Rise of Rurik

"The Rise of Rurik ()"

The Ross Army began to head to Visby. To be on the safe side, Harrodsen led the Warriors' second flag team to advance lightly. Everything was as Harald had said, and Visby was left with some old and weak people, some roaming sheep, and a pile of dead bodies lying on the ground.

When the women and children saw the intruding army, they all got into their homes.

"Brothers, all caught alive, these are the slaves of our Rus people. If they don't resist, don't go and do it." Harrozosen has no intention of killing innocent people. After all, the enemy has completely stopped resisting. Hatred, now with enemy combatants turned into corpses in one place, hatred has disappeared.

The hostile forces on Gotland no longer exist, and the population left behind was absorbed by Luo, and in the end, Ross's strength was enhanced. Harrodsen is a pragmatic old guy. No, he quickly captured 200 soldiers. many people.

There are many women, old women, and a group of extremely young children crying. The old woman may only be brought back to work as a tailor. Of course, the young woman will be divided up by her brothers and become a wife. No man will think that he has too many women. As for a group of children, they will also continue to be raised. Haruo Zuosen knows too much about Lord Rurik's strategy. This group of crying cubs will eventually become warriors of the Rus after more than ten years.

On the final march, Arik had no intention of being rough with his new woman. He was full of good words, all of which were emphasizing the strength of the Russ, his own strength, and sketching a beautiful life to Asraki.

However, Asrawi walked all the way without saying a word, as if she was a mute.

Actually? The girl's heart has been shaken. She didn't quite believe the rumors in the past, maybe some of them were true, and some of them were purely men who deliberately exaggerated the actions of the Rus army in order to resist the Rus people.

What she saw with her own eyes was that the composition of the Ross army was extremely complex. The neat formation and uniformity of clothing did not look like a man-eating monster at all, but the legends told by the priests. The Ross army was like Aspen Gard's army was so orderly. Check it out! Looking around, the Ross army was passing through the gap in the mound in an orderly manner, and Visby was ahead.

Up to now, Aslaqi asked herself, it seems that the Rus people did not persecute her family more. What she feared was that "Arik the Butcher" was rough on her, maybe this man wasn't so savage?

She insisted on keeping her guard on watch.

On the other hand, Harrodsen, who had arrested as many as 400 people in Visby, also found the mansion of the Harald family. The two sides almost got into a fight due to a misunderstanding. After inquiring about the name, Haro Zuo Sen chose to take his brother around.

All of them carried the flag of the flag team and rushed to the coastal pier in Visby.

A group of men in blue and white tones banging on their shields and shouting?

The fleet led by Gould, who continued to be vigilant, saw that it was clearly his own army that was waving the flag and shouting, especially a flag kept waving.

A moment later, a captured ship headed straight for the Avrora.

Gould remained vigilant, ordering the fighters on the Avrora to prepare for battle and beware of a possible sneak attack from the enemy. As a result, the boat was still some distance away, and Gould and many people on the boat recognized the very familiar faces, and put down the crossbow and removed the arrows.

The boat was docked beside the Avlora, and Gould on the big boat stuck his head out: "Isn't this Lord Harrodsen? I was so scared that I thought it was an enemy."

"Haha! My big businessman, don't you think the enemy can defeat our army?"

"How is that possible? You see, we have a firm grip on the bay and haven't let any enemies go. How is it? The army has entered the city?"

"Yes! The Duke asked me to give you a message. Now the fleet is all in port, and the whole army is stationed at Visby tonight. The war is over, we have almost killed all the enemies! We won!"

Hearing the phrase "kill all\

,"Gould's heart tensed. Visby said that 10,000 people would have to settle down. In just three days, was it really wiped out by 3,000 Rus' troops, including himself? If this is the case, then his three views have to be recast.

"Okay! Let's go now! Hey, brothers are so sick at sea, let's go ashore!"

The Ross army has entered the city!

Rurik couldn't have imagined that he clearly did not send anyone to attack, and Visby's current scene was clearly like experiencing an urban battle.

The messy alleys were littered with dead bodies, a large number of thatched and wooden longhouses were destroyed, and there were obvious burning marks in some places.

This seaport city was supposed to be a prosperous place, but now everything has become depressed.

Soon Rurik saw the capture of the vanguard.

