With his hair disheveled, Arik got off the boat and returned to his hometown.
Putting his swords back into their scabbards, he wore a weather-beaten smile, took solid steps, and opened his arms to welcome the people in his hometown.
"I'm back! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
He said as he walked, while his wife Peravina held her infant child in her arms and was in a strong mood. In an excited atmosphere, he walked over quickly.
Or seeing his father return, the only seven-month-old Askard, his babbling calls stimulated Arik's enthusiasm even more.
When he hugged his son, it was as if he was hugging the future. After touching his tearful wife's forehead, he continued to hold the child enthusiastically and approached his little brother.
To be honest, Rurik's blood boiled with excitement when he saw a large number of tribes' ships rushing onto the beach with fearless force. He subconsciously felt that his cousin had gone through a long war, or in other words, looted, and gained something again. Lots of loot.
As for the controversial nature of plundering, Rurik no longer wanted to dwell on whether or not they were present. The Gotlanders were enemies after all, and their losses had nothing to do with him.
I saw a large number of soldiers disembarking from the ship. Most of them looked slovenly, but at least they were still huge in number.
Could it be that after a long period of looting, our own people suffered almost no losses? !
Rurik could not hide his excitement, raised his beautiful little head and looked up at his brother.
"Arick, welcome back. Well, your beard seems to have gotten longer."
"Hey." Arick subconsciously stretched out his right hand and touched his little brother Face: "Your face is as delicate as the mink fur on your body. The messenger told me that you have been developing the north, and it seems that you have not suffered there."
"Of course, I How can you treat yourself badly?"
Aric shrugged: "My lovely brother, your delicate little face looks like a girl. I hope you grow up quickly and grow up like me. A beard, this is what makes a real man."
"Ah! Maybe I will also grow thick hair on my chest. Wouldn't that make me more powerful?"
Arik was amused. Laughing loudly, the fact is just as Rurik teased, Arik's chest is now covered with golden hairs, and his arms are also covered with fine hairs.
Lions do not exist in the Nordic world, but some Frankish nobles have seen male lions from Africa. Therefore, some Frankish warriors who claimed to be very brave would fight with their long golden hair, and sometimes claimed to have the power of a lion. Then they would wear leopard skins obtained from the European mountains and forests on their bodies during the battle to show their strong martial virtue.
As long as Arik continues to grow his hair and beard, and as long as he does not feel that the flowing hair hinders fighting, then he can call himself a lion.
With arrogant self-confidence and the joy of returning home, a large number of soldiers spontaneously gathered towards their commander Arik.
Tribal warriors are strong in numbersEveryone, the clothes are torn and there is some peculiar smell coming from the body.
Rurik was already used to it. He estimated that after these guys returned home in triumph, the first thing they would do would be to carry their trophies home, and the second thing would be to clean themselves up.
Arik continued to caress Rurik's little face: "I made a big gain this time, a large number of ships as you can see."
Arik pointed casually Those ships that washed up on the beach, and the large number of ships loaded in the warships, did not have a high-up bow, nor a mast (the mast was cut off), and the ship planks were more simple and simple, at best they were some relatively long ones. Just an ordinary ship.
"I've seen it a long time ago!"
"How is it? Do you like it?"
"Well..." Rurik didn't know what to say. Although he did not directly inspect the ship, during the process of washing it on the beach, he had realized that the quality of these ordinary ships must be poor. For example, their biggest feature compared to warships is that their keels are too slender.
Rurik composed himself: "How many are they?"
"There are twenty ships!"
Arik could raise his voice, completely Just to show off his illustrious martial arts.
"What do you think?"
"The number is really amazing! As many as twenty ships!" Rurik's little heart was really stimulated, and he looked up again Looking at those ships, I can't help but conjure up a very wonderful picture.
"How is it? Do you like it? Oh, you will keep your promise."
"Of course." Rurik shrugged, "Twenty ships, as long as you bring them back , I will pay you. Two hundred silver coins for each ship, I will pay it today!”
Originally, Arik felt that it was a bit difficult for him to expect his little brother to come up with this money immediately, after all, it was a cumulative sum. Forty pounds of silver!
Unexpectedly, his little brother was so cheerful. Arik blamed himself for worrying that his brother would hesitate.
He was in a very good mood. He turned around and faced the gathered warriors and shouted loudly: "Brothers! Our Rurik has spoken and he bought all the ships. Soon you will all have a sum of money in your pocket!"
