"Aric!" The guard who sent the message had to raise his voice.
"It's him. That's great." A smile quickly filled the old man's face, and the guard even pointed out that a huge army had arrived outside the city.
"Army? Who are they? Who is mobilizing the army? Could it be that my son is back?"
"It's the Duke of Ostara, the people from the steppe, the horsemen from Kiev, and Arik's army." The guard took the trouble to name those people like telling the names of dishes.
The guards wanted to emphasize: "They are here to meet the king."
Otto, who was greedy for some wine, cheered up his old heart. He cleared his throat in a low voice and spit out a mouthful of phlegm. "Here, help me up! Yes, bring me my stomach. I have to receive these people in a graceful manner."
Boy."
Outside the city, Governor Medved, who was startled, dared to pick up a group of guards and held flags to greet him at the city gate, drove away the people watching the excitement, and then met up with the old man who was a little out of breath after walking all the way.
At this time, Fisk had arranged for his men to go to the cavalry barracks outside the city to meet up with the remaining brothers and immediately start to rest. He gave the guys who had experienced the southern campaign a holiday, and these people who got the holiday immediately took the opportunity to
The war horse was given as a gift to the comrades left behind, and he unloaded the trophies and put them in the barracks. He couldn't wait to show off his gains to his colleagues, and talked about interesting and exciting stories.
Fisk stayed outside the city by himself. He wanted to meet the old king Otto in person, and also had a chat with the governor who would inevitably go out of the city to greet him.
Look at the scene now! A huge herd of horses and sleds carrying goods are "traffic jamming" in the open space outside the city. The loot is food, utensils, unique prairie leather, and strange small items such as eagle feathers and wolf teeth.
The largest one is still grain, which is the hard currency of market transactions and can be used directly as currency.
The grain owners intended to sell the excess grain at a price slightly lower than the market price, and they were waiting to get permission from the governor to enter the city.
Of course, it doesn't matter if they are not allowed to enter the city. When the onlookers learned that these special grain carriers wanted to sell grain at low prices, they would rather bring the containers and buy directly without going outside the city.
Outside the city, Medved met a few new friends. In order to maintain public security and be wary of bad guys, it was impossible for him to put a large number of people into the city. A large number of horses were not allowed to enter the city, otherwise it would be a long time to clean up the horse manure.
Extremely troublesome winter work.
Wladyslav from Kiev was very humble, he was young and knew his identity clearly. He carried his luggage to Medvet, first praising the King of Rus, and then praising the governor in front of him.
He did not dare to offend his big client in the slightest. There were not many horses for sale on hand, and Medved was the only agent who bought in bulk on behalf of the king.
Quetzal's attitude was the same. In the hierarchical society of the steppe, as the nephew of the old Khan, he was only qualified to be the commander of a small army during the war. This time he sent himself to Rus permanently, not out of necessity.
Regarding trust, it has a strong sense of exclusion.
Quetzal was not resentful, but felt that since the Kingdom of Rus was prospering, it would not be a problem for him to work for them in Rus and reap a lot of benefits.
He clutched his heart and bowed his luggage to Medved, also planning that when the old king of Rus showed up, he would kneel down on one knee and salute the venerable man as a warrior.
The impression of the first meeting is very important. No, the first time Medved met Quetzal, Wladislav and Stekander were all at least respectful, and he was in a good mood.
Aric brought his son Askard, and Carlotta brought her son Karl. The children were all related by blood to the old king, and they came here not only for an audience but also to visit relatives.
"The great King Otto is old. Winter is dangerous. His body should rest. Now that the army is here, he should come and take a look. If he is willing..."
Medved was very worried about Otto's death, just like his father Rigus. It had only been more than ten years, and even a once strong person could not resist the erosion of aging in fate.
He believed that the heart of the old king was always young. Even when he was old, he would still come to see the mixed-blood New Rus warriors standing outside the city.
