Rise of Rurik - Chapter 778

[Chapter 779 You are majestic and majestic, prince on horseback]

What is a good meal?

Whenever there is a gathering on the grassland, the distinguished chiefs gather together, slaughter a few sheep and roast them until they are scorched and oily, and everyone walks up with knives, cut off their favorite parts and hold them to eat. This is a feast on the grassland.

The feast is even more wonderful if it is accompanied by kumiss.

Kagan’s concept of good food is very limited. He has heard that the Romans are very good at eating, and they also like the taste of wine very much.

In the homeland, wine of course flowed into the society of the Pechenegs.

There would be Caucasian vintners from Abkhazia, Georgia, and Armenia selling wine in barrels in exchange for Pecheneg horses.

Horses are a kind of hard currency. Obviously, the trade with the Ross people in the far north is a win-win situation. In Kagan’s view, among all the trading partners, only the Ross people are the most decisive in taking out silver coins.

Because Rurik was soon out of town to see those steeds!

Turkic horses have long manes, even on the hooves of the horses.

Most horses do not have iron shoes, but the cuticles of the horseshoes have been trimmed.

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They are not afraid of people at all when they gather together, stepping on the snow one by one, busy panting.

Touching the horse’s mane, the horse has no intention of kicking, and is as docile as if it is an old friend.

“Can I ride one?” Rurik couldn’t suppress the restlessness in his heart, and asked Kagan casually.

This proposal is really a bit bold, even if Prince Ross is noble, he doesn’t know how to gallop!

But Kagan doesn’t understand at all…

“Okay, I have to warn that good riders need training. Also, I can’t guarantee that the horse you choose will be absolutely docile.”

“I appreciate your kindness. Just choose a docile horse! Remember!” Rurik stared at Kagan solemnly, “I bought your Turkic wild horse for galloping. I want to inspect the goods myself and make them for others. A role model. I think you should be able to guess my intentions.”

Some things cannot be hidden. For example, as early as in the far east, Kagan learned that the northern Russians wanted to sell their horses. He took it for granted that the Russians wanted to build a cavalry force.

The geographical distance between the two sides is extremely long. The Russians are willing to spend money in order to get the horses. If the deal is completed, they must make a lot of money, and the Pecheneg Alliance does not need to worry that the Russians will be a military threat.

Kagan chose a good horse for Rurik, a tall horse with a shoulder height equivalent to 150cm.

This kind of shoulder height is superior among Turkic horse breeds. Of course, Turkic horses are not comparable to Arabian horses and Dawan horses in this time and space. Of course, they have their own advantages, and even this strategic advantage is obvious!

Driven and led by humans, a herd of horses traveled from the coast of the Black Sea through grasslands, forests, swamps, and snow fields in just three months, and finally arrived in the bitter cold land in the north.

The stamina of horses is truly amazing!

Rurik himself is a full head taller than Kagan, and a strong Nordic man still needs more muscle and fat to show his strength.

Rurik’s stature is still a little thin, but of course he stood on the snow, with a fair face and a golden beard with blond hair. He really had the demeanor of the “Lion of the North”, giving Kagan a strong sense of oppression.

It would be absurd to say that Rurik did not know how to ride a horse.

But his kind of riding wasn’t really riding either.

It’s like when a person learns to swim, the skill is imprinted in the soul.

After all, a soul beyond time and space will be imprinted in his heart, and this memory knows how to ride a horse.

It is just a racecourse for tourists to play in the Yellow River tidal flat area. The horses are tamed to the point of obedience. Tourists step on the horses with their feet and hold the reins tightly to issue commands.

These horses, which have been turned into money-making tools for their owners, are extremely docile. They will run around the racetrack for a fixed number of laps without hesitation, and then stop very tactfully.

Tourists who have experienced the fun of galloping are always happy to dismount and pay for it.

This is how Rurik learned his so-called riding skills. Now in another time and space, at least stepping on the bronze feet to get on the horse and grasping the rein, the whole movement is done in one go.

