Rise of Rurik

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The Principality of Volin was born out of nowhere, but this was nothing.

The new Duke Woyzeck knows the small size of his power, and if he wants to continue to maintain his current life, he must rely on the strong. In the past, it was dependent on the intricate Danish lords, but now it is dependent on the more powerful King of Rus.

The huge Ross fleet appeared on the northern coast of Wolin Island. This small delta island at the mouth of the Oder River has ever seen such a huge fleet visit. Based on Woyzeck's knowledge, he has reason to believe in King Ross's ability. It can destroy heaven and earth.

However, the Russian army had no plans to stay in this small fishing village called Zifna Village.

But now that Ross has learned about the Volin power at the mouth of the Oder River for the first time, Rurik thinks that it would be a good idea not to pay a visit.

The entire army must safely enter Wolin Island through this eastern waterway, and then enter Uzna Island.

The land troops had to cross the mouth of the Oder River by island hopping, which would be stubborn and a waste of time.

Rurik took a look at the structure of the eastern waterway and was surprised that this waterway was probably within a stone's throw, so even the barges were omitted.

He temporarily arranged for his confidant General Fisk: "Now you go and pick twenty strong warriors from each of the four teams, bring axes and cut down the wood immediately, and we will build a pontoon bridge here."

That's all, he gave orders to the infantry flag team that had just landed. The officers and soldiers of the two landing flag teams lined up the half-stranded longships, and the ships lined up in a wall to fill the waterway.

Whether to cross the river by barge or build a pontoon bridge, all this depends on Rurik's judgment of the situation. Generally speaking, the width of the waterway is less than the projectile range of the ordinary short wooden bow, so you can quickly cut down the wood and build the bridge.

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To be fair, the Ross Army does not need to worry about the "windbreak problem" when logging in the coastal forest. The people in Zifna Village make a living by fishing, growing some vegetables and raising a small number of livestock. Therefore, they need wood resources even more to build houses and repair their fishing boats.

Logging is a technical and physical job. Even the Russian warriors who rely on the Nordic "wedge directional logging" technique to cut down large trees consume a lot of energy.

Rurik needed to build a pontoon bridge as soon as possible, so ten huge two-man saws were shipped on the big ship.

The wide saw blade is originally made from a long iron bar that is continuously beaten. After carburizing treatment, the whole blade is quite elastic and tough. Each tooth is chiseled and ground as sharp as possible, and the tooth is then heat treated to make it hard enough.

Saw, this is an absolute rarity in the small city of Wolin.

It is even a unique tool of the Kingdom of Rus. As long as two warriors keep pulling, a pine tree as thick as a bowl can easily fall over. For larger trees, multiple people need to operate the two-man saw properly. Even so, the physical effort they put in is far less. It is easier to hit with an axe, and the efficiency is faster.

The long ships were placed side by side one after another, and the protrusions at the bow and stern were tied with cables. Most of the newly cut tree trunks were as thick as a bowl. All the branches of these pine trees were stripped off and spread on the boat. Thanks to the slow flow of water in the eastern waterway, the pontoon bridge built by the Russian army did not have to worry too much about the push of the water flow. It was still pushed out of the arc and did not cause any serious harm to the whole.

Two men quickly felled the wood with saws and axes, and a large number of long boats were assembled into pontoon bridges. Then the cavalry and the subsequent large herd of deer began to cross the bridge calmly.

It's only noon, huge Ross

The army's land forces began to enter Wolin Island at an extremely high speed, and their staged destination was the central water channel of the Oder River mouth. All this was seen by Woyzeck, Duke of Volin, and his aging heart began to agitate with youth again. Just building the bridge also showed the unique strength of the Russian army.

Woyzeck watched helplessly as a forest suddenly disappeared and a floating bridge suddenly appeared.

More people came to watch this unheard of wonder with an attitude of appreciation. The ordinary fishermen saw the excitement today, and the topic was enough for them to chat for several months after dinner. The fishermen paid more attention to the wood. The so-called Russian army would probably not want those pine trees after crossing the river.

For local people who are backward in production and living tools, logging also incurs huge costs. Now the Russians have helped themselves cut down many trees. The good wood can be used to repair the beams and partitions of houses, and even repair ships. No matter how bad the wood is, it can be used as heating fuel this winter, and the locals do not need to pay any compensation for all this.

Rurik stood here, watching with great interest his own people passing the pontoon.

He pinched his waist to admire his greatness, and from the corner of his eyes, he also noticed Duke Warin who had been watching the progress.

Now the reindeer are crossing the bridge quickly driven by whips, and the deer herders on the backs of the deer are calmly directing the action, while the cavalry who are the first to cross the bridge have begun to head straight to the central waterway without stopping - that is where the Russian army will be tonight. campsite.

He was so confident that he approached Woyzeck, who was still surprised: "Now we have seen it. Building bridges when encountering water, this is Rose's strength."

"Your Majesty! You are really powerful! I heard that you have been protected by the Great God of the North. I am so stupid that I am from Dan

When Mai Renchu ​​heard the news, he thought it was a ridiculous compliment at first, but now it seems that I was indeed stupid. "

Woyzeck's attitude was very low, and his compliments made Rurik feel that this guy was just a cunning old fox.

