king of ros

Chapter 346
John Sokal has always been a little restless lately, especially today, his restlessness has been greatly strengthened.

Troubled by these restlessness, Sokal stepped up the wooden walls of Torzhok, as he always did when he felt uncomfortable, and the sight of his domain made him much more comfortable.

Torjok is a typical Ross wood city, but most of the residents here are immigrants from the grasslands, so in addition to wooden houses, there are still many herdsmen tents in the city, and there are always people who are used to living in tents.

Outside the wooden wall, there are tents of herdsmen and flocks of cattle and sheep, and the shepherds drive the herds leisurely.There are still many places where farmland has been opened, and herdsmen who have become farmers are farming in it.

This is a harmonious production scene, which is very difficult to see in the southern grasslands. I heard that a warlord has recently appeared in the southern grasslands to unite everyone. I don’t know where this guy plans to invade next. .

Seeing this scene, Sokal finally felt a little relieved, and the uneasiness was not so obvious. As the leader of nearly [-] herdsmen, what else did he need to be afraid of?

During these three years, Sokal first married Varu's widow, and then he naturally became the lord of Torjok and the leader of the northeastern Ross herdsmen tribe.

Sokal is different from Varu. His treatment of opponents is extremely cruel, and it is also so cruel that he becomes the leader of the herdsmen. These guys from the grassland are tough and soft, and they will be honest if they kill a few of them. up.

Moreover, Sokal took the order of the prince to clean up the tribes that plundered and hired pagans, and proved his status with bloody heads. Nothing is more useful than death.

At this time, Sokal couldn't help lamenting that Varu was too weak. There was no trouble for him, and there were no opponents.

Instead of compromising with those tribes and negotiating with them, this will make these guys push forward and go too far.

Rostislav is very satisfied with the results of Sokal's actions. He is very happy that these herdsmen have been integrated instead of harassing his territory and destroying the agricultural production of Northeast Rus, and more and more of these herdsmen have become farmers.

And most of all, he was happy to see a man with a Rus face in command of the nomadic cavalry, which was very important to his strategy in Torzhok.

And Sokal's loyalty to Rostislav has also increased. He knows that everything is given by Rostislav, and because of his mother's blood, he is closer to the Rus, so the Rus in his territory Not less.

Sokal strongly encouraged Ross's, or settled, way of life, and more and more herdsmen picked up hoes under his encouragement. He hoped that his tribe would be Rossized as soon as possible.

As for himself, he has long been completely Rossized in terms of dress and accent. On the surface, he is a native of the Ross nobleman, as if he has stayed in this land since he was born.

Sokal hoped that he, or his descendants, would become powerful figures in the Moscow court in the future.

As for his stepsons, Sokal sent them to Moscow as wine waiters. It was for their own good to send these children to Moscow to develop. After all, Sokal did not guarantee that one day his subordinates would "share the chief's worries" and then get rid of the children. die.

Don't even think about inheriting, just develop in the Moscow court honestly, whether to be a servant for the rest of your life or become a nobleman, it all depends on them.

However, in Sokal's view, the former is unlikely. They will definitely be appointed as nobles by Rostislav when they reach their age. The prince of Moscow has always been willing to take care of the children of deceased vassals.

Moscow just sent someone to inquire about this and it was over. Rostislav was not interested in intervening in these matters, because this is the case in this era, and it is very normal for orphans and widows to be bullied.

Rostislav didn't want to take care of such things, and since Varu's widow chose to marry Sokal, she must have expected this situation. Now this is someone else's family business, and he can't interfere at all.

At first, Sokal's wife, Varu's widow, was still making trouble, but when Sokal got her pregnant, she calmed down. It can be seen that this woman is clear about these unspoken rules, and he has to thank Sokal Didn't cut the weeds.

Therefore, Sokal is very puzzled by his current restlessness. Whether in politics or future generations, he is going up to a higher level. Why is he so restless?
If there is any bad news, the most is that some farmers and herdsmen have heard that there seems to be a large army marching in the western forest.

But no one could come up with evidence, and Varu also took it as a rumor among farmers.

There are many such things. Rumors about whether the peasants wear some outrageous clothes, or even a black-clothed rider running past the village in the middle of the night can be spread as some kind of "death-seeking messenger in black".

While Varu was thinking, a group of riders suddenly appeared in his eyes. This group of travelers was wrapped in cloaks and looked dusty.

And Socald's eyes narrowed because he saw the leader. He happened to know that person. Isn't this Edward? They fought side by side back then. Why did he return to Northeast Ross?

