Rise of Rurik

Just like the early years when the Rus tribe invaded Lake Inelmen and used force to force the locals to pay tribute every year, at least half a century ago Danish explorers penetrated into the Pskov settlement at the southernmost end of the huge Lake Chud. These explorers In the beginning, it was just peaceful trade. As the times progressed, they gradually gained local power as they had strong combat effectiveness and were good at fighting in groups.

In other words, the local Slavic manor owners in Pskov worked together to choose people from Denmark. The Danes first settled here as mercenaries and took on the main responsibility of local military defense in the form of mobile troops.

As a result, a small Danish immigrant community gradually emerged next to Lake Chude. Almost all the men in the community became warriors. When they married local women, most of their children would also become warriors.

The strength of the Danish community has been quietly growing, and it is only a matter of time before they become the rulers of Pskov.

With the Danish mercenary leader as the boss, the Slavs smoothly handed over the power that should have been firmly in their hands, and the power transfer process was extremely peaceful.

In other words, when Danish mercenaries took control of the local military, they were already the rulers here. Everything changed slowly, and now the Danes elected the strongest among them, Gol Sigfarmson, to become the "war chief", the so-called war chief.

They captured the boat and the five people rowing it near the mouth of the Reed River (Luga River). The five people confessed that they were sent to Rus as an envoy on the orders of the boss of Pskov.

Rurik never revealed his identity, so that the other party thought he was a high-ranking noble.

In general terms, a powerful ruler must be a man over thirty-five years old. Too young is not suitable, too old is not suitable.

For example, the chief of Pskov, Gall, was informed that he was now forty years old, and that he was in the prime of life and full of wisdom.

The five captured people were treated kindly as envoys. They could continue to sail on the Russian longships, or they could choose to borrow Roman horses to follow the large army.

They are more willing to ride horses. After all, riding in boats has long been boring, but riding horses is an extremely novel experience.

These guys have nothing to prove that they are envoys, not even letters engraved on wooden boards. It is a bit far-fetched to convince Rurik and his soldiers with just a mouth.

Rurik could never completely trust them, but these guys' description of Pskov was really rare information.

The man named Pom was short in stature, and his fair skin, pure blond hair, and blue eyes proved that he was indeed of Nordic descent. Although it was his first time riding a horse, the reins were still firmly controlled by another cavalryman. After a short period of adaptation, he was able to ensure that he would not fall off.

Pom, riding next to Rurik, tried to learn the tall, strong man's true name.

"Me? Why should I tell you my noble name?"

"Arrogant? You do have the capital to be arrogant." Bom could only hold back some resentment in his heart. He smiled, almost lying on the horse's back for fear of accidentally falling off the horse. Then he said: "I can tell you some information about Pskov. After all, my boss hopes that other warriors who believe in Odin will know his existence."

"The one you said is called Gore."

"It's Gower. He has never lost a fight, and Zeng Yong stabbed a bear that came into the village to steal food with a harpoon. He is the most powerful warrior in our place. The brothers chose him as the boss, and the local Slavs also had to Recognize him as the boss.”

Ah! Isn't this "competition" that has disappeared for a long time?

In the tribe, through fighting, one ruthless person is defeated based on his strength and then becomes the boss. This model was eliminated by Ross thirty years ago.

Either out of the boredom of the journey or the excitement of actually arriving in Ross, this Pomeroon kept talking.

He kept talking about things about Pskov, making it seem like this guy was trying his best to tell everything he saw and knew, just to join Ross and live a good life as if he was a candidate.

He tried his best to accept the local customs and customs, and naturally also introduced the local military and economic model from the side.

"Those locals are actually our slaves, but we didn't really enslave them. The brothers sent troops to protect them, they paid for food, and then brought out beautiful women to marry our sons. This is fair..."

Rurik kept it in mind and suddenly asked some questions after thinking about it.

"Mrs. Pskov is hiring you. I heard that your boss Gower can organize a thousand Viking warriors?"

"Of course! If necessary, we can organize local people to fight again."

"I understand, you can assemble an army of up to three thousand people." Rurik asked with a face.

"Yes. How about it?" Bom smiled, and his smile became more and more arrogant. He simply sat up straight and looked at the young strong man in front of him arrogantly: "An army of three thousand people, we are very powerful."

"It is indeed powerful. I think... the rulers of Ross will also recognize the power of your leader Gower."

Rurik just sees things through but doesn't expose them. He believes that these guys can organize an army of 3,000 people. An army of this size can indeed scare many small tribes, but the Kingdom of Rus can quickly mobilize 10,000 people to participate in the war, and can mobilize at least 20,000 more in the future. If necessary, the allies' troops will be mobilized, and the troops will be stronger.

