From the Novopolotsk fortress to the Gulf of Riga, even if the ship drifted on the unfrozen West Dvina River, it must have taken six to seven days to finally drift to Riga.

The time has come to November, and the continuous snowfall makes people living in a large area lazy and boring.

In the Danish community in the city of Riga, people began to live in hibernation after stocking up all kinds of food for the winter, just like in their hometown.

Because from mid-to-late November, the ice at the mouth of the West Dvina River will become available for people to walk on foot, and the bay will freeze quickly, and people may be able to move freely on the ice after a snowstorm.

Production and life are almost suspended at this point, and the local Latvian tribal people and Danish immigrants are willing to stay at home and wait for the spring.

With the end of the Great River Ling, life can go on. Therefore, the Danish businessmen who escaped from the Vitebsk fortress did not dare to stay in the Novopolotsk fortress. After informing the garrison of the war alarm, they were already benevolent.

The merchants who escaped the war admired the courage of the defenders. After some consideration, everyone had to re-determine their positions.

"Fight the leader of Smolensk? We are businessmen, and we have to live to earn money. We will go back to Riga even if the river freezes, and tell the leader the news, and everything will be decided by him... As for participating in the war, let's see The situation. The fugitive businessman was not sure that his leader, Stekander, would organize his brothers to send troops.

I'm afraid the real situation is that he will take the initiative to send troops because of his friendship with King Ross, but he can't persuade the general public to follow him.

As for those Latvians, you can't count on it. Those guys outsourced their defense to the diaspora Danes most of the time, and they didn't even want to fight for their homeland, thinking that providing property and women could buy everything, let alone fighting for the suffering Russ.

Unless... the Earl of the Ross who is in charge of the navy can know the news and organize their Ross to march.

A long boat continued to drift through the wind and snow, most of the oars retracted, and only two oars acted as rudders.

People wrapped up and curled up into a ball, the leather caps covered the entire head, basically only the eyes were exposed. They were motionless, covered in a layer of snow.

It seemed that the dead ship broke through the crushed ice, and gradually arrived at their starting pointRigain the snow-capped world and the black river.

At this time, a large number of boats are neatly lined up on the gentle riverside, and even Latvian fishermen push their boats ashore to prevent the freezing sea level from hurting their livelihood tools.

The boats will not retreat until the West Dvina River is really cleared after the river flows. Fishing work has been completely suspended, and trade in gemstones and hides has been terminated prematurely.

Merchants of all stripes in Riga are now hoarding large quantities of amber, beeswax, and other gemstones.

Even, it is stained glass that is enough to confuse fish with genuine ones, the number of which is the largest, because the local people already know that these things that are difficult to be called gems

The reason for the "Rose gem", the selling price is naturally not high. Unless people who don't know how to sell colored and transparent glass beads to Bulgaria and Rome in the south make a fortune, they can only make small profits and sell more.

The one who transported these glass beads was none other than Spuet, known as the great explorer.

It is also his

The "Baltic Sea Law Enforcement Fleet" can serve as the energy supply for the transport ship, take a group of brothers to leave Saaremaa Island, and spend the winter in Riga nearby.

This winter, he and his son drifted to the port on an armed cargo ship. They didn't care about the wind and snow. When the ship arrived near the shore, they dropped their iron spears. Everyone took the cargo and released the boats to land.

Some people may question, wouldn't the frozen sea ice destroy the big ship by hanging it in the sea? No way!

More than 200 people from Spuute who landed arrived at the Ross shop which had already been built.

At any rate, Spuut is the earl conferred by the king. Compared with the environment of Saaremaa Island, everything in the city of Riga is superior.

So from the standpoint of the local Latvians, the Ross people are no different from those Danes, they are a new batch of Varyags who came to settle here.

Different from Denmark's emphasis on business, the Ross people not only focus on businessmen but also are more warlike. They are the overlords of the entire sea, and Spuet is the earl of this sea area, and was given the right to kill first and play later by King Ross.

Don't provoke this kind of character, it's just working with him, everyone can drink and eat meat freely.

The Ross shop in Riga, or the new residence of the earl of Sarema, was completed in 842, that is, this summer, and a new Ross immigrant community came into being.

The crouching dragon and phoenix chicks who had been exiled by various tribes changed their identity as pirates, but their fierce and cunning temperament remained unchanged. If there were not the managers of the Spuet father and son, there would definitely be some troubles.

In Riga, basic customary laws are still practiced. Thieves cut off their fingers, those who insulted their own clan were punished and then exiled, and vicious rioters beheaded... In terms of law, the city of Riga was included in the Kingdom of Ross, and Spueut himself acted as the lord of the city.

He was incapable of controlling everything in the city, and the reality was that it was business as usual, the big merchants in the city, the mercenary chiefs of the Danish community, the chiefs of the nearby villages, they still held power.

