The first snow finally stopped, and the whole world changed its appearance.
Winter has officially arrived in Eastern Europe. Residents of the Novgorod area who have been dormant for many days walked out of their houses. They had no intention of admiring the silvery light. They just wanted to come out early and remove the snow from the roofs. Lose.
The fragmented cities of the Principality of Ross were covered with thick snow after the widespread snowfall. The snow on the roofs was pushed down one after another, and it was about to be transported out of the settlements. It's called busyness.
After Brauririk gave the order, the residents of Novgorod immediately took action spontaneously. A large number of cone-shaped snowdrifts appeared within the walls, and some people were already building snowmen with great interest.
The winter here is shorter than that of the Russians’ home in Northern Europe, but the limited production capacity has forced the local Slavs to not run around in the snowy winter. When the snow is almost cleared, residents stay at home and do a virtual hibernation.
Do they have to lie dormant like this until the lakes and rivers thaw?
Real Varyags do not waste winter opportunities.
In New Rossburg on the Neva River, the young and powerful men of the First Banner Corps were plundering leather in the forest and snowfields under the leadership of Arik. The hunter wears sunglasses and holds a crossbow. Many people don't even need to set traps. They can spot prey in the distance with their alert eyes and use their crossbows to shoot. Their skills in manipulating weapons became increasingly sophisticated, and the silent arrows killed the alert red squirrels.
They were even hunting polar bears that came into view. The more ferocious steel-armed crossbows made hunting bears a piece of cake.
The "Northern Hunting" operation of the Principality of Ross has begun. This time they do not have an expert organization, but due to the hunting logistics bases such as Ironburg, Fiskburg, Murmansk, and Novorosberg , the hunting operation becomes even more crazy.
Especially in Murmansk, Spuyot and his men began to run wildly on sleds on the glacier in order to plunder resources in this substantial seasonal settlement as early as possible.
Every winter, any hunter who dares to brave the ice and snow and brings enough logistics materials will definitely be able to get a large amount of leather wealth. Not only leather, but you can also make a fortune if you get a lot of animal fat.
Because the territory of the Principality of Ross is very scattered, it is only connected in name. In fact, all the settlements are far away from each other, with vast seas and forests in between. With a tiny population facing vast tracts of land, any hunter willing to hunt can make a fortune, and Rose continues to gain wealth by opening new territories under the leadership of her heroic duke.
The "hibernation" of the Slavs is a kind of helplessness. How can they find a job in the snowy world other than hunting in distant places? They are also willing to work hard.
Rurik felt that he had taught his wives enough geographical knowledge. They must have a greater understanding of the world they live in. With their horizons broadened, they would seek more knowledge. Knowknowledge.
They must learn new skills! Because they are not people who are pampered and do not eat fireworks, they are all doers.
On a clear and cold morning, the girls who had already felt it gathered together.
Rurik was dressed like a little polar bear, and so were their outfits.
The closed wooden windows were propped up, and Rurik let the cold wind blow into the house, thus stimulating everyone's spirits.
“Can you guess my purpose in asking you to gather now?” Rurik asked deliberately.
The girls stared at Svetlana, and she spoke on behalf of everyone: "Continue to calculate the data on those wooden boards? Or, let's walk through the snow to the distant farm to survey the land."
p>"So, do you dare?"
Rurik spoke with a smile, and his joking attitude was equivalent to denying Lana's guess.
"Surveying and mapping must be done of course." He continued, "Doing this on a snowy day is a kind of courting death. This is a job that requires a lot of physical labor. If you are exhausted, you will definitely become seriously ill. "That's too dangerous."
"So what are you going to do about those barks? That's called..." Lana pinched her chin, "Is it called a cork board?" ”
She is indeed smart. Although she has been busy compiling data, she is really thoughtful and is still staring at a large pile of birch trees that her elder brother Medved and his brothers have cut and peeled. Skin.
Rurik only mentioned a few times that he planned to make paper, because measuring the acres was more important than anything else, and he never thought that Lanna would keep staring at it.
He clapped his hands quickly and said, "That's it. Lana, you are very smart. You actually connected the bark and the cork board. Shouldn't they be unrelated to each other?"
"How come there is no contact?" Svetlana smiled and said: "I discovered that when you have a new determination, you will implement some new tasks in advance. I know that birch bark can be peeled off The bark can be dipped in ink to write text. It is indeed soft, but it is also very brittle." Hearing this, Rurik's eyes widened in surprise: "Oh? You actually thought of this. A little bit."
