Rise of Rurik

A cavalry team from the steppe arrived in Kiev smoothly. Here they watched the local autumn priests at the altar on the bank of the Dnieper River. The leader of the cavalry team had a pleasant conversation with the Slavic nobles of Kiev.

The leader of the cavalry is none other than Kagan, the successor to Pecheneg Khan!

The large wooden house was full of men, and it seemed strange to see a young woman sitting among them.

She is Bayasil, one of Kagan's biological sisters, and she is also the youngest and most beautiful among them.

She is by no means a weak woman. Like other Pecheneg female nobles, she was forced to learn horse riding like her brothers at a very young age. Even if they are women and will inevitably become mothers in the future, their other identities are female warriors.

The vast grasslands gave birth to countless nomadic tribes. It was the Amazon tribe that gave birth to the Sarmatians. Those tough female warriors put the Roman army to shame.

Beyathil is not a weak person. Although he has never participated in a battle, he is still very skilled with bow and horse. She is now equipped with new weapons, and her personal combat power should be greatly increased.

Of course, her trip with her brother was not an autumn outing. This trip was to implement a major event in life - marriage.

The future husband is not a stranger, but his brother's sworn brother, Rus Khan Rurik.

Yes, in 839, Kagan tried his best to quickly return to the tribal alliance garrison at the mouth of the Volga River, unloading a large amount of supplies imported from Rus, and faced an astonishing number of bear skins and terrifying giant bear tusks. Head, a kind of fear from deep inside arises spontaneously.

The Pechenegs feared Rus in the far north, and they were also proud, so they equated the Principality of Rus with their own existence.

The Pecheneg people and nobles are willing to call Rus a khanate, and the leader of Rus is the Khan. Bearskin was a heavy thermal material, mixed with imported linen, which improved the clothing warmth problem of the prairie people.

A large amount of ironware and a large amount of the best white salt (referring to Atlantic sea salt) are the most shocking to the alliance!

That's a lot of iron spearheads! Easily crafted into a large number of mounted spears!

A large amount of salt was unloaded, and the Pecheneg tribes had never had so much good salt at once in the past.

As for the price paid by the tribal alliance, it was only 500 good horses! Five hundred horses is certainly a big deal, but the advantage is that everyone can concentrate on raising horses. As long as the horses are successfully transported to Rus, the Pechenegs can obtain very important salt and iron supplies without risking war. What's more, the Rus' people are one of the few forces that have established friendly relations with everyone. The Rus' rulers have become blood-sworn brothers with Kagan. How can the Pechenegs live up to such important goodwill?

Ever since, Beyahil ushered in her mission.

She took her two maids with her and rode a horse to join the cavalry heading north.

The first stop is here, Kiev on the Dnieper River.

Once upon a time, the Krivi Slavs of Kiev were wary of the Pechenegs, Khazars and Bulgars who were not very far away. In recent years, the Pecheneg nobleman Kagan has always entered Kiev in the forest area with a peaceful attitude, and the people's alertness has become increasingly weakened.

The Kiev people also have the ability to export linen fabrics and a small amount of leather to the grasslands. Although the volume is not as large as that provided by the Rus Principality, it is a useful supplement to the grassland people.

The Pecheneg people in the grassland did not simply export horses to the north this time. There was a batch of hard dry cheese, butter, and even koumiss piled on the horses' backs. Sitting on the riverside grasslands of the lower reaches of the Volga River with rich water and grass, the Pechenegs are working hard to produce these dairy products and are busy raising horses. Their peaceful work is for this autumn's trade with Russia.

The large wooden house was very lively, the Kagan brothers and sisters were distinguished guests from afar, and the most distinguished Kiev nobleman in the wooden house was Markosaky.

Those who dare to take risks and bring treasures and wonderful news from far away to their hometown are always respected.

The Krivi Slavs in Kiev cannot even be regarded as a tribal alliance. They are just a group of small Slavic tribes that claim to have the same origin and live their lives guarding a public altar. We are not monolithic but we don't want to betray each other either. Anyone can do whatever we want, as long as the man is young, powerful and has extraordinary achievements.

Is Sakhi such a person? At least not entirely.

He has made great achievements and is currently not respected as the top talker in various tribes and villages.

So, he needs more merit.

The wooden house was filled with the chatter of men, and everyone was talking in Slavic. A pair of eyes were staring at the short black-haired Bejahir, but they were too embarrassed to point and speak.

Sakhi coughed hard. Formal talks require a person like him to start talking.

"Kagan Khan! My old friend." He directly called Kagan Khan and approached him. "I know your purpose very well. You want to go to Rus to do business. How can we Kiev people not be involved in this matter."

"Yes! We participate!"

"We must participate! We want to make a fortune along the way."

…

Halfway through Sakye's words, his fellow tribesmen started shouting and making noises again. This attitude directly amused Kagan.

"Friend, why are you laughing?" Sakhi muttered.

"Did I laugh? Maybe. Seeing your nobles so enthusiastic makes me relieved."

