Rise of Rurik

Ella herself carried a huge cloth bag full of manuscripts she had worked so hard to proofread.

This expedition is planned, it is of great significance, and it is destined to be busy for several months after he arrives in the capital.

For this reason, his son can only continue to be placed in Novgorod, receiving unified upbringing like other princes.

This is also a good thing, all the princes grow up together, and the relationship with each other will be very close. As a mother, she felt that she still owed her son a bit, but her great responsibility could not be shelved at all. She is the most senior clerk in the whole of Rus, and is obliged to be responsible for various audit data in the kingdom, especially tax issues. She must lead her subordinates to organize all the data before filing.

As the kingdom expands, she finds her work increasingly complicated. She didn't complain, she lacked ideas to improve all this.

The only thing that is gratifying this year is the suspension of agricultural tax collection. This year's largest taxation work will not be done, and the pressure on her and the whole team has plummeted.

That doesn't mean Ella can relax. The first edition of "Rossaga" has been revised and proofread. Novgorod lacks the ability to print in large quantities. Batch printing and binding into books can only be done in the capital at this time.

Not only this book is the core of the kingdom's beliefs, but there are also articles written by the king himself. Each "war record" records the full picture of the 840-year war. Each of the "War Chronicles" articles was long, and they were all proofread and planned to be printed and bound together into a booklet.

There will be two books distributed and sold in batches, so that the comprehensive distribution cost will be recovered, and then a revenue will be made for the finance.

The two books are available in Latin, Norse, and Slavic languages, and the Norse and Slavic versions will be printed in large quantities.

Most of the children who have received two years of education are of mixed race, and naturally understand both North and Slavic languages. In the daily life of this group of children, the two languages ​​are mixed, and a concept is simply described in which language. The new concept uses a common Latin vocabulary, so the three languages ​​are reaching a harmony that does not contradict each other. A brand new one is that "Russian" is being formed in the oral communication of a surprising number of mixed-race children, and it will take some time for it to become an independent idiom.

The three language versions of the book are in line with the current historical process, and even because the Finnish population is too small, the kingdom does not even have a corresponding version of the book in the Finnish language.

She set out with ten male scribes. These male scribes were generally weaker, making it impossible for them to obtain honor and wealth through military service. Therefore, they stood out in the final school year's test by becoming a problem maker, and were hired as salaried swordsmen. The salary rewarded by the king is currently only half of the salary of an ordinary mercenary. Since he is responsible for food and accommodation, it is a good choice. But it is also insulated from making a fortune by virtue of military exploits in a short period of time. They can only work and live in silence, which can be described as extremely stable.

The most important manuscripts were carried by Ella herself, while the male scribes were full of papers.

"In the future, Novgorod needs to establish a more complete printing institution." She intends to have a good talk with the king.

The soldiers of the Slavic flag team were ordered to bring tools and some dry food, so that more than 200 people escorted a large batch of food. The news of the construction of the canal was very exciting, attracting the attention of the merchants who were still trading in the city. Some merchants simply leave trade matters to their subordinates, and take a boat by themselves to do fieldwork with the long-distance team.

The target is the upper area of ​​the calf estate adjacent to the river, the cattle ranch called Balotavo!

Until Rurik gave the order to dig the canal and made a preliminary plan with the governor Medvet, until the messenger entered Novgorod in person, Usky of the calf manor Boyar and his two younger sons let it go. something that happened to you. Usky was the party involved in the incident, and the messenger easily approached him in the city to report the incident.

Others are old and brainless, and the conditions given by the king are extremely good, realizing that once the canal is opened to navigation, it will give huge wealth to the manor.

So, a fleet assembled at the pier, and then collectively floated towards the Calf Manor.

In an instant, the narrow Wallonda River ships converged, and the Calf Manor had never been so grand. After the fleet arrived at his home, Usky and his party, facing the sparse villagers in the manor who greeted the fleet, only knew a major event - the people had accepted the king's order, and all those who were able went to Pakistan with tools. Lotavo!

Because the order given by Rurik was to gather the labor force of the Calf Manor, and to enjoy one-tenth of the benefits after the canal was opened to navigation in the future, he must do his best at the moment. Most of the villagers don't have much long-term thinking, they just look for one point, as long as they work hard, they can be regarded as "young and strong" by the governor, and they can get free wheat rice after work. Those strong enough women and half-boys came when they got the news, happily handling tools or digging in the mud.

