Rise of Rurik

Novgorod welcomed back their king, and Rurik stood here again.

When the king returns, all talk of conquest becomes reality. The country is about to launch a war, and any talented man or woman should contribute to the war!

The young cavalry warriors were dressed in costumes, and even their mounts were covered with gorgeous "sheets".

Turkic barbarian horses are not particularly tall, but they are distinguished by their cold resistance and high endurance. The young cavalryman mounted it, looking majestic with his lance in hand. The towering bearskin hats, leather cloaks, and leather boots that looked shiny in the sun made them look like Cossack cavalry warriors. It would really mean that if they still carried muskets.

They didn't have any advanced weapons yet, but half of them were equipped with recurve bows. Regardless of the level of the soldiers' riding and archery skills, at least there is no problem in throwing arrows at group enemies on horseback. This is enough.

They are the most mobile army on land in the Kingdom of Ross, and they are also a branch of arms that will be vigorously developed in the future.

This is why Rurik, who returned, gave priority to reviewing the cavalry.

There was a sea of ​​joy in Novgorod. The Slavs welcomed their king, queen and prince. Rurik then deliberately rode a horse with a golden crown on his head and paraded through the city of Novgorod so that thousands of people could clearly see his honor.

He was immersed in the cheers of the people, and the whole city was as lively as a festival.

The joy came to an end for the time being, and the cavalry under review continued their own affairs. Rurik returned to his palace to hear what happened recently in Medvet, the regional governor and uncle of the country.

Rurik sat casually on a spread out polar bear skin. The eyes of the bear's head were gouged out, and its ferocious fangs and mouth were wide open, vowing to devour some.

Medved saw his brother-in-law again. Rurik took off his gorgeous clothes and sat on a bear skin. The room was warm and he only wore a long elegant white dress. His golden ponytail hair was still the same, and the golden laurel crown on his head. I still don't want to take it off.

"You're here, it's just you and me here, no need to be formal, just do it."

"okay."

As for Medved, he has a lot to report to Rurik. Especially now, there is something very important that must be said in advance. He just sat down and said: "Now there is one thing, our friends on the grassland, they experienced some things and were late, but they have arrived in New Ostara safely now. Since you are back, they will also set off to come .”

"Is it Kagan and the others?"

"Exactly."

"If you didn't tell me, I would have ignored it. They must be trafficking horses this time? What a beautiful thing."

"That's right. Carlotta received them first, and the messenger said that soon Carlotta herself will come to Novgorod with her children."

Rurik nodded: "Then let them come together. I am very concerned about Kagan and his party, and you...should know the list of goods they trafficked."

"The letter delivered by the courier has instructions..." That's it, Medved introduced everything.

"Very good. Good horses and recurve bows. These are the war preparation materials our army urgently needs. As for the dairy products they traffick, they are nothing. I will wait for them here. You... then report other things. Tell me, war preparations How’s it going.”

"As commanded."

Medved immediately introduced it. According to him, the current Slavic flag force in the army is 800 people. In fact, if the king is willing, there is no problem in expanding the army to 8,000 people. Based on past experience, all wars conducted by Rurik's charioteer were a complete victory, and the soldiers who participated in the battles regardless of their ethnic origin received trophies and honors.

War has become a shortcut to improve life. Men who are eager to get more loot no longer worry about death. Firstly, if they are injured, they can be treated with some medicines, which will most likely save their lives and return to normal. Secondly, even if they die in battle, they will His wife and children can also receive pensions. Especially for a man who died in battle, his heirs were raised directly by the king, and when they grew up, they took over the social status of their father who died in battle.

In this era, people's attitude towards death is always dull, because any life is difficult, and it is a blessing to live to old age. Most of the time, people decline in their prime. We should be like a fire, shining in our limited life force to create a better life for our descendants. Now that living conditions have been greatly improved than before, poor Slavic farmers have finally begun to enjoy simple happiness. They are like getting a piece of honey, and now they want more.

Medved's talk of gathering eight thousand men was not absurd.

According to traditional standards, a wooden stick is inserted into the spearhead, and a man holding this short spear is considered a warrior. Is this considered a soldier? Then it is possible to gather 20,000 or even 30,000 troops in the area around Lake Ilmen.

He is definitely not lying, but based on the fish scale book, he can provide quite detailed data on the men in various farms in the region.

"Are there really eight thousand strong men?" Rurik couldn't help but ask.

"Indeed, the data we have is accurate. How many men are there between the ages of twelve and fifty, and how many are in the prime of life between the ages of fifteen and thirty? You can check the documents yourself on this matter. "

It was like saying that the matter was left to Rurik himself. He waved his hand and said, "I believe it, so there is no need to see it in person."

"So……"

"Now you continue to work, select 500 old warriors from the flag team, and then recruit 500 new soldiers, a total of 1,000 people. This is the strength of the Slavic army in this year's war. You have to train them all as spear-wielding warriors. , forming an array like a hedgehog, you know exactly how to do it."

"Yes! It's just." Medved has always been very worried about this: "I am just worried that if a thousand strong men leave at once, what will happen to the spring plowing?"

"This is not a problem. For you, after the spring plowing is completed, the big ships will carry the army and leave Novgorod. You may not be able to participate in the early battles, but I will need a large number of follow-up troops for the later conquest. At this time, your troops It is the key to the final victory. You should also pay attention to choosing a man who is not prone to seasickness."

"As commanded."

A stone fell from his heart, but Medved was still surprised by the king's generous preparations for the war. The Slavs alone sent a thousand troops. How many troops did other ethnic groups send? Since the war against Jotalan was a joint action by all forces within the kingdom, could the total strength of the kingdom be five thousand?

Medved made a guess. Of course, commanding an ancient army is not necessarily about having more troops. The strength, combat effectiveness, and logistics must reach a balance with each other. It is theoretically possible to really gather a force of five thousand men. Of course, this is based on the fact that the king does not have to be responsible for the military expenses and logistics of the group of lords in Sweden.

Rurik continued to wait, and he did not wait long.

While he was waiting for people from the south such as Carlota and Kagan to come to meet him, he also sent a group of messengers to convey the news of the meeting to the surrendered Slavic farm boyars.

Finally, a large cavalry team arrived safely in Novgorod amid the white snow.

Rurik was dressed in holy attire, with a gold crown on his head and sunglasses. He looked a little funny, and his appearance was particularly iconic.

A year later, Kagan felt that his Rurik brothers were taller and stronger. On the other hand, he was too thin as a son of the prairie. He took the reins and spurred the horse closer to his sister.

"Beya Hill..."

"Um?"

"Did you see the tall man in front of you who was guarded by many warriors?"

"Saw it. He...had huge black eyes."

"Silly girl, those are Russian sunglasses, just like the ones I'm wearing now. They protect my eyes from being blinded by the snow. That's Rurik, your man."

"Is it really him?" Bayahir had actually had a premonition for a long time. She was surprised that a man could be as tall and strong as a hill, with hair and beards of golden threads. Now that her brother pointed it out, it turned out to be true.

She suddenly had a worry: "I want to...be his woman. Am I too young?"

"You are not young anymore."

"No! I mean..." Bayahir said nothing more. Kagan understood what his sister was saying and immediately comforted her: "You do have an advantage."

"What is it?"

"After all, I have bloodshed with Rurik, and I know what he likes. Your face and your body will definitely be liked by him. I don't know why he is like this, but he does like it."

Bejahir wore a huge fluffy hat, which made her head look small. Her stature is not short among the women in the grassland. When she arrived in New Ostara and compared with the local female ruler Carlotta, she realized her short stature. Now that she saw the real Ross warrior and the Ross Khan himself, she became He really became a dwarf.

Rurik saw Kagan's interesting mustache clearly, and he took off his sunglasses to show his face.

Look! Those bright blue eyes, those deep eyes and angular face, as well as being extremely well-manicured, are probably such a northern lion.

Beyathil had never seen such a man before, and instinctively felt that he was a truly strong man.

Kagan and his sister got off the horse. The two brothers saw Carlotta, who was riding a deer-drawn sleigh, holding her son in her arms. As soon as they got off the sleigh, they rushed straight to Rurik.

Rurik was also very interesting at this time. He lifted Karl up high, held him in his arms and kissed him hard. As a father facing many children, it is impossible to spread the father's love equally. As a side branch, Karl was destined to not receive a lot of fatherly love. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rurik had no choice but to make up for him as much as possible.

Watching her husband and son playing intimately, Carlotta felt like she had a jar of honey in her mouth.

Karl was placed on the ground, and the little boy quickly hugged his father's thigh.

