Rise of Rurik

In the Vitebsk Fortress in the south, snow covers the ground, as if all traces of the war have been covered up.

There are things like snowdrifts that suddenly bulge out in the open area. As long as you push aside the snow, you can see the frozen-hard corpses one after another.

The gap in the east gate of the fortress is now blocked by piles of various debris, especially the corpses of the enemy, which are regarded as

"Stones" to use. All corpses will not rot and stink before the muddying season when the snow melts in spring. It is precisely at that time that the defenders have time to dig pits to bury the corpses.

Because the West Dvina River next to the fortress is rapidly freezing in the seemingly never-ending fog and snow, the area that was originally muddy has become even more solid due to the freezing conditions.

The work of digging pits has become increasingly difficult, and the exhausted soldiers after the war are highly nervous and have no energy to do any more chores.

The young man Avender who was elected as the temporary city lord counted his brothers. Brother No. 100 had the ability to take the initiative. Just like our ancestors, he could gather more than ten brothers to row a boat and launch a sneak attack. But everyone has orders. The so-called fortress is really lost. Not only does it mean that we are sorry for the brothers who died fighting to defend the city, but such a shame and humiliation means that we have no qualifications to live anymore.

The defenders chose a completely defensive position, then blocked the broken east gate, sent out scouts to carefully explore the nearby woodland, and then completely withdrew from the fortress.

Because they did find the Smolensk army camp in the occupied logging camp, and there were still garrison troops there.

"Maybe it's a trap to lure our army out of the city to attack, and the enemy will suddenly come out from an unexpected place. My brothers and I have too few people, and I don't have the capital to gamble." Avender thought so, thinking for himself

"Cowardly" looking for excuses. Of course, when his guys learned that the enemy still had hidden garrisons, they were willing to believe that everything was a conspiracy.

The flags of Ross and Ostara are still flying in the fortress. They seize the time to repair the damaged torsion slingshot and organize all the arrows and javelins that can be used. The defenders will not have nothing to do in the days ahead. They will have a lot of Time is used to improve military preparation and prepare for another battle.

As for the brothers stationed in the Novopolotsk Fortress not far away, everyone can only pray that those people can be protected by the gods.

Because people have reason to believe that Vadim's army forced across the river right under the nose of Vitebsk. They attacked the fortress and suffered heavy losses. They were probably going to Polotsk to regain their confidence and the vital supplies. supplies.

On the other hand, when the war broke out, the Danish businessmen and Polotsk citizens who were dismissed from the fortress rowed back to Polotsk with terrible news about the war.

A young man was appointed Lord of Novopolotsk by Carlotta. His name was Visundr.

Although this man is from the Gran tribe, as the Gran people were fully integrated with Ostara ten years ago, he no longer cares about his old origin.

When the principality is employing people, any man with pure blond hair has a chance to be reused by the Duke.

In normal times, a man like Vesuend might have to live his whole life as an ordinary tribal man.

The times have given ordinary people great opportunities, and he, like other men, is not a mediocre person, but no one thinks that such a man can achieve such a great career.

Carlota's order to him and the local garrison was extremely simple: guard our city of Novopolotsk, maintain armed alert, and beware of local uprisings.

Even if she picks up the young granddaughter of the old nobleman, even if she engages in intermarriage with the locals, Carlotta is not naive enough to think that the blood feud caused by the bloody war has been wiped out.

The Kingdom of Rus killed thousands of them. Even if they died due to the war, there were still thousands of people dead. Forced by the kingdom's powerful military deterrence, they dare not take revenge, and Carlotta can only hope that time will slowly dilute this hatred.

Or the hatred will be completely resolved when the third generation comes into the world... However, the situation is developing in a direction she did not expect.

The Novopolotsk Fortress and the Polotsk Village Alliance that grew up along the Polota River are located on both sides of the river, not too far apart from each other.

If the natives wanted to rebel, they would have to cross the river before marching toward the fort, which was deliberately built in the open.

Carlotta has more backup options, such as hostages. Those young Ostara warriors who married local women, whether they are real Nordic immigrants or small Slavic warriors from Lake Ilmen who joined later, now all of them are soldiers of the Principality of Ostara, and more I am qualified to declare to the outside world: I am a Russian.

There is no need to worry about bloodline anymore. The comradeship between the warriors formed by the common expedition has gone beyond bloodline identity. Those young Slavic warriors also regard themselves as Varyag warriors.

As the saying goes, when a man dresses up like a Varyag, speaks Norse, and worships Odin, Thor and other northern gods, then he is a Varyag.

Whether it is free love or forced marriage, local girls in Polotsk have no choice in this regard.

Their marriage was the equivalent of a marriage, and during the winter, the girls had to move into the emerging Novopolotsk fortress with their bedding.

As for the girls' parents and brothers, if they are willing to immigrate, they can also cross the river with Xinrou.