"Have I guessed it right?"
"Yes! You guessed it right, but not entirely."
After all, she is the head wife, and Svetalana is the head of the female family. She is indeed a smart woman, but this epiphany about tree bark comes from her life in this land. She is a native of Baishu Manor, and unlike the ten sisters who are maids, she can do nothing He lived a working life and could run around in the woods when he was young. He happened to have a unique understanding of birch bark.
But her knowledge ends here. Adults want wood, not bark. Birch does not have the peculiar smell of fir or pine, and the sap is slightly sweet, so the fresh bark peeled off is very young. Svetlana was also willing to lick it. After all, it is difficult for people in this era to be exposed to the sweet taste at a low cost.things.
Fresh bark can be spread out into a flat surface, and its inner wall is yellow-white. After dehydration and drying, it begins to turn yellow and becomes very brittle.
She knew exactly what her man meant by "cork board". Based on her understanding of Rurik, she estimated that it was the further processing of bark. After all, the Principality of Ross has done too many similar things, and she will no longer be surprised.
Rurik began to point out the matter: "She is right. We want to create a writing material that is as soft as cloth. It is taken from a tree and is as soft as cloth. I call it a cork board. It The main material is bark. In my opinion, the most useful bark is birch bark. The time has finally come! I ordered people to peel off the bark and store it for a while. It is time to dehydrate them. Deep processing."
The girls held their heads high, especially the ten maids. They were experts at making soap and the ones who could best understand Rurik's description.
Like Nolen, Carlotta and other girls, they only know a little bit about it.
As for the pregnant princess Mary, she was just listening to the scriptures throughout the scene.
Break an object into small pieces and then process it into a new whole. This becomes something brand new!
"It's like smashing the ore and throwing it into the furnace, and finally pouring the hot substance into the mold to create a shovel for digging. It's like crystal clear river sand or a whole piece of crystal. It is turned into powder, thrown into the furnace, burned into a viscous hot substance, and then blown into a transparent bottle. If you don't understand enough, think about the bread and cakes you eat. Knead it into powder with a stone grinder, mix it with water and make it into a ball. After baking, the wheat is still wheat, but it has completely changed its form..."
Rurik made a few enumerations. The wise wives and concubines have already understood.
Although Svetlana has not been taught the structure of life by Rurik himself, she does not have a clear understanding of the fact that animals and plants are composed of tiny cells. But what does Rurik want to do with her? Got it.
The bark will be ground into powder and then reshaped. Although they didn't know the specific principle, they tried their best to imagine the shape of the so-called cloth-like "cork board".
Rurik felt that they had reached a consensus with him in theory, and they would not find it strange after the birth of paper.
He began to describe the production process of paper from beginning to end in public. Although it was his first time to do it manually, fortunately, there was no problem with the theory. The "instructions" for papermaking are in Rurik's mind. He can just take his wives and concubines and do it himself. Even if he may take some detours, the papermaking operation with the ultimate goal of writing will definitely produce a good result.
The action has begun!
The door of the warehouse building was opened, and the scent of birch trees came to my face!
There is actually a strange sweetness in the air, as well as a light sourness..
That was the peeled bark of five hundred birch trees. The house was piled full, and there was no need to worry about keeping warm. The temperature in the house was always below freezing, which happened to be It has a certain degree of freeze-drying effect, and the bark is dehydrated and dried.
They were indeed dry. Rurik squatted down and examined the bark by relying on the light from the open wooden door. They are already dry, and they actually have the texture of paper when you touch them.
"Yes, come on, girls, carry some of the bark outdoors. Let's boil it for three days and three nights, just like flax, to boil the bark until it becomes white!"
p>After giving the order, his wives and concubines began to work.
On the other hand, Medved was ordered to recruit a group of young and powerful men to work for Rurik.
Lord Rurik is indeed fair and just! Your Excellency promised to give each worker a reward of silver coins, and he would indeed manage one meal a day during the working period. This kind of good thing is earned.
The pottery urn that was originally used to boil flax stood outdoors. The pitcher threw in the clean snow that was available. Flames began to appear under the urn, and the entire urn began to be heated.
As many as four large pottery urns were boiling water. The urn that was half a person tall finally began to boil after a long period of time.
At the same time, Rurik himself took his wife and concubines to drag a small sled and piled a batch of dry bark in the snow next to the urn.
