Chapter 1406 Rurik in Ancient Azerei

【The Rise of Rurik】 【】

In the northern border area between modern Lithuania and Latvia, there are no mountains that can be called mountains, only some scattered mounds.

Even though they are mounds, they influence the flow of rivers large and small.

A small river called Vilce forms a natural canyon when it passes through a mound. A mound and canyon suddenly appears on the flat land. It is like a bonsai box garden. But in this era when a large area is uninhabited, who will appreciate its beauty?

The Wirce River flows immediately into the Švet River through this small gorge.

The terrain here is very unique in the generally flat Courland Peninsula. The structure of the Shvet River here is very suitable for artificial earth-building dams. A hydropower station is rising from the ground to provide clean electricity to surrounding towns, which is crucial for Latvia, which has little coal resources.

In the current era, the locals naturally have no concerns about this. The reservoir does not exist. There are no settlements in the area, so there is no need for dam construction. Even the Shvet River, which receives the water supply from the Wirce River, is downstream. The river course also goes in the northeast direction, not the true north direction it would have been hundreds of years later.

This channel of the old Shvet River fed into many small rivers, but the mouths of these small rivers were all on the right side of the river. The mighty Ross army, led by clever guides, went upstream on the left side of the river.

The flat land is undeveloped, and the future farmland is now filled with dense forests. Traveling in such an environment would be hopeless. No traveler would leave the path formed by the natural river unless necessary. The lower valley of the Shvet River is such a unique path.

War horses are precious, only Rurik can

The best idea is that a cavalryman should be equipped with five horses, of which the war horses are stallions or geldings, and the rest are mares. Mares can provide mare's milk as an emergency food source for soldiers, and are also used to carry supplies. They can also be ridden to participate in battles at special times. The stallion, on the other hand, is used for combat, keeping relaxed while marching so that it can participate in battle in its best condition.

The Russian army could not do this, so it was expedient to use a large number of reindeer.

However, reindeer are not horses, and no matter how well the reindeer breeders do, they cannot replace horses, especially the most critical point - these reindeer have not received military training.

Although there are many reindeer, most of the consignments are carried out, but it is impossible to hope that they can maintain a tight formation and march quickly through the narrow valley meadow area.

In order to adapt to the meadow area, the Ross army's team had to be stretched to a team of nearly five kilometers. This was something Rurik did not expect at first. However, this troublesome matter objectively delayed Ross's pace.

Leather boots stepped on the soft grass, Rurik conserved his power and simply walked on foot.

Most of the soldiers were also required to do this, so many of them cut branches on the spot and used them as wooden staffs after cutting them. Holding the reins in his left hand and the right hand, he continued to move upstream of the Shvet River at a low speed of about four kilometers per hour.

"It's too slow. You should have told me earlier that this would be the case." Rurik gritted his teeth with a harsh look on his face.

What else could Austen say at this moment?

"In the past, only small boats passed through here. Perhaps since the Frost Giants created the earth, there have never been so many armies passing through here. My king... you are conquering the world."

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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】

Rurik couldn't hold back his pants for a while: "Now that things have come to this point, you still want to

Flattery for what? This is my decision, and there is no need for me to blame you harshly when encountering such trouble. To do so would appear to be irresponsible. Damn it, if I had known this, I would have continued to endure the pain and take the boat. "

Austen's heart was slightly relieved.

He, an old guy, took the opportunity to observe the conditions of these Rus people walking on foot. He estimated that these guys were used to riding horses and were probably not very good on their feet. Now it seemed that he was worrying too much. Even the King of Rus himself walked for a long time. It didn’t seem like I was complaining about leg pain.

"How long is it until the rabbit meadow you mentioned? Even if we walk, can we reach it before night?" Rurik suddenly asked.

"It will definitely arrive. Even without delay, the king's army digs holes with shovels to catch rabbits."

Rurik looked forward, raised his chest and smiled: "Catch rabbits? Hehe, I would rather get some cats raised by locals in the Azerei village you mentioned..."

As a result, the Ross Army arrived at today's goal - Rabbit Meadow as evening approached.

The so-called Rabbit Meadow is directly south of the mounds, which contains the mound forest known as "Little Devil Canyon" in later generations. The Wirce and Shvet rivers meet here, and the area soaked by the rivers is rich in water and grass, which is perfect for burrowing rabbits.

There is a large natural grassland here. Despite the fact that it is a rabbit nest, it is also the supply point that the Ross army needs most.

The reindeer were quickly untied and a large amount of supplies were unloaded on the spot. The relaxed deer immediately began to eat grass unscrupulously under the command of the deer herder's whistle and whip.

The same is true for all horses. In the crazy early morning, as nearly ten thousand large animals gnawed, Rurik had to

Arrange them to do this, and even arrange for some soldiers to cut some grass on the spot for the horses' midnight snack.

A vast bonfire matrix soon appeared in the meadow area, and the rabbits dug out of the holes became bloody barbecues on sticks, becoming an unexpected surprise in the hands of some soldiers.

That night, the guide Osten corrected the direction of the Russian army again.

The campfire crackled, and Rurik, who took off his shoes and pulled off the foot wrap, rubbed his feet while listening to Ostein's explanation...

"Will this march end in one more day? Is that lake important?" he asked.

"Very important. Because the Shvet River does not lead to my hometown."

"Where does it lead?"

"I don't know, maybe it's some unknown Kurland territory." Osten shrugged helplessly, "It's definitely not a Semigalian village."

“So what about that lake?”

"When we get to the lake, we can camp by the lake and wait until the next morning when we head west and follow the first river after we find it."

"A new river?" Rurik thought of a term the man mentioned before: "Is it the so-called Forest Cat River?"

"No. It's vadaksit."

Rurik raised his head intelligently: "Is this Norse? What does it mean?"

"Because, in their language, Azerei means a simple lake. The Semigalians who live by a lake call themselves the people of the lake. The Vadakset River means water for the lake. "

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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】

Rick basically understood this concept with a gentle pinch of his beard. "Lake People, I always feel that the Semigalians there are...

Neng was not the great leader who willingly surrendered to them. "

"They will obey whoever forces them." Ostan added hurriedly.

"That's fine, I hope they are all smart people."

Rurik was not just rushing on this journey. His warriors all received basic cultural education, and outstanding leaders like Fisk received a deeper education. Although Beyathil did not have a concubine, she was still a concubine who played the role of a priest at a critical moment.

Both Fisk and Beyathil were given special orders to use their eyes to observe as much as possible, write down what they saw as notes, and then outline the marching path on paper. These documents were kept as archives to lay the foundation for future formal conquests.

The army was just a passer-by, and Rurik could not complete the conquest and rule in a short period of time. He also did not want to make the army passive and spend time in settlements such as Azerei because of his rough methods.

He had made up his mind, and while Osten was introducing the detailed situation, Rurik suddenly summoned the generals to deliver a simple and straightforward order to them: when encountering anyone else, it is forbidden to attack without the king's order. Violators will be fined one pound of silver coins. .

Generally, there is a fine for disobeying orders. Even so, it is a huge constraint for the standing army soldiers who are deprived of the king's salary. If the fine is imposed, a quarter of the salary will be gone.

The key lake is as slender as a snake.

Lake Drike, this is Osten's nickname for it, but it is indeed not as scary as the legendary sea monster Drike.

The Ross Army was stationed by this lake. Because they arrived earlier, the entire army had more time to rest and recuperate. Just like yesterday, all the reindeer and horses took off their saddles and bridles, letting them roam freely by the empty lake.

Gnawing grass.

Relying on the water-floating compass, Rurik easily determined the direction of due west. This trick was demonstrated in front of Ostan. The old man once called it a miracle, but he noticed that King Rus was playing with a magnet and a A piece of iron wire, the simplest wooden box, ordinary river water, and a side of leaves were used to complete all this, and I no longer think it is a miracle. Even if it was a real miracle, it could only be used by an ordinary old man like me.

The water float compass is actually the easiest direction tool for forest travelers nowadays. Magnetite is not uncommon. In the past, people used it to make tools. If it weren’t for the performance of the Russians, Osten would have known nothing about it. known.

With the help of navigation tools, the next march of the Ross Army was more normal. They successfully found the "Vada" River, and then began the most boring march.

A lot of the annoying forest disappeared. Rurik wanted to go faster and stopped riding for three days in a row. This time the whole army rode on horseback.

The army returned to a faster pace, just because of what Ostan said: If the king is fast enough, he will be able to reach Azerei Village this evening.

Rurik had issued an order prohibiting his subordinates from attacking the village without authorization, but that did not mean that he would let them go completely.

According to Ostein, there may be three thousand residents in Ezere, which is a large settlement by current standards, but it is still far inferior to the main Semigalian settlement on the Lielupe River- -The villages along the river there are densely packed, so they can support tens of thousands of people.

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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】

Now, the Russian army as a whole is advancing at a speed of about eight kilometers per hour, which is actually twice the speed of walking.

Rurikin

Believing Ostein's confession, today's operation simply involved the cavalry and the reindeer brigade. He personally led the cavalry of the Three Flags, and then under the guidance of Ostein himself, went straight to Aizere.

A thousand cavalrymen were all put on a plate armor, and the iron helmets were temporarily hung on the saddles. The Russian army was on military alert and rushed towards Azerei.

The "Vada" river they were following was the natural boundary river between Lithuania and Latvia a thousand years later, but the village of Azerei was a long-standing settlement that had appeared in the era of Charlemagne.

So, the cavalrymen flying the Ross flag saw children herding sheep in the valley area in the afternoon.

The child was dressed in tatters, and the white sheep he was driving were particularly conspicuous.

The child didn't seem to be afraid, he just guarded his sheep and looked curiously at something unprecedented that was running not far away. The child had never seen cavalry, and there were only a handful of residents in Azerei because they learned that Namsis, the leader of the alliance far in the east, raised a cavalry team.

"That's a shepherd boy, don't hurt him." Ostan, who was sitting on a horse with a cavalry soldier in his arms, pointed out nervously.

Rurik narrowed his eyes: "I saw it. Do you know that child?"

"I don't know. But when I go to Riga to sell stones, I pass through Ezere. Many locals know me. Please let me pass, please. I don't know the kid, but the kid must know my face."

"Oh? That's fine."

Osten has a witty and appropriate nickname among the people of Azerei - the old man who sells stones.

Just as he said, when the shepherd boy saw Ostan's face clearly, he was so bold that he shouted his nickname.

little boy never

I know about war, but I have never seen cavalry. The child's lamb was temporarily held in the arms of the warrior, and the big sheep was clamped on the saddle with a tragic bleating sound.

The boy looked excited because this kid was sitting in front of Rurik. He did this on purpose, to kill the boredom, and suddenly one of his sons was sitting next to him. Rurik was also willing to show his goodwill once he arrived at the Azerei settlement.

The cavalry rushed towards the large settlement sandwiched between two lakes. Along the lake were haystack wooden houses of various shapes, and there was also a large amount of lakeside farmland.

Cavalry in blue and white hues suddenly appeared, flying flags unheard of.

However, because the local people's understanding of cavalry is limited to the men of the alliance leader Namisis, only the leader elected by everyone usually goes to the eastern city of Pasvalis to pay allegiance to the leader on behalf of the entire village. The old leader passed away ten years ago. After more than a year, only a handful of people in Azeroth know about the situation of the new leader Namsis.

The three thousand residents raised some ponies and knew that horses could be ridden. They had only heard of the cavalry army and now they had seen it.

The mighty cavalry made the earth tremble. People working in the fields were curious to see the cavalry appear. People staying at home went out one after another, and fishermen on the lake docked their canoes after hearing the news.

People took it for granted based on rumors that this was the visit of the great leader Namisis in person, and gathered towards the cavalry like a market.

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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】

"Is this welcoming us?" Rurik asked Ostein immediately.

"It's not a matter of taking precautions anyway. Why don't you, Your Majesty, take advantage of the opportunity to make them surrender."

"It seems like this is the opportunity given to me by the gods.

"As he spoke, he couldn't help but rub the extremely bold fur-headed sheepherder sitting in front of him.

Azerei is an undefended settlement, and it has never been attacked in the past. The villagers will naturally organize armed forces, and that is also to deal with the wild beasts that rush into the village. There are not many Varyag merchants traveling here. The main job of the traders is to sell stones. Since the Varyag people will definitely bring the salt and iron that the villages and towns urgently need, these merchants are very popular.

Due to the relatively long geographical distance and tortuous transportation roads, the former Namsis leader was unable to firmly control the Azerei settlement. He only asked the locals to join the Semigalian Tribal Alliance and required the locals to regularly report to the leader's location. Paswalis offered some tribute, thereby in principle also buying the chief's military protection.

At this moment, more and more people gathered to judge and comment on the cavalry, which they had never seen before.

There are blue stripes on the plain white robes, and there are huge feathers on the metal helmet. They all carried bows, and a large number of arrows were hung on their horses.

They spontaneously chanted "chief" in the Baltic dialect, which eventually broke down into whines.

Suddenly, a woman wearing a headscarf hurried out and shouted a name.

"Yujia! Yujia! Are you?!"

"Mom!" The boy sitting in front of Rurik raised his head cleverly, then restlessly shook off the restraints and jumped off the horse.

"Oh? Is this child's name Yujia?" Rurik watched with satisfaction as the child threw himself into his mother's arms, and the man with a complex expression standing next to the woman was probably the child's old father.

Rurik signaled the cavalry to be on guard and not to have any trouble with the locals.

The interaction made Ostein immediately dismount and give a lecture to these people.

The residents of Azerei do not have a lifelong spokesperson. The large settlement has formed many powerful families. Because no one family has enough advantages over everyone else, the locals have to skip the vote when facing any major issues. Went to deal with it.

It’s too late to discuss who will be the new speaker. After all, the old guy who once held this position has seen Namsis himself and his cavalry. When he learned of the arrival of the huge cavalry, he was so shocked that he thought the chief was dissatisfied with the tribute and asked for more. property.

As the old storyteller hurried into the chaotic crowd with some of his companions, he muttered when he saw the blue and white flags. He never paid attention to this to the big leader. When he saw the real cavalry, he was dumbfounded.

"You! You are not our leader Namsis!" the old talker shouted, but he noticed that these warriors all had golden hair, and the most gorgeous ones among them seemed to have hair made of gold threads.

"Varyags! Are you Varyags?!" This was all he could think of.