Rise of Rurik

The armed conflict was completely beyond Fisk's expectations. In the end, the result of the conflict was an overwhelming victory for our side.

"Everyone dismount! Pull out the arrows and take all available ones," he ordered loudly.

For many days, the brothers wandered around, scanning the empty swamp with wide eyes in search of some interesting things. Everyone's saddle was hung with freshly skinned fox and rabbit skins, and the meat had long been roasted and eaten.

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

They further explored south in the huge swamp, and have been wandering around the West Dvina River area these days.

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

Of course, the cavalry were not experts in hydrogeology, and their first task was not to find the source of the West Dvina River. Their first and most immediate task was to find the source of the Lovaj River, a task that had been completed. The second step is to find better pastures. This task can be said to be completed for the time being.

The huge Valde Zee is rich in water and forest, and there are a large number of silt ponds in the forest. The area that can be grazed in such an environment is limited to the flat areas on both sides of the larger river. It is certainly not as vast as the grassland claimed by Pecheneg allies. It is quite suitable for grazing cattle and sheep in such an environment.

The dismounted warriors approached those lying down with their swords in hand, and stabbed the vital parts of those who groaned in pain.

They were young but experienced in many battles. No one thought it was wrong when they were finishing the last hit, and their actions could even be described as very moral.

The Ross Cavalry had no obligation to treat the injuries of these guys. After all, it was this group of people who first issued the challenge to fight. Since his life was on the line, he deserved to be killed.

But at least the defeated should be given some dignity. After all, the deceased was also a Danish Viking speaking Norse.

Then the right hand of the dying man was stepped on by a boot. The Russian warrior pressed the scattered sword or ax into the hand of the man who was about to be assassinated, and then stabbed the heart with a sword. And added: "This way you can go to the Hall of Valor."

Qibin completed all this neatly, and then began to strip off the clothes of all the deceased. It's not bad luck, because some rags also have value, such as tearing the cloth into strips and twisting them to use as binding ropes. The dead man's belt also makes a good binding device.

The weapons were confiscated, and the round shields riddled with holes from missing arrows were no longer needed.

A corpse that turned white after losing blood was pushed into a dug soft mud pit, and then covered with soil and buried.

At first, some people questioned Fisk's order to collect the bodies. "Why are we digging graves for these guys? There's 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 work as mercenaries for Ross instead of Riga in the west. .”

The brothers don't understand when their eldest brother became so compassionate. Anyway, there is nothing easy to do now. It's not tiring to dig holes in the soft land. Let's just pay him to the end...

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

Harold continued to pretend, even though when Fisk called his pseudonym, he immediately answered.

As a prisoner, Harold's hands were naturally tied. Fisk heard the news without hesitation: "Olav, what good things did you carry on the ship?"

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

"They are all good things. Haha, and those three women. Are they your wives and concubines? Well, they don't look like it."

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

"Okay. The slave is now our brother's trophy." Fisk whispered with a smile. Without thinking much, he turned to his brothers and shouted: "Those three women belong to you, don't use rough methods." .More brothers, go to the boat and move all the good things away!"

After all, the essence of the Ross cavalry is Vikings on horseback, and they can't do whatever they want with slaves. On the other hand, the three women had long been defeated by despair and showed no resistance. They were like blindfolded donkeys who could be dealt with at will.

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

The sack was tightly tied with a rope. The soldier who was eager to see what treasure was inside directly took out a meat cleaver and stabbed it. A large amount of white crystals spilled out from the opening.

Instinct told them that this was salt, and everyone gathered around to try it and they were overjoyed.

A soldier raised his head and shouted at everyone: "Haha! It's all salt! Boss, we are rich!"

Listen, the soldiers cheered. "Great, you can put more salt in the barbecue when you eat it." Someone shouted, and his cry was very real. The brothers are exploring these days, because they don’t know how far they have to go. For meals on the way, they can certainly replenish their physical strength with the meat and fish of the currently hunted animals, or even boil oats and stew wild vegetables. Salt cannot be replenished, so they have to save it. When you eat salt, a bird comes out of your mouth.

In addition to the salt, they found two large packages of rough amber stones. The young warrior knows its value. Although the price of a single piece of amber in Russia has dropped due to the impact of colored glass on the gem market, the quantity of amber has increased, and it can still be sold for a high price.

Reality did not allow Harold to pretend. He insisted on his pseudonym Olaf and claimed that his destination was Smolensk, otherwise he would not have taken this road.

