Rise of Rurik

A huge army landed on Tombstone Island, some excited, some cowardly. Especially those guys from Novgorod, they never knew that the world was so vast in their life. Their former world was limited to a corner of Lake Ilmen, and the distant world was full of danger.

They found themselves in a large archipelago that seemed to be the home of the Varyags?

The team was assembled by Arik on the small flat of the island in the north of the wooden castle, and together with the rest of the crowd stationed on Tombstone Island, as many as 1,200 men who could use weapons gathered here.

People were chatting and talking, and most of the people here were Russ people's comments on Novgorod people, and they were born slaves. As for the Novgorods, they are now obedient and do not know what to do. Yes, they even thought that this island was the lair of the Varyags! Numerous Varyag people are all a head taller than them, and any one waiting for him must be killed.

Arik looked at his soldiers from a height, and issued a brief mobilization for battle. He called on the two groups to obey his own orders, and he himself would obey all orders of the Duke of Ross.

Immediately afterwards, he began to use a variety of axes and iron spears to re-equip the Novgorod army commanded by Medvedt. On the second day, Arik couldn't wait to use the traditional fighting skills of the Rus to train this group of messy guys "Russ teamfighting skills" to quickly correct their so-called group that "wars are all about the primary and secondary pigs". beating tactics.

The only thing that pleased Arik was that the group of lakeside residents of Novgorod had indeed come, and they also brought some stone farming and fishing gear.

The intelligence that Arik learned after landing was that the fleet transporting troops, ordnance and a large amount of food in the rear had not yet arrived, and he estimated that the fleet did not leave the port at all.

The island's population, which had suddenly swelled twice as long, had to fend for itself before it could get supplies and food from the duke.

The fishing skills of the Novgorods began to impress some Rus soldiers, and what was even more shocking was that some guys brought rapeseeds, and they sowed cabbage seeds on the island by reclaiming a small piece of land.

"You're a bunch of simple farmers. You're self-reliant, like those Melalen farmers. That's good, it'll reduce my stress." Arik just doesn't know a clear theory, and that's what it's like to be human by nature. With strong subjective initiative, as long as there is no interference, they can spontaneously create wealth to support themselves.

As early as the day after Arik landed on Tombstone Island, a fleet continued northward, and Kawi and his Lilia, as well as the fleet escorting some of the tribute, rushed to the mother city of Roseburg.

Another boat quickly rushed to Lake Mälaren to report to Otto and Rurik who were waiting for news.

finally,

On May 24th, the huge fleet carrying a large amount of supplies finally arrived at Tombstone Island.

A batch of black chrome iron spearheads produced in Elon Orava Fort, and gray-black quenched wrought iron spearheads were unloaded. These ordnance bundled on wooden sticks is a powerful weapon, and then put on an axe, that is a long weapon. Handle the halberd!

A large number of wooden bows and crossbows covered with sackcloth caught Arik's attention, among which there are many headshots, such as the newly made torsion slingshot, and a matching batch of harpoons with barbs.

The heavily armed warriors were mixed with a group of short men with long bows, all of whom were Kewens of the servant gray squirrel tribe. There are actually many children here, especially the two close followers of the younger brother, Kanuf and Fisk.

The matter was far more complicated than Arik thought. He saw Fisk, who was still bald. This twelve-year-old child was stunned to carry the sword of his dead father. Could it be that a child dares to go into battle to kill the enemy? However, seeing that he is still carrying a crossbow that seems to be made of wood, I think this child is only worthy of being a bowman now.

Harrodsen was the escort officer of the fleet, and his presence really surprised Arik. Even the old guy Harrodsen was dispatched, doesn't it mean that Rosberg has been empty in a sense? Fortunately, Haro Zuo Sen claimed to be the escort work last night, and the next step was to quickly return to Roseburg.

Kawi also returned with the fleet, because he had a deeper mission.

But now, he wants to give Arik another gift.

Some special crossbows are placed on the flat ground in front of Arik's feet, and strangely its wooden arms are standard stikas.

"Is this a wooden crossbow?" Arik was deeply suspicious.

"Exactly."

"Are they easy to use?"

