Rise of Rurik

,!

"It seems that this is the Vistula River." Fisk breathed heavily with joy, his heart was agitated with enthusiasm.

"It should be here. The navy has arrived. Let's not hesitate and start crossing the river now." As he spoke, Rurik calmly sent a signal to his subordinates.

So the drums and horns sounded loudly, and the cavalry gathered on the river bank first. Soon the reindeer army also arrived, and the flat wasteland on the right bank of the Vistula River was instantly overcrowded.

The war horses neighed, the reindeer panted heavily, and the deer that finally stopped even excreted feces and urine. In a short period of time, the area was immersed in a faint stench.

At the same time, the troops that had been on standby for a while, the long boats that were deliberately left vacant, began to move. They drifted to the other side of the river on the calm Vistula River, and very cleverly took advantage of the north wind, allowing the port side of the spinnaker to catch the wind, and then used The force of the current drifted quickly to the north on the other side of the river.

In this way, the cavalry also moved some positions towards the north of the river.

For the team that arrived first, it was hard to say that they met Count Bornholm in Gdansk without the help of the gods.

Originally, the Ross army knew almost nothing about this area. Goldlund, Blue Fox and others learned that this place had been explored by a fringe force of Ross. As long as all the information learned was reported to the King of Ross, it would basically be done. This means that Ross has a basic understanding of the unheard-of Kashu tribe.

King Rus had not seen him for many years, but across the river, Swinder, Earl of Bornholm, who was standing on the other side of the river, could see a distinguished horseman on the other bank.

Even though Rurik, who led Rus's war at that time, was still too young

A young man, his reputation has long been resounding throughout the Baltic Sea. Now the King of Rus must be in the prime of life, and his era of complete victory may last for another thirty years!

Swinde estimated Rurik's future based on his own experience, knowing that a blond hero in his early twenties must have an immeasurable future, but King Rus's glorious future was not something that a mere mortal like himself could estimate.

The visitor is the most noble man in the Baltic world. As a vassal, Swindiji pays a visit. He believes that today's meeting with King Rus is an arrangement by God, and I am afraid that he has also been arranged by Odin in the dark. mission.

Hundreds of boats were competing on the Vistula River, and Swinder was sitting in his own longboat. Although all the boats were taking advantage of the wind and going backwards, only his boat was still rowing honestly.

However, the sails of all ships have a white base with blue lines on them, so people on the other side cannot tell that the details are different at first glance.

Rurik had no time to observe the huge longship team that was about to arrive. He had to organize his men and horses to allow the people, horses and reindeer to cross the river smoothly.

"All flag troops dismount, and the warriors hold the reins of their horses."

"Protect your weapons and equipment."

"It's still the old method, with two people and two horses on each boat. After getting on the boat, comfort your horses and kneel down to lower the center of gravity. You should be careful not to fall into the water."

"The flags of each flag team will cross the river first. The soldiers will go ashore immediately after reaching the other side. They are not allowed to stay on the shore. They will enter some inland areas to find your team's flag and wait for other brothers to join."

Rurik issued a series of orders. Since the entire cavalry team only had more than a thousand people, the order was carried out.

Spread quickly to everyone.

Therefore, the servants of the Courland cavalry and the Rus' Demyansk cavalry, as well as all the horses captured in previous battles, all acted as the first cavalry group, and Rurik himself participated in it.

Ships passed through the two-hundred-meter-wide river one after another, and each long boat could be semi-stranded. Their hard oak keels gnawed into the mud. In addition, the flat bottom of the ship made the long boats ride steadily on the green mud.

"Brothers, cavalry, get on the boat quickly! Let's gather on the other side." The infantry soldiers on the boat shouted one after another, and then took out the long oars that had been stowed away.

Due to the many experiences of crossing rivers and passing through lagoon waterways along the way, the Russian army was already well versed in how to cross rivers.

So instead of crossing the river on a pontoon bridge, they took a large number of long boats to cross the river as quickly as possible. With nearly 2,000 men and nearly 7,000 horses and reindeer, they could cross the river with all their strength in one day. This is not because the Russian army has divine help, it is just because they have become more skilled with more experience.

In a tense and orderly crossing of the river, a man and his entourage go against the trend.

Rurik himself was not in a hurry to cross the river. He intended to wait on the other side of the river until the soldiers were almost done before taking action. In this way, he would be the one to supervise and there would be no trouble.

In order to show that the king was in charge, Rurik still wore his golden laurel crown and let the north wind blow his golden ponytail, all for the sake of attracting attention.

Swind found the king easily. For a moment, it seemed to him that King Ross had changed a lot - no longer the young man he was many years ago, but more like the traditional concept.

Nordic hero.

