Rise of Rurik

The sun shines through the cracks in the woods and shines on the rocks under the trees. Sixty-five roughly sculpted statues represent a fallen Rus.

"Look, Rurik. They died for our revenge, and I think the gods should have acknowledged their bravery, and their souls must go to Valhalla." Arik's words were full of pride, he didn't show the slightest Pity for the deceased.

Yes, the world view of the warriors is also different. They are generally swearing to die, and for death, people will not always be immersed in the cry of the soldier's death.

Rurik said lightly: "Perhaps, we should have carefully carved their tombstones."

Arik sighed: "Ah, then you need to get some high-level masons. In my opinion, there is no such person in Melalen."

Rurik didn't say any more, he drew his dagger and knelt on one knee under everyone's attention. This is just a show, and this kind of show has made many soldiers who stayed behind tears of joy.

Perhaps now to give an impassioned speech to boost morale, Rurik thinks about it.

You have to have a speech, and wait until you grow a beard and a thick and tall figure.

He glanced sideways at the side of the cemetery, where a small stone boat altar was built under the woods. There is a wooden house next to the altar, so it must stay in the priest's residence.

Tombstone Island, it seems to be very small, and you can feel its size when you go deep into it.

The settlers cut down all the trees in the distance and built a sheltered, defensive wooden wall outside the large pile of wooden houses in the settlement. The big trees cover almost the entire wooden wall, making the settlement like a fairy sanctuary in the jungle, a paradise.

In it, the real sense of security Rurik felt very real, that is, this place is much damper than Elrond Castle in the far north.

"I gave them fifty thousand pounds of wheat. Will they be able to store them well?" Rurik lacked full confidence. In his opinion, the Novgorods in the far east were purely agricultural people (although Still primitive and backward), they are real warehousing masters, and the Russ have reason to learn from them comprehensively.

The fleet's mooring at Tombstone Island is essentially a show of strength and condolences to those left behind.

Rurik had no intention of staying here for too long, and even if he just wanted to spend one night, he walked away.

But on the island's beach, with Rurik on fire, he had a new idea.

"What's the matter? Is the grilled fish here no longer tasty?" Arik looked at his brother carrying the grilled herring kebabs that he had eaten.

The kid looked thoughtful.

"I'm thinking about something."

"What's the matter?" Arik immediately became excited. "In the daytime, you take a good look at the wooden wall I urge to build. Our tombstone island is already very strong. I have no worries about these attacks on our enemies."

"It's not about this." Rurik turned his face sideways, "The big chief didn't come back, don't you think it's unusual?"

"Anomalous? Are you very worried about him?"

"Why am I not worried?" Rurik asked rhetorically.

Arik pouted and shook his head, "You underestimate our leader. Even if he is your father, he is also my uncle. He is a born conqueror, and your worries are too much."

"Take it seriously. Now I have an idea?"

Arik suddenly raised his head: "Huh? Are you planning to go to Novgorod?"

"That's what I really thought!" Rurik slapped his thigh, and Arik was really surprised by his excited look.

"Oh, my foolish brother, don't think that you've been through the snow to ignore all the cold. You'll arrive in Novgorod sooner or later, and I think there's a girl waiting for you there, but not now ."

Rurik shrugged, realizing he was off topic. "The leader hasn't come back, or the fleet is already on its way back. Should we go back to Roseburg first and wait for them to come back? That's not a man. In my opinion, let's organize a fleet to New Roseburg. , I really want to see how the new settlement we've worked so hard to do."

When Rurik said this, Arik was also moved.

A true sea warrior, facing the vast sea, his attitude is similar to facing a lake.

"Ah, I haven't sailed the route to the east. I'm busy fighting south, and I don't know our new home."

"Then go and see?" Rurik urged deliberately, "I remember that our brothers were actively pioneering there, and a large number of Novgorods were captured and settled by us. The guys in Novgorod were all Submissive to us, our Ross is growing rapidly. In my opinion, within a few years, our New Ross Fort will be more prosperous than the towns of the Mellarens."

"Also." Arik made up his mind. "There are old guys in the team who have participated in the Sorgon voyage many times. We can't get lost. But we agreed in advance that we will only organize a small fleet, and the goal is only New Roseburg. Chief. It's better to be busy with the physical stuff there, and if they haven't come back, we'll wait."

"Then do it."

Rurik continued to eat the fish, and suddenly felt that his decision was too impulsive.

Forget it, a real man has one thing to say, and he won't go back on his decision instantly.

This night, Tombstone Island enjoyed a rare pleasure. Happy days are always fleeting, and on this night, Rurik and others made a division of power and responsibilities for the next part of the fleet.