Sakye signaled the tribesmen to be quiet, smiled awkwardly, and his beard fluttered: "I heard that you have multiple sisters, and obviously this...is one of your sisters."

"Asking knowingly."

"I also know what you mean. Marrying her to that Rurik is a smart choice, and I also know that Duke Rurik of Ross also agrees. You have decided to marry, which is a closer relationship than a blood alliance. "

"Oh? Why am I listening? You Kiev people also want to send a noble daughter to marry the Russians?"

"No need. Our status is not as noble as yours." Sakhi depreciated himself and made it clear at the same time: "However, we Kiev people are willing to send some women to Russia."

"Did you bring some female tribesmen to go north?"

"Are you kidding me?" Sakhi winked, then threw his head up and laughed.

Kagan stopped pretending when he saw this: "I understand, let's attack the Smolensk people together."

"Or you can have some other options."

"what for?"

"Do you Pechenegs really think that our only competitors are the Smolensks?"

"Who else?" Kagan couldn't help but get excited at the mention of sneak attack and robbery, so he stuck his mustachioed head to ask what happened.

Thackeray was no ambiguity either. He simply stood up and pointed to the west in front of everyone: "On the other side of the river are our competitors, the Drevlians." He pointed to the northeast again: "When you come, you can actually first Going around there, the local Lamic people are also our competitors.”

The cheerful expression was replaced by seriousness, and Kagan understood the other party's signal: "Let's launch a surprise attack?"

"Actually you can, we can even join forces."

"Does this...take a long time?"

Upon hearing this, Maksakye breathed a sigh of relief. He was sure that his persuasion had successfully aroused the strong interest of the prairie warriors.

Although this huge forest area is vast and sparsely populated, in theory, various tribes and villages can live their lives in peace and harmony. But human greed has no limits. In this era, population is the productive force, and plundering other tribes' populations and materials is not considered a sin. The huge forest area in Eastern Europe is like a dark forest. If a tribe wants to be strong, it must not simply hide itself, but try every means to expand its population resources.

The Krevics in Kiev also want to expand their strength, but they don't want to take big risks.

Now there are more than two hundred Pecheneg warriors appearing in Kiev as armed merchants. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to join forces and go threshing grass from neighboring tribes just after the autumn harvest?

Sakhi took the opportunity to pat the rainbow fart: "With your strength, it is not a problem to eliminate some small villages. After we unite, we can do greater things. When we attack the Drevlians to the west, we have to pass through the swamp area (Puri Piat), you have to go there by boat, which is very disadvantageous for your cavalry. But attacking the Mickey people in La is not a problem at all."

"Let the horses be placed on your poor canoes. It is true that our warriors will not be afraid, but our horses will be too frightened. If we attack the Mickey people you mentioned by land, I am willing. But..."

"Are you worried? I know you are worried."

Kagan raised his head: "Then give me some reasons to support you immediately."

"We can launch a surprise attack, which won't waste a lot of time. We all use cavalry to fight for a quick victory. I know their villages, and as a guide I will ensure that the coalition forces do not get lost."

"Is that so?" A ferocious smile appeared on Kagan's face, like a wolf staring at a helpless lamb. He slapped his thigh: "I thought you were encouraging us to join forces to attack the Smolensk people, but you actually attacked the Mickey people you said you were pulling."

"At least it's very safe."

"Are the Mickey people you pulled weak?"

"The population is small and the overall body is not strong. In principle, they are related to us, but they are not willing to join us. To deal with such people, our method in Kiev is to beat them. Besides, we also need a group of women. I believe you It’s also needed.”

"Indeed, we need foreign women to bear our children." Kagan replied.

These words between men were quite barbaric, and they completely ignored the existence of Beyathil, a woman. Bayahir didn't think so. She couldn't have any empathy with the so-called Mickey woman.

Sakhi also had other concerns. He confessed to Kagan: "I am still wary of the Smolensk people. Last year we succeeded. This year I am worried that they will be on guard."

"Do you think it will be difficult for us grassland warriors to win?"

"Better be careful! Smolensk has a large population, if..."

"Forget it. You are just a man selling horses, and you still don't understand the fighting style of our prairie people."

Kagan was indeed a noble, but Sakhi was not a generational noble of the Kiev Slavs. He could see that this Sakhi actually wanted to use his military exploits to gain greater political capital in his community so that he could be promoted to the position of "Khan".

Sakhi's role as the "Khan" of the Kiev people is obviously beneficial and harmless to the Pecheneg tribal alliance. Although he himself looks down on this group of Kiev people, he is also clearly aware that Pecheneg faces the current international situation. If you are able to develop some powerful allies, try to build close relationships.

Fighting through mergers with potential allies is a quick way to establish good relationships.

No, Kagan made a bold statement: "The Mickey people are going to sneak attack! The Smolensk people are going to attack even more! I will leave a small number of troops to take care of my commercial horses, and I will personally lead two hundred elite cavalry to launch an attack." Attack. What should you do?"

