Rurik did not say that he came to discuss making iron plows, and he did not show anyone the wooden boards he had.
He sat obediently next to Lilia and asked many stories about Novgorod.
Lilia thought that the child would ask about Svetlana. She really wanted to introduce her cute and clingy sister.
I never thought that Rurik was incredibly concerned about farmers farming. < /p>
"Did you just throw the seeds randomly?" Rurik asked.
"Probably...it's just casual. I saw my people walking around sowing seeds."
"Then what?"
Lilia thought for a moment: "Then press the soil again. Press all the seeds into the soil."
"Is this enough?"
"It's okay, otherwise it can still be done What to do? I'm not a farmer's wife." Lilia was a little unhappy. She just talked about what she saw and heard, but that doesn't mean she is a farmer's wife. It can even be said that Lilia despises farmers in her heart. As the eldest daughter of the manor leader, she is relatively pampered, and in her concept, the most brilliant person is the blacksmith.
Now that things have happened, she has indeed become the blacksmith's wife. Even if the blacksmith shop is dirty, she doesn't mind. She even encouraged her husband to make a batch of iron and bronze farm tool accessories, such as hoe blades and shovel blades with holes, as gifts for her family. In exchange, Kawei will receive strong feedback. Because Lilia has decided that she must go back to her hometown to see her family this fall and report the good news of her pregnancy.
Hearing Lilia’s detailed description, Rurik’s mind sketched out a scene of Novgorod people farming.
Create a piece of land casually, sow some seeds casually, there is no irrigation system, wait until the wheat is harvested in autumn, and rely solely on the sky for food?
It seems that their so-called farmers are still living a life of slash-and-burn farming, and their farming and intensive farming do not take up any part of it.
Rurik continued to ask: "So, what are the tools you use to turn the land? A piece of stone?"
Lilia stopped what she was doing and started gesturing immediately.
In this way, Rurik finally understood that the locals had three tools for plowing the land, which were farm tools that resembled shovels, hoes for digging soil, and wooden plows.
Yes, it is a wooden plow.
Rurik learned an ancient Slavic word, which obviously means "wooden plow". The residents of Novgorod made it out of hard oak with specific twists. The wooden plow was pulled by strong men and supported by women behind them. There is nothing magical about the style of this object. It seems that all farming peoples have similar styles of land reclamation tools.
It is only a plow, basically it can only plow the land.An indentation that is almost a branch line was cut out in it. Its function seems to be limited to making the land softer so that seeds can be sown later.
Until this moment, Rurik suddenly showed his wooden board and pointed at the pattern on it: "Sister, I came here just for the plow you mentioned. Look at my drawing, I plan to make a "Plow?" Lilia looked at the picture, but she couldn't understand it at all.
Lilia's brain is very good. The only reason why she can't understand Rurik's drawings is because she lacks certain knowledge of geometry. She couldn't picture a plow based on Rurik's drawings. Besides, Lilia had no idea what this so-called plow looked like.
Of course, the girl's temporary ignorance cannot be entirely blamed here. The style of plow marked in Rurik's picture does not exist in the whole of Europe.
Because it is a curved shaft plow with a plowshare that can turn the soil to one side. It is planned to make a full metal plowshare.
The plow that combines these technical essentials can be described as high-tech.
What is the current situation of farm tools in Western Europe? Is there any better word to describe it than poor?
Even the most critical component, the plowshare, was only owned by a very small number of Frankish lords. The vast majority of farmers and serfs still use strange-shaped hard branches as wooden plows. It is conceivable that this so-called wooden plow should be thrown away after one use. Poor farm tools are also one of the main culprits in limiting food production.
Now, Rurik wants to try an agricultural revolution in the farming areas that his tribe can control.
First of all, a pair of curved shaft plows brings a leap in farming! Even from plowing, sowing and even leveling the soil, a comprehensive change is needed to say goodbye to primitive agriculture forever.
The day for the leader to set out is getting closer and closer. Now, the purpose of those selected to participate in the tribute voyage is no longer limited to grabbing some living supplies.
Some women will go on long voyages. They are natives of Novgorod. They married Rus in the summer. With the permission of the chief, they can follow their husbands to visit their hometown.
And Otto has no intention of interfering with such family visits. It can be said that Rurik is constantly changing his mind about foreigners.
Of course, women will not leave empty-handed. They are usually pregnant. In addition to announcing the good news during the autumn visit, they also have some treasures provided by their husbands to their natal families. For example, a handaxe, some clay pots.
The most precious thing among them is salt!
Marriage is a means of mutual benefit. While the Novgorodians solve the marriage problem of young Russians, they will receive gifts of metal tools and salt. Similarly, the locals will also give themselves The son-in-law's daughter has more wheat. In addition to the element of care for the daughter, it is also an implicit demand for the son-in-law.
It is very interesting that when the Novgorodians can get cheaper from the RusIf you can get salt, you don't have to pay a high price with the Smolensk people for salt from the Black Sea. The materials saved among them will not only benefit themselves, but the Russians will also get more benefits from this.
Almost every man who married a Novgorod woman was naturally preparing some gifts because he was immersed in the good news of his wife's pregnancy.