Gould was very surprised by Rurik's whim, that this kid actually deliberately took a boat and went to Novo Roseburg in the east to have a look. What's going on there? Gould knew nothing. What he especially hopes is that if the Rus can become rich in the new settlement they have built with all their strength, his family will also benefit greatly.

The fleet is divided into two.

Those cargo ships are still the core of the fleet, and they lead a large number of small boats to the port of Roseburg under the leadership of Gould, just like this old guy does every autumn, the only special is this year. sailing around a bend.

Another fleet, reduced in size to just three longships, had as many as a hundred armed men. Arik became the leader of the fleet, while Rurik became a noble guest.

But in Rurik's view, all warriors were guarding their noblest, although he did not feel the slightest danger in heading east. The Road to the Future is simply an armed parade in autumn. It is such a force that it seems to be going to war.

have a look! How Arik and his guys are all dressed up!

Speaking of Arik himself, he was tall and strong in a thick leather jacket, with a helmet inlaid with iron pieces on his head. He always carried his chainmail and shield, and good warriors always have these gears on hand for emergencies. The warriors were all dressed similarly, it was just a matter of wealth, so that only a few had their own chain mail. Of course, for ordinary enemies, especially naval battles, the overall effect of chain mail is limited, and it is still not as useful as a round wooden shield reinforced with iron and copper.

It has to be said that Arik showed his prestige in iron and blood. He has the highest prestige on Tombstone Island, and the settled warriors are willing to follow his dispatch.

Originally, Arik couldn't convene a large number of soldiers, but he ended the looting of the enemy, and the soldiers on the island fell into peace. This stability did not bring them much happiness. They were warriors, and in a series of battles against the Gotlanders they had a great taste. Compared with fishing, it is better to loot the enemy to obtain huge wealth.

The few who had been to New Roseburg began to brag to their brethren that life was getting better for the people who had moved there. The warriors on the island are not envious, in fact they intend to emigrate, and they can drag their families away now. When they went to New Roseburg with their arms, they didn't think of looting their relatives, but they brought money that could not be spent locally to buy some useful things from their own people.

Half of the warriors who settled on Tombstone Island answered Arik's call, and another twenty veteran warriors would serve as navigators of the voyage to the east.

What about Rurik? His loyal mercenary captain Yevluo, and the other ten mercenaries, probably only served as personal guards.

A new dawn, after the fleet dragged on for a while, they all set foot on their respective routes.

The oars of the three long ships were lowered, and the sails were erected. The small fleet lined up in columns and sailed fast in the Gulf of Finland.

The old folks on the ship were saying that the fleet would reach New Roseburg in four days at the current speed. Is a mere four-day voyage enough? The warriors on the ship were in high spirits, because many of them entered this sea for the first time, and the freshness gave everyone full excitement.

At first, the fleet defied inertia and sailed along the coast of what is now southern Finland.

Walking on this route, the Rus people are full of enthusiasm, only Yevlo mentioned his anxiety.

Even though he has lived in the Varyag society for more than ten years, he has always had an obsession with his hometown. Do the tribes in the hometown still exist? Can the vast world find him?

Yevro has long since given up hope. He knows the strength of the Rus people, so he doesn't want this group of madmen to have the idea of ​​attacking the Finn (that is, the Suomi) tribe. If the Rus people are destined to have hegemony, then Yevluo I hope that all the Fen tribes can understand the current affairs and swear to surrender, so that they can pay a tribute and everyone can live in peace. And on the long ships of the Rus, the Finns also have a backing, and maybe the two sides can unite to defend against the aggressive Tavastians and Karelians.

If the Finns' fishing boats were to enter the waters to fish, their sightings with the Ross fleet were almost certain.

Whether to launch an attack or not, it is up to the Rus to decide. Whether to land and loot, Yevlo is sure that if the Rus thinks it is profitable, they will definitely do it.

At this moment, Yevlo was a little glad that his master was Rurik.

He never expected his master to be truly kind. In fact, on the contrary, even though his master was young, he was not ambiguous when it was time to be ruthless.

He is fortunate that, because of his relationship, giving some advice to the master will definitely make the fleet adjust its direction.

Yevro's words are clever: "We don't have to follow the coastline here. If the sea is straight to the east, we can just use the wind, turn the sails sideways to the north wind, and the boat can continue Onward. Let the brothers save some energy, after all, it is not wise to row when the north wind is strong."

The Gulf of Finland runs from east to west. Seeing his cousins ​​are also paddling hard, watching them sweating in the cold wind, Rurik wasn't really worried that they would be exhausted from exertion, just worried that they would catch a cold and catch a cold.

