White Tree Manor provides a fortune, which is finally calculated by the manor head's family and finally handed over to the Ross people.
The head of the estate, Ligus, is a tax collector serving the Russians in a real sense.
What the Russians were plundering was not just the wealth of the manor chief's family, but the wealth of the entire manor residents.
The most powerful family of the manor has inherited the position of the manor hereditary since ancient times. There are also direct descendants of the manor who inherit this position, and other manor members are branches. They all think that the head of the manor and his family are noble people, and their lives are just like this every day. Now it can be said that ordinary people do whatever the head of the manor wants them to do.
As for the head of the manor who took the tributes from other families and packaged them to the Russians, but did not hand over a single copper coin himself, ordinary families either did not have such a concept, or simply ignored it because they had nowhere to vent their dissatisfaction.
Each manor probably continued to develop in this way, and the manor eldest family of each manor had truly become aristocrats.
So who are the Russians? Of course he is the noblest among the nobles!
Due to such factors, it is the right choice for a large number of ordinary people to choose to hide.
The bad news of the arrival of the Russians reached the ears of the manor director Rigus. This "old man", who was several years younger than Otto, suddenly stood up from his bearskin seat, and his aging body seemed to be falling apart.
"Where are they?!"
"Russians have taken to the streets," one of his nephews replied cautiously.
"It's really bad. You go and inform Medved and ask him to come to me. Others, get ready and go with me to meet the Russians. Oh! I hope those Russians can search less."
After a while, a man in his thirties named Medved stood in front of the manor leader Ligus. This man was the eldest son of Ligus and the next generation of manor leader.
Ligus had many children, but this son was the eldest. Nowadays, Ligus doesn't think he can successfully live past the age of sixty. Perhaps it is the right choice to transfer the power to manage the entire manor to his eldest son as early as possible.
Rigus still has great appeal, but he must personally participate in any major events.
Especially the relationship with the Rus people, for at least ten years, the great chief named Otto came twice a year. Ordinary people believe that it was the correct negotiation by the manor director Ligus that prevented the White Tree Manor from suffering a bloody disaster for more than ten years.
The old Rigus is already fifty years old, and his figure is already a bit stooped. He usually uses a walking stick to walk around.
He also lost a lot of teeth, and his old jaw could no longer resist the dry and hard ribs. On weekdays, he could only eat some pulpy wheat porridge and wait quietly for the end of his life.
Now, the leader of the Rus people suddenly arrived!
He quickly put on his decent clothes. Considering that it was still a little cold outside, he had to put a big bearskin hat on his head and a black bearskin coat on his body.
Wearing bearskin clothing can make a man look very powerful, but unfortunately, this good clothing does not reflect much on an aging person.
People from the core family of the manor gathered behind Ligus, and the children of the family also joined them.
Seeing the manor head and his family walking out of their well-built wooden house, other people also came out of their homes.
There were dark clouds again in the evening, and Otto really didn't like this bad weather.
But in the eyes of the people in White Tree Manor, the dark clouds these days are indeed a bad omen!
No, the Russian army searching for wealth came accompanied by billowing dark clouds.
The Russians held their own swords and shields, and each of them wore an iron helmet covering half of their face. Everyone wore leather armor, including some fierce men wearing chainmail.
Their tall image was the most frightening. Every time he saw such a large army marching on the dirt streets of White Tree Manor, Ligus himself was always very afraid.
Because as long as the Ross people are willing, they can easily wipe out the entire manor and finally burn all the houses.
Ligus calmed down and signaled his eldest son to calmly take care of the other family members, Cheng Yan, and then walked forward with firm eyes, intending to face the leader of the Ross people in person. A follower who knew some Norse followed.
People are indeed different. Ligus can't imagine that the leader of the Ross people is actually older than him. He felt that he was about to die of old age. The other person's posture was the same as last autumn. He was still a tall and strong man, with strong arms and a gray beard that proved his aging.
Ligus trembled his mouth and slowly raised his head: "Great Chief Ross, we welcome you."
Ligus was very familiar with some words of respect spoken in Norse, and his respect satisfied Otto.
"Rigus, I thought you were going to die of old age. After a winter, you are still alive!" Otto said deliberately and contemptuously.
The entourage quickly translated Otto's words. These remarks made Rigus quite disgusted, so what could be done?
Ligus deliberately complimented: "It must be God's will, allowing me to continue living, just to continue to serve the great Russians."
