Rise of Rurik

The armed conflict was completely out of Fisk's expectations, and the result of the conflict was an overwhelming victory for his side.

"Get off your horses! Pull out the arrows and take whatever's available," he ordered loudly.

For days the brothers were cruising around, scanning the open fields with wide eyes for something interesting. Freshly flayed fox and rabbit skins were hung on everyone's saddles, and the meat had long been eaten by them roasting.

Shooting and skinning small beasts is an important harvest of the brothers' expedition so far. They have surveyed a large area and have a very clear understanding of the source of the Lovady River.

They ventured further south through the great marsh, and these days have been wandering back to the West Dvina area.

It seems that this swamp is its source, because the large river channel becomes densely covered with water after entering here.

Of course, the cavalry were not experts in hydrogeology, and their primary task was not to find the source of the West Dvina River. The first task was to find the source of the Lovati River, and this task had already been accomplished. The second is to find a better pasture, and this task can be said to be completed.

The vast Valdezze Land is rich in water and forest, and there are a large number of silt ponds in the forest. The area that can be grazing in such an environment is limited to the flat areas on both sides of the larger river channel. Of course, it is not as vast as the so-called grasslands of Pecheneg’s allies, so the environment is quite suitable for grazing cattle and sheep.

The dismounted warriors approached those who lay down with their swords in hand, and stabbed them at the vital points of those who were moaning in pain.

They are young but experienced in many battles, and no one thinks this is wrong when they make up their swords, and even their actions can be said to be very moral.

The Ross cavalry was not obliged to heal this group of guys, after all, it was this group of people who took the lead in challenging them to fight. Since he had risked his life, he deserved to be killed.

But at least give the vanquished a respectability, after all, the dead were also Norse-speaking Danish Vikings.

As a result, the right hand of the dying person was stepped on by the boot, and the Ross warrior pressed the scattered sword or axe into the hand of the person who was about to be assassinated, and stabbed the heart with a sword. And added: "This way you can go to Valhalla."

Qibin finished all this neatly, and then began to strip the clothes of all the dead. It's not bad luck, just because some rags are also useful, such as tearing the cloth into strips and twisting them up to act as binding ropes. The dead man's belt is also a good strapping tool.

The weapons were confiscated, and the round shields, which were riddled with holes by lost arrows, were no longer needed.

A corpse, whitened after blood loss, was pushed into a dug pit of soft mud and buried with earth.

At first, some people questioned Fisk's order to collect the body. "Why are we digging graves for these guys? There's absolutely no need to do too much."

Just listen to Fisk sigh: "They are very similar to us, and they are also doing the work of armed expeditions. If we meet in another way, maybe we can become friends. They can be mercenaries for Ross, not Riga to the west. ."

Brothers don't understand when their elder brother became so sympathetic, anyway, there is nothing to do now, digging a hole in the soft ground is not tired, let's send the funeral to the end...

All this was seen by old Harold. He didn't understand, when did the Rus become so moral?

Harold continued to pretend, although when Fisk called out his pseudonym, he responded immediately.

Harold, who was a prisoner, was naturally tied with his hands, and Fisk heard the news without hesitation: "Olav, what good things have you shipped on your ship?"

"There is a lot of amber, and salt." He had to answer truthfully.

"It's all good stuff. Haha, and those three women. Is that your wife and concubine? Well, it doesn't look like that."

"It's a slave caught on the way."

"Okay. Slave, it's our brother's trophy now." Fisk said softly with a smile, he didn't think much, turned his head and shouted at his brothers: "Those three women belong to you, don't use rude means .A little more brother, go to the boat and remove all the good stuff!"

After all, the essence of the Russ cavalry is a Viking on horseback, and it is not what they want to do with slaves. On the contrary, those three women had long been rotten by despair, and there was no resistance at all, like blindfolded donkeys that could be disposed of at will.

Those who jumped on board lifted the tightly wrapped oiled tarps and were delighted to see the burlap sacks hidden.

The sack was tightly bound by a rope, and the soldiers eager to see what was inside took out a meat-cutting knife and stabbed, and a large amount of white crystals spilled out from the groove.

Instinctively told them it was salt, and the crowd gathered around to taste it and were overjoyed.

A soldier raised his head and shouted at everyone: "Haha! It's all salt! Boss, we've made a fortune!"

You can hear the soldiers cheering. "That's great, so I can add more salt to the barbecue." Someone shouted, and their shout was very real. The brothers are all exploring these days. Since they don’t know how far they have to go, they can use the animal meat and fish that are currently hunted to supplement their physical strength during meals, and even cook oatmeal and stewed wild vegetables. Salt cannot be supplemented, so they have to save Eat salt, and a bird pops out of your mouth.

In addition to salt, they found two large bags of rough amber. The young warrior knew its value. Although the price of a single piece of amber in Ross was greatly impacted by the colored glass, the gem market fell, and the quantity of amber increased, but it could still sell for a big price.

