Rise of Rurik

A young man had a serious face. He was Lambard of Polotsk and the local man proposed by the conquerors as the new leader of Polotsk.

It was his dream to become the leader, but to fulfill his dream in this way was too darkly humorous.

Looking at the backs of those Ross cavalry, he was really angry. However, his tribe is not strong enough, so even if he counterattacks, he has no chance.

The Polotsk tribe is stuck in an extremely awkward geographical location.

In the north and east, there are Russian forces everywhere. They have strong soldiers and horses and are too powerful.

In the south, the Kiev community not very far away had already formed an alliance with the Russians, and these people were among the attacking armies.

In the west, those Latvians also allied with Rus, and the locals even sent envoys to follow the cavalry.

Ross General Bald Fisk fought all the way to Riga, and the cavalry team rushed back with a batch of supplies, and returned to Lukiholm in a bad cold wave.

A large city rose up at the bend of the river, Lukiholm.

Rather than developing farmland, the Ostara people who built this area focused on livestock farming. The large area of ​​meadow that cannot be covered by the forest is a good place for raising cattle and sheep. It is cold today, so the livestock brought there have been hurriedly penned.

What can be seen with the naked eye is a large number of haystacks on the flat land, which are winter grain reserves for livestock, and there are sturdy granaries containing food for people.

Many young Slavic people who were ordered to migrate were ordered to make Lukiholm their permanent settlement. They were pioneers and warriors. This was a powerful armed colonization, and they encountered real danger in Lukiholm. Before the powerful enemy, the city stood in the cold wind, still a peaceful place.

The returning cavalry army was astonishing. Obviously due to the large number of people in strange costumes and the large number of horses simply transporting goods, the huge horse team proved that it contained the southern caravans that were seriously missed.

Since it was the business group of Pecheneg and Kiev, the Grand Duchess of Ostara, who guarded the city and insisted on construction, set up a banquet to entertain her friends.

She would like to get to know Quetzal, the younger brother of Beyashil's sister, and Wadislav, the son of Sakyin, who is the spokesman of Kiev.

The other two uninvited guests who were forcibly brought to the banquet by Fisk aroused her strong suspicion.

The main course of the banquet was roast lamb with bread and grilled perch. She wanted to eat it in the Viking style. When the banquet started, everyone took knives and cut the meat individually.

Today, Carlotta wears a golden ponytail similar to Rurik's, hanging on the back of her head like a real ponytail. Her hair is decorated with amber and gems, and a huge amber pendant she has collected hangs on her chest.

She wore a sheepskin robe, which was enough to cover her calves and never completely covered her leg problems. She wore a leather belt encrusted with gems, and there were various ornaments hanging on the belt, as well as a long sword.

Such robe makes her look very neat. Her eyes were bright and she looked at everyone present with her sharp eyes.

She already knew a thing or two about the unexpected expedition that her close comrade-in-arms Fisk took advantage of. She looked at him with a smile and couldn't help but praise him politely.

"I can't believe that you made it all the way to a magical place. You really rushed to the right West Dvina River. Rurik was right as he said. You actually hit Latvia."

Fisk shrugged and glanced at the middle-aged man next to him.

This detail was also noticed by Carlotta. She saw that the man was dressed properly as a northerner. He was a Dane or a Swede. Although it was unknown, he must be able to understand Norse. Let’s not talk about this person for now.

"We did hit Latvia and even met Spuyut."

"Ah?! That old uncle, he's not..." Carlotta was so surprised that she couldn't help but cover her mouth.

"It seems that you have guessed it. Our king does have God's help, and his map is completely correct. The brothers have arrived at the Gulf of Riga, and no tribe they pass through dares not to surrender. Our power has expanded southward, and our achievements... Fisk calmed down and said, "I'm afraid it's similar to our achievement in conquering Jotalan last year!"

This matter must be discussed in detail. Carlotta does not know the details of the south. Southern expansion is a good thing. How much expansion has been achieved and how many benefits it has brought, I am afraid it will take many days to discuss.

"Everyone, please take a seat. And you two, Brother Quetzal and Brother Wladislav, we are an unbreakable alliance. We must get drunk today."

Carlotta's boldness gives people the impression of a man. She does have a square face. If she were really a man, she would be a formidable war chief.

She has extremely strong self-confidence, and this self-confidence comes from having a strong army at her disposal and her son Carl, who thrives beside her.

"So, the other two, who are you?!" She finally heard the news.

Let’s look at the Riga envoy. This middle-aged man dressed as a Nordic warrior straightened his chest and saluted a little girl. He couldn’t lose face, but his attitude was very peaceful.

