The so-called gray tree is actually an ash tree.
People in Northern Europe saw that its gray-brown trunk was completely different from the pine trees that can be seen everywhere, so they named it after the color of the trunk.
The ash tree has a very elastic trunk. When the European ash tree is young, it twists and turns. When it grows into a big tree, it has an "umbrella cover", and every autumn it becomes golden. The umbrella cover has become a unique presence in the pine forest.
No one is a fool and does not know the elasticity of the ash tree. The plundering search by Finns and Vikings has resulted in the loss of ash trees. Some pewter rods can be made into bows with good elasticity, but their maintenance level is generally not high. No matter how good a single bow is, it will need to be replaced within two years.
In the end, hunters had to make do with oak bows, which started to lose weight after shooting five or six hundred arrows. Fortunately, the manufacturing cost of this kind of bow was not high.
On Gogland Island, Rurik’s biggest harvest was the large number of white wax poles.
In just one day of exploration, the team cut down all five trees they found. Of course, everyone concluded that there were more gray trees on this desert island where no outsiders settled. After cutting off the branches of the tree trunk, the mercenaries carried the stripped trunk on their shoulders and carried them all back to the ship.
When his son returned from his adventure, he brought a speechless treasure. Although Otto was dissatisfied, he was relieved since this thing was expected to be a very good bow.
After a whole day of rest, or in other words, everyone stayed on the island for a whole day, the lost energy and spirit were restored.
They left a lot of traces of bonfires on the beach, and left a pile of rice fields and walked away together.
"Stone Island" is full of stones, but there is also a freshwater lake. Its special status has become deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it has become the preferred anchorage for the Russian people in the future, even if it is a bit too rocky.
The fleet docked at Nessar Island again. Arik introduced the clearly identifiable traces of bonfires on the beach, proving that this was his masterpiece. He also pointed to the southern coast, where there were bonfires that were conquered and burned. estonian village.
Are those people not Baltic, but Estonian? They have food and can smelt iron, and even own some leather, but their military power is very poor.
How could Otto not be tempted? It is only natural to bully the weak and plunder wealth.
It’s just that the army is on the road now and there really is no time to linger.
Arik fulfilled his promise and really led a group of brothers to row to the southern coast to bring back some fresh water.
The fleet only stayed on Naisal Island for one day before gradually leaving the Gulf of Finland.
The sea ahead is extremely open, and those who dare to climb to the top of the mast will gradually lose sight of the southern coast. At this point, the most arduous rowing trip was over. The entire fleet followed Otto's flagship, and the bows began to face the north wind and began to make zigzag movements. The overall overweight fleet began to sail clumsily against the wind.
A day passed after leaving Nesar Island. The entire fleet spent the night at sea. They were slowly advancing at night, and on the second day, the fleet arrived at Tombstone Island!
"Attention, we have arrived at the island group. Brothers, follow my orders and paddle carefully." Otto stood at the bow of the ship as always, holding on to the menacing bow relief. After the oarsmen listened to the order, the entire fleet lined up in a single column very wisely, like a small train, cautiously shuttled through the waterways of the Åland Islands full of sandy rocks and reefs.
Even long boats with shallow drafts do not dare to take risks here. They must go straight to Tombstone Island along the determined deep water channel and spend the night on the island as planned.
The Åland Islands are a huge island group that stretches 150 kilometers from east to west. It is large and trivial. Most of the small islands have no settlement value at all, and many of the islands are separated from each other. It's almost as easy as running water.
Among thousands of islands, the Russians chose an island with two small bays in the north of the archipelago and named it Tombstone Island.
The geographical location of Tombstone Island is still 90 kilometers away from the mouth of Lake Malaren. Such a unique geographical location naturally restricts the nearby trade between the Ross people and the Malaren people.
The reason why I chose Tombstone Island is that it is small and compact, with its winding coastline and deep water level, making it an excellent port at this stage.
Rurik, who had landed on Tombstone Island, was actually very suspicious of his father's site selection, because standing on Tombstone Island, as far as he could see to the west, there was obviously a larger island, and that was the Åland Islands. On the main island, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to set up settlements there?
As the fleet successfully returned to Tombstone Island, Rurik finally understood his father’s real considerations in choosing the location. Tombstone Island is located in a natural deep waterway in the archipelago. Doing business with the Mellaren people has never been the main purpose. Ensuring the smooth navigation of the Sorgon fleet is the most important thing.
