People came out of the forest, bringing their stone axes to chop down big trees, and a small number of iron axes and knives to finish the wood.
Men and women use bows and drills to create flames, burn the reeds and foxtail grass everywhere at once, and regularly open up deserted beaches on the moist deserted beaches by the lake.
They work together to create new homes, just like their way of life in the forest.
They dug soil into pile foundations and laid logs directly on top of them. A frame building wooden shed is built around the pile foundation, and the outer layer is wrapped with moss and lake mud, and a layer of wood is affixed to the outermost layer. Straight pine trees were used as beams, and the herringbone roof was first laid with a layer of thin branches, and then a large number of fresh reeds were piled up. Finally, some earth blocks were thrown in to fix it. A rough and yet warm wood-carved roof was finally built.
Most of the farm buildings in the forest are like this. As long as these people are given enough time, they can use the simple tools at hand to build the houses neatly.
However, compared with the powerful farms living by the lake, their disadvantages are obvious.
Many people have lice and fleas on their bodies, so the first thing most people do after arriving at the lake is actually take a bath.
Although they were old commoners and leather clothes, they could not part with these as their only means of covering up the cold. Clothes that could be soaked in water had basically washed away the parasites, and the clothes were roasted on a fire. question.
The women began to weave ropes from the vines they found. In addition to using wooden plows to forcibly clear the land, the men also tied up rafts and fished in the waters near the shore.
Some masters know how to fish with their bare hands and spread bait to attract fish. A large bass cruises here and tries to swallow the bait whole, but the fisherman who has been waiting for a long time quickly grabs the fish by its mouth and pulls it out of the water to catch it. Of.
The fishing nets used for fishing in streams also came in handy. Unlike fishing in forest streams, they began to catch big fish in Lake Ilmen. What was even more shocking was that here There seems to be no end to the catch of big bass.
At the beginning, the New Slav immigrants who left the forest were very afraid of the Varangian ships cruising on the lake. The raised keels at the bow and stern of the ships were the most obvious feature. The thought of these outsiders bringing this area to The overlord of Pine Needle Manor was wiped out overnight, fearing that something bad would happen to him too.
They are willing to believe in the safety guarantee offered by the Rus in Varyag. More importantly, when everyone realizes that life on the lakeside is much better than before, no one is willing to escape back to the jungle.
With peaceful contact, neo-Slavic immigrants abandoned their past ideas almost instantly.
The Russians are tall and blond, and the fishermen all look very young, and they generally speak some Slavic.
Looking back at myself, both men and women are short, even men are on the thin side.
Life in the jungle is not good. Only about half of newborns survive to the age of marriage. Even so, so-called adult men eat too poorly during their growth stages., their growth is delayed and their stature can only barely reach about 160cm. Their food almost only consists of oats and a small amount of rye. Their overall food reserves are not large, and meat is a complete supplement.
Soldiers from the Old Pine Needle Manor occasionally entered the forest to exploit them, but the villagers did not dare to resist. Even with their teeth broken, they could only swallow silently and hand over the small amount of food.
Starting a few years ago, the exploitation of Pine Needle Manor suddenly intensified, and the lives of the forest people became even more miserable.
What they don’t actually know is that most of the Pine Needles Manor doesn’t even bother to go into the forest to exploit the poor. It’s all because of the exploitation of the Ross Conqueror, forcing the Pine Needle Manor to come up with tricks to get more people. Oats to cope.
The villagers in the forest regard the hegemony of Pine Needle Manor as a natural disaster, but they have to guard against the sneak attacks of evil bears. Those black-skinned ferocious beasts will regard farmers who cut firewood as prey. Bears will even directly prey on children. If a bear rushes into the village, all the men will pick up stone spears to drive it away.
The poor environment of the forest means that people in the forest are often attacked by bears. On the other hand, in the lakeside area, because the field of vision is wide enough and there are many flat areas, if a bear appears, people can detect it early.
The land of the new home by the lake is fertile and the climate is pleasant. It seems that as long as the Russians become obedient citizens, they will only have a stable life in the future.
It is said that the largest leader of the Rus people will arrive during the autumn harvest season, and the people who have been forced to immigrate want to see what the king who conquers them looks like.
Is it really like what those so-called Novgorod soldiers said, that he was a blond boy, a young hero who received God’s grace and instructions?
They did not dare to expect too much, because there were two major things at hand that had to be done. The first was to wait until the right time to organize the village men to return to their hometowns to harvest wheat under the supervision of the Slavic warriors stationed in the Principality of Rus. , and secondly, continue to build the village to withstand the winter that will come in two months.
This kind of forest farm has no class differentiation. Those who are strong and wise are elected to the village. All production and life are done collaboratively by all male and female villagers. It's unclear where this way of life began, but the villagers feel they can live like this forever.
