Rise of Rurik

Rurik arrived at the Calf Manor in a hurry. Even the Boyarowski family of the manor was still in Novgorod and knew nothing about it.

The people of the manor rarely had the opportunity to see the king. They saw the heroic appearance of the cavalry and kept looking for familiar faces in the army.

Uski's eldest son was a cavalryman who made great achievements, but he was in the first team. At this time, some members of the first team followed the Ostara cavalry south to the upper reaches of the Lovaj River. They would assist the armed immigrants in establishing settlements, and by the way, they would also use their mobility to quickly explore the surrounding geography.

The people could not see their fellow countrymen, and they did not even see Uski himself present.

They had no fear of the king, nor of this army.

People gathered around with smiles, and the elders walked in front on crutches, holding up their bearded heads and asking the noble king: "What a happy thing it is to attract the king... and the governor to visit him personally." us."

"There is indeed something good going on." After saying that, Rurik signaled to the following warriors and waved his fist: "Dismount everyone! Let's rest here for now."

The king is tall and powerful, with a young face and a neat beard, which makes him appear noble and reliable.

Unexpectedly, the queen also took the prince to visit the manor in person. Svetalana was a local, and the people of Calf Manor didn't think there was anything special about her, but today they saw the queen who lived a mysterious life and didn't recognize her. The queen was dressed as a female warrior. No! She is indeed a female warrior. This time she is not wearing a colorful and gorgeous dress, but slim-fitting breeches, a tight top, a belt around her waist and a sword hanging on it.

As for the prince, this little guy is even more mysterious.

Osborne has a fair face and bright eyes. He is very neat and tidy, and his temperament is far better than that of an ordinary boy.

Out of his own philosophy, he attaches great importance to the non-boyar elders in each farm. Although the elderly are old and weak, they only know a lot of things as they live. From the mouths of these old guys, you can learn a lot of things that are unknown in the local area.

"Your boyars are still in the city. I came here without notifying them. Don't worry. Old man, I will let you be the talker for the time being."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. What can I... do for you?" the old man replied cautiously.

Rurik glanced around and found that the onlookers here were quite strange. "Huh? Where is your mature man?"

"They? They are all grazing cattle on a watery grassland in the west. You... know that we are actually not good at farming."

"Indeed. The explorers passing through this place have told me the situation. Today I am going to your camp in the west. What is it called?"

The old man was startled and realized that things were not simple. "It's called Balotavo."

"Let's go to Balotawo! You can provide some guides to help me arrive smoothly. The benefits... are of course indispensable."

At this moment, Karl and Brand had appeared in the team, and their appearance made the onlookers understand what happened. What the expedition team said is indeed true! In just one night's work, the king and the cavalry arrived in a hurry.

The Calf Manor immediately expressed its full support for the king's actions. They were willing to try their best to provide a batch of agricultural products for the army. Of course, Rurik immediately spent money to purchase it to achieve a win-win situation.

Yesterday, the ten men of the manor who turned the long boat into a barge and escorted the expedition to the big city turned into guides again.

Then by chance, they happened to bring another batch of supplies planned to be delivered to Balotavo, so they got on the farm's ox cart and joined the entire team.

Rurik had no intention of staying. He hoped to reach the swampland known as Balotavo as soon as possible, so he took advantage of the daylight time to quickly replenish his supplies at the manor and immediately headed up the Valonda River.

The army spent the night on the grassy beach by the river. The personnel built and lit bonfires, and the horses were released on the spot and allowed to graze on the grass.

The warm lake breeze flows into the narrow valley plain surrounded by dense forests, just like a wind tunnel, and the wind is quite strong.

The Wallonda River flows quietly, and when standing on the grassy bank, you have to always be careful not to get your boots stuck in the mud.

Rurik called Medvet to his side. He was in a good mood and pointed to the calm river: "Look, the water flow is very gentle, which is very suitable for our long boats to move forward. Do you know anything about this river?"

"I don't know." Medved answered simply.

"Absurd. I am making you the local governor. You should know the river very well."

"I really don't know. But there is a reason for all this. Even the people hiding in the forest try their best to explore to the east. Maybe develop settlements to the west..."

Medved didn't say any more, and Rurik noticed that there was a big problem hidden in it: "How? Is there danger in developing westward?"

"Sigh. If we go too far west, we will meet the Pskov people. We have almost the same language as them, but they belong to different communities. If we go too far west, we will enter their territory. If there is friction, we will not alright."

"Still have such concerns? Pskov, that place is already in my conquest plan. Military friction is not a problem, and it saves me the need to find excuses to attack."

Rurik’s words were not arrogant. Medvet was convinced that the king was serious and couldn’t help but cautiously ask: “Does the king want to suddenly adjust his strategy and launch an offensive to the west this year? With all due respect, if we follow the westernmost line of the Great Lakes, If the Solon River goes in reverse direction, we can definitely reach Pskov."

"No. Conquering them was in the plan, and now my plan is to open a second navigable waterway. Do you know my final plan?"

