A large area of water appears ahead, like a brand new sea? Ragnar, who arrived in the far east for the first time, quickly learned that this was a lake as vast as the sea.
The fleet passed through the town of Ladoga and met the men captured by Qiu. Arik was standing at the bow of the boat, and his heroic appearance was seen by many fishermen.
Most of the fishermen were soldiers of the First Flag Team. They had just completed their autumn harvest and took their families on a boat to catch bass on Lake Ladoga. They then baked the fish directly on the shore into hard dried fish for winter consumption. As a result, a small lakeside fishing village became prosperous in a short period of time, and the caught bass, pike, and cod were hung on the hemp ropes on the shore in pieces.
"These are also your people." Ragnar was surprised when he heard about Arik.
"Of course they are all Russians, they are all my brothers."
"I saw them cheering for you, obviously your prestige is very high."
"That's natural, because I am the flag captain!"
Arik attracted much attention, and many fishermen came over in boats, raising their heads to hear about the expedition. The fishermen also noticed that there were a large number of strange people in those long fleets. They couldn't be new immigrants from Lake Mälaren, right?
The general public saw the migration of a down-and-out Danish tribe, but they did not know their true identity.
If Ragnar did not take the initiative to reveal his identity, many people would indeed think that a new group of Swedish immigrants would join Ross. After all, Ross has been digging corners of Sweden in the prosperous Lake Mälaren region over the years.
The weather is already in late autumn, and the first snow may fall at any time. There is often an autumn rain that lasts for a week before the snowfall.
The weather has been pretty good since today, and the most obvious manifestation is that the north wind is getting stronger. This is not a good sign, I'm afraid a terrible cold wave is brewing.
The north wind has a big advantage. The fleet entering the Volkhov River no longer needs to paddle. It only needs to control the sails to use the wind to quickly run to the south.
The almost pure north-south direction of the Volkhov River is really conducive to autumn fishing. When the ship goes to Lake Ladoga to furl its sails and drifts, it will set sail and take advantage of the wind to go southward against the current.
Both sides of the river are in a state of silence. The deciduous forest has lost its leaves in a large area. Only the Korean pine and spruce still maintain the dark green buds.
This river is quite busy, precisely because of the large-scale production of hemp rope nets for fishing tools. Whether it is various Viking immigrants or local Slavs, fishing in Lake Ladoga has become a profitable thing. The targets of these fishermen are mainly pike and cod. These two fish are rare in Lake Ilmen but are widely abundant in Lake Ladoga. Their fat fish oil has great charm.
The environment ahead opens up, and the forest suddenly disappears, replaced by large areas of bare farmland.
They are indeed farmland, Ragnar himself can easily confirm this, because the raised field ridges divide the farmland into very regular blocks. Farmland zoning was a given, otherwise how could two men judge each other's fields? These are actually the masterpieces of the Russians. The ridges establish the land into squares of equal size. They must have a meaning in doing so.
What Ragnar hopes more is to meet the supreme ruler of the Rus as soon as possible.
Ahead is another large wall and a dock where a large number of boats are parked.
"Is that your Novgorod?" he asked.
Arik answered simply: "Exactly. It's time for you to get ready. I will personally notify you of your arrival. The prince will certainly be very willing to see you. Please wait at the dock for now with your people."
"Okay! Hopefully I won't have to wait too long."
As far as the level of urban development is concerned, the entire warm Zinovgorod is undergoing large-scale construction projects. For a time, the city has become a large construction site. The initial chaos has been greatly improved, and the city has become more three-dimensional. Since the grain harvest, Prosperity comes to earth.
Rurik could finally take a break for himself, and he stayed in the palace with his important wives and concubines.
The eldest daughter, Velika, has grown gradually, and the eldest son, Reglaf, has been weaned at one year old and learned to walk.
The substantial second son, Carl, born to Carlotta, is also thriving.
Rurik had not been to New Roseburg for several months. When High Priest Rumia confirmed her pregnancy again and her belly was obviously growing, the messenger also completed the report.
There is no conservative etiquette restraining Rurik from creating more members of the royal family. On the contrary, it is time for the legitimate queen of the principality to become a mother.
Rurik's body is currently a full fifteen years old, but according to the traditional calculation of the Russians, after the Hanukkah on the winter solstice, it will be a full sixteen years old. Even so, his appearance is not much different from that of an adult Nordic man. Because he eats and drinks well in life, although his height does not seem to reach the level of two meters, it is obvious that he will reach the equivalent of 1.9 meters.
