Rise of Rurik

Lambert and his entourage were detained. They were kept in separate wooden houses. Although there was a steady supply of food, it was everyone who wanted to come out.

Fisk estimated that this kid was likely to find a way to leave at night, so he deliberately sent people to monitor it all night.

It's time for the leisurely days of building houses to come to an end for the Rus' standing cavalry and the Ostara cavalry.

Fisk judged that the messenger was not lying. The Polotsks did not show any condescension. On the contrary, this messenger could emphasize their malicious destruction of the corpses of the slain Rus cavalry. The fact is enough to make one believe that they actively chose a full-scale war.

After a brief negotiation, the envoys were all placed under house arrest, and Fisk gathered the warriors and announced in a high voice: "The king has ordered us not to initiate a large-scale war! But if we encounter an active attack, the counterattack must be fierce. Polots The Ke people chose war, and I have the right to lead you to launch a counterattack. Everything obeys my orders and must be strictly prohibited. If I order you to fight, charge up, and if I lead you to withdraw, you will return immediately."

Fisk didn't want to do everything, just because there were many considerations.

Afterwards, Fisk and Svalgard called old Harold, who was the leader and alias Olaf, again, and the three got together for a small meeting.

"Do you know that young man named Lambert?" Fisk asked.

"I don't know. I . . . have never actually infiltrated a Polotsk community."

"Oh? Why didn't you say this earlier." Fisk frowned slightly, "How can I believe what you said before."

"My descriptions of them are accurate. I know their leader is named Proclaw. As for Lambert... maybe a brave warrior."

"A rebellious man, who seems to represent the attitude of the whole of Polotsk."

Hearing, old Harold asked nervously: "So, do you intend to kill them and then burn down all the farms? This is too crazy."

"Are you caring about them? When have you been kind?"

"I... just worried that if you do this, the whole Riga will tremble. There are still many people in Riga who believe in Odin. Since the king has Odin's possession, those people..."

Fisk basically understood what he meant: "I understand. Riga would think that all that Rus' army could bring was death and burning."

"Yes! Actually you are not."

"That's how it is with the enemy." Fisk still wanted to emphasize.

"Okay. If you want to get Riga safely, you have to make sure that the locals are not afraid. We people in Riga don't like the way the guys in Polotsk are asking for money, but you built the fortress. On the riverside, the situation is more complicated."

"Oh? Is it wrong to mock us?"

"I dare not. Times have changed. If Ross can secure the trade line, it is not a problem to spend some money for this security. Besides, this Vitebsk fortress was not born to collect money. I dare to Say, if you really destroy Polotsk, even if you say 10,000 good words, the people of Riga will not really surrender. We are all warriors of Odin, and we all know the rules of the north. Riga's local Denmark People will join others to form a coalition and fight you to the death in the name of Odin warriors. They don't want to be your slaves."

"It's not what we want." Fisk sighed softly. "The king doesn't want it either."

"Don't kill Polotsk unless necessary. Even if you can kill easily."

Old Harold has been emphasizing this, as he said, this matter did not come from his own kindness, and he has been complaining about this matter.

Fisk didn't need to think too much, but now that he independently controls an army, he needs to take full responsibility for everything he does in the future. He had to think a lot more, he had to think about whether he really ordered a killing spree in Polotsk, how it would end after the fact, and whether the king would be angry that he did it hastily.

"Yes. Rurik will be angry," he thought.

It is fair to say that I only have 300 cavalry on hand. If the Polotsks really dispatched a 5,000-strong army (Old Harold claimed that it was bragging, there were at most 3,000), it would be impossible to completely wipe them out, and it would be impossible to defeat them. is a high probability.

Then do your best to defeat it! The prisoners were then released, and they acted as messengers to force Polotsk to surrender.

That's why Fisk made a point of emphasizing that soldiers must not do more than they were told, no matter how the battle went. He also deliberately claimed that those who did not act according to the order had their military pay suspended for half a year.

In any case, it seemed that the Polotsks had the initiative, and the Russ cavalry fought with less than three hundred cavalry. The cavalry began to step up their training, and various weapons were also taking the time to polish and improve them.

Fisk even dispatched two groups of cavalry, with a total of twenty men and forty horses. They went to the north lightly, just to get a batch of supplies from Lukiholm, and to issue a war alert to Carlotta. But there is no need for the Ostarans in the north to go south, as long as they try to provide arrows and spare horses. The cavalry who went north also brought Fisk's handwritten letter on hard paper, the content was as short as one sentence: "If the war is unfavorable, we will voluntarily abandon the Vitebsk stronghold."

This does not mean that Fisk's cavalry will escape, he is sure that the intelligent Carlota can realize the true meaning of it - regardless of the gain or loss of the stronghold, the cavalry's mobile combat is the priority.