As the eldest daughter of White Tree Manor, Lilia has the most generous gift!
There are increasingly exquisite glassware made by her own hands, and there are iron tools that her husband has remade. She even made some loose pieces of smooth glass and strung twine through the reserved holes.
The earliest glassware was women's jewelry, and Lilia discovered its essence with a woman's intuition. She put on necklaces made of more amber and glass pieces, and also prepared one for her sister and one for her mother.
But what exactly is Rurik’s so-called special plow?
It would be a good thing if it really helps people in my hometown farm.
The next afternoon, Rurik arrived as promised.
Kawi, who had already received the news, deliberately stayed in the blacksmith shop, along with Klavasen and Kamni. Everyone sat on the leather mats in the inner hall, listening to Rurik's explanation.
For a time, the blacksmith shop was filled with an academic atmosphere.
"Now we must make a tool that can easily cultivate the land, that is, a plow, but it is not an ordinary plow. It must have a metal plowshare and a curved neck..."
p>Rurik tried his best to describe the so-called curved shaft plow in words they could understand.
Klavasen was confused. Although Lilia had some ideas about wooden plows, she could not understand Rurik's idea of the instrument at all.
In metallurgy and making tools, Klavasen can be said to be the top expert of the Ross tribe. Of course, his top level is relative. He has a lot of practical experience and has his own opinions on making instruments. However, these experiences have not become a system at all.
Rurik wanted to use the education of mechanics to make the two experts Klavasen and Kawe understand that the curved shaft plow is really a powerful tool for breaking land and reclaiming wasteland. Torque? The direction of the force? What is force?
What is very embarrassing is that Klavasen has never even seen a wooden plow!
Of course the Ross tribe also farms, and what they grow is just a handful of cold-resistant varieties of Nordic onions. Plow? Doesn't exist. Farmers just use hoes and draft axes to pound the ground, and then plant onion roots. Of course, the southern allies plowed their fields with wooden plows. Clavarson didn't care about those farmers. He didn't even have time to go to the south, so naturally he didn't understand.
Although he knew nothing about plows and their functions, he followed the pattern carved on the wooden board provided by Rurik and built a so-called plow under the supervision of this child. There is no technical reason for this. obstacles.
Clavason looked at the wooden board for a long time and said seriously: "I can make it according to the picture. Rurik, do you need it very much?"
"Of course, I do.a lot of. "
"Huh? Is it just giving land to the Novgorod people for farming? If it's a good thing, why don't we use it ourselves? "
Clavason's question was meaningless. Rurik puffed up his chest and said in a commanding tone: "This is not only my decision, but also the decision of the big leader. The leader has given you an order. You must make ten pieces before setting off. You must complete them. "
"Huh? so much? ! "Klavason was startled, "You know, I still have the work of making steel swords, and even some axes..."
"Those things will be discussed later, you must plow the ones I want. Made. Because this is related to the reclamation of our New Roseburg settlement next year. Listen! Our tribe is going to start farming! ”
“So that’s it? Then let’s get started. "Klava Senmaliu stood up and made a very positive statement, "Rurik, what exactly do you want, at least give it a name. "
"Name? It's called kra. ”
Rurik invented a word, which was actually a combination of “bend” and “earth-breaking tool” in the Norse dialect of his tribe. He decided to use this to describe the curved plow.< /p>
Next, the production and processing began.
Klavasen’s work was to hand-forge the most critical plowshare.
The process began. As the forging continued, it became more and more flattened, and was hammered into the shape of a Nordic forest ax. Next, the very crucial operation came, which was to bend the iron plate with a special shape and finally form a curl. Curvature.
What's the use of it? In Rurik's words, this thing digs into the soil, and as it keeps moving forward, the soil is brought out along the curly groove, leaving A ravine was laid for spreading seeds. From now on, the farmer spread the seeds accurately in the ravine.
Klavasen could not understand the words at all, but Lilia understood the subtleties of it. .
Kawei is responsible for the processing of wood, and Kamne is the one who does it.
But who would have thought that Ruri seemed to be just relaying "Odin's wisdom". Gram is a doer through and through.
Rurik does not know much about wood processing, but when it comes to using wood and steel as structural materials, is there really a big gap between them? The dagger personally carved the marks on the wood block, the so-called chisel position. He accurately determined the length of each wooden part and also personally guided Kawei's processing at a slower speed. A piece of naturally bent oak branch is processed into the curved shaft of the plow, and the rest of the parts are processed around this curved device.
Plowing fields such as curved shaft plows. The artifact appeared in the Tang Dynasty. In 829 AD, the East was still the Tang Dynasty. At this time, no nation should have had more advanced farming equipment than the Tang Dynasty, but Rurik was quietly in the far north of Europe, on the Boros Sea. I completed my study of Tang Dynasty unexpectedly.
Of course.This cannot be considered learning. Does copying one’s own work count as learning?
To be fair, the Quyuan plow is not a complex instrument in terms of structure. Its magic lies in lowering the position of force, which not only saves effort, but also makes the movement of the dragged object more stable. There are also concave plowshares designed for it, as well as sharp plow arrows that penetrate the ground diagonally.
