Olegin's actions 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 are really too casual.
Since his resolution has received everyone's support, 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 warrior salutes."
There is indeed a secret agreement between the two parties, 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 Rus people, 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 all 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. They 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 also canonize you as a princepsess."
These terms did not excite Otto because they were 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 is holding back the laughter in his heart now. He has to admire that Olegin is a somewhat lame admirer of the Frankish Kingdom. However, the word "princeps" is unusual this time. Its original meaning is "first citizen" , is also the title first invented by Augustus, and it is really a bit of fun to appear here.
but? 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 saying that, he immediately turned around and looked at the confused tribal leaders: "Salve me as a warrior, and I will make you a duke. Otherwise, there are just some inferior titles.”
The tribal leaders who were not willing to lag behind others, whether they liked it or not, were now 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 wasn't immersed in the serious scene, Rurik would have wanted to laugh wildly at this casual and ridiculous "big show" of proclaiming a king, founding a country, and side-stitching. Fortunately he held back.
In any case, 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 can realize that the title of the king is more noble than that of the alliance leader.
In the Frankish Kingdom, only a few relatives of the king enjoyed the title of duke, that is, "princeps".
This was a good thing for Origen. He canonized all the leaders in the original alliance 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 a title to his son Karl, who was not here yet, and that was the king's successor, 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 this guy 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 are as noble as the Franks in distant places, and the Danes and Gotlanders, And those guys on the highlands, they are all inferior. But these inferior people attack us! We must fight back, destroy them as a kingdom, take back what we have lost, and make them pay back double."
Olegin became more and more excited as he spoke.
Regarding 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 a market on the land of Old Ostara and Old Gran, and even named it Norrkoping (that is, North Yukihira), this is a great disgrace! We must burn it to the ground! However, our revenge will still expand!"
Expand the war? After hearing this decision, everyone became excited. They didn't dare before, but now with the support of the powerful Melalen people, they dared to directly attack the enemy's hinterland.
Anyone with a discerning eye can also see that in fact, Olegin, who is king, needs a big victory to lay the foundation for his kingdom and even gain the foundation of popular support for his "family and the world."
The war will be deliberately expanded by the kingdom, who doesn't look forward to it?
Olegin pointed out a completely new attack point, which was also a new area that the residents of the Svealand Plain had not touched: "We will not attack Gotland, we will go south along the coastline to attack the seaside settlement called Kalma. It is the territory of the Danes. Let me tell you, we don’t have to attack the Danes’ lackeys, we will attack the real Danes. I will burn Kalma to the ground. I don’t need homophobic revenge. I want a greater victory! And you , brothers, go get 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 Olegin.
In fact, Olegin has no magic power. What makes everyone excited comes entirely from their own desire for wealth and power.
Large tribes hope to gain huge wealth, and small tribes also hope to get a share of the pie.
The majestic parade of Olegin's "Black Army" was a shot in the arm for the leaders, and the visit of the Russians and their ships was an unexpected surprise.
"Are you all happy? Do you fully support the war I decided?" Olegin asked deliberately.
At this time, it was the Gran people who were so weak that they were essentially dependent on the Hjärmalen people. Their leader loudly announced: "I support it. Some wolves have appeared in my old territory. We must destroy them and take back what I have released." Pasture for cattle.”
"Good. Where are the others?"
Each small tribe expressed their agreement one after another, so that the larger tribes who were still a little worried could only follow the trend wholeheartedly.
"That's right, let's discuss the issue of sending troops. But there is one thing I must say beforehand. In this war, the Russians and their fleet will be responsible for our material transportation."
Origen'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, raised his head and asked Otto: "Huh? People from Russia, don't you want to fight alongside us?" "
Otto 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." Ungreave shrugged, "Anyway, you will get rich just by trading."
In fact, in terms of getting rich, or in a narrow sense, obtaining 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. In the future, launching war and looting will be an efficient method, although it is cruel.
Rurik was no longer too lazy to philosophize, he knew he had to be ruthless. There are some necessary evils that must be done and even ordered by oneself. what to do? I know that if I close my eyes, I can't see it.
