Under the cold and calm surface, the whole world is freezing, and some clues have emerged.
The Neva River is still frozen, and the heaviest reindeer can still walk around on the ice.
The Gulf of Finland also has endless ice, and it seems that spring has nothing to do with it.
The vernal equinox is coming, and Rurik plans to leave right after the vernal equinox ceremony, and the date is set for the twenty-ninth day of March.
Although there was ice everywhere, people began to find that it became quite warm in the afternoon, and the snow began to melt on the eaves of the wooden houses. Then it began to condense again in the evening, so that a large amount of ice began to appear on the eaves of the houses the next day, so that Some children were laughing and fighting with each other using the ice as a sword.
Svetlana is already personally preparing dry food for her journey back home. She planned to cook some fish herself and bake some oatcakes.
The stove was in the corner of the backyard of the palace. She had no one to help her and did not want others to interfere. She just sweated some sweat here and was very satisfied.
Suddenly, Rurik wearing a velvet hat came over looking for the scent.
"It can be arranged for the servant to do it. You don't have to do it yourself." He said.
Lanna smiled brightly: "You haven't recruited many servants. Besides, according to our traditions, women must do these things."
"But you are my queen. ”
“I am your woman”
Rurik was satisfied. When he got closer, he saw that she was indeed holding a piece of pike meat cut into pieces. Row.
Compared to bass and herring, the largest fish that can be caught in the water near New Roseburg is pike. This fish tends to grow very large and has a long lifespan. It is as ferocious as a vicious dog, and is a perfect carnivorous fish. Therefore, the bait for fishing is freshly slaughtered reindeer meat. The fishhook is tied with a thick hemp rope and thrown into the dug hole in the ice. The line is lowered to about thirty meters away and waits.
Lanna said while cooking the meat: "The fishermen said that the water under the ice has become turbulent and the ice must be melting. Fortunately, the deep water is very stable. It took twenty people to catch the big fish. Drag this big guy up."
Rurik took a closer look, and sure enough, it was a tough dish.
"Did you send someone to buy it? How much did it cost?"
"Two silver coins, the best fish and meat are here. Rurik, this fish and meat is enough for us. Last week."
"Really? You got a big deal. No, they sold it at a low price."
"Yes," she said with a low smile. "Because I am your woman, and when they hear that the fish will go into your stomach, they will pay such a price."
"That's fine. It's just that I still have to spend a lot of money on the trip back."< /p>
"So how was the work of your inspection? Their preparations went smoothly?" she asked.
"Of course. There are fishing holes all over the ice, and pike and bass are coming out of the water. I also saw the sleds they made in a big way, and the whole thing is very strong. The snow covered a lot of withered yellow reeds. , they cutSome. "
"Reed? Feed the deer? ”
“Exactly. But you don’t believe that just eating grass, more than a thousand deer in a larger sled team can successfully reach Novgorod. "
"That is impossible. "She said.
This matter made Rurik upset. Rurik sighed: "I can wait until the ice and snow melt before taking action. But that would delay the farming season. Look at the ice on the palace. The ground is thawing. There is not much time left for sleds to run on the ice. However, a large amount of ice that damages the ice can destroy the ship, so I don’t dare to take the risk. "
"Yes..." She continued to turn the fish with the iron fork.
"The spring sacrifice will be held soon, and we will leave after the ceremony. I will whip the deer as hard as I can, and in ten days we must go back. ”
Novorovsburg is indeed making intense preparations for an “Ice and Snow Immigration Operation”.
A total of nearly 1,300 people will immigrate to Novgorod. They left not only themselves, but also all the valuables they could take away.
The soldiers of the First Flag Team were strong and healthy, and their families were all in the Roseburg Gorge. Their family members will immigrate on large ships in the summer, and the prince has not only made a promise to this, but also made this a current national policy, even higher than the success of their winter hunting. They made heavy silver coins. They also made a batch of dried meat or cooked meat, and bought a large amount of wheat cakes or simply fried oatmeal from Yaslaqi's shop, and they teamed up to hire locals to build sleds. As for the reindeer pulling the sled, there is no need to worry about this.
