This is obviously a large island, but its lush appearance makes it not outstanding in the Gulf of Finland.
The island itself has no freshwater runoff, which puts the entire fleet in a slight embarrassment.
Russian warriors all carry water bags made of animal stomach pouches. Drinking water is not a big problem under normal circumstances.
Naihe now has a brand new trouble - oats.
Cooked wheat is really delicious. If it tastes good, you will love it. If you love it, you can’t stop eating it. In order to cook the wheat, they consumed a lot of fresh water. Although the water in the Gulf of Finland has very low salt content, it is still salt water. Drinking it in order to quench your thirst still has very bad results.
A bonfire was lit on the desert island, and the fuel was the readily available oil-rich pine trees. The firewood was roasting and crackling, and even though fresh water was in short supply, the hungry people still carried their own pottery to hold on to their wheat.
Under night, the tide flooded the sand and gravel near the coast, and the long boats that had been deliberately stranded were now soaked in knee-deep water.
Rurik saw that there were actually people squatting on the beach. They were not enjoying the moonlight and the waves at all. They were actually using pottery to ride on the sea water to cook wheat!
"Arik, is this how they eat? They actually use sea water?" Rurik wanted to stand up to stop the stupidity of his guys.
Aric asked his excited brother to sit down and asked him not to be too surprised with an almost indifferent attitude.
"Why? You just watch them eat seawater? They will get sick."
"But what about fresh water? You also know the situation. Damn it, if I had known I should have Prepare a few oak barrels and fill them with Lake Malaren water."
Can't Arik see the crisis? He knew it, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Rurik, just think that they are using sea water to cook a bowl of salty porridge. After all, they are using fresh water to cook wheat, so they still need to add salt."
"Oh, It’s really…” Rurik was speechless, but this expedient solution shouldn’t last long.
Although the Varyags, represented by the Russians, generally have extremely tenacious beliefs and amazing endurance, I am afraid that these are the things they have to endure in difficult situations.
Whether it is long-distance trade or plunder, the risks involved are astonishingly high. If everyone can find a warm place, and this warmth can even guarantee wheat earing with a high probability, then of course everyone is willing to settle down and become farmers with hoes and pickaxes.
This is what the Mellaren people did, they no longer wanted to be pirates.
As a noble man, Rurik has no worries about not having fresh water to drink. He didn't expend any energy on the long voyage, and only needed a few grilled fish to satisfy his small stomach.
When the boat was about to dock, someone threw down some hemp ropes with bait, not to mention miraculously catching cod.
"Perhaps there are also abundant fish here?"
A large number of warriors originally settled on Tombstone Island.The main way of making a living is fishing. Everyone can't help but think of many things. Since going south to fish will cause conflict with the Gotlanders, going north to fish will also compete with the tribesmen.
Wouldn’t it be a good choice to look east for new fishing grounds? As for the Baltic people, the young Russians simply couldn't listen to the old man's teachings about caution. It's okay if they don't show up, but if they do show up, just destroy them.
The problem of fresh water really troubles the Russians.
Tombstone Island also has no natural fresh water (if they are willing to dig deep wells). They obtained fresh water by carrying a large number of wooden barrels to the eastern land and fetching water from the dotted creeks.
Aric thought for a while: "Since there is still only two days of sailing at the fastest, it is really dangerous for us to have no water to drink. Just like this, what is the south... is the territory of the Baltic people. Between us If we paddle across and find a small stream, won't the problem be solved?"
Rurik nodded: "That's all it seems, but I'm just worried about being attacked by the enemy."
< p>"Are you kidding?" Arik asked dismissively."I..."
Aric slapped his chest hard: "Look at this strong leather armor. I hope to encounter some kind of attack, so that we can have surprises. "
"I hope there will be no casualties."
Aric suddenly pinched Rurik's neck: "How can there be casualties? Just keep eating and hurry up." Sleep."
"Oh okay."
What Baltic? They must have been Estonian if they existed.
As Rurik slept wrapped in an animal skin blanket, an idea suddenly occurred to him.
