Chapter 1066 The Kievs, Wladyslav Sakoyevich and Pechenegger Gutchar
Lambart and his entourage were detained. They were locked up in independent wooden houses. Although they had a stable food supply, it was difficult to get out.
Fisk estimated that this kid might try to escape at night, so he deliberately sent someone to monitor him all night.
For the Rus' standing cavalry and the Ostara cavalry, the leisurely days of building houses are over.
Fisk judged that the envoy was not lying. The Polotsk people did not show any sign of submission. On the contrary, the envoy could emphasize their malicious destruction of the corpses of the slain Ross cavalry. The facts were enough to make people believe them.
Actively chose total war.
After a brief negotiation, the envoys were all placed under house arrest. Fisk gathered the soldiers and announced in a high voice: "The king ordered us not to initiate a large-scale war! But if we encounter an active attack, the counterattack must be fierce. Polotsk
People have chosen war, and I have the right to lead you to launch a counterattack. All obey my orders, and be sure to follow my orders and prohibitions. If I tell you to fight, charge forward, and if I tell you to withdraw your troops, return immediately."
Fisker doesn't want to make things perfect, just because there are many considerations here.
Afterwards, Fisk and Svalgard called the leader, old Harold, whose pseudonym was Olaf, and the three of them gathered together for a small meeting.
"Do you know that young man named Lambart?" Fisk asked.
"I don't know. I... have never really sneaked into the Polotsk community."
"Oh? Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Fisk frowned slightly, "How should I believe what you said before?"
"My descriptions of them are all accurate. I know their leader's name is Proclaw. As for Lambart... maybe he is a brave warrior."
"An unruly common man. It seems that this person really represents the attitude of the entire Polotsk."
Hearing this, Old Harold asked nervously: "So, you intend to kill them and then burn down the entire farm? That would be too crazy."
"Do you care about them? When have you ever been kind?"
"I... I'm just worried that if you do this, the whole of Riga will tremble. There are many people in Riga who believe in Odin. Now that the king has been protected by Odin, those people..."
Fisk basically understood what he meant: "I understand. Riga will think that the Russian army can only bring death and burning."
"Yes! Actually you are not like that."
"That's how you deal with the enemy." Fisk still wanted to emphasize.
"Okay. If you want to get Riga safely, you must ensure that the locals will not be afraid. Of course, we people living in Riga don't like the behavior of the guys in Polotsk who block the road and ask for money, but you built the fortress
Along the river, the situation is more complicated."
"Oh? It's inappropriate to ridicule us?"
"I dare not. Times have changed. If Ross can ensure the security of the trade line, it is not a problem to spend some money for this security. Besides, this Vitebsk Fortress was not born to collect money. I dare
Said, if you really destroy Polotsk, even if you say 10,000 nice words, the people of Riga will not really surrender. We are all Odin's warriors and we all understand the rules of the north. Riga's local Denmark
People will unite with others to form a coalition and fight to the death with you in the name of Odin's warriors. They don't want to be your slaves."
"This is not what we want." Fisk sighed softly, "The king doesn't want it either."
"Don't kill Polotsk unless necessary. Even if you can kill them easily."
Old Harold has been emphasizing this. As he said, this matter does not come from his own kindness. He has always stated his interests and concerns on this matter.
Fiske didn't need to think too much, but now that he independently controlled an army, he needed to take full responsibility for anything he did in the future. He had to think a lot more, and he had to consider actually ordering the attack on Polotsk.
If you start a killing, how will it end afterwards? Will the king be angry that the matter was done rashly?
"Ryurik will definitely be angry." He thought.
To be fair, he only had 300 cavalry on hand. If the Polotsk people really sent out 5,000 troops (Old Harold claimed that was a bragging, there were 3,000 at most), it would most likely be impossible to annihilate them all, and defeat them would be impossible.
It's a high probability.
Then try to defeat them as much as possible! Then release the imprisoned guys and let them serve as messengers to force Polotsk to surrender.
This is why Fiske emphasized that no matter how the battle went, soldiers must not do anything beyond orders. He also deliberately claimed that those who did not follow orders would have their military pay suspended for half a year.
In any case, it seemed that the Polotsk people had the initiative, and the Russian cavalry faced them with less than 300 cavalry. The cavalry began to intensify their training, and various weapons were also wasted on polishing and improving.
Fisk even sent two groups of cavalry, totaling twenty men and forty horses. They headed north lightly, just to obtain a batch of supplies from Lukiholm and to send a war warning to Carlotta. But Os in the north
There is no need for the Tara people to go south, they just need to provide arrows and spare horses as much as possible. The cavalry going north even brought Fisk's personal letter written on hard paper, which contained only one sentence: "If the war goes against us, we will take the initiative
Abandon the Vitebsk stronghold."
This did not mean that Fisk's cavalry would run away. He was sure that the smart Carlotta could understand the true meaning - regardless of the gain or loss of the stronghold, the cavalry's mobile combat was given priority.
As for Fisk, what he lacks most now is troops.
