Rise of Rurik

Remember [new] in one second! Compared with the barren sandbanks of the Great Curonian Lagoon, the sandbanks of the Vistula Lagoon are much denser.

What remains unchanged is that the sandbank is still very narrow, shrinking to only 500 meters at its narrowest point.

It was impossible for the Russian army to march in the woods, and the only path left for Rurik to march was the narrower beach on the side of the sandbank facing the Baltic Sea.

In terms of total length, its sandbar was inferior to that of the Great Curonian Lagoon, so it took another day and a half for the Russian cavalry to pass through the narrow sandbar after they passed the entrance of the lagoon in small boats.

Even though the sky became gloomy, Rurik could still see the obvious continental landscape ahead.

He was a little worried. If his army encountered another heavy rain, wouldn't it be delayed for a while?

"The weather has turned bad. We have arrived at the Gdansk you mentioned?" Fisk asked on behalf of the entire army, knowing nothing about the place's name.

"Maybe. Hopefully it will be Gdansk. Hopefully there will already be a Gdansk in this era! At least... we should be able to see the mouth of the Vistula soon."

In fact, Rurik was also undecided. His knowledge of this area came from later generations. At that time, this area had been developed, and several famous cities were still battlegrounds for military strategists.

"We are about to reach the mainland and are about to leave this damn sandbank. To be honest, I don't want to pass here again in the future."

"Are you complaining?" Rurik asked sideways.

"Just complaining."

"Indeed, the environment here is very beautiful. I won't come here next time. The long and narrow sandbank is not suitable for our cavalry to travel at all. I also thought it was a bridge. Thanks to the blessings of the gods, we did not encounter any

There was a storm, otherwise the water would have flowed over the entire sandbank and made us all wet. Hurry up and get on your way! We set up camp for tonight on the mainland. " Rurik sighed.

In this era, because the population in the area was too small, the area that should have been developed into a large amount of farmland is now an airtight forest along the coast.

Around the Vistula Lagoon, especially in the southern area, the forest is denser, and the huge area is a real no-man's land. Even though there are some Polish tribes there, the locals can rely on the river and open up their own farmland beside the forest. Live your own peaceful life. Unless necessary, these Polish villages will not organize militias to expand. They have not yet formed a national structure and exist in the world as a tribal alliance.

Then when the Russian army advancing by sea and land passed through the Vistula Lagoon, the Poles south of the lagoon knew nothing about it.

Of course, there are other Slavic tribes that are different from Poland. They are also ignorant of the Russian army that appears at their doorstep like hungry tigers. Until the sea is full of large ships like floating knives, blocking their docks...

However, before formal contact with these strange locals, the Ross army set up a temporary camp in the southwest corner of the lagoon. Rurik felt it was necessary to discuss with the generals what to do in the future.

There is no sunset today, instead there are dark clouds in the sky.

Everyone is worried that there will be another heavy rain, especially now that the temperature difference between day and night has begun to change. If they face the wind and rain at night, I am afraid that many brothers will get sick before they have a fierce battle with the Franks.

The army soldiers rowing long boats and accompanying blacksmiths rushed directly to the beach, while the large navy

The ship anchored on the spot as usual. For the latter wearing three-cornered hats, they did not have to go ashore all together, but began to arrange fishing fires, taking advantage of the fact that the sky was too dark today in order to maximize the effectiveness of the fishing fires.

On the seaside, the bonfire of the Russian army created another chain of fire, and there were dots on the sea.

There are no stars tonight, but the air is relatively clear. The cold north wind blows loudly in the coastal forest, and the bonfires are also violently swaying in the wind.

Everyone is worried about one thing, that is, building a shack next to the forest and sleeping until midnight when it rains, would be really painful.

Each warrior had a rolled-up blanket that was folded and strapped to his backpack. The cavalry's blankets were simply tied to the saddles, so as long as it didn't rain that night, there was no need to worry about keeping warm.

Captains of various banners, admirals, and captains of main battleships gathered at the bonfire outside the Chinese army tent in Rurik. People gathered around here. Because of the news of hunting, people were no longer in a good mood to cook wheat in the stove. This time Just use the dry food you carry with you to cope with one meal.

The fire dispelled all the coldness, and everyone's faces shone brightly.

Everyone came as a result of the call, and they sat quietly waiting for the king to arrange the next step of the battle.

Yes, because the Russian army must defeat every enemy, and the army fought all the way, and both the infantry and cavalry achieved significant results before reaching Frank.

It is said that they entered Pomerania after passing through the Vistula Lagoon. Then the brothers are already standing in this unknown land. They will definitely meet the locals. Based on past experience, I am afraid that the army will rush forward without any explanation and kill and fight. .

"I

We don’t know you, so it’s hard to guess your intentions. We are obviously stronger. In order to avoid unnecessary complications, we will fight first and then talk about it. "Such a strategy seems very rational to everyone.

In the past, Rurik was willing to pursue such a strategy. As long as any local people were defeated by force, it would be easy to rule them later. Besides, considering that the front is most likely Gdansk, which is too far away from the core territory of Ross, but closer to the core territory of Denmark.