Not only him, but all his wives and concubines have been fed and provided extremely well since they grew taller, and their heights are also rapidly approaching the genetic limit.
The fact is that Rurik is not in a hurry to let his wife Svetlana become a mother and give birth to a prince or princess of the principality. Her father Rigus and her brother Medved are even more anxious. Without him, this marriage is full of politics and is actually a deal between two ethnic groups to win over each other.
Svetlana was indeed qualified. Rurik had long noticed that when she held the infant Reglaf in her arms, the maternal nature in her eyes was obvious.
She is only one year younger than Rurik, and at her current age, she is still not a mother. The Slavic people have already started gossiping and even making unkind remarks. There are indeed jealous people who claim that the old guy Ligus was speculating many years ago and that his daughter is not as good as his own daughter. The gossips dare not make a big deal about saying that she is a "hen that cannot lay eggs", but the statement does exist.
The prince and the queen were officially married, and the union went straight to the birth of a prince.
While Rurik was indulgently indulgent in his wife's place, he did not forget Nolen who played the bone flute.
Even the ten maids appointed by his father for Rurik all received his message, saying that it will be your turn next year.
The princely family is expanding the number of family members. As a result, the entire principality has entered the most prosperous period of the year after the autumn harvest, and all families are spontaneously giving birth.
This is not only true for humans, but also for the large livestock raised by the principality.
The reindeer herds scattered in multiple settlements, whose total number has swelled to 30,000, are in the annual mating season. In theory, a large number of fawns will be born next summer.
The principality still needs to expand its strength in a special way. This expansion is no longer about frantically grabbing territory, but spending huge amounts of money on internal construction.
A school for two thousand children is not enough! Novgorod should make use of its unique geographical location to become a safe education center and absorb tens of thousands of children to receive basic education.
To further develop a large number of handicraft industries, based on practical factors, we need to build more state-run workshops.
Just like this summer, the principality has no need for large-scale expeditions. Similarly, there are no expedition plans for the following winter, or even next year.
More of the wealth created by the people will be invested in construction. In particular, we should further ask for cultivated land and grazing pasture from the forest, and further develop shipping transportation.
Therefore, he would not only stay in the palace during the winter to personally teach a small group of tomorrow's elites more advanced knowledge, but he would also arrange and dispatch manpower for winter production.
Now, the expeditionary fleet is back!
After receiving the news, Rurik hurriedly led his people out of the city to greet them. The old Ross guys, including old Otto, also happily gathered at the dock to comment on the triumph of the younger generation.
The current situation is very delicate. Even Rurik noticed that the men and women sitting on the long boat were not from his tribe.
Rurik frowned and couldn't help asking himself: "You? Who are you?"
A large number of people came out of the city, and the river banks were filled with people watching the excitement. Their enthusiastic and smiling faces looked like they were attending a wedding together. They spontaneously took off their hats, waved them, shouted, and many other actions were to welcome the returning heroes.
There were two big ships when we went there, but now there are only gray squirrels left?
Rurik squinted and saw that the person standing on the deck of the Gray Squirrel was his cousin Arik? Standing next to him was a young man with a beard and a strange braid. His appearance was extremely unfamiliar.
"Brother! Did you recruit a group of surrendered men for me along the way? If so, it's a good thing."
Rurik murmured to himself, and when he saw the ships docking one after another, he simply shook his neck and called his cronies to come forward and take a look. At the same time, Medved's spear-wielding warriors, who were temporarily responsible for location security, were given the opportunity to lay all the short spears flat to form a line of defense to prevent the noisy people from getting too close.
At the same time, Arik had already seen that among the people coming out of the city to greet him was his lovely brother, the real Prince of Rus.
Among the many people, Rurik was wrapped in a white fur coat and a white tiger fur hat, with his golden ponytail hanging behind his head. This look could not be hidden at all.
"That's Prince Rus! He's wearing a polar bear skin suit, so conspicuous!" Arik had already identified him to Ragnar.
"Is that Rurik of Rus? Indeed, he looks like a child. He is neatly dressed, like a god from Asgard."
Ragnar's polite flattery was also partly inspired by his feelings.
Arik smiled and patted Ragnar on the back: "Brother, Rurik is indeed a god from Asgard. He has really been blessed by Odin. I have only one important piece of advice for you."
"Speaking."
"Speak to him without looking down upon him because of his youth. There is no wiser man in all Rus."
"I will abide by this."
Rurik of Rus is full of mystery, and it’s fair to say that Ragnar’s first impression of him was pretty good.
