The Bornholm people represented by Swinde have not been to the Eastern Baltic Sea, and they only have hearsay knowledge of the geographical overview and hydrological data there.
Although it was Ragnar who asked the islanders of Bornholm to ask for an alliance, Spyot still took the main credit for this matter. After all, Ragnar is a Dane, and the person who brought the leader of the islanders all the way to Novgorod was Spuyut, an old Russian.
Spuyot even changed his normal behavior, and the three ships sailed directly past Saaremaa Island, without even going around to Tombstone Island in the north to resupply.
They were racing all the way in the Gulf of Finland, and the jib rushed northward relying on the south wind at an alarming speed, which greatly shocked Swinder.
It is not surprising that sails drive ships, but the Russian ships are not only big, but also fast. Relying on traditional dragon-headed longships to compete with the Russians for speed is to seek death.
Swinder noticed that he was in an eastern bay. After passing a sand island, a huge and continuous wall suddenly appeared in front of him.
"Where is this? Is this the home of your Russian people?" Swinder sighed.
Spuyot, who was blowing the wind on the deck, looked arrogant: "This is our New Roseburg."
"Your leader is here too?"
"He's further away. Listen, our journey is not over yet."
Governor Old Cornuson was very strange about the pirate gang that suddenly returned. Could it be that they just rushed to the west and robbed Too many things came back and were sold as stolen goods.
When he brought a group of men to the port with the intention of transporting supplies, when he saw the waterline of the ship, he knew that they had not gained anything.
Old Cornuson raised his head and asked loudly: "Did you forget to bring something? What are you doing back?"
"We want to see the prince! I want to present a gift to the prince. !" Sipuyut shouted with a smile while holding on to the railing.
"What gift is it?"
"A guy who wants to join us. We will rest at the port for the night, and we will continue our journey tomorrow."
Old Conu Pine had to know what was going on. When he learned that the entire island of Bernholm wanted to ally with the Principality of Ross, which was a great thing, he hurriedly invited Swinder and his entourage, who were visiting Ross for the first time, to have a feast. .
The old governor even put the envoy directly into the city, so Swinde was also deeply shocked by the huge city of the Rus.
Without him, this place is too big! The streets and alleys are well arranged, the hardened roads are very neat, and there is no peculiar smell if you smell it. What shocked him most was the huge hardened flat land of Harvest Square and the tall buildings built around the square.
At this time, the farmland near New Roseburg has completed spring plowing. Due to the still rough agriculture in the Principality of Rose, it was still not taken care of much after sowing. People also have a variety of production jobs.
What Swind saw in the city changed his outlook on life, and he even yearned for the life here.
Old Conuson had his own ideas. The so-called outsiders who were willing to take refuge saw the great prosperity of the city, which would inevitably deepen their determination to take refuge.
The ship got some supplies and continued to move up the Neva River. It was a period of melting ice and high water, so they had to rely on rowing boats for towing and combined use of sails to absorb the thrust of the south wind.
The huge Ladoga Lake is nearby. At this time, the lake formed a water transportation line. Those are some traditional rowing boats that transport stones found on the shores of Lake Onega.
The stone was discovered during the freezing period. After the ice thawed, large-scale stone transportation has begun, and a batch of stone has arrived in Novgorod.
Southerly winds accompany the river flowing northward. The current navigable situation of the Volkhov River is a bit awkward. Although it can be sailed against the wind, the speed is still slower than that of a rowing boat all the way to Lake Ilmen in the south.
Three ships rhymed Swinde as he went deep into the hinterland of Eastern Europe. The scenery of lakes and mountains here shocked Swinde. He exclaimed that he had discovered a sea without salty taste, and later learned that it was a giant lake.
The city named Novgorod stands on the riverside, and there are large areas of farmland on the riverbank and in the extended area.
He was greedy to see the comfortable pastoral scene, and felt even more bizarre. He never thought that the vicious Russians could produce their own supplies?
The old islander came into contact with too many novel things in a short period of time, and he had to accept the fact that the Russians were far stronger than the Danish tribes.
Swinder stood at the port of Novgorod. He and his entourage just watched cautiously and dullly.
Spuyot and others came back after a month. When Rurik, who was busy with internal construction, heard the report, he didn’t need to think too much that something big had happened.
