Rise of Rurik

Finally, the hungry Vadim ate bread, cheese, and even fresh meat. He led his elite men straight towards the obviously better buildings in the village, and the first thing he arrived at was the village square, because there was a heavy walled wooden fort, and by coincidence, this fort also hung a small Ross flag.

Since the flag was white with blue stripes, the blue cloth strips stitched diagonally echoed the blue sky, and the white background blended with the white snow. The starving army really didn't pay attention to this.

The army has already rushed into the village anyway. Since the fortress is flying the Russian flag, there must be Russian guards here?

He easily broke through the door with his army. The warriors with swords and axes were ready to fight, but when they actually entered, they found that it was empty.

Upon further inspection, everyone could smell a strong smell of rosin. Vadim checked around with his sword and couldn't help but be puzzled: "Strange, is this a newly built building? There are no furnishings, but their flag is hanging." Vadim and his men were leaving the empty wooden castle , and soon found other large buildings in the village.

He occupied the public granary in the village and the only bakery in the village with a large clay oven.

The bakery oven will not go out easily. Multiple loaves are baked in the smoldering kiln, and it often takes a whole day to bake them through.

This batch of bread was put into the oven early in the morning. I never thought that a large army would arrive at noon. The woman in charge of baking bread was curled up. Just when Vadim's target was about to attack, Vadim stopped him.

"If you kill this old woman, who will cook for us?" The question was very realistic, and the subordinates stopped.

The outer layer of the bread is just cooked, but the inside is still a ball of dough, so the outer layer is soft and crispy.

The hungry Vadim stuffed his stomach with bread and quickly felt full of strength. He then searched for other food and was quite satisfied.

The houses of the wealthy households in the village were looted, and the cattle and sheep were taken out of the pens. The soldiers slaughtered the cattle and sheep in the winding streets, cutting off the best legs and roasting them on the fire.

Vadim didn't think too much for the time being, so he took the bloody leg of lamb handed over by his subordinates, peeled it off and put it directly in the heating charcoal basin. It didn't matter that the surface of the lamb was roasted black, and the lamb was half-cooked and covered in a lot of charcoal. Hui, he still ate happily, completely ignoring the fact that he was already full of bread.

The village public granary is full of wheat, so you don't have to worry about getting their army. Vadim stayed in the home of a wealthy family, but the family had already fled.

They just run! In this way, the army can free its hands and feet to loot. For a while, Vadim didn't know what was happening on the other side of the river, nor did he know how many villages there were along the river.

He ate happily and gathered in a house with more than 20 brothers. He lay casually on the ground and stroked his swollen and hard belly, and couldn't help but feel sleepy.

At the same time, some soldiers gradually gathered by the river. Their appearance caused the originally frightened and helpless people to start taking risks. Some people began to try to swim in the winter, which was almost suicide.

The uninformed Smolensk soldiers had no intention of killing them, but now that they saw the villagers committing suicide by jumping into the glacier, they just thought it was a show... But what they couldn't ignore was that not far away from the other side of the river stood the A large fortress.

Its existence instantly reminded these people who had just eaten to refresh themselves of the extremely painful memories that had just happened not long ago.

The fortress had a damn watchtower, and the Russian flag hung from the wooden walls. The existence of the flag is a provocation. Compared with the artificially dug water trenches of the previous fort, the new fort simply has two natural rivers as barriers.

Of course, when the ice layer is thick enough, the army can attack by force. The question is, must we attack by force? Or do the brothers really have to face a brand new fortress to fight against?

All this completely exceeded everyone's expectations. At this moment, the New Polotsk Fortress, the only military fortress in the Polotsk region of the Principality of Ostara of the Kingdom of Rus, is already a masterpiece.

Soldiers wearing iron helmets stood on the city wall one after another. Crossbows, recurve bows, and even ordinary short wooden bows were used by the defenders to maintain high alert with these three long-range weapons.

In terms of defense level and garrison equipment, the general guarding the Novopolotsk fortress, Vesuend, did not dare to act rashly.

