Rise of Rurik

The twelve owners of the manor grabbed the barbecue and ate it tremblingly. They ate and drank with a group of fighting madmen. They were afraid that the other party would suddenly have a whim and their heads would be chopped off.

A calf was eaten by the crowd until only its skeleton was left, and the seized wine also drank five oak barrels.

Are the Rus enjoying their happy life? The manor owners just want to go home and stay, hoping to escape this ghost place as soon as possible.

Rurik drank only a glass of ale, and when many people were a little dazed, when the meat on the trailer was only the skeleton of a cow, the feast should end there.

Those manor owners who are always vigilant are on call at any time, and finally they waited for the new order of the young Duke of Ross.

"You manor owners, I see that you have been too cautious. Don't worry, I will not kill you. You can promise that as long as you remain obedient, you will be rewarded."

reward? Can there be any reward?

They don't have time to think, or can't think in this suffocating scene.

In fact, regarding the follow-up arrangements for these manor owners, Rurik boasts that his policies to be implemented will effectively solve the stability of the region.

He also announced: "You will spend the night here tonight, and tomorrow I have the most real arrangements for you and all Novgorod nobles. Come! Take them down to rest."

The armed guards appeared again, and they dragged the manor owners with floppy legs away, and the courtyard of the banquet was full of laughter and laughter from the Rus...

"Continue to drink! Continue to eat!" Otto shook his head and asked the guys to drink, drink, dance and dance. The group of manor owners who were in the way were invited away, and everyone could continue to eat and break up.

Rurik didn't know how long this banquet lasted. He left the table early because of embarrassment and fell asleep, and everyone who stayed at the banquet venue, no matter how big the appetite, was satisfied.

In the banquet hall, there is a man who can drink the most and dare to eat meat and wheat.

Medved was so excited, when he learned in advance of his brother-in-law Rurik's award to him, his mind was immersed in happiness.

He will gain a lot of power, and even though this power will probably not be inherited by his own heirs, the supreme power of the Duchy of Ross will inevitably fall into the hands of his sister's son.

Sister Svetlana, she took part in the war, fighting like the Valkyries believed in by the Rus.

She is no longer like a Slav, but a Rus?

"It doesn't matter, it's my sister."

Medved has realized the power and privilege of being an uncle of a foreign relative, but his situation is limited. After seeing the strength of the Rus, he just wants to rely on their strength to make his White Tree Manor stronger.

To rule the entire Novgorod on behalf of the Rus, like Vadim, the self-proclaimed prince whose life and death are uncertain?

"No, I will take care of this place on behalf of Ross, that's all. Don't do anything unreasonable, and there are only good days waiting for the clan."

On the whole, the Slavic people on the shores of Lake Ilmen are xenophobic. They are a purely agricultural ethnic group and most taboo outsiders to occupy their land. However, isn't the White Tree Manor on the banks of the Volkhov River an external other to the Great Lake?

The pine-needle estates of the xenophobic Slavs have been wiped out, the hardcore rebels have been purged, and the rest of the populace can only obey.

To understand this, the first thing that Medvedt thought of was to reconcile the relationship with the people by the lake. After a hundred years, the outcast White Tree Manor is back with the power of Ross!

The White Tree Manor and its own power were rewarded by the Duke of Ross, and he must be the governor and manage it on behalf of Rurik.

Medved eventually got drunk, and he essentially fought side by side with several Varyag clans, participating in bloody battles with the Varyags once they arrived.

He is regarded by everyone as his own. A group of men gather to have a good time, and naturally talk about fighting, plundering, and even talking about marriage and children.

Even, some people have already started to congratulate the Slavs who are about to gain power.

Medved was not too complacent, and the bones of the manor owner who was beheaded were not cold. Some things just can't be said. It is not a pity for those killed to participate in the rebellion, but it seems that it is also killing chickens to warn the monkeys. It is the brother-in-law who shocks himself with the blood of these people.

Some people fell asleep at the banquet until the cool breeze and noise of the morning woke them up.

Rurik appeared in front of everyone again, his image was a stake, his face was washed and his hair was blond. He was really a capable and stylish young boy.