The 1st Cavalry was now guarding Rurik himself, and this unit would be the last of the cavalry to cross the river.

The soldiers were vigilant, and they were careful not to let brothers from other banners stray into their ranks, so Swinder and his entourage were immediately rejected as stray entrants.

After a brief introduction, the young soldiers knew very little about "Count Bornholm". Looking at the obvious differences between his clothes and his headquarters, they immediately became alert. If the other party had not collectively remained kind, the brothers would have It was time to draw the sword in an instant, but at least their right hands had already grasped the hilt of the sword that was rotating around their waists.

"I'm so nervous! I'm really an earl made by King Rus." He couldn't explain it to some young people, and Swinder yelled shamelessly: "Great King Rus! I am your vassal! I am Bo Count Enholm! I am the envoy sent by the people of Gdansk!"

His series of shouts turned into a commotion in the First Flag Troop. Rurik, who had been watching the crossing, couldn't help but feel blue veins at this commotion that shouldn't have happened.

"Come here! Go and investigate why there is so much noise and see who is disturbing the river crossing."

After a moment, a soldier reported urgently with doubts: "They are some visitors. They claim to be... envoys sent by the people of Gdansk."

"What?! People from Gdansk? These guys know about my existence?!" Rurik was startled.

"The man also said that he is your vassal. What is his name, Count Bornholm?"

As soon as the soldier finished speaking, scenes from many years ago suddenly appeared in Rurik's mind. Even though the memory had become blurry, some details from that time were still there.

The festival is still vivid in my mind and I can talk about it happily.

Because at that time, Rurik used the Hongmen Banquet plan to get rid of most of the nobles on Bornholm Island, leaving only the earliest capitulationists to support them as counts and the highest local rulers.

"Swinder? Is it him? That old guy is still alive?! Could it be that that man has become the messenger of the Gdansk people? What an adventure..." He was so excited that he muttered to himself, and Rurik signaled again: "Go and bring them to the front."

Soon, a man with a silver beard stood in front of Rurik. The man knelt on one knee and performed a warrior salute.

By his act of surrender, Swinder proved himself to be a loyal minister in order to carry out his work later, which indeed pleased Rurik greatly.

"Get up! Swinder, I didn't expect that you are still strong after all these years." Rurik said happily.

"Just because I became your vassal, I must have received some blessings from the gods. This old bone can still ride on the sea."

"Glib talk, but I like it." Rurik nodded: "I'm afraid our encounter was helped by the gods. But I believe you came with a purpose. You probably learned about my king's expedition this year while wandering on the sea. That’s why we organized manpower to wait in the sea and on the coast. Could it be? Are you planning to send troops or provide some materials to support my king’s expedition?”

Swinder answered decisively: "If the king thinks highly of us who are weak, I will help you with all my strength."

What Swinder said is true. How can the huge Russian army make a big name in Frank? This means that participating in this expedition is a sure-profit deal. The benefits of looting a wealthy country are comparable to here.

And Kashu himself and even the Poles in the south were more profitable.

"Forget it, if necessary, of course you will send troops to assist me. I think you come to see me now just to do something for me?"

"That's right."

"It is said that you have become the envoy of the Gdansk people now? What is going on? If you are not staying on your island, when did you mix with the Gdansk people? Besides, you need to tell me, those Gdansk people Dansk what kind of guys they are.”

Swinder paused for breath. He was a little surprised that King Rus really knew the concept of Gdansk. At this point, he was facing the strongest army he had ever seen in his life. He very much hoped that the powerful Rus army could defeat Gdansk. Keep the peace in Skok.

"I came to beg for peace in Gdansk," he said.

"Peace? You mean you suspect that my army will raze Gdańsk to the ground now that it has arrived? So you want to be their lobbyist?"

It sounds like King Rus really wants to dismantle Gdansk during his expedition. Swinde hurriedly defended: "I dare not. But there is no need for the king to destroy them. Now I know them very well. I actually came here for business. You see, my people always wear clothes similar to Ross's style. On the ship The Russian flag flew, and we ourselves carried the Russian battle flag. We established a small community in the port of Gdańsk, where the Russian flag also always flew.”

"Oh?" Rurik became more and more interesting the more he listened, and couldn't help pinching his beard: "So those people have become accustomed to Ross's existence? Even because of your arrival, they have surrendered to you, Count Bornholm? meaning something

Upper Gdansk has surrendered to me? "

"No. However, I have reached a cooperation with the local chief. At least the locals are friendly to us. As long as the king's army does not kill them and does not destroy their living space, Gdansk and all settlements Every Kashubian tribesman you click will maintain a friendly attitude towards us. I learned that you like to do business, and the tens of thousands of Kashuben tribesmen can trade well with us."

