The long voyage made people exhausted. The only thing that could comfort everyone was the sufficient reserves of supplies, which also prevented the huge fleet from docking for supplies midway.
Rurik had no time to waste time. He had already spent too much time in his homeland, and the fleet must arrive at New Roseburg as soon as possible.
The fleet only replenished fresh water at Tombstone Island at the T-junction of the ocean. The rest was a full five days and nights of sailing all the way east! Even if the fleet can dock at the city of Helminki on the Gulf of Finland, Rurik has not made a decision.
The sea conditions were always good during the voyage. Although there was haze, there was no rainfall.
The south wind was generally strong. All the ships tilted their triangle sails, and the entire fleet sailed sideways and continuously sailed in a zigzag line, making the speed even more gratifying.
The flagship Avora led all ships, large and small, and the entire fleet was stunned to throw away the following merchants.
Rurik would not let the fleet accommodate those guys who were eager to get rich. As a large island appeared directly ahead, excitement quickly spread throughout the fleet.
That is Kotlin Island, a sandstone island. It is not the largest island in the entire Gulf of Finland, but when the fleet sails here, you can see the city standing in front of you with the naked eye.
Rurik, who was blowing the wind from the bow of the ship, saw the city walls of Novorossberg. The entire city was extremely conspicuous and dazzling on the small alluvial plain at the mouth of the Neva River that lacked trees.
He looked back at the people on his flagship with a calm face: "New Roseburg is ahead! Our first destination has arrived!"
The already agitated crowd became even more agitated, and even the most depressed people were now excited. They roared loudly, made noise in various ways, and waved to approaching ships.
Compared to their excitement, Rurik seemed much calmer.
Arriving at New Roseburg is a staged victory in a long journey. A group of people will land here and become a new group of settlers. Especially those accompanying leather craftsmen and small-capital businessmen who will build new mansions here and start a new business life in the new world.
The Governor of New Roseburg left the city with all the current residents of the city! They gathered on the riverside, watched the arrival of the huge fleet, and actively started to welcome it.
Now is the wet season of the Neva River. The flow of the river is quite large, and it is already quite difficult for the fleet to advance solely by wind power.
The main ships began to be towed and assisted by rowing boats, and all the ships docked. As a result, the "Fleet Eighty-Eight" of the Principality of Ross was already anchored in the capital of the principality.
The long and narrow wooden board was put down, and the sliding door panels on the side were pulled up.
Rumia had gone through a long voyage, and she was vomiting all over the place. Rurik hoped it was morning sickness, but in fact it was simply seasickness.
Her mental condition is quite depressed, but facing this new big city that is not part of the old capital of Fort Ross, she must show the style of the high priest of Ross to the people here while wearing a deer-antlered helmet.
"This... is New Roseburg." She looked at Rurik and asked calmly.
"How? A brand new city, our capital."
"How great! We are going to build a new temple here."
"Perhaps we should also build a large sculpture at the mouth of the river. A sculpture of Odin! Odin's eyes stare at all passing ships." Rurik seemed to be saying this, but in his heart he was planning to imitate New York.
Seriously speaking, New Roseburg really needs a landmark building, such as a lighthouse, or a giant statue of a god that looks like a lighthouse.
Colossus of Rhodes? Or the Statue of Liberty?
From a pragmatic perspective, piling up a rammed earth mound to set up a lighthouse can be described as a cheap and practical move.
New Roseburg should have major infrastructure, and all the current infrastructure is inferior to building a new temple.
He hurriedly took the hand of Rumia who was looking around and said with a smile: "Let's go! High Priest. Let the cheering crowd see our style."
She nodded and burst into tears again, because she was indeed the core of the cheers.
The high priest is here, New Roseburg is the real capital!
The high priest is here, and the gods will truly bless this place!
Rurik exchanged pleasantries with Governor Knusson, and both of them knew their responsibilities, so they spent the rest of the time directing the unloading of cargo and people disembarking.
That night, there was a real carnival in New Roseburg.
The city's inherent market is open all night long, and new immigrants who choose to settle here as planned purchase daily necessities as soon as possible.
The ships of casual merchants and craftsmen will arrive one after another, and some of the first people to arrive are immediately shocked by the fur trade here.
Because, in Roseburg and the world further north, traces of giant squirrel skins have disappeared for many years. Looking at the fur market here, squirrel skins are large and cheap. They were glad that they were following the fleet closely and had forgotten their fatigue. After purchasing some leather, they began to drive small wooden stakes in the open space near the city without ever declaring this to be a homestead.
A key meeting was held that night in the Ross Duma here.
Knusson killed a few deer to meet the elites of the prince's large fleet, but instead of eating and drinking, Rurik had to arrange tasks for Knusson.
He listed some projects, such as fully supporting the construction of shipyards, planning residences for merchants and craftsmen, and ensuring the prosperity and stability of the commercial district.
The most important thing is that the Xingjian Temple was deliberately left in the open space near Harvest Square!
Only this Rurik asked too much.
