It was early March, and a new snowfall swept across the entire Nordic world.

It is no longer as harsh as the past few cold snaps, and when you feel it carefully, there is even an inexplicable warmth.

Maybe it's just psychology, but those who fish the ice are always concerned about the thickness of the ice, and when they sell their fish at the market, they tell buyers what they find.

Businessmen all over the world need the information of these winter fishermen, because when they feel that the ice is thin enough to make fishing dangerous, the merchant family should take stock of this winter's income, repair the spread of intentionally stranded on the shore, and wait for the thick The solid ice has turned into floating ice that can be seen everywhere, so it's time to leave.

Now the king arrived at the capital with a huge sleigh team.

At New Roseburg, word spread like wildfire about the continuation of the Frankish expedition.

The people don't need to chew their tongues. Anyone with a discerning eye can judge the king's intentions through the actions of the state-run blacksmith shop this winter.

Hundreds of young blacksmiths in the blacksmith shop either delayed delivery of private orders, or bluntly declined the new Ding Dong.

The young blacksmith always said casually: "The king wants a big war." Now, people who don't care about the world can realize what is going to happen in the future.

Rurik has returned, and he returns with a huge army.

The Kingdom's two standing cavalry teams assembled in the Harvest Square, with a strength of up to 800 people, and the majestic army was flying with banners and banners.

There is also a huge infantry unit, and a discerning person can see a large number of young faces at a glance. They look like children and adults, wearing standard Ross iron helmets and blue and white Ross shirts.

Surprisingly, they all wore the same style of high leather boots, in a distinctly Novgorod style.

Compared with other veteran soldiers, this group of people dressed very brightly, in other words, they had never been in battle.

It was still the old rule that Rurik would give them a piece of entertainment for the very idle people in the capital city who lacked entertainment.

Leading the army on an armed parade, this kind of activity has been done by various Swedish tribes. Ross was born in Sweden and in turn embraced Sweden. Such a big drama had to be staged on a critical day.

On the second day after Rurik's return, he assembled the army, and amidst the cheers of the people, he paraded around the city with enthusiasm and majesty.

Piper, drummer, flag bearer.

Cavalrymen holding spears, naval sailors wearing three-cornered hats, berserkers with bear heads and bear skins on their heads, and a huge number of recruits...

Rurik and the old king Otto appear at the same time!

There have long been rumors that the old king of Ross, Otto, has actually passed away. Now the rumors are self-defeating.

Even the reindeer pulling the sleighs are dressed in colorful striped blankets and special caps with a mass of dyed goose feathers on their heads.

On the sled stood an assembled high platform, on which was a wooden chair covered with bearskin. Otto sat on the chair in a gilded mail armor, wearing a jeweled gold crown, holding his beloved "Destroyer" sword in both hands, doing his best with a sullen face. Be majestic and serious, and accept the attention of the public.

And Rurik and the high priest simply stood on the sleigh, sitting and walking in front of Otto.

Old Otto was enjoying the glory, and the crowd couldn't help thinking amidst the cheers: What is Rurik going to do.

Some people seem to have realized everything: "Ah! Could it be that the old Otto is planning to conquer by himself? Who is he trying to beat?"

People shouted, screamed, and even whistled vigorously, and there were urchins rushing to the front of the line to laugh and stop.

The activities in the capital were huge, and all kinds of new news spread quickly throughout the region.

Old Otto not only or! He even intends to go on an expedition himself! It must be so!

The population of Old Ross in New Roseburg is not as large as that of the Novgorod region, but there are a surprising number of Swedish immigrants from Lake Mlaren gathered here. These people have defected from their tribe and joined Ross. own new identity. In a sense, this kind of person wants to flaunt his Ross identity more than the old Ross people.

That's why the crowd cheered at the top of Otto's old face.

After all, on the other hand, since Otto is still alive, his life must have been delayed by seventy years.

The old priest of Ross, Vilia, lived to be eighty years old. This miraculous lifespan shocked everyone. They may have never seen the dead Vilia, but there is a long-lived Otto in front of them. Many people couldn't help thinking: "I immigrated to Ross, so I should also be blessed by the gods and live a long life."

The hustle and bustle finally ended, and in the capital, Rurik continued to admire his father.

Fourteen years ago, it was this old man who decided to build Fort New Rose. After many years, he returned to this big city as his master.

No, Rurik handed over the throne of his own palace to his father himself.

