Chapter 1049 Pskov, Polotsk, West Dvina information
Just as the Rus tribe invaded Lake Ilmen in the early years and used force to force the locals to pay tribute every year, at least half a century ago Danish explorers penetrated into the Pskov settlement at the southernmost end of the huge Lake Chud. These explorers
In the beginning, it was just peaceful trade. As the times progressed, they gradually gained local power as they had strong combat effectiveness and were good at fighting in groups.
In other words, the local Slavic manor owners in Pskov worked together to select people from Denmark. The Danes first settled here as mercenaries and assumed the main local military defense responsibilities in the form of mobile troops.
As a result, a small Danish immigrant community adjacent to Lake Chude gradually emerged. Almost all the men in the community became warriors. When they married local women, most of their children would also become warriors.
The strength of the Danish community has been quietly growing, and it is only a matter of time before they become the rulers of Pskov.
With the Danish mercenary leader as the boss, the Slavs smoothly handed over the power that should have been firmly in their hands, and the power transfer process was extremely peaceful.
In other words, when the Danish mercenaries took control of the local military, they were already the rulers here. Everything slowly changed. Now, the Danes elected the strongest among them, Gore Siegfamsson, to become the "war leader".
"Chief", the so-called great chief.
They captured the boat and the five people rowing it near the mouth of the Reed River (Luga River), and the five people confessed that they were sent as envoys to Rus on the orders of the boss of Pskov.
Rurik never revealed his identity, so that the other party thought he was a high-ranking noble.
In general concepts, a powerful ruler must be a man over thirty-five years old. Too young is not qualified, and too old is not suitable.
For example, the great chieftain of Pskov, Gall, was informed that he was now forty years old, and that he was in the prime of life and full of wisdom.
The five captured people were treated kindly as envoys. They could continue to sail on the Russian longship, or they could choose to borrow Roman horses to follow the large army.
They are more willing to ride horses. After all, riding in a boat is already boring, but riding a horse is an extremely novel experience.
These guys had nothing to prove that they were envoys, not even letters engraved on wooden boards. It was a bit far-fetched to convince Rurik and his soldiers with just their mouths.
Rurik could never completely trust them, but these guys' description of Pskov was really rare information.
The man named Pom was short in stature, with fair skin, pure golden hair and blue eyes, proving that he was indeed of Nordic descent. Although it was his first time riding a horse, the reins were still firmly controlled by another cavalryman.
After a short period of adaptation, he can ensure that he does not fall off.
Bohm, who was riding a horse, was next to Rurik, and he tried to learn the real name of this tall and strong man.
"Me? Why should I tell you my noble name?"
"Arrogance? You do have the capital to be arrogant." Bom could only hold back some resentment in his heart. He smiled, almost lying on the horse for fear of accidentally falling off the horse. He added: "I can do that.
Let me tell you some information about Pskov, after all, my boss really wants other warriors who believe in Odin to know his existence."
"The one you said is called Gore."
"It's Gower. He has never lost a fight, and Zeng Yong stabbed a bear that came into the village to steal food with a harpoon. He is the most powerful warrior in our place. The brothers chose him as the boss, and the local Slavs must also
Recognize him as the boss."
Ha! Isn’t this the “competition” that has disappeared for a long time?
In the tribe, through fighting, a ruthless person is defeated based on his strength and then becomes the boss. This model was eliminated by Ross thirty years ago.
Either out of the boredom of the journey or the excitement of actually arriving in Ross, this Pom kept talking.
He kept talking about things about Pskov, making it seem like this guy was going to try his best to tell everything he saw and knew, just to join Russia and live a good life as if he was a candidate.
He tried his best to accept the local customs and customs, and naturally also introduced the local military and economic model from the side.
"Those locals are actually our slaves, but we didn't really enslave them. The brothers sent troops to protect them, they paid for food, and then brought out beautiful women to marry our sons. This is fair..."
Rurik kept it in mind and suddenly asked some questions after thinking about it.
"Mrs. Pskov is hiring you. I heard from you that your boss Gower can organize a thousand Viking warriors?"
"Of course! If necessary, we can organize local people to fight again."
"I understand, you can assemble an army of up to three thousand people." Rurik asked with a look on his face.
"Yes. How about it?" Bom smiled, and his smile became more and more arrogant. He simply sat up straight and looked at the young strong man in front of him arrogantly: "An army of three thousand people, we are very powerful."
"It is indeed powerful. I think... the rulers of Rus will also recognize the power of your leader Gower."
Rurik just sees things through but doesn't expose them. He believes that these guys can organize an army of three thousand people. An army of this size can indeed scare many small tribes, but the Kingdom of Rus can quickly mobilize 10,000 people to participate in the war, and at least two more can be mobilized later.
Thousands of people. If necessary, mobilize allied troops, and the force will be even stronger.