"He likes you so much."

"I can see that Karl is not young anymore. I will pick him up in a few years. This is my son. He will gather with the princes, and I will teach them a lot myself."

"That's great. Rurik, look at me and the cavalry behind me. I have always implemented the tasks you gave me." Carlotta opened her arms to demonstrate. She was attracted by Rurik. He pulled her into his arms, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered: "It's rare for you to come here, we must have a good time together."

She really knew the true meaning of "getting together well", and she felt so happy.

She was also self-aware and had another protagonist for the time being. When she saw this, she pulled her son Karl aside.

Kagan held his sister's hand and walked on the porcelain snow. Look at Beyathil. She took off her hat to reveal her gorgeous and complicated braids, and then saluted Rurik.

"She? She is? What a beautiful girl."

Kagan smiled boldly and said, "Brother, you must have forgotten. She is my sister Beyah Hill, and from now on... she will be your wife."

"So it's her? She's so beautiful."

Rurik then stretched out his right hand, lifted the girl's chin, and looked at her face. He managed to avoid the girl's look, but now it was Beyahil who was being scrutinized in embarrassment.

To be fair, this young female noblewoman from Pecheneg does not have big bright eyes. Her eyes are even a little small, but fortunately they look quite harmonious compared to the whole face. She has an oriental or oriental grassland face, which is definitely not comparable to that of Xiaojiabiyu. She has a rough and bold beauty, and there is something special in her eyes.

Rurik could guess what it was, he knew it but didn't say it.

"Your age? Your name."

A strangely accented voice in the Turkic Pecheneg dialect, Rurik, blurted out, which surprised Beyashir.

I saw her nervously explaining her age, noble status, and even her noble name.

"Beya Sil? I have heard your brother tell you about you a long time ago. Are you really willing to marry me now?"

As a party to a political marriage, there was no room for personal opinions, but now, Beyah Hill felt the tenderness of this man. She was destined not to enjoy the favor of this tall man alone, at least not to be ignored by him.

Indeed, from Rurik's point of view, some soft parts deep in his soul were deeply touched by Beyathil's face.

This is my personal preference, but her brother, the next Pecheneg Khan, is here. As the king of Rus, he immediately showed his love for Beyashir. For Pecheneg, he released a huge of goodwill.

"I do. You are my destined... man." She said.

Rurik nodded with satisfaction.

He looked at Kagan again: "I want her! Kagan, I will treat your sister kindly. I know your habits, Beyathil must have the status of a concubine with me."

"That's good." Kagan nodded, knowing that Brother Rurik would not mess around.

In Ross's court system, the king's women were divided into four or three levels. The high priest of Rus is the king's first woman. Although she is not the queen, she is similar to the queen. This is just Rurik's personal preference. The woman who is inferior to these two female nobles is the concubine, and the Pecheneg people understand this. The Carlotta that Kagan knows is the "concubine" level, and there are currently only five concubines in the entire Ross.

And then there is the last class, the "slaves favored by the khan," as Kagan understands and indeed they are. The original identities of those ten maids were the ten maids selected by Old Otto for his son, and their identities were slaves. If a female slave is favored by the monarch, her mother will rise to great heights based on the wealth of her son, but the status of her descendants will not be very high.

His sister Beyahil's status as a "grand concubine" is in line with the rules. She will be the sixth concubine, and Kagan is quite satisfied.

He was afraid that there would be variables, and he was more anxious about his sister's marriage than the person involved.

"Brother Rurik, I leave my sister to you, and you must hold a wedding as soon as possible."

"Extremely anxious?" Rurik was shocked.

"Yes. This is an important mission entrusted to me by my father Khan. Brother, Beyahsir also admires you, but don't make her sad."

Hearing this, Rurik looked down at the little woman next to him, and he could indeed see her tenderness.

"Yes, but not today. Let's wait two or three days for your sister to prepare well, and I will also publicize it to the entire Novgorod people! Brother Kagan, I saw that you brought a large number of horses, and also There are... friends from Kiev. I am very happy. I will give you delicious meals, baths and warm accommodation to wash away your fatigue."

Since he has long been known as the "April Bull" among the people and has more women around him, Rurik has completely ignored the people's vulgar praise.

To marry the Pecheneg nobleman Beyashir, the matter must be done in a more grand manner, so that she can marry in with glory. As a daughter of the grassland, she seemed too small facing the tall city walls of Novgorod. She needed some time to adapt to the new life.

