Rise of Rurik

Finally the Ross cavalry arrived at the largest settlement, and the cavalry stopped at the mansion of the big leader.

"It's strange. The village is empty and everyone has gone to fight?" Fisk looked left and right. The wind blew through the streets and rolled up some thatch but could not knock down the wooden farm tools placed beside the wall.

He vaguely heard the bleating of sheep, but saw no living people.

"They should all be hiding, afraid that we will show up and kill them." Quetzal added.

Indeed, the people left behind in the settlement were all hiding, with only a few peeking warily. They didn't even go far. Some of them were hiding in simple straw hats, so they almost blended in with the houses.

There are three pillars in the empty space in front of the wooden village of the leader's residence that are very eye-catching, and the things on them are extremely terrifying.

"Boss, look over there." A soldier pointed with a riding crop.

All the soldiers raised their heads. Fisk looked up and saw that the three heads on that side had turned black. There is no longer any doubt that the final whereabouts of the three veterans who died in the battle are here. Although the fate of the deceased is already known, seeing it now still makes people angry.

Fisk was naturally angry and annoyed by this scene, and his subordinates were equally aggrieved.

Fisk still held back. He glared at the embarrassed Proclaw with a constipated face: "Sure enough, you really did this."

The latter did not speak harshly or defend himself, and only used an embarrassed smile to hide his inner fear.

"Forget it, I don't want to vent my anger." He ordered his men to chop down the wooden poles with axes, wrap the black and smelly heads with cloth, and planned to cremate the three brothers who died in the battle, at least there would be some ashes left. Return to the capital cemetery for burial.

Until he saw that the Russians had collected the remains of the deceased and had no intention of revenge, Proclaw, who had been keeping silent, finally said: "I'm sorry, this is our fault."

He was afraid that this would cause the Ross Cavalry to become furious. After weighing the situation, he added: "We are willing to offer compensation in kind. I just ask you... don't kill anyone."

At least on the surface Fisk is still aggrieved, "Then bring out a lot of food to make amends! The sheep I heard braying, you bring out some more sheep to reward us. Our army still needs to rest here! This is yours The village, your residence? Now this is my camp.”

Proclaw had no choice. The Russian cavalry had completely controlled the settlement of Polotsk, and the independent village alliance had ceased to exist in name only. Everyone could only pray that the peace under a Russian rule would be real peace. He was completely released and could move his muscles freely.

The big leader who had lost his right to make independent decisions received his first new task after the surrender, which was to persuade people in the largest settlement to come out. He tried his best to persuade people to show up, but the effect was the same as no one.

Fisk, who dismounted, thought for a moment and simply ordered the soldiers to use some cruel tricks.

The Ross standing cavalry and the Ostara cavalry went directly to the village to find people in person. The Pechenegs were completely prohibited from participating in this operation. Fisk was very worried that if the prairie people joined in, it would turn into robbery, and then there would be murder. At least the Ross-Ostara cavalry is more obedient to the command and will not fight to the death for a little money.

Facing the sharp sword, the people hiding in the house were driven out one after another. Although some violent conflicts also broke out, any resistance from a group of old, weak, sick and disabled people was meaningless in the face of armored soldiers.

The hiders were brought out one after another. They were white-haired old men and a large number of children. Even the women who were found had wrinkles on their faces like cracked earth, which proved that they were very old.

The entire Polotsk Village Alliance has a community population of only more than 10,000 people. A war has truly drained their combat effectiveness and even destroyed their stamina. Now, cats and dogs can actually take advantage of the void behind them to rush in and plunder, but the recent merchants from various Latvian tribes have not done this. The Latvians had no such idea at all, or in other words, what they were busy thinking about had nothing to do with the Polotsk people, but the threat of the Russian army.

The hiders were gradually turned to the empty space in the village, where the entrances and exits of all lanes were controlled by cavalry. The sun shone on the helmets of the soldiers, and their weapons also shone with a dangerous metallic sheen. The horses kept nodding up and down and sometimes neighing. The warriors maintained their power but calmly looked at the gathered crowd.

There are old people and children everywhere, and there are not even half-grown adults.

"Your village is the largest. Did you really recruit all the people? Including women?" Fisk asked Proclaw with a frown.

The latter was also very helpless: "As you can see. After we were defeated, these people are the only ones left. They... are not even qualified to be slaves. You don't need them at all."

"Are you still worried about me catching slaves? Don't worry." Fisk smiled, but in the latter's opinion, it was not the same as the jackal's smile.

Proclaw could not completely trust the bald Fisk, and Fisk knew it too. The Russian army is essentially an invader. No matter how much they defend themselves, it is impossible for the Polotsk people to give up the hatred caused by the war in a short time. How about that? As long as the nobles are won over and Ross maintains military pressure, what can the remaining ordinary farmers do?

"You tell your people not to be afraid and let them continue to live an ordinary life. Ross is a reasonable conqueror. Then you tell them not to make any humiliating actions and not to try to assassinate any warrior, otherwise they will suffer revenge. "

Those who live under the iron heel of the victor can only live in peace, and Proclaw can only do this for the life of his people.

He spread his arms and made high-profile propaganda, which was indeed reviled and cried by the people. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears, but he couldn't suppress his crying.

An old man cried bitterly and begged the people to accept the occupation of Rus, just so that Polotsk could have a future.

This scene made it seem as if the Russian army were all executioners, and the people in front of them were crying their last cry before death. The people cried bitterly because they felt that all their tribesmen who went on the expedition were wiped out, and the remaining old, weak, sick and disabled could not do anything. Polotsk was equivalent to destruction. If those Polotsk warriors who did not participate in the battle did not come, this community would indeed be considered extinct, and only the place name would continue to exist. According to normal development, a large number of people from the Kingdom of Rus would migrate here to complete the process of vacating the cage and replacing the bird.

However, the people of Polotsk or Polota are also outsiders.

The confluence of the Bolota River and the West Dvina River forms a gentle and fertile "T-shaped river area". This area is naturally suitable for growing food, and the bsantser culture was formed in the older era. This is the Baltic nation. Early settlements, and now the Baltic tribes have migrated to the coastal areas centered on the Gulf of Riga.

It was precisely the Great Eastern Migration of the Slavic peoples. Slavic tribes migrating along many roads crowded out the Baltic people. The population of Polotsk people has always been small, but the populations of nearby ethnic groups are also small. For all kinds of tribes, the more than 600 cavalrymen Fisk has on hand are already the most powerful behemoths.

In order to show the benevolence of the conqueror, or to obtain "war compensation" more smoothly in the future, Fisk ordered the army to camp in the wasteland outside the village after inspecting the people left behind. He asked the army to be on defense at night and beware of irrational old guys risking their lives with hammers and forks.

The people went back to their homes in doubt, and in the evening, some tribesmen came back miraculously.

On the first night, Fisk, Quetzal, Svalgard, and all the cavalry camped outside the village. By doing this, it seems that the Rus conquerors have no other plans for the village, but this is not the case.

Fisk noticed the fortress-like mansion of the leader of Proclaw. If he really occupied this fortress, who knows if he would be assassinated while sleeping at night. Comparing one's feelings with one's own, if one encounters a great shame or humiliation, no matter what the mess, he will risk his life to fight even if it means death. Fisk thought so and was worried that Proclaw and Lambart would join forces to cause a midnight terror.

The fact is that they do not trust them, but it also gives the two people enough time to imagine how to conduct formal peace talks.

The sentries were rotated throughout the night. The soldiers deliberately lit more bonfires to enhance their momentum, while the sentries listened carefully to the sounds in the distance to prevent sneak attacks.

In the early morning, a group of patrol cavalry was released. These people wanted to go further afield to see if there was any new movement, so they unexpectedly met the returning "army" of three thousand people at a lower reaches of the river.

How awkward is the Ross Cavalry with these people? ! The cavalrymen subconsciously had murderous intentions, but those exhausted men who had worked hard to attack far away without any results suddenly became furious. Fear was branded in their hearts, and they remained motionless and dumbfounded.

Upon seeing this, the cavalry quickly withdrew. Fisk could not bear to be surprised, fearing that he would be beaten violently by the disappearing 3,000 men, so he immediately ordered all the soldiers to mount their horses and fight.

Speaking of fighting, except for a small number of guys who fled into the subconscious forest, most of them were disarmed because they had long lost their fighting spirit.

Soon, Lambart and Proclaw came after hearing the news.

Shocked and ecstatic, Proclaw stopped Fisk's horse and shouted: "There are many noble people here! The others are ordinary villagers. We have been defeated, and they have also laid down their weapons. As we agreed, Let them live.”

"It seems that you thought it through last night? Very good." Fisk pointed his big hand at the homeless people everywhere in front of him: "Go and find the nobles among them. I want all your nobles to gather together."

Proclaw already knew what to do next. He, the defeated leader, no longer had the right to be the leader. The new leader was Lambart, who was appointed by the conqueror of Rus. Now is the last chance to fulfill the authority of the leader.

Whether it was shock, anger, or other emotions, the village leaders hiding in the crowd were all revealed.

As nobles, they were also a high-profile militant group. When one of them saw the big leader actually singing along with a large group of horse bandits, he decisively shouted "You are a traitor."

"Just think of me as a traitor! In order to survive, please give up the idea of ​​fighting." He responded.

Let your face go to hell! If these tribesmen return safely, Polotsk will indeed lose a large population but it will not be destroyed. All he has to do is to restore peace to the people.

Look at these village leaders who were found. Some of them suddenly acted with great righteousness and looked as if they were ready to die. Some were trembling as if they were so frightened that they wet their pants. Most of them were in a state of numbness, with their feet just moving around mechanically. My mind went blank.

"We found ten leaders, and they are all here. Including me, the entire Polotsk nobles are here." Proclaw looked up at the arrogant Fisk on horseback, and added: "I hope you will fulfill your promise. "

"These people are really nobles?!" Fisk wanted to ask again.

At this moment, Lambart suddenly stood up. He even showed a flattering smile and said respectfully: "They are all here. As long as they all support me, I will be the big leader, and I can do things for you."

"Good, so the others are useless."

After muttering a few words, Fisk ordered all the cavalry surrounding them to return to their ranks, and shouted in Slavic: "Ordinary people! You! Go home! Leave quickly!"

Everything was said in simple terms, and the people who were obviously frightened were so confused that they didn't know how to run away. The distraught Proclaw hurriedly shouted: "You run away! If you run home, you won't die!"

Lambart added: "You will be safe when you go home."

As a result, three thousand people began to flee, including those who escaped into the forest during the initial battle. Some people got lost and died, but most of them found the retreating team. It can be said that the Polotsk people did not suffer huge losses in strength, with less than 400 people dead. Of course, for a community of more than 10,000 people, such a loss is already too great and is enough to destroy its fighting spirit.

People's hearts have collapsed, and the nobles who have the ability to organize the war have all given up fighting. The village leaders who have just escaped were frightened to the point of almost cardiac arrest, but now their heartbeats are calming down.

The powerful Ross cavalry was interested in peace talks, and the nobles who had to ideally think about life and death issues accepted the peace talks.

But peace talks between the victor and the defeated party, and the losing party must naturally accept the victor's various claims.

That's what Fisker thinks, and rightfully so.

The fortress in Proclaw was finally opened and became the scene of peace talks.

Fisk, Svalgard and Quetzal, as conquerors, looked down upon all the defeated Polotsk nobles, while the entire fortress or the largest settlement was controlled by the Rus' army.