"I am the leader of the Danish community in Riga. I am Stekander. I heard that you are Duke Ostara of Rus? I have heard of the name Ostara."

"Oh? Why did you hear that?" Carlotta's eyes trembled deeply.

"Are you from Sweden?! Your tribe is in the south. A long time ago, that King Hafgen killed you all. This kind of thing has long been known to everyone. We all don't like that arrogant Guys, a lot of people immigrated to Riga. If your cavalry hadn’t arrived in Riga, we immigrant Danes wouldn’t have known that you Ostara still existed.”

She darkened her face: "That happened a long time ago. All my enemies are dead, and I don't want to go back to that sad fjord. Indeed, many of us died, but..." She recalled going west with emotion. , sighed deeply: "Look, we have been revived."

"Indeed, I witnessed your revival. Vitebsk, and this Lukiholm. You merged with the Rus. I really didn't expect that the Rus who sold furs also became big and eventually became the Lord of the North. This is impossible To understand it with common sense, unless your king is protected by Odin. Obviously this is true! We Danes in Riga will not return to Jutland, we want to be recognized by King Rus."

"This is a good thing, the king will be satisfied." After saying this, she looked at another younger man.

"Who is he? Brown hair, different from us." she asked Fisk.

"This..." The bald general smiled slightly: "You can talk to him in Slavic instead. He is from Polotsk."

Polotsk? The word Carlotta was very familiar with.

She had long known about the existence of this force in Eastern Europe from her chat with Rurik.

Rurik's understanding of the Eastern European world at the beginning was all about the geographical pattern of a thousand years later. However, the overall layout of Eastern Europe has not changed significantly in the past thousand years. The geographical location and nouns of some settlements are as solid as being frozen by the frozen soil. constant.

The concept of Polotsk was extremely important to Ross. Carlotta was initially confused about what "they must be included in Ross's rule" meant.

Fortunately, not only has Polotsk been found, but the entire tribe has been conquered like a whirlwind.

No, this man named Lambard, who was named after the leopard, wanted to surrender to King Rus personally, and brought a mottled leopard skin as a special tribute.

Unlike Riga, who was aware of the current situation and surrendered, Polotsk had to surrender after experiencing resistance and defeat.

Looking into Lambard's eyes, Carlotta had murderous intentions.

She remained calm, smiling and resigned on the surface.

"Well, surrendering to Ross is your most correct choice. According to Ross's habits, your resistance will be met with annihilation, but if you surrender at the critical moment, this sin should be avoided. I am Duke of Ostara, and I She is the wife of King Rus, and I give you the delicious food tonight.”

What else could Lambard say? This blond woman can speak Slavic and has a friendly attitude, so there should be nothing wrong with her.

He sat down, still feeling a little uneasy.

Ale brings joy to boring life, especially in cold periods, good wine gives people warmth.

Logistics ships floating on the Lovati River continuously deliver supplies to Lukiholm, including ale in oak barrels and even expensive vodka. The latter is a base liquor that has been distilled many times. After several processes, methanol has become a "theoretical existence". It has become almost pure alcohol. Carlotta uses it to increase the degree of ordinary ale, and then mixes it with some honey to improve the taste. This move is exactly the same as the Novgorod Tavern routine.

This time, Carlotta drank with them like a man, using a knife as a cutlery to cut and eat the meat roughly, and the crystal clear glass filled with high-altitude ale to toast to celebrate.

The glass is amazing. The Danish Stekander is eager to get some "crystal glasses" for use. He is more concerned about the fine wine in the glass, and then pairs it with barbecued meat and eats the soft bread with excellent taste. It is really unexpected that the nobles of the Kingdom of Rus are really Know how to enjoy.

That's it, the noble duchess is still calling: "My place has just been built, and many good things cannot be shipped for the time being. Please forgive me for the poor hospitality."

Carlotta was never a drunkard. She said she would stop drinking after getting drunk. When it came to banquets, wine was just a fun addition.

Taking the opportunity, she learned more details.

The messenger who had returned from the Vitebsk Fortress explained the new situation in Polotsk. At that time, she had already had doubts about Fisk's special arrangements.

Now I finally met the big nobles of Polotsk, and during the conversation I learned that the leader of the local war faction was this man named Lambard.

Incredible! It’s incredible! Why do I think this man is a conspirator?

No, Carlotta thought of a damaging move and sent her subordinates to bring three bottles of vodka.

The "wine" was put in a beautiful glass bottle. According to her instructions, the waiter who served the food placed it directly in front of Lambard's table.

