Rise of Rurik

The so-called ash tree is actually an ash tree.

People in northern Europe saw that their gray-brown trunks were very different from the pine trees that can be seen everywhere, so they named it after the color of the trunk.

The ash tree is an existence with a strong trunk. The European ash tree twists and turns when it is young. When it grows into a big tree, it will have an "umbrella". unique presence.

No one is a fool to know the resilience of ash trees. The predatory search of the Finns and Vikings has led to the rare occurrence of ash trees. Some white wax rods will be made into bows with good elasticity. However, their maintenance level is generally not high. No matter how good the single bow is, it will be replaced within two years.

In the end, the hunters could only make do with the oak bow, which started to lose pounds after hitting five or six hundred arrows. Fortunately, the manufacturing cost of this kind of bow is not high.

On Gogran Island, Rurik's biggest gain is the large number of ash rods.

In just one day's expedition, the team cut down all five trees they found. Of course, everyone concluded that there are more ash trees on this deserted island where no one lives. After cutting off the branches of the trunk, the mercenaries carried the stripped trunk on their shoulders and carried them back to the boat.

The son's return from the expedition brought a speechless treasure. Although Otto was unhappy, since this thing was expected to be a very good bow, he was relieved.

After a whole day of rest, or in other words, everyone stayed on the island for a whole day, the lost energy was restored.

They left a lot of bonfire traces on the beach, and left a pile of rice fields together.

"Stone Island" is full of stones, but there is also a freshwater lake. Its special state has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it has become the preferred berth for the future sailing of the Rus, even if there are a lot of stones.

The fleet docked again on the island of Naisal, and Arik presented the clearly identifiable traces of the bonfire on the beach as proof that it was his masterpiece, and pointed to the coast to the south, where Estonian villages were sacked and burned.

Those people are not Baltic, but Estonian? They have food, they can smelt iron, and they have some leather, but their military strength is terrible.

How could Otto not be distracted? Bullying the weak and plundering wealth is justified.

It is now that the army is in a hurry, and there is really no time to stay.

Arik fulfilled his promise and actually led a group of brothers to row to the southern coast to bring back some fresh water.

The fleet only stayed on Naisal for one day,

began to gradually leave the Gulf of Finland.

The sea ahead was extremely open, and those who dared to climb to the top of the mast gradually lost sight of the southern coast. At this point, the most arduous paddling was over, the entire fleet followed Otto's flagship, the bow began to face the north wind, and began to fold the line, and the overall overweight fleet began to sail awkwardly against the wind.

Word left Naisal Island for a day, and the entire fleet spent the night at sea. They threw in the night and moved forward slowly. On the second day, the fleet arrived at Tombstone Island!

"Everyone has paid attention, we have arrived at the islands. Brothers, after listening to my orders, paddle carefully." Otto stood at the bow as always, holding the ferocious bow relief, and the oarsmen of the whole ship followed the orders. The entire fleet is very interesting and lined up in a column, like a small train, cautiously traversing the waterway of the Aland Islands full of sand and rock reefs.

Even longboats with shallow drafts dare not venture here, they must go straight to Tombstone Island along the determined deep water channel and spend the night on the island as planned.

The Åland Islands are a huge island group of 150 kilometers from east to west. It is large and trivial. Most of the small islands have no settlement value at all, and many islands can be passed by simply flowing water between them.

Among the thousands of islands, the Rus chose an island with two small bays in the northern part of the archipelago and named it Tombstone Island.

The geographical location of Tombstone Island is still 90 kilometers away from the estuary of Melalen Lake. Such a unique geographical location naturally restricts the nearby trade between the Rus people and the Melalen people.

The reason why Tombstone Island was chosen is that it is small and compact, with a winding coastline and a deep water level, making it an excellent port at this stage.

Rurik, who had landed on Tombstone Island, was actually very suspicious of his father's site selection, because standing on Tombstone Island, as far as the west could see, there was obviously a larger island, and that was the main island of the Åland Archipelago, where was it established? Wouldn't a settlement be more appropriate?

As the fleet returned to Tombstone Island smoothly, Rurik knew his father's real consideration for the location. Tombstone Island is located in a natural deep waterway in the archipelago. Doing business with the Melalon people has never been the main purpose. It is the most important to ensure the smooth sailing of the Sorgon fleet.

Those who returned were greeted with heroic congratulations from the islanders, and even more heartening was that the fleet was not a solitary visitor.

Otto, who landed, unexpectedly saw Gould, who was as plump as a seal. The appearance of the big businessman first surprised Rurik, and in an instant he understood the reason.

Ah, look at the obviously deep-draft cargo ship strapped to the cove pier and you'll know Gould is on his last haul of the year.

The almost-missing leader and his warriors seemed to be descended from the sky. Yevlo saw an old man with a fluttering beard and a full beard walking down the trestle. A strong sense of shock caused him to retreat subconsciously.

