Chapter 1059: Excessive reaction of the Polotsks
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The cavalry launched a frontal breakout, and they charged straight with their swords raised. However, I saw the attackers and soldiers gathered into a thin human wall, as if to block the cavalry that broke through.
Ureko and the others said nothing, and lined up against the wall and collided abruptly.
It was at this moment of crisis that the people who organized the Human Wall finally felt the fear. Many people could not dodge and were knocked over and trampled, and the cavalry easily broke through its front.
In this way, the cavalry turned back one after another, only to see that the spearmen actually launched a pursuit. They were also shooting arrows, and the cavalry could feel the impact of the arrow on the back of the shield.
"They are provocative! What to do? I want to hack a few more."
"They were weak and we turned back to attack."
This was a breakout situation, and the two led the entire cavalry team to turn their horses immediately.
The cautious Ureko's **** burst out, "Then do it! Avenge the dead brothers! Try to shoot arrows to kill them!"
The horses stood still, and the cavalry shot arrows recklessly with recurve bows. When the attackers saw that the cavalry would not run, they rushed up and screamed, and they were caught off guard by the precision arrow.
The cavalry first shoots to kill the opponent's bow bearer, and then makes a supplementary shot when the opponent starts to drag the wounded. They deliberately shot each other in the legs, creating more casualties and exhausting their fighting spirit.
"It's time! They're too weak. Let's charge again!" This time Uleko led the charge.
Once the momentum of the sneak attack was lost, this group of large but weak people faced the indiscriminate killing of cavalry, even if the number of cavalry was small. Armed militias face professional soldiers who are fighting back on one side.
But the attackers suffered heavy casualties and did not disperse. They shouted "kill them" in Slavic, and they fled into the woods and never escaped.
The chaos continued for a while, and the Ross cavalry was in a state of anger, at least even Ureko felt that the attackers could be wiped out.
Suddenly, there was the sound of horns and drums in the distance, and more savages were killed from the woods.
I wanted to finish annihilating the seven cavalry and was stunned on the spot.
Ureko Hengjian immediately looked like a torch, "Brothers, stop rushing! This is a trap!"
"Maybe we can kill fifty more if we rush up." The one who killed the red eye couldn't hide his thirst for blood.
"Stupid! Look how many people they came out? It's time to withdraw."
The brothers looked at each other, and when they saw those guys attacking all the way, and the arrows kept falling off the front of the cavalry, they all agreed with Ureko's proposition.
It's time to make a real breakthrough. If you don't run, you will be surrounded by about 200 people. At that time, you can't escape if you want to run.
The cavalry sped away, and the seven men and ten horses lost almost all their trophies, and they escaped along the flat ground in the gap of the mass forest.
They turned their heads as they retreated, and the group of savages were chasing after them like mad wolves.
The horses were already a little tired after a lot of chaos, and the cavalry kept whipping their whips and running away from the right and wrong places when they consumed their horsepower.
They have probably already determined the identity of the attacker and how the other party is so crazy about Yinhe. But no one feels guilty, in this wild land has always been the winner. The brothers suffered a loss today, but in the future they will have to double down to make up for it.
Seeing the cavalry gradually disappear into the cover of the woodland, the pursuers slowed down, but the pursuit did not really end.
No force has ever carried out comprehensive slaughter and burning of Polotsk villages. The military arrangement of the big leader seems to be a success, and the traces of horse bandits are completely exposed.
In fact, the Polotsks saw the fire at night, and those with keen ears also heard the humming of the horse, and the neighing realized that it could only be the enemy.
They always ambush first, deliberately launching a sneak attack when the morning fog rises. A team of fifty people first discovered the traces of the cavalry, and sent people to notify the other teams overnight to gather at the target as soon as possible. In fact, as many as 300 people attacked, but they did not act at the same time. Although the team that launched the sneak attack first took the lead, it was ultimately defeated in a state of unequal absolute strength.
At least, the brothers killed three enemies and rescued four women.
"Are you our people? Polotsk?" Hearing the rescuer's native dialect, the four women burst into tears.
"Women from Duka Village? You are safe." People untied the ropes of the women of the same race, trying to appease their broken hearts.
The corpses of the three horse bandits were seized. Facing the corpses whose bodies were riddled with holes and even their heads, in revenge, the Polotsks rushed to destroy them like hungry wolves. Finally, someone who knew the big picture rushed up, kicking and pulling them to drive them away, and kept shouting: "Stop! Take the corpse back to the street! Let the chief see it again. Go and treat the wounded and clean up the battlefield."
The movement made a lot of noise, and many teams participating in the battle sent messengers back to the village to report the good news. The news was gradually distorted along the way, and when it reached the ears of the big chief Proclaw, it became a huge victory.
The middle-aged man was in good spirits, and he could proudly tell the people that the revenge operation was a success. Hearing that the attacker's body was seized, his beard trembled with excitement.
"Quick! Bring back the corpses of the enemy. Parade! Public exhibition!"
He ordered this, completely ignoring the loss of this counterattack on his side is really not small.
Pony horses drove their wooden carts to the battlefield not very far away. A large group of people happily followed the horse team. They heard that the captured villagers were rescued, and the refugees from Duka Village also marched forward with their families.
The big leader must go there in person. He put on his best clothes, and hung a Viking broad-blade sword from a long time ago on his waist. Underneath the colorful striped tunic is a chainmail, and on top of his head is a Viking-style leather helmet imported from Riga, which is covered with European leopard skin and covered with two cinnabar-dyed geese flying feathers. He is also covered with leopard skin.
Few of the warriors possessed chain mail, as did Proclaw and his **** of less than ten men.
