Rise of Rurik

A fleet was gathering on Tombstone Island. When the people and businessmen on the island learned of the target that the fleet was about to attack, they all took a breath.

After the initial consternation gradually dissipated, some people can't help but ask the question in their soul - how much benefit can I get if I win?

The benefits are absolutely indispensable! Because the prince has already ordered, the brothers rented the battleship belonging to the prince and ordered to rob them, and the stolen property was divided into five or five accounts with the prince. As long as you grab enough this time, the brothers will be able to make a fortune in one battle.

A group of wolves, tigers and leopards were ordered to mobilize all subjective initiative to rob, and even to do any ferocious deeds were supported by the prince.

Let's talk about a centenary team led by Aric. This team is divided into four "fleet" platoon-level combat teams, but the number of people does not strictly reach the prescribed 30 people.

He first recruited a small group of Balmers on the spot in New Roseburg.

Recruiting people is not a random move, because the fifth banner team of Balmer's Hellafide, which is purely composed of his clansmen, and the capable men have all become businessmen because they have not received the command of the prince's army to gather and crusade. 's old business. They are just a group of guys who got on the merchant ships that traveled between the old hometown of Roseburg and the new home in the East. They transported the best salt from the Atlantic coast to New Roseburg to sell, and then replaced them with cloth, iron, and even food and transported them back to their hometowns.

The flag team of the Balmers was broken into pieces, and a group of businessmen were happy to hear the news of the battle. All plans to purchase supplies and return to their hometowns were pushed aside. They did not ask who the hero Arik wanted to kill, and they all went under their command.

Such a powerhouse Arik accepted it so decisively that the number of this centenarian team instantly swelled to one hundred and fifty people.

A group of people took a small fleet led by the Salmon Chief in New Roseburg, brought purchased food, fresh water and weapons, and reached the current economic center of the Finns as quickly as possible, that is, the coastal trading port of Helminki. , is also the de facto residence of Count Yevlo.

It used to be just a deserted beach by the sea. For fear of the details of the Varyag people passing by, the Suomi tribesmen did not dare to set up obvious fishing villages here.

Now a fishing port has sprung up from the ground, and she is named after the ancient Finnish word for "gem", and undertakes the task of transiting the material transportation route of the Principality of Rus.

Because the island of Gogeland in the Gulf of Finland has granite and limestone that are extremely scarce in the region, and has fresh water on the island, it is the only source of stone for nearby settlements. Not only the Rus who lived in New Roseburg came to quarry, but even the Finns themselves came to carry the stone.

Since starting a family and serving as a Suomi nobleman, Yevlo has become an earl of Finland.

Building the hometown has become an unshirkable responsibility. He personally took his clan to land on Gogran Island, and while looking for suitable stones, he was also actively looking for those "ash trees".

The ash tree that he had obtained was turned into thirty longbows, which were divine bows that could shoot light arrows to a distance of about two hundred paces.

A major expedition yielded a major harvest. He swept away the ash trees on the island, and finally turned them into sixty hard and elastic wooden poles. He didn't really go fishing. A batch of saplings that were obviously ash trees and the "mother soil" with their roots were dug up and shipped directly to Helminki for planting. They became forests of their own, and in the foreseeable future , the Finns are constantly mastering the best materials they can get for making bows.

"You're going to beat the Franks? I thought you were going to beat up the Danes. Since all this is the prince's order, I will naturally join it. It's just my only request. When we grab the treasure, we will send troops according to The number of people will be distributed to me in proportion." Yevlo's attitude towards sending troops was very decisive.

His exhilaration is also very popular for Arik, who only warned in one word: "I hope you can send the best fighters."

Yevluo will naturally bring out the best subordinates, but considering his own situation, it is really embarrassing to bring out a melee powerhouse. He selected fifty of the tallest and strongest-armed men from his Suomi tribe and organized a team of foot archers.

