Rise of Rurik - Chapter 746

[Chapter 747 When paper starts to be used]

The Principality of Ross has always been guarded by the northern border, so New Rose Fort has always placed a mobile force.

The principality still adheres to the ancient principles, especially the people from various Viking tribes. Once foreign enemies invade, men and women are obliged to take up arms to defend against the enemies.

After the winter solstice, and in 836, Rurik himself returned to his loyal Novgorod, where he carried out another plan of his.

He became the greatest teacher, teaching some basic mathematics knowledge to the cubs of the Sixth Banner, and further explaining how to use the Latin alphabet to interpret Latin, Norse, and even Slavic.

On the other hand, a “literacy campaign” is also going on.

The object of education is all subjects. No monarch can hope to fill the illiterate people with wisdom in just a few months. All Rurik has to do is teach the people how to spell phrases.

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The origin of the Western alphabet system comes from the handwriting of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. After being transformed by the Phoenicians, it became an alphabet system that can only represent sounds, and was transformed into a very mature alphabet system for Rome.

Rurik has made more progress, adding some new letters to the inherent Latin alphabet, especially the expansion of V into UWV three.

The papermaking workshops in Novgorod have become more and more mature, and on the basis of the past, Rurik hired more idle women as female workers.

Even in the cold winter, as many as 200 people work in a relatively warm house. They are divided into many groups, and a series of papermaking processes are completed in the house, which is isolated from the cold outdoor environment.

Rurik didn’t pay any remuneration, just made a simple promise: two meals a day, equivalent to one pound of oatmeal.

He fulfilled his promise, and made certain performance arrangements for the female workers, and even took out incentive measures. The so-called overcompletion of the task after the so-called time limit has an equal bonus, and the prize is wheat.

They were working hard for a bonus, which forced the loggers to provide more bark, and the men who boiled the bark had to work hard too.

Today’s paper is not all rough birch bark paper. The key to the fineness of paper lies in the source of cellulose. A large number of lakeside reeds in autumn are good food for reindeer, and are now added to papermaking.

Some rotten flax poles, rags and hemp ropes that are really useless are all turned into pulp.

A batch of very special and extremely delicate paper was born. It is yellow-brown in color and feels extremely comfortable to the touch.

It even has the texture of rice paper, and it is obviously not suitable for writing on it. Its use is actually a tool for wiping buttocks, and for wives and concubines to deal with personal problems.

Getting the public to be familiar with and get used to wiping their buttocks with toilet paper is firstly a question of concept, followed by a question of supply of toilet paper.

Rurik simply set up a “paper factory” in Novgorod. It has become a completely state-owned handicraft workshop. Almost all the employees are women from the White Tree Manor. At this stage, the payment is only a meal and a small bonus Wheat In Nature.

Even so, part of the suppressed productivity of the principality broke out.

Rough and hard birch bark paper and pine bark paper are used for writing, and those who are ordered to teach the spelling of letters to the people are teaching with hard paper documents.

A large number of people’s materials and field materials recorded on hard paper have all been transferred to the Winter Palace in New Roseburg and kept in boxes.

The current paper production has met the official needs of the principality, and the next step is to promote the use of paper among the people.

The stacked paper is sold at the price of a pound of oatmeal for a piece of hard paper of nearly 1 square meter, which is fair to say that its price is relatively high.

As for toilet paper for wiping buttocks, the price is based on weight, which is higher than the former.

The supply of the two is limited for the time being, but the weekly output is increasing. At present, when the technology is mature, there are about 250 people engaged in this kind of work. The amount of paper has reached the level of about 1000㎡.

The Principality of Ross simply doesn’t have enough consumer market to eat 30,000 square meters of hard paper a month, and most of the hard paper is in Rurik’s warehouse.

“Maybe when is the right time, I have to sell some at a low price. For example, sell paper to Asuraki, using paper as wrapping paper for biscuits and bread? I also need to expand the production capacity of toilet paper, so that they can’t live without it!”

Rurik is hoarding paper, and has also made some adjustments to the distribution of paper production capacity.

In late January, a batch of very vulgar documents was posted on the public threshing floor in the city of Novgorod.

Multiple sheets of paper with the same content written in Norse and Slavic languages were pasted on a wooden board with pine glue. People in thick clothes came and knocked on it. Many people watching.

Because people’s life in winter is generally too monotonous, or life is full of boredom every year.

They need some jokes, especially some nasty jokes to give a strong stimulus to the boring life.

Rurik officially did this. He personally wrote a large and eye-catching text on the paper, focusing on describing several parts of human beings, and vigorously publicized that toilet paper can easily wipe off the dirt on it in winter, so as to prevent himself from becoming a human being. The presence of stench.

“What’s so funny about them? Ah, maybe it’s just that they don’t laugh.”

Rurik noticed this situation, so the bulletin board of the threshing floor should be used further!

