Rise of Rurik - Chapter 691

[Chapter 692 A Surprise in New Roseburg]

A piece of land deed has been signed, which means that more than 100 hectares of land have been allocated in the form of decrees.

The land is there, but where does the wheat seed come from?

As the saying goes, if you want to cut wool, you must first breed a large flock.

To obtain a steady stream of grain, farmers must obtain a large amount of grain.

The initial grain production was a kind of primitive capital, and it was clearly written in the terms that the grain production was provided by the duke, and the source was the “National Granary of Ross”.

Rurik was not willing to simply throw food at them and become a hands-off shopkeeper.

Farming is a technical job, and he doesn’t believe that the people of Rose Headquarters, who have never grown wheat before, can become excellent farmers in an instant.

So are the local Slavs good farmers?

They are all backward!

Rurik didn’t do the plowing himself, this year is different, he will do it himself.

The duke provides the food, and the method of farming is also provided by the duke.

Although he has no relatives to cultivate, Rurik is by no means discriminating between grains. The farming he knows is mechanized agriculture.

Mechanization is naturally impossible in this era. A batch of advanced manpower and animal power farm tools are produced, and some orderly sowing, receiving and delivery are adopted.

Another example is to increase the input of human and livestock manure to fertilize the fields, and establish pumping mechanisms for irrigation.

The ultimate goal of increasing food production, Rurik believes that what he does will be effective, because the agricultural technology of local farmers is actually the lower limit of this kind of behavior.

Oats are a low-yield grain. As the staple food in the Ilmen Lake area, it is not necessarily because of its cold resistance. Rurik estimated that they simply cannot get a large amount of cold-resistant wheat.

Does Rose have this wheat?

Of course there are.

Wheat in Britain is a legacy from the Roman era. The locals have been cultivating it for thousands of years, so that it can even be grown in Scotland.

Britain is naturally warmer than Novgorod, but the frost-free period in Novgorod is much longer than the spring wheat growth cycle, especially the temperature in summer can make people feel a little hot.

Ross explorer Spueut actually successfully completed the mission to Sorgon in the Kingdom of Northumbria last year, a large ship full of cold-resistant spring wheat.

Rurik had sent a letter to his hometown a long time ago, the spring wheat that arrived was not allowed to be sold to the public, and only oats were opened for grain.

“I’ve got to send another message. Call the First Banner fighters from New Roseburg up here again.”

The fathers of the soldiers of the First Banner Team often served in the Second Banner Team. The Duchy of Ross is essentially the old Ross people of the Ross headquarters. All the people are soldiers. They are all honorable, so the war dividends must be shared with them first.

Some old guys signed the contract first on behalf of their sons, and there were still more than 300 people left. Rurik decided to rush to New Roseburg and let them sign the contract quickly.

This is of course a voluntary principle. If they are willing to be farmers, sign the contract quickly, and if they want to continue to be hunters and fishermen, the agreement will be temporarily shelved.

Because the reclaimed land in Rurik’s hands is very large, he must decentralize the land rights in order to maximize the land’s production capacity.

Only Old Ross people have the right to use and property rights to these cultivated fields.

Old Rose’s new cubs are thriving, and Rurik is willing to count the fifteen-year-old teenagers from his hometown again and let them work as farmers. These are related to the “Great Immigration” project.

The meat had to be eaten bite by bite, and since there was relatively plenty of time, Rurik decided to rush to New Roseburg as quickly as possible, and he had already started to act.

He’s a duke and he can do what he wants.

A small horse-drawn sleigh team was formed. The local ponies put on the reins, and two horses drew a sled, which could accommodate ten people.

Rurik’s request was not extreme, so he summoned his guards and recruited local drivers, and more than fifty people were divided into eight sleds, carrying some extremely important goods, and headed up the frozen Volkhov River.

The Duke left in a hurry to obtain excellent new wheat varieties, so-called wheat from that island in the far west.

The local Slavic people know wheat, and they have tried to grow it, but unfortunately the results are not good, so they subjectively feel that although all the wheat is delicious, it is a pity that they cannot grow it by themselves.

In fact, the wheat they bought from Smolensk in the south is not very suitable for the climate of Lake Ilmen.

The team advances in the boundless world, and they march in an ice alleyway.