Just as the fleet was resting in the port, Yevlo completed the task of deploying troops. Arik and the explorer Spuut reviewed the black-haired "dwarves".

All the top-notch Finnish archers imitated the Rus in their dress, especially in white robes with blue cloth strips, and blue cloth trousers and belts tied around their waists. At their waists hung iron handaxes for self-defense and weapons that looked like daggers were spears, as well as sackcloth pockets with waistbands typical of the Rus army. The leather quiver hung at the waist is its great feature, which is full of arrows with white feathers.

If there is the most amazing tool, it is the main weapon they have in hand - the longbow.

It is said that after a winter of drying in the shade, the newly made longbow has the ability to shoot light arrows beyond 190 cloths, and the range is indeed twice that of ordinary short wooden bows.

They're excellent fire support aren't they? It is really suitable for supporting siege.

After this glimpse, the army strength approached two hundred and fifty.

They had their final rest at the assembly site on Tombstone Island. Arik took the army mobilization order written by the prince and obtained all the ships listed on the list from the local governor.

Ten ships of different sizes were assembled at the port, and Arik began to recruit capable sailors.

When this matter is implemented, it is as easy as taking off your pants and peeing.

Because Blue Fox Gouldson joined the team as a warrior, he was a true guide, and he was more obliged to shoot the enemy with a steel-armed crossbow.

For decades, the obese family has produced such a fierce and thin man, and considering that this crusade against Frank is both a vent of anger and a simple robbery, how can he not join the Gould family with such a chance to make a fortune?

Even the blue fox is a fighter alone! No, as the old father, Gould himself took out ten family mercenaries, both as sailors and as guards of the blue fox. If the battle broke out, these ten people could also take up arms and participate in the battle.

Old Gould took care of most of the sailor's supply without hesitation, even though doing so might have affected the family's business activities.

He is not a philanthropist, and when he discovered the benefits, he made this venture capital investment.

Because Arik is really a straightforward man, as the commander of the operation, he boldly made a very simple and straightforward decision on the arrangement of looting and dividing the spoils.

In principle, the brothers and the princes must be divided into five or five, and the remaining half of the property will be divided strictly according to the proportion of each force. Among them, the identity of sailors is relatively special. In principle, they do not participate in any fierce battles, and there is a high probability that they do not need to worry about their lives. The amount of fortune was positively related to the risk of the adventure, even so the sailors each received a certain percentage of the spoils.

This is a sure-fire deal, and the aging Gould can't wait to participate in it himself and witness the looting of Frank by the army. In his memory, the Ross fleet was always rewarded, and he firmly believed in the return of this venture capital investment.

The crusade fleet was completely natural, and the ten ships left Tombstone Island in a mighty manner, heading south against the warmest south wind in the summer of July.

In the eyes of the people of Saaremaa, the fleet that suddenly appeared near the shore was like a divine soldier from Asgard. A group of people disembarked from the boat. They were wearing fairly uniform white coats. Several flag-bearers held flagpoles. The flag of the Principality of Ross was buzzing in the south wind.

The army of the Count of Spuyut and the Duchy of Ross is coming to the loyal island of Saaremaa!

From the perspective of the Rus army, this island, which was once considered a desert island and rarely settled, now flutters the Rus flag impressively, and a walled village head first appeared in scale.

"This is the pirate island you were ordered to manage? Brother, I think this place can be further developed. In the future, we will go to the west to loot. Your island is the most convenient starting point." Ute's heart.

"Brother Arik, I won't let you down. You should also know some things. These islanders are exiles from various tribes. You must not doubt their ability to cut people. One and two are very vicious."

"Then arm them quickly, let's act quickly." Arik finally urged.

When I first heard that the army was going to rob Frank, the islanders had no idea. Because they don't know what Frank means, seem weak and subordinate? There's no reason not to grab it.

According to the order of the prince, the total strength of the fighters and sailors of the crusade should not exceed 500.

