Otto held the sword at his waist and stood at the highest point of the slope. A group of people gathered around him.
Looking at the surrounding scenery, he couldn't help but sigh: "It's a really nice place. I just checked it. It's definitely suitable for planting."
"But chief, let's start immediately. It’s too late to plant. We can’t wait for this year’s harvest if we plant wheat seeds now,” a man named Konusong said regretfully.
"I know. But we can plant something else." Otto slapped this man who was ten years younger than himself but also had a thick beard. "You are my old brother. All your family members came with the fleet. What a risky move."
"I don't regret it."
"Don't worry. , this place will develop in the future. We have made an appointment for you to be the leader of New Roseburg. You will face a difficult job at the beginning. Don’t worry, I will bring the other people of the tribe to help you and your brothers. Roseburg has developed."
"Okay! But this position may be more suitable for Harrow Zuosen." Konuson asked deliberately.
"That guy is more suitable for the battlefield, but you are different." Otto paused, "Some people are suitable for fighting, and some are suitable for business. And you... you liked it in Roseburg. Open up the land to grow onions. Look, the land here is obviously more fertile, and there is a gentle southerly wind. It’s such a good place. Isn’t it best for you to lead everyone to open up the land?”
The leader said this. Said, Konuson breathed a sigh of relief.
Because once Fort Ross is built, the era when the Ross tribe had only one settlement will be over forever.
For a long time, everyone has been accustomed to the political structure of one settlement and one big leader, but now things have changed.
The bearded Cornuson is almost fifty years old. He is as eager for honor as other men, but he was a complete loser in all the fighting games he participated in when he was young. I never thought that I would spend my whole life studying how to grow as many edible things as possible in the cold and barren Roseburg, and my persistence in doing so would actually become the reason why I was reused.
New Roseburg must have a leader, who is assigned by the big leader.
Although he lost the possibility of competing to become the leader of the Ross tribe decades ago, becoming the regional leader of New Ross Fort in his later years is not an honor.
He solemnly assured Otto: "Great leader, we will start construction now. You will continue to Novgorod tomorrow, and those of us who remain will seize the time to build. When you return When the time comes, you will see that we have built many houses, and even... there are real docks for ships to dock." "It's up to you," Otto said solemnly, patting the old man. He looked over his friend's shoulder and looked at the people who were starting to build.
One hundred households resettled to start constructionFor housing, they immediately began to exploit the nearby forest resources.
There are still many people who start exploring non-stop.
The young Kawi is full of strong curiosity about the unknown world. Not only is he full of wonderful thoughts about the Novgorod girl he has never met but is destined to be his, he has also always imagined that he can He became extremely rich because he worked hard to build steel swords.
When Rurik becomes the chief, he and his family will be extremely happy.
Now, he has some ideas about exploring the world.
He led twenty people into a boat, rowed across the fast river as quickly as possible, and landed on a small island on the other side. As soon as they landed, they were immediately shocked by what they saw.
Why?
There are actually hares running around on this island.
A large group of rabbits were so frightened when they saw something strange appearing that they hurried into their caves.
"Haha! This is a good place. Brothers, follow me to catch rabbits, and we will eat rabbit meat at night!"
Generally, rabbits will build their holes very deep, and they will also Leave multiple holes for escape.
However, this island is unusual. In fact, this island was originally connected to the land, but was later washed out of a channel by the Neva River.
When the rivers freeze in winter, the rabbits communicate with the land, and they settle here across the ice.
Due to the arrival of the flood season, the bottom floors of the rabbit holes have been flooded, forcing the rabbits to run to the ground.
Their days of leisurely gnawing grass came to an abrupt end because a large group of humans landed on the island.
In that dimension, the inspecting Peter the Great landed on this island during the flood season of the Neva River. A rabbit that was avoiding the flood actually ran to the side of his boots. Ever since, this small island was named Rabbit Island, because it was indeed home to a large group of rabbits.
Kawei pulled out his steel sword and called on his companions to catch rabbits.
Their method of catching rabbits was very violent, that is, they put their hands into the rabbit hole to explore, so someone pulled the rabbit out forcefully.