The first flag team has nothing heavy and soft, and they have all the property and dry food on them, so they can run away without worries.
The Ostarans are another huge immigrant team. Although there are only about 600 men, women, and children, they have a lot of treasures.
Those who are actually Yermalen people. The people of New Ostara, who had traveled thousands of miles to the mouth of the Neva River and basically completed their wintering, did not expect that new immigrants were about to start again.
Legend has it that Lake Ilmen is very close to their hometown of Lake Yelmalen. The climate is similar, and the climate is warmer. If wheat is planted here, wouldn't it be a bumper harvest every year?
As for where the tribe will settle, Duchess Carlotta has already figured out the location, even if she did not arrive to inspect it in person? Passed.
Tomorrow is the Spring Sacrifice. On the eve of the festival, all the Ostara people have completed their preparations.
Their camp outside the city wall will be abandoned. The ending of the shed depends entirely on the wishes of the Governor of New Roseburg.
The shed became a simple shed, and the people of Ostara carefully took away the extra cloth and pottery pots. Let's go, the breath of life is quickly disappearing.
In contrast, there are a large number of oak sleds, with all kinds of supplies, especially sacks full of grain, loaded to the brim.
Aslaqi signed the contract, and the next dayThe large sum of wheat paid by Rurik was transferred to Carlotta, for which she also paid an additional portion.
Wheat worth twenty pounds of silver coins has greatly increased the weight of the Ostara people's supplies. They do not think that the goods are too much, because the existing food of the tribe can ensure that more than 600 people can eat it all the time. During next year's harvest season, there will even be surplus grain for next year's spring plowing.
There are only about 600 of them, more than 300 adults, and the rest are children.
Although the sled slides on ice and snow, if the weight is too heavy, the sliding effect will be poor. The total weight of the tribe is not large, and their cargo weighs far more than human beings.
“We will build the best farms and pastures on the southern shore of the very warm Lake Ilmen. We will grow wheat, flax, raise cattle, and fish. We will have unprecedented abundance.”
Carlotta described a wonderful picture, even using the legendary Asgard to describe it. People believed in this so much that they took the sleds very seriously.
The men in the tribe are all farmers from the Yermalen tribe. They are also good at carpentry and can make a number of commonly used agricultural tools and vehicles. Many people can actually live a decent life in their hometown, and they don't need to take the risk of large-scale immigration.
But their wives who were once in trouble have been clamoring to return to Ostara, and there are also legends about the Russians discovering a wonderful world, and the Russians do sell all kinds of things in the Birka Bazaar, and even It also includes the theory that the Duke of Ross killed the King of Denmark with his own hands. Many reasons intertwined together led them to take risks.
However, life on the Neva River has not changed much compared to my hometown.
Now that they are on the verge of death, they can only believe in the new legend and immigrate to Lake Ilmen.
Each small family has its own sled, and each sleigh is piled with a variety of goods and secured with hemp ropes.
They have as many as 140 large and small sleds, and now the "army" of sleds has assembled in the camp.
All the tribesmen gathered around the female leader, and the setting sun shone on Carlotta’s clean face, eager to hear her give an exciting speech before setting off.
No, Carlotta has already torn her throat.
"The snow is about to melt! People of Ostara, we are going to march to Lake Ilmen, to the watery land south of the lake. There is a river there, and the locals call it Lovadi River, we will build our new Ostara at the mouth of the Lovaj River.
There were other tribes in the area, and they despicably betrayed our ally, the Principality of Rus. Our warriors participated in the crusade, the rebels were slain, and their lands became ours as spoils of war.
I know that many of you men are actually Hjalmalen, and you are all mine. Tribesmen, you are also good farmers and herdsmen. We will get a large area of cultivated farmland, which we can cultivate immediately as soon as we land. The land there is fertile and the climate is warmer. We can do it this year.Harvest a lot of wheat.
We also have a fortune now. We want to buy some cattle and deer. We breed livestock, skin them to make fur clothes, milk them to make butter, and make cheese. We will do whatever we want under the military protection of the Rus.
I have a new heir in my belly. He is the blood successor of the leader of Ostara and the nephew of the prince of Rus.
