. The first night gradually fell, and Rurik, who had personally participated in the labor and set an example, also ended his work of transporting fine wood parts.
During the whole afternoon of construction, Rurik did not help much. Facing the so-called settlement that turned into a huge construction site, he was full of hope for the future. But now, the messy scene of the construction site is really unbearable!
He felt that there were scattered wooden workpieces that needed to be used everywhere. "At night, I should just run and put them on to sleep? The longships have pulled them up anyway."
A large number of bonfires had been burning all afternoon, and the large number of extra branches naturally became excellent fuel. It was simply the heat from the bonfire that caused the ground near it to dry out.
A group of women from the gray squirrel tribe manage a group of pottery urns baked by the fire and cook the wheat inside. The action of making porridge lasted for a long time. When the afternoon work was over, the tired people got the reward they had dreamed of!
What people saw in their eyes was that Rurik really did not break his promise. Everyone ate the cooked oatmeal, including some guys with big appetites, whose stomachs were full of mushy wheat.
The fishermen who followed also landed on Rurik's new settlement, which was said to be named "Ellon Castle". They brought a catch, but unfortunately it wasn't much.
The fishermen expressed their regrets to Rurik one after another. Seeing the few herrings they sold at low prices, Rurik finally understood why his people had lacked the motivation to explore the north for a long time. The reason for co-writing is entirely because there are few fishing resources in this area, and if the brothers can't catch more fish, why are they still wasting their time here?
But things are different now!
A fisherman in his fifties walked into Rurik himself. He was carrying a small rattan basket, which contained the so-called harvest of the whole day.
The old man claimed that he was also a warrior when he was young. He had been to Novgorod many times and even fought against the Gotlanders.
"Rurik, look, this is a gift from the gods. It's too bad, there are too few fish."
Rurik took the rattan basket in front of everyone. He didn't feel much weight. Because he knew the situation of other fishermen, he was mentally prepared before opening the lid.
Sure enough, there were less than ten herrings in it.
"Why...why are there so few?"
"There are so few. It seems that this place is not a good place for fishing."
Rurik did not think the situation was bad, because the Kovin people depended on catching river fish for a living, "You... maybe you and others should go up the river. The Kovin people caught a lot of fish in the river. , the river we have now, its upper reaches are full of hope."
"Forget it!" The old fisherman may have weakened his adventurous spirit because of his old age: "Let the young people go. Rurik, I plan to go back. To be honest, I would rather go fishing in the south. I don’t want to waste time here either.”
"Are you really going to leave?"
"Yes."
"Well, you can go back. I only have one request."
Rurik thought for a while, he gathered some of the fishermen who had landed, and first bought all their catch, and then said: "Go back, take me to ask questions of the people who stayed behind, and tell them about our northern settlement. The construction is all normal. But we need more supplies! As fishermen, you must catch as much as possible and transport it here as soon as possible. I also want you to bring a group of master carpenters to support my work, and I will reward you."
What Rurik said was all to obtain further supplies from the rear.
After all, it was the first night after landing, so he decided to spend the food he brought luxuriously. However, this consumption does not last long. In the end, everyone must rely heavily on supplies from the rear, or fish and hunt desperately to obtain all edible food from the local area.
Everyone can enjoy wheat porridge with salt, but most people don't know that such good days cannot last long.
A few people knew their own food situation and couldn't help chatting with their companions about food issues around the campfire.
What everyone discussed the most was the mine not far away in the east, especially Kawei and his group of children who were learning blacksmith work. They shouldered a very heavy responsibility.
The future arrangements are actually very clear. On the first day of landing, the entire team made some rest and preparations. Most of the people will rush to the mine early in the morning.
Fresh pine sticks were thrown into the fire. The sticks first steamed out a lot of water vapor, and then burned violently.
The rosin inside the wooden strips was burned to crackling sounds, and the flames jumped spectacularly. Everyone sitting around the campfire was very happy enjoying the heat and baking.
Undoubtedly, Mechasta, the leader of the Gray Squirrel tribe, is full of hope for the future. He feels that his tribe has fully received the attention of the Rus people.
