Rise of Rurik

The entire Polotsk community has a small population. After the war, some people died in battle and some fled. The number of people who remained in their hometown and could be directly ruled by the Kingdom of Rus was less than half of what it was in its heyday.

The death of a large number of young men and women left the community with a serious lack of stamina, which is why traders from the Gulf of Riga finally passed through the Polotsk area of ​​activity without scruples.

Not only because of the so-called peace treaty, but also because the locals no longer have enough manpower and material resources to rebuild the past.

The largest village occupied by Carlotta has the largest population of the entire community, and even its population losses during the war were very large.

There are still more than 5,000 people living in the entire village alliance that exists in name only, and the largest village still has nearly 2,000 people.

A village of two thousand people cannot be considered small. Almost all the villagers were forced to gather at the threshing floor. Carlotta, who was riding a horse, stood on a high place and could basically figure out the population of the village through visual estimation.

She scanned it carefully and said nothing for the time being.

There was an invisible pressure in this silence. A pair of eyes looked at her cautiously, wondering what this noble female aristocrat planned to do.

"It's strange." She finally asked Fisk next to her: "All the people in the village are here? I think they have more private houses. Isn't it possible that a small family can still have many houses?"

"Maybe it's because so many people died last year. You see, there is a serious lack of young faces here."

Fisk's words suddenly reminded Carlotta, and she squinted her eyes again. It was true that the villagers present were either old or young, and even a higher proportion of women were present.

She asked again: "Could it be that in the battle to defend Vitebsk last year...our army did kill many of them?"

"Not many were killed on the battlefield, but a large number of enemies fled into the forest and disappeared, and some tried to swim to escape and drowned in the water. This is the final result... They should have lost the ability to resist. However, you still cannot take it lightly. ” Fisk suggested.

She nodded finally.

After the solemn trumpet sound, the entire gathering was very quiet, enough for Carlotta to take a good look.

She finally composed herself, raised her chin high, and spoke loudly in a sharper voice in Slavic that the locals could definitely understand.

"I am the wife of the King of Rus, Duke of Ostara! I am your new master! I tell you clearly that the leader Lambart was elected last year! This person covets the wine and fat of Rus and lives comfortably in the city of Rus. Finally died suddenly due to excessive enjoyment! Listen! Lambart is dead!"

In fact, when the Ross army arrived in the village and the leader Lambart did not exist at all, the villagers quickly thought that the unjust guy might have died suddenly.

Now finally hearing the conqueror's clear statement, it really caused a huge shock among the people.

The trumpet players on standby immediately blew their trumpets, suppressing the sudden noise with their melodious and alert sound.

Carlotta continued to open her arms, and then held up the blue sky and the sun: "Obviously! The northern gods do not like this Lambart. He is a greedy man, and he drank wine because he was allowed by the great King of Rus, and finally because of excessive enjoyment And died. This shows that he is not a good person."

By describing the previous rulers as bad guys and presenting himself as a qualified leader, Carlotta boasted that this rhetoric could deceive the locals into favoring him. Of course, real goodwill does not come from talking and telling stories. It has to make these defeated guys feel that they will not be humiliated in the future and have clear expectations, and these are all promises later.

To her surprise, she seemed to hear some curses.

It seems that it was not the Russian army that invaded over the weekend, but that Lambart was scolding him for being unjust.

On the whole, the people did not show excitement, as if Lambart was not the leader. This verified that the information that the old man Olaf learned from the villagers as the original messenger was true - the leader position of the Village Alliance should be vacant.

"Lambart is indeed not worthy of being your leader!" She continued to shout in a shrill voice: "Because we are your rulers! Surrender to Ross! Surrender to me!"

She had to put extra emphasis on some matters.

"From now on, all Polotsk villages belong to the Principality of Ostara. Don't worry about your future. You are free farmers under my rule. You will never be slaves, but my subordinates." People. You will continue to enjoy a peaceful life. When someone attacks you, it is rude to me. These cavalry... will protect your safety!"

How do you make a long narration understandable to many people? Furthermore, although the Ermen Slavic dialect is quite close to the Polotsk dialect, there are differences in pronunciation. An out-and-out Yin Ermen couldn't speak clearly to these farmers, let alone a Swedish woman who learned Slavic language late in life...

Carlotta decisively recalled one of Rurik's lecturing tactics - repeating the most critical content in extremely short sentences and in the form of slogans.

"You are not slaves! You are farmers from Ostara! I am your leader!"

The defeated Polotsk people urgently needed to understand their position in the eyes of their conquerors.

Based on what this female noble said, she actually regards everyone as her clansmen? Planning to be absorbed into the so-called Principality of Ostara?

Most people simply don't understand the relationship between the Principality of Ostara and the Kingdom of Rus, and perhaps there is no need to separate them.

At least they realize that they are not recognized as "slaves". If so, can everyone really return to their old lives?

Everyone needs a new leader, and it is obvious who the new leader is.

At this critical moment, Carlotta deliberately picked up her son Carl, making the seven-year-old boy stand directly on the saddle and carefully supporting his legs.

The somewhat ignorant Karl suddenly put away his arrogance, perhaps because he saw too many pairs of eyes looking at him, and the first wonderful feeling was surprising.

Carlotta continued to preach: "You all see clearly! This is my son! He is the son of King Rurik of Rus! He is the next generation of Duke of Ostara and your ruler. Now, all of you! Xiang Bo The new master of Lotzk...kneel down!"

She kept repeating the concept of "kneel down to prove submission" and it turned out to be more successful than she thought.

I thought I would need to beat these farmers' legs with wooden sticks to force them to kneel down.

Unexpectedly, as some people began to kneel down mechanically, or even kneel down on the ground, more and more people followed suit. Doesn't it mean that those who stand when others are kneeling are declaring their dissatisfaction?

The little girl Sorkina, who was squeezed by the crowd, suddenly became an alien.

When her grandmother, whom she was only partially related to, knelt on the ground, when everyone around her knelt down.

The little girl felt that her breathing suddenly became smoother. She kept taking deep breaths, completely ignoring the eager eyes of the cavalry around her.

In fact, there were many people who did not kneel down. After the cavalry was ordered to scold several times on behalf of Carlotta, they all knelt down.

Only one child was still standing stupidly...

Carlotta had no idea that the only person who dared to resist her was a child? It's incredible.

"Child!" She yelled loudly: "Kneel down! Surrender to me!"

The soldiers present were all surprised by the sight before them. Who on earth was worthy of being scolded by the Duke himself?

Even so, the little girl didn't seem to be intimidated at all. She turned her head slightly to look for the voice, and saw clearly the face of the female noble on horseback.

The tribesmen standing around her were all bemoaning the little girl's stupidity, and even the old woman beside her was pulling her legs hard. Finally, the old woman simply knocked on the child's knee, and the little girl knelt down due to leg cramps.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Whether it is out of stupidity, confusion, or genuine disdain for the ruler.

The soldiers sent by Carlotta had already rushed into the crowd angrily, violently dragged the child out of the crowd, and finally threw him directly to the ground in a rather rough way.

"Sir! If this person refuses to submit, he shall be executed."

Carlotta leaned over and took a look at the trembling child with tears in her eyes. She had to take off the coarse cloth kerchief covering the child's head to see clearly that it was a girl.

The girl was indeed young, and she was curled up into a ball like a frightened lamb. Her dirty little hands were subconsciously covering her head. Finally, the soldier broke off her head and grabbed her braids, forcing her to show her frightened and mournful face. To your own lord.

"Let her go, warrior! This kind of child has no guts to disobey."

"As commanded."

Then the soldier let go of his hand, and the girl curled up again.

Seeing the girl's pitiful appearance, Carlotta's eyes trembled inadvertently. The dead memories suddenly resurrected, and the sealed bad past suddenly reappeared.

"It's so similar," she murmured.

"What does it look like?" Fisk, who was silent here, suddenly asked.

"Like my sister Ella...Ella more than ten years ago. At that time, I was still protecting her. But this girl, her people did nothing...it's really pitiful."

Fisk also reluctantly leaned over to take a look, feeling quite ridiculous, and asked twice: "She looks like she came out of the mud. Do you pity her?"

"Just remembering some past events, it doesn't matter. I need some maids, maybe this girl can do it."

She immediately gave the soldiers new instructions, and the frightened girl was forcibly taken away in even greater panic. It was precisely because she was too frightened that the girl's legs did not obey her, and she was taken away like a poultry. .

What will be the fate of the girl? After all, she is also the granddaughter of the old leader, even though the old leader who committed suicide is now only known as a "traitor".

The public must be clamoring because of the girl issue.