"One hundred cavalry!" Sakhi said through gritted teeth.

"One hundred cavalry? Do you really have that many?"

"Of course there are."

"Okay. You!" Kagan pointed directly at Sakhi's face, "You are a horse seller, and you won't lie when it comes to horses. Listen, we don't have much time. If we can't solve it quickly, You and your Kiev nobles are both guilty for delaying my journey to Rus! And! If I don’t get satisfactory benefits from this raid, you are all guilty too.”

Not to be outdone, Sakhi faced the threat: "We will cooperate very happily, and I guarantee with honor that our coalition will be glorious."

Sakye is risking everything he has again. He wants to be a talkative person recognized by everyone, and showing military exploits is a shortcut.

The Pechenegs' cavalry consisted of nearly 250 cavalrymen and 200 commercial horses. The size of this armed merchant group was smaller than last year, and the purpose of Kagan's trip was also very clear. After buying horses, he tried his best to buy Russian ironware and salt. In the final analysis, what grassland people need most is salt and iron.

Horses are commodities. If some women can be captured and sold to the Russians, the total amount of commodities will be greatly increased.

After all, last year, the noble Rurik was beating his chest, demanding that as many people as possible be sent to his Rus. In principle, as long as all kinds of people are exported except the elderly, Ross is not picky, and young women are the best.

This is where Kagan was tempted. No, he immediately began to prepare for war.

The Pecheneg cavalry began to assemble, and even Kagan's sister Beyashir put on a leather helmet and put down the silver-plated mask that protected her face, dressing up as a male warrior and joining the cavalry.

"Actually, you don't need to participate in the attack." Kagan advised his sister.

"Why bother? If I were a man, you would not reject me. Even if I were a woman... Besides, as you said, Rurik's wives and concubines are all female warriors. The Russian female warriors are good at using bows and arrows. I'm exactly the same."

Her words made sense, and Kagan had no choice but to obey.

The Pecheneg cavalry came from a powerful tribal alliance. Although they were not strong compared to the Khazars, Magyars (Hungary) and Bulgars, they relied on "non-contact" cheating tactics on the grasslands. It can make the opponent lose his temper.

After all, Kagan had lived in Russia for a long time. While training cavalry for the Russians, he also witnessed the tactics of the Russians. He discovered that his Pechenegs and Rus had something in common - both armies liked to use bows and arrows.

In this way, this Pecheneg cavalry warrior is equipped with two long-range weapons-the crossbow and the recurve bow.

The bow arm of the crossbow is a recurve bow. The collar at the front end can be put on the saddle. The soldier can hold the bowstring with both hands and lean back to complete the winding, even to the extreme long draw length that is not easy to achieve. In this way, the soldier can hold a crossbow and shoot, or even dismount and lie down to shoot.

The other piece is naturally a traditional recurve bow, with bone clusters and iron cluster arrows.

Paired with short spears, imported Ross steel swords and hand axes.

All cavalry have metal masks and helmets with brown spotted feathers. The massing of the Pecheneg cavalry daunted the so-called Kiev cavalry.

Without him, in order to cope with Kagan's request, Sakye was also annoyed that he had to bring out a hundred cavalry to show off his talent. He really managed to get these one hundred cavalry, and the quality was a joke.

A leather blanket was covered on the horse's back, hemp ropes were used as pedals, and the farmer armed with a short wooden bow and a short spear sat on it. The horses are not excellent, and most of them don't even have iron shoes.

Of course, there are some well-equipped warriors among them, but the unparalleled ones are the brothers who followed Sakye to Ross last year. He could provide fifty cavalry, but this time he had to provide a hundred cavalry, which was a source of ridicule to Pecheneg.

Even so, these guys are all allies after all.

There were only two days between the meeting and the launch of the attack on the Mickey village in La.

When the cavalry came out, they immediately showed mobility that far exceeded that of the infantry, even if they had all entered the forest area.

The Kiev settlement where they started completely coincides with the geography of Kiev a thousand years later. The target area of ​​their attack is the forest area in eastern Chernigov a thousand years later, where the Lamic people live.

In terms of situation, although the population of the Lamic people is much smaller than that of the Krivi people in Kiev, they are directly bordering the areas controlled by the Kiev people. This creates a direct conflict of interest, the so-called conflict over hunting rights.

If he could overlook the earth from a God's perspective, Kagan would decisively choose to lead all the cavalry and rush straight away, and then go straight north after gaining profits.

He believed Sakye's description, and after completing the raid, he would digest a batch of loot in the Kiev area, and then lead the army northward for the second time.

This would naturally consume some time. Thinking of the benefits of population plunder from the expedition, he resolutely carried out this military adventure.

Seeing that the Pechenegs had such a firm attitude, Maksakye, the upstart Kiev man who was the actual initiator of the war, did not dare to show any slightness.

Three hundred riders headed towards the target, and the Mickey people were completely unaware of all this.

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :