Not all the cavalry teams released for patrol returned. In the vast forest and swamp, Fisk decided to return with the loot, so naturally he couldn't notify everyone.

The brothers have fully developed their ability to act freely in the Frankish hinterland. They have received prairie-style cavalry training, and their behavior has converged with that of the Pechenegs.

Those grassland people rode horses and drove cattle and sheep, and could camp and settle anywhere on the grassland.

It is very similar to the style of the Vikings, who rowed boats and anchored in distant places, built houses and docks, and fished on the spot.

The Russians, who were good at rowing, turned into people who were good at horseback riding. Even if there were only a few people, they would dare to explore alone in small groups.

Because they do have a "God's perspective".

The members of the First Cavalry are all elites. They have received more advanced education and know the basic structure of the coastline of Northern Europe and Northeast Europe, so there is a guaranteed plan for the expedition.

If you get lost, you can either go north to find a sea-like lake and then go west. Or keep going west, find the sea, and then go north along the coastline.

Eventually, the lost team will arrive at New Roseburg.

When a team of ten people went all the way south to reach the West Dvina River, they did not find a suitable ford crossing. Thinking that there might be an accident if they tried hard on horseback, they simply continued their exploration along the riverside area.

If they choose to push upstream along the riverside area, they will soon encounter a shoal that can be easily waded through.

They chose to go downstream.

There is a saying that has been circulated among everyone for a long time. It is said that if you push along this river to the mouth of the sea, you can connect with the settlement called Riga. King Rurik claimed this and even went to Riga to borrow its ships. It was easy

You can reach Saaremaa Island.

Rus had no contact with the settlers in Riga, and everything was confirmed by the king's account, and he even drew a map.

The map was drawn in a simple way, and the soldiers kept it in their minds. Maybe they could take advantage of this year's opportunity to try to implement the king's statement.

The brothers persuaded their Pecheneg captain, a former herdsman named Ureko (meaning big arm).

Prairie people are quite casual about naming, especially for a slave who herds horses. It is a great honor to be given a name by the master. However, the name is not bad, as it indicates that a person's arms are strong and powerful, which is a praise.

Over the years, Ureko has received a new lease of life in Rus.

His status is still that of a slave, but he is only a slave in name only.

He married a wife in Rus and had children, who were already of mixed Turkic-Slav descent. He also had his own assets, and the children's destination was to continue to be cavalry.

Loyalty to the King of Rus is more promising than loyalty to the Pecheneg Khan. To the warriors, the young King of Rus is extremely fair and just. Anyone can grab ordinary trophies based on their ability, but valuable gold, silver and jewelry must be handed over to the king.

Divide according to proportion.

He! He was one of the people who participated in the encounter with the King of East Frankish Forest, and also participated in the sneak attacks and plunders of Cologne and Bonn. The deed of extracting five thousand pounds of silver coins from Cologne was brilliant. For this reason, this horse herdsman

A person who was born as a slave received a large amount of money. The spoils of war in 840 were enough to enable him and his family to live with food and clothing for a lifetime.

But human desires are endless, especially when this kind of existence itself is a fighting warrior.

"We'll go down the river and grab the weak villages we find. If the other side is strong, we'll talk to them." Almost everyone had this attitude.

The captain of Ureco's team, his attitude is very important.

His reaction was more decisive than the others. "Why bother to talk? We will grab it when we see the opportunity! Even if it means grabbing a few sheep and slaughtering them for roasting, after all, there is not much dry food here. By shooting the hare that has no oil or water,

, might as well catch a fat sheep."

He said it very truthfully. The brothers had eaten a lot of meat from wild animals these days, but they were short of oil and water.

Although these descendants of the old Rus do not understand the concept of "rabbit hunger syndrome" at all, based on the customs and traditions of Nordic life, everyone has a keen attitude towards fat. This is why when Rus was still a tribe, they had no regard for catching seals.

I am particularly keen on hunting whales and purposefully fishing for cod and eating cod livers, all for the sake of that mouthful of fat.

The roasted fat lamb is extremely delicious, and Ureko made his brothers salivate just by talking about it.

"Let's go!" Ureko ordered.

The group of ten people lined up in a column. They cherished their horses and tried their best to avoid sinking their hooves because there was a lot of mud in the riverside area. They held the reins and walked the horses, and the bow quivers were hung on their bodies, and the quivers were hung on the saddles to facilitate encountering danger.

Immediately transform into an infantry archer and take action.

The team separated from the flag captain Fisk early. There were five teams leaving Lukiholm. They all arrived at the West Dvina River one after another. How to explore next depends on their own wishes.

In fact, when they decided to go down the river, they had been wandering near the forest area. If they encountered a bear, they quickly avoided it. They also hoped to encounter a village in the forest that they wanted to capture.

They missed old Harold and his party from Riga, and they didn't know that the latter had been annihilated by Fisk in the upper reaches of the swamp.

They completely lost contact with Fisk and had no intention of returning to the team at any time.

These are a group of guys with strong survival ability in the wild, and their current activities are no different from wild beasts.

They are a group of ferocious beasts that will treat everyone they encounter as prey.