The subtle key to the problem is that a force that can organize an army of 3,000 people has settled in the southernmost part of Lake Chude and some rivers further south. Geographically, they are not far from Lake Ilmen. With such a strong military force, the core
The army is still mostly Vikings of Danish origin. This Bohm's mere claim that "we can do this" is confusing.
Rurik couldn't help but ask in his soul: "What on earth would force you to gather three thousand troops? Who is your supposed enemy? You...can't be wary of Ross! And how do you determine where the main settlement of Ross is?"
Inside the bay.”
Bohm didn't think much about it and denied it bluntly: "We just want to contact you, how can we be enemies with Ross? We are all Odin's warriors, there is no reason to be unhappy. Besides, we just didn't communicate with you in the past, not
Ignorant of your existence. We are neither deaf nor blind. Now who does not know that the rulers of Rus occupy most of the ocean (referring to the Baltic Sea), and even our hometown Denmark is allied with you. We also know that last year you and those who believed in Frank
The pagans fought a battle, and victory belonged to the warriors who believed in Odin. Ross is admirable."
"Is there such a thing?" Rurik couldn't help but put on a timid, wry smile on his face.
It's really shameful. A group of Danish immigrants hiding in Pskov knew about the major events happening in the Baltic Sea and Saxony. Why did the Ross Company have such a powerful force hidden around them that they only knew its name but not its strength?
But Bohm did not answer the question, and Rurik had to press him again.
"Actually, we are wary of the Polotsk people. This is how the locals in Pskov describe them. They are the Pola people who live by the river."
What are Bora people? From the word Rurik, you can tell that those guys call themselves "farmers", but the pronunciation of this word is almost the same as the word "white".
Rurik thought for a while, and he fully understood that this word refers directly to Polotsk, but it was different from his own understanding: "Polotsk people? They also speak the Slavic language, right? You have a relationship with them.
What grudge?"
"Hate?" Bohm curled his lips and said, "At first, Mrs. Pskov didn't like them, and now we warriors from Denmark don't like them either."
"There is no such thing as unreasonable hatred. Why?"
"It's really strange. Only Odin's warriors have ever cut off the river and asked passing ships to pay tolls. Why do those Polotsk people dare to ask us for money?!"
"So? Fight them?"
"They are so outnumbered that it's hard to fight them. Besides, the brothers mainly pass by the river over there for business, and that's why they encounter those hateful Polotsk people. At worst, we don't go there in person and transfer to Riga.
Sell the furs and grain and leave." As he spoke, Bom still had resentment on his face.
The amount of information this guy said is a bit large. Riga? Dahe? What is going on here?
However, Rurik knew about Riga. This was not the first time he had heard the word, because there were Latvians, Livonians and Estonians who fled to Saaremaa Island. Most of them arrived on the island because they were afraid of crime in their hometown and fled.
He started a pirate business on the island. Saaremaa Island was a place of exile for guilty people from various forces in this era. Now the island is firmly controlled by Ross, and Ross also knows some things on land from these people's mouths. For example,
, the trading city of Riga.
The multiple forces of the Pan-Baltic people always communicate with each other and do business, and travelers from Denmark are a good medium of trade.
The Baltic Sea is very small, but it is also huge. A long ship sailing alone on the vast sea can always hide its identity. What's more, a large area of the Baltic Sea is now controlled by the Kingdom of Rus. In the past ten years, the kingdom has taken the lead in shipbuilding industry unprecedentedly.
The land developed rapidly, and the number of ships in the entire sea area finally increased.
All people of insight are aware of this significant change. The past era of free sailing has ended, but it has also opened up a new era of free sailing. However, people in the new era must recognize the strong rise of Ross.
, and the fact that Ross integrated most of the northerners.
The Vikings who lived in Riga and even entered Pskov were all Danes. Due to the years of wars caused by the competition for fishing grounds in the past, the Danes would not take the initiative to invade the central Baltic Sea. Ocean-going Danish ships are close to Europe in the southern Baltic Sea.
The coastline movement of the mainland is the most traditional route of the Hanseatic League. The latter is actually a continuation of the waterway established by our ancestors.
The route connects Oberlidit, Pomerania, Prussia, Courland, Semigalia, Livonia, until the Latvian-owned inlet trading city of Riga.
Riga and Latvia are the same words. The locals call their place latga. If you pronounce it quickly, it is liga.
Finally, Rurik basically understood the situation, and thanks to the provocation, Bohm spared no effort in gesticulating with his hands to let the listener know what he was talking about.
So when the team rested at night, Rurik, who was eager to learn valuable information, rewarded the five guys with delicious meals. They were fed well and even drank some ale to satisfy their cravings.
Rurik also called a young male scribe under the command of his top scribe, Ella, and ordered him to hold banknotes and keep as far away from the five people as possible.
The fog of the small world of the Baltic people in Eastern Europe finally began to lift, and this world, which was very close to Ross's power and indeed almost unknown to him, finally gradually revealed his face.
After communicating with the Latvians in Riga and other forces, the time has finally come to implement the dream we had many years ago.
Likewise, the name of the big river has also come to light.
The locals call it the Daugava River, and another name given to it is the "Dvina River of the West".
The West Dvina River Rurik is of course known, and its source is even in the vast Valdese land, north of Smolensk, between the emerging Rus' town of Lukiholm (Velko Luki)
South. This swamp has been a must-pass for horse teams for several years. Three large rivers pass through this area and become an important landmark for travel.
What makes Pskov locals and Danish immigrants angry is the presence of a group of forces near the upper reaches of the West Dvina River (Daugava River).
The Polotsk people established a village alliance along the river, cultivated farmland, raised cattle and sheep, and fished in the river. Everything was understandable. This area was their territory, and they also had their own village armed forces and elected officials.
Out of the chief.
Who knows whether the longship that suddenly appeared is an enemy or a friend? It doesn't matter. The key is that they believe that the river is their own property. Confiscating the ship without force is already merciful, so isn't it normal to charge some tolls? They are also open to the outside world.
They expanded, looked for new pastures, opened up new farmland, and even went hunting further afield. Especially when hunting, they directly encountered the Pskov people, and friction and conflicts were inevitable.
Because they are all Slavs, the people of Pskov are East Slavs, and the people of Polotsk are Hisslavs. Their languages are not exactly the same, and their cultures are also different. They distinguish these situations very clearly.
The Danish immigrants in Pskov did not have a direct waterway leading to the West Dvina River. They either took a dry road and turned into the new waterway. Or they took the existing small waterway to Riga and then turned into the West Dvina River.
No matter how you turn, the end point of the southern inland waterway is actually Smolensk. After the ships pass through the swamp area, they can sell their supplies and then leave. Everyone knows that once you enter the Dnieper River, you can go to the extremely far south, and your things can be sold for big prices.
.But there are more powerful forces in the south, and the trade risks are too great. At most, everyone sells things to Kiev, and only a few adventurers dare to continue going south.
The conversation around the campfire continued.
"Strange! How strange. You have the ability to keep going south, why don't you try to go north? As long as it is peaceful trade, we in Russia welcome it. In fact, you only need to enter the ocean from the northern exit of Lake Chude and you can meet us." Liuli.
Ke said this, but it sounded very strange to the five people.
"After all, we are Danes, and we are afraid that if we go to the north, we will be caught and killed by you." The talkative Bohm continued to repeat his words.
"Times have changed. Now that Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and all the northerners are completely aligned, why should we kill you? However, this is a reason. You are worried about unnecessary conflicts and have been reluctant to go north."
"There is another big reason." Eric, one of the five, said cautiously: "We only know that you have established a settlement in the bay, but no one knows its scale, let alone whether the peaceful trade can be happy.
If... it's just a small village, why should we go there?"
When he said this, the other brothers had already rolled their eyes. For a moment, Eric also felt that the words were a bit rough. He did not apologize, but still held up his bearded head and boldly looked into Rurik's eyes: "Young man,
We have lived at sea for too long. We only want to do promising business."
"That's it. Rurik pinched his beard and nodded: "I understand a lot now. It's a blessing to meet you. Don't worry, I will arrange for you to meet the ruler of Rus. Now, I can tell you the name of King Rus, his
The name is Otto."
"Is it the noble Otto? Respectable." Bohm spoke first, and others also praised him.
What Rurik said was not nonsense. He still concealed his identity as the King of Rus, but his biological father Otto was the "Supreme King", so it was reasonable to call him a king.
"Otto is getting older, and soon his son will be the absolute king of Rus. The most important thing is that you still know very little about Rus. What you misunderstood is a small village, which is the largest city in Rus and the one in the north.
The largest settlement in the world. It's called New Ross Fort, which is our destination. Don't worry, what you said will definitely interest King Ross, and I will arrange for you to have a good meeting with him."
The five of them looked at each other and felt very happy. It was their second night of traveling together, and this Russian cavalry team showed rare friendliness and hospitality. Of course, if they really fought, they would definitely reveal their ferocious nature.
It seems that times have really changed. Ross, Sweden and others have really changed their past policies, and they have even benefited the Danes living far away.
They wanted to see the prosperity of the largest city in Russia, and the journey was gradually coming to an end.
Because there is a faint smell of salt in the air, even if the salinity of the seawater in the Gulf of Finland is very low, sensitive people can still detect the salt in the morning fog.
The mouth of the Reed River is not far ahead, and it only takes a whole day (according to information from Karl's team) to reach the capital by walking eastward along the coastline.