In this era, life in slack time is always full of boredom, and it seems that the biggest entertainment is childbirth.

The Rus army stationed in the traditional Slavic farms did not receive an order to evacuate, and they were also asked not to take the initiative to attack other manors.

The army seems to be hanging here, but in fact every Rus and Balmer are actively discovering the agricultural value here.

If you can farm the land and get the output, who would go out to sea every year to be a pirate? Even fishing, the risk of fishing in a sea is far higher than rippling on a lake.

They went into the woods to hunt, and some ran far away, only to see new farms they had never known before.

There was even an encounter between a Ross hunter and a farmer deep in the jungle, and the embarrassing meeting scared the other side with a wooden hoe and ran for his life.

When the news of the strange farmer encountered by the hunter did not go further, the soldiers of White Tree Manor pointed out that it was the so-called "hidden person".

The Novgorod region with Lake Ilmen as the center must have a population of 100,000 people. Rurik firmly believes that, as for the more than 20 farms scattered around the lake, the total population is actually not large. The vast majority of people are definitely hiding, and I'm afraid it's not that they intend to hide. It's just that this area is too vast. Slavic immigrants are on the road, and it is normal to build small settlements in the dense forest to live a closed agricultural life.

To include those who are hiding? This is a must do! Those people must accept Rus' rule, only this troublesome job can be thrown to the Novgorod governor.

A lot of news reached Rurik's ears, and the vast farmland was even more in his eyes.

Rurik got up early this morning to go to see the farmland of his warlord. In addition to appreciating the spoils, he also checked the farming level of the local people.

Look at the cleaned pine needle manor, their oat field nursery is disorganized, not as neat as the white tree manor's wheat seedlings that have been sown with curved ploughs.

In this way, it is completely on the same level as the allied tribes on the shores of Lake Mälaren, except that the latitude of Lake Ilmen is further south, and the accumulated temperature is high, which makes the rough agriculture also have a relatively improvised harvest.

But there is room for this amazing agricultural technology improvement, not only ploughing the soil, but also the means of human and animal dung and reed lake mud fertilization, and even irrigation. It's just that these advanced technologies cannot be implemented immediately.

With the investigation in the morning, Rurik was more determined in his heart to reward the twelve farmers.

The big stick has already been rammed, and they are all afraid of Ross's rights protection. Now it's time to reward him with carrots to comfort him.

If there is no "great man from the sky", the lakeside farmers can still farm the land for hundreds of years on their own, and it will take too long for the local aristocracy to evolve into a country.

Now, the Novgorod region is already under the direct rule of the Rus Principality, and the strategy of the past will be completely terminated today.

At noon, there is no banquet.

Twelve manor owners who worked hard, and three arrogant manor owners, Baishu, Calf, and Fisherman, were invited to the same house by Rurik.

Medvet and Svetlana are also here, and here Rurik personally holds a meeting for a group of local Slavs.

He was sitting on the leather cushion, next to Old Otto holding a patterned steel sword, sitting here like a god, staring at the group of manor owners with sharp eyes, representing the past.

Rurik was no longer polite. When people arrived, he ignored their faces and said bluntly: "Since ancient times, we Rus people have come here to ask for tribute, but everything has changed since this year! Me! Rurik, Duke of Rus, from Now the entire Great Novgorod will be directly classified as part of the Rus Principality, and Novgorod will always belong to Rus. You residents of the manor are all new Rus now!"

New Rus? What does it mean? What does direct rule mean?

The manor owners looked at each other, they wanted to say a lot but didn't dare to speak.

Rurik made a gesture, and Medved stood up. This man who followed the Rus army to eat meat and fish has now become very burly. If he is not fluent in Slavic, he is simply a standard Varyag warrior standing here.

This son is the successor of White Tree Manor, and after the death of the old guy Rigus, Medved is the owner of the manor.

It must be useful for this person to be named by the Duke of Ross.

"However, the residents of Great Novgorod have their own lives, and this duke will undoubtedly force you to change too much. Now, I appoint Medved of White Tree Manor as the local governor, representing me in charge of Great Novgorod. Everything. You must support Medved's work, and I will restrain him from doing rude things..."