Ureko and his gang decided to go down the river south of today's Vitebsk.

They kept moving forward and trying to find a suitable ferry, but they saw that the river was becoming wider and wider.

Suddenly, a white entity appeared on the riverside grassland ahead, as well as a shaking figure.

Isn’t that white one a sheep?

Everyone looked at each other and immediately mounted their horses tacitly.

Ureko asked everyone: "How? Kill the shepherd or take him prisoner for questioning?"

Someone bared his teeth and growled like a hungry wolf: "At best, we can kill after asking questions. No one expects the captives to understand our language."

Everyone laughed arrogantly for a while, then launched an attack with their bows.

But he said that the shepherd had seen a horseman before, but it was too weird to see ten black figures suddenly rushing from the upper reaches of the river. Curiosity overcame fear, and the wrinkled shepherd was soon surrounded by the cavalry.

How could this person be so bold? Or was he simply frightened?

"Hey! Old guy, where did you come from?!" The question was first asked in Norse, but the shepherd was indifferent.

Then he switched to Slavic with a strong Ilmen dialect, and he finally responded.

Most of the words are very similar, especially the word village (sela, an ancient Slavic word).

The shepherd chatted a lot, and the biggest question was "Who are you and what do you want to do?"

It stands to reason that a kind person would have a good chat with them, but these warriors can become extremely vicious in an instant because they have experienced hundreds of battles.

The shepherd did not wait for an answer, or in other words, the answer he got was to seal his throat with a sword.

One soldier ended everything with a precise shot across the throat, leaving the scene speechless.

"What are you doing?! We haven't finished asking yet." Ureko turned his head angrily.

The soldier said plausibly: "There's no need to ask any more questions. Just go in the direction this person points. Look, we're waiting to eat roasted lamb. Isn't that right?"

To be honest, Ureko can't control his so-called men at all. They are a group of old Russians through and through. Their work style is exactly the same as that of their fathers, even if they have integrated into Slavic blood. But Ureko is not a Russian or a Slavic, he is

Being a slave, one is naturally looked down upon by these young, energetic and strong brats.

Ureko is very self-aware. When he can "retire" in a few years, he can at most continue to serve as a cavalry coach.

What the Russians need is cavalry combat skills, not Pecheneg mercenaries. All the steppe coaches will soon complete their missions, and the rest is for these brats to do whatever they want. At least they have shown too much skill now

Made a decision.

Ureko couldn't say anything, so he just went along with these guys.

The herdsmen who ignored their money and died took all the six sheep they caught to the forest not far away, and lit a bonfire in the forest to slaughter the sheep and roast them for food.

They tried their best to make barbecue and used the meat as dry food to continue their heartbeat. The peeled sheep skin was retained, and then some people ate the whitish mutton oil directly, and some roasted it for consumption. Everyone had a full meal

, there is no need to discuss what will happen tomorrow.

In the early morning, morning fog filled the whole world.

The Russians kicked up the earth to bury the slow-burning bonfire and led their horses away from the camp. Only a large amount of sheep blood, broken bones, and horse dung were left behind.

They mounted their horses, and their backpacks contained a large amount of meat that was roasted as dry as possible. Now that the temperature is high, even cooked mutton will not stay fresh for a long time. The brothers still need more supplies, and they also hope to gain more benefits through looting.

, such as gold coins and silver coins.

Even arresting a few women...

Because the shepherd points out a direction, that is his village.

The body of the dead shepherd lay quietly in the grass, and no one alerted the village at the bend of the river to the danger.

People in small settlements continue their daily lives of farming, raising cattle and sheep, and fishing near the coast.

Today was a peaceful day in Japan, and the villagers continued their simple and hard work. Suddenly a group of people on horseback suddenly appeared. Once they appeared, they immediately attacked everyone they saw like wild beasts.

But for this Russian cavalry team, they clamped their legs on the belly of the horse and used their bows and arrows to shoot directly at the people working in the fields, including those resting in the fields. Most of the farmers saw the sudden charging horsemen and subconsciously stood up to take a look at the situation.

As a result, he was directly hit by a flying arrow.

They shot the farmers like they were shooting wild beasts, their methods were clean and neat, and they did not bother to replenish their arrows to ensure death. Because there was a village in front of them. Although the village was small and the houses were in a very bad shape, even though there was no gold and silver there, there were a lot of urgently needed supplies for the brothers.

"Fight to the end!" Ureko shouted again: "Just follow your ideas! No mercy!"

Yes, they will replicate the vicious looting of villages near Cologne in this unknown place.

They shot arrows outside the village, and the villagers who realized the huge crisis immediately began to flee. The cavalry further rushed into the small village, put their recurve bows back into their bow bags, and immediately drew their swords and stabbed and slashed at the scurrying people.

No one explained why. The Russian soldiers recalled last year's crazy war. They were driven mad by bloodthirsty, and now they just wanted to kill indiscriminately. Especially when the men in this village began to try to resist, carrying scythes for cutting grass and beating them.

When Gu Zi's long-handled flail and even genuine axes and swords began to fight back, it was only because of further killings by the Ross cavalry.
To be continued...