Chapter 1130： gould is dead

The iron ore currently piled up in Elronborg is shipped to Rurik's warships as much as possible. They are very good ballast stones. These stones will be transported to Rosberg, and then the warships will be fully replaced with pig iron ingots and return to sailing.

The essence of a battleship is a transport ship, and a sail cruiser is more powerful than a standard cargo ship.

The Hotra family's old shipyard in Roseburg is managed by the eldest son of the family, and it is more economical to build sail-powered cargo ships than the most common rowing longboats.

Under Ross, the piracy between the various ministries and groups disappeared.

The Kirk ship, the traditional cargo ship, has completely begun to be replaced by a slender and faster standard cargo ship. He and the team do not have to worry about the lack of orders, let alone the use of wood, iron, pine rubber and sails, but they suffer from the shortage of human resources.

Its production cost is high, and those powerful businessmen are willing to buy it. The hull of a standard cargo ship is slender but not heavy, and even lying on the sleepers with the keel will not collapse under its own weight. In order to make the construction more convenient, four hulls are built at the same time in the four indoor docks. They are deliberately conservative, so that workers can use their fists and feet, and on the other hand, there is no problem of order squeeze.

Huge pine trees felled from Elrond Castle, oak found in Coventstad to the east, and water in summer and ice in winter, and the timber is sold directly after it arrives in Roseburg.

The Hortra family bought the big wood, especially the high-quality oak at the highest price. The rest of the wood was bought by small boat builders.

Similar to the scene in the capital, the Hotra family only earns the money of the rich, and the shipbuilding professionals stare at the sinking market due to their limited strength. They manufacture traditional long boats and sell them to the fishermen, which also makes the fishermen's sampans into high-end. goods.

Large logs were left to dry on the shore, and even in winter, those logs were placed in special longhouses. The patchwork longhouse made of wood and soil is a simple warehouse for ship materials, the interior is kept dry, and the roof is more waterproof To ensure that they have a steady stream of ship materials.

In this way, the Rurik battleship took advantage of the situation and once again became the "giant wood transporter".

Elronborg's human-powered squirrel-cage crane is designed to hoist large pine trees felled in winter on a sled, making the overall structure similar to a semi-trailer, and then a dozen or so reindeer tow it on the ice and drag it back to Elronborg.

Now, just find a way to pull the barked trunk into the sea.

The returning warship was stuffed with iron ore, and the stern threw out a long cable and dragged two large pine trees. In order to avoid accidentally hitting the plank of the rudder, the cable was very long and dragged two big burdens. Thanks to The north wind has been whistling so that the warships with good wind still maintain a high speed.

Rurik stayed at his hometown in Roseburg for another day, and to be honest there was not much to be left behind.

The northward migration of the Ross tribe is of course the exclusion of the old times, and it is essentially an economic dispute. The tribe moved to the Roseburg Fjord for profit, and the migration to the warm east was also for profit.

Even the tombs of uncles that I have never met have been moved to the cemetery in the capital. Families in the tribe who have the ability and will try their best to move the tombs of their ancestors from their old places.

Roseburg has become a total steel town, declining more than ever, but also getting a different kind of prosperity.

The weather was getting colder and the wind was very strong when the fleet returned, and the three battleships were stuffed with iron ingots, with sufficient ballast and large size, which enabled the battleships to ride the waves steadily on the Gulf of Bothnia. Rurik didn't dare to take too much risk. The three warships tried their best to drift along the coastline on the west side, but on the morning of the third day of sailing, bad rainy weather came!

It's a joke to stay on deck now, but those professional sailors who are promoted to the navy, they must be on deck shifts.

It was an ordeal, and when the shift was over and the shivering wet man was evacuated to the bilge, his companions covered him with dry wool blankets, followed by prayers for a quick recovery.

Someone had to control the sails and steering gear in the bad sea conditions. The three warships went up and down between the waves. With the hazy scene finally seen ahead, this terrible return voyage can finally be interrupted.

Willika and Osborn still vomited in the dark, the queen didn't think about tea and rice, and could not wait to sleep and open her eyes before returning to the port.

Until they entered the Åland Islands, where the islands are densely covered with reefs, and entered the correct waterway, the three warships arrived at the Tombstone Island pier calmly.

It was also here that Shi Lulu was a sailor who broke into the captain's lounge of the flagship with a little rudeness, and then hurriedly knelt down to give a warrior salute.

"A bit reckless." Rurik scolded slightly displeased.

"Please make atonement, Your Majesty, it's really because..."

"What? You're still shivering. What happened to the port."

"It's a berth. There's no berth now."

"Huh? It's inexplicable."

