Rise of Rurik

According to the experience of previous years, in winter, you can take the frozen Volkhov River to Novrosburg on the Neva River, which can be reached by continuous driving for up to a week.

Maybe the horses are not suitable for advancing on the glaciers in the cold winter, just like Batu Khan gave up his plan to attack the Novgorod Republic considering the cold weather. But whether it is Badu or Subutai, an important means of attacking Eastern Europe is to advance rapidly along the frozen river. They even deliberately choose the glaciers because it is the most unobstructed passage for horses in the forest area.

Although it was a different era, could the march that Rurik decided to undertake was fundamentally different from Batu and Subutai?

It is wise to give up the latter. To kill from the forest steppe in the south all the way to Novgorod in winter, unless the total force of 20,000 cavalry can plunder a lot of food along the way, the horses of the large army must be large. Violent death!

Rurik will face much less pressure, although he himself is now in the city of Novgorod on Lake Ilmen, and the surrounding environment is such that the snow-capped grass can be ignored for the reindeer to graze on. He knows that. A large amount of wheat resources can be directly fed to reindeer and horses with high-energy oats, not to mention the small number of large animals to be served.

Rurik's Principality's cavalry and Pecheneg's cavalry were all assembled, and including Rurik, Kagan, Aric and other nobles, all the riders were just over 130.

Generally speaking, even if the frozen lakes and rivers provide convenient routes for mail, the extremely cold weather forces ordinary people to be reluctant to run around. Even the group of madmen who hunt in winter, they swept small animals in the hunting area they delimited, and they would not be meaningless on the traffic road.

The Maharaja will go to New Roseburg to participate in the Hanukkah sacrifice!

The news came out early.

The ordinary people of Novgorod naturally hope that the prince himself can spend the festival in Novgorod. Obviously, the prince has a heart for the real royal city.

It was rare for the prince to organize a postal team, and a small group of local Slavic merchants also planned to take this opportunity to transport the purchased linen and honey to Novosibirsk, eager to sell at a high price.

The Ostarans also organized a tiny caravan of reindeer under Carlota's behest, just to make a profit by selling a batch of the latest hard cheese and chunks of butter.

Even the boyars of the traditional farms, when everyone found a business opportunity, got the news and organized a miniature mission to transport a batch of honey to earn an excellent iron tool for production and life.

They didn't have to go forward in a big way, but because the road is full of challenges, only a few hundred people can go together to eliminate the risk.

Many people poured into Novgorod City,

The noise is getting louder.

As the departure approached, Rurik had personally chatted with the assembled Ragnar's department, and noticed the gathered local merchants dressed as brown bears, and even the envoys of Boyar.

"You guys, borrow reindeer from the people at White Tree Manor? You pay for your own travel expenses, I don't care."

Tucao returns to Tucao, but Rurik himself will organize a huge sled team.

This winter, the destitute Danish Stonewall tribe, the men and women who survived the war, have earned a revenge through labor, and their enthusiastic expressions clearly mean that they want to continue. They are also ordinary people. Once they are used to a stable life, maybe they will no longer be too obsessed with revenge for licking blood?

It would be nice to have this opportunity for Rick to chat with Ragnar.

The Danes of the Stonewall tribe now welcome the prince of Rus, and Ragnar, the headman, now regards Rurik as a close relative.

In the warm house, the crowds and others avoided, and Rurik and Ragnar talked face to face.

"Brother, I know that you are going to the North to participate in the Bright Savings Society. Of course, I am going to this matter. This time, I plan to bring all the men there, and I will leave any physical work to me..."

Ragnar's words are very tricky, there is no conspiracy in his eyes, and his purpose is clear - to make more money during the festive season.

Rurik smiled frankly: "Why bring everyone? Your men are always working, and if they don't have to, they spend the holidays in Novgorod. You don't have to mind, the local Slavs are in the same place as us Vikings. Holidays."

"Well, I still want to help you do more."

"Just bring the brothers of your logging team with you. You can send twenty or thirty brothers, and when you get to New Roseburg, I will arrange for you to go to the shipyard to have a look."

