Carl, who is nestled in his mother's arms, is as docile as a bunny due to the boring boat. roundabout

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

Great Luki, the southern city that Rurik ordered to build.

A whole year has passed, and the city has grown from nothing, and its expansion speed is also visible to the naked eye.

A year later, the Duchess of Ostara, Carlota, 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 has exceeded 2,000 in an instant.

Most of the young Slavs who were forced to immigrate spent the first winter in Great Luki after the city was founded.

Did anyone die unexpectedly? The answer is yes.

Some young people got sick in winter, or died of the cold during forced expeditions in winter. In addition to those who got lost in the snow and snow, as many as 30 people died in the past winter. roundabout

This situation really surprised Carlotta.

Could it be that the city defense is not doing well enough? Or were the settlers just being too reckless? Or, simply because of the fate of the dead.

She has always been skeptical about the Slavs who joined Ostara. These "farmer's children" are not as strong as the "Nordic Golden Retrievers". They are not able to tolerate harsh environments and lead to many accidental deaths. In reality, this disadvantage can be reversed by improving living conditions.

Carlotta really overlooked one thing. The tradition of abandoning babies in the Nordic tribes has existed since ancient times. Whether it is considered a bad habit is open to question. At least Rurik denied this habit after he took power.

Any habit has the underlying logic of its birth. In the extremely cold environment, only the healthiest babies are eligible to be kept by their parents. And when families don't have much food in store, even healthy babies can be abandoned by their parents.

Under such a passive choice, Ross men and women who can live to the age of twelve have often experienced many ordeals that almost killed them, and thus have developed enough physical fitness.

In contrast, the Slavs around Yinlmen Lake who insist on farming live a more stable life. Having more agricultural resources is not only able to feed more people, but also because they have the resources to raise some weak people, and even more More food is distributed to more children, because it is impossible to select the best from the best, the nutrition given to the children is relatively average, and there are few strong men like bears in a small family or a collective estate. roundabout

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

Although Carlota is currently trying to open up as many grazing pastures as possible near the Big Luki, the large population of residents has saved the lives of most of the cattle, sheep, horses, and reindeer in the past winter. Breeding Season.

After all, most of the residents are Slavs of peasant origin. They are not good at animal husbandry, but they are good at cultivating wasteland and digging land.

The area of newly reclaimed farmland is very small, and they are distributed in the northwest of the city as a whole. When Carlota's army passed by here, they saw that they were just some newly grown sprouts, and almost thought they were some pasture.

She came, the first priority is to gather all the population to launch a grand opportunity.

It was a sunny and sunny day brimming with spring breeze, and the grassland next to Jiancheng was crowded with people.

The fact is that a large number of young people of Slavic ethnicity who are carrying out reclamation activities gathered together wearing basically uniform clothes. Since they saw a large number of cavalry participating in this open-air opportunity, they couldn't help discussing their future destinyis the Duchess planning to start a battle? war? roundabout

"War? Will there really be a war? Attack who? Actively attack the stronghold of the Smolensk people?"

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

"However, that bald man on the horse... If General Fisk took the king's order, if he really wanted to use force against Smolensk, wouldn't we have to participate as well?"

Countless whispers turned into roars, and people had different opinions and felt worried about their own fate.

If it is not forced by the situation, who will take the initiative to choose war, even if participating in the battle has the right to share the spoils after victory.

Looking at each other, these too young Slavic pioneers, their military equipment is mainly to ensure self-defense. Since there is basically no armor and stomach, the only thing that can effectively defend in combat is a round shield. not much. roundabout

As for Carlota, she was riding a horse with her son and hoped to see a strong army, but apart from the cavalry she brought, these gathering peasants couldn't be regarded as The strong army, they are still too young, and they still seem to lack the courage to fight.

"Everyone be quiet!"

Carlotta, with her neck held high, stopped all whispers with her shrill voice.

Coupled with the sound of drums and horns, the scene gradually became silent, and finally only the sound of the rumbling wind remained.

Because the personnel are densely packed, even in an open area, if she speaks loudly, she can basically be heard clearly by many audiences.

Pairs of eyes were fixed on the Duchess's high profile and square chin, and 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 matter in today's meeting. roundabout

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

I will lead you to Vitebsk first! then! Down the West Dvina River, into the Polotsk villages!

Conquer the obedient and crusade against the rebels!

Only the best people are qualified to fight with me in the south, and I will immediately select qualified fighters from among you! Will mount a horse and join the army!

warriors! In Polotsk, there are many beautiful girls, and there is a lot of grain and cattle and sheep. The outstanding ones will be rewarded generously and even get a beautiful wife.