He moved closer to Rurik and offered him a skewer of small fish that he had grilled himself.
"Your gift?" Rurik asked.
"Master, eat, I just exchanged the flying fish with those fishermen. The fish has its internal organs and head removed. It is grilled according to our custom."
"Okay." Smelling the aroma of herring meat, Rurik accepted the gift and estimated that the person coming here must have something important to discuss.
No, Mechasta spoke.
"Master, are those houses under construction all given to my tribe?"
"Of course."
"Oh, it would be nice to live in a house like this. I know we'll have to pay for it."
Rurik suddenly cheered up and said, "You are very smart. Of course you have to pay the price."
After that, his little finger pointed to the east, pointing to the looming hills under the starlight.
"You have already made it very clear that I want your men to mine. Your men must mine, and some of them must learn to make iron tools. In the future, your tribe will no longer have to work hard to capture pine trees. Your tribe Just think I make a living by smelting iron."
"This..." Mechasta's face became a little embarrassed.
"What’s wrong with you?"
"Master, we don't have that much confidence. Being a blacksmith requires a long time of learning, and I'm not sure my people can be that wise."
Is this modesty? No! It's obviously just plain cowardice.
Rurik put on a delicate little face and stared into Mechasta's eyes: "You must learn to forge iron, because your people have tried it before. The mine is right in front of us, and it was the expedition you sent that discovered it. .”
"This...is indeed the case."
"So, you are very responsible for what happened next. Your expedition attacked my servants, and I had to take revenge. Now that you have all become my servants, this comparison ends here." Rurik He reiterated his attitude that others were young, but his words made Mechasta break into a sweat.
This is called fighting for someone else's knife, even if the person holding the knife is a little boy.
"Well, we'll try to learn how to blacksmith."
"That's fine. Let's take this opportunity to gather together and determine some things for the future."
A group of important people in the entire team gathered around the bonfire where Rurik was sitting. The most important person here was the leader of the Gray Squirrel Tribe, and they were all discussing the future of the Gray Squirrel Tribe people.
After finishing the meal, Rurik felt full of strength, and his body and mind, which should have been exhausted, were refreshed.
He stood in front of a group of sitting people like a little devil.
He said: "Now, the settlement has been built. You old warriors know that this was our temporary camp after the battle last year, and from now on this will be the permanent settlement. What name should I give it? I think it's called Ironburgh is a perfect fit."
Many people already know this term. It was first mentioned by the great leader Otto, and people have speculated that the settlements rising in the north will be named after it.
"Do you have any other opinions?"
First of all, the Russian people have no objection. This kind of thing itself has to be done according to the leader's wishes, and the people below can just watch.
Unexpectedly, Mechasta carefully explained his opinion. He knew that "Ellon" means iron in the Norse language, but simply calling it "Iron City" would not satisfy the permanent settlers of the Gray Squirrel tribe.
After all, "grey squirrel" is what everyone has called themselves since ancient times!
Facing the sharp eyes of all the Ross warriors, Mechasta suppressed his nervousness and said: "Master, I have only one hope. Please be sure to add the names of us people to the name of the settlement."
"You? Are you called a squirrel? Well, the squirrel in our language is called..."
"Let's use our language. It's called Orava."
Rurik thought for a while, but he did not deny it. After all, his future rule would require the support of this group of Kovin people. He must become the king of the ethnic group that speaks the same ancient Finnish language. In a sense, the Kewen people were among the first group of people to follow the dragon, so they naturally needed some preferential treatment, so as to serve as a benchmark to warn those new surrenders about the benefits of being loyal slaves.
"Okay, then add Orava." Rurik raised his foot and stomped on the ground three times. "I have decided that the settlement we are in will be called Ailon Orava. Metzas What do you think of Ta?"
"Good name!"
Rurik saw satisfaction on this guy's face. At this moment, he had to think about how important a name is to a clan.
The settlement had a new name, and its original meaning was "The City of Iron Squirrels."
The gray squirrel turned into an iron squirrel, which is a wonderful thing to think about.
Rather than saying this was a campfire meeting with everyone sitting around, it was better to say it was Rurik's one-man show.
