Chapter 656： Vadim, Harold and the road to Smolensk

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Vadim, Novgorod proclaimed himself a prince, and his so-called notice to this lake area only took more than ten days before it fell apart under the absolute might of the Russian army.

He became a bereavement dog in a practical sense, clutching his injured left arm and more than a dozen of his last confidants, and fled in the nearby woods.

It wasn't until night fell that their gang's escape was forced to stop.

The woods gave them cover, and the night was a perfect cover.

However, the vast forest area is not very flat.

Vadim finally sat down with his back against a big cedar tree, panting desperately, and subconsciously lifted his linen shirt to check the wound.

The blood has stopped flowing, which is really a blessing in misfortune.

But he lost a lot of blood, and he had a lot of physical exertion when running for a long time, but now he has no food or water. He is so, the brothers present are not much better than that.

Those ordinary and young cronies are vainly trying to follow the young prince Vadim to fight the world, thus reaping fame and tangible benefits.

Who would have thought that everyone's righteous move against the Ross invaders would usher in the ultimate destruction.

Under the curtain of night, these people finally began to study their future.

They leaned close to Vadim, who was holding his wound, hoping that the leader could show everyone a clear way.

"Boss, what shall we do from now on?"

"We have lost everything now. Do we want to go to another manor? If we continue to go deep into the woods, we can find those who are hiding."

Someone proposed to look for the "hidden person", as if one stone stirred up a thousand waves, it really gave the confused person a hope.

They murmured one after another, and went to the Freedom Manor farther away, relying on their being a young man, an excellent labor force, and they would definitely be accepted by them.

There are even people who imagine that they can marry a local woman in the new manor, as long as they get through the current predicament, there is hope for everything.

Following this "beautiful idea", someone boldly shook Vadim.

"Boss, let's look for those people. They have nothing to do with Dahu. You are the most noble person of Dahu. You can also become the ruler of the new farm."

Vadim couldn't listen at all, and he didn't sternly reprimand the guys for the unrealistic plan.

He held the captured steel sword to his feet and forced himself to be still tall, and Vadim's face was pale when the moonlight shone through the branches of the people under the tree.

"It's useless to rely on those cowards who are hiding! They are not the daughters of Lake Ilmen, and the Ross people have never insulted them. It is crazy to expect them to unite and fight for me."

"But boss." Someone said again, "What else can we do besides them? We are defeated, and the Ross people are afraid that they will retaliate terribly."

"Then you can't find someone who is hiding." Vadim categorically concluded that the Ruths would indeed retaliate. "We stay here in search of death. They will look for my corpse. We will never stop until we reach our goal. escape."

"Escape? Where to go?"

"Go to the South! Go to the South desperately!"

Vadim's attitude is so determined that a term is ready to come out.

Many people said in unison: "Go to Smolensk?"

"That's it, go to the territory of the Clivicians."

This term is really familiar and unfamiliar to everyone. Vadim did not have a clear understanding of Smolensk. It was only in the past. His estate had some economic contacts with Smolensk through merchant trade. At least We know each other.

There are even some contradictions between the two sides, but that is a thing of the past.

The so-called "hidden people" whom Vadim couldn't believe in were essentially people living by Lake Ilmen. Those guys are like the White Tree Manor, the disadvantaged who are pushed out by the people near the lake. Vadim looked down on those people at all, and had no idea about relying on those people to fight back against the Ruths to regain his power.

The only power in this world that can crush the Rus is probably the Smolensk.

Vadim boasted that he had made a very rational choice: "I...I am the Prince of Novgorod, the ruler of Lake Ilmen, and I am a noble person. As long as I reach Smolensk, I will definitely You can make a comeback. Then you people will still be honored by following me."

A glimmer of hope in despair? Everyone looked at each other, they couldn't make up their minds, since the boss said so, the brothers agreed.

Still relying on the tree, Vadim summoned the courage to swear a poisonous oath: "I must take revenge. I will summon an army from the south and regain everything I have lost!"

It is really a hatred of the country and the family, his mind is occupied by revenge, but will the injury of his arm kill him?

Suddenly, the standing Avenger sat down suddenly, he was so hungry.

When the brothers saw this, they set up a shack one after another. It's a pity that everyone escaped in a hurry. They didn't even carry the bow drill for drilling wood to make a fire. How can they start a fire quickly?

Do not! Even if they have the ability to make a fire, they dare not, for fear that they will be found and killed by the Ruths who are searching.

They are also too tired. Once their tired and frightened bodies settle down, their sleepiness will inevitably hit like a flood.

Everyone fell asleep one after another, with fatal flaws all over.

There are no people standing guard in groups, they are like food in the open air, and they have not recruited the Roths who searched for the fleeing enemy, but naturally attracted the roaming bears.

The brown bear smelled the smell of blood and the strange smell of salt.

Bears generally don't take the initiative to attack people unless something on the human body can inspire the animality of these beasts.

A hungry brown bear took the initiative to attack, and everyone was awakened from their sleep. They were shocked to realize that a terrible dark shadow was tearing a hapless companion. When everyone tried to help, they realized that it was a bear!

Another person was beaten off by his elder brother, although some people stabbed the bear skin with an iron sword, but it aroused the brutality of the beast.

Without advanced weapons, such as a steel-armed crossbow that can easily shoot through wooden boards, how can a group of young people who have been defeated and exhausted hunt bears? Even if the Russ hunted bears, few madmen would be mad enough to fight the bears at close range.

Vadim trembled with shock, he was suddenly no longer hungry, and the thought of running away occupied his entire mind.

He escaped again, this time out of his mind.

How can a person with vengeance become a delicious meal for a mad bear? !

He ignored his brothers, succumbed to the survival instinct, and ran all the way in a certain direction, disregarding the brothers.

He ran frantically, and even the hemp rope at the seam of his leather boots broke. He still ran wildly, fell on the way and ran away.

Until exhaustion, a black fell on the soft humus under the forest.

...

"I...what's wrong. What the hell..." Vadim was slowly waking up from an extreme headache, and everything in front of him made him feel dreamy.

Is this actually a camp for some people on the lake?

He gradually realized that he was lying flat on the grass with the smell of barbecue in the air.

The hungry body sat up almost without thinking, and Vadim saw that there seemed to be a roast rabbit on the Y-shaped shelf? But those who wander are actually...

The intense fear attacked his mind. He curled up quickly and tried to get up and escape, but he just stood up and fell down suddenly.

This action finally attracted the attention of everyone in the camp.

A brawny blond man walked up aggressively, carrying a small pottery urn full of lake water, and splashing water completely on Vadim's face. Agitated by the cold water, Vadim regained consciousness.

"You...Varyag people. Don't! Don't kill me."

He subconsciously covered his face with his arms, but he caused the strong man to laugh.

After a while, another strong man came, and the man sat down and stared at Vadim's eyes with a wooden face: "Boy, do you still know me?"

"You? You're Harold?! Damn, you are here and escaped..."

"Fleeing is the smart thing. We don't fight with the Ross people. You see, your army who fought with them was wiped out, and the manor was destroyed by them."

This is a great shame, and Vadim turned his face frustrated and didn't know what to say.

"Look at me!" Harold reached out and grabbed Vadim's chin, unceremoniously continuing to describe what happened after the war.

"We saw what the Rus did. They killed everyone, and countless corpses burned into a tower of fire. Even young children died. Even those who were blind and born disabled could not escape death. This is you. Hopefully, you bet everything in your manor to fight the Ross people, and the result is that even the poultry they raise are killed by the Ross people. They don't even want to roast chicken and beef, they just want to kill all living things in Pine Needle Manor and burn them to ashes. "

Vadim shuddered at hearing, he didn't even doubt it.

Harold looked at the boy's distress, and laughed wildly with a group of brothers.

"I lied to you. Fool, how do I know what the Ross people did afterwards? If I boldly took my brothers to see, their head would have been chopped off by them."

"You! You amuse me! You coward!" Vadim yelled.

"Do you dare to scold me as a coward?!" Harold pouted, stood up and deliberately stepped on Vadim's injured left arm, and deliberately twisted his boots to make it more painful, making him scream in pain.

"Your wounds are deadly enough. Well, let me tell you, I don't know what the Ross people have done, but they are a bunch of villains. On a remote island called Gotland, the locals are all Varangans. They organized an army of thousands of people and was defeated by the Russians, and in the end 10,000 people died! Even our hometown of Denmark, our...our prince was killed by the Russians. Vadim, you are very brave , Dare to fight the fiercest person in the world."

"Are you... are you complimenting me?"

"No. You are still a reckless idiot. Your father knows this to be a docile sheep. Now you choose to fight, and the result is like this. As for us, my brother and I are just armed merchants who can live here. We don’t fight with the Ross. Now your people are dead, and your injuries are deadly enough. Boy, we went into the woods to hunt and found a dying person, that’s you!"

"You guys actually saved me.

"No. You are dying." Harold said patiently. "Your arm injury is actually very fatal. For the sake of providing a lot of slaves, I can grant you a painless death."

"No, you can't kill me."

"Are you afraid of death?"

"I want revenge!"

Indeed, Vadim's face did not have any fear of death, and his face was full of unwillingness to fail.

"Vengeance? It's ridiculous, how do you get revenge for a bereaved dog? This is your destiny. Don't worry, our brothers will remember you and tell others that a man named Vadim led his tribe to resist the Ruths. 10,000 people were killed. !"

This remark was still an insult. Vadim burst into tears in his grief and anger. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out his words: "I want revenge! I'm going to Smolensk. I'm the Prince of Novgorod. I want to fight with Smolensk. Morensk formed an alliance."

"Are you going to Smolensk?" Harold immediately became interested. He looked at the brothers present and said: "Our brothers are planning to go to Smolensk."

"take me!"

"Why? Oh no, why!"

Vadim's eyes looked at the blue sky, and he solemnly said: "I want revenge. Only by relying on the power of the Smolensk can I complete my revenge. I am a nobleman, and the local leaders will reuse me, and!"

"Say it."

"The Smolensk people hope to obtain the fertile farmland of Lake Ilmen. As long as they use this as a bargaining chip, the Smolensk people will surely gather their troops to the north. I can promise that they can send troops to get the farmland, and I will sell some benefits. You can still be the prince of Novgorod."

Harold only found it ridiculous. Didn't this kid's plan lead to another invasion?

Well-informed, he immediately questioned: "I knew that you living in Lake Ilmen had some conflicts with the people in the south. Is it because of this reason? You let them come. If they win, you will be satisfied. You obviously will lose a lot."

"At least the Smolensk people speak the same language as us, and both believe in flames. If you say that the Ross people are killing people everywhere, then they will definitely attack Smolensk, and then other Krivic territory. I... I want you to take me to Smolensk."

"Are you ordering me?" Harold laughed.

"No. This is a request."

"Then beg me? It doesn't matter, what kind of reward will you pay if you have nothing?" Harold shrugged. The young man in front of him did have nothing, but he also had personal value.

He continued: "I am fair. You give us many women, brothers are happy along the way, they will also become a lot of silver coins. If you are an ordinary person, I will not hesitate to sell you. But you are Noble. Well, if you succeed in regaining power, give me...just give me a pound of gold. At least."

Suddenly, Vadim saw hope. "Don't talk about a pound of gold coins, ten pounds of gold coins will do!"

"That's ten pounds! Even if you can't take out ten pounds of gold coins, you can use them as equivalents such as leather to deliver them."

"That's it, it's a deal."

Harold personally helped Vadim up and asked his brother to cut off some roasted rabbit meat to the hapless man.

The next step for this group of armed Viking merchants from Pskov on Lake Chud in the west is to take their existing slaves to Smolensk in the south. Harrods and the gang are very aware of the customs of the southerners. As long as they don't take the initiative to offend the locals, they will be persecuted. Even as long as they do business honestly, everyone is actually very popular in the Kriwicz towns.

In such an era of information obscurity, foreign businessmen will of course be valued.

Since Harold and his team are businessmen, the business thinking in their minds allows everyone to see business opportunities. Vadim himself is a commodity. If he dies, brothers will make less money.

Escorting a nobleman in the north and information about the crazy killing of the Rus people to Smolensk. It's not that the brothers have not done business there. Give the terrible news and this unlucky person to the local prince, and the brothers will surely get it. A bounty. As for the ten pounds of gold that Vadim threatened, who would believe it? He had better be successful.

Twenty young women in the camp became slaves. In order not to starve to death, they were forced to obediently have a relationship with the Varangans. This is what Harold called "Happy all the way." But they saw Vadim, the young prince, and learned of the destruction of Pine Needle Manor.

They had a thought that they were looking for opportunities to escape back to their hometowns, but now the people in their hometowns and hometowns are dead, and soon this lake area will be slaughtered by the Varangros people.

They don't know their future, and Vadim has some doubts about whether they can go to Smolensk smoothly.

He ate some meat, and his body recovered a bit, but he saw Harold, a crazy Varang, come with a red-hot axe.

A group of people pressed Vadim and pressed him on the grass, his injured left arm was deliberately exposed.

"What are you going to do?!"

Suddenly a ball of hemp rope was stuffed into Vadim's mouth, and then it was so painful that it almost snapped off the hemp ball, and a strange scorched air filled the air.

Harold was "welding" Vadim's wound, and the surface flesh and blood that had started to rot were all fried to powder with a red axe.

Without the anesthetic, Vadim simply mixed up in pain. But the penetrating injury to his arm has now been dealt with. It's not over yet, Harold's men took some plant ashes from the embers of the campfire, sprinkled it on Vadim's wound, and wrapped it in a circle of rags.

When Vadim regained consciousness, he was already sitting on the long ship of the Varanga. He stroked his waist and was startled to realize that the sword was gone, and when he looked at it, the Ross steel sword he had seized had actually become the property of the guy Harold. He has some atmosphere, but he can only admit that he is so downhearted.

He was sitting in the middle and front of the ship, followed by a group of dull-looking women with their hands and feet tied up. Both sides of the boat were filled with Varangians, their round shields hung on the side of the boat, and everyone was struggling to paddle. Obviously, the boat was sailing on a river. Looking at the position of the sun, the boat was heading south.

This is the road to Smolensk.