Rise of Rurik

Just as the Swedish coalition was killing all the way in the south, Arik, who was ordered to station Tombstone Island, was of course not idle.

He has always lacked a mobile force that can be mobilized, but there are still five long boats cruising the waters south of the islands for a long time, guarding the fishermen of Ross, and also actively attacking the "intruding" Gotland ships.

With the crossbow, Ross warriors can no longer jump to help fight. Arik didn't have many steel-armed crossbows in hand, but they could fire a variety of arrows, and their power was always amazing, so that the soldiers could not get close to the enemy ship at all.

It has been more than ten days since the Swedish coalition forces went south to fight. The longboats sent by Arik only looted three Gotland fishing boats. They killed the fishermen and towed the boats back to the port after capturing a few fish.

Other than that, they had nothing more to gain.

"Damn it, if I personally take my brothers to storm the island and win the battle, it's fine. If the war can't be resolved quickly, the leader will blame me." At the beginning, Arik wanted to burn the war to Gotland by the way. , This is not only to avenge his biological father, but also to show his strength, just because he has won a major victory in the previous battle.

The prerequisites for the expedition were immature, but he always had a very strong premonition that the so-called Swedish coalition attack on Gotland was bound to happen in the foreseeable future.

Arik knew that King Olegin was pretentious, and his man longed to pursue greater glory in his lifetime.

The guys from Gotland have betrayed the Alliance, and it makes sense to fight against them.

So, the new battle will make the Melalons the main force?

Pooh! The Rus people are no longer willing to hide in the narrow fjords, and the Rus people must show their strength in front of the world.

With this in mind, in the past days, while providing fish and wheat to the Slavs he had recruited, he also deliberately sent them to do heavy manual labor.

They are getting stronger and stronger in the process of logging, but for these people, you must not think that it can take a month to train a group of capable sword and shield players.

The five hundred Slavs are all from the same hometown. Speaking of which, the commander Medved and Arik are also somewhat related by marriage. This person is the brother of the future sister-in-law.

So what is the attitude of ordinary Slavic warriors? Most of them are from White Tree Manor. According to their habits, they have regarded Arik, a Varangian who married a woman from White Tree Manor, as their own.

Arik also has little ability to give a group of simple farmers how much combat skills, Slav warriors from White Tree Manor,

There is only one trick they have trained, that is, when a group of people is facing a fight, all the spears are aligned in the same direction, and then shouting neat numbers to directly pierce the wall with the spears.

The Slav farmers grew stronger, until they began to train them meticulously, and Arik knew the trouble.

At least the Russ realized the importance of discipline in the battle. Even Arik observed the tricks used by his brother Rurik to train those scorpions. He learned some new things, so he also wrote an article on discipline training.

However, more than ten days have passed, these spear-wielding farmers are still nervous in the face of the opponent's battle formation, and the shield-wielding Rus warriors organized by Aric are still shocked by the shield wall. The Slavs retreated.

"They are by no means good fighters. This kind of people really fights with the Gotlanders, I'm afraid they only have to be defeated and become slaves..."

Tomorrow should be an ordinary day again. The ships that seized the Gotlanders' fishing grounds should return in the morning. Soon, Tombstone Island will start the training of warriors again.

Arik rested peacefully, and the tranquility of the island also made most Rus people less vigilant.

It was in such an atmosphere that the Ross fleet headed by the Avrora quietly approached Tombstone Island, and docked at the natural cove of the island.

Everything came without warning. People who got up early felt that the fishing boat had returned, but they didn't expect it to be this boat!

Only a very small number of people know the Latin alphabet, but those who know the writing know very well that the "AVRORA" that is painted on the side of the ship and nailed to the side of the ship is definitely not the rune alphabet.

In fact, there is nothing more memorable than the visual stimulation. The Avlora challenged everyone's concept of a large ship. She opened the second mooring at Tombstone Island since her service.

Just in the surprise of the onlookers who came to hear the news, the father and son of the big leader followed the board down and successfully landed.

The sleepy Arik heard the amazing news, he hurriedly changed his clothes, hurriedly left the wooden castle on the island, and met the leader of the dock.

"Chief, aren't you fighting in the south? Why are you back now?!"