There were some more nouns in the words, and Rurik was keenly aware of the key points.

"The Kashu tribe? You mentioned this emphatically. Are they the Gdansk people?"

"Yes." Swinder pointed to the upper reaches of the river: "As far as the big village called Bydgoszcz, all the villages you can see belong to Kashu himself. Their leader lives in Gdansk. If Your Majesty is interested, that man is really looking forward to seeing you."

"Bydgoszcz? Could it really be Bydgoszcz? Could it be that this settlement was built so early, as early as Gdańsk? Then Krakow, Warsaw, and Lublin, do they already exist?" Rick murmured to himself for a while.

He thought for a moment and puffed out his chest and asked deliberately: "Do you know what I am worried about now?"

"What is it?"

"I am very worried that when my army arrives in Gdansk, the other party will decisively attack with all its strength due to mental stress. Our army is just passing through the border. The army is moving along the coastline all the way to the west. The residents of Gdansk had better watch us. Leave. If they dare to intercept us, I will not hesitate to take the time to raze their city to the ground."

"Ah! They should never have attacked

The king's. Swinder was a little panicked, and then said tremblingly: "Their leader's name is Bogslaw, and he has many people under his command." If we really fight, I believe that the king will win, but it will take too much time for the king to eliminate thousands of militiamen. "

"Shut up! I don't like to hear this." In fact, Fisk, who knew about Swinder and had been standing next to Rurik, was not happy: "Even if they come with ten thousand people, Ross will still destroy them."

"Stay back first." Rurik frowned and told Fisk to shut up. Since his general mentioned the war, Ross really had to prepare for the worst.

He was asking: "Swinder, have you been a guest in Gdansk for a long time?"

"It's been half a year."

"Why so long?"

"Because they couldn't immediately come up with supplies to pay for the goods we provided. I planned that they would submit enough autumn food, and I would spend the winter on the island with the food. Unexpectedly, I was waiting for their autumn food, and your army has arrived."

"There is actually a lot of food?" Hearing this, Rurik couldn't help but reveal a look of greed.

This was immediately noticed by Swinder. After all, King Rus was famous in the Nordic world for asking for food. Other noble lords were searching for gold, silver and gems, but King Rus only wanted food, linen and fish. The civilians' eyes widened at what they were paying attention to.

"There is a lot of food. They have many people, cultivate a lot of land, and have a large harvest every year. They will turn the excess wheat into wine, or a sweet drink."

"Is it Kvass?"

"They're called Quas," Swinder corrected.

"

Anyway, it’s the same thing. They actually have time to make wine. It seems that they really have a lot of food. How good it is! If they are willing to do business with me, I am looking forward to a peaceful exchange for a batch of food. Rurik shrugged, and now he has great expectations for Gdansk: "It seems that we can get very good things there. I can meet with their leader, and even sign some treaties to ensure that Ross will stay in Gdansk in the future." Business is booming here. "

"Great!" Swinde was overjoyed and said, "Then after crossing the river, I will serve as a messenger to invite their leader to see you."

"That's fine."

Rurik still feels that his good luck is unnatural. The Bornholm people have their own business ideas, which is no problem. Now that I think about it, it is only the elites of the local Kashu tribe in Gdansk who have noticed this. changes in the region.

Rose is an out-and-out strong man. Anyone who disobeys Rose will be punished. Anyone who is not stupid should think of maintaining a peaceful and friendly relationship with Rose.

"Am I really a tyrant? Maybe so. At least I will not take the initiative to attack the tribes that maintain good relations with me. But the subsequent economic invasion will be like cutting flesh with a dull knife." Already sitting on the boat Rurik thought so.

At the same time, the river crossing operation belonging to the 1st Cavalry began, and some reindeer also began to board the boats and start the operation.

At this moment, the other side of the river was already crowded with cavalry. They were resting around their team flags and chatting and laughing with the infantry soldiers who had arrived earlier.

The first arrivals also began to learn that there was a large open area behind the camp woodland, where there were huge wheat fields and local people.

A large settlement complex and a port with very basic facilities.

In fact, those with keen eyes saw the shadow of the Ross flag - it is believed to represent the temporary commercial community of the Count of Bornholm here.

Of course, all their actions created a huge noise, and the intense noise turned into a low roar, which the residents of Gdańsk could not ignore.

What makes local people even more angry is that the felling of windbreaks is still going on.

The big leader Bogslaw did not want to organize a militia to defeat Ross. He just wanted to organize an armed demonstration to talk to the Ross leader. Everything would be easy to organize their work of destroying the forest.

After all, the big leader was not so reckless as to risk the lives of thousands of militiamen with those who came in rowing boats just for a few trees.