Novgorod welcomed back their king, and Rurik stood here again.

When the king returns, all talk of war becomes reality. The country will launch a great war, and any talented man or woman should contribute their part to the war effort!

The young cavalry soldiers were dressed in costumes, and even their mounts were covered with gorgeous "sheets".

The Turkic barbarian horse is not particularly tall, but it has the characteristics of cold resistance and high endurance. The young cavalry rides on it, holding a lance and looking majestic. The towering bearskin hat and leather cloak that it wears look shiny in the sun.

The shiny leather boots made them look like Cossack cavalry warriors. If they really carried muskets, that would really mean that.

They don't have any high-end weapons yet, but half of them are equipped with recurve bows. Regardless of the level of the soldiers' riding and shooting skills, at least they can throw arrows at group enemies on horseback without any problem, and that's enough.

They are the most mobile army on land in the Kingdom of Rus, and they are also a unit that will be vigorously developed in the future.

This is why Rurik, who returned, inspected the cavalry first.

There was a sea of ​​joy in Novgorod. The Slavs welcomed their king, queen and prince. Rurik deliberately rode a horse and wore a golden crown, swaggering through the city of Novgorod so that thousands of people could see him clearly.

of honor.

He was immersed in the cheers of the people, and the whole city was as lively as a festival.

The joy temporarily came to an end, and the cavalry under review continued their own affairs. Rurik returned to his palace to hear what had happened recently in Medvet, the regional governor and uncle of the country.

Rurik sat casually on a spread out polar bear skin. The eyes of the bear's head were gouged out, and its ferocious fangs and mouth were wide open, vowing to devour some.

Medved saw his brother-in-law again. Rurik took off his gorgeous clothes and sat on a bear skin. The room was warm and he only wore a long elegant white dress. His golden ponytail hair was still the same, and the golden laurel crown on his head.

I still don't want to take it off.

"You're here, it's just you and me here, no need to be formal, just do it."

"okay."

Speaking of Medvet, he had a lot to report to Rurik. Especially at the moment, there was something quite important that he had to talk about in advance. As soon as he sat down, he spoke: "Now there is one thing, our grasslands

Friends, they experienced some things and were late, but they have now arrived in New Ostara safely. Now that you are back, they will also set off to come."

"Is it Kagan and the others?"

"Exactly."

"If you didn't tell me, I almost ignored it. They must be trafficking horses this time? This is really a beautiful thing."

"That's right. Carlotta received them first, and the messenger said that soon Carlotta herself will come to Novgorod with her children."

Rurik nodded: "Then let them come together. I am very concerned about Kagan and his party. You...should know the list of goods they trafficked."

"The letter delivered by the courier has instructions..." That's it, Medved introduced it.

"Very good. Good horses and recurve bows. These are urgently needed war preparation materials for our army. As for the dairy products they trafficked, they are nothing. I will wait for them here. You... then report other things. Tell me, war preparations

How's the situation going?"

"As commanded."

Medved immediately introduced it. According to him, the current Slavic flag force in the army is 800 people. In fact, if the king is willing, there is no problem in expanding the army to 8,000 people. Based on past experience,

All wars conducted by Rurik himself were a complete victory, and the soldiers who participated in the battles received trophies and honors regardless of their ethnic origin.

War has become a shortcut to improve life. Men who are eager to get more loot no longer worry about death. Firstly, if they are injured, there is a chance that some medicines can save their lives and return to their original state. Secondly, even if they die in battle, they will

His wife and children can also receive pensions. Especially for a man who died in battle, his children will be raised directly by the king, and when they grow up, they will take over the social status of their father who died in battle.

In this era, people's attitude towards death is always dull, because any life is difficult. It is a blessing to live to old age. Most of the time, people decline in their prime. To be like a ball of fire, in

The limited vitality shines and creates a better life for their descendants. Now that living conditions have been greatly improved than before, poor Slavic farmers finally began to enjoy simple happiness. They were like getting a piece of honey, and now they want more

.

Medved's suggestion of gathering eight thousand men was not absurd.

According to traditional standards, a wooden stick is inserted into the spearhead, and a man holding this short spear is considered a warrior. Is this a soldier? Then it is okay to gather an army of 20,000 or even 30,000 people in the area around Lake Ilmen.

He is definitely not making nonsense, but based on the fish scale book, he can provide quite detailed data on the men in various farms in the region.

"Are there really eight thousand strong men?" Rurik couldn't help but ask.

"Indeed, the data we have is accurate. How many men are there between the ages of twelve and fifty, and how many are in the prime of life between the ages of fifteen and thirty? You can check the documents yourself on this matter.

"

It was like saying that the matter was left to Rurik himself. He waved his hand and said: "I believe it, so there is no need to see it in person."