Otto looked at his nephew's fat face, that is, the boy's little days on Tombstone Island were absolutely leisurely. After all, it was his own relatives, Otto's old face couldn't help showing a smile.

"Arik, the war we fought in is over."

"Ah! So the army has returned?!" Looking at the five large ships that were moored, Arik couldn't help but said: "A while ago, a ship returned with some spoils, and now the ship has returned to Roseburg."

"Really? That's really nice. Arik, you're getting fatter..."

"Me?" Arik stroked his beard: "Yeah, without fighting, of course I'm getting fatter. I wish the Gotlanders would take the initiative to attack, but it's a pity that the patrol boat I sent took so many days. Found three fishing boats. My men killed less than ten enemies, so boring."

Arik said Wuxin, and both Otto and Rurik were happy. After all, Aric was a veritable warrior, and a warrior was eager to fight. Doesn't it mean that the warriors of Tombstone Island are also eager to fight?

Rurik deliberately raised his head and said affectionately: "Brother, are you eager to fight? Then what you desire will soon be fulfilled."

"Ah?! War, really? Who?! Tell me."

"Who else is there?" Rurik pointed to the south, "I can't hide it from me. How about it, do you want to organize an army to sweep that hateful island again?"

"Of course! Gotland, the guys on the island have to be sacked, and the brothers can't wait."

For a few moments, Otto worried that his clansmen lacked confidence in a big battle, but now looking at Arik's confident and urgent face, this worry has disappeared.

Arik looked up at the huge Avlora, with a sense of pride on his face: "Great ship! Chief, I will arrange for the loot to be sparsely carried. I know that the coalition forces will surely gain from the crusade against the enemy in the south. Quite a lot, this time we Rus people have made a lot of money."

Get rich? Otto's face was bitter, but the bitterness was covered by the beard, and what outsiders saw was a melancholy old face.

Rurik spoke on behalf of his father in full view of the public. He didn't like to say "nothing", so he changed the subject: "Try to put the spoils on the boat, that is the best warehouse. Brother, let's go into the comfortable wooden fort and let The brothers of the labor expedition are staying in those new cabins you built and sleeping well. We arrived here for many days on a non-stop voyage to tell you that the Ross tribe will launch an unprecedented attack on Gotland. In this matter, we still Have a good discussion in the council hall. Brother, everyone knows your bravery, and you can't be without you this time."

"Okay!" Arik excitedly and directly hugged his little brother, who was no longer light, and lifted it high and put it down.

Although this made Rurik extremely embarrassed, he was at least certain that Arik himself was extremely positive about a large-scale war.

Indeed, Arik's heart longed for revenge. He felt that only by conquering the entire Gotland Island and slaughtering it would be the end of his life's revenge. Realistically speaking, he had no trouble living on Tombstone Island all day long. Training new warriors would only give him a brief headache. He desperately needed someone to vent his frustration and boredom.

A legitimate opportunity to vent is just around the corner!

The time is already June 22, just six days before the summer solstice.

The summer solstice is an important sacrificial day for the Rus tribe in a year. It worships the great god Odin and prays for the gods to give the Rus people a safe and bright future.

Rurik was thinking about the future war, and his thoughts passed by. He felt that it was necessary to make good use of this summer solstice sacrifice and turn it into a strategic general mobilization for the entire tribe.

Considering that the main force of the Rus people has been stranded on Tombstone Island for a long time at this moment, the order of the decisive battle should be informed to them.

The soldiers who were fighting outside got off the boat, and they were immediately surrounded by curious people, scrambling to ask about the battle, but they just wanted to have a good rest after landing, even if the sun was getting higher and higher at the moment.

Some strange warriors also disembarked with their bows and arrows, their diminutive stature confirming their Kowen nature.

A few more timid girls stepped off the boat, their arms folded and their ragged appearances proving that they were captives again.

Except for the people who disembarked, it seems that the fleet led by the leader did not get much trophies, and the settlers who thought they could take the opportunity to improve their lives were a little disappointed.

Soon, Otto, Rurik, Carlotta, and even a group of mercenaries came to the wooden fort on Tombstone Island arrogantly.

In the middle of it, Otto was touched by the scene, he looked left and right subconsciously, and could not help but sigh: "The wooden wall is too thin. Arik!"

"exist!"

"Maybe you should organize another layer of wooden walls."

