Chapter 1028 A Group of Slaves From Smolensk

The three reached a consensus that the mixed cavalry would wait for the return of the Russian army in Novgorod.

They would not leave empty-handed, and Carlotta was sure her men would pay for the unsalable slaves.

There are also more than 200 captured Smolensk villagers imprisoned in the city of Novoostara. These people survived the winter and also lost the belief in escaping.

Those who tried to escape were hanged, and those who were still alive could only fight with hunger strikes.

The weak will be cleared out and buried, and those who survive will be disheartened. They eat their food and wait for their unknown fate.

There are men and women among these people, and there is a reason why they are left behind.

Those farm owners who purchase working slaves naturally give priority to those who are strong and physically strong. They check their teeth to judge their age and observe their reminders to judge whether they are strong or not. Those who are frail and elderly, as well as those with a rebellious look in their eyes, are excluded. What the farm needs are obedient farm slaves.

A similar principle applies to captured women. All young and beautiful women are taken away. Unlike male slaves, their situation is much better.

Some men on the local Slavic farms are not mysophobic. Even if they do not like the Smolensk people, it is okay for them to get women there and make them wives if they can get them. Their status in their hometown also determines that they cannot spend a large sum of money as a bride price to find a matchmaker to marry a woman from another farm. However, it is not a problem to accumulate a thousand pounds of oats. This is better than food and supplies. They can go to New Ostara City to buy a very large house. Good slaves, some with bad looks can be discounted.

Even if you are not picky, since slave capture operations will continue in the foreseeable future, there will definitely be more beautiful women sent to Yin'ermen Lake. Those poor widowers have a reason to continue to save money. They don't care that their wives have made them popular in the same village because of their low status, and they don't have the heart to worry about their children being teased by the urchins in the same village because of their bloodline. Are they men, or are they more concerned about the beauty of the woman they choose.

Kagan and his ruthless prairie people hunted slaves and arrested people indiscriminately. Some "crooked melons and cracked dates" were also taken abducted to the north. In the end, they could only consume the food of the Principality of Ostara.

Carlotta thought, if these two hundred slaves could no longer be sold, then she would admit it and keep them for her own use, or sell them off at a discount.

If possible, try to find a big buyer to solve this hot potato in one package. The reason why she is unwilling to keep them for her own use is because these slaves are all from the same hometown. More than 200 people are already a very powerful force. According to her own knowledge, men and women of any tribe can become militia as long as they are organized. , the placement of more than 200 slaves in Ostara, which has a small population, is really a major security risk.

This is a world of the weak and the strong. The old Ostara were killed and enslaved because of their weak strength. Now, Ostara has been re-established with the help of the rise of Ross. With their strength steadily increasing, they have also begun to enslave others. Carlotta didn't think there was any problem with this, especially since the Smolensk people also took in Vadim, the great rebel who betrayed Russia. They were enemies, and it was natural for her to capture their enemies as slaves.

Early in the morning, fragrant wheat was boiling in many iron pots. The aroma wafted to each wooden cage, making the slaves inside salivate.

The aroma permeated the entire city of Ostara, as if this was a normal spring morning.

The spring plowing work in the area around the lake is still going on in an orderly manner. Because it focuses on animal husbandry, there is no need to expand the cultivated land in Ostara. The locals are focusing on the breeding of livestock at this time.

People are busy pulling manic rams into pens full of ewes. A strong ram can make himself mentally exhausted in this spring-warm April. Unable to control itself, it succumbs to the madness of natural selection and impregnates every ewe it sees. Therefore, "April Ram" is used to describe passionate men. Of course, Rurik also has such a strange nickname. In a special context, it actually praises the king as a rare real man in the world, making other men jealous.

Goats, sheep, cattle, and horses all enter their breeding season in April. The reverse is true for reindeer, who enter their peak calving season in April.

The poultry that have been dormant in winter are also active. Although there are not many chickens in Ostara, the duchess and her family can be sure to have eggs every time.

But by selling slaves, Carlotta earned a lot of food. Kagan was in charge of catching and Carlotta was in charge of selling, and both parties shared the wealth equally afterward.

Only by selling slaves can the accounts be divided. The more than 200 people on hand now consume Carlotta's assets for daily meals. Kagan has already given up his share of the sales of these slaves, which is a perfect way to get rid of a hot potato.

They are all Carlotta's assets now, and she firmly believes that only the wealthy Rurik can buy these crooked dates. In order to avoid complications during the final transfer, the slaves must maintain good physical strength.

The armed warriors beat the cages with wooden sticks, making slaves who either smelled the fragrance and salivated or were listless became alert.

The so-called warriors are people who have left the nearby farms, and their production relations are separated from the old farms. They join Ostara, and Carlotta is their heroine. When it was time to hire people, this group of peasants got together one by one, dressed up like Varyags, and did what the Varyags would do.

"Hey! A group of animals, get up and eat grass!" Yes, they treat slaves as cattle and sheep.

A pair of vigilant eyes in the cage looked left and right. The slaves were surprised to see a large number of armed men in front of them. The sound of a large number of horse hooves came to their ears, and they saw a group of extremely gorgeously dressed cavalry displayed in front of them.

And, that vicious woman.

The slave called Carlotta a "dangerous thing" and a "she-bear" and used all his knowledge to call her the most vicious names. After all, Carlotta executed disobedient people in front of slaves in order to shock and punish them.

After that, all the slaves were maliciously starved to ensure that they no longer had the strength to resist.

Obviously, today's situation is really abnormal.

The bronze lock was opened, and the armed soldiers continued to break into the wooden cage directly with wooden sticks. They shouted in Slavic language: "Get out quickly! Don't delay." They kept beating the wooden sticks they held, just like shepherds driving their sheep.

Slaves with chains on their feet and bare feet in ragged clothes were driven to various iron pots. I saw a strong woman operating a large wooden ladle pouring loads of cooked oats into the huge wooden trough that had been prepared. The slaves' eyes were wide open when they saw the fragrant wheat.

No one dared to rush in to enjoy it for fear of being brutally executed.

Carlotta, who is now riding a horse, is at the scene. He is extremely arrogant and talks to Fisk, who is also riding a horse: "What do you think? These Smolensk slaves have been trained by me like a herd of sheep."

"It's really eye-opening. I didn't expect you to have such ability." Fisk couldn't say anything. He felt awkward and felt that Carlotta had become strange.

As if after hearing the compliment, Carlotta raised her noble chin and shouted in Slavic: "Slaves! These wheats are given to you! Eat as much as you can! After eating, I will take you to a In a new place, your new owners may treat you well.”

Are you leaving this hellish place? The slaves who lost their courage were more concerned about eating. Suffering from semi-starvation, they crawled and rushed to the wooden troughs, grabbed large handfuls of oats and stuffed them into their mouths using their hands as spoons. There was a scramble for each wooden trough, and the Pecheneg cavalry laughed. The Russian standing cavalry who had returned from the expedition were busy watching this spectacle.

Although Carlotta was the planner, she was not in the mood to laugh or watch the show. She explained to the surprised Fisk: "After they finish eating, they will escort them to the carriages. The slaves' shackles will not be removed, even if I'm still worried that they will escape. So, you have to help me keep an eye on them."

"Is it really necessary?" Fisk shrugged.

"It's good to be cautious. They tried to escape."

"All right."

Many slaves finished eating the wheat, and some of the ruthless ones even had a hard stomach after eating it. After they regained some energy, they were chained to the flatbed carriages. A solid cart could escort ten people, and twenty-one carriages took away all the unsalable slaves, escorted by a total of more than 500 cavalrymen of all colors and heading north along the east coast of the lake.

The cavalry continued to show off their power, and the Smolensk slaves on the carriage deliberately let the local villagers watch and comment.

The cavalry was stationed in the military camp outside Novgorod, and many slaves had to be locked into empty barns.

Carlotta had no intention of using the labor of these people, and she had no intention of trying to arrange it. She could just be locked up in a shed like an animal. She took her son Karl to meet the Supreme King Otto and the Queen Mother Niya.