The big leader was dressed in gorgeous clothes that could hardly hide the shabby clothes of the armed militiamen. What was timid was that many of them were still barefoot. Since the soles of their feet had already accumulated thick calluses, they were passively used to it.
Finally, after the guards dispersed the excited people, the big leader saw the three "rotten meat" that had just been dragged onto the carriage.
"This is the horse bandit?" In this situation, he had to be a little suspicious.
Most of the warriors swore that these tall dead were indeed horse bandits.
"You said that these three were horse bandits, and the horses you captured? It's really strange, didn't you say that there are at least twenty horse bandits, and you will kill three?"
This fact is unspeakable, the warriors are embarrassed to say that they have not won a complete victory, and the big leader has seen this clearly.
"So how much do we lose?"
Someone finally replied cautiously: "Twenty people died, and more than ten people were injured. They... were all seriously injured."
Hearing this explanation, it was as if the head had been hit by a stone, and the great leader's overflowing joy of victory suddenly disappeared. His face was extremely gloomy, and he could not have imagined that he had already had the opportunity to attack, and the battle had become such a rotten situation. The enemy fled on horseback, leaving only three bodies. The corpse had obviously been destroyed, and his clan could not complete the pursuit to vent their anger on the destruction of the corpse. This was simply a cowardly act.
However, the majority of the people got the news of a great victory. As a big leader, Proclaw knew that everyone's morale should not be damaged.
He clapped his hands vigorously and put other matters aside.
"Listen! Load the enemy's corpses and spoils into the truck and follow me to the village."
Later, the Ross cavalry of the three warriors were all beheaded. Their bodies had been spurned by the Polotsks during the parade, and now their heads are standing on their altars with sticks, and the bodies of the dead have become sacrifices. Sacrifice, only to sacrifice innocent people killed by horse bandits.
It seems that the disaster has ended here. After all, this matter is full of doubts. Because of the fear that there will be harassment by horse bandits in the future, all the settlements near the east are frightened. The militia armed based on the status quo had to devote a lot of energy to laying out defense lines and strengthening patrols. There are various signs that the situation is still fermenting silently.
As the big leader, Proclaw must change this deadlock. The most important thing is to determine the identity of the attacker. It must not be simply summarized by the word "horse bandit".
The four female villagers who were rescued finally gave a decisive explanation after their mental stability.
The attackers were the Rus from the north. The Rus are a kind of Varangians! At the same time, the Varangians, Ross's guy and Riga's guy are very likely to know no one at all.
Isn't it really a road trip? Due to the common characteristics of the corpses of the enemy, they all have blond and white hair, which is very different from the hair color of the Slavs and Latvians in Riga. However, the hair color is the same as that of the Varyag people in Riga.
Even if the elites are more convinced that there is a difference between the Rus and the Varyags of Riga, it is very difficult for ordinary people to distinguish between them.
There are also those who were rescued who said this intriguing statement: "Those Rus people basically understand our language, the pronunciation is a little strange but understandable. They claim to transport us to the north as slaves and give them many children."
It's really weird, the Rus people arrest slaves just to have children? If it is only for this purpose, they can get women through normal marriage, so why do they have to resort to violence?
The real elite has a strong enough determination on this issue, and the big leader Proclaw feels that things are a hundred times more complicated than they appear to be.
It's very sad that no one knows where the Rus' horse riders came from. The opponent's base should be in the north, and no one knows how far it is from Polotsk.
There is one thing that can be proved, Polotsk really encountered the same troubles as the Smolensk people in the southeast. There is also a high probability that this matter really has nothing to do with those guys in Riga.
Polotsk is the eastern branch of the Polish ethnic group, and Smolensk is a real East Slavic Kriwicz ethnic group, and it is more powerful. The two sides have differences in terms of language and belief. Fortunately, they can basically communicate with each other to ensure that they can communicate with each other, and they have never been hostile to each other for a long time.
"I plan to organize a mission to Smolensk, bring some leather as a gift, and then discuss with the local chief about the Rosma bandits. If possible, we will try to unite with them, which is very important for our future. important…"
The sober leader Proclaw realized that his tribe was facing a crisis, even if the people were still immersed in the joy of successful revenge.
Really successful revenge? ! Do not. Just a self-paralyzing pleasure. Polotsk, who is not very strong, needs to unite some allies to fight against future threats. It is not only the Smolensk side who has facilitated the alliance, but also the people living on the edge of the huge swamp (Pripet Swamp) due south. Derevlians.
The new mission plan began to be planned immediately, but it took time. They believed that there was plenty of time for the Polotsks.
The entire Polotsk community was placed on unprecedented armed alert, and for the first time in history they blocked the waterway of the West Dvina River. On the wider river, thick cables are stretched out, and the canoes are connected end to end, blocking the river in a chain-like manner to cut off traffic.
Sure enough, brown-haired Latvians came from Riga shortly after the horse bandit incident, and the small flat-bottomed cargo ship was intercepted and the boaters were disarmed.
The Danish mercenaries hired by these Latvians almost fought with the interceptors, and finally surrendered under the oppression of absolute military superiority.
They did not understand that in the past, this group of Polotsks would not have blocked the river and demanded tribute.
The big leader, Proclaw, would not completely plunder the merchants' commodities. He was willing to buy the salt sold by the merchants with sheepskins and cowhide, and the price was naturally not high.
Although the Latvian businessman stomped his feet in anger, he heard this statement: "It is very dangerous for you to go to Smolensk to sell salt. The local horse bandits are rampant, and even a large number of horse bandits have appeared in the upper river. We set up the water level to protect you. Otherwise, you will be intercepted by them if you continue to sail, and everyone will die."