Obviously, a group of families who married their daughters acted like this to prove one thing to their fellow villagers with practical actions - we have completely surrendered to these Varyag conquerors from Russia.

"This is a shameful betrayal. Since you have chosen this way, I will not recognize you as a relative from now on." This cannot be said clearly, but the divisions in the Polotsk community are already very clear.

Life goes on. What kind of treatment will those civilian husbands who are forcibly dragged to Vitebsk encounter?

It will really be as the noblewoman promised

"Treat properly"? The people are unknown, and now the Polotsk locals have lost the qualification to arm themselves. The conquerors have taken over the defense. More Varangians move inland from the Gulf of Riga, which originally excludes them from competing for themselves. The people of Polotsk, who are living in a living space, have to listen to him and remain patient.

Inside the Novopolotsk fortress it was another story. Those peasant families who immigrated to marry their daughters, when they entered the fort through the wooden door, their status changed to

"One's own people". After all, the Principality of Ostara has been mixed with Slavs for more than ten years, so there is no obstacle to accepting new Polotsk Slavs.

Under the command of the city lord Visuend, all men between the ages of twelve and fifty, including him, have the responsibility to take up arms and defend the fortress.

Like girls talking about their old fathers, these peasants never imagined that one day they would be treated like serious Varyag soldiers, and would have to pick up their bucklers and comb their hair and beards into strange braids. At first glance, they looked It does seem like the same thing.

There is ample food in the fortress. Due to the unique geographical advantages of the fortress, it has become a unique stop for visitors from the Gulf of Riga.

Some merchants from the Danish community in Riga simply stopped at this fortress, intending to stay until sailing resumes next spring.

Not all cats and dogs can enter this fortress. These merchants have certificates issued by the leader Stekander, and even tokens provided by the Count of Saaremaa Island in Ross and the great explorer Spuyut. Only then can they move the goods with weapons. Go inside the fort and take up residence.

With these certificates, in principle, the armed merchants living abroad are loyal to King Rurik of Rus. If there is a war, they are fully qualified to participate in the war.

Their presence greatly relieved the defensive pressure on Novopolotsk. Because there are three longship caravans staying here, the men and women who get off the ship are full of wildness, especially those Danish women, with rich braids, smart clothes, often with tattoos on their faces and necks, no matter how you look at them, A fierce female warrior.

As for those men who are more rugged, some of them deliberately wear their long beards in braids, which can reach their navel.

More than eighty people poured into the fortress with their own food and weapons. They are extremely powerful in combat, and the city lord Wei Suende has a lot of confidence in them.

Just inside the fort, a wooden pile has been hacked into an abstract human bust, which has been given some make-up.

The "right eye" was severely poked with red-hot iron bars, leaving traces of ablation. This object is none other than the statue of Odin that everyone temporarily erected.

Whether it is the Rus, the Swedish tribes, or the Danish immigrants scattered around the Baltic Sea, the biggest common denominator in everyone's beliefs is Odin.

Sacrifice to Odin on Hanukkah is a repertoire of various forces, and the methods of sacrifice are all kinds of strange. According to the city lord's plan, the cattle brought from the village will be sacrificed as sacrifices.

The cows were plundered, and now feeding them hay every day is just to ensure that they don't starve to death and freeze to death. Everyone doesn't think about eating the sacrifice, they just think about the cow's blood watering the wooden statue red on the priest's day. Everything will be fine.

As a result, the number of residents of the Novopolotsk Fortress exceeded 500. The interior space of the fortress surrounded by thick wooden walls was relatively abundant, so that people living together did not seem crowded.

With garrison troops, local farmers who were forcibly assigned tasks, and guest armed merchants, the fortress defenders swelled to three hundred troops.

But no one considered that there would be soldiers this winter, and everyone tacitly understood that such a garrison was really to prevent the residents of the populous Polotsk community from rising.

Obviously, if they have no signs of rebellion when the real severe winter comes, they will survive this winter safely.

The continuous fog and snow weather has made residents everywhere lazy. Villagers would rather hide in warmer homes and sleep like bears. In the Novopolotsk Fortress, people naturally hibernate and rest well if there is no big event.

Armed merchants brought Nordic chess and card games, and playing chess became a way to relieve boredom. There are also indoor competitive games such as throwing pots with arrows and throwing small darts at wooden targets.

If the ale is limited, many people will get drunk in their idle time. The crisis suddenly struck in the midst of such a happy scene.

It was a boat drifting quickly on the river in the snow. The long boat first unloaded the forced civilian laborers at the dock of the largest village in Polotsk. Some villagers working in the snow noticed the arrival of the boat with a small Russian flag. They saw it before they understood what happened. Some men got off the boat and ran toward the village in panic.

Judging from their thin appearance, they are not Rus's at all. Actually... a villager? ! Most of the forcibly recruited civilians have returned, but there are still some who have not returned. After hearing the news a little bit, the villagers got the news of the death of their clan members.

