When the Russian army established a camp here, the city of Orsha was born.

Starting from the confluence of rivers where Orsha is located, there are still nearly 100 kilometers to the main settlement cluster of Smolensk further upstream of the Dnieper River. If a hunter walks these 100 kilometers in this ice and snow, then this hunter can be called a Ice Warrior.

The vast majority of people in the Ross army can be called "ice and snow warriors", not because each of them has excellent skills and qualities, but because Rurik has made as much preparation as possible for the winter march.

The Orshaza River is only one of the thousands of tributaries that flow into the Dnieper River, and it is not wide among all the tributaries.

The beauty of this tributary is its location and the main course of the river, its source being in the watershed just north.

A joke circulated among the resting warriors.

Those northerners who saw the Dnieper River for the first time were not ignorant of this great river. Their past knowledge came from the sayings of the merchants, as well as the more distant and fragmentary meetings they got from their grandfathers.

Looking back on the two or three days since leaving the Vitebsk fortress, they all felt that they had been in a huge ice skating rink.

The movement to the south did not consume any physical strength. Everyone was wrapped in leather clothes and sat leisurely on the sled. If they hadn't been able to chat during the march, everyone would have fallen asleep.

"Sidvina Skating Rink", they jokingly described the journey they had just traveled, and even joked that "Skating Action" will continue at a high speed.

The cast iron cauldron is convenient and durable, and it is hundreds of times better than clay pots. When the northern artisans of the kingdom made pig iron castings according to the method of casting copper ware, with the completion of the so-called "at least as a container" iron pot, the casting technology artisans They are doing upgrades spontaneously.

Ross's iron pot was made larger and deeper, and cast thinner and thinner overall, so that it became lighter, less iron, and easier to heat.

Ross's flag team was not equipped with a professional cooking team, and the soldiers took care of the cooking work themselves, and naturally the most important big iron pot was also well protected by them.

A ship, that is, a platoon-level combat unit has an iron pot, and thirty people point to it to cook everyone's hot meals. Since only one soldier is needed to take care of it, there is no need for a flag team to set up a cooking team for the time being.

Frankly speaking, Rurik's move in this military operation was too hasty.

If there is more time, a group of non-combatants can really be organized to participate in the war.

There are clergymen who offer sacrifices on the battlefield, medical staff who perform emergency bandages, operations and even burying corpses, and cooks who are in charge of cooking, and even organize a song and dance troupe to sing some hometown songs to enliven the atmosphere...

These things can be implemented in the expedition to Frank next year, and it is no longer necessary now.

Right at the Orsha camp, Rurik could comfortably eat a hot meal.

Even Vadim, a high-ranking prisoner of war, was taken out of his cage to eat the rewarding hot meal.

"That man is at least a king, and now he looks like a head. Why, the Smolensk people chose such a coward?"

"It shows that those guys are naive. And this Vadim, his soul is dead, and now he is a walking corpse."

Arik had met the reckless Vadim back then, a young man who usurped the throne in a foreign land and organized an army to take revenge. Putting aside his status as an old Ross nobleman, Arik really admires this kind of avenger.

But

Vadim's behavior now made him despise.

Arik chatted with Fisk, and Jill, who was only six or seven years old and was not optimistic, ran over enthusiastically.

Facing Vadim, who was lying on the snow like a sled dog, eating the cold wheat mixed with a lot of snow, the little boy raised his feet subconsciously and posed like his uncle Rurik. Domineering conqueror shape.

Even being humiliated by a little kid, the last self-esteem of the disheartened Vadim also collapsed. He froze on the spot, like a piece of wood.

"I heard you are that villain?" Jill said in a naive tone pretending to be an adult, "You really look like a dog! I heard that my uncle will skin you and burn you to ashes .Are you really that hateful? Maybe I can hand you over

, so that uncle can spare your life. Haha, I heard that people who are neither male nor female cannot be leaders. Well, I'll put a rope on you and you'll be my dog? "

Vadim never thought that he could be humiliated like a dog by a yellow-headed boy. The boy spoke the native dialect fluently, so it was all the more insulting.