Because most of these twelve or thirteen-year-old boys have half of the blood of White Tree Manor! Even if there are none in this generation, the boy's wife will definitely be chosen from the girls of White Tree Manor first, and the next generation will have the blood.
"These children are all my relatives!" Medved said nothing, feeling secretly happy inside.
Accompanied by the distant sound of horns, Otto, wearing a gold-plated chain mail and a gold-plated helmet over a sheepskin coat, sat on a sleigh and was pulled by many people outside the city.
His Damascus Pattern Sword named "The Destroyer" still hangs on his waist. Only after his death will this sword be truly handed over to his son. There is also a gold-plated cane inlaid with gems beside him.
Just to walk on it.
"The King has arrived!" a guard with a loud voice shouted, and then under the coordination of the captain of the guard Grund, the guards lined up in two lines to welcome old Otto to meet his ministers.
This is the Supreme King of Rus, an old man with a withered face.
Some people say that Odin also looks like an old man, with a long flowing beard and a strong figure. He holds a long sword but sacrificed an eye in order to gain wisdom.
Rurik, the king of Rus, also gained wisdom. He seemed to have sacrificed nothing. Thinking about it carefully, it’s wrong!
Bored people like to sit at home and ponder in the winter. Rurik bestowed wisdom on all people, and now everyone's life is getting better and better. Of course, he sacrificed something - the lives of his enemies.
Blood sacrifice to Odin was the price for gaining wisdom. The price was actually very high, as hundreds of thousands of enemies of all colors sacrificed blood to the god on the battlefield.
In Novgorod, the local Slavs all knew Otto's name, and they later learned that he had an only son named Rurik.
The history of being oppressed in the past is gradually being looked back on by the Slavs. They are all pragmatic people, and now food production has exploded as never before. No one is plundering them anymore, but instead they attack others to make a fortune.
The onlookers chanted Otto's name, and a large number of people followed suit.
When Quetzal and others heard this, they concluded that this old man had extremely strong appeal.
Otto stood up with his own strength. He could not stand for long. When he noticed a large number of New Rus boys standing in order, his old heart regained his youth. He decided to inspect his people.
Essentially, a large number of children are related to Otto.
At the beginning, the Ross tribe was also a group of fishermen families. They took the name of "Oar" and continuously married each other to become one.
Relying on his willpower, the old king, wearing a golden chainmail, walked around the infantry phalanx arranged in a matrix, closely accompanied by many guards.
His rough and obviously withered hands touched this and that, and asked specifically about the boy's father.
He knew the names of some people. When he learned that some boys' fathers died in battle in 840, he couldn't help but sigh and try to say a few words.
He approached the most important boy.
The brown-haired Askard's face had opened up. Seeing this boy, the old man couldn't help but think of his brother Ogier, who had died early in the battle.
"Grandpa." The boy looked at Old Otto almost levelly.
"I know you very well. Askard, you are named after the Sanctuary. You have participated in many wars at a young age. Are you... a real warrior?"
"I am!" the boy answered decisively.
"Very good. Look around you. These people are all your brothers. You are all real Russians, and you are more noble. Do you know what this means?"
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"..." The boy was a little confused and didn't dare to speak nonsense for a while.
"You have a responsibility! You have to be brave! Your biological grandfather died fighting for Ross, and your uncle Fisk fought side by side with your grandfather and died at the same time. You are destined to be a warrior of Ross and lead everyone to victory. Ah... really
I envy you, you are so young. It will be your time from now on." At this point, Otto couldn't help but patted Askard's face hard, and even patted his little face red with more force: "Remember what I said.
if."
"I...I remember."
"Oh? The voice was too low, I didn't hear it."
"I remember!" Askard shouted at the top of his voice.
This kid was obviously moved by Otto's spirit. He turned around, waved his right hand at his brother and roared.
"Russian! Russian!"
The young cubs responded to their old king with neat Viking war cries.
Otto is a hero of the old era, and Askard is the first representative of the new generation of Rus to come of age.
