Chapter 389 Avrora Is Facing the Boiling Roseburg with Her Peace

It amounts to three hundred and thirty pounds of silver for the tax or the equivalent of goods charged by those merchants all at once.

In the spring of a year ago, Rurik "invented" the concept of business tax, and at that time how did Otto think that a year later he could reasonably extract so much money from merchant acceptance. Combined with the tax provided by Gould, this year's Roseburg tax has more than four hundred pounds of silver.

The silver coins in the tax must continue to be stored, and in lieu of the tax, all the hides were sold by Rurik to Verdegen, who owned a tailor's workshop. Rurik ordered a batch of clothes, and he didn't have to pay a single copper coin for his labor, because Verdegen's labor was the tax offset. This is the benefit to the Fodegan family at this stage, which completely inspired this guy's fighting spirit.

For Rurik, Verdgen's workshop was like a lamb, which had no need to shave its wool until it grew up.

The receipt of a large amount of taxes made Otto very happy, and the white silver coins made him dispel his previous concerns.

Want to continue spending huge sums of money to build big ships? Then keep building it!

In the future, some taxes will be raised every year, so that those merchants can bring in the money and let them pay for the big ships of the Rus.

Otto took it for granted that the guest house merchants were the big fat sheep. He did not encounter any setbacks in this regard, and he did not know that the wool could not be too ruthless.

At this stage, Rurik has no concerns about the tax system, and tax hikes and tax cuts are not the main issue. The population controlled by the Ross tribe is too small, and its strength is limited, but the cost of managing such a "city-state" in an orderly manner is actually not large.

Do the Rus really need those foreign merchants?

Rurik's soul is still oriental, and after self-examination, he may still have some small peasant ideas in his heart, as well as a large communal idea.

Ask yourself, what are all your efforts for?

In the final analysis, it is not to ensure that the Ross tribe can control all the lifelines to survive. Including the original intention of building large ships, is also to ensure the efficient and safe transportation of materials in various settlements.

In Novgorod, the local Slavs spontaneously formed more than a dozen communal farms with a population of over 1,000. In the eastern land, the Kewen people are also clan tribes with hundreds of people based on kinship.

As for the Rus people, everyone has moved north for more than half a century, and for a long time, everyone has lived together as a clan.

Rurik made a judgment that he felt that the Rus did not need merchants from other tribes to participate in the commodity trade.

The Rus had the right to rule the trade of all goods in the northern gulf, either in full or at a small profit such as 90%.

The Rus don't need other tribal merchants to snatch the living space unless they swear to join the Rus.

Now that the tribes have built multiple settlements throughout the Baltic Sea, the Rus can build an internal trade system, a highly advanced trade system ruled by tribal leaders. In this way, the lifeline of all survival materials is firmly controlled and dispatched by the Ross leader himself.

power? centralization?

The once negotiated tribal council system must also be changed.

In the harsh natural conditions of northern and eastern Europe, people needed a hero. Rurik wanted to be a hero, but he had tasted the power in his hands, and he longed for more.

So if you really squeeze those foreign merchants and frighten them away from trading, it probably won't hurt the Rus people. For foreign trade, the Rus people can organize their own fleets. Right now, the tribes in the alliance need to maintain harmony, and the Ross tribe should not do anything.

The purpose of Otto and Rurik is obviously highly unified, and the two just want money. If Otto has the instinct of greed for money, then Rurik is to continue the money and build a strong military power for the Rus. At present, the Rus people can not attack others on a large scale, but they must have the ability to resist the attack of the Danish army.

As the strongest combat power that the Rus can have at the moment, the sailboat Avlora, let it be launched as a prelude to the beginning of this year's trade season!

The great sacrifice of sailing is about to begin, and Otto made some arrangements before that.

This year's Sorgon voyage remains a top priority for the clan, with Otto putting the task in the hands of Arik and Kawai. The two did not leave with hundreds of brothers, they also needed to take their wives and children.

The first batch of Novgorod women who got married, the mixed-race children they gave birth to were almost all full-year-olds, and children of this age were able to withstand the wind and waves at sea. The children do have to take part in the first Sorgon voyage in their lives, and they must prove to the leader that they are still strong Rus even with the blood of Novgorod.

This year, too, the fleet is more than just Sorgon. The people of Novgorod must provide tribute as usual. Otto optimistically estimated that when they saw their daughter visiting relatives with their children, they would definitely provide more tribute to their uncle in person.

After requesting the tribute, Arikdang continued to build New Rose Fort with his strong clansmen.

Therefore, on the occasion of New Roseburg, the blacksmith Kawei will play an important role, that is, he will try to train a group of new blacksmiths in the local area, build another batch of furnaces as long as the conditions permit, and even seek for minerals in the local area.

Arik was destined to be absent from the Alliance's Leader League, which made him quite regretful.

The order was issued by the big boss, what else can we do?

The younger brother is the real noble person, only he can inherit the leadership, and only he can participate in the alliance.

...

A warm southerly wind began to blow from the sea, and it poured into the east-west Rossberg Fjord, giving everyone comfort.

There are still some floes floating in the sea, and they no longer pose any threat.

Look at it, the world that was once silver and white is now rapidly rejuvenating. It is the large-scale snow melting, which makes the world quite humid.

Roseburg is back to life, as the wild grass proves. Lo and behold, the reindeer herds have returned from winter grazing, and the deer breeders have not stopped, and they have started spring grazing around Roseburg. April is also the calving season for reindeer, and baby reindeer are born one after another, and the deer herd rapidly expands in size within a week.

The mass birth of reindeer is a good sign, and some Rus babies are also born this month.

Now, people are looking forward to the perfect end of a grand sacrifice, and then thousands of boats go into the sea.

The big sailing ceremony is today!

Just a few days of careful preparation, the thawed bay has changed. For example, the sand and gravel ground has been cleaned up, and it has not only become flatter, but also laid a large number of cylindrical pine wood on it, forming a road leading to the sea. This so-called road is quite special, because at the end of it, it faces a steep slope in the fjord, where the depth of the sea drops sharply.

Smart-minded people have already understood that this road is the sea road that the Avlora leads to.

Lo and behold, the ship has her huge sails up, and even if the sails are temporarily tied to the sloping beams of astonishing length, she will look very beautiful with the sails open. People also noticed that a detail added to the ship was that she added a foremast (used to fix the cable, and the bow sail was not installed for the time being), and a wood carving was inlaid under the mast. It wasn't some hideous monster, but the image of a girl in a skirt. Even if the wood carving was rough, it couldn't be associated with words like terrifying and majestic.

Many people are willing to inquire about a reason, and Gould simply promoted a reason instead of Rurik.

The wooden carving was a lucky female elf whose name was "Aflora". This explanation hits people's hearts directly. All those who are eager to go to sea are desperate for luck. The purpose of praying for a big sacrifice is to get good luck in sea navigation.

Sailing Festival, sometimes it is integrated with the Spring Festival. This year, it is very special to involve a big ship like the sea, so for this sacrifice, there will be more sacrifices.

The purpose of sacrificing and slaughtering animals is to stabilize people's hearts. Rurik also made his blood this time, and he intended to sacrifice ten reindeer to sacrifice Odin, Frey, Thor, and even the sea god Agil.

Early in the morning, the residents of the entire Roseburg, wearing thick clothes, crowded to the seaside, and the total number exceeded 6,000.

A group of Rus people have moved to new settlements, and the only merchants who live in are those with outstanding strength. These 6,000 people are basically the entire population of Rosburg at present, and those swaddling babies can't show their existence.

A wooden altar stands by the sea, as usual, it is surrounded by a large number of stones that form the shape of a ship. Next to it is the road made of pine wood, where the ship was finally launched.

High Priest Veria showed off her braided silver hair. She sat on the sedan chair and didn't want to talk, but her heart was excited.

She can say that she has chosen someone, even if this Rumia is a deer breeder, this girl was indeed spared by Odin, and she is the perfect choice for a new generation of high priests implied by God.

Rumia is indeed very good. This year is the most important sacrifice for the Rus people this year, and she is fully prepared.

