White Tree Manor is the second richest. After all, it has a population of two thousand people, even in an era when the level of material production was low. A natural village with so many people united by the blood of a common ancestor can still produce some surplus wealth.
They should have used the surplus of wealth to make their lives better, or to use these materials to raise more children.
The Rus came with their axes and swords.
White Tree Manor is like a sheep. After working hard to gain wool, all of it was sheared away by the Russians.
In this regard, the village leader Ligus had nothing to do.
The Ross people come twice a year, but the people from Pine Needle Manor can be seen every three to five.
If it were not oppressed by Pine Needle Manor, how could White Tree Manor settle in a place that is still seven kilometers away from Lake Ilmen in a straight line?
In fact, the fertile farmland by the lake has been occupied by the people of Pine Needle Manor. It is impossible for White Tree Manor to reverse its disadvantage in the competition by relying on its own strength.
The current White Tree Manor not only has to pay tribute to the Russians twice a year. This routine of collecting tributes was also learned by Pine Needle Manor.
The Pine Needles Manor imitated the Ross people's tribute strategy. They were the main targets of the Ross people's exploitation because of their large numbers. In order to recover the losses, after the Ross people left, it was the Pine Needles tribe's turn to exploit them. They walked around Lake Ilmen to collect tributes. This tribute to Pine Needle Manor was not much, and leaving it to them, White Tree Manor has always felt strongly insulted.
Each family in White Tree Manor provides a fortune, which is finally calculated by the manor head’s family and finally handed over to the Ross people.
The head of the manor, Ligus, is a tax collector serving the Russians in a real sense.
What the Russians are looking for is not just the wealth of the manor chief's family, but the wealth of the entire manor residents.
The most powerful manor head family has inherited the position of manor head hereditary since ancient times. There are also direct descendants of the manor head who inherit this position, and other manor members are branches. They all think that the head of the manor and his family are noble people, and their lives are just like this every day. Now it can be said that ordinary people do whatever the head of the manor wants them to do.
As for the head of the manor taking the tributes from other families and packaging them to the Russians, but he did not hand over a single copper coin. Ordinary families either do not have such a concept, or they have nowhere to vent their dissatisfaction. , simply selectively ignored.
Each manor probably continued to develop in this way, and the manor eldest family of each manor had truly become aristocrats.
So who are the Russians? Of course he is the noblest among the nobles!
For such a factor, it is the right choice for a large number of ordinary people to choose to hide.
The bad news of the arrival of the Russians reached the ears of the manor director Ligus. This "old man", who was several years younger than Otto, suddenly stood up from his bearskin seat, aging. The body seemed to fall apart.
"Where are they?!"
"Russians have taken to the streets." One of his nephews answered cautiously.
"It's really bad. You go and inform Medved and ask him to come to me. Others, get ready and go with me to meet those Russians. Oh! I wish there were fewer Russians. A little searching."
After a while, a man in his thirties named Medved stood in front of the manor, Ligus. This man was Ligus' eldest son and his subordinate. A generation of manor chiefs.
Ligus had many children, but this son was the eldest. Nowadays, Ligus doesn't think he can successfully live past the age of sixty. Perhaps it is the right choice to transfer the power to manage the entire manor to his eldest son as early as possible.
Ligus still has great appeal, but he must personally participate in any major events.
Especially the relationship with the Rus people. For at least ten years, the great chief named Otto came twice a year. Ordinary people believe that it was the correct negotiation by the manor director Ligus that prevented the White Tree Manor from suffering a bloody disaster for more than ten years.
The old Rigus is already fifty years old. His figure is already a bit stooped, and he usually relies on a cane to walk around.
He has also lost a lot of teeth, and his old jaw can no longer resist the hard and dry riba. He can only eat some pulpy wheat porridge on weekdays and wait quietly for the end of his life.
Now, the leader of the Russians suddenly arrived!
He quickly put on his decent clothes. Considering that it was still a little cold outside, he had to put a big bearskin hat on his head and a black bearskin coat on his body.
Wearing bearskin clothing will make a man look very powerful. Unfortunately, this good clothing will not reflect much on an aging person.
People from the core family of the manor gathered behind Ligus, and the children of the family also joined them.
Seeing the manor head and his family walking out of their well-built wooden house, other people also came out of their homes.
There were dark clouds again in the evening, and Otto really didn’t like this bad weather.
But in the eyes of the people in White Tree Manor, the dark clouds these days are indeed a bad omen!
No, the Russian army searching for wealth came accompanied by billowing dark clouds.
The Russians held their own swords and shields, and each of them wore an iron helmet covering half of their face. Everyone wore leather armor, including chainmail. The fierce man.
Their tall image is the most frightening. Every time he sees such an army marching on the dirt streets of White Tree Manor, Ligus himself is always very afraid.
Because as long as the Ross people are willing, they can easily wipe out the entire manor and finally burn all the houses.