The new generation should inherit the glory of their predecessors and continue to expand their glory. Otto wished he could be fifty years younger and greet the world with a young attitude.
How can one go against fate? All one can do is numb the mind with strong alcohol and fantasize in dreams that one is already young.
Horses that are in urgent need of sale are quickly received by the governor and sent to the vacant stables pre-arranged.
It's not possible to sell grain at low prices. One of Medved's responsibilities is to release official grain regularly. He will not interfere with ordinary people bringing their own surplus grain to the market for sale, but he cannot allow large grain transporters to dump it at low prices.
The spoils of food were bought by the governor and immediately sent to the large granary in the city.
Food sellers are not at a loss either. After all, they have silver coins of good quality and can quickly buy high-quality iron tools and other necessary tools from the market.
The Kiev and steppe people needed this, and now they had a large amount of silver coins in their hands. They first camped outside the city, and some of them spent a sum of money to rent in vacant barns. The next day, they formed a group and entered the city of Novgorod.
's market.
The "rich men" who came from afar were welcomed by people from all walks of life, and the winter market suddenly became prosperous.
Just as the market was booming, Otto's energy suddenly improved.
He has a large number of grandchildren hanging around, but unfortunately most of them are not high enough.
Unsurprisingly, the high priest's son Oleg became Otto's new favorite. After all, the child's mother was the little slave he captured fourteen years ago. The girl was forgiven by the gods and did not freeze to death. Now she is a big slave.
The priest also implemented the wishes of the gods, and he, like many old Russians, firmly believed in this.
He felt that this brat had at least received some favor from God. Oleg loved to crawl and run around and was really energetic. With such a powerful experience, he could start teaching fighting skills when he grows up. This boy will be a good one.
Warriors are also good helpers for the king.
Oleg is like this, and Karl, brought in by his adopted daughter Carlotta, is also spiritual.
In the palace, the little boy took off his boots without taking off the foot wrap, and ran towards his grandfather.
Otto smiled happily and hugged Karl, letting him act coquettishly.
He also wanted to hear a key report from the Duchess of Ostara, his adopted daughter Carlotta.
The daughter in front of me is dressed like a male warrior, standing with the hilt of a sword, like a Valkyrie standing tall in the world.
"You are like Valkyrie." He did not hesitate to praise this noble woman. Then he asked: "Now tell me about your career in the south."
Carlotta was well prepared. Taking into account her adoptive father's physical and mental condition, she focused on important things to say, but also said a lot. Otto was very happy, and his aging face was obviously flushed. This was definitely not because he drank too much, but because of it.
Really happy.
Vitebsk? A new place name, where is it? When he heard that it would take ten days to ride a horse all the way from there to Novgorod, he had an idea in his mind.
The most important thing is that the place you click on is already close to the border of the enemy's Smolensk-controlled area.
Based on the information obtained from the mouths of captured slaves, the Otto people were enjoying their old age, but it was a pity that the boy named Vadim was not killed by him.
"You are approaching Smolensk. If they attack, your stronghold will be the first to be hit. My daughter, are you confident in defeating them?"
Carlotta smiled, her eyes scornful and a little conceited: "They? A bunch of fools. My Ostara cavalry immediately and continuously defeated them, without any help from the powerful Ross cavalry. We will continue to expand our territory, I am Liuli
This is my responsibility as a poor woman."
"That's a beautiful thing to say. Unfortunately, I'm guilty of this." The old man couldn't help but pat his thigh.
"Why does father blame himself?"
"I should have killed that Vadim back then. It was because I was too merciful, and I thought that boy was just a reckless man and no threat. Unexpectedly, this boy became the boss of Smolensk. The Slavs who surrendered to Rus will
His whole family was eradicated, and our Mstisk was built on the ruins of their village. That boy will definitely avenge this kind of blood feud. Rather than being attacked by him, it is better for us to take the initiative. We must use troops against Smolensk!"
