Rise of Rurik

The day is already 842 years.

The frozen Ladoga Lake gives passers-by a desperate emptiness and loneliness.

The Arctic cold wind in the wilderness swept across the vast ice field, and a huge sled team ran wildly on the nearshore ice.

Through the somewhat rough glass factory, Rurik, who was sitting in the warm cabin of the sled, could clearly see everything outside.

Noren, Bayasil, Svetlana, the queen and concubines are all here.

Only the top scribe, Ella, remained in the capital and continued to personally supervise the printing and sale of "Rossaga". Conveniently, we also conducted an investigation on the current situation of the capital's trade market, collected data on several bulk goods, recorded them, and then presented them to the king for further analysis and judgment.

The people accompanying him were all wrapped up thickly, and even the horses of the cavalry guards were covered with an extra layer of wool blankets.

The journey with the harshest environment is the journey across Lake Ladoga. Although a new inland route has been opened, if you want to ensure the smooth movement of a large number of people, the old road is still the best solution.

It has snowed recently, and the north wind has blown away the icy boots. The snow has piled up in the nearby woodland, and the frozen lakes and rivers have become perfect roads.

Those reindeer who were transferred to pull vehicles and sleds were nailed with special shoes, which have small spikes to prevent slipping on the ice.

The horseshoes of the cavalry were also repaired on a large scale and the horses were trimmed.

With the support of new non-slip shoes, the entire team can travel at high speed.

Only a few winter fishermen set up tents and wooden sheds near the shore. Such people often start building camps in the autumn, and now they dig holes in the ice to fish and catch Ladoga seals.

The final journey on the ice of the Volkhov River went smoothly, and people on the return trip even felt a distinct push on their backs.

That's because the Arctic wind traverses this frozen passage, objectively making the team going south faster.

In the end, the flags trembled and roared in the strong wind, and the chants of the people were also obscured by the sound of the wind.

The snow-covered farmland creates vast snowfields. The main city of Novgorod in the snow looks like a lake and is quiet. The tall gray-brown wooden walls are incompatible with the surrounding environment, making the city stand out.

Are all the people hiding?

Also, most people don’t wander around outdoors in the freezing cold months of January, they don’t want to accidentally freeze to death.

Unless, those are some ruthless people with ambitions.

The Second Standard Cavalry, led by captain Brody, has been tasked with protecting the royal family for half a year.

Young and meritorious, his status is like the captain of the bodyguard, with great responsibilities, which also makes him vigilant in human situations.

There is no need to be attacked by a bad guy, but you should consider being attacked by a bear.

Now that everyone was just one step away from the capital, everyone couldn't help but relax their vigilance. Brody took off his sunglasses and squinted to carefully examine the shadows that were not very far away.

"Cavalry?! It's actually cavalry? Are they still training?"

After calming down, Brody casually summoned his subordinates to give them some tasks.

After a moment, the subordinates who got it left the group and galloped away following the figure of the horseman swaying in the distance...

The large army was still advancing, and Rurik, who was tired from the fatigue of the carriage and horses, simply curled up and fell asleep. Osborne and Velica, the siblings, also twisted to their father's side and fell asleep.

Rurik wanted to return to Novgorod before spring plowing. He knew that the people who had arranged to "pioneering" in the south and east would definitely return. What they discovered must be reported truthfully. It was especially important that Rurik knew whether his enemies in the south, the Smolensk forces, had made any adverse moves.

Speaking of the cavalry, Brody saw a gray-white shadow running towards him. He signaled to his men to light up the flag and maintain the pace of the march, waiting for the brothers who were obviously the First Cavalry to catch up.

Fisk really didn't expect that he would take the First Cavalry, which had expanded to more than 400 men, for winter training, and unexpectedly met the returning king. Now that I think about it, this is inevitable.

He took off his furry white hat with blue feathers, revealing his trademark big bald head.

The sweat on his head suddenly smoked violently when exposed to the cold, and then the whole head seemed to be on fire when the wind blew.