The cunning Harold noticed the change in the "bald" general's eyes. Apparently when he mentioned Smolensk, the other man's eyes kept trembling as if he had seen gold.

Since the ship could not be easily taken away, the Russians smashed it to pieces with axes, but collected part of the ship's ribs, tied them up and hung them on the saddles, and used them to make firewood while camping.

The battlefield was well cleaned, and those young boys from Riga who ventured for the first time died inexplicably and merged into the vast Valdese land.

The first contact with the Riga people actually started with an armed conflict. Fisk thought about it a little more, and then thought that he didn't need to think too much about these things. The brothers were just doing things as required.

Because of Rurik's order, the 1st Cavalry Corps, which assisted the Principality of Ostara in building the Lukiholm stronghold, had to obey the orders of Grand Duchess Carlotta. Legally speaking, Carlotta became Rurik's sister because she was the adopted daughter of old Otto. And because Fisk himself and Rurik have a common ancestor, to a certain extent, Fisk naturally believed that Carlotta was his clan sister.

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

It seemed unfair, but Fisker enjoyed it.

It was okay to be granted the title of "Earl" based on one's military exploits, but doing so would mean leaving the king and running the fief alone. Just like Jevlo, a close confidant in the past, now became the Count of Finland. He was supposed to be among the core power level of Ross, but he finally returned to his hometown and became a noble.

"Earl" in Ross's context is first and foremost a "war chief", but "war chief" is a more general concept. Only "war chiefs with hereditary fiefs" could be "counts".

Fisk has always been known as the "War Chief". He simply hopes to always serve as the king's sword. After all, this is the childhood promise of the brothers.

As times change, so do people's hearts. It can be said that Fisk is willing to continue to fulfill his childhood promise. He also discovered that by continuing to hold part of the military power of the regular army, he can always stay at the core of the kingdom.

This is why the Principality of Ostara now exists in a completely new way. Duchess Carlotta is actually qualified to get involved in the highest power of Rus according to Viking tradition, but now she runs her own principality by herself.

"The Sword Comes"

It is absolutely impossible to say that Fisk does not envy Carlotta who holds the power of the principality at all. Now that he is in the prime of life, when he is old, it should be possible to ask the king for a fief for his retirement.

Retirement is too far away, and there is no significant harvest from the exploration during this period. The encounter with the passerby in Riga can be described as a magical harvest.

He ended his expedition early and returned to Lukiholm, which was still under construction, carrying all the loot he could take away on horseback.

In fact, the location where the Russian cavalry Harold encountered was in the upper reaches of Vitebsk on the Vina River in today's West Diva. The depth of the river drops sharply in this area, and there are a large number of streams around it. Harold, who had a good understanding of the hydrology in this area, actually knew to continue the forced navigation. Even if all the brothers got off the boat and dragged the boat through this section with a rope, they could still continue sailing, but there was no point in continuing because the main river began to move northward. develop.

Only by heading south through the right creek can we enter the Dnieper River through the swamps at a low cost.

At night, the troops returning from the north camped to rest.

There were five large bags of coarse sea salt, which actually had a strong bitterness. The brothers concluded that the Riga people needed to improve their salt-cooking skills.

The brothers were very satisfied with the performance of the three women. They were very obedient and even unexpected things happened.

These three women were all so-called people. Because the settlement was along the river, it was called Polotsk. They belong to the West Slavic ethnic group and the language they speak is very similar to the Yinmen of the East Slavic ethnic group. All the Russian cavalry understand the Slavic language of Yin Ermen dialect, all the words spoken by women, most of the vocabulary can be understood by the brothers and they can communicate directly.

Once they were able to communicate and the three women were given oatmeal with lots of salt, they began to take the initiative to explain their experiences.

"You killed these bandits. You are not bad people. We can't go back. If any of you wants me, I will work for him."

The brothers were baffled that there could be such an obedient slave?

You might as well listen to what else they have to say.

On the other hand, Fisk, who was warming himself by the fire at the resting place, intended to have a good chat with the captured Harold about Smolensk. He did not hide his boredom there at all.

"I heard that the Smolensk guys intend to go north to invade our Rus' territory, which is asking for death. However, they are essentially stuck on our trade lines, like a sharp thorn piercing the flesh. The time is right to remove him. Olaf, you are of use to us, that is the only reason you are still alive."

Hearing this, Harold nodded. "Yes! Warrior, you see, I am old. I know many things about Smolensk, and I can do anything for you, as long as you treat me well."

"How about being kind to you? I've already given you food. Could it be that..." Fisk looked at the guy's tied hands again, "Indeed, it's a little difficult to eat with tied hands."