Horse bandits? Incredible. Although the theory of horse bandits has been circulated in Riga, in the past, no merchants were intercepted and killed. It was the merchant ships passing through the river controlled by the Polotsk who were stopped by the locals to ask for some tribute.
It is a pity that the river was completely blocked by the locals, and all personnel and materials were detained.
The leading businessman couldn't believe what the big leader of Polotsk said, and shouted in exasperation: "Are you blocking the trade route to create a war? We will make money by selling salt, and it will not be just us who will cause dissatisfaction at that time!"
Indeed, once dissatisfaction is aroused, it will lead to dissatisfaction among the tribes of Latvia, Semigallia, Courland and Livonia.
It should be impossible for those guys to form a coalition to attack Polotsk, unless they completely cut off their financial channels. In the final analysis, they want to cross their territory to use several small rivers in the upper West Dvina River leading to the south, especially the Ural River, to contact Smolensk in a low-cost way.
The roads were not completely interrupted, and many merchants from the Riga region could stop in Polotsk and trade with the Drevlians by land.
Is this an insurmountable overland trade route? On the contrary, the road to the south is not far away. The merchants acted in the gaps of the group forest, and the fleet turned into a merchant horse, directly reaching the village of the Delevlian community. Then rent or buy canoes from the locals, turn down the small river into the big river (referring to the Pripet River), and finally do business directly with the Kyiv community.
"Anyway, it's all business and who isn't? We are willing to buy your salt and support your southward trade, but you can't continue to enter the upstream."
Even if they couldn't have a bird's-eye view of the entire Eastern European world from God's perspective, and even if commercial contacts were still limited for hundreds of years, the Polotsks basically figured out the large ethnic groups that lived in all directions, the control area, and the reasonable route to get there. The people of various Baltic ethnic groups living near the Gulf of Riga also know about it. For Latvians in Riga, going to Delevlian in the south is not a good idea. The locals live in swampy areas with many mosquitoes in summer and are relatively poor.
Doing business should be done with rich guys. In the eyes of Latvian businessmen and Danish Varyag mercenaries (and businessmen), doing business with the Smolensk is not an extreme distance, and the locals also give a larger amount of goods. Commodities, especially linen, honey and grain.
The attitude of the big chief Proclaw was extremely firm. Seeing that the local men were armed on a large scale, the businessman even noticed that this group of guys who used to be good at collecting "tolls" really set up defenses in the eastern region, and that the publicly displayed rotten hair. The head of the horse bandit with black exposed bones, the situation had to be compromised.
All of this is exactly what Polotsk reacted to after the attack.
The time is getting closer to the autumn harvest, the weather is gradually getting colder, and there is more rain. After the autumn harvest is the rainy season. It is still summer. A thunderstorm and heavy rain will suddenly come and stop abruptly.
A large-scale rainfall process is underway this July.
When Polotsk completed the blockade of the river, the Russ cavalry of the evacuated Ulyko group was going all out to the north. They returned to the north with strong hatred and the results of major exploration and discoveries. They fantasized about first informing the nearest Duchess of Ostara, moving in to rescue soldiers and launching cavalry revenge, and then presenting the information to the Great King Rurik, and finally It is the Rus army sent troops to conquest.
The only thing that made them glad was that their precious war horses were unharmed, and the seven men and ten horses returned in the heavy rain, enduring the mud and sudden cold. Although the road is tortuous, at least the armed expedition of the cavalry team completely found out that the source of the Lovadi River comes from two large lakes, and the two small rivers drawn from the lakes are the real Lovadi River. They sheltered from the rain in the forest, and the people and the war horses were enduring. For a while, a thunderstorm broke out. The brothers regarded it as the wrath of the Thor. When they thought about their situation, they felt a sense of grievance, which led to even greater anger. They shivered in the rain, encouraging each other: "We must take revenge."
When the rainfall subsided, the team continued north along the river…
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The cavalry launched a frontal breakout, and they charged straight with their swords raised. However, I saw the attackers and soldiers gathered into a thin human wall, as if to block the cavalry that broke through.
Ureko and the others said nothing, and lined up against the wall and collided abruptly.
It was at this moment of crisis that the people who organized the Human Wall finally felt the fear. Many people could not dodge and were knocked over and trampled, and the cavalry easily broke through its front.
In this way, the cavalry turned back one after another, only to see that the spearmen actually launched a pursuit. They were also shooting arrows, and the cavalry could feel the impact of the arrow on the back of the shield.
"They are provocative! What to do? I want to hack a few more."
"They were weak and we turned back to attack."
This was a breakout situation, and the two led the entire cavalry team to turn their horses immediately.
The cautious Ureko's **** burst out, "Then do it! Avenge the dead brothers! Try to shoot arrows to kill them!"
The horses stood still, and the cavalry shot arrows recklessly with recurve bows. When the attackers saw that the cavalry would not run, they rushed up and screamed, and they were caught off guard by the precision arrow.
The cavalry first shoots to kill the opponent's bow bearer, and then makes a supplementary shot when the opponent starts to drag the wounded. They deliberately shot each other in the legs, creating more casualties and exhausting their fighting spirit.
"It's time! They're too weak. Let's charge again!" This time Uleko led the charge.
Once the momentum of the sneak attack was lost, this group of large but weak people faced the indiscriminate killing of cavalry, even if the number of cavalry was small. Armed militias face professional soldiers who are fighting back on one side.
But the attackers suffered heavy casualties and did not disperse. They shouted "kill them" in Slavic, and they fled into the woods and never escaped.
The chaos continued for a while, and the Ross cavalry was in a state of anger, at least even Ureko felt that the attackers could be wiped out.