Brody couldn't help but cover her mouth, and the strange look in her eyes suggested that she was happy.

"Are you in a good mood? Brody, you seem to have gained a lot of weight in the north."

"Haha. Boss. You are the flag captain, and I am also the flag captain. Thanks to the king's love, I live a good life. You can't say that I am fat, I am full of strength now." That's all, Brody asked casually: "Are you here? What are you doing here?”

"What to do?" Fisk said casually: "I'll wait for you. Where is the king? He must be here."

"The sleigh is resting."

"That's right! A lot of things have happened here recently, and I intend to report to him. In that case...come on, let's have two flag teams escort the king."

Soon, the sleigh team was guarded by cavalry on both sides, and its strength reached 700 cavalry, making it a real behemoth.

Rurik, who was sleeping, knew nothing about this.

The core soldiers of the Second Flag Team were born out of a small number of veterans and emerging meritorious service members of the First Flag Team. Compared with the current First Flag Team, the Second Flag Team has a large number of new recruits and is not as strong.

Brody's Second Flag Force has not only increased its troops, but Fisk has expanded its troops aggressively.

Fisk has the power in this regard. The cavalry standard corps has a maximum number of personnel. Before reaching the limit, officers can recruit troops independently, thus reducing some worries for the king.

To increase troops, leaders need to be added. Recruiting some useless snacks will drag down the entire team.

Most of the latest soldiers to join the First Flag Team are from White Tree Manor. Fisk's own son is still too young, but it is inevitable that the brat will be recruited into the cavalry in three to four years.

Frequent archery training improved the archery skills. After Hanukkah, the focus of training fell on equestrianism. Among the new Pecheneg horses purchased, the best ones became the mounts of the newly recruited cavalry. Everyone needs to spend time getting used to the war horses, and the cavalry must also practice their ability to fight in harsh environments in preparation for the future expedition south.

This was Fisk's reason for training his troops in the cold, and what he wanted to report to the king was his so-called strategic plan to proactively use troops against Smolensk.

The sled team stopped, and when Rurik regained consciousness he was already standing at the Ice Peak Pier in Novgorod.

There are already a crowd of people here happily watching, and a large number of cavalrymen are guarding majestically with their lances raised high.

Blue Fox and Red Fox were ordered to follow Wang Jia to Novgorod, an important industrial and agricultural town. The two brothers had noticed that a new cavalry had suddenly joined in the middle of the journey. The fat-headed Blue Fox opened the leather curtain and asked casually. Bald Fisk is here.

"Look, this is the second capital of Ross. This is how Otto spends his old age."

Blue Fox pinched his waist in the wind and introduced the situation here to his younger brother, although he rarely came here.

"So this is Novgorod. The king asked our family not to develop here. Does he have a lot to hide? Well, a huge community."

"You can't say that. You and I both have our own destiny. You are responsible for the affairs at the mouth of the Inn River. I have other affairs. Our family cannot allocate people to develop in the east."

"Maybe now we have a chance." Red Fox said casually.

"Forget it. Remember our mission, we will have big moves in Frank next year. Listen, there are Russians everywhere here, don't talk too much, just follow me."

If you want to get together with a group of ruthless people and enjoy drinking and eating meat, you must have admirable abilities. Blue Fox can chat and laugh with those ruthless people, but his younger brother Red Fox cannot. Even if this kid negotiates a trade agreement with the Earl of Flanders that is extremely beneficial to Ross, it is not a military achievement after all.

The Russians still worshiped force, and Red Fox had to kill several enemies before he could be respected by those warriors.

Unfortunately, this kid is just a fat seal, inheriting the fat genes of the Gould family.

After getting off the sled, Rurik was blown by the north wind, and his sluggish spirit immediately became alert.

Only then did he notice that the guy who was half-kneeling and saluting was actually his old friend Bald Fisk.

"Get up! I don't know when you joined the guard. Oh!" Rurik looked around again, "There are cavalry everywhere, which is good."