"It's absolutely true." The sailor continued, holding back his trembling, "Even the reserved berths are gone. All the berths are large ships, as if your expedition fleet was assembling! It's like... when we acted last spring... "

"Ridiculous." Rurik was busy taking care of his clothes and comforting his two sullen children.

We didn't know the situation until he stood on the bow deck, endured the cold rain and looked at the whole port, surprised and didn't know what happened. "Unbelievable, how come there are so many cargo ships here to take shelter from the wind?"

So what is Naval War Chief Goldlund doing?

The cable released the boat, he was busy boarding the port, and then shouted to the people on the shore, so that the berthed cargo ship was freed and moved out of position.

Tombstone Island has two natural coves that are great havens. Under normal circumstances, the harbour dedicated to berthing large ships would not be so crowded, but Rurik, who returned to the voyage, "collided" with the other two waves of returnees. Perhaps it is also inevitable, this arctic cold current has not yet caused the snow in the early winter, and it has also stirred the wind and waves of the entire Baltic Sea.

The visitors are none other than Blue Fox and Red Fox. They are going to the capital to report their jobs, and they also need to deliver the urgent goods to the light industrial center of the capital.

The preciousness of the cargo made the brothers, who had gone through a long voyage together, dare not rashly leave.

And, there's a big reason the brothers had to stay on Tombstone Island.

Rurik didn't know what was going on, but fortunately news of his arrival had quickly reached the Gould mansion. The blue fox and the red fox rushed to the pier with serious faces in the rain. At this moment, the three warships finally entered the berth.

The queen held the prince, Velika held her father, the family endured the rain, and the people who went ashore later, everyone wanted to rush into a warm and dry place to rest.

Rurik really could not have imagined that a group of people were running in the mud, and among them was a clumsy and fat figure.

"Blue fox?" Rurik was surprised at first, but after thinking about it, he immediately understood everything, and forced a smile because of his cold and sullen face: "You are finally back! It was very timely. Oh! And you. Mud Is it the red fox?"

However, the faces of the two brothers were still tense, and their expressions were so serious that Rurik had to pull his face down again: "What's going on. This king sent you to the Frankish world to do something big, and now... seeing this king is actually unhappy. What's the big deal?"

The blue fox was like a stake in the rain, he stretched his body and said with a gloomy face: "My father is dead."

No expression, just a very calm recount of the event.

"Gould? Him?! He...his era is finally over." Rurik had the same gloomy face: "Where is he?"

"I'm still in the mansion, I'm sorry, I'll explain this to the king."

"It's fate, he has foretold his own death. Let's go, I'm going to visit this old friend first."

The weather was already very bad, with the roar of the waves washing over the island and the whistling of the north wind. Rurik, who arrived in Hong Kong, was just in a better mood, but now he was pressing down on his chest like a stone, and the strong sense of depression was suffocating.

Rurik had long regarded the old man Gould as his close comrade-in-arms. That man was not a war chief, and the fat-headed and big-eared walrus-like guy was incompetent no matter how he looked at it, but he was such a person, whose strength was inestimable.

Now he is dead.

Rurik took his family into the bedroom of the old man who had turned into a mourning hall, and saw Gould lying peacefully, his face pale and white.

"Is he asleep?" Osborn didn't understand, he stretched out his little hand and even wanted to touch the dead Gould.

Queen Lanna, who is very taboo about death, hurriedly took her son away and covered his eyes so that he would not see it.

Rurik shook his head, he had said anything before, Gould had already explained the future, but he just didn't expect to go to the north for a parallax, and the old man died. Gould did not survive the winter after all.

"You all go out first. The men stay here," he said to the queen.

"Okay." Svetlana hurriedly pulled the two children away for the time being.

"Okay, there are only a few of us left in the house." Rurik looked at the red fox and the blue fox, "It happened suddenly but it was inevitable. Your father died, and now, his descendants are handled by this king. He, It's worth it."

"Your Majesty, this... this is my father's Ai Rong." Lan Hu was so excited when he heard this, and when he saw Red Fox, he was even more grateful.

"You don't have to wait, this is your father's request. He will be buried in the cemetery in the capital, and the official funeral will also be held there, and the high priest will bless him. Although your father's soul cannot go to Valhalla, it will be in Aspen. Gadwin's bliss."

This is a very beautiful saying, and Rurik also hopes that the old man Gould can be comfortable in another world.

After all, he felt it was possible.

It was also at this time that the blue fox explained the situation honestly in front of the king and his father's body: "When our brother came back, my father had not left. He was really excited and wanted to touch our brother. face. Maybe I was too excited to leave…”

"Yes. He kept talking about not seeing you, and it seems that his wish came true." Rurik shrugged and asked more details by the way.