“How long have we been in this business? This is the first time I’ve left home in winter.” Although Svetlana was snuggling up to her husband, her inner fear was clearly revealed.

Rurik comforted her and stroked her face: “How long did it take us to come here, and how long did it take us to return.”

“But I’m just afraid. You said that the snow is very beautiful, but for the people of our manor, if they venture into the snow-covered forest, they will die if they get lost.”

“Oh? Are you afraid of getting lost?” Rurik laughed, laughing loudly in public.

He yelled at his mercenaries: “Haha, she said she was afraid of getting lost and afraid of ice and snow. Brothers, what have you done? Ross people are never afraid of ice and snow!”

The mercenaries booed together, making the boring march full of fun.

Rurik didn’t speak, he just walked along the frozen route.

Of course, he was also worried about getting lost, so he didn’t choose to take a shortcut.

From Novgorod to Novosburg at the mouth of the Neva River, the straight-line distance is equivalent to 160 kilometers, and the premise is naturally to pass through undeveloped dense forests.

If you choose the ice-covered route, the journey will nearly double, and it is better than a clear route.

The Slavic people around Lake Ilmen, like the Rus, have been using the Julian calendar with each other. Based on long-term experience, everyone generally starts planting at the end of April. If the climate is warm enough, the fields that have become muddy due to snowmelt will become green again. Hard and solid, they also seed early.

Rurik was sure that he had two months to finish the matter. In theory, it would take half a month to go to New Roseburg one after another, which was a pain for the rented horses.

The ponies were all shoed with iron shoes, a behavior that no Russ needed to teach.

The distinctive shape of the horseshoe endows the horse with strong friction on the ice surface, and the smooth ice surface also reduces the friction.

The sled can gallop, and under the urging of the whip, the two-horse sled is forced to rush 60 kilometers every day.

In fact, the horses are moving forward by walking, but fortunately they are forced to walk throughout the day.

When the procession stopped, the horses were fed a large amount of oats. Rurik brought a lot of oats. It was not for people to eat, but for horses. Only these were enough to drive the horses forward.

The team successfully entered the frozen Ladoga Lake. The mercenaries looked at the boundless ice surface. Everyone subconsciously sighed. The so-called Gulf of Bothnia resembles the frozen Lake Mälaren.

The cramped and frozen alleyways have become so common, and everyone has begun to face new problems.

The mercenaries wrapped their bodies in fur coats one after another, and tore the cloth bought from the Slavs into scarves. They all covered their heads with this, leaving only a pair of eyes.

The cold lake wind seemed to be able to crack people’s cheeks, Rurik wore a cloth head like his men, and Svetlana got into the large white bear fur blanket, like a wallaby into a pouch.

What happened to the whole world?

Rurik felt empty, quiet, and cold.

He didn’t think there was anything scary, this world was as clean as another planet, and the coldness and emptiness could purify one’s heart.

Only these hardy ponies persisted. When the sled team entered the Neva River, the lazy people became excited.

No one would have expected that the Duke would suddenly rush to New Roseburg in this cold weather.

The tall wooden city wall sheltered the residents in the city, and it was very safe outside the wall, or it had become very lively.

When people have a need for transactions, a trade fair will appear.

The bazaar does not appear out of thin air, it can be a dew bazaar at the beginning, and as people with trading needs agree with it, a bazaar that exists in both cold and heat is born.

The plots within the wall are divided into their own uses. Although there are a number of open spaces, they are also places for large-scale infrastructure construction.

The population is swelling, and newcomers are building houses outside the city.

Houses are not allowed to be built indiscriminately, and human and animal excrement are not allowed to be thrown on the road. Governor Konuson has imposed strict requirements on all settlers. Violators will be fined lightly and severely boarded according to the Duke’s order.

The appearance of the sled team was too abrupt, and when people found out that it was Lord Rurik, another large group of people gathered to watch the excitement.

The two parties were really watching each other, and Rurik sensed the existence of the open-air market right away.

“What’s going on here? Arik, you and your hunters are already making a deal? It must be so!” He mumbled.

The panting horses finally had a good rest. Rurik jumped out of the carriage with his men, and the wooden boxes carrying important goods were also unloaded.

He brought two women with him this time, his wife Svetlana and the Duchess Carlotta of Ostara.