Ligus calmed down and signaled his eldest son to calmly take care of Cheng Yan, the other family member. Then he walked forward with firm eyes, intending to face the leader of the Ross people in person. oneFollowers who knew some Norse language followed.
People are indeed different. Ligus could not imagine that the leader of the Ross people was actually older than him. He felt that he was about to die of old age. The other person's posture was the same as last autumn. He was still a tall and strong man, with strong arms and a gray beard that proved his aging.
Ligus trembled his mouth and slowly raised his head: "Great leader of Rus, we welcome you."
Some respectful words spoken in Norse, Ligus is Very understanding, his deference pleased Otto.
"Rigus, I thought you were going to die of old age. After a winter, you are still alive!" Otto said deliberately and contemptuously.
The entourage quickly translated Otto's words. These remarks made Rigus quite disgusted. So what can be done?
Ligus deliberately complimented: "It must be God's will, allowing me to continue living, just to continue to serve the great Russians."
"Haha! You are very good at it. Talk! Lead me now. I want to go to your residence and talk to you about this year."
"Yes, great leader"
Ligus turned around. He wanted to lead the way, but was stopped by Otto in a hurry.
"Wait a minute! There is one thing you must solve for me now."
"As you command, my leader." Ligus muttered in his heart, but on the surface he still said Extremely deferential.
"Very good, I want you to settle my people. We will all stay in your manor tonight."
"Huh?!" Ligus was stunned subconsciously. , the walking stick also fell to the ground.
The servant quickly picked up the walking stick and put it into Ligus's trembling hand.
"Are you not happy? Or..." As he spoke, Otto's eyes showed a dangerous look. He held the sword hilt with his right hand and quietly pulled out a blade as a threat.
"I do! We all will, but I'm worried..."
"Put away your worries, I won't embarrass your people too much." Otto's Sword He learned how to scabbard his sword, and his expression became kind again. "Compared to other manors, you are the most cooperative. White Tree Manor is a tamed dog, and other manors are only half tamed. In this way, give us some vacant wooden houses, and my people will live in them. You also see Come, this bad weather is about to rain, if my people get wet, you will be responsible."
Ligus quickly understood and nodded, and he quickly explained: "We have some. The empty barn, I hope the great Rus will appreciate it. I will also provide the food your people need, and if you need women to serve, I will also... I will try my best to satisfy you."
The groveling look of this old guy made Otto look down on him, but to be fair, this old guy did a good job of saving the lives of his people.
Otto nodded: "You are a loyal dog. I want you to give my people a pound of bread immediately. As for women, we need women. This isIt's very important. I'll explain it to you personally in a moment. ”
One man is a knife and the other is a fish. Ligus is so humble and humble in order to ensure the existence of the manor.
Of course, his humiliating image makes some young men of the White Tree Manor very fond of him. Because of dissatisfaction.
Forget it. If you think about the stone hammer and spear in your hand, will you dare to attack the Russians?
In this regard, Otto certainly knows the fear of these weak people.
The intimidation of swords and axes can come to an end, and now some sweet comfort is needed.
Otto clapped his hands, and there was a lot of excitement in the Russian crowd. Quickly make a way, and some armed young men from the Ross tribe came out with their pregnant wives.
Among them was Peravina, who approached Otto very wisely.
“You see, Rigus, we keep our promises. These are the women of your White Tree Manor, they are already pregnant with the children of our Rus people. We treated them well! "
"Yes..." Ligus was really surprised at this moment, and the onlookers were also surprised.
It is not surprising that a woman is pregnant, it seems that she just grew up from a thin woman , turned into a thin woman with a big belly.
These pregnant women are really different. They have all gained a lot of weight, and their faces are rare.
Some women’s parents. In the crowd of onlookers, they recognized their married daughters at a glance, and they were filled with joy.
Those young men from the Ross tribe who originally had to pay huge chips to get married paid a small amount of silver coins. Such men will certainly not treat their wives badly if they embrace beautiful women! They will give their wives the fat livers of the big fish they catch, and they will also try to provide them with the fat and fresh meat of the seals. For the wife.
This kind of diet is completely different from Novgorod. What a farmer lacks most is fat. In just half a year after marrying into the Rus tribe, they eat more than they had in more than ten years. They also eat more salt and fat. They are basically ordered by their husbands to stay in a warm home and wait for the cold winter to pass.
How can they not eat fat every year? Fat?
In this era, a fat body is recognized as proof of a good life.
Seeing the sisters of the same race who were married to them, some women from the manor were looking at the crowd. When he came out of his head, he actually showed a look of envy!
Darkness soon enveloped the land of the main film. At dawn, bad news about the arrival of the Russians had begun to spread in various estates in Novgorod.
Unsurprisingly, the main purpose of the Ross people this time is to collect tribute and at most marry a few women. In order to survive, it is obviously necessary to endure the pain of cutting off the flesh.