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"So……"

"Now you continue to work, select 500 old warriors from the flag team, and then recruit 500 new soldiers, a total of 1,000 people. This is the strength of the Slavic army in this year's war. You have to train them all as spear-wielding warriors.

, form an array like a hedgehog, you know exactly how to do it."

"Yes! It's just..." Medved has always had great concerns about this: "I'm just worried about what will happen to the spring plowing if a thousand strong men leave at once?"

"This is not a problem. For you, after the spring plowing is completed, the big ship will carry the army and leave Novgorod. You may not be able to participate in the early battle, but I will need a large number of follow-up troops for the later conquest. At this time, your troops

It is the key to the final victory. You should also pay attention to choosing a man who is not prone to seasickness."

"As commanded."

A stone fell in his heart, but Medved was still surprised by the king's generosity in preparing for the war. The Slavs alone sent a thousand troops, how many troops did other ethnic groups send? Since the war against Jotalan was fought by all forces in the entire kingdom

In joint operations, could the total strength of the kingdom be five thousand?

Medved made a guess. Of course, commanding an ancient army is not necessarily about having more troops. The strength, combat effectiveness, and logistics must reach a balance with each other. It is theoretically possible to really assemble a force of 5,000 people.

, of course, this is based on the fact that the king does not have to be responsible for the military expenses and logistics of the group of lords in Sweden.

Rurik continued to wait, but he did not wait long.

While he was waiting for Carlota, Kagan and other people from the south to come to meet him, he also sent a group of messengers to deliver the news of the meeting to the surrendered Slavic farm boyars.

Finally, a large cavalry team arrived safely in Novgorod amid the white snow.

Rurik was dressed in a holy robe, with a gold crown on his head and sunglasses. He looked a little funny, and his appearance was particularly iconic.

A year later, Kagan felt that his Rurik brothers were taller and stronger, but as a son of the prairie, he was too thin. He held the reins and rode the horse closer to his sister.

"Beya Hill..."

"Um?"

"Did you see the tall man in front of you who was guarded by many warriors?"

"Saw it. He...has huge black eyes."

"Silly girl, those are Russian sunglasses, just like the ones I'm wearing now, to protect my eyes from being blinded by the snow. That's Rurik, your man."

"Is it really him?" Bayahir had actually had a premonition for a long time. She was surprised that a man could be as tall and strong as a hill, with hair and beards of golden threads. Now after being pointed out by her brother, it turned out to be true.

She suddenly had a worry: "Am I too young to be his woman?"

"You are not young anymore."

"No! I mean..." Bayahir didn't say anything more. Kagan understood what his sister was saying and immediately comforted her: "You do have an advantage."

"What is it?"

"After all, I have a blood relationship with Rurik, and I know what he likes. Your face and your body will definitely be liked by him. I don't know why he is like this, but he does like it."

Bejasil wore a huge fluffy velvet hat, which made her head look very small. Her figure was not short among the women in the prairie. When she arrived in New Ostara, she could compare herself with the local female ruler Carlotta.

He was short, but now he saw the real Rus warriors and Rus Khan himself, and he really became a dwarf.

Rurik saw Kagan's interesting mustache clearly, and he took off his sunglasses to show his face.

Look! Those bright blue eyes, those deep eyes and angular face, as well as being extremely well-manicured, maybe, what a northern lion.

Beyathil had never seen such a man before, and instinctively felt that he was a truly strong man.

Kagan and his sister got off the horse. The two brothers saw Carlotta, who was riding a deer-drawn sleigh, holding her son in her arms. As soon as they got off the sleigh, they rushed straight to Rurik.

Rurik was also very interesting at this time. He lifted Karl high, hugged him hard in his arms and kissed him hard. As a father facing many children, it is impossible to spread the father's love to Karl.

As a side branch, he was destined to not get a lot of father's love. Taking this opportunity, Rurik had to try his best to make up for him.

Watching her husband and son playing affectionately, Carlotta felt like she had a jar of honey in her mouth.

Karl was placed on the ground, and the little boy quickly hugged his father's thigh.

"He likes you so much."

"I can see that Karl is not young anymore. I will pick him up in a few years. This is my son. He will gather with the princes and I will teach them a lot myself."

"That's great. Rurik, look at me and the cavalry behind me. I have always implemented the tasks you gave me." Carlotta opened her arms to demonstrate, and she was attracted by Rurik.

He pulled her into his arms, kissed her on the cheek, and whispered: "It's rare for you to come here, we must have a good time together."

She really knew the true meaning of "getting together well", and she felt so happy.

She was also self-aware and had another protagonist for the time being. When she saw this, she pulled her son Karl aside.

Kagan held his sister's hand and walked on the trampled snow, and looked at Beyathil. She took off her hat to reveal her gorgeous and complicated braids, and then saluted Rurik.

"She? She's? What a beautiful girl."
To be continued...