Not long after the fortress was built, there was not a single torsion slingshot commonly used for both offense and defense, there were no heavy weapons, and even the number of crossbows was too few.

Visuend stood on the wooden wall and watched the situation on the other side of the Polota River vigilantly.

"Boss, there are many people there. Are they committing suicide by jumping into the river?"

"Bah! Boy." He pressed the unconscious soldier hard: "You are too young, can't you see that they are running for their lives?"

"Dive into icy water to escape? You're either brave or stupid."

"He was so panicked that he didn't choose a way out. Alas...it's so pitiful."

"What should we do?" Another little soldier asked nervously.

"What else can we do? Keep observing. It seems that the sudden attack is really the Smolensk army. I'm afraid our fortress in the east has collapsed, and we have to do our best to protect ourselves." After talking to himself, Vesuend He turned around and shouted to the eager Danish warriors gathered in the fortress: "Don't even think about fighting! The door is closed tightly. No one can go out, and no one can come in!"

"Nonsense! We just want to fight the enemy who has cut off our trade routes!" A strong Danish man holding a long-handled battle ax roared like a giant bear, and raised the weapon high above his head.

A female warrior with a tattoo on her left cheek also shouted in her sharp voice: "Just open the door, we will cross the river and kill them." For a moment, the armed Danish businessmen shouted loudly, and they happened to be so enthusiastic about fighting. The Polotsk villagers who had been living in the fortress for a few months quickly settled down from panic.

Vesuend's mind was in a mess, and he continued to roar after holding it in for a while: "My boss in this city. Guys from Denmark, please be quiet first. It's not too late to wait until we figure out the situation before going to fight. The gate must be sealed now." As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with a burst of boos.

All the gates of the fortress were bolted with wooden poles, and a large number of archers were gathered on the gates to focus on defense. Vesuend just wanted to wait for work to figure out the reality.

After all, the fleeing businessman claimed that the enemy numbered five thousand, but their true strength is still unknown, so it is best to assume that this number is true.

Just watching a group of villagers who forcibly crossed the Bolota River gradually disappeared after jumping into the river and splashing around. Although it was painful, I could only watch.

Of course, there are also people who are physically strong enough to swim across the river. They don’t care that the water on their exposed backs quickly freezes under the cold wind. They stagger towards the fortress and are so cold that they can no longer speak. He simply ran under the wooden wall and cast a pleading look at the people on the city.

"What a brave man. Quickly lower the rope and pull the person up." Wesuend ordered. Those who successfully crossed the river were all stronger male villagers. They did not fight the invaders. Now they even abandoned their wives and children and climbed onto the city wall by grabbing the rope handed over by the conqueror of Rus.

There was such a person who huddled up and cried bitterly when he entered the fortress. After putting on a blanket and handing him a bowl of hot water to regain some energy, he was willing to tell others what happened.

It turned out that this person and his family forced themselves across the river to escape. People who were afraid of being humiliated and abused by the intruders rushed to jump into the glacier. This person's wife and children disappeared without a trace, and they probably froze to death and remained silent at the bottom of the river.

He was still huddled in a ball. Weisuend basically understood his description, and he became furious. He raised his foot and kicked him: "Coward! You are a man and you can obviously fight. Now your women and children are dead, but you are running away." We've arrived at our safe fortress." The man was still curled up, covering his heart and just howling.

"Tell me, who attacked you." This is the most critical question. Another successful escapee finally gave an answer that everyone guessed - the Smolensk army.

At this moment, Danish warriors carrying round shields and already wearing chain mail gathered here. They looked majestic and invulnerable.

On the other hand, the less than ten people who successfully crossed the river looked as cowardly as prisoners awaiting execution. No northern warrior looks down upon a coward who surrenders without a fight.

Vesuend pointed his sword at them: "Since it's really those guys. You...did you find a leader named Vadim?" The fugitives looked at each other, unable to answer an answer.

