Two days later, Harvest Plaza was overcrowded.
It was obviously not a festival, but people gathered here like they were at a fair, fearless of the cold wind sweeping across the world, vying to watch a murderous show.
The people shouted slogans, cursed the conspirators who had hemp ropes tied around their necks on the makeshift wooden platform, and cursed their souls to be ravaged by the gods after death. Everyone wants to curse a few words. It seems that if you don't curse, you are disloyal to the Principality of Ross.
The noisy crowd made the whole square too noisy. It was not until Rurik showed off his golden ponytail that he specially wore it and showed his kindness. He opened his arms to signal to the people, and the noise of the people slowly subsided.
At the same time, another man took the stage.
King Bjorn of Sweden, holding a large trumpet made of rolled cardboard, shouted to the calm people.
He claimed that he was King Bjorn of Sweden and claimed that he had given way to Rurik. It was stated that Rurik would be crowned king at the All-Swedish General Assembly next spring.
He announced this matter with his throat broken, and he preached it more than ten times in a row, repeating the words until his mouth went dry.
The people gradually understood, and Bjorn's personal explanation of the matter immediately cleared up the rumors, and the people's bad attitude towards foreign merchants was also eliminated.
But the people are eager to see killing, especially evil people who harm everyone's interests die in front of them.
The soldiers began to beat the leather drums, and the sound of the drums became extremely compact. < /p>
Those who deceived the public with their evil words were killed, but the matter was not over yet.
Facing the people who had been reluctant to leave for a long time, Rurik announced a great thing in public: "Russians! We encountered a snow disaster! This is not God's punishment! It is God's test for us! You guys We have all suffered, and I sympathize with your situation. I will open up a batch of food, and you will all be able to buy it at a lower price.”
The first sentence is too high-sounding, and the latter sentence is the most important.
Soon, a new notice was posted.
The new notice document is very clear. Each household has a man. If there is no man, a mistress will be born. Bring a linen bag and a silver coin, and line up at the door of the granary on the appointed day. This favor is only for families registered in the Principality of Rus, that is, only "Russian citizens" can enjoy the prince's gift package.
But the hunters, merchants, and craftsmen who live there can also get another favor. When the benefits of the Russians are completed, it will be the time to give those people winter benefits.
On the appointed day, there was a huge scene in New Roseburg. Men and women smiled and carried empty sacks, waiting for their turn, and bought fifty pounds of oats for one silver coin. This price is five times cheaper than usual! How is it not a great benefit? Old Russians, immigrants from various Viking tribes, Finnish immigrants and Slavic immigrants, all of them come from different sources.For those who are registered, the names of their family members are written on the book. Therefore, you have to pay taxes, work hard in wars, and be eligible to receive various economic dividends.
This situation surprised the nobles and envoys of various Swedish tribes who were watching the grand welfare distribution.
The most surprising thing is undoubtedly Bjorn: "Rurick, you actually gave them gifts. There are so many of them, and you don't feel sorry for them. Why bother? Why do you need to reward ordinary people? A gift, just because you want kindness?"
"Just kindness, because I am the prince of Rus." Rurik shrugged: "It's all because of the snow disaster, and my people must have been affected. Your Melalen is also facing a snowstorm. What will happen to your people? Their houses may also collapse on a large scale. I know very well that the houses of ordinary people in your tribe cannot withstand the power of the snowstorm."
< p>These words were unexpected by Bjorn. What Rurik said was very true. Maybe his tribe would really suffer a catastrophe."This is fate." Bjorn said helplessly.
"Well, this is fate. But as the leader, you and I should do something to help the victims."
"Like what you are doing now?"
"Exactly." Rurik sighed softly: "They suffered a disaster. What do they need most? Hope. What is hope? Food and warmth. I will give them these."
Bjorn has never had the concept of relief and asked: "Are they worthy?"
"Why not?" Rurik was also surprised: "Isn't that what the leader needs to do?"
"It is their fate to freeze to death or starve to death. I will not give them anything unless they choose to be my slaves."
"Be nice to them, you What you do is your choice. Now I have decided to support my people. Can you all see that I am kind?"