The subtle key to the problem is that a force that can organize an army of three thousand people has settled in the southernmost part of Chude Lake and some rivers further south. Geographically, they are not far from Yin'ermen Lake. The military is so strong, and the core army is still mainly Vikings of Danish ethnicity. This Bohm's mere claim that "we can do this" is puzzling.

"The First Minister of the Ming Dynasty"

Rurik couldn't help but ask in his soul: "What on earth would force you to gather three thousand troops? Who is your supposed enemy? You...can't be wary of Ross! And how do you determine where the main settlement of Ross is?" Inside the bay.”

Bohm didn't think much about it and denied it bluntly: "We just want to contact you, how can we be enemies with Ross? We are all Odin's warriors, there is no reason to be unhappy. Besides, we just didn't communicate with you in the past, not Ignorant of your existence. We are neither deaf nor blind. Who does not know now that the rulers of Rus occupy most of the sea (referring to the Baltic Sea), and even our hometown Denmark is allied with you. We also know that last year you and those who believed in Frank The pagans fought a battle, and victory belongs to the warriors who believe in Odin. Ross is admirable."

"Is there such a thing?" Rurik couldn't help but put on a timid, wry smile on his face.

It’s really shameful. A group of Danish immigrants hiding in Pskov knew about the major events happening in the Baltic Sea and Saxony. Why did Roslian always only know the name of a powerful force hidden around him but not its strength?

But Bohm didn't answer the question, and Rurik had to press him again.

"Actually, we are wary of the Polotsk people. This is how the locals in Pskov describe them, the Pola () people who live by the river."

Why are Pola people? You can tell from the word Rurik that the guys are calling themselves "farmers," but the word has almost the same pronunciation as the word "white."

Rurik thought for a while, and he fully understood that this word refers directly to Polotsk, but it was different from his own understanding: "Polotsk people? They also speak the Slavic language, right? You have a relationship with them? What grudge?"

"Hate?" Bohm curled his lips and said, "At first, Mrs. Pskov didn't like them, and now we warriors from Denmark don't like them either."

"There is no such thing as gratuitous hatred. Why?"

"It's really strange. Only Odin's warriors have ever cut off the river and asked passing ships to pay tolls. Why do those Polotsk people dare to ask us for money?!"

"So? Fight them?"

"They are so outnumbered that it's hard to fight. Besides, the brothers mainly pass by the river over there for business, and that's why they encounter those hateful Polotsk people. At worst, we don't go there in person, and instead go to Riga and take them there. Sell ​​the furs and grain and leave." As he spoke, Bom still had resentment on his face.

The amount of information this guy said was a bit overwhelming. Riga? Big river? What's going on?

However, Rurik knew about Riga. This was not the first time he heard the word, because there were Latvians, Livonians and Estonians who fled to Saaremaa Island. Most of them arrived on the island because they were afraid of crime in their hometown and fled. Make a living as a pirate. Saaremaa Island was a place of exile for guilty people from various forces in this era. Now the island is firmly controlled by Ross, and Ross also knows some things on the land from the mouths of these people. For example, the trading city Riga.

The multiple factions of the Pan-Baltic people always communicate with each other and do business, and travelers from Denmark are a good medium of trade.

The Baltic Sea is small in small terms, but huge in large terms. A long ship sails alone on the vast sea, always able to hide its identity. What's more, a large area of ​​the Baltic Sea is now controlled by the Kingdom of Rus. In the past ten years, the shipbuilding industry led by the Kingdom has experienced unprecedented rapid development, and the number of ships in the entire sea area has finally increased.

All people of insight are aware of this significant change. The past era of free navigation has ended, but it has also opened up a new era of free navigation. It’s just that people in the new era must acknowledge the strong rise of Ross and the fact that Ross has integrated most of the northerners.

The Vikings who lived in Riga and even entered Pskov were Danes. Due to the years of wars caused by the competition for fishing grounds in the past, the Danes would not take the initiative to invade the Central Baltic Sea. Ocean-going Danish ships operate in the southern Baltic Sea close to the coastline of the European continent, which is the most traditional route of the Hanseatic League. The latter is actually a continuation of the waterway established by our ancestors.

The route connected Oberlidit, Pomerania, Prussia, Courland, Semigalia, Livonia, and finally the Latvian-owned estuary trading city of Riga.

Riga and Latvia are the same words. The locals call their place Latga. If you pronounce it quickly, it is Liga.

Finally, Rurik basically understood the situation, and thanks to the provocation, Bohm spared no effort in gesticulating with his hands to let the listener know what he was talking about.

So when the team rested at night, Rurik, who was eager to get valuable information, rewarded the five guys with a delicious meal. They were fed well and even given some ale to quench their thirst.

Rurik also called a young male scribe under his top scribe, Ella, and ordered him to hold banknotes and keep as far away from the five people as possible.