The aristocrats chatted happily with each other, and shouted friendship between the toasts.

For the first time, the precious wine in the past can be drunk without restraint. After a day of fun, Otto looked at the fine wine in the glass, and the oak barrel that smelled of drunken grapes was specially placed on the table. He held the glass and looked at it in a daze, unlike others who were bored. He tasted it slowly and sighed: "This is an enjoyment that was never possible in the past. A barrel of wine is enough to buy a good long boat."

The old king's words could not help but arouse many people's deep thinking, and everyone cheerfully lamented the good times now.

Here, Governor Conuson the Elder is the youngest of Otto's peers, and he remembers the past days vividly. When it comes to building the capital, he has made great contributions and has been the governor for thirteen years!

He raised his glass: "Brother, now you are richer than before, the hard days are over forever, and it will be better in the future."

"You call me brother? Yes, we are brothers. But we are old."

"Everyone will grow old, that's fate. Some soldiers can't die in battle, it's also a kind of fate." Old Konusson hated his own aging as well, so what can he do?

Sad topics would dilute the joy of the banquet, and Rurik couldn't help but look at the table to interrupt the slightly sad conversation between the two old guys.

It was suggested by Rurik, who raised his wine glass and advocated loudly: "The next step! We are going to attack Frank! The young Russians want to build meritorious deeds, and I! I want to stabilize the new trade line against Frank, so that we can to drink wine every day. Come on! To victory!"

"Toast to victory." People raised their glasses one after another.

Not only the traditional Russian nobles were invited to enjoy the banquet, but even the Slavic Kamne, who was recognized as the number one male slave of Rurik, this strong man with arms thicker than his legs, also became a guest of honor. .

There are also "Bread Master" Yaslaqi and shipbuilding expert Stein Hotrasson.

After all, Asraqi is Rurik's sister-in-law. She regrets that her husband Arik is still in Novgorod, but she is very satisfied with Askad's participation in the banquet.

She is Askad's little mother, and according to the rules, boys have to call her mother, but this boy is hard to speak because of his shyness.

These three people have different identities, and their appearance at the banquet is not due to their blood status, but mainly based on their special status in the Ross Kingdomthey are masters in various fields.

Just the concept of "soldiers and horses before moving food and grass" made Ross stronger than other tribes. This made the Ross army maintain its combat effectiveness in the war cycle due to sufficient advance preparations in past expansion wars.

How is the grain storage prepared? This is what Governor Konusson and his son want to answer.

Can you prepare a large amount of dry food for the march? This is what Asuragi wanted to answer.

What is the status of the completion of the Armory crafting mission? Kamner is about to draw conclusions.

Will the Sovereign of the Seas be launched this spring? Stein Hotrasson has to say something good.

Old Otto had four purposes here, to see the capital, to see Gould's tomb, to find a cemetery for himself, and to watch the giant ship launch.

What is the purpose of the expeditionary force, and how to fight, he can't go to the front line in person, and he doesn't know how the battle will take place, so he can only listen to his son Rurik's elated speech.

At this happy banquet, he didn't want to mention the cemetery, and it happened that Stein of the Hotra family was present, and it happened that this person answered his questions about the big ship.

Otto quietly emptied the glass.

"Father? Fill another glass?" Rurik couldn't help asking.

"Don't worry. You!" Otto pointed at Stein with his left hand again: "Boy, you were very young back then, and now you have grown into a great craftsman who was bestowed with divine power by Thor!"

"Ah! Thank you... for the great leader's praise."

Flattered for a while, Stein actually called out Otto's old name, which actually made Otto very happy.

After all, only people of this clan are worthy of calling themselves "Big Leader".

"Okay! My boss is asking you now." Otto said with a smile, "I heard that the construction of the Sea Sovereign started three years ago. I don't understand. Can a ship be built for three years?"

"This... is actually the fourth year now."

"It's too slow! It's really too slow."

Otto's words seemed to be harsh, and Stein couldn't help sweating from his head. He wiped his face with his hands, using the excuse that he was hot from drinking.

"Because, that is an extremely huge ship. You should have seen her huge mast in the dry dock from afar. She... is extremely huge, even a big ship that Yermungandr can't hurt at all. She is like a Dashan has been built up to now, and we are also amazed by her size."

Stein has been using various metaphors to describe the hugeness of the Monarch of the Seas, and he revealed more details to let the people present try to understand its hugeness.

Rurik cleared his throat, "It's 842 now. You dug the dry dock in the autumn of 839. At that time, I had just become king, and the war of conquest against Gotaland hadn't started yet. After more than three years, it's finally time to go into the water? "

"Yes!" Stein didn't hesitate at all.

"How far has it come?"

"In fact, when the sea ice melts, we can open the gates and fill the dry dock with water. The weather is bad now, otherwise, we will start the work of installing the sails."

"Has it reached this point yet?" No one was more excited than Rurik, he burst into flames.

"I guarantee it with honor." Stein covered his heart and assured the old and new kings, as well as all the nobles present: "For this ship, the kingdom has spent countless national funds. I am the general person in charge of shipbuilding. The mistake is that even if you kill me ten times, you can't bear the responsibility. So, I must do this well."

On the one hand, there is a swearing guarantee, and Otto thinks more realistically. "So, how much did you spend?"

"Reporting to the chief, we have now accumulated two thousand pounds of silver coins."

"So many?!" Hearing that, Otto's old heart couldn't help but startled, "Is there something wrong with my ears? I really haven't heard of it."

"Exactly 2,000 pounds. Because... this is a long-term additional investment project. Your Majesty has ordered us to use the best materials and try our best to ensure that our boats can swim in the sea for a hundred years. We also use all the technology to build big boats." In this big ship, the wood is the best, the iron needed is the best, the cables are the best, and the sails are the best. Even the sails require a huge investment!"

"Is it different from ordinary sails?" Otto asked.

"Yes. To use better materials for weaving, we need to weave the ship's linen and wool together, and then stitch the three pieces of cloth together." Stein gestured: "The final sewn wide sail is already three layers thick. .The sails alone are heavy, the materials are solid and expensive, and they work absolutely fine.

Otto, who claims to have been sailing all his life, realizes that his knowledge is too little at this moment.

Stein was talking too much, he might as well go to the shipbuilding factory for an actual inspection. He named the surname: "I want to see the big ship soon, and I want to personally verify that what you said is true."

"As ordered."

Stein hoped that the king would go to see it sooner. Since this is the "attraction" requested by the old king Otto, of course the old man must be happy, otherwise he would be worthy of the huge investment of the king.

You know, actually because of the large-scale planting and production, the production capacity of ship rope hemp and flax has been greatly increased, and the price of several goods has been greatly reduced due to the increase in wool input. However, due to the unprecedented demand for sail area and strength, and the demand for cables With huge demand, the purchase cost of input remains high.

Two thousand pounds of silver is an understatement, but it is actually more. Such an investment is enough to build ten Auroras.

To witness the big ship, Otto was in high spirits!

The banquet was over, and Otto, who had a comfortable rest, purposely climbed to the top floor of the attic-style palace.

The sky is still a little hazy, and the dense snowflakes make the world a gray one. Even so, you can still see the imaginary image of the sea monarch that cannot be concealed.

With the help of Rurik, Otto climbed to the roof all the way, and he stood here overlooking the whole city from a new perspective.

The observation deck was cleaned cleanly, and the squinted Otto's eyesight was not seriously impaired. He always carried a sword, and now he pulled out the patterned steel sword and pointed it at the black phantom in the west.

"There! Sovereign of the Seas. Son, where is the giant ship you invested in?"

"Of course. How about we go and see?"

"Go."

"Then let's go. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com" Rurik helped his father go downstairs. At this moment, he could already feel the impatience of the old soldier, and his old body clearly wanted to go down the stairs three steps at a time. Lou, if he is young, why not pull off the cable and go directly to a rappel?

The sleigh arrived late, and the eager Otto couldn't help scolding the steward for being slow.

Rurik got on his horse in time, escorted his father with his entourage, and ran towards the shipyard outside the city.

In this way, the giant ship is no longer just a black virtual image in the snow and mist, but when passing through the densely packed shantytowns outside the city, the image becomes larger and more concrete.

Otto couldn't help tearing off the scarf, and opened his mouth subconsciously.

Because, the sled ran all the way to the construction site in front of the dry dock, the big ship sat quietly on the thick sleepers, and its huge appearance seemed to be a hill out of the ground, so that Otto had to raise his gray-bearded head, as if looking up at a god. Look up at her and be filled with emotion.

"Huge! Huge! This is our ship! Oh, how small I am."