Novgorod welcomed back their king, and Rurik stood here again.
When the king returns, all talk of war becomes reality. The country will launch a great war, and any talented man or woman should contribute their part to the war effort!
The young cavalry soldiers were dressed in costumes, and even their mounts were covered with gorgeous "sheets".
The Turkic barbarian horse is not particularly tall, but it has the characteristics of cold resistance and high endurance. The young cavalry rides on it, holding a lance and looking majestic. The towering bearskin hat and leather cloak that it wears look shiny in the sun.
The shiny leather boots made them look like Cossack cavalry warriors. If they really carried muskets, that would really mean that.
They don't have any high-end weapons yet, but half of them are equipped with recurve bows. Regardless of the level of the soldiers' riding and shooting skills, at least they can throw arrows at group enemies on horseback without any problem, and that's enough.
They are the most mobile army on land in the Kingdom of Rus, and they are also a unit that will be vigorously developed in the future.
This is why Rurik, who returned, inspected the cavalry first.
There was a sea of joy in Novgorod. The Slavs welcomed their king, queen and prince. Rurik deliberately rode a horse and wore a golden crown, swaggering through the city of Novgorod so that thousands of people could see him clearly.
of honor.
He was immersed in the cheers of the people, and the whole city was as lively as a festival.
The joy temporarily came to an end, and the cavalry under review continued their own affairs. Rurik returned to his palace to hear what had happened recently in Medvet, the regional governor and uncle of the country.
Rurik sat casually on a spread out polar bear skin. The eyes of the bear's head were gouged out, and its ferocious fangs and mouth were wide open, vowing to devour some.
Medved saw his brother-in-law again. Rurik took off his gorgeous clothes and sat on a bear skin. The room was warm and he only wore a long elegant white dress. His golden ponytail hair was still the same, and the golden laurel crown on his head.
I still don't want to take it off.
"You're here, it's just you and me here, no need to be formal, just do it."
"okay."
Speaking of Medvet, he had a lot to report to Rurik. Especially at the moment, there was something quite important that he had to talk about in advance. As soon as he sat down, he spoke: "Now there is one thing, our grasslands
Friends, they experienced some things and were late, but they have now arrived in New Ostara safely. Now that you are back, they will also set off to come."
"Is it Kagan and the others?"
"Exactly."
"If you didn't tell me, I almost ignored it. They must be trafficking horses this time? This is really a beautiful thing."
"That's right. Carlotta received them first, and the messenger said that soon Carlotta herself will come to Novgorod with her children."
Rurik nodded: "Then let them come together. I am very concerned about Kagan and his party. You...should know the list of goods they trafficked."
"The letter delivered by the courier has instructions..." That's it, Medved introduced it.
"Very good. Good horses and recurve bows. These are urgently needed war preparation materials for our army. As for the dairy products they trafficked, they are nothing. I will wait for them here. You... then report other things. Tell me, war preparations
How's the situation going?"
"As commanded."
Medved immediately introduced it. According to him, the current Slavic flag force in the army is 800 people. In fact, if the king is willing, there is no problem in expanding the army to 8,000 people. Based on past experience,
All wars conducted by Rurik himself were a complete victory, and the soldiers who participated in the battles received trophies and honors regardless of their ethnic origin.
War has become a shortcut to improve life. Men who are eager to get more loot no longer worry about death. Firstly, if they are injured, there is a chance that some medicines can save their lives and return to their original state. Secondly, even if they die in battle, they will
His wife and children can also receive pensions. Especially for a man who died in battle, his children will be raised directly by the king, and when they grow up, they will take over the social status of their father who died in battle.
In this era, people's attitude towards death is always dull, because any life is difficult. It is a blessing to live to old age. Most of the time, people decline in their prime. To be like a ball of fire, in
The limited vitality shines and creates a better life for their descendants. Now that living conditions have been greatly improved than before, poor Slavic farmers finally began to enjoy simple happiness. They were like getting a piece of honey, and now they want more
.
Medved's suggestion of gathering eight thousand men was not absurd.
According to traditional standards, a wooden stick is inserted into the spearhead, and a man holding this short spear is considered a warrior. Is this a soldier? Then it is okay to gather an army of 20,000 or even 30,000 people in the area around Lake Ilmen.
He is definitely not making nonsense, but based on the fish scale book, he can provide quite detailed data on the men in various farms in the region.