"Forget it, you are a bunch of frightened rabbits. Do you deserve to be alive if you abandon your family and only run for your own lives?" A Danish soldier fiercely interjected: "Brother, there is too much nonsense talking to cowards. They stay in the fortress for nothing. It’s a waste of our food. It’s better to kill them.” Hearing

The word "kill" made the fugitive shudder again.

"No need." Visuend shook his head.

"I will give them a spear to make them pay for their crimes." After that, he looked at these people and threatened: "We will fight back, and you must take the lead. Your family members are dead, what qualifications do you have to live?" Those enemies are dominating your villages, but when our Russian army came, they did not kill people everywhere in your villages. It is precisely we who help you resolve the crisis. Do you understand what I mean?" Whether you understand it or not, now Just nod your head and say yes.

Visuend scolded again: "Listen, we don't breed cowards here. You fight in the front, and we supervise the battle in the back. If you don't fight hard, we will kill you." The Polota River is not wide and can bear it. The only ones who successfully swam to the other side in the extreme cold were some young and middle-aged men.

Bodies that were frozen to death and drowned would be pushed by the river to the main channel of the West Dvina River, where the river surface was finally covered by a thin layer of ice and was rapidly thickening. The corpses were pushed by the river under the ice layer. Can't see the fame.

Across the river, the Smolensk army ravaged and pillaged the villages. Vadim, who had just fallen asleep, was awakened by the soldiers who broke in.

"Oh, boss, you are indeed here!" The soldier half-knelt beside him in panic. Suddenly waking up, Vadim subconsciously pulled out the dagger, and then let go when he saw that it was one of his own.

"Be careful in the future, I will almost kill you." The soldier didn't care too much and shouted: "Boss, go to the river and have a look. The Russians... The damn Russians actually have a fortress on the other side of the river!"

"Ah?!" Vadim burst into tears, and his embarrassment disappeared instantly. He instantly remembered the new house in the village that was deserted but hung with the Ross flag, and for a moment he felt that something was strange. Are the real Ross people on the other side of the river?

He didn't want things to turn out like this, especially when his overall strength was weak and he was fighting against a strong enemy.

Carrying his sword, he organized some strong warriors to arrive at the riverside area, banged his head and shouted that he was careless. He sent troops to stop the chaotic escape of the villagers, and the farce of jumping into the river to commit suicide finally came to an end. At this moment, the largest village had lost a large number of people, and it was undoubtedly a catastrophe.

Vadim had no intention of declaring war on the Polotsk people. If the situation continues, it will be a formal declaration of war!

He intended to make long-term plans for the future. If he said that he had gone too far in Polotsk, the news would definitely reach the ears of the two large tribes in the south.

Vadim had heard that the Drevlians and the Drigovich people had formed an alliance at Doleb, one of their altars.

Those guys must know what the various Varyags, including the Russians, are doing. The Varyags are extremely warlike. It would be bad if they thought that the Smolensk people were also warlike.

Vadim didn't want those guys to have a very bad initial understanding of his power, especially himself.

"Russians. You are a bunch of shy turtles. You hide in the fortress and don't dare to attack. You are still relying on the protection of the glacier. For the time being... I really can't deal with you." Vadim muttered to himself viciously, glancing not very far away The fortress said harshly: "Thank you for being here. When the river freezes and my army can cross the river smoothly, I will find a way to burn you all to death!" Because Vadim thought of something he had wanted to try for a long time. Trick - Arson Combat.

It is said that a large amount of oil-rich pine was arranged around the Russian fortress. After being lit in advance, the soldiers risked their lives and piled it against the enemy's wall.

Vadim saw the possibility of implementing this tactic. As the weather is getting colder and colder, the enemy's clear water can easily freeze, so don't expect it to put out fires.

Considering that I already have the manpower advantage, and now that I have basically completed the occupation of Polotsk, I think it is possible to mobilize local civilian forces to fight, right?

The largest village in the village alliance has completely become a large military camp of the Smolensk army. The soldiers live in civilian houses. The villagers who are afraid of the cold have to go home and stay with these invaders due to the pressure of survival.