"What do you mean?" Ragnar's sharp nerves were provoked.

Rurik calmed down and stared at him with a pair of alert eyes: "Don't you want revenge? Isn't it like the villain who defeated the King of Denmark? I can give you a chance."

"Ah! Can I say something about myself?"

"Speaking."

"I still think of Gotland, where I set up a stronghold as a shortcut to attack my Danish foes."

"Yes." Rurik answered succinctly.

"so……"

Ragnar could feel that the person in front of him was holding back a lot of words.

"I've figured it out," Rurik said. "Just like my Spuyut, you can help you organize a powerful fleet. I authorize you to loot in the name of Ross, and the materials you loot will be divided into Just give me half."

"Ah? Can I use your big ship?"

"Yes! No. The shipyard in New Roseburg is already building large ships, and I am the owner of the ships. You take your brothers to the post-war battle with the Saaremaa people under Speuut. The women and children of your tribe, and all those who were wounded in battle, stay here in Novgorod. I! I will take care of them for you."

Ragnar's nerves were deeply touched, what is this not a hostage? According to his plan, he will stay here in Ross for the whole winter and evacuate next spring to find a new settlement to establish a village. This plan seems to be in vain?

Rurik had anticipated the hesitation of this wise man, who did not seem to be caught and did not want to be constrained by constraints.

But safe haven comes at a price. The development of things has been unable to help this man.

Rurik deliberately showed a smile and whispered: "Don't you want to be the new king of Denmark? A new Denmark who lives in peace and trade with the Duchy of Rus, a new king named Ragnar."

Ragnar has ambitions, but his ambition to be king is not yet firm. Rurik took the initiative to mention this, and he was really moved.

An exiled noble finally made his choice.

"Okay. There seems to be no better solution than this. I can continue to work for you, but you must help me to overthrow Horrick's rule of Denmark. I want blood! And the Franks behind the scenes, I want further revenge."

"Can."

In this way, Ragnar himself participated in the festival to vote for Liulikner. The so-called Hanukkah in New Rosesburg is naturally political. An opportunity for local nobles to perform pilgrimage.

Of course, it is very realistic to say that because Hanukkah will make the winter market in New Rose Fort even more lively, everyone needs a trading base to exchange for living materials, but New Rose Fort is a material distribution center and an expanding production city. People who are in extreme shortage of materials can exchange large and small beasts, leather, etc. that they raise in exchange for iron tools that are beneficial to production.

Ragnar going in person is a certain form of surrender.

Therefore, the Pecheneg people also went on horseback, which also reflected their respect for the principality.

Who doesn't want to talk about pomp? As a prince, if he does not deliberately show his gorgeous side, the public will feel inappropriate.

Rurik knew he had to lead by example, interpreting a way of life that an aristocrat should have, such as wearing Chinese clothes, hygienic, peaceful speech, decent manners, and above all a wise mind.

A not-so-small reindeer sleigh team was formed. Except for the ones that sat on people, the most sleds pulled were full of oats and a small amount of hay.

Old Otto is older, and he is already in his twilight years. Niya's condition is better, and the countless ravines caused by aging are also engraved on his face.

As a prince, Rurik participated in the event, and Queen Svetlana, Duchess Carlota of Ostara, and Countess Noren of Narvik also had to go. They were all Rurik's wives and concubines, and were obliged to participate in the event.

They were beautifully dressed, and they were wrapped in white polar bear skins and showed a hint of domineering.

Svetlana held the three-and-a-half-year-old princess Velika, and Carlota held her half-year-old son Karl, even though she could have done otherwise.

The two children are naturally noble, and it is an obligation to participate in the event. Even if Carl is only half a year old, participating in the event is a huge risk.

Only the poor two-year-old Reglav continued to stay in Novgorod, beside his grandparents, guarding the tomb of his biological mother, and spent the third Hanukkah he experienced. He was also two years old. Birthday and the death anniversary of the birth mother, Queen Mary.

Thousands of people gathered by the frozen Volkhov River, and the reindeer sleigh mixed horse team was ready to go. People living in remote areas also came to watch the show and admire the heroic appearance of the horse riders.

