The sun shines through the gaps in the woods and shines on the rocks under the trees. Sixty-five crudely carved statues, each representing a Russian killed in battle.
"Look, Rurik. They died for our great cause of revenge. I think God should recognize their bravery, and their souls must return to Valhalla." Arik's words Full of pride, he showed no pity for the deceased.
Yes, the soldiers have a different worldview. Generally speaking, they are determined to fight to the death. Regarding death, people will not always be immersed in the wails of dead soldiers.
Rurik said lightly: "Perhaps, we should carve their tombstones carefully."
Arik sighed: "Ah, then we need to get it Some highly skilled masons, I don’t think there are such people in Melalen.”
Rurik did not say anything more, he drew his dagger and knelt down on one knee in front of everyone. He was just putting on a show, and this kind of show made many soldiers left behind burst into tears with joy.
Perhaps now he would rush to give an impassioned speech to boost morale, but Rurik thought about it and let it go.
If you want to give a speech, wait until you grow a beard and have a thick and tall figure.
He looked sideways and saw a small stone boat altar built under the forest on the side of the cemetery. If there is a wooden house next to the altar, then the priest's residence must be kept.
Tombstone Island may seem small, but you can feel its size once you get deeper into it.
The settlers cut down all the trees in the distance and built wooden walls for wind protection and defense outside the large number of wooden houses in the settlement. The big trees almost cover the entire wooden wall, making the settlement look like an elven sanctuary in the dense forest, a paradise.
Being there, Rurik felt the real sense of security, but this place was much more humid than Ironburg in the far north.
"I gave them 50,000 pounds of wheat. Can they do a good job in warehousing?" Rurik lacked full confidence. In his opinion, the Novgorod people in the far east, They are a purely agricultural people (although still very primitive and backward). They are really masters of warehousing. The Russians have reason to learn from them comprehensively.
The fleet docking at Tombstone Island is essentially a show of strength and condolences to those left behind.
Rurik had no intention of staying here for too long, so much so that he just wanted to spend one night before leaving.
But on the island's beach, warming Rurik by the fire, he had a new idea.
"What's wrong? Is the grilled fish here no longer delicious?" Arik looked at his brother carrying a few bites of grilled herring skewers, and the child looked thoughtful.
"I was thinking about something."
"What?" Arik immediately became excited, "During the day, you took a good look at the wooden wall I supervised and built. Our Tombstone Island is already very strong. I have no worries about these enemies attacking us.”
“That’s not the case.” Rurik turned his face, “The big leader doesn’t have any.Come back, don’t you think this is unusual? ”
“Abnormal? Are you very worried about him? ”
“Why am I not worried? Rurik asked back.
Aric pouted and shook his head, "You underestimate our leader too much. Even if he is your father, he is also my uncle." He is a born conqueror and your worries are unnecessary. ”
“Let’s take it seriously. Now I have an idea? "
Arik suddenly raised his head: "Huh? Are you planning to go to Novgorod? ”
“That’s really what I think! "Rurik slapped his thigh, and his beaming look really surprised Arik.
"Oh, my stupid brother, don't think that you can ignore all the severe cold just because you have experienced the trek in the snow. Sooner or later you will arrive in Novgorod, I think there is a girl waiting for you there, but not now. "
Rurik shrugged, realizing that the topic had gone too far. "The leader has not returned, or the fleet is already on its way back. Should we go back to Roseburg first and just wait stupidly for them to come back? That's so unmanly. As I see it, we organize a fleet to go to New Roseburg. I really want to see how our new settlement is doing. ”
When Rurik said this, Arik was also moved.
A true sea warrior’s attitude when facing the vast sea is similar to facing a lake.
“Ah, I have not yet sailed the route to the east. I am too busy fighting southward to know our new home. ”
“Then let’s go and have a look?” " Rurik deliberately encouraged, "I remember that our brothers were actively pioneering there, and a large number of Novgorod people were captured and settled by us. The guys in Novgorod all surrendered to us, and the strength of our Rus rose rapidly. It seems to me that within a few years our new Fort Ross will be more prosperous than the towns of the Malaren people. ”
“Also. Arik made up his mind, "There are old guys in the team who have participated in Sorgon voyages many times. We can't get lost." But we had agreed in advance that we would only organize a small fleet, and our target was only New Roseburg. The leader had better be busy handling the physical goods there. If they haven't come back yet, we'll wait. ”
“Then let’s do it. ”
Rurik continued to eat fish, and suddenly felt that his decision was too impulsive.
Forget it, a real man has his own opinions, and the decisions he makes will not Regret immediately.
This night, Tombstone Island enjoyed rare happiness. Happy days are always fleeting. On this night, Rurik and others visited the next part of the fleet. work, and made a division of powers and responsibilities.
Gould was very surprised by Rurik's sudden idea. This guy actually wanted to take a boat to New Roseburg in the east to see what was going on there. What's going on? Gould doesn't know anything. What he especially hopes is that if the Ross people can become rich in the new settlement they are building with all their strength, his family will also benefit greatly.
The fleet split into two.
Those cargo ships are still the core of the fleet. They lead a large number of small ships and rush to the port of Fort Ross under the leadership of Gould, just like what this old guy will do every autumn. , the only special thing is that this year’s voyage took a detour.
Another fleet, reduced in size to only three longships, had as many as a hundred armed men. Arik became the core leadership of the fleet, and Rurik became a noble guest.
But in Rurik's view, all the warriors were protecting him, the noblest one, although he did not feel that there was even the slightest danger in running to the east. The Road to the Future is simply an armed parade in autumn, with such force that it seems like we are going to fight.
Check it out! How Arik and his guys are dressed!
As for Arik himself, he was tall and strong, wearing a thick leather coat and a helmet inlaid with iron plates on his head. He always carried his mail mail and a shield, as good warriors always have these equipment ready for emergencies. The warriors were all dressed similarly, it was just a matter of wealth that only a few had their own chainmail. Of course, for general enemies, especially naval battles, the overall effect of chain mail is limited. It is still not as useful as a log shield reinforced with iron or copper sheets.
It must be said that Arik established his prestige in Iron and Blood. He has the highest prestige on Tombstone Island, and the settled warriors are happy to obey his orders.
Originally, Arik was unable to summon a large number of warriors. However, after he ended the robbery of the enemy, the warriors on the island fell into a state of stability. This stability did not bring them much happiness. They were warriors, and they experienced great success in a series of battles against the Gotlanders. Compared with catching fish, it would be more satisfying to rob the enemy and obtain huge wealth.
The few people who went to New Roseburg began to brag to their brothers that the lives of the people who immigrated there were getting better. The soldiers on the island are not envious. In fact, they intend to immigrate and can leave now with their families. When they were armed, they went to Fort New Rose not to rob their relatives, but to buy some useful things from their own tribe with money that could not be spent locally.
Half of the warriors who settled on Tombstone Island responded to Arik's call, and there were twenty other veteran warriors who would serve as navigators for the voyage to the east.
What about Rurik? His loyal mercenary captain Yevro and the other ten mercenaries may only serve as personal guards.
At a new dawn, the fleets set off on their own routes after procrastinating for a while.
The three long boats lowered their oars and set up their sails. This small fleet formed a column and sailed quickly in the Gulf of Finland.
The old guys on the ship are saying that at the current speed, the fleet can reach Fort New Rose in only four days of sailing. Just four days of sailing is enough? The warriors on the ship were in high spiritsAngry, because it was the first time for many people to enter this sea area, and the freshness made everyone very excited.
At first, the fleet followed inertia and began sailing along the southern coast of present-day Finland.
While marching on this route, the Russians were full of enthusiasm, but only Jevro mentioned his uneasiness.
Even though he has lived in the Varyag society for more than ten years, he has always been obsessed with his hometown. Do the tribes from my hometown still exist? Can he be found in the vast world?
Jevro has given up hope long ago. He knows the strength of the Ross people, and he does not want these madmen to have the idea of attacking the Fen people (that is, the Suomi people) tribe. If the Ross people are destined to have Hegemony, then, Jevro hopes that all the Finnish tribes will recognize the current situation and swear submission, so that by paying a tribute, everyone can live in peace. Moreover, by boarding the Russian longship, the Finns would have a backer. Maybe the two sides could unite to resist the aggressive Tavastians and Karelias.
If the Finnish fishing boats want to enter the sea to fish, it is almost inevitable that they will witness the Ross fleet.
It is up to the Russians to decide whether to launch an attack. Whether to land and plunder, Yevlo is convinced that if the Russians find it profitable, they will definitely do it.
At this moment, Yevro was somewhat glad that his master was Rurik.
He never expected his master to be truly merciful. In fact, on the contrary, although his master was young, he was not ambiguous at all when he should be cruel.
What he is fortunate about is that because of his relationship, he can give some suggestions to the owner, which will definitely make the fleet adjust its direction.
Yevluo’s words are very clever: "We don’t have to go along the coastline here. If the sea leads directly to the east, we can just use the wind and turn the sails sideways. If the wind blows from the north, the ship can continue to move forward. Let the brothers save some energy. After all, it is not wise to row when the north wind is strong."
The Gulf of Finland runs east-west, and I saw my cousin there too. Paddling hard and watching them sweating in the cold wind, Rurik was not worried that they would be exhausted from the exertion, but was only worried that they would catch a cold.
In this era, diarrhea, which is considered a minor problem in later generations, is also a serious disease that can kill people. It is not uncommon for people with diarrhea due to cold to develop diarrhea and even death.
Perhaps out of respect for my brother’s opinion, or simply because everyone was tired from rowing, after a whole day of sailing, under Arik’s order, the fleet completely folded their oars and let the north wind blow the sails. Due to the subtle enough angle of the sail, the fleet was indeed moving rapidly at a not low speed.
The fleet docked for the night on a lush island (an island near the north shore). The soldiers who landed were instinctively vigilant, wary of enemies, or beasts, that might attack. While none of these attackers seem likely to exist, it's always good to be vigilant in unknown territory.
As we all know, the land in the north is the so-called "Eastern Land""Earth", where there are at least Finns, Corvins, Tavastians and other ethnic groups. Although they are weak as a whole, the current Ross warriors are also very weak. Aric does not want to take the initiative to attack those guys in the north, at least When his troops were stretched thin, even if he had the idea of attacking, he just wanted to deal with the situation conservatively.
On a new day, the soldiers of the fleet were full of cooked new oats, and everyone ate them. They got high-quality food and started on the road again singing ancient songs.
Due to the wind, they were heading straight to the east against the eastern sun, but the fleet was constantly deflecting to the south.
p>
Only a few people know the structure of this water area, and Rurik knows it best.
Everyone spent almost the whole day on the sea, bored people or chatting randomly. Things like bragging about his property, whether the kidnapped wife is pregnant with a boy or a girl, and even holding silver coins in his hands and thinking about what good things he can buy with his brothers in New Roseburg.
There are also more boring things. People put their hands through the gaps in the ship's shield and felt the coolness of the water.
Routine vigilance work requires more people to do it. Some people always stand upright in the evening. They are observers. Their biggest task now is to find a desert island for their brothers to spend the night unless they have to.
"Aric! Look over there! island! ”
Aric, who was a little listless, stood up suddenly. He stroked the mast and looked into the distance.
In the distance, in the hazy sunset, a shadow that resembled an island appeared.
Is that an island? Oh, of course it is.
Aric then stamped his feet: "Hey, brothers. Stop dozing off! reef! Put out the paddles! "
At this moment, Rurik, who was already suffering from boredom and the fatigue of traveling and traveling, had already used Jevlo's thigh as a pillow and was sleeping on his side.
"What's going on? thing? It will never be an enemy. ”
Jevro immediately reassured: “There are no enemies, we just discovered the island.” Hey hey, we discovered a new island to the south. ”
“New island? "Rurik rubbed his head vigorously and watched Yevlo quickly enter the paddling position. He felt that he had become an obstacle to everyone's paddling, so he stood up and moved to the bow of the ship.
The three longships all adjusted their direction. They needed an island to dock, and put down the pottery urns that came with them to cook the wheat they carried, and even light a bonfire and process the smoked fish.
< p>But the scenery over there became a little strange.The outline of the island became clear, and the sea level actually disappeared. Even though the soft light of the evening made the world seem distant, the hundreds of people on the ship were still there. The warrior also knew that it must be land. For a moment, some people who remembered the ancient teachings realized what the land in the distance meant.
Suddenly, someone shouted to Arik: "Boss! Are we really going? We may be attacked by the Baltic people."
This term Arik is very unfamiliar. .
"What kind of bastards are the Baltic people? Are they strong?"
The speaker was speechless, and this person's performance made Arik even more disdainful. He simply pulled out his sword and pointed it directly at the hazy land over there: "Brothers, we discovered a brand new land! I heard that there is a group of unknown fools living there? Are we afraid of them? We want to live on that island One night, if the fools intend to attack, let them die. My sword longs for new blood!"
Rurik couldn't help but admire this impromptu speech. .
Look at these wild warriors. They have changed from being sluggish, and they are all high-spirited and are already roaring while paddling hard.
In fact, Rurik knew very well that the land over there was definitely not a "Baltic land". The tribal alliance generally knew the legends about the Baltic people, but they were still very unfamiliar with the Rus', so it was understandable that Arik knew nothing about them.
Just those people who may exist on land, definitely not Baltic people.
Rurik can conclude that the land ahead is the land of the ancient Estonians
The Estonians and the Baltic people are not the same people at all.