Chapter 1066 Kiev Wladyslav Sakojevich and Pecheneg Gochar
Lambart and his entourage were detained. They were locked up in independent wooden houses. Although they had a stable food supply, it was difficult to get out.
Fisk estimated that this kid might try to escape at night, so he deliberately sent someone to monitor him all night.
For the Rus standing cavalry and the Ostara cavalry, the leisurely days of building houses are over.
Fisk concluded that the messenger was not lying. The Polotsk people did not show any sign of submission. On the contrary, this messenger could emphasize their malicious destruction of the corpses of the slain Russian cavalry. The fact is enough to make people believe that they actively chose all-out war.
After a brief negotiation, the envoys were all placed under house arrest. Fisk gathered the soldiers and announced in a high voice: "The king ordered us not to initiate a large-scale war! But if we are actively attacked, the counterattack must be fierce. Poloz The Kremlin has chosen war, and I have the right to lead you to launch a counterattack. All obey my orders, and be sure to follow the orders and prohibitions. If I tell you to fight, charge forward, and if I tell you to withdraw your troops, return immediately."
Fisker doesn't want to make things perfect, just because there are many considerations here.
Afterwards, Fisk and Svalgard called the leader, Old Harold, whose pseudonym was Olaf, and the three of them gathered together for a small meeting.
"Do you know that young man named Lambart?" Fisk asked.
"I don't know. I... have never really sneaked into the Polotsk community."
"Oh? Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Fisk frowned slightly, "How should I believe what you said before?"
"My descriptions of them are all accurate. I know their leader's name is Proclaw, and as for Lambart... he may be a brave warrior."
"An unruly common man. It seems that this person really represents the attitude of the entire Polotsk."
Hearing this, Old Harold asked nervously: "So, you intend to kill them and then burn down the entire farm? That would be too crazy."
"Do you care about them? When have you ever been kind?"
"I... I'm just worried that if you do this, the whole of Riga will tremble. There are many people in Riga who believe in Odin. Since the king has been protected by Odin, those people..."
Fisk basically understood what he meant: "I understand. Riga will think that the Russian army can only bring death and burning."
"Yes! Actually you are not like that."
"That's how you deal with the enemy." Fisk still wanted to emphasize.
"Okay. If you want to get Riga safely, you must ensure that the locals will not be afraid. Of course, we people living in Riga don't like the behavior of the guys in Polotsk who block the road and ask for money, but you built the fortress Along the river, the situation is more complicated.”
"Oh? It's inappropriate to ridicule us?"
"I dare not. Times have changed. If Ross can ensure the security of the trade line, spending some money for this security is not a problem. Besides, this Vitebsk Fortress was not born to collect money. I dare Said, if you really destroy Polotsk, even if you say 10,000 nice words, the people of Riga will not really surrender. We are all Odin's warriors and we all understand the rules of the north. Riga's local Denmark People will unite with others to form a coalition and fight you to the death in the name of Odin's warriors. They don't want to be your slaves."
"This is not what we want." Fisk sighed softly, "The king doesn't want it either."
"Don't kill Polotsk unless necessary. Even if you can kill them easily."
Old Harold has been emphasizing this. As he said, this matter does not come from his own kindness. He has always stated his interests and concerns on this matter.
Fiske didn't need to think too much, but now that he independently controls an army, he needs to be fully responsible for anything he does in the future. He had to think a lot more. He had to consider how he would end up if he really ordered a killing spree in Polotsk, and whether the king would be angry at the rashness of the matter.
"Yes. Rurik will be angry." He thought.
To be fair, he only had 300 cavalry on hand. If the Polotsk people really sent out 5,000 troops (old Harold claimed that was a bragging, there were 3,000 at most), it would be impossible to annihilate them all, and defeat them would be impossible. It's a high probability.
Then try your best to defeat it! Then the imprisoned guys were released, and they served as messengers to force Polotsk to surrender.
This is why Fisk makes it a point to say that no matter how the battle goes, soldiers must not do anything beyond what they are ordered to do. He also deliberately claimed that those who did not follow orders would have their military pay suspended for half a year.
In any case, it seemed that the Polotsk people had the initiative, and the Russian cavalry faced them with less than 300 cavalry. The cavalry began to intensify their training, and various weapons were also seized of time to be polished and perfected.
Fisk even dispatched two groups of cavalry, totaling twenty men and forty horses. They headed north with light equipment, just to obtain a batch of supplies from Lukiholm and to send a war warning to Carlotta. But there is no need for the Ostara people in the north to go south, as long as they try to provide arrows and spare horses. The cavalry going north even brought with them a personal letter written by Fisk on hard paper. The content was as short as one sentence: "If the war goes against us, we will voluntarily abandon the Vitebsk stronghold."
This did not mean that Fisk's cavalry would run away. He was sure that the smart Carlotta could understand the true meaning - regardless of the gain or loss of the stronghold, the cavalry's mobile combat was given priority.
