Chapter 1,347 Theron Lubans Alliance

The frozen Daugava River became a grand parade ground, and now the Russian army is displayed here again.

Something different from the previous days, this time everyone in the city of Riga gathered on the bank of the frozen river. They once again caught a glimpse of the grandeur of the Russian military and enjoyed the rare and lively moments in winter.

The three cavalry teams that planned to stay in Riga were lined up in full attire. General Fisk had already had enough conversation with King Rurik, and there was nothing more to say. The remaining soldiers faced the leaving army in full attire.

Spruit brought his "pirate army" and Stekander, who brought the entire Danish community to watch the event. These people gathered together to send off the army with a very rhythmic Viking war cry.

There has never been anything like this in Riga!

King Rus is about to leave, leaving behind the hope of getting rich.

The sleigh army formed two columns, and Rurik led the second cavalry and Bejahir's steppe cavalry in front.

A group of people with musical instruments gathered on two sleds, and they provided BGM for the leaving army.

Rurik has some bad taste in this regard. The tune of "Farewell to Slavic Women" has an inexplicable sense of pathos. After all, its original song is "Sending Children to the Battle". In this scene, it is played with recorders, horns and leather drums. It really matches the atmosphere.

The soldiers wore extremely thick clothing. They did not wear helmets, but wrapped their heads tightly with hats to keep out the cold. People wore wooden-framed sunglasses one after another. Many people also used linen bought locally as scarves to completely wrap their heads. Stay on the face. With a blue feather in his hat, this becomes a ball sitting on a sleigh

Another group of Ross warriors is a beautiful sight.

For a moment, there were blue and white flags and the sound of hunting in the cold. The fed war horses and reindeer panted in the thick fog, and they seemed restless.

Only Rurik himself is not wearing a hat here. His golden hair is extremely dazzling in the gray-white world. What is even more dazzling is the golden laurel crown on his head.

Finally, Rurik rode his horse and rode in front of the crowd of spectators.

So people saw a tall warrior riding a black horse that didn't look majestic and had an extremely thick mane passing in front of them. This was a little funny, but when they thought about it again, everyone couldn't help but get chills down their spines. ——Russian horses are not afraid of the cold.

After all, the winter temperature in Latvia is often warmer than that of the southern Russian grasslands. These Turkic horses, which can withstand the extreme cold in winter in the Central Asian grasslands, are the only ones who can create some miracles in winter combat for the Rus Kingdom. They have now fully adapted to the Latvian winter.

Rurik returned to his arrayed troops and suddenly shouted: "Everyone! Salute to Riga! Highest courtesy!"

First he took the lead, and then the Second Cavalry followed immediately. In a moment, all the soldiers on the sleigh turned sideways and looked at the city of Riga and the surrounding soldiers and civilians.

Everyone's right fists hit their chests, and then their fists pointed straight ahead.

This set of military salutes that imitate the ancient Roman legions was made by Rurik for Rus. It is not very commonly used, but once it is used, it is a very high courtesy.

More than two thousand people made the same movements almost at the same time, which was very shocking to the senses.

This is the so-called "Holiday to Riga"

Respectfully".

The Seron children sitting together quietly watched the performance of the Rus and were treated the same as children. The ten Pskov businessmen sitting on the sled, the leader "Nightwalker" Olafin thought they were already very good. Knowing Ross, he now sees that King Ross can order more than two thousand people to do something at the same time with just one sentence. This is difficult for him to understand, but it is actually happening before his eyes.

Orafin was wrapped in a deerskin blanket rented by the Russians, and his feet in leather boots could not help but shed a layer of cold sweat.

The BGM stopped abruptly and was replaced by all the trumpeters blowing the same low and melodious tune, just like the long ship parting the fog to reveal its true form.

Now, Rurik looked directly at the upper reaches of the Daugava River. He made another gesture and the entire army launched into action.

Starting with him, the whole army left Riga without looking back.

The remaining soldiers watched silently as the main force of the Ross army and the king disappeared into the forest river.

The rest is just a peaceful journey.

In order to protect their precious horses, the soldiers of the Second Cavalry also sat back on the sled, using only ropes to connect the horses to the sled. In the end, it was the huge number of reindeer who suffered.

Rurik's shack-style sleigh is now his and Beyakhil's exclusive warm nest. He temporarily hands over the task of supervising the march of the entire army to Brody, and he shows off in front of the people of Riga. Now he only I want to curl up and catch up on my sleep.

The young general suddenly shouldered a heavy responsibility, and Brody did not feel any pressure. He sat on the front of the sled, just like the dragon's head at the bow of a longship, and the blue feathers on his hat became an extremely conspicuous symbol.

as a guide

Orafin was sitting directly behind the sled. How to get to the territory of the Seron people, and if they found the right river close to their territory, these things were not difficult for him, who was experienced.

What Orafen didn't expect was that the young general actually served as the commander-in-chief of the march, and King Rus was so relieved.

Thinking about it again, King Rus is also a young man himself, so it makes sense for him to value another young man.