Rurik took a few words to explain, and the nervous twelve listened to each other, and even the leader with the white tree, the calf, and the fisherman listened.

Rigus, he is very happy that the eldest son can take up this important position. It seems that Medwait used the authority of the Ross people to make the White Tree Manor obtain the hegemony of this lake area? No, this is not the case.

The monarch appoints a governor to rule, which is an invention in northern and eastern Europe. Even in the Frankish kingdom, since the collapse of Western Rome, the concept of a governor has disappeared.

The governor defined by Rurik is actually an extension of the old word "war chief". As for this group of manor owners, they have also been awarded a new title, namely Bjorn, or Boyar, who is "defender of the monarch". powerful people".

The fifteen lords of the estates in this house were given the title of boyar, or grand lord or squire, which is the standard Varyag vocabulary, and it was Rurik who declared to them that all The owners of the manor are the Duke's bodyguards and are directly responsible to the Duke's family.

Boyar's power is recognized and protected by the Duke, and Boyar must also fulfill various clothes to the Duke.

As for Medved, he was first a boyar noble, and then an appointed governor.

The other boyars have the right to advise the duke if Medvedt doesn't do well. Medved is not a monopoly, but only has the power to collect taxes on behalf of the duke, and the rest of the affairs should be decided by the boyar nobles of each farm.

Do most of the affairs have to be negotiated by everyone? Isn't this a return to the old traditions of the past?

People with keen political cells sensed the hidden interests and the implementation of Duke Ross's grace, just when others were puzzled, they suddenly raised their heads.

"Our Redwood Manor fully supports the Duke's decision, we support Medved as the governor, and we will continue to pay tribute to Ross as agreed."

Someone started, and the hesitant immediately followed.

The owners of the estates made positive statements one after another, for fear that their descendants would be persecuted by the Rus.

Are they so supportive really out of their heart? Rurik felt that the support of the owner of the mahogany manor was sincere, and most of the others were also sincere. After all, he was indeed giving favor and benefit.

They also have no choice.

Old Otto was laughing, and all the Ross people present were laughing. This is a confident smile. They saw a large group of local Slavic nobles scrambling to beg the Rus to rule. In the past, this group of guys only had fear and a reluctant look on their faces.

No, another clever flatterer fell directly to the ground and climbed in front of Rurik like a lizard.

"Pine Needle Manor has shown vicious tactics to gain hegemony. Ross is the best mediator. Ross has eliminated the guilty. Once we fought each other, now the great Duke of Ross has finally brought us peace. We welcome the rule of Ross. ."

Rurik listened carefully, why did these words sound so familiar?

what! Isn't this history?

"Isn't their history book recorded that the Rurik chief and a thousand warriors mediated the melee of the Novgorods, unified here as an arbiter, and founded the principality of Northern Rus. A thousand warriors? First and third A thousand soldiers of the flag team? I am Rurik, and I am indeed the mediator, the arbiter, and the prince." The more Rurik thought about it, the more interesting it became.

The process of history has entered the right path again in the East. Perhaps this is the fate of the general trend.

"Which estate are you head of?" Rurik asked.

"Sackcloth Manor. I'm Msti Vadisevich. Your lord, we're good at growing hemp and making sackcloth."

This person is indeed flattering, and the means of flattery are also clever, and he actually recommends his own specialty. Rurik's eyes lit up, because this lake area is indeed easier to grow flax than Lake Mälaren in the north, and there really are masters of hemp weaving here.

I'm afraid not only that, each manor has its own specialties, I am afraid that the manors around Ilmen Lake have already achieved economic complementarity.

Discovering their industrial potential is a matter of the back, and the fundamental support for the life of these estates is the land.

The Duchy of Rus directly ruled here, but also to obtain stable output of wheat, hemp, and leather.

They were all announcing that they would pay tribute in strict accordance with the Duke's regulations, that is, taxes.

It is the tax issue that is the most fundamental issue of this meeting.