"Are there really eight thousand strong men?" Rurik couldn't help but ask.
"Indeed, the data we have is accurate. How many men are there between the ages of twelve and fifty, and how many are in the prime of life between the ages of fifteen and thirty? You can check the documents yourself on this matter.
"
It was like saying that the matter was left to Rurik himself. He waved his hand and said: "I believe it, so there is no need to see it in person."
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"So……"
"Now you continue to work, select 500 old warriors from the flag team, and then recruit 500 new soldiers, a total of 1,000 people. This is the strength of the Slavic army in this year's war. You have to train them all as spear-wielding warriors.
, form an array like a hedgehog, you know exactly how to do it."
"Yes! It's just..." Medved has always had great concerns about this: "I'm just worried about what will happen to the spring plowing if a thousand strong men leave at once?"
"This is not a problem. For you, after the spring plowing is completed, the big ship will carry the army and leave Novgorod. You may not be able to participate in the early battle, but I will need a large number of follow-up troops for the later conquest. At this time, your troops
It is the key to the final victory. You should also pay attention to choosing a man who is not prone to seasickness."
"As commanded."
A stone fell in his heart, but Medved was still surprised by the king's generosity in preparing for the war. The Slavs alone sent a thousand troops, how many troops did other ethnic groups send? Since the war against Jotalan was fought by all forces in the entire kingdom
In joint operations, could the total strength of the kingdom be five thousand?
Medved made a guess. Of course, commanding an ancient army is not necessarily about having more troops. The strength, combat effectiveness, and logistics must reach a balance with each other. It is theoretically possible to really assemble a force of 5,000 people.
, of course, this is based on the fact that the king does not have to be responsible for the military expenses and logistics of the group of lords in Sweden.
Rurik continued to wait, but he did not wait long.
While he was waiting for Carlota, Kagan and other people from the south to come to meet him, he also sent a group of messengers to deliver the news of the meeting to the surrendered Slavic farm boyars.
Finally, a large cavalry team arrived safely in Novgorod amid the white snow.
Rurik was dressed in a holy robe, with a gold crown on his head and sunglasses. He looked a little funny, and his appearance was particularly iconic.
A year later, Kagan felt that his Rurik brothers were taller and stronger, but as a son of the prairie, he was too thin. He held the reins and rode the horse closer to his sister.
"Beya Hill..."
"Um?"
"Did you see the tall man in front of you who was guarded by many warriors?"
"Saw it. He...has huge black eyes."
"Silly girl, those are Russian sunglasses, just like the ones I'm wearing now, to protect my eyes from being blinded by the snow. That's Rurik, your man."
"Is it really him?" Bayahir had actually had a premonition for a long time. She was surprised that a man could be as tall and strong as a hill, with hair and beards of golden threads. Now after being pointed out by her brother, it turned out to be true.
She suddenly had a worry: "Am I too young to be his woman?"
"You are not young anymore."
"No! I mean..." Bayahir didn't say anything more. Kagan understood what his sister was saying and immediately comforted her: "You do have an advantage."
"What is it?"
"After all, I have a blood relationship with Rurik, and I know what he likes. Your face and your body will definitely be liked by him. I don't know why he is like this, but he does like it."
Bejasil wore a huge fluffy velvet hat, which made her head look very small. Her figure was not short among the women in the prairie. When she arrived in New Ostara, she could compare herself with the local female ruler Carlotta.
He was short, but now he saw the real Rus warriors and Rus Khan himself, and he really became a dwarf.
Rurik saw Kagan's interesting mustache clearly, and he took off his sunglasses to show his face.
Look! Those bright blue eyes, those deep eyes and angular face, as well as being extremely well-manicured, maybe, what a northern lion.
Beyathil had never seen such a man before, and instinctively felt that he was a truly strong man.
Kagan and his sister got off the horse. The two brothers saw Carlotta, who was riding a deer-drawn sleigh, holding her son in her arms. As soon as they got off the sleigh, they rushed straight to Rurik.
Rurik was also very interesting at this time. He lifted Karl high, hugged him hard in his arms and kissed him hard. As a father facing many children, it is impossible to spread the father's love to Karl.
As a side branch, he was destined to not get a lot of father's love. Taking this opportunity, Rurik had to try his best to make up for him.
Watching her husband and son playing affectionately, Carlotta felt like she had a jar of honey in her mouth.