So no one can hurt us, everything will be fine..."
Although many words have been repeated too much, it was just passed on by word of mouth, but now it is Carlotta's personal speech was of great significance.
The people of Ostara were shouting, which attracted nearby residents to watch and comment.
Some people were reluctant to give up, and some were reluctant to give up. Many people fell in love with their abandoned wooden shacks and wanted to immigrate with them.
Immigration is not random immigration. The people of Ostara have no worries about immigrating. Rick vouched for it, and even Rurik spent a lot of money on this year's "big immigration project". The immigration sled team has approached 250 vehicles. This time, he is not just transporting people, but a large number of people. Supplies need to be transported even more.
In particular, a large amount of grain needs to be transported, which occupies the load quota of many sleds. There are also some sleds that simply transport oats and baled hay, which are used for feeding. Reindeer feed.
Rurik mobilized a thousand deer and a small number of horses. He now has such capital, but the deer are not randomly selected.
With the newly captured deer, there is a huge herd of nearly 4,000 deer here in New Roseburg. They are almost all the property of the Prince of Rose. Governor Knusson has the obligation to breed them and is also eligible to get some benefits from them. .
The deer herd is considered selected by the Karelian people, so the number of female deer far exceeds that of male deer. They are about to give birth and the deer herd will be pregnant. This year the number has swelled to nearly 5,000.
There is still a group of doe that did not complete the mating season last autumn due to various reasons. They are now perfect for use. These deer are no longer the same. Their wild cousins have even had slight genetic changes, making them more willing to be raised and used by humans, and humans will try their best to increase the number of deer.
Each sleigh is equipped with four deer. There are female deer and male deer. Reindeer are inferior to horses, but they surpass Mongolian horses in endurance and are extremely cold-resistant.
These deer are excellent winter livestock. I have figured out how to use them well, even if I spend some money to feed oats vigorously, it is not enough to just put salt on my hands, so that the deer will lick it with its tongue, and then loosen the reins. Looking at the deer, they will dig through the snow and eat hay and moss.
Land transportation is far worse than water transportation, especially since the settlements controlled by the Ross Principality are all located near lakes and rivers, so the farming season cannot be delayed. Rurik needs a lot ofA strong man with a strong desire for farmland and good harvests, he needs the sweat of his brothers in the First Flag Corps. What's more important is wheat cultivation, even though now only a little more than one hectare can be planted.
He hoped that after the sea in his hometown froze, the tribesmen in his hometown would strictly implement the orders, and the new ship would carry a huge amount of wheat and expedition all the way to Novgorod in the shortest time, so that he could catch up with the tail end of spring plowing. Plant the ground. If this is going to be a failure, it doesn't matter. You can immediately use the empty land to plant vegetables or hemp stalks.
The "Immigration Oath Meeting" of the Ostara people was very lively, and the people sent by Rurik came back and gave a truthful report.
He is very satisfied. The people of Ostara who are the most worrying are already ready. Tomorrow’s sacrifice is all that matters!
Since this is the great migration of the Vikings, the people and gods of the Vikings must be worshiped.
The priests who were stationed in New Roseburg in the early years escaped the "Burial for Vilia" incident in their hometown. They are the remnants of the old priesthood. They know that coveting the highest power is seeking death, so they deliberately live in poverty and simply serve as priests.
However, the residents of New Roseburg did not have much respect for the priests. The new priestesses did not believe in Rurik himself. The heroic young man could clearly see and touch it. See the God.
Rurik did bring benefits to his tribe and those who joined later, and his status as the "Son of God" was further consolidated.
In a sense, he has indeed become the Son of Heaven, the medium for communication between mortals and the gods of Asgard.
No, the entire New Roseburg people came out for the spring sacrifice.
Russ has changed its customs. There will be a stone ship altar to slaughter deer and cattle, and even a fire tower. This will make the Vikings and Slavs, and even the Finns happy.
He personally slaughtered a stag, and the priestess cut open the liver and cheered auspiciously. In this sacrifice, Frey and Freya are the main sacrifices, and finally Odin is sacrificed. When the fire tower ignites, it is equivalent to sacrificing Peron, the Slavic god of fire.