The large temple must have a rock base. Stone must be quarried on the Stone Island (Gogland Island) in the Gulf of Finland. Stones must be stacked on the stone base to build a large stone chamber with a wooden roof. A batch of cement mortar will be made as an adhesive, and a large amount of crystal clear glass will eventually be affixed to it, so that when the sun shines on it, the temple will be crystal clear. This is very meaningful, because it is said that Asgard is full of gems, so it is of great significance to cover the large temple connected with the divine world with gems. Naturally, real gems cannot be obtained, but the principality can mass-produce glass fragments.
The Great Temple Rurik has some creativity, but the current material conditions are limited, so covering the temple with colored glaze is already a major and expensive feat. Logically speaking, Ross was fully capable of putting a layer of glass on the temple, but because of financial control, Rurik didn't want to spend crazy money on this.
My sister-in-law Lilia has become a very good female glassmaker through long-term work. She does not blow glass herself and does not want her beautiful face to look strange. She processes almost all glass products using the die-casting process, which happens to make a large number of glazed tiles. It's by die casting. The Neva River has a lot of sand to step on, and the sand has so many impurities that it can only make colored glaze.
Rurik brought a group of young craftsmen from his hometown, especially the young Kamne who he relied on. They are already independent comprehensive craftsmen and only serve the prince. They will establish a state-owned blacksmith shop here. , besides providing tool repair services for local people, the biggest job is to manufacture colored glaze and glassware.
Although the clarion call of industrialization has not yet sounded in New Roseburg, this city has not been based on agriculture since its founding. New Roseburg will dominate the north with integrated handicrafts, trade, and shipbuilding industries.
Rurik gave Governor Knusson a light but heavy construction list. He took out a heavy sum of silver from the large treasury and delivered it. This was the so-called initial city construction funding.
In order to prevent Cornuson from being distracted by money and not doing things with money, he also asked the governor to come up with a list of how to use the funds afterwards.
Rurik currently does not have the ability to make detailed financial planning for the urban construction of New Roseburg. His management methods are relatively rough. Although there will be many problems here, they can only be made up for in the future.
Rumia was ordered to stay here and wanted to come to the high priest's stay to supervise the governor's honest work...
Rurik did not stay in New Roseburg for too long. He paid attention to the oats growing in the nearby fields and was pleased that this year was indeed a good year.
The fleet will still travel far, and its next stop is Novgorod.
The winding Neva River is becoming more and more rapid, and the Russian immigrants who came to Eastern Europe for the first time are observing the surrounding scenery.
When the river began to extend northward, even the retrograde fleet was able to take advantage of the southerly wind. A large lake that looked like a boundless sea stretched in front of them, and they cheered. Many people were shouting that Novgorod, which is adjacent to the large lake, would soon arrive.
Is not it?
Look here, you can see a group of fishing boats on the lake, and there is a small settlement not far away by the lake.
The fleet entered the lake and headed east, with the small villages in the distance getting closer and closer.
Then someone from the flagship asked the confident prince: "Could that be Novgorod?"
"Of course not there! It's just..."
Rurik's answer was ambiguous, but in fact he was also confused by this village.
As the fleet approached, some fishing boats showed off their Ross flags and came over.
Be it the vast sea or a large lake, flags are the best token of recognition for each other. Rurik quickly figured out the situation, because those fishermen were simply fighting madmen of the First Flag Team!
The fishermen held up a large pike with both hands, indicating that they wanted to offer the fish as tribute to the prince.
"His Majesty is finally here! Accept my gift!"
Everyone on the flagship gathered to one side, and the faces of women and children formed a line. Not only the flagship, but other cruisers of the same class also came closer, making it appear that the fishing boat was a tiny presence in the gap.
Rurik was so interested that he dropped the rope. After all, his subordinates had given him gifts. It would be disrespectful to refuse them.
"Okay! I'll accept your gift! Improve the food for women and children!"
What Rurik said is true, because real Russians have always had the habit of eating raw fish, especially caught herrings. They cut off the head and tail with a knife and cut off the internal organs. The whole fish can be stuffed into the stomach, just like a dolphin. How to eat. And pike is extremely delicious, and no one will object to its fishy smell, because the thick fish oil can keep people alive in the extreme cold. The women pulled the fish up with their mouths drooling, and then they had to cut the meat and eat it raw.
Suddenly, a woman's excited scream attracted all attention.
But I saw the woman on the Duke of Ostara holding up her young child and shouting to the fishermen: "Harald! Look at me! And your child!"
The fishermen squinted their eyes and immediately trembled all over, then they could control the fishing boat to get closer to it.
He was still yelling: "Kalia! Wait for me! I'll pick you up."
The woman can’t wait to be reunited with her husband. She is a Slavic woman who knows that returning to Novgorod will mean returning to her hometown. Over the years, her heart has become one with Rus.
She sold her wealth in her hometown and turned it into a heavy bag of silver and copper coins. Wrapped in soft cloth, he climbed down the rope ladder. The two children had already been hung down by ropes to their father's hands.
The Russians witnessed a scene that made people cry. The reunion of their family on Lake Ladoga was just the beginning. Soon most Russian families will be reunited.