For example, in this plan, Olegin regarded "burning Kalmar" as an important strategic goal.
In Rurik's mind, Kalma, located on the southeastern coast of Scandinavia, can be considered a historical city, even though 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 came later. What Rurik saw now was the tense situation between Sweden and Denmark.
Origen slapped his thigh hard, ending the whispering of all the leaders.
"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 1,500 troops!"
A force of 1,500 troops at the drop of a hat? Is this considered a kind of army?
Rurik was not much shocked. The surprised eyes of other leaders said 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 proudly: "What do you think? Leaders, how many people have you decided to send?"
Everyone subconsciously raised their heads and didn't know what to say for a while. Does Mellaren show off its military strength? No, if there really was a large-scale battle, they could 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 are two forces with similar populations. Their leaders know that even if they gather all the men who can hold an axe, their strength will barely exceed a thousand. people. What is the strength of such an army?
Everyone had no 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 Yermalen people were the first to respond: "We are sending out five hundred people, these are the elites of our tribe!"
The Uppsalas immediately gave the same reply, namely five hundred warriors.
The Angkras people had a smaller population. Seeing this situation, Anggrev didn't want to spoil his vitality by trying to be arrogant, and he was afraid of being despised by others. "Just like this, I will send out 300 people. My population is small, so I can't send out too many." Soldiers."
There are actually more than ten other 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. The total strength of these small tribes is only 500 people.
At this point, everyone is staring at the reaction of the Ross people, 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 supplies such as a batch of rations. My people are responsible for supporting the army, and that's it. Do you still expect us Russians? Send thousands of troops? I...are willing to obey the king's arrangements."
Otto directly passed the blame to Olegin, which was Olegin's intention.
"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 sternly questioned, "They must send troops instead of sending a small group of people as transport teams. Also, since we all admit that Aosta The female leader of the La tribe, Ostara, also has to send troops."
Olegin frowned: "The Russians will send two hundred troops. I think it is enough."
"That's it? Too little! Their population is larger than mine."
"But there are not many people who dare to fight." Rurik suddenly spoke on behalf of his father.
The scene suddenly became quiet, and all eyes were staring at Rurik's face.
Ungrieve stretched out his right hand and pointed: "Child, you have no place to speak here."
"How dare you threaten me?" Rurik's blood boiled over. 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 Onkras. Is there any chance here?" Until you teach me a lesson."
"You!" Ungreave felt 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 the Ross 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 cowardly and made up a lie. His so-called "cowardice" acting skills were really exaggerated, and even another way of showing off his "business skills."
"We Russians are good at doing business, that's all. We are not as brave as your soldiers, so when the war starts, we will not compete with you for the spoils." After hearing this, many leaders' eyes lit up, but some people questioned the real intentions of the Russians. What? 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. When they think about the large-scale grain trade between Rus and Melalen last year, and even the large amount of black iron weapons flowing into Melalen, they estimate that there is something fishy in this.
Everyone seemed to be suspicious of the recruitment, and Olegin clapped his hands vigorously: "Now I understand. Our coalition will have 3,500 people! What a huge army!"
After hearing the exact statistics, those who were complaining just now no longer care about anything.
Olegin continued to declare: "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 will naturally get less if they send less troops. If I send more troops, they will naturally get more. I am King, you must obey my orders. And before the expedition takes the spoils, I will use wheat to support your army. A large amount of wheat will be transported by the Russian ships."
This decision 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.
Angreev 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 Mälaren, and you should also appoint your own generals. Tomorrow, we will be at the lakeside The altar celebrates the birth of our kingdom, and you all want to 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 to prepare men and weapons."
At this point, the affairs of the first day of the alliance have basically been announced. The leaders who have been promoted to dukes only need to participate in the grand sacrificial event tomorrow. The new power will be stabilized and the "Kingdom of Sweden" will become official. The presence.
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! Maybe he has foreseen the future, and smart people should not doubt it, because it is an oracle and cannot be blasphemed.
