At first, riverside anglers noticed something floating on the water.

Like the corpse of a beast drowning in water, and like a floating block of wood. As the canoe looked around, it was discovered that it was a dead body.

The fisherman was so stunned that he almost fell into the water. Although there have been cases of people falling into the water and drowning in the summer, but the arrow was stuck in the body, so he did not die of an accident at all.

Are there any bandits around here? Or people who go into the woods to hunt and mistake people for their prey.

People fishing on the riverbank came one after another after hearing the news, and the body had been dragged to the shore at this moment.

The deceased was obviously old, and his entire face became unrecognizable because his body was rotted away. The arrow was pulled out with great effort, and it was actually made of pure iron, like a steel needle, completely different from the broad-blade barbed structure of the hunting arrow cluster.

"Unbelievable. Not our arrows! No one has the luxury to use such fine arrows."

People gossip about it, and the entire community of hunters is freed from suspicion just by the cluster of arrows.

What was the condition of the deceased, judging from his simple dress, it was obvious that he was a farmer. Who is it that is so vicious to attack the old peasants?

As they were talking, a terrible cry came from the canoe, which was still wandering back in the river.

"You all come and see! There are still corpses floating down!"

This is no longer a normal murder to describe, the fishermen assembled four canoes and tried their best to stay on the river. Another person handed over cables, which connected the boats to each other and temporarily blocked the entire river.

Numerous corpses were successfully intercepted and pulled ashore one after another.

The conditions of the deceased varied, they were old people, women, and even children.

Many people have arrows stuck in them, and when the cluster of arrows is pulled out, it proves that all arrows are amazing.

Others had fatal wounds, like a heart pierced deeply by a spear or sword.

People's scalps are numb, and it is not easy to judge the identity of the deceased for the time being.

Suddenly, someone shouted in horror, "Could it be that the Varyags did it?! In the upstream village, shouldn't the deceased be a local villager?"

It seems that this is the most likely scenario.

Now there is no intention of fishing at all, and the shocked people ran like their own villages to tell everyone about the horrific incident on the riverbank, and then pulled out the trolley from the village to the scene of the incident.

The women in the headscarves covered their mouths in shock when they saw the corpse, and the men with the hair tied by the headbands were so shocked that their scalps went numb.

The leaders of the two nearby villages arrived at the scene one after another with Jingzhuang and a trolley.

But this matter is no trivial matter, and the big leader must be notified.

The pony brought from the village dragged the cart and left. After the two chiefs explained some things, they immediately set off to the wooden village where the chief chief lived.

In an instant, the village was shaking.

Women and children were forbidden to leave the village, and all men over the age of ten immediately took up arms to guard the village.

Since there are rumors that it is very likely that the Varyags can do such horrific things, firstly, they have this kind of strength, secondly, they also have this kind of motivation, and thirdly, recently, a long boat has passed by carelessly. .

Especially the rushing longship!

The people of the Polotsk community also did not know that they were suitable to move to the current settlement. After a period of land reclamation, life became stable, and they established their main village at the T-junction of the West Dvina River and an unknown creek. As the population swells, new villages appear one after another in the nearby river area.

The river is occupied by them, and the fishing resources of the river are of course their own. Outsiders who want to pass the river can pass, and they can pass by paying a batch of tribute.

However, they only make canoes and do not have a strong interception ability.

They know that the estuary of the river is the territory of the Riga (Latvian) people, and they also know that a group of Varyags have long settled there. Especially the Varyags, their ships are brisk and high-speed, and the boaters are not too harsh. It is easier to intercept Riga ships, and it is basically impossible to intercept Varyag ships.

The recent failed interception almost led to a conflict, with the oarsmen holding their hatchets high and beating the round shields hanging on the sides of the ships, chanting "fight if you don't agree" in simple terms. Why fight with them? If there is a murderous incident and the guys in Riga know about it, it might turn into a war.

As the saying goes, cutting people's fortunes is like killing one's parents, and these guys in Polotsk also know it. So intercepting Sorgon was also watching people serve dishes, and when he found that he couldn't stop him, he could only admit it and let it go.

Xiaohe was originally unknown, and the Polotsk people settled here and became famous.

The Polota River, is its name.

It has the largest settlement at its confluence with the West Dvina River, where more than 2,000 people settled in this narrow area, forming a large but loosely built village. A two-story tower with a wooden wall is located in the core area of the village, which is occupied by the ruler's family, which is the great chief respected by all the chiefs of the village.

A middle-aged man named Proclaw Vorobijovich was the leader of the entire community.

The terrifying news was spread by dozens, and the villages in Polotsk had close communication with each other. When the two villages took the lead in taking military alert, the village names added fuel to the known and heard news to inform people in neighboring villages. , the news became more and more terrifying when it spread, and in a short period of time, the entire community was in shock.

After all, Polotsk in this era is still too far away from becoming a grand duchy. Its population is less than 10,000 and it is highly concentrated in a small area. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as a large village.

Inside the wooden castle, the two leaders nervously reported what they had seen to the big leader.

"Is the news really reliable? Is it really what the Varyags did? You said a lot, I...I can't believe it." Proclaw didn't want such a thing at all, he subconsciously denied it.

"Then, please look at our evidence."

"Evidence? A lot of corpses? I can visit your village."

"It's some special arrows." After speaking, a leader opened the cloth bag and offered all the arrows that were gathered.

Although the big chief Proclaw came from the ruler's family, he was by no means a mediocre person. He was elected by the family and recognized by many village chiefs. Strong in its youth, it is now wise in age.

He couldn't help but look at the missing arrows: "These arrows are not ours."

"Most likely Varyag."

"They?" The big leader glanced at the two of them: "Are they willing to use good iron as arrow clusters? Also, what's the use of pointed arrow clusters? They can't hunt at all."

"But it can kill people. Many people were killed, and when we drew our arrows, we found that the arrows were clustered so deeply that they could even penetrate the body."

"So what? To make me believe that all this was done by the Varyags downstream? Because of the longship that we failed to intercept? We have to keep calm. But it's something to be wary of."

The information is very chaotic now, and the temporary leader Proclaw decided to take conservative but safe measures. He deliberately sent alert advice to all villages, asking them to check any outsiders.

Especially in the river area, although it is not advisable to intercept foreign ships indiscriminately, a high degree of alert must be taken.

The West Dvina River is not busy, and the guys who dare to carry out long-distance trade are mainly the local Varyags in Riga in the eyes of the Polotsks. These guys do not move frequently. The real Riga's boats are small, and they are generally willing to pay a tribute and leave. Under normal circumstances, the Riga will find a small river in the upper river and turn in, and then go all the way south to find the Delevlians to trade with. This kind of trade is also being done by the Polotsks, and even driving a pony cart down the road is not far away.

On the first day, public opinion continued to ferment, and the murderer was identified as a Varyag from Riga by violent public opinion.

The logic that everyone believes is very simple, because the unpleasantness a few days ago provoked the group of guys to retaliate and attack innocent civilians upstream.

That night, an armed expedition was organized. They are bear hunters, old hunters with bows, and a group of 20 people planned to organize this trip just to visit Duka Village. These senior hunters do not want to meet the unnamed attackers, and they hope that the village of Duka is safe and all the dead people found come from far and unknown places.

But early the next morning, the fleeing peasants were found by the Polotsks on alert.

Who would have thought that they were the villagers of Duka Village who had successfully escaped? !

They were transported to a large settlement on the other side of the river, where the frightened, tired and starving people collapsed one by one as they reached safety.

Among them, the men who were still in good spirits were brought into the wooden fort, and the big chief ordered him to explain what happened.

The eyes of the villagers are full of fear, their eyes are blank, and their mouths mechanically explain attacks and killings...

At this moment, the big leader tried his best to summon the leaders of the nearby villages, and even the most respected people in the big settlement. More than 40 people gathered to listen to the villagers who escaped.

The more everyone listened, the more terrifying it became. Finally, whether the attacker was a Varyag, the situation became confusing again.

Originally, according to public opinion, the Varyags in Riga had been convicted from the air, and they were responsible for the killing.

Could the legends that have been circulating in recent years come true, according to the victims' statements?

Horsemen were good with bows and arrows, and they raided the Smolensk territory. There were even large horse teams passing by, and the horsemen deliberately killed, captured prisoners and then burned the village. No one knows why these guys have such a big hatred for the Smolensk people. They are a group of plague gods, like little ghosts controlled by Cherniberg, and the purpose of existence is to kill.