“Perhaps we should find some jokers to compile some collections of jokes and make them public. This will help them learn how to use letters to spell and make it easier for me to issue government orders in the future.”

His methods achieved results within the same day, and all the fingers sold publicly were consumed.

But Rurik also knew that the current spending power of Novgorodians was very low. The real rich consumers were in Sweden and Denmark, and the real super customers were the Eastern Roman Empire.

What Rurik cares most about is the excitement of people gathering on the threshing floor to watch the “toilet paper advertisement” on the bulletin board. Facts have proved that they have a huge demand for fresh information.

That is to say, they need books.

Wooden movable type printing or engraving printing, the prerequisite material conditions of such technologies have all been met, and Rurik has already started to act.

In the quiet night, he started to do one thing with his wives and concubines: compiling the historical materials preserved by the Ross people.

The great priest Velia sorted out and preserved information on wooden boards that contained trivial information about the Ross people’s past. Although the information was transcribed on paper, it still needed a lot of polishing if it were to be compiled into the History of the Ross Tribe.

It is precisely the aspect of embellishment that particularly tests the wisdom of the monarch.

The Principality of Rus is ruled by three ethnic groups, Vikings, Slavs and Pan-Finns.

They have different primitive beliefs and different perceptions of the past. To integrate everyone into one nation, we need to shape our common memory!

Rurik is writing a book by himself, and its spiritual core is to describe that the three ethnic groups are originally a family, and all of them have a common ancestor, just like the brothers of a family are scattered, and the descendants gradually forget that each other is a family , now a strong man raised his arms, and all the separated families reunited.

Rurik is even more emphasizing that he is indeed a man favored and blessed by God King Odin, and also describes the ruling legitimacy and obligations of Rurik and his descendants.

Its greatest obligation is to ensure the stability of the life of the subjects, and it also stipulates the basic obligations of the subjects of the principality.

Then this book has the nature of the principality’s constitution, and Rurik also intends to formally compile and publish the principality’s written code.

A unified nation must have a common memory, must have a common belief, and must abide by the same set of most basic rules of life.

The three ethnic groups do have a common memory, which is war.

Five articles were written by Rurik, namely: “War of Gotland”, “War of the East”, “War of Counter-insurgency”, “War of Expedition to Britain” and “War of Karelia” discipline”.

What Rurik did was only a concise description of the war, highlighting his wisdom as a war commander, emphasizing that Ross’s victory came from the strength of the Ross’s own soldiers, and also emphasizing that the soldiers of all ethnic groups in the Principality changed as a result of joining the Ross’s army. very powerful.

For the time being, the articles were just handwritten and pasted on the bulletin board of the square. In the future, they would be the historical documents of the principality, and they would be printed and distributed throughout the country.

It is necessary to compile the history books, statutory laws, basic mathematics education books, literacy books, etc. of the Principality of Ross, and finally use movable type printing to print them in large numbers.

This is an ambitious plan, and it cannot be accomplished overnight with Rurik and his wives and concubines. It has a gradual process and will eventually be completed in a few years.

Based on such realistic factors, Rurik has a certain degree of war weariness subjectively.

War is naturally a means of resolving disputes. With the characteristics of the current era, European social war is indeed the preferred means.

Rurik knew that wars would always come uninvited, and they even came very strangely. For example, he did business in Denmark secretly and did not attract the siege of the sworn enemy Danes, but was beaten up by the Frankish guys instead.

Now, new troubles always come uninvited, and Rurik is also ready to defend and counterattack.

Of course, he is still making another preparation, which is to equip the “Royal Pirate” like Spuute with as powerful weapons as possible, especially more torsion slingshots, and to install more powerful weapons on the bulbous bow of the “Salmon Chief”. Sturdy bronze ram.

It is already February, and Northern Europe and Northeastern Europe are still covered with snow.

The average ice layer of Lake Ladoga is still about 30cm thick, which is no problem for the madmen who dig ice and fish in the fishing village of Ladogastad.

A group of people camped on the ice near the lake shore, and now they include not only the Russ, but also the surrendered Vips.

In the past 835 years, Telavis, Earl of Vipsalava, not only became a father, but also led his people to quickly catch up with the technological level of the Ross people.

Telavis personally regards his territory and people as another way to revive the gray squirrel tribe. He is indeed loved by his people. The biggest reason is that the lives of the people have been greatly improved. Winter ice-picking for fishing.

It was while fishing that they encountered a fleeing sled team from the north.

Iron tools are rapidly replacing stone tools in Rose’s eastern holdings, along with armies of reindeer sleds and huge fleets.

By now, the people who once feared these behemoths have become so used to it that they’re even taking part in creating something even more outrageous.

For example, weapons…

Varyag hunters have unique bear hunting skills, that is, the torsion slingshot is installed on the reindeer sled, the driver drives the deer, the hunter patrols and fires heavy javelins, and there are auxiliary steel-armed crossbowmen on the sled to cooperate with the shooting.

