Chapter 1035 Re-narrating the Alliance of Ross Speccheneg
The prince will finally become Khan, and Kagan's shoulders will bear the responsibility of the entire clan.
It is in the interests of both parties to build a relay station called Luki on the road connecting Rus' and Pecheneg, and Kagan strongly supports this.
Carlotta had finished saying what she wanted to say, and now it was Kagan's turn to express what was in her heart.
"You... sank the power of Ross early. And I can finally get my power. You are the Khan of Ross, and I am the Khan of Pecheneg. But... when I got the power, I almost
I can no longer meet you as freely as I do now."
Kagan had spoken as implicitly as possible, and a sense of loss actually filled the house.
Rurik nodded: "I can understand. You are a free horseman. Until you get the sweat rights, it is like being put in shackles. But you never want to lose it! Don't worry, you are the only Peche I recognize.
Negg Khan.”
"Thank you. Ah... I wish we two brothers could drink until we were drunk before I left."
"A banquet? Yes, I can arrange it immediately."
Ross has good wine that is as clear as water, strong and flammable, and has the ability to produce it in large quantities. There are a large number of strange little things to satisfy the preferences of the nobles, and there are also large quantities of materials to meet the daily needs of the grassland people.
Kagan was full of expectations for a farewell banquet, but now he wanted to take advantage of his clear mind to inform Rurik of his strategic arrangements after leaving.
"Our trade routes passed through grasslands, rivers and endless forests. Our communication always faced challenges, which required maintaining large trading groups to trade."
Kagan's words seemed to have a profound meaning. Rurik thought for a while: "Could it be that you want me to organize a caravan and go directly to your residence for trade?"
"Of course, you must have this ability. You also have a lot of horses and cavalry that have won great victories in the far west. Brother Rurik, you know that. We Pechenegs and those Kiev people, everyone
Constantly facing sneak attacks by the Khazar cavalry, the southern steppe route is not really safe."
"That's right. I know those people." Rurik replied while pinching his beard, feeling more and more that something was wrong.
Kagan continued his speech, and his words became more and more high-pitched: "There is a very fertile grassland in the southern coastal area. The Khazars occupied it to graze cattle and sheep. We Pechenegs are eager to get it. In the past, we were unable to do so.
Now with your weapons input, this is no longer a luxury."
"The grassland of the southern coast?"
"Exactly," Kagan added.
Rurik had a map in his mind, and he knew the concept of "Khazar Khanate".
The Khazars are the Khazar tribe of the Western Turks. The Turks were forced to move westward under the military attack of the Tang Empire. This escape was all the way west along the vast grassland, riding horses and driving cattle and sheep all the way to the Carpathians.
Qianshan. The Pechenegs are related to the Khazars, but even so they still fight over the pastures for grazing.
The Khazars were the forerunners and the latecomers of the Pechenegs. Later, the Kipchaks, Oghuz and other ethnic groups with similar blood would rush towards the rich grasslands of Southeast Europe on horseback.
The macro-historical development is like this, and it is not something that a certain king can change as he pleases based on his personal will.
Rurik indeed felt that since he made friends with the distant Pecheneg and transported important iron and salt to it, it was like stepping on the accelerator of the car of history.
The Pechenegs are also from the Western Turks. The area at the mouth of the Volga River was originally an area controlled by the Khazar Khanate. After they captured it through war, they continued to expand. That is, the Pechenegs moved Volgograd to
Astrakhan's fertile grassland area on the banks of the Volga River serves as the core control area, with several major tribes arranged like a star chain. They are expanding to the Donbas Basin to the west, actively trying to seize control of the Donbas River.
At least, they had dug a trade line through the areas controlled by the Khazar Khanate.
Place names are all given by people. Kagan's own description only gave it a description of "communication lines", but Rurik had a special understanding of the so-called "communication lines".
There was the huge Kursk salient area during World War II, itself a flat prairie with many rivers. Pecheneg's cavalry would cross here every time, and then head due west from the position of about Mokharkiv.
Arrive at the Kiev residence.
In this era, even the population of the so-called powerful Khazar Khanate was too small, and even the once-powerful Eastern Roman Empire did not recover after its population plummeted after the two great plagues. The Eastern European world has huge forests, lakes and grasslands.
However, the active population is very small. There is no concept of national borders in the grassland area. This situation also fully applies to the Kingdom of Rus sitting in the north.
Theoretically, the Kingdom of Rus only shares borders with Denmark, Saxony, and East Frankia, which were established through the Treaty of 840. The borders are bounded by natural rivers or special markers, and are recognized by each ruler.
In Eastern Europe, Russia only has areas of control and spheres of influence, and no national borders.
Ross's tentacles can directly control the Valdai Lake area to the east, and to the south, the Lukiholm stronghold can be established in the Everglades this year. Does it mean that going further east or south is not within the control area? Of course not. As long as there is no
When encountering forces that prevent the explorers from advancing and are incapable of conquering, Rurik can claim that the endless east is "the territory given to Rus by the gods."
The same principle applies to Pecheneg.