However, for an aristocratic boy like Jill, he can first speak the Norse dialect version of Ross, and secondly, he can speak the Inlmen Slavic dialect with his mother. Living in a bilingual environment, the little boy can switch languages at will.

This kind of people abounds in the Ross army, especially in the expanded four Citizens' Banner Squadrons. Almost all the young people in the army are mixed-blood fighters like this.

Jill is Arik's youngest son. Thanks to his father's stronger Nordic genes, he is still a "little golden retriever" with blue eyes.

Vadim exploded, and even with his hands tied behind his back, he still had the strength to counter the boy who had just humiliated him.

Vadim, who was struggling to get up, tripped Jill and jumped on him like a hungry tiger. Jill, who was crushed under him, was taken aback, screaming and trying to break free, to escape the imminent bite.

"Jill!" Arik rushed up with quick eyes and quick feet, kicked the mad Vadim aside with a slide shovel, picked up the frightened Jill, and slapped the snow all over his youngest son vigorously.

At this moment, there are many soldiers who are extremely bored and look at the noble prisoners of war who look like dogs. They are one step behind Arik, and now they have surrounded Vadim. It seems that the next step is to beat this rabid dog to death. .

It is not enough to be beaten to death, but it is inevitable to be kicked more than ten feet.

Vadim, who was kicked, made up his mind that it would be better if he was kicked to death by the Ross people in this way, so as to avoid future crimes.

Fisk hurried into the crowd and shoved the brothers who were in a mess to vent their anger: "Stop it all! If you kill this man, the king will punish you soon. Who would laugh if you really fined you a pound of silver coins?"

For the sake of money, everyone reluctantly dispersed.

A farce ended abruptly, and Vadim closed his eyes again.

Not long after, Rurik, who had received the soldier's report, suspended his chat with his old buddy, visited his frightened little nephew to make sure everything was fine, and then hurriedly approached his noble prisoner of war.

At this moment, Vadim had already sat down with his back against a pine tree. His hands and feet were tied up, his mouth was stuffed with a cloth ball, and he was **** with ropes. He held his neck high, looking like he was being slaughtered, and closed his eyes, wishing someone would give him a knife to end the absurdity.

A group of soldiers stared at the mad dog with their swords in their hands, and no one was merciful to stab a sword. On the contrary, everyone was talking about how the prisoner would be tortured at their high altar when he was transported to Smolensk.

There was another commotion among the crowd, and Rurik appeared with his sword gripped tightly.

"Your Majesty." Fisk hurriedly reported, "Fortunately, my people didn't kill him."

"Nonsense, let you take care of the prisoners of war, and almost let Vadim seize the opportunity. Do you understand? This guy failed to commit suicide because he was trying to get you to do it."

Fisk suddenly realized, so he had no choice but to take a step back and hook his shiny head.

"That's all."

Rurik signaled everyone to step back for the time being, and he squatted on the snow on his toes, staring at Vadim's face, and he looked very calm. "Come here." He motioned, "Take off the sackcloth and let him talk."

As the gag cloth was taken out, Vadim spat at Rurik without hesitation.

After wiping his face, the killing intent in Rurik's heart was quickly blown away by a gust of cold wind.

"I understand. The moonlight illuminates the frozen Dnieper River, which is very close to your Smolensk. You have no face to face those people, and you don't want to be executed as a sacrifice by me. Maybe, my nephew's respect for your The humiliation drives you into a rage. Do you want to die? You can right now."

"Kill me... kill me quickly!" Vadim growled like a wolf.

"Why don't you kill yourself." Rurik still had a calm face, and this calmness was even more terrifying: "Bite off your own tongue, hot blood will clog your throat, and you will suffocate to death. But you dare not fight to kill yourself battlefield,

Even if he is defeated, he does not want to kill himself. It is absolutely impossible for you to bite your tongue and kill yourself now. Of course, it doesn't matter if you die or not, it's fine to use your corpse as a sacrifice. "

Vadim fell silent again, and the eyes staring at Rurik lost anger and returned to an eerie calm.