He even couldn’t help shouting “drive”, but this kind of oriental command language is invalid for Turkic horses, because the system is not compatible.

Even so, there are currently more than 2,000 people watching the horse herd at the gate of the city!

People watched with their own eyes that the prince was able to at least look down on everyone, and the prince easily conquered the horse!

Kagan on the side was amazed, and hurriedly explained some Turkic command language.

Now that the voice control system is compatible, Rurik suddenly noticed that riding a horse is essentially the same as driving a car.

If this steed is a vehicle, its operation is completely intelligent voice control.

Already tall, he rode a tall horse, and Rurik’s head was actually 260cm above the ground.

Rurik let the horse rein in and slipped around in full view of the crowd. He was fascinated by the gentleness of the horse, and suddenly gave an order to gallop. After hearing the news, the steed suddenly accelerated, and when he gave another command, the steed immediately slowed down and turned into a walk. .

Overjoyed, Rurik drew out his sword, the shining steel sword was really dazzling in the sun.

He imitated the scene he saw in the movie, raised his right arm high, pointed the steel sword straight ahead, and made the horse gallop again. He became a real Cossack cavalry!

His white fox hat ran away, and everyone saw the prince galloping, his brown ponytail violently swaying in the wind, and the golden ponytail on the back of the prince’s head fluttering in the wind.

This was Kagan’s first meeting with the Prince of Ross. He never imagined that the supreme leader of the Ross people would be born with riding skills, as if his butt grew on the back of a horse.

Just look at the maharaja’s flowing blonde hair, which is exactly the same as the real ponytail.

When Rurik was refreshed, the panting steed finally stopped.

He let go of the stirrup with his right foot like a bicycle, and with a brisk sweep of his legs, he quickly jumped off.

Surprise and shock were written on Kagan’s face.

“My lord, I never thought you were born to be a cavalry!”

“Yeah, it’s such a great feeling. It wasn’t you who sent the horse, I didn’t even know I was born to be a good horseman.” Rurik subconsciously stroked the mane of the horse, “It’s really a good horse, trained by you very well .I don’t have any worries anymore, and I will give you an extra sum of money.”

There is such a good thing?

Ganka was always happy to be praised by the nobles for being good at taming horses. This time, he could get an extra reward, so there is no reason not to accept it.

A wonderful state banquet was being prepared intensely, and Kagan and his party also received money to buy horses.

Because her own Carlotta was present, she had extensive experience in domesticating all kinds of large livestock.

Carlotta inspected all the horses and declared that they were all good young horses, saying that they could breed ponies in the spring.

Rurik felt that he had made a lot of money, and he was very happy to get ten thousand fine Frankish silver coins.

The silver coins were divided into ten sacks, ten pounds each, and he pledged his honor that he would not be short on money.

Would Kagan still suspect that there were not enough coins?

He had never seen a silver coin of this size in his life, and each silver coin had the Frankish king Charlemagne printed on it, and he took it for granted that it was the head of some Roman emperor.

Everything is indifferent, he verified the authenticity of the silver coin in his own way, only to see the tooth marks left on the silver coin, it must be a sufficient amount of silver.

As for whether the quantity is enough, this question was directly ignored by him.

A small bag of extra rewards was distributed immediately, and there were ten Frankish gold coins in the small sack.

If one hundred pounds of silver coins belonged to the Pecheneg Union’s family property, all the chiefs of the alliance paid attention to this trade, and at least half of the money earned was used to expand the Pecheneg army’s armed forces.

And these ten gold coins belonged to Kagan’s private property.

High-quality gold coins are also rare items, and Kagan jumped up and down happily after picking up the gold coins.

Of course gold coins can be traded, but Kagan has his own idea – to melt the gold coins and plate a layer of gold on his helmet and iron mask.

The warriors of the Turkic ethnic group all have a particular point. If a warrior has enough assets, he must wear iron armor all over his body.

The helmet was to be reinforced with iron plates, and a defensive mask of iron or copper plates was to be hung on the front face, and for the richer people, the mask was to be gilded.