"A large group of women and children? The men of Visby were all killed by our army?" Rurik imagined that this was the case. Harald was right. There was no resistance here.

The corpses on the ground are too dazzling, but the cattle and sheep in the shed are really precious.

Otto, who entered the city, ordered casually: "Brothers, catch cattle and sheep according to your ability, and slaughter them immediately. We will all eat meat tonight."

Rurik felt that this was a bit inappropriate. Every cow and sheep was a seed, and they could multiply a lot. Considering that I was also greedy for roast lamb shank, I simply gave up.

Rurik gave the brothers a key order: "Remove the corpses! Check all the houses, look for belongings, and watch out for the enemy in ambush."

The mansion of the Horolev family welcomed a new owner, and Harald respectfully invited the Conqueror and the Duke of Ross to his home.

His family members were terrified, and when they saw the Rus people entering the door, they chose to avoid it.

"Your people are afraid of me?" Otto asked with a smile.

Harald hurriedly explained, "It's really scary. They don't know what the Duke will bring."

"Conquest, of course. O thy faithful servant, I forgive all the sins of thy servants. Now come in, and tell thy men to bring out the goods. Also!"

"Yes."

"My nephew Arik must marry your daughter tonight."

"As ordered. We should hold the wedding in the Great Altar Longhouse, that is...the priests have all run away, maybe Aslaki will return to your territory and then..."

Otto laughed boldly for a while, "Just for this reason? Fortunately, our high priest of Ross is also accompanying us on this expedition. Our priest has received the favor of Odin, and it is your daughter's honor to have her hold the ceremony."

"That...that's great."

Harald can only go along with it. Now that the Russ have occupied the whole of Visby, he can only hope that the conqueror will treat his family a little better as agreed.

Rus people will not reject wealth, right?

Harald took the Rus people to dig their own silver cellar, and a large number of coins buried in the ground will be seen again today.

The man carrying the boxes was panting, and a large number of wooden boxes were placed in the small courtyard of the mansion. Seeing this situation, Otto's heart is ecstatic, but he can't laugh wildly, he must maintain a majesty.

Rurik also had a sullen face, relaying the restraint of his subordinates who were not calm.

"All that? You only have fourteen boxes?"

Duke Ross doesn't seem satisfied? Harald hurriedly explained: "In addition to the meeting gift, there are 1,400 pounds of silver coins here, and they are almost all in good condition."

"Is it in good condition, I have to see for myself."

After saying that, Otto motioned to Rurik, "The money is all yours, come and see the quality."

Rurik's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. If Harald said that, the army would have made a lot of money on this trip.

The dusty underground box is full of mud and slightly damp, but silver is hard to rust.

The boxes were opened one after another, and the audience shuddered. The huge wealth stimulated the minds of the warriors. If these properties were not marked as the duke's possession, the brothers would have swarmed and robbed them.

Rurik, who handled the silver coins, completely confirmed their fineness. A considerable part of them were Frankish silver coins, while the old ones were Roman silver coins that were not used for a long time. Some of the silver coins are obviously damaged. I am afraid that it is not caused by wear and tear during circulation, but a merchant deliberately file the lower corners and finally recast a silver coin.

Silver is silver. When a smart businessman is faced with payment for goods, one is to look at the quality and the other is to weigh it. On the whole, the quality of these silver coins is very good. They represent the financial strength of the Harald family and also demonstrate their sincerity.

Rurik patted his clothes, stood up, and threw the warm silver coins back.

"Harald, is this money really fourteen hundred pounds?"

"As you can see."

"More than that." Rurik raised his head and looked at the buildings of the mansion again: "Your family is very big! It's just that the family members who live in you are obviously too big. There are a lot of people living in a lot of buildings. Now it's empty. Why?"

"Many longhouses are the residences of mercenaries. I..." Harald hesitated, then explained: "I raised nearly 200 Danish mercenaries, but unfortunately they all died on the battlefield in Bridge Village. In some warehouses, there are piles of sheepskins and some rare little things. Those things, I...will be willing to offer them."

Rare stuff? Rurik was informed that the merchants of Visby lived in peace but communicated closely with the Danes. He learned of the Danish market called Hazelby, and another called Sirius Harbor, or Schleswig in other words. This Harald, he must have some gold and silver utensils imported from the Frankish kingdom, and even old things from the Western Roman Empire.