Medved shook his head.

"We'd better build a canal as soon as possible. It doesn't matter if the river is narrower. The key is that the waterway must be smooth. In this way, in a huge environment, a circular waterway is born..."

Rurik thought so and built a canal from the Reed River to the Wallonda River. The explorer's survey report pointed out that even the Reed River has an extremely gentle flow. In this way, every spring, the fleet intending to enter Novgorod from the capital can directly travel along the slow-flowing Reed River-Valonda River inland route, without having to face the violent Neva River and Volkhov River during the high water season. The river was flowing rapidly, so merchant ships could move ahead.

The fleet from Novgorod to the capital can still take the mature Volkhov River route. The fleet will float down the river and eventually reach the capital.

From a macro perspective, this is a large counterclockwise turntable, a built canal, which is expected to greatly reduce the communication costs between the capital and agricultural areas. And this is the strategic advantage.

Rurik always pays attention to the hydrological conditions. He conducts field investigations, observes the speed of the river water, and investigates the riverside soil and river bottom sand and gravel.

The current investigation was limited to the Valonda River. After camping for a night, the army continued to march backwards. In the evening of the same day, the slightly tired army successfully arrived at the cattle grazing land called Balotavo.

Cattle, horses, sheep, goats, and reindeer all have a big problem, and this problem is especially prominent in horses with a single stomach. If these large livestock are kept in captivity for a long time, they will have serious health problems. The so-called digestive system will be weakened due to inactivity, causing diseases, and the hooves will grow wildly and easily be injured due to inactivity.

It is extremely necessary to let cattle graze. Now all the cattle that have been let out have returned and are temporarily driven back to the temporary pens at dusk.

People set up bonfire camps by the river and lived a normal and leisurely life. They thought about falling asleep at night, but they did not expect that the king would suddenly come to them.

All the young men of Calf Manor are here. Among them are active soldiers of the Slavic Banners. They participated in the war of 840 but did not get much loot. The soldiers passed the boredom by telling war stories to their fellow villagers and getting together with each other. Now that they have welcomed the king, the excitement is enough to make people tremble all over.

People gathered around, willing to serve the king, even though they had no idea what the king and his cavalry were doing when they suddenly arrived in this wild wilderness.

Rurik tightened his grip on the reins and motioned for Medvet to gallop to follow. He had no intention of talking to the people who came to greet him at first. The setting sun illuminated his face orange, and his sharp eyes looked at a large piece of flat land without the cover of trees.

"It seems this is what they call the swampland. There really isn't a tree in Balotawo."

"It's a rare flat land. I heard that there are a lot of mud ponds here. I'm afraid that's why no trees grow." Medved continued to look around as he spoke, and soon found clues. He raised his riding crop and pointed in one direction: "Your Majesty, look over there."

"How?" Rurik turned his face sideways.

"It turns out that a small waterway turned here. Maybe the stream created a swamp."

Even though the light was a little dim, Rurik noticed the situation on the north side of the Balotavo camp. He motioned to the cavalry to follow him to take a look, and indeed he saw a stream separating from the main channel of the Wallonda River. The stream was so shallow that the horses did not even reach their knees when they stepped on it.

If the terrain were lower, wouldn't it mean creating a lake? Because the terrain is not low enough, it only creates a wetland.

The horses' hooves were stained with black mud, proving that there was a lot of rotten silt here.

Wherever you look, reeds burst out in areas with lots of water, and the rest of the area is covered with green grass.

The black mud stained by horseshoes comes from humus, and the water obtained after removing the water is the so-called swamp soil. Black means that this place is rich in organic matter. It has turned into a kind of black soil. If it is allowed to continue to develop, the black soil will become peat and eventually turn into coal.

Lake mud is a fertilizer, swamp mud is an even better fertilizer.

Rurik knew a thing or two about soil information in the Eastern European world. After all, it was knowledge that was required to be learned in middle school.

It can be said that the huge Dnieper River Basin is rich in water and grass, and its terrain is generally flat. Countless tributaries infiltrate the huge land, forming a large swamp area. The vicissitudes of life have caused some swamp areas to dry up and harden, turning black mud into black soil.

For Eastern Europe, this is the massive "Central Black Earth Area." The formation of black soil requires a special geographical structure and a long-term infiltration of the land environment, so that all kinds of grass can easily settle and accumulate humus.

What Rurik knew was that starting from the entire Pripet Swamp south of Smolensk and continuing southwards were black soil areas. This is why those guys in the Kiev community are still able to feed many people even with extremely rough agriculture.

The area surrounding Yin'ermen Lake has the best farmland in the region precisely because the lake's periodic infiltration causes the vegetation to become humus and increase nitrogen fertilization. Those acres defined as "good fields" are all close to the lake shoreline.

Thinking of this, Rurik concluded happily: "Medved, this mud is actually a good thing."

"It's still a good thing? It's easy to get caught in horseshoes." Medved looked embarrassed.

"It's a good thing that it's easy to get caught in horseshoes! This makes it easier for us to dig roads. Moreover, this mud can actually fertilize the fields and transform poor fields into good fields."

