Rushing to the lower reaches of the Dnieper River and seizing the areas with the richest water and grass to plant wheat will probably be very unrealistic in a short time.
In terms of climate, Novgorod is far inferior to the areas around Kiev, and now the principality has no choice. After all, Novgorod is the largest agricultural area that Rus can now firmly control.
The news of going to Novgorod on the shores of Lake Ilmen has already been conveyed. Elite mercenaries will arrive in the south with the Duke. It all depends on the Duke's mood when they leave.
Some of the city's poultry were slaughtered, their feathers carefully collected, and the skinning of captive rabbits began. The chicken is eaten immediately, and the rabbit meat is marinated and baked into jerky.
The market in the city became lively and the leather trade prospered like never before.
All soldiers who have loot are willing to trade within the city, and trading items can be done anywhere.
Outside the city wall, by the riverside, an open-air "dew market" is set up. The open terrain here is perfect for gatherings of large numbers of people.
The assembled Rus' army will be temporarily disbanded, and the day for the departure of the Third Banner Corps composed of Suomi servants and Balmoks has been set.
The bazaar that sprouted in New Roseburg was carrying out large-scale transactions of leather and grain, and a large number of captured enemy iron weapons turned into a kind of currency.
Local farmers, especially Slavic farmers, enjoy the new tax law that Rurik ordered to implement this year, the tithe tax. Farmer families enjoy a batch of surplus grain under this less stringent tax rate.
Looking at the Suomi and Balmok people, their problem was that they robbed a batch of scrap copper and iron tools. The really good loot was naturally kept in his pocket, and the bad ones were exchanged with the locals for wheat and leather at the market, and even a specialty of the Ilmen Slavs - colorful striped linen.
The clothes are all gray-white or dark brown, which is the color of wild beasts. Who doesn't love to look beautiful? Due to the absolute lack of dyes and textile materials, the port of Narvik in the far north cannot even make linen on a large scale. Although woolen textiles can be made, the output is not high, and the colors are too single.
The colorful cloth will give these expeditionary Balmoks a brand new look, and it will also be an eye-opener for the people watching in their hometown.
Here, the circulation of silver and copper coins was still limited, and squirrel skins served as part of the currency.
In just three days, the people who were about to leave had more or less what they needed. The spoils of the warriors whose expedition is temporarily over are no longer single, but how can they be easily satisfied?
The expedition is merely suspended! The war in Karelia is still going on, and the army will surely regroup next year. A network of interconnecting waterways between settlements has been established, and the concentration of armies will be rapid.
The anticipation of future wars made up for the soldiers' lack of loot.
However, the area of New Roseburg is much better than the fjord home facing the Atlantic Ocean. Hellafield and his entire Third Flag Team, who are well-known in the Eastern world, will all return with sacks of various trophies on their backs. Back home in Narvik. These loots are of limited value, but are the information sheets about the East also the most valuable?
Hellafide relied on his feet to explore the bare farmland after harvest on the banks of the Neva River, and he was envious. Now that Rurik made that decision, he was tempted.
He expressed his attitude to Rurik: "This time I will wait for Jiang Xue in Rossburg, and I will return to Narvik on a reindeer sleigh. Next year, before the ice and snow melt, I will bring a group of women, children and other people with me. A group of warriors have arrived at Fort Ross. I hope that by that time, the Duke will send a fleet to pick us up."
This is what Rurik wants to see most, but it is not just that.
The main force of the fleet is about to head to New Rossburg, and will stop at Helminki on the way to unload all Suomi soldiers. Guard Captain Jevlo will perform his obligations as a noble and govern the entire Finland on behalf of the Principality of Ross.
Many people will leave and many will arrive in the East.
Before the fleet set sail, Rurik wrote a letter in runes on a wooden board.
The Duke and the Supreme Duke are both wintering in the East. A group of people must rush to their new home in the East before the sea freezes. This is not a journey but a settlement!
The old guy Harold Johnson will continue to be ordered to garrison his hometown in Roseburg. In a sense, his dream has been essentially realized. Harozolson serves as the governor of Roseburg, which is equivalent to a chief, and will govern his hometown on behalf of the duke according to tradition.
I'm afraid the most painful thing is Rumia...
Rurik felt a little sorry for this woman, but this was the fate no one had.
A quill pen dipped in carbon ink wrote on the birch board, and Rurik used a dagger to make grooves on it. The ink penetrated into it and became a formal ducal edict.
Birch trees are not uncommon on the banks of the Neva River, especially in the White Tree Manor in Novgorod. White trees are birch trees, and there are so many birches there.
The birch board on which the letter was written was baked hard and was originally used as a carrier for information recording.
There are a lot of them, enough to fill a small room in layers. These were all made by Ella and the sisters. The astonishing number of birch boards were flat and yellow-white in color, square and uniform in size.