On this side of the altar, there were more than two hundred little girls from Rose, who wore plain linen gowns and tied their belts with a twine. On their heads, they all wore garlands woven with the latest budding wildflowers. The most beautifully dressed were the ten Slavic maids of Rurik, who not only had gold and silver nameplates, but also wore garlands with colored glass beads hanging on their heads.

Unlike other girls, these ten servants will participate as priests.

On the other side, as many as thirty cables were dropped from beneath the ship.

The whole ship was fixed by the cable, but it was really heavy, even the pine wood on the ground was covered with seal grease, and it was not possible for dozens of people to pull it.

There are thirty cables, each of which can continue to be divided into several, so that many people can pull one rope.

How many people will the tracker have? Otto waved his hand, three hundred people!

Now, they have acted!

Russ people take it for granted to push the boat ashore when not in use, they don't think pushing the boat is a big problem, and even the effort is worth it.

They never imagined that one day three hundred brothers would have to work together to pull a big ship into the sea.

The flat-bottomed Avrora, she leaned a little to port and slid slowly over the pine.

Thousands of people watching the lively cheered the movement of the big ship collectively, causing the entire fjord to fall into a long roar, only the tracker said nothing.

Three hundred people pull a ship with a displacement of fifty tons. With the lubrication of grease, the towing is no longer difficult, but it is not easy either.

Rurik and Otto had been at the head of the line, watching the movement of the boat nervously. There are also a group of people around the big ship. They are shipbuilders and a group of warriors carrying wooden stakes. The so-called in case the ship accidentally rolls over, they need to insert the stakes as soon as possible to avoid troubles.

Fortunately, the Rus people have rich experience in hauling boats, plus the formation skills they have acquired during the war. The pace of the three hundred people is highly uniform. Even if they don't say a word, the boat moves steadily and moves to the altar in front of everyone. .

The ship was in her right place, and Rumia, wearing an antler helmet, struggled to lift her head as heavier as she had ever seen before, standing directly in front of the ship's oak keel, feeling her own insignificance and the ship's greatness.

A switch is like a dream.

She fell into an unexplainable daze. Rurik, dressed in full clothes, hurried over and pulled her hand: "The big ship has arrived. Rumia, it's your turn."

"Yes, it is."

"You? Are you shocked?" Rurik whispered.

"It's a big ship, it's huge."

"Then let her go into the water earlier. Rumia, complete your task, the clansmen and Grandma Veria are watching you."

Yes, six thousand pairs of eyes are focused on the big ship and the altar. Rumia is undoubtedly the star of the entire tribe, because everyone knows that the high priest has essentially changed people. A deer farmer girl is also worthy to be the high priest of the Rus people. Is God's authorization true? Most people still believe that seeing is believing, and only when she completes this great sacrificial ceremony will people really recognize her.

Rumia was a little afraid of giants. It was the first time in her life that she saw such a big ship, and she was sincerely happy for the owner.

"Can we start now?" Rurik urged.

"Okay, let's start."

Rumia helped her heavy helmet to stand up. Seeing this, Rurik left wisely and waited for the ritual project to proceed step by step.

The noisy scene was soon quieted down by the children's singing. The girls in plain clothes and flower crowns were using their ethereal voices to express the sanctity of the sacrifice.

There are some ballads that are traditional folk songs of the Rus, and they do not move Rurik in terms of aesthetics.

There is only one song, "The Turbulent Youth", which Rurik himself deliberately gave to the children to sing. This song is catchy and inspirational. Rurik modified the lyrics according to local conditions, which turned into a hymn to urge young people in Ross to work hard. In the lyrics, for example, "turbulence" becomes "challenge", and "my heart is in the distance" becomes "my heart is in the wealth of the distance".

Those middle-aged people will pass away, and the future of the tribe needs all young people and children. Rurik really knew that it was ahead of their time to give them some great goals, they expanded, they fought, for the sake of wealth and the accolades of others. For example, the purpose of this big sacrifice is to make everyone feel at ease on the way to pursue wealth.

The children's songs made everyone very happy, and some people even hummed along with them, filling in some strange words for fun.

The ballad was the prelude to the sacrifice. Otto, who was watching the grand occasion with a group of soldiers, couldn't help but secretly admire his son's ability to play in pomp.

Many of the items in the sacrificial ceremony were simply the major changes that Rurik made after listening to the preliminary arrangements of the sacrificial priests. Rumia listened to him the most, so she played it according to the script.

A girl in plain robes stood high on the altar, and she fluently recited ancient prayers. She sings praises to the gods and to the ancestors of Rus.

She prayed for God's blessings, not only for the safety of all ships in this year's trade season, but also for the safety of the ships.

"Gods! Please accept your son, on behalf of all the Rus people." Rumia opened her arms, her body could not stop shaking, because the antler helmet was too heavy. Those closer to the altar subconsciously felt that the new high priest was being penetrated by a mysterious force.

In this rare opportunity for the whole family, Rurik used the mouth of the high priest to confirm his identity as the "Son of God". He used to be the so-called "child blessed by Odin", and now his status is more advanced.

After speaking, Rumia simply felt a large tremor, and then fell directly on the altar. Her unexpected behavior instantly caused an uproar among the clansmen.

She stood up slowly and shouted in a tearful voice, "Kneel down! Odin is asking for his offering."

Thousands of people fell to their knees without any doubt. Ordinary people knelt down on their knees, and soldiers bowed down on one knee. The gentle sunshine spreads on people's backs, and they feel warm and holy.

Rurik was also surprised by such a scene. He saw that his father was also kneeling on one knee, and many people's eyes were staring at him, the "Son of God".

With a metallic hum, Rurik drew his dagger and walked straight to the stone boat altar.

The older and lower-level priests covered the deer's eyes with cloth and forcibly pressed them to the ground.

Rurik was also unequivocal. He was ruthless, puncturing the back of the deer's neck one by one, killing them instantly, and then cutting off their blood vessels.

The blood of the deer stained the altar and was even flowing to the sea.

Under the terrifying gaze of everyone, Lumia Yinhong raised a piece of deer liver with both hands, and announced in public: The direction of the blood vessels is auspicious.

All of this is inevitable, everyone needs an auspicious answer, and no one questions it.

Rumia slowly put the deer liver into the bronze tray. She glanced at Rurik, nodded deeply, raised her right arm, and showed her scissors.

The people who had been prepared for a long time finally saw a signal from the high priest, and there was a roar from nowhere, and the three hundred strong men pulling the boat started a new action.

Everyone realized that the big ship was finally going into the sea, but no, the beach was immediately made way out.

Some strong men still dragged the ropes, and more men with brute force like bulls, fifty or sixty people together held a thick pine wood.

There were two pine trees against the stern, and everyone worked together, dragging and pushing, and finally pushed the Avrora to a critical position.

"Brothers! The big ship is in the water! Let's evacuate!" It was the shipbuilder Hortra, who roared the loudest in his old voice.

All the strong men dodged in an emergency, because the big ship was like a slide, and it was smashed into the sea on the sloping pine road covered with grease.

The big ship raised an unprecedented wave. The wave was probably six meters high, but it washed the faces of the onlookers near the shore.

Six thousand pairs of eyes saw that when the sea regained a little calm, the big ship was shaking violently from side to side, and gradually returned to calm.

The Avlora, she finally entered the sea, and finally floated in the fjords of Roseburg. She had no possibility of overturning or sinking, and even drifted slowly towards the depths of the bay because of inertia.

Fortunately, the strong men on the shore pulled the ropes and completely tamed the big ship.

People cheered and boiled. The shipbuilders burst into tears in excitement, and some people let out a sigh of relief, lamenting that they had created a great existence.

Rurik, just after washing his hands, was hugged and cheered by the two girls, Carlotta and Ella, but the corners of his mouth were only slightly raised.

This is indeed a scene worth cheering, but it is only the beginning.

The boat is in motion, and the man pulling the rope is gradually aligning the bow with the shore.

The recently carved bow "Wooden Girl", she is the soul of the Avlora, and a lucky elf that everyone is willing to believe exists. Avrora is facing the seething Rosberg with her peace...