In the early morning, the noise of the tribe woke up the sleeping children.
The sun has risen, purely out of habit. As the commander of the "Valkyrie Legion", Carlotta is naturally controlled by a precise biological clock. Her awakening also led Rurik to slowly sit up with his groggy body. .
Carlotta looked affectionate, approached Rurik and said in a coquettish tone: "My leader, it's time to go to training. In fact, everyone has been looking forward to your return for a long time."
"Really? Oh, yes! I have something to say after meeting them properly." Rurik patted his face vigorously. Only when he woke up did he finally realize that everything was not a dream, everything was real. , he was lying on his bed at home, and his mother was looking at him with gentle eyes.
Niya pretended to be angry and said: "Your father simply forgot where his home is because of the carnival. Don't worry about him, I will prepare a meal for you now."
It is said that Niya prepared it herself, but in fact, she asked the servant to cook it herself.
Remember those five poor Britten women Rurik bought from Gould?
Those five women had beliefs that seemed strange to the locals. Many people saw them worshiping at some wooden sticks tied with hemp ropes. It is said that the Franks also did the same thing.
Gould knew that his two pregnant Brittany slave girls had the same problem. He believed more in gold coins and silver coins and it didn't matter to him, but some of his servants had a disdainful view of it.
Gould understood a lot. For example, as long as they were given the opportunity to do some "sacrificial" activities, people would feel at ease and go to work.
After all, they were Rurik's slaves. No, it was a good deal to be recruited by Niya as a full-time cook, and the price was to ensure that they did not starve to death.
Niya only gave them a few verbal instructions, such as cooking wheat porridge, processing flour with a stone grinding stick, baking bread in a clay oven, or washing clothes (naturally using soap). They were full-time handymen who spent their daily lives. Live a somewhat poor life but never go hungry.
Niya didn't interfere with the fact that they knelt down and prayed every morning before the strangely interlaced sticks.
Rurik noticed from the beginning that those women were "lambs of the Lord" and perhaps they could be put to better use, but not now.
He thought that he still had a parchment book "Exodus" in his hand. Maybe they would find it dreamy.
The leather door curtain was opened, and Rurik knocked on the wooden wall very casually, waking up the sleeping brother and sister Tyravis, and also woke up Rumia and her longing "sister" of the same race.
"How long are you two going to sleep? You're going out to eat."
This scene is like the eldest son in the family asking his brothers and sisters to get up. Rurik feels that it is very reasonable and should be an ordinary thing. For Taravis and Saipolava, it can be called a kind of magic. .
The brother and sister's bare feet stepped onto simple boots, and Rurik threw over brand-new linen-lined clothes and brand-new leather jackets.
Rurik said with a smile: "Put on these clothes, you will all wear these from now on. From now on you will be Russians."
Rurik actually said casually, "You will be Russians from now on", which made them tremble. Because his master didn't notice anything, this tender gesture made Taravis suddenly uncomfortable.
What makes this pair of siblings even more incomprehensible is that they need to clearly understand what underwear is, what autumn pants are, and what leather pants are, and even a slightly tight-fitting leather jacket.
Rurik just took into account the existing tailoring level of the Ross tribe, organized a group of women with good skills, paid them wages and asked them to make a batch of clothes of the same style, so as to ensure that his children have uniform clothing. . He really knows that uniforms have unexpected magic power for a group to maintain cohesion.
This brother and sister wore pants for the first time. Under Rurik's personal guidance, they put on clothes that were quite similar to Rurik's. Finally, they simply changed into high-top leather boots with a slightly crude workmanship. They even wore Socks made of finer linen sewn together.
In fact, in order to create such "modern" clothing, Rurik paid a lot of money. Due to such strange order requirements, the tailoring skills of the women he recruited have improved in practice.
The clothes worn by the brother and sister were all made by the hard-working hands of the tribe's tailors in the two months since Rurik left.
So much so that all of Rurik's men wore similar clothes. Even the warm and comfortable clothes are given by "big brother", and there is no question of loyalty.
The brother and sister, who had changed their clothes, interacted with each other. Taravis gained a heroic spirit, and Cyberlawi with long braids also became a capable girl.
The two left the room and were immediately shocked by the sight in front of them.
It was a large low table with a large number of silver plates and even two transparent glass plates on it. The plates contained some sliced meat and some wheat cakes. There was also a pottery vat, from which came an aroma that lured gluttons, but it was actually a greasy stew of onions, carrots, cabbage and a little seal fat.
