The Russian navigators appeared in the port city of Riga. This was definitely not a deviation, but was actually the deliberate act of Count Spuyut of Saaremaa.
The voyager claimed that he was only doing trade. Sterkander, the spokesman for the Danish community in Riga, felt that the matter was not simple, but the other party claimed that as long as the cooperation was happy, he could guarantee that piracy in the ocean would end and ships in Riga port could fish freely.
, you can also go to Saaremaa Island to do business in person.
In this way, Stekander had to think about whether this gratifying statement was true, and whether the Ross nobleman in front of him was credible. At least his clothes were very gorgeous, but they still could not hide his aging.
Speaking of Spyut, he knew nothing about the political situation in Riga and subconsciously felt that the Dane who called himself Stekander was the local leader.
After all, Rurik described the scene of Rus's transactions with people in the Gulf of Riga many years ago. Others don't care. The old navigator Spuyut now has a chance. He is getting older and wants to create some more achievements.
Returning to seclusion, it is now the first year of the Viking Age of Peace. Isn't it a glorious achievement to include the people of the Gulf of Riga into the "Northern Alliance System" built by the Kingdom of Rus?! Others have no chance, and he knows that only he has this chance.
and can be resorted to practical actions.
Spuyut took his sons with him. The eldest son was already young and strong and became an effective general under his command. The younger son could also do odd jobs on the ship. He took his men with him and deliberately chose the autumn when supplies were abundant to rush to the deepest part of the bay.
If it was just trade, Stekander, the big leader of the Danish community, really had no reason to refuse. Because the Russians brought linen, ironware, woolen textiles, salt, and some crystal vessels (glassware). Ironware was the most addictive.
of!
And Spuyut is also trying to open the trade line with Riga. He is convinced that the autumn harvest in the Gulf of Riga is completed at this time, and he will trade grain with the locals at a low cost according to the goods. This will perfectly ensure that Saaremaa Island can successfully survive the winter this year.
After all, Spyut is a vassal of Rus. He has a fief, has the power granted by the king, and is the guardian of the safety of navigation in the southern Baltic Sea.
The misunderstanding was resolved. Although the Russians made the residents of Riga very nervous, as urgently needed supplies were unloaded at the dock one after another, and the trade of grain for iron began, the vigilance was quickly dissipated by peaceful transactions.
Now, Spuyut and most of his people are in the city of Riga. He has brought conclusive news about the situation in Denmark. Countless news came and shocked the Danish community!
Originally, many people fled Denmark because some nobles in Jutland and Zealand converted to Frankish beliefs, and the civil war broke out. Some people who could not bear the civil war fled to Riga. Now that the Frankish forces in Denmark have been expelled, in theory everyone can
Returned to his hometown. The reason for this happy ending is all because of the large-scale war that started last year. Spyut naturally highly praised the achievements of King Rurik of Russia. The countless war stories did not allow the locals to doubt, even St.
Kander was deeply moved.
"Ah! I can't wait to join the warrior of the Stonewall tribe (referring to Ragnar), fight side by side with you Rus people, and restore the faith of Holy Odin."
Spuyut was keenly aware that this might be an opportunity, and deliberately said tentatively: "It's not too late now. You admit that King Rus is the greatest leader. By then, the entire northern business will be open to you. Join King Rus."
The Northern Alliance is very beneficial to you."
What he said was a fact, but Stekander was not naive either. This old guy was keenly aware that if this happened, the trading city of Riga would naturally be controlled by the Russians.
Stekander felt conflicted because of worries about the uncertainty of the future, but he did not dare to say it openly. He admired the peaceful business visit of the Russian nobles, and various Latvian villages felt that they had made a lot of money by exchanging new wheat for iron.
Cheap, the perception of Russians is full of "good businessmen".
As a result, a very strange understanding appeared in Riga at the same time. The so-called friendly traders of the Rus' people were another group of horse bandits who were ravaging the east and destroying the trade lines.
More than two hundred Russians from Saaremaa landed. People looked left and right, recalling their fathers' descriptions of the island.
There are even some people who lived near Riga when they were young. They either had their fingers cut off and were expelled for crimes such as theft, or were forced to flee for worse acts. Now they have returned with a new identity, until no one can go back.
He investigates his past sins, but he is restrained by a more powerful force.
Spyut knew very well who his men were. They were essentially a group of pirates who had been subdued and incorporated by the Russian army. This group of ruthless men was very useful when it came to conquering enemies, but in peacetime more severe measures must be used.
The rules restrict them from messing around.
After negotiating with the Danish leader at the port of Riga, he issued an order on the ship: "I don't care what you have done in the past. Now that we are landing, you are not allowed to have trouble with any locals, you are not allowed to buy goods privately, and you are not allowed to make peace with others privately.
Local women are messing around. As long as I get a complaint from the locals, the person who caused the incident will be sent to the mine to dig stones."
In his opinion, even if the severe punishment of beheading is implemented, it is impossible to do such a thing in front of the Riga people out of the face of the Kingdom of Rus. What if the criminal is sent to the mine? Rus has two major mining sites, one in Ai
Lomborg mined iron ore, and the other mined hard stone on the shores of Lake Onega. Both were bitterly cold places, and being sent there to be slaves was a life worse than death.
They were even more afraid of the life of a slave miner, where life was worse than death, so they all remained very peaceful after landing.
Still wanting to eliminate the possibility of the incident from the source, Spuyut set up a temporary residence for Russian merchants, and those who landed were not allowed to leave unless there was something wrong. They flew the Russian flag at the temporary residence, set up special shops, and continued to sell goods.
Selling their own products, it seems that these people are just peaceful businessmen, but the scale is a bit too big.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that this group of Russians, who are sword-wielding merchants and own large ships, can instantly enter a state of alert and transform into two hundred soldiers who can form a formation to fight.
The Danish community is well aware that these neighbors who believe in Odin are actually a threat, and everyone is subconsciously vigilant when dealing with them.
However, there has never been a full-power city lord in Riga, only local snakes of all sizes, various Latvian village influences in the city, and a Danish community that has always maintained a cooperative relationship with it.
It is of course a good thing for foreign merchants to bring a lot of supplies. The prominent people in the city are willing to have a good chat with the Ross nobleman Spuyut.
The absolute peace that lasted for many days gradually calmed people's vigilance. Those Russians were just doing business, and if they had done anything illegal, they should have done it long ago. Obviously, the Russian nobleman's claim that "we just want to do business" was indeed not lying.
Ox-carts, pony carts, and even man-carried sacks of newly harvested oats arrived at the temporary Ross Store.
The two parties to the transaction have agreed on the price, one side is ironware mainly for agricultural use, and the other side is new wheat. The two parties have agreed on the price and now they are bartering.
The local Latvians smiled and poured the oats into the measuring tool provided by the Russians. This is a special wooden measuring tool used by the Russians to collect grain taxes. It is a kind of "bucket", but when filled, a bucket of grain can cost one hundred Romans.
Naturally, Rus had to be careful when collecting taxes himself. Such a tool was "invented" by Rurik and he guided the carpenters of Novgorod to make it, which greatly accelerated the efficiency of tax collection.
The people in Riga are not demanding about this. They did not bargain with each other at the transaction site, and they managed to hold the iron in one hand and harvest the wheat in the other.
Cast iron hoes, plowshares, hot forged iron shovels, small sickles, spearheads, and harpoon heads are essentially agricultural tools and fishing tools, and they can also be used as weapons. Only the key parts are sold, and the installation of wooden handles is solved by the buyer. Spuyut
In fact, they sent ships directly to Rossburg's hometown to import cheap goods, and then sold them to Riga at a higher price.
At night, this group of Russians were laughing from ear to ear, and they were all talking about how the food they had purchased was enough for the entire Saaremaa Island people to happily eat wheat porridge for a whole winter.
Obviously trading can continue and everyone can continue to make money.
Spuyut felt that his trip was now worthwhile, and the situation had actually developed into the beginning of peaceful business relations between Rus and Riga. He wanted to strike while the iron was hot, so he might as well discuss it with the Danish Stekander and establish a relationship in the Danish community.
