Rise of Rurik

The cavalry ran downstream along the West Dvina, and no one knew what would happen when they met the guys in the Gulf of Riga.

Fighting is not Fisk's first choice unless the opponent first shows hostility.

Plundering the villages encountered was fine in principle, but Fisk didn't want to waste time on it.

The cavalry lined up in a column to stroll in the lush water and grass, the horses did not worry about supplies, and the riders had no worries about food and clothing. It's just that the brothers hope that this trip can make a fortune. Many people have the idea of ​​​​looting, but they have to suppress it because of the boss's request.

Ordinary warriors do not know that the pineapples described by old Harold are ten large tribes, but they know one thing, a group of Danish immigrants live in Riga.

Even if those northerners have immigrated for a long time, perhaps many of them have integrated with the locals. Those people are all worthy of awe, and once the fight begins, the Russ may not necessarily have the absolute upper hand.

For two consecutive days of marching, there was no one on both sides of the river.

But attentive people accidentally saw a large beast suddenly passing by. It had yellow fur and many black spots on it.

That's the leopard, the Polotsks call it Lamparta.

It was during the conflict with the Polotsks that the Rus and Ostaras first saw the leather of the European leopard. It is much more gorgeous than ordinary animal skins, and the fur is smoother and warmer in winter. It must be very cool to wear it, but it is a pity that too few were captured from the Polotsks.

Today's vast forests in Northeast Europe are still prosperous, and large creatures such as European bison and European leopard still bless a high number. But expanding humans have been encroaching on the living space of these animals, hunting them for meat and leather, and cutting down trees to turn them into fields and pastures.

Even though the population of the Baltic peoples has always been small and their weapons and equipment are inferior to those of the nearby groups, it is more than enough to hunt these beasts.

European leopards, brown bears, and wild boars will take the initiative to attack people and livestock, and even destroy granaries. Therefore, people build stacking walls and wooden fences to prevent wild animals from invading settlements. People who go out to work should also be vigilant to avoid becoming a delicious meal for beasts, which leads to the formation of hunting teams, which carry spears and bows in groups to find beasts and kill them.

The various Vikings, including the old Rus, the various Slavs and all the Baltic people, had a very similar way of life before they settled into farming. The Vikings had the advantage of sailing technology, they could choose to settle, and they were more able to choose their own settlements in the geographically trivial Baltic Sea.

The Danish immigrant community in the Bay of Riga was born, but the heroes who came to settle here have a variety of pasts. Some are simple fishermen, some are long-distance merchants, and even expelled criminals.

However, Riga has not heard of new Danish immigrants arriving in Riga in the past ten years, but the island of Saaremaa outside the harbour has become a big problem.

As he rode all the way to the sea, old Harold had trouble getting rid of his boredom. He dared not ask too much in the past, but now he simply asks boldly.

He tightened the reins and looked at Fisk, who had learned to ride a horse: "Friend, are all the people on Saaremaa all from your Rus?"

"Exactly. What's so strange about that?"

"It's really strange. Many tribes will expel criminals of their own tribe, and those criminals will be given a raft to float freely on the sea. This is a punishment. Many criminals drown directly in the sea, but some people still manage to float there. Island. Later, Saaremaa became the den of pirates."

Fisk shrugged, remembering a lot. Since they were bored with each other, he also talked about some past events.

"Hahaha." Fisk couldn't help laughing.

"why are you laughing."

"Is Saaremaa a shithole? To be honest, even we Rus exile the perpetrators, and some just drifted to the island."

"Huh?!" Old Harold never knew about it.

"Are you surprised?"

"Why not be surprised. It is the holy place of the sinners, they live on the island, and all the exiles and their descendants are pirates. This group of guys makes the Latvians in Riga very helpless. As long as they go to sea, they will be attacked by pirates. So many people are reluctant to go to sea."

"Is there such a thing?" Fisk pinched his beard and thought, what the old man said was true. In the past, I heard the "great explorer" Speuter boast that as a Russ who accidentally drifted to Saaremaa, he fought with local pirates. If it weren't for this conflict, Russ would not have encountered his exiled kin in the past. and its descendants.

"Exactly."

"But isn't there a lot of Danes in Riga? You know, we can be merchants and pirates at sea. Why don't you Danes organize and attack Saaremaa? You can do that early in the morning."

"Why?" Old Harold asked, directly asking Fisk to stop.

yes. Why?

"Why? Of course you're not cowards, there's a story in it."

Old Harold shrugged, and the answer was very counterintuitive: "Why do we have to go on dangerous oceans. Young Fisk, how are you sure we came from Denmark by boat? Can't we go overland? Otherwise, Why do you think I know so many tribes over there."

"There is still land access?"

"Of course." Old Harold held the reins in his left hand, and began to gesture again with his right hand. "We just live in Riga and don't want to have conflict with people outside. It doesn't mean we don't know anything. I heard that Denmark has changed a big leader, and it is the Stonewall tribe who has become the new leader. Since you said that this leader and You, the king of Ross, made a contract, which is good for everyone."

"Yes."

"Then we will start from Denmark, row east along the coastline of the Pomeranian territory, turn into some rivers to reach the depths. We will meet the locals, and we can tow our boat and continue Xiangdong. This kind of thing...you know best." As he said that, old Harold cast a strange look.

Fisk thinks about it again and it is true, such things as dry land boating are not a problem, especially Ross man-made large boats. The tricks in the past were to build the boat on land and pull it hard with the combined force of everyone. to the sea.

His knowledge of the European world in the southern part of the sea was very limited, and he only learned the general geographical structure and the direction of the coastline from the "sacred map" provided by Rurik.

Old Harold's experience made him a guide, and the new news revealed by the old man's small talk along the way was also very relieved.

The so-called "some rivers" actually refer to the Vistula and the Neman. To walk the Vistula River, you must pass through the territory of the ancient Prussians. On the Neman River, you have to pass through the territory of the Zemet, Oksteit and Utvin (Lithuanian) people. There is no problem doing business with these people, and their site also has a tributary waterway that feeds into the West Dvina River. On the one hand, these tribes do business, exchange Nordic iron and salt for the leather of the locals, and then travel by inland river to the Danish community in Riga, and then retrograde the West Dvina River to the upper swamp, and then to the Dnieper River. Towards Kherson the Romans.

The Danes who settled in Riga are by no means dead if they do not do business. Their simple appeal is to live a prosperous life, and doing business is a means to an end. Of course, farming with peace of mind and offshore fishing are also means.

Harold the Elder pointed out two trade routes from Denmark that eventually led to Rome:

1st: Jutland → Pomeranian coast → Vistula estuary → Prussian territory → Burg River territory of Polish tribe → Drigovic territory of Pripet River → Kriwicz Kyiv and Delevlian lands → along the Dnieper River to the Roman city of Kherson in Crimea.

Second: Jutland → Pomeranian coast → Prussian coast → Neman River estuary → Okstedt clan → Semigallia clan → Riga of Latvian clan → West Dvina river headwaters Land → Smolensk → Go down the Dnieper River to Kherson in Rome.

Old Harold said too many terms, and Fisk's head was buzzing.

"You better stop talking. Knowing that you know two new routes is unheard of for us Russ. So you are very useful. When you have a chance, report to our king yourself! Maybe only the king can understand you easily."

Hearing that, old Harold laughed without saying a word.

Because the "Kiva Road" has existed for thousands of years, it is not an inland communication line, the ancient ancestors have already figured out the route, which is why the amber of the Baltic Sea can be inlaid on the golden mask of the Egyptian pharaohs.

This is a bygone era, when a Nordic gem was gradually transported to Greece and Egypt by relay trade between tribes of different origins living on the continent. Every relay has to raise the price, but the merchants are often very unfamiliar with the source of the goods at hand, only knowing that it comes from the north.

"Khiva Road" is named after the Varangians directly wholesale, transport, and sell one-stop business services from the place of origin. Gems and furs are the top commodities!

However, it is now 841 AD. In previous eras, the Nordic drop-shipping operation was very small unless there was a large power that could control the entire trade line and develop it to make it extremely prosperous. The responsibility of history falls in the hands of Ross, and this is a historical necessity.

Therefore, the old Harold described the two western routes of the "Khiva Road", and now there is another central route straight south from Novgorod that has been opened up by the Rus. In the foreseeable future, once Ross succeeds in finding the legendary Volga channel and a low-cost shortcut to it, the eastern road will be opened and operated immediately.

At least old Harold described how the Danish immigrants arrived in Riga, and Fisk tried to keep it in his head.

He thought of another thing: "I stole a lot of gems from you. Is Riga rich in amber?"

Mentioning this is undoubtedly the pain of old Harold, but unfortunately it is irreversible. After doing some self-comfort, it can only be regarded as a looted gem, which is a sign of honor.

"Yes. Riga's beaches are sandy and stony. If you look carefully, you can find amber and beeswax. You may even find amber in the soil beneath the river beaches and nearby forests."

"Oh! That's great!"

A wonderful thought appeared in Fisk's mind. He knew very well the psychological feelings of the soldiers. It was originally an expedition from Novgorod to Lukiholm, and the construction of the Vitebsk fortress was purely a new plan. Traveling to Riga this fall is for the sole purpose of earning the honor.

If troops looted Riga, it would inevitably lead to large-scale resistance from the local people. Do not! But the arrival of this cavalry was enough to cause the locals to be on high alert.

The brothers wanted to make a fortune and asked the locals for tribute, I was afraid they would not give it obediently. Then let everyone go to the beach to find lakes, collect gems with their skills and bring them to New Roseburg to sell, everyone can make a fortune.

Fisk and old Harold got along very well, so when others saw the boss and the leader actually laughing all the way, God knows what to do.