Speaking of being excited, the old man couldn't help but cough hard and spit out some old phlegm.
He didn't feel uncomfortable at all, he just found the feeling of scolding Fang Qiu again. The brats in front of him were all generals that he could easily mobilize. There were also the soldiers of New Rus who were clamoring for meritorious deeds. Now they needed a wise leader to help them.
They guide the direction of new expansion.
Anyway, my son is still staying in the capital, and it seems that he won't be able to come back before Hanukkah.
My own identity is also the King of Rus. Although my influence has declined due to real aging, how can I give up the exciting opportunity?
"My dear daughter, you did a great job! You took Polotsk. And Riga, and what tribe. I don't even know the name. You succeeded and got new subordinates."
Otto's eyes directly glanced at the Danish man Stekander. This guy did not submit to the new Kingdom of Denmark, but to Ross. This is really a smart middle-aged man.
Stekander surrendered to the old King of Rus on behalf of the Danish community in Riga, which meant that although Rus lacked the ability to collect tribute from this distant force, if there was a war, it would be no problem to recruit a group of local warriors who wanted to make a fortune. Everyone.
They all speak Norse and have similar fighting habits. Most importantly, they all believe in the same gods. They have too much in common with each other, which is helpful for war.
Otto knew the Gulf of Riga and the port city of Riga within it. He had never been there in his life, and he never imagined that it was a great thing for the local Danish boss to take the initiative to invest in the project now that he was old.
There are also warrior ceremonies from the Kiev nobleman Wladyslav and the Pecheneg nobleman Quetzal. They have replaced their fathers and brothers in the affairs of Russia and are in urgent need of recognition from the people in power in Russia.
As long as he lives for one day, Otto will be the king. The Supreme King then takes care of his old age, and Rurik is away, and some important matters still need to be decided by him. All innocuous matters will not be changed once they are decided by him.
Ross had sufficient cash to purchase various goods from Kiev and Pecheneg, and even directly exchanged them for ironware of equal value.
Quetzal wanted to build a prairie shop outside the city, and this request was approved by Old Otto. He admired these black-haired prairie people who liked to squint, and Quetzal also had a wonderful ball-like head.
He is neither tall nor fat, but he has a cute and naive look when he stands. He likes this person. He has an entourage under his command and can serve as mercenaries to participate in the battle when necessary. But the other fifty elites have been classified as the armed forces of the Kingdom of Ross in terms of attributes.
The son of the steppe princess Beyashil lives in this city of Novgorod. She has a very good relationship with Carlotta, and being taken by Rurik now proves her favor.
She is a Valkyrie from a foreign land, and is fully qualified to be a cavalry captain. The fifty new prairie elites can make the Ross cavalry even more powerful.
The cavalry force continued to expand. When Ross owned a vast land, the cavalry replaced the fleet. One of the reasons why Otto was able to quickly accept the new situation was that Ross's naval strength was also rapidly expanding.
He would not go out unless something important happened in the city, and his subordinates would report some situations to him every day, so Otto still knew a lot about things outside.
The Novgorod shipyard's production capacity continues to expand, and new types of propellers are installed, which are driven by two feet instead of rowing, which saves manpower and makes sailing more efficient. He is even more pleased that the beauty of the new long ship is the paddle.
Ross is all about oars, and those people carry forward Ross's glorious tradition.
Of course, he was more concerned about the construction of the largest ship in history called the Sea Monarch.
Those who believed in the Frankish Catholic Church mentioned a huge ship called the Ark. The ship was so big that it could carry everything in the world without fear of any wind and waves. Obviously, even the violent Jörmungandr could not harm the ship in the slightest.
Maybe Rurik built this kind of giant ship. He learned that if nothing unexpected happened, the giant ship would be launched next spring.
Will he become a true "Monarch of the Sea"? The old man came up with the idea. He wanted to be a witness. He would run a boat all his life and stand on a giant ship and sail without regrets in his life.