In this era, diarrhea and other minor problems in the eyes of later generations are also serious diseases that can kill people. It is not uncommon to suffer from diarrhea due to wind-cold and to die.

Maybe it was to respect my brother's opinion, or it was simply that everyone was tired from rowing. After a full day of sailing, under the order of Arik, the fleet completely retracted the oars and let the north wind blow the sails. Since the angle of the sails is subtle enough, the fleet is indeed moving fast at a decent speed.

The convoy docked for the night on a lush island (near the island on the north shore), and the fighters who landed were instinctively vigilant, on the lookout for possible enemies, or wild beasts. While none of these attackers may appear to exist, it's always good to be vigilant in uncharted territory.

As we all know, the land in the north is the so-called "Eastern Land", where there are at least the Finns, the Kovins, and the Tavastians and other ethnic groups. Of course, they are weak as a whole, but the current strength of the Ross soldiers is also very weak. Arik didn't want to take the initiative to attack those guys in the north, at least when his troops were stretched thin, even if he had the idea of ​​attacking, in the face of the form, he just wanted to deal with it conservatively.

On a new day, the soldiers of the fleet were full of freshly cooked oatmeal, and everyone ate high-quality grain, singing the old song and set out on the road again.

Due to the wind factor, they themselves are facing the sun in the east and heading straight to the east, but the fleet is constantly deflecting to the south.

Few people know the structure of this body of water, and Rurik knows it best.

Everyone spent almost the whole day at sea, boring people or chatting about all kinds of things, such as bragging about their wealth, whether the kidnapped wife was carrying a boy or a girl, and even holding silver coins in hand, thinking about being able to have a brother in New Roseburg What good things do they buy.

There are also more bored people who put their hands through the gaps in the shields of the boat gang and reach into the sea to feel its coolness.

Routine vigilance needs more people to do, some people always stand up straight in the evening, they are observers, they have extremely sharp eyesight, and now the biggest task is to find a desert island for the brothers to spend the night.

No one was willing to spend the night on a cramped boat unless absolutely necessary.

"Arik! Look over there! Island!"

Arik, who was a little lethargic, stood up suddenly, and he stroked the mast and looked into the distance.

I saw in the distance, and in the hazy setting sun, a shadow that resembled an island appeared.

Is that an island? Oh, of course it is. It's just that the island looks a little weird.

Arik stomped his feet: "Hey, brothers, don't doze off! Reel! Extend the oars!"

At this moment, Rurik, who had already been tossed by boredom and fatigue, had already used Yevlo's thigh as a pillow, and Rurik, who was sleeping on his side, was awakened.

"What's the matter? It will never be an enemy."

Yevro immediately reassured: "There are no enemies, the island has been discovered. Hehe, we have discovered a new island to the south."

"New island?" Rurik rubbed his head vigorously, watching Yevlo also quickly enter the paddling position, he felt that he had become an obstacle that interfered with everyone's paddling, so he stood up and moved to the bow of the boat .

The direction of the three longboats is adjusted. Everyone needs to dock on an island, and put down the pottery urns that they carry with them, so as to cook the wheat they carry, and even light a bonfire to smoke the fish.

But the scenery over there got a little weird.

The outline of the island became clear, and the sea level actually disappeared. Even if the soft light of the evening made the world seem distant, the hundreds of soldiers on board knew that it must be land. For a split second, some who remember the ancient teachings realize what the land of the distance means.

Suddenly, someone yelled at Arik: "Boss! Are we really going? We might be attacked by the Baltics."

The term Arik is very unfamiliar.

"The people of Baltic, what are they? Are they strong?"

The speaker was mute, and Arik's behavior made Arik even more disdainful. He simply drew his sword, and pointed the blade directly at the hazy land over there: "Brothers, we have discovered a brand new land! I heard that there are a group of unknown idiots living there? Will we be afraid of them? We are going to live on that island. One night, if the idiots intend to attack, let them die. My sword thirsts for new blood!"

Arik's impromptu speech could not help but admire Rurik.

Look at these wild warriors, they have changed their sluggishness, and they are all high-spirited, and they are already screaming in the oars.

In fact, Rurik knew very well that the land over there was definitely not "the land of the Baltic people". The legends of the Baltic people are generally known in the confederation of clans, and they are still very foreign to the Rus, so Arik has no reason to know anything about them.

Just those who might exist on land, definitely not Baltic people.

Rurik can conclude that the land of the ancient Estonians lies ahead

Estonians and Baltic people are not the same people at all.