The Principality of Ross has always been guarded by its northern border, so New Ross Fort has always deployed a mobile force.
The principality still adheres to the ancient principles, especially the people from various Viking tribes. Once a foreign enemy invades, men and women are obliged to take up arms to defend themselves against the enemy.
After the winter solstice festival and in 836, Rurik himself returned to his loyal Novgorod, where he implemented another of his plans.
He became the greatest teacher, teaching some basic mathematics to the boys of the Sixth Banner, and further explaining how to use the Latin alphabet to interpret Latin, Norse, and even Cyrillic.
On the other hand, a "literacy movement" is also going on.
The target of education is all subjects. No monarch can expect to make the purely illiterate people full of wisdom in just a few months. All Rurik has to do is to teach the people how to spell phrases.
The origin of the Western alphabet system comes from the handwriting of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was transformed by the Phoenicians into an alphabet system that could only represent sounds, and then transformed into a very mature alphabet system by the Romans.
Rurik went even further and added some new letters to the original Latin letters, especially expanding V into UWV.
Novgorod's papermaking workshops have become more and more mature, and Rurik has hired more idle women as female workers based on the past. Even in the cold winter, as many as 200 people work in relatively warm buildings. They are divided into many groups, and a series of papermaking processes are completed in the building, isolated from the cold outdoor environment.
Rurik did not pay anything, but only made a simple promise: to take charge of two meals a day, equivalent to one pound of oats.
He fulfilled his promise, made certain performance arrangements for the female workers, and even provided incentives. After completing the tasks within a time limit, there would be equal bonuses for those who exceeded the target, and the prize was wheat.
They were working hard for the prize money, which forced the loggers to provide more bark, and the men who cooked the bark had to work harder.
Today’s paper is no longer made of rough birch bark paper. The key to the delicate paper lies in the source of cellulose. A large number of lakeside reeds in autumn are good ingredients for feeding reindeer, and are now also added to papermaking. Some rotten flax poles, rags, and broken hemp ropes that were really useless were all reprocessed into pulp.
A very special batch of extremely delicate paper was born. It is completely yellow-brown and feels extremely comfortable to the touch. It even has the texture of rice paper, which is obviously not suitable for writing on. It is actually used as a tool for wiping the buttocks and for wives and concubines to deal with personal problems.
Making people familiar with and accustomed to wiping their buttocks with toilet paper is first of all a matter of concept, and secondly, the issue of toilet paper supply.
Rurik simply established a "paper factory" in Novgorod. It became a completely state-owned handicraft workshop. Almost all of the employees employed were women from the White Tree Manor. The remuneration at this stage was only in the form of food management and a small bonus. of wheat.
Even so, a part of the principality's suppressed productive forces exploded.
Rough and hard birch bark paper and pine bark paper were used for writing. Those who were ordered to teach alphabet spelling to the people did so with hard paper documents.
A large number of people's information and land information recorded on hard paper have all been transferred to the Winter Palace in New Roseburg and placed in boxes.
The paper currently produced has met the official needs of the Principality, and the next step is to promote the use of paper among the people.
The stacked paper is sold at the price of one pound of oats for a piece of hard paper of approximately 1 square meter, which to be fair is relatively high.
As for toilet paper for wiping buttocks, the price is based on weight and dose, which is higher than the former.
The supply of both is temporarily limited, but the output is increasing every week. Now that the technology is mature, about 250 people are engaged in this work. The workers are trying their best to increase the working hours for profit, so the average daily output is rough. The paper volume has reached about 1000㎡.
The Principality of Rus simply does not have enough consumer market to consume 30,000 square meters of cardboard a month, and most of the cardboard is in Rurik's warehouse.
"Perhaps at some time, I have to sell part of it at a low price. For example, sell it to Yaslaqi and use the paper as wrapping paper for sesame cakes and bread? I also need to expand the production capacity of toilet paper so that they can't live without it!"
Rurik is hoarding paper and has also made some adjustments to the allocation of paper production capacity.
In late January, a batch of documents that could be described as very vulgar was posted on a public threshing floor in Novgorod. Multiple pieces of paper with the same content written in Norse and Slavic languages were pasted on the wooden board with rosin glue. People wearing thick clothes came over to make fun. Everyone who understood the content burst into laughter, and the laughter attracted more People watching.
Because people think that life in winter is generally too monotonous, or that life is full of boredom every year. They need some jokes, especially some dirty jokes to stimulate their boring lives.
Rurik did this officially. He wrote large and eye-catching words on the paper, focusing on describing several parts of the human body. He also vigorously promoted that toilet paper can easily wipe away the dirt on it in winter to avoid becoming a The presence of stench.
"What's so funny about them? Ah, maybe they're just too funny."
Rurik noticed this situation, so the bulletin board in the threshing floor should be further used! "Perhaps we should find some jokers to compile a collection of jokes and make them public. This will help them learn how to use letters to spell, and it will also make it easier for me to issue decrees in the future."