For Fisk, what he lacks most now is troops.
It's really a pillow when you are dozing. When the cavalry team arranged to explore the southern region returned, they went as a team of ten people and returned as a huge team.
How large a cavalry team is it? Standing on the wooden wall of the fortress and looking far away, on the hard ground of the open reedy swampland in the south, the mighty cavalry seems to number two thousand? There are at least two thousand horses, right?
Since they were only able to see from a distance, they still needed to see closely.
But they displayed a heart-warming flag, with a white base sewn with blue cloth strips. They were imitating the Ross flag to identify themselves.
"Haha, the gods are blessing us! That's great!"
Fisk was dancing with excitement. Although it was a little premature to calculate the date, the figures gradually approaching the team looked like a horse team from Pecheneg. He especially remembered that Prince Kagan of Pecheneg had only left for three months. Could it be that a new batch of prairie commercial horse teams had arrived? How fast are prairie people? !
Wait, if the steppe people arrive, will they merge with the Kiev people? The two parties have often traveled together in the past years.
They must have brought a lot of goods with them, intending to go to Novgorod for a big sale before making big purchases. Regardless of this, they are also warriors at heart.
The distant trade routes are not peaceful. The caravan has to pass through the areas controlled by the Lamic and Smolensk people. The team can sneak attack them. Because the harassment in recent years has been too much, the other party will try to counterattack. This will More cavalry are needed to serve as escorts.
Such a new force has made its debut! They want to go to the north from the great swamp where Vitebsk is located. Now they can pass quickly through the newly built pontoon bridge next to the fortress. Vitebsk can also realize its transportation value for the first time in history.
The team was approaching in a mighty manner, and the sunlight shone on the faces of these people, and they actually reflected a strange light.
"As expected, they are Pechenegs, and they all wear iron masks." Fisk was overjoyed.
He ordered the cavalry to regroup and greet the miraculously appearing friendly troops in a glorious manner.
The Russian cavalry was mixed with the Ostara army, and the Russian flag was mixed with the bull-headed flag. Fisk and Svalgard troops rushed to greet them enthusiastically, and the two sides met in the reeds in the wilderness.
However, if you take a closer look, you will see unfamiliar faces.
Fisk paid special attention to the Kievians on horseback. "Strange, where is your boss Sako Yin?"
The words were spoken in Slavic, and a very young boy pulled the reins and rode out of the group. "Your Excellency, I am Wladyslav Sakovich, son of Sakhoin. My father is old and he has entrusted me with the burden of trade with the north. This is my first time in Rus'. "The boy's words were as young as his face.
Fisk squinted his eyes and stared at the boy who had just grown a beard. His face was indeed very similar to that of Sako Yin.
"It seems that you are his youngest son?"
"It's the eldest son."
"That guy always has a son? It doesn't matter, you are welcome. You came just in time."
At the same time, Svalgard had already started talking to the Pechenegs who were wearing masks collectively. The opponents took off their well-polished iron masks one after another, revealing their big pie faces under the cold-faced masks.
After all, the city of New Ostara in the southernmost part of Yin'ermen Lake is the trading center of the Pechenegs, where prairie specialties and slaves are sold at large sales. As a senior local military personnel, Svalgard knew many Pechenegs, as well as a considerable number of ordinary cavalry.
It takes a long journey from the grassland to the great lake in the north. In the past, due to the lack of understanding of the transportation lines, every caravan was full of dangers. With each passing year of frequent exchanges, the Pechenegs became more aware of trade routes and moved faster, thanks to the veteran soldiers in the army who served as elite guides.
Fisk talked to these grassland people again, and complimented him in a poor Turkic dialect: "Seeing you again now means that the noble Kagan is already a khan. We, Rus, pay tribute to him."
The young general with a silver-plated mask hanging around his neck nodded slightly.
"The old Khan abdicated, and my clan brother Kagan succeeded the new Khan. All this is fate. The transfer of power went very smoothly, and no one would question the new Khan's ability without conscience." The implication is that After the smooth transition of power, Pecheneg remains Russia's most stable trading partner.
"Very well, Ross needs you very much. It's just that you came earlier than usual this time. Friends, I am War Chief Fisk of Ross's First Cavalry. What is your... name."
But I saw the young general smiled heartily: "I have heard of Lord Fisk for a long time. You are a hero. And I am just the brother of the Khan and have no achievements. My name is Quetzal."
"Okay, Brother Quetzal, you arrived just in time. Come! Take a look at our Vitebsk Fortress, you just happen to be resting here."
"But." The young general Quetzal was a little confused: "This is our ferry crossing the river, right? We are very happy to build a stronghold here. We still hope to take the goods to Novgorod as soon as possible. You see, this time we I purposely ordered more horses.”
Fisk took a closer look and saw that the horses were not very restrained. Most of the horses stopped now to eat delicious reeds on the spot. Suddenly he raised his head and his extremely long mane flicked gorgeously. It was really beautiful.