The fog of the small world of the Baltic people in Eastern Europe finally began to lift. This world, which was very close to Ross's power and indeed almost unknown to him, finally gradually revealed his face.

After communicating with the Latvians in Riga and other forces, the time had finally come to implement the dream we had many years ago.

Similarly, the name of the big river also has an idea.

The locals call it the Daugava River, and another name given to it is the "Dvina River of the West".

The West Dvina River Rurik is of course known, and its source even lies in the vast Valdese land, north of Smolensk, in the Rus's emerging town of Lukiholm (Velko Luki). South. This swamp has been a must-pass for horse teams for several years. Three large rivers pass through this area and have become an important landmark for travel.

What angered Pskov locals and Danish immigrants was the presence of a group of forces near the upper reaches of the West Dvina River (Daugava River).

The people of Polotsk established village alliances along the river, reclaimed farmland, raised cattle and sheep, and fished in the river. Everything was understandable. This area is their territory, and they also have their own village armed forces and elected chiefs.

Who knows whether the longship that suddenly appeared is an enemy or a friend? It doesn't matter. The key is that they believe that the river is their own property. Confiscating the ship without force is already merciful, so isn't it normal to charge some tolls? They also expanded outwards, looking for new pastures to open up new farmland, and even went hunting further afield. Especially when hunting, it is inevitable to encounter conflicts with Pskov people directly.

Because they are all Slavs, the people of Pskov are East Slavs, and the people of Polotsk are Hisslavs. Their languages ​​are not exactly the same, and their cultures are also different. They distinguish these situations very clearly.

The Danish immigrants in Pskov did not have a direct waterway to the West Dvina River, so they had to take a dry road and turn in from the new waterway. Or just take the existing small waterway to Riga and then turn into the West Dvina River.

No matter how you turn, the end point of the southern inland waterway is actually Smolensk. The ships can leave after passing through the swamp area and selling their supplies. Everyone knows that once you enter the Dnieper River, you can go to the extremely far south, and things can be sold for huge prices. But there are more powerful forces in the south, and the trade risks are too great. At most, everyone sells things to Kiev, and only a few adventurers dare to continue southward.

The conversation around the campfire continued.

"Strange! How strange. You have the ability to keep going south, why don't you try to go north? As long as it is peaceful trade, we in Ross welcome it. In fact, as long as you enter the ocean from the northern exit of Lake Chude, you can meet us." Liuli Ke said this, but it sounded very strange to the five people.

"After all, we are Danes, and we are afraid that if we go to the north, we will be caught and killed by you." The talkative Pom continued to repeat his words.

"Times have changed. Now Denmark, Sweden, Rus, and all the northerners are completely aligned. Why should we kill you? However, this is a reason. You are worried about unnecessary conflicts and have been reluctant to go north."

"There is another big reason." Eric, one of the five, said cautiously: "We only know that you have established a settlement in the bay, but no one knows its scale, let alone whether the peaceful trade can be happy. If... it's just a small village, why should we go there?"

When he said this, the other brothers already rolled their eyes. For a moment, Eric felt that his words were a little rough. He did not apologize, but still held his bearded head high and boldly looked into Rurik's eyes: "Young man, our life at sea has been too long. We only I am willing to do promising business."

"That's it. Rurik pinched his beard and nodded: "I understand a lot now. It's a blessing to meet you. Don't worry, I will arrange for you to meet the ruler of Rus. Now, I can tell you the name of King Rus, his name is Otto. "

"Is it the noble Otto? Respectable." Bohm spoke first, and others also praised him.

Rurik's words were not nonsense. He still concealed his identity as the King of Rus, but his biological father Otto was the "Supreme King", so it was reasonable to call him a king.

"Otto is old, and soon his son will be the absolute king of Rus. The most important thing is that you still know very little about Rus. What you misunderstood is a small village, which is the largest city in Rus and the one in the north. The largest settlement in the world. It’s called New Fort Ross, which is our destination. Don’t worry, what you said will definitely interest King Ross, and I will arrange for you to have a good meeting with him.”

The five of them looked at each other and felt very happy. It was their second night of traveling, and this Russian team showed rare friendliness and hospitality. Of course, if they really fight, they will definitely reveal their ferocious nature.

It seems that times have really changed, and the likes of Russia and Sweden have really changed their past policies, which have even benefited the Danes living far away.

They wanted to see the prosperity of the largest city in Rus, and the journey was gradually coming to an end.

Because there is a faint smell of salt in the air, even if the salinity of the seawater in the Gulf of Finland is very low, sensitive people can still detect the salt in the morning fog.

The mouth of the Reed River is not far ahead, and then walking eastward along the coastline only takes a whole day (according to information from Karl's team) to reach the capital.