The cavalryman who returned first told Old Otto something that made him sad. His de facto first grandson Reglaf, who had been raised by him richly, almost left Ross forever.

The child's fate is on a distant island, and eventually his mother will move from the shores of Yin'ermen Lake to distant Britain.

Otto also didn't know the strength of the Principality of Saxony, and Fisk himself couldn't tell clearly. He only reported that King Rurik was engaged to Reglaf, and his fiancée was the princess of the Principality of Saxony.

What Otto lacks the most now is grandchildren. All the girls he selected have become mothers. This must be due to Freya's grace and Odin's blessing. The remaining grandchildren of all the girls are male.

Suddenly, a large number of princes emerged from the Rus' royal family, among which Prince Osborne Slav was the most noble. The little guy has grown up now. He is as delicate as Rurik was when he was a child, and has the harmonious facial features of Queen Svetlana.

Queen Mother Niya doted on her grandson who would inherit power, while old Otto followed his own creed and hoped that his heir would become a ruthless person in advance. He could not forget the extraordinary willpower shown by Rurik when he was young, and he clearly declared his ambition when he first learned to speak. That was a miracle, a major proof that it was blessed by Otto.

However, Osborne was like an ordinary boy and did not exhibit precocious intelligence.

When Carlotta returned with Karl, the boy who was already four years old had the appearance of Rurik between his eyebrows. This boy had pure gold hair and was taller.

As a duchess, Carlotta became more ruthless in order to rule, and she also cultivated her son's perseverance, determination, and even cruelty.

Otto looked the most comfortable in this way. Just through Karl's eyes, he felt that this boy was worthy of being his grandson.

Otto, who had age spots on his face, did not want others to see his aging. He sat upright in the spacious house. Fisk half-kneeled and saluted him. Carlotta and Kagan saluted him as nobles.

Carlotta held down her son's restless head with one hand and forced him to kneel down to see his grandfather.

"You came very quickly. An attendant told me that you brought a lot of slaves with you? Is that true?" Old Otto was too lazy to be polite, and his voice was hoarse and concise.

"Exactly. Father, that is my... gift to my brother." Carlotta said sweet words with a calm attitude.

"Your brother Rurik is about to arrive. It will take some time for them to sail upstream. I estimate that they will arrive in three days at most. Isn't it a big loss for you to give him a slave? Or, you have to be a good sister."

"No loss, Rurik will pay a sum of money."

"Okay, that's your brother and sister's business." Otto's eyes were still sharp. He could see the boy kneeling on his knees and could see how unruly he was.

"Karl. You have grown up..."

"Yes! Grandpa! I am already a warrior, so at least I have to kneel down on one knee."

The little boy was at a good age to be good at talking, and his non-stop chatter attracted old Otto's interest. He waved his hand gently: "Boy, come to me quickly."

Carlotta let go of her hand and saw this kid rushing to her grandfather's side like a sword. Unexpectedly, he was pushed down by an arm, which caused Karl to fall. The boy didn't cry, but stood up quickly and pouted with a puzzled look on his face.

This move also surprised Otto, who couldn't help but praise in a hoarse voice: "Carlotta, you have educated your son very well. Carl will be a very good warrior."

Carlotta, who had just been shocked, realized that this was a boring trial for the old man, and it was a good thing that the old man was happy.

"But he's only four," she said.

"He will grow up soon and can truly be a warrior when he is twelve years old. If...your biological father sees you giving birth to such a son, he will also be happy in the Hall of Valor. But don't worry, it won't be long before I'll go there and tell him about it..."

"Father... you." Carlotta listened to her heart beat.

After all, Otto was almost seventy years old. Even if his health was getting worse day by day, he might be able to live to be seventy if he continued to hide in a warm house like this, or he would die quietly in the mansion without the grandeur of a warrior's death.

He no longer expects to live too long, and as the supreme king, he has essentially become a mascot for intimidation, just to let all the nobles know that there is still a distinguished person guarding the rear after the king's expedition. .

"Kagan." Otto hurriedly changed the subject, "I know you are going back this year to inherit the throne. From now on, you...really rarely come to the north?"

