The armed conflict was completely beyond Fiske's expectations. In the end, the result of the conflict was an overwhelming victory for our side.
"Everyone dismount! Pull out the arrows and take all available ones." He ordered loudly.
For many days, the brothers wandered around, scanning the open swamps with wide eyes in search of interesting things. Everyone's saddles were hung with freshly peeled fox and rabbit skins, and the meat had long been roasted and eaten by them.
Shooting and skinning small animals is an important harvest of the brothers' expedition so far. They have investigated a large area and have a very clear understanding of the source of the Lovaj River.
They further explored south in the huge swamp, and have been wandering around the West Dvina River area these days.
It seems that this swamp is its source, because after the large river enters here, it becomes densely covered with water.
Of course, the cavalry are not experts in hydrogeology, and their first task is not to find the source of the West Dvina River. The first and most immediate task is to find the source of the Lovaj River, which has been completed. The second is to find better pastures.
, this task can be said to be completed for now.
The huge Valde Zeland is rich in water and forest, and there are a large number of silt ponds in the forest. The area that can be grazed in this environment is limited to the flat areas on both sides of the larger river. Of course, it is not as vast as the so-called grassland of the Pecheneg allies.
This environment is quite suitable for grazing cattle and sheep.
The dismounted warriors approached those lying down with their swords in hand, and stabbed the vital parts of those groaning in pain with their swords.
They are young but experienced in many battles. No one thinks it is wrong when they are finishing the last hit, and their actions can even be described as very moral.
The Ross Cavalry had no obligation to treat the injuries of these guys. After all, it was this group of people who first issued the challenge to fight. Since their lives were on the line, they deserved to be killed.
But at least the defeated should be given some dignity. After all, the deceased were also Danish Vikings who spoke Norse.
Then the right hand of the dying man was stepped on by a boot. The Rus warrior pressed the scattered sword or ax into the hand of the man who was about to be assassinated, and then stabbed the sword to the heart. He also added: "This way you can go to the heroic spirit."
The palace."
Qibin completed all this neatly, and then began to strip off the clothes of all the deceased. It was not bad luck, because some rags also had value, such as tearing the cloth into strips and twisting them to use as binding ropes. The belts of the deceased
Also a good strapping tool.
The weapons were confiscated, and the round shield, riddled with holes by arrows, was no longer needed.
A body that turned white after losing blood was pushed into a dug soft mud pit, and then covered with soil and buried.
At first, some people questioned Fisk's order to collect the bodies. "Why do we dig graves for these guys? There is no need to do too much."
Just listen to Fisk sigh: "They are very similar to us, and they are also doing the work of armed expeditions. If we meet in another way, maybe we can become friends. They can work as mercenaries for Ross instead of Riga in the west.
."
The brothers don't understand when their eldest brother became so compassionate. Anyway, there is nothing easy to do now. It's not tiring to dig holes in the soft land. Let's just pay the funeral to the end...
All this was seen by old Harold. He didn't understand, when did the Russians become so moral?
Harold continued to pretend, even though when Fisk called him by his pseudonym, he answered immediately.
As a prisoner, Harold naturally had his hands tied. Fisk heard the news without hesitation: "Olav, what good things did you carry on the ship?"
"There is a lot of amber and salt." He had to answer truthfully.
"They are all good things. Haha, and those three women. Are they your wives and concubines? Well, they don't look like it."
"They are slaves caught on the way."
"Okay. The slave is now our brother's trophy." Fisk whispered with a smile. Without thinking much, he turned to his brothers and shouted: "Those three women belong to you, don't use rough methods."
.More brothers, go to the boat and move all the good things away!"
After all, the Ross Cavalry is essentially a Viking on horseback, and they can do whatever they want with the slaves. On the contrary, the three women have long been ruined out of despair, and there is no resistance. They are like blindfolded donkeys who can be disposed of at will.
Those who jumped on board lifted off the oiled tarpaulins that were wrapped tightly around them and were delighted to see the burlap sacks hidden away.
The sack was tightly tied with a rope. The soldier who was eager to see what treasure was inside took out a meat cleaver and stabbed it hard, causing a large amount of white crystals to spill out from the opening.
Instinct told them that this was salt, and everyone gathered around to try it and they were overjoyed.
A soldier raised his head and shouted to everyone: "Haha! It's all salt! Boss, we are rich!"
Hearing this, the soldiers cheered. "Great, you can add more salt to the barbecue." Someone shouted, and the cry was very real. The brothers have been exploring these days, because they don't know how much further they have to go.
Although they could replenish their physical energy by eating meat and fish from the hunted animals or even boiled oats and stewed wild vegetables during the meal, salt could not be replenished, so they had to save salt and feel like a bird in their mouths.
In addition to salt, they found two large bags of amber rough. The young warrior knew its value. Although the price of a single piece of amber in Russia dropped due to colored glass that greatly impacted the gem market, the quantity of amber has increased, but it can still be sold.
Offer a big price.
Reality did not allow Harold to pretend. He insisted on his pseudonym Olaf and claimed that his destination was Smolensk, otherwise he would not have taken this road.
