Rise of Rurik

Although spring has returned, the location where Roseburg is sitting still receives the north wind.

The Rus, like other tribes, are indifferent to the wind.

Any of their boats have only one sail, and they have spontaneously learned the art of sailing against the wind during hundreds of years of ship modification. The Ross tribe is undoubtedly better in this regard. They will make a large angle close to 40° between the bow and the windward side, and get the fastest sailing speed at one time. Combined with their large, concave oars, they make them slightly faster than allied ships.

However, after all, all kinds of boats have a wide belly, they are not very streamlined, and they do not have a bulbous bow.

The Russ have figured out a pretty good sailing technique against the wind, and because of the traditional design of their hulls, there is a huge room for improvement in the application efficiency of wind.

Even so, their ships were simply more advanced than the Franks in this age of rot.

The trigger date set by Otto was on April 22 of the Julian calendar, and he also made a basic plan for the formation of Novgorod under his leadership.

The wind direction of the past few days is a little unpredictable. Most of the time, there is a slight northerly wind, and sometimes a strong and warm southerly wind suddenly blows.

Nature is best when the south wind blows, and the fleet can move forward efficiently!

No matter what kind of wind is blowing, even if there is no wind, Otto set a goal for himself, he must reach the "intersection of the bay" within three days, which is the so-called T-junction between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.

For this reason, everyone spends their time on the boat, regardless of the wind, the men must participate in the paddling, and Otto has to lead by example.

In this way, the fleet heading for Novgorod can advance at a very high speed.

What kind of speed is that? Their speed can quickly exceed ten knots and maintain it for a long period of time. If the wind is always strong, they can sail all weather at a high speed of about twelve knots.

From Roseburg to the "cross of the bay", the shortest voyage is actually close to 500 kilometers. At the fastest speed that Otto and his party could achieve, the fleet could indeed complete the voyage in two days.

For the time being, this journey will take three days.

Otto counted the time in his mind. When the fleet entered another bay, everyone might dock for a night. At that time, everyone must be on guard against possible harassment by the Baltic or Finns. If there are enough enemies, hundreds of soldiers will temporarily snatch them up, and Otto is also very happy.

This trip is of great significance, and it is best not to make extravagants.

However, entering the eastward bay, the hydrological situation here is generally complicated. Otto is more willing to paddle forward again. If the wind direction is suitable enough, everyone still needs at least four days to reach the "stone island", which is the Kotlin Island in later generations, and the key port is Kronstadt.

The local Finns call it Redusali Island, but little has been done on it. For decades, because of the activities of the Rus and a small number of other Viking tribal ships in the Gulf of Finland, Vikings of all kinds have attacked the coastal Finnish tribes, plundered the men and women of the tribe, and took them away as slaves.

However, there are also outstanding people who become reliable mercenaries to protect the safety of the gold master. Even such a person is comparable to the Danes and the thinking Asians.

The Finns have always become the losers of tribal wars, and perhaps the biggest reason is that their weapons are still dominated by granite sledgehammers bundled with wooden sticks and oak sticks with sharp points. Is this the opponent of the Vikings who are fully wearing leather armor and the elite wearing chain armor?

Once they can train and fight like the Vikings, things will be different. Due to their special status, many wealthy families in Denmark or Gotland are happy to have some such mercenaries, and they are fed and raised in order to secure their own and their wealth.

Some people must set up camp at the mouth of the river, others will enter the lake,

Find the South Sewer into Novgorod.

As long as there is no excessive stopover, the entire journey will be completed within twelve days.

When the Julian calendar reached the first three days of May, Otto believed that he would reach his destination. He felt that he would stay for a maximum of two days, take the tributes and other things he received on the boat, and then return.

Even if the situation this time is very special, the fleet will return to port smoothly around June 1st as planned.

At that time, the army that went south to crusade should have triumphed with a lot of loot, right?

However, there will be casualties in war. As long as the casualties are not serious, the Ross tribe can completely ignore it.

What's the matter with the worry in my heart?

Is it because of Arik?

Otto held back his thoughts, and on the last night, he made a routine farewell to his wife and children at his home, that is, to get together for a meal.

He nibbled at the fish to himself, and suddenly muttered: "Rurik, the promise I made to you will be fulfilled. When I come back, I will bring you at least ten servants."

"Thank you dad, in fact, I... I hope they come to me voluntarily."

"Don't worry too much about this." After speaking, Otto's eyes glanced at the submissive Rumia who was sitting on the side. Because of the approval of her master Rurik, she could also enjoy the master's house logically. catering. This look made the girl lower her head quickly.

"Child," Otto asked of his son.

"Um."

"You decide to have many servants. I will try to help you fulfill your wishes, but I will not help you train them. How to arrange your servants is your own business, understand? You choose to imitate one from now on. The life of an adult, you are very brave, I will let you do it now."

Rurik nodded deeply, with an expression of understanding.

However, Otto felt that his son's attitude was a little frivolous, and immediately snatched the fish from Rurik's hand, and scolded: "Do you want to express the feeling of enjoying being the leader? You can try it. The uncomfortable feeling of not doing well is your own responsibility. Get ready, your brother will return triumphantly, and maybe he will bring you back a few servants. After all, that Gould will be back in two months, and you are ready to accept the amazing number of servants you want."

Rurik nodded deeply, and said "understood" pretending to be obedient.

The dawn of the morning shone on the earth, and Roseburg was also rendered a golden yellow.

The pine oaks of the surrounding hills sprouted, giving a different color to the turquoise and black rocks.

The woods on the hills became mysterious and unpredictable, especially the location of the stone boat altar, where dust and morning mist were floating all the time, and the golden light of the morning sun shone through, forming a sacred light curtain through the gaps between the leaves and branches. Coupled with the solemnity of the altar, isn't this place a sanctuary?

The priests gathered at the stone boat altar, and they performed a small ceremony and slaughtered a rabbit as a sacrifice to bless the people who went on the expedition.

The Ross tribe did not set out to sacrifice the flag, or in other words, the fishing festival in the spring, the sacrifice has been done perfectly.

The ordinary people of the tribe gathered at the seaside, Niya took his son's hand, and followed the crowd. Thousands of people watched Yang Fan, a mighty fleet consisting of nearly 200 ships, set sail.

Wearing his handsome armor, Otto set foot on his own flagship, a medium-sized dragon-headed warship that could row fifty men together.

Many businessmen brought some magical legends to Rosberg, such as the big chief of the Danes, the guy nicknamed the lion, whose ship was named "Red Dragon".

"Red Dragon" is dangerous, not at all because its bow-decorated dragon head is coated with a layer of scarlet cinnabar, which looks particularly terrifying. The most feared is the boat itself, which is said to support a hundred people rowing together.

A hundred people paddling does not mean that the ship is going faster. It clearly proves a terrible thing. The "Red Dragon" is a very large ship. As long as it appears, it must be dangerous. For a long time, the Rus people and even their allies had not seen this ship. Some businessmen who had sneaked into the Dane-controlled area to do business swore that the "Red Dragon" existed, but there was no more evidence.

Otto didn't give his flagship a name, he didn't think it was necessary. If you insist on a name, then name it after your wife.

Otto's flagship lowered its huge sails, showing the pale blue coat of arms on the gray sails. The pattern of oars arranged in an X pattern is the totem of the Ross tribe, symbolizing their unique paddling skills.

Led by the largest ship, other ships follow its lead.

Numerous boats adjusted their sails to windward, and they began to steer in an S-shape. The men on the boat's side also assisted with paddles, and when the boat began to sail, it left the port at great speed.

Otto didn't say goodbye to his relatives on the beach. Soon, his figure standing on the deck became a black spot the size of an ant in Rurik's eyes. Only the bright sail was still clear.

The flagship is followed by a large number of ships decorated with dragon heads, which are the so-called standard ships of the Rus, which are also the most classic ships of the Vikings. It was the Rus who always believed that it was the most reasonable for such a standard warship to have a rowing slot for thirty people, so their warships almost all had the same appearance and carried the same number of people.

The tribe's traditions also directly influenced Rurik's training of the group of brawlers. Thirty people in his team were a basic organization, and the commander directly used the term "captain" in the tribe.

All accepted an arrangement of thirty people forming a "fighting group". Because once the boat grabbed the beach, thirty rowers jumped off. They changed into a full battle lineup, and thirty people continued to fight side by side. Over the years, they have inadvertently developed good organization and coordination, which has become a huge tactical advantage.

Excellent organization is also a reflection of their combat effectiveness!

The fleet finally went to sea.

This mighty army soon left the fjord of Roseburg, entered the vast Gulf of Bothnia, and rushed towards the middle of the bay, because the ice floes there had disappeared.

The lineup of teams soon changed as well.

Otto's own fleet would soon be heading east, along with the hundred families who intended to colonize the mouth of the Ladoga River, and as many as six hundred warriors.

All young fighters, they face a choice this year. Either go south for revenge and find a chance to make a fortune, or go to Novgorod in the east and marry a beautiful woman.

The so-called people have their own aspirations. There are 100 unmarried young people. After thinking about it, they still plan to get a wife first, which is more pragmatic. It is said that there are more women than men in that piece, which is the complete opposite of the Ross tribe. So that as long as a woman's parents are given a small betrothal gift, they can get a beautiful and hard-working wife. what! Just like a dream.

Of course, there are also young people who have married a Novgorod woman last year. They are here to take their pregnant wife and go back to their old husband's house to report the good news.

At the level of the leader Otto, it is to win over those people, so that they can provide more women to solve the marriage problems of the young men of the tribe, and then make a bigger tribute.

The total number of Otto's team is close to a thousand people, and because there are a large number of transport ships that are purely pulling building materials and daily necessities, these people share fifty ships of various types.

Behind Alto is a crusade army composed of twenty warships. They are all leading warships, and their passengers are all extraordinary.

Look at their golden-haired, muscular arms, they're already rowing at the exact same frequency!

Among them is the figure of Arik. Although he is not yet nineteen years old, this standard Nordic man has grown a golden beard that has a full face. His hair is also blond, and under the skillful hands of his wife, Peravina, more than twenty tiny braids are braided.

Peravina is very good at braiding, because Novgorod is good at braiding, and his skills are even more exquisite than those of the Vikings.

It's a pity that the husband and wife now belong to two fleets.

Peravina is already six months pregnant! Her bulging belly was already very obvious, and she could clearly detect the fetal movement.

Such a Novgorod woman has become extraordinary, and she was placed in his flagship by Otto himself, and her future voyages will be well looked after.

The so-called promise to Rurik to treat Rumia as his daughter is mainly to make his son happy.

For the current Peravina, Otto is happy to regard her as his relative. Because whether she gave birth to a boy or a girl, it was Arik's blood, and it was also the grandson of her brother Ogier who died in battle, and also her own grand-nephew. Having lost two of his own sons, leaving only Rurik alive, Otto is very pleased with the birth of any child closely related to him.

Even now, Otto is still worried about Arik's safety, even in front of his niece, he knows he must shut up.