"Why call yourself stupid? You are a smart man." Rurik turned to look at the man: "I accept your tribute. Now, I am very interested in you and your Volin."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your appreciation."

"You don't need to worry about anything. Ross is just a passer-by here. If we hadn't foreseen you, we would have passed this river immediately and continued westward. Even if I meet you now, I will not waste time."

Woyzeck was a little surprised: "What does your Majesty mean?"

"I intend to go to your Wolin City to take a look, and I also intend to give you some gifts in return."

"Oh! That's wonderful. The whole city of Volin is open to you."

Rurik nodded: "Let's talk about more serious things. I want to know how big your Wolin is, and how big your island is. What is the situation on Rugen Island now, and what is the possible attitude of the locals towards us? I also hope you can provide some reliable guides to help me get out of here."

"I will try my best to satisfy all your arrangements." Woyzeck hurriedly continued to compliment.

Rurik decided to go to Volin City to have a look in person, and this time he decided to take a boat, uncharacteristically.

He authorized Fisk to lead the cavalry and reindeer herds westward and camp on the banks of the so-called "Pig River". As for myself, I will go to Wolin personally to see the reality of the local people.

The reindeer team quickly crossed the pontoon bridge, which was also quickly crossed by warriors on and off their men.

dismantling.

Rurik entered Wolin City as a guest. He did not come empty-handed, but unloaded a small amount of cargo from the large ship, such as glassware and wine. These supplies were gifts to Woyzeck. At the same time, Some of the scraps and scraps that were previously captured are now being sold directly to Wolin City.

All the fresh wood was dragged to the shore, and the fishermen happily dragged it home.

The huge Ross fleet continued westward together with the cavalry. Rurik believed Woyzeck's confession about the geography and hydrology of the region. In fact, even if this man lied, Ross would have no loss.

"Okay, my people ran towards the Pig River. That should be the middle waterway of the Oder River. And you!" Rurik looked at Woyzeck's old face: "Now, I want to enter your city."

An armed team of three to four hundred people can destroy the city of Wolin. In other words, many Danish lords cannot handle such a large number of soldiers. It is easy for Ross.

Rurik removed some of the stronger warriors from each flag team, and the honor of visiting the port city of Wolin as a tourist would benefit all teams equally. Even Casimir of Gdańsk and Sok of Gdynia, the two Kashus themselves went to Wolin with Rurik to have a look.

Rurik just mobilized 300 people. He had not only soldiers but also women. Beyashir and some of her Pecheneg warriors transformed into Nordic oarsmen. It was a novel experience for these dark-haired and pie-faced warriors.

Verica and Blackbird still wore priestly white robes, and the two women wore a large number of gems, amber and other decorations just to highlight Rurik's glory.

What Ross said

Ten longships were taken on the initiative, and towed an armed cargo ship that was deliberately left vacant.

Rurik also brought some serious silver coins with him this time. He estimated that Wolin was a tribal city-state with a large population. It would be a good thing to purchase some supplies from the local area, and transactions could also enhance mutual trust.

He also wants to investigate the situation deep in the Oder River. Although the residents of Wolin do not belong to the so-called Liutich Alliance, considering that Ross may have some relationship with those people in the future, it is also a good thing to take advantage of the opportunity to pry out as much information as possible now. .

All sails were furled, and the flags of the small Ross fleet were hoisted.

The warriors wore uniform robes, and even Rurik himself rowed the oars with his warriors shouting trumpets.

The Russian army drove away the Danish ships at such a speed that Woyzeck's followers had to pursue them.

But Woyzeck had the virtue of sitting in King Rus's temporary flagship and taking part in the oars with Rurik himself.

"It seems that you have lived with the Danes for too long." Rurik muttered with interest, paying attention to his paddling movements.

"Hey, my wife is a Danish woman."

"Oh? So your child is still half Danish?"

"You can say that."

"I would like to meet your son, he is the future little duke..."

The journey was extremely boring, so Rurik deliberately took the opportunity to ask about the Lyutich people.

And this is what Woyzeck is willing to introduce. It is his obligation to submit some information to King Ross. Doing so can attract the other party's favor. Besides, the attitude of Wolin residents towards the Lutich Alliance is subtle, even

There is some resistance to it.

It turns out that the so-called Liutich Alliance consists of four large tribes. They fight peacefully but can often unite when facing a common enemy.

Woyzeck focused on the large tribe called Tellonsee and mentioned Szczecin, the closest settlement between this tribe and Wolin.

Rurik was sure that he was referring to Szczecin, and he couldn't help but sigh to himself: "It turns out that Szczecin existed so early."

All of Woyzeck's descriptions were written on paper by Verica, who acted as a scribe. She assembled the manuscript in Latinized Norse, which was simpler and easier to write. Thanks to the calm waterway, she was able to write in beautiful handwriting. The first written records of the Rus' on the Oder River region were left.