Some people just opened the holes, and as a result, some people caught a group of baby rabbits.
The good news of the discovery of a large number of hares immediately spread to the people building settlements on the other side. Kawei happily showed off the two lively rabbits he had caught, immediately attracting others to join the action.
The island was really too small. The Russians landed like locusts. More than 200 people swept the island and caught more than 300 rabbits.
With so much harvest, the island was naturally named Rabbit Island.
The sun is about to set, and the settlement has turned into a large construction site.
More than forty bonfires were lit on the grassy slopes. The rabbits and fish caught by the Russians in a surprise attack were turned into meat being roasted, and the air was filled with charcoal fire. The smoky flavor with the mouth-watering aroma of fat.
As night falls, there are still peopleLogging was done in the nearby pine forest.
The Russians used traditional techniques to cut down large oak trees that were too large for anyone to hold. The big tree had been cut down, and the Russians immediately started chipping away at the trunk to split the wood and use it as building materials. Even if the light is very weak, they still keep working in order to live in the wooden house as soon as possible.
Otto's ears were filled with the crisp sound of an ax striking wood. He ate the roast rabbit sent by his subordinates and gnawed comfortably.
Beside him sat Conuson, who was also chewing roast rabbit and describing to the big leader what people had discovered in a short period of time: "It has been found out that the area near our current location of New Roseburg There are many sandbars, and they have been named. "Oh? What are their names?"
"The one in the west is called West Island, and the one in the north is called Beidao. And the place where we caught the rabbit is called Rabbit Island."
Otto shrugged: "The name is quite casual."
"Maybe we can think of a name. "
"That's it, it's a simple name to remember. Alas, we haven't stayed here before, and I never thought there were a lot of rabbits in this area."
Nusong said happily: "Valhalla is really blessing us! We can't grow wheat this year. The most I can do is lead you to grow some cabbage and onions. I used to be very worried about food problems, but now it's different. Maybe not only through We can catch hares and eat meat, and we can easily hold on until next year."
Otto patted his old friend on the shoulder again: "You don't have to force yourself. This year I will try to increase the number of allies in the south. I will also try my best to collect food from Novgorod. I will not allow anyone to starve to death in Novorosberg, and you! You must ensure that no one freezes to death in Novorosberg." /p>
"I will do it perfectly." Konuson nodded vigorously.
The Russians spent a peaceful night on the slopes.
In the early morning, the green grass is covered with dew, and the gentle south wind blows across the earth.
Otto stretched his tired body lazily. He got out of the temporary tent and planned his next action.
The actions of the Russians were proceeding in an orderly manner. People who were about to move on gathered around the campfire and ate the dried meat they had brought with them, and their ears were filled with the sound of "ding-dong-dong-dong".
The sun has not yet risen, and the work of logging and construction has already begun. Otto, who gnawed on a few pieces of dried fish, looked around and saw that the foundation construction of a large number of houses had begun to bear fruit.
A batch of wooden poles brought from Roseburg’s hometown did their job. They were driven into the soil, and the construction of the wooden house began around these wooden piles.
It is more important to collect taxes.
Looking at the sun and the bustling crowd, Otto felt that he could no longer linger.
He informed a group of people around him to prepare to set off, and soon, the order to set off spread to everyone's ears.
The young people who are ready to go out have been waitingUpon receiving the order, they all stood up, carrying their necessary equipment, and rushed to the river beach full of boats.
A large number of young people pushed the boat into the wide Neva River. Otto used his sword as a baton and shouted an order: "You push the boat into the river and row with all your strength into the big lake!" We have to enter the big lake today! Whoever enters the big lake first will wait there. When all the brothers arrive, we will set off together."
Because of the characteristics of the Neva River, Otto believed that he would organize the fleet on the river. , is really a difficult thing.
Young Kawei is only accompanied by Otto and, of course, the pregnant Peravina.
All Novgorod women who married into the Rus tribe were very happy to return to their hometown to visit. First of all, they must count on the Rus men to defeat the river.