Fisk took off his hat again and said, "Your Majesty has arrived just in time. Brothers, we have a lot of good news to tell you. Just wait a moment, a brand new flag team will come to see you soon."

"A brand new flag corps? Are you...what new tricks are you doing? Where is the Governor?"

"Medved, he's coming."

Although Rurik was a little unhappy because Fisk was deliberately showing off, he took his family and stamped their feet on the snow that was completely collapsed, and waited in the cold wind.

listen! That was the marching cry.

"Left! Right! Left! Right!"

The centurions shouted trumpets, and the drummers of the centurion set the rhythm of the whole team.

The soldiers all carried bucklers on their backs, marched in unison to the rhythm, and wore thick clothing, making these young brats look extremely burly.

The leader was none other than Askard.

His father Arik was very satisfied with the current status of the recruits. After a month of continuous high-intensity training, the boys were not only transformed, but also several times stronger than at the beginning of the period.

One of the most striking features is that they are in the same step, dressed in the same way, and armed with the same weapons. Anyone who looks at them will think that this is a strong force.

They weren't the only ones visiting.

A mixed cavalry team deliberately kept a distance from it. Wladyslav from Kiev and his horsemen, Pecheneg Gotzal and his brothers, both wanted to take their own people to take advantage of the golden opportunity. The real King of Rus. As the saying goes, the first impression often determines the future. They intended to show off their martial prowess, and when they saw King Rus, they dismounted and half-knelt down to show their submission.

This is not shabby. On the one hand, it is for the sake of continuous wealth in the future, and on the other hand, it is really intended to be loyal to King Rus.

The sound of drums and trumpets came, and Rurik's face numbed by the wind slowly showed a smile.

"A brand new flag corps? Are you recruiting?" he asked Fisk.

"They are already here, you can review them. Haha, they are all our tribesmen."

The last casual words said everything. Rurik quickly met the new recruits and knew their identities without even asking.

The faces of his cousin Aric and his eldest nephew Askard were clear to Rick, especially that boy. When his sister-in-law gave birth to her, he was by his side to provide spiritual encouragement.

Although most of the young warriors live in Mstisk, they still have too few opportunities to see the king. This time they saw the king's true face!

Many people have heard from their fathers or grandfathers that when they grow up, Rurik looks like the old King Otto.

He also said that Queen Mother Niya was a very beautiful girl in the Ross tribe, so much so that she became a bargaining chip.

At that time, the big leader passed away, and all the men in the tribe held a "competition" under the organization of the high priest. It was an extremely violent special competition. The winner would get the position of chief and marry the most beautiful woman.

Otto was the winner, and some people were envious and jealous at the beginning. When Otto lost his two sons, the jealous people secretly enjoyed themselves.

Finally, the dream boy was born...

Otto, Rurik and his son created a new situation, and everyone got unprecedented development opportunities.

The education they received also understood that their births came from the strategies of two generations of kings, and they also knew that they actually had a certain blood connection with the kings. They are naturally close to the king, and more importantly, King Rurik will give young people more opportunities.

They obeyed the order and looked at Rurik, half-kneeling and saluting, holding the hilt of the sword with one hand and covering their heart with the other.

He and Arik looked at each other, and they basically understood the situation with one look.

"Get up! Ross boys! Let me take a good look at you!"

At this moment, Rurik was excited inside, just like the smile he returned to his brother.

The Rus tribe and the Slavs mixed blood on a large scale and deliberately reproduced on a large scale. The original intention was to increase the population as much as possible to establish a solid source of troops for expansion.

The source of soldiers, this kind of thing does not come easily.

Looking at the boy in front of him, it is fully proved that the affairs started fourteen years ago are showing its power.

In the excitement, there were some things that Rurik should have had a good chat with Novgorod's cronies and powerful people, especially the issue of proof.

I really didn't expect that my eldest brother had already helped me complete the construction of the new flag team.

