What Olegin did today, Rurik always felt a bit like being in child's play, that is to say, the so-called kingship and founding of a country were really too casual.
Since his resolution has been supported by everyone, the Russians will naturally also express their support.
No, Rurik pulled his father's hand hard.
"What's wrong?" Otto lowered his head and asked softly.
"According to...that. We...should perform the warrior salute."
The two sides do have a secret agreement, which requires the Russians to perform a political performance in public to show their recognition of the royal power. . Although Otto was a little unhappy, he took Rurik's hand and half-knelt on the ground in a very abrupt manner, and Carlotta also knelt on one knee.
Otto flattered him unintentionally: "Congratulations on becoming the king of the entire Svealan. We Russians, and even the people of Ostara, recognize your power."
The leader of Rus and his successors all paid a warrior salute to Olegin?
Such a sudden scene shocked the leaders into a dilemma. They saw Origen, a skinny guy with a arrogant look, and his raised chin was pressed against the beam of the house. I didn't know what to do for a while.
In fact, in order to get the warrior gift from the Russians, Origen spent a huge price. However, at this age, this person no longer values money particularly. He needs power and prestige, which are some empty things.
"Thank you, Chief Ross, for your support. You Otto!" Olegin leaned over and said: "I canonize you as a princeps. And you, Carlotta, I can also canonize you as a duke. (princepsess)."
These terms do not excite Otto, because they are also part of the secret agreement. Even half-kneeling to such an old guy, he wouldn't be willing to do it unless it could win huge favor for the Russian people.
But Rurik was holding back the laughter in his heart now. He had to admire that Olegin was a somewhat lame admirer of the Frankish Kingdom, but the word "princeps" this time was unusual. The original meaning is "first citizen", which is also the title first invented by Augustus. It is really a bit fun to appear here.
But what? After receiving this rather casual canonization, Rurik felt that the Rus tribe could hold a big sacrifice in their hometown, and then give each tribe member a pound of wheat (just like the victorious Caesar inviting all the residents of Rome to a meal), which was very enthusiastic. Celebrating the birth of the Principality of Rus.
In the current era, the various Frankish lords are essentially from the ancient Germanic tribal chief families. They naturally chose such a noble term for themselves in the wasteland of Rome. Even in the history of another dimension, the title "Prince" held by the ruler of Kievan Rus at the beginning was essentially "princep" in Slavic language, until it was replaced by the title "Vladimir".
Olegin continued: "In this way, you are just one level lower than us." After that, heThe tribal leaders who turned around and looked confused said: "Salve me as a warrior, and I will confer you the title of Duke. Otherwise, you will only have some low-level titles."
Tribal leaders who are not willing to lag behind others. , whether they are happy or not, now they are half-kneeling on the ground.
It was also at this time that people finally realized that the "king" and the "alliance leader" were different! After all, there is no need to perform warrior salutes when facing the leader of the alliance.
If he were not immersed in the serious scene, Rurik would like to laugh wildly at this casual and absurd "big show" of proclaiming a king, founding a country, and side-stitching. Fortunately he held back.
Anyway, Rurik believed that by kneeling down, the tribes would know that the king was more noble than the duke, and they could at least receive the soldier's gift from others.
If these were the only benefits of becoming king, Rurik really didn’t think there was anything clever about it.
Unless everyone in this area realizes that the title of king is more noble than that of alliance leader.
In the Frankish Kingdom, only a few relatives of the king enjoyed the title of duke, that is, "princeps".
This is a good thing for Origen. He canonized all the leaders in the original alliance in order to satisfy everyone's vanity. Now there are only three to four hundred people in the tribe, which is only a village chief-level tribe, and the leaders have all become dukes.
Of course Olegin did not forget to give his son Karl a title, which was the successor of the king and the so-called crown prince. .
He was in high spirits and said arrogantly: "My son Karl, he will eventually be your king. For the sake of our kingdom, you and your descendants must support his power."
Listen, no one spoke out in support, and no one stood up to oppose it. Everyone kept their mouths shut and didn't want to talk nonsense. Because many leaders know that Karl is unreliable. Besides, no one thinks that even if the alliance is upgraded to a kingdom, the status of the king will always be hereditary to the Origen family.
The strange farce ended quickly, and everyone sat down again.
Olegin’s smiling face showed that he was still savoring the happiness just now, “Now you are all dukes, and you are all very noble. In this way, we will be as noble as the Franks in distant places, and Denmark The people, the Gotlanders, and the guys in the highlands, they are all inferiors. But these inferiors attack us! We must fight back, destroy them as a kingdom, and regain what we have lost. Let them pay back twice as much."
Olegin became more and more excited as he spoke.
About the war, Origen himself drew up a plan. He had not told anyone before, but now that he was in the mood, he suddenly made a surprising statement.
