Chapter 1131： The Venerable in the Viking Ship Coffin

When the blue fox was still drifting at a constant speed on the Laine River, after he arrived in Cologne, coincidence and necessity were intertwined, and he met his younger brother, the red fox, and Baudouin, the earl of Flanders, who came to **** the wool for sale in person.

Hardbold, Archbishop of Cologne, Baudouin, Count of Flanders, Blue Fox, Count of Gothenburg, and Red Fox, Governor of Rotterstadros.

The two sides, who had been beaten to death, completely abandoned their previous quarrel because of their common interests, and even drank fine wine and chatted and laughed in the noble room provided by the archbishop.

Belief? Don't you all have a cross on your chest?

As for the devout believer not to do business, this is true, but it can be flexible. The Archbishop explained again, the so-called trade of one's own side is no one who gets something for nothing. "The value of different items bestowed by God, only the Almighty Lord knows the true value of each item. Even a servant of God like me must use gold and silver as a medium in order to complete the transaction of each item."

The archbishop can't drink, so he can only use water instead of wine.

Everyone took Hardbold's words seriously, but he had no worries about trade. The whole of Cologne welcomes the resumption of trade and even wider progress. After all, the consciousness of thousands of weavers in Cologne in the processing industry is tied.

In fact, Cologne citizens with textile skills can also process leather, wood, etc. Any handicrafts on the market, Cologne can play some tricks.

To a large extent, Cologne's wealth came from these people, so Cologne's interests were bound to the Counties of Flanders, the Counties of the Netherlands, the Duchy of Saxony, and even the Rus who came to the estuary of the Inner River.

Almost all of Flanders' wool has been sold to Cologne this year, and shipments of wool have reached an all-time high through the Rus' fleet. This battle, the people of Cologne will see each other for the first time in this life.

Even if it was ripped off by the Rus cavalry in the war, Cologne's cellars still accumulated a lot of wealth.

Baudouin paid more attention to the surplus grain here, which paid for the goods. As for Blue Fox and Brother Red Fox, part of the profits they shared was exchanged for food, and part of it was exchanged for high-quality Frank silver coins.

In line with the principle of what has come, the blue fox wants to make a deal in Cologne.

A hundred years ago, Lullus, Archbishop of Worms (Mainz), who was of Wessex nationality, preached a special set of ideas.

Jesus suffered on behalf of others, and the chalice was filled with his holy blood.

And wine represents holy blood, and all devout people should drink wine, and the more they drink, the more devout they become.

This concept was recognized by the Pope of Rome at that time, and since then it has established the sacred status of wine.

This allusion, the Archbishop of Cologne told the blue fox, and then he accepted the "tributary" wine of this "devout believer". The priests are strict about asceticism, not to indulge in some addictive enjoyment, and even Cologne, which is obviously arrogant, has to make a surface.

In this day and age, Western European priests can only drink ale secretly, only wine can be drunk openly.

Wine is holy blood, but wine is wine, and no one knows how to make it better than Blue Fox.

At a certain moment, the blue fox suddenly realized.

"Bah! Holy blood. Mainz and Worms, those areas are rich in wine. The same is true of Nassau and Leingau, which we own. Where is holy, it is obviously the archbishop who sold the wine of his parish to make money. , I want to break my head and come up with this phrase."

But yes, since both the North World and the Frankish world like it, this is the news that must be reported to the King.

Blue Fox bought some wool ready-made clothes in Cologne, the style of which is very Frankish, and bought some leather hoods to keep out the cold, as if to cover the head as a whole, just wearing it is not very good. He quickly discovered the usefulness of this "cleric's hood" - an excellent tin helmet lining pad.

When the blue fox arrived in Rotterstad, it was no surprise that he was dressed up with the Danes who had returned from the raid. The Dane colony on the Rotter River, where the victorious pirates set up a long flea market.

There are all kinds of popular daily necessities swept from Wessex. These things are worthless. Blue Fox looked at it with great interest and then returned disappointed.

Slave markets have sprung up in the unrivaled Danish colony, and innocent captive villagers are being sold openly.

This is a place outside the law, and the big and small nobles of Flanders and the Netherlands will not go deep here, nor will they redeem themselves.

Because they are both men and women, they are just ordinary people in Wessex. To a large extent, these villagers are also outsiders.

The Netherlands is Flemish and Flanders is a triracial Walloon. If you really want to redeem these villagers, either a few good people will pay, or the Principality of Saxony will do it.

Men became working serfs and women became wives and concubines. The Danish pirates were very pragmatic, and they were also actively digesting and absorbing these special spoils.

Ragnar rested in Rotterstad for a while before withdrawing. He was happy to hear that the blue fox was back. He personally invited him here. The so-called brothers who fought side by side must get together to eat something and talk.

Therefore, what the Danes have done in Wessex, the blue fox is all ears and knows all about it, and he feels that it is necessary to report these matters to King Ross.

What's the use of robbing ordinary and poor villages, and taking a lot of people...