With the participation of the Ross forces in the trade, various commodities from Ross began to be dumped, coupled with the collection of necessary tributes, Spyut has been making a steady profit here.

The Latvian tribe with the largest number did not lose money. What they handed over the tribute was the security protection of a stronger Russian army.

The news spread to the surrounding area. In the warm area in the past 842 years, the Selon and Livonian tribes were nearby, and they sent cargo merchants to Riga one after another. Selling goods was one of the purposes, and inquiring about information was the biggest purpose.

When the two tribes learned that Riga was still prosperous and that the Rus conquerors did not do anything to exploit them, they were relieved and had to consider their position in the new era this winter.

The Ross people who planned to spend the winter in Riga talked and shared the grand occasion with their Danish brothers who lived next door.

Spueut and Stekander drank and talked happily, and their sons called each other brothers. The flag of Ross is flying high-profile here, which means that Riga has completely become a city of Ross, and it also declares its existence to the Semigallian people across the river.

It is a provocation, but also a threat of war. Because on this snowy day, the two people who got together, Spueut, Strkander, and even their guys, because they boasted too much, it seemed that they really needed to fight to prove who was the best. real warrior.

There will never be a civil war between the two sides, not even a shirtless wrestling in the snow. At most play a game that is quite popular in Northern Europe, especially Denmark

Crock Pots is a primitive version of football. What both sides are really planning is the possibility that we will take the initiative to attack Semigallian territory.

Actively attack the people on the other side of the river? The native Latvians were unwilling to take the risk, and had long been on the defensive, counting on the resident Danes to help them balance the threat.

Of course, this would require paying more money and materials to this group of northern mercenaries to prevent them from running away with the Semigallians who were willing to spend a lot of money.

As Riga was completely owned by Ross, such concerns of local residents disappeared. Because, the Ross army went to war as mercenaries, not a cat or a dog who could spend money to hire them.

Unless the Ross army judges that future operations will be profitable. Spuet here moved this idea.

They discussed very realistic and explicit war topics in the warm house. Spueut drank nothing but fine wine.

How he got it finally surprised everyone presentit was genuine Nassau wine.

Without him, the fleet returning from Frank returned with a relatively low-key voyage with strange spoils. The main force of the army was still stationed at the mouth of the Rhine River. The goods then headed towards the capital at full speed.

This fact was a huge shock to Spueut. From his point of view, an old man who has dominated the ocean for twenty years, the expeditionary force won a big victory, the Frankish capital must have been looted, and the main force of the army was not willing to come back because it wanted to expand the war and plundered wantonly.

This is easy to understand. After all, all the new and old ruthless people with the blood of the old Ross flowed on the expedition, and simple trophies were no longer enough.

Spueut really itch! Had to ask for a barrel of wine to come to Riga...

"If we take the initiative to send troops to plunder their food, leather, and population, wouldn't we be able to make a fortune? King Ross really needs slaves to add a group of two-legged cows and horses to his mine." Strkander didn't think the old man When he was drunk, he was able to drink wine freely, indulging in its unique sweetness and wine taste, and told about his knowledge of the Semigallian people while the wine was strong... Strkander said a lot, but he didn't know what was going on in front of him. Did your brother listen to it? Looking at the trembling eyes, he probably moved his mind.

"How many brothers can you muster?" Suddenly, Spueut asked.

"Ah? Could it be that you plan to do it next spring?"

"Exactly. And I... can muster three hundred fierce brothers. How can you Danes?"

"This...at most two hundred people. If you recruit some warriors from the local Latvians."

"Warriors?" Spueut couldn't help laughing, stroked his beard and said nonsense: "They are also worthy? They don't even know how to fight in groups."

"It's also true. Let them bring out more food to help us fight the war. I can see it too..." Spueut paused, looking sincerely into his brother's eyes: "They are just cowards. We Danes and When they are together, how do they manage the amber trade well? The Polotsk people on the upper reaches of the river used to dominate the river and collected benefits from the merchants along the way. Those Latvian merchants intended to sell amber, but they did not dare to resist when they were unfairly exploited. They all have to act together with our Danish caravan, I really don't know who is the host and who is the guest.

"Hey, of course we are the master. Now, me!" Spueut thumped his chest vigorously: "I am the master here! I am the leader you all should respect."

"That's true." After drinking another glass of wine, the grey-bearded Strkander couldn't help but think about the future: "I can still remember my Danish birth. But my sons, grandsons, and even descendants. I'm afraid they will only Remember that you are a Ross."

"Do you have any regrets?"

"It doesn't matter. King Ross is blessed by the gods, and our entire community is loyal to Ross, so naturally we are also blessed by the gods."

"Yes!" Spueut slapped his thigh: "This requires us to behead some enemies to sacrifice Odin and prove our courage to the gods."

"By the way... also to plunder the mining slaves that Ross urgently needs." While pushing the cups, the two got drunk, and even brought their son and their friends to the same level of fascination.