The ships docked one after another, and the last people of the ignorant Danish Stonewall tribe landed on the beach in a confused manner, and immediately stood by on the spot.
The big ships lowered their planks one after another, and Arik got off the ship enthusiastically with the victorious warriors. He was the first to rush to his brother's side, extended his blessings to the family members who greeted him, and solemnly declared: "I will conquer Frank." The operation achieved a major victory.”
Arik bumped shoulders with his brother affectionately, his rough face smiling like a rough flower blooming in the snow.
If they had encountered setbacks, they would not be as ecstatic as they were now. Rurik could be sure that Arik's emotions were real, and the victory of the expedition was also real.
So, what was the cost of the expedition?
Although it was a bit inappropriate, Rurik still wanted to ask: "Did you pay the price? Did the brothers you brought with you suffer any casualties?"
"No one died, just a few unlucky men who hurt themselves while robbing!"
"Is there such a perfect victory?"
"Of course!" Arik couldn't suppress his ecstasy at all. He beat his chest with both hands and roared like a gorilla, and said arrogantly: "Brother, you will never imagine how big a victory we have achieved. We can't Lame is burned.”
"You?" Rurik's eyes were as wide as copper bells. "I ordered you to attack Bremen for revenge. I thought you would withdraw after grabbing a large amount of wheat and wool. You actually attacked the city? After breaking the city, you burned it. City."
"He even killed five thousand Franks, which was enough to avenge Hedebe's brothers."
"ah!"
A huge amount of information came in all of a sudden, and Rurik had to announce that a conference should be held for these major events. There must be a debriefing meeting. Since this is a victorious expedition, the principality should also write this expedition into a "Bremen Chronicle", print it and publish it to show the people the majesty of the principality and boost morale.
Apart from the pleasantries, those ignorant foreign men and women were the ones Rurik paid the most attention to.
"You have brought a group of trust. Could it be that they are all new immigrants from Mellaren?"
Arik paused for breath, his joyful face instantly turned calm, and said seriously: "They are all Danish."
"Ah? Danes? You actually brought hundreds of Danes into here? You...wait a minute." While Rurik was startled, he noticed a man with a strange beard and braids from the corner of his eye, who looked like an adorable two-year-old. He stared at himself like a child, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Rurik simply turned his company sideways, and the two simply looked at each other, but the man actually started to enjoy himself.
This was a breakthrough to eliminate the embarrassment. Arik hurriedly took a few steps back and pulled Ragnar, who didn't know how to open the situation smoothly, to his side and asked him to face the Prince of Ross directly.
When it comes to height, Rurik is ten years younger than Ragnar, so he has an advantage in height.
Rurik looked down and said with a slightly arrogant tone: "You? Who are you? A Dane? Are these all your people?"
Ragnar came prepared. After all, he knew something about Sweden and Ross.
"Yes, we are all Danes. I know you, Rurik of Rus, the young prince of Rus. You were once part of Svealand, and I heard that when those fellows established their own kingdom, you separated from each other. . I tell you frankly, I have fought with you, attacked some tribes in Svealand, and I have killed many Swedes."
What this person said really alarmed the people present, and even old Otto, who was leaning on crutches, could hardly hold back.
Many people think that the sudden appearance of the Dane is provoking. Isn't he afraid of being killed?
"Oh? Is this what you want to tell me? Show off your great achievements?" Rurik asked with a frown.
"Should I hide these achievements? I am a candid person. To be honest, there was a man named Olegin. He was the King of Sweden. I killed him with my own hands."
"ah?!"
"Don't believe it? At least I believe it was you who killed King Hafgen of Denmark with your ship."
"I am indeed the one who killed Hafgen! Rurik of Rus!" Rurik emphasized. Now that we have said this, according to tradition, the man who kills the famous hero must also establish his own name.
When Ragnar was asked his name, he called himself without hesitation: "I am Ragnar. Many people say that I am a man from Langsbroek (hard wool pants)."
Although this obviously fantastic nickname has caused many onlookers to cover their mouths and chuckle, Rurik's reaction was completely on the other extreme.
"What did you say your name was? Ragnar? Langsbrook?"
"it's me?"
"So, your father's name is actually Sigurd Herlinger (Ring)?" Rurik almost blurted out.
"You actually know my father?" While Ragnar was surprised, Rurik was equally surprised.
Did Rurik never expect that the legendary pirate was standing in front of him? Maybe it's just that the names are similar, but not at all. Or is the legendary Ragnar just a legend after all, and he can have a realistic character basis. After all, is it still related to "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms"?
