Together with the last few surviving prisoners of war who were spared in the previous war, Rurik finally prepared fifteen messengers at the altar.

Now their lives were spared, and one by one they changed into clothes that could keep out the cold and got on the sleigh prepared for them by the Ross people.

There are people who have been through the war and they know best what happened in Vitebsk and Polotsk. The soldiers who fought with Vadim knew that Vadim was still alive, and knew exactly who their opponent was.

As for the ten released Gniezdovo prisoners of war, their hearts were filled with fear, wishing that the Rus would quickly let them go and live with their lives. As for the relatives and friends who were killed at the altar. To avenge them? Then you have to live first. Survival instinct **** reason.

In the morning, a number of severed heads were stuffed into burlap sacks. All the heads had a common featurethey were men whose faces had been painted with chalk mud.

According to the Riga Bay warriors who visited here, people dressed in this way are even local priests.

"It doesn't matter if the high priest finds it or not. Maybe there is the head of the high priest inside. The king just needs to collect it as much as possible, and it will be enough to shock the people in Smolensk."

Rurik listened to this advice, and even deliberately destroying the corpses of enemy clerics was a means of showing might.

The fifteen couriers who were eager to leave had a bowl of hot rice. They hung their heads with unsmiling faces and showed fear.

A large bag of unknown objects was thrown onto the sled, and the soldier handling the matter held his head high and proudly: "Smolensk people, look here, which head do you recognize? Is there a high priest?"

After all, the soldier left with a smile on his face.

They were startled, and hurriedly squirmed and opened their concealed pockets, facing the hideous pale heads, they immediately jumped back again and again in fright.

Because, the head of the killed high altar high priest, the middle-aged man with a wrinkled face, was quietly piled up here.

Rurik's subordinates did it very carefully. The clothes and makeup of the priests were very different from those of ordinary villagers. Although the corpses have long been damaged in the looting, and a large number of corpses have been piled up again, it is relatively easy to find the white-faced corpses from the audience in Beijing and then decapitate them one by one.

There was still a brave man who endured the trembling all over his body, his eyes were as big as copper bells, he went back and tied the mouth of the sack firmly.

He turned his head and whispered in horror: "The envoy is dead, we...we are finished."

Everyone was stunned for a while before someone asked back: "What should I do?"

"Let's show those noble masters. Anyway... I'm going to run away."

"Escape? Where are you going?"

"It's better to listen to the Ross people. We will run back after finishing our work. We will do things for them."

"Stupid!" Someone retorted in a low voice: "The Ross people are villains, and you will be skinned and cramped by them when you come back. You might as well...run away."

With a fit of horseshoe fever, they fell silent.

The person who came was none other than Fisk who brought the cavalry to show off his might.

Fisk, who received the order, was able to drag all the released prisoners of war directly to Smolensk with the 1st Cavalry under the leadership of the Riga Bay brothers.

The cavalry has a strength of three hundred, and they are well-dressed, with thick leather jackets covering the plate armor waistcoats inside.

They decided to travel light, so there was no plan to break into each other's settlements to fight Grass Valley.

The sudden killing of 300 cavalry was enough to wreak havoc in the villages of Smolensk. If other cavalry and cavalry were not in order, they would really do so, and even called it "further deterring them".

The extreme killing that Rurik wants has come to an end for the time being. He needs a confidant army to kill at the destination at high speed, show off its power under the eyes of the villagers, and then walk away. I am afraid that only the First Cavalry can suppress the desire to kill and plunder. .

[The app that has been running stably for many years is comparable to the old version of the book chasing artifact, which is used by old bookworms

A large number of blue goose feathers were stuck on the polar bear fur velvet cap, the recurve bow was stuffed into the leather bag as a whole, and the quiver was full of arrows with brown and yellow feathers.

The people were full, the horses were full of oats, and the cavalry were restless.

Surrounded by these covetous cavalry regiments, the prisoners in the cracks were afraid that the Ross people would suddenly change their minds and cause themselves to be massacred by the cavalry.

But looking at them like this... If such a cavalry team is allowed to rush into the Smolensk village, there will be a barbaric killing, right?

The cable caught the sled, and Fisk didn't want to dawdle any longer.

He cleared his throat and pulled **** the reins, and the horse immediately walked towards the main channel of the Dnieper River. The cavalry behind followed the footsteps of the boss, dragging a sleigh of prisoners of war and the big gifts "gifted" to the local nobles and left...

Let's talk about the Gnezdovo Altar and the surrounding residential areas.

A river that the locals call Svenets flows through the forest here and pours into the wide channel of the Dnieper River. Its name comes from "fire", and in terms of the meaning of the existence of this settlement, it is called "the river of cremation". It is its original intention.

But visitors from the Gulf of Riga who have visited here a long time ago have a name for it - Zhuyajiao Bay

After all, Gniezdovo is the largest altar in the region. Those Danish merchants in the Gulf of Riga who traveled the long Amber Road for their own interests, worshiped Frey, the **** of wealth, and sacrificed to their own gods here.

The big golden flashing wild boar, this is the mount of God Frey. It is said that if the pig understands its body, gold will fall.

The Danish community in the Gulf of Riga had no need to be hostile to the entire Smolensk community in the past. They had no hatred for the locals, but they did not show favoritism. Their past exchanges with each other were purely business transactions.

Even some Danes have already lived in Smolensk, and even bought women from locals as wives and gave birth to children. Yu Xin, everyone never thinks that they are of the same race as them.

There are Danes, Swedes, Gotalanders, and Jutlanders, and various northern merchants are called Varyags by the locals. The Danish community in the Gulf of Riga rose up as a trading point intertwined with sea and inland rivers. There are a group of brothers living in the community, but there are still some people who speak Norse and row long boats seeking solitude.

Now, the cavalry was moving fast across the frozen upper reaches of the Dnieper.

The accompanying Danish soldiers in the Gulf of Riga were carefully selected by the leader Sternkander. They all know how to ride horses and have been to Smolensk many times in the past. Naturally, these people are also older.

Perhaps these people can serve as real messengers on the Ross side, to declare the wishes of the Ross conquerors to the local nobles.

However, everyone was very worried that because they had done too much at the altar, the locals who were frustrated and frustrated would be angry.

Because of this concern, the Riga Gulf fighters who accompanied them were somewhat cautious.

On the other hand, Fisk and his guys were extremely relaxed, as if going to Smolensk was a winter trip.

"Brother, when we arrive in Smolensk, we must abandon the prisoners and leave. You must not stay there too long." The speaker had a beard, and he looked a generation older than the bald Fisk.

"You call me brother? You are obviously much older than me. Well, I don't want to stay for no reason. Unless... the locals attack us."

The man hastily explained: "That's what we're worried about. The army killed too much on their altar, and many people escaped. I'm afraid our killing has been known to them, and the entire Smolensk village is on alert. Once we appear... "

"Then there is nothing to say. My people will kill some of them and walk away." Fisk shook his head with disdain.

Even so, what the old man said really reminded Fisk.

He didn't want to believe that a powerful force would have no soldiers inside after a big battle with heavy losses. He learned from the former prisoners of war that those who were mobilized to join the war were some bitter and bitter farmers, followed by debt slaves from various noble families, and some groups of villages had people who were unpopular with sneaky behavior.

Maybe Smolensk still has huge war potential, once they are under strong existential threat

I am afraid that men and women will serve as militiamen even if they hold a wooden stick.

Thinking about it in another way, if Ross also encountered a similar crisis, it would be natural for ten-year-olds to take up arms.

The old man suddenly mentioned this matter again: "I still have some worries."

Fisk turned his face impatiently and scolded: "Uncle, your worries are unnecessary. If they dare to challenge, I dare to kill at least 500 of them before leaving."

"Well, your toughness is obvious to all of our Riga community. I mean, there are some of our brothers over there in Smolensk..."

"Our brother? What do you mean?"

"It's the Varyags who left the community, speak the Norse language, and are essentially us Danes. All are free, and they chose to stay in Smolensk without forming a community. I'm worried that they will They took up arms and fought against us without knowing it, after all... that Vadim hired the local Danes to train him. We suffered a lot for this.

"Is that so?" Fisk thought about it for a while, and it was true. "If they choose to fight, then kill them. They are all Odin's warriors. The moment they pick up their weapons, they should have the awareness to be killed." .

"That's true. Young man, you are too extreme! I hope there is some way to get those people to join our camp. After all, they are all friends who sell gems. Besides, King Dane and King Ross are brothers, and northerners can be friends .Especially for them, there is no need to die for the Smolensk people.

Fisk wanted to say that the old man was stupid. When the words reached his throat, he choked back, and said again: "Since you said it, why don't you go to your Danish brothers in person and call on them to follow us?"

"This..." The old guy hesitated.

"If I respect you, I will call you an old uncle. If I don't respect you, I will call you an idiot. They trained Vadim's soldiers, but it made you and me suffer."

But the old man has self-respect, and it is really uncomfortable for a young man to yell in front of him. Everyone gets old, this Fisk is in the prime of his life, but he is already old.

Old, not old at heart.

The old man gritted his teeth.

"Fisk." He simply called his name, "you should call it that. Boy, do you dare to take a risk? We will go directly through their village and enter the place where there are many Danes. I don't care if you fight with the locals." Stop you, but I hope those Danish brothers who live here can leave. If they are guilty of training Vadim, they can let the king of Ross make a judgment. Since we all speak Norse, I don't want them into war."

"Is it really necessary?" Fisk continued to ask impatiently.

"Yes! They are just as effective as us. If they leave, Smolensk will be even less powerful. If we really fight in the future, it will be easier for us to win."

This matter was completely out of Rurik's plan, but Fisk had an army in his hands, and he had been given the authority to complete some military operations by ear. Because he was a distant relative by blood, Rurik trusted this general who grew up eating meat and drinking wine together, so he gave him this set of privileges.

Rurik is also more assured that Fisk's whole family is working in Novgorod. The hostages were in the hands of the king, so Fisk really didn't dare to do anything wrong.

Originally, Fisk thought that one thing more is worse than one thing less. After the old Danish man reminded him, he decided to give it a try.

After all, they are cavalry, and all the horses are equipped with horseshoes for visiting China in winter, so they can run fast even on ice. In this way, the cavalry can rush in and get out quickly, and rushing to the settlement of the Smolensk Varyag is estimated to be a matter of turning a corner.

Fisk doesn't know how many Varyags there are, no matter how many there are, cutting them off from the local nobles is a good thing to weaken their strength.

"Do you know where they live?" he asked.

The old man immediately replied: "I have been there, so I know."

"Do you have to go through many villages?"

"No, they all live in the riverside area."

"That's easy." Fisk nodded: "Let's take the risk

once. At that time, you have a good talk with them. If you can appeal to them to follow us, King Ross will reward you. "

On the other hand, the city of Smolensk in the early morning has fallen into overall panic!

Thousands of Gnezdov refugees fled for their lives in the snow overnight. Even if they were half-breathed after arriving in Smolensk, their belief in survival made them walk ten kilometers of ice and snow road overnight.

It is really strange that a large number of refugees fled in. No matter if they were local nobles or ordinary peasants, they could not turn a blind eye to the refugees who were facing hot meals.

Even the Varyag merchants, grouped together in micro-communities that took in a handful of refugees, heard the complaints.

All the refugees said the same thing: a large army of unknown origin rushed into the altar, many people rode horses and sleds, and they killed everyone they saw without mercy.

These accounts point the finger at one groupthe Ross bandits on horseback.

The big leader Vadim forcibly launched the winter offensive to crusade against the Ross bandits. What happened? Can those bandits still enter the altar?

For the time being, no one has estimated whether Vadim was defeated. After all, in the past few years, bandits on horseback have raided the village in the market.

All bandits have the characteristic of being on horseback, and another characteristic is a distinctive blue and white tone.

Ostara Cavalry, Grassland Merchant Group and Kiev Horsemen, since the King of Ross allows everyone to hold the Ross flag to attack Smolensk, all looted goods and slaves are willing to buy when they are transported to North Ross. Responsible, such a good thing naturally has a subjective reason to do it.

Nature also brought continuous disaster to the Smolensk people.

These farmers have also learned.

The local nobles installed wooden walls for their homes and trained a group of young men to be servants. The able-bodied servants are used for self-protection, and they will definitely not be handed over to Vadim to do the winter expedition, which is obviously mentally handicapped, so a group of poor people are arranged to fight.

There are many villages that are self-governed by the people, and the people they elect are not nobles (but there is a tendency to become hereditary land nobles). Everyone helped each other to form a stronghold to protect themselves, and sent the sneaky people in the village to Vadim to go on an expedition after voting. Ironware they can only make such a bad move.

The summer and autumn period should have been a time when bandit activities were rampant. At that time, the villagers were on high alert, and they were safe after a long snowfall. Didn't they think that the bandits would launch an attack with large soldiers?

The Smolensk people have never seen such formations! The main reason is that the whereabouts of the big leader and the expeditionary force are unknown. The entire Smolensk has no leader. No hero immediately organized everyone to unite to protect themselves. All villages and manors can only adopt a high level of alert after gathering refugees for the time being.

And many people have been packing their belongings and dragging their sleds to flee from the early morning due to fear.

As the sun rose, some villagers really started to run away with their families!

The direction in which these people fled was highly consistentto the west.

Because the leader of Viadzic, Kheda, has been in Smolensk since the meeting with Vadim. His Viadzic tribe is just neighbors and friends with the Krivichs in Smolensk. Vadim is going to fight, and Viadzic is not obliged to provide support.

He took over the invitation and came here just to know Vadim's attitude, and expressed his spiritual support for the expedition, and promised that the Viadzic people would send troops to help if necessary. It's just that due to time constraints, it is impossible to organize a large army to follow Vadim's winter expedition.

Heda wanted to buy some goods in Smolensk and wait until spring to return home, this was just a sign.

In fact, he could leave a long time ago, but he just wanted to know the result of Vadim's expedition as soon as possible, so he continued to stay here.

Heda has the talent to govern a tribe, but it is impossible to gather the civilian armed forces in Smolensk who are busy protecting themselves into a strong military force in times of crisis.

He doesn't have the ability, let alone the qualifications.

He is just a friend, not a relative.

In such a crisis, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com Heda raised his arms and called out: "Brother

Brothers! Take our goods and evacuate quickly, let's go home! "

Under the leadership of the big chief, all the resident Viadzitches ran eastward in the face of the rising sun. They would continue upstream along the Dnieper River and turn into the Vyazma River to return home.

Their decisive move immediately attracted many Smolensk people with their families. These people dragged sleds, carrying a batch of grain and production tools, and followed Heda's footsteps.

Of course, Heda was happy about this. A group of people joined their camp to enhance the strength of the tribe. Of course, he couldn't praise this kind of poaching of Smolensk.

Besides, he couldn't be happier.

This man knows very well that if Smolensk collapses, his own Viadzic will also suffer. But is his strength really capable of defeating the Ross gangsters and saving the chaotic Smolensk?

The most urgent thing is to mobilize the whole people after returning to my hometown to prepare for unexpected events.