The short Kagan slowly raised his round head. He first called Otto "father" in the still somewhat broken Norse language, and then added the suffix "Khan".

"That's why I can't move between the south and the north for a long time. I am the prince of Pecheneg. If I don't inherit the position before my biological father's soul passes away, there must be someone who wants to dominate the power and call himself khan. A civil war said It might happen. To avoid that, I...have to leave."

"Ah, that's your fate. You have to tell your Rurik brothers about this. What happens in the future is yours, and I want your blessing."

"Thank you, Father." After that, Kagan covered his heart with his right hand and knelt down, bowing his head deeply in salute.

Kagan behaved very well in the territory of Rus. He led his cronies to rob Smolensk. Even though he had proud soldiers, he did not commit any crime in the Novgorod area. The Pecheneg cavalry, in the form of an armed merchant group, together with the Krivich armed merchant group in Kiev, maintained a completely opened north-south trade line. They are simply doing business, and even the Pechenegs have stayed at the southernmost end of Yin Ermen Lake for a long time. They will not go to the northern settlement of the lake unless necessary.

The people did not reject this group of outsiders who did not destroy fields, trample seedlings, or steal. They also looked forward to their continuous supply of the best slaves.

Kagan, like his men, was stationed in the camp outside the city. Based on the principle of coming as he came, he brought his own expenses and purchased goods in the restored and prosperous city of Novgorod.

They were waiting here, and they didn't wait much longer.

The free-range children on the northern river bank were the first to see the sudden appearance of a large number of masts on the Volkhov River and the fluttering Ross flag.

A large number of dragon-headed longships were moving backwards, with countless paddles rising and falling regularly, and the sails being tied up. The warriors were still advancing at a relatively high speed using pure manpower, but no one could stop.

In Novgorod, there is a family, the queen and the prince, the old king and the queen mother, countless cronies, and their own great ambitions.

Rurik simply drew the prize in person as a king, and took the lead in the cause of paddling like an old Russian.

Sitting in a dragon-headed long boat and paddling for long distances is an unchangeable ancestral tradition. His arms always started to feel sore, but he still struggled.

Because fields appeared on both sides of the bank that were supposed to be deserted, as well as a few people watching a show on the bank and calves munching grass leisurely.

"Finally home!" King Rurik roared, and ordered: "Paddle quickly! Unite with your family!"

The last words were the last words to appeal. The soldiers performed meritorious service on the battlefield and proved to Odin and the gods that they were real men. The large amount of trophies they grabbed were ultimately meant to improve their lives. They wanted to prove it to their wives, children and parents. What a man is.

Rurik's flagship accelerated under his personal control. The fleets stared at the flagship, and the entire fleet, which had transformed into a long snake formation, began to accelerate.

Finally, all the people in Novgorod heard the distant roaring sound of horns from the north, accompanied by the sound of drums. A large number of people gathered at the pier to welcome the triumphant army.

Old Otto put on his gilded helmet again. Unlike when he received the cavalry before, he shouted to the attendants: "Bring me my gilded armor! I want to receive my son in a uniform!"

The attendant dared not disobey, but Otto was really old. He was wearing armor and his stomach was quite heavy, but he finally reached the shore with the help of his attendants. He seemed to be able to stand up on his own, but in fact there were two strong attendants holding his belt on both sides to lift him up.

In the eyes of the people, the reclusive old king was still a brave man, but his gray beard had lost the majesty of thirty years ago.

His golden armor was really dazzling in the sun. Queen Lanna was holding Prince Osborne, and behind her were a group of wives and concubines from the harem holding their own children. Even the top scribe, Ella, came with her son in her arms.

It was undeniable that Otto's clothing attracted the most attention. The expedition soldiers who were constantly approaching the city saw the man who looked like he was made of gold at the dock from a distance. who is he? Who has such domineering armor? !

That is Otto, the old leader of Ross. He is so tough despite his age. After all, he is also the person given a mission by Odin!

Otto became like a beacon because of his golden armor. Rurik saw the old man from a distance and couldn't help but sigh to himself: "The real ruthless person is you after all."

That's all, another roar came out: "Brothers, row quickly! Let the people in our hometown see our style."