Chapter 723 Return to the New World

The long voyage made people exhausted. The only thing that could comfort everyone was the sufficient reserves of supplies, which also prevented the huge fleet from docking for supplies midway.

Rurik had no time to waste time. He had already spent too much time in his homeland, and the fleet must arrive at New Roseburg as soon as possible.

The fleet only replenished fresh water at Tombstone Island at the T-junction of the ocean. The rest was a full five days and nights sailing all the way east! Even if the fleet can dock at the city of Helminki on the Gulf of Finland, Rurik has not made a decision.

The sea conditions were always good during the voyage. Although there was haze, there was no rainfall.

The south wind was generally strong. All the ships tilted their triangular sails, and the entire fleet sailed sideways and continuously sailed in a zigzag line, making the speed even more gratifying.

The flagship Aurora led all the ships, large and small, and the entire fleet was stunned to throw away the following merchants.

Rurik would not let the fleet accommodate those guys who were eager to get rich. As a large island appeared directly ahead, excitement quickly spread throughout the fleet.

That is Kotlin Island, a sandstone island. It is not the largest island in the entire Gulf of Finland, but when the fleet sails here, you can see the city standing in front of you with the naked eye.

Rurik, who was blowing the wind from the bow of the boat, saw the city walls of Novorossberg. The entire city was extremely conspicuous and dazzling on the small alluvial plain at the mouth of the Neva River that lacked trees.

He looked back at the people on his flagship with a calm face: "Ahead is New Roseburg! Our first destination has arrived!"

The already agitated crowd became even more manic, even at the latest Even those who are mentally ill are looking forward to it. They roared loudly, made noise in various ways, and waved to approaching ships.

Compared with their excitement, Rurik seemed much calmer.

Arriving at Fort New Rose is a staged victory in a long journey. A group of people will land here and become a new group of settlers. Especially those accompanying leather craftsmen and small-capital businessmen, who will build new mansions here and start a new business life in the new world.

The Governor of New Roseburg left the city with all the current residents of the city! They gathered on the river bank, watched the arrival of the huge fleet, and actively started to welcome it.

Now is the wet season of the Neva River. The flow of the river is quite large, and it is quite difficult for the fleet to advance solely by wind power.

The main ships began to be towed and assisted by rowing boats, and all the ships docked. As a result, the "Fleet Eighty-Eight" of the Principality of Ross was already anchored in the capital of the principality.

The long and narrow wooden board was put down, and the sliding door panels on the side were pulled up.

Rumia went through a long voyage, and she was vomiting all the way. Rurik hoped it was morning sickness, but in fact it was simply seasickness.

Her mental condition is quite depressed, but facing this new big city that is not part of the old capital of Fort Ross, she must show the style of the high priest of Ross to the people here while wearing an antlered helmet.

"Here...that's New Roseburg. "She stared at Rurik and asked calmly.

"How is it? A brand new city, our capital. ”

“It’s really great! We are going to build a new temple here. ”

“Perhaps there will also be a large sculpture erected at the mouth of the river. Sculpture of Odin! Odin's eyes gaze upon all passing ships. Rurik seemed to be saying this, but in his heart he was planning to imitate New York.

Seriously speaking, New Roseburg really needs a landmark building, such as a lighthouse, or a giant statue of a god that looks like a lighthouse.< /p>

The Colossus of Rhodes? Or the Statue of Liberty?

From a pragmatic perspective, building a lighthouse on a rammed earth mound is a cheap and practical move.

He hurriedly took Lumia’s hand, who was looking around, and said with a smile: “Let’s go! High Priest. Let the cheering crowd see our style. ”

She nodded and burst into tears again, because she was indeed the core of the cheers.

The high priest is here, New Roseburg is the real capital!

p>

The high priest is here, the gods will truly bless this place!

Rurik exchanged greetings with Governor Kenuson, and both of them knew their responsibilities, so they spent the rest of the time together! Used to direct the unloading and disembarkation of people.

That night, there was a real carnival in New Roseburg.

The city's inherent market was open all night long, as planned. The new immigrants who settled here immediately purchased daily necessities.

The ships of casual merchants and craftsmen would arrive one after another. Some of the first people to arrive were immediately shocked by the fur trade here.

Because, in Fort Ross and the world further north, traces of large squirrel skins have disappeared for many years. Looking at the fur market here, squirrel skins are large and cheap. They are glad that they are following the fleet and have forgotten about them. Exhausted, after purchasing some leather, he began to drive small wooden stakes in the open space near the city, never announcing that this was a homestead.

A key meeting was held in the Ross Duma here that night. /p>

Knusson killed a few deer to meet the elites of the prince's fleet, but instead of eating and drinking, Rurik had to arrange tasks for Knusson.

He listed a number of projects, such as fully supporting the construction of shipyards, planning residences for merchants and craftsmen, and ensuring the prosperity and stability of the commercial district.

The most important thing is to deliberately stay near Harvest Square. The great temple needs to be built in the open space below!

Only this Rurik has too many requirements.