The vast number of soldiers have been marching all the time, and it seems that there is nothing to gain along the way, and there is not even a chance to hunt, and boredom breeds complaints.

On a brand new boring ordinary night, Fisker deliberately sent Svalgard and Pechenegger to his side.

The two naturally complained, and Fisk could see that they wanted to say something, so he took the first step: "Listen to me. I learned that the beach in Riga has a lot of sand and rocks, and there is a lot of amber and beeswax in it. We are here. Riga is free to rummage, brothers look for gems by their ability, and it is up to you to sell the final price. In this way, if we make a fortune, Riga's winning guys should not embarrass us. "

In this way, the two complaining people immediately changed their minds.

"What else do you have to say?"

"No more." Quetzal smiled. He is a prairie, and he knows the preciousness of amber, but this thing seems to be everywhere on the northern beaches.

Svalgard also has a new statement: "The Duchess of Ostara has a huge amber polished into a spherical shape. I am afraid it was dug from the coast of Riga? Maybe we can dig it, and we can dig it. To a big guy. May God Frey bless us with a fortune."

Duchess Carlotta of Ostara and her younger sister Ella have as many as three large amber orbs, which are the treasures that the old leader gave to the three siblings. It's a pity that the younger brother has died in the war, and the title finally fell to the eldest daughter Carlota. The Amber Orb became the treasure of the Principality, and all the people who joined the Principality of Ostara later knew this. Since the treasure of the Principality was the Great Amber, it was a matter of course for every citizen to have their own amber jewelry.

Fisk's account quickly spread throughout the camp.

Go to Riga! Dig for amber!

A brand new slogan was born. Early the next morning, Fisk no longer saw the decadent expressions of his brothers. Everyone's eyes were burning with flames. Obviously, they all felt that they would definitely make a fortune if they continued.

The cavalry continued to move, and the course of the West Dvina became wider.

For many tribes who speak Baltic, they call it Daugava in their own language. Objectively speaking, when the cavalry encountered the first Baltic tribal community, one renamed the river Daugava.

A Suomenlinna mountain fort that resembled in memory appeared on Fisk's right hand, and all the cavalry looked towards the mound ahead, where there were large-scale stacking walls and a large number of thatched cottages behind the stacking walls.

The stacking walls seem to be made of rammed earth, and it is not surprising that the thatched cottage is a little rough, but there are many fields between the thatched cottages.

What can be seen to the naked eye is a mound that has been extensively remodeled, residential areas and woods have melted, and a simple fortress with wooden walls can be noticed if you look closely.

Fisk felt that the time had come, and at the front of the line he raised his right fist to signal the entire army to stop.

He asked the visibly nervous old Harold again: "Is this a city? Who lives here? It's definitely not Riga."

"Are you... planning to attack this?"

"Unless they attacked me. You didn't answer my question."

"Yes. This is the so-called highland. What you see is the fortress of the Selon people. The locals call it Selonpails, which is the high castle."

The name is simple and concise, but they must build a settlement into a fortress to defend against something.

Fisk squinted at it: "Are they defending against attacks from certain forces? For this reason, they won't turn the entire mound into a mountain fort?"

"They have multiple villages, and what you see now is the largest settlement. They want to prevent the Latvians and Semigallians from encroaching on their territory. I heard that they fought each other once a long, long time ago, and it turned out like this. "

Fisk couldn't help but thought for a while: "So the Therons are the losers?"

"At least it didn't win~www.readwn.com~ It's a bunch of weaklings, it makes me want to fight them again."

"Ah? These guys are not rich, why waste time? In case of another casualty..."

"I'm just talking. Indeed, I don't want to waste time." Fisker shook his head, immediately summoned his subordinates, and then quickly spread the news throughout the column. There is only one order, and that is to prohibit taking action against the poor Selons without authorization.

Is that a bunch of poor people? You don't deserve to be robbed by Ross cavalry! People who thought about digging amber to make a fortune obeyed Fisk's orders.

But suddenly a group of cavalry came from upstream, their clothes were very neat, and the flags flying were unheard of.

A group of Selong people fished in the riverside area as usual, and took care of the fields in the riverside area. The Seron people also completed their autumn harvest. Although the food production is not enough, their population is not large. Under the situation of high birth rate and high death rate, the population maintains a balance, and the living people can make do with food and clothing.

In line with the principle of running away if they can't seem to be provoked, they try to bring their soft ones and run away. The construction of the stack wall was originally intended to hinder the infantry attack. This move has the same effect as the Finns' mountain fortress. Obviously, it also has an effect on the potential cavalry and sheep attack.

The Russ cavalry had no intention of attacking the Seron people, like the autumn wind sweeping leaves, they quickly passed through this area, and soon they were blocked by the group of trees at the bend of the winding river. The cavalry, which also began to officially enter the territory of the Latvians, are now on the right bank of the river, while the left bank is the territory of Semigallia, only the last two days from Riga.

(The settlement developed by the Seron gradually formed Daugavpils, the second largest city in Latvia.)