Suddenly, there was the sound of horns and drums in the distance, and more savages were killed from the woods.
I wanted to finish annihilating the seven cavalry and was stunned on the spot.
Ureko Hengjian immediately looked like a torch, "Brothers, stop rushing! This is a trap!"
"Maybe we can kill fifty more if we rush up." The one who killed the red eye couldn't hide his thirst for blood.
"Stupid! Look how many people they came out? It's time to withdraw."
The brothers looked at each other, and when they saw those guys attacking all the way, and the arrows kept falling off the front of the cavalry, they all agreed with Ureko's proposition.
It's time to make a real breakthrough. If you don't run, you will be surrounded by about 200 people. At that time, you can't escape if you want to run.
The cavalry sped away, and the seven men and ten horses lost almost all their trophies, and they escaped along the flat ground in the gap of the mass forest.
They turned their heads as they retreated, and the group of savages were chasing after them like mad wolves.
The horses were already a little tired after a lot of chaos, and the cavalry kept whipping their whips and running away from the right and wrong places when they consumed their horsepower.
They have probably already determined the identity of the attacker and how the other party is so crazy about Yinhe. But no one feels guilty, in this wild land has always been the winner. The brothers suffered a loss today, but in the future they will have to double down to make up for it.
Seeing the cavalry gradually disappear into the cover of the woodland, the pursuers slowed down, but the pursuit did not really end.
No force has ever carried out comprehensive slaughter and burning of Polotsk villages. The military arrangement of the big leader seems to be a success, and the traces of horse bandits are completely exposed.
In fact, the Polotsks saw the fire at night, and those with keen ears also heard the humming of the horse, and the neighing realized that it could only be the enemy.
They always ambush first, deliberately launching a sneak attack when the morning fog rises. A team of fifty people first discovered the traces of the cavalry, and sent people to notify the other teams overnight to gather at the target as soon as possible. In fact, as many as 300 people attacked, but they did not act at the same time. Although the team that launched the sneak attack first took the lead, it was ultimately defeated in a state of unequal absolute strength.
At least, the brothers killed three enemies and rescued four women.
"Are you our people? Polotsk?" Hearing the rescuer's native dialect, the four women burst into tears.
"Women from Duka Village? You are safe." People untied the ropes of the women of the same race, trying to appease their broken hearts.
The corpses of the three horse bandits were seized. Facing the corpses whose bodies were riddled with holes and even their heads, in revenge, the Polotsks rushed to destroy them like hungry wolves. Finally, someone who knew the big picture rushed up, kicking and pulling them to drive them away, and kept shouting: "Stop! Take the corpse back to the street! Let the chief see it again. Go and treat the wounded and clean up the battlefield."
The movement made a lot of noise, and many teams participating in the battle sent messengers back to the village to report the good news. The news was gradually distorted along the way, and when it reached the ears of the big chief Proclaw, it became a huge victory.
The middle-aged man was in good spirits, and he could proudly tell the people that the revenge operation was a success. Hearing that the attacker's body was seized, his beard trembled with excitement.
"Quick! Bring back the corpses of the enemy. Parade! Public exhibition!"
He ordered this, completely ignoring the loss of this counterattack on his side is really not small.
Pony horses drove their wooden carts to the battlefield not very far away. A large group of people happily followed the horse team. They heard that the captured villagers were rescued, and the refugees from Duka Village also marched forward with their families.
The big leader must go there in person. He put on his best clothes, and hung a Viking broad-blade sword from a long time ago on his waist. Underneath the colorful striped tunic is a chainmail, and on top of his head is a Viking-style leather helmet imported from Riga, which is covered with European leopard skin and covered with two cinnabar-dyed geese flying feathers. He is also covered with leopard skin.
Few of the warriors possessed chain mail, as did Proclaw and his **** of less than ten men.
The big leader was dressed in gorgeous clothes that could hardly hide the shabby clothes of the armed militiamen. What was timid was that many of them were still barefoot. Since the soles of their feet had already accumulated thick calluses, they were passively used to it.
Finally, after the guards dispersed the excited people, the big leader saw the three "rotten meat" that had just been dragged onto the carriage.
"This is the horse bandit?" In this situation, he had to be a little suspicious.
Most of the warriors swore that these tall dead were indeed horse bandits.
"You said that these three were horse bandits, and the horses you captured? It's really strange, didn't you say that there are at least twenty horse bandits, and you will kill three?"
This fact is unspeakable, the warriors are embarrassed to say that they have not won a complete victory, and the big leader has seen this clearly.
"So how much do we lose?"
Someone finally replied cautiously: "Twenty people died, and more than ten people were injured. They... were all seriously injured."
Hearing this explanation, it was as if the head had been hit by a stone, and the great leader's overflowing joy of victory suddenly disappeared. His face was extremely gloomy, and he could not have imagined that he had already had the opportunity to attack, and the battle had become such a rotten situation. The enemy fled on horseback, leaving only three bodies. The corpse had obviously been destroyed, and his clan could not complete the pursuit to vent their anger on the destruction of the corpse. This was simply a cowardly act.
However, the majority of the people got the news of a great victory. As a big leader, Proclaw knew that everyone's morale should not be damaged.
He clapped his hands vigorously and put other matters aside.
"Listen! Load the enemy's corpses and spoils into the truck and follow me to the village."
Later, the Ross cavalry of the three warriors were all beheaded. Their bodies had been spurned by the Polotsks during the parade, and now their heads are standing on their altars with sticks, and the bodies of the dead have become sacrifices. Sacrifice, only to sacrifice innocent people killed by horse bandits.