Blue Fox didn't want to publicly denounce this kind of tasteless piracy. After all, what he did in Trier was a hundred times more vicious than Ragnar. But he has his own set of principles. The robbery of Trier was secretly authorized by King Ludwig, which was objectively part of the Frankish Civil War.

The blue fox didn't even tell the Archbishop of Cologne that he had done such a cruel thing. The looted gold and silver holy artifacts have been hidden in wooden boxes, and they were dedicated to the king.

He listened to Ragnar shout about his great achievements, and then publicly applauded the courage of the young Danish king.

He coaxed Ragnar well, and Ragnar was greatly relieved, which gave him a little gift. The battle-hardened Blue Fox faced a pile of worthless "village furniture" sent by Ragnar, and accepted it for the time being. They are indeed worthless, and they will be given to the Gothalans when they return to Gothenburg, he thought.

For the Blue Fox, he is absolutely necessary to have a good relationship with the Danes.

Now the entire Jutland peninsula is under Ragnar's control. Despite the brutal war, the Danes recovered very quickly. The Danes who were forced to live on Zealand Island in the past returned to the peninsula on a large scale. They had to start again with the Oslo immigrants who had entered the chaos.

Over the years, the Norwegians in Oslo have watched the Danes and the Swedes battling each other at sea. They are the traditional allies of the Danish chief but just want to fight against the wind and refuse the good intentions of joining forces when they realize that there is no benefit. Oslo has never formed a chiefdom, it is just a "business organization" of a large group of businessmen.

The peaceful Baltic is good for all, and the people of Oslo stand up, and the same goes for the Gotharans.

Both sides are at the southernmost tip of Scandinavia, across the Great Denmark Strait, opposite Jutland, Denmark.

The fief of the blue fox was separated from the kingdom of Ragnar across the sea, and the merchant ships could follow the crevice of the fjord all the way into the port of Schleswig, doing business with the Duchy of Saxony from the other direction.

Brotherhood with Ragnar was necessary, as was good relations with the Norwegians in Oslo.

So, the blue fox wanted to return to the fief to explain some things before returning to the capital of Ross to report on his duties, while the red fox simply wanted to go back and report to the king that he did not disgrace his mission.

On their way home, the two brothers were accompanied by the triumphant division of the Danes, and they stayed in Gothenburg for a few days before finally returning to Tombstone Island.

Bad sea conditions forced the two to stay, and they were also shocked to hear that their father, Gould, was dying.

Finally, Gould's life, who laid a deep foundation for the family, came to an end.

It was cold and windy outside, and people were surprised to find that the fine winter rain had ended, replaced by fine snow particles, which gradually turned into goose feather snow.

The blizzard of early winter of 841 has come!

The blizzard wasn't extreme, at least it felt on Tombstone Island.

It is fair to say that this snowstorm is reasonable, and its power is indeed not strong. As the dry arctic cold wind blows away the warm water vapor on the sea, the freezing of the Gulf of Bothnia, which started slowly, accelerated, and the goose feathers snowed heavily. Disappeared, Tombstone Island was covered with a kneeless layer of snow and then the cold, dry wind remained.

It was freezing cold outside, and even the Slavic settlers who farmed on the island hid in woodcuts with fireplaces and chimneys.

People try to flock to the Tombstone Island fortress, which is guarded by thick wooden walls.

What can people who have lived in the Northland for thousands of years do when faced with such a blizzard? People are like hibernating brown bears hiding in caves and sleeping through the cold and boring blizzard period. The Rus people will not be dormant all the time. As long as the snow stops, life will resume in winter. Once the sea really freezes, the ice layer enough to carry people will extend to the entire Åland Islands. Reindeer and pony sleighs will immediately replace boats. Everyone is like the shepherds. Like the Lapps of the deer, start the winter life on a sleigh.

People of insight on Tombstone Island have already lit oil lamps, covered them tightly with thick leather, and fiddled with sleds, spreaders, hemp fishing lines, curved-rod drills and other equipment for catching big fish and sealing seals in winter in their wooden warehouses.

At this time, the governor of Stockholm, the fat white fox, and his fleet also arrived at Tombstone Island before the snowstorm.

Ships crammed the harbour, and even some cargo ships risked being pulled half-aground in the near-shore mud. Boats, large and small, were parked in rows and rows, all tied together with thick special cables. Although they couldn’t have the luxury of iron necklaces, the masts were only connected to each other by cables to ensure that the **** wind and snow would not damage the boats.

An experienced carpenter of Slavic origin took on a big job.

This carpenter family made a living by farming after immigrating to Tombstone Island. The family joined Ross's expedition to Gotland ten years ago. He existed as an auxiliary and was responsible for repairing wooden materials for heavy weapons in the army. It also uses a torsion slingshot to assist in the battle.

He has had this experience and really has good woodworking skills. He is respected by the Rus people on the island and considers him to be his own clan. In addition, he now uses advanced carbon steel tools, and the technology is more advanced. .

The big fat white fox is the head of the family. It is a great honor for King Rurik to personally organize his father's funeral, but as the eldest son, he must pay for the coffin.