Then pick people according to the upper limit of 500 people, just round up an integer so that the spoils can be easily calculated in the future.

This was a little trouble for Speuter. He recruited all the strongest men among the islanders. Since they couldn't make up enough numbers, those half-sized boys and old men with gray beards were all pulled into the boat. Unlike the uniform dress of the Rus army, the Saaremaa warriors are still in a messy match, which is also in line with their pirate image.

On the contrary, the Rus army, because it was too formal and uniform, was obviously a robbery task, making it like a country-to-country battle.

After all, this was an expedition. Arik and the others, who had mastered the regional map drawn by Rurik himself, had no fear of getting lost, and the Blue Fox, a meticulous work that had penetrated into the hinterland of the Franks, fully affirmed the map drawn by the prince with his senior experience. accuracy.

In fact, this map is "Odin's miracle." No one knows how the prince got the information to map the land, maybe it was a dream of the gods one night.

In this way, their actions seem to have opened up the perspective of God, and the brothers really believe that they have obtained the grace of God, and the map is the conclusive proof.

They organized a priesthood off the coast of Saaremaa Island. Without a good offering, they simply used a recently caught very small minke whale for it.

Everyone was half-kneeling facing the rising sun, praying to Odin's incarnation for a great victory in this battle, and also swearing to the sun that the so-called true warriors will fight bravely and reward the enemy with death, and they will not reveal even A hint of cowardice.

Prayer is over!

Arik patted the sand on his knees, pulled out his two swords and swung them, and shouted, "Brothers! Let's get on the boat! Grab the money! Grab the food! Grab the women! Let's go!"

The purpose of the army is to be so straightforward, and the enlarged Royal Pirates of the Duchy of Ross officially launched the most Viking attack.

The fleet first rushed straight to the waters of Burgundy Island. For this group of fishing boats that had long been caught in the "Ross fear", seeing a group of large boats with characteristic jibs, they quickly paddled to escape, and hoped that the fleet did not aim to attack the islands.

Instead of attacking Burgundy, they are going to attack Denmark?

The news had spread long ago that the new king of Denmark had looted everything the Rus had in Denmark, so it was reasonable for the Rus to retaliate.

But today's Denmark is also a mess! A mighty Frankish army remained north of the Wall, especially over the fjords where Hazelby was located. They relied on the superiority of the cavalry to make King Horrick of Denmark uncomfortable.

It is rumored that King Horrick, who once hung up the free card, has personally pleaded guilty and made peace with the Franks. As for the price paid, it is unknown.

It is said that despite the peace, the cavalry of the East Franks was still stationed in Schleswig, and Hazelby was burned to the ground, and a small number of Frankish infantry were still entrenched on the ruins.

The only pity is that Frank is a strong army on land, and the cavalry advantage is too obvious, but their sea power is as weak as ants. Denmark has a large number of noble lords and people living on many islands. Even if the island is very close to Jutland, the shallow and short strait is enough to isolate the Frankish army.

The Burgundian islanders never worried about the Franks entering the invaders, but they were worried about the frequent harassment and killing of the Rus. Now even the Danish allies are unreliable, everyone is pitiful and helpless, and can only survive under the harassment of Ross.

But this terrifying fleet swept across the island and headed straight for Denmark.

In fact, it was not the case. The fleet rushed towards the Oresund Strait, passed this narrow strait under the eyes of the Danes, and continued to sail by the southerly wind in the broad Denmark Strait.

The Ross fleet is too conspicuous. A few months ago, a single Ross boat disturbed the nearby fishermen and avoided panic. Now that a fleet has appeared, the people of the fishing village are paying attention to the situation. If the other party has the intention of landing, then everyone can only drag their families with them. The mouth evacuated and avoided.

Even this fleet passed by the so-called King City of Denmark, Godfrehagen on the seaside, and the flying Ross flag was displayed in front of the Danes.