This set of styles was actually obtained in the confrontation between the Turks and the prosperous Tang Dynasty. It has not been many years since the Pechenegs arrived on the Volga River, and the people’s memory of the Tang Empire has not dissipated.

The elites in the tribal alliance know some distant history and the reasons why many people migrated westward.

All horsemen are guests, including every valet of Kagan, who is entitled to a feast.

Before nightfall, Kagan’s squires were disarmed in exchange for their entry into the city.

It has to be said that this group of people smelled bad, and they were ordered to take a bath, and everyone showed an indescribable resistance.

Kagan was also resistant at first, because it was considered easy to be possessed by evil spirits when taking a bath.

Rurik didn’t want to hear this kind of rhetoric at all. Anyway, all the people in this group were disarmed, and this guy Sakye kept on being a lobbyist. After examining the situation, Kagan had no choice but to appeal to his subordinates to be honest and obedient.

It is understandable that Turkic people from all walks of life are highly vigilant about bathing and washing clothes. On the whole, grassland life needs to save water. Bathing is a shameful waste, and at most it is to wipe the body.

Legends of evil spirits are just legends after all.

Kagan’s eyes were opened to entering the realm of the Ross people. When other guys gathered together to enjoy the rain treatment, she herself could be soaked in a comfortable wooden barrel.

This is an unimaginable wonderful experience for him, not to mention the milky yellow-white cheese-like module smeared all over the body, and the dirt peeled off.

His braids were all stretched out, and the hair that hadn’t been washed for many years was washed clean.

It is said that the Romans were very particular about bathing, and the Rus were likewise.

He didn’t know how the Romans bathed, but the Russ used this method to clean themselves. Kagan rarely scrubbed off the dirt he had accumulated for many years, and even exuded a wonderful fragrance from his body.

Because of the production of soap, Rurik did not hesitate to order the product to be upgraded after getting better materials.

The means of making alkaline solution from plant ash became more and more sophisticated. The key source of fat appeared milk butter, and the collected and dried wild roses were collected and boiled with wild chrysanthemums. These substances were mixed together to make milk soap.

It is mainly offered to the royal family and nobles, and Rurik uses it to wash his whole body.

Of course, it is also sold on a small scale. Since the cost price is higher, the price cannot be solved by two silver coins.

Kagan even took a bite of the soap with his teeth. The tangy fragrance made him greedy, but the bitter taste and the foam in his mouth made him give up.

He was really hungry, and he didn’t know how wonderful the prince’s Ross state banquet would be, let alone what the prince would talk about at the banquet.

I was very greedy for that glass of honey wine, just this one glass made this man who claimed to be a good drinker a little wobbly when he walked, but fortunately, he was a good drinker and now he is completely normal.

He wanted to drink fine wine again, and was eager to bring back some for the nobles of the tribe to drink with. This was also a means of winning relationships and paving the way for him to succeed the Khan in the future.

The well-washed Kagan put on brand new clothes.

What made him feel very friendly was that Prince Ross wore trousers, and his young wives, trusted nobles, and soldiers all wore trousers.

He has come into contact with many Krivich Slavs in the Kyiv community. Those guys who call themselves blood alliances don’t wear pants at all. If it weren’t for the need to protect the crotch when riding a horse, Ma Ke Sakey would not want to wear pants.

It was also through this contact that Kagan learned the Slavic language, and he was able to talk happily with the Prince of Ross, and at the same time fully understood that the Ross people are not Slavs!

The Rus are sea conquerors, they steer their ships as the Pechenegs ride their horses.

Yes!

Kagan, who entered the city, really saw the huge wooden ship moored in the dock area. The towering mast was as high as a big tree. He didn’t know what this meant for a while, but he just lamented the strength of the Ross people.

Put on new clothes, step on new leather boots, and pay more attention to the coat, which is a white bear fur coat with sleeves, and a scarf made of fox fur and wool.

The leather jacket is quite thick, and the warmth retention effect is also amazing.