He gave the selected carpenter's family a huge sum of up to two pounds of silver quite lavishly, and he provided the specific shape of the coffin, the material of the coffin, and the pictures that should not be carved on the outside.

As a rule, a Viking boat coffin is nowhere near two pounds.

There is a lot of oak plank available on Tombstone Island, which was originally scrap from the shipbuilding workshop. Even the leftovers are dried in the shade, and they can be processed into durable household utensils, such as wooden spoons, wooden shovels, wooden bowls, etc. Larger plates can be assembled into boat-shaped coffins without any problem.

Building a coffin is like building a ship. This is the belief of the Vikings. Those who choose to be buried will definitely arrange for their cronies to prepare a coffin that can be sealed like a ship.

The oak strips are assembled into keel, and the rib is assembled by tenon and tenon joint, and then the rib is quickly installed with iron nails.

In terms of appearance, it has the appearance of a "single paddle kayak", and its interior is covered with a layer of leather to ensure comfort.

Objectively speaking, it can indeed exist as a single-person rowing boat, and now it is a coffin.

The whole family went into battle and worked day and night. The carpenter, wife and children first painted with a quill dipped in carbon ink on the shell, and then processed it with a carving knife.

Gould is a big businessman, so Frey, the **** of wealth, is his first patron saint. Gould went to many places to explore when he was young, and he had to float on the cautious sea, so Thor was also his patron saint.

The port side chiseled the legend of the **** of Frey taming the golden boar, and the legend of the **** of thunder defeated the earthly python at leisure. The large wooden board that seals the coffin is carved with the image of the goddess Freya, the **** who represents life and prays for the soul of the dead to be reborn in Asgard.

After engraving, the dents were not painted with blue (wasati and white mud mixed with rosin) and black ink (carbon black powder mixed with rosin), and the rest of the place was painted with white mud mixed with rosin.

The job was done very quickly, and it would take days for the paint on the casing to air dry.

While the carpenters were busy, the fox brothers had changed into new clothes for their dead father and prepared a lot of funerary items.

"Ah! Now the snow has finally stopped, and winter has come!" Rurik deliberately went for a walk outside. Looking around, the sea was a little blue, the sky was only the high-level cumulus clouds of Mohu Lake, and the nearby islands were full of patches. White, and so is the distant world.

In the extreme cold, Gould's body was extremely difficult to rot, and his icy body was carried by the wooden planks held by everyone into the wooden house where the coffin was parked.

Rurik recognized the many pictures on the outer shell at a glance, and then looked at the ship-shaped coffin, it was really big.

He was the king, and since Gould was his close comrade-in-arms, he worked hard with the three fox brothers to stuff the heavy dead into the coffin.

Then, a large number of funerary items were filled in.

"You like to drink in your life. You showed off your wine back then, but now, you are enjoying the last intoxication in your life..." Looking at Gould's sunk eyes, Rurik chanted, and finally filled the wine in sequence. glass bottle into it.

Combustible spirits vodka, high-quality Nassau wines, Novgorod meads, and wonderfully flavored kvass.

Glass cups, walrus ivory cups, horn cups, gold and silver utensils, peacock feathers...all kinds of things that the deceased had used before they died would be stuffed into it.

Although the deceased was not killed in battle, the swords and daggers inlaid with gems were only used for decoration, but now they are put in together.

The deceased was dressed in a polar bear fur, a ferret cap, covered with a beautiful Novgorod fabric, and finally covered with a Rus flag.

This is not the end, gold coins and silver coins are sprinkled into it, two large ambers are placed in the deep eyes of the deceased, and the mouth is opened by the white fox himself, and a small piece of pure gold is simply put in his mouth.

"Let's stop here. He will be buried in the capital cemetery. At that time, this king will personally attend his burial ceremony. It won't be too late, just this year." Rurik said and took a good look at the white fox.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. In fact, my father's funeral is over here. Since both Your Majesty and my father refused to be buried, the funeral has been simplified, and I have nothing to say."

The white fox really thinks it can be done. UU reading and even Velika, the deputy priest of the kingdom, personally sang a eulogy for the deceased. The evasive son-in-law felt that it was enough.

"Then seal the coffin." Rurik looked at them again, and then the four of them held their hammers up and down, and Gould got his rest, although it was not exactly what he wanted.

Due to the constraints, the cremation in Gould's will could not be carried out. Now the situation is more solemn.

In fact, Rurik and others did not understand Gould's concerns before his death. After all, he was a big businessman, and his family would definitely prepare a lot of funerary items, which would very likely cause thieves' malicious intent in the future. If he turned into a handful of ashes, and if there are still bones, it would be too miserable.

Although Rurik didn't know this, he assured the fox brothers: "Whoever dares to destroy the rest of the great merchant Gould will exterminate the family." In fact, the law has already stipulated that no one dares to be in "Valhalla on Earth" If the cemetery is destroyed, it will be a blood eagle to apologize to the deceased.

No one dares to seek death, and the cemetery has always been a solemn and ghostly existence.

Apparently, the most honorable person buried in the cemetery for a while was the great merchant Gould.