It seems that the disaster has ended here. After all, this matter is full of doubts. Because of the fear that there will be harassment by horse bandits in the future, all the settlements near the east are frightened. The militia armed based on the status quo had to devote a lot of energy to laying out defense lines and strengthening patrols. There are various signs that the situation is still fermenting silently.
As the big leader, Proclaw must change this deadlock. The most important thing is to determine the identity of the attacker. It must not be simply summarized by the word "horse bandit".
The four female villagers who were rescued finally gave a decisive explanation after their mental stability.
The attackers were the Rus from the north. The Rus are a kind of Varangians! At the same time, the Varangians, Ross's guy and Riga's guy are very likely to know no one at all.
Isn't it really a road trip? Due to the common characteristics of the corpses of the enemy, they all have blond and white hair, which is very different from the hair color of the Slavs and Latvians in Riga. However, the hair color is the same as that of the Varyag people in Riga.
Even if the elites are more convinced that there is a difference between the Rus and the Varyags of Riga, it is very difficult for ordinary people to distinguish between them.
There are also those who were rescued who said this intriguing statement: "Those Rus people basically understand our language, the pronunciation is a little strange but understandable. They claim to transport us to the north as slaves and give them many children."
It's really weird, the Rus people arrest slaves just to have children? If it is only for this purpose, they can get women through normal marriage, so why do they have to resort to violence?
The real elite has a strong enough determination on this issue, and the big leader Proclaw feels that things are a hundred times more complicated than they appear to be.
It's very sad that no one knows where the Rus' horse riders came from. The opponent's base should be in the north, and no one knows how far it is from Polotsk.
There is one thing that can be proved, Polotsk really encountered the same troubles as the Smolensk people in the southeast. There is also a high probability that this matter really has nothing to do with those guys in Riga.
Polotsk is the eastern branch of the Polish ethnic group, and Smolensk is a real East Slavic Kriwicz ethnic group, and it is more powerful. The two sides have differences in terms of language and belief. Fortunately, they can basically communicate with each other to ensure that they can communicate with each other, and they have never been hostile to each other for a long time.
"I plan to organize a mission to Smolensk, bring some leather as a gift, and then discuss with the local chief about the Rosma bandits. If possible, we will try to unite with them, which is very important for our future. important…"
The sober leader Proclaw realized that his tribe was facing a crisis, even if the people were still immersed in the joy of successful revenge.
Really successful revenge? ! Do not. Just a self-paralyzing pleasure. Polotsk, who is not very strong, needs to unite some allies to fight against future threats. It is not only the Smolensk side who has facilitated the alliance, but also the people living on the edge of the huge swamp (Pripet Swamp) due south. Derevlians.
The new mission plan began to be planned immediately, but it took time. They believed that there was plenty of time for the Polotsks.
The entire Polotsk community was placed on unprecedented armed alert, and for the first time in history they blocked the waterway of the West Dvina River. On the wider river, thick cables are stretched out, and the canoes are connected end to end, blocking the river in a chain-like manner to cut off traffic.
Sure enough, brown-haired Latvians came from Riga shortly after the horse bandit incident, and the small flat-bottomed cargo ship was intercepted and the boaters were disarmed.
The Danish mercenaries hired by these Latvians almost fought with the interceptors, and finally surrendered under the oppression of absolute military superiority.
They did not understand that in the past, this group of Polotsks would not have blocked the river and demanded tribute.
The big leader, Proclaw, would not completely plunder the merchants' commodities. He was willing to buy the salt sold by the merchants with sheepskins and cowhide, and the price was naturally not high.
Although the Latvian businessman stomped his feet in anger, he heard this statement: "It is very dangerous for you to go to Smolensk to sell salt. The local horse bandits are rampant, and even a large number of horse bandits have appeared in the upper river. We set up the water level to protect you. Otherwise, you will be intercepted by them if you continue to sail, and everyone will die."
Horse bandits? Incredible. Although the theory of horse bandits has been circulated in Riga, in the past, no merchants were intercepted and killed. It was the merchant ships passing through the river controlled by the Polotsk who were stopped by the locals to ask for some tribute.
It is a pity that the river was completely blocked by the locals, and all personnel and materials were detained.
The leading businessman couldn't believe what the big leader of Polotsk said, and shouted in exasperation: "Are you blocking the trade route to create a war? We will make money by selling salt, and it will not be just us who will cause dissatisfaction at that time!"
Indeed, once dissatisfaction is aroused, it will lead to dissatisfaction among the tribes of Latvia, Semigallia, Courland and Livonia.
It should be impossible for those guys to form a coalition to attack Polotsk, unless they completely cut off their financial channels. In the final analysis, they want to cross their territory to use several small rivers in the upper West Dvina River leading to the south, especially the Ural River, to contact Smolensk in a low-cost way.
The roads were not completely interrupted, and many merchants from the Riga region could stop in Polotsk and trade with the Drevlians by land.
Is this an insurmountable overland trade route? On the contrary, the road to the south is not far away. The merchants acted in the gaps of the group forest, and the fleet turned into a merchant horse, directly reaching the village of the Delevlian community. Then rent or buy canoes from the locals, turn down the small river into the big river (referring to the Pripet River), and finally do business directly with the Kyiv community.
"Anyway, it's all business and who isn't? We are willing to buy your salt and support your southward trade, but you can't continue to enter the upstream."
Even if they couldn't have a bird's-eye view of the entire Eastern European world from God's perspective, and even if commercial contacts were still limited for hundreds of years, the Polotsks basically figured out the large ethnic groups that lived in all directions, the control area, and the reasonable route to get there. The people of various Baltic ethnic groups living near the Gulf of Riga also know about it. For Latvians in Riga, going to Delevlian in the south is not a good idea. The locals live in swampy areas with many mosquitoes in summer and are relatively poor.