According to what the Ross guards said, this outfit was a reward from the Ross prince.

On the prairie, getting a clean, decent and gorgeous dress is a gratifying thing. Looking at his own clothes, Kagan estimated that from top to bottom, the outfit was worth at least a pound of silver coins.

Indeed, bear skins are extremely rare on the grasslands, and the guys in Kyiv will sell bear skins for an extreme price.

Kagan had never even seen a bear, let alone a polar bear with white fur.

At least he has seen a dead bear today, which is the bear’s head hanging in a circle on the wooden wall of the prince’s palace. The ferocious fangs come from a beast he has never seen before, and the ferocious fangs instantly arouse the depths of his soul It is understandable for Kagan to hunt fierce beasts and take animal heads to show the strength of men. It is too majestic and majestic for Prince Ross to decorate with as many as forty bear heads.

Kagan opened his eyes, changed his outfit and walked out of the bathhouse, seeing the fireworks of Novgorod blowing in his face.

Although it is winter, city life is inevitable.

Rurik did not have a reason for issuing the curfew. He even wished that the people would continue to work on the handicraft industry in winter nights to create more wealth. After all, the insufficient production of various materials was a sharp contradiction with the people’s growing demand for materials.

Such as pottery workshops, charcoal-burning factories, brick-burning factories, state-owned garment factories, state-owned paper factories, shipyards, mills and bakeries, state-run blacksmith shops, etc. all work overnight, even if the door is closed by heavy snow, the people rely on the raw materials in stock Lighting the fuel lamp will continue to work.

In the past, people from all walks of life couldn’t find new money-making jobs. During the long winter, they were more like brown bears hibernating in their houses. They are not lazy. Now they have a way to make money, and the cubs who don’t go to school in winter are now busy with Parents work together to earn extra money.

Today is even more lively due to the arrival of Ma Ke in Novgorod.

It is the habit of the Turks to eat and sleep in the open, and they generally don’t think it is too shabby, so Rurik gave Kagan’s followers a large barn with a floor to live in, and gave them absolutely enough bread and ale without paying a fee. Copper coins, everyone is grateful.

Because they know the beauty of bread, it is a pity that it is difficult to get such delicious food in the grassland.

They ate and tore wheat bread and drank ale. It was the first time in their lives that their stomachs were filled with carbohydrates. The first soaring blood sugar caused fatigue, and alcohol paralyzed their nerves. They had just taken the most enjoyable bath in their lives, and embarrassment struck. , Many Turkic fighters didn’t care about anything.

Today they were wearing the clothes and blankets given by the Prince of Ross for free, and they were eating the delicious meals that the Prince of Ross gave them. It is said that during this winter, when everyone stayed, they could get food rewards from the prince every day.

There is such a good thing?

That night, some Turkic soldiers were moved, and they couldn’t help thinking.

The so-called if the prince of Ross does not dislike it, the brothers would kneel in front of the prince while they are young, and pay homage to him as the “Khan of Ross” and work for him.

It’s not surprising that they have such thoughts. Rurik considered this group of Turkic people’s pursuit of a better life, opened their eyes to them in terms of food and clothing, and subtly swayed their hearts.

Even if there is a high probability that it is impossible to persuade Kagan to give up the future position of Pecheneg Khan, at least he can instigate a few Turkic horse riders.

Because, with a horse, it is not difficult to choose a rider from the principality, but it is extremely important to hire a suitable instructor.

Rurik had his own plan to win over a few Turkic people as naturalized citizens, give them the status of Russians, and let them teach horseback riding and Turkic cavalry tactics full-time. This is actually the only way for the Russian cavalry crash plan.

However, it would be even better if Kagan, a Turkic nobleman, could personally accept the appointment of a cavalry instructor!

Rurik didn’t care about spending more money, he only cared about whether a winter training could produce the first “Ross Cavalry Company”.

The banquet was not only a state banquet for the Principality of Ross to entertain Pecheneg’s noble envoys, but also to take the opportunity to settle the matter.

[End of this Chapter]