Only then did he learn that the young general named Brody had made great contributions during Ross's first expedition to the Franks. He was from a pure Ross tribe and had some blood connection with Rurik himself.

It was probably because of the blood connection that King Ross was reassured.

Orafin is still observing quietly. He wants to learn everything about Rose as much as possible and make better plans for the future.

The whole army maintained a constant pace, and at night the army stayed at the edge of the forest.

It is not easy to make a fire in the forest and snow fields. Olafin noticed that the Ross people had a way to make fire quickly. He noticed that these people were using some strange gray-white powder. "Is this a kind of earth salt? Huh? Why do they have so many of such a precious thing?"

Because the Danes have the habit of building collective toilets, someone found some flammable clots near the dung pile in the toilet. Soon the bored person threw it into the bonfire and did the hard work before realizing that it was unusual, and then It is rare but very useful to find it used in drilling wood to make fire, but no one here in Denmark has thought about why this happened since ancient times.

Fermenting dung and urine to extract soil salt has become an official skill in Russia. So far, the Russian army's bow, drill and fire skills have been indispensable with its help -

-With it, you can get twice the result with half the effort.

It was also in the temporary camp that Orafin, as an important guide, was able to have dinner with King Rus himself.

He didn't expect anything good to eat during the camp, but the Russian army ignored the cold and used magical iron pots to cook wheat in the camp.

Drinking is not a strange thing, but it is a bit strange to be able to drink during the camping period, especially the "burning water" contained in the "crystal vase".

For the first time, Orafin drank the clear spirit obtained by continuously concentrating ale. It was even handed to him in a burning state.

"This ball of fire is actually wine? Has King Rus really reached the power of Odin? It seems true. After all, his wine is as clear as water but has fire. If I really drink it, wouldn't I also get Odin's power? Ding's blessing. Wait, this fire will burn my belly to ashes?" Olafine hesitated for a moment, closed his eyes and drank it all with a death-like mentality, covering his beard.

I really felt like a fire was igniting in my stomach, and all the coldness dissipated, but soon my mind fell into an extremely comfortable trance.

Aolafen curled up in a deerskin and fell asleep, only to be woken up by someone kicking her hard the next day.

"Don't sleep, old man, come and eat quickly."

It was a young warrior. The boy's movements were quite rude, but the air was filled with the fragrance of wheat. Olafine suddenly lost all sleep. He sniffed the smell and rushed to the nearest big pot.

The Rus were extremely particular even when marching, and they completely subverted Orafin's understanding of camping.

Where is the hard bivouac? It was clearly a comfortable ride.

The iron pot replaces the pottery urn, which is extremely sturdy and

Cooking utensils are much lighter than pottery urns, can be thrown roughly onto a sled, and can be washed easily and cleanly. Even if they rust, you just need to wipe them frequently.

Orafin acted with the Ross army. He saw an iron pot for the first time in his life and was shocked by the large amount of equipment of the Ross army. As an old traveler for many years, he knows all too well the hardships of preparing meals when traveling. Wouldn't it be a lot of hardship if he carried an iron pot with him?

He longed to get it and learned that the Rus had actually been selling this precious phantom. He knew that King Ross was in a good mood now, so he licked his old face and begged the king to give him a pot.

It's not inappropriate to give a mere iron pot to someone who is about to make a great contribution. This pot can even deeply stimulate Olaf to work hard! Rurik agreed.

Inadvertently, the Russian Army has been demonstrating their logistics advantages. Large and small objects may seem useless in combat, but they keep the soldiers in a good mental state during the long march, and their morale is extremely high.

After eating another Oraphen, he felt very comfortable. He didn't want to waste food. He stuck out his tongue and licked the wooden bowl clean.

It was at this moment that a big hand struck his shoulder.

Orafin turned around sharply: "Your Majesty? Do you have any orders?"

"It's nothing. So far, I don't need you to work. Today we will arrive at the territory of the Seron people. After that... it's up to you."

Olafine stood up suddenly: "Wrap it around me."

Rurik came here just to give the old guy a heads-up. He saw the soldiers again and basically had a sumptuous dinner, and then moved the reindeer that were plowing the snow and gnawing grass roots back to the sled.

Soon the trumpets and drums sounded loudly, and the well-trained warriors packed up their bedding quickly.

Back to the sleigh.

Soon the army disappeared into the cover of the forest like a whirlwind of clouds, leaving only the dark traces of the bonfire in the riverside camp.

The continuous good weather is fascinating, but the temperature never rises significantly.

The Russian army successfully returned to Ilpers from where they started, and Count Ilbert fulfilled his mission by actually finding people from the villages who knew how to get to Pskov.

Some short and stocky men were gathered together. There were only five of them in the group, and they were said to be the ones who knew the way. However, the only drawback was that these men did not understand Norse or Slavic. They speak the local language so much that their usefulness is greatly reduced.

The weather changed quietly, and the Ross Army, which had reduced its strength, was making final rest in Ilpers. As a result, it started to snow during the night.

Is it stressful?

For the Russians, as long as the snowfall is not a blizzard, the army can ignore it. This is derived from the experience of many adventurous marches in the past, and also lies in the arrogance of the soldiers in the army, especially the young soldiers. They hope to do better than their fathers, so they can only face the wind and snow and hide all timidity and worries behind them. From the bottom of my heart.

It was the same wooden house where the meeting had been held. Rurik, Ilbert, Olafin, and other important people gathered for another meeting. It was also the last small meeting before the Ross army went north.

For Ilbert, he saw that all the children who had gone to Riga to see the world came back safely, and he was extremely excited and completely relieved about King Rus.

It started to wind outside, with snow in the wind.

Ilbert and Olafin did not want to say it openly, but they were unsure about the future of the Russian army.

No need to worry. Their worries are reflected in their furrowed brows and trembling eyes. Silence is worth a thousand words.

The flames of the bronze oil lamps placed indoors beat uneasily with the breath of people, making the atmosphere inside the room even more eerie.

Rurik paused for breath: "It started to snow, maybe this is not a good sign. But I have no fear, everything is as planned, take a good rest tonight, and our army will set off tomorrow morning. Ilbert!" He Looking especially at the face of this old Seron guy: "What do you think?"

"The king's courage is better than the wind and snow. I... can only support it."

"Haha, I know you are worried. Indeed, no one wants to march in the snow, especially when thousands of soldiers march in the snow at the same time. The five guides you gave me don't understand Norse, maybe They are not very good at their job. Fortunately, I have Latvian reindeer drivers in my team who can act as translators."

(Rurik easily recruited a group of Latvians who wanted to work as charioteers in Riga, promising them to do some work after arriving in Novorosberg, and then sail back to Riga after the spring voyage.)

"Oh, that's great." Ilbert knew his current situation. If King Rus had any instructions, he could just follow them unconditionally, and he could support any suggestions unconditionally.

"So, next..." Rurik formally pushed Olafin to the front desk and said solemnly with an arrogant smile: "Ilbert, you are a count. This visitor from Pskov is named Olafin. Rafin, he is also a count. Everything was arranged by the gods, so that I met a real person in Riga.

Hero of Pskov. "

Rurik gave Olafin many beautiful words, which immediately made Ilbert think that the elderly Varyag sitting in front of him was also an old nobleman in Pskov.

This is where the conversation begins. After all, this is the first time for the Seron people to have a formal encounter with Pskov travelers. All the information they get from seeing and hearing from a distance is distorted. Only close contact now can we know the general situation. What kind of existence is Mrs. Skow?

After the first contact, Ilbert no longer felt that those Pskov women needed to be on high alert. They walked in the river, in the mud, and in the forest, sneaking like a pack of wolves.

Will Lady Pskov catch slaves? In the past, villages claimed that people who went hunting had disappeared, and there were also herding children who disappeared along with their sheep. The people did not believe that the missing persons were killed by wild animals, and the elusive Pskov businessmen were inexplicably named as "murderers".

Mo Min's wonderful contradictions and misunderstandings were easily resolved.

As for Ora Fen, this group of Seron mountain people they didn't want to take the initiative to deal with, they didn't expect Jing to have such an unreasonable misunderstanding of themselves, and they couldn't help but feel angry.

Fortunately, past misunderstandings have never led to direct conflicts. King Rus is here as the mediator and arbiter. Ilbert, on behalf of the entire Theron, believes that Orafin and his guys are good people, and also believes that there will be good people in the future. The settlement established by this old guy and his men at the lake just north of the Seron tribe is of great benefit to the entire tribe.

As for Pskov, will the locals be friendly to Seron? Ilbert stretched out his beard

Head, I hope Olafen can give me the right words.

But how can Olafen represent Boss Gower? Besides, who is little Theron?

He didn’t have Rurik’s good temper on this issue, so he spoke bluntly: “Almost no one in Pskov knows that you people exist, and no one cares about you Seron, not even Semigali. Yaya doesn’t care. All we want is salt and other goods! If it weren’t for King Rus’ strong request this time, I wouldn’t want to enter your territory.”

The words were truly arrogant, and they also showed Pskov's disdain for Seron with an honest attitude.

Ilbert is a smart man. He knows that because he comes from a lowly tribe, it is impossible for the Danes and Latvians in Riga to think highly of him.

King Rus's hero who conquered the world, and only the great Rurik would treat Theron as a force. In the end, Ross gave some favors like a god, and other than that, he did not take the initiative to ask for tribute. Now the attitude of King Ross still makes Theron let it go.

"If I'm poor enough and live in a remote enough place, no one will want me. Now that I've voted for Ross and become a noble, and hold the flag of Ross, I won't attract others to covet me when I get rich in the future."

Ilbert thought so, and took advantage of the opportunity to quickly build a peaceful and friendly alliance with Orafin.

So under the witness of Rurik, the two small count states signed an alliance. The most important item in the agreement was that the two sides could not attack each other at any time.