The tall and burly man took off his velvet hat, revealing his well-trimmed golden beard, letting his golden horse tail flow in the wind, and then put on a golden laurel crown. In front of many descendants of old Rus, he spoke in pure Norse language Rus. Speaking in tongues...

What do they need? Naturally, it is to kill the enemy and make meritorious service, plunder and make a fortune. It is best to take advantage of the war opportunity to kidnap a girl of the same age from the hostile forces, and then marriage and childbirth will follow.

They feel that the experience of their parents' generation can be described as a model of success, and they must inherit and do better.

Listen to what the king has to say!

"I see a powerful army standing in front of me! Maybe some people say you are too young. No! Just because you are young, you have unlimited possibilities. You are eager to fight! You are eager to make a fortune! You are eager to catch slaves! You are eager to catch slaves! Use the blood of the enemy to prove your respect for the gods! Only killing the enemy and performing meritorious deeds is the real blood sacrifice to Odin. If you are eager for war, I will give you a chance! This opportunity will be just after the spring plowing..."

Rurik's words not only shocked the young warriors to ecstasy, but Arik's eyes widened. He heard from his brother's mouth a very clear time for the war to begin.

Obviously, the one-year truce is over, who should we fight next?

"You...should support the immediate use of troops against Smolensk. Everyone is looking forward to it." He whispered in his heart. But out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the fat-faced Blue Fox and another little fat man accompanying him, and he couldn't help but think more: "Eh? Do you still want to use large-scale troops against the Franks? These brats I have newly trained...you... …My brother, do you really think these brats can fight against the Franks at such a young age?”

Arik had some doubts, but after thinking about it carefully, he was relieved. No matter who they attack, the new warriors with the blood of the old Ross must prove that they are worthy of their ancestors. Sooner or later they will face powerful enemies. It is better to let them see the world while the newborn calves are not afraid of tigers.

My brother is training new recruits for himself, and Governor Medved who came here also proves this.

We should hold a meeting to discuss future military operations, and there is plenty of time for this.

Rurik noticed more horsemen. They were definitely not Russian cavalry. There were actually soldiers holding bull-headed flags among them.

Duchess Carlotta of Ostara and her son Karl came with their cavalry to pay homage.

The steppe cavalry was present together with the Kiev horse riders, but the newcomers were indeed new faces.

These foreign equestrians dismounted their horses and half-knelt down to salute. Their respectful gestures seemed to prove: We are your soldiers.

Wladyslav and Quetzal, their respectful attitude was satisfying.

"I know there will be new people replacing the old ones. You came just in time. It seems that our cooperation will go further."

After Rurik finished speaking, the two of them flattered each other with smiles.

Conversations that enhance feelings should be left at the venue, and it is best to hold a banquet where everyone can enhance friendship while eating and drinking.

Unexpectedly, Quetzal was extremely bold and went a step further: "Honorable King Rus, I am a brother of the Khan clan, and the fifty elites I have at hand are gifts from the Khan to the princess."

"Beyashir?" Rurik replied in Turkic dialect. After thinking about it, he couldn't help but smile: "Fifty elites. My brother Kagan is such a good person."

With Rurik's authorization, Quetzal immediately called to his fifty prairie warriors, and they dismounted and went straight to Beyashir, who was slightly confused.

She just wanted to rush to the warm palace to pick up her son. If Rurik hadn't insisted on staying here, she would have wanted to move.

Naturally, she recognized her clan kinsman Quetzal. Her elder brother chose him to be in charge of business in Rus. Whether he should be promoted or demoted was not a female noble's business. Now half-kneeling in front of her were as many as fifty cavalrymen, all of whom announced their opinions in their native dialect. Princess's allegiance.

Instantly add fifty slaves? And it can be used as Ross's military weapon immediately? !

She is young and not stupid. Wouldn't the presence of this fifty-year-old man immediately improve her status in the Ross court?

She accepted the man, then raised her head to look at King Rurik, and publicly declared with a smile: "Congratulations, King, on getting fifty elite cavalry."