Otto Qiang cheered up and put on his beloved chain mail, a deerskin draped over his body, a gold-encrusted leather helmet on top of his gray head, and his white beard swayed in the north wind. His aging is amazing, and the old soldier who knows he is dying would rather die in battle. Obviously, the gods will not give him such a destination, but spend the last time of his old age in happiness.

He still looked like an old soldier, and he didn't allow anyone to help him, so he stood on the snow with his patterned steel sword.

He is like a sculpture, staring at the son who is about to leave, and there are thousands of words in his eyes that do not need to be repeated.

Only the old lady Niya caressed her real only son, Rurik, and kept kissing her son's face, wishing him a perfect success in the festival sacrifice he participated in and presided over.

"Mom, there's one more thing you should remember." Rurik suddenly mentioned.

"What's the matter?" Nia let go of her hand for a while.

"It's Rumia. Her second child is coming."

"Ah! I remember. Time is so fast, and Willika will have a new brother or a new sister."

Rurik nodded: "When the ceremony is over, I will bring her back. At that time, you will still have to help me with the child."

"That's natural, to have more grandchildren, this is my happiness..."

The old woman, who had lost two sons early in a row, gave all her love to her third son, Rurik. Can the pain of losing a child at an early age really be smoothed out by time? The fact is that there are more and more grandchildren under the knees, and the pain of the past is really smoothed out. Niya would rather spend all her later years taking care of her grandchildren. She expects the youngest of all her son's wives and concubines to give birth to a child, so it is an honor to leave the human world surrounded by as many as twenty grandchildren. Woolen cloth.

The prince had a close relationship with his old husband and mother, and Kagan, who was riding a horse, watched him sideways, feeling envious and suspicious.

Could it be that an old couple is born with a child? This couple is the original "Khan" of the Rus, and their Rurik brothers are too young. Is there any hidden secret here?

Could it all be true? It was the gods of the Rus who gave grace, and a boy came down like a meteor to become the new khan of the Rus?

Kagan didn't dare to belittle himself, he covered his face so hard, even his mount was covered with a layer of cloth to keep him warm. A woolen scarf wraps around his fox fur hat, and wooden-framed sunglasses cover the last exposed eye skin. This Prince Pecheneg has become a "man in a cover", not only his personal cold protection measures have reached extremes, but his mounts and other dependents are also similar.

Naturally, Rurik's royal sleigh was the most outrageous. It was simply a walking tent, covered with a lot of leather to form a warm nest. Several wives, concubines and two children accompanied Rurik, the most noble man in the duchy. The wind and cold were avoided along the way.

This was the end of the final greeting, and the sled team headed north along the Volkhov Glacier to the cheers of thousands.

Ragnar and his brothers sat on the sleigh, fully clothed, and chatted about the interesting things that happened to New Roseburg.

The Pecheneg warriors, who covered their bodies extremely well, carried the crossbows and other weapons they had just exchanged, and rode left and right as the guards of the team.

Rurik's cavalry team is the most flamboyant, everyone wears extremely thick at the same time, the coat must be a Ross shirt, and the Principality's iconic coat of arms must be clearly displayed.

Each Principality's cavalry carried a spear with a hook attached directly to the back of the saddle. The lance has a gleaming carbon steel tip with a Ross flag hanging below it.

There was even a flag on each sleigh, filling the team with Rose's blue-and-white Peugeot.

This is really a wonderful big scene, which satisfies everyone's need for pomp, and those Slavs who have surrendered to the Principality of Rus also feel honored at this moment.

Obviously, the benefits of planting flags everywhere are huge. The team can keep the team stable by looking for the flag. There have been cases of falling behind for hundreds of years. The color of the white world flag is also quite eye-catching, which is convenient for returning to the team quickly.

There are as many as 400 people of all kinds! If it weren't for a group of merchants who wanted to sell Lake Ilmen's local products, they wouldn't have made a team of this size.

Thanks to the large number of reindeer captured by the Principality in the past wars, this creature is the only large livestock that can push through the snow and eat grass roots by itself in winter. .

