Rise of Rurik

It can be said that all ten villages in the Polotsk community have put down their arms, because it is meaningless to form a stronghold to protect themselves in the new era, and everyone has been annexed by the expanding Russians.

Like a piece of fish on a chopping board, what to do with it depends on the will of the conqueror.

Of course, there are also people with strong willpower who, after suffering the pain of defeat, do not want to be humiliated losers. They simply take their families and relatives with them, abandon their homes and fields, and cut off all their old relatives.

Then, like an arrow from a string, it headed south without looking back - towards the territory of the Drevlians and Drigovichs.

Especially the Derigovich people, these Slavic ethnic groups live in the area centered on today's Minsk. The area of ​​activity has expanded southward to the line from today's Pinsk to Mozyr, and further south is the existence of the Derevlian people. space.

They are just ordinary people in the vast world. The dense forests obscure their vision, and they do not know the vastness of the world. What remains unchanged is the desire to live, and... revenge.

Are those people in the south good people? have no idea.

However, the foreign Rus people are indeed not good birds and do all kinds of evil, but most of the tribesmen are cowardly and surrendered.

The fugitives left in anger, and those who remained did not surrender collectively to obsequiousness.

Most of them are ordinary people who cannot give up their fields, houses, and families. They welcome the conqueror's cavalry in helplessness and numbness.

"Ahead is the village of the Polotsk people." A noble female noble specially put on gorgeous clothes and used a large amount of jewelry to further embellish her nobility.

Princess Carlotta of Ostara is riding a horse, and sitting next to her is her only son Karl Ryurikovitch.

A soldier raised his riding whip and replied solemnly: "It is undoubtedly their village. The envoy sent out has not yet shown up, so please be cautious."

"That's fine." She turned her head, raised her right fist high and made some movements, using sign language to order her Ostara cavalry to be on high alert.

Therefore, while holding the reins on their left wrists, the warriors also tightened their grip on their short wooden bows (the Ostara people did not have the financial resources to equip recurve bows). Although they also held the reins in their right hands, they took out their quivers. It can be said that an arrow misses and shoots in an instant.

The cavalry left the group of woods in a grand manner. They emerged from the gaps in the trees and entered the open farming area.

Looking around, wheat seedlings have sprouted in the deeply developed acres.

They must be oat nurseries, but unfortunately they are arranged in a disorderly manner. It is obvious that the locals just carry baskets of wheat seeds and sow them as they go. Such backward sowing technology has been eliminated in the surrounding area, not only in various farms under Ross's rule. The use of sowing tools such as columbists also means that farmers have the awareness to respond.

It has been proven over the years that drill sowing yields more results than broadcast sowing.

At this point, she once again ordered: "Don't trample on the wheat seedlings, follow the flag and walk across the fields."

Because what the Polotsk people call a village is actually a collective estate. Farming and harvesting are done collectively by all the people, and the final success depends on the social status of the small families in the collective. Therefore, each village does not have its own village land. The land was refined so that there were not many fields and ridges for cavalry to advance.

If it is a hostile village, the cavalry can directly step over it without any problem.

Carlotta and Fisk thought long term. The cavalry would be stationed here for several months to achieve real control. The army's supplies did not come from the farmers themselves, but from the wheat fields next to the horses' hooves.

The cavalry group lined up in a mighty column, but they didn't trample the farmland?

The hiding villagers nervously watched the gorgeously dressed horsemen through the cracks and holes in their houses. They were shocked that the Russians were well-armed and surprised that they seemed to have no intention of causing damage.

Finally, the main force of the cavalry entered the largest village of Polotsk, and the former leader's house was transformed into the temporary residence of the Duchess of Ostara.

Among the villages that exist like a chain along the Polota River, a tributary of the main river, the one in front of you is the largest and the most densely populated.

The winding alleyways were crowded with cavalry. Some soldiers arrived here for the second time. The scene in front of them was very different from a year ago. Farmers' mansions still use wood as building materials, and the houses all have yellow thatched roofs. It hasn't rained recently, but the roads are full of potholes, and the horses can trample some gray-black dust when they move at will. You can imagine how muddy the village will be once it rains.

There were free-range poultry running around, and there were also sheep bleating from strange little houses.

Most of the livestock were hidden by the villagers, apparently fearing that these precious livestock would be taken away by the Russian conquerors.

The cavalry was ordered to occupy the streets, and the entire village was torn from their homes.

It was the local villagers who personally went to each house to bring people out of hiding. In fact, there was no point in continuing to hide. The largest village had already given up resistance, and the unarmed men and women were gathering uneasily towards the huge threshing floor shared by the village, which was also the best gathering place for people.