Buying a piece of land and setting up a purely Ross store.
He did not dare to make this request rashly, for fear of arousing the other party's suspicion.
He is an ambitious old guy. If he has the opportunity to continue to make meritorious deeds, he will definitely try. Now Spuyut's idea has developed into "complete control of Riga". He even hopes that his eldest son will take over the count's mansion after inheriting the title in the future.
He was located in Riga and became a great nobleman with a large territory in the Kingdom of Rus.
Such ambitions were too great, and Spuyut did not have the strength or courage to order the locals to transfer power, so he could only use the strategy of cannibalization.
Everything seemed to be peaceful and peaceful, and the bad things described by the merchants who had returned from the upper reaches were washed away by the joy brought by the good products of the Ross merchants.
Until, the refugees from the upper reaches of the village went crazy and almost broke their hearts and fled to Riga in a hurry.
After all, the population of the entire Latvian tribe is only about 30,000, and the Danish community only has more than 1,000 mixed-race people. The permanent population of Riga is nearly 3,000, of which the Danish community accounts for half of the population. Now more people are fleeing
Here, the population quickly exceeded 6,000, and it was overcrowded for a while.
If everyone were not fellow villagers in each village, the entire tribe would be composed of these people, and all the leading families would know each other. The information obtained by the people after asking each other was extremely complicated, but most of the theories pointed to the Semigalians on the other side of the river.
.
A group of prominent people gathered together urgently. They were the leaders of several villages, the big Latvian businessman in the city, the Danish community boss Stekander, and even the Russian nobleman Spyut.
In the event of a full-scale war, the leaders of each village would vote collectively to select a general, who must be Latvian, and then invite strong men from the Danish community to join the army as mercenaries.
The situation was extremely urgent, and most of the villagers claimed that the visitors must be the Semigalians and other tribes they had coerced.
This statement was especially affirmed by the escaped village leaders who participated in the meeting.
An old guy was filled with righteous indignation: "We have just harvested food, and the guys on the other side of the river took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack. They want to steal my food. They have the ability and the motivation."
"Yes!" Another person said firmly: "If their harvest is not good, they will rob us, just like before."
"It's by no means that simple. Their ultimate goal is our city. They are eyeing Riga, and you can't be alone. Even you!" The village leader who spoke was anxious: "Russians, if you want to continue doing business with us,
You must help us solve this crisis."
Si Puyut was a little confused when he heard this. Who are the Semigalians? Are they worthy of these guys going crazy?
It should be true that an army is rushing towards Riga. He does not care about the identity of the enemy at all, only cares about his own goods. The current problem is actually quite difficult. The purchased grain will take some time to be loaded onto the big ship. Once the Riga people cannot organize
If you resist effectively, you won't be able to keep the food you bought.
"Are you going to hire us? We are just businessmen." Spuyut raised his head and whispered.
"Indeed." The speaker was Stekander, who then looked at the village leaders who seemed to have lost their souls: "I can help you fight, what are the benefits?"
At this point, there is no good solution. The Latvians present are considered to be high-ranking nobles. Even though the appointment has not expired, they still made a very bold decision-to hire Stekander as a general.
The Danish community wanted to organize men to guard Riga, and the Latvian nobles paid real food after the war and handed over the right to dispose of most of the spoils after the war. Of course, the Latvians would also organize militias, but they could not organize many. It seemed that they were
The economic powerhouse of Latvia was devastated, and the Latvians seemed unwilling to put in more effort to defend themselves and pinned their victory on the Danes who settled in Riga.
The Latvian tribe is not a coward, and it is a reality that they do not have strong military strength. For example, they do not even have a long-term leader.
It is only reasonable that the Semigalians feel that such a tribe is weak and can be bullied. This is not the first time that the other party has tried to launch an annexation operation. Because Semigalians have already touched the door of the "feudal state", expansion has become a maintenance factor.
important means of internal stability.
Stekander became a temporary general, who could theoretically command the entire assault force assembled at the port of Riga, and would automatically lose his power after the crisis was over.
