A blizzard is hitting the entire continent, creating large waves at sea and bringing snow inland.
Such bad weather forced people who arrived in Lukiholm to calm down. People hid in houses, horses and livestock were locked in pens, and they waited for the world to return to peace.
Lambard was killed, and Fisk, who was able to calm down his mind, had to lament Carlotta's methods.
She wanted to directly rule Polotsk in the second year, specifically to occupy the local population for her own use. She was afraid that when she really rushed there with her cavalry to purge the local nobles, a bloody storm would inevitably occur.
Fisk also understands this woman's attitude towards ordinary people. Anyone who obeys her, regardless of ethnicity, is treated as a member of the tribe. If they dare to harm others, they will attack them in groups. She is actually quite a contradictory existence.
Weak people will be eradicated by potential enemies. As long as you become strong, you don't have to worry about being attacked by others.
The world is vast, and powerful enemies may appear at any time. In order to avoid being attacked, after becoming stronger, they will actively attack the nearest aliens, forcing them to surrender, and then use this as a springboard to continue to expand and reach unknown distances.
This is the mentality of Carlotta.
The Vitebsk stronghold is too far into the south, so it is difficult to supply it from the rear, and it is not easy to get supplies from allies in the direction of Kiev.
The big enemy is the Smolensk people, and Vitebsk is already too close to them.
Because of this, she could not accept the existence of a semi-independent existence in the area under her control. She did not believe that the Polotsk nobles really surrendered to Rus, especially that they did not surrender to the Principality of Ostara, which was not acceptable.
Lambard died, apparently from an overdose of alcohol.
When many people were laughing at this unlucky guy, old Harold, whose real name had been revealed, realized the inside story. What does this have to do with him? He should just serve this fierce woman.
Lukiholm is a permanent town. The city has been transformed into a fortress. However, in the first year of its establishment, it could not handle the winter needs of a large population.
This city alone attracted the attention of Stekander, the boss of the Danish community in Riga. He was full of yearning to go to Novgorod. After keeping his money in mind, he shouted to his followers: "We will buy it when we get there."
Some good things. You have to spend all your money, but also remember not to cause trouble."
He saw clearly that the Duchess of Ostara was a fierce woman.
Maybe this shouldn't be done. If you think about it for a moment, the survivors after the whole family is killed will either have a mental breakdown and become crazy, or they will become as crazy as the perpetrators.
Falling in, this woman is a hundred times braver than her biological father who was killed.
Karl sat in the corner and Carlotta sat behind. The mother and son rode on a horse together and led the Ostara cavalry away with the large army returning from the north.
There are still as many as five hundred men stationed in Lukiholm, and General Svalgard will stay here this winter.
The mighty cavalry went north along the banks of the Lovati River. At this time, the cold wave sweeping the north had passed, and the world turned white.
The freezing process of the Lovati River started rapidly, and the ice layer in some sections of the river was enough for war horses to run.
Most of the horses have horseshoes with tiny anti-slip ridges, but those that simply transport goods do not. For safety reasons, the horse team does not walk on flat ice roads to prevent the horses carrying goods from falling and injuring their legs, thereby increasing losses.
The mighty cavalry formed a long and narrow column, which stretched for more than three kilometers.
In this way, the strong horses in the front can make the snow solid, and the heavy-loaded pack horses in the rear can save a lot of energy.
All the armor has been removed, and the horses are still dragging small sleds. Some large sleds have also been prepared, and the current world of ice and snow has just enough space to use them.
The cold-resistant Turkic horses have limited shoulder height and amazing endurance. They have very long manes. At first glance, each horse looks very burly, but in fact it is an interesting kind of puffiness.
The same goes for the soldiers who took off their armor. Each one of them was wrapped in thick leather and wore clothes made of wool felt. It seemed that each of them had gained dozens of kilograms.
Dense snowflakes hit my face, and the wind as sharp as a knife in the north made my face hurt.
It was really bad when the snow hit the eyes. Some people simply lay down on their horses, and some people sitting on sleds collectively covered themselves with big cloths.
Those who are worried about walking in the wrong direction simply take out their treasured Ross sunglasses. Although it is dark, it is strange to still wear sunglasses. The weak light is enough, so you don't have to worry about your eyes being smashed by the terrible snow.
Worrying about going astray was unfounded. The huge cavalry kept walking along the Lovati River, which was already running almost due north.
The river has frozen, and the soft riverside area in summer is now frozen solid. The horses walk on the hard riverside covered with withered yellow reeds. The horses only need to gently push away the snow with their mouths to eat grass on the spot. In order to avoid extra branches.
, the grain tribute received from Polotsk came in handy. When the horse team was resting, the big man or cauldron was unloaded from the sled, and then the oil-rich pine trees were cut down and set on fire to cook wheat rice. The unloaded wheat was used as fodder.
Feed each horse a little coarse salt.