It’s really a good idea to take a pillow when you are dozing. When the cavalry team arranged to explore the southern region returned, they went as a team of ten people and returned as a huge team.
How large a cavalry team is it? Standing on the wooden wall of the fortress and looking from afar, on the hard ground of the open reedy swampland in the south, the mighty cavalry looks like there are two thousand riders. At least there are two thousand horses, right?
Since they were only seen from a distance, they still needed to see closely.
But they displayed a heart-warming flag, with a white base sewn with blue cloth strips. They were imitating the Ross flag to identify themselves.
"Haha, the gods are blessing us! That's great!"
Fisk was dancing with excitement. Although it was a little premature to count the day, the figures gradually approaching the team looked like a horse team from Pecheneg. He especially remembered that it had only been three months since Prince Kagan of Pecheneg left.
Could it be that a new batch of prairie commercial horse teams has arrived? How fast are the prairie people?!
Wait, if the steppe people arrive, will they join forces with the Kiev people? The two sides have often traveled together in the past years.
They must have brought a lot of goods with them, intending to go to Novgorod for a big sale and then make a big purchase. Regardless of this, they are also warriors at heart.
The distant trade routes are not peaceful. The caravan has to pass through the areas controlled by the Lamic and Smolensk people. The team can sneak attack them. Because the harassment in recent years has been too much, the other party will try to counterattack. This will
More cavalry are needed to serve as escorts.
Such a new force has made its debut! They want to cross the river from the great swamp where Vitebsk is located to the north. Now they can pass quickly through the newly built pontoon bridge next to the fortress. Vitebsk can also realize its goal for the first time in history.
Transportation value.
The team was approaching in great force, and the sunlight shone on the faces of these people, and they actually reflected a strange light.
"As expected, they are Pechenegs, and they all wear iron masks." Fisk was overjoyed.
He ordered the cavalry to assemble again and greet the miraculously appearing friendly troops in a glorious manner.
The Russian cavalry was mixed with the Ostara army, and the Russian flag was mixed with the bull-headed flag. Fisk and Svalgard troops rushed to greet them enthusiastically, and the two sides met in the reeds in the wilderness.
However, if you take a closer look, you will see unfamiliar faces.
Fisk paid special attention to the Kiev people riding horses. "Strange, where is your boss Sarkoi?"
The words were spoken in Slavic. A very young boy pulled the reins and rode out of the team. "Your Excellency, I am Wladyslav Sakojevich, the son of Sakoy. My father enters
Now that he is old, he has entrusted me with the burden of trade with the north. This is my first time coming to Rus." The boy's words were as green as his face.
Fisk squinted his eyes and stared at the boy who had just grown a beard. His face was indeed very similar to that of Sarkoi.
"It seems that you are his youngest son?"
"It's the eldest son."
"That guy always gets a son? It doesn't matter, you are welcome. You came just in time."
At the same time, Svalgard had already started talking to the Pechenegs who were wearing masks collectively. The other parties took off their well-polished iron masks, revealing their big pie faces under the cold masks.
After all, the city of New Ostara in the southernmost part of Lake Ilmen is the trading center of the Pechenegs. Grassland specialties and slaves are sold here. As a senior local military personnel, Svalgard knows many Pechenegs.
, and also knows a considerable number of ordinary cavalry.
It takes a long journey from the grassland to the great lake in the north. In the past, every caravan was full of danger because of their ignorance of the transportation lines. With the frequent exchanges over the years, the Pecheneg people became more and more aware of trade.
Along the line, their actions became faster, thanks to the veteran soldiers in the army acting as elite guides.
Fisk talked to these grassland people again, and complimented him in a poor Turkic dialect: "Seeing you again now means that the noble Kagan is already a khan. We in Rus pay tribute to him."
I saw the young general with a silver-plated mask hanging around his neck nodding slightly.
"The old Khan abdicated, and my clan brother Kagan succeeded the new Khan. All this is fate. The transfer of power went very smoothly, and no one would question the new Khan's ability without conscience." The implication is that
After the smooth transition of power, Pecheneg remains Russia's most stable trading partner.
"Very well, Ross needs you very much. It's just that you came earlier than usual this time. Friends, I am Fisk, the war chief of Ross's First Cavalry. What is your... name?"
But he saw the young general smiling heartily: "I have heard of Master Fisk for a long time. You are a hero. And I am just the brother of the Khan and have no achievements. My name is Quetzal."
"Okay, Brother Quetzal, you arrived just in time. Come! Take a look at our Vitebsk Fortress, you just happen to be resting here."
"But." The young general Quetzal was a little embarrassed: "This is our ferry crossing the river, right? We are very happy to build a stronghold here. We still hope to take the goods to Novgorod as soon as possible. You see, we
I specially ordered more horses."
Fisk took a closer look and saw that the horses were not very restrained. Most of the horses stopped now to eat delicious reeds on the spot. Suddenly he raised his head and his extremely long mane flicked gorgeously. It was really beautiful.