(The West of Tyrone fell in the core area with the location of today's Neubrandenburg and radiated to the east, with settlements reaching the Oder River. To the south of the Tyrone tribe, the location of today's Berlin was the Wende Haviland tribal territory)

Although Szczecin already exists, as far as Woyzeck is concerned, it is a hillfort protected by wooden walls and earthen mounds. The locals make a living by fishing in the lagoon area and the upper reaches of the Oder River.

As for why it has a defensive nature, it is not to guard against the free city of Wolin, but to guard against sneak attacks by the Grand Duke of Rugen and the Grand Duke of Moravia.

The word princeps has a wide range of uses. When lords large and small learned about this noble Latin word, they used it to advertise themselves.

Woyzeck specifically mentioned the so-called Grand Duke of Rugen, emphasizing that the man had a certain degree of aggression.

Rurik couldn't help but ask more: "My army must transit from the forces on Rugen Island, what about that?"

A man would be calm enough to watch our troops pass by? "

"I don't know. But...the king's army is so powerful, it would be easy for you to destroy them."

"That's true, but I don't want to waste time. You! Since you can easily mention that island noble, it seems that you have some interactions with the people there."

"Intersection? Not much. At least it's not a hostile relationship." Woyzeck concealed his timidity with a smile. He really didn't want to talk nonsense with the guys from Rügen Island. He told the truth: "If I didn't have some Danish brothers here, Wolin would be annexed by Rügen Island. If Rügen Island really starts a war, there will be no free port for the Damai brothers to do business. At that time, I believe that Denmark will The army will attack Rügen.”

Rurik thought about it and it made sense.

Before evening, the Russian fleet entered the city of Wolin in the eastern part of the Oder River lagoon.

Just as Rurik predicted, a large number of longhouses appeared in a very open area, where Slavs and Danes lived together. Due to the large-scale Nordic-style wooden buildings here, it seemed like a Danish city. town.

The locals were surprised by the arrival of the Ross army. When they saw their leader standing high-profile on the long boat, all their worries disappeared.

So Rurik stood in the city of Wolin, and trade with the locals began immediately.

It was now the end of the autumn harvest, and although the locals' farmland was limited, they still had a surplus of wheat and vegetables. To Rurik's surprise, the locals rarely grew cabbage, but instead grew a variety of red cabbage with sweet roots based on local conditions.

In this era, red root beets are only slightly sweet vegetables. It still takes thousands of years to become a sugar-extracting vegetable.

Years of targeted cultivation.

Rurik welcomed all comers. He had enough money to buy local agricultural products, so before nightfall, the people who came after hearing the news happily brought their own agricultural products to the local free market and bought them from the Russians. A batch of precious silver coins were obtained in exchange.

After all, many agricultural products cannot be stored, but silver coins last forever. Besides, these silver coins are in very good condition. Look at the big heads on the coins, which are those Frank silver coins minted decades ago.

This night, the Ross army camped in the open space. Rurik adhered to the preferential treatment of his allies and did not camp in the settlements of his allies to disturb the people.

Wolin City is worthy of being a free city-state force. Its own armed capabilities are extremely poor, but because its leader is an old fox, he can be smart enough to mediate among multiple forces, so that anyone who monopolizes it will arouse the anger of other forces.

Ross legally incorporated Wolin and granted him the status of a grand duchy, but Ross's fundamental rule was to rule by restraint.

The Volin people are still autonomous under the rule of their Grand Duke. Due to the alliance between Rus and Denmark, as long as Rus does not take action, no one else will try to rule it directly.

Rurik was a distinguished guest, and Woyzeck also hosted a dinner with the highest standards of food he could afford to welcome the distinguished guests from far away.

Woyzeck was surprised. He did not expect that the Gdansk people of the Kashuben clan had already taken refuge in Rus, and the son of the Duke, Casimir, was here.

The Kashuben family's sphere of influence is close to Wolin, and the two sides have never been in conflict with each other. However, since everyone has become Ross's vassal, they can also formally build friendship together if they have the opportunity.

Regarding the sheep Woyzeck sent, one of them

At Rurik's request, they were raided to make roasted lamb. The locals provided a batch of food, and Ross also provided a batch of specialties.

It was here that Woyzeck and his son put on the cloth robes Rurik specially prepared for them, two steel swords and two pairs of high-top leather boots.

After eating and drinking, the father and son knelt on one knee in front of Rurik and accepted the formal canonization ceremony.

"Now, you are truly a duke. Your son, your grandson, and all your descendants will inherit this title. You have to hang the flag I gave you. You can also make more flags and hang them high. Starting. Wolin City must fly the flag of Rus, which can deter others and inform the Danish nobles that you are the great vassal of Rus. Therefore, anyone who does anything wrong to you is a provocation to Rus, especially that Lu Neshima.”

It is equivalent to saying that Wolin City has received an almost unlimited security guarantee, so legally, as long as the Woyzeck family has ambitions to expand, it is completely reasonable and legal to go to war against other people under the banner of Ross. But Woyzeck and his life only want to be rich and stable, and ambitions for expansion will not sprout in the hearts of these two generations.