The matter was speechless. Considering that their enthusiasm for digging could not be dampened, Rurik just pinched his nose and asked Governor Medvedt to admit that this group of clear-cut numbers could also be regarded as "rewarded men".

The team of Dexin was not big enough. What made him gratified was that in just a few days, the people who stayed in Balotavo had already achieved the fruits of their labor.

Because the cavalry had a small shovel in its equipment. The shovel is easy to make, it can dig earth, its sharp edge is good for chopping branches, and its flat, slightly concave surface can be used as a fish frying pan.

The battles in this era are all fighting between cold weapons. The production of hot weapons can be made with the current technological level of Ross. Considering that Ross already has a strong military level, Rurik has no intention of "making a big one" for the time being. If the current war is rifle versus cannon, then digging trenches with a shovel is a basic daily task for soldiers.

How much loose earth can a person and a shovel dig in about an hour? Dig out at least one cubic meter of soil.

In line with the principle that labor is not used for nothing, a group of young warriors are all half-sized children, and they are usually fed far more fat and strong than their peers. Now it is time to prove that the salary given by the king is not free.

Now that you have started digging from the side of the Reed River with your own shovel and axe, you should first dig a trench to become the pilot creek.

The 300 cavalry team was divided into 30 combat groups, 20 groups were digging soil, and 7 groups were responsible for taking care of the army's war horses. As for the other three groups, they were arranged to explore the other side of the river.

Two hundred men took the lead. They were ordered to take ten strides, or about nine meters, to dig deep single-person pits in the soft, dry soil.

Although the original plan was to dig a mud pond in a watery place, Rurik and Medved imagined using the water flow to wash away the excess soil and continue to expand the size of the waterway. In other words, it is most reliable to gather manpower to dig soil at the edge of water and hard ground.

No, Rurik simply took off his coat, revealing his golden chest hair to his soldiers, and regardless of the black mud on his upper body, Governor Medved followed suit. The queen and two concubines tried their best to solve logistical problems by cooking porridge for the army on the shore.

The king has already gone into battle himself, so he can't be so lazy.

Such performance art by Rurik is a kind of show, but it also serves as a tentative role in leading the charge. The digging efficiency of a small shovel is really not high. Fortunately, the soil here is very soft. Even the more you dig down, the sharper the shovel blade feels like it has cut "cream pudding". The soil was very smooth and wet, and then the water began to separate out, the holes began to seep, and people dig in the mud.

Young warriors are already digging in the mud, and the wood borrowed from the calf estate has become a drainage tool.

Rurik ordered: "Let's dig as much as we can, and all the dirt holes must be as deep as your chest. Do your business well, and when we get to New Roseburg, I'll invite you to eat roast venison every day."

Young boys always hope that others will stop seeing themselves as weak children. Twelve years old is a proper adult in Viking society. Boys desperately need any way to prove that they are real men. They were trained to be brave and fierce. In military training, they competed to see who dared to run wild, who was better at archery, and who was the best in the wooden sword battle. Now, they were competing to see who was the strongest in the digging contest.

Because the king Rurik ordered: that team will connect the earth caves into trenches first, and let the king as a matchmaker and the capital find a wife for which team member, or at least an engagement.

Digging soil is like logging, it is all physical work. Once it comes to who is more powerful in the competition, Rurik can't help but "fan the flames", and the teams will compare themselves, not to mention the winner will have a good reward.

Each team is responsible for a 200-meter-long area. The first is to dig a point, and each point is gradually extended and finally turned into a surface. They dig in the mud, and it turns out that when the soil is well soaked with water, digging becomes easier.

What is certain is that the depth of the pit they are digging is already lower than the level of the Reed River, which is the reason for the current large amount of water seepage.

Excavation work was carried out only in the area close to the Reed River, and the total length of the trenches that gradually began to line up accounted for about one-third of the total planned length of the canal. The reality is far better than Rurik's previous expectations. He had no idea that the excavation work originally planned to be dawdled until next autumn is expected to have a major improvement by the end of July this year.

The people who stayed in Balotavo in the Calf Manor followed Rurik's request to excavate in the direction of the Wallonda River, but their efficiency was far less than that of an organized and disciplined army. At least the strategy of "digging at both ends" is being implemented in an orderly manner, and the leading stream is not far from the intersection in terms of geographical distance.

Finally, the team that got the news arrived at Balotavo.

Usky arrived here with his large group of people and various tools, and what he saw was a construction site.

Rurik also got a report from the messenger to climb out of the mud pit. He could not immediately restore the neat and tidy clothes of the king, so he simply ordered his subordinates to suspend their work in a very original image, and rode a group to go there. crowd.