Don't worry about the danger, we are the Ross Army! Ostara is part of Ross! This time, the king's son! Our Karl! In the name of Karl, I will go south to conquer Polotsk, the best of you must cooperate with all your strength, only in this way can you get happiness..."

Carlotta didn't talk much, but talking at the top of her voice was a test of her lung capacity. She blushed and couldn't help panting heavily. In the eyes of others, such a duchess really did her best for the next action. roundabout

People fell into a quarrel again, because the Duchess did not point out the action against Smolensk, and the plan of action was to conquer Polotsk, which was obviously very strange.

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

What she mentioned was the strong desire of the boysto have a wife.

All the Slavic manors around the Inlmen Lake area have to take out some boys and girls from ordinary families to fill the extremely scarce Principality of Austala, and forcibly relocate to the emerging town of Great Luki to become resident personnel.

Leaving one's hometown to open up wasteland in the wild areas of the south is a real chore. Of course, there are both men and women among the young people who are forced to immigrate, and the proportion of men is extremely high. As a result, after a winter, some young women who were not many died because of their frailty, which caused the basically bad male-female ratio in Da Lu to further deteriorate.

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

Taking women as wives through war means, many people think that this is the only possible way to get married in their life. It would be great to use force against Smolensk and successfully grab a woman. Whether you like it or not, everyone is now a soldier. If there is a large-scale war, everyone can't stand by and enjoy the benefits. roundabout

Having learned a lot from the mouths of their parents and grandparents, the young people subconsciously still feel that the guys in the Smolensk community are not easy to mess with.

What kind of rotten fish and rotten shrimp are the Polotsk people? The duchess and the king's army won an easy victory last year, and the tribute and food they asked for ensured that the Great Lucki had enough supplies for the winter.

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

This short meeting was exciting, just a move south to hope to get a wife, and the Slavic boys of Great Luki compared and showed off each other in every word.

Those bulls that have just been blown must be cashed immediately, and a "horse riding competition" was immediately carried out under Carlotta's behest.

On a sunny afternoon, the open space outside the city was still extremely lively.

As a pioneering city, Greater Lucki is extremely boring most of the time. To put it mildly, young immigrants are here to sway their youthful sweat. To put it harshly, they are suffering and developing in an extremely difficult environment. roundabout

The hometown of Yin Ermen Lake rejected them, and all of them could only create their own homes in the new world. The city was still growing fast after at least the first winter, and they saw hope for the future.

Horse riding became an event that everyone could participate in.

Those who can gallop a horse for a sufficient distance without a saddle, only with their legs between their legs and the rein in their hands, are considered excellent.

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

Young people's horse riding skills are uneven, but what Carlotta needs is not a warrior who has experienced many battles, but only "people who can ride horses".

From Veliky Luki to Vitebsk, the cavalry has explored a simple and rough path to the south.

The main course of the Lovati River eventually reaches a lake, which is believed to be the source of the river. Perhaps it is not the real source, and there are a large number of streams converging on this lake. However, although the navigation significance of the streams basically does not exist, and the location of the lake in the west direction is not pleasing. roundabout

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

Similarly, she was not sure whether the Polotsk people's attitude towards Ross was still submissive after 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 you really want to follow the explored road, the path will be stretched to about 150 kilometers.

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

One hundred people were selected after experiencing the "horse riding competition". To Carlota's regret, only five people were eligible to be immediately absorbed as cavalry fighters. After all, they were all from peasant families, and she didn't have too many expectations for these subordinates for the time being, so it was reasonable to end up with such a result.

At night, Grand Lucki becomes the Duke's residence.

The houses here are just like the city of Ostara, they are all pure wood, even the residences of high-ranking nobles are not much more advanced than ordinary people. Born in poverty and wildness, smelling the smell of milk and cow dung, the director of the factory, experienced hardships when he was young, Carlotta is a noble duchess, and his leg problems will never heal in this life. roundabout

She tried her best to hide her limp when walking, but only when she was riding a horse could she completely cover up this physical disadvantage.

Different from himself, his son Karl was born in a wonderful era. He has never experienced hardships, and all he has heard and seen is the story of the expansion of the Ross Kingdom.

Carlotta sat cross-legged like a male aristocrat, and her proud son followed his mother's example with his chin raised and his toes high.

There were two heavyweight male figures present.

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

One is Svalgard, a 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.

On the contrary, there was an old man, Harold, the mercenary leader with the alias of Olaf. He usually didn't want to talk too much, and he could put on an old face at any time to look deep in the city. Karl was suspicious of the old man, and instinctively feared him. roundabout

Carlotta needs this old man, he is very clear about many matters in Polotsk and the Gulf of Riga, and he needs his advice when encountering some bad things.