Rurik once wanted to build a small town at the mouth of the Volkhov River into Lake Ladoga, or even build another town at the intersection of the Neva River and Lake Ladoga.
Obviously the people made their own choice, and they chose the former.
Lake Ladoga is a term that has been known since ancient times. The Rus learned it from the Suomi people very early on. It doesn't matter what it means. It probably describes a large lake. This fishing village has its own name, called Ladogastad, a typical Norse name.
The fleet had to stop briefly in Ladogastad for a very touching reason.
This is because the traditional Rus people did not become farmers until this year. They have only made major innovations in sowing technology and have no clear concept of intensive farming. If Rurik did not personally supervise them, they would not even have the idea of diverting lake water for irrigation. It was impossible for them to spend a lot of time tending the fields, but to engage in the old business of fishing. It happened that the hydrological conditions in this area were excellent, and the rich fish resources were simply allowed to be plundered by the Russians.
A group of elite members of the First Flag Team went down the river, carrying fishing tackle, big guns and other professional tools, and set up a summer camp on the bank of the big lake, which was called Ladogastad.
Then he caught a huge plump pike while camping by the lake by chance during the Sorgon voyage, and the good news was passed among the Russians. No one can resist the scorched aroma of grilled meat, especially the grilled pike. They mainly catch pike, followed by bass. Occasionally, they also actively hunt freshwater seals when they encounter them.
After landing on the shore, Rurik saw clearly the general outline of this small fishing village. The brothers all lived there temporarily, and the large number of wooden shacks they built could not withstand the wind and cold.
There are not many buildings here, but there are a lot of wooden poles with hemp ropes hung between the poles, and densely packed dried fish that have been baked and dried into extremely dense dried meat. Apparently a large number of pike they had caught before were turned into ready-to-eat fish steaks, and a batch of bass were also hung whole.
In their concept, wheat is always precious. They have never seen a harvest created by their own hands, so they are not completely sure about this year's wheat harvest season. At least catching fish to make dried fish is a craft that everyone has been doing for generations. If they get the opportunity to catch fish in large quantities, most people making dried fish in large quantities is almost following their survival instinct.
A group of women disembarked with their children in their arms. They were reunited with their husbands, followed by Lado Gastad, who ran the summer camp on the spot.
This is a good start, settlements formed spontaneously, which means this geographic node requires a settlement. In the foreseeable future, settlements will become urbanized until they become a station-like existence.
The journey is still going on and is nearing its end.
Now is the final voyage, and the rowing boats pulling the ship forward are all moving forward hard. Among the oarsmen were a group of Russian women and a group of Slavic women. The former is to open up a new world, while the latter is simply to return to one's parents' home. Nowadays, paddling has nothing to do with men and women. In order to get home faster, everyone who can use the strength is rowing hard. On the other hand, there are almost no people standing on all the big boats.
No one thought this inappropriate, for the great and young Maharaja was also one of the rowers.
Rurik was sweating, everything was just like Otto forty years ago. Through the action of paddling on the Volkhov, his young boys and girls, who are rich and wealthy, interpret that this is the real Russian people. As the saying goes, if you don't advance against the current, you will retreat. Although the Volkhov River in the wet season is far less than the Neva River, its flow rate puts a lot of psychological pressure on these cubs. The paddler cannot stop, because behind the towed boat is another towing team. If one party is slack, the result may be a collision with the rear boat.
The high-intensity physical training on weekdays fully demonstrated their physical advantages at this moment, and the young paddlers fully proved that they are indeed the new force of the Principality of Ross.
After three days of paddling, many people were still bothered by sore arms, including Rurik himself.
Perseverance finally yielded perfect results. Ahead was the farmland attached to the White Tree Manor.
No! That's already Novgorod!
The boy who belonged to the White Tree Manor standing on the shore waved to the Ross fleet, which was flying the Ross flag and arranged in a long snake formation. The oarsmen couldn't take their hands off, so they responded with joyful shouts.
There is no longer any suspense. The closer the fleet gets to Lake Ilmen, the river becomes more open and the water flow continues to relax.
The fleet came back, on the sixteenth day of July in the Julian calendar. Although Rurik still consumed more time than expected, he finally succeeded in completing this feat.
The fleet was temporarily anchored on the Volkhov River, and the ships anchored one after another. Everyone disembarked and immediately started supply work in Novgorod.
Compared to the excitement of the tribesmen entering a warm new world, Rurik only felt relieved after success.
He easily recognized Svetlana from the welcoming crowd. She was still so fresh and beautiful. Then came Nolen, with his high and delicate chin showing his arrogance.
Although Otto was old, in order to show his arrogance in front of his tribe, he changed into a chain mail shirt this time. The difference was that he actually picked up a cute little girl with pigtails and a finger.
Niya is also an old woman, and she continues to hold a baby in her arms this time.
Rurik's ten maids were all dressed up, had similar hairstyles and wore the same clothes, as if they were 10-member twin sisters!
Rurik returned to his loyal Novgorod, became closer to his family and his subjects.
He didn't say much, just "I'm back", concisely announcing the successful conclusion of the immigration operation.