A large group of bare-backed men, all wearing wide-brimmed sun hats, sunglasses, and only breeches and leather boots, rode with the reins and followed the king.

Rurik is full of style, his chest muscles and biceps are quite majestic, and the golden chest hair on his chest is stained with a lot of mud. Although his whole person looks a little dirty, it can be said that he is full of the rude charm of a man now.

The cavalry swarmed, and their collective **** appearance was too performance art. Ogus was astonished, as were the two Slavic centurions who had come by order. The latter participated in many **** battles in 840 years. Seeing the king and his young warriors this time, they all remembered the Varyag Berserkers during the **** war. Indeed, some of the soldiers of the flag team who were caught in the slaughter, even threw away the chain mail that protected their bodies, and rushed into the enemy line with an axe on their backs, slashing and slashing wildly, as mad as a bear.

Rurik, who was riding a horse, motioned to the stunned people. He noticed that there were still businessmen watching the fun. The textual dress proved everything.

"Businessmen? What are you doing here? Oh, you must think the canal has a future. It's okay..." He muttered silently.

He dismounted and greeted the assembled crowd, immediately chatting with Uski, who didn't know how to speak.

Rurik was tall, making his mount seem too small. He was easily more than a whole head taller than the old man Usky, looked down at the old man, and asked, "Do you know the king's plan to dig the canal?"

"I know! I... I brought everyone who is available in the entire manor. Thanks to the king's reward, I dare not ignore this opportunity."

"You are very smart! Very good, this king thinks you are too dawdling, and has already brought young soldiers to help you dig the soil first. I will take the team to the capital, and then the work of digging the river here will be handed over to you. Since you Knowing that digging the river is also beneficial to the interests of your calf manor, then go ahead and do it!"

"As ordered. I... I don't dare to neglect." Saying that, Uski was already trembling.

Although the team had arrived, in theory Rurik could now assemble his troops and gather on the banks of the Reed River, and leave through the simple bridge.

Don't be too hasty.

He first assembled the two Slavic centurions of more than 200 people, held a meeting with the group together with the Governor Medved, and told them succinctly what to do next, and reiterated the remuneration. Next, he gathered the people present at the Niu Calf Manor, and explained in a succinct manner that the completed canal would bring huge benefits to the manor, and even the value of the future existence of the Niu Calf Manor.

In contrast to them, Rurik simply invented a new term "doban", which is actually "Daoban".

He proposed some new concepts. For example, the name of the canal can be called "Calf Canal", and the meaning of Niu Cao Manor's existence in the new historical period is the canal class. First, a large number of laborers will dig out the canal, and then all maintenance is the responsibility of the calf manor. So the one-tenth of the toll is not really to be earned. They must maintain the smoothness of the entire canal. If the canal is blocked, they will be held accountable and fined.

To get the benefits, there is a price to be paid, and Uski did his own calculations and was convinced that his manor could make great profits as long as he did things well, even though most of the tolls went to the state coffers.

That's all, Rurik casually summoned the merchants who came to find out.

More than a dozen businessmen, but from their clothes, it seems that they are not very rich.

The merchants wanted to hear what the king had to say, and taking advantage of this golden opportunity, Rurik just happened to give them a sales pitch.

"This year, this king will take his cavalry to take a brand new road to reach New Rose Fort! We will take the Reed River and finally reach the sea, and enter the city from the west of the capital. This king will personally explore the road to prove that the passage of the Reed River is reasonable! I hope you After returning to Novgorod, explain this to the people you know. If you immediately go back to Novgorod through the old waterway, I urge you to tell everyone immediately that the king will lead the cavalry to arrive from the west! We will be slower, so enough to give Your time. Hurry up! Say your names, and wait for me at Fort New Rose. Go publicize as much as you can, and then I'll reward you with ten pounds of silver each."

It is equivalent to saying that Rurik wanted to use the businessmen who were watching the fun and ordered them to urgently return to the distant capital to advertise himself. For merchants who lack strength, the reward of ten pounds of silver coins is enough for everyone to suspend all business activities and do business according to the order. They have left their names, as well as their address at Lake Mälaren, the geology of the New Roseburg rental. Without him, these merchants are all from Mellaren.

In the end how to dig the pilot stream? There is no need to discuss this matter at all. It is only necessary to order various civilians to act with tools. This matter is supervised and dispatched by Governor Medwait. It is the task of the Governor.

Rurik then rested his weary young warriors, and gave everyone a good rest all day before heading out.