Regarding the purchase of large quantities of commodities and materials brought by the Pecheneg-Kiev armed merchant group, this matter can be left alone. Rurik also saw some women who were obviously dressed up. Their hands were tied, which proved that they were not the maids brought by Carlotta. They were women whose goods had been robbed by armed merchant groups.

There was only a small-scale banquet tonight. After Rurik had a drink, he was busy talking rudely with Kagan and Sakhi.

The times gave Maksakye a great opportunity. He drank a lot of strong alcohol, and due to the heat, he tore his shirt to pieces, revealing the brown-yellow hair that protected his heart. He shouted dizzy, "Me! A man who sells horses... Soon I will be Kiev... Khan of Kiev. Well... Kiev's past. Rurik! You... the king of Rus. You are a King...I am also a king. We will unite in the future! Bring the Kagan brothers in. The three of us will work together to destroy Smolensk. Do you know, those guys have been planning to attack you. I heard that an escaped traitor is secretly Recruitment, what's your name... The guy named Vadim is going to attack you..." Then there were unexplained mutterings.

Rurik listened with interest. At first, he really thought that this guy was drunk and crazy, but later he felt that the matter was more serious.

Kagan also continued to mutter drunkenly for a while, but his words were quite sharp: "You will have your Princess Carlotta all to yourself tonight. She... has investigated many things, you can just ask her about anything. "

This night, Carlotta finally got the chance to have her man all to herself.

Rurik is naturally very interesting, because Carlotta is not only a concubine, but also a trusted female general. What's more, as a woman, she is now in her most attractive years.

Of course one Karl is not enough, she needs more lives. But based on past experience, maybe Carlotta was weak due to her experience of running away in her early years, and it was not easy to have children, so she had to try more.

This time, Carlotta got a lot of catharsis and took the opportunity to make the proper report to her man.

In particular, he pointed out what happened to the traitor Vadim and admitted his mistakes.

She is indeed shrewd. Her man has already vented his anger. She is now curled up like a caught lamb, which greatly satisfies Rurik's desire to conquer.

So what else is there to be angry about when facing your own woman?

"They brought eighty slaves, and you took most of them and left me with more than a dozen good-looking ones? Well, I forgive you. These women happened to be sold to Medved, and that guy helped me catch people everywhere in the forest. Immigrants have suffered, and I have to reward them."

"Okay. I just want to tell you that the other dozens of women are now my tribesmen in Ostara. They will give birth to many boys, and they will serve as cavalry for you in the future. I...I am all You...my people are also loyal to you." She chuckled, tickling Rurik in a great mood.

The traitor Vadim fled to Smolensk and waited for an opportunity to counterattack. He united all Smolensk people to attack Rus' north. Isn't this killing an egg with a stone? Rurik hadn't found Vadim's body that year, so he thought of this possibility, but his guess turned out to be true.

Things have become very subtle. Of course, Ross despises those guys. That is, Ross is about to start the Western Expedition. The main force will be transferred from Eastern Europe to Scandinavia. Will the wealthy Novgorod region become empty of military power, giving the enemy potential opportunities for sneak attacks? ? This matter still needs long-term consideration. Since Medved boasted that he could recruit eight thousand troops, he had to do the important things of guarding.

Let's put this matter aside for the time being. At the moment, we have to prepare for the wedding with Pecheneg Khanate Princess Beyashir. Just look for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com and immediately discuss this year's business with Prince Kagan of Pecheneg Khan. Negotiated.

even……

Rurik thought of a strategy. There is a saying that "the best defense is offense." Since the group of Slavs in Smolensk wanted to shake the tree with eggs and hit the rocks, they should be kind and send an army to kill them. Their majesty will interfere with their possible Northern Expedition, and they can also get loot by the way, right? Who will do this? I'm afraid no one is more suitable than this guy Kagan.

The prince of the Khanate became a horse bandit. Is this appropriate? Anyway, the role they play now is horse bandits. The Pechenegs are wreaking havoc in the south and kidnapping people to transport to Rus is what they are doing now.

You can discuss this matter with that guy.

Rurik lay on his back and thought a lot, and couldn't help but laugh to himself.

"Is there anything else that makes you happy? Is it me?" Carlotta came up to him hehey.

Rurik stood up and put his face against hers...

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