"My lord. Look, all the urns are boiling. You...you want to boil the bark now." Medvedt was puzzled. He reported it truthfully, and he also wanted to see it in his heart. What feats a grown-up can perform.
"Okay, let the brothers throw the bark in. Be careful not to let the flames hurt the skin."
"Good!"
The snow beside the urn has long been melted by the heat of the flames, revealing the blackened earth below. The strong man threw the bark into a pottery urn and began to cook it for three days and three nights.
"Does it really take three days to cook?" Medved asked Rurik who was watching in confusion.
"Of course."
"Is it really necessary? Even if it is boiled meat, any meat will become dregs after three days of boiling. These urns are used to boil flax stalks and peel We can only cook the twine for half a day at most..."
"Are you worried that we will boil the bark into powder?" Rurik asked deliberately.
Medvedt looked suspicious but did not dare to question it directly. He could only whisper: "Sir, I am just worried that if we do not do well, we will ruin your big event."
"It doesn't matter. My purpose is to boil the bark into dregs. If you can complete this, I will pay you more. Don't worry, just boil it for me. I don't think the bark can Boil it into powder."
"Huh?"
"Listen carefully to my orders!" Rurik emphasized, "I want these four pots in three days. The urn is kept heated by the fire. Every other day, you scoop out the turbid water inside and put it in again.Go to new snow blocks. On the fourth day, I will personally stand here and order you to put out the fire. "
"Follow your orders and I will strictly implement my decision. ”
Rurik is deeply aware that one step in papermaking is to cook the non-fibrous raw materials through long-term boiling.
After all, the technology of papermaking originated from It is a by-product of the silk reeling process in the silk textile industry, so the word "paper" is directly related to "silk". Of course, plant fibers can do the same thing. The hemp stalks of flax and ramie have all kinds of impurities. What people need is just that. Its fibers are woven in a regular manner.
As far as the structure of matter is concerned, the difference between cloth and paper is probably only in the arrangement of cellulose. Cloth is extremely regular, while paper is. It's exactly the opposite.
When flax stalks are boiled, the pigments, gums, fats and other impurities in them are boiled out and dissolved into turbid water. After this processing, the flax can be peeled off. It can be made into silk thread and then processed into plain white linen cloth.
Every farm in Novgorod can actually make white linen cloth, but everyone has a love for beauty, so as a farm. Taking the lead in using dyed linen mixed weaving technology, people turned to weaving striped fabrics
White cloth was still available, and Rurik quickly customized some in Novgorod.
Local Slavic women are very ingenious, and almost every household has a textile loom, but the tools are too old to be operated by people sitting down, and the weaving speed is too slow.
The locals cannot weave extensively. Firstly, the production of flax is limited, and secondly, the peasant women are too lazy to make new ones after making enough cloth for their own use. The family's greatest energy is devoted to spring plowing and autumn harvest.
Just like in their hometown in Roseburg. Buying idle female labor in exchange for the cloth they spun, paying real money, Rurik followed the same pattern in Novgorod
He ordered a special kind of cloth, or rather. It's basically gauze.
Each employed woman has to weave a piece of gauze that is one stitcha long and one width wide. The threads are only as wide as one silk thread apart. They are all experts in weaving. The weaving and dyeing skills are much better than those of the Russian women.
While the bark was boiling in the pottery urn over there, the gauze that Rurik requested was quickly completed with the great enthusiasm of the women. After all, it is gauze, so it does not need to be woven airtight, so it does not take a lot of time.
The water in the pottery urn is still boiling, and Rurik hired local carpenters to make enough wooden frames.
The wooden frame is spliced with a mortise and tenon structure, and the size of the inner frame is also very particular. The overall size of the 0.4stika is designed to produce A3-sized paper.
Fresh. The gauze was cut, and the gauze was tightened by a small wooden frame on the outside.
The sieves were completed, and as many as fifty sets of sieves were made, for which Rurik paid up to half a pound of silver coins. . Rurik thinks it’s worth it, Otto.The couple felt that their son was a squandering, while Old Rigus and his manor clan saw the generosity of Prince Rus.
In fact, there is no good way for Rurik. After the bark is processed, pure fibers will be left. The fibers are then mashed and ground into powder, and finally attached to the screen and pasted with a dense layer. layer. This layer of fiber was pressed by the wooden board, squeezing out most of the water, and the entire screen was placed in a dark room with a temperature above freezing point to dry in the shade. Rurik had already followed his own ideas to start the follow-up work...