Karl was placed on the ground, and the little boy quickly hugged his father's thigh.
"He likes you so much."
"I can see that Karl is not young anymore. I will pick him up in a few years. This is my son. He will gather with the princes and I will teach them a lot myself."
"That's great. Rurik, look at me and the cavalry behind me. I have always implemented the tasks you gave me." Carlotta opened her arms to demonstrate, and she was attracted by Rurik.
He pulled her into his arms, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered: "It's rare for you to come here, we must have a good time together."
She really knew the true meaning of "getting together well", and she felt so happy.
She was also self-aware and had another protagonist for the time being. When she saw this, she pulled her son Karl aside.
Kagan held his sister's hand and walked on the trampled snow, and looked at Beyathil. She took off her hat to reveal her gorgeous and complicated braids, and then saluted Rurik.
"She? She's? What a beautiful girl."
Kagan smiled boldly and said, "Brother, you must have forgotten. She is my sister Beyathil, and from now on... she will be your wife."
"So it's her? She's so beautiful."
Rurik then stretched out his right hand, lifted the girl's chin, and looked at her face. He managed to avoid the girl's eyes, but now it was Beyahil who was being scrutinized.
To be fair, this young Pecheneg female noblewoman does not have big bright eyes. Her eyes are even a little small, but fortunately they look quite coordinated when compared with the whole face. She has an oriental or oriental steppe face.
, Xiaojiabiyu can never be mentioned, she has a rough and bold beauty, and there is something special in her eyes.
Rurik could guess what it was, he knew it but didn't say it.
"Your age? Your name."
A strangely accented voice in the Turkic Pecheneg dialect Rurik blurted out, which surprised Beyashir.
I saw her nervously explaining her age, noble status, and even her noble name.
"Beya Hill? I've heard your brother told you before. Are you really willing to marry me now?"
As a party to a political marriage, there was no room for personal opinions, but now, Bayahir felt the tenderness of this man. She was destined not to exclusively enjoy this tall man's favor, at least not to be ignored by him.
Indeed, from Rurik's point of view, some soft parts deep in his soul were deeply touched by Beyathil's face.
This is her personal preference, but her brother, the next Pecheneg Khan, is here. As the king of Rus, he immediately showed his love for Beyashir. For Pecheneg, he released a huge
of goodwill.
"I do. You are my destined man..." she said.
Rurik nodded with satisfaction.
He looked at Kagan again: "I want her! Kagan, I will treat your sister kindly. I know your habits, Beyathil must have the status of a concubine with me."
"That's good." Kagan nodded, knowing that the Rurik brothers wouldn't mess around.
In the court system of Russia, the king's women are divided into four or three levels. The high priest of Russia is the king's first woman. Although she is not the queen, she is of a similar level to the queen. This is just Rurik's personal preference.
That's all. The woman who is inferior to these two female nobles is the concubine, and the Pechenegs understand it this way. The Carlotta that Kagan knows is the "concubine" level, and there are currently only five concubines in the entire Rus.
There is also the last class, "slaves favored by the Khan", Kagan understands it this way, and it is indeed the case. The original identities of the ten maids are the ten maids selected by Old Otto for his son, and their identities are slaves. Female slaves
Being favored by the monarch will make the mother rise to prominence based on the wealth of her son, but the status of her descendants will not be very high.
His sister, Bejahir, has the status of "concubine" according to the rules. She will be the sixth concubine, and Kagan is quite satisfied.
He was afraid that there would be variables, and he was more anxious about his sister's marriage than the person involved.
"Brother Rurik, I leave my sister to you, you must hold a wedding as soon as possible."
"Extremely anxious?" Rurik was surprised.
"Yes. This is an important mission entrusted to me by my father Khan. Brother, Beyahsir also admires you very much, but don't make her sad."
Hearing this, Rurik looked down at the little woman next to him and could indeed see her tenderness.
"Yes, but not today. Let's wait two or three days for your sister to prepare well, and I will also publicize it to the entire Novgorod people! Brother Kagan, I saw that you brought a large number of horses, and also
There are... friends from Kiev. I am very happy. I will give you a good meal, bath and warm accommodation to wash away your fatigue."
Since he has long been known as the "April Bull" among the people and has more women around him, Rurik has completely ignored the people's vulgar praise.