His method was effective on the same day, and all the fingers sold in public were consumed. But Rurik also knew that the current spending power of Novgorod people was very low. The real wealthy consumers were Sweden and Denmark, and the real super customers were the Eastern Roman Empire.
What Rurik cares most about is the excitement of people gathering in the threshing floor to watch the "toilet paper advertisement" on the bulletin board. It turns out that they have a huge need for fresh information.
In other words, they need books.
The prerequisite material conditions for wood movable type printing or engraving printing have been met, and Rurik has already started taking action.
In the quiet night, he began to work with his wives and concubines on one thing: compiling the historical materials preserved by the Russians.
The information board compiled and preserved by the great priest Vilya recorded all the trivial information about the past of the Rus people. Although the information was transcribed onto paper, it would still require a lot of polishing if it were to be compiled into the "History of the Rus Tribe". It is precisely the aspect of polishing that particularly tests the monarch's wisdom.
The Principality of Rus ruled over three ethnic groups: Vikings, Slavs and Pan-Finns. Each other has different original beliefs and different understandings of the past. To integrate everyone into the same nation, we need to shape everyone's common memory!
Rurik wrote his own book, and its spiritual core is to describe that the three ethnic groups are originally one family, and everyone has a common ancestor, just like the brothers of the same family dispersed, and the descendants gradually forgot that they were one family. Man, now a strong man raises his arms and all the separated families reunite.
Rurik emphasized that he was indeed a man favored and blessed by God King Odin, and also described the legality and obligation of Rurik and his descendants to rule. Its greatest obligation is to ensure the stability of the lives of its subjects, and it also stipulates the basic obligations of the subjects of the principality. Then this book has the nature of the principality's constitution, and Rurik also intends to formally compile the principality's written code and start printing it.
A unified nation must have a common memory, a common belief, and must abide by the same set of basic rules of life.
The three ethnic groups do share a common memory, which is war.
Five articles were written down by Rurik, namely: "The War on Gotland", "The War on the East", "The Counterinsurgency War", "The War on the British Expedition" and "The Crusade against Karelia" "War Chronicles".
What Rurik did was just give a concise description of the war. He wanted to highlight his wisdom as a war commander. He wanted to emphasize that Ross's victory came from the strength of Ross's own soldiers. He also wanted to emphasize that the soldiers of all ethnic groups in the principality were transformed as a result of joining the Ross army. Got to be very powerful.
For now, the articles are just handwritten and posted on the bulletin board in the square. From now on, they will become the historical documents of the principality and will be printed and distributed throughout the country.
It is necessary to compile the history books, statutory laws, basic mathematics education books, literacy books, etc. of the Principality of Rus, and finally use movable type printing to publish them on a large scale. This is an ambitious plan that cannot be accomplished overnight by Rurik and his wives. It has a step-by-step process and will eventually be completed in a few years.
Based on such realistic factors, Rurik subjectively has a certain degree of war weariness. War is naturally a means of resolving disputes. Given the characteristics of the current era, war is indeed the priority means in European society.
Rurik knew that wars would always come uninvited, and even come very strangely. For example, when he secretly did business in Denmark, he did not attract a siege from his mortal enemies, the Danes. Instead, he was beaten violently by guys from the Franks.
Now, new troubles always come uninvited, and Rurik is also ready to defend and counterattack.
Of course, he is still making another kind of preparation, which is to equip "Royal Pirates" like Spout with as powerful weapons as possible, especially more torsion slingshots, and to install equipment on the bulbous bow of the "Salmon Chief" Stronger bronze bumper.
It’s already February, and northern and northeastern Europe are still covered in snow. The average ice layer of Lake Ladoga is still about 30cm thick, which is not a problem for the madman who digs ice fishing in the fishing village of Ladogastad.
There is a group of people camping on the ice near the lake shore. Now they include not only the Ross people, but also the surrendered Vips.
In the past 835 years, Terravis, the Earl of Vipsarava, not only became a father, but also led his people to quickly catch up with the technological level of the Rus. Taravis personally regards his territory and people as another way to revive the Gray Squirrel tribe. He has indeed been loved by his people. The biggest reason is that the people's lives have been greatly improved. They have begun to It’s unprecedented winter ice fishing. It was while fishing that they encountered a fleeing sled team from the north.
Iron tools were rapidly replacing stone tools in Rus' eastern territories, bringing with them reindeer sleigh armies and huge fleets. Nowadays, people who were once afraid of these behemoths have become so accustomed to them that they have even participated in them to create even more outrageous things.
For example, weapons...
Varyag hunters have unique bear hunting skills, which are torsion slingshots mounted on reindeer sleds, chauffeurs driving the deer, hunters patrolling and firing heavy javelins, and auxiliary steel-armed crossbowmen on the sleds to coordinate shooting.