At the beginning, the Pecheneg people were very confident, but the snow all over the world and the cold wind that could be felt like a knife when the back coat was removed, even Kagan felt that this was not right.

Kagan didn't know that the Volkhov River ran in a fairly strict north-south direction, and on both sides of the river were tall Korean pine and spruce forests, which formed an alleyway through which the cold from the North Pole could traverse.

Thanks to the measures to keep out the cold, the team will not suffer from frostbite and frostbite.

On the first rest day, the entire team rested near the woodland, and the bonfire that soon ignited gave those who were afraid of the cold strong confidence.

This was the first time in the history of the Pecheneg people that they went deep into the far north. Kagan was observing carefully and intentionally telling the elders of his hometown on the grasslands.

Ragnar was also marching on the glacier for the first time. The reindeer sleigh was really new to his clan, and now the huge sleigh team of Prince Ross is even more novel, not to mention the team and the cavalry guards.

The two were again delighted to see that Rurik was implementing his perfect plan. It turned out that the brothers had not been required to spend the night in the snow. A large number of poles and sackcloth were unloaded from the sleigh, and a large number of tents suddenly appeared in the forest.

Horses and reindeer devoured the oatmeal, and then gathered them together, relying on the trees that could be seen everywhere, and made a windproof curtain with linen to shelter the sleeping horses and deer from the wind and cold.

The first day, and the second day.

Even if the time of day is getting shorter and shorter, and it is approaching the extreme value, as long as there is light, the entire team will form a strict formation and move forward.

It was a march at dawn, the team had just started to move, and the broken wood of the campfire that had just been demolished was still slowly burning.

Kagan was sleepy, and he inadvertently saw a large number of green ribbons appearing in the sky.

When he saw it, he cheered so loudly that all the Pechenegs also screamed.

Their unusual behavior attracted everyone to look up at the sky. Unlike the Pecheneg people who made a fuss, the Rus, Danes, Finns, and Slavs in the team all held their heads high to appreciate the beauty.

Surprised, Kagan rode his horse close to the prince's tent sleigh and talked to Rurik, who was enjoying the aurora with his wife and concubines.

He pointed his whip to the sky: "Is this the signal of your gods? Is it a good omen? Or a bad omen?"

"You!" Rurik wanted to laugh. "You don't have this in your culture?"

Kagan was stunned.

Rurik shrugged: "Of course it's a good omen. Do you know the Valkyrie's parade? Odin's vassal Valkyrie will parade in the winter, and the streamers you see are even the traces they leave behind. They will choose the heroes of the earth. , when a hero dies in battle, the soul can enter the temple, it is an endless glory. By the way, the high priest of our Ruth people died, her soul went to the sky, she became the new Valkyrie, her eyes Looking at us!"

Kagan could not understand, at least he could understand one, the so-called Rus people may also believe that the souls of deceased relatives can go to the sky and integrate with Tengri.

But there is one thing that he is completely convinced. The so-called here is indeed a sanctuary. The Rus people are truly blessed by their gods. The bright streamers in the sky are the best indication.

Many foreign visitors saw the aurora in the sky of the kingdom of the extreme north and thought it was evidence of the gods. Rurik didn't want to break the scientific principles inside. Not only was it unnecessary, but this matter could also be used by the duchy?

The country under the aurora is really the Principality of Rus! It is a glorious proof of the principality!

Now all the warriors have rushed to the boundless frozen Ladoga Lake, and have passed through the town of Ladoga, where the winter hunters gather. I met another group of fishermen at the place where the walnut castle is today.

There is no need for any dawdling, the team has entered the frozen river of the Neva River, and the rest is just the last rush to enter the real royal city of the Rus Principality, New Rose Fort.

They have seen the towering wooden city wall, and even the entire huge fleet moored on the river and frozen by the ice layer, the forest of masts like a forest.

Luckily, Rurik stood in the cold wind. He couldn't help drawing his sword: "Brothers! We are finally here! Speed ​​up! Back to Rosberg!"

The horses and deer started a rare gallop on the glacier, and more than 300 flags fluttered...