The Daugava River flows peacefully in the flat plains of Northeastern Europe. It meanders and, together with its many tributaries, nourishes the entire region like the veins of a leaf.
An "Amber Road" runs through the entire Eastern European plain and connects the Baltic Sea to Egypt. The Daugava River is an important inland waterway of this thousand-year trade line.
You can find amber and beeswax among countless pebbles on the beaches of Pomerania, Prussia, Courland, Semigalia and Riga. After carving them and transporting them to distant places, you can sell them at a good price.
There is demand in the far south. Even if times change, there will always be adventurers traveling on this path.
Egypt had long been destroyed and was replaced by Eastern Rome. The amber rough stones and processed products excavated in this way were transported to Odessa at the mouth of the Dnieper River and Kherson at the southern end of Crimea, two important northeastern towns of Eastern Rome.
Merchants can purchase it directly.
The merchants knew that by continuing to row into Constantinople and Thrace, the amber could be sold at a better price. However, due to the orders of the Roman emperor, those pagan barbarians did not have the right to pass through the northern border.
Roman merchants and franchised Bulgarian Khanate merchants could bring northern goods into the hinterland of the empire. Even though they were brave and fierce, northern merchants lacked the strength to make trouble in Rome. They even did not have the ability to challenge the regional overlords, the Khazars. I'm afraid
Simply because these northern Varangians did not originate from Rus.
In ancient times it was the Phoenician and Greek adventurers who struggled to maintain this trade line. The last two hundred, fair-skinned barbarians completed its monopoly.
Even the Khazars, who control the lower reaches of the Dnieper River, are always unable to target merchants crossing the border.
The highly maneuverable Viking ships ignored the low water levels of most streams, including but not limited to being towed by travelers overland, and being seized and carried by a group of people.
The Khazar cavalry wanted to collect taxes, but most of them could only stand on the riverside and yell. The extremely wide lower reaches of the Dnieper River are like the ocean, especially in the area south of Kiev. There is a long, narrow, extremely heavy and wide lake. This is the Dnieper Petrov
The existence of a large natural lake in Skopje is also the geographical basis for the construction of the Kremenchug Dam.
In today's era, both sides of the river are almost no-man's land. There are two important supply stations on the way. One is the Kiev community of the Krivich people, and the other is the Drevlian community in the west of the Pripet Swamp.
(Mozyr to Turov today). The two communities had an ambiguous attitude towards these foreign Varyags. On the one hand, they would wait for opportunities to rob the population, and on the other hand, they also brought cheap salt from the north.
The vast Dnieper River is open to everyone, and the Varyags sailing on the river come from many places.
For the people of the Kiev community, times have completely changed. The Rus are a branch of the Varyag people, and they are also the most cooperative Varyag people.
The traditional trade route of the "Amber Road" is no longer the only road. The "Salt and Iron Road" connecting the capital city of Rus on the Neva River and the estuary of the Volga River was not only born, it is developing rapidly.
The Kiev community voluntarily displayed the flag of Russia, especially at its own small pier, just to attract the attention of ships passing by, hoping that the visitors would also be Russians.
The "Salt and Iron Road" is a strong competitor to the "Amber Road". As the former becomes more prosperous, Smolensk, which is located in an important transportation area, is increasingly hit. This blow is not from commercial competition, but purely from
Visitors treat the people of Smolensk as wild animals to be hunted.
Slave snatching was the characteristic economy of the "Salt and Iron Horse Road", which emerged in an extremely barbaric form.
Because all this comes from the arrogance and active imperial majesty of the northern giant Rus Kingdom.
What is arrogance?
A new city was built on the upper reaches of the Lovaj River. The huge Valde Zee is the water source of many rivers in Northeast Europe. A new military town belonging to Russia was established here. Its essence is of course a trading node for the Russians.
But to others, it is a sword hanging over their heads.
But what does my business have to do with you? The Russian army is here, and the trade line must be a Russian monopoly.
The Ross Standing Cavalry and the Ostara Cavalry began to explore the Great Swamp. They were divided into ten-man combat teams. The first order they received was to explore the surrounding terrain and hydrology in order to find suitable pastures and hunt local animals.
Fish resources with rivers.
Of course, if you find someone appearing, rush up and investigate immediately. If they are people from Kiev or Pecheneg, they are the guests who should be entertained.
As for other people, they can be arrested directly and all goods confiscated. If they dare to resist, they can be killed immediately.
In Lukiholm, a whole new town is rising.
As its name suggests, there is a huge bend in the Lovati River near its source. The land here is relatively hard, and at least there is no problem in building a large number of wooden houses and tall wooden walls.
More than a thousand people moved south from Novgorod, and most of the young men and young people from the Principality of Ostara participated in the construction of the new city. This matter was greatly funded by King Rurik of Rus, who was also the first to dispatch the battle-experienced
Some soldiers from the cavalry team participated in the construction and protection.
Axes and two-person saws continued to transform the forest, forming a huge construction site in the river bend area. Farmers used shovels to dig large pits, and then dozens of people worked together to push and pull, and stood the huge pine trees in the pit.
, becoming the main pillar of the wooden fence.
Nowadays, building walled military fortresses is not a big problem for the Russians. They have accumulated a lot of experience in the past era, and now they are not only copying the technology, but also further improving it.
Some people suspect that except for the working civilians and patrolling cavalry, they may encounter only the allied caravans from the south. There is no threat here, why are the king and the duke worried about the enemy? If it is just to prevent wild beasts from entering the settlement
Point, just build a low wooden wall, there is no need to build a large wall that requires a long ladder to climb directly.
Ordinary people just need to live their own small lives. They have doubts and finally put them behind them. After every day of high-intensity work, what everyone longs for most is their own wooden bowl filled with boiled water.
Ripe wheat.
However, some people began to complain: "Wheat with little salt is not delicious, and we brought too little salt."
Carlotta, the Duchess of Ostara, who personally supervised the construction of the city wall, stayed at the construction site and could clearly notice the complaints of her subordinates. Those men and teenagers, they always worked shirtless in this warm summer, felling big trees, transporting
Wooden poles and wooden walls were piled up, and people's bodies were wet with sweat and covered with a lot of soil and sawdust.
There are almost all men here. When they are dirty, they jump directly into the Lovati River to take a bath. Soap is no longer a rarity. Even if the soap made from various greases always stinks, there is no more cost-effective washing utensil now. They
Wearing fig leaves or linen pants, we sat together around the campfire, eating wheat rice and drying our washed clothes.
If you eat little salt and frequently engage in heavy physical labor, a healthy person will suddenly become comatose if things go on like this.
Carlotta has already experienced hundreds of battles. She is a qualified tribal leader. Although she is a duke, she still manages her kingdom in the same way as in the past. She tries her best to understand the situation of her subordinates and listen to their complaints.
There are also ships going down the river, just to carry dried salted fish and brand new two-man saws and axes from the rear.
At least because of the sufficient reserves of oats, the food was mediocre and at least filling. Everyone continued to focus on manual labor while enduring, and a military town with three sides facing the river took shape due to the outline of the outer wall, and its square shape was already clear.
Obviously the next thing to do is to continuously stack wood on the established framework, and finally create a majestic wooden fortress. Lukiholm will build enough before winter to sustain an army over the winter.
An unconventional longboat sailed on the Daugava River for a long time. Twenty people carried their cargo and continued their journey to find the source of the river through pure paddling.
They all have blond hair and blue eyes, except for the leader.
This guy's name is Harold. His blond hair has faded, and his increasingly gray hair and beard prove his age.
Some people stick to their unchanged life even at an old age. Harold is such a person, a traveler who is good at adventure.
But from another perspective, this person is also a money-hungry snobbery and a vicious robber.
There is no arbiter of the complex trade routes in central Eastern Europe. Although there are multiple communities of settlers here, their living areas are extremely scattered. In most areas, there are no human beings within a radius of hundreds of miles, but various wild beasts are often seen. Travel
The attackers did not mind attacking the villages on the way, plundering the people and selling them.
For example, they raided Polotsk villages at night, kidnapped the villagers, transported them to Smolensk and sold them.
No, there were three women tied up on the boat. Their eyes were empty, and simple linen cloth covered their trembling bodies.
They had been toyed with by Harold and his group of Varyag bandits for many days. Now the brothers were tired of it and just hoped that these three women would not go crazy so that they could be sold at their destination.
As the leader, Harold naturally does not have to row the boat himself.
They came from Riga, and Harold's subordinates included local Latvians from Riga and Danish-Varyags who had settled down, and the latter were actually of mixed race.
Harold, an old guy, had been to Kherson in Eastern Rome many times in his life. He also pinched his nose and paid heavy taxes before going to do business with the Khazars. The serious local nobles in Riga liked to do business with this guy, but they didn't.
I am willing to donate my daughter to marry him. After all, "marrying with a bandit" is not honorable.
But Harold was not an old bachelor. He spent money to buy a young woman in Smolensk, so he had a son and a daughter.
Not all the well-informed old Varyag pirates are willing to die on the battlefield or sacrifice their lives on the voyage. He is old and has accumulated some wealth after wandering for most of his life. It is time to find a comfortable place to retire.