The former is his assistant, and the latter wants to take advantage of this great opportunity to gather all the immigrants from Australas to hold a historic rally in New Roseburg.

In fact, Carlotta was very jealous of Lanna’s girl and Rurik all the way. Thinking about it, it was not a loss for her, because the good thing she had dreamed of finally came!

The day when the menstrual period should have come did not come, this is Freya’s grace, everything really got better.

She and Rurik were struggling temporarily in the city, and the two nobles with the same title were doing their own great careers separately.

That night, the palace of the Duke of Ross (equivalent to the actual Winter Palace).

Even though it was night, the spacious house was brightly lit, although it was cold outside, the oil lamp matrix and the “circular bear head decoration array” illuminated by the chandeliers on the wall looked hideous, and the room was quite warm, and the people in the room were wearing a soft Linen is sufficient for regular clothing.

Rurik sat in the most honorable position, and Svetlana sat beside him with a little restraint.

In front of them were grilled fish and the honey bread baked by Asuraki. The meal was prepared in a hurry, but it was delicious after all.

Here, Asuraki, the gourmet meal maker, came, and Arik, who hadn’t seen him for several months, also came, which surprised Rurik.

Governor Kornusson and his son were also present, and the two of them held back their words. They were eager to report all kinds of things about the winter in New Roseburg.

They were also curious about how their brothers who had wintered in Novgorod were doing.

Of course, the biggest question is why Duke Rurik suddenly ran back. It seems that there is absolutely no disaster in the south.

They chatted casually while eating, and since Konusson asked the question himself, Rurik said it directly.

The house was filled with the smell of grilled fish and the sweet smell of honey bread. After hearing the Duke’s description, Knusson and Arik were in no mood to eat.

Arik people are upright and loyal, so they suddenly stood up and laughed happily: “Rurik! You are really my good brother. What brothers want most is to farm the land. If you get good land and share it with brothers, you will come back specially to fulfill it.” Promise, the brothers are so happy!”

Conuson also hurriedly agreed: “My lord, since there is still a lot of land over there, it should belong to us old Ross people. I think I have to mobilize some people to let them continue to emigrate.”

Looking at the enthusiastic faces of the two, Rurik hesitated and cleared his throat.

“Speaking of immigration, what I want is a big immigration. Let’s talk about other things first.” He mainly looked at his cousin: “Brother, didn’t you bring your young brothers to catch squirrels in the north. What? Triumph?”

“Of course it’s a triumphant return.” Arik slapped his chest violently, “I’m so happy this winter. You never think that our brothers will still be satisfied. Many people caught five hundred squirrels, and everyone was full of joy and wanted to send them away.” Big fortune, but the peeled squirrel skin can’t be sold at all! Oh no, it’s not that it can’t be sold, but those buyers just want to buy it at a lower price. It’s really sad, everyone is a family, and the price has dropped by ten times The situation back to the situation many years ago, or even worse, who can bear it? The brothers simply came back, planning to wait for the ice to melt, and bring the leather to Mellaren to sell.”

“Is there such a thing?”

Arik pouted his bearded mouth: “It’s absolutely true. Since you’re back, it’s fine. How about you buy everyone’s squirrel skins?”

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This is a purely commercial issue. A huge amount of squirrel fur is put into the market, and the oversupply will cause the price to plummet.

Of course, this is a good time to buy the bottom.

The cousin was implying that he would buy it at the usual price recognized by everyone, the so-called one silver coin for one big squirrel skin, no matter how bad it was, one coin for three skins.

what is this?

This is against the laws of the market.

Rurik shook his head: “I will buy all the leather. If they dare to take out the leather they have hoarded, I will buy them all. But the price will be at the current price.”

“Huh? Now it’s one coin for fifteen skins!”

Arik did not use his brain when he spoke, and what he said was true, which made Rurik open his mouth in shock.

His mouth was closed again immediately, and he immediately covered his face with his sleeves to hide the smile that couldn’t be hidden at all.

Rurik tried his best to calm down, he never expected that there would be a surprise when he came back this trip.

He deliberately said: “Brother, why did this happen? Since ancient times, there has never been a situation where one coin was exchanged for fifteen skins.”

