A new batch of horses was added to the treasury, and a new batch of recurve bows were added to the arsenal. Rurik had sufficient supplies to exchange these with Kagan, but now he wanted to trade more than just these.
The army is about to assemble, and the recruitment operation quietly begins.
Many farm boyar nobles have arrived in Novgorod city on orders. They probably witnessed the wedding of the king and Princess Pecheneg, and they must have witnessed the military might of the Russian army at the same time.
The boyars who came first had enough time to rest, and King Rurik wanted to wait until everyone arrived before holding a key meeting.
He has already arranged for his men to collect and transport supplies, and the entire city is also actively preparing for war. The war is related to the dreams of getting rich for many people, from nobles to common people, and he is sure that everyone will not neglect it.
Before the official assembly, a special small meeting was held secretly.
The number of people attending the meeting was very small, and their identities were highly differentiated.
Oil lamps were lit in the warm house, and they all had dinner, gathering together in the cold night like a black party.
Indeed, they are plotting a "conspiracy".
King Rurik was undoubtedly the host of the meeting and the planner of the subsequent strategy.
The others are Princess Carlotta of Ostara, Duke Svalgard of Gran, Prince Kagan of Pecheneg and the speaker of Kiev (recognized by Rurik) Sakhi.
The dancing flame of the oil lamp made Rurik's handsome face sway, as if showing the king's murderous intention.
"Thanks to the information you provided, it seems that the Smolensk people in the south are very hostile to our Rus." Rurik started without politeness and pointed out the key point with a cold face.
In this way, Kagan said bluntly: "Brother, do you think I brought back not enough slaves this time? Most of the slaves were bought by your wife. I think you are very close to each other and it will be the same to anyone you sell to. You may
You can’t blame me.”
"That's not what happened."
"Oh? Are you asking me to raid more? In the fall of this year, you want me to bring more slaves?"
Since he had a pretty good guess, Rurik's words were easy to describe. He nodded: "That's right, but..."
"so what?"
"I hope you, and I hope you, that we join forces to do something big, we attack Smolensk!"
Attack Smolensk? When Rurik pointed out this matter, everyone sitting here was certainly surprised, but not overly surprised.
Kagan had a sullen face, exuding murderous intent, and said in a low voice: "You have long said that you would use troops on Smolensk, and it seems that you have finally made up your mind. If you start a war, as a brother, I will directly send troops to support you. It's just that
,Brother, I have something unclear."
"Speaking."
"Even if Ross is very powerful, do you really have the courage to fight on two fronts? There is a proverb in our grassland."
"What is that?" Rurik asked.
"When you charge on horseback, be sure to carry a shield. This means that it is not wise to fight on two fronts in one direction."
Is it really unwise to fight on two fronts? This is true in most cases, unless the country is very strong and the enemy is weak. Rurik has no intention of refuting his Kagan brothers. He does intend to fight on two fronts, but the use of force in the Smolensk war
The soldiers are not Ross’s soldiers!
Now that Kagan had said so, Rurik complimented him obediently: "Thank you for reminding me, brother. Our main force in Rus is about to march westward, and I will personally drive it. I will also take the newlywed Beyathil with me on the westward expedition. She aspires to become
As a female warrior, I will give her the opportunity to make meritorious deeds."
However, Kagan always felt a little strange about the meaning of these words. "Very good. Beyathil should go see the vastness of the world, but she doesn't understand your big ship. I really hope she can adapt to wandering on the sea."
"She will definitely achieve great results. The problem now lies with you. Brother, I want to make an appointment with you."
The Rurik brothers in front of them frequently call themselves "eldest brother". In terms of strength, the national power of the Pecheneg Khanate is really inferior to that of Russia. In terms of military strength, Pecheneg is a country with all cavalry and has unique advantages. Kagan
I felt very comfortable and said without much thought: "We are brothers. I am willing to sign any agreement that is beneficial to our two countries."
"That's good." Rurik looked specifically at the other people sitting there, and particularly glanced at Sakhi, the Kiev man.