Doing business should be done with rich guys. In the eyes of Latvian businessmen and Danish Varyag mercenaries (and businessmen), doing business with the Smolensk is not an extreme distance, and the locals also give a larger amount of goods. Commodities, especially linen, honey and grain.
The attitude of the big chief Proclaw was extremely firm. Seeing that the local men were armed on a large scale, the businessman even noticed that this group of guys who used to be good at collecting "tolls" really set up defenses in the eastern region, and that the publicly displayed rotten hair. The head of the horse bandit with black exposed bones, the situation had to be compromised.
All of this is exactly what Polotsk reacted to after the attack.
The time is getting closer to the autumn harvest, the weather is gradually getting colder, and there is more rain. After the autumn harvest is the rainy season. It is still summer. A thunderstorm and heavy rain will suddenly come and stop abruptly.
A large-scale rainfall process is underway this July.
When Polotsk completed the blockade of the river, the Russ cavalry of the evacuated Ulyko group was going all out to the north. They returned to the north with strong hatred and the results of major exploration and discoveries. They fantasized about first informing the nearest Duchess of Ostara, moving in to rescue soldiers and launching cavalry revenge, and then presenting the information to the Great King Rurik, and finally It is the Rus army sent troops to conquest.
The only thing that made them glad was that their precious war horses were unharmed, and the seven men and ten horses returned in the heavy rain, enduring the mud and sudden cold. Although the road is tortuous, at least the armed expedition of the cavalry team completely found out that the source of the Lovadi River comes from two large lakes, and the two small rivers drawn from the lakes are the real Lovadi River. They sheltered from the rain in the forest, and the people and the war horses were enduring. For a while, a thunderstorm broke out. The brothers regarded it as the wrath of the Thor. When they thought about their situation, they felt a sense of grievance, which led to even greater anger. They shivered in the rain, encouraging each other: "We must take revenge."
When the rainfall subsided, the team continued north along the river…
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The cavalry launched a frontal breakout, and they charged straight with their swords raised. However, I saw the attackers and soldiers gathered into a thin human wall, as if to block the cavalry that broke through.Ureko and the others said nothing, and lined up against the wall and collided abruptly.It was at this moment of crisis that the people who organized the Human Wall finally felt the fear. Many people could not dodge and were knocked over and trampled, and the cavalry easily broke through its front.In this way, the cavalry turned back one after another, only to see that the spearmen actually launched a pursuit. They were also shooting arrows, and the cavalry could feel the impact of the arrow on the back of the shield."They are provocative! What to do? I want to hack a few more.""They were weak and we turned back to attack."This was a breakout situation, and the two led the entire cavalry team to turn their horses immediately.The cautious Ureko's **** burst out, "Then do it! Avenge the dead brothers! Try to shoot arrows to kill them!"The horses stood still, and the cavalry shot arrows recklessly with recurve bows. When the attackers saw that the cavalry would not run, they rushed up and screamed, and they were caught off guard by the precision arrow.The cavalry first shoots to kill the opponent's bow bearer, and then makes a supplementary shot when the opponent starts to drag the wounded. They deliberately shot each other in the legs, creating more casualties and exhausting their fighting spirit."It's time! They're too weak. Let's charge again!" This time Uleko led the charge.Once the momentum of the sneak attack was lost, this group of large but weak people faced the indiscriminate killing of cavalry, even if the number of cavalry was small. Armed militias face professional soldiers who are fighting back on one side.But the attackers suffered heavy casualties and did not disperse. They shouted "kill them" in Slavic, and they fled into the woods and never escaped.The chaos continued for a while, and the Ross cavalry was in a state of anger, at least even Ureko felt that the attackers could be wiped out.Suddenly, there was the sound of horns and drums in the distance, and more savages were killed from the woods.I wanted to finish annihilating the seven cavalry and was stunned on the spot.Ureko Hengjian immediately looked like a torch, "Brothers, stop rushing! This is a trap!""Maybe we can kill fifty more if we rush up." The one who killed the red eye couldn't hide his thirst for blood."Stupid! Look how many people they came out? It's time to withdraw."The brothers looked at each other, and when they saw those guys attacking all the way, and the arrows kept falling off the front of the cavalry, they all agreed with Ureko's proposition.It's time to make a real breakthrough. If you don't run, you will be surrounded by about 200 people. At that time, you can't escape if you want to run.The cavalry sped away, and the seven men and ten horses lost almost all their trophies, and they escaped along the flat ground in the gap of the mass forest.They turned their heads as they retreated, and the group of savages were chasing after them like mad wolves.The horses were already a little tired after a lot of chaos, and the cavalry kept whipping their whips and running away from the right and wrong places when they consumed their horsepower.They have probably already determined the identity of the attacker and how the other party is so crazy about Yinhe. But no one feels guilty, in this wild land has always been the winner. The brothers suffered a loss today, but in the future they will have to double down to make up for it.Seeing the cavalry gradually disappear into the cover of the woodland, the pursuers slowed down, but the pursuit did not really end.No force has ever carried out comprehensive slaughter and burning of Polotsk villages. The military arrangement of the big leader seems to be a success, and the traces of horse bandits are completely exposed.In fact, the Polotsks saw the fire at night, and those with keen ears also heard the humming of the horse, and the neighing realized that it could only be the enemy.They always ambush first, deliberately launching a sneak attack when the morning fog rises. A team of fifty people first discovered the traces of the cavalry, and sent people to notify the other teams overnight to gather at the target as soon as possible. In fact, as many as 300 people attacked, but they did not act at the same time. Although the team that launched the sneak attack first took the lead, it was ultimately defeated in a state of unequal absolute strength.At least, the