But the ship of the times has rushed over, and these newly emerged Slavic people have no independent choice. They must submit to the Rus Principality and serve the Principality.
As many as eleven villages that were forced to immigrate have connected with each other, and the leaders of each village secretly held some small meetings. No one proposed to oppose the new conquerors. They all just wanted to live their new lives. The so-called meeting was to demarcate the scope of their respective lives and ensure that they would not dig up soil on other people's territory when they opened up wasteland.
The raft drifting on the lake encountered the approaching fleet!
In the eyes of fish farmers, the Avora-class sailing cruiser is simply a behemoth that transcends three perspectives and cannot be described in words.
All the working villagers saw itAs the strange fleet approached, what they remembered most was the fluttering flags.
They recognized these flags, and the soldiers escorting them out of the dense forest showed off the flags with blue stripes on a white background.
The visitors are all Russian conquerors from afar, and many of them are planning how to meet the leader of the Russian people who is about to disembark. No one felt any danger; curiosity overcame all fear.
It’s just that those big ships are just floating near the shore, as if they just intend to show their existence?
The sailors were ordered to maneuver the fleet to appear in front of the new immigrants' village. Each ship anchored in the early afternoon. Then all the sailors looked at the group of people gathered by the lake for a while, and then lay down one after another. Take a nap in the sun on the deck.
The sailors had completed their mission. When the prince's land army arrived at the first New Slavic village they encountered and received brand-new orders, everyone weighed anchor and continued southward along the east coast of the great lake. Cruise.
Rurik and his army are just behind. After a long march, even the youngest warriors have sufficient physical fitness due to daily training. What’s more, they are on an armed parade this time, with heavy weapons and heavy equipment. A doesn't carry it at all.
With the aid of horse-drawn carriages and deer carts without heavy equipment, the army marched on the flat lake shore, and they soon reached their first destination.
"Everyone stop!" Rurik, the leader of the group, ordered the soldiers holding the horns to blow the horns to halt the entire army.
What happened? Are there ruins of a village in the distance? There are also some scattered thatched houses. There are large mature fields here, and oat seeds have been sown on them, and the wheat seedlings are heading.
The young male and female warriors whispered, and then heard the orders of the entire team.
Aric quickly stood up with his two hundred veterans. These people looked at a large group of boys and girls who were also lining up quickly. They were relieved and discussing with each other.
The four hundred children are indeed children, and the height of boys and girls should not be underestimated. Girls mostly carry short wooden bows on their backs and hang quivers on their waists. There is also a long-edged dagger for self-defense. The linen backpack was stuffed with dry food, and there was a curled linen blanket on the outside. The boys were no longer armed as adults, and their backpacks still had large wooden bucklers hanging on their backs, as if they were carrying turtle shells. A long sword, a small hand axe, and a dagger hung from his waist, and a halberd was held in his hand as a marching weapon.
Rurik gave another command: "Fisk! Get out of the queue!"
A 16-year-old young and strong warrior held his helmet steady and hurried to Rurik before.
"Sir..."
"Everyone has expired? Is there anyone left behind along the way?"
"Not at all." After that, Fisk He smiled honestly.
Everyone stands in a matrix. According to the rules, thirty people are organized into a "ship". In the Russian army, it is a "platoon-level combat unit". According to Rurik's plan, at least one can carry out combat independently. Preparation of tasks.
He used this to get everyone to regroup and formEach and every neat "square", after reviewing it, it was confirmed that there were not many of them.
He cleared his throat. The sun was shining now, and the iron helmets and towering spearheads shone brightly. This army was unspeakably powerful.
"Brothers! Do you know where this is?" Rurik yelled deliberately.
Everyone just watched the gorgeously dressed prince walking around in front of everyone giving orders with his hands behind his back, and continued to listen to his spiel.
“There was a farm here, but they participated in the rebellion! The village was burned and the traitors were executed! The farmland here is still fertile, and I have asked other Slavs to sow wheat seeds. You see! The wheat is about to mature! I do want to take you to scare the weak who leave the forest, and to show our strength. But now, I want to announce another thing, I want to build a new settlement here! It cannot exist alone. The city needs another city to take care of it. So, who will build this new city?" Rurik's eyes had already glanced at Fisk and shouted: "Fei. "Sir!"
"I have decided that you and your young brothers and sisters will build a city of youth."
This decision is indeed beyond everyone’s imagination. Although there has been news that everyone should survive independently when they are old enough, could it be that the time has come and the prince is determined to let go? !
The boys' concept of honor and disgrace determines that they are not willing to live on the prince's support. They are eager to repay their debts by making military exploits, working for the prince, and paying taxes.
Fisk's mood was a little chaotic. He asked weakly on behalf of everyone: "Sir? Do you mean to give this land full of wheat to...us?"