Rurik stretched out his hand gently, and patted the man's face: "Everything will be over in a few days, don't act rashly, the last few days of your life, this king will give you dignity."

Listen, Vadim doesn't say anything, and doesn't want to say anything.

There are some things that can't be said too much, and it's even a good thing to be killed earlier. On the one hand, he can protect himself from continuous humiliation, and on the other hand, he can also protect his wife and children who remain in Smolensk.

Vadim did usurp the throne, and dishonorably suppressed all contenders.

Vadim is more militant than the previous Smolensk local leaders, and he must rely on revanchism to organize fans to maintain his power.

But in Smolensk, the down-and-out nobleman reaped a family. He has a wife and children, and fighting for power is one thing, but family life is another.

Now if he was killed earlier, when the Ross army entered Smolensk, his wife and children might be able to escape in disguise due to the lack of information. Escape to the allies Vyadichs as well!

Because he knew that the army he had organized was completely defeated, and the group of Smolensk people might find it difficult to organize an army again. Maybe they simply prostrated themselves at King Ross's feet and kissed his boots, flattering the woman who was not inferior to themselves, in order to survive.

But the Vyadzic tribe is another matter. They are not a branch of the Crevich lineage. Their closest relatives are the Ramici tribe.

Compared with Smolensk, where there is no leader, the Vyadich has a big leader who is in his prime, and his tribe is also large. It is absolutely impossible to expect them to submit to the Kingdom of Ross, so they will definitely not surrender their fugitive wives and children to win peace for a while.

even

Vadim had a beautiful fantasy.

Orphans and widows may be taken as wives by Viadzic leader Hedana, and sons as adopted sons. I'm afraid this is the best destination for my family after my death.

In just over ten years, an astonishing number of mixed-race Ross people stood on the ground, and even a half-blood yellow-headed child dared to threaten castration. Vadim completely misjudged the form, thinking that the 4,000 army he organized was the second strongest army in the known world. After all, he learned from the local nobles in Smolensk (with a small amount of Roman blood) that the Roman army is the world First.

He mistakenly thought that he would defeat the Rus' forces and establish his own hegemony in the huge world, and that all the Varyags would be defeated and finally become his own mercenaries.

Vadim does not reject the Varyags, what he needs is a vote of Varyag fighters who are loyal to him.

However, the real situation is that Rus was blessed by the gods.

The Russians built strongholds everywhere, and Vadim's ears were still keen. He learned from those chatterers that the camp he was in would develop into a fortress stronghold in the future, and it even had a name, the so-called Orsha.

"Let everything be destroyed..."

Vadim suddenly became extremely honest, and Rurik guessed that this guy was really disheartened.

However, the next action itself has nothing to do with this senior prisoner of war. Regardless of whether there is such a fugitive avenger, the attack on Smolensk is an inevitable historical event. The inflated Ross had to take down Siyi, but Vadim's revenge forced Ross to greatly speed up the process.

The army rested for a day in Orsha, and then began the final sprint.

Only a small number of soldiers guarded the still crude Orsha camp, taking care of a batch of unloaded grain. The residents cut down pine trees on the spot, and are already building a group of permanent wooden houses to store food. Around the camp granary, the current city of Orsha is rising at a slow speed, and the large-scale urban construction work belonging to her has not yet come.

Ross's army continued to march, and they moved faster after unloading a batch of supplies.

What's ahead? The huge forest area has its name - Katyn.

Katyn

, it has been called this name since ancient times, even in the current severe winter of 842.

It is the name given to the nearby forested area by earlier settlers of the Krivichs after the establishment of the riverside city of Smolensk.

Its original meaning is a verb - hack and kill.

How to hack? Hacked with a bronze axe.

Hack what? sacrifice. Especially cattle, a very important large animal in the Krivich culture. Even the sacrifices may be living people, and criminals who have committed heinous things in the tribe may be dragged to the altar to be hacked and executed.

Katyn Forest only refers to a large forest area centered on the Great Altar Gniezdovo. The Pecheneg caravan that once plundered on horseback attacked the villages in the Katyn Forest area.

Now that Rurik's army raced across the frozen river, he rode to see for himself the work of his allies.

It was a group of village ruins by the river, and the scout cavalry broke away from the main force to investigate, and quickly reported the information to the king.

It turns out that those relics are really just relics. The snow-covered and dilapidated village houses have no traces of turning over at all, and even the deep imprints of horseshoes broke the harmony.

At this moment, Quetzal, a prairie nobleman riding a horse with his head tilted, wore a huge furry fox fur hat as if he was wearing a huge bird's nest, holding the reins and walking with King Ross with great interest.

During his stay in Russia, Quetzal has been working hard to learn Norse and Slavic languages, and even learn some Latin vocabulary. The vocabulary of many languages is not much, so it is not difficult to learn seriously. It's not that Quetzal is very intelligent, it's because the vast amount of Latin vocabulary with a lot of new concepts has just begun to spread into the folk life of the Kingdom of Ross.

A brand-new Russian language is really forming, and the key is with Latin vocabulary. No matter how you pronounce it, a Latin word is a Latin word. Since it is considered noble by the king, young people in the kingdom are willing to learn one, no matter what ethnicity they are from , in order to cling to nobility, he will replace the old words in his own department with Latin words in his daily life. As for all the new concepts brought by Latin, he can only use it to express.

As a result, the languages within the Rus Kingdom at this stage are becoming nondescript. When the people's languages tend to be stable, the Rus language was born.

Quetzal can already communicate with Rurik himself in Norse, and he can show off a learned Latin word out of the blue.

"Khan!" he still used the word as a title. "We did all of this."

"Racing villages, looting slaves, killing civilians. You've **** off the Smolensk people."

"Thank you Khan for the compliment." Quetzal smiled and asked again: "When we defeat them, the trade line will be completely safe. In this way, we steppe people can continuously obtain Ross's refined iron and salt. You Is our best friend."

"Naturally. I hope the people of Smolensk will surrender obediently."

"However, the Khan will launch purges in the future. The methods are harsh, but absolutely effective. You are the real Khan, I admire you very much."

Rurik gave the boy a blank look, and nodded with a smile: "There is no need to praise so much. Quetzal, you and your people can get the spoils, even a group of women prisoners of war, and you can send them back to the grasslands for you Pechenegs have children. I am generous, don't worry."

There must be a reason for flattery, and Quetzal is indeed implying that he needs to work for the welfare of his steppe relatives.

However, Quetzal's remarks also illustrate the fact that he uses his living conditions in the grasslands to judge others by himself. On the grasslands, the battles between the various tribes are generally aimed at eradicating the roots of the hostile ruler's family, and taking the ordinary tribes as their own.

This is not ~www.mtlnovel.com~ Quetzal also suggested: "Those big and small leader families should be eradicated, and all of them will be taken to the altar in their so-called Katyn Forest. However, all the men who are below the wheel can be spared .

"Ah? Kill all the men who are higher than the wheel?" Rurik suddenly shuddered, the words were too familiar.

"Exactly. That's what we steppe people do. I heard that the Khan intends to kill them all."

"You? How did you hear that?"

"My lady princess said so."

"Beya Hill..." Rurik couldn't say anything. After all, she was his own woman. He thought it would be fine to reveal a little plot to her, but that girl's mouth was too loose.

"Don't be surprised, Khan. If the Khan suddenly feels that it may be inappropriate to execute those cubs, he might as well hand them over to me. These people can be slaves after they are brought to the grassland. The Khan knows that. We Pechenegs are very Servants of all kinds are needed, and this is the spoil we crave."

"It's really yours." Rurik nodded, "Sure."