It's a pity that his mansion is not small, the houses and wooden walls are simple, and what is even worse is that these houses have no floors!

"Okay, I don't want those weird things from you, no matter how precious the glassware is, I don't care. Harald!"

"Yes."

"I am the military commander of Ross and the owner of the greatest wealth of the Duchy of Ross. My words are the law! I will take half of your wealth as agreed, and the seven hundred pounds of silver in it will still be your wealth. When we finish After all this, your family will leave with our army, and your family must serve me in the future. Listen, serve me seriously, and you will get more wealth."

"Oh! That's great!" It sounded like the Russ had promised a great thing, and Harald couldn't be sure that it was true. He remained vigilant this time, and his eyes were not looking at his daughter." The boudoir", but now that boudoir has a new occupant - Arik the butcher.

Arik and Asraki are waiting, the couple will be married tonight. It should be very happy that Harald can't laugh. He doesn't know what will happen in the future. Obviously, he can only look at Duke Ross and act.

Rurik still greatly underestimated the wealth of the Visby merchants.

Visby, which was supposed to be withered and ruined, soon became lively again with the arrival of the conquerors. It was the young soldiers of the Warriors Second Flag Team, as well as a large number of sailors, Ross veterans and female soldiers who disembarked. They were lined up with a large number of boxes, and the audience was wondering what they got.

The sun was about to set, and the whole of Visby was turned into an excavation site.

Harald knows best where his fellow merchants like to bury their silver. This kind of strange knowledge is not something that bandits and commoners can realize. He took a group of soldiers to almost demolish the old mansion of the dead friend merchant, and the Russ moved out a large amount of leather, linen, and some extremely valuable old wheat that were seized. Some people have actually dug into the merchant's bedroom with shovels and axes, and a batch of heavy boxes have been unearthed one after another.

Before the digging, Gould happily walked into the "military command post" of the Duke of Ross at Harald's house, and he offered Otto enough to faint.

There is nothing to say, fifty boxes, the initial estimate is five thousand pounds of silver coins.

In addition to what Harald offered and what the soldiers dug up at the moment, Otto and Rurik were astonished that they had obtained seven thousand pounds of silver coins, and even a small amount of gold coins.

A few years ago, a single silver coin in Roseburg was extremely precious. Since Arik led his troops to loot Gotland Island and brought back nearly a thousand pounds of silver coins, the silver coins have become worthless. Well now, seven thousand pounds of silver is the treasure of the Rus.

After a huge sum of money fell, Otto had no opinion at all, and many elites fantasized that they would be able to buy and buy after sharing a huge sum of money. Although Rurik was also startled, he turned his head and realized that if all the money fell into the hands of the clansmen, the Rus people's economy would not be messed up due to hyperinflation?

Therefore, the seven thousand pounds of silver coins, and even the new money and the seized goods that were discovered later, must be firmly controlled by oneself!

Fools and mortals have no right to get this huge sum of money. After all, it is the original capital of the rise of the Ross tribe!

At this moment Rurik really understood why the accumulation of primitive capital was full of blood and tears. But who cares?

As night fell, the army of Ross and the warriors of various ethnic groups became the new residents of Visby.

Everyone lit a bonfire, grilled the newly slaughtered fat sheep and poultry, and feasted on the captured ale. From the expedition to the present, three long weeks have passed! If there are not enough captures, the rations of the Ross army will be in a hurry.

Fortunately, the dust settled, the Gotlanders were completely defeated, and the food they had stored and the cattle and sheep they raised became a delicious meal for the Rus army.

People laughed and talked about the unprecedented victory in many languages. Many budding young warriors felt that the brothers killed at least a thousand Danish mercenaries, and the legendary dangerous and powerful Danes were nothing more than that, or that the Ross army was led by Lord Rurik and the old leader Otto, Already the strongest force in the known world. The complacency is spreading, and it is understandable, after all, it has been four years since the Rus left the fjords and started to expand from one victory to another. fail? nonexistent.

Visby is a sea of ​​bonfires. She was originally a city formed around a "Great Altar of Frey", and now the Temple of Frey has a new owner.

All the priests of Old Visby fled, and the Rus army had no intention of capturing them. It was they who gave up the gods, and naturally God would not bless them any more.