Rurik ordered them all to be quiet, and solemnly announced: "I will launch an eleventh tax on you. I will send someone to count your acres, and this project will be completed this year. What is the eleventh tax? The output of a piece of farmland, One-tenth is the tax paid to Ross. How much tax you pay is not related to your population, but only to the area of ​​​​the field! Oats, rye, wheat, flax are all taxed at one-tenth."

The imperial grain national tax is the current taxation pillar of the Duchy of Rus, or in the tribal era of Rus, asking for grain from the Slavs was the predecessor of the grain tax. Grain is now a general equivalent with monetary properties under Rurik's definition.

But Ross's territorial economic model is essentially diversified, and she is a civilization, so the civilization of the Principality of Ross is now advancing by sea and land. For these Slavic pure peasants, they should not only collect food taxes, but they should also enter the forest to catch wild animals.

They catch a bunch of squirrels, sleds, sables, weasels, or other beasts every year. Rurik stipulated that each manor should take out a thousand pieces of squirrel skins every year, and precious leathers such as ferrets, one hundred pieces a year.

With the current ecological situation, cherishing leather animals can be seen everywhere, and Rurik feels that his request is not a big problem.

This is just a rigid requirement of taxation. When he explained that he would come up with a price (market price) that everyone accepted, and additionally purchase surplus grain, honey, dried fish, various leathers, woodware, pottery, etc., all the manor owners were happy.

Those Varyag businessmen come occasionally, and the Rus people do not leave every year.

Now, Rurik, Duke of Ross, is indeed different from his father.

Rurik's promise is not only that, he is also announcing: "I will build a trading place here, and openly sell iron farming tools, salt, gems and other goods to all your estates."

Trade is what everyone welcomes, and if the trade is stable, the Duke of Ross is a real saint. Even if the price of the transaction is a little higher, or the price is not a problem, what Great Novgorod lacks most is a stable trading place.

Rurik's benevolence continues.

"I will immediately sell a batch of iron farming tools to all of your manors, and you can buy your surplus grain immediately. Since this year's situation is too special, I announce that only this year, I will exempt you from this year's tax!"

They were dumbfounded, including Otto, who also understood these Slavic sentences, and immediately cast doubts.

The Rus were complaining about Rurik being too kind, and the Slavs couldn't believe it was true.

Rurik firmly declared: "This year, Novgorod is exempt from tax! My duke, my orders are absolute. This is my gift to you. Listen, I can promise that you will live under the direct rule of Rus. It will get better and better. Your time of peace has come."

A beautiful era of peace has come?

Yesterday, the estate owners witnessed the horrific slaughter of the remnants of the rebellion. They both leave today with titles of nobility of Boyar.

Rurik said that mercy is mercy, he let these people go, and gave them a batch of wood and iron farm tools seized from the pine needle manor.

Even, give these twelve manors a great privilege - the remnants of the five manors who assisted in the rebellion.

These estate owners have the right to divide up the women and children of those estates, and divide their populations into their own to strengthen their estates. Can plunder their property, have and only ownership of farmland, belong to the Duke of Ross.

Will such an arrangement make Conglong's three manors jealous, and will Ross and the Balmers complain?

It was true that Rurik observed this sentiment, but the complaint soon died down. Because the most extensive farmland belongs to the Duke of Ross, and the small family of Ross can own these property rights, or according to the old rules of opening up wasteland in New Roseburg, Rurik provides the grain and farm tools, and they should provide tax! It's just that the property rights of these lands still belong to the Duke family of the Duchy of Ross.

The so-called newly reclaimed land belongs to the land reclaimer, and will pay taxes according to the rules after statistics. The trophy farmland after the suppression of the rebellion is the private property of the duke family in the full sense.

As long as the Rus people are farmers, they must pay eleven taxes. They are all smart people, and they know that being a farmer is a very profitable business.

When farming is busy, he cultivates and collects goods. At other times, he is not fishing by boat, or even following the Duke to conquer the world. Just like the traditional Dane days, spring planting and autumn harvesting, the warm summer farmers have turned into fishermen and even pirates. It's just that the farmland and geographical environment that the Russ men are about to master are much stronger than the Danes.