Let's talk about the very stocky King of Denmark, Horrick, who only recently personally pleaded guilty to Prince Ludwig, and exchanged peace by kneeling down and kissing his boots in an extremely shameful gesture. He had fought, and even his subordinates had more fighting spirit than him. As a result, he, the king, had to dress up as a pug in front of the strong.

This is what Horrick excels at. When it is time to admit counseling, he immediately chooses to admit counseling, but he is not a real pug.

The war between Denmark and the East Franks had an extremely violent course and ended in an anticlimactic ending. The rulers on both sides were rational, and when they realized that neither could completely defeat their opponents, they all borrowed the ass in their own way. Indeed, Prince Ludwig was busy encroaching on his brother Lothair's territory, and he was also wary of whether his old father and younger brother Charlie, who were released, made another claim to the territory. If you fight with the Danes to the death, what will be lost is the military essence of East Frank. Since the other party has softened, it can naturally stop the attack.

But Horlick had to expel the pirates who plundered places like Hamburg and Bremen along the river!

As a result, a civil war between the Danes suddenly broke out!

Horrick, with Frankish military support, won the battle. If you win, you win, your own strength is damaged, and the entire Danish military power is also damaged. What's worse is that the tribe that slaughtered the Franks madly killed some people and fled as a family. Their escape led many lords to leave Denmark with their families. Some went to Norway, some went to unknown places...

The number of lords who surrendered to Horrick in the whole of Denmark has decreased, and his behavior of being forced to believe in Christ again to make peace is criticized. A lord knows that he cannot overthrow this man by his own strength, so he can only swallow it up. As for the future Honestly implement its orders, then forget about it.

The prestige that King Horrick finally established was greatly bruised by his humiliation and peacemaking. This is good, many lords are scolding the hound that Horrick has always been a Frankish hound.

He was busy coordinating the conflicts between the lords and himself. When he learned that a Rus fleet had passed by in front of him, the Rus people had already run away.

What are the Russ going to do? do not know. The Rus people actually have as many as ten large ships? Are the Rus going to attack Jutland? If they choose to retaliate, how should Denmark respond?

At this moment, Horrick took out the subordinate Stad and verbally rebuked him for what he did in Hazelby last year for being too rough. The blame was limited to words, and he gave another piece of advice: "You are the one who burned their shop and killed them. Once they attack us, you and your people must fight bravely."

What else can Stade say? Instead, his dream of earning big money as Count of Hazelby was crushed by the iron cavalry of the Frankish cavalry, and now he has become an ordinary warlord. He could only verbally agree to the king's orders, but the cracks in his heart could no longer be repaired. To be honest, he didn't want to work hard for a "king" who knelt down and kissed the toes of a Frankish nobleman.

Looking at the Ross fleet again, many people saw their existence, but they just watched numbly.

Even Prince Ludwig, who stayed in Hamburg and commanded the troops remotely to continue the crusade against the exiled Danish pirates who had fled to the inland river, had no idea that the fleet had reached the offshore estuary of his own territory.

The fleet, which had been without rest and without landing, had finally reached this mouth, which was the mouth of the second great river that the brothers on the so-called western coast of Europe encountered.

Blue Fox's words were firm, and he pointed with a big hand: "This is the Weser River of the Franks, the river goes straight to the wealthy Bremen, we can still go against the wind and the current, and when we can't move, let's stop and anchor …”

He made a tactical decision to Commander Arik, and the Ross Army officially entered the Weser River in accordance with this decision, and took advantage of the southerly wind to walk along the broken line in the wide river, drifting inland quite tortuously. This is not destined to be a troublesome journey, because this part of the Weser River runs almost purely north-south, and it is best to take advantage of the southerly wind.

Let's talk about the city of Bremen, since the current impact plain is not as vast as it will be in a thousand years, she is almost a coastal city, so the blue fox patted his chest and assured that the army will camp near the shore overnight, and the next day. Continue the action and you will reach the city of Bremen.