The great temple must have a rock foundation and it must be on the Gulf of Finland. Quarry stone from Stone Island (Gogland Island), continue to stack stones on the stone base, and build a large stone chamber with a wooden roof. A batch of cement mortar will be made as an adhesive, and a large amount of crystal clear glass will be attached to it. Above, the sun shines on it, and the temple is crystal clear. This is very meaningful, because the legend says.There are gems everywhere in Sgard, so it would be of great significance to cover the large temple connected with the God Realm with gems. Naturally, real gems cannot be obtained, but the principality can mass-produce glass fragments.

The Great Temple Rurik has some creative ideas. However, the current material conditions are limited. Covering the temple with colored glaze is already a major and expensive feat. It stands to reason that Ross is fully capable of putting a layer of glass on the temple, but because of financial control, Rurik does not want to spend crazy money on this.

Sister-in-law Lilia has become a very good female glassmaker through long-term work. She does not blow glass herself and does not want her beautiful face to look strange. She processes almost all glass products with die-casting technology. , it happens that the production of a large number of glazed tiles relies entirely on die-casting. The Neva River has a lot of sand to step on, and the sand has so many impurities that it can only make colored glaze.

Rurik brought a group of young craftsmen from his homeland, especially the young Kamne who he relied on. They are already independent comprehensive craftsmen, and they only serve the prince. A state-owned blacksmith shop will be established here to provide local people with tool repair services. Their biggest job is to manufacture colored glaze and glassware.

Although the clarion call of industrialization has not yet sounded in New Roseburg, this city has not been based on agriculture since its founding. New Roseburg will dominate the north with integrated handicrafts, trade, and shipbuilding industries.

Rurik gave Governor Knusson a light but heavy construction list. He took out a heavy sum of silver from the large treasury and delivered it. This was the so-called initial city construction funding.

In order to avoid being obsessed with money and causing Conuson to take money instead of doing things, he also asked the governor to produce a list of the use of funds afterwards.

Rurik currently does not have the ability to make detailed financial planning for the urban construction of New Roseburg. His management methods are relatively rough. Although there will be many problems here, they can only be made up for in the future.

Rumia was ordered to stay here, thinking that the high priest's stay would supervise the governor's honest work...

Rurik did not stay in New Roseburg for too long, so he paid attention The oats in the nearby acres are growing well, and I am pleased that this year is indeed a good year.

The fleet will still travel far, and its next stop is Novgorod.

The winding Neva River is becoming more and more turbulent, and the Russian immigrants who came to Eastern Europe for the first time are observing the surrounding scenery.

When the river began to extend northward, even the retrograde fleet was able to take advantage of the southerly wind. A large lake that looked like a boundless sea stretched in front of them, and they cheered. Many people were shouting that Novgorod, which is adjacent to the large lake, would soon arrive.

Isn’t it?

Look here, you can see a group of fishing boats on the lake, and there is a small settlement not far away by the lake.

The fleet entered the lake and headed east, with the small villages in the distance getting closer and closer.

Then someone asked the confident prince: "Could that be Novgorod?"

"Of course not! It's just..."

RurikThe answer was ambiguous, but in fact he was also confused by this village.

As the fleet approached, some fishing boats showed their Ross flags and came over.

Whether it is the vast sea or a large lake, flags are the best token of recognition for each other. Rurik quickly figured out the situation, because those fishermen were simply fighting madmen of the First Flag Team!

The fishermen raised a big pike with both hands, depending on their mood, they wanted to offer the big fish as tribute to the prince.

"His Majesty is finally here! Accept my gift!"

Everyone on the flagship gathered on one side, and the faces of women and children formed a line. Not only the flagship, but other cruisers of the same class also came closer, making it appear that the fishing boat was a tiny presence in the gap.

Rurik was so interested that he dropped the rope. After all, his subordinates had given him gifts. It would be disrespectful to refuse them.

"Okay! I accept your gift! Improve the food for women and children!"

Rurik's words are true, because the real Russians have always eaten The habit of raw fish, especially caught herring, is to cut off the head and tail with a knife and dissect the internal organs, so that the whole fish can be stuffed into the stomach, just like the way dolphins eat. Pike is extremely delicious, and no one will object to its fishy smell, because the thick fish oil can keep people alive in the extreme cold. The women pulled the fish up with their mouths drooling, and then they had to cut the meat and eat it raw.

Suddenly, a woman's excited scream attracted all attention.

But the woman on the Duke of Ostara held up her young child and shouted to the fishermen: "Harald! Look at me! And your child!"

p>

The fishermen squinted their eyes and immediately trembled all over, then they could control the fishing boat to get closer to it.

He was still yelling: "Kalia! Wait for me! I'll pick you up."

The woman couldn't wait to be reunited with her husband. She is a Slavic woman who knows that returning to Novgorod will mean returning to her hometown. Over the years, her heart has become one with Rus.

She sold the wealth in her hometown and turned it into a heavy bag of silver and copper coins. Wrapped in soft cloth, he climbed down the rope ladder. The two children had already been hung down by ropes to their father's hands.

The Russians witnessed a scene that made people cry. The reunion of their family on Lake Ladoga was just the beginning. Soon most Russian families will be reunited.