After a while, Gould hurried forward, covering his heart to the leader's luggage.

"You! You are actually here?! Why?" Otto asked when they met.

"My lord, I'm surprised to see you here too. Ah, Sorgon's fleet is finally back?"

"You didn't answer my question," Otto urged.

"Yes, chief." Gould immediately raised his hand and pointed to his cargo ship: "Look, the ship is full of wheat. Allow me to tell you a beautiful thing..."

It's definitely a food thing! Otto had already learned a lot from his son, so no more questions. He urged, "Get me a comfortable place, and I'll take a good rest. Huh? Your walls are up? It's great so the damn Gotlanders can't threaten our camp."

Back at Tombstone Island, Otto felt like he was back home.

Of course, for the warriors from Tombstone Island, they really brought a batch of precious spoils to reunite with their wives and children.

Tombstone Island became lively again.

The extremely limited number of Melalen merchants who had no intention of going crazy north to Roseburg, they thought of doing some business with the Rus people on Tombstone Island, but unexpectedly waited for the mysterious big leader of the Rus people, Otto.

Otto naturally met with more than a dozen businessmen, and decisively accepted a little gift from the businessman. He also saw the moving eyes of individual businessmen, which caused a sense of disharmony.

Otto's feeling is correct, because those with flickering eyes are indeed businessmen themselves, and on the other hand, they are instructed by Olekin, the leader of Melalen and the leader of the alliance. It is true that they do business, and it is true that they spy on intelligence.

An old man who was obviously weathered and strong, was actually the legendary leader Otto? No matter how this man looked, he was more powerful than his own leader, Olegin. There is also the splendid momentum of everyone who returned from Sorgon, the Russ. It is said that the Rus people are far less powerful than the Melalen people. Even Rurik, the son of the Rus leader who met the leader of the alliance, is also talking about his weakness. Today, seeing a large group of Rus warriors, who would dare to estimate that they are really weak?

Could it be that a clan that can organize a large fleet is weak?

The businessmen who shouldered the intelligence spying sighed about their good luck, and they immediately began to sell their goods at abnormally low prices in order to get out of Tombstone Island early and report the intelligence to their leaders to receive the reward.

Merchants in Melalen are cutting prices, of course, benefiting the Rus on the island.

Merchants are mainly selling pottery pots and pans, as well as wooden daily necessities. Who will pay attention to the reasons behind their sudden selling?

A warm wooden house, now Otto and Rurik's couch. Before the break, Otto intended to have a good chat with Gould.

The dim oil lamp was not enough to hide the joyful atmosphere. Gould was in a very good mood tonight. He urgently needed to perform in front of the big boss, and by the way, brag about the feat of the young master Rurik in Melalen.

Rurik had told his father about his experience in Melalen for a long time. The words were spoken by the child alone. Otto subconsciously thought that there was an element of boasting and exaggeration, and he did not believe that his son really did such a big thing. .

Now it's Gould's turn to describe it vividly, and Otto really doesn't believe it.

Especially the wheat, they are extremely large, and even Gould, who owns a batch of cargo ships, does not have the ability to transport them all at once.

After drinking the "Ross Vodka" in a glass bottle again, Otto's face quickly turned red.

"Hahaha, wheat, a lot of wheat, this year our tribe is really not short of wheat. My dream when I was young actually came true, because we paid too much money for wheat."

When Rurik was present, Gould did not dare to talk nonsense, so he complimented: "The problem of money is never a problem. Rurik is blessed by the gods, and we Russ have a lot of ways to make money. I do have resourcefulness. Merchant, please rest assured, the big leader, next year's trade season, I will make your family make a lot of money."

"I'm very at ease with you." The beautiful Otto patted Gould's shoulder enthusiastically, which was an affirmation of the businessman, which made Gould flattered.

Otto continued mumbling, "I heard Olegin wanted to see me. Okay, maybe I should go now."

"Ah? Chief, are you serious?" Not only was Gould surprised, but Rurik was also taken aback.

Just when Rurik wanted to persuade his father not to have extracurricular troubles and have to return to his hometown before the winter, Otto suddenly gave up, "Never mind. Next year that guy is going to convene all the leaders, and my son said that Olegin wanted to Retaliation against the Danes, what about this?"

"Huh?" Who is Gould, although he thought it was absurd, but it was unusual for words to come out of Otto's mouth. "Maybe so, chief, what can I do for you?"

"What else can you do? You are a businessman, and I want you to raise some supplies for me. I am very optimistic about your material transportation capacity. There is a war in Anjou. You have to transport a steady stream of food to my army, as well as new weapon."

"Ah! That's my pleasure."

Hearing this quietly, Rurik was a little surprised that Dad really understood the importance of logistics. Obviously this is the case. For example, in the North Hunting that started last winter, the entire team brought enough dry food for a month. If there is no such food, how can the hunting army of the expedition complete the conquest of the Kowen people along the frozen Oulu River.