.
Maybe it's all fate, and a perfect home is Novgorod!
The boat drifted quietly, the current in the upper reaches of the Daugava River became more and more gentle, and the young travelers faithfully fulfilled the secret of voyage - non-stop paddling - just like their fathers.
The physical fitness of young people is the envy of the aging guys. Their endurance is amazing and they are brave and fierce. They are very eager for wealth, so they all listened to Harold's preaching in Riga and believed that what the old man said was not a boast.
The long hours of paddling are always accompanied by boredom, and it is difficult to stop discussing the gains and losses of the sneak attack on the Polotsk village. However, the ship is about to reach the source of the Daugava River, and the brothers just listen to the old man Harold.
shouted arrogantly.
"Listen! Back then, those guys from Ross tore up Lake Ilmen in the north to pieces. The leader there killed thousands of people, but I took the guys and sent the leader's son to Smolensk. I am
His savior"
"That boy really deserved his fate. He actually became the son-in-law of the leader of Smolensk. Now it's even more incredible. That boy is already the leader of Smolensk."
"You young guys, be smart and don't rob the locals when you get there, otherwise... I will personally chop off the head of the person who committed the crime."
"Oh, you may ask why I do this. I am the benefactor of the big leader. Without this relationship, how can we enter Smolensk tax-free? Boys, follow me and I guarantee you will get rich."
Everyone was stunned by Harold's words. The white-haired old man here was so well-informed that they had no choice but to continue to listen to his bragging.
But for a person like Harold, if he can do business with peace of mind, he will naturally be welcomed by the residents along the entire "Amber Road" route.
The source of this person's purchase is in the Gulf of Riga, which is rich in amber and salt. Amber can be transported directly to Kherson. Roman nobles like northern gems very much, which is the hard currency of the route. And the people of the communities passing by the route are
In the inland areas, it is extremely difficult for them to obtain salt, so salt merchants from outside are happy to buy it at high prices. They even hand over their own daughters in exchange for a valuable sum of salt.
Even the Slavs of the Kiev community have this extreme situation of handing over their manor girls to Varyag merchants in exchange for salt. The destination of these girls is still Kherson, and eventually they will become geishas, dancers, maids, wives and concubines.
Appeared in Constantinople.
This long ship had no mast, and the three captured Polotsk village women were "extra wealth." The most important cargo was salt and rough amber stones.
Finally, the upper reach of the Daugava River finally came to an end, and the longboat keel began to eat the mud at the bottom of the river, finally reaching the point where no matter how hard you rowed, you could do nothing.
"Boss, what should we do?!" a young boy asked loudly.
"Then get off the boat! Didn't I tell you when we set off? Now tie the ropes to the bow and sides of the boat, and we'll tow them through the swamp."
It is said that this method is very reliable. When they were in Riga, the brothers listened to the old guy's cheerful words and thought about how much they would gain from Kherson's trip to Rome to see the world, completely ignoring the hardships of the journey.
They took the prisoner off the ship, happy that the prisoner was not crazy. Then, under the command of Harold, the young man towed the ship rationally and headed south in the watery Valdai swamp.
This was not a boat trip on dry land. The lighter boat was towed by twenty people, its keel gnawing on the soft grass. They deliberately looked for ready-made puddles and creeks to further reduce the fatigue of towing.
Even so, when they found a flat ground to rest at dusk, everyone gathered together and had to complain about their exhaustion.
"Don't complain! I never complained when I was young like you. Many of my old brothers either had accidents or died of old age, and were even hanged for robbing the Romans. You see? Why did I ever complain? If you want to get rich,
We have to face difficulties. Don’t worry, after we towed the ship for three days, we reached the upper reaches of the Dnieper River, and there will be no need to tow the ship after that.”
It will be delayed for another three days? How outrageous is this?
At least young people feel there is hope.
They lit a bonfire on a hard ground in a swamp with few trees. As night fell, the bonfire became extremely eye-catching.
Then, the Ross Cavalry, who was also resting at night, noticed this absurd light.
Maybe it was a horse team from Kiev? A patrol saw the light, and the brothers discussed it and felt that they had to rush back to the patrol camp to report the news, so the news reached the ears of the dozing "bald" Fisk.
Maybe those are the guests, and the guests must understand that a new supply depot is being built quickly and is tax-free to alliance merchants.
"One more night's rest! We will ride over at dawn and lead them to the north." Fisk ordered.
Together with the team led by Fisk himself, he was convinced and organized a team of twenty people. Everyone continued to discuss it, so that the initial estimate was regarded as fact, and people were completely convinced that it was a caravan from Kiev.