"They are all good horses! Our king will definitely buy them all."
"Thank you then." The young general Quetzal replied politely.
In the eyes of Fisk and Svalgard, this big-faced prairie boy is too humble. Is this the kind of person he is? Not necessarily. This boy keeps saying that he lacks merit. If he is given a chance to make merit, what will happen to him?
Would you be so humble?
From Kiev to Vitebsk, because of the natural chasm of the Dnieper River, land cavalry had to find a way to cross the river and take a shortcut to the north.
As for the way a group of steppe people crossed the Dnieper River, it was nothing more than making some large rafts out of pine wood. The rafts were carried by canoes and sampans and paddled to the other side, and the horse team just landed and headed north. The demand is here, Kiev Society
The residents must study some low-cost methods that can transport many people to the other side. Building rafts like barges is one method, and some people are even exploring the possibility of building pontoons.
This was the fastest shortcut. They continued to go north along the right bank of the Dnieper River and completely went northward by land in the area near today's Orsha city. They would eventually cross the West Dvina River in the Zee area near Vitebsk.
It was the first time for young players Quetzal and Wladislav to come. Thanks to the large number of veteran travelers in the team, they could move quickly without getting lost.
Both of them knew the great city of Ross from the descriptions of their fellow tribesmen who had been there. The description of the northern world was wonderful, at least the various objects brought back from the north proved its prosperity.
For the cavalry coming from afar, they very much hope that there will be a good post station for supplies. When the young general Quetzal set off, he learned that the Russians were going to build a stronghold on the road that the cavalry must pass, just to consolidate the increasingly prosperous trade line.
The base serves travelers.
Wladyslav has no idea at all. He was assigned a task by his elderly father to inherit the responsibility of the horseman. At least he has this awareness. What if he encounters an enemy? Fight! He now has a genuine Ross hanging around his waist.
Steel sword, he can't put it down the sword his father gave him.
They passed through the Pripet Swamp, where the horses were covered in black mud due to the flowing water. They were also angry about the excessive mosquitoes in the area. The combined horse team did not want to stay at all, and finally arrived at this "Valde" with almost no rest.
The Great Swamp is the source of water for many Eastern European rivers.
Even if the two commanders were unwilling to admit it, the entire cavalry team was already quite exhausted from the continuous journey.
The team was stationed on the spot, and it was only then that Fisk truly understood how many people they had come.
He heard the news directly.
"Quetzal, how many of you are here in Pecheneg?"
"Three hundred brothers and a thousand horses. This was specially ordered by our new Khan. The originally planned team was smaller. As soon as the Khan came back and took over the throne, he ordered us to increase our manpower as we were in urgent need of departure. I was appointed by the Khan
As the person in charge of trade, I will be stationed in your Rus to maintain the trade routes. And some warriors were specially given by the Khan to the princess (referring to Beyathil) as her personal bodyguard."
Quetzal spoke a little more, and what he said surprised Fisk.
It is fair to say that Fisk admires Pecheneg Princess Bejasil who is married to Rus. She made a very eye-catching performance in last year's war. In Viking culture, brave female warriors are like the Valkyrie in the world.
Beyathil is such a person. Even though she is quite short, she is respected for her military exploits. Since her brother comes to give her a guard composed of her natal family, it is perfect. This will enhance Ross's cavalry strength.
.
He asked again: "Wadi, how many people did you bring?"
"There are more than four hundred brothers, but we have a lot less horses, only more than 600. Many of my people want to go north to see the world. I heard that they can get paid for working for King Ross, so more people join...
…”
After all, Wladyslav's Kiev community is still in the state of a great alliance of villages, and its civilization is exactly the same as that of the Polotsk people. Because Maksakye opened the door to trade with the Russians in Varyag in the north, he became
It is a de facto military alliance, and it is only natural that the Kiev community, which is backward in all aspects, yearns for the north.
There were three hundred people on one side and more than four hundred people on the other side. No matter what the purpose of their appearance, they must have been mentally prepared to fight midway because of the huge risks of this trip.
It's just that these people don't have any slaves among their goods.
Fisk asked one more question: "Are you going to the Smolensk territory to capture slaves? You can also capture the Mickey slaves in La."
Quetzal's answer was quite straightforward: "We are in a hurry. After all, we set off early. It would be bad if we bump into you during the autumn rain season on the road. We will have no choice but to rush forward and even cancel the robbery plan."
Wladyslaw also agreed with this statement.
Fisk shrugged: "So it's not that you are unwilling, it's just that the time is not ripe? It doesn't matter! Now there is a fighting opportunity in front of you. Two good brothers, how about we join forces and do it together?"
His eyes are on fire!
Wadi and Quetzal can sense the killing intent, especially in this fortress. The local Ross cavalry and Ostara cavalry are clearly sharpening their swords. Who do they want to kill?
"Is this a real battle?" Wadi asked with some excitement.
"Brother, you guessed it right! It's a battle. Let's go, brothers, let's go into the house and have a good chat."