Rise of Rurik

Since the United Fleet started a real southward move, Olegin has no idea whether his own fleet will be exposed. In his heart, he even wished that the Gotlanders would come to challenge him, so that he could fight a beautiful naval battle very quickly.

The root of his self-confidence lies in the fact that his troops are very strong, and the army eager for wealth is full of motivation to fight.

If the purpose of this battle was to attack Gotland, he felt that he could defeat all the islanders in one battle, but that was not the top priority right now.

In any case, the reason for the betrayal of the Gotlanders is the temptation of the Danes. If they defeat Denmark, the group of guys on Gotland Island will surely realize who is the real king. .

He also needs to solve a problem of disunity within the army, and he urgently needs a new target for the majority of coalition soldiers to vent.

This target is not far away.

The Gotaland Highlands in southern Scandinavia, most of this vast area is more than 200 meters above sea level, and the highlands are scattered with a large number of lakes, lumpy pine forests and various species of oak trees. , there is also a large number of forest grasslands. In the current era of very backward agricultural technology, it is not suitable for farming, but it is suitable for grazing.

On the east and west coasts of the highlands, however, with gentle coastal slopes, the geography is more pleasant, and the narrow land can be reclaimed for farmland.

If the Gotlanders and Danes who migrated to the Gotaland Heights can live in peace with the inhabitants of the Svealan lowland plains in the north, then a line will travel south from the mouth of Lake Mälaren, cross the entire Kalmar Strait, and finally reach Jutland, Denmark. The route of the peninsula is bound to become very prosperous.

The people who were fighting for survival materials eventually went to the road of war.

However, the people who lived on the eastern coast of the Highlands had no memory of invaders from the north. They were all fishermen from Gotland, and although they settled in new territories, their communication with their native land never ceased. And because of their increasingly frequent dealings with Danish merchants, they have naturally overlooked the potential threat of the Northern Alliance.

Yes, some small fishing villages with only a few hundred people, they fish, shepherd sheep, feed dairy cows, and grow oats, rye and onions in a small amount. Life is like this, year after year, what else can change?

A small number of fishing boats from Gotland had spotted a large fleet heading south, as if they had suddenly emerged from the sea. The fishermen hurried back to their island, intending to report the incident to the head of the family.

Olegin was naturally aware of the existence of witnesses, and he didn't take it to heart at all.

The fleet left Norrkoping and Blo Bay,

Sailing against the wind to the afternoon of the second day, a new target appeared in front of the entire fleet.

Olekin looked back with a wooden face and couldn't help complaining: "I slowed down, and they are still far away."

At this moment, Carl has been restrained by his father on the command ship of the Melalen Army, and he also complained: "The fishing village in the distance is very small, let me take my brothers to vote. Rest assured that I will fight quickly. "

"no!"

"Why? I'm confident that no one will be killed in battle."

Olegin didn't want to see Carl's eager face, so he pointed to the distant fleet: "We agreed, let those allies attack. This will follow their wishes! This time we are also with the Rus people. Stand by and watch."

"But it's not brave."

"Brave? You kid, you need to preserve your strength when attacking a strong enemy. Now that you meet the weak, you talk about being brave." Origen shook his head.

"That's different..."

"Shut up, the fleet will stop at sea, and we will let the people behind us attack. Listen, only dogs will eat mice if they want to eat, and wolves will only hunt bigger prey. We are wolves, not hounds."

Soon, the entire Melalen fleet suspended oars, and this sudden move directly forced the Rus to stop.

Otto was complaining about the mischief of his allies for a while, until he stood on the deck of the forecastle and saw a classic Viking longhouse in a narrow bay in the distance. Look at the architectural style, which is exactly the same as his old house. . Oh, now that Otto is not used to the old house, he just likes to live in a solid wooden house and sleep soundly on the soft wooden bed.

Rurik pointed to the front with vigilant nerves: "That is the settlement of the enemy."

"I saw it all." Otto squinted, his beard fluttering in the south wind.

"I'll order the anchor first. Dad, it looks like Olegin doesn't want to fight."

"It's just that he doesn't want to fight. He doesn't leave, and we don't leave either." Otto already fully understood the situation, just because he saw the fleet behind him moving fast: "Break down. It's really boring..."

Otto shook his head, the rough sailing made him sleepy all the time, and he just wanted to go back to the forecastle to take a nap.

The two most powerful troops in the coalition have suspended their operations, and the army in the rear looks like they have been beaten with blood. Opportunities for wealth lie in front of you!

The Ankras Army, the Yermalen Army, and the Uppsala Army, the combined strength of the three units is as high as 1,500!

They are afraid that they will be dawdling, and the best spoils will be taken away by others.

They were three wolves, with a pack of jackals behind them.

There were as many as 2,000 troops, paddling frantically, passing by the Melaron Army and the Ross Army who were quietly floating on the sea, and galloped away at the target.

So, the target fishing village is the lamb to be slaughtered?

The offshore fishing boat saw the malicious appearance of the huge fleet. For a while, the fishermen stood on the boat, restrained by an inexplicable force and watched, but because the other party was stagnant, they were at a loss.

Finally, a large army rushed forward, and the fishermen felt the real threat and began to run towards their own port.

They drilled into the bay, intending to inform the clan to evacuate urgently. However, the entire settlement has missed the best time to escape.

A large number of residents only realized that the danger was imminent when they saw the fleet of ships intending to land on the beach. They were absolutely sure that they were not friends from Gotland, and the islanders did not have the leisure to organize such a huge team to run around. Since it is not a friend, it is an enemy!

It is no longer appropriate to flee by sea in such a dilemma, even if they know that there are some allies and business partners in the south of the sea.

They began to pull the cattle and sheep out of the sheds, carried the little wheat in the barn, and the heavy smoked jerky that was draped on the wall, and walked away.

Unfortunately, the attackers have already begun to land.

Ungriff of the Ankras tribe, this guy is obviously also an old man. He feels that this is the first and last time he is afraid of invading the Danes' control area. He feels that he is thirty years younger! Holding his sword high, he led his soldiers to land first and attacked first.

Immediately afterwards, the Yermalen Army and the Uppsala Army landed.

Soon, the subsequent allied troops of the small tribes also landed.

As many as 2,000 armed men attacked an unsuspecting fishing village with a population of 400 people, and it can be said that the battle was over from the moment it started.

The wealth-hungry warriors directly intercepted the fleeing fishing villages with a large number of soft, wielding axes, spears and swords, killing men who dared to resist, and many women and old people were also killed in the chaotic army.

They grabbed cattle and sheep, held down many women and children, and the faces of the warriors were filled with joy of harvest.

When the sun was about to set, the battle was completely over without any suspense, and the losses of the coalition forces were minimal.

The coalition occupied the settlement, and through the mouths of the captives, they knew the name of the place - Westwick.

This is the meaning of "Westport", and for Gotland Islanders, it is "the port on the west side".

Soon, the Melaron Army and the Ross Army, who were focused on watching the theater, also docked.

Compared with other settlements, Westwick has certain advantages. The place where the locals dock their ships is deep enough to park the fully loaded Avrora.

The ships of the Rus finally did not have to worry about running aground this time, and the ships docked very close to the beach. A batch of grain was unloaded to the shore, which was the ration of Melalen's army. Most of the Rus army landed on the beach and camped just offshore.

As the sun sets, the enemy settlement is now a "sea of ​​joy".

The main attacking force kept a large number of captives alive, among them even some adult men who were not killed. Such people will be used as slaves, and the dukes intend to bring them back to work as slaves, or even serfs.

In particular, the captured women and children cannot be killed. Coupled with the knowledge that these men were not Danes, there was no reason for the parties to kill them.

Like the Ankras tribe, they just need more population to expand their strength. This time, the leader Ungriff had recruited all the unmarried young men in the tribe. One of the reasons why the tribe followed him was because he hoped that he could capture a wife after the war.

No, the Ankras Army was the first to land and the first to get the spoils. They "marked" the female captives in their own way, but it was the soldiers who tied their captives and covered them with their own blankets, for fear that the women they had just captured would be taken away by others.

Such a move was naturally dissatisfied by other tribal leaders, and Ungriff didn’t want to suffer a loss, so he immediately taunted: “Are you jealous of me, or do you think you are incompetent? We still have many goals! Go to the next target to grab people, no matter how much you grab, I won’t question it.”

No one wants to admit that they are idiots, and the leaders have to put their hopes on future battles when they abuse Ungriff for being greedy.

Night fell at last, and the tired warriors happily ate their spoils.

Compared with the Melaren Army and the Ross Army, the logistics of other units can be called "theoretical existence". They didn't have and could not bring a lot of food. The hungry soldiers had already eaten up the dry food. If they couldn't support the war with war, they would have to go home.

