Chapter 1,253 Polotsk Reconquest

Due to the boring boat ride, Karl, who was nestled in his mother's arms, was as docile as a little rabbit. Lan

But he is not like that. As a pure Nordic golden retriever, he inherits the double wildness from his parents. As long as his spirit is restored, he will reappear and show his overly lively nature.

Velikiy Lucki, a southern city built on the orders of Rurik.

A whole year has passed, and the city has grown from scratch, and its expansion speed is visible to the naked eye.

A year later, Carlotta, the Duchess of Ostara, brought her son Karl to this emerging city. It is the military core of the principality in the south. Now that the army is stationed here, the city's population instantly exceeded 2,000 people.

Most of the young Slavic people who were forcibly immigrated spent the first winter in Velikiy Lucki.

Did anyone die unexpectedly? The answer is yes.

Some young people contracted diseases in the winter, or died of the cold due to forced expeditions in the winter. In addition to those who were lost in the snow and wind, as many as thirty people died in the past winter. Lan

This situation really surprised Carlotta.

Could it be that the city's defense was not done well enough? Or were the settlers too reckless? Or is it simply because of the fate of the deceased.

She has always been suspicious of the Slavic people who joined Ostara. These "farmer children" are not as strong as the "Nordic Golden Retrievers", and their lack of tolerance to harsh environments has led to many accidental deaths. If this is the case, In reality, this disadvantage can be reversed by improving living conditions.

Carlotta really ignored one thing. The Nordic tribes had a tradition of abandoning babies since ancient times. Whether it was considered a bad habit is open to question. At least Rurik denied this habit after taking power.

Any habit has its underlying logic. In extremely cold environments, only the healthiest babies are qualified to be kept by their parents. And when families don't have much food reserves, even healthy babies will be abandoned by their parents.

Under such a passive choice, the Russian men and women who can live to the age of twelve have often experienced many hardships that almost lost their lives, and have thus developed sufficient physical fitness.

In contrast, the Slavs around Lake Ermen who insist on farming have a more stable life. Having more agricultural resources is not only able to feed a larger population, but also because they have the resources to raise some weak people and even more. More food is distributed to more children, and since it is impossible to select the best among the best, the nutrition the children receive is relatively even. There are few men as strong as bears in a small family or a collective farm. Lan

The current disadvantages can be quickly changed through the increase of productivity. It is said that as long as more grain and meat are produced, all the children in the family will eat more, so rare strong men gradually become common among the next generation.

Although Carlotta currently wants to open up as much grazing pasture as possible near Velikie Luki, the large number of people who stayed here saved the lives of most of the cattle, sheep, horses, and reindeer in the past winter. Now in the spring, these livestock have begun a new life. Breeding Season.

After all, most of the residents were Slavs with peasant backgrounds. They were not good at animal husbandry, but they were good at clearing wasteland.

The area of ​​newly reclaimed farmland is very small, and they are generally distributed in the northwest of the city. When Carlotta's army passed by here, they saw only some newly grown sprouts, and almost thought they were some pasture.

When she comes, the first priority is to gather the entire population for a grand event.

It was a beautiful day with a beautiful spring breeze, and the grassland next to the fortified city was crowded with people.

The fact is that there are a large number of young Slavic people who are engaged in farming. They wear basically the same style of clothes and gather together. Seeing a large number of cavalry participating in this open-air opportunity, they can't help but discuss their future destiny-could it be that the Duchess is going to start a battle? A war? Lan

"War? Is there really going to be a war? Who are you attacking? Are you taking the initiative to attack the Smolensk stronghold?"

"Impossible! Those guys are very powerful and must be conquered by the king himself."

"But that bald man riding a horse... If it is General Fisk who carries the king's decree, and if force is really going to be used against Smolensk, wouldn't we also have to participate?"

…

Countless whispers turned into roars, and people were worried about their fate.

Who would take the initiative to choose war if not forced by the situation, even if they participate in the battle and have the right to share the spoils after victory.

Look at each other, these too young Slavic pioneers, their military weapons mainly ensure self-defense. Since they have not prepared a stomach at all, the only thing that can effectively defend themselves in battle is a round shield. However, the amount of shield equipment is also limited. not much. Lan

For Carlotta, with her son and riding a horse standing on a high place, she hoped to see a strong army. However, except for the cavalry troops she brought, these farmers who gathered together in a group could not be regarded as a powerful army. A strong army, they are still too young and seem to lack the temperament to fight bravely.

"Everyone be silent!"

Carlotta held her neck high and spoke in a high-pitched voice to stop all the whispering.

Coupled with the sound of drums and horns, the scene gradually became quiet, and finally only the rumble of the wind in the ears was left.

Since the personnel were stationed densely enough, even in an open area, if she lectured loudly, she could basically be heard clearly by many listeners.

Both eyes were fixed on the Duchess's high profile and square chin, and they also paid attention to Karl's clever head, which was slightly covered by the horse's head.

Without any politeness, Carlotta just wanted to briefly explain one important thing in today's meeting. Lan

"My warriors! This summer, we will completely conquer Polotsk!

I will lead you to Vitebsk first! then! Go down the West Dvina River and enter the Polotsk people's village!

Conquer the obedient and defeat the rebellious!

Only the best people are qualified to follow me south to fight, and I will immediately select qualified warriors from you! Will mount up and join the army!

Warriors! In Polotsk, there were many beautiful girls and plenty of grain, cattle and sheep. The outstanding ones will be richly rewarded and even get a beautiful wife.

Don't worry about danger, we are the Russian army! Ostara is part of Rus! This time, the king's son! Our Carl! I will go south to conquer Polotsk in the name of Karl. The best among you must cooperate with all your efforts. Only in this way can you get happiness..."

Carlotta didn't speak much, but talking at the top of her lungs was a test of her lung capacity. Her face turned red and she couldn't help but breathe heavily. In the eyes of others, such a duchess really put all her efforts into the next action. Lan

People fell into noise again, because the duchess did not point out the attack on Smolensk. As for the action plan to conquer Polotsk, this matter was obviously very strange.

Haven't those farmers in the south already surrendered to Ross? Could it be that those guys suddenly rebelled? If so, wouldn't the Duchess's conquest be just another conquest?

One thing she mentioned was a strong desire among boys - to have a wife.

Various Slavic manors in the area around Lake Yin Ermen will take out some boys and girls from ordinary families to fill the extremely scarce personnel in the Principality of Ostara, and forcibly move them to the emerging town of Veliky Luki to become garrison personnel.

Leaving your hometown to open up the wild areas in the south is a real hard job. Of course, both men and women are among the young people who are forced to immigrate, and the proportion of men is extremely high. As a result, after a winter, some of the already few young women died due to frailty, further worsening the already bad male-to-female ratio in Dalu.

Based on tradition, all forced immigrant men and women have reached the age of marriage. They have seen some of their companions getting married, or they have seen their companions' wives fall ill and die, and they have to make plans for their future.

Many people think that this is the only possible way to get married by kidnapping women as wives through war. It would be great to use force against Smolensk and successfully grab a woman. Regardless of whether they are willing or not, everyone is now a soldier. If there is a large-scale war, no one can just sit back and enjoy the results. Lan

Knowing many things from the mouths of their parents and grandparents, young people still subconsciously feel that the guys from the Smolensk community are not easy to deal with.

What kind of rotten fish are the people of Polotsk? The Duchess and the King's army won easily last year, and the tribute food they demanded ensured the supplies for Great Lucki for the winter.

The new operation is likely to be extremely smooth, so which brothers are qualified to be selected?

This short gathering was exciting, just because the move south was expected to get a wife, the Slavic boys of Veliky Luki compared and showed off each other in every word.

The bulls that had just been boasted must be honored immediately, and a "horse rodeo" was immediately held under Carlotta's instructions.

On a sunny afternoon, the open space outside the city is still very lively.

As a pioneer city, Velikiy Luki was extremely boring most of the time. To put it mildly, young immigrants spent their youthful sweat here. At worst, they suffered and developed in a harsh environment. Lan

The hometown of Yin'ermen Lake rejected them, and everyone could only create their own home in the new world. The city is still growing rapidly after at least the first winter, and they see hope for the future.

Riding rodeos became an activity that everyone could participate in.

Those who can gallop a horse for a sufficient distance without relying on a saddle, just by holding the horse's belly with their legs and holding the reins, are considered excellent.