To marry the Pecheneg noble Beyashir, the matter had to be done in a more grand manner, so that she could marry in with splendor. As a daughter of the grassland, facing the tall city walls of Novgorod, she seemed too small.
She is young and needs some time to adapt to her new life.
As for the purchase of a large amount of goods and materials brought by the Pecheneg-Kiev armed merchant group, this matter can be left aside. Rurik also saw some women who were obviously dressed up. Their hands were tied, which proved that they were not Kaban.
The maid Lotta brought was a woman whose goods were robbed by armed merchant groups.
There was only a small-scale banquet tonight. After Rurik had a drink, he was busy talking wildly with Kagan and Sakhi.
The times gave Maksakye a great opportunity. He drank a lot of strong alcohol, and due to the heat, he tore his shirt to pieces, revealing the brown and yellow hair that protected his heart. He was dizzy and yelled.
"Me! A man who sells horses... Soon I will be Kiev... the khan of Kiev. Well... the past of Kiev. Rurik! You... the king of Rus. You are a king... I am one too
King, we will unite later! Bring the Kagan brothers in. The three of us will work together to destroy Smolensk. Do you know, those guys have been planning to attack you. I heard that a traitor who escaped is secretly recruiting troops, what is his name...
The guy named Vadim is going to attack you..." Then he murmured something unknown.
Rurik listened with interest. At first he really thought that this guy was drunk and crazy, but later he felt that the matter was serious.
Kagan also continued to mutter drunkenly for a while, but his words were quite sharp: "You will have your Princess Carlotta all to yourself tonight. She... has investigated many things, you can just ask her about anything.
"
This night, Carlotta finally got the chance to have her man all to herself.
Rurik is naturally very interesting, because Carlotta is not only a concubine, but also a trusted female general. What's more, as a woman, she is now in her most charming years.
Of course, one Carl was not enough, she had to give birth to more children. But based on past experience, maybe Carlotta was weak due to her experience of running away in her early years, and it was not easy to have children, so she had to try more.
This time, Carlotta got a lot of catharsis and took the opportunity to make the proper report to her man.
In particular, he pointed out the traitor Vadim and admitted his mistakes.
She is indeed shrewd, her man has already vented his anger, and now she is curled up like a caught lamb, which greatly satisfies Rurik's desire to conquer.
So what else is there to be angry about when facing your own woman?
"They brought eighty slaves, and you took most of them and left me with more than a dozen good-looking ones? Well, I forgive you. These women happened to be sold to Medved, and that guy helped me catch people everywhere in the forest.
The immigrants have suffered, and I have to reward them."
"Okay. I just want to tell you that the other dozens of women are now my tribe in Ostara. They will give birth to many boys, and they will serve as cavalry for you in the future. I... I am all
You...my people are also loyal to you." She chuckled, which made Rurik feel very good.
The traitor Vadim fled to Smolensk and waited for an opportunity to counterattack. He united all the Smolensk people to attack Russia northward. Isn't this killing an egg with a stone? Rurik did not find Vadim's body that year, so he thought of this possibility.
, unexpectedly the guess turned out to be true.
Things have become very subtle. Of course, Ross despises those guys. That is, Ross is about to start the Western Expedition. The main force will be transferred from Eastern Europe to Scandinavia. Will the wealthy Novgorod region become empty of military power, giving the enemy potential opportunities for sneak attacks?
?This matter needs to be considered in the long term. Since Medved boasted that he could recruit eight thousand troops, he must do the important work of guarding.
Let’s put this matter aside for the time being. At the moment, we have to prepare for the wedding with Pecheneg Khanate Princess Beyashir, and we will immediately finalize this year’s business with Pecheneg Prince Kagan.
even……
Rurik thought of a strategy. There is a saying that "the best defense is offense." Since the group of Slavs in Smolensk wanted to shake the trees with their eggs and hit the rocks, they should be kind and send an army to kill them.
Their majesty will interfere with their possible Northern Expedition, and they can also get trophies, right? Who will do this? I'm afraid there is no one more suitable than Kagan.
Is it appropriate for the prince of the Khanate to become a horse bandit? Anyway, the role they play now is that of horse bandits. The Pechenegs are wreaking havoc in the south and kidnapping people to transport Rus. That is what they are doing now.
You can discuss this matter with that guy.
Rurik lay on his back and thought a lot, and couldn't help but laugh to himself.
"Is there anything else that makes you happy? Is it me?" Carlotta came up to him with a hehe.