The cunning Harold noticed the change in the "bald" general's eyes. Apparently when he mentioned Smolensk, the other man's eyes kept trembling as if he had seen gold.
Since the ship could not be easily taken away, the Russians smashed it to pieces with axes, but collected part of the ship's ribs, tied them up, hung them on the saddles, and made firewood while camping.
The battlefield was well cleaned, and the young boys from Riga who ventured for the first time died inexplicably and merged into the vast Valdese land.
The first contact with the Riga people actually started with an armed conflict. Fisk thought about it a little more and thought that he didn't need to think too much about these things. The brothers were just doing things as required.
Because of Rurik's order, the First Cavalry Corps, which assisted the Principality of Ostara in building the Lukiholm stronghold, had to obey the orders of the Grand Duchess Carlotta. Legally, Carlotta was the adopted daughter of old Otto.
She became Rurik's sister. And because Fisk himself and Rurik have a common ancestor, to a certain extent Fisk naturally believed that Carlotta was his clan sister.
He was only a little older than Carlotta, the other person was a duchess, and he was just a cavalry officer.
This seems unfair, but Fisker enjoys it.
It is okay to be the first "count" based on one's military exploits, but doing so means leaving the king and going to the fief to run it alone. Just like Javlo, a close confidant in the past, who is now a count of Finland, he has the right to do so.
After rising to the core power level of Ross, he eventually returned to his hometown to become a noble.
"Earl" in the context of Ross is first of all "war chief", but "war chief" is a more general concept. Only "war chiefs with hereditary fiefs" can be "counts".
Fisk has always been known as the "War Chief". He simply hopes to always serve as the king's sword. After all, this is the childhood promise of the brothers.
As times change, so do people's hearts. It can be said that Fisk is willing to continue to fulfill his childhood promise. He also found that by continuing to hold part of the military power of the regular army, he can always stay at the core of the kingdom.
This is why the Principality of Ostara now exists in a completely new way. According to Viking tradition, Duchess Carlotta is actually qualified to have access to the highest power in Rus, but now she runs her own principality by herself.
It is absolutely impossible to say that Fisk does not envy Carlotta who holds the power of the principality at all. Now that he is in the prime of life, when he is old, it should be possible to ask the king for a fief for his retirement.
Retirement is too far away, and there is no significant harvest from the exploration during this period. The encounter with the passers-by in Riga can be described as a magical harvest.
He ended his expedition early and returned to Lukiholm, which was still under construction, carrying all the loot he could take away on horseback.
In fact, the location where the Russian cavalryman Harold encountered was in the upper reaches of Vitebsk on the Vina River in today's West Dvina. The depth of the river in this area dropped sharply, and there were a large number of streams around it. We know the hydrology of this area quite well.
Harold actually knew that he would continue to sail forcefully. Even if all the brothers got off the boat and dragged the boat through this section with a rope, they could still continue sailing, but there was no point in continuing because the main river began to develop northward.
Only by going south through the right creek can we pass through the swamp and enter the Dnieper River at a low cost.
At night, the troops returning from the north camped to rest.
There were five large bags of coarse sea salt, which actually had a strong bitterness. The brothers concluded that the Riga people needed to improve their salt-cooking skills.
The brothers were very satisfied with the performance of the three women. They were very obedient, and even unexpected things happened.
These three women are all so-called Polats, and the settlement is called Polotsk because it is along the river. They belong to the West Slavic ethnic group, and their language is very similar to the Ilmen people of the East Slavic ethnic group. Even the Russian cavalry can understand it.
The Slavic language of the Ilmen dialect, all spoken by women, most of the vocabulary can be understood by the brothers and they can communicate directly.
Once they were able to communicate, and after giving the three women oatmeal with lots of salt, they began to take the initiative to explain their experiences.
"You killed these bandits. You are not bad people. We can't go back. If any of you wants me, I will work for him."
The brothers were baffled that there could be such an obedient slave?
You might as well listen to what else they have to say.
On the other hand, Fisk, who was warming himself by the fire at the resting place, wanted to have a good chat with the captured Harold about Smolensk, and he did not hide his boredom about it at all.
"I heard that the guys from Smolensk intend to go north to invade our Rus' territory, which is asking for death. However, they are essentially stuck on our trade lines, like a sharp thorn piercing the flesh.
The time is right to remove him. Olaf, you are of use to us, and that is the only reason why you are still alive."
Hearing this, Harold nodded. "Yes! Warrior, you see, I am old. I know many things about Smolensk, and I can do anything for you, as long as you treat me well."
"How about being kind to you? I've already given you food. Could it be that..." Fisk looked at the guy's tied hands again, "Indeed, it's a little difficult to eat with tied hands."
"Don't worry, I won't run away. I'm not a fool. There are bears in this area and there are a lot of mire. If I run away, I will be looking for death."
"You are very smart. But you don't care about your dead brothers? You are not a good person."
It was nonsense for Fisk to believe this guy. Even after all his companions died, this guy still acted like nothing happened. Either he was hiding a lot of things, or he was just a heartless villain. He was more willing to believe the former.