Having said that, the drunk dad actually really believed that the coalition forces behind the alliance would fight back against the Danes and Gotland.

There is a saying that you tell the truth after drinking! Rurik estimated that his father had such a plan, and what would be the result of such an analysis.

The remnants of the Ostara tribe are now clinging to the thighs of the Rus people. If Ottoro proposes war at the alliance, Carlota, the vengeful girl, will definitely be the first to support it.

As long as the leader Olegin saw Carlota's determination, he would definitely avenge the Ostarans under the supervision of other tribal leaders.

Rurik came to an astonishing conclusion after some analysis. Regardless of whether the Alliance made a decision on the war, as long as Otto mentioned the war, the entire Alliance must unite to counterattack against the Danes.

The choice of war actually falls into the hands of the Rus?

In the past few years, the Rus people have not been defeated at all, and the many conquests and victories have made the people full of expectations for the war. Because for those young people who fought for the great god Odin, the dead souls went to Valhalla to become heroic spirits, and they could plunder a lot of wealth if they survived. Those soldiers who followed Arik to crusade Gotland had a huge harvest. Which young man is not envious?

With the taste of wine, Otto clenched the empty glass bottle: "Real warriors, drink the strongest wine and cut down the most ruthless enemies. It's time to continue our revenge, I want revenge for my brother Ogier, for lying The warriors on this island have their revenge! They died in battle, and ten times as many Gotlanders must be buried with them. The revenge will continue, and it has nothing to do with Olegin."

How can Gould not be afraid when he sees Otto's angry bullfighting? He also thought that Olegin was mentioned, and Otto would respect the leader of the alliance. Apparently the Russ didn't take that guy to heart, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Looking at Rurik's dignified face, Gould can judge that it is a good thing.

What is the Meralon tribe? Olegin abused his people, and Karl was a rhetorical guy. Is this kind of person worthy of being the leader of the alliance? How can they have Otto and his sons?

Gould actually also vaguely felt that Rurik never wanted to be an alliance leader. He still prefers to be a leader with real power, that is, the person governed by this leader, not a few thousand people, maybe one hundred and two hundred thousand, or even More. Rurik wants to maintain the relationship between the leader and the people through a system of taxes and contracts, which is completely different from those in the past.

The next day, when Otto sobered up, he talked about whether he broke into Lake Mälaren to meet the leader of the alliance and made a negative answer.

In this way, a larger fleet is formed, and there are more than a thousand people on board!

The daughters of the shipbuilder's family, together with almost all the family's property, were incorporated into the fleet. The craftsmen who can build cargo ships openly declare that their families immigrate to Ross, and those women don’t have a clue. They show off and tell many people that after the family immigrates, they will be respected by the Ross leader himself.

This is good, some such as carpenters and potters brought their families along, stopped watching, and decided to take their own skills to become Rus people.

The construction of New Ross Fort was in full swing, and the key inspection of the two islands on the way back made Rurik make up his mind to develop "Stone Island" and "Freshwater Island". To carry out construction, a large number of craftsmen are needed, and professional potters and carpenters really only need to be replenished by a steady stream of immigrants.

The spectacular fleet began its final voyage, the longships guarding the cargo ships escorting food, and the miscellaneous immigration ships. Otto wants to show the new immigrants the heroic appearance of the Ross warriors, so that they have confidence in the military strength of the Ross people, so that they can do better in the future.

The final voyage became a torment, and the people who had been in their hometown for a long, long time had already gone mad. Especially for those young warriors, reunion with their families is the most simple idea for everyone. They have already made plans, and they have reaped great benefits from this trip, and there will be no worries in their lives for a long time in the future, so that they can make their wife pregnant again without any worries. Life is much better than it used to be, which greatly stimulates the motivation of young couples to raise their children indiscriminately.

Eight hundred thousand pounds of wheat, isn't that a huge order of magnitude? The Rus people are proficient in mathematical calculations with a small order of magnitude, such as "eight hundred thousand", which is already an order of magnitude beyond the understanding of many people. In their opinion, since the chief family promised to slowly sell wheat at the usual price of ten pounds for one silver coin, it seemed that the entire tribe would never worry about wheat to eat.

There is so much wheat that the transport ship will capsize. Do you have to worry that it will not be enough to eat?

The first shipment of supplies to Roseburg caused a great stir among the entire tribe.

It was another cold morning, and some fishermen who caught another wave of fish before the sea froze broke into the fjord like crazy. They landed on the shore and they were crazy to deliver the good news-the big leader brought an unprecedented huge boat. Team victory is back!

No, the coast was crowded with people, and their blond hair was like a wheat field. The seaside was crowded with people, and everyone pointed at the fleet of ships that suddenly appeared, and many people simply cried with joy.

Niya, the leader's wife, her face was full of tears of excitement. Husband and son came back completely as heroes.

They are the real heroes, they really care about this tribe, and this winter, the Russ have refreshed the concept of abundance again.