Oil lamps illuminate a dimly lit room.

"I have already decided." Carlotta looked around: "I will take the army and a batch of supplies to Vitebsk to appease the local garrison. died in a surprise attack by the Skrits."

"Your words are inexplicable." Fisk shook his head, his face suddenly showing strong disdain: "Rurik has dismissed those Smolensk guys, and you still think highly of them? Don't you think those guys have the ability to sneak attack? Vitebsk, our southern outpost?"

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

"You..." Carlota looked at the two embarrassedly, 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?" Speaking of the large Slavic community in the East, Harold, whose alias was Olaf, couldn't describe it in words. He didn't know how long he would have to pretend, and he was most afraid that if he exposed his miserable past, he would be taken out as a sacrifice by the Ross people and chopped down. He had no choice but to speak again and again, repeating that Smolensk's large population and strength should not be underestimated. roundabout

"You see, even my advisors say that. My worries are valid." Carlotta's ears are callused at these words too, but now she needs this nonsense.

"Are you so sure?" Fisk asked again kindly.

"Of course. A woman's intuition!"

"Well, I also feel that Vitebsk needs to develop further."

"Of course it will develop, but the premise is that I must directly rule all Polotsk people. No!" Carlota paused, and pulled Karl, who was too busy to put on an arrogant posture, to his side: " My Karl is the only nobleman in Polotsk, the powerful local landowners must pay homage to him. Also, I have to choose a beautiful girl for him, so that Karl can officially rule them, I am Ostara The principality's big problem of lack of population can also be easily solved.

Carlotta's claim is not violent. In Fisk's view, this woman is deliberately re-enacting the deeds that happened to Rurik himself in a new world. The hero of the story has changed to Rurik's son Karl, and the heroine has changed from White Tree Manor to the Polotsk community.

Fisk had no reason to doubt. He looked into Carlotta's eyes and said with a smile: "The king has authorized you to do this, and it is not wrong to engage Karl. I support you as always. But..." Lan

"how?"

"It looks like our army is going to spend the summer in Polotsk."

Carlota's face quickly became serious: "Of course. The 200,000-pound wheat tribute must be what I say. I need to wait for the wheat to mature and personally supervise the harvest and **** it away. Our communication line is already too long. My Ostara is not a sanctuary for grain production either, but the rapid development urgently needs a lot of grain. It is too troublesome to transport grain from the north, and the best way is to go from Polotsk Sogon."

"Of course. We can even get some more food from the Gulf of Riga. After all, the ocean line of communication has been opened up. Our ships in the Baltic Sea can go directly to Polotsk via the West Dvina River." Fisk casually mentioned the fact Carlotta, who was suddenly startled, suddenly had an epiphany.

"Yeah, I forgot about that."

"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 rose up, imitating his mother's and father's gestures with his waist pinched, and raised his immature chin: "My father is Rurik, the king of Rus, and I am the Duke of Ostara, and the people of Polotsk will be mine from now on." People, when I grow up, I will lead the Ostara army, and the Polotsk army, and help my father defeat those Smolensk guys." Lan

Carlotta was overjoyed by the boy's ambition.

This scene seemed familiar, and Fisk couldn't help but stroked his beard and recalled the past more than ten years ago: "This little Carl is so much like his father."

"How?" Carlotta asked.

"It's an exciting past. At that time, Rurik, who was only six or seven years old, called our group of brothers to gather on the **** of the sea. He vowed to lead us to a great cause, and the oath has come true."

"There is 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...

No proxy is needed, the Principality of Ostara will complete the direct rule of Polotsk with the authorization of King Ross, and the new history must start from 842~www.mtlnovel.com~ The plan is still the old formula of marriage and solicitation, and Coupled with a strong military deterrence, as many as 700 cavalry troops will be stationed in Polotsk, fundamentally destroying any possibility of rebellion by the locals. roundabout

For this reason, the Principality of Aostara is mobilizing. The city of Aostara in Inlmen Lake is managed by a good sister, Beja Hill, and the important town of Great Luki is guarded by Svalgard.

Carlota took most of the cavalry with him, and started southward with the most elite Ross 1st Cavalry.

In this process, although the young Karl has the potential to become a powerful military nobleman, 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 boats and crossbows like his father's, but on fast horses and scimitars.

Just as the Rus tribe completely annexed the Slavs' White Tree Manor thirteen years ago, history is repeating itself in another form for Karl Rurikovich Ostara.