The returning people were congratulated as heroes by the islanders, and what was even more exciting was that the fleet was not a lonely visitor.
When Otto landed, he unexpectedly saw Gould, who was as fat as an elephant seal. The appearance of the big businessman first shocked Rurik, but in an instant he understood the whole story.
Ah, look at the cargo ships with obviously deep drafts tied to the trestle of the small bay. You can tell that Gould is doing the last transportation operation of this year.
The almost missing big leader and his warriors seemed to have descended from heaven. When Yevlo saw an old man with a fluttering beard walking down the trestle, he felt a strong sense of shock. Let him retreat subconsciously.
After a moment, Gould hurriedly stepped forward, covering his heart and carrying his luggage to the leader.
"You! You are actually here?! Why." Otto asked when they met.
"Dear leader, I am also surprised to see you here. Ah, Sorgon's fleet is finally back?"
"You didn't answer my question. " Otto urged.
"Yes, Chief." Gould immediately raised his hand and pointed to his cargo ship: "Look, the ship is filled with wheat. PleaseAllow me to tell you a beautiful thing..."
It's definitely about food! Otto has learned a lot from his son, so he doesn't ask any more questions. He urged: "Prepare a comfortable place for me. I want to take a good rest. Um? Have your walls been erected? That's great, so the damn Gotlanders can't threaten our camp. ”
After returning to Tombstone Island, Otto felt as if he had returned home.
Of course, for those warriors from Tombstone Island, they really brought a group of precious The spoils of war were reunited with his wife and children.
Tombstone Island became lively again.
The extremely limited number of Merlaren merchants who had no intention of going straight north to Fort Ross. They thought of doing some business with the Ross people on Tombstone Island, but unexpectedly they met Otto, the mysterious leader of the Ross people.
Otto naturally met with more than a dozen businessmen and accepted decisively. After receiving some gifts from the merchants and seeing the flickering eyes of some merchants, Otto felt a sense of disharmony.
Otto's feeling was correct, because those with twinkling eyes were indeed merchants themselves. , on the other hand, they were instructed by the leader of Melalen and the leader of the alliance, Olegin. It was true that they were doing business, and it was even more true that they were spying on information.
An old man who was obviously weathered and in good health. It's actually the legendary leader Otto? No matter how you look at it, this man is more powerful than his own leader Olegin. It is also said that the Ross people are far less powerful than the Melalen people as a whole. Strong, even Rurik, the son of the leader of Ross, who met with the leader, also expressed his weakness. I saw a large group of Ross warriors today. Who dares to estimate that they are really weak?
Can they organize a huge fleet? Is the tribe weak?
The merchants who were responsible for intelligence gathering sighed to themselves about their good luck. They immediately began to sell their goods at abnormally low prices in order to escape from Tombstone Island early and report the intelligence to their families. The leader receives the reward.
Melaren merchants are lowering their prices, which of course benefits the Ross people on the island.
The merchants mainly sell pots and pans, and pots and pans. Who cares about the reason behind their sudden sell-off of wooden daily necessities?
A warm wooden house is now the bed of Otto and Rurik. Before taking a rest, Otto was interested. Have a good chat with Gould.
The dim oil lamp is not enough to hide the joyful atmosphere. Gould is in a very good mood tonight, and he urgently needs to show off in front of the big boss and brag about it. Young Master Rurik's feats in Malaren
Rurik had already told his father about his experience in Malaren. Otto subconsciously thought that the words were spoken by the child alone. There is an element of exaggeration here, and he doesn't really believe that his son is really that big.
Now it's Gould's turn to describe it vividly, and Otto really doesn't believe it.
Especially wheat, they are extremely large and evenEven Gould, who owned a batch of cargo ships, did not have the ability to transport them all at once.
After drinking "Ross Vodka" from a glass bottle again, Otto's face quickly turned red.
"Hahaha, wheat, a lot of wheat, our tribe really has no shortage of wheat this year. My dream when I was young has actually come true, because we paid too much money for wheat."
Rurik was present, and Gould did not dare to talk nonsense, so he complimented: "Money is never a problem. Rurik is blessed by the gods, and we Russians have many ways to make money. . I am indeed a wise businessman, please rest assured, big boss, I will make your family make a fortune in the trade season next year.”
“I am very confident about you.” Otto enthusiastically patted Gould on the shoulder, which was a kind of affirmation of the businessman, which made Gould feel flattered.