What the nobles saw was that Rurik was selling food at low prices. , the price was ridiculously low. Despite the general principle of limited purchase, the group of Finns living outside the city could still buy food at low prices. If the people get benefits and have food in hand, everyone will be better able to survive the winter.
Seeing that it was already the eve of Hanukkah, Rurik also made arrangements with Swedish nobles and envoys to purchase a ship.
The price of an armed cargo ship was raised by Rurik to 200 pounds, and everyone was immediately surprised.
“You think it’s expensive and I think it’s too expensive? What’s worse, my workers are still building ships despite the snowstorm. Do you want to buy it?”
Although the Ross fleet is invincible, his own With a few large boats, the tribe can gain an advantage in Lake Malaren.
Even with this exaggerated price, Bjorn gritted his teeth and ordered five ships. Even if he did not have to come up with a thousand pounds of silver coins, the Malaren people could raise one million pounds of wheat in exchange, or Is to take out the flax rod at a low price.
Other tribes do not have such strong financial resources, but Hjärmalen, Onkras and Uppsala have all ordered one. As for those micro-tribesI can only stare, they really can't afford such a huge sum of money.
It is not difficult to complete orders for eight armed cargo ships at once. Rurik also promised that all eight ships will be delivered next year, and the ship purchase meeting ended with a happy ending...
Sweden's traditional allies will hand over a total of 1.6 million pounds in next year's harvest season The payment for oats has put considerable pressure on agriculture in the Lake Mälaren region.
Liurik couldn't control their pressure. Even if he became the king, he would not go to the trouble of personally governing his hometown. In his opinion, the appropriate way to rule at this stage is to establish the "Kalma Alliance" in advance. As long as the Swedish nobles take back their right to go to war, they can live a traditional life.
The Swedish nobles and noble envoys who stayed in New Roseburg were destined to spend the Hanukkah that kicked off the year 839 here.
The direction of the stars is the giant clock floating in the sky. The high priest Rumia, who has learned a set of traditional knowledge, is able to calculate the season on a clear day. She also implemented a method of recording time by hand to calibrate the dates of the spring equinox, summer solstice, autumnal equinox and winter solstice, which objectively assisted agricultural production in the area near New Roseburg.
The most eye-catching thing is the construction of the giant tower.
How creative are the Russians when they celebrate Hanukkah?
Bjorn saw that a large amount of pine wood was piled up, and key parts were even tied with hemp rope. They built an extremely high wooden tower, apparently higher than the palace that the Rus princes were still building. It is said that this is a Russian festival tradition.
The dimensions on both sides of the Neva River are just a little lower than Lake Mälaren in Sweden. There is no polar night in Sweden, and naturally there is no such thing here in New Roseburg.
The festive atmosphere is getting stronger. As the snowfall process completely stops, people welcome life optimistically after adapting to the fact of the snow disaster. At least the frozen Neva River is still a reliable pain. Although the forest is full of waist-deep snow, ice seas, glaciers and even glacial lakes, there are no geographical obstacles for people to go to the Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga.
This winter’s forest hunting is completely suspended due to universities, and people who are free have more time to develop other industries, such as ice fishing.
Since we are facing the festive season, people are willing to dress up and participate in ritual activities during the festival. They also need to add some new clothes and buy some new items.
No snowstorm will affect the work of handicraft workshops in the city. At the winter market, a group of housewives deliberately set up stalls in the square on the eve of the festival in order to sell their goods at a higher price. . They sell self-sewn leather boots, leather gloves, leather hats, practical woodware, rattan baskets, and even simple woodworking sculptures.
These women are all small businessmen. When it comes to selling goods, they can be said to be the "regular army" under Rurik.
Rurik is the monarch and the most powerful industrial owner in Russia. His state-owned handicraft workshop and state-owned blacksmith shop in New Roseburg also took advantage of the holiday season to launch iron tools andOther supplies.
Because festivals bring people together, Rurik can also take the opportunity to make a fortune, and everyone can benefit from the transaction.
The reason why people are willing to gather together to celebrate the festival is largely because their daily life is too boring and monotonous. The prince ordered the construction of giant wooden towers and then burned them down. This is a grand event that is not seen on ordinary days.