"Huh? Is it necessary? My walls are impregnable."

Thinking of the wall, Otto thinks of the hard battle that took the fortress of Biliholm. The enemy's wooden wall is double-layered, and some dirt is deliberately inserted in the middle as a sandwich, so that it is very strong.

"Arik." Otto said solemnly: "You don't know what kind of strong enemy we have encountered in the south. You will have to reinforce the wooden wall sooner or later, but not today. Let's go! Go to the conference hall you built and we will have a good discussion."

"Yes! I'll call Medvitt back."

A moment later, in the council chamber in the fortress of Tombstone Island, Otto, as a duke, sat cross-legged on the leather cushion on the stable wooden floor, and the others also sat down casually.

This was a complete military meeting, and Otto, who opened his mouth, immediately clarified the new identity of the Rus.

"I am not only your leader now, I am a duke, we have also become the Duchy of Ross, and we are more noble than ever."

Otto tried to explain the similarities and differences between the principality and the tribe, but unfortunately he was short of words.

Also sitting at the meeting were the Slavs Medved and the Kovins Telavis. They were not outsiders. They were all relatives of Rurik, and they also represented the ethnic groups controlled by the Principality of Rus.

Rurik didn't want to see his father's stumbling and stumbling, so he said: "The so-called principality is of course nobler than our tribe. Now Kovin and the Slavs of Novgorod are both members of the principality. If The principality is at war with outsiders, the Kovins and the Slavs have to go to war, and that's...that's why you two are sitting here."

Rurik deliberately looked at the young Telavis and the young Medvitt.

The people sitting here knew exactly what they were talking about, and Arik couldn't wait.

"Brother, stop talking about these things. The brothers are looking forward to this day for the attack on Gotland. Since the leader... ah! It's the duke. The duke appointed you as the military commander. Tell me, when will you start?"

"Huh? Are you in such a hurry?" Rurik wanted to say a few more words, but now it seems that the heroic Arik is too lazy to listen even if he doesn't understand.

"Why don't you worry?" Arik said with a wry smile: "Brothers don't lie on the island every day. Even the farmers from the east have been trained as soldiers by me, and I have paid so much. I really wish I could take it with me now Brothers land on the island."

"Oh yes? So, how many men do you think can beat the Gotlanders?"

"This..." Arik thought for a moment: "Three years ago, I took 500 people and destroyed that settlement. This time, it's almost a thousand warriors! Yes! It's a thousand people."

"However, I learned from the Gotland captives that the guys on the island can assemble an army of five thousand. Do you think a thousand can really beat five thousand?"

Arik was a ruthless character who licked blood on the battlefield. He stood up suddenly and looked down at his little brother proudly: "A thousand warriors are enough, that is..." He couldn't help but glanced at Otto and said weakly. : "One thousand Ross warriors, this is our strongest combat power, I am afraid that the Duke will not completely hand over the command to me."

Rurik didn't want to say more nonsense, he shrugged: "Yes, I'm the real commander, and I don't think I can defeat the Gotlanders by being close to a thousand strongest warriors. Brother, Three years ago, you attacked by force, and you succeeded greatly. Unfortunately, the enemy has no intention of surrendering. This time, I plan to have a decisive battle with the enemy. You... should understand what I mean."

"Is it all on our hands? Oh, that's great!" Arik laughed, his laughter exceedingly presumptuous. "It's life or death. Rurik, my brother, this decision is indeed yours. Come down. To fight and defeat the army assembled all over Gotland? Good! I can't ask for it."

In Arik's concept, all the battles he participated in were won quickly with the ferocity of the Rus. He had never seen defeat of any kind, and he was fascinated by war.

Rurik couldn't help laughing. He knew all too well how historic the decision he was about to announce was.

In fact, there was not a single objector at the meeting site, and there was not even a little doubt.

Otto now even entrusts the power to declare war to his son, so Rurik at this moment is essentially a duke, and Otto has become a veritable "Grand Duke".

I have to say that in this war, Rurik has already mastered the power, and the power is intoxicating, and the powerful power can corrupt people's hearts and cause them to do whatever they want.

Rurik also became violent before he knew it, not only because of the indulgence of power, but also because he lost his old innocence and realized that he had to show his violent side, making the people cheer.