If Ross wants to rule here directly, he must pay the cost of ruling at dawn, but what can he get from this place? wood? Catch? amber? slave? These are either lacking locally, or there is no shortage in Ross at all.

Now a very troublesome problem is before Ross. Based on the fantastic experience of the past month, the Ross army has been marching, but because of too many interactions with the locals, the march has been passively delayed.

"Everyone is here? Very good." Rurik cleared his throat: "Everyone looks at me! Now, we are sitting here, we have left the last lagoon, this should be Pomerania, in front of us It will be the Vistula, the Oder, and we are getting closer to Hamburg in Saxony.

I believe that tomorrow we will face the wide Vistula River. All of you will tell your people when you go back to prepare for a large-scale crossing of the river tomorrow. "

Everyone collectively roared in approval of Rurik's arrangement. However, everyone was conflicted in their hearts about crossing the river but had to face it. All they had to do was endure the discomfort and implement it.

The fundamental reason lies in the cavalry and deer herds. Compared with transporting people, it is a waste to transport these large animals.

Time, in order to meet the deadline, all the longships had to be dispatched. Not only that, but also to check whether there is horse dung or deer dung left on the boat. Cleaning up these unlucky things really tortures the soldiers' hearts.

Rurik continued the arrangement: "I believe that after passing the Vistula River, we will face a large settlement of local people. Her name is Gdansk or Gdynia, I hope her name is really the name.

According to our past methods, when encountering such a large coastal settlement, if the locals do not take the initiative to surrender, we will take the initiative to fight over them, destroy them, destroy the settlement, take away all useful seizures and leave.

This is indeed refreshing, but we have to waste a lot of time in the local area.

So I decided! This time when we encounter any settlement, all of you must restrain your subordinates. You are not allowed to plunder without my order, even if the locals are standing right in front of you! As long as the locals are not hostile to us and take the initiative to attack, none of you can do anything wrong.

In a word, we must remain on the defensive. "

This kind of decision-making is really not the style of the Ross Army, but as the king said, as long as they are busy traveling and do not contact the locals, conflicts will not occur and the Ross Army's time will not be wasted.

"Perhaps, he just didn't get many good things in the Prussian territory, so he doesn't look down on new guys." Fisk muttered in his heart, unable to put his doubts out in the open.

"Do you all understand? Can you all do it?" Rurik asked, raising his head.

Everyone said in unison that they would obey.

"Very good." Rurik nodded: "I hope it won't rain tonight. I hope it won't rain tomorrow."

Our operation went well. And the locals... let's hope they're not stupid enough to launch any kind of attack on us. "

Is there any local force that dares to launch an attack on the Russian army, which is advancing by sea and land and has a combined strength of 4,000 people? The number of such soldiers is equivalent to the total population of most Polish and Pomeranian tribes, and some tribes will be wiped out by the Rus if there is a grand battle.

Based on the encounter on the Sambia Peninsula, Rurik had to think too much. He couldn't understand that he had easily taken over a seaside altar. The Russian army killed many people. This must have been enough to scare the locals into choosing to avoid it. However, the Prussians were so bold and unrestrained. It took only one day to organize an extremely large militia, and they had to launch an attack on the Ross camp like crazy...

If the Pomeranians were like this, they would be enough trouble for the Russian army. This is like a rabid dog chasing a person. If you ignore it, it will push forward. Killing the rabid dog will waste a lot of time.

Before meeting the locals, Rurik had decided to be kind.

As everyone knows, the series of bonfires of the Russian army lit up the sky red, and the boats on the sea that trapped herrings with their catches created a magical scene in this sea area.

But for some people, it is not a strange sight, but reminds them of some familiar existence...

Because in this era, the huge fishing village called Gdańsk already existed.

This vast and narrow coastal area can be called Pomerania, and there are three large ethnic groups living in it.

The territory of the Pomeranian Tribe Alliance is Pomerania in the narrow sense. They are Slavs, but they are also related to the Franks.

Mrs. Wenderslav, who is both an enemy and a servant, is different.

The Oder and Vistula rivers divided Pomerania into three parts, and the people living there naturally evolved into three tribal alliances.

The people here in Gdansk are also Slavs, and they call themselves Kaschuben.

The name comes from the local ethnic costumes, a so-called full-body robe with huge pockets.

The Kashubian Slavs are related to various Polish tribes, their neighbors to the west, the Liutichi Slavs, and the Pomerans and Wende people further to the west, but they are not the same people as the Prussians across the lagoon to the east.

In this way, Kashu himself will not put complicated tattoos on his body. They also believe in the great Slavic gods, especially Peron, the god of thunder and fire-and this god, for the purpose of Ross's notification in the east, as early as ten years ago In the past, it was established as the main god that must be sacrificed.

As early as two hundred years ago, when a group of people migrating north from the upper reaches of the Vistula River arrived at the coast, they settled here and formed the Kashuben tribe.