The height of the wooden towers this year is the same as last year. The giant fir tree in the center is set up in a dug hole like a mast, and all the wood is piled around it.
The wooden pagoda is wrapped in a large amount of oil-containing rosin. Each household is also very particular about taking out a bundle of firewood from their own firewood pile and throwing it over, and then perform a sudden prayer.
Similarly, in the corner of the Harvest Plaza, the God’s Noodle, which is covered with glass and reflects orange light in the weak sunlight, is really popular!
The lower-level priests served by Rumia and Rurik's wives and concubines stood outdoors in pure white bearskin, and the seven gilded statues of gods were also moved out of the room.
A large wooden box was placed in front of them. People lined up to drop at least one silver coin into the box, and then knelt in front of the statue of the god they worshiped and clasped their hands in prayer.
Is prayer really spiritual? This is very idealistic.
Some people seek wealth, some long for the strength of men, some hope for good luck, and some long for the safe birth of their children.
The seven gods are the main gods believed in by the Principality of Rus. They cover almost every aspect of daily life. A silver coin is nothing to an ordinary family now. Sacrificial activities are endorsed by the princely family and are publicly held. Paying to pray is better than doing nothing.
This situation has never been heard of by Bjorn!
As the King of Sweden who has not officially abdicated, Bjorn’s personal belief is of course Odin, and he will also go to the Uppsala Temple in Sweden to worship Odin and then the sun. In the culture of the Mellaren people, Odin is Odin, Umber is the earth god, and Sarah is the sun god. The three gods are different. It seems that among the Russians, these three people can be regarded as equals.
What does the Valkyrie of Sperosvilia mean?
Is this the Ross witch Vilia from back then? A high priest actually transformed into a new Valkyrie?
Bjorn was not convinced, and he had to believe the current scene. The more he thought about it, the more things made sense.
It seems that Odin really loves this tribe. He loved their priests a long time ago, and later poured this love into the boy Rurik.
He was watching from a distance, watching a large group of people dressed as stocky as brown bears lining up to offer sacrifices.
Even his followers were interested.
"King, the Rus people must have their reasons for doing this. If I go to sacrifice, I can also get benefits."
Bjorn sounded a little disgusted and said sharply: "Go if you want. Take the silver coins with you. I won't give them to you."
The attendant hesitated, then changed his tone: "Maybe you can also learn to do this in Melalen. Our temple is not as good as the Russians, and we don't have Rurik's means of making money. You Look, there are a lot of people in the Principality of Rus. If everyone gives one silver coin, Rurik can get a hundred pounds of silver coins in one winter. There are tens of thousands of us Melalen people. Why can't you learn?"
The attendant's words immediately moved Bjorn. He suddenly looked sideways at the subordinate who made the suggestion, and couldn't help but smile happily.
"You must learn! You must learn this! I will have to bleed a lot to buy their ship. What I need most now is money. When I go back, I will do this. I will also build a big temple. Find Use some gold to make statues. Haha! I don’t believe those farmers and fishermen don’t come to worship.”
Indeed, the “incense money” earned from temple sacrifices during the festival is already very considerable, and the priests are all here. All the tribute money collected by Rick's wives and concubines eventually entered the treasury, and was later returned to the people in the form of wages. In this way, the overall economic activities in the principality have grown steadily. At least up to the present period, the principality has relied on many wars. The gold, silver, and copper coins plundered can fully cope with the scale of today's economy.
When the worship service came to an end, only the last glow of the setting sun remained in the short day.
No one can sleep tonight, especially at night. Regardless of the cold outside, thousands of bonfire stalls have been lit outside the city. Every household is willing to light a bonfire outside the city, bring prepared meat, other delicious meals, and ale for men and women to drink happily. Even taking advantage of the joyful mood of the festival, they both got into the temporary tent to double the joy.
The inner city within the wall has been turned into an empty city. More than 8,000 people gathered on the riverside outside the city. People stared at the dark wooden tower under the night, waiting for it to turn into a fire dragon soaring into the sky.
Finally, the Balmok salt merchants from the Port of Narvik collectively blew the vast horn under the instruction of Rurik.
The long sound of the trumpet seemed to be telling history, and then people heard the intensive drumming and Viking war cry.