The dead King of Gotland, Haakon, forcibly desecrated Frey and replaced the god served in the temple with Odin.

Now the high priest of the Russ, Rumia, the woman who everyone believed to have been spared by Odin, sacrificed Odin at the altar. Sacrificial activities are only part of a series of ceremonies, and when the sacred ceremony is over, a wedding is held immediately.

At the altar in the longhouse, Arik and Asraki completed the wedding ceremony according to Rose's custom. Otto was really pleased when he saw his eldest nephew marrying the second woman.

A bottle of spirits was Otto's special gift to his nephew, and in shock, Aslaqi held a burning walrus ivory goblet and forcibly drank the burning spirits. Looking at Arik in front of him, this man seems to be used to it.

Could it be that the Rus people who went to the north learned some magic in the world of ice and snow? There is actually burning wine!

Since Aslaki has chosen to agree, she has no resistance at all. She is hugged by her own man princess and directly returns to her own boudoir.

The door of the room was closed, and the female soldiers who were in charge of guarding on weekdays did not have the right to enter.

After the bonfire carnival, the satiated Ross army finally quieted down, and they slept soundly in the old house of the Visby people.

Otto suffocated the last bottle of spirits in one gulp, and finally fell asleep in the air.

What about Rurik? They slept together surrounded by maids.

Harald's mansion serves as the command center of the Rus, and currently only a group of elite soldiers patrol regularly.

Almost everyone fell asleep, but Arik didn't want to rest so early, and he didn't "hands" on his wife immediately. The two just lay peacefully on the soft sheepskin blanket and talked.

Aslaki wanted an answer, and it was Arik himself talking about what he had done on the island. In fact, she never hated Arik, and she must have experienced that her family's losses in the war and catastrophe were not serious, and the person in charge of Ross obviously also gave leniency. Aslaqi listened to those legends and was afraid of Arik's preconceived ideas.

The gods had testified that this young woman was his second wife. Arik has no intention of concealing his own woman.

"Some people say I'm a butcher, maybe. They made me like this! I only kill my enemies, and for my brothers, I'll give them all the money I seize."

Asraqi was horrified, because those rumors were all true, and her husband's murder was too much.

She didn't want to and didn't dare to criticize anything, so she asked, "Is your character always like this?"

"Neither."

"So……"

"Since my father was killed by the Gotlanders in the fall of ten years ago, I've decided to take revenge. We the Rus just swerved and had no intention of attacking Gotland, but the battle broke out. Our attack was for Revenge! For the past ten years, I have been thinking about revenge every day!" Arik's words became more and more angry, but the wise Aslaqi heard sadness and low self-esteem.

Finally, she noticed that Arik was crying.

"Now, do you still have hatred? There are only a few houses left in Visby, and Gotland has failed." Asraqi leaned closer to Aric and asked weakly.

"The hatred is gone, the old Gotlanders are gone. You...you're my wife, you're a Rus. You know what? I need my family, be my woman, and I'll take care of you You. Give birth to me, and you will enjoy a high status in the Principality of Ross, and your family will prosper."

At this moment, Aslaqi also moved the sincerity. Maybe Arik was a butcher, a man who lived a decade of intense hatred, and it made sense to be the most dangerous berserker with a blank mind in battle.

She asked softly again: "That Rurik, is that your brother? A beautiful boy, I think he is Ross's... king."

"Yes, he was favored by Odin, a gift from Odin to us Rus, and everyone obeyed his orders. Our old priest was also blessed by Odin. Now she is eighty years old, she will The position went to that girl, our new high priest, a woman who kept deer. That woman should have died, and Adin gave her a new life to serve us Rus."

The Rus people are really full of fantasy, and Aslaqi asked hurriedly in surprise: "Then you... have you also been blessed by Odin?"

"I thought, yeah. My arm was badly wounded, but I didn't have any disease, and I recovered without pain. Because during the treatment, our priest sang a prayer, and it was God who made me heal. ."

Without any doubts, Asraki exhaled a long breath, even a little impatient: "Come on then, my berserker! Our priest told me that my man is a true warrior. Odin is a true warrior. That's right, let me..." She calmed down and said decisively, "Let me be a woman."

Under the dim oil lamp, Arik smiled, and he rushed over without saying a word...