Remember [New] in a second! Vadim, who was exiled to Smolensk, became his son-in-law. Under his governance, the most powerful family in the local area became a strong outsider and a capable insider.

After a purge, Vadim was replaced as the sole holder of power.

It was also by relying on the wealth of his father-in-law's family that he was able to organize an armored army of a thousand people, and by relying on this army, he could force leaders and noble families from all over the country to take out their own people to form a coalition army.

However, Vadim was defeated, the thousand-man army fell apart, and he himself became a sacrifice for the priests of the Ross...

When a family can no longer protect its wealth, when the family still leads the allies to defeat, then there is a reason to plunder and kill.

The noble nicknamed Daddy is definitely not a kind-hearted person. If he was thirty years younger, he would still have the fierceness and desire for revenge like Vadim.

But he is old, and reason always takes precedence over impulse.

But this time impulse **** reason.

The servants and a group of armed farmers, led by their father, attacked another noble manor.

After Vadim left with the army, his house was empty inside. He had to ensure that he had a higher chance of winning. After taking away almost all the soldiers, there were only a few slaves left to serve the master.

Once the largest family, all wealth was used by Vadim to train the army. If the war is won, all the initial investment will have a return of hundreds of times. But he was defeated!

At this moment, his wife and children are directly facing the responsibility for the defeat. The butcher knife does not come from the Ross people, but is actually his own race.

Because the army got big promises.

"Rush in and loot freely, now is your chance to get rich! Kill that woman! Kill that boy! Take these heads to Rose, and we'll all be safe."

The old man lectured his army in this way. As a local veteran nobleman, he is getting old. Facing the situation of being at a loss, it seems that only by listening to his arrangement can everyone usher in a way out.

Vadim's family became a necessary token of Natou's name certificate, and the entire manor was ransacked amidst screams and cries.

Before dawn, the snow was already covered with heads.

It was also difficult for the armed villagers to distinguish who was a slave and who was an aristocrat. After they killed for a while, the armed servants beheaded all the dead bodies.

In the end, Dad identified the final target among the rolling heads.

The woman didn't even die with her eyes closed. Only God knows what happened to her before she died.

The old man half knelt down and held his head in his hands, then closed the eyes of the deceased and whispered silently: "Your father is stupid for marrying you to Vadim. I persuaded your father back then, but that guy just didn't listen. I predicted a long time ago Vadim will lead us to the catastrophe, which is here. And you... will bring us back."

But what is this woman guilty of?

I'm afraid this is the other side of being an aristocratwhen an aristocrat is at the top, he will be the main target of beatings by stronger people.

The captain of the guard subconsciously wiped off the blood on his face, and faced his master: "My lord, the matter has been settled. Is it really appropriate for us to do this...?"

"Are you scared?" The old man lowered his head, turned his face to the side and stared at him coldly, his eyes were full of killing intent.

"No... I'm not afraid."

"Then do your own thing, take a little rest, and we'll leave tomorrow."

They can no longer turn back, especially after looting the mansion of the largest family, they are determined to burn it, which has made a statement to all the local nobles in Smolensk.

Many nobles were waiting and watching, but they didn't expect that the old man was really cruel. Everyone is also thinking, if the old man does something, it means that what he said at the venue is true.

If you think about it carefully, if you kneel down and surrender to King Ross, you can pay a tribute in exchange for your life. It might be impossible to do this. If the Rus people blamed the previous events, they should put all the blame on Vadim.

Many nobles are ready to move. They are willing to follow in the footsteps of their father and become dogs to Ross in exchange for their lives.

As for other nobles, even in the face of renewed work, they are still at a loss like ants on a hot pot, and will waste various opportunities in hesitation.

On the other hand, when the day was still dark, the Ross 1st Cavalry returned to the Gnezdovo camp in victory after completing the mission with the last rays of the setting sun.

What is the big camp? Now tents are set up even in the riverside area, a large number of wooden poles are inserted into the snow, and countless Ross flags are flapping.

The Ross Allied Forces came here with a large number of flags.

The flag is not only a ceremonial object to show the majesty of the army, it has more practical value. As long as you follow the hunting flags, you will not get lost. Even if you get lost accidentally, the special pattern with the flags is easy to be found by your companions.

No, a row of Ross flags appeared in the riverside area, and they were a hundred times more eye-catching than the gray and white tents.

But the setting sun dyed the world orange, but the blue and white tones of the Ross flag are still conspicuous.

Hagen and his friends felt a strong sense of unreality. He saw a large number of people moving on the ice. Maybe it was because there were too many people in the Ross Army, and the settlement of the Great Altar could no longer accommodate them, so they could only go to the riverside. camp.

Or... the Ross army is already preparing for an attack.

Hagen is looking forward to seeing King Ross sooner. There have been some rumors that the so-called King Ross who unified the northern seas is a young man, and it is said that this person has been assisted by Odin's divine power.

Maybe this is right, otherwise, how could the northern sea area, which has been in dispute for an unknown period of time, be unified in a few years?

Rurik, who has nothing to do, has been wandering on the banks of the Dnieper River, and when he was bored, he himself was gurgling.

"Can the captives I let go pass the word smoothly? Those powerful people in Smolensk are really willing to give in? But I will kill them all in the end. They really won't suspect that this is a grand banquet? Tch, I directly It is not impossible to raise troops to attack..."

Rurik made two-handed preparations. If the nobles didn't come to kowtow, he would lead soldiers to help them move their heads. Although the group will eventually have to move their heads.

As for how to deal with the Smolensk region in the future?

This place is a good place. Not only is there a good place for farming in the entire Dnieper River Basin, but also on the only way of the Amber Road. Smolensk's business has great potential for development.

This place should not be entrusted to the great nobles. It has the opportunity to develop into a new financial and taxation base of the Ross Kingdom in a short period of time. A governor should be established here, and the appointment and removal of personnel must be decided by the king.

Who will be the governor? Not suitable for people who are too young. People of mixed ethnicities are also not suitable. Close relatives are probably not suitable either.

Who is right?

Rurik thought of a manhis cousin Arik.

The king has a powerful brother, which is a huge threat to the royal power. Until now, Arik has no fief and no title, and his current responsibilities are the mayor of Mstisk (almost like the mayor), and the flag captain of the first flag team of the citizen soldiers.

Cousin is very pursuing personal honor, narrowly speaking, he is pursuing the honor of being a soldier. He has already scattered a lot of spoils to reward his brothers, and he still doesn't ask for the title of fief.

He doesn't want it, and he can't help it.

As for the knighthood, it seems that he can't really give him a duke title, and it feels a bit cheap to the earl. Can't you invent a title for him? Besides, once he has a fief and a title, Arik can no longer stay in the core area of the kingdom, and he has to take care of his own finances and taxes. He can manage the fief well, but Smolensk must not be the property of the Arik family lineage.

The system of the governor and the city lord has a great advantage. It is not impossible for the appointed person to be the local emperor even in the local area. However, the legal basis for their dominance comes from the king. The governor cannot transfer power to his son on the basis of subjective decision, only the king holds the power of appointment.

So, so far in the Winter War, Rurik intends to establish two governorships in the south: Governor of Smolensk and Governor of Orsha.

This matter is still in Rurik's heart for the time being, the elder brother is at the altar, it is better not to discuss it with him for the time being.

As for who should be the governor of Orsha, Rurik also thought of a candidate-Telang from Saaremaa Island.

Right by the frozen river, Rurik welcomed back the triumphant cavalry.

I saw that the team was actually escorting a sled team. Could it be that they also captured some prisoners?

Riding on the horse and bringing the guards, Rurik led the troops to meet up with his subordinates.

He didn't exchange pleasantries, and the first time he saw Fisk, he pointed to the smoke column in the east that no one could avoid: "Is that what you did? You set fire in Smolensk?"

"Yes. Your Majesty, if those guys scold our dog, I will punish them slightly."

"Slight punishment?" Rurik laughed outright when he heard it: "Others don't understand you, but I can understand. Why light punishment? Tell me, how many enemies have been eliminated this time. And these sledges, are you the one who caught them?" prisoners of war?"

"They?" Fisk looked back slightly, and said again: "Let me report first, they are Danes living in Smolensk. They have surrendered to us now."

"Is there such a good thing?"

Rurik glanced, and he did see some people with pure blond hair sitting honestly in the sledges, a hair color that ordinary Slavs hardly have.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Hagen was able to look up at the heroic figure of the legendary King Ross, not to mention that the so-called Rurik was really a tall warrior, and his riding appearance even made the horse look a bit small.

Feeling that the opportunity was ripe, Hagen first signaled to his own people to stay calm, then quickly got off the sled, and walked towards King Ross under the gaze of many cavalrymen.

"Boss, we... are Danes from Smolensk. We are willing to surrender to Ross."

It speaks the real Norse Sealand dialect, and it feels the same way as Ragnar speaks.

Rurik's attention was deeply attracted, he hooked his head slightly: "I am King Ross. You speak the exact Danish dialect, who are you?"

"I'm Hagen. Hagen Eriksson, I'm actually from Riga, and I'm living in Smolensk now. I heard that the entire Riga surrendered to the noble King Ross, and we naturally have reasons to submit."

Rurik nodded: "You are very respectful. But you are too respectful. Obviously you still have something to tell me."

"Ah! The leader is wise."

"You should call me king." Rurik corrected, "Take your people and follow me now. Go to the altar! This king acknowledges your attachment, and now your people join my army."

"That would be wonderful."

A boulder pressing on his heart shattered, and now Hagen could finally breathe freely.

The sleigh team entered the Gnezdovo altar under the **** of the cavalry. The bustling residential area remained the same, but the peaceful residents became the army, just like the banners seen by the river. More, it is clear that the high altar of the Slavs is represented as that of the Nordics.

Hagen didn't dare to ask questions such as "Where is Vadim?" He decided not to take the initiative to ask. Since he has surrendered to the strong, even if he behaves submissively at present, it is good.

Suddenly another sled team came, including men and women, and there were quite a few children. What's going on?

The big altar at night illuminates the world quite brightly by the bonfire. The tents and flags echo each other under the firelight. The soldiers are busy cooking tonight's delicious meal. After eating the porridge, they all get into the tent and sleep soundly .

Only those who look after the horses and reindeer are more busy.

Everyone gathered towards the sled team with curious eyes, and when they saw the king in person, they stopped walking and watched the salute.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Rurik, who was in a good mood, declared decisively and loudly: "Brothers! Welcome our new brothers. Now all the Varyags living in Smolensk have joined us! Our enemy! Smolensk has already Fail! Now welcome to our new friend!"

Since Fisk has trust in these people, Rurik has complied with this trust. Besides, looking at the entire sled team, there are very few people who can fight. This also corresponds to the statement made by Stekander, the leader of the Danish community in Riga - not many people are willing to live in Smolensk for a long time.

Word spread quickly.

An old fellow escaped from the army camp of the Principality of Ostara. This person was none other than Harold, whose alias was Olaf, who had a legendary experience but deliberately concealed his identity.

A traveling businessman never expects to have a stable family life, and his traveling lifestyle is basically insulated from his family life.

Instead, he bought a female slave in the south and had a relationship. The female slave who gave birth to a child is no longer an ordinary slave.

It is also because of this relationship that the orphan and widow living in the small Smolensk Varyag community are also recognized as their own by others, so the mother and son fully understand the Norse language.

Old Harold's true identity has long been exposed. As for the fact that he served as a mercenary for Vadim's family when he was young and helped Vadim escape successfully, these past events have never been mentioned. Old Harold was already old, and because his identity belonged to the Principality of Austral, even if Vadim was captured, he had no chance to visit the prisoner's cage.

Even if there was a chance, old Harold would never show up.

Except for Vadim, no one else knew the secret.

On the contrary, Duchess Carlota knew about his wife and children in Smolensk. The so-called wife did not come from a normal marriage, because the old guy only had a slave girl and an illegitimate child. It is impossible to deny it now.

He went to join in the fun with the mentality of giving it a try, and quickly found the female slave he had lost contact with for two years and his son in the camp temporarily allocated to them by the king.

All the Varyags from Smolensk knew old Harold, after all he had lived in the community for a long time.

People don't know much about Strkander, the boss of the Danish community in the Gulf of Riga. Everyone knows the old Harold who lived by his side a few years ago. There are many rumors that he is dead. Now his appearance makes many people feel magical .

But for a certain woman it is great happiness.

Relying on the wealth left by the master, the female slave Katie can still lead a relatively decent life with her son. She thought that life would go on like this, and it would be helpless for her master to die on the trade line, but it was clear that the master was just missing, maybe he was traveling far away.

She didn't have a name, but was named "Cat" by her owner, and nicknamed Katie.

As for the son she bore for her master, her name was Olaf. This is also the reason why old Harold deliberately changed his name to Olaf.

In the camp, old Harold asked everyone he met, and within a very short time, he found his woman in the laughter of the old guys.

The moment she saw her master, the female slave Katie knelt down with the somewhat dazed boy, not minding the dirtiness of the ground, she moved her body and hugged Old Harold's leg, and the boy Olaf also threw himself directly at his father. body.

"You...you don't think I'm dead, do you?" A big hand rested on her woman's head, "Don't cry, I'm back now. A lot of things happened, I'll tell you slowly."

Old Harold has lost the bravery he once had. At this age, he once thought that he would die on the road of adventure and cry, be killed in a war or have a good ending, but now he only wants to be in Ostara The Principality enjoyed his old age in peace.

He had thought that his women and children would die in this war, but if that was the case, it can only be said that everyone has his own life.

He had paid a large price for the beauty of Kati, who was not a Slavic woman from the Smolensk region, but from Kherson further south, and had been secretly bought from a Roman merchant.

Such human trade was clearly prohibited in the Eastern Roman Empire, but it was extremely difficult to stop this kind of thing, and the prohibition remained on paper.

Katie has long forgotten her parents, or they are unspeakable existences. She flattered Harold, who was in the prime of life at the time, and finally gave birth to her son Olaf after several miscarriages, and her status rose a lot for this. But she is still a slave, and her son is still an illegitimate child. What she lacks is a formal wedding.

Everything is divine, everything is destiny.

Old Harold did not hesitate to lead the mother and son back to the camp of the Principality of Austral, and the identity of the mother and son was immediately recognized by Carlotta.

The story of separation and reunion moved Carlotta, but is Katie still a slave?

Let's call it a day.

Slave Katie knelt in the snow, and standing in front of her was another womanCarota, Duchess of Aostara.

The steel sword was placed directly on the top of Katie's head: "Now, abolish your slavery. You are now Harold's wife! You are young now, and you will fight for me as a female warrior in the future."

This is not over yet. Nian has provided himself with a series of important information in the past few years in the old Harold, which greatly benefits the southern expansion of the Principality of Austala. Old Harold may not be too old, but endless exploration has prematurely aged him. If you can't reward him, then reward his son.

The truth came out, Olaf turned out to be the old guy's only son, so rewarding Olaf became logical.

As a result, Olaf, who was only ten years old, no longer had to look at other people's faces to act. He completely got rid of his status as a "son of a slave" and transformed himself into a servant of the Duke, or a "sergeant"~www.mtlnovel.com~wait for him Big, he is a lower noble who is loyal to the duke. He is also entitled and obliged to sleep next to the Duke's Battalion Commander and to fulfill his duty of allegiance at all times.

And this night, Katie, who was recognized by the great nobles, still subconsciously humbled the old Harold. She served her master as before, and she made Harold feel as if he suddenly seemed twenty years younger.

Now, the son is a servant of the Duke, and the future will be a hereditary nobleman. The identity of one's own woman is equivalent to being upgraded to a nobleman.

Happiness must be a gift from the gods, you can die without regret...

Katie lay beside Harold like a cat, letting the old man play with her curly hair.

"In the future, don't kneel down when you see me. You are not a slave now, but my wife."

"Yes. Master."

"Stupid." Harold pinched her with a smile: "You can call her by her first name now."

"I...I dare not."

"Don't dawdle, speak quickly."

"Yes, Harold..."