“Yes! But that’s the way it is. The leather is too cheap, and people don’t bother to go to the woods in the north. But that woodland is really rich. It reminds me of the legends of my ancestors, and thinks of us back in the days near Roseborg Fjord. It’s the same with the woodlands, you can easily get a lot of squirrels and ferrets, but not now. It’s wonderful here in New Roseburg.”

What my cousin said is very true. The fact is that when an army of human hunters visits a place, the local animals will be hunted on a large scale. When the prey can no longer satisfy people’s appetite, people will invent agriculture and animal husbandry.

New Roseburg has a large population in this time and space, but as a consumer market, it is cramped.

Nearly 500 young Jianyong members of the First Banner Team took advanced crossbows to hunt in the undeveloped woodlands. They were all hunters, and now that they had advanced tools, it would be absurd not to hunt wildly.

500 hunters, everyone caught 500, so that is 25,000?

The price of leather plummeted to one coin and fifteen pieces. I am afraid that my brother is conservatively estimated.

I’m afraid they got 30,000 pieces of all kinds of leather, which is quite a large number, which is reasonable.

Nordic red squirrels have very strong reproductive ability. They have two litters a year, with six litters in each litter.

New rats can breed in three months, so the so-called rats can see their grandchildren grow up in the same year.

In the overwhelming red pine forests in the local area, the huge amount of pine cones every year can support millions of squirrels in a large area on both sides of the Neva River.

It’s just that the speed at which squirrels reproduce can’t keep up with the speed at which the Ross people are hunting them with all their strength. In this regard, Rurik has great confidence in his tribe, but this kind of thing is not a good thing. It seems that the invisible hand of the market is temporarily suspending the matter of squirrels. up.

Aric didn’t understand why the price was so low, he could understand it but it didn’t have to.

His Asraki was very clear about it, and now he was smiling and pretending to be confused.

Rurik deliberately explained: “This is Odin exerting its power. It is a pair of invisible hands fiddled with the price. This is the act of the gods, and it is not swayed by mortals. Even I Nor can it go against the will of the gods.”

“Huh? Is that so?!” Arik straightened his body.

“Of course! Do you still expect Odin to stand in front of you and personally criticize you? Brother, I dare not go against God’s will. Since the market price is like this, I will buy it at this price. Anyway, I invited them to farm in the south!”

Arik pouted again: “Forget it. I think you will use this matter to blackmail them.”

“Eh? I don’t intend to threaten, I still have to sign a contract with them. They can go to Mellaren to buy leather, so don’t think about getting a batch of fertile land. There are gains and losses. They can’t be too greedy.”

“Forget it, you are always wise. Each brother will share one hectare of fertile land. Now we don’t have to risk death to rob, and we can get wheat every year.” Arik said again.

“Is that so?” Rurik’s smile seemed to hide a dagger: “If you hit the ground, you can’t go on an expedition? Of course, war is still necessary, only this aspect is not a matter of gain or loss, I want it all. ”

“Alright. Then, I should gather the team.”

“I will do this tomorrow. Let them gather at the Harvest Plaza, and then line up to enter this house. I will sign a written contract with each of them here. I will also announce the purchase of the leather in their hands.”

“A written contract?” Arik was rather confused. “Brother, do you want to sign a contract on a large number of wooden boards? I think we need to prepare a large number of wooden boards first.”

“Wooden board? Brother, times have changed.” Rurik pointed to the south, “I made a great invention in Novgorod. I made a very soft wooden board called paper. I have put They brought it.”

He summoned his subordinates to give instructions, and after a while, two burly mercenaries entered the place reasonably pulling a wooden box.

He signaled Svetlana to open the lid, and took out the documents inside one after another.

The contract documents copied by more than a dozen wives and concubines together with himself have piled up into a hill. The paper has been cut, and the pile is now neat and uniform.

“Come and see! My friends, come and see my latest masterpiece.” Rurik greeted.

The people present stood up one after another and leaned over. They saw a yellow-brown sheet that looked like cloth and wood, on which a lot of words of justice were written in ink.

The whole body is written in the traditional runic alphabet, and a reckless man like Arik can spell it, let alone an educated businesswoman like Asuraki.

It is no longer possible to describe them as “surprised”, and it is more appropriate to describe them as overwhelmed.

All the documents were neatly written with exactly the same words and sentences, all the contract clauses, and there was a place for the signature at the bottom.

All this has surpassed their cognition.

[End of this Chapter]