The rest of the journey is familiar to most people. The dense snow caused the world to turn white. Visibility was very poor but there was a river in front of us.
The cavalry followed the correct direction, encountered no new cold currents along the way, and successfully arrived at the southern gate of New Ostara City.
A long wooden wall was built in Kongwang. If a large army wanted to move north quickly, it would have to walk on a flat road and pass through this pass.
There are always sentries on duty in the towering city tower. Since the sentries further away have already contacted their Duke, when Carlotta acts as a guide to attract the huge horse team, the city gate is already open in front of her, and there are a large number of onlookers wearing furry clothes.
.
Against the sound of the wind, the duchess took off her hat and let her golden pony tail flutter in the wind.
She was imitating Rurik! Fisk felt it so real.
"My friends! Keep walking! Welcome to Ross, welcome to my new Ostara!"
After passing the towering city gate, you officially entered the core area of the Rus Kingdom's rule. What greeted outsiders was a huge settlement.
Looking around, there are wooden houses everywhere, as well as snow on the roofs, and a large amount of chimney smoke that seems endless.
There were many people and livestock here, and the Pecheneg noble Quetzal could clearly see that there were horses being driven around. Look at the wool, wasn't it the horse from his hometown?
After returning, the Duchess performed the duties of a landowner.
All returning passengers had to enjoy a hearty meal, including barbecue, wheat porridge and a lot of salt. She deliberately made a luxurious meal, claiming that she would satisfy the belly of any big eater.
Since the Duchess had spoken first, everyone started to eat with open stomachs.
After all, conditions were limited in Lukiholm. Nobles from all parties gathered together, and Carlotta ordered that real good wine and food be served.
Including that killer vodka.
No one discussed Lambard's death, and several Polotsk followers in the team suddenly became official dead. Carlotta had no intention of killing these guys. They firmly believed that their leader died from "cannot drink"
Holy wine", this thought is enough to save your life.
Discussing things in the meeting hall is too serious. People tend to talk too much after drinking a little alcohol, and it is easy to spit out the truth.
Carlotta intends to continue the banquet and chat with everyone. She knows that each noble has the most direct purpose.
"Just ask about anything," she said.
"I want to see the distinguished King of Rus." Stekander, who was old and eager to talk, put down his wine glass and raised his head: "We Danes in Riga have surrendered to Count Saaremaa and to that Spuyut. The King of Rus should know this.
Something! Moreover, we actually worship power. Since King Rus is blessed by the gods, as the leader, I need to be loyal to him as soon as possible."
"Don't worry, you can. Where are the others?" Her eyes caught Quetzal.
"I am a brother of the Khan clan. I was ordered to meet King Rus to run our shop on the grassland in Novgorod. There are also fifty elite soldiers I brought with me. They were given to the princess by the Khan.
The gift (Beyathil), I will give it to you with my own hands."
"It's no problem. I have a suggestion."
"What does Khan mean?"
Carlotta thought for a while: "I am a sister to your princess. We fought side by side and slept together in difficult times. She accompanied the king to a more distant capital, and her son was temporarily placed in Novos.
Gorod. If she comes back from the capital, she will stay here with me. You, Quetzal..."
"Is there such a thing? Khan..."
"You can build your Pecheneg shop here. Although there are dense forests nearby, there is a large area of meadows in this area, and even a good place to raise cattle and horses, but it is now covered with snow and cannot be seen clearly.
A lot of cavalry will be stationed here. The people you bring are strong troops, and you are even more warriors. I need you, and Beyathil also needs you."
"That's fine. I heard from Khan that the environment here is excellent and I am willing to stay here. I still need to see King Rus and explain my situation to him."
There is no language barrier between Carlotta and Quetzal. It is because she often has to deal with the grassland people, so she simply learns the Turkic language of the Pecheneg dialect. Bejahir is also a teacher in this regard. It is also because there is no language.
The obstacles made Quetzal completely trust this distinguished female khan.
Wladyslav from Kiev has no additional demands. His intention is extremely simple. He just wants to sell a large amount of local products brought from the south, buy some goods and leave next spring. He also has the desire to meet the King of Rus.
The appeal is not an extravagant request, it is just to report to the king his identity and the matter of his father Sakoyin.
Everyone wanted to see King Rurik of Rus, and Carlotta even wanted to see him, even lying in his arms to report on the southern expansion.
What is certain is that the king will remain in the capital until Hanukkah.
Everyone has to wait for a while, and this wait will inevitably wait until 842 AD.
Novgorod has to celebrate the festival on its own. It has become a tradition to build a huge tower out of flammable pine wood in the open space and then light it. It is also the most important part of the festival.
Go to the capital city of New Rossburg in person? If you simply want to see the King of Ross, there is no need.
However, everyone does not have to wait idlely. The transported goods can be directly taken to Novgorod for sale, and the horses existing as goods can be immediately received by the governor, and money can be obtained as soon as possible.