So what is Semigalia's fault? guilty. The crime is that they existed on the fringes of the area controlled by the Ross Kingdom, but did not send their envoys to submit.

Because of his disobedience and the tendency to use force against Ross's vassals in the future, instead of passively responding to the attack, it is better to subdue them in advance.

However, the Russians and Danes in Riga did not need to train troops in advance. People from all walks of life were sea heroes, and they could quickly assemble a Viking army of hundreds of people with their swords and shields.

The snow covered up the killing intent, and Riga seemed to be still calm. Until the ship arrived at the pier at the risk of being frozen... The news disrupted the peace of the Delos shops like a burst of clear sky. The key part - the Smolensk army is attacking the Russians in the Polotsk region.

The locals have no time to understand the Vitebsk fortress and Novopolotsk fortress, they only know that it is the stronghold of the Rus, thus controlling the whole of Polotsk.

The powerful forces in the east assembled an army to attack Ross in the snow? No matter how you think about it, it's incredible. Reportable merchants will not inexplicably sound war alarms.

It has not been two days since the last time I drank, and the wind and snow outside continued. Shocked, Spuyut had to organize heroes from all walks of life to discuss this sudden military event in the Rus Duma Council Court, which was newly established in the Ross shop.

Only God knows how far the war has come. It was quite cold outside, and the indoors were full of people wearing furs. There were not many oil lamps hung on the wooden walls, which made the undecorated parliamentary court look deserted and shabby. The worst thing was the dim light.

Everything started with the businessman risking his life to report the news, and now the businessman must explain everything he knows... With some uncontrollable embellishments, the strength of the Smolensk army has grown further.

Spueut didn't dare to slap his thigh and pointed at him and said, "You're talking nonsense." Because the businessman mentioned a key name: Vadim.

The nature of the situation has completely changed! That was no ordinary attack, it was clearly

"Fleeing Vadim" raised an army to seek revenge.

"Vadim! Seeking revenge in winter, you really know how to pick the time! How despicable to take advantage of our weak force..." Strkander was a little surprised: "This Vadim? Who is it? Look at your furious look. Brother, do you Ross have a big grudge against him?"

"Of course. This person is the one who must be killed by King Ross. I really didn't expect it..." Obviously, it is useless to be surprised and complain now. As the earl, Spueut completely believes in the businessman's statement.

Similarly, he also made an insurance policy, threatening: "I would like to believe you, but if you lie about the situation, your crime is enough and I will punish you as a blood eagle!" Everyone's faces slapped their chests: "I put my property and a large amount of supplies in Vitebsk. Your Rus' fortress may not be able to support it. If your Jellinger is defeated, Polotsk must suffer next. It will be a disaster for all of us if they succeed."

"If the Smolensk people cut off the trade route, the amber we intend to sell to Rome will be unsalable." Stekander, as the boss of the Danish community, was furious: "Since you have witnessed a lot. Brother, I have you as a guide After that, he looked at his old buddy Spuet, who was restless, and said, "It seems that your plan to attack the Semigallians has to be put back. You will definitely go upstream to rescue your relatives of Ross , and our entire Danish community will gather all the young and strong to help. Even, I will order the assembly immediately."

"Then let's do it! We don't have much time." Then, Earl of Salema, Spuyut got up angrily, and suddenly pulled out his steel saber, the buzzing wind of the sword was really eye-catching.

Under the dim oil lamp, it pointed its sword to the east: "I don't care whether the Smolensk people have 5,000 troops or 10,000 troops, we Rus are invincible in winter. That fool Vadim, killing this person is a great achievement, Rus The king will reward him with huge rewards. We attack together, and this year's Hanukkah will use their blood to sacrifice to the gods." That's all, everyone stood up.

The local tribes in Latvia who originally wanted to watch the show stood up reluctantly to show their attitude. Riga made a decision, and a small but powerful army emerged.

The time node of Spyut is very delicate. UU Reading www.uukanshu.com He was earlier than Rurik's assembly order and army departure in Novgorod, and he ordered to fight on the first day he heard the news. Full-scale combat preparations began on the second day, while Riga's combat preparation time was only one day.

Then on the third day, local horses and reindeer were assembled to pull the sled, barely able to bring 300 warriors into action.

That's right, just three hundred people, not many, but not many. Once the northerners lose the speed advantage of inland waterway shipping due to the freezing of rivers and bays in severe winter, the next best thing is to rely on animal power to pull sleds.

However, there are not many domesticated winter livestock here in Riga, and the animal-drawn sleds made of haphazard can barely carry 300 people.

Spueut couldn't take it anymore, even if there was a possibility of a snowstorm on the way, any risk in this matter had to be taken.

This is not just reinforcements, the morale of the whole army is strong. Because the categorical way of making money is like killing parents, the actions of the Smolensk army have already made Riga feel the crisis of survival, and the violent counterattack originated from this.

They are fighting more to defend their way of wealth.