Carlotta simply gave them an explanation: "I will choose some young women among you! People in Polotsk, you have all seen it. My warriors are young and promising, but almost none of them are married. Marry me If a warrior becomes a legal wife, the lives of poor people will be better, and who will be the lucky woman?"

She added loudly: "The girl just now will be recruited by me as a maid! There may be a noble girl among you, and she may be my son's wife. Who is this lucky person? We will know the answer soon. .”

This opportunity was just for Carlotta to declare to them that she was the true supreme ruler of Polotsk.

To preach in the largest village and implement benevolent policies to the surrendered villagers is to set an example for all villages and eventually rule all villages.

In other words, the existence of other villages is not of great significance. The largest village is located at the intersection of the Bolota River and the West Dvina River. It has the best water resources and can best enjoy the irrigation effect produced by the infiltration of river water. Therefore, The residential areas here are the densest and can support the most people in peacetime.

Life seemed to be just as the Duchess claimed, for everyone surrendered and the Conqueror promptly fulfilled his promise.

Flags still fly in the village, but the long-unoccupied chief's mansion is now vacant.

No one regretted Lambart's death, and in fact no one applauded his death. The guy loves it to death, Polotsk has a new owner after all. Besides, the female noble claimed that the granddaughter of the old leader would be a maid (Carlotta didn't know for the time being).

The Ross-Ostara cavalry still camped in a useless open space outside the village and lit a large number of bonfires in vain.

As a conqueror, Carlotta immediately took possession of the village's collective granary. Each household has its own small granary, and half of the village's grain is put into the public granary, and the remaining half is distributed according to the family's relative status to the collective.

Everyone agreed to open the big granary when the food supply was finally exhausted, but now it was the summer famine, and people had already started to get food from the big granary.

How to manage granary materials? The conqueror becomes the dispatcher.

The rationing system, a system that others thought was invented by Rurik himself, happened to be applied to the largest village of Polotsk. Villagers who are short of food can take extra food from the occupied large granary every day, and the extra amount is determined by Carlotta.

She just promised that it would be fulfilled the next day, but now she took a batch of food from the granary, immediately eliminating the food shortage dilemma of the Ros-Ostara army.

The cavalry camped on the wasteland beside the river. After experiencing a magical day, the villagers returned to their homes and waited for the unknown dawn.

The trees cut down on the spot gradually lit up the bonfire. Under the smoky fire, a little girl sat on the ground blankly, her little body being warm and comfortable.

She knew nothing and could not think of anything now. All around were dismounted cavalry laughing and joking, speaking in incomprehensible languages.

Among the unbearable smoke from burning pine branches was the smell of boiled wheat, which really aroused her greed.

The girl was still wearing coarse clothes, and now she just washed her face. Facing the dancing flames of the bonfire, she felt a little better.

Suddenly, a hand slapped her forehead. The girl trembled under the strong stimulation, and then curled up into a ball again.

"Strange. Are you a hedgehog?" The person who photographed her was none other than Karl Ryulikovich.

Karl stared at the huddled girl covering her head, and shouted in Slavic so carelessly: "My mother said that you will be my servant from now on. Let me tell you, I am the next generation of Duke of Ostara, and my father is the King of Rus. Almost all the cavalry here are my soldiers. It is your honor to be your servant."

However, how could the little girl understand after saying so much?

She slowly opened her fingers, revealing a dark blue eye. In the dim light of the campfire, she saw the arrogant boy with extraordinary clothes and a dagger hanging from his waist.

"Still pretending to be dead?" Karl kicked her gently: "Fool, it's your honor to be my servant! Get up and I'll get you something to eat. "

Soon, a bowl of fragrant cheese stewed wheat was brought by Karl himself. He had already tasted it and felt that the taste was not pleasant enough. Adding some honey would make it better.

The delicious meal tempted the girl in front of her. As she smelled it and remembered it, she gradually got up.

And the small mouth that had just been opened was immediately stuffed with a wooden spoon, and a whole spoonful of thick wheat porridge was also stuffed into it.

】

Although it is inexplicable, the delicious taste in your stomach is real.

"Hey. Can you still understand your hands and feet? You can eat the food given to you."

After saying that, Karl placed the wooden bowl at his feet and sat cross-legged. Then he looked at the girl in front of him, who was roughly the same age as him. She was already holding a wooden bowl and a spoon in her hands and immersed in cooking...

Until now, Karl still doesn't know the name of this little girl, let alone her identity. In other words, all this is not urgent to Karl himself.