Everyone was cheering, enjoying the warmth spread by the flames, as if bathing in the early summer sunshine.
The sacrifice was a great success. After the priests passed, spring was coming, and the ice and snow would soon melt away.
People who were very worried about the immigration journey were reassured. The priests and princes would not lie to people, and the gods had promised everyone a safe arrival in Novgorod.
The appointed day has arrived!
People had a good night's rest. At dawn the next day, golden light spread over the ice and snow.
"What a beautiful sight!" Rurik looked into the distance, looking east and west.
Svetlana wrapped herself tightly. She took off her scarf and couldn't help but look at the sun.
"Rurik, we are about to set off, I see people have gathered."
"Indeed. Oh, my brother is here."
Aric came with a confident step. He ate wheat cakes and grilled fish, and he was full of food.The individual is empowered.
"The first flag team is ready, you have to lead everyone into action. Thanks to the ability of my second wife, the brothers are not short of food now."
Rurik nodded. : "Sister-in-law and Askard are also leaving."
"That's natural. It seems that my third son will be born in Novgorod. I will call him Kil."
"It is indeed a son, what if it is a daughter?" Rurik was surprised and asked again.
"It must be a son. Freya gave me a dream. My son will make great achievements."
"Yes. It is indeed a great achievement."< /p>
"Oh? So you can still see your nephew's fate?" Arik asked with a smile.
"Yes, after all, he is a child of our family. Go and inform the brothers to show all the flags. I am not sure whether Rocky will play a prank on the way. Be careful of sudden wind and snow, all sleds Hang the flag and make sure no one is left behind."
"Good decision, I'll make the arrangements now."
Rurik talked with Arik and Carlotta for a few words and said goodbye. Governor Cornuson.
The huge team is flying with banners. Although they are immigrants, they are actually a powerful military force in Northern Europe. They were armed immigrants through and through, under the direct command of the Rus' princes.
The horns were blown one after another, and the leather drums were beaten fiercely.
The immigration operation began, and reindeer-pulled sleds began to move on the frozen and flat Neva River ice. Behind Rurik were more than 200 sleighs of various sizes, and people were marching enthusiastically on the ice and snow road leading to happiness.
They successfully crossed the Neva River and entered Lake Ladoga, continuing to advance in front of the frozen lake. People with eyesight could see that the lake ice was thinning, so in order to avoid danger, when the sled team entered the Volkhov River, they all advanced on the left bank of the river, just to reach Novgorod directly.
Svetlana keenly noticed the changes in the river: "Rurik, look, there are cracks in the ice."
"It seems that the Volkhov River is about to freeze. ."
"Yes, the thaw is later than usual. It seems that spring plowing may be postponed this year."
Lana said it was normal, but Rurik felt a little bit. fear. The climate was indeed gradually cooling during this era, and we were in the process of a mini-ice age in Europe.
Northern Europe as a whole is not suitable for farming, and it is basically impossible to operate without the support of modern agricultural technology. In Novgorod and more difficult areas, warm winds from the Black Sea can penetrate the entire area.
Agriculture in Eastern Europe will develop greatly, and the large immigrants from Russia need to seize the land here.
This journey was so peaceful that it was almost boring, and God Loki did not cause any trouble. The ground was indeed thawing, and each afternoon the emigrant teams discovered melting ice. Some even saw grass sprouts breaking through the snow and dead branches beginning to sprout.
It was a whole day after the team left. The reindeer herd consumed a lot of oats, and Rurik could afford it, ensuring that he could sit still for eight days.Sleigh arrives in Novgorod.
The forest suddenly disappeared, and the front suddenly became clear!
Under the snow are the fields of Novgorod, and a city appears on the riverside!
It’s a tower or a wall!
Finally arrived at the destination!
Rurik took the whip and whipped it at the deer. The deer, which had been walking slowly, began to speed up, causing the entire team to run wildly.
The Ross flag and the Ostara flag trembled violently, and people cheered that the deer was racing wildly. The mighty team finally arrived at this happy place and returned to this field of hope.