"How about it? Aren't you satisfied yet?" Rurik smiled deliberately.
"Satisfied! Very satisfied! This favor is really great!"
"Of course! Not only will I give you the right to cultivate the land, but I will also give you a land of wheat for free. Fisk, you are already sixteen years old and are already qualified to join the first flag team. I see a young and strong army standing in front of me. You should form a flag team of your own." , Rurik couldn't help but pinch his fingers and think about it, "Well, you are the sixth flag team. Or called the youth flag team. Fisk, no one is more suitable to be the flag captain than you."
Things developed very quickly, and Fisker realized that he had a great honor and an important and decisive responsibility on his shoulders.
He simply half-knelt in front of Rurik in public, further swearing his loyalty to the prince and his gratitude for the reward.
"Get up." Rurik said.
"As ordered."
Although Rurik is only fourteen years old, this rapidly growing body has basically taken on the shape of a strong man. Rurik still looks good overall. As he grows, a lot of muscles can be attached to his bones, but now he wears more fluffy clothes.The suit already made him look strong.
He looked at Fisk, who was two years older than him, and continued to order: "When we complete this tour, you will take your brothers and sisters to build a settlement here. I will provide you with Various building materials, and I will also organize a group of Slavic construction experts to help you build houses. However, when your life settles down, I will cut off the material rewards for you. Fisk, your childhood is over. I selected you because of this. You are already adults."
Fisk quickly answered: "Yes! The real Ross warriors always open up new horizons on their own. We are very grateful to His Majesty for his kindness, and we can only repay him with endless loyalty in the future. "
"Repay me? That is necessary. You must never forget that most of you have become orphans for various reasons, or you would have died long ago without my help. People in Russia must not forget the sufferings of the past. So when you see other children who are hungry and homeless, try to bring them back and raise them."
"Follow your orders."
"One more thing. In principle, women are not suitable to be soldiers. Unless the current situation forces a shortage of troops, I will recruit female soldiers. There are currently more than a hundred girls in the Sixth Flag Team. You can combine them. ! They must be the legitimate wives of the boys. As for the remaining unmarried boys, I will find some local girls for you. We can even go to those new villages through this armed patrol..."
Rurik decided to build a new city, and the young children supported it.
A boy and a girl who received military training together and fought side by side on the battlefield will get married? That's a really good thing.
They are generally in love with each other. Rurik has known about this for a long time. All rational and mature Russians are happy to see this combination. Many sons and daughters of middle-aged people are actually in this team. Just because the children have eaten the food gifted by the duke for many years, the parents of the children feel that they are wrong even if they want to interfere in their children's marriage.
The children of the newly awarded sixth flag team are all loyal to the prince, and only the prince has the highest right to interfere in their marriages.
Secretly, these children have been matched with each other for a long time, and some of the oldest ones have already had secret relationships. There is a de facto marriage here, but it is just not certified through a wedding ceremony with the participation of a priest.
There will be a carnival after the harvest. The local Slavs will priest their god of agriculture. Naturally, the Russians who immigrated should follow this tradition and priest the god Frey who is in charge of "economic development" in the Russian faith.
Holding weddings during harvest festivals is also a reserved item for locals, not to mention that this year’s situation is very special.
After the harvest, it will be the first wedding anniversary of Rurik and Svetlana.
The children admired the farmland here and marveled at its vastness.
What I have to say is that Rurik finally gave them a great favor.The population of the village living here is as high as 2,000 people, and the acres of land it owns can support at least 2,000 people. On the other hand, there are only 400 young men and women brought by Rurik. Even if these people combine to marry foreign women, they will only form about 250 couples in the end. If new immigrants are not added to fill them in the future, These children need to wait until the third generation to develop a settlement of 2,000 people.
Rurik naturally will not let that day come later, because there are still a group of young cubs growing vigorously, and they will naturally fill this place when they reach age.
Until the settlement has a large enough population, it is time to consider building a new city.
For this reason, the ownership rights of farmland are held by Rurik. All he rewards everyone is the right to use them. Each family can only get one hectare of mature land for the time being. If there is If a family commits a crime, their farmland rights will be revoked. Another reason why Rurik did not fully reward the ownership rights was that these children lacked military exploits. Only those who have made great contributions to the principality have the right to obtain private land with full rights and interests from the prince!
On the contrary, all the output of this land this year belongs to these children. This can be regarded as the last favor of Rurik as a prince to them, just like an old father giving his children the starting capital for their future life.
For the time being, Fisk and his guys are theoretically disqualified from being recruited to fight. Their biggest task is to build cities, develop agriculture, and build the City of Youth enough to return the assets of the principality in the form of taxes.
The City of Youth is called Tonorstardt according to the Russian dialect of Norse. When described in Slavic, the place name suffix "Skoye" will be added, which means the City of Youth by the lake. .