The Lower Volga River Valley is now their core area. As long as their cavalry is strong enough, it is theoretically possible for the Pecheneg Khanate to continue to expand and replace the Khazar Khanate.
But by that time, this power became a threat to everyone.
"No! The Pechenegs cannot be that powerful! My Rus will become the Rome of the north in advance." Rurik sighed secretly.
In fact, Kagan's meaning was implicit but obvious, which was to invite allies in the north to send troops south to attack the Khazars once the situation changed.
Rurik realized what his sworn brother meant, and he raised his majestic chest and announced loudly and arrogantly: "Brother! I just thought about it and I completely understand what you mean. We really need to determine the communication line between our two countries.
, I should also send cavalry at the appropriate time to visit your home along your way home. In this way, once you intend to start a war, our Ross can respond quickly and arrive at the battlefield along the road to help you."
"This is exactly what I want." Kagan is very happy to have a close brother.
In short, the two sides need to make the alliance closer. Putting aside the bloody fraternity of the two rulers, the economic relationship between the two countries is already very close. The next step is a comprehensive military alliance. Pecheneg is still
Weak but with a promising future, they have already embraced Ross. Kagan’s statement today fully proves one thing – Pecheneg is about to embark on an epic expansion.
No, Kagan began to reiterate his request.
"So, among all the Russian goods, we will always need salt and iron. In fact, we can make do with drinking extremely bitter sea water, but now we only have you as an ally that can steadily provide iron. We will always need a large amount of iron armor.
Iron spears and clusters of iron arrows. Look, I am about to officially become a khan. Brother, look..."
Kagan talked a lot, and his brown eyes began to roll frequently.
Rurik suddenly laughed: "Brother, you are asking for a gift from me."
"How about giving me some more? Maybe this will displease you, but funding me will benefit you. After all, we will have frequent trade in the future, and I will create a larger sphere of influence to ensure that our transportation lines are safer. This will continue
Wouldn’t it be great if the prairie horses and slaves were transported to you?”
Judging from what Kagan meant, he wanted to get some iron tools for nothing.
It stands to reason that Ross should not make a big enemy of this issue. Today, Kagan lowered his attitude and acted like a brother with a friendship, which made Rurik feel itchy. After all, there is an oriental soul in his heart.
Moreover, the Pechenegs have indeed been defeated by the Tang Empire since they traced their origins. He has always had a psychological advantage. Besides, Beyashir is also here.
Wait a minute! With Beyahil here, wouldn't it mean that he has become a tool that makes it hard for him to refuse his hospitality?
Rurik's expression was a little hesitant, and then Beyashil started to make a fuss.
"Your Majesty." She poked her little head with trembling eyes: "Didn't we seize some worn-out armor from the West? There are also some iron tools of poor quality. Why not, just give them to my elder brother."
"That's right." Kagan hurriedly expressed his position, "Brother, I don't have high demands. Those things are nothing to you, but they can produce very good results in our hands."
"Haha... Hahaha..." Rurick laughed loudly while stroking his beard, and his face became more scathing: "You are indeed brothers and sisters. It seems that we have discussed this."
The brother and sister looked at each other and smiled again, the scene was indeed strange.
"Hmph. We are relatives after all." Rurik spoke again: "Do you only want those scraps of copper and scrap metal?"
"If there is a better one, as long as my horses can pull it away, I will... try my best to pull it away."
"You're really welcome. That's fine."
It was Rurik's oriental temperament that reminded him of the heroic and domineering spirit of nations coming to court. Is there only intrigue between countries? Do they just rely on common interests to maintain relations, and will tear them up as soon as their interests conflict?
Treaty? If so, this is truly barbaric behavior.
A Pecheneg who has become stronger but has always maintained an alliance with Russia is very beneficial to the Kingdom of Russia at this stage of history.
Taking into account the limited transport capacity of the packhorse, even if Rurik suddenly burst out with kindness and wanted to give Kagan a large amount of supplies as a gift to bless him to become Khan, it was not consistent with reality.
How do the Pechenegs or steppe cavalry fight? Unless necessary, they are unwilling to engage in hand-to-hand combat. Instead, they frequently fight with cavalry and archery, and sneak attacks often occur. Even if the steppe people know how to smelt iron, it hinders their livelihood.
The environment is difficult to find, not only iron ore, but even a stone. Iron will rust, and if their consumables are not effectively replenished, the military strength of a grassland tribe will continue to weaken.
Use bone fragments to make arrow clusters. The arrows will not be able to penetrate the leather armor if they are shot from a longer distance.
Ross's steel-cone armor-piercing arrows can easily penetrate the lock rings of ordinary chain mail, and can also dig holes in iron scale armor.
According to Kagan's past description, the Khazars did frequent business with the Romans, so their leather armor rate was high, and they were also able to use a large number of iron arrow clusters. The quality of their iron clusters was simply incomparable to that of Ross.
The pointed cone-shaped arrow cluster is cast and molded in one step, then fried to lose carbon and transformed into low-carbon steel. Finally, it undergoes a violent quenching to become extremely hard without losing a certain degree of willfulness. It is a treasure that is hard and not easy to break. Because
Ross has achieved mass production, and the cost of a single arrow cluster has been greatly diluted.