A peaceful life will always be broken by some emergencies. Rurik has long been mentally prepared. Even if he learns that the Danes have formed a group to kill again, he will not feel outrageous. Anyway, someone will attack. Just cut it back. He doesn't want to fight this year. If the enemy wants to fight, then start the war early! Even if Russia's military strength can be increased by another 50% next year.
He hurried out of his palace, even dressed in casual clothes, and rushed to the dock with his entourage. I saw a group of royal pirates running back like this. It didn't look like they had gotten a big benefit.
"What's going on? You came back too early! Who will tell me what's going on?!"
The people watching all heard the prince's loud shouting, Especially Siput, he knew that he had to give the prince a clear explanation. How to explain? No words can be as useful as the appearance of one character.
Spuyot pushed Swinde, the islander’s speaker who entered the Eastern European plains for the first time, and pushed him in front of Rurik.
"Prince, we are back with a treasure."
"What treasure?! Sipuyote, you better tell me that I grabbed a lot of amber."
p>
"It's a treasure. Look, it's this man."
"Huh?!" Rurik was speechless. What Si Puyot said was really nonsense. Could it be that the unattractive guy he pushed out could still be a treasure?
“Who is this?” Rurik asked patiently with his brows furrowed.
Spuyut straightened his back: "Why don't you come and listen to what he has to say."
So, when Rurik looked at this man, the man Sven De was looking at the tall young man in front of him. Looking at the scene now, there are probably thousands of people gathered at the pier. It is crowded and noisy, and it seems that more people are coming to watch the fun. Obviously the man with such great appeal is the young man in front of him, who is the supreme leader of the Rus people.
Swinder was trembling with fear, and the trembling in his legs could not be controlled by his head at all.
"I...I am from Bornholm Island. I am a messenger..."
"What? Bornholm?" Rurik looked in his eyes Suddenly sharpened, the man in front of me was boring because of his plain appearance. If it had something to do with Bornholm Island, it would be completely different.
Rurik asked again and again, and was surprised to learn this astonishing fact - the Bornholm islanders sent an envoy. The islanders' purpose was very pure, that is, they hoped to make peace with Ross.
"You are a messenger, which is great! But do you keep your word? I don't trust you very much. You look like a beggar, with ragged clothes. A lowly person is not worthy of talking to me." Rurik deliberately acted arrogantly like a king. Firstly, he was really arrogant, and secondly, he wanted to scare the messenger.
Swinder was not frightened. He did not dare to confront others with force, and he would not admit his inferiority to his own honor. He calmly declared: "Our island does not have the biggest leader, everything is discussed. They elected me to be the temporary leader, and I came with their prayers for peace. We have only one request, I hope you Russians... can Stop the persecution of our islanders."
"Have I persecuted you?" Rurik scratched his head and suddenly thought that it was true, or that he had opened a record and attacked Bornholm Island. He is the instigator. "Oh, that's what happened. You are Denmark's lackeys, and you should be beaten."
"Sir, at least give us a way to survive. We want peace, and we should have a good talk."
"Want to talk? Yes. But..."
"How?"
"You can't see me in such a sloppy state." After that, Rurik directly ordered Spyot and Ragnar, "You two, take this guy who emerged from the mud away, wash the mud all over his body, and wash his dirty hair. I will talk to Bone tomorrow. The Holm envoy had a formal conversation. "
Rurik felt that his decision was wise. Although Bornholm Island itself is not big, there must be 5,000 islanders on it. , even though it has been attacked frequently over the years.
They sent envoys to ask for peace talks. Of course peace talks are possible, as long as you pay an impressiveFor a satisfactory price, a peace treaty can be signed.
Of course, they can only sign an unequal treaty with Ross, and Ross must have a major advantage.
Now that something has happened, let’s take advantage of it and take advantage of it. What benefits should I ask for? This will take some time to research.
Ryuri ordered the envoy to bathe and change into clean clothes that fit his status. By the way, he also allowed the envoy to see how the Russians lived.
Because the living conditions in the core area of the Principality of Ross are not only stable and peaceful, but also the substantial improvement in material production efficiency has brought about "a great abundance of materials."
Although it is far from being comparable to the abundance of materials in the industrial age, Ross has a huge advantage compared to the materials possessed by tribes outside the region. This is a sword called "soft power". Rurik also saw that in this era of Viking tribes who have no sense of family and country and mostly live together, who can provide a better way of life, more If people from outside the region learn the news, they will have a high probability of spontaneously immigrating.