"At least, it's better than an ordinary short wooden bow. Accept my gift, so that it can shoot ordinary arrows, at least ordinary enemies."

Arik shrugged: "Not bad. Brother, is there really you in the edict?"

"No, but the troops on the expedition must have someone specializing in repairing weapons. You see." Kawi pointed to one after another temporarily moored cargo ships and longships, "Big leader. It's the Duke! The Duke decided, especially you. My brother has decided that all members of our Rus army will use bows and arrows in this battle."

"That's all? I'd rather the warriors fight the enemy bloody. Swords are bloodthirsty, you know."

"I'm not that particular." Kavey said bluntly and shook his head again.

Kawhi and Arik both transferred their families back to their home port of Roseburg, and a small group of weak women and children on Tombstone Island were temporarily transferred.

The entire island has become a huge military camp, but it is hidden in thousands of small islands and reefs, and the vast area is essentially no man's land. Only a few merchants know their location. Little did they know that the Rus had secretly reserved a strategic reserve.

The Principality of Ross, which was suddenly born in name, showed a stronger mobilization ability than others from the very beginning. In fact, this kind of mobilization is still lackluster. Rurik has not had time to establish a complete system. The tribe is not a general mobilization of the whole people, but even so, if you add the distant Novgorod and Elon Orava Fort, then There are also as many as 4,000 to 5,000 people invested in the current stage of combat readiness.

So, what happened to Rurik and Otto who were stranded in the Mälaren Lake District during this period?

The entire Melalen Lake became unprecedentedly lively, thousands of porridge passed by on the lake, and the waves became agitated.

A large number of recruited fighters were in the most lively Melalen market in a short period of time, and the place became unprecedentedly lively, so-called crowded.

Similarly, Gould Island was also surrounded by various merchants, and the Ross products that arrived were completely sold out. Out of business principles, Gould consciously raised some prices, not to mention the guys who just needed it, they scolded and bought things.

There are even selected farmers who choose to use immature wheat as collateral to complete loan transactions with tribal bigwigs. They took the money, and they went on the market for leather, wooden shields, and even the decent-quality axe the Grans peddled, and even some hard-dried smoked fish that lasted long.

Although the Origen promise was based on everyone's reward of some wheat, this generous promise was unprecedented, and the peasant warriors of Melalen were not too sure.

Until one day, someone saw a group of people pushing and pulling a two-wheeled vehicle full of sacks, escorted by the leader Origen, and parked at the dock where the big Rus ship was moored.

Olegin began to fulfill an extremely important clause in the agreement. No, he came in person.

At this moment, Otto and Rurik were both staying on the Avlora, and the two simply slept in the "captain's lounge" at the bow.

The noise attracted Rurik to stand on the high platform at the bow of the ship. He supported the wooden side mast, and carefully touched his head against the torsion slingshot covered by the oiled sackcloth, and immediately saw Olegin's old wrinkled face.

"Hey! It's the venerable king!" Rurik shook his right hand vigorously, his voice was loud, and he showed a very obvious smile.

The Ruriks clearly had a kind of joking in them, but what about Origen? He only felt that Rurik, this stinky boy, was very knowledgeable and respected himself, which was a sign of a smooth cooperation.

A moment later, Otto in a velvet cap appeared, a snow fox coiled on top of his head, and two wild goose feathers were stuck in the sky. Otto dresses more like a businessman, but now he's doing business as well.

After the boarding boards were laid, Otto and Rurik stood in front of Olegin.

Otto glanced at the two-wheelers: "It seems that the food you want me to carry is here."

"Exactly, enough to feed my army for ten days."

"Okay." Otto turned his head and greeted the people on the boat. He turned his head again: "I will remember our agreement, and please remember the agreement."

"Of course. I only have one question now."

"What is it?"

"This ship..." Origen pursed his lips: "Can she hold all my food? At least not a cargo ship. I want to go up and have a look."

"Board to visit? Come now."

Otto did not intend to hide, he had already discussed with Rurik, and a person like Origen was qualified to visit in person. His visit was a bilateral courtesy.

Those Olekin's private soldiers in black, they appeared in the form of porters without any weapons on their bodies, which was also a gesture of favor by Origen.

Carrying heavy sacks on their backs, they took firm steps to the middle of the Avrora, and stood on the deck one after another, unloading the sacks here for the time being.

Immediately afterwards, the Ross warriors accepted the porter work.

Just now, Origen, who had already boarded the ship, entered the cabin of the big ship along the wooden ladder. The huge space gave him a strong sense of oppression under the illumination of an oil lamp. No ship has such a structure! It's like a warehouse floating on the sea!

The Avlora has changed Origen's entire perception of cargo ships. Presumably, the ship he owns and this big ship can no longer be said to be inferior, and should be described as a serious backwardness.

A large amount of food began to arrive in the cabin, and seeing her huge volume, Origen was no longer worried.

Standing on the bow deck, he stood on a high point, and the poop she saw was even taller. He didn't notice that the two sides of the bow were wrapped in sackcloth, but wished to get this big ship on a whim! Just because of a king, we need to have the greatest flagship!

Origen shivered, making no secret of his longing: "Otto, my brother. Your ship is so wonderful. I wish you would give her to me."

"Huh?" Otto backed away in surprise, but Rurik turned into a blown-up cat.

"No!" Rurik stood directly in front of his father, looking up at Origen and bluntly denying it.

"Can't you buy it with money?"

"What? Still paying for it?"

Olegin shrugged: "Is there anything in this world that cannot be measured by money? How much is your ship? I will give you a hundred pounds of silver."

"You! Are you humiliating me?"

"Huh? Do you think the money is too little?"

Origen had said it casually, and he felt that a hundred pounds was too much to say. Actually? The simple construction of the hull of the Avlora cost the equivalent of more than 100 pounds of silver coins. The installation of the messy follow-up equipment, and even the decoration of the internal components, the comprehensive cost of this large ship has soared to the level of 200 pounds.

However, how can the value of the Avlora be measured in money?

Origen didn't give up immediately: "So, two hundred pounds? How?"

"No! No! Unless you offer 200 pounds of gold!" Rurik gritted his teeth and directly said a price that the other party could not accept.

Because, that's two hundred pounds of gold! Perhaps Origen could come up with the equivalent amount of wheat, and even if he scoured the entire Melalen clan, he could come up with five pounds of gold, which was the theoretical limit. After all, gold comes from Roman gold coins, which are not a common currency in trade.

Olegin had no choice but to give up and sighed helplessly: "Since you Russ can make it, you will build ships for me in the future, right?"

Hearing this, even shipbuilding costs a lot of national money, and building ships for others should get even greater benefits. Otto wanted to take over this guy, but Rurik stopped him decisively.

Since ancient times, military weapons have been lucrative businesses, but some weapons are determined not to be sold, which is called "keeping one hand". Even if Rurik knew that he could indeed make a fortune on the Melalen people by selling the big boat.

This is not a matter of money at all, but a matter of national defense! If it did, Rurik felt it was political suicide. There are many people in Melalen, and if they have mastered a group of big ships, the Rus people should consider how long their advantages can last.

Origen returned angrily, and a wave of hatred also emerged spontaneously. Fortunately, this old guy is a rational person. In order to take pictures of the overall situation, he easily suppressed his hatred to disappear. It was his son Carl. Whenever he saw the big ship moored in his own port, he felt that it was a kind of encroachment and provocation.

No boat this size is allowed on Lake Mälaren! If there is, it must be the flagship of the Mellarens!

It's a pity that the glory belongs to the Rus...

Perhaps his father's immediate plans to buy a boat, or even order a new boat, were rejected by the little brat Rurik, and Carl's clenched fist almost broke.

There was also hatred and even a yin in Carl's heart. He hoped that his old father would die soon, so that he could become a king ahead of time. At that time, he can forcibly buy the large ships of the Rus in the name of the king. If the Rus do not agree, he will threaten them with military might. Isn't it beautiful?

In essence, Carl's attitude towards the Rus people is still "a group of guys who turned their backs on everyone and ran to the north to catch ferrets". He never felt that the Russ were strong, even if the big ship swayed under his nose every day.

The time is a little bit approaching the departure date of June 1st.