For Fisk, what he lacks the most now is troops.

When I was really drowsy, I came to the pillow. When the cavalry squad that was arranged to explore the southern region returned, they went as a team of ten, and they returned with a huge team.

Just how big of a cavalry is it? Standing on the wooden wall of the fort and looking into the distance, the mighty cavalry looks like two thousand cavalry on the open and reedy swamp hard ground in the south? At least two thousand horses, right?

Since they are only looking at it from a distance, they still need to look at it from a close distance.

But they showed their heartwarming flags, with blue strips stitched on a white base, and they were imitating the Ross flag to identify themselves.

"Haha, the gods bless us! That's great!"

Fisk danced with excitement. Although it was a bit early to count the days, the figure that was approaching the team looked like a horse team from Pecheneg. He especially remembered that Prince Pecheneg had only been away for three months. Could it be that a new batch of prairie commercial horses has arrived? How fast are the prairie people? !

Wait a minute, if the steppe people arrive, will they join forces with the Kyiv people? The two sides have often traveled together in the past years.

They must be carrying a lot of goods, intending to go to Novgorod for a big sale. Aside from that, they are also warriors at heart.

The distant trade route is not very peaceful. The caravan has to pass through the control area of ​​the Mickeys and the Smolensk. The team can attack them. Due to the excessive harassment in recent years, the other party will try to counterattack. Need more cavalry as escorts.

Such a new force shines brightly! They are going to go north from the swamp where Vitebsk is located, and now they are passing quickly through the newly built pontoon next to the fortress, and Vitebsk can also realize its transportation value for the first time in history.

The team is approaching in a mighty manner, and the sun shines on these people's faces, and they are actually reflecting a strange light.

"Sure enough, they are Pecheneg people, and they all wear iron masks." Fisk was overjoyed.

He ordered the cavalry to regroup and greet the miraculous appearance of the friendly armies with honor.

The Russ cavalry was mixed with the Ostara army, and the Ross banner was mixed with the bull's head flag. Fisk and the Svalgard wrestling team rushed to greet them enthusiastically. The two sides met in the reeds of the swampy wilderness.

However, upon closer inspection, there were unfamiliar faces in front of him.

Fisk paid particular attention to the Kievs on horseback. "Strange, where's your boss Shakoyin?"

The words were spoken in Slavic, and a very young boy was heard pulling the reins and riding out of the line. "My lord, I am Sakoyin's son, Vadislav Sakojevich. My father has grown old, and he has entrusted me with the burden of trade with the North. This is my first visit to Rus. "The boy's words were as green as his face.

Fisker squinted and stared at the boy who had just grown a beard. His face was indeed very similar to that of Sakoin.

"It seems that you are his youngest son?"

"It's the eldest son."

"That guy is old enough to have a son? Well, you are welcome, you are very timely."

Meanwhile, Svalgard has spoken first to the collective masked Pechenegs. The other party took off the well-polished iron masks one after another, revealing a big cake face under the cold mask.

After all, New Ostara, the southernmost city of Yinermen Lake, is the focus of the Pecheneg people's trade, and grassland specialties and slaves are all on sale here. As a senior local military officer, Svalgard knew many Pechenegs and a considerable number of ordinary cavalry.

It takes a long expedition to go from the grasslands to the Great Northern Lakes. Because of the lack of understanding of the lines of communication, every caravan was full of crisis. With more frequent exchanges over the years, the Pechenegs have become more aware of the trade lines, and their movements have become faster, thanks to the veterans in the army who act as elite guides.

Fisk talked to these steppe people again, and complimented him in a lame Turkic dialect: "Seeing you again now shows that the honorable Kagan is already a khan. Our Ross salutes him."

I saw a teenager with a silver-plated mask on his neck nodding slightly.

"The old khan abdicated, and my clan brother Kagan succeeded the new khan. All this is fate. The handover of power has been very smooth, and no one will question the ability of the new khan in his conscience." The implication is that After the smooth transition of power, Pecheneg is still Russia's most stable trading partner.

"Very well, Ross needs you very much. It's just that you came earlier than usual this time. My friend, I'm Fisk, War Chief of Ross's First Cavalry. What's your...name."

But he saw the young general with a hearty smile: "I've heard of Lord Fisk's name for a long time. You are a hero. And I, just the younger brother of Khan, have no merit. My name is Quetzal."

"Well, Brother Quetzal, you are very timely. Come! Look at our Vitebsk fortress, where you are just resting."

"But." The teenager Quetzal was a little embarrassed: "This is our ferry crossing the river, right? I'm very happy to build a stronghold here. We still hope to bring the goods to Novgorod as soon as possible. You see, this time we I ordered more horses on purpose."