It is not necessary to give good arrows to allies, but the army returning from the expedition will have arrows that have been used many times.
The core of an arrow is its arrow cluster. The arrows prepared for the Ross expedition were greatly consumed. The recovered arrow clusters were installed on makeshift wooden poles, and wild bird feathers were used as tail feathers, and even non-stick feathers were used.
.This is like reloading bullets. Of course, reloading bullets can be used, but no matter how optimized the performance is, they cannot keep up with the original bullets.
Rurik said this: "Since you only want arrow clusters, I can provide you with many. They have experienced wars, many arrow clusters have drank blood, and countless Western warriors have died from them. The arrow shafts are no longer usable.
The arrow clusters are okay. Just put them in a lot of sacks and go back."
"Okay!" Kagan asked eagerly for the specific quantity.
"I can probably give you ten thousand. Anyway, even if I don't give it to you, those arrow clusters will have to be redone."
"Give it to me. I will make another ten thousand arrows when I go back to my hometown." As he spoke, Kagan's heart beat wildly with excitement.
For Rurik, 10,000 arrow clusters are nothing now. The production capacity of Russia's steel industry has been expanding because the people are fully aware of the huge benefits of bows and arrows for war and hunting. Civilians and the army have huge demand for arrows. The north
The two large smelters and the blacksmith shops in various settlements are willing to mass-produce it. Similarly, ordinary people are also willing to raise large quantities of poultry and sell large feathers to make extra profits.
For Kagan, 10,000 arrow clusters are a huge wealth. They are also the so-called "arrow clusters of battles" that have drank blood and are invisibly blessed by powerful mysterious power.
These realistic munitions were given as Rurik's gift to celebrate Kagan's succession as Khan.
According to Kagan's plan, Pecheneg under his rule has two major national policies. The first is to continue to strengthen the all-round alliance with Rus, and the second is to eat westward the areas controlled by the Khazar Khanate.
"I will choose a good, smart, and respectful clan brother to continue to trade with you on behalf of Pecheneg." Kagan reiterated.
"I hope I am a smart clan brother as you said. Oh, since I am your clan brother, am I not also that person's brother?"
Kagan shrugged: "Brother, you don't have to be like this. You are the noble Khan of the North, and the entire north belongs to you. My brother is not that noble. On the contrary...according to our covenant, my brother is necessary
I can follow your orders and participate in the war."
"In this case, wouldn't it be possible that your commercial cavalry could become my mercenaries?"
"Of course. It would be great if you are willing to pay. It doesn't matter if you don't pay. After all, you are allowed to plunder after victory. We prairie people are good at this."
Everything was still out of the question, Rurik felt that he had delivered munitions to Kagan, and if he changed his direction, he could also get a cavalry mercenary team. Since the two sides were a military alliance, there was nothing wrong with this matter.
An alliance must be fulfilled, even if it comes with a price. If Kagan attacks the Khazars, it means that Rus automatically declares war on the Khazar Khanate.
Is there anything else to talk about with the Khazars? The Russians know nothing about those guys and have no psychological burden in attacking them, and Rurik doesn't bother to get to know those guys too much.
Kagansui continued the topic and returned to the matter of establishing a settlement in the swamp at the source of the Lovati River.
In the current round, Carlotta and Kagan sang together, and the two of them were full of hope for the stronghold of Lukiholm.
Carlotta has gradually become as strong as steel since she was in trouble at the age of nine. Although she is a female, for the sake of the old tribe and the new people, she must act as a leader and be more like a man than a man.
She announced in a high-profile manner: "I don't trust my men to establish the Lukiholm stronghold. Anyway, the source of the Lovaj River has been discovered, and my men know the location of the Big Bend area. I plan to lead my troops there myself to build a fortress.
By the way, we are also escorting the Kagan brothers home. Rurik, what do you think?"
"Of course." Rurik replied without even thinking.
"Hehe, I will also bring our Carl. Even if this kid is only four years old, he must see the world."
"That should be the case. When my princes reach the right age, it's time for them to go out and make a living. So, I arranged for my cousin Arik to go to the east to explore, and many boys over twelve also started to take action." Rurik followed.
In other words, these words seemed to be a general echo, but Kagan and Carlotta had no idea what they meant.
No, Rurik pretended to be mysterious and put on an intriguing expression: "Brother Kagan, the core area of your Pecheneg people is close to a big river. I call it the Volga River. I dare say that the upper reaches of this river are right where we are.
Due east of the location. You can believe that I will continue to send expeditions to the east, and sooner or later I will find the big river. Finally, I can row the boat directly to your home, which is faster than horses transporting goods."
Such a situation was completely unheard of by Kagan. It was difficult for him to understand: "You? How do you know?"
"What else can I do?" Rurik pointed at the ceiling with his right hand and said deliberately: "God Odin told me. God didn't tell me the correct location. He only told me in my dream that as long as I keep heading east, I can eventually find the correct location.
River. Brother, our gods protect me, just as your gods protect you. You can rest in Novgorod for a while, and I will immediately arrange a banquet and prepare gifts for you."