Is this the real food and drink of the Russian people? And their dreamy tableware.
The two sisters stayed where they were, but Lumia's little sister Lumi didn't notice at all. The innocent little girl stretched out her hand to grab the barley cake, grabbed it and ate it.
Telavis didn't expect that Rurik was not angry at all. How could a servant be so bold? !
Rurik sat down casually, glanced at the two people who were dazed, and said in the language of deer herders: "You two, don't be dazed. Sit down and eat. Don't think what you see now is incredible. I treat you as one of my own. Only then will I allow you to live in my home. Do you two really think you are lowly slaves? Now sit down for me."
Travis's nose was sore. He sat cross-legged and subconsciously picked up the wheat cake and ate it vigorously. He cried while gnawing. This scene attracted the attention of all the people at the table.
Niya herself was resistant to the sudden arrival of such an outsider child in her home. Since Rurik insisted on doing this, Niya had nothing to say.
"My son, is your new manservant a fool who still cries?"
Rurik shrugged, "I understand how he feels to a certain extent. He simply cannot imagine the abundance of our lives."
"Really? I hope you can always be loyal to you."
"He will."
Rurik no longer wanted to say anything. He didn't need Tyravis to use words to reiterate his loyalty. Rurik already knew in his heart that the existence of Telavis was not only a servant, but also a hostage, and also a future talent that should be focused on training. First of all, what Rurik thought of was to use the child's archery skills, and secondly, to train him to become one of the leaders of the Kovin tribe who was completely loyal to the leader of Ross.
Therefore, it is necessary to show them the Ross-style life, make them envious, make them desire to have the same life themselves, and make their values consistent with the Ross tribe. In this way, they are Russians!
Let the Kovin people slowly turn into New Rus's, and let all the conquered tribes turn into New Rus's. This is what Rurik intends to accomplish.
Through the child's determined eyes covered with tears, Rurik had already sensed Terravis's interpretation of loyalty.
Maybe Rurik, who has been wandering in the ice field for nearly two months, needs a few days of sleep when he returns. A strong sense of responsibility drove his weak yet extremely strong body to stand up and lead his young subordinates to continue their winter training in the winter.
The unprecedented meal shocked the Terravis brothers and sisters. They were allowed to enjoy the meal, and their stomachs were extremely full. After eating a full meal, everyone felt energetic, as if the fatigue of yesterday's journey was already far away.
Compared to the Terravis brothers and sisters who only used wooden spoons to eat porridge and soup, Rurik's ability to use two wooden sticks to accurately hold pieces of meat and stuff it into his mouth made Terravis curious and at the same time, he I am also thinking about some things in my mind.
The boy seemed to be possessed by miracles.
The boy was of high status.
So, what can I do?
Before Tyravis could think about it for long, Rurik decisively announced the next arrangement.
Rurik pointed at the brothers and sisters: "I will call my brothers soon. Tyravis, you are an excellent archer. I need you to help me train more archers."
"Master...I...can I?" The boy was a little flattered.
"This is what you have to do. I am optimistic about your ability, otherwise I will not reward you with such a meal. And you, Saipolava." Rurik pointed his hand directly at the younger sister: "I heard You also know archery? Very good. I will incorporate you into my Valkyrie Legion. Even if you are a woman, when there is a war, you will need to go out with a bow and arrow, just like you guard your own mountain fortress."
Saipolava's face was a little stiff, because Yuryrik's words reminded her of the horror of the battlefield, and she couldn't help but feel sad.
Rurik had no intention of scaring the girl. He continued to emphasize: "You are not cowards, you are just too weak. Now you can only become strong by accepting my command. You must pick up the bow and arrow and accept my training, otherwise you will be disloyal." .”
Saibolavi was stunned on the spot. She actually knew that she was betrothed to this confident and beautiful boy, but what the boy said was really cruel.
Her heart was filled with the innocence of a child, even after seeing blood. The first thing she received from this cute squirrel was strong mental stimulation. She did not become very determined like her brother.
She didn't like fighting, and she didn't even like catching squirrels. She just wanted to play with those small animals, and then went to the tribe's shaman to listen to the female shaman's imitation of the calls of birds and beasts, as well as psychic things.
Maybe Saipolava is more suitable to follow Rumia and become a priest.
But Rurik just wanted to turn this "concubine" into a reliable female warrior.
In this case, Carlotta, the commander of the Valkyrie Legion, was naturally moved out by Rurik.
"Carlotta!"