Although he was puzzled in his mind, the movement of his hands did not stop. He immediately walked down the city wall and called for his attendants.

Edward is Rostislav's in-law and a figure in the Moscow court. No matter what the purpose of his visit to Northeast Russia is, he must be well received.

"Here, we are finally here, Torjok."

Just as Sokal was leaving the city, Edward looked at the Rosewood City and said, with a sense of relief in his words.

Running all the way was really stressful, and I had to avoid Polotsk's scouts on the way, always worrying about whether I would be discovered.

Now that he has finally entered the territory of Northeast Ross, Edward immediately feels at ease. No matter how arrogant the people in Polotsk are, it is impossible to run here, and they must be safe here.

And he knows a little about John Sokal. Although he is from the grassland, he has a good reputation. Now he has become the lord of Torjok, and he is a trustworthy person.

When Edward was thinking about the information, the Sokal he was thinking of also came towards him. Behind him was a group of prairie cavalry. These prairie cavalry wore pointed helmets and looked more like Ross's warriors.

Sokal dressed exactly like a Ross nobleman, which was the same as his predecessor Varu, but Sokal hadn't learned Varu's weakness, so no one dared to ignore him.

When Sokal ran past, both the farmers in the field and the pedestrians on the road bowed to him, which showed the authority of the lord.

"Lord Edward Wessex, right? It's been a long time. I don't know why you came back to Northeast Ross?"

The lord of Torjok stopped his horse skillfully and shouted at Edward.

"It's me, Master Sokal. I haven't seen you for a long time. I plan to come back and settle down."

Edward also stopped his horse, and it was only then that Sokal noticed that Edward was so dusty, and the lord subconsciously felt that something was wrong, but there was no expression on his face.

"It turned out to be back. There are many people in the Moscow court... But what happened? Lord Edward, why did you come in such a hurry? Did someone rob you? Tell me which tribe it is, and I will teach them a lesson."

Sokal first realized that there were many important figures in the Moscow court, and then thought that a certain tribe had robbed Edward and the others.

Although he tamed most of the tribes in the territory, it was difficult to eliminate such things as robbery, after all, it was too easy to destroy corpses and traces.

If it is really his subordinate who attacked Edward, then he must deal with it seriously, because this person can speak beside Lord Rostislav, and he must have a high position in the Moscow court in the future. His surname and relationship with the Rurik family It was decided that this was inevitable, so he must pay attention to it.

"No, no, it's not an attack, Master Sokal, the situation is very complicated, let's talk inside the castle."

Edward said in a serious tone. Seeing this, Sokal also realized that it might be a very important thing.

Edward had some exchanges with him before. Although the nobleman was joking most of the time, if he was serious, it meant that something might have happened.

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Of course, Torzhok's castle is also a typical Rus wind fortress, and the interior decoration is even more so.

Edward noticed that there were several landscape paintings hanging on the walls of the lord's hall, which was a habit passed down from the Moscow court. Sokal naturally took the Moscow court as a model to learn from, and made a few for himself.

However, Edward, who had seen the paintings of the Moscow court, thought that these paintings were too ugly to compare with the works of those painters in the imperial capital, but these things showed that the nomadic lord had good taste. At least better than pure savagery.

Edward first gave Sokal the letter entrusted to him by Sokal. The ruler of Riga asked Edward to bring some letters to him when he left. Sokal sighed a few words when he got the letter. He ruled with Riga. The relationship between them is also very good.

But he didn't open the letter at once, because Edward hadn't said anything about him yet.

And then, Edward mentioned the main reason why he was so solemn, "The Polotsk army is moving to Novgorod. They are obviously prepared, and they are in a large number and have a lot of troops."

This made Sokal startled, but he obviously didn't believe it immediately, and then he asked, "Are you sure? If it's true, then I have to move."

The reason why Sokal said "he must move" is because from the beginning, the existence of Torzhok and its nearby nomads was for one thing-to enter Novgorod when necessary.

The princes of Moscow have always been very concerned about Novgorod, and Rostislav wanted to regain his father's property, so those nomads who migrated to Northeast Rus were placed in this place, so that when necessary, they could let them belong to Rostislava. The Slavic army quickly reached Novgorod.

After John Sokal took Varou's place, Rostislav summoned him to the office for a secret meeting. The content of the conversation was very simple, which was to give Sokal the power to "act on his own".

In other words, if he thinks that the opportunity has come, then he can send troops to Novgorod on his own to take the city for the prince of Moscow.

Varu was once entrusted with such a responsibility, but it is a pity that he did not wait for the day to use this power.

And now, Sokal was also granted, but at the same time Rostislav also gave that warning, and he must confirm the feasibility of the matter before he can do it.

If something goes wrong, the prince of Moscow will not stand for him, and even has to give some symbolic punishment.

So Sokal asked Edward again. He was very serious about "if it is true", which shows that his mood has been mobilized because of this matter. After all, this is the task assigned by Rostislav. If it's not good, you can go to the next level.

"I'm quite sure, because I saw everything with my own eyes, lying on the side of the road for hours, and those were the elite of Polotsk, as everyone who came with me can attest, and among your subjects are not already Have there been such rumors?"

Edward's words were full of categorical meaning. In fact, he also knew Sokal's responsibility. After all, he was also in the prince's circle. That's why he reported the news so solemnly instead of going to Moscow to report to Rostislav.

And on the way here, he also planned to get news from the territory of Torzhok, and the news of the movement of the army was more or less spread. People can't.

"Tsk..."

Sokal was caught in a tangle. He knew that this was a great achievement in front of him. If he could use this to win Novgorod, then he would be a popular man in front of Rostislav in the future, and his status in the Moscow court would be further improved. promote.

But if this is false, then he will become a chess piece thrown out by the prince, and it will be almost impossible for him to enter the Moscow court.

This made him very entangled. The risk and reward are equal. It depends on how you do it. You can either make money or lose money.

Sokal was thinking, but everyone in the hall was silent. Everyone knew that Sokal was thinking, and no one disturbed him.

"The kid in Novgorod will definitely not be able to maintain the situation in the face of the Polotsk army, and there is no one who can take charge there. Although I won't go there, I have always had an informant there. When the time comes The situation in Novgorod is going to be interesting... I have decided, I will send troops to Novgorod immediately, and whatever the Polotsk people plan to do, Torzhok's army will watch from the sidelines , and play by ear.”

Sokal finally decided to go out, on the one hand, out of his desire for merit, and on the other hand, out of his trust in Edward.

Edward has been in Rose for so many years, and he has never had any hip stretching. Even after so many years, this good reputation still exists.

"Master Edward, I will send someone to Moscow as soon as possible, and I invite you to accompany me to Polotsk."

Sokal had a heart, and then said to Edward.

Of course Edward understood that he wanted to share the risk evenly by pulling him in, and he could avoid some accusations by himself, and Edward showed a knowing smile on his face.

He originally planned to bring a gift to Rostislav when he came back. It is indeed risky to go to Novgorod with Sokal, but the rewards are huge. Edward does not want Rostislav to think that he is here to seek refuge, but You have to bring some gifts to prove yourself.

Like the second largest city in Ross?This gift looks nice and deserving.

"Of course there is no problem, Master Sokal, so we can cooperate happily?"

Edward agreed very straightforwardly. This time it was Sokal's turn to be dazed. He didn't expect Edward to be so straightforward, with an attitude of actively wanting to meddle. After being dazed, he quickly held the hand.

"Of course, a pleasure to work with."

Not long after the two reached a consensus, Torjok rushed out a group of messengers and went in all directions. They were going to gather nomadic tribes from all over the place.

Sokal issued a general mobilization order, which means that all tribes must bring their young males, which means that there will be a big battle and a big event.

And in Torjok, the gate of the armory in Mucheng was opened, and Sokal's own tribe was the first to gather, and then they kept taking out the weapons and armor from inside.

There are a lot of weapons and armor in the Torjok armory, because since the Waru era, out of their responsibility as a mobile force, the lords of Torjok have been saving weapons and armor, and Sokal naturally inherited this policy down, and now the fruits of this policy can finally be enjoyed.

The nomads moved quickly, and after a day passed, the nomad soldiers under the jurisdiction of Torzhok had gathered together. There were a total of 2000 people who appeared in Torzhok, and each of them brought two To three horses for transfer or loading.

Even when they came to Northeast Ross, these herdsmen still maintained the habit of grazing, and it was precisely because of this habit that they still maintained the extravagant number of war horses of the nomads.

The core force among these 2000 people is the 500 people from Sokal, and they all wear iron armor. Although most of them are scale breastplates, this is iron armor, iron armor, how many people don't even have an iron sheet.

As for other nomads, they are also equipped with a lot of iron, which is indeed the essence of Torjok.

"Let's go! Our goal is Novgorod!"

In front of the nomadic army, Sokal roared, and he was answered with a frantic battle cry, and then the powerful cavalry team began to advance, heading towards Novgorod.

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　Ten thousand changes today

　　
　
(End of this chapter)