If you can run wildly in this way, grab a wooden pole with one hand and knock off the ball (a sewn leather bag stuffed with weeds) standing on the wooden stake in the field, this kind of person will be immediately absorbed into Aosta In the cavalry.

The level of horse riding among young people varies, but what Carlotta needs is not a warrior who has experienced many battles, but just a "person who can ride a horse."

The cavalry had already explored a simple and crude route south from Velikiy Luki to Vitebsk.

The main channel of the Lovati River eventually reaches a lake, which is believed to be the source of the river. Maybe it is not the real source, and there are a large number of creeks that converge into this lake. However, the navigation significance of the creeks is basically non-existent, and the location of the lake in the west direction is not pleasant. Lan

Vitebsk is still just a riverside fortress. Even if there are many local garrison, there are only a hundred people, and the composition of the personnel can be described as diverse. What's even worse is that due to the severe winter, it has been completely cut off from other settlements. After spring, the ground is muddy and not suitable for passage. Up to now, the local situation in Carlotta is completely unknown, and it is not even sure that they will survive safely. the first winter.

Similarly, she was not sure whether the Polotsk people's attitude towards Ross would still be surrender after experiencing a winter, and whether those promises to pay tribute would be fulfilled.

The straight-line distance between the two places is equivalent to 120 kilometers. If we really follow the explored road, the path will be lengthened to about 150 kilometers.

The long journey is not a problem for the Rus Kingdom, which fully domesticates Turkic horses. The Principality of Ostara has an advantage in this regard.

One hundred people were selected after experiencing the "Equestrian Competition". To Carlotta's regret, only five people were eligible to be immediately absorbed as cavalry warriors. After all, they all came from farmers' families. She didn't have too many extravagant expectations for these subordinates for the time being, so it was reasonable to get such a result.

At night, Lucki becomes the ducal residence.

The houses here are just like the city of Ostara. They are all made of pure wood. Even the residences of high-ranking nobles are not much higher than those of ordinary people. Born in poverty and wilderness, she was the director of a factory that smelled of milk and cow dung. She went through many hardships when she was young. As a duchess, Carlotta had leg problems that she would never be able to get rid of in her lifetime. Lan

She tried her best to hide her slight limp when walking, but only by riding a horse could this physical disadvantage be completely covered up.

Unlike himself, his son Karl was born in a wonderful era. He had never experienced hardship, and all he had heard and seen was the story of the expansion of the territory of the Rus Kingdom.

Carlotta sat cross-legged like a male noble, and her proud son imitated his mother's example, raising his chin and looking arrogant.

There were two heavyweight male figures present.

One is "Bald" Fisk, who holds great power even though he has no title.

One is Svalgard, the great nobleman of the Gran people. Since the Gran tribe has been a vassal of the Ostara tribe since ancient times, he is still willing to serve the Duke of Ostara. In essence, he is serving the young Karl.

However, there was an old man, Harold, the mercenary leader whose pseudonym was Olaf. This man usually didn't want to talk much, but he could always put on an old face and look very deep. Karl was suspicious of this old man and instinctively feared him. Lan

Carlota needs this old man. He is very clear about many matters in Polotsk and the Gulf of Riga. If he encounters some bad things, he may need his advice.

Oil lamps illuminate the dim room.

"I have decided." Carlotta looked around: "I will first take the army and a batch of supplies to Vitebsk to appease the local garrison. Of course, if they survive the severe winter, they will not be affected by Smolens. Died due to a sneak attack by the Sk."

"What you said is incomprehensible." Fisk shook his head, his face suddenly showing strong disdain: "Rurik already dismissed those Smolensk guys, but you still think highly of them? Do you think those guys are capable of sneak attacks? Our southern outpost, Vitebsk?”

"Yes. My lord, you are indeed serious." Svalgard also hurriedly added.

"You..." Carlotta looked at the two of them awkwardly, and she immediately thought of the old man Olaf. "Old guy." She heard the news casually: "You know something about the Smolensk people. Do you think my worries are unfounded?"

"Me?" When it comes to the large Slavic community in the East, Harold, whose pseudonym is Olaf, has a hard time describing it. He didn't know how long he would have to keep pretending, and he was most afraid that if his bad past was exposed, the Russians would take him out as a sacrifice and chop him down. He had no choice but to utter the words again and again, repeating that Smolensk's large population and strength should not be underestimated. Lan

"You see, even my advisor said that. My worries are valid." Carlotta was also hearing these words calloused, but now she needed this nonsense.

"Are you so sure?" Fisk asked kindly.

"Of course. A woman's intuition!"

"No matter what, I also think Vitebsk needs further development."

"Of course it will develop, but the premise is that I must directly rule all the people of Polotsk. No!" Carlotta paused and pulled Karl, who was busy showing off his arrogance and was really ignorant, to his side: " My Karl is the only noble in Polotsk, and the powerful local landowners must be loyal to him. Moreover, I have to choose a beautiful girl for him, so that Karl can officially rule them, I Ostara The principal’s big problem of lack of population can also be solved.”

Carlotta's claims were far from outrageous. Fisk believed that this woman was deliberately recreating the deeds that happened to Rurik himself in a new world. The hero of the story becomes Rurik's son Karl, and the heroine changes from the White Tree Manor to the Polotsk community.

Fisk had no reason to question. He looked into Carlotta's eyes and smiled: "The king has authorized you to do this, and there is nothing wrong with getting Carl engaged. I support you as always. But..." Lan

"how?"

"It looks like our army will spend the summer in Polotsk."

Carlotta's face quickly became serious: "Of course. The two hundred thousand pounds of wheat tribute must be true to its word. I need to wait for the wheat to mature and personally supervise the harvesting and escort it away. Our transportation line is already too long. My Ostara is not a holy land for grain production, but its rapid development requires a large amount of grain. It is too troublesome to transport grain from the north, so the best way is to collect tribute from Polotsk."

"Of course. We can even get some more food from the Gulf of Riga. After all, the ocean transportation line has been opened. Our ships in the Baltic Sea can directly enter Polotsk via the West Dvina River waterway." Fisk mentioned the fact casually. Suddenly, Carlotta was struck by an idea.

"Yeah, I forgot about it."

"It doesn't matter. The Latvians in the Gulf of Riga and the local Danish immigrants are our allies. If you can firmly rule Polotsk, when Karl grows up, he will have more dealings with the Latvians there. "

At this moment, young Carl has been listening. The lively boy stood up excitedly, pinched his waist and imitated the postures of his mother and father, and raised his immature chin: "My father is Rurik, King of Rus, and I am the Duke of Ostara. The people of Polotsk will be mine from now on." Man, when I grow up, I will lead the Ostara army and the Polotsk army to help my father defeat those Smolensk guys." Lan

The little boy's ambition surprised Carlotta with great joy.

This scene seemed so familiar that Fiske couldn't help stroking his beard and recalling the past more than ten years ago: "This little Carl is so much like his father."

"How?" Carlotta asked.

"An exciting past event. At that time, Rurik, who was only six or seven years old, called on a group of us brothers to gather on a coastal slope. He vowed to lead us to create a great cause, and as expected, the vow has come true."

"Is there such a thing?!" Carlotta was even more excited and had to look at her son again. Maybe Rurik was so arrogant back then. Alas, back then I was just a noble girl from a Swedish tribe who knew how to milk cows...

Without agents, the Principality of Ostara will complete the direct rule of Polotsk with the authorization of the King of Rus, and a new history must begin in 842.

The plan is still the old recipe of marriage and appeasement, coupled with strong military deterrence, so as many as 700 cavalry will march into Polotsk in a mighty manner, fundamentally destroying any possibility of rebellion by the locals. Lan

For this reason, the Principality of Ostara is fully mobilized. The city of Ostara in Lake Yin Ermen is managed on behalf of the good sister Bejasil, and the important town of Great Lucki is guarded by Svalgard.

Carlotta took the vast majority of the cavalry and headed south with the most elite Ross 1st Cavalry.

In this process, although young Karl has the potential to become a powerful military noble, he is still too young now.

History will not give this boy a chance to dawdle.

It's just that his expansion did not rely mainly on strong ships and powerful crossbows like his father, but on fast horses and scimitars.

Just like the Rus tribe completely annexed the Slavic White Tree Manor thirteen years ago, history is repeating itself in another form for Karl Ryulikovich Ostara.