"They are all good horses! Our king will definitely buy them all."
"Thank you then." The young general Quetzal replied politely.
In the eyes of Fisk and Svalgaard, this pie-faced prairie boy is too humble. Is this the kind of person this person is? uncertain. This kid keeps saying that he lacks merit. If he was given a chance to make meritorious deeds, would he still be so humble?
From Kiev to Vitebsk, because of the natural chasm of the Dnieper River, the land cavalry had to find a way to cross the river and take a shortcut to the north.
The way a group of steppe people crossed the Dnieper River was nothing more than making some large rafts out of pine wood. The raft is manned and towed to the other shore by canoes and sampans, and the horse team can just land and go north. The demand is here, and residents of the Kiev community must study some low-cost methods that can transport many people to the other side. Building rafts like barges is one method, and some people are even exploring the possibility of building pontoons.
This was the fastest shortcut. They continued to go northward along the right bank of the Dnieper River and completely went northward by land in the area near today's Orsha city. They would eventually cross the West Dvina River in the Zhe area near Vitebsk.
It was the first time for young players Quetzal and Wladislav to come. Thanks to the large number of veteran travelers in the team, they could move quickly without getting lost.
Both of them knew about the big city of Ross from the descriptions of their fellow tribesmen who had been there. The northern world was described as wonderful, and at least the various objects brought back from the north proved its prosperity.
For the cavalry coming from afar, they very much hope that there will be a good post station for replenishment. When the young general Quetzal set out, he learned that the Russians were going to build a stronghold on the path that the cavalry must pass, just to consolidate the increasingly prosperous trade line and to serve travelers.
Wladyslav had no idea that he had been tasked by his elderly father to inherit the duties of a horseman. At least he had this awareness. What to do if you encounter an enemy? fighting! He now has a genuine Ross steel sword hanging on his waist, and he can't put it down with the sword his father gave him.
They passed through the Pripet Swamp, where the horses were covered in black mud due to the flowing water. They were also angry about the excessive mosquitoes in the area. The combined horse team was unwilling to stay at all, and almost never stopped until they finally arrived at this "Valde". "The Great Swamp" is the source of water for many Eastern European rivers.
Even if the two commanders were unwilling to admit it, the entire cavalry team was already quite exhausted from the continuous rush.
The team was stationed on the spot, and it was only then that Fisk truly understood how many people they had come.
He heard the news directly.
"Quetzal, how many of you are here in Pecheneg?"
"Three hundred brothers and a thousand horses. This was a special order from our new Khan. The originally planned team was smaller. As soon as the Khan came back and took over the throne, he ordered us to increase our manpower as we were in urgent need of departure. I was appointed by the Khan. As the person in charge of trade, I will be stationed in your Rus to maintain the trade routes. And some warriors were specially given by the Khan to the princess (referring to Beyathil) as her personal bodyguard."
Quetzal said more, and what he said surprised Fisk.
To be fair, Fisk admires the Pecheneg princess Beyathil, who is married to Rus, and her performance in last year's war was very eye-catching. In Viking culture, brave female warriors are like Valkyries in the world, and Bejasil is such a person. Even though she is quite short, she is respected for her military exploits. Since her brother came here to give her a guard composed of her mother's family, it was perfect. This would enhance Rose's cavalry strength.
He asked again: "Wadi, how many people did you bring?"
"There are more than four hundred brothers, but we have a lot fewer horses, only more than six hundred. Many of my people want to go north to see the world. I heard that they can get paid for working for King Ross, so more people join... …”
After all, the Kiev community where Wladyslav belongs is still in the state of a great alliance of villages, and its civilized state is exactly the same as that of the Polotsk people. Because Maksakyin opened the door to trade with the Russians in Varyag in the north and became a de facto military alliance, it is normal for the Kiev community, which is backward in all aspects, to yearn for the north.
There are three hundred people on one side and more than four hundred people on the other side. No matter what the purpose of their appearance, they must have been mentally prepared to fight midway through the huge risks of this trip.
It’s just that these people didn’t have any slaves among their cargo.
Fisk asked one more question: "Are you going to the Smolensk territory to capture slaves? You can also capture the Mickey slaves in La. "
Quetzal's answer was quite straightforward: "We are in a hurry. After all, we set off early. It would be bad if we bump into you during the autumn rain season on the road. We can only go non-stop and even cancel the robbery plan."
Wladyslaw agreed.
Fisk shrugged: "So it's not that you are unwilling, it's just that the time is not ripe? It doesn't matter! Now there is a fighting opportunity in front of you. Two good brothers, let's join forces and do it together, how about it?"
His eyes were on fire!
Wadi and Quetzal can sense the killing intent, especially in this fortress. The local Ross cavalry and Ostara cavalry are clearly sharpening their swords. Who do they want to kill?
"Is this a real battle?" Wadi asked with some excitement.
"Brother, you guessed it right! It's a battle. Let's go, brothers, let's go into the house and have a good chat."