"Haha! You are good at talking! Now lead me the way. I want to go to your residence and talk to you about this year's events."
"As you command, great leader."
Ligus turned around and wanted to lead the way, but was stopped by Otto in a hurry.
"Wait! There's something you have to solve for me now."
"As you command, my leader." Ligus murmured in his heart, but on the surface he was still extremely submissive.
"Very well, I want you to house my people. All of us will stay at your manor tonight."
"Ah?!" Ligus was stunned subconsciously, and his crutch fell to the ground.
The servant quickly picked up the walking stick and put it into Ligus' trembling hand.
"Aren't you happy? Or..." As he spoke, Otto's eyes showed a dangerous look. He held the sword hilt with his right hand and quietly pulled out a blade as a threat.
"I do! We all will, but I'm worried..."
"Stop your worries, I won't embarrass your people too much." Otto's sword returned to its scabbard, and his expression became kind again. "Compared to other manors, you are the most cooperative. White Tree Manor is a tamed dog, and other manors are only half tamed. In this way, give us some vacant wooden houses, and my people will live in them. You can also see Come, this bad weather is going to rain, if my people get wet, you will be responsible."
Ligus quickly understood and nodded. He quickly explained: "We have some vacant barns, and I hope the great Russians can appreciate them. I will also provide the food your people need. If you need women to serve you, , I will also...will try my best to be satisfied."
The groveling look of this old guy made Otto look down on him, but to be fair, this old guy did a good job of saving the lives of his people.
Otto nodded: "You are a loyal dog. I want you to give my people a pound of bread immediately. As for women, we need women. This matter is very important. I will give it myself in a moment." You explain."
The man is a swordsman and the fish is a piece of meat. Ligus is so humble and humble in order to ensure the existence of the manor.
Of course, his humiliating image made some young men of White Tree Manor quite dissatisfied.
Fight back? forget it. You dare to attack the Russians after weighing the stone hammer and spear in your hand? Provoking them is a recipe for destruction.
Of course, Otto knew the fear of these weak people.
The intimidation of swords and axes has come to an end, and now some sweet reassurance is needed.
Otto clapped his hands, and the crowd of Ross people quickly made a way, and some heavily armed young men from the Ross tribe came out leading their pregnant wives.
Among them was Peravina, who approached Otto very wisely.
"Look, Rigus, we keep our promise. These are the women of your White Tree Manor, and they are already pregnant with our Ross children. We treat them well!"
"Yes..." Ligus was really surprised at this moment, and the onlookers were also surprised.
It’s not surprising that a woman is pregnant, she just seems to change from a skinny woman to a skinny woman with a big belly.
These pregnant women are really different. They have all gained a lot of weight and their faces are rare and rosy.
The parents of some women were among the crowd of onlookers. They recognized their married daughters at a glance and were filled with joy.
Young men from the Ross tribe who originally had to pay huge chips to get married, paid a small amount of silver coins to get beauties, and they became fathers one after another. Of course such a man would not treat his wife badly! They would give their wives the fat livers of the big fish they caught, and they would also try to provide their wives with the fat and large pieces of fresh meat from the seals.
This kind of diet is completely different from Novgorod. What a farmer lacks most is fat. In just half a year after marrying into the Rus tribe, they ate more salt and fat than they had eaten in the previous ten years. . They are basically ordered by their husbands to stay in their warm homes and wait out the cold winter.
After one winter, there must be fat in the diet every year. How can they not get fat? !
In this era, a chubby body was recognized as proof of a good life.
Seeing the sisters of the same race whom they had married, some women from the manor poked their heads out from the crowd of onlookers and actually looked envious!
Darkness soon enveloped the land of the main film, and at dawn, bad news about the arrival of the Russians had begun to spread in various estates in Novgorod.
Not surprisingly, the main purpose of the Russians this time was to collect tribute and at most marry a few women. In order to stay safe, it is obviously necessary to bear the pain and cut the flesh.
Various estates have begun final counting of tributes to buy peace from the Rus.
But here at White Tree Manor, tonight's situation is indeed unique.
After all, it is spring, and many of the once-busy barns have turned into empty wooden houses. There are a large number of wheat fields near the manor. According to Novgorod's agricultural concept, the wheat seedlings are growing well. As long as you continue to wait until the end of August in the Julian calendar, you can harvest the wheat.