Most of the men of the First Flag Team were unable to hunt due to the snowstorm. They stayed in New Roseburg and turned into fishermen. Now Rurik has chosen a good job for them.
The soldiers lined up neatly, beating their shields and walking in front. Behind him, a group of ten-year-old mixed-race Rus boys, dressed as warriors, were also beating the shields tied to their left arms with real short swords.
Behind the armed men were people holding banners, men beating leather drums, and Nolen's entire flute-playing band.
Such a spectacle has become an old tradition. The people in the team who were ordered to hold torches illuminated the entire team like a fiery dragon.
Rurik himself and his wife Svetlana were in the team.
Theoretically, Lana will officially become a mother next month. It would be risky to walk a long distance with her belly full now. She has been trained by the times to become a strong woman, and this dressIt's thick enough that outsiders can't see her bulging belly.
His most beloved man held the hand of another woman, and High Priest Rumia felt a little embarrassed. But Lana is a good woman, and her attitude towards Velika and Oleg is very good.
In the harem of the Principality of Rus, every woman has her own place.
The priestesses around Lumia are essentially Rurik's wives and concubines, and the priestess she personally selected has already gone to the fire tower to stand by.
She wears a deer-antlered helmet and a white bear fur coat decorated with a large number of colored glass beads and amber.
Her right hand is holding a wooden staff inlaid with gems passed down by successive priests of the Ross tribe.
And her stature was short enough. Seeing her back like this, some elderly Russians suddenly thought of the deceased old priest Vilia.
Villa actually survived?
No. Vilia, who had no heirs of flesh and blood, was not dead. This Rumia had completely inherited the mantle of the old priest. Look, even the way they walk is quite similar.
Everything was a traditional program. Amidst the sound of drums, Rurik personally killed ten reindeer in the stone boat altar by the river.
It is also a traditional project of cutting deer liver, Rumia announced good luck to the people.
The priests needed singing to continue to stir up the atmosphere, and eventually the focus of thousands of people fell on Rurik.
Looking at the fire tower that needs to be lit urgently, once upon a time most of the Viking tribes had mastered the art of collecting fire nitrate by obtaining nitrifying bacteria from decayed objects, but they didn’t know the principle and thought it was a fire tower. That is a gift from the gods. Although the Russians don't understand, there is already an official workshop for cultivating nitrifying bacteria under Rurik's guidance. Although it is a by-product of compost, the highly smelly impure fire nitrate is already indispensable for military operations. Light a bonfire.
Cherished things are no longer cherished, so Rurik prepared a large amount of fire salt mixed with fish oil. The boiled fish oil can burn violently, and when combined with fire salt, it will perform a miracle.
"God said to light up the darkness with fire, so let's make a little sun."
Rurik shouted loudly, and his words attracted everyone's attention . He threw the torch with all his strength, and when the fire touched the prepared flammable material, it instantly exploded into a fireball, quickly igniting the prepared hay and broken carbon blocks.
People's faces were immediately illuminated by the firelight, and then they saw the flames.
The entire wooden tower is burning at an unstoppable speed, and the deliberately shaped chimney configuration makes perfect use of the rising heat.
King Bjorn witnessed the grand event with his own eyes. He opened his eyes wide and trembled his lips as he sighed: "The Russians blew up the cave? A fire dragon rushed into Asgard?!"
< p>The scene is indeed very dreamy, no wonder thousands of people insisted on staying by the river and braving the cold to watch the show.No one said it was cold anymore. A fire dragon rushed into the sky. The heat forced Rurik to retreat quickly. The entire Stone Ship AltarAlso in the midst of a heat wave.
The brave man went into battle shirtless for a while, covered his body with snow, and rushed to the fire tower with the deer carcass. He threw the deer over with all his strength, then quickly pulled it back, and threw himself deep into the snow pit to cool down.
People from far away can feel its heat, which is unimaginable happiness in a snowstorm year.
"Look! The earth has been baked dry!" Some people with keen eyes noticed the changes in the land.
The crowd continued to retreat but no one left.
They all sat down one after another, allowing their bodies to be roasted by the flames, enjoying the magical warmth in the harsh winter, and stayed there until the sun rose.
Welcome to year 839!