Otto did not have time to say goodbye to Cornuson. He was in a hurry. When the flagship slipped into the river, he couldn't wait to shout slogans and command all the oarsmen on the ship to do their best.
The Neva River has entered the summer flood season, and the water flow in the river has increased dramatically.
The average width of the river is 350 meters, and the depth is generally 25 meters. Since ancient times, almost the entire water of Lake Ladoga has flowed into the Gulf of Finland through this river.
When winter comes, the Neva River is completely frozen, and only the riverbed part still has a large amount of lake water flowing into the sea. At that time, its flow is at its lowest.
It is currently the flood season, and more than 3,000 cubic meters of water flows through the river bed every second. What does this mean?
A Viking ship floats on the river. The people on the ship do nothing. After one minute, the ship will be pushed forty meters by the current. In other words, it takes one hour for the ship to be pushed. Go 1.3 nautical miles away.
By simply paddling, the Russians could keep the ship at a speed of 5 knots for a long time. After being offset by the speed of the river water, they could barely maintain a net speed of 4 knots.
How far is the journey waiting for them? A whole 40 nautical miles!
They set off when the sun was just rising, and had to row non-stop for ten hours. When the sun set, the boat, carrying a group of exhausted people, could drift into Lake Ladoga.
Fortunately, according to the direction of the Neva River, they headed straight to the southeast at first, and they were able to take advantage of the south wind to move against the wind. After passing a big bend, the river runs to the northeast, and the ship flattens its sails to still take advantage of the southerly wind.
The wind gives the Russians a certain amount of power, and the main driving force for the ship's advancement is still rowing.
They are all people with super endurance. In order to challenge a difficult and great retrograde, they prepared a large amount of dried fish and a few precious wheat cakes.
Lunch time? Doesn't exist.
When you are hungry, quickly grab a piece of dried salted fish and stuff it into your mouth to chew it. Don’t stop moving your hands, let alone disrupt the rhythm of the entire team.
The Russian dragon-headed warship became a literal dragon boat, which is its rootIt did not have the super assault speed of the dragon boat, so the whole boat rushed towards the big lake at a relatively fast speed.
"Brothers, work harder! The river runs to the north! Children who are here for the first time, hold on, you will soon see a big lake, which is the largest lake you have ever seen in your life. ! ”
Otto has noticed his fatigue, which is understandable, because he himself is the same.
Everyone must have a goal to strive for. He is calling on everyone to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Lake Ladoga as soon as possible, and everyone still needs to work hard for this.
Fortunately, all actions were planned. The Russians organized thirty ships for this trip, half of which were filled with 500 people, and the other half were purely empty ships being towed, just to pull them. Take tribute.
In the evening, ships arrived at Lake Ladoga one after another. The huge lake made young people who came here for the first time take it for granted that it was another sea.
The cold and pure lake water woke them up.
At the injection point where the water from Lake Ladoga begins to flow into the Neva River, there is a small natural sandbar. The southern part of the sandbar is obviously a protrusion formed by the river channel.
This place has strategic value. Wouldn’t it be great to build a small settlement here as a rest stop for ships?
After the fleet entered Lake Ladoga, they immediately headed south. They did not go straight to the entrance of the Volkhov River, but simply looked for a resting place to dock.
They soon found a wonderful place. A short distance away from the protrusion, there was a gravel beach that was almost purely east-west. For some unknown reason, there is a lack of aquatic plants on the river beach here, and the river beach is covered with crystal clear gravel, which is most suitable for ships to land on the beach.
Otto had already had the idea of building another settlement. He ordered his tired men to land on the river beach. Take a look at this beautiful river beach. It would be a shame not to use it.
Perhaps this is a historical necessity. Anyone who lands on this beach will want to build a settlement.
In another dimension, Kievan Rus established a trading stronghold on the river beach where Otto landed. With the development of the times, in order to resist the aggressive aggression of the Swedes, the rising Principality of Muscovy gradually built its trading strongholds into military fortresses, especially castles and forts built on the sandbanks at the throat of the river, which were called "little walnuts". Castle" so that it is as hard as a walnut.
The Little Walnut Castle has also become the eastern gate of the historical St. Petersburg urban agglomeration.