He cleared his throat and formally stated his decision: "The Smolensk forces are straddling the trade routes of Rus, Kiev and Pecheneg. It is said that there is also a small Lamic people. These forces are all in the way.
, we can carve them up. Even if we cannot really carve up Smolensk, we will greatly defeat their strength and even drive them into the dense forest further east.
Rus will officially start a war against Smolensk this year. I will detach a part of the cavalry to continue to be stationed in Novoostara in the far south. I will also train 5,000 militiamen to prepare for the subsequent war.
My main force will march westward, and it would be really unfavorable for the garrisoned troops to rush south to start the second war.
I need the support of the Pecheneg and Kiev armies. Please use Rus, especially Novoostara and Novgorod, as rear bases.
Brother Kagan, and my old friend Sakhi. You now have a cavalry, and I will help you with better weapons and equipment. You must go south in April, like a pack of wolves in the dusk suddenly attacking, go
Capture their villages and cause destruction, then send the captives to me, and there will be a lot of benefits."
Hearing this, Kagan, who was originally excited about joint operations, realized that he was the next khan and suddenly became a bandit.
Kagan smiled: "I really thought you were going to send troops directly. It seems that you have put up a defensive posture. You invited me to go to the south to plunder. This matter is my responsibility. But this can't be counted.
Become a part of the war, brothers, I really admire you."
"Are you mocking me?"
"How dare I. Just do it! This is an opportunity to make a fortune, brother. We have to negotiate the price of the slave in advance."
"This is easy to handle." Rurik slapped his thigh: "You can arrest people as much as you want. This is a war after all, and you can use your prairie rules to do things. I prefer you to kidnap female slaves, and stick to the old rules, a
A pound of silver coins for a slave girl, a thousand pounds of wheat, or two bearskins. You know the prices of goods here, and I will never set random prices to displease you."
Because Smolensk is a quasi-state group that has been expanding, it is a tribal alliance, and it is actually the same race as the people of Kiev in terms of blood.
So what if they are close by blood? They are expanding along the Dnieper River, and are not far from Kiev, which has expanded its power to the lower reaches. If this trend cannot be curbed, the people of Kiev will have to respect them as the boss.
Different from the current situation in Kiev, Smolensk has already given birth to their powerful chief. According to existing intelligence, the situation there is becoming delicate.
Rurik found a very good reason for war - to continue the rebellion Vadim.
The Smolensk chief not only recruited Vadim, but even made him his son-in-law. This was a real move against Rus! Regardless of whether the matter is reliable or not, since similar claims are so popular, it is a reason for war that can convince the public.
Yes.
King Rurik used this excuse to announce his tough attitude towards Smolensk to the public.
But it was not the real reason for the war.
In this black meeting at night, Rus, Kiev and Pecheneg reached a consensus that because Smolensk blocked everyone's way of doing business and making money, and they not only didn't want to join but also controlled the trade routes, then they really deserved it.
The war has a special beginning. The Pechenegs and Kievs went to plunder the population. The slaves were first transported to Novoostara and digested directly. The banks of the Lovati River, which runs north to south and flows into Lake Ilmen, will form a
"The Slave Road".
Rurik knew that one of his beloved wives, Carlotta, was full of sadness for her hometown of Ostara. The main force of the Western Expedition had already set the anchorage of the fleet at Old Ostara in southern Sweden, allowing her to
Accompanying the Western Expedition only added to the sorrow, but she was already a good female general, and she could just sit on her own New Ostara people and be responsible for the Russians' national-level plunder against Smolensk in 840.
One Carlotta may not be enough, so Grand Duke Svalgard, whose own military strength is ridiculous, can also come in handy. Carlotta leads a cavalry unit to guard New Ostara on the border, and Svalgard
Gad was encamped with an infantry unit.
It is said that Smolensk has a large population. Rurik estimated that based on past experience, Kagan and Sakhi used their cavalry units to wreak havoc from north to south. There is a high probability that the other party will become excited and then go north to seek revenge. Seeking revenge is not terrible.