They are writing carriers and serve the purpose of paper. Unfortunately, they are not paper.
After writing, it needs to be engraved and then inked to make it a permanent document.
It took a lot of effort for Rurik to finish his letter.
He stretched his body vigorously, yawned lazily, and sighed to himself: "If we don't make paper, will the scribes be so tired that they vomit blood in the future? This year I will rely on these wooden boards to record the fields in Novgorod. ?Is it enough?”
The huge amount of information can no longer be satisfied by disks, and the carrier must be upgraded to mechanical hard drives or even more outrageous storage devices.
Actual demand forced Rurik to advance the papermaking business.
How to make paper? As long as it is made of cardboard that is effective and practical, it doesn't matter if it is yellowish in color. At least it is 10,000 times more useful than a pile of wooden boards. You can even jump directly to perform more advanced tasks...
The wooden board recording the letter was specially placed in a suitcase. The recipient of the letter was Harold Johnson, who stayed behind in Ross's hometown. He announced the Duke's decision according to the content of the document.
The appointed day has arrived, the first day of October in the Julian calendar, a day with a northeasterly wind...
This wind direction is very reasonable for the fleet. Each ship can adjust the position of its sails and rush to the Åland Islands, the T-junction of the Baltic Sea, in a straight line like a wild horse.
More than 1,600 people are leaving. A large amount of grain, more than a hundred deer, and a batch of precious leather are all goods that must be safely transported to their hometown.
The residents of Roseburg's hometown are living as usual. The regulations, or the new "customary law" formulated by Rurik, Otto and others after consensus have been implemented for three years.
The residents have become accustomed to the new rules, and they have enjoyed the dividends of the new rules. The gossips have long since shut up. What the residents in their hometown long for most is wheat, and they are beginning to be unable to bear the days without wheat. The stable supply of wheat is high. to everything!
The primitive accumulation of capital is full of blood and tears. This truth has once again proved that it is the truth. The food self-sufficiency rate of the population directly controlled by the Principality of Rus exceeded 100% for the first time. Pine Needles Manor supported ten thousand people, but its residents were exterminated for their rebellion, whether justified or not, and reduced to skeletons in the ground. The remaining farmland will support 10,000 Russians, and Rurik estimates that with a little more intensive farming efforts, the current area of trophy farmland will be able to support as many as 20,000 people.
Nowadays, the Viking population of the Principality of Rus that can be directly controlled and managed by the Duke has just exceeded 10,000 due to the addition of the Balmoks. Infants and young children probably account for 40% of the population. Women are still desperately trying to give birth, and the baby boom is continuing.
How much food can a group of children eat? Within a few years, the farmland plundered by the principality can ensure that the basic Viking population has food to eat all year round.
Standing on the ruins of Pine Needle Manor, relying on the spoils of ripe fields, the agriculture of the Principality of Rus rose instantly, and Rurik did not dare to let go of this development opportunity.
The team sailing westward has disappeared on the sea level, and Rurik has also begun to take action.
The Aurora, which represented the duke's authority, was parked by the river, and the human-powered net crane began to load some regular plates onto the ship.
Rurik himself made a guest appearance as the overseer. He deliberately dressed gorgeously to force his subordinates not to neglect him.
"You guys should be careful in your work! There must be no damage to these wooden boards!"
"You almost hit the side, Grund. You fought with several women last night and your brain is dizzy today! If you break a board, I will deduct your pay."
"Hey, people over there! Be careful when moving. If there is mud on the wooden boards, I will still deduct your money."
Rurik was yelling at the port, and his yelling was justified. After all, these wooden boards will be preserved as permanent documents. When the written records are completed, a thin layer of beeswax will be applied to prevent corrosion. They must not be damaged.
The mercenary Grund didn't understand what happened to his master today. He didn't like gold or silver, but he actually treated a pile of burning boards as if they were gold and silver.
This old boy is very happy. The Finn from Gevlo has become a local noble, and he himself is lucky enough to be in the position.
The Duke of Ross is young and generous. He writes down the kindness of not killing on the battlefield, so as to repay the kindness. However, the brothers who have the raven heraldic shield have no better place to live. No lord can provide better than Liuli. Get higher wages and living conditions. They are a group of self-interested desperadoes. It is really the Duke of Ross who has given them too much money, women, and warriors.
Grund knew that he would not really be regarded as a close associate of the Duke, and the brothers would be happy without the shackles in this regard.
Rurik almost moved the entire family to New Roseburg. He did not give a formal order, but most of the family members and servants will reunite in the East this year.
That would be the end of October, and before then Rurik would have to arrive in Novgorod with a group of "scribes".
The Aurora was crammed with a cabin full of supplies and personnel, so the prefabricated wooden boards were neatly stacked, as if they were the materials for assembling wooden floors.