A large number of bonfires were lit again, and the aroma of barbecue began to fill the air.
No matter how tired they are, the Russian people’s old fishing industry has not been abandoned. While they were still floating on the lake, a large number of hemp ropes with iron fish hooks were hooked on the bait and thrown into the lake.
Soon, the Russians were surprised to find that they had caught a group of all kinds of fish, including many big ones.
The most abundant fish is seabass, followed by Ladoga salmon.
There were also five men who worked together to pull up a big and fierce pike.
The easy availability of large amounts of fresh fish soothes the sore muscles of the young people’s arms.
As the big leader, a large number of young people courted him, and the plump fish steak of the caught pike became his dinner.
While eating fish, Otto did not forget to pay attention to his niece-in-law Peravina.
He handed over a small piece of fish fillet sprinkled with oil and salt, and said: "Eat, my child. Remember, you are feeding two people with one meal."
Peravina nodded and stretched out her hand, keeping her mouth shut to prevent the greedy Halazi from embarrassing her.
Throughout the entire day, the Russians struggled against the river. She marveled at the perseverance of these people who could keep paddling from morning to evening. Because when traveling in the sea, the Russians of course pay more attention to using the wind. Only after entering the river channel, paddling becomes the mainstream.
For the first time in her life, Peravina participated in a long journey upstream. She thought that after a day of struggle, they still had the strength to fish. She thought that if the people in her hometown were enemies of them, Aren't you looking for death?
She was somewhat fortunate that the White Tree Manor, where her natal family was located, was the most willing to cooperate with the Russians among all the manors in Novgorod. Since we can't hide from the powerful Russians, wouldn't it be nice to just be a group of slaves?
After living with the Russians for half a year, Peravina still cannot integrate well into the new group. The grudge in her heart may be resolved with the birth of her child.
She understands at least one thing. People in her hometown always say that Rosge and other Varyag people are a group of hungry wolves that eat people without spitting out bones. In fact, this is not the case. They follow another tradition. A lifestyle person.
Facing the big leader Otto, Peravina still remained cautious. She sat on a small piece of animal skin on the gravel and ate grilled fish steaks in front of the warm campfire.
One big advantage of marrying into the Ross tribe is that every food has salt. Once upon a time, I had to be very economical when eating in my hometown, and salt was even more scarce. Now, she can no longer imagine how she lived her previous life without salt in a meal.
Otto looked at her sullenly eating meat, and subconsciously glanced at her bulging belly.
/p>
Peravina was startled, almost instinctively thinking of something terrible.
She asked in horror: "Dad, do you want to collect tribute at night?"
Otto looked at the dancing flames: "If possible, I will collect it as soon as possible. And As many of your sisters from the same tribe should marry into our tribe. You see, I have brought a large number of young people here to choose wives for them. I believe that.The president will support it. "
"This...I don't know. ”
Pelavina really didn’t know what the head of the manor was thinking, because she herself was the most ordinary woman. Maybe it was because of her beautiful face that she was chosen by the man in front of her to become her. His nephew’s wife.
Otto continued: “Nothing, that guy has no right to say no. I don't want to use force from the beginning. It's best for them to obey my arrangements. So you see, when I ask you to go with the ship, am I just allowing you to return to your hometown to visit relatives? ”
“Isn’t it? "
"My child, I just want to show you and other women to the people in your hometown. Tell them that all women who marry in are well taken care of. In the fall it's time for your baby to be born. Newborn babies are too delicate, so don’t follow us in autumn. So by this time next year, you will return to your hometown with your child in your arms, and you will tell your relatives in person that your life is very happy. ”
Peravina nodded, she still didn’t care about the deep meaning of the big leader’s actions.
She had fallen deeply in love with Arik and ate the delicious food. Grilled fish steak, she couldn't help but caress her belly, silently praying in her heart that her husband Arik, who was on an expedition for revenge, would win a great victory.
Ah! Peravina, she didn't even realize that she was. She should spend her short life as a Novgorod peasant woman.
Now, her mentality has become more Russian.
The same is true for other women. .