Rise of Rurik

However, he said that the lonely old mercenary Harold, whose alias was Olaf, a Danish settler from Riga, became a guest because he possessed some important information.

But for him, what he has seen and heard is too surprising.

What is the identity of the horse bandits who attacked Smolensk for many years? The broadest account is, of course, a partnership between the Rus in the north and the conquered Yinermen.

Harold had to pretend he didn't know, but he was quietly gathering information.

The settlement under construction, called Lukiholm, was ordered by the Rus ruler himself. Its purpose is to better get in touch with the Kyiv people in the south, as well as the steppe herdsmen more distant.

Who is the horse bandit? The Rus people who obtained horses through many ways are indeed horse bandits, but what about the Ostarans?

The owner of this city is the female chief of Ostara, a young woman named Carlota.

Now that Carlota, who has real power and becomes a prince, is very confident, she is not shy about showing her identity to the outside world, and even thinks that this is the way to gain glory.

"We are not Rus, but we have been allies of Rus since ancient times. You Danes used to almost slaughter our village, and finally the Swedish alliance launched a full-scale counterattack. Rus was born in Sweden, and now is indeed the ruler of Sweden, our coalition fights We have won the war and are now allied with New Denmark. So, I heard that you have a lot of Danes in Riga. We should get in touch and form an alliance right away..."

Carlotta's words came from the heart, and Harold heard it in a fog.

Some things are justified by her claims, proving that most of them are true.

This young woman is also not shy, the islands cruising at sea have already recruited Rose. Saaremaa, the nearest island in the Gulf of Riga, is already the territory of the Rus, and the chief pirate leader has been replaced by a pure old Rus. The local area is also open to supply for the merchants of the allied Danish kingdom.

So, here in Lukiholm, old Harold learned too much news that surprised him.

First, the Baltic Sea did indeed give birth to the largest power, the so-called Rus Kingdom. Denmark, which was strongly infiltrated by the Franks, did drive out its power, and Ragnar Sigurdsson of the Stonewall tribe became king of Denmark.

Second, Denmark, Rus, and Sweden have entered a state of alliance, and their civil war has ended completely. Now various commercial ports are open, and some new ports are born. It even includes Rotterholm (Rotterdam), a new Viking settlement emerging near the old site of Durist in the west.

Third, as long as all Danes still believe in Odin, they should belong to the Kingdom of Denmark or the Kingdom of Rus.

Fourth, the eastern region of the Rus Kingdom and the Smolensk people have already been essentially at war. A very simple reason is that the other party has taken in a great traitor named Vadim, which is enough to attract troops from the north.

Fifth, Russ is in an alliance with the Kievs and Pechenegs in the further south, and all three parties are using troops against the Smolensk. As for why the three parties launched an attack, the biggest reason is naturally that the Smolensk community blocked the smooth flow of the north-south line of communication, unless they choose to surrender, which is obviously impossible.

In the final analysis, these five messages can be divided into two parts. One is that the maritime region seems to have really entered into a state of peace, and a trend towards prosperity was born. The other is that new wars appear on the eastern land, and continue to ferment and expand.

To seize the opportunity in peace and chaos, old Harold knew very well about himself that he lived because he knew many things, and this knowledge was enough for him to gain glory and wealth.

Shame? Nothing to be ashamed of.

Even if his wife and children are still in Smolensk, and even if he and Vadim, who is regarded as a must-killer by the Rus, have stolen the power of Smolensk, what about himself?

War is inevitable, if their wives and children are killed in the war, it is their fate.

As an old mercenary, he had a relationship with his slave girl and had children. He also put a lot of the wealth he had captured over the decades in Smolensk, just for the old age. If you can find an errand here in the Rus Kingdom, it is obvious that the Rus people can give a higher reward, and the previous plan to retire from the rivers and lakes can be stopped. He knew Vadim, the new ruler of Smolensk, and he was the one who took him to escape for his life successfully. This credit is naturally enough for him to retire in Smolensk with peace of mind.

From time to time, it seems that the Kingdom of Rus does not care and does not want to investigate its past. Wouldn't it be better to be loyal to it and lead the way to help it defeat Smolensk in the future?

Besides, Rurik, the king of Russ, was called "the one favored by Odin", and he called himself such a great chief. Considering the strong expansion of the Rus people over the years, old Harold felt that this should be true. of. Then, doing things for Ross might also be able to get the glory after death.

Old Harold claimed that he had nothing to do with those killed by the cavalry, but a caravan put together by a group of people living in Riga. Of course, the destination is to go to Smolensk, and when they arrive there, they do their own business, or they serve as mercenaries for the locals.

No matter what, he is alive. If the treatment given by the Kingdom of Ross is high, he can be transformed into a mercenary of the Ross people.

Naturally, Fisk and Carlotta scorned the act of abandoning his brother, but this old guy was indeed useful. His beard and hair are gray, and an old doctor has even been to Rome. It is best for this "story king" to stay in Lukiholm and tell everything he knows and his whole life.

Of course, because Lukiholm was deliberately built in the headwaters of the Lovady River, its very existence was a military base, allowing cavalry to assemble and make frequent raids on Smolensk. They can attack southeast as well as west and southwest.

As a result, old Harold declared his allegiance to Duchess Carlotta of Ostara, changed his status from a prisoner of war to a guest minister, and offered his knowledge of the Western world, including but not limited to his local knowledge of Riga, The Baltic tribes, as well as the western Slavic tribes of the Polotsks, Derevlyans, Drigovich, Madame Psko.

"What? There are so many Slavic tribes in my west? Does Rurik know that? Ah! All these tribes should be conquered, if I was the one who did these feats..."

Being a mother, having experienced brutal wars, enduring hardships and being warm, Carlotta is only twenty-three years old now, but she has already experienced the warmth and coldness of life. She is forced to be strong, to do more than her own blood ancestors have done as a girl-class generation has done. It is a pity that there are too few survivors of the war in Old Ostara, and even if the survivors try their best to reproduce and restore the population, their ability to restore the population is limited. The current principality of Ostara has left its homeland forever, and has merged with the Gran tribe, and has absorbed a large number of Slavs who betrayed their manor, and has been revived in a special way.

In legal terms, the Duchy of Ostara was incorporated into Rus in the form of an alliance, and its status should be the same as that of Sweden.

However, the ruler family, starting with her son Carl, has the same bloodline as the Ross clan, which makes the people of the Principality of Ostara consider themselves part of the Ross, but also have a strong strategic autonomy.

The active expansion strategy of the Kingdom of Ross continues, and the Duchy of Ostara is obliged to further expand for the kingdom.

"If we were just passively defending, we would probably be attacked by the Smolensk. I think the best defense is to attack, send cavalry to continue to operate in the south, and use harassment to force the local army to run, so that they can't build up large numbers of troops. Head north. Even if they do start to gather troops, our cavalry will be the first to spot the situation and act."

Carlotta explained his opinion to the "eldest brother" Fisk, who had returned happily with the spoils. The implication was that he hoped that Fisk would go to the south to make a statement.

It was an ordinary night, and Carlotta and Fisk got together for dinner before discussing important matters.

"Do you trust that Olaf (Old Harold) very much?" Fisk said and shook his head: "That old guy must be hiding a lot of problems, he's not trustworthy."

"It doesn't matter. At least most of what he reported in the West should be true. As for whether it is true or bragging, we are obliged to investigate for Rurik, especially the place called Polotsk, which is actually the closest to us. "

"How? Looking at your eyes, do you want to send troops to eat it?"

Carlotta couldn't hold back a wry smile: "Our people are too tired. Thanks to the salt you brought back and the food I brought from the Great Lakes, the sustenance problem was finally replenished. But starting a war, Rurik didn't want to. We take military adventures, and I dare not disobey him."

"Joke. So what if you just launched an action?" Fisker shouted carelessly: "You're his sister, and you're helping him. Ross expansion is good for us, and Rurik doesn't care about the South now, and the opportunity will come back. is you?"

Carlota is really very excited about expansion, especially when Olaf claimed that Polotsk's troops are weak, maybe he can conquer that community in one fell swoop by assembling the Ostara cavalry and cooperating with some bravery of the first cavalry. . She responded lightly and cheerfully to Fisk's words: "First of all, Polotsk should be surrendered, and then we can contact Riga directly. Since there are many merchants there and a large number of Norse-speaking Danes, it is completely feasible to contact them! "

"The old guy told me about this possibility along the way." Fisk raised his chest in great spirit: "If Polotsk is destroyed, the West Dvina River will be ours. At that time, it will be floating on the sea. With Speuter, we have two buns on Riga by land and sea, and it doesn’t matter if they are allied with us or not, they must be allied.”

"Hey, otherwise it's war. They'll make wise choices in their favor."

That's all, the two laughed wildly at each other.

After laughing for a while, Carlotta calmed down a little: "So, we must first control the waterway of the West Dvina River. Brother, you found a shoal that long boats can't pass through in the south, and our cavalry can directly Wade through, maybe..."

"You?" Fisk stared into her eyes. "Please let me investigate the local situation? Build another stronghold?"

"At least I think there's a reason to do it. The place you found is perfect. If you don't mind..."

"Just let me rest first!" Fisk shook his head, his expression not as if he was rejecting.

"Are you going to refuse?"

"No. I just feel too anxious. My men are more tired, and the warhorses are even more tired."

"What if I send some people to help you? Or you don't need to build a stronghold, you take your brother to explore a suitable location, and then my people go to build an outpost," she said.

"This is deliberate, I think Rurik will also support your move in. I'm still too tired, and the weather has been bad these days. Besides, the next time Kyiv and the Pechenegma team will pass by us, Kyiv people It’s basically just doing business, and the Pecheneg people can loot part-time. When they come, we can talk to them and build a new stronghold. We need to get the help of the Pecheneg people.”

"Then I agree. Very good!" Even if it is not possible to send troops to build a new stronghold immediately, Carlotta would rather do all the preparations in advance, especially the name of the first target location, so that the new operation can have a more specific goal.

"Give it a name first," she said.

"Name? You can choose whatever you want."

Fisk was obviously perfunctory, and Carlota puffed out her mouth. What if she chose her own name? After all, she was a "difficult to name", and even the name of her son Carl was drawn from ten wooden blocks with the name of choice written by lottery, which was later called "Odin's Will" .

It's really unnecessary for her to be named, but seeing Fisk's attitude that it's none of his business, she's also rotten.

She suddenly remembered that Olaf had a description of the area, and even had some adjectives for it - Viettaba.

This is the name that the Latvians in Riga think of, it is a compound word of the words "river" and "road". It does not refer to an exact place name, but refers to the "waterway communication line to the south", if more specifically it can be regarded as the Ura River, a tributary of the West Dvina River, it is a larger waterway leading to the south, but There are many similar canals.

All the waterways leading to the south can be used. As for which waterway is the most suitable, it is impossible for the budding boat runners to distinguish clearly.

One of the most foolhardy ways is to sail against the current until you reach that swamp, where the West Dvina channel becomes so shallow that it is impossible to navigate, and then proceed from the nearest channel to the south, after a muddy stretch" After "Dry Road", you can find a direct waterway to the Dnieper River. This route is simpler than the Ural River route, but it is forced to take the dry road. Traveling merchants have to pay the price of physical consumption for this simplicity.

"Let's call it Viettaba, or add the suffix holm, or the suffix ski. Anyway, this is the name given by the Riga people. We used it. If we can do business with the guys in Riga in the future, it will save them embarrassment."

Fisk nodded: "Alright, I don't feel embarrassed or weird."

So, Carlotta's plan was no longer just an idea in his head, he even thought about the name of the stronghold. In Slavic nomenclature, the settlement is Viettabask, which is Vitebsk.

(The etymology of Vitebsk comes from an ancient geographical concept named in the Baltic language. When a city is established here, the geographical concept becomes the name of the city. The pronunciation of the name has been simplified several times, and finally condensed into a few letters of Vitebsk. )

Brother Fisk has indeed contributed a lot these days. Besides, they are the first cavalry team, and their primary task is to assist Ostara in building Lukiholm. In principle, Fisk should not lead his subordinates to do things beyond their duties.

Hundreds of people built Lukiholm, and a large number of buildings sprang up quickly. It was a large number of wooden houses with floors, adhering to the Slavic woodcut architecture and the longhouse model that the Vikings were accustomed to. These buildings were built quite slender, with interlayers in the wooden walls, and they were filled with dry reeds.

They planned ahead to build a cowshed and sheep pen that could keep warm properly. They wanted to use the relatively good local grassland for livestock breeding. After the situation stabilized, the Ostara talents would bring in a large number of cattle and sheep for breeding. For the time being, these pens became excellent stables, and both service and riding horses preyed on the inexhaustible native grass.

The large-scale construction is over, and the Slavic kids who are tired from work all day do not get a comfortable vacation.

They were a large group of half-sized boys, all drawn from various manors, and were permanently assigned to the Duchy of Ostara by force to become Carlota's subjects. To be honest, Carlotta regarded these cubs as her own clansmen and tried her best to satisfy their massive consumption of supplies. However, because she was on the front line of the war, the current situation forced her to squeeze the labor force of these boys.

Even now that the large-scale construction is over, the boys are still under military control, and they begin daily military training, learning the shield wall assault of the orthodox Vikings, and then practicing archery with short wooden bows on a large scale.

Compared to their fathers, these mostly twelve-year-old Slavic boys are close to their fathers in height, and they are still growing, and each has a bright future. As long as they have enough training, there is no difference between the Slav warriors and the authentic old Rus warriors, which is most vividly shown in the record of the standing army cavalry.

Fisk and Carlota did not discriminate against the conquered Ilmenslavs in the slightest, and they had proved their toughness through large-scale wars, provided, of course, a great victory under the command of the Rus.

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