The intimate female relatives stepped on the pedals one after another and boarded the ship. Rurik once again stood at the bow of this battle-hardened old ship, looking up at the huge New Roseburg city wall from a high position.
In front of the big ship, more than a hundred elite mercenaries boarded four long boats and relied on oars to wait for the order to tow the big ship up the Neva River.
The shore was full of people, men were cheering, women were holding their children and shouting, and a group of children were jumping up and down.
Arik led the first flag team to deliberately put on battle armor, lined up neatly, and beat the shields with their swords regularly.
This was a Viking-style farewell. Touched by the warm atmosphere, the oarsmen towing the big ship also roared to the rhythm...
The faces of the women were all smiling, and Carlotta, the Duke of Ostara, also saw her own people on the shore.
The tribesmen are easy to identify. There is an abstract and simple cow head emblem sewn on a piece of white cloth. That is the flag of the Duke of Ostara that she set.
"Everyone is sending us off, Rurik..." she said.
"Yeah, we're only leaving temporarily. We'll have the land counted before the first snow falls, and we've got a long winter ahead of us."
"Is this...worth the trouble?"
"Stupid." Rurik pouted and scolded: "Do your job. And..." He pinched Carlotta's neck with a smile: "You said that I am like a bull in April. . I am a bull or a stag in October. I will give you enough opportunities. Whether you succeed or not depends on God’s will.”
Carlotta smiled, everything went without saying anything, she was looking forward to it...
Ross's flag was hoisted to the top of the mast, the horn and tusker were blown at the same time, the anchor was furled by the winch, and the towing ship was ordered to start moving forward.
A short voyage began. In late autumn and early winter, the highest leader arrived in Novgorod. This was the first time for the principality, and it was unique even if it dates back to the tribal period.
After five days of non-stop sailing, the small fleet finally arrived at the White Tree Manor on the Volkhov River, or in other words, it was the city of Novgorod itself.
Looking around, the originally tall and dark green cedar forest has been cut down, and even the birch forest that is the symbol of White Tree Manor has partially disappeared. Building city walls and internal buildings requires a large amount of wood. The better material for building cities is of course stone. In the current shortage of materials, the almost inexhaustible forest is the source of building materials.
The Slavs had been working, and Rurik clearly saw a group of warrior-looking people wandering around.
The people wandering around are all old guys. After all, Otto is still here.
Many loggers saw the retrograde ship and the flag flying on the towering mast from a distance. They hurriedly smashed their long-handled axes on the tree stumps, ignoring the sweat on their bare backs, and rushed towards the city wall that was under construction. Because, the Duke actually arrived, actually arrived in Novgorod in October.
A man became the master of the city, and Otto wanted to retire here. He and a group of old friends who were stranded here were the most noble people in the city, even though this area was a vast sea of Ilmenslavs.
The good news suddenly reached his ears, and he cheered: "My old friends! Rurik and the girls have finally arrived. Let's go! Let you take a look at my lovely granddaughter."
People responded with laughter, and some guys silently muttered that the old leader doted on her granddaughter.
People who were building the city have suspended their work. It is already a very cold October. Many people have heard that the Russian army's expedition to Karelia will continue until the world is frozen by ice and snow. Grand Duke Rurik thought many things too well, but it turned out that When trying to implement these things, troubles will come one after another, and time will continue to be delayed.
Thousands of people felt that the Duke was busy with expeditions and that the survey of the fields would be delayed.
Measuring acres is a matter for nobles, dukes and boyars. Does it have much to do with ordinary farmers? How many acres of land he has is watched by God, and he pays taxes according to the number of acres. People who have seen the destruction of Pine Needle Manor do not dare to provoke the Duke's anger. They pay as much tax as the Duke asks, and they have a clear conscience.
Many people have a simple mentality. They are ashamed of cheating and are even more afraid of being retaliated for not showing enough respect for the Duke.
That was the Avora, the flagship of the principality. Her bow was covered with scratches, and she was clearly a weather-beaten old warrior. Her posture was clearly identifiable.
Thousands of people gathered at the newly built pier on the riverside, and many people stood on the trestle to cheer for the ships.
"They are welcoming you." Carlotta shouted excitedly: "Rurik, did you see... did you see your father?"
"Otto is right there! It's like the image of the great god Odin." Rurik stood on the deck and stretched out his hand, and Carlotta looked sideways and saw the old man, a man who was a little too old. old man...
Which girl here is the most excited?
Reason told her to remain reserved. After all, she would return to her parents' home and spend the winter here. Svetlana, who could not hide her excitement, jumped up and down with excitement. Her disheveled hair flew up and down with her dancing figure, completely indifferent to other people's feelings. .
The ten maids forced out smiles one after another, holding the railings of the ship with both hands, facing the home of Baishu Manor that was completely different from what they remembered with mixed emotions.
Is this still home? Everything has changed...
