When the lake ice becomes brittle, all farmers should prepare for the new year's spring plowing.
The frozen Lake Ilmen is beginning to thaw, and the swimming fish that have been waiting all winter are beginning to poke their heads out, swim to the surface of the water to get more oxygen, and even jump out of the water.
The snow that covered the entire world subsequently melted, and a large amount of melted snow soaked the land, leaving mud everywhere, making it difficult for people to move around.
New Ostara, the southernmost settlement of the Principality of Rus, is where the snow melts first. As soon as the ice and snow disappear, the grass seeds in the mud can't wait to sprout. The cattle, sheep and deer that have endured the whole winter become thinner, and the livestock wait. The grass is sprouting and people are munching on it, and people are anxiously waiting for the cattle and sheep to be full to improve people's lives.
Undoubtedly, Carlotta knew that her men had organized an army to attack Karelia again. Due to the distance, when the messenger conveyed the message, she had lost the opportunity to assemble the troops.
The settlement of New Ostara has become a fortress. Although the pens for housing livestock are all on the periphery, if there is a serious war, the safety of the livestock will naturally be handed over to people, and everyone will withdraw to the fortress to resist.
Regarding the Bear Festival Town, a settlement on the north shore of Lake Ladoga, and the large-scale war that accompanied it, when Carlotta learned about this news, he had to think about whether his fortress could stand firm if it encountered the same situation. The strategic value of New Ostara is important, and the Principality of Rus has a high probability of encountering the merchants of the Klivi Slavs from the south in this direction. Peaceful trade is acceptable, as long as the Krivics find it profitable and invade in large numbers along the Lovaj River.
The contact between Lake Ilmen and the Krivi people in the south cannot be cut off because of the conquest of Lake Ilmen by the Rus Principality.
The Lovati River has thawed, and the spring snowmelt has turned into floods, turning the otherwise peaceful river into a violent rage.
Five flat-bottomed paddle boats floated on the turbulent river. It was obvious that the current water was bone-chilling. If someone fell into the river and fluttered for a while, they would be frozen to death. The businessmen were willing to take risks for the sake of profit.
A dozen men wrapped in leather form a trading gang, and they are transporting a very important commodity that is probably popular among northern people - horses.
Their boats were not big. In order to prevent any crew members from falling behind and to ensure the stability of the boats, the boats were simply connected with ropes and lined up in a long snake formation on the river.
They only sold ten horses, two stallions and eight mares.
Compared with the horses in the hands of the people in the north, what they sell are actual Turkic horses bought from the Pechenegs. The merchants are pure Krivi people, but the place of origin is not Smolensk. community, but the more southern Kiev community.
News about a group of Varyags named Rus's establishing a powerful power in the far north spread like wildfire. The name of the Rus' people had already spread to the Dnieper River Basin. However, whether they were wealthy and whether it was profitable to trade with them, these They are all unknowns.
Although it is unknown, the biggest variable comes from the descriptions of the Russians by a group of escapees and free mercenaries.
"Russian people have a lot of wealth and have very good iron tools. If you bring the right goods, you can exchange them for some good things."
The businessmen of the Kiev community will have this attitude, but the Smolensk community feels more about the military pressure of the so-called Rus Principality and the fertile land controlled by the other party.
At least the alliance leader in Smolensk took in a refugee from the north like Vadim, and listened to his description. While coveting the northern land, he also ordered his tribe and other alliance tribes to exercise restraint. The so-called greatest restraint was to cut off trade with the north. contacts.
Smolensk adopted a "trade blockade" on the north, and Kiev's Krivich compatriots were forced to not dare to be too aggressive.
Because Kiev itself is a "Great Altar of Blood" standing on the riverside. This is the original intention of Kiev and the original intention of the Krivi people. The people living near the altar faced a more complex international situation. They exchanged a group of horses from the Pechenegs, but they were unable to buy ironware of reasonable quality from the Eastern Romans, nor could they buy good salt.
The attitude of Eastern Rome towards all Slavic merchants was subjectively repulsive. One reason was the difference in beliefs, and the other and most important reason was that the Slavic Bulgarian Empire’s war against Eastern Rome caused Eastern Rome to Slavic hostility. There were even many restrictions on the Slavic immigrants who surrendered to the emperor in Eastern Rome. The Greeks and Romans were ordered by the Roman emperor to relocate to various cities, leaving the poor rural areas to the Slavic immigrants. The empire squeezed the wealth of the farmers in order to let the cities The Romans here, especially those in Constantinople, continued to live a prosperous life.
A Slavic merchant from Kiev named Sakhi decided to make a bold attempt. He took his brothers and some friends and rowed northward with the horses he purchased. In winter, there was no ice in the center of the main channel of the upper reaches of the Dnieper River. They did not dare to enter the city of Smolensk, so they found a small river covered with thin ice and plunged into it.
They groped through the ice and mud in the frozen swamps of Valdai, and for the sake of commercial interests, they were willing to risk their legs being frozen and their toes lost, and they forcibly found the upper reaches of the West Dvina River.
The important cargo carried was the horses, which now began to pull the ships over the ice and snow.