"exist!"
"This is Saipolava. Her name is Squirrel. She will be your sister from now on. You will train her in archery. Do you understand?"
Carlotta knew the identities of the children who were invited to serve under the leader. She also simply believed that although the former Ostara tribe and the gray squirrel tribe of the Kovin people spoke different languages, the strength of both sides should be the same.
Carlotta felt that the brother and sister could be considered "noble people" in distress, so they naturally received preferential treatment from Rurik. She nodded deeply, indicating that she would do things well.
Rurik quickly made things clear.
He sighed and stood up quickly: "Now, I want to gather the brothers, and I want everyone to know that I am back. I also want them to meet the new brothers!"
According to Rurik's own rules, children will not receive collective military training during the long winter.
Special occasions required exceptions. In the morning, Rurik sent people to inform the idlers wandering in the tribe's complicated and winding streets, telling their children that "boss" Rurik had issued a summons order.
Many boys suddenly had great fun in their boring winter lives. They quickly put on the uniform uniforms issued to them, brought special wooden shields, wooden swords, and even some wooden bows, and gathered at the door of Rurik's leader's house.
Some girls moved a little slower. After finishing their sewing work, they dressed up and left the house like little female warriors, carrying wooden bows and arrows.
All the poor families, their young boys and girls, all accepted Rurik's favor, that is, the favor of the chief. They were rewarded with some grain and leather, and a group of idle women were also asked to do some manual work. Rurik would also pay a small amount of money or goods for this, but it was a timely help.
With this blessing, the children were taught by their parents to first be loyal to Rurik, and secondly to perform their best in order to gain more rewards for themselves and their family.
Rurik didn't wait long. An army of three hundred children gathered in front of the leader's house. Their standard leather boots also crushed all the snow in front of the door into soldiers.
Hundreds of people wore the same clothes and hats, and they all held weapons made of wood.
Rurik stood on the wooden steps at the door. He pulled out his dagger and raised it high. Then he chanted and the originally disorganized team quickly began to line up in an orderly column.
At this moment, Carlotta and Ella, two girls, also put on velvet hats and joined the team.
Rurik looks completely like a king. Perhaps he should also wear a crown to further enliven this majestic atmosphere.
The small empty space in front of the door was filled with Ross's children. In the eyes of adults, these naughty boys who were good at picking up thatch on the roof and girls who were obedient to work were difficult to train. As a result, they were the same age as them. Rurik has trained them into a neat team.
Every time they line up neatly, it is an interesting story for the ordinary people of the Ross tribe. Everyone is saying that these children are incredible, and even one of the girls will be a legendary female warrior in ten years.
Of course, many people ridicule that in ten years' time all girls will become mothers. Some people also seriously estimate that a strong and brave mother will give birth to an even braver boy.
A large number of tribesmen gathered, and the older people saw Rose's future. The younger people wished that their young children would grow up quickly so that they could accept Rurik's training. Not only do children become extremely well-behaved through training, but there is also a very essential economic reason for this - as long as there is training today, the wealthy chief family will reward the participating children with a meal that they will never be able to finish. Feast.
"Okay! Everyone! Stand like red pine!" Rurik gave the order, and all the boys and girls stood at attention. Everyone present heard the uniform sound of boots coming together.
"Take a break!"
With an order, the three hundred people moved their right legs half their bodies to the right in a group, and their shoulders, which were as tight as pine trees, relaxed.
The scene fell into an eerie silence, with only the tribal men and women watching pointing and talking and laughing.
Rurik saw many familiar figures here, including Fisk, Kanuf, and several potential future strongmen.
All the mercenaries also gathered here, and they also lined up in neat teams. However, compared to the children's extremely determined eyes, most of the mercenaries' expressions were a bit stretched. This is not surprising. The mercenaries left behind are basically simple coolies. They have to carry axes and cut wood all day long to ensure the operation of many stoves, including the firewood for cooking. The mercenaries who participated in the operation had always been highly tense, but now they suddenly relaxed. Elite warriors like Yevro, who had not received a good rest, were now a little depressed.
Take a few more glances!
Of course, Rurik is most concerned about his young subordinates. Regardless of whether they are male or female, they are all his subordinates. In the foreseeable future, they will marry on a large scale.
This is Rurik's plan. He wants to create a praetorian guard for himself, an existence that is in a "community of destiny" with the leader.
He took a deep breath: "Brothers! Sisters! I'm back! I summoned you today just to see you!