"Brothers." He still had a vulgar tone for a while: "I learned some information that they established markets on the land of Old Ostara and Old Gran, and even gave them names. Norrkoping (also known as Norrkoping), this is a shame and we must pay for it!A torch! However, our revenge will still expand! ”
Expanding the war? Everyone became excited after hearing this decision. They didn’t dare before, but now with the support of the powerful Melalen people, they dare to directly attack the enemy’s hinterland.
Those with a discerning eye can also see that Olegin, who is now king, needs a big victory to lay the foundation for his kingdom and even gain the popular foundation of "family world"
The war will be deliberately expanded by the kingdom. , who is not looking forward to it?
Olegin pointed out a new attack point, which is also a new area that the residents of the Svealand Plain have not touched: "We do not attack Gotland, we follow the coastline. Go south to attack the seaside settlement called Kalma, which was Danish territory. Let me tell you, we don't need to attack the Danes' lackeys, we will attack the real Danes. I want to burn Kalma to the ground. I don't need homophobic revenge. I want a greater victory! And you, brothers, go and take everything we need! ”
It was only today that the various leaders officially confirmed that the war was bound to happen. They were originally worried, but now everyone’s emotions were mobilized by Oleg.
In fact, Oleg Gold has no magic power. What makes everyone excited comes from their desire for wealth and power.
The big tribes hope to get huge wealth, and the small tribes also hope to get a share of it.
p>
The majestic parade of Olegin's "Black Army" was a boost to the leaders, and the visit of the Russians and their ships was an unexpected surprise.
" Are you all happy? Do you fully support my resolution of war? "Olegin asked deliberately.
At this time, the leader of the Gran people, who were so weak that they were essentially dependent on the Yelmalens, announced loudly: "I support it. Some wolves have appeared in my old territory. We need to eliminate them and take back the grassland where I graze my cattle. ”
“Very good. Where are the others?"
The small tribes agreed one after another, so the larger tribes who were still a little worried could only follow the trend wholeheartedly.
"Just right, we Let’s discuss the issue of sending troops. But one thing I must say ahead of time is that in this war, the Russians and their fleet will be responsible for the transportation of our supplies. "
Oligen's words are puzzling. For example, the leader of the Unkras tribe, who was in a mood because of the "defection" of the Gould family, Angreev raised his head and asked Otto: "Huh?" Russians, don’t you want to fight alongside us? "
Otto originally intended to fight back, but when he thought of the contract, he slowly said in a calm and coercive tone: "Maybe I need to listen to the king's arrangements for these things, because he is the king. . ”
“Whatever. "Ungrieve shrugged, "Anyway, you will get rich just by trading. ”
In fact, in terms of getting rich, or in a narrow sense, getting silver coins, how can money be made as quickly as looting in this time and space? The material productivity of the Russian people has indeed improved a lot, and its potential is huge, that is, in the future. ,launchWar and looting is nothing less than an efficient method, although it is cruel.
Rurik was no longer too lazy to think philosophically, he knew he had to be ruthless. There are some necessary evils that must be done and even ordered by oneself. what to do? Just close your eyes and pretend you can't see.
For example, in this plan, Olegin regarded "burning Kalma" as an important strategic goal.
In Rurik's mind, Kalma, located on the southeastern coast of Scandinavia, can be considered a historical city, but it has also been ravaged by war. Because of geographical barriers, the Viking world formed three power groups with exactly the same language. They condensed into one country, which was the Kalmar Alliance.
The alliance happened later. What Rurik saw now was the tense situation between Sweden and Denmark.
Origen slapped his thigh hard, stopping all the leaders' whispering.
"Okay, listen to me! This battle can be called the founding battle of our country. We must show our prestige, so we must organize a capable army. I have decided that we, Melalen, will send troops One thousand, five hundred people!"
One thousand, five hundred troops with just a flick of the hand? Is this considered a kind of army?
Rurik was not much shocked. The surprised eyes of other leaders told too many problems.
Considering that the Melalen tribe is a "behemoth" with more than 20,000 people, Olegin can quickly assemble such a team.
He said arrogantly: "What do you think? Leaders, how many people have you decided to send?"
Everyone subconsciously raised their heads, not knowing what to say for a while. Does Mellaren show off its military strength? No, if there really is a large-scale battle, they can still continue to raise an army, or even organize an army of five thousand people?
For example, the stronger Hjärmalen tribe and the Uppsala tribe, two forces with similar populations, their leaders know that even if they gather all the men who can hold an axe, they will be defeated. , the strength could barely exceed a thousand people. What is the strength of such an army?
No one has the memory of the Mellaren expedition, and they never thought that Origen would make such a big deal in his first expedition in his life.
You can’t help but give him some face, right?
The Hjelmalen people were the first to give the reply: "We sent out five hundred people, these are the elites of our tribe!"
The Uppsala people immediately gave the same reply, that is, Five hundred warriors.
The Angklas people have a smaller population. Seeing this formation, Anggrev didn’t want to show off his strength and was afraid of being despised by others. “Why don’t you do this, I will send 300 people. My The population is small and we cannot send out too many troops."