At this moment, Harold laughed at his unlucky fate, but he held back.
"I am indeed not a good person, but I am useful to you. Warriors, it seems that you want to capture Smolensk. Do you want to capture the people there as your slaves?"
Fiske did not deny it and was categorically affirmed: "Indeed. Maybe you should understand."
"Yes. I understand. You have been harassing the villages over there these years, causing us explorers to be misunderstood from time to time."
"Really? We have never met you guys from Calarium in the past."
"Because it's easy to hide in the huge swamp. I admit defeat this time. I don't resent you. I have been to many places and experienced more dangerous things. If I die in the hands of northerners who speak Norse in the end, it will not count.
Bad things. I think your leader would be willing to hear about my past."
The brothers are out exploring, and every night they get together and chat for a while before going to sleep. After talking and talking, the brothers will eventually come to an end. It would be great if a storyteller suddenly appeared.
Fisk saw that the old man was very obedient, and he was full of curiosity about many unknown things, so he simply untied the man's bound hands, and then pulled the brothers who seemed to be gathering to play with women to listen to the story.
Who would have thought that the brothers would drag the three women to the bonfire here.
They did not hide the excitement on their faces: "Boss! It turns out that there is a place called Polat in the southwest of us. Go back and tell the king that we can occupy it. Or we can go back, reorganize our troops and horses, and then go over and have a look.
?”
"Huh?" Fisk looked confused and asked in surprise: "What's going on with you? Where did you hear about polat?"
"That's what these women said. They are from over there. Those guys are not allies. Let's go back and gather some brothers to rob. It's not too much."
Everyone spoke in Norse, which the three captured women couldn't understand at all. They told the approximate location of their hometown and revealed very crucial information. After the alleged attack on their village and the individual capture,
The boater was going in the opposite direction along the river.
They thought that these horsemen were not bad people because they killed the rowing robbers and gave them a lot of food. However, they did not know that the young Ross cavalry had experienced hundreds of battles and had an unusual enthusiasm for fighting.
The polat or Polotsk community has been targeted by the Russians.
Fisk didn't want to hear it for the moment. He glanced at the three women and showed no interest at all.
"Tie these three women up and gag them. Others come and listen to this story about General Olaf."
We can report the matter to the boss later. Anyway, any information will be available when we return to Lukiholm.
The brothers sat down around the campfire and began to listen to the white-bearded old man named Olaf talking incessantly.
When he mentioned the word "Rome", the young cavalrymen became furious.
Someone stood up suddenly and asked excitedly with a crazy attitude: "You old man! You have actually been to Rome?!"
Of course Harold had been there, and he never expected that this would actually cause a group of young boys in Ross to get excited. He also thought of the group of Danish boys from Riga who had been slaughtered, and he still didn't understand how the young people in Ross could get excited.
"Rome? Nothing special." He waved his hand, "Young hero, sit down. And you, listen to me slowly..."
Because Rus had an encounter with a missionary from Rus in the tribal era and got a parchment manuscript of "Exodus". This matter is known to the old Rus, so they have always had a concept of Rome since ancient times.
Have some knowledge.
As the tribe expanded into principalities and further into kingdoms, they gained knowledge from Rurik and learned about Caesar, Augustus, Hadrian, Justinian, Constantine, and other strange things.
The name and some deeds of the so-called Roman commander, and learning Latin, the language of the Romans. Rurik said that Rome was a very great existence. Everyone chose to believe it and were curious about the new life of Eastern Rome that had not perished. They also listened.
It was said that there was a lot of wealth there, so the idea of making a fortune through robbery and trade naturally arose.
This Olaf has been to Rome? He must tell it.
At this moment, old Harold, whose pseudonym was Olaf, was also shocked. A group of Russian brats had never been to Rome, but they seemed to know a lot. The most common questions among young people were three: whether Rome was rich, whether the women were beautiful, and how to get there.
They have questions, and they have answers. They desire women with wealth and ways to get them, and they can deliberately lie to them to catch them.
So, Harold took the right medicine and hyped up Eastern Rome, even though this guy had only been to Kherson in the Crimea in his life. He added some explosive information to the hearsay about Constantinople to try to attract more attention.
The desire of the Russians.
As for how to go to Rome to make a fortune? Well, the Russians have to provide me with good food and drink, I will tell you slowly.
That’s Harold’s attitude!
"The old guy is really cunning!" Fisk wanted to know everything in this man's mind in an instant. His curiosity was suppressed to death. He realized that the situation was serious and thought that if this man was not delivered to the king in person, the kingdom would be ruined.
Loss.
Because, as a close confidant of King Rurik, Fisk knew the king’s dream best—to find the richest trade route to Rome.
It is better to look for a path aimlessly than to find someone who has been there as a guide. No, the guide will come, even if the person is old.
(Khelson during the Eastern Roman period was at the southernmost tip of Crimea, coinciding with the current location of Sevastopol. It was not Kherson at the mouth of the Dnieper River today.)