Everyone came around spontaneously, eager to sell the captured fishing boats that had been dragged along, and they were even worried that they would not be able to make up for it during the battle. The damage to the ship caused by the damage will induce the buyer Rurik to bargain.
Rurik lived up to expectations. He was the "Blesser of Odin" after all, and he spoke with great force.
"Arik! Doesn't it seem like there were no losses in your expedition?" Rurik's call made the excited Arik turn around again.
"Of course! You may not believe it, but my men were only injured, and no one died in the battle."
His answer was really surprising, although the equipment Excellent warriors have a very high chance of survival during a bloody battle. Rurik didn't feel that there was any difference in weapons between his people and the Gotlanders.
No! Wait!
Rurik was busy talking to his brother. From the corner of his eye, he noticed his mercenary captain and all twenty mercenaries carrying crossbows. Their numbers were visible to the naked eye, which showed that they had suffered no losses.
Is there a generation difference in weapons? There must be some.
Rurik immediately asked a very critical question: "Arik, can you estimate how many enemies you have destroyed in the long battle?"
"This..." Arik Holding the beard on his chin, he estimated: "We attacked at least forty fishing boats and killed at least two hundred of them!"
"Ah?! So many. Since there are forty boats, why?" Just bring back twenty ships."
"Because many ships were damaged directly in the battle." Arik pointed to his flagship: "See the thick keel and the tilted ship. Bow? My brother, it seems you really don’t know what a warship is.”
“How do you think I fight?”
Rurik thought thoughtfully: "I sent mercenaries to you. You must have ordered them to shoot the enemy with crossbows."
"You are right, but you I still don’t understand battles at sea. My brother, I commanded a fleet to fight at sea last year. I have sufficient experience! Your crossbow is indeed an excellent weapon, but it will take a long time if a large number of arrows fall into the sea. Not coming back. Your mercenaries almost ran out of arrows, and there were not many left in them."
"It doesn't matter, the arrows are all consumables, and we can't make new ones anyway. Not expensive.”
Not expensive? Arik knew that his brother was naturally good at business and had accumulated a lot of wealth for himself through business alone. There is a new difference between me and my brother. He does not care about wasting iron tools, but I do!
Aric shrugged: "You will always learn about sea battles in the future! Compared with those fishing boats that usually only have five or six people, my warship can have thirty people rowing at the same time. The warship's The speed is very fast, and the bow is very strong. Rurik, you are me, how can you command the battle?" "Ah!" Rurik suddenly realized: "You just command the brothers to crash into it? !”
“You guessed it! That’s why I didn’t take away all the boats!”
“Where are the fishermen who fell into the water?” Rurik asked next.
"Those people? Kill all the men, pick up the women and transport them all to Tombstone Island. You know, the brothers stationed there need women very much."
Arik used arrogance He narrated his cruel past in words, but now Rurik no longer thinks there is anything cruel about it.
This is the kind of war that is full of bestiality. Those so-called Gotland fishermen, of course they are fishermen, but they can become warriors in a blink of an eye. In the Nordic world of this era, there really are no civilians. Men of every tribe have the obligation to defend their tribe from the moment they are born.
The calm fjord was immersed in the excitement, and the ordinary life soon became a source of enjoyable conversation.
People living in the fjords are forced to live in isolation, especially the large number of female relatives. Their daily hard work of tailoring, collecting water, fetching water, and cooking all kinds of work hones their interest. Such a life is always boring.
Women happily hand over their young children to Rurik for training. The underlying logic is that Rurik takes care of the food and thus saves their own expenses. The second is to pay attention to the ability of their children. Whether to become better.
Those young warriors came back and told their sisters, wives and even mothers about their illustrious exploits in the crusade against the Gotlanders. They couldn't help describing how brave they were, how resourceful the war chief Arik was, and even praised Rurik's mercenaries and their weapons.
Women listened to the returning soldiers telling these interesting things for a very good reason, especially after seeing the trophies they brought back, they suddenly ignored the possibility of death caused by the war. In other words, although they are not very willing in principle, facing the consumption of their own materials, they urgently need their men to make a living.
The reality is that Fort Ross is overcrowded, and the trees on the nearby hills that can be used to build large ships have been cut down. There are generally small trees in the nearby woods, and the small beasts in the woods are also hunted by hunters.
The land in the fjords is barren and the frost-free period in the climate is short. Men and women cannot be self-sufficient through effective cultivation. Fishing and northern hunting in winter are the economic basis of the tribe, and these very hard jobs must be done by men.
It must be said that people’s eyes are sharp. Under the command of the great leader Otto, and under the leadership of Otto’s two children, the tribe quickly became strong.
Some small families have enjoyed the dividends of war, and some small families have enjoyed the dividends of industrial development.
The dividend actually benefits all tribal families, including those families whose lives are difficult due to the death of their men in battle or accidental death, and even aging men and women. Two years have passed, and in the modern era, all registered Ross tribesmen, young and old, have truly received development dividends.
The returning soldiers not only brought home a batch of captured trophies, such as a large amount of fishing equipment, but also cut canvas from enemy ships and even shabby clothes.
They brought back a lot of things. In fact, Arik deliberately postponed the return date until the sea water freezes.
Of course, there is nothing better than organizing thousands of soldiers to directly land on the island, kill the Gotland army, and then directly plunder the wealth stored by the islanders, so that everyone can make a fortune. To this day, Arik still believes that the enemy is inferior. He always feels that his uncle Otto's prohibition on mobilizing the main force of the Ross tribe to fight the enemy is a matter of opportunity.
Because the local fishermen's raids were running from one victory to another, he further strengthened his belief that the enemy was evil.fact.
However, a very bad thing is that their actions went too far, forcing Gotland fishermen to dare not fish in the rich northern seas (because it is located at the mouth of Lake Malaren, this sea area is relatively nutritious Rich). It seems that the fishing ground is occupied by fishermen from the north, but in fact the fishermen of the Melalen tribe are only focused on catching freshwater fish in the lake. They are unaware of the wars taking place on the sea, and due to their inherent knowledge, they do not dare to risk going south.
For a time, the fishing industry in the vast sea area became depressed. The Russian warships were like cruising sharks, searching and biting the enemies they encountered.
As time goes by, Arik catches nothing for many days in a row, and the days of fishing on the spot make everyone feel bored. In this case, it is better to go back with the loot as soon as possible.
The seized tools enriched the families of the soldiers. On the still short night of the first day after their return, Arik took a few people and summoned all those involved in the battle to gather at his home. door, and then divided the money from the prize ships sold equally in public.
Everyone held high rosin-soaked torches, staring at the open suitcase with wide eyes, looking at the reflective silver coins inside.
During the long day, Rurik had a long conversation with his cousin at his home.
My cousin said a lot about the many details of what happened in the southern waters. Rurik listened to the description of the mercenary captain Yevro by the way, so that he had an intuitive understanding of naval battles and classified the tactics into different levels.
As the saying goes, the best strategy is to collide with the bow of the ship, the middle strategy is to shoot with arrows, and the worst strategy is to join the gang and fight.
The two brothers completed the delivery of the ownership of the ship in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Aric had dinner at the leader's house. Even though it was already evening, he still brought the money box to distribute the money.
“Attention everyone! Twenty silver coins for each person! Including me, it’s also twenty silver coins!”
“We are all brothers, and we have been floating at sea for two months. , everyone must be paid!"
"Attention! Leave after taking the money. Everyone is not allowed to take the brother's money privately. Violators will be punished." p>
......
Arik was actually afraid that someone would pretend to claim it. Rurik and his family were also watching, and they couldn't help but feel very regretful when they saw the young warriors of the tribe rushing about in a chaotic manner. .
"Alas! There may be some people trying to fish in troubled waters like this! Fortunately, my people have been forced to train to know how to queue up."
After all, they are fighting with Arik. A madman, Rurik just watched from the side. How Arik distributed the money was his business and had nothing to do with him.
The only thing that caught Rurik's keen attention was Arik's so-called generosity.
As a commander, do you really want to split the four thousand silver coins from selling the fishing boat? !
Of course, the mercenaries are Rurik’s people, and they getIt can only be a reward from the master. As for rewarding Loyevro and others, Rurik has already paid out the bonus. The so-called bonus is actually twenty silver coins, which corresponds to the salary for two months of overseas combat, and there are also accumulated Food subsidy of five silver coins.
Arik really only took twenty silver coins, and within a short time, the heavy box became empty. Rurik was actually overly worried. These soldiers had fought side by side for a long time, and everyone was originally angry at the evil man who was greedy for the trophies of his comrades. Now that he had commanded Arik and set an example of seeking fairness, no one had greedy thoughts.
So, is Arik really generous?
Of course, he is generous.
Rurik naturally saw the underlying situation: rather than getting real silver and gold coins, his cousin now cares more about his personal prestige.
"You long for glory? Of course, I do too. Now we are on different paths, I'm afraid I will always be the winner."