These villagers moved with their families under the watchful eyes of the cavalry. People had their heads raised, especially young women whose parents had their heads covered, or their heads were covered with coarse cloth, using all means to cover themselves up in an attempt to create Too ordinary and humble to escape the coveted gaze of the conqueror.

Because the Ross cavalry messenger who arrived first had already said that the villagers would hand over some young women and pay allegiance to the Duchess of Ostara.

Are local girls from Polotsk any good? Carlotta didn't know that all she cared about was the daughter of a local noble, a daughter of a noble who was worthy of her son in terms of age and appearance.

As for other local girls, let the soldiers evaluate it themselves. They were riding horses and standing on both sides of the lane. They must have their own ideas about whether to take a local girl as a wife.

Carlotta and Fisk walked into the largest occupied mansion with a small number of guards.

The simple wooden walls are useless, and the interior furnishings are too simple and boring no matter how you look at them.

Children are the most careless. Karl looked left and right, disdain clearly written on his face.

"Mom, this place... is as dirty as a cattle pen."

"Silly boy, what are you talking about?" Carlotta patted her son's little head gently.

Fisk said with a smile: "Karl didn't lie. I was here last year, and it was not as dilapidated as it is now. Maybe it's because the locals neglected to take care of the place after Lambart left."

He mentioned that Lambart. Carlotta had no favorable impression of this person, and did not disdain how high this person was in Polotsk. As for maliciously drinking him to death, he had no qualms about it.

She even feels more at ease with the current situation.

There is no need to worry about the local people's rage after learning about the death of the leader. The villagers are unarmed and are closely watched by the cavalry. If they dare to resist, they will use force directly.

"Go ahead and take a look. Damn it, do we still have to spend time renovating a place like this?"

Suppressing the displeasure in her heart, she motioned to her subordinates to place the Ross flag and the Ostara flag high on the high ground of the house. The soldiers then found a wooden ladder and climbed up the thick haystacks on the roof, and stabbed the wooden pole with the flag inside.

The soldiers who planted the flags stood on a high place, and the fluttering flags became the most conspicuous bright color of the entire village.

Especially the Ross flag, with its interlaced blue stripes on white cloth, is extremely eye-catching in the village of dark green and taupe.

The villagers who gradually arrived at the threshing floor of the village were only ordered to gather here, surrounded by cavalry with armored stomachs. The surrounded villagers were afraid that they would be brutally executed. The Russian flag was hoisted high at the leader's house, and the indescribable feeling of depression was like a stone pressing on the lungs, almost suffocating. Some people even retched in pain.

Although they have no concept of a national flag, the people of Polotsk also know that the strange patterned cloth is equivalent to the totem of the Russians. If it stands in the leader's mansion, it means that the Russians are the leaders.

Only the most senior leader is worthy of enjoying the walled mansion. Even if the leader is vacant or the leader has gone far away, only the leader's direct family members can use it.

So when Carlotta walked up the creaky wooden stairs and faced the wooden door locked with a simple bronze lock, a bad feeling arose spontaneously.

"Hey. Is this the best local house you've ever seen? Why do I feel like... it has the texture of an empty warehouse?"

Fisk shrugged helplessly: "It must have been uninhabited for a while."

"It's even locked in here."

"This is evidence."

"How? Did you find the key? Or smashed it?" she asked.

Fisk did not answer. The strong man pulled out the hand ax from his waist and destroyed the entire lock cylinder with a clean blow. He did not forget to look at Carlotta triumphantly: "Look, it's very simple."

"Decisive enough. Now look at what's inside." After that, she raised her foot and kicked it, completely ignoring the flaw in her right leg.

The double doors kicked open, followed by waves of dust and a slight musty smell in the air.

Carlotta couldn't help covering her mouth and nose: "Damn it. You call it a cattle pen and promote it. This place... is simply a tomb."

"No, it's not. Well, it's really bad. If you live in a place like this, you'll get rashes all over your body...forget it." Fisk didn't mean to say anything nice: "We might as well set up a tent or build a new house. .”

Even the mansion where the leader has the right to live, due to the looting of the local area by the Ross army last year, most of the valuable property was taken away. At that time, the Rus' army and the Kiev caravan cavalry and the Ostara cavalry, all of whom had seen each other in coordinated operations, targeted ordinary farmers' families for looting because they could not get rich and lacked motivation. Instead, they targeted wealthy households in the villages. Full of energy.

The house was indeed empty. They cleaned it and opened all the wooden windows that had been closed for a long time to let the wind blow away the filth in the room. Everything was not as unbearable as they thought.

But Carl really didn't like it here.

The little boy broke free from his mother's hand and shouted at the top of his lungs: "When I become a duke, I will build a new fortress here! Well, build a multi-story attic just like dad did."

"Whatever you like. If you don't like this place, let's just leave." Carlotta looked at the mansion again, "Let's just tear it down!"