It's no exaggeration to accuse this group of horse riders of all kinds of dirty words, but this is the most suspicious thing.

Horses are nothing new, but can they ride?

One of the biggest problems is that in the Pan-Polish community from the Vistula River to the West Dvina River in this era, ponies with a shoulder height of only about one meter are the mainstream.

In this era, the Magyars, the ancestors of the Hungarians, had just crossed the mountain pass and entered the Carpathian Mountains, and the Turkic horses from North Asia and the steppe had not yet flowed in on a large scale. At the same time, the Pan-Polish tribes have always been hostile to the Franks, and the Roman horses owned by the Franks have not flowed in in large numbers.

Two hundred years ago, the Avars Khanate was all the rage, and the ancient Polish peoples did not get many good horses. Even so, they improved the short legs of their own ponies by obtaining Turkic horses. Otherwise, they are little guys whose shoulder height is only the height of a man's crotch. They don't want to ride, but they can pull a cart.

Apparently the attackers were riding taller horses and they were very good at archery.

Today's Polotsks are a pan-Polish ethnic group that immigrated to the East from the Vistula River, and are really different from other nearby people who speak a similar language. They were very clear about each other, but neither had any intention of going to war. Each other's settlements are blocked by forests and marshes, and there is no interest in it, why fight?

But over the years, the gang of horse bandits are like monsters drilled out of the mud. Ordinary people don't care about it or don't know about it.

So, the horse bandits really have nothing to do with the Varangians in Riga?

The chief commander ordered the survivors to go to the barn to rest, but the barn was also guarded by the militia. He doesn't want this group of people to speak out about their horrific experiences in the settlement. After all, public opinion is already in chaos, and the top priority is to keep everyone calm and not allow the chaos to intensify.

"How about now?" Proclaw, the big chief, called all the village chiefs for an overnight meeting.

At this moment, he had already called off the mission to explore Duka Village that was scheduled for today. After all, it was meaningless. But the problem just got trickier!

Some village leaders asked loudly in public: "Is the news credible? There may be only ten horse bandits, but at most less than twenty. Even if we all know that there are very few people in Duka Village, they will not be easily defeated, right?"

"The attackers are good at archery and slashing. Their horses are so tall that they can even be ridden, and our people can't take advantage." Someone immediately retorted.

"Are you boosting the enemy's morale?"

"No! Bandits are great."

As a result, the village chiefs began to discuss it fiercely by themselves. The big leader had to cough for a while, and then stomped his feet hard: "Enough! Let's have a good discussion and don't quarrel."

How should we discuss it?

The legends became more and more real, and regardless of the attacker's connection to the Rigavariangs, it was certain that a whole new danger had begun to emerge in the area around the settlement. Could it be that those horse-riding bandits are tired of the attack on Smolensk? Start to go to the attack on Polotsk?

At least there is news that there has been a big change in Smolensk. After a new leader took office, the entire ethnic group went into high alert. Maybe the horse bandits suffered a loss from their looting this year, so they found a better target to bully?

Many village leaders, as community elites, know a lot of things that ordinary people don't know, and after discussions with each other, everyone thinks that this kind of speculation is very reasonable.

"So, the priority now is how to deal with the challenge! We can't just sit still and be on fire like the Smolensk village."

"Then organize the men, UU reading www.uukanshu.com We will hit the force to kill the gangsters as soon as we find them."

"And take their horses. Since their horses are better than ours, take them captive and keep them for breeding."

No one wants to sit still, because of the disaster in Duka Village, they have no illusions.

Immediately, the big chief issued an order, all villages were mobilized, any man over ten years old took up arms, and the villages kept in touch. The way they keep in touch is very primitive and very effective. The so-called preparation of a large amount of cow dung and pine wood, when the enemy is found, they will set fire, and when everyone sees the dark smoke column, they can organize militia operations.

This is a conservative tactic.

The Polotsks decided to take a more active approach, which was to gather all the hunters and form a mobile unit cruising outside the village. They mainly acted as scouts, hid and stimulated the traces of the bandits, and then reported to the rear, and the militiamen attacked them in groups.

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