Fisk took a closer look. Those horses didn't have many restraints. Now they stopped to nibble on the delicious reeds. Suddenly, they raised their heads, and their extremely long manes were gorgeously swayed. It was really beautiful.

"They are all good horses! Our king must buy them all."

"Thank you then." The teenager Quetzal replied politely again.

In the eyes of Fisk and Svalgard, this pie-faced prairie boy is too humble. Is this person just like that? uncertain. This kid kept saying that he lacked merit, if he was given a chance to make merit, would he still be so humble?

From Kyiv to Vitebsk, because of the Dnieper River, the land cavalry had to find a way to cross the river, so as to take a shortcut to the north.

As for the way a group of steppe people crossed the Dnieper, it was nothing more than making some large rafts out of pine wood. The raft is towed by canoes and sampans to the opposite bank, and the cavalry can land all the way north. The demand is here. The residents of the Kyiv community must study some low-cost ways to transport many people to the other side. Building a raft like a barge is a method, and some people are even discussing the possibility of building a pontoon bridge.

This is the fastest and fastest way. They continue to go north along the right bank of the Dnieper River. They will go completely north in the area near the city of Orsha today, and will eventually cross the West Dvina River in the Ze area near Vitebsk.

The young players Quetzal and Wladyslav came for the first time. Thanks to the large number of old travelers in the team, the action was fast and not lost.

The two people's understanding of the great city of Ross comes from the descriptions of their own people who have been there. The northern world is described as wonderful, at least the various objects brought back from the north prove its prosperity.

For the horse team that came from afar, they hoped that there would be a good post station for supplies along the way. When the teenager Quetzal set off, he learned that the Rus people wanted to build a stronghold on the road that the horse team must pass, just to consolidate the increasingly prosperous trade line and serve the travelers.

Wladyslav didn't know it at all. He was tasked by his elderly father to take over the duties of the horse, at least he was aware of this. What if you encounter an enemy? fighting! He now has a genuine Ross steel sword hanging from his waist, and he loves the sword that his father gave him.

They passed through the Pripet Marsh, and the water left the horses covered in black mud, and they were angry at the excessive number of mosquitoes in the area. The water source of many Eastern European rivers.

Even if the two commanders were reluctant to admit it, the entire cavalry team was already quite exhausted from the constant rush.

The team was stationed there, and it wasn't until then that Fisk really knew how many they had come.

He heard the news directly.

"Quetzal, how many of you came from Pecheneg?"

"Three hundred brothers, a thousand horses. This was specially ordered by our new khan. We had planned to have a smaller team. As soon as the khan came back to the throne, he ordered us to increase our manpower. I was appointed by the khan. The head of the trade, I will be stationed in your Ross to maintain the trade route. And some warriors were specially given to the Princess (referring to Bejasil) by the Khan as her personal guard."

Quetzal said more, which surprised Fisk.

It's fair to say that Fisk admires Pecheneg's princess Beja Hill, who is married to Ross, and she was very eye-catching in last year's war. In Viking culture, the brave female warrior is like the Valkyrie of the world, and Bejahir is such a person, even though she is rather small, she is revered for her exploits. Since her brother came here to send her a bodyguard made up of her maiden's family, it would be great, and this would enhance Rose's cavalry strength.

He asked again: "Wadi~www.readwn.com~ How many people have you brought?"

"More than 400 brothers, that is, we have a lot less horses, only more than 600 horses. Many of my clansmen want to go to the north to see the world. I heard that they can get paid for doing things for the king, and more people join... …”

After all, the Kyiv community in which Wladyslav belongs is still in the state of the village alliance, and its civilization is exactly the same as that of the Polotsks. Because Maksakin opened the door to trade with the Russians of Varyag in the north and became a de facto military alliance, it is normal for the Kyiv community, which is backward in all aspects, to yearn for the north.

There are 300 people on one side and more than 400 people on the other side. No matter what their purpose is, they will definitely be prepared for the huge risk of this trip.

It's just that none of these people's goods are slaves.

Fisk asked more: "Are you going to the Smolensk territory to catch slaves? You can also catch the Mickey slaves in La."

Quetzal replied quite simply: "We are in a hurry. After all, we set off early. If we hit your autumn rainy season on the road, it will be bad. We can only stop without stopping, and even cancel the looting plan."

Wladyslav also agrees with this statement.

Fisk shrugged: "So it's not that you don't want to, it's just that the time is not ripe? It doesn't matter! Now there is a chance to fight in front of you, two good brothers, how about we work together?"

His eyes are on fire!

Vardy and Quetzal could sense the killing intent, especially in this fortress. The local Ross cavalry and Ostara cavalry were clearly sharpening their knives. Who do they want to cut?

"Is it a real battle?" Vardy asked with some excitement.

"Bro, you guessed it right! It's a fight. Come on, brothers, let's go inside and have a good chat."