There are actually more than ten small tribes. For example, the population of the Orglan people is small, which is an indisputable fact. The leader Oak decided to send out only fifty people. Seeing this, each small tribe sent out fifty troops, so that even if they suffered losses in the war, the losses would be acceptable. These small partsThe total number of fallen troops was only five hundred.
At this point, everyone is staring at the reaction of the Russians, with eyes looking at Otto's face.
"Oh? Are you waiting for my answer? Ask me how many troops I will send? The job of us Russians is to transport materials such as a batch of rations, and my people are responsible for supporting the army, that's all. , Do you still want us Russians to send thousands of troops? I...are willing to obey the king's arrangements."
Otto directly passed the blame to Olegin, which was what Olegin wanted to do.
"The Russians will ensure our logistics to a great extent. Have you all seen that big ship? That ship is enough to transport a large amount of food."
"But, Aren't the Rus a powerful tribe?" Ungrif of Onkras asked sternly, "They must send troops instead of sending a small group of people as a transport team. Also, since we all recognize the Ostara tribe. Female leader, Ostara will also send troops."
Olegin frowned: "The Russians will send two hundred troops, I think it is enough."
"That's it. That's too little! They have more people than me." "But there are not many people who dare to fight," Rurik suddenly spoke on behalf of his father.
The scene suddenly became quiet, and pairs of eyes were staring at Rurik's face.
Ungreev stretched out his right hand and pointed: "Child, you have no place to speak here."
"How dare you threaten me?" Rurik asked With his blood boiling, he just couldn't stand this chattering guy, so he instantly pulled out his bright white dagger, "I know exactly what's going on with you Unclas, it's not your turn to teach me a lesson here."
"You!" Ungreave felt that he was greatly offended. His anger was not without reason, because Gould did not send another fleet to Angklas. After encountering the dilemma of the merchants not coming to visit, he was no longer complacent about the withdrawal of the Gould family, but regretful and self-blame.
Otto coughed twice and ordered his son to be silent.
Here, Otto is not stupid enough to tell everyone that Ross’s elite went to the East to collect taxes and even actively built New Rossburg. It would be best for the leaders of their group not to know the fact about the expansion of the Rus people.
Otto simply pretended to be a coward and made up a lie. His so-called "coward" acting skills were really exaggerated, and even another way of showing off his "business skills."
"We Russians are good at business, that's all. We are not as brave as your warriors, so when the war starts, we will not compete with you for the spoils." Many leaders' eyes lit up after hearing this, But some people question what the Russians are trying to do? Even if they send out 200 troops, they are still sending out troops. Is it just a transport team responsible for cheering? Or is it that the Ross people actually reached some kind of agreement with the Melalen people?
Some people have guessed this. Thinking of the large grain trade between the Rus and Melalen last year, and even the influx of a large amount of black iron weapons,Mellaren, they thought there was something fishy going on here.
Everyone seemed to be suspicious of the recruitment. Olegin clapped his hands vigorously: "Now I understand. Our coalition will have 3,500 people! What a huge army!"< /p>
After hearing the exact statistics, those who were complaining just now no longer care about anything.
Olegin continued to announce: "As the king, I will distribute the spoils to each tribe after the war according to the strength of the troops sent by each tribe. The Russians sent less troops, so they will naturally get less. I will send more troops. Naturally, I am the king, and you must obey my orders. And before the expedition takes the spoils, I will transport a large amount of wheat by the Russian ships."
This resolution dispelled everyone's concerns, and some tribes even regretted reporting fewer troops. No matter what, when it comes to the battlefield, it doesn’t matter who says it. Only using your own weapons to grab the spoils of war is the last word.
Ungrieve felt much more comfortable. He was mocking the Russians in his heart because they only sent 200 people.
As everyone knows, everyone really doesn’t know about the conspiracy between the Russians and the Melalen people.
Olegin made a conclusion: "You all look happy! We will all be rich in the future. I will order my son Karl to be the war chief of Merlaren. You should also appoint your own generals. Tomorrow, we will celebrate the birth of our kingdom at the altar by the lake. You will all congratulate me on becoming the king. You will have a month to prepare for this war. I plan to go out on June 1st. I think you have enough time. Preparatory personnel and weapons.”
At this point, the affairs of the first day of the alliance have basically been announced. The next leaders who have been promoted to dukes only need to participate in the grand sacrificial event tomorrow to gain new power. It will be stable, and the "Kingdom of Sweden" will become a formal existence.
Otto's eyes lit up, and the day of the expedition was indeed a month away. Although the Russians sent few troops, they made preparations early. This preparation was simply based on a sea battle. Could it be that his son had wishful thinking that the Russian fleet would wait for the enemy to attack and win a complete victory? That's ridiculous, right?
Wait a minute! Maybe he has foreseen the future, and smart people should not doubt it, because it is an oracle and cannot be blasphemed.