Taking a look at his tribesmen, they all put on their weapons and equipment and were clearly ready for battle.
The relationship between Arik and these warriors is so close! In a daze, Rurik felt that all this was his cousin's plan. Maybe he already knows that there are other people living in the southern land who may be easy to bully, so he took the opportunity of going to the east to visit Fort Ross and took the opportunity to grab another one along the way?
Arik can definitely do this kind of thing.
This is not the case for Rurik. If you really want to fight, you must identify the enemy. You must know a little about the enemy, and it is best to make a basic tactical plan, or even a plan B after the battle situation cannot be controlled. When the battle is over, follow-up work must be arranged in advance.
Rurik did not like taking risks to rob unknown people.
After all, this fleet is commanded by his cousin Arik, who has never been defeated and is always full of confidence.
A new day is coming soon.
Rurik quickly forgot the dream after waking up. He vaguely remembered that it was not a good dream. It seemed that his tribe had suffered a failure.
"Dream? They are the most superstitious. If I tell you about the dream, won't it disturb the morale of the army?"
Rurik is inevitably uneasy, or maybe he is sleeping on the island. Didn't sleep well at all.
Arik, who was busy roasting cod meat, looked at his slightly depressed brother: "You look very bad, what's the matter?"
"It's nothing."
Arik's side Chewing the fish meat, he muttered: "Brothers are ready, we will set off soon."
"Oh." Rurik sat down, chewed the fish meat, and chewed a small Bowl of mostly cooked oats.
People are basically tight on their own fresh water, but don’t panic. Everyone is well aware of the structure of this small world. It is said that as long as you find the coast of the land, you can easily find the river.
Taking advantage of the rising tide in the morning, three long boats slid into the sea.
People put down their oars, and the bow of the boat pointed straight to the south to start a new voyage.
The land was hazy in the morning mist, and the three long boats lined up in a row wanted to quickly rush to the stalls, find fresh water and then sail away.
Of course, it would be great to catch a wild deer or two on the shore.
Some warriors carried short hunting bows made of oak and a batch of crudely made arrows. It is really difficult to expect this kind of bow and arrow to kill enemies wearing leather and chain mail. It is only effective at hunting rabbits and deer and shooting at close range.
Everyone must reach the shore. Are there any interesting unknowns on the shore? The morning mist made the land seem so far away, deepening everyone's sense of anticipation.
In fact, the island where the fleet is anchored is Naisal Island. Now, the fleet headed straight for Tallinn Bay.
The sea fog blurred the phantom of the Russians, but the vigilant Russians sailed in unknown waters. They kept their eyes open at all times and did not miss any clues.
Someone vaguely saw some vague shadows on the sea.
"What is that? Arik!" a soldier shouted.
Aric was almost instinctively vigilant. He stood up and looked around.
"Could that be a ship? Ah! It must be a ship."
For a moment, Arik was not excited. He remained vigilant and said to his men: " Brothers, maybe they are the fishermen of Gotland. How about destroying them because Odin blessed us? This word makes the Russian warriors excited. Blood feuds cannot be eliminated with just one or two revenge victories.
The three ships were close together, and everyone’s attitude became very unified.
Fight! If you discover the record of war and don’t fight for it, then you are not considered a man.
Looking at the brothers being so excited, they were almost out of control. Rurik frowned, which worried Jevro.
"Sir, don't be afraid. If a fight breaks out, my brothers and I will protect your safety to the death."
Rurik, who is guarded by twenty elite mercenaries, is naturally very relieved. , he regretted not bringing ten crossbows. Having them is the greatest safety.
Rurik ordered: "My cousin and the Gotlanders are at odds with each other. Now that they have been discovered, fight them."Fighting is necessary. If an enemy stronghold is discovered, they must plunder it. But you, don't go plundering until the situation of the war is clear. "
Arik nodded, "I will convince the brothers to stay calm. "
"Don't worry, abiding by my destiny will benefit you. ”
Rurik’s original intention was to refuse to take the initiative to provoke extraneous battles, but his cousin insisted on having his own way, so he had to reserve his attitude. He did not want his mercenaries to participate in possible fierce battles. If there was a crisis, his own People will participate. For the time being, the mercenary team will serve as a tactical reserve when the plundering army encounters danger.
The fleet began to rush towards the enemy's fishing boats as fast as possible.
The small fishing boat was obviously aware of the danger, and began to row desperately to escape.
After all, the quality of the fishing boat was worrying, so it could only be seen that the unknown large boat had evil intentions. In a hurry to escape, the fishing boat quickly plunged into a small river and went upstream.
“Damn it, just one step away! "Arik on the boat was like a hunter who had lost his deer. He was gnashing his teeth angrily.
A soldier comforted him, "At least the escaped Gotlanders led us to a small river. We should be able to find their villages if we go deeper inland. "
"Village? OK! "Arik smiled again, "Brothers, we are not busy collecting fresh water. We sailed upstream, pillaged their villages, and finally burned them. ”
Blinded by the desire for revenge, the Russian soldiers subjectively believed that the escaped fishermen were Gotland fishermen. After all, the Gotlanders were not trapped on the island. They themselves were vigorously exploring new fishermen. Their economic conflict with the tribes of the Northern Alliance was the core factor that led to the war.
But Rurik did not think it was the Gotlanders because it was not consistent with history. /p>
Rurik remembers that the Varyag traitors from all walks of life, that is, the guys who deserted their respective tribes and immigrated with their families, spontaneously immigrated eastward, and they also found places on Saaremaa Island (later Formed the Principality of Semeria), mixed with the Latvian territory, and even continued eastward to Pskov, integrating with the local Pskov Slavic tribes
Those Novgorodians. Almost all the other Varyag people described by others entered Lake Ilmen from Pskov in the west along the small river.
Rurik believed that the escaped fishermen were from Estonia. People.
The Estonians were generally called "people from the east" by the Roman Empire, and they were distinguished from the "Finns". In fact, both sides were the same family, or the Finns just crossed the sea and went north.
The fleet followed the fleeing fishing boat and entered an unknown river.
The forest around the river was lush and green, and no one could see any ups and downs in the river. It flows into the sea at a very slow flow rate.
Fresh water becomes readily available. As for the escaping fishermen, there is no reason to rush after them.Some people believe that there will be a single Gotland fishermen settling alone, and there must be many fishermen living in groups.
Their villages must be built along rivers or lakes. They are like a group of lambs waiting to be slaughtered, waiting for the heavily armed Rus to harvest.
However, people from top to bottom, including Arik, underestimated the twists and turns of the river.
It may have a name, but when the Danes settled here historically and built their own Reval Castle, or Tallinn (meaning Danish castle), they gave the river an exact name. The name - Pirita River.
Pirita means pyrite. Although minerals are scarce throughout Estonia, miracles will occur in individual places.
Near the Tallinn Bay, there is pyrite that is rare in this area. Because of this, the ancient Estonians were able to smelt iron on their own without relying on outsiders.
Now, the Russian army led by Aric accidentally broke into the river, and a fateful encounter was about to happen.
The boat moved quickly along the winding river, and the soldiers paddled while gazing at the surrounding scenery.
Finally, the fleet rounded a huge bend, and the villages along the river suddenly appeared.
Aric's eyes widened. He felt that these strange houses were not made by Gotlanders. Everyone felt strange. Those houses that were obviously made of wood were all small houses, not the most common wooden longhouses in Gotland.
The village is built along the river, and there are obviously some farmland on the riverside. Even if the crops have been harvested, people who understand whether it is farmland can tell it at a glance.
There are also a small number of canoes tied with hemp ropes to wooden piles on the shore. The style of the boats is also very different from what everyone knows.
Many signs have shown that the Russians may have encountered a group of unknown guys.
"They can build such shabby houses, so they should be no better than the Gotlanders."