The reality could not tolerate Harold's pretense. He insisted on his pseudonym Olaf and claimed that his destination was Smolensk, otherwise he would not have taken this road.

The sly Harold noticed the change in General "Bald"'s eyes. Obviously, when he mentioned Smolensk, the other's eyes trembled as if he saw gold.

Since the ship was not easy to take away, the Russ used an axe to smash it to pieces, but collected a part of the ship's ribs, tied it up, hung it on the saddle, and made firewood when they were camping.

The battlefield was cleaned up, and the young boys from Riga died inexplicably on their first adventure and merged in the huge Valdezze.

The first contact with the Riga people actually started in the armed conflict. Fisk thought a little bit more, and then he thought that these things should not be offended by himself. The brothers were just doing what they were asked to do.

Because of Rurik's order, the 1st Cavalry Corps, which assisted the Duchy of Ostara in the construction of the Lukiholm stronghold, had to obey the orders of Grand Duchess Carlotta. Legally, Carlotaine was the adopted daughter of the old Otto and became Rurik's sister. Furthermore, since Fisk himself and Rurik shared a common ancestor, to a certain extent, Fisk took it for granted that Carlota was his sister.

He was only a little older than Carlotta, the other was a duchess, and he was only a cavalry officer.

It seemed unfair, but Fisk enjoyed it.

It is okay to first appoint an "earl" according to one's own military exploits, but doing so means leaving the king and running the fief alone. Just like Yevlo, a great cronie in the past, who is now an earl of Finland, who was originally among the core powers of Rus, he finally returned to his hometown to become a nobleman.

"Count" in Ross's context is first of all "war chief", but "war chief" is a more general concept. Only "war chiefs with hereditary fiefs" can be "counts".

Fisk has always been called the "War Chief", and he simply hopes to always serve as the king's sword, after all, this is the promise of the brothers when they were children.

Times are changing as people are changing. It can be said that Fisk is willing to continue to fulfill his childhood promise. He also found that by continuing to hold part of the military power of the regular army, he can always stay in the category of the core layer of the kingdom.

That's why the Duchy of Ostara now exists in a whole new way. Duchess Carlotta, who, according to Viking tradition, is actually entitled to the highest power in Ross, is now running her own duchy.

"Sword Comes"

It is impossible to say that Fisk does not envy Carlotta who holds the power of the duchy at all. Now he is very young and strong. When he is old, it should be possible to ask the king for a fief to support him.

The retirement thing is too far away, and the expedition during this period has no major harvest. The encounter with the passer-by in Riga can be described as a magical harvest.

He ended the expedition prematurely and returned to Lukiholm, which was still under construction, on horseback with all the booty that could be taken away.

In fact, the location where the Russ cavalry Harold encountered was in the upper reaches of Vitebsk on what is now the West Dvina River. The depth of the river has plummeted in this area, and there are many streams around it. Harold, who has a good understanding of the hydrology in this area, actually knew that he would continue to forcibly sail. Even if all the brothers disembarked the boat and dragged the boat through this section, they could continue to sail, but it was pointless to continue because the main river began to go north. develop.

Only by going southward through the correct creek can we pass through the marshes and enter the Dnieper channel at low cost.

At night, the army full of returnees from the north camped and rested.

There were five packs of rough sea salt, which actually had a strong bitterness, and the brothers concluded that those Riga's salt-boiled skills needed to be improved.

The brothers were quite satisfied with the performance of the three women, they were very submissive, and even unexpected things happened.

The three women were all so-called people, and the settlement was called Polotsk because it was along the river. They belong to the West Slavic ethnic group and speak a language very similar to the East Slavic Yinermen. The Slavic language of the Yinermen dialect that the Rus cavalry can understand, and all the words that women speak, most of the vocabulary brothers can understand and communicate directly.

Once they were able to communicate, and after giving the three girls oatmeal with a lot of salt, they began to volunteer their experiences.

"You killed this group of robbers. You are not bad people. We can't go back. Whoever wants me, I will do things for him."

Brothers, it is inexplicable to hear that there is such a submissive slave?

But let's hear what they have to say.

On the other hand, Fisk, who was staying in the resting place, wanted to chat with the captured Harold about Smolensk, and he did not hide his boredom there.

"I've heard that the guys from Smolensk intend to go north to invade our Rus' territory, which is their own way of death. However, they are essentially stuck in our trade line, like a thorn in the flesh, Unplug him when the time is right. Olaf, you're useful to us, that's the only reason you're still alive."

Listen, Harold nods like garlic. "Yes! You see, warrior, I'm old. I know a lot about Smolensk, and it's perfectly fine to do things for you, as long as you treat me well."

"Be kind to you? How? I've already given you food. Could it be..." Fisk looked at the guy's bound hands again. "It's true, it's difficult to eat with bound hands."

"Don't worry, I won't run away. I'm not a fool. There are bears and a lot of quagmire in this area. If I run away, I'm courting death."

"You're smart. It's just that you don't care about your dead brothers? You're not a good man."