The King of Rus, Pecheneg Khan, and the Kiev Cavalry Team have long agreed that commercial horses will be accepted as soon as they arrive in Novgorod. Whether a good horse is a male or a female, there is a negotiated agreement for various types of horses.
Price list, everyone is smart, and now the Russians are also experts in horse-making. The governor can send someone to do it at what price a horse should be purchased.
Governor Medved was authorized to do so as a loyal relative of the royal family, and many of the standing cavalry were his compatriots. He took care of both public and private matters in order to relieve the worries of the busy king.
The huge cavalry rested in the city of Novoostara for three days, and then ran along the frozen lake to Novgorod in the north.
At the mouth of the Volga River, the tribes of the Pecheneg Tribal Alliance were lined up in the riverside grasslands like chains. The river had become very wide. On one side was a huge body of water and on the other side were densely packed tents. Quetzal felt a hint of his hometown.
meaning.
Soon, he realized that he was too naive.
Due to terrain problems, the cavalry followed the east bank of the lake, so it only took a small arc, and objectively passed through densely packed villages, attracting people who lived in winter to come over to see the huge cavalry, which was never seen before.
They were all Slavs. Quetzal didn't know clearly. He thought they were Russians and was shocked by their huge population. Looking further ahead, there were still villages there, and he really didn't know how many people lived here.
What’s even more terrifying is that such a prosperous place still has the capital of Rus. The Khan said something, and the tribesmen in the team who fought against King Rus also said that the ships of Rus were as tall as mountains. “I really want to see them.
"
Quetzal, who was used to seeing tents, wooden sheds and herds of horses, followed the horse team through a very large village. It was larger than other villages and even had a wall.
This village is very strange. There are densely packed boats parked on the ice-covered lake, and its scale is larger than that seen in New Ostara.
Where have you been? It turns out that this is Mstisk where the real Russians settled.
On the other hand, a strong man knocked on Arik's door.
"What's the matter?" He was quite unhappy as he was teaching his two sons how to play swords in the courtyard of his home.
"Boss, could it be that you can't hear the noise outside?"
"What's wrong?"
"The cavalry! The cavalry is coming!"
"Cavalry? Could it be the king?"
"They are from the south. They are..."
The interest he had just mentioned dropped again, and Arik scratched his beard: "It's just the grassland people and the Kiev people, they are here to sell horses again."
"But their numbers are extremely large. Boss, maybe you should take a look. Fisk and Carlotta are also there, and they brought a lot of things. Some brothers ran out to stop them from leaving. This is a good opportunity to buy things.
, don’t let it go.”
"Is it necessary? You are still stopping them." Arik realized that it was inappropriate to do so. He is the lord of Mstisk, and he will be responsible for any trouble. "Nonsense! Let them go."
"But boss, don't you want to get some more wine? They can bring other flavors of kumiss, as well as a lot of cheese. Now the women have gone over with money, and we don't want to hurt them..."
"Forget it! I'll go take a look."
Arik suddenly changed his clothes, hung two long swords on his belt, and was accompanied by two boys, one old and one small.
Asgard, who is already a grown-up, and his younger son Gil, who is at a naughty age. The two brothers were trained as warriors by their father. Practicing swords in the winter snow is a daunting necessity in life. Now the brothers have changed into leather clothes and wore
Wear an amber necklace to show your dignity.
Just by the river, the passing cavalry was surrounded by real Russians. There were a large number of women here, and everyone was chattering, making the scene extremely noisy. Men and women came with silver coins, and they stared at each other.
It is the local specialty of the prairie people.
At the beginning of the period, Quetzal was shocked. The main population of Novgorod was Slavs, which was not much different from the group of guys in Kiev. The real core of Rus was the Rus, which is why the country got its name.
[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. www. Android and Apple are available.]
Since the people living in Mstisk are all real Russians and they have such enthusiastic desire to buy, it is better to sell them there.
He really couldn't imagine what the real Russians would buy. This group of people had a strong desire for cheese, kumiss and honey. The transaction had already begun, and even if the price they thought was slightly higher, these people were still willing to pay.
"What a bad luck. I should have brought more cheese and kumiss." Quetzal's mind got a little brighter and he knew what to bring more next time.
Just when there was a commotion, the melodious sound of the trumpet came, and the chaotic scene calmed down. After a moment, a strong man with two swords hanging on his waist came with a group of followers and a fierce aura.
"A powerful warrior? Who is he?" Quetzal asked the bald Fisk cautiously.
"He? Double-sword Arik, the king's cousin, at least a thousand enemies died in his hands. He is very powerful, haha, it seems that he has completed the Eastern expedition a long time ago." Fisk specially praised Arik.
, after all, he also wants to be such a powerful person.
"He is indeed a powerful warrior. Maybe I should kneel down and salute him."
"No need, just tell yourself your identity. Let's go, you and him can become friends."