In Arik's mind, the "Gothlanders" are regarded as a A unit of measurement. Going deep here is purely an adventure. Even if the enemies that may appear are weak, Arik does not want the situation to continue to be complicated.
While still on the boat, he shouted: "Brothers! We are going to land in this village! They may be powerful enemies, but they will still be killed by us. I only hope that there will be no problems after you win. The brothers are injured. They are all alert and ready to fight!"
After all, they are the old guys who have fought with Arik. They are well-trained, and every man knows his position after landing.
Aric’s plan is to form a classic Viking shield wall after landing. Each warrior performed his or her own duties. Some stood in the front row as sword and shield bearers, while others were in the back row and used long-handled weapons to kill enemies. In fact, these are all agreed-upon things, and there is no need for Arik to make any plans.
Rurik clenched the hilt of his sword. In the tense atmosphere, he really thought that the army had landed.After Lu, we will fight with the enemy.
He saw some warriors wiping their sword blades and axes. These weapons were still made of ordinary wrought iron. It was a pity that the warriors on Tombstone Island did not use them due to geographical barriers. Replace with new equipment as soon as possible.
While the soldiers of Fort Ross have purchased steel swords, steel axes, and even more sinister chromium steel weapons, a group of brothers guarding the "South Gate" of Ross are still using old weapons.
Even so, this clumsy "toy" is enough for a group of savages covered in animal skins.
Here, Rurik was surprised to see some soldiers remove the spearheads of short spears, then remove the ax heads of hand axes, and press them hard on the wooden sticks. In this way, the short spears became A very strange long-handled axe that is more than two meters long.
"How can I use this weapon?"
Rurik didn't care so much. His slender but powerful arm was grabbed by his cousin. Arik didn't care about the intimacy between brothers. He simply admonished a young warrior: "Once a fight starts, you stay behind. It's best to let your people protect you. When the fight starts, I can't take care of you."
Three long ships docked slowly at the quiet dock.
Quiet! Very quiet!
It is so quiet that it is scary, as if behind every wooden house there are soldiers armed with sharp weapons and ready to fight for their lives.
One of the keys to winning a battle is vigilance and maintaining basic discipline at all times after a battle breaks out.
Arik summed up these useful experiences in the battle, and he believed that his victory was due to experience.
No, after the soldiers landed, they quickly formed a hemispherical formation.
The sword and shield bearers in the front row took off the shields hanging on the side of the ship and wore them on their left arms. The shields, which were enough to protect most of the torso, were intertwined to form a solid wall.
Rurik finally understood the purpose of those axes. It turned out that the purpose of these weapons was like the use of weapons, that is, after the battle broke out, the soldiers in the back row were used to output force - axes were used to assist in pecking and hitting. In this way, the enemy has to face the warriors from the front and also beware of the ax coming from the sky. Rurik admired his cousin's tactical skills, but it was a pity for him. If he had brought a dozen crossbows on this trip and let the mercenaries equip them, wouldn't the team's combat effectiveness be greatly improved?
The heavily armed soldiers were ready to fight. Everyone was waiting for Arik's order, and Arik was also waiting for the enemy's attack.
The scene fell into a strange stalemate.
What about the enemy? As if they exist. However, his intuition told Arik that this small village chief was still popular, and there was no possibility of it being abandoned.
He finally couldn't bear it anymore, but he didn't want his people to encounter a possible ambush.
"Rurik!"
"Ah!" Rurik roared, hiding behind the team.
"Ask your mercenaries to investigate. Quick!"
p>"Ah? Why are they my people?" To be honest, Rurik didn't want his people to be used as meat scouts who were easily attacked by focused fire.
Arik became impatient: "What? Don't you listen to your brother? Brother, this is a war! Let the mercenaries explore the way, quickly!"
Yevro has already paid attention to Despite his master's hesitation, in his heart, he did not dislike Arik at all. Everything is the fate of mercenaries. Risky investigation itself is the job of mercenaries.
Yevro led a few men without hesitation, formed a skirmish line, held the steel sword against the wooden shield, and went deep into the village with high vigilance...