He, Rurik, is the decision-maker, and everyone else must revolve around him.
"Now that you have a name! Mechasta, I give your people another request related to construction."
"Please give your orders and we will do it perfectly."
Rurik smiled lightly: "You will indeed do a good job, that is your strength. I ask your people to cut down big trees, build tall walls around the entire settlement, and detachable wooden doors."
"Is this... fighting for defense? Who is our enemy?" Mechasta became alert.
Rurik finally laughed out loud: "Don't worry, you are all my servants, and the wall is built for your own protection. As for the enemy, who do you think it is? A hostile tribe? How is that possible?!"
"Who...is it?"
"It's a white bear!"
As soon as Rurik said this, the people sitting around immediately burst into laughter with their sullen faces.
Many people laughed to tears and muttered that a mere white bear or wolf actually scared us into building a wall.
"Don't laugh! I said, build the wall, you must build it for me! I can't let the bear roam around in our settlement!"
Mechasta couldn't laugh at this. The Kovin people built mountain forts on hills or highlands, mainly to resist attacks from hostile tribes, and secondly to defend against wild beasts.
Rurik added: "I admire the mountain fortress you once built. In the end, we did not break it. It was you who surrendered on your own initiative."
Speaking of this matter, many Ross warriors who had gone through that battle cast sharp glances, like a group of wild beasts that wanted to eat Mechasta alive.
"Those things are in the past." Mechasta said cautiously, "I don't have any hatred towards you. I am your servant."
"Yes. Things have indeed passed. The two parties who were enemies in the past are now sitting together and talking about the future."
That being said, why does Rurik feel that his words are so hypocritical? Pooh! Hypocrisy is also relative, and for the winner, hypocrisy is not criticized.
After all, peace was restored between the two sides. Rurik did not want to abuse the surrenderers. He was worried that if excessive measures were taken, the unruly Kovin people would be forced to fight back.
They need to be respected, even if it is formal respect, they must know that as the future leader of Ross, they value them.
So, can Rurik star in a good show?
Of course there is.
Next, what Rurik discussed with everyone was nothing more than his emotions about the fish resources in the rivers in the region, as well as his strong enthusiasm for the development of mines and timber resources.
He actually wanted to talk about fishing. The so-called real freshwater fish will not live in the salty or salty offshore areas. Even if there is only a little salinity, it is difficult for freshwater fish to survive.
The fishermen have not yet explored the depths of the river today. Some fishermen will leave early tomorrow morning, and a group must be determined to stay. A group of young fishermen (who served as elite soldiers during the war) learned that since the settlement was under construction, Rurik was giving good rewards to those who worked on the landing. Now that things are like this, why are you trying to catch fish by chance? !
It would be better to log in and go to Rurik to ask for a job. The kid would definitely arrange a job and then pay generously.
A group of fishermen are stuck with this attitude, and they will eventually realize their unique value.
Let's talk about Rurik. He took the opportunity to lead the tribesmen who participated in the battle to recall the war that happened here six months ago. On the other hand, he informed Mechasta of the whereabouts of the Kovin people who were killed.
Recalling the previous memories, the Russians present were talking and laughing, and they were gesturing with their hands in the fierce battle of using crossbows to penetrate the enemy's body. Seeing their excitement, Mechasta couldn't help but laugh, and even felt that this was a tribute to his own tribe. insult.
So what can be done? This time the Russians brought a lot of so-called steel-armed crossbows. What on earth were these terrible weapons used for? Are there other enemies here?
Or was it just that Rurik wanted to shoot the white bear and hunt for the precious bear skin?
Mechasta felt that his estimate was correct, otherwise Rurik would not have mentioned the bear deliberately. What those ferocious Russians said was true. The short and thick arrows fired by their crossbows were actually luxurious and sharp weapons. He believed that there must be no leather armor in this world that could protect him, unless his whole body was covered with iron plates, just like the country called Rome claimed by the Finnish storytellers in the south, with armor that resembled fish scales, but that so-called Fish scales, every scale is a real piece of iron!
It's perfect for bear hunting.