"Honored Sir, what do you mean by this? The wine is all for me?" Lambard, who was already slightly drunk, was flattered. He looked at the crystal clear bottles in front of him. They were sealed with corks, and inside they were filled with fine wine and jade liquid.

Carlotta smiled, raised her neck, and toasted with a glass of ale in her hand: "Friend, how can I believe that you are sincerely surrendering?"

"This..." Lambard, scratching his face, seemed to understand something, and then said: "I have already paid you a large amount of food as tribute, and I will pay tribute in the next five years. Polotsk is completely open to you, your ships, cavalry You can travel freely. We will even fight for you. Isn’t that proof?"

"Of course! You Polotsk people are surrendered, what about you? Are you worthy of the brothers' trust if you want to be the new rich man of Polotsk? I... have doubts about you." After saying that, he turned his face slightly. Carlotta gave her a malicious smile.

Like some kind of provocation, Lambard suddenly realized: "Ah? Do I have to swear to prove it? This wine..."

"That's right. You! Take a good look at the crystal bottle in front of you. This is the holy wine that our King of Rus asked for from the gods. I give you three bottles because we think highly of you. I heard that men are good at drinking. What do you think? Can you afford these three bottles of holy wine?"

"You...let me drink it?"

"Exactly! You are not a Varyag. You want to be friends with us, so you drank this holy wine, so that King Rus will think highly of you. As long as you drink it, the Varyag gods will also think that you are a real man. This Three beautiful bottles are yours too.”

"Is there such a good thing?!"

Lambard originally hoped that the Varangians would not discriminate against the surrendered Polotsk people in the future. He felt that the female nobles gave them an opportunity that must be seized.

Three corks were opened, and then the aroma of wine overflowed.

It was not an ordinary wine aroma, but the pungent smell of alcohol. The smell was extremely strong and indeed something that everyone would never smell.

Carlotta's remarks were very interesting. Although Fiske felt that it was not worthy for this boy to drink three bottles of vodka, which was one and a half pounds, since it was Carlotta who paid for it, forget it.

But he saw Lambard ferociously raised a bottle and poured it into his mouth. The explosive taste made him spit out the wine in an instant.

Then Carlotta clapped her arms and stood up: "What are you doing?! Polotsk people?! You spit out the holy wine, are you insulting us?"

This wine tastes terrible! Lambard looked disheveled, coughed and stuttered, indicating that he could continue drinking.

Fisk had a smile on his face and motioned Carlotta to sit down: "Why are you angry? This kid has been acting like a savage. Wild boars can't eat bread. It's normal to enjoy good food and suddenly be unable to bear it."

The glaring Carlotta sat down and watched with joy in her heart as she watched Lambard endure the extreme discomfort and drank the rest of the wine in a daze.

"Oh, that's more like it. Come here!" Carlotta called the waiter again: "Another bottle of vodka."

"Still... still coming?" Lambard, who had already covered his throat, felt that a raging fire was burning in his stomach, and his voice was hoarse and he gave in silently.

"The first bottle you spit out does not count. Keep drinking! If you don't drink, you are looking down on me and King Ross."

Lambard's bad appearance caused everyone in the meeting to burst into laughter, and everyone started to boo, forcing Lambard to drink the fourth bottle.

"So...I am recognized by you...the god of your Varyag people...and recognized by King Rus." Then, holding his throat, he could hardly speak, and soon he fainted.

All this was under Carlotta's control, while others only thought that the Polotsk nobleman was just drunk.

Carlotta's goal has been achieved. She does not regret her methods, and even believes that although her methods are despicable, she is also getting rid of hidden dangers for her man. This is one of the reasons. Second, Polotsk is too close to Vitebsk.

Lambard, who was seriously drunk, was in pieces. The capacity of a bottle of vodka was close to 300 milliliters. The important thing was that he drank more than one liter of pure alcohol.

Fisk at the banquet still didn't understand that the Novgorod brewery was making new tricks. The alcohol content of vodka was distilled to close to 100°. After all, it was made into a pure base liquor. Its shelf life was almost eternal, so it could be used at any time. Mix it with water and you can drink it anywhere.

But this kind of thing that can no longer be called wine will kill people if they drink too much, let alone such a huge amount. As for how Carlotta knew about this situation? When the city was being built, she gave a bottle of base wine to her subordinates who worked hard. She originally asked all the brothers in the group to drink it together, but the leader himself took it. Someone secretly complained to Carlotta. When she was angry and punished the criminal, she found that the young man had vomited blood and died, and there was only a small amount of wine left in the bottle.