The battleships of each tribe have been prepared one after another. In a short period of time, a group of fishing boats have also been quickly remodeled as transport ships forcibly made up.

What about the Ross? For nearly a month, all five cargo ships docked at the Gould Island dock have undergone a major makeover.

Structurally, the Avrora is a massively enlarged version of a typical cargo ship.

The hulls of all the cargo ships are still the same, and they all have pine decks installed, and higher railings are spliced ​​together. The rear end of the deck was covered with a "wood house", the so-called poop, to protect the rudder while giving all sailors a safe shelter from the wind and rain.

The cargo ship's sails were also completely replaced, with the original straight beams removed and replaced by longer, inclined-mounted beams.

That is to say, these cargo ships at the port have all been equipped with brand-new jib Latin sails, but none of them have installed bulbous bows, which will inevitably make them suffer some losses when sailing. The bow of their boat was also nailed with special wooden strips, and the numbers spelled in Rune were pieced together, and some pine glue was applied, and chalk was sprinkled. This is the so-called temporary hull number to facilitate command.

The first people to land on Gould Island were the old soldiers from Tombstone Island. These guys attacked and sacked the Gotland village three years ago, and last year they sacked the Estonian village. Although only thirty people came, All of them are aggressive bulls, and they are the elites played on the battlefield, and their strength should not be underestimated.

Finally, what Rurik was looking forward to most came from the large troops from the home port. They formed a compact fleet and arrived at their destination with a batch of key strategic materials.

The wooden boxes were carried off the ship one by one, and Rurik conducted a routine inspection to determine that it was the required "ammunition".

It is a large number of conical cast iron projectiles, each of which has inclined grooves deliberately left at the time of casting. The advantage of this design is that it can rotate by itself during flight, and the gyroscopic effect ensures that the ballistics will not vibrate. .

There are also a large number of crossbow arrows, their arrow clusters are various, and the quality is not very good.

So what can be done? Too much time was given to the rear to prepare for war.

The most gratifying thing for Rurik was naturally the unloaded batch of newly manufactured torsion slingshots. In terms of weight, they were weapons like Roman scorpion crossbows, and they only needed three men to carry them to move quickly. With such a weight, naturally its power is not very strong. Rurik could assert that these quick manufactures were far less powerful than the carefully crafted treasures of the past.

Anything is better than nothing, and as soon as they arrive, they start to be installed on cargo ships.

The army of Ross's expedition was assembled. On the first day of landing, they completed the assembly in the courtyard of the center of the wooden fort on Gould Island.

Check them out! A group of warriors in mail and leather armor, with shields on their backs, helmets reinforced with sheet metal, and many with iron masks to protect their faces. They had steel swords and steel axes hanging from their waists, and all had to get their bows and crossbows allotted to them.

Thirty of the Corvin warriors of the Grey Squirrel tribe who held the longbow and the Rus who settled in Elrond were equipped with longbows made of white wax rods, and the leader of Mechasta himself served as the commander of this "Northern Force" and his son, Eleven-year-old Taravis, this precise archer was among them.

Some childish faces were also in it, Kanuf and Fisk, and ten boys who were naturally strong. Especially Fisk, Rurik and Otto, who were standing on high to review the soldiers, saw that the boy was carrying his father's sword. Obviously, this battle is the best coming-of-age ceremony for him who has just grown up (12 years old is an adult).

The other children who were lined up in a neat line were extraordinarily peculiar among the many lines. Because they were girls, ten Slavic maids of Rurik, and their commander was Carlota himself.

Could it be that the Ostarans are so difficult that only their female leader is the only soldier to fight? Now, there are eleven members of the Ostara Army. They are all girls. They use either winch steel arm crossbow or pure wooden crossbow. The military training these girls received was desperate archery. They were the girls under Rurik who were given accurate names, and their positioning was like that of Odin's Valkyries.

They are producers of commodities themselves, and they must be priestesses on important festivals. They are also loyal female warriors of Rurik. This battle is their first battle.

With frequent bow and crossbow practice on weekdays, they have long formed excellent "small animal hunters", but this time, the prey may become the enemy.

Everyone, together with the sailors who participated in the war, a team of more than 300 people assembled in this small courtyard.