So what should I do if this uncle fights and doesn’t want to give up his power?
A question made these Latvian nobles think - why can there be only one general?
The Russians have used time to prove their friendliness, but no one is stupid enough to think that these guys are just simple businessmen, big fat sheep without force.
"Russian! We are also willing to hire you as a general." One person extended an invitation to Spuyut.
He was personally confused, and Stekander was quite surprised.
"Impossible? Two generals?"
I just heard an old man say: "There has never been a rule that there can only be one general. Besides, they are also Varyags, just like you. If the situation is not urgent, we cannot mobilize all of them, otherwise our villages will send out their best troops to defeat them on their own.
Attack of the Semigalians."
Stekander, who has lived here for a long time, does not want to complain. He has no intention of actually becoming the Lord of Riga. He just wants to continue to develop the Danish community and have greater privileges among the entire Latvian tribe. This is just his idea and he does not want to do it at all.
The king who rules over the Latvians.
From Spute's point of view, the status of a general is really rare. With this status, he can do without the physical rewards provided by the locals. But looking at the current situation, if he wants to remain a general after the war
Identity is also impossible.
He silently calculated in his mind: "These guys are not stupid at all. The two generals check and balance each other. I just came to do business, and now I am still fighting for them. The Latvians are so cunning..."
The Danish community can provide 300 people, the Russian merchants can provide 200 people, and the Port of Riga can urgently gather 1,000 men. This will provide 1,500 people to fight against the "Semigallian army of 2,000 warriors".
, only in terms of numbers, Riga’s side is at a serious disadvantage.
In fact, this is not the case. There are five hundred Varyag warriors among them, as well as an unheard-of large ship anchored in the port. They must be strong.
Some local old guys have no doubts about the Russians, but they are more abusive in their tone. "Many of those people are pirates who have changed their identities. They killed our fishermen at sea, and now they help us fight the war. I hope they atone for their sins."
These people are ruthless and show no mercy to Semigalia."
Therefore, when the situation in Riga was in chaos, the Russians living in makeshift communities also instinctively armed themselves in response to the threat of war.
After the meeting, Spuyut did not want to be excited or pessimistic. He returned with a calm face and announced to all his subordinates the fact that the Russians had become mercenaries.
He still calmly announced: "Now, an old enemy of the people here is coming to kill us. They will steal our goods. Now the whole of Riga is preparing for war urgently. The battle is likely to break out tomorrow. I order you to arm yourself immediately and prepare."
Fight! This is not to defend the locals, but to surround our goods. Remember, there will be no mercy once war begins."
Suddenly, someone raised his ax high and looked at his friends and let out a Viking war cry, followed by everyone's shouts.
At this moment, Siput's face didn't even tremble a bit, but his eldest son was roaring extremely fiercely.
Spuyut, who has experienced too much, has been able to face all kinds of battles calmly. He is very happy that his son is going crazy, just like his younger self.
He deliberately coughed twice: "Put on your costumes, get your flags ready, and check whether the chalk mud on your bucklers has fallen off and whether the paint has fallen off. Listen, there are many people fighting side by side with us, and we are fighting against those stinking fish."
Rotten shrimps are completely different. We want our friendly forces and enemies to see how powerful we are!"
Then there was another burst of crazy shouting.
This cry was so shocking that the Danish community next door could not ignore it. Stekander also gathered his own people at the same time, but the gathering of only 300 people was already the best of the community.
"Listen to the momentum on the other side! Those Ross people are also Odin's warriors. I heard that Denmark and Ross have formed an alliance, and we and them are mutual allies. We can't lose momentum in the new battle! You are not helping.
While the next guy is fighting, you are protecting your community! Follow my orders."
The internal instructions of the two elected Varyag generals were surprisingly consistent. The slogans they raised internally as mercenaries were "self-preservation is the first priority." Helping Latvia end this autumn crisis seemed to be just incidental.
action.
At least these various Latvian people felt reassured when they heard the rhythmic war cry of the Varyags.
But, is the enemy that is rushing towards us really the Semigalian army?