The Melaron Army had prepared rations for ten days, and under the current situation, their rations reserves were also in danger. Their army still maintains the scale of 1,400 people. If non-combatants are temporarily armed, the force will become a colossus of 1,600 people. Whether soldiers or auxiliary personnel, 1,600 mouths must eat.

No, the cargo of the Avlora is decreasing every day. In addition to the camp tonight, it has been six days since the coalition forces left Lake Meralen. Before the Meralon Army can get effective supplies, there are only four days left of rations. .

The situation of the Rus is the best. The only reason for this situation is that the number of troops in the team is very small, and the food reserves are enough to keep 300 people fighting for 30 days!

A huge bonfire was lit on the beach again, and a group of leaders gathered here.

Because of the issue of dividing the spoils, many leaders still can't stop bickering. Olegin actually liked this situation, and he hurriedly played the role of a peacemaker with his hands.

"Don't quarrel, don't quarrel. There is still a lot of wealth in the distance, so there's no point in arguing over immediate interests."

The king said so, and all the parties to the quarrel fell silent.

Everyone gathered here, and naturally they talked about the process and results of the battle. No one asked anymore about the distribution of loot, but everyone talked about a very real food issue.

A choice was placed in front of Olegin, the king.

Ungriff has just enjoyed the service of the female prisoner. He is very happy now. In fact, in a sense, he is basically satisfied with the normal battle. If he returns home now, he does not think he will lose more. Chance.

It is only because the situation of the Ankras tribe is very serious: "King, if our fleet continues to advance, we must rely entirely on plundering their food. Up to now we are still plundering the Gotlanders, and waiting for us and the real Danes There's going to be a big fight. We must get them food, or..."

"He's right." Wenderson of Yermalen said calmly: "Our army prepared too little food when we set off. I didn't know the world was so vast. If it hadn't slaughtered these people's cattle and sheep, our army would have had enough food. I'm really hungry. Hey, it's a luxury." Apparently, Wenderson's face was full of helplessness, and he was eager to bring the cattle and sheep back to raise them.

In the past, everyone was really concerned about this matter, and now all tribes are facing the problem of expanding wars and food shortages.

Someone finally made a request: "King! Brothers need a guarantee from you that you have the most food. If we are hungry, you must distribute the food to everyone. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"That's not the end of it."

Olegin really never dreamed that someone would quit. He suddenly drew his sword, which shocked everyone. He threatened in a vicious tone: "Some people actually want to run away. For traitors, my suggestion is to kill. What do you think? Run away when you get a little benefit. What kind of thing is this?"

"Then make a promise." Wenderson urged: "No matter how brave people are, they can't hold a battle axe when they're hungry. You can't let a hungry army fight."

Olegin is a little hesitant at the moment, the battle is full of uncertainty, who can guarantee that the next goal must be a full barn?

At this moment, Otto spoke: "My opinion is to fight to the end. Since we are afraid of hunger, we must fight even more."

At the moment when the situation was good, someone stood up to support him with determination. Olekin was relieved and made up his mind. He slammed the steel sword on the ground: "I can make a promise that if any of you are short of food, I will provide some of it. You have all seen that the Rus people who transport food are determined to carry the war to the end.

I am your king and you must listen to me. No ships are allowed to withdraw now. Anyone who dares to escape is a traitor, and everyone will be punished. At least we Mellarens never let traitors go. "

So far, those so-called dukes who have limited vision and accept whatever they have, have all quieted down and dare not make any more doubts.

The situation is very clear, the most powerful Melalen Army and Ross Army are going to run to the unknown seas, attacking one unknown enemy after another, until they capture the legendary Dane's Kalmar. Not to mention whether he can defeat the enemy, relying on his own strength, first of all, he is unable to contend with the power of the Melaron people. If his troops were lazy in this battle, or even ran away, looking at Olegin's attitude, it would be obvious whether he would retaliate.

The thoughts of all parties have been unified, and even if there are doubts, they have to be held back.

The next day, the prisoners and a bit of food captured were carried to the boats. Those vacant boats finally became useful. Is it really appropriate to carry a group of rope-bound prisoners to continue the expansion of the war?

The ships have left the bay, the warriors with half roasted mutton and beef are paddling hard, and the Ross fleet, including the Avrora, has begun a new journey.

The huge fleet continued to head south, and behind them was the burning Westervik, a pillar of thick smoke rising into the sky, showing the might of the Swedish army.

So, who is the next target?