That night, Messenger Swinder and his party ate bread and barbecue. He was puzzled as to why the Prince of Rus entertained him with such a sumptuous meal. He could only subjectively believe that the Russians were willing to make peace with each other, and this delicious meal was a signal of peace.
Swinder's guess was correct, but not entirely correct.
The times are not in the past. Rurik, who is based on the soul of the East, is particular about entertaining foreign envoys to show the generosity of the prince of Russia and to satisfy the pursuit of glory as the supreme ruler of a large country.
If a tribal leader came to meet him, a few delicious meals and a warm place to stay would be indispensable.
And Rurik held a small meeting with the returning people in the evening, and he found out what Spuyut and his party had experienced.
But he did not expect at all that Ragnar was the proposer and executor of the entire peace plan, and what Spuyut did was actually to facilitate the situation.
The entire island of Bornholm has essentially separated from Denmark. Do they want to form an alliance with Ross?
Rurik deliberately wanted to listen to Ragnar’s opinion, so after being specially informed, Ragnar, who felt that the time was about the same, simply stopped being calm and directly named his purpose: “We all have the same purpose. Common enemy, the hateful King Horik of Denmark. You said that you intend to support me as the new king of Denmark. If I succeed, my Denmark will also form an alliance with Rus. Rurik, you must be sincere. So I will actively look for people who are against the king in the Danish world, and organize them to find the opportunity to launch an attack. When the time comes, our joint action will be successful, so we need those people on Bornholm Island who are worthy of being roped in. "< /p>
Starting a war with Denmark was a big deal, but Rurik actually still had some grudges. He believed that Denmark had great strength and that it would take several years for Ross to accumulate strength before he could have absolute military superiority.
Ragnar's demands are constructive. He should rectify the exiled anti-king people and form a coalition before starting the war.It is basically difficult for Ragnar to complete his great cause on his own. He needs the military support of the Principality of Rus.
The people of Bornholm Island must pay a price for the restoration of peace, and Ragnar must also pay benefits if he wants to become the new King of Denmark with the support of Ross.
Of course he has to ask for a lot of benefits, otherwise why would Rose help him with Ragnar?
We won’t discuss what benefits he will ask for in the future, but now Rurik only wants one thing - the surrender of the entire Bornholm Islanders.
Rurik simply made a very determined decision.
"Why should I ally with them? I want that island to be under my rule. I can even appoint a governor and move some of the islanders inland. I want their islands to fly my flag, The wandering fishing boats also carry my flag. I want them to organize an army to attack the Danish king when necessary." "Ah! This request..." Ragnar never thought that the prince of Ross would come. Remember the whale swallowed.
"What? You think I can't do it?"
"You can definitely do it. It's just that I think it's difficult for them to surrender to you just because of a negotiation. ."
"Generally speaking, this is true." Rurik shrugged and said jokingly: "Don't they want peace? If their envoys don't accept it, then continue. Let’s fight.”
From Rurik’s point of view, Bernholm is very close to Denmark, but still too far from the nearest stronghold of the Principality of Ross.
If the local islanders surrender, it will be difficult for Ross to rule directly because the sky is high and the emperor is far away. Even if you choose direct rule, the cost of governance is too high.
He set a bottom line for himself - the islanders cannot work for the Danish King Horik.
Messenger Swinde, who had rested all night, was looking forward to the meeting with the Prince of Rus. Due to the hospitality he received, he thought that this meeting would be very successful.
After breakfast, he was rushed to the prince's palace by the soldiers, where he was inspected again and met with Rurik in an absolutely defenseless manner.
He entered the hall cautiously and saw a man wearing a white bear skin sitting casually. There was a small table in front of him with wine and snacks on it. This is nothing, let’s look at the circle of bear heads hanging on the wooden wall, which is really majestic.
Swinder wanted to say something, but Rurik spoke first.
There was no longer any reason for polite words. Rurik gave the envoy a multiple-choice question in a commanding tone: "You people of Bernholm, either become my vassals and pay me tribute every year. Either raise our flag or...remain in a state of war!”
Hearing this, Swinde’s head suddenly grew bigger. He originally thought that the Kingdom of Ross would have such a request, but they really could make it happen.
Seeing that there were no other nobles present, there was an armored warrior sitting under the bear's head.
Swinder took a breath, maybe he refused, and it was almost impossible to leave alive.