These designs can be described as treasures made using a lot of mechanical knowledge.
When Rurik explained his design plan in public, just one day later, on the afternoon of the next day, the first curved shaft plow made by the Ross tribe was born.
"Rurik, what do you think? It can really cultivate land easily?" Klavason was a little skeptical.
The curved shaft plow with various parts assembled is placed in the shed of the blacksmith shop.
But Rurik also reproduced this treasure through his own knowledge. Is it really useful? Undoubtedly, practice is the only criterion for testing truth.
"It should be excellent. Klavason, let's try it now." Rurik said.
"Go for reclamation? Then you have to find a piece of wasteland."
"No need." Rurik shook his head. His little finger pointed at the door of the blacksmith shop, which had been trampled very smoothly. Firm gravel. "Just try it at the door. If it can cultivate even here, the effect will only be better when it encounters ordinary wasteland."
Clavason shrugged and casually ordered Kamne: "Go! Ma Bring the rope."
Perhaps Europeans will never be able to use oxen well, especially in today's era. Even if some families and estates have wooden plows, it is the farmers themselves who are the driving force.
In the Ross tribe, the "plow ox" that drags the curved shaft plow is the strong Kawei.
As for Klavason, he stood behind the curved shaft plow, holding the handle with both hands, so-called controlling the direction of travel and ensuring that the plow would not tip over.
What a weird scene!
Rurik stood aside and watched with interest, while Kamne and Lilia, two Novgorodians, only had shocked eyes.
Because, the plowshare has begun to move forward!
Due to the driving force of the "plow ox", the sharpest plow arrows of the plowshare pierced into the sandy ground at an angle, and finally the entire plowshare sank into the ground.
Kawei is twenty years old. He started doing odd jobs for his father when he was less than ten years old, and this morning he is already a young man with great strength and strength. He didn't even take a breath of exhaustion. The curved shaft plow controlled by Clavason easily traveled at least ten meters!
Wherever the plowshare passed, there were only deep dents and unusually soft sand and gravel. Under the sun, those tiny pebbles that had never seen the light of day were already reflecting light.
Two men even had fun plowing the fields.
The curved plow suddenly turned 180°. Klavasen did not think there was anything troublesome about this change of direction. Little did he know that it was this deft turn that was its third advantage.
What are all the advantages? In the past, it was necessary to dig loose ground bit by bit with a hoe or a draft, but now only a strong man pulling a curved shaft plow and the kra is enough. Behind the strong man walking past is the cultivated land.
Lilia and Kamne were fully aware of what had happened. They already worshiped Rurik's wisdom, and now Rurik has become the "God of Agriculture."
Everything is joyful!
Soon, many people in the tribe began to comment on the large dent at the door of Klavasen's blacksmith shop, and some good people even made up stories about the so-called terrible planarians coming ashore. The monster was afraid of the identity of the son of the god Rurik, so it retreated into the sea leaving scratches on it.
Who knows whether this statement is just a story, or a meddlesome person trying to curry favor with the leader and his family.
In short, because there were no outsiders watching when the Quyuan Plow was experimented, and those who knew the inside story were busy increasing production, this statement naturally fermented among the tribe, and who benefited in the end? Of course it’s Rurik.
The plowshare is carburized, followed by surface quenching heat treatment. The plowshare became sharp and hard. It was stuck on a special wooden pole. In order to make it more stable, Klavasen tried to use the rosin used to glue the seams of ships as an adhesive. Rurik didn't know whether it was effective.
The rest of the wood is all oak, and those small oaks that might grow into the keel of the ship were cut down by Kawe, and they became accessories.
With the success of the first product, the manufacturing of the remaining products becomes rapid.
Unknowingly, the day for Otto's departure was finally coming, and Klavasen and Kawei had seen the power of the curved shaft plow, and they made twenty sets! That is, the curved shaft plow body and the traction hemp rope have become a high value-added agricultural machinery that was originally empty.
It’s time to set a value for it!
How to price it? The Klavasen family still couldn't understand its value. The iron used in the plowshare was enough to make two steel swords.
Klavason never engaged in blacksmithing for the purpose of making money. He was eager to make better tools to make life more comfortable. The production of Quyuan plow can be said to be in line with his temperament.
Of course he still had to collect the money. Logically, he could ask Rurik to pay him two thousand silver coins. He chose to make a major concession, and Rurik readily spent 500 silver coins, and the twenty sets of curved shaft plows officially became Rurik's property.
Now, Otto was surprised by the appearance of these production equipment and the demonstration in Fort Ross. He also instantly realized that this thing would definitely help his tribesmen who settled in the east to reclaim the wasteland. Moreover, their ownership belongs to Rurik, and Rurik is not a good person who makes losses.
The curved shaft plow will be given to the people of New Roseburg and White Tree Estates, and like other implements, they will have to pay for it in the future! The so-called reward will accompany them throughout their lives and even their descendants. The chief family will also benefit forever.
What is this called? This is tax, this is tax.
And it is the method of "fatting sheep and cutting wool". Otto couldn't wait to send these instruments over!