"Don't worry, I won't run away. I'm not a fool. There are bears in this area and there are a lot of mire. If I run away, I will be looking for death."

"You are very smart. But you don't care about your dead brothers? You are not a good person."

It was nonsense for Fisk to believe this guy. Even after all his companions died, this guy still acted like a normal person. Either he was hiding a lot of things, or he was just a heartless villain. He was more willing to believe the former.

At this moment, Harold laughed at his unlucky fate, but he held back.

"It is true that I am not a good person, but I am useful to you. Warriors, it seems that you want to capture Smolensk. Do you want to capture the people over there as your slaves?"

Fiske did not deny it but also confirmed it with certainty: "Indeed. Maybe you should understand."

"Yes. I understand. You have been harassing the villages over there these years, causing us explorers to be misunderstood from time to time."

"Really? We've never met you guys from RiCal in the past."

"Because it's easy to hide in the huge swamp. I admit defeat this time. I don't resent you. I have been to many places and experienced more dangerous things. If I die in the hands of northerners who speak Norse in the end, it will not count. Bad things. I think your leader would be willing to hear about my past."

The brothers were out exploring, and every night they got together they would chat for a while before falling asleep. After much talk, the brothers can finally come up with something to talk about. It would be great if a storyteller suddenly appeared.

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

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

They did not hide the excitement on their faces: "Boss! It turns out that there is another place called the southwest of us. Go back and tell the king that we can occupy it. Or should we go back, reorganize our troops and horses, and then go over and have a look? "

"Huh?" Fisk looked confused and asked in surprise: "What's going on with you? Where did you hear this?"

"That's what these women said. They are from over there. Those guys are not allies. Let's go back and gather some brothers to rob. It's not too much."

Everyone spoke in Norse, which the three captive women could not understand at all. They told the approximate location of their hometown and revealed very crucial information. It was said that after their village was attacked and the individual was captured, the boater was traveling in the opposite direction along the river.

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

Perhaps the Polotsk community has been targeted by the Russians.

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

"Tie these three women up and gag them. Others come and listen to this story about General Olaf."

We can report things to the boss later. Anyway, any information will be available when we return to Lukiholm.

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

When he mentioned the word "Rome", the young cavalrymen became furious.

Someone stood up suddenly and asked excitedly with a crazy attitude: "You old man! You have actually been to Rome?!"

Of course Harold had been there, and he never expected that this would actually arouse a group of Ross's young boys to get excited. He thought again of the group of Danes from Riga who had been slaughtered, and he still didn't understand how excited the young people in Ross were.

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

Because Rus had an encounter with a missionary from Rus during the tribal era and got a parchment copy of the Book of Exodus. This matter is known to all the old Russians, so they have had a certain understanding of the concept of Rome since ancient times.

As tribes expanded into principalities, they further expanded into kingdoms. They obtained knowledge from Rurik and learned about the names and deeds of Caesar, Augustus, Hadrian, Justinian, Constantine, and other strange so-called Roman commanders, 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 Eastern Rome that had not perished, and heard that it was very wealthy, so they naturally had the idea of ​​making a fortune through looting and trade.

Has this Olaf been to Rome? He had to talk it through.

At this moment, old Harold, whose pseudonym was Olaf, was also shocked. A group of Ross boys had never been to Rome, but they seemed to know a lot. There are three common questions among young people: whether Rome is rich, whether the women are beautiful, and how to get there.

They have questions and they have answers. They desire women with wealth and ways to get them, and they can deliberately trick them to catch them.

So, Harold took the right medicine and blew up Eastern Rome, even though this guy had only been to Kherson in Crimea in his life. The hearsay about Constantinople will be added with some extraneous information to try to arouse the desire of the Russians.

As for how to get rich in Rome? Well, the Russians have to provide me with good food and drink, I said slowly.

That’s Harold’s attitude!

"The old guy is really cunning!" Fisk wanted to know everything in this man's mind in an instant. His curiosity was suppressed to death. He realized that the situation was serious and thought that if this man was not delivered to the king in person, the kingdom would be ruined. Loss.

Because, as a close confidant of King Rurik, Fisk knew best the king’s dream—to find the richest Roman trade route.

Searching for a path aimlessly is worse than using someone who has been there as a guide. No, the guide is here, even if he is old.

(Khelson during the Eastern Roman period was at the southernmost tip of Crimea, coinciding with the current location of Sevastopol. It was not Kherson at the mouth of the Dnieper River today.)

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :