The sandy ground at the entrance of Gould's mansion was already full of people. Those Gray Squirrel tribesmen who had to immigrate again, led by their leader Mechasta, brought various materials accumulated in more than two months. They are thin and soft, tied with hemp rope and hung on the shoulders, or placed at one's feet.
After all, they were Kowen people. When Rurik saw them gathering again, he saw clearly the "kwen" they were holding in their hands at first glance, which is the origin of their name. A short spear with a small wooden hook installed under the spearhead serves as a marching staff. It's just that this short spear has completely changed its appearance. Its spearhead is made of tempered wrought iron, making it extremely sharp and strong.
Mechasta had already brought his tribe here, but this guy’s eyes had been fixed on the Russian ship.
Beside the four trestles at the pier, four large cargo ships are tied by cables. They are the largest ships currently owned by the Russians. Their stocky size really shocked the people of Covin. There are also a group of traditional long boats with low sides. The fact that they do not have a bow with a relief of a scary monster proves that they are essentially large fishing boats.
This time, the total number of people who will go to the north is 500.
No! It's not just that, either. Because of the success of "Operation Northern Hunting", the great leader Otto announced the results of the exploration to all the tribesmen. The so-called hydrological conditions in the depths of the bay that have been inaccessible for many years have been explored, and it was finally confirmed that fishermen can move freely and go Discover the local fishery resources.
Since the big leader said this, of course the fishermen had to respond. The most critical reason is the lack of development in the northern waters. Everyone believes that the fishing boats that arrive first will be able to catch a large amount of fish.
Now, Rurik is here.
Mechasta led the crowd to kneel down on one knee in a humble manner, and they all revealed the stubbornness they had fought to the death, as a courtesy to meet their noble, kind and contractual master, Liu. Rick.
Rurik and his young warriors appeared at the bustling dock. The Covin people waiting to board the ship glanced here.
Mechasta came with cautious steps. He covered his heart with his right hand and bowed slightly: "Master, you are finally here."
Rurik Look carefully at this man's expression, and then look at the Covin people.
"You are all very worried about this voyage?"
"This..." Mechasta hesitated: "To be honest, we...we have never been on this voyage A boat bigger than a canoe."
"You..."
Rurik thought it was very ridiculous, but after thinking about it, this person's words should not be nonsense.
He continued to ask: "Are your people ready? Have you brought your luggage?"
In fact, if there was more time, Mechasta would like more Bring something. For example, prepay some wood parts in advance so that you can quickly build a house after landing.
"We have prepared everything, such as some food. We also dismantled all the tents, including the supporting wooden frames. When we arrived at the destination, we were able to quickly set up the shelter and no one would catch a cold."
The so-called tent is a closed shed made of leather, linen and wooden strips. It can only be used as a camping tool.
"We still have to build wooden houses as soon as possible." Rurik sighed slightly, "Don't worry, I brought some people this time, and they will help you build houses."
< p>"Oh, that's great."Mechasta does not have many enthusiastic expectations for the future. He only hopes that his wandering tribe can truly settle down.
Rurik looked at the crowd again and talked with Gould's two sons.
Then he found Rumia who had finished building the altar and ordered the sacrifice to begin.
The whirring sound of the warm south wind cannot cover up the beating of the leather drum. What is very interesting is that the shaman of the gray squirrel tribe always dresses up as a raptor, that is, an owl, and beats the leather drum on the small stone. A strange dance was performed in front of the altar.
But Priest Rumia and the girl Lumi from the Salmon Lord tribe were doing the ritual of the Russian Priest Sea.
It can be said that this sacrifice is really a mixture, lacking in seriousness, but somewhat interesting.
The gray squirrel tribe worships owls. The simple reason is that owls are good at catching squirrels. The female shaman hopes to bring the power of owls to the tribe again, so that the life of the tribe can quickly return to normal when they arrive in a new place. Quickly pick up the old squirrel catching business.
Rumia’s job is very simple. She is praying to God to give peace to the sea so that the fleet going north can be safe.
Because of this mixed ceremony, the Russians let go of their tension, and all the gray squirrel tribesmen were willing to believe that they would not encounter disaster when taking a big ship for the first time in their lives.
The Kovin people are in awe of the sea. They are amazed by the vastness of the sea, and some are afraid of the Varyag people who come across the sea.
Now, there is nothing to be afraid of.
The wooden planks for boarding the ship were erected and tied with thick hemp ropes, so the large and sturdy cargo ship was only rolling slightly beside the pier.
Compared with other ships, cargo ships are the most stable, but their speed will not be very fast at any time.
Cargo ships have a huge load capacity. The maximum load capacity of the Gould family's large cargo ship can reach five tons. It is easy to cram fifty people of various ages into one ship.
Either anxious, excited, or not thinking about anything, the tribesmen started boarding the ship with their softness, and then found a corner to sit down quietly.
Since there are many children in the gray squirrel tribe, as well as women who are more delicate, the cargo ship can fit them in three days, and can also pile up some soft things. It is this kind of cargo ship that finally got it. It looks a bit like a "smuggling boat".
Rurik’sThe mercenaries, subordinates, blacksmiths and young blacksmiths, as well as the hundred Rus warriors, all boarded the reserved longship.
Getting on stage requires a process, and Rurik decided to stand on the pier at the pier before the last person got on the boat.
More and more tribesmen are gathering on the coast, and they are here to see off the new fleet.
After all, his son will lead an expedition in person, and he will complete this feat at the age of only eight.
Niya hopes that her son will grow up quickly and become a brave warrior and wise man.
Her son was about to go on an expedition. Although all the instructions had been given, she saw that her son was still standing on the trestle. She left the cheering people and hurried onto the trestle, holding Rurik in her arms. , and kissed her son's forehead hard.
Rurik understood this woman’s reluctance to leave.
"Mom, don't worry about us."
"Yes! I'm not worried."
"You are still worried." Rurik felt that he The hair becomes wet, it is the mother's tears.
Niya’s wrinkled and aging face was soaked with tears. At this scene, Rurik felt that she was worried that she was going to the battlefield and that something bad would happen. Or was it because Otto was not here and Otto was not the commander of the operation that she felt that this trip was full of danger?
"That's it." Rurik said seriously, gently pushing his mother with both hands.
Niya clearly noticed something strange. She quickly let go of her hand and looked at her determined son in surprise.
She sighed softly: "I have said everything that needs to be said." Then, she suddenly raised her head and shouted seriously with a tearful voice: "Kawei! Take care of your brother. Carlotta , Ella, take care of your men. All the Russians, you must obey your war leaders. All the Corvin people must obey your masters!”
Niya is one of the great leaders! Wife, at least her words carry a lot of weight among all the tribal women. Because of this reason, the Rus warriors who took orders from Rurik regarded Niya's orders as Otto's fate.
Of course they will obey any decision of Rurik, not only because Rurik is the commander, but also because of this little commander, he has always been generous in remuneration! For this reason, Rurik promised everyone that each person would receive ten silver coins per month during the operation!
(Due to the inflation caused by the influx of huge amounts of silver coins, the commission price of employees within the tribe is highly higher than the selling price of their fishermen’s catch, and the commission has also been passively increased a lot.)
Finally, Rurik became the last person stranded on the shore.
He pushed Niya away and said with a smile: "Don't worry about anything. The destination is less than two days' flight from our Roseburg. When we go there, we still need a steady stream of supplies from the tribe. Provide supplies. Mom, when I build it well, I want to invite you to take a look. Oh, and Dad is on the way back.Dad, you all should go see my masterpiece. ”
Niya finally smiled happily: “Okay, I will.” ”
Rurik jumped onto the plank, then grabbed Kawei’s strong arm and boarded the ship.
According to tradition, the ship Rurik was on was the flagship, and this is it The long ship doesn’t have a gorgeous bow wood carving, so it looks too ordinary.
“Damn it, this small ship is not worthy of my status! "
Rurik muttered secretly, and the ship received the help of the wind and began to leave the port.
He looked at the people waving on the shore, especially his mother who was waving her hands in tears. , subconsciously drew out his dagger. The sun shone on the dagger, reflecting a strong flash, and his flagship was at the forefront of the entire team. All ships followed the flagship, following Rurik and his sword. , leaving the fjord one after another.
“The great expedition finally began. "Rurik let out a long sigh.
Kawei, who was walking not far from him, asked: "Are you sure? We really don’t need paddles and just rely on wind power? "
"Isn't it possible? "
"This... I'm just a little wrong. "
Rurik shrugged. He stood up and pointed with his little finger at the four stocky cargo ships with larger sails behind him: "What do you think of them? "
"Cargo ship, what's wrong? "
"They don't have oars. "Rurik said excitedly.
Kawei didn't take it seriously: "Cargo ships also have oars, otherwise what should we do when there is no wind? ”
“That’s not mainly about paddling. In my opinion, we can do without oars, we can just rely on the wind. "
Suddenly, Kawei convinced Rurik that this was not a random statement made on a whim. He should be serious.
"You really decided like this? ”
“What if? Rurik sighed, "I think I should have my own ship." It should not be our traditional leading warship, but should be as wide and solid as those cargo ships. We can even make cargo ships bigger, so they can transport more cargo. ”
“Did you really decide like this? "Kawei asked cautiously.
"Yes. But not now, just wait and see. One day I'm going to have a bigger boat. "After that, Rurik sat down excitedly, his heart beating because he decided to start building ships.
To be honest, Rurik didn't care about the tribe's leading warships. Not much praise.
It has no deck, the keel is an oak, the mast has only one side, and the main propulsion is the oars.
The biggest problem with the rowing boat is that it. The purely human propulsion method limited its development prospects, because in order to propel larger ships forward, more oarsmen must be placed on the rowing boats. In this regard, the ancient Romans were the best at doing so with their large so-called battleships. , hundreds of slaves were required to sit on the bottom of the ship.In unison, everyone paddles in the same rhythm.
On its upper level are a large number of Roman infantry. There are actually three types of combat methods in naval battles: various types of torsion slingshot shooting, bow collision and angle attack, and soldiers jumping into gangs to fight.
What determines the victory of naval battles is often the victory of gang-hopping fighting. Naval battles are more like a continuation of land battles.
Similar tactics can be formed naturally. In addition to the "black technology" such as the torque slingshot, the Russian warships have common routines such as collision and gang jumping. Although there is no torsion slingshot, Rurik feels that his steel-arm crossbow is already helping Arik's fleet to sweep the sea on its expedition south.
Besides, Rurik actually doesn’t think the torque slingshot is a very cost-effective weapon.
The era of rowing boats is coming to an end, and the future should be dominated by large cargo ships!
It is running slowly now, but its belly holds a lot of things! However, with the development of mines, the tribe will definitely need a lot of professional cargo ships.
If the speed is slow, then increase the mast and increase the sail area, then improve the ship structure and add a bulbous bow. Make it bigger, equip it with more sails, and still worry about running slowly?
As soon as this idea came up, Rurik suddenly realized it!
"Wait a minute! If I really do this, wouldn't it mean that... I'm going to build a Caravel ship? If I succeed, that would be a really good thing."
In fact, the large cargo ships of the Vikings were the source of the main ships of later countries.
When a cargo ship is equipped with a deck and a poop, it is called a Cork ship. A Cork ship equipped with a Near Eastern gaff sail is a Caravel ship. The caravel is larger and each mast is equipped with multiple weighing sails, which is the carrack. Then came the pinnacle Galenic galleons, and then the Galenic ships with iron keels.
Everything changed when steam boilers and huge paddle wheels were installed on ships.
Those large cargo ships carrying a large number of Corvin people are the pioneers of the Age of Sail!
Compared with other Russian ships, the cargo ship is undoubtedly the most stable, but there are still waves. The slightly strong south wind pushes the ship forward quickly, and the ships are rising and falling with the waves.
However, even with this little ups and downs, those who sailed the sea for the first time were very excited. The excitement and hesitation were all in the past tense. Now, many people simply lie on the side of the boat, because it’s terrible. He was feeling seasick and was vomiting the half-digested food he had eaten in the morning into the sea to feed the fish.
Rurik saw their dire situation, but he had adapted to sailing, and now he has ignored the bumps. He could no longer feel the pain of a seasick person.
But for the siblings Tyravis and Saipolava sitting on the flagship, sailing became a torment. They seemed to think that the Kewen people made the right choice to avoid the sea. If they set foot on the sea rashly, they would really encounter a warning from the God of the Sea.
Perhaps, the sea only protects the Varyags who can resist the waves.
At least Saipolava could still have Sister Carlotta to help take care of her. After vomiting, Taravis could only continue to sit drowsily, looking forward to landing early.
This way, the Russian fleet mainly relied on sails to move forward. Logically speaking, they could obviously use oars. The wide oars were stowed away, and the light long boats had to accommodate the cargo ships carrying a large number of people and supplies.