Forests and rivers separated each other. Kashu himself was in the northern coastal area. Although the Polish population expanded to one million people, the Polish tribes were concentrated in the southern area. They were closely related to the Moravia people. The Grand Duchy maintains good relations but has few contacts with its close relatives in the north.

Kashu himself is active in the lower Vistula area, and their most upstream settlement is Bydgoszcz, even though it is only a fishing village now.

Gdańsk and the surrounding areas are the center of Kashu’s life.

Lu developed a number of farmlands in the forest, and then built villages of various sizes along the Vistula River, so that the population expanded to 50,000 without even knowing it.

Of course, this was far behind the Polish tribes, which had a more powerful population. Similarly, the Polish tribes, who were constantly in disputes, could not imagine that they, who were busy farming and raising cattle, had become a behemoth. If the Poles united to create their own kingdom, it would be another West Slav kingdom no less inferior to the Principality of Moravia.

Kashu themselves are not Polish. They call their large settlement Gdansk and build a port here to actively fish. Since the bay is developing a lagoon, it took several years to form the lagoon. Now the spit is expanding. Forming a perfect breakwater, it made the Port of Gdańsk a wonderful seaport. The locals and other regions could dig amber on the coastal beaches, all of which attracted the arrival of those people - Danish merchants and Bornholm merchants.

Gdańsk is located closer to the island of Borutoholm, which became a county under the Kingdom of Rus as early as 836.

All the dissenters on the island were slaughtered, and the rest were all compliant people. As an obedient nobleman, Count Swind had a hereditary title and title. Although many people were killed, it is undeniable that Bornholm Island is a unique large island in the South Baltic Sea. It is an excellent fishing camp. Count Swind With it, Wende can ensure that his life will be comfortable.

The war had long ended, and a group of Danish families moved to Bornholm Island. They paid taxes to the count and obtained the right to settle.

Again

Starting from this island, a group of Danes followed in the footsteps of their predecessors and rowed long boats across the headland into the Bay of Gdańsk, happily doing business with the Kashu natives here.

The Danes came here to export ironware and buy leather and amber from the locals. In fact, the amount of goods that the two parties could trade was limited. Fortunately, in the past era and in recent years, the transactions between each other were peaceful.

The Danes and Bornholm came with goods and they made no attempt to take slaves from the natives.

Kashu himself did not suffer any real harm. The big leader of this period, a man named Bogslaw, allowed the Danes to build their own micro community in the coastal port area of ​​​​the Port of Gdansk and allowed him to spend the winter here. They even settled there all the time, but they were not allowed to priest the Nordics, but they were allowed to participate in the activities of local Slavic god priests.

However, as early as the beginning of this year, a nobleman took his envoy across the ocean and arrived in Gdansk.

He is none other than Swinder, Count of Bornholm, even though this man has aged terribly over the years.

Most of Swinder's men are recent Danish immigrants. The fact is that most of Swinder's ancestral relatives also migrated from Denmark. Everyone speaks the same Norse dialect, so there is no difference between you and me.

Because three years ago the Ross-Danish coalition united to expel the Frankish forces in Jutland and killed or expelled all the traitors. People were easily confused as to why Denmark won so quickly, and then used various means to end all northerners in the vast Baltic Sea. King Rurik of Rus in the era of tribal strife, and the powerful Kingdom of Rus, have a very high status in the hearts of ordinary Danes.

.

After all, they are ordinary people who long for a stable life. Bornholm once supported thousands of people, and now the island's population continues to recover. Swinde, who was originally a minor local nobleman, grew in ambition as his strength grew.

The new county of Bornholm has learned from the Danes and the Götalanders of Gothenburg that King Rus intends to expedition to Denmark.

King Ross can accomplish such a great feat, but Frank seems to exist in another world. How much does this have to do with the fishermen of Bornholm?

As an earl, Swinde accepted the order from the King of Rus to participate in the expedition. However, his country mostly dealt with the men of the sea-cruising county of Saaremaa, nicknamed the great explorer Spuut, and he never received an order. An army must be organized to follow King Rus, so there is no reason to take the initiative to do something.

Swinde should pay more attention to his own development.

Now, he arrived in Gdansk for the first time with a business group composed of his own people, just to make a long-term business agreement with the local leader Bogslaw.

Because in the past era, neither the Danes nor the Bornholm people were able to provide the supplies that the residents of the coastal forest desperately needed, so the scale of business between the two parties has been hovering at a low level.

This time is different!

All it takes is a long boat to import a batch of cheap iron products from the Rus Iron Works in the north. As long as they are transported to the Slavic territories in the south, the locals will inevitably flock to them and have to exchange them for large amounts of grain and cloth.

As long as you are diligent in making long-distance voyages in the already safe Baltic Sea, you can make a lot of money just by being a second-rate dealer. Why not?

this

That's Earl Swind's current money-making secret.

Others were in Gdańsk, where some of the longships also deliberately flew the Ross flag. He had developed excellent personal relationships with local chiefs.