The blue fox said again: "I brought back a lot of wine, and the king knows what my father likes best in his life. Nassau has an endless supply of wine, and my father is overjoyed. Vodka, honey and wine, he mixes it and drinks it. A lot. The next day, we found that his soul had gone to Asgard."

Hearing that, Rurik suddenly realized that he looked at Gould's fat body again, and not only shook his head again: "I understand it all. You, you chose the way to leave in extreme happiness."

It was on the last day of his life that Gould got drunk in the ultimate nectar, and left peacefully while drunk...

But the blue fox's words revealed extremely amazing details. What is meant by "Nassau has endless wine"?

This matter needs to be discussed in detail.

Due to the bad sea conditions, the strong wind and waves at sea are not conducive to the entry of ships from Lake Mälaren into the sea. Governor White Fox had planned to arrive at Tombstone Island with the last Swedish supplies of the year, but bad weather forced him to delay a little.

Rurik would stay on Tombstone Island until the waves calmed down, and he could understand what was going on in the south.

Old Gould's body will be put into a wooden coffin, and according to the Vikings' custom, the coffin will be filled with various daily necessities of the deceased.

Glasses, agate utensils, amber utensils, a batch of gold and silver coins, beautiful clothes and more.

Only slaves who were not buried.

If the old father did not ask, the slave girl who served him last would be the burial. To be fair, no one felt that this kind of thing was inappropriate. Those female slaves did not worry about eating and drinking at Gould's house, and they did not have children in the end. It was more appropriate for them to continue to serve their masters.

Gould has a clear will document, without any sacrificial burial, all slaves are not only restored to free people after their own death, but also recognized as Rus. Rurik proved that the will was valid, and the slave servants in the mansion were now legally free. Who gave them freedom? The first is the master Gould, and the second is the king who recognizes the legality of the matter.

They didn't want to leave, they wanted to send their master the last ride, and they were also waiting for the king's release.

The Gould family mansion on the island has also legally become a public facility, and no one will touch the furnishings here until Gould's body is transported away.

To discuss matters with the two returning foxes, it is best to be at his own palace on the island, even if the so-called palace is still simple.

What the **** happened in the South?

The two brothers, the red fox and the blue fox, reported one after another, and Rurik had to be shocked by the unexpected joy caused by his strategic layout...

He understood that the Nassau-Leyingau area was actually a mountain grape producing area, and naturally it became a wine producing area. Rurik knows that Provence has the best wines, and ignores the fact that the middle reaches of the Inn are also wine producing areas.

He realized that those Frankish nobles and high priests were very pragmatic in the face of the reality of the dilemma, and once the Rus chose peaceful trade, they were very willing to do it.

He was surprised that he and Rus could monopolize the wool trade in Flanders. Russ could be a transporter to transport wool to Cologne to make money, and he could also bring back the wool to digest by himself.

He was surprised that the Count of Leyingau, who had lost his strength, was going to defect, and he sold the entire Leingold before planning to escape, so that the local area was legally incorporated into Nassau. But how realistic is this for the Rus Kingdom? The significance is outrageous. Rurik never imagined that the black fox would actually become Henry Nassau's son-in-law. Now, the black fox of the Gould family has changed his name to Nassau...

The reality is far more outrageous than Rurik's estimates. The annexation of Koblenz, the surprise attack on Trier, and the merger of Nassau to Ingau. Originally intended to build the Ross Store in Nassau, it has become very large.

So Rurik had to consider whether the black fox kid had the possibility of mutiny.

The king's concern, the blue fox, had already predicted it, so he specifically asked Rurik: "The situation in the south is very complicated, because Ludwig and Lothair fought another battle~ Lost each other It is very big, but they are stepping up the recruitment. Ludwig is not strong enough, and finally needs our support. Nassau and Koblenz are flying the flags of Ross, the king should continue to send troops to Nassau. I have a feeling Good hunch, there will be a big battle next year."

"A big battle?" Rurik also had this hunch, but he didn't expect his intuition to be so accurate.

Perhaps it can also be said that Rurik had no illusions about this Frankish civil war, and the two opposing sides had to negotiate because of the darkness on the battlefield. Ludwig was so stubborn that he would never compromise with his elder brother, proving that the war could only end abruptly if Ludwig was killed or captured.

After all, Blue Fox has been working in Nassau for nearly half a year, and he knows the local situation better than anyone else.

No one knows Frank better than the Blue Fox!

"The army of the Middle Kingdom is targeting Mainz, and that guy Ludwig will stick to it. I don't think he can really stand it, and he still needs our military assistance in the end. Your Majesty, this is an opportunity for us to expand our influence. ."

"Mainz?" Rurik clenched his fists: "Now, we have a clear strategic goal. Add troops to Nassau, for sure!"