It is a pity that Medved does not have the consciousness of intensive cultivation. In recent years, all his achievements have come from opening up territory for the kingdom. He was a pure native Slav and a rising military star.

The brief inspection in the evening was extremely brief, but Rurik was able to roughly understand the local hydrological conditions.

The cavalry returned to the Balotawo camp. As a king, he formally visited the local cattle herders and even the two little boys who first came into contact with the expedition.

The two children are related to each other. The eldest is called Delavi, which means wood, and the younger is called Dulac, which means fool. The names of the two are too casual. This is the principle that cheap names make a living.

They are unknown children. Unless they grow up to serve the king and achieve military success, they will not be promoted by the king.

Apparently, the two accidentally met the expedition team while herding cattle, and helped the team successfully discover the second passage. Even though the two were just some bratty kids, their achievements cannot be ignored.

Rurik originally intended to promote some local Slavs, so-called neutralizing the power structure. Calf Manor is also a die-hard supporter of Ross, and such loyalty must be rewarded.

Taking this opportunity, he ordered the two cowherd boys who had performed meritorious service to kneel down on one knee, imitate the appearance of regular soldiers, cover their hearts with their right hands, and perform the Viking warrior salute.

Under the collective observation of the army and the public, he commended the two children's contributions in person.

"Drevi! Durak! You two have made great contributions to assisting the expedition, and now I will give you two half a pound of silver coins each! Also! Don't be a cowherd boy! I will recruit you two as cavalry now!"

The cavalry is not something that ordinary people can join. Even if the two of them are cowherd boys and are not old enough, even if they are old enough, they will not be able to pass the cavalry test. Because their families are forced to live without the sudden loss of a labor force.

Thanks to the king's promotion, both of their parents were here, and they cried with excitement when they heard the king's commendation.

My child has reached the sky in one step, and good days are ahead.

Rurik called Brody: "Now accept these two cubs and temporarily arrange them to do some chores. Maybe you can also make them learn to ride horses quickly. It is up to you to decide."

In fact, Brody was resistant. Isn't it a joke to recruit two thin little boys as cavalry? Since the King Ghost can only obey.

The army camped in Balotavo for the night, and the real exploration would begin tomorrow.

The two cowherd boys got money immediately after being promoted. They happily handed over most of the money to their parents or the entire farm collective, leaving a few coins for themselves as personal assets.

For a new day of exploration, two boys served as guides. They were placed on horseback, pointing at the hard earth in the swamp, and guiding the whole team towards the "big river" in the west.

The six-kilometer dirt road takes some time to walk on foot, but at the speed of the horse team, it can be reached in one hour even if the horse is free rein.

Rurik could see the longship mast in the distance from a distance, and Karl and Brand were extremely relieved to see their own ship.

The cavalry must have reached the banks of the "Great River", which Rurik now calls the Reedy River in accordance with the naming principles of the original discoverer and following Karl's description.

The Reed River really lives up to its name. The riverside is covered with dense clusters of reeds, which are much denser than the Yin'ermen Lakeside area. What can be seen with the naked eye is that the water flow of this river is very gentle, which is why the reeds can grow wildly.

Queen Svetlana took the prince and her sisters Noren and Bejahir, and the three of them rode horses and walked along the river, feeling the wind blowing from the new exploration area. Prince Osborne's big, ignorant eyes stared at everything around him, and he kept asking where this place was with milky milk in his mouth.

Rurik was undoubtedly chatting and laughing with the queen and concubines for the time being. His visit with the cavalry had military and economic significance, and now he was doing business.

The newly trained 2nd Cavalry has proven through actions that they can maintain their formation for long-distance marches, and it is entirely feasible to extend their journey to the capital in this way.

Secondly and most importantly, Rurik and Medved completely reached a consensus regarding the investigation of this swamp.

Is it difficult to dig a canal?

I'm afraid the situation is quite simple.

An area was so saturated with river water that no trees grew at all. The Reed River (Luga River) infiltrates the land on both sides of the bank, and the same goes for the Wallonda River. Where they are close to each other, there is a lake full of humus.

Rurik then gave Medvet a task: "It's your performance from now on! Organize some ships to enter here and constantly dig out the mud to create waterways. You can dig more and finally create a fully connected waterway."

Medved had never thought about this kind of thing. Now that he has inspected the local environment, his attitude has changed. The economic benefits of digging a canal are extremely huge, and completing this task is a great achievement. Secondly, it is not difficult to dig water channels in mud swamps, but it just requires continuous accumulation of human resources. Folks sit on long boats and use "giant spoons" to continuously dig out the mud directly below, and then throw it to both sides.

After some thought, Medvedt took on the task and even gave a time for the construction to end. "Next year! Before the autumn of 842, the canal can be built."

In fact, Rurik thinks that the waterway can be dug this year. Considering that this canal may be Ross's first national project, this is the first time to act in a hurry.

"It's a deal, it will be completed in 842!"