Is there a problem with the wine? Sure enough there is a problem. Is this stronger than the previous vodka? After questioning the shipper, she learned the truth - the wine had been distilled to the limit.

And people who were holding their breath began to spread a saying: Those who embezzle rewards will be killed by gods.

Maybe this is the truth? Carlotta was willing to accept this statement simply because it united everyone.

Fisk thought it was strong alcohol, but he didn't know it was highly poisonous.

Lambard was carried away, and that night his stomach was burned to the point of perforation and his pancreas was burned to the point of rupture.

In the early morning of the next day, when everyone else who had drank had returned to normal, they found that Lambard had died, and his death appearance was extremely distorted.

Fisk, who was confused, didn't know what happened. Lambard, who was already stiff, was holding his stomach in a twisted manner. There was black blood around the bed, especially in his mouth. His opened eyes turned red, and his terrifying face seemed to be cursed by an evil god.

The body was pulled outdoors, and while Fisk and others were surrounding the body in fear as they did not know what was going on, Carlotta escorted him down with a peaceful expression.

"What's going on, he... died so tragically?"

"You?" Carlotta took off her velvet hat and raised her head. Unexpectedly, Fisk, who was surrounded by enemies, was still afraid.

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"What are you afraid of?"

"This man. Dead?! It's so tragic. It seems like he was killed by a god."

"Alas." Carlotta, who seemed to know everything, nodded helplessly. Facing the onlookers, including Wladyslav and Quetzal: "Have you seen them all? I have said that this is the gift of King Rus from God. The holy wine he received. Remember he spit out the holy wine yesterday. This is blasphemy! This is Odin’s punishment.”

"It's still like this?" Fisk had never heard of such a thing.

"It's a pity that he died. This is fate, just bury him on the spot."

Soon, the ferocious body was pulled away, and Carlotta also called Fisk, who was confused, to a secluded room for a secret discussion.

Fisk was not a big fool. He was aware of a possibility. Before Carlotta could speak, he asked: "Actually, it's your conspiracy."

"Oh? Have you realized it?" Carlotta asked with a sullen face.

"You poisoned the wine."

"No. The wine was purchased at the same time, which cost me a lot of money. You and I both drank, but..."

"Just how?"

"This kind of spirit is extraordinary. It is a brand new vodka. If you simply drink it from bottle to bottle, a strong man can only drink one bottle. Anyone who drinks two bottles will definitely die."

"Incredible! It's incredible! You! You murdered him! You! Hey!" Fisk slapped his thigh in anger.

Carlotta remained calm: "Rurik is my man, and I have to think about him. If I am the one who goes south to fight, then none of the Polotsk nobles will be left behind. What are you doing? My brother, You, who have killed so many enemies, are actually merciful at this moment?"

"We have made a deal and they surrendered. You...should not commit murder."

"So, how did Hafgen die? If you want to kill, you have to kill them all. He let me and my sister escape. Two years later, it will be the end of him. I have no ill intentions towards the Polotsk people, but this Lamba who is the main battler Virtue must die.”

"Okay, okay, I can't speak to you." After all, Fisk has a certain blood relationship with Rurik, so he and Carlotta are also relatives to a certain extent. There is no need to quarrel between the same clan.

Moreover, what Carlotta said had her own logic.

Fisk could only shrug his shoulders: "No one thought highly of that Lambard. Even if he doesn't die today, he will be killed in a few years. I'm just worried that killing him in advance will cause trouble in Polotsk. I hope it can be done more Steady control there.”

"Do you really think so? The deal is done anyway." The excited Carlotta calmed down. "It's better to do it now than to do it in a few years. Anyway, I have already done it. If Rurik is not dissatisfied, I will divorce him." Theory. I believe he will support me, and the Polotsk people are not a powerful force anyway."

"That's it. What should we do next? Have you ever thought about it?"

"I have figured it out. Lambard died suddenly of illness. Everything is fate. Just tell the people of Polotsk like this. Next year, my army will go directly to the local area and be directly managed by me. Let Polotsk completely serve as my Austrian army. The jurisdiction of the Principality of Stara, this is the power given to me by Rurik."

"That's fine." Fisk shrugged and muttered silently: "It would be fine if you were a man. Fortunately, you are a woman, otherwise..."

"What else? I heard it all."

"You are like a ferocious she-bear outside, but you are as docile as a lamb in Rurik's arms. Fortunately you are not a man, otherwise you would have died. Oh, I'm sorry for being harsh."

"I understand." Carlotta glared and said sternly: "It is precisely because I am his woman that I dare."

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