Rurik and Otto spoke one after another. After some war mobilization, a deafening cry came from the closed wooden wall, which shocked the foreign merchants who were doing business at the dock. It was as if the wooden wall had locked up a bunch of monsters, scaring them into hurriedly checking out and leaving in a hurry with some of the latest soap they had bought and shipped to Gould Island.

The day of the expedition is approaching, and the entire Gould Island is like a volcano about to erupt, and everyone is actively preparing for the battle.

No, Rurik, who was under the greatest pressure, revised another book and sent it to Arik and his army who were already stationed on Tombstone Island.

Regarding these matters, Otto has completely handed over the tactical and strategic matters to Rurik, and the current situation is truly a fool who can realize that Rurik is the wisest person and the most suitable battle commander. By.

In the face of the war, Otto's heart was as calm as a windless lake, but he felt a little regretful, according to the agreement, the Rus people should not be involved in the battle on land. He had to console himself, relying on 200 soldiers to "grab food" with the 3,000-strong allied army was really hard, so it would be better to "stand by" according to the agreement and wait for Origen to give out a big Pile of loot.

On the morning of the 31st of May, the day before the expedition, Lake Merlaren was already crowded with ships, and many deserted islands had become anchorages for the armies of the various tribes.

There are fishing boats shuttling in various moorings everywhere, and fishermen sell their catches, and even some arrows, sticks and other weapons made by fishermen.

It was also at this time that Arik, who was stationed on Tombstone Island, received an order from Duke Ross.

Yes, Rurik gave the strategic reserve team such a task in the name of Otto.

First, train the army to stay awake every day, ready to enter the battlefield at any time.

Second, especially train the Novgorod army so that they can imitate the fighting of the Rus as soon as possible.

Third, strengthen the defense of Tombstone Island, so that the enemy and potential enemies cannot threaten the safety of the wooden fort on Tombstone Island at any time.

Fourth, dispatch patrols, as they did last year, to go deep into the vast waters to intercept all the Gotland fishing boats. At the same time, as a vigilance, beware of any form of sneak attack on the kingdom by the enemy. If a large number of enemies appear, resolutely destroy them.

"Damn, this order is really..." Arik put away the wooden board and urgently called his own people for a meeting. He read the order of Duke Ross, trying to hide his regret.

If you are going to intercept the enemy's fishing boats as usual, why do you have to work so hard to gather so many troops? He felt that he was destined to miss the big battle, and sending five patrol boats in a mere way would not be enough to fight the enemy. He was eager to lure the enemy to Tombstone Island in order to complete the annihilation.

"Hey? Yes, if the Gotlanders attack my Tombstone Island, wouldn't an army of a thousand men kill them all? That's a big victory!"

Take a look at your own armament, because the strength of the Novgorod army has increased because of the acceptance of a batch of equipment from Rosburg. He has ten steel-armed crossbows, ten wooden crossbows, more than thirty short wooden bows, and four torsion slingshots used to defend the wooden fort. He also kept twenty longboats docked in the fjords on the north side of the island.

With such an army, there was no problem in raiding a Gotland village, but taking the initiative to attack would go against the wishes of the leader of the uncle. Unless, Tombstone Island becomes a battlefield.

The setting sun shrouded the world, and there were bonfires all over the lakeside of Lake Mälaren, a large number of camps and people from Lu Su appeared beside the bonfire. Under the setting sun, an unprecedented number of battleships on the lake swayed and collided with the waves.

Beneath the calm exterior, a soldier is either nervous or daydreaming.

This night is destined for many people to be unable to sleep, because tomorrow will be the departure of thousands of boats!

Origen, for example, was so excited that he could not sleep at the thought of the opportunity to command an army of 3,000 men at the end of his life.

Rurik was a little nervous. He was not afraid. The reconstructed Ross fleet, even the cargo ships, had become "Battlefield Giants". The enemy who dared to challenge could not be shot by a crossbow into a scarecrow who borrowed arrows. .

Otto should eat and drink. He has experienced many battles and he doesn't think what the future wars will be like.

Arik on Tombstone Island, he stood on the wooden wall and looked at the sunset and the south, and he couldn't help showing a wicked smile full of ambition...