Many Russians, who had been rowing for a long time, now wanted to take a good rest first, so they quickly poured into the barns provided by White Tree Manor, and then lay down on the wooden floor in a mess.
Completely different from the Rus', the Novgorod region has more water network structures. In winter, this area is basically frozen, and in spring and summer, the frozen soil becomes muddy again.
All houses in White Tree Manor are built by first laying a large number of wooden piles, and then laying wooden floors and building wooden walls.
They also sleep on their own wooden beds, often laying some yellow and dry reeds for comfort. Then the family cuddles up on a wooden bed and sleeps fully clothed.
This is true for ordinary families. The most powerful Ligus family has the financial resources to build a real manor for himself. For safety, there is also a wooden fence to protect you!
The wooden wall was not to ward off the Rus or any other enemy, it was to ward off wild animals.
Even Baishu Manor, a large settlement with two thousand people, encountered the presence of wolves and bears.
Most of Otto's men, who were resting in the barn, began to eat the dried fish they had brought with them. Soon, the women from the White Tree Manor came with a large number of bread cubes, and they dropped the bags filled with rye bread. The sack ran away quickly, as if he would be caught by them if he ran too late, and it would be difficult to predict what would happen next.
Most young people have no attitude towards a group of older local women. Many of them really want to choose a woman to be their wife in Novgorod. Of course, they must choose a young and beautiful wife!
As for the pregnant White Tree Manor women who returned, they took their Russian husbands back to their natal homes without hesitation.
Novgorod has its own culture of weddings and funerals, and so do the Russians. Even though the Rus' culture places a lot of emphasis on fighting and expansion, they still like to love and be loved.
When they returned to their wife's home, they felt like they were home. The father-in-law, mother-in-law, and the wife's brothers and sisters from her mother's family had close contact with a Russian son-in-law, and their grudges quickly dissipated.
And when they take out one or two pieces of not-so-good amber as a gift, they can immediately make their parents-in-law happy.
Their joy was justifiable.
The Russian son-in-law took out some amber of poor quality as a property for his wife's family to supplement their living expenses.
Let's look at this amber. If you sell it at a low price in Smolensk in the south, you can make a lot of money, and then exchange it for some necessary rations locally. The tribute quota distributed by the estate to all families was worth less than a piece or two of amber.
Some families even rush to sell their young daughters to their sons-in-law, hoping to set up a marriage soon. In addition to the fact that the daughters will indeed have a materially comfortable future, marrying a daughter seems to be a long-term success. get benefits.
The tribute distributed was fifty pounds of rye or oats.
Compared with the poor agricultural conditions here in Novgorod, the wheat harvested from an area of 15 meters by 15 meters can generally only reach about 100 pounds, which is the so-called 80 kilograms. The people of Novgorod do not fertilize their fields, and most use primitive irrigation systems to draw water from lakes in dry years. As for how much wheat can be harvested, it all depends on fate.
In order to achieve this one hundred pounds, they still need to invest thirty pounds of wheat seed.
A family will tend their own field with an area of up to 20 acres, because the wooden plow only gnaws out grooves, and a large number of seeds are scattered casually. The children of the family then use wooden rakes to level the grooves, and the sowing is completed.
After sowing the seeds, they hardly care about it anymore. During the long slack period, they just raise some sheep and chickens to supplement their family income.
It is incredible to hope for a good harvest by farming in such a rough way.
However, their agriculture is enough to sustain themselves. Apart from the annual tribute of one hundred pounds of wheat to the Russians and the sown grain, on average, the family's full day ration can barely exceed three pounds. Save some and add wild vegetables. and mushrooms, some goat's milk, cow's milk and eggs, and even fishing, life was not too hard.
This night, the Russians had three different situations.
Those who lived in dry barns wrapped themselves in animal skins and fell asleep shortly after eating their bread. They don't feel any embarrassment at all about sleeping like this, because in their hometown, their wooden houses don't even have wooden floors.
Those Russians who lived in their wives' natal families immediately received the support of their parents-in-law and their families as if they were heroes because of the gifts they presented.
As for Otto, he and several of his important subordinates entered Ligus' "mansion" surrounded by wooden walls as a master, and sat in the meeting hall lit by oil lamps in White Tree Manor.
After Otto performed in front of the public the performance of eating a boiled chicken with five mouthfuls, he then burped and told the whole story about the tribute requirements of White Tree Manor.
Tip: Enter "giant panda literature" in the search engine to find this site, thank you.
Chapter 140 The groveling person