Every manor has already done so. Begin the final count to buy peace tributes from the Ross people.
And here in White Tree Manor, the situation tonight is indeed unique.
After all, it is spring, and many barns that were once full have turned into empty wooden houses. There are a large number of wheat fields near the manor. According to Novgorod's agricultural concept, the wheat seedlings are growing well. As long as you continue to wait until the end of August in the Julian calendar, you can harvest the wheat.
Many Russians who had been rowing for a long time now wanted to take a good rest first, so they quickly rushed into the barns provided by White Tree Manor, and then lay on the wooden floors in piles. on the floor.
Completely different from the Russians, the Novgorod area has more water network structures. In winter, this area is basically frozen, and in spring and summer, the frozen soil becomes muddy again.
In the construction of all the houses in White Tree Manor, a large number of wooden piles are first laid, and then wooden floors are laid and wooden walls are built.
They also sleep on their own wooden beds. For comfort, they often lay some yellow and dry reeds. Then the family cuddles up on a wooden bed and sleeps fully clothed.
This is the case for ordinary families. The most powerful Ligus family has the financial resources to build a real manor for himself. For safety, there is also a wooden fence to protect you!
The wooden wall is not to ward off the Russians or other enemies, it is to ward off wild animals.
Even Baishu Manor, a large settlement with two thousand people, encountered wolves and bears.
Most of Otto’s men who were resting in the barn began to eat the dried fish they had brought with them. After a while, the women from the White Tree Manor came with a large number of pieces of bread, and they threw them He ran away quickly with the sack full of rye bread, as if he would be caught by them if he ran too late, and it would be unpredictable later.
Most young people have no attitude towards a group of older local women. Many of them really want to choose a woman to be their wife in Novgorod. Of course, they must choose a young and beautiful wife!
As for the pregnant White Tree Manor women who returned, they took their Russian husbands back to their natal homes without hesitation.
Novgorod has its own culture of weddings and funerals, and so do the Russians. Even though the Rus' culture places a lot of emphasis on fighting and expansion, they still like to love and be loved.
When they returned to their wife's home, they felt like they were home. The father-in-law, mother-in-law, and the wife's brothers and sisters from her mother's family had close contact with a Russian son-in-law, and their grudges quickly dissipated.
And when they take out one or two pieces of not-so-good amber as a gift, they can immediately make their parents-in-law happy.
Their joy was truly justified.
The Russian son-in-law took out some amber of poor quality as a property for his wife’s family to supplement their living expenses.
Look at this amber, if you sell it at a low price in Smolensk in the south, you can make a lot of money, and then exchange it for some necessary rations locally. The value of the tribute quota distributed by the estate to all families is completely less than one taelBlock of amber.
Some families even hurriedly sell their young daughters to their sons-in-law, hoping to set up a marriage as soon as possible. In addition to the fact that the daughters will indeed have a materially comfortable future, it is also because Marrying a daughter seems to bring long-term benefits.
The tribute distributed was fifty pounds of rye or oats.
Compared with the poor agricultural conditions here in Novgorod, the wheat harvested from an area of 15 meters by 15 meters can generally only reach about one hundred pounds, which is the so-called eighty pounds. . The people of Novgorod do not fertilize their fields, and most use primitive irrigation systems to draw water from lakes in dry years. As for how much wheat can be harvested, it all depends on fate.
In order to achieve this one hundred pounds, they still need to invest thirty pounds of wheat seeds.
A family will tend their own field with an area of up to 20 acres, because it is just a wooden plow that gnaws out grooves, and a large number of seeds are scattered casually, and the children of the family use wooden rakes to level the grooves. , sowing is over.
They hardly care about it after sowing the seeds. During the long slack period, they just raise some sheep and chickens to supplement the family income.
It is incredible to have a good harvest by farming in such a rough way.
However, their agriculture is enough to sustain themselves. In addition to the annual tribute of one hundred pounds of wheat to the Russians and the sowing of grain, on average, the family's daily ration can barely exceed three pounds. , save some money, eat wild vegetables and mushrooms, drink some goat's milk, milk and eggs, and even catch fish, life is not too hard.
This night, the Russians had three different situations.
Those who lived in the dry barns wrapped themselves in animal skins and fell asleep soon after eating the bread. They don't feel any embarrassment at all about sleeping like this, because in their hometown, their wooden houses don't even have wooden floors.
Those Russians who lived in their wives’ natal families immediately received the support of their parents-in-law and their families as if they were heroes because of the gifts they presented.
As for Otto, he and several of his important subordinates, completely acting as masters, entered the "mansion" surrounded by wooden walls by Ligus and sat in the white tree manor. The meeting hall is lit by oil lamps.
After Otto performed in public the performance of five mouthfuls of gnawed chicken, he then burped and told the whole story about the tribute requirements from White Tree Manor.