"Maybe it's not necessary." Fisk shook his head.

"I think it's necessary. This place symbolizes the old residence of the Polotsk people. I don't like it, and neither does Karl. Don't you... hate it too? As Karl said, tear it down and disappoint the locals. Only by building a giant longhouse in our style on the original foundation can we prove that we are the real rulers."

"There is some truth to that. You are the ruler, and I have no problem with that."

Carlotta stamped her foot lightly: "That's it."

Gradually, the threshing floor was crowded with people, and the villagers, old and young, had been gathering here for some time. In the past time, the Ross Cavalry just stayed there. Only God knows what they will do next. Boredom, vigilance, complaining, numbness, all kinds of emotions were intertwined, but no one dared to leave the group and ask the Ross soldiers "why".

Even in the family of the former leader Proclaw, all the members were as docile as lambs.

How could a once great family have fallen into this state?

It was precisely because the family was too brave in the past that when the village alliance decided to take action against the Russians entrenched in Vitebsk, the young men and women of the family went into battle with weapons. In fact, because they were too brave, the young men of the family suffered heavy losses.

Even if the family eventually gave birth to a Rambat who was appointed as the new leader by the conquerors, would such a released prisoner still have the nerve to be the leader of everyone? Besides, what kind of leader is that? Just a dog of a conqueror.

The noble family has become mediocre, and its young men and women have suffered great losses. After their strength has shrunk, they have no right to speak.

Those who survived did not encounter undue contempt from their fellow villagers. Everyone had fought hard. At first, there were also elderly women crying in the streets and wailing words such as "Proclaw gives me back my son". However, Proclaw Waf also lost his biological son. Time gradually dilutes the pain, because life has to go on.

The old leader's son, Vycheslav, is just an honest and honest man. This kind of person has no qualifications to become the next leader.

In the final analysis, the leader of the village in the largest farm is also elected by the people, and such people must be good at fighting and have courage.

Vycheslav and his wife, who were cowardly by nature and just wanted to farm honestly, had the obligation to go to the battlefield to defend their homeland. They died for their obligations, and even died without a name.

Now, an old lady in the family is holding the hand of a little girl, and she and her fellow villagers are immersed in the sea of ​​people in the threshing floor.

The little girl was deliberately dressed plainly, wearing a coarse robe, and a gray-brown headscarf covering half of her face. Even some dust was deliberately smeared on her face, hiding her original appearance in a slovenly manner.

Sorkina Vicheslavina, her grandfather was Proclaw who committed suicide in the past winter, a shameful loser.

Just a year ago, for a little girl, life was still peaceful and even a little boring. Life is quiet and indifferent, accompanied by parents and brothers, and now...

The huge change left her at a loss as all her direct blood relatives were dead, and each of her collateral blood relatives had their own plans.

"Grandma...I can't breathe here."

"Kid. Bear with me a little longer."

"But those Russians...what are they going to do? Are they going to kill us?"

The girl asked the question that penetrated her soul. The old lady was not her biological grandmother. Now she was at a loss and could only deny it mechanically.

Suddenly, the crowd became noisier and began to shake. Sorkina, who was already squeezed, felt even more suffocated.

All because of the distinguished presence of His Royal Highness the Duke of Ostara.

At this moment, the villagers standing on the periphery finally saw the legendary Duchess of Ostara, a wife of King Rus and a high-status northern noble.

Can a woman become a high-ranking ruler?

This was unimaginable in Polotsk, but if the situation turned into some kind of helpless situation, it would not be inappropriate to recognize a woman as the leader. Just like in the face of war, all men and women in the entire village alliance are obliged to go to the battlefield. The most popular female warrior becomes the supreme leader. It is acceptable to make medicine for her to bring victory to everyone.

At least the conqueror sent by the Kingdom of Rus was a female noble, which refreshed the villagers' senses and made them feel more relaxed.

However, no matter how many years have passed, the iconic image of another bald man on horseback will always be the dream monster of Polotsk people!

As early as last year, people knew the name of the bald general - Fisk.

The name is said to come from "fish", and people think it is more appropriate to describe him as ferocious beasts such as wild boars and bears.

Now, some cavalrymen deliberately stood in a row. They raised their horns one after another, and forced the whole scene into silence with their melodious and deep horn sounds.

Finally, a warrior with a very deep voice shouted: "The Duke of Ostara is here! Everyone! Salute her!"

Here, the warrior Ziah who shouts in Slavic language deliberately uses the feminine suffix when acting as a duke.

All speculations have come to an end.

The female warrior on horseback who was gorgeously dressed, decorated with a lot of gems, and had long golden braids, was indeed the leader of the conquerors and the commander of these tough cavalry.