The initial chaos was over, and Vadim established a completely new system. He found out from some elders in the villagers why there were Russian forces in Polotsk. It turned out that the Russians were the real invaders.

Vadim gathered the leading figures in the village and told these old guys who had no ability to escape: "I am Vadim, the leader of Smolensk, and I am here to rescue you. Our army will attack the Russians with all our strength. What happened in your village Everything is a misunderstanding. I want you to support me, provide food to ensure the survival of our army, and organize men to join the army to fight for me. You must support me in attacking the Russians, otherwise, you are the enemy." Polotsk came to meet Smo Lensk has no grievances, because it was previously ruled by Rus, so there are grievances.

In the opinion of the elders in this village, the Smolensk people are much worse than those Russian conquerors. They are the real invaders!

A huge army poured in. Since the villagers had paid tribute to the Russian conquerors, although the remaining food was enough for everyone to eat until next autumn harvest, was there still enough food to feed the three thousand new people?

Under pressure from Smolensk, they had no choice but to do so. With the largest village in hand, the remaining villages are too small and they can be easily forced to surrender.

After spending an extremely sleepless night, the garrison of Novopolodsk Fort, who was busy preparing for war, noticed a large number of bonfires on the other side of the river. At first, they were really worried about the enemy's huge strength, but they comforted themselves considering that the enemy might also use the bonfire tactic to mislead the enemy. many.

Vadim is not a simple reckless man. He will definitely learn something after suffering a loss. He was indeed using the campfire tactics, and the tactics did come from the Ross army, but the apprentice couldn't deceive the master.

Because it's so cold and there's so much room to live in, what kind of fool would spend the night outdoors in the cold?

Unless they want a night attack. That night, the fortress defenders took turns keeping an eye on the Danes and the Ostara warriors from Rus, all wearing their armor and huddled together in the building to sleep.

Nothing happened this night, and there seemed to be no intention of starting a war the next day. The Bolota River is a real natural chasm until the ice is thick enough to allow safe passage, and Vesuende is not worried about their attack.

As for when the river will have thick enough ice, it will probably be five days later, provided of course that the weather can continue to be cold.

Vadim on the other side of the river was not idle. He learned that the husbands of many female villagers had died in previous battles against the Russians. It just so happened that many of his men had blood feuds with the Russians. As a man who was still unmarried, it was better to have a relationship directly. If the relationship is solid, wouldn’t it be good for everyone?

Although they all have a grudge against the Rus, it does not mean that the female villagers must commit themselves to another group of invaders. Besides, the Rus may not be that bad, at least not as bad as the Smolensk people.

Vadim's move was really counterproductive, and he was enjoying it. All villages sent people to the largest village, and Vadim naturally sat in the building where the Rus' flag once hung.

It is said that this is the residence built by a high-ranking female noble of Ross for herself, and it is also one of the symbols of Ross's conquest of this place.

Vadim was overjoyed: "Then it is now my residence." Vadim took possession of it and was worshiped by the envoys here.

What else can be done? The Polotsk people suffered heavy losses in the war a year ago and their backs were broken. Now they have suffered another military disaster and lost a lot of their population again.

"Will you treat us well? Just like you would treat your own people?" an old man asked cautiously.

"Of course. As long as you surrender to me, you are my tribe. From then on, you Polotsk will be integrated into my Smolensk community. In exchange, you are also obliged to fight for me. I have thought about it. When the river is clear, Freeze, I will tear down the fortress in front of me, kill all the Russians inside, and avenge you Polotsk." What he said was sanctimonious, but why did he think that the villagers would still have to fight with weapons at that time, so what if they win, Polotsk Many people will die at that time.

And once the King of Rus learns of the Polotsk clan rebellion, he is afraid that they will come again next time... The villagers caught in the gap feel that no matter what choice they make, they are wrong.

But if we don’t support Vadim now, I’m afraid the entire community will be killed by his army! The elders from each village gathered at the meeting had no choice but to admit that Vadim was the leader to avoid greater catastrophe.