I see that you are all healthy and have become stronger. However, I also think that some people have eaten too much seal oil and have become sluggish seals! "
These words caused many children who lacked jokes in their lives to burst into laughter. Even the tribesmen who were watching started laughing and making fun of Rurik for being so funny.
Rurik stretched out his hands and commanded a pause in the hilarity with a downward gesture.
"This time we explored the north and the east. Do you know where it is? Now..."
Finally, at this moment, Rurik pulled the Taravis sisters, who had been dumbfounded, in front of him.
"My brothers, these two people are from the Eastern Land. He is a Corvin, the people we met for the first time. Now all the Corvin people have joined us Rus. These two people will also be you in the future. My brothers are your sisters. In the future, we will also add a group of Kovin children or children from other tribes to our team."
In fact, Rurik's biggest worry is always that due to differences in ethnicity and language, his subordinates will naturally form small groups and fight against each other. It’s best not to have that outcome happen! Rurik feels that if they grow together and develop a comradeship in training and even in fierce battles in the future, their friendly relationship will last forever.
Rurik could not estimate the distant future, such as the scene one hundred or two hundred years later. However, since the Rus have conquered northern Finland, the area must always be the territory of the Rus.
Liurikon introduced Terravis again: "Look at this man, do you think he is a little short and a little unattractive? If you think so, you are wrong. He is a marksman and can accurately shoot thirty strikes. His shot hit the standing sword hilt. He is a better archer than all of you, and I will ask him to teach you the art of archery."
Rurik's determination was highly praised by everyone. After all, for them, starting from the time before winter last year, archery with a wooden bow has become a game that both boys and girls like. Of course boys like archery, but because they have the responsibility to become berserkers in close combat, they are required to learn a series of professional fighting martial arts.
Both children were introduced. As for the Terravis brother and sister, who are really as good at archery as Rurik boasted, everyone still needs to see for themselves.
One of Rurik's important purposes was to gather a large number of children on a cold day, announce his triumphant return and review them. Introducing the Taravis siblings is a very small purpose.
Another important purpose was the faint feeling of worry that flashed in Rurik's heart. He felt that his time was really important. Although he could not expect his children to grow up quickly to five or six years old, due to the special current situation, , children must grow up as early as possible, even if they are only twelve or thirteen years old, Rurik does not believe it. He usually orders them to eat a lot of fish and meat, but now they also need to eat wheat. At that age, they can become more mature. strong.
Rurik's worry was nothing else.
The new spring is here in more than a month, and he feels that the temperature rise this year is a little slower. However, the Russians, who were originally huddled in the northern fjords, opened Pandora's box last year and suddenly became willing to expand on a large scale. The actions of expansion and revenge still coexist, and the Russians have to pay two prices. This has led to the Russians' aggressive militarization over the past year, which has resulted in the sacrifice of as many as a hundred warriors with pure Russian blood. The price of their sacrifices is of course the Russians. The territory has been greatly expanded, but the dead elite warriors will not be resurrected.
Before the young warriors grow up, how can the Russians withstand such an attrition of troops? Even though a large number of foreigners joined the Rus tribe, they were mostly women and children. As for recruiting mercenaries, Rurik didn't think that most of the soldiers were as loyal as Jevro.
If five hundred elite warriors were lost, the Ross tribe would be seriously injured.
Rurik estimated that he would not be able to persuade Otto, his old and successful father, to ask him to be more restrained in his "Russian expansion" for the time being, especially to avoid direct armed conflicts with foreign nations. Thinking about it, this kind of thing is difficult to do, because they are the purest Russians. Once the desire to conquer is aroused, it is difficult to stop.
Faced with this situation, all Rurik could think of was training his men.
The most important thing he wants to announce is to resume training early.
"Brothers, spring is coming! I want you to get rid of the seal oil on your body through training. I want to see your strong figure. In the future, I will take you when you grow up to continue to expand the territory of our Ross people. !Go and conquer more tribes!”
The atmosphere had been ignited, and the staring Fisk suddenly raised his wooden sword and shouted: "Ula Liurik! Ula!"
The sound of Ula immediately roared like a mountain roaring and a tsunami roaring. No one knew the exact meaning of "Ula". In short, everyone roared this word in a strong snapping tone at the same time, which was really inspiring. The children fell into passionate narcissism, and they had all kinds of feelings for their leader Rurik. Longing, and full of curiosity about what to eat for lunch.
After all, this is the rule. Rurik calls everyone together and just takes care of the food.