It seems that the man in front of him is the real-life prototype of the legendary pirate. At least now his name matches that of his father.
If that's true...
Rurik continued to ask tentatively: "You have multiple sons. The eldest son is called Bjorn, the second son is called Ub, and there is another..."
Now, Ragnar had straightened his face: "Please continue."
"You have a poor son who cannot fight. But even that doesn't stop him from becoming a warrior. His name is Ivar."
"But Ivar is my eldest son. Bjorn is my second son. If I can have a third son, I can call him Umber." Ragnar was shocked at first, but his attitude quickly relaxed: " It seems that you have seen everything. Brother Aric said that you have been blessed by Odin? I have never known you, but you actually know my family and even my poor Ivar."
"Is the boneless Ivar really pitiful? I even want to see this child. I have a hunch that this child must be a formidable warrior. Then, please continue to talk about your achievements. In addition to killing King Olegen of Sweden, what other feats could he achieve?”
"There are many more. When I was fifteen years old, I chopped off the head of another leader with my own hands, and I was wearing these hard pants. I led the elite to participate in the attack on Sweden, and I killed the whole family of the leader of the Ostara people. ! Later, when you attacked Gotland, I chopped off the head of the King of Sweden at Silver Castle in the south."
"Wait!" Rurik suddenly realized that there was a major problem in these descriptions. "What did you say? I know that you Danes conquered Sweden, and our Rus' allies, the Ostara tribe, were almost destroyed. You..."
"Does this make you angry? Friend, this is war. It's me! I dueled with their leader, and I won, with dignity. You can't call me mean."
"Tell me again, it was you who killed the Ostara leader and his family?"
Although he felt something was very strange, with the pride of a warrior, Ragnar took a long breath: "I did it. I saw the two children running away, and it was me who gave the order not to pursue them. If you don't fight me openly, I don’t bother to kill people, at least personally.”
There were two girls standing in the crowd of onlookers. They came to welcome the victorious warriors as the wives and concubines of princes. Unexpectedly, they heard the wild words of a Danish lord who "traveled" to Novgorod. Because what this man said was enough to arouse the two girls to such rage that they wanted to eat his flesh.
Rurik suddenly turned his back, and he noticed the change in the expressions of Carlotta and Ella. From the standpoint of his two wives, Rurik could say that Ragnar did have a grudge against him.
What's more, the Danes rashly entered the territory of the Principality of Rus. Their current behavior itself is illegal. Having Arik as a guarantee just shows that Arik is not aware enough.
"Medved!" Rurik suddenly shouted in Slavic.
"exist!"
"Take this Ragna down! Tie him up! Control all the other Danes and imprison them temporarily!"
"As you command!"
Rurik's outburst came out of the blue, and before Ragnar could react, he was completely controlled. Although the soldiers of the Slavic Flag Army are relatively short, they have fought many fierce battles over the years and their living conditions have greatly improved. They have become extremely strong and their clothes are also Viking-like. More than ten people swarmed him, and Ragna couldn't escape even if he wanted to.
"Why? Prince Ross, I thought I could form an alliance with you."
"Form an alliance? Tie you up first and let me vent my anger first. Ragnar, I will talk to you tonight. Warriors, lock him up and take him away!"
All the Danes men and women of the Stonewall tribe were disarmed, and their leader, Ragnar, was inadvertently made a prisoner. However, Ragnar was not tortured, but was locked in a dark cabin, closely monitored by armed warriors.
Ragnar is a great pirate but not a virtuous man. According to the widely circulated "Iceland Saga", this man has been killing people and selling goods all his life, and his children are also great pirates who kill indiscriminately.
Even Lian Liankan can't say that he is not killing people wantonly. When it comes to killing, I'm afraid he is the craziest butcher. But Ross is different from those pirates. Ross is a normal and rapidly developing feudal country. It is creating a better country in Northern and Eastern Europe. All wars have been eliminated in its vast territory, and its economic life has entered the fast lane of development.
It would have been a mercy for the noble prince not to behead the pirate leader immediately, not to mention that he really had a grudge against him.
But look at the current situation of Ragnar and his gang. No matter how you look at it, they all look like a bunch of miserable wretches.
Although there is hatred, the hatred here should be resolved in some way.
Locking Ragnar in the dark room was actually a destructive move to frustrate him. Taking advantage of this time gap, Rurik had a window for internal emergency consultations, and had enough time to seize the Carlotta sisters. Soothe the angry mood.