Let Fisk believe that this guy is nonsense. If his companions are dead, this guy is still like no one. Either he hides a lot of things, or he is a simple heartless villain. He prefers to believe the former.

At this moment, Harold mocked his unfortunate fate, and he held back.

"I'm not a good man, but it's useful to you. Warriors, it seems that you want to take Smolensk. Are you going to capture the people over there as your slaves?"

Fisk didn't deny it and was firmly affirmed: "Indeed. Maybe you should."

"Yes. I understand. You have been harassing the village over there all these years, causing us explorers to be often misunderstood."

"Really? We haven't met your Riga guy in the past."

"Because the huge swamp is easy to hide. I admit it this time, and I don't hate you. I have been to many places and experienced more dangerous things. If I die in the end at the hands of northerners who speak Norse, it is not a big deal. Bad thing. I think your leader should be very willing to hear about my past."

The brothers are exploring outside, and they will chat for a while every night before falling asleep. After all, the brothers can talk about something, and it would be great if a story king suddenly appeared.

Seeing that the old man was very obedient, and that he was full of curiosity about many unknown things, Fisk simply untied the man's bound hands, and then he brought the brothers who seemed to be gathering together to play with women to listen to the story.

Who would have thought that the brothers twisted the three women to the bonfire here.

They didn't hide the excitement on their faces: "Boss! It turns out that we have a place called southwest. Go back and tell the king, let's take it and forget it. Or let's go back and rectify the troops and go over there to see? "

"Huh?" Fisk asked in surprise, "What's the matter with you? Where did you hear about it?"

"That's what these women said. They came from there. Those guys are not allies. Let's go back and gather some brothers to loot."

Everyone was speaking in Norse, and the three captured women didn't understand it at all. They stated the approximate location of their hometown and revealed very crucial information. After the so-called individual was attacked and captured by their own village, the guy who rowed the boat went backwards along the big river.

They thought that these horsemen killed the rowing robbers and gave them a lot of food. They were not bad people, but they did not know that the young Ross cavalry had already experienced hundreds of battles and had an unusual enthusiasm for fighting.

Or the Polotsk community has been targeted by the Rus.

Fisk didn't want to hear it for a while. He glanced at the three women with absolutely no interest.

"Tie up the three girls and keep your mouth shut. Others come and hear the story of General Olaf."

Reports to the boss can be discussed later. Anyway, any information can be said when it returns to Lukiholm.

The brothers sat down around the bonfire and began to listen to the white-bearded old man named Olaf.

When it mentioned the word "Rome", the young cavalrymen exploded.

Someone stood up and asked excitedly with a frenzied attitude: "You old man! You actually went to Rome?!"

Of course Harold had been there. He never imagined that this would actually arouse the excitement of Ross's group of young cubs. He thought again of the group of Riga's Danish cubs who had been slaughtered, but he still didn't understand how the young people in Ross were so excited.

"Roma? Nothing special." He waved his hand. "Young hero, sit down. And you guys, listen to me slowly..."

Because Rus had a chance encounter with a missionary from Rus in the tribal era, and obtained a parchment manuscript of "Exodus". This matter is known to the old Rus, so they have a certain understanding of the concept of Rome since ancient times.

As tribes expand into duchies, they expand further into kingdoms. They got knowledge from Rurik, Caesar, Augustus, Hadrian, Justinian, Constantine, UU reading www. uukanshu.com and other strange names and deeds of the so-called Roman rulers, and learn Latin, the language of the Romans. Rurik said that Rome was a very great existence, and everyone chose to believe it. They were curious about the new East Rome that had not perished, and heard that there was a lot of wealth there. Naturally, the idea of ​​looting and trading made a fortune.

This Olaf has been to Rome? He must speak well.

At this moment, Old Harold, who went by the alias Olaf, was also shocked. A group of Ross cubs had never been to Rome, but seemed to know a lot. The most common questions young people have are three: whether Rome is rich, whether women are beautiful, and how to get there.

They have questions and they have answers. They long for wealthy women and the way to get them, and they can deliberately sell them off.

So Harold took the right medicine and made Eastern Rome so hype, even though this guy has only been to Kherson in Crimea the farthest in his life. I'll add a little more to the hearsay about Constantinople to try to arouse the Rus' thirst.

As for how to get rich in Rome? Well, the Rus people have to eat and drink for me, I said slowly.

Harold is such an attitude!

"The old guy is very cunning!" Fisk wanted to know everything in this person's mind in an instant. His curiosity was pinched, and he realized that the situation was serious, thinking that this person would be a kingdom if he didn't send it to the king himself. Loss.

Because, as a confidant of King Rurik, Fisk knew the king's dream best - to find the trade routes of the wealthiest Rome.

Searching for a path aimlessly is not as good as taking someone who has been there as a guide. No, the guide is here, even if he is old.

(Kherson in the Eastern Roman period was at the southernmost tip of Crimea, which coincided with the geographical location of Sevastopol today. It is not the Kherson at the mouth of the Dnieper River today.)