brothers killed three enemies and rescued four women."Are you our people? Polotsk?" Hearing the rescuer's native dialect, the four women burst into tears."Women from Duka Village? You are safe." People untied the ropes of the women of the same race, trying to appease their broken hearts.The corpses of the three horse bandits were seized. Facing the corpses whose bodies were riddled with holes and even their heads, in revenge, the Polotsks rushed to destroy them like hungry wolves. Finally, someone who knew the big picture rushed up, kicking and pulling them to drive them away, and kept shouting: "Stop! Take the corpse back to the street! Let the chief see it again. Go and treat the wounded and clean up the battlefield."The movement made a lot of noise, and many teams participating in the battle sent messengers back to the village to report the good news. The news was gradually distorted along the way, and when it reached the ears of the big chief Proclaw, it became a huge victory.The middle-aged man was in good spirits, and he could proudly tell the people that the revenge operation was a success. Hearing that the attacker's body was seized, his beard trembled with excitement."Quick! Bring back the corpses of the enemy. Parade! Public exhibition!"He ordered this, completely ignoring the loss of this counterattack on his side is really not small.Pony horses drove their wooden carts to the battlefield not very far away. A large group of people happily followed the horse team. They heard that the captured villagers were rescued, and the refugees from Duka Village also marched forward with their families.The big leader must go there in person. He put on his best clothes, and hung a Viking broad-blade sword from a long time ago on his waist. Underneath the colorful striped tunic is a chainmail, and on top of his head is a Viking-style leather helmet imported from Riga, which is covered with European leopard skin and covered with two cinnabar-dyed geese flying feathers. He is also covered with leopard skin.Few of the warriors possessed chain mail, as did Proclaw and his **** of less than ten men.The big leader was dressed in gorgeous clothes that could hardly hide the shabby clothes of the armed militiamen. What was timid was that many of them were still barefoot. Since the soles of their feet had already accumulated thick calluses, they were passively used to it.Finally, after the guards dispersed the excited people, the big leader saw the three "rotten meat" that had just been dragged onto the carriage."This is the horse bandit?" In this situation, he had to be a little suspicious.Most of the warriors swore that these tall dead were indeed horse bandits."You said that these three were horse bandits, and the horses you captured? It's really strange, didn't you say that there are at least twenty horse bandits, and you will kill three?"This fact is unspeakable, the warriors are embarrassed to say that they have not won a complete victory, and the big leader has seen this clearly."So how much do we lose?"Someone finally replied cautiously: "Twenty people died, and more than ten people were injured. They... were all seriously injured."Hearing this explanation, it was as if the head had been hit by a stone, and the great leader's overflowing joy of victory suddenly disappeared. His face was extremely gloomy, and he could not have imagined that he had already had the opportunity to attack, and the battle had become such a rotten situation. The enemy fled on horseback, leaving only three bodies. The corpse had obviously been destroyed, and his clan could not complete the pursuit to vent their anger on the destruction of the corpse. This was simply a cowardly act.However, the majority of the people got the news of a great victory. As a big leader, Proclaw knew that everyone's morale should not be damaged.He clapped his hands vigorously and put other matters aside."Listen! Load the enemy's corpses and spoils into the truck and follow me to the village."Later, the Ross cavalry of the three warriors were all beheaded. Their bodies had been spurned by the Polotsks during the parade, and now their heads are standing on their altars with sticks, and the bodies of the dead have become sacrifices. Sacrifice, only to sacrifice innocent people killed by horse bandits.It seems that the disaster has ended here. After all, this matter is full of doubts. Because of the fear that there will be harassment by horse bandits in the future, all the settlements near the east are frightened. The militia armed based on the status quo had to devote a lot of energy to laying out defense lines and strengthening patrols. There are various signs that the situation is still fermenting silently.As the big leader, Proclaw must change this deadlock. The most important thing is to determine the identity of the attacker. It must not be simply summarized by the word "horse bandit".The four female villagers who were rescued finally gave a decisive explanation after their mental stability.The attackers were the Rus from the north. The Rus are a kind of Varangians! At the same time, the Varangians, Ross's guy and Riga's guy are very likely to know no one at all.Isn't it really a road trip? Due to the common characteristics of the corpses of the enemy, they all have blond and white hair, which is very different from the hair color of the Slavs and Latvians in Riga. However, the hair color is the same as that of the Varyag people in Riga.Even if the elites are more convinced that there is a difference between the Rus and the Varyags of Riga, it is very difficult for ordinary people to distinguish between them.There are also those who were rescued who said this intriguing statement: "Those Rus people basically understand our language, the pronunciation is a little strange but understandable. They claim to transport us to the north as slaves and give them many children."It's really weird, the Rus people arrest slaves just to have children? If it is only for this purpose, they can get women through normal marriage, so why do they have to resort to violence?The real elite has a strong enough determination on this issue, and the big leader Proclaw feels that things are a hundred times more complicated than they appear to be.It's very sad that no one knows where the Rus' horse riders came from. The opponent's base should be in the north, and no one knows how far it is from Polotsk.There is one thing that can be proved, Polotsk really encountered the same troubles as the Smolensk people in the southeast. There is also a high probability that this matter really has nothing to do with those guys in Riga.Polotsk is the eastern branch of the Polish ethnic group, and Smolensk is a real East Slavic Kriwicz ethnic group, and it is more powerful. The two sides have differences in terms of language and belief. Fortunately, they can basically communicate with each other to ensure that they can communicate with each other, and they have never been hostile to each other for a long time."I plan to organize a mission to Smolensk, bring