Rurik once wanted to build a small town at the mouth of the Volkhov River into Lake Ladoga, or even build another town at the intersection of the Neva River and Lake Ladoga.

Obviously the people made their own choice, and they chose the former.

Lake Ladoga is a term that has been in existence since ancient times. The Russians learned about it from the Suomi people very early on. What it means is not important; it probably describes a large lake. This fishing village has its own name, called Ladogastad, a typical Norse name.

The fleet had to stay briefly in Ladogastad for a very touching reason.

Because the traditional Rus people were not farmers until this year, they only made major innovations in sowing technology and had no clear concept of intensive farming. If Rurik did not personally supervise them, they would not even have the idea of ​​diverting lake water for irrigation. It was impossible for them to spend a lot of time tending the fields, but to engage in the old business of fishing. It happened that the hydrological conditions in this area were excellent, and the rich fish resources were simply left to the Russians to plunder.

A group of elite members of the First Flag Team went down the river, carrying fishing tackle, fishing rods and other professional tools, and set up a summer camp on the bank of the big lake, which was called Ladogastad.

A huge plump pike was caught while camping by the lake by chance during the Sorgon voyage, and the good news was passed among the Russians. No one can resist the scorched aroma of grilled meat, especially the grilled pike. They mainly catch pike, followed by bass. Occasionally they encounter freshwater seals and actively hunt them.

After landing on the shore, Rurik saw clearly the general outline of this small fishing village. The brothers all lived there temporarily, and the large number of wooden shacks they built could not withstand the wind and cold.

There are not many buildings here, but there are a large number of wooden poles with hemp ropes hung between the poles, and densely packed dried fish that have been baked and dried into extremely compact dried meat. Apparently a large number of pike they had caught before were turned into ready-to-eat fish steaks, and a batch of bass were hung whole.

In their concept, wheat is always precious. They have never seen a harvest created by their own hands, so they are not completely sure of the harvest this year. At least catching fish to make dried fish is a craft that everyone has been doing for generations. If they get the opportunity to catch fish in large quantities, most people making dried fish in large quantities is almost following their survival instinct.

A group of women disembarked with their children in their arms. They were reunited with their husbands, followed by Lado Gastad, who ran the summer camp on the spot.

This is a good start. Settlement is formed spontaneously, which means that this geographical node requires a settlement. In the foreseeable future, settlements will become urbanized until they become a station-like existence.

The journey is still going on, and the journey is nearing its end.

Now is the final voyage, and the rowing boats pulling the ship forward are all moving forward hard. Among the oarsmen were a group of Russian women and a group of Slavic women. The former is to open up a new world, while the latter is simply to return to one's parents' home. Nowadays, paddling has nothing to do with men and women. In order to get home faster, everyone who has the strength to paddle is rowing hard. On the other hand, there are almost no people standing on all the big boats.

No one thought this was inappropriate, because the great and young Maharaja was also one of the rowers.

Rurik was sweating, everything was just like Otto forty years ago. Through the action of paddling on the Volkhov, his young boys and girls, who are rich and wealthy, interpret that this is the real Russian people. As the saying goes, if you don't advance against the current, you will retreat. Although the Volkhov River in the wet season is far less than the Neva River, its flow rate puts a lot of psychological pressure on these cubs. The paddler must not stop becauseBehind the towed ship is another towing team. If one party is slack, the result may be a collision with the rear ship.

The high-intensity physical training on weekdays fully demonstrated their physical advantages at this moment. The young paddlers fully proved that they are indeed the new force of the Principality of Ross.

After three days of paddling, many people were still bothered by sore arms, including Rurik himself.

Persistence finally yielded perfect results. Ahead was the farmland attached to the White Tree Manor.

No! That's already Novgorod!

The boy who belonged to the White Tree Manor standing on the shore waved to the Ross fleet, which was flying the Ross flag and arranged in a long snake formation. The oarsmen couldn't take their hands off, so they cheered with joy Shout in response.

There is no suspense anymore. The closer the fleet gets to Lake Ilmen, the river becomes more open and the water flow continues to relax.

The fleet is back, on the sixteenth day of July in the Julian calendar. Although Rurik still consumed more time than expected, he finally succeeded in completing this feat.

The fleet was temporarily anchored on the Volkhov River, and the ships anchored one after another. Everyone disembarked and immediately started supply work in Novgorod.

Compared with the excitement of the tribesmen entering a warm new world, Rurik only felt relieved after success.

He easily recognized Svetlana from the welcoming crowd. She was still so fresh and beautiful. Then came Nolen, with his high and delicate chin showing his arrogance.

Although Otto was old, in order to show his arrogance in front of his tribe, he changed into a chain mail shirt this time. The difference was that he actually picked up a cute little girl with pigtails and a finger. .

Niya is also an old woman, and she continues to hold a baby in her arms this time.

The ten maids in Rurik were all gorgeous, with similar hairstyles and the same clothes, as if they were 10-member twin sisters!

Rurik returned to his loyal Novgorod, got closer to his family and his subjects.

He didn't say much, just "I'm back", concisely announcing the successful end of the immigration operation.