Polar bears do not hibernate, and their activity area during this era was so far south that Ross hunters could hunt bears near Lake Ladoga. Bear hunting on a sled is actually a unique feature of winter. When the snow melts in spring and the ground becomes muddy, and hibernating brown bears emerge, hunters can no longer hunt efficiently.
The principality needs a large number of weapons, and the torque slingshot is a snake oil. The principle is to rely on the torque of the rope, so it is no problem to produce a large number of "monkey version" weapons.
The local Slavic carpenters found a job. When winter entered, they were ordered by Rurik to make torsion slingshots made of wood and hemp. It is required that two people can move and operate it, and can shoot a half-pound arrow to a distance of 150stika (147m). This thing is actually positioned as a marine weapon. Since the Novgorod shipbuilding workshop is already building factories, new ships, regardless of size, must have self-defense weapons. At a time when artillery did not exist, nothing was more reliable than a torsion slingshot.
The sled team from the Bear Festival town in the north of Ladoga was the first to contact the fishermen on the south bank of the lake. After hearing the identity of the other party, they explained the situation in the north and even asked where the prince was. After learning that the prince was not in the capital but still in Novgorod, the fleeing team continued to sprint south, rushing on the frozen Volkhov River and arriving in the bustling Novgorod. Another detachment ran wildly across the frozen Neva River, just to reach Fort Novosibirsk and inform the First Flag Troop, who was mainly staying there to hunt squirrels, about the war situation.
The reindeer pulling the sled were so exhausted that some even collapsed on the ground after stopping.
Women and children jumped out of the sleds, shouting that there was an attack on Bear Festival.
The war warning spread throughout Novgorod immediately, and the news soon reached Mstisk.
Rurik learned of the war warning and immediately issued an order to assemble the army, but this took some time.
He was forced to wait a day, and a military meeting was held the next day in the Rusduman in Novgorod.
Which of the people attending the meeting is not an elite of the principality? They had fleshy faces and furry clothes, and swords with a cold light hanging from their waists. Their expressions were both serious and excited.
Everyone was looking at the face of the prince, waiting for the order for war.
Rurik has already thought of a countermeasure: "I learned from those who escaped that there are still more than 200 soldiers holding on to the fortress. The Karelia people have launched a counterattack. There are many of them. The decisive battle we are looking forward to has arrived. .”
People were looking forward to the prince's order to assemble a huge army and engage in a decisive battle with the enemy. However, reality determined that the principality did not have the ability to quickly assemble a large army with overwhelming power for a crusade.
"The Second Banner, the Sixth Banner, and the Slavic Banner are assembled. Together with my mercenary guards, organize a group of volunteers, and order some boyars to send troops to participate. I will assemble an army of 1,500 people and set off. Give you three days to prepare. We will ride on the sled army and rush to the north with as many torque slingshots as possible. We will reinforce the people who are left behind and do our best to find an opportunity for a decisive battle. Kill the enemy like a bear hunt."
Everyone was happy after this order. This battle was really the first battle in history with the Slavs as the main force. Medway especially mentioned how happy he was.
It was this man who had made great achievements in arresting people in the forest last year. He stood up and patted his chest to express his loyalty to the prince: "My people are like brave Varyag warriors in every way. I will lead them to kill." The enemy has done a great job.”
What Medved said is a fact. His people are very strong now, but they are still shorter in stature than the traditional Viking strong men. Short stature and good posture also have a huge tactical advantage. This type of personnel is best suited to be compiled into a hedgehog formation of halberd phalanx to stab the enemy to death, because their base is too stable.
Many bear hunters needed time to return, so of course the squirrel hunters withdrew. War means opportunity. There are messengers driving sleds to report the news to the nearest Slavic farm. No, the calf farm Boyarushki and the fisherman farm Boyartoli, which are closer to Novgorod, got the news. Taking action immediately, each selected the fifty strongest men from the small-populated farm and rode the reindeer sleigh all the way north.
The Principality of Rus is gathering a large army, and the same thing is happening in Novgorod and New Russburg.
The first flag team that caught squirrels had to take the leather back to New Roseburg to sell it, and those who had to go far would go directly to Keki Salmi of the Veps to rest. People in the First Flag Team learned about the attack on Bear Festival Town in different areas. Everyone was in different geographical spaces, and they all understood that the Kingdom could not sit idly by.
Arik issued an order to assemble the first flag force at Fort New Rose. Although only about 200 people were assembled, it was almost enough. In fact, among the Vips, there were more than 30 local Vips warriors who were in their early 100s, including the First Banner Soldiers. They were reckless, and Tyravis also wanted to gain merit in the rescue in the principality. of honor.
While Rurik was actively gathering, the first support army of the Rus' Principality, plus 150 reinforcements from the Kekisalmi side of Vips, including the sled driver, planted the flag of the principality on the sled. North to north.