It is not appropriate for Ross to take the initiative to mobilize the army to go south this year. He is still very confident to wait for work and launch a beautiful defensive counterattack. After all, the path for the Smolensk people to seek revenge northward is extremely narrow, which is to advance along the natural road along the Lovadi River. As long as
Guarding the river and deploying a strong army can stop ten thousand people.
Our agreement has been made. Although we can't personally participate in the Western Expedition, thinking about returning to our old place will be very sad, so it's okay not to go this time. Carlotta is also very pleased that her man thinks so highly of her, and she is also very happy and like
As in history, it can cooperate with the Gran people to fight, and the Gran people are still under the jurisdiction of Ostara.
Based on his promise, the day after the "Black Meeting" ended, the uniform changes for the Pecheneg soldiers began. Not only these people, but also the limited number of armed merchants in Kiev also began to change their uniforms.
Pack.
Kagan and Sakhi, their people have their own weapons, Rurik this time provided a large number of steel cluster arrows, a large number of steel spearheads, prisoners of war and steel swords.
Even the ordinary men of the poorly equipped Kiev caravan have finished changing their clothes. In principle, they have to pay for their newly acquired exquisite weapons. Now they don't need to pay. They only need to send the plundered people to the north to compensate.
The weapons are so good, they even have protective gear.
Most of Kagan's subordinates are armored guards raised by himself. They are all equipped with armor, even though many places have become leaky due to long-term wear and tear.
This time Rurik provided a batch of special armor, which was imitated from the armor of the regular army of the Frankish Kingdom.
The tanned deerskin is lined, and a large number of iron sheets are attached to the outside and fixed with rivets. This kind of armor is far inferior to excellent pierced armor. It is true that Ross can make pierced armor and even plate armor. Considering that
They don't need the double cost of materials and time.
It's good to have armor, so why be picky? Considering the previous looting battles, Kagan didn't think the Smolensk people were very powerful. He just knew that everyone would just follow the traditional "stealing tactics" of his nation and make frequent sneak attacks.
Kagan was very aware of the significance of gifting armor. Although in principle he wanted to exchange it for a slave, his brother Rurik did not sell armor in the past. He really regarded himself as a brother.
To be fair, the Frankish army was pursuing cost-effectiveness when wearing this type of armor. Its defensive capabilities were not strong. Considering the Saxon expressions and West Slavic tribes that were usually their opponents, the tribal warriors of these two tribes had almost no armor weapons and equipment.
The Frank army, which is crude and wears inferior armor, can still blast them.
Ross also pursued cost-effectiveness and made some improvements based on his actual capabilities.
The cowhide of the lining was changed to deerskin, which Ross has a large amount of, and the iron sheet was replaced with mass-produced malleable iron. Bailurik started the talent reserve more than ten years ago, and Ross has existing blacksmiths who serve him as a king.
There are more than 200 people, and a group of blacksmiths have emerged among the people.
A mass-produced armor is still in production. It is a waistcoat, which is a square piece of tanned deerskin with a hole in the middle to accommodate the soldier's head. A large number of square carbon steel sheets are riveted on the front and back, and the waist and ribs are
There are hemp ropes on the sides, which can tie the armor firmly. Its quality is better than that of pierced armor, and even better than that of chain mail, but this type of armor is very suitable as horse armor and quick equipment for phalanx infantry. In other words, it is more suitable for Slavic people.
Peasant soldier equipment.
Because in the past ten years, any Viking warrior who has gained wealth has to buy himself weapons and armor, and they are willing to pay a big price. When his son grows up, the father will also spend money to buy weapons and armor for his son.
Armor. The common warrior culture makes the Viking warriors in the Kingdom of Rus have a very high armor wearing rate. This is also due to the technology bonus and war bonus of Rus.
When recruiting Viking warriors for the western expedition, Rurik did not worry at all about the armament of these warriors. They were guys who brought their own excellent weapons. All the king had to do was to prepare all the food and grass.
There will be a large number of Slavic and Finnish soldiers participating in the battle, and the "riveted iron plate armor" reserved for this purpose can be equipped with them.