This was a rather difficult journey. Thanks to the fact that the season was at the tail end of winter, they managed to find the upper reaches of the Lovaj River by dragging the boat on the snow-covered swamp for nearly 50 kilometers.
The rest of the journey finally became smoother. When people saw the river that could be rowed and extended all the way to the north, everyone cried with joy.
Sakhi knelt on the snow and washed his face with ice water. He ignored the cold mud on his body and called to the guys: "Push the boat down the river so that we can float to the territory of the Rus and Ilmen people."
Five boats formed a line, the river in front became wider and the water flow became more rapid.
There are extremely dense forests on both sides of the strait. People are always vigilant for fear of awakening bears and beware of fallen pine trees destroying sailing ships.
After all, this is the first time that the Kiev community has taken the initiative to trade with the Russians. Some of them are full of unknowns, and their actions have not been officially authorized.
This is a tentative trade deal. If the middle path is blocked by force majeure, everything will be over.
Suddenly, the world we were heading for became clear, and a huge body of water appeared in front of us.
"What is that? A huge camp?" A guy yelled with narrowed eyes.
The vigilant Sakhi looked up and saw that it was clearly a wooden fortress, very similar to the large altar surrounded by wooden walls in his hometown of Kiev.
Someone else asked excitedly: "Is that a Rus' village? At the worst, it's an Ilmen village."
"It should be so. Brothers, we have been marching for a long time. If we contact them, we should be able to get hospitality." Sakhi was on guard, but everyone was too short of supplies. They were willing to buy some supplies peacefully from the locals.
But as the voyage continued, they not only saw the city clearly, but also noticed several boats cruising on the lake.
The bow and stern of the ship are tilted upward, and there is a mast in the middle.
That is a ship unique to the Varangians! This is indeed the stronghold of the Rus!
A fleet floated down from the south, carrying some large livestock?
The people of Ostara, who were good at raising cattle, keenly noticed that the people standing on the boat were actually horses. Looking at the sailors, they had nothing to do with the hostile forces.
Carlotta is now pregnant, and her baby will theoretically be born in April. Rurik gave Carlotta the right to name the child. For this reason, the woman thought of all kinds of names, but could never make up her mind.
Her physical fitness is very good, otherwise she would not have been able to escape with her sister many years ago despite the leg disease.
It was also the disaster. She has always had old problems in her knees. Normally, she doesn't see anything, but now she has a surprisingly big belly and needs a wooden stick to help her walk.
A group of strange people with horses landed at the dock outside the city? Are there men already controlling those guys?
"Probably a businessman. Pass my message and quickly tell the men not to use violence. I want to meet them in person!"
Carlotta leaned on the wooden staff with her belly stretched out. She put on a fat polar bear robe and white fox fur to show her bravery and magnificence, and to cover her belly.
She arrived at the pier escorted by a group of women, speaking in Norse with an old Swedish accent.
Obviously, these languages were incomprehensible to Sakhi and his gang.
The visitors were dancing, gesticulating, and speaking in Slavic languages that were difficult to understand. It is indeed a Slavic language, and there are some differences from the Ilmen dialect.
There is no real language barrier between the two sides. There are local Slavs who temporarily live in New Ostara for the purpose of trading. The necessary exchanges between the two sides require the locals to learn some Norse.
Finally, Carlotta frowned and probably figured out some clues from the translator's description.
"Kiev? A city in the far south? Are you here to do business with Russia? Do you think this is the territory of the Russians?"
These things cannot be explained clearly in a few words. Carlotta simply refused to explain and ordered the translator who knew their language to send a message: "Show your products, show your gold and silver coins, and I can trade with you."
They sailed and walked, traveling thousands of kilometers across Eastern Europe in order to trade.
Sakye hurriedly showed off his most precious horse. As for the price, he glanced at the people here with his clever eyes, suddenly changed his tone, and asked very politely: "Young and smart female leader, will you come up with it?" At what price will I pay for my horse?”
This question stopped Carlotta.
She said casually: "One horse, one pound of silver, no more."
"Ah? Are you there to entertain me?"
"What? The price is too high? Here, a good milk-producing cow is worth one pound of silver coins. Is your horse worth more than the cow?"
"That's natural. If cows are used as a measure, according to our Kiev people's habits, a horse is worth ten cows!" Sakhi's words were decisive, and his eyes were full of resoluteness, reflecting the pride of a businessman.
Can businessmen still be unruly? Carlotta was not fooled by this performance, but one thing she was sure of was that the foreign merchants cared about their horses.
"I want to see the horse first."
After that, Carlotta simply inspected the horses. She looked at these horses based on her family's experience in raising cattle and sheep, and stroked the delicate velvet caps and long manes on the horses' necks. Her delicate touch proved the horses' health. What surprised her was that these horses were all tall, and the male horses among them were even more astonishingly tall at the shoulders.
When it comes to height, Carlotta is not short. She is a pure Nordic blond woman. She lived in the top aristocratic circle of the Russians and entered adolescence. After eating and drinking for so many years, she is actually 175cm tall. . Look at these horses, including the mares, they are all close to their own shoulder height, and they look even taller when they hold their heads high.
Mrs. Ilmenslav had some horses in her possession, all of which were far inferior in size to these.
Carlotta's eyes widened, her thoughts racing. First of all, my tribe is still in the turbulent stage after its life has stabilized, and there is no financial resources to buy these horses. Secondly, these horses arrived in the Principality of Rus, and they must be digested and absorbed by the Principality! The merchant explained that Carlotta had understood that these horses were not livestock for spring plowing. They were riding horses and were born to be war horses!
Even if the merchants sell horses in March when the ice and snow have just melted, they still sell two males and eight females!
The special parts of the two stallions have undergone specific changes, and no one understands this better than Carlotta, who is good at livestock. "April bull" is Norse slang to describe a man's lust, and the same goes for a stallion in April. Is the merchant simply selling ten horses? Is it a business to sell ten horses that are about to enter the breeding period and most of them are adult females? Carlotta has never seen this situation before.
There must be a huge hidden secret, and the motives of these businessmen must be very impure.
Carlotta stepped back with her back on her back, and casually summoned her confidants to whisper a few words. In an instant, more than a hundred men and women with spears surrounded the merchants with their goods and horses.
"Ah! What does this mean? We are peaceful businessmen and we only want to sell horses." Sakhi insisted on explaining, although he felt that he might be stabbed to death and robbed of property.
The translator stammered to describe the attitude of the Duchess of Ostara: "Your motives are very complicated. You will be detained and escorted to Novgorod in the north of the lake, including men and horses. You will have the whole of Russia." The prince will interrogate him personally.”
Will he be imprisoned? No! Just house arrest.
Carlotta temporarily locked the merchants in a small warehouse and provided them with dried fish, oatmeal, and even some ale with honey.
After receiving such a meal, the smart businessmen immediately woke up from their initial fear. The food is quite salty, which is something that can only be enjoyed during festivals in Kiev's hometown. They even provide sweet wine. Obviously, the young Varyag female leader who is obviously pregnant is not a villain.
Even if the horses are impounded, can they take proper care of them?
When it comes to taking care of horses, there are horses in New Ostara, but they are just some local horses. They are all ponies with a shoulder height of 130 cm or even shorter. After all, these horses were brought by Slavic immigrants from Victoria. The pony was brought from his hometown in Svahe. Even if he immigrated to Lake Ilmen, the pony will still be a pony.
The merchant's horse will definitely be bought by the wealthy prince Rurik.
But the horse fell into her own hands, and Carlotta felt that she would suffer a big loss if she didn't pay for it in vain.
Even for native ponies, mares enter their breeding season when the snow melts.
The overall intelligence of horses is very high. The ten horses were tortured along the way and did not eat well along the way. Naturally, even the desire to reproduce was weakened by hunger, and they all behaved obediently. Carlotta found the treasure, and the two stallions were immediately fed a large amount of oats. The weak stallions immediately became manic, and it took five or six people to pull the reins to barely control them. When the stallion calms down and learns that these humans will provide food, the manic cues subside.
The stallion was so majestic, and Carlotta was so happy to see it!
The warm wooden shed served as a temporary stable, and she happily signaled to her men: "Go! Bring all twelve of our mares over."
New Ostara used local horses for spring breeding as planned, and the arrival of extremely high-quality southern stallions was clearly a gift from the gods. Excellent horses can breed better foals, which can greatly improve the quality of local horses. This is how all kinds of domestic animals are selectively reproduced. The Ostara people are already good at this, but they arrive at these conclusions based on experience, and the biological principles behind them are unknown.
Twelve mares arrived one after another, and now the stallion really couldn't hold it anymore. In full view of the public, everyone witnessed the connection between horses and horses with laughter. Everyone also talked freely and looked forward to giving birth to high-quality foals in February next year. Although February is still a very cold period, the risk of foals being born at this time is very high. Everyone also knows that the time when they can control two high-quality stallions for free is too short, and they can only wait until next year to take good care of the horses, or even take them to a house where people live for protection.
Carlotta's purpose was thus achieved, and all the businessmen under house arrest were released.
Today's climate has become warmer, the snow has entered a rapid melting period, and spring plowing around Lake Ilmen is about to begin.
As the female leader, Carlotta knew that she was about to become a mother, and the child's father would inevitably be in Novgorod, so let the child be born next to his father.
A small Ostara fleet is put together, and the merchants will be personally brought to the supreme ruler of the Principality of Ross by the female leader. Only the supreme ruler has the right to decide on any commercial activities or other purposes.
People and horses are floating on the lake, and it feels so wonderful to be in the same boat with the real Varyag. After truly close contact with them, Sakhi and other Kiev businessmen increasingly felt that the Russians were rougher in methods, but they were still good trading partners, and they were even hospitable.
During the period of house arrest, they had good food and drink. Sacchi and his gang did not pay even a single copper coin, even though they had some Eastern Roman copper coins and Russian silver coins stuffed in their pockets.
In other words, Carlotta has already collected the profits, and the mare she controls will breed taller horses. In theory, the Ostara people can even train their own cavalry for this, and this matter is not too far away.