Polar bears do not hibernate, and at this time their range was so far south that Ross hunters were able to hunt bears near Lake Ladoga.

Hunting bears on a sled is really a feature only in winter. When the snow melts and the ground is muddy in spring, the hibernating brown bears come out, but the hunters cannot hunt efficiently.

The Principality needs a large number of weapons, and the torsion slingshot is a panacea. The principle is to rely on the torsion of the rope, so it is no problem to manufacture a large number of “monkey version” weapons.

Local Slavic carpenters found work, and when they entered the winter, they were ordered by Rurik to make torsion slingshots made of wood and hemp.

It requires two people to be able to move and operate it, and it can throw a half-pound arrow to a distance of 150stika (147m).

This thing is actually a marine weapon in terms of positioning. Since the shipbuilding workshop in Novgorod is already building a factory building, new ships must have self-defense weapons regardless of their size.

At the moment when artillery does not exist, nothing is more reliable than a torsion slingshot.

The sleigh team from Bear Festival Town in the north of Ladoga first contacted the fishermen on the south bank of the lake. After hearing the identity of the other party, they then explained the situation in the north, and even asked where the prince was.

After learning that the prince was not in the capital and it was still Novgorod, the fleeing team continued to sprint southward, rushing on the frozen Volkhov River, and arrived in lively Novgorod.

Another detachment raced across the frozen Neva just to reach New Roseburg to inform the 1st Banner, who stayed there mainly to hunt squirrels, about the battle.

The reindeer pulling the sled was exhausted, and some deer even collapsed when they stopped.

Women and children jumped from the sleds, and they yelled that the town was attacked.

The war alarm spread wildly throughout Novgorod immediately, and the news soon spread to Mstisk.

When Rurik heard the war alarm, he immediately issued an order to assemble the army, but it took some time.

He was forced to wait a day, and the next day held a council of war in Rusdumany, Novgorod.

Which one of the people present is not the principality elite?

They were dressed in hairy clothes with swollen faces, with cold swords hanging from their waists, and their expressions were serious and excited.

Everyone was looking at the maharaja’s face, waiting for the order of war.

Rurik has already thought of a countermeasure for this: “I learned from the people who escaped that there are still more than 200 soldiers holding the fortress. The Karelians have launched a counterattack. There are many of them. The decisive battle we are looking forward to has come. .”

People were expecting the prince to order the assembly of a huge army to have a decisive battle with the enemy, but the reality determined that the principality did not have the ability to quickly gather a powerful army to crusade.

“The Second Banner Team, the Sixth Banner Team, and the Slavic Banner Team are assembled. Add my mercenary guards, organize a group of volunteers, and order some boyars to participate. I will gather an army of 1,500 people and set off. Here During your three days of preparation, we headed north on a sled army, with as many torsion slingshots as possible. We will reinforce those who stay behind, and do everything we can to find a decisive battle. Kill the enemy like a bear hunt.”

After this order, everyone was happy. This battle was really the first battle in history with the Slavs as the main force. Medway especially mentioned how happy he was.

This is the man who made great achievements in arresting people in the forest last year. He stood up and slapped his chest to express his loyalty to the prince: “My people are like brave Varyag warriors in every way. I will lead them to kill The enemy has done a great job.”

What Medved said is a fact. The fighters and his people are very strong now, but they are still shorter than the traditional Vikings.

Short stature and stature also have a huge tactical advantage. This kind of personnel is most suitable for compiling the hedgehog formation to form a halberd phalanx to kill the enemy, because their lower body is too stable.

Many bear hunters took time to return, and of course the squirrel catchers withdrew.

War means opportunity. There are messengers driving sleds to report to the nearest Slavic farm. No, the calf farm Boyaruski and the fisherman’s farm Boyartori, which are closer to Novgorod, have received the news Immediate action was taken, and each selected fifty of the strongest men from the farms with a small population, and headed north on a reindeer sleigh.

The Principality of Ross is gathering an army, I don’t know if it is Novgorod, and the same thing is happening in Novorosburg.

The first flag team that caught the squirrels had to take the leather back to New Roseburg to sell, and those who ran too far went directly to Kaijisalmi of the Vips to rest.

People in the First Banner Squad learned of the attack on Xiongji Town in different regions. Everyone was in different geographical spaces, and they all knew that the kingdom could not sit idly by.

Arik issued an order for the assembly of the first flag team in New Roseburg. Although only more than 200 people assembled, it was almost done.

In fact, among the Vipus people, there were more than 100 First Banner fighters mixed with more than 30 local Vipus fighters. honor.

While Rurik was actively gathering, the First Support Army of the Principality of Ross, plus 150 reinforcements from Kekisalmi of Vips, including the sled driver, planted the flag of the Principality on the sled North to North.

[End of this Chapter]