Fisk was not intended to be the sole protagonist, so he announced Ross's policy.

At the beginning, his lectures were all about the minutiae of the battle. After all, he had experienced too many things, and as a close student of King Rurik, he still learned some humanistic ideas and wanted to try experiments. Effect.

"It all started with a misunderstanding! Our enemies are the Smolensk people, and fighting with you Polotsk could have been avoided. It was not our intention to destroy your village, and you killed my people, and I suppressed them too. Live the anger in your heart. If we met in another way maybe we could become friends, maybe it’s not too late for us to have a normal relationship now.”

These words spoke deeply into the hearts of the nobles. Fisk was observing the eyes of these people and keenly noticed that their sullen faces were relaxing.

"It seems that following the king's tricks to tame these guys is effective." He thought to himself, and then deepened his words.

"So even if you use all your troops, it's impossible to defeat us. What's more, my army is even one-tenth of the tribal Ross army. You are seeking death by being an enemy of Ross. I will show you a clear way! You can't defeat us. Just join us, so at least other forces will attack you. The whole of Polotsk will join Rus, all of you here will still be nobles, and the whole of Rus will open its doors to you. Do business with us and sell good things to us Let us buy what you need from Rus. Pay tribute to us, and the Rus army will ensure your safety. What do you think?"

This was a repetition of the previous words, which first convinced Lambart and then Proclaw. Now, the nobles thought about it with their toes and realized that this was the best outcome.

Fisk continued to add, and he had to beat his chest again: "I am Fisk, a noble of Ross, a noble trusted by the supreme leader, and my request can represent the will of the king. Listen, even if we don't have a war , the expanding Rus will inevitably conquer you, and it is your destiny to accept the rule of Rus. What has happened cannot be changed, and it can still be saved now, so are you willing to accept the rule of Rus? Those who are dissatisfied can stand up."

stand up? Who dares to stand up? If there is any objection to the calculation, the shrewd noble will continue to sit cross-legged.

Fisk nodded: "Then, you all support Ross's rule. Now I will announce two more things. Your great leader Proclaw is no longer the leader. Ross only recognizes Lambart as your new leader. We don’t need the support or opposition of you nobles, this matter has nothing to do with you. Of course, you’d better support Lambart.”

The youngest of the village leaders are also middle-aged. They have lived for a long time and are not absolutely stupid. Looking at the situation in front of them, it is clear that Lambart is the agent of the conqueror of Ross. It's just that this young man was originally the strongest militant, but now he has become the most docile dog. There are also discerning people who have discovered right away that this kid actually just wants to be the leader, and it may not matter how he becomes the leader.

In any case, this Lambert as leader will not lead Polotsk to destruction.

At this point, everyone could only accept the peace under Ross, so the old guy who knew the current affairs suddenly said: "On behalf of my village, I support Lambart as the leader, and support Polotsk to accept Ross's rule."

With the first comes the second, and those who follow will add: "May you fulfill your promise, and we will be at peace with each other from now on."

This is what Fisk wants to see most. All the nobles declare their surrender, and Polotsk has been nominally included in the rule of Rus. It was only de facto and de jure that it was under the rule of Rus and required the approval of King Rurik. Fisk felt that he shouldn't think about the follow-up matters by himself. He was an old Russian, and it was his duty to open up territory for Russia. Now the matter is basically settled.

And that's not all he had in mind.

We have already arrived in Polotsk, the climate is not too cold, we have a strong cavalry, and there are obvious guides at hand, and it is said that there is a large group of Danish immigrants in the distance who speak Norse. Why don't you go meet us, brothers? What about them? If they can be persuaded to join Rus, it would also be good to agree that Rurik, the king of Rus, is the overlord of the northern ocean. This is another credit.

For a while, Fisk was only interested in the people of the Gulf of Riga because of the description of the captured old Harold. An opportunity was in front of him, and he wanted to lead his troops to have a look.