some leather as a gift, and then discuss with the local chief about the Rosma bandits. If possible, we will try to unite with them, which is very important for our future. important"The sober leader Proclaw realized that his tribe was facing a crisis, even if the people were still immersed in the joy of successful revenge.Really successful revenge? ! Do not. Just a self-paralyzing pleasure. Polotsk, who is not very strong, needs to unite some allies to fight against future threats. It is not only the Smolensk side who has facilitated the alliance, but also the people living on the edge of the huge swamp Pripet Swamp due south. Derevlians.The new mission plan began to be planned immediately, but it took time. They believed that there was plenty of time for the Polotsks.The entire Polotsk community was placed on unprecedented armed alert, and for the first time in history they blocked the waterway of the West Dvina River. On the wider river, thick cables are stretched out, and the canoes are connected end to end, blocking the river in a chain-like manner to cut off traffic.Sure enough, brown-haired Latvians came from Riga shortly after the horse bandit incident, and the small flat-bottomed cargo ship was intercepted and the boaters were disarmed.The Danish mercenaries hired by these Latvians almost fought with the interceptors, and finally surrendered under the oppression of absolute military superiority.They did not understand that in the past, this group of Polotsks would not have blocked the river and demanded tribute.The big leader, Proclaw, would not completely plunder the merchants' commodities. He was willing to buy the salt sold by the merchants with sheepskins and cowhide, and the price was naturally not high.Although the Latvian businessman stomped his feet in anger, he heard this statement: "It is very dangerous for you to go to Smolensk to sell salt. The local horse bandits are rampant, and even a large number of horse bandits have appeared in the upper river. We set up the water level to protect you. Otherwise, you will be intercepted by them if you continue to sail, and everyone will die."Horse bandits? Incredible. Although the theory of horse bandits has been circulated in Riga, in the past, no merchants were intercepted and killed. It was the merchant ships passing through the river controlled by the Polotsk who were stopped by the locals to ask for some tribute.It is a pity that the river was completely blocked by the locals, and all personnel and materials were detained.The leading businessman couldn't believe what the big leader of Polotsk said, and shouted in exasperation: "Are you blocking the trade route to create a war? We will make money by selling salt, and it will not be just us who will cause dissatisfaction at that time!"Indeed, once dissatisfaction is aroused, it will lead to dissatisfaction among the tribes of Latvia, Semigallia, Courland and Livonia.It should be impossible for those guys to form a coalition to attack Polotsk, unless they completely cut off their financial channels. In the final analysis, they want to cross their territory to use several small rivers in the upper West Dvina River leading to the south, especially the Ural River, to contact Smolensk in a low-cost way.The roads were not completely interrupted, and many merchants from the Riga region could stop in Polotsk and trade with the Drevlians by land.Is this an insurmountable overland trade route? On the contrary, the road to the south is not far away. The merchants acted in the gaps of the group forest, and the fleet turned into a merchant horse, directly reaching the village of the Delevlian community. Then rent or buy canoes from the locals, turn down the small river into the big river referring to the Pripet River, and finally do business directly with the Kyiv community."Anyway, it's all business and who isn't? We are willing to buy your salt and support your southward trade, but you can't continue to enter the upstream."Even if they couldn't have a bird's-eye view of the entire Eastern European world from God's perspective, and even if commercial contacts were still limited for hundreds of years, the Polotsks basically figured out the large ethnic groups that lived in all directions, the control area, and the reasonable route to get there. The people of various Baltic ethnic groups living near the Gulf of Riga also know about it. For Latvians in Riga, going to Delevlian in the south is not a good idea. The locals live in swampy areas with many mosquitoes in summer and are relatively poor.Doing business should be done with rich guys. In the eyes of Latvian businessmen and Danish Varyag mercenaries and businessmen, doing business with the Smolensk is not an extreme distance, and the locals also give a larger amount of goods. Commodities, especially linen, honey and grain.The attitude of the big chief Proclaw was extremely firm. Seeing that the local men were armed on a large scale, the businessman even noticed that this group of guys who used to be good at collecting "tolls" really set up defenses in the eastern region, and that the publicly displayed rotten hair. The head of the horse bandit with black exposed bones, the situation had to be compromised.All of this is exactly what Polotsk reacted to after the attack.The time is getting closer to the autumn harvest, the weather is gradually getting colder, and there is more rain. After the autumn harvest is the rainy season. It is still summer. A thunderstorm and heavy rain will suddenly come and stop abruptly.A large-scale rainfall process is underway this July.When Polotsk completed the blockade of the river, the Russ cavalry of the evacuated Ulyko group was going all out to the north. They returned to the north with strong hatred and the results of major exploration and discoveries. They fantasized about first informing the nearest Duchess of Ostara, moving in to rescue soldiers and launching cavalry revenge, and then presenting the information to the Great King Rurik, and finally It is the Rus army sent troops to conquest.The only thing that made them glad was that their precious war horses were unharmed, and the seven men and ten horses returned in the heavy rain, enduring the mud and sudden cold. Although the road is tortuous, at least the armed expedition of the cavalry team completely found out that the source of the Lovadi River comes from two large lakes, and the two small rivers drawn from the lakes are the real Lovadi River. They sheltered from the rain in the forest, and the people and the war horses were enduring. For a while, a thunderstorm broke out. The brothers regarded it as the wrath of the Thor. When they thought about their situation, they felt a sense of grievance, which led to even greater anger. They shivered in the rain, encouraging each other: "We must take revenge."When the rainfall subsided, the team continued north along the riverThe new revision and upgrade address of the mobile station: https://, data and bookmarks are synchronized with the computer station, no ads and fresh reading!