The deal with the Pechenegs and Kievs has been completed, and as for the last dozen or so beautiful and young slaves sent by Kagan, they have become a kind of bargaining chip.
Originally, Rurik wanted to give these well-dressed women to his brother-in-law, Medvet, the governor of Novgorod. He didn't want them, and even pretended that his wife didn't like them.
Regardless of Medved's plans, these women will still be given away.
They are not suitable to be maids in the Royal Palace of Russia, and Rurik cannot trust them. If there is any kind of woman who is best suited to be a maid, it is the mixed-race daughter of an old Rusian and his Slavic wife. In principle, they are his own people, Rurik
If you can believe it, other nobles can also believe it.
These were originally village girls from Smolensk or La. After they were groomed and dressed up, their hair was tied up like Viking women, with some glass beads hanging on their braids, and stained glass and onyx beads hanging around their necks.
Pendant. If you change your clothes, wouldn't you look like a fairy?
They were just a group of pure and helpless young women. Even though they were dressed like this, it seemed at first glance that the king had really put some thought into them.
There were exactly twelve of them, and there were exactly twelve of the farm boyar nobles who were outspoken about their loyalty during the counter-insurgency war but later betrayed them.
According to the king's order, these boyars gathered in the city of Novgorod.
At the same time, as many as thirty village chiefs from the "pioneering villages" without noble status arrived under the order. These people were all from the "hiding people" who were pulled out of the forest. They also received the order to recruit soldiers, even though
Even if only a handful of men are sent out, they must participate in the battle!
So leaving aside the White Tree Manor that was integrated with Old Ross ten years ago, the other local Slavic farms have expanded to as many as forty-two! Many nobles and leaders are under the command of the governor, whether they are willing or not, they have essentially
Contributed the corresponding men of the headquarters.
They murmured to each other, guessing that the king was just gathering everyone together as a routine, and then they could continue to work according to the plan.
In fact, this is not the case, because a special second battlefield is to be opened against the Smolensk people. In a sense, the entire Lake Ilmen area, including Novgorod, which was originally a safe place, has been attacked.
risks of.
The thirty villages are completely under the control of Ross. Although they have a large population, they are actually a collection of various miniature forest villages. They are not independent and can only listen to the arrangements of the king and the governor.
As for the other twelve native farms, their overall population has exceeded 30,000. In recent years, their lives have improved, and each farm is trying their best to have children. The population can only be more in the future.
Future warriors, as long as these twelve farms clearly support the king, it means that the more than 100,000 Slavic people in the entire Lake Ilmen area are already monolithic, and they are the extremely stable rear of the country.
Twelve well-dressed boyar nobles gathered in a room. They greeted each other and murmured about the king's intentions. They also speculated that they had dedicated their sons to serve as cavalry for the king, and that their sons would be in the distant future.
What kind of achievements.
They also tried to ask the bodyguard where the king had gone.
Soon, Rurik made his debut!
The boyars cast complimentary glances one after another, and greeted him with compliments one after another.
"Okay! Friends, your loyalty can be seen by the gods!" Rurik first said a set of words, and then followed the words: "So in order to commend your loyalty, I will give each of you a big gift today.
!”
Forget it, he clapped his hands, and a group of beautiful women filed out in a queue.
They were really beautiful, and the boyars present were amazed. Someone asked: "What does this mean?"
"Oh? Don't you see that these are gifts given to you?" Rurik continued to smile: "These women are given to you. Whether they are wives or concubines or maids, it is up to you. Maybe you
I understand that they are indeed women kidnapped from Smolensk. Now they are all yours!"
At this point, everyone pinched their beards and figured it out completely, but they didn't know that the slave-transporting prairie people really hid some treasures. Think about it, the things they bought before were all crooked melons and cracked dates, beautiful slaves should not be
Were they adopted by the Varangians for their own use? I actually...
"What are you still doing?" Rurik urged: "Go and get what you like!"
No, the boyars are taking action! They know that they will have to pay some price after getting the gift from the king's concubine, so what? Even if there is no gift, how can everyone dare not support any decree issued by the king?