It was not the Russian conquerors stationed in Vitebsk who killed the villagers, but a huge army from Smolensk.

The news spread wildly in all ten villages, and the 5,000-strong army that the prisoners of war once boasted turned into an army of 10,000 people when the people who escaped came back.

"Countless warriors were killed in the forest. They killed everyone they saw without mercy. They came for revenge and deliberately killed all the Varangians they saw. Our compatriots were accidentally killed by them. They were attacking the Rus' defense. Jebsk, that fortress cannot hold out for long. The Smolensk army is not afraid of the cold. After they destroy the fortress upstream, they will definitely attack our fortress here. Everyone, you must make plans early!" Withdrawal! The common people all said similar words.

Is there really 10,000 Smolensk troops? have no idea. The people have more reason to believe in the words of their own people. If they say there are 10,000 people, then they have it.

In such a critical situation, what position should Polotsk take? In the snow, a pair of eyes stared at the fortress flying the Ross flag not far across the river. They silently made their own decision-to welcome the righteous army.

After losing the village elite, a new elite group was spontaneously elected among the villagers. At present, no one is raising their arms to call themselves the new leader of Polotsk. Families of all sizes have launched their respective leading figures, gathered in a hut in the snow, and discussed the next steps.

"In any case, Smolensk is far away from us, and we have no clear hatred towards each other. We all speak the same language, believe in the same gods, and can talk about anything. Only the Rus and other Varyags People barbarically broke into our territory, either plundering the population and wealth, or not giving money when crossing the border, and now we are completely conquered by them. We cannot get rid of the rule of the Rus with our own strength. Obviously the Smolensk army is in Deliberately kill those Varangians, they will uproot the Russian fortress, and maybe their army of 10,000 people will be able to defeat the future Russian army. The Smolensk people will help us get rid of the Rus' rule, and everything will be fine Get up." They studied the results overnight, and the leaders thought that Vadim's Smolensk army was the savior.

As for some people's speculation, what if they are as brutal as the Russian army? What to do?

Such a question is too brain-burning, let’s talk about it

The "army of ten thousand people" will definitely march towards Polotsk, and we have no power to negotiate terms with those people. It's better to just hope that they will be the saviors.

As a result, the ten villages decided not to fortify themselves and at the same time stopped trying to make any contact with the Novopolotsk fortress on the other side of the river.

To hell with the various Varangians and those who betrayed the village! When necessary, Polotsk villagers intentionally provided food and shelter to what they considered friendly forces in Smolensk.

They want to believe that when the friendly forces defeat the Ross, Polotsk will no longer pay tribute to Ross, and Ross's thugs, the Principality of Ostara and the leggy female devil named Carlotta, can only stay in the north. Don't dare to go south.

But in the Novopolotsk fortress, the situation was completely another extreme. I have seen Danish businessmen who dare to travel thousands of miles. Some of them have wandered around the borders of Eastern Rome. There are not many things that can make them feel afraid.

This time, the returning merchants talked about the strength of the enemy in the fortress. As the businessman mentioned a name

"Vadim", now the city lord Vesuend is fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. Because of the crusade against the rebellious Pine Needle Manor eleven years ago, when he was still a teenager, he had already been incorporated into the so-called Ostara Army and fought as an ally of the Principality of Ross. Even though the Ostara Army at that time was small in size, Just serve as the bodyguard of Duchess Carlotta.

Although the army is small in size, its symbolism is huge. Vesuend knew that there was a rebellious son named Vadim who escaped. Later, as a prisoner of Smolensk captured by the steppe people, he learned from his mouth that Vadim turned into the great leader of Smolensk.

Can it get any more bizarre than this? have! It's now!

"The reckless Vadim is besieging Vitebsk with an army of five thousand. You must be on guard. We plan to continue drifting to Riga. Please don't worry, we will not desert. We want to tell the boss Stekander, I believe that the boss can organize some brothers to support you." The returning businessman did not dare to stop after saying these words. After getting some supplies, he began to brave the wind and snow to go down the river.

Vesuend admired this kind of loyalty, and the entire fortress garrison was not as nervous as the enemy. On the contrary, because the enemy leader was Vadim, everyone knew that anyone who killed this leader would be a great achievement.

However, due to the strength of the defenders and the frail appearance of the Polotsk villagers whose backs were broken, Vesuend did not believe that he could help Vitebsk with just his brothers.

Besides, the merchant also sent a brief letter engraved on a wooden board by Vitebsk guard Yelinger. It only had one line: Hold on to Novopolotsk.

What else can be done? Look forward to reinforcements from Riga! It is believed that Jellinger and his men wore out the enemy at the Vitebsk Fortress.

For yourself, all men and women are mobilized! Arrange weapons, check food supplies, hold on to the fort and prepare for the worst.