Otto continued to mutter: "I heard that Olegin wanted to see me. OK, maybe I should go there now."
"Ah? Chief, are you serious? "?" Not only Gould was surprised, but Rurik was also shocked.
Just when Rurik wanted to persuade his father not to cause trouble and to return to his hometown before winter, Otto suddenly gave up, "Forget it. Next year, that guy will call all the leaders to form an alliance. I The son said that Olegin wanted to retaliate against the Danes. Is this true? "
"Huh?" Although he thought it was ridiculous, the words came from Otto's mouth. It will be extraordinary when it comes out. "Maybe, Chief, what can I do for you?"
"What else can you do? You are a businessman, and I want you to raise some supplies for me. I am very optimistic about your supply transportation. If there is really a war, you will transport a steady stream of food and new weapons to my army."
"Ah! That's really my honor."
Hearing this quietly, Rurik was a little surprised that his father really understood the importance of logistics. Obviously this is the fact. For example, during the Northern Hunting last winter, the entire team brought enough dry food for a month. If there was no such food, how could the expedition's hunting army complete the conquest of the Kovin people along the frozen Oulu River?
Having said that, the drunken father actually believed that the coalition forces after the alliance would fight back against the Danes and Gotlanders.
Youdao means telling the truth after drinking! Rurik estimated that his father had such a plan, and what would be the result of such an analysis.
The remnants of the Ostara tribe are now clinging to the thighs of the Russians. If Otto proposes war in the alliance, Carlotta, a revenge-hungry girl, will definitely be the first to support it.
As long as the leader Olegin sees Carlotta's determination, he will definitely avenge the Ostara people under the supervision of other tribal leaders.
After some analysis, Rurik came to a surprising conclusion. Regardless of whether the alliance has made a decision on war, as long as Otto mentions war, the entire alliance will definitely unite to fight against the Danes.Counterattack.
The choice of war actually fell into the hands of the Russians?
In the past few years, the Russians have not been defeated at all, and their many conquests have made the people full of expectations for the war. Because for those young people who fought for the great god Odin, their dead souls went to Valhalla to become heroic spirits, and they could plunder a lot of wealth if they survived. Those warriors who followed Arik in his crusade against Gotland gained hugely. Which young man wouldn’t be greedy?
Due to the drunkenness, Otto tightened his grip on the empty glass bottle: "A true warrior must drink the strongest wine and kill the hardest enemy. It's time to continue our revenge. I want to fight for myself." Brother Ogier avenges the warriors lying on this island! They died in battle, and ten times as many Gotlanders must be buried with them. This has nothing to do with Oleg." /p>
How could Gould not be afraid when he saw Otto's angry bullfight? He thought that by mentioning Olegin, Otto would respect the leader of the alliance. Obviously the Russians didn't take that guy to heart. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Looking at Rurik’s solemn face, Gould could tell it was a good thing.
What is the Melalen tribe? Olegin abused his people, and Karl was a boastful guy. Is this kind of person worthy of being the leader of the alliance? Do they have the talents and strategies of Otto and his sons?
Gould actually had a vague feeling that Rurik never wanted to be an alliance leader. He still preferred to be a leader with real power. That is, this leader would rule over people, not thousands of people, but probably One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, or even more. Rurik wants to maintain the relationship between the leader and the people through a system of taxation and contracts, which is completely different from those in the past.
The next day, when Otto sobered up, he talked about whether to break into Lake Mälaren to meet the alliance leader unexpectedly, and gave a negative answer.
In this way, a larger fleet was formed, and the number of people on board actually exceeded a thousand!
The women of the shipbuilder family, along with almost all of the family’s property, were incorporated into the fleet. The craftsman who can build cargo ships publicly announced that his family would immigrate to Rus, and the female relatives were not careful about their words. They told many people in a ostentatious manner that after the family immigrated, they would be valued by the leader of Rus.
This is great. Some carpenters and potters, with their families and families, stopped waiting and decided to use their own skills to become Russians.
The construction of New Roseburg was in full swing. The key inspection of the two islands on the way back made Rurik determined to develop "Stone Island" and "Freshwater Island". To carry out construction, a large number of craftsmen were needed, and professional potters and carpenters really only needed a steady stream of immigrants to replenish them.
The spectacular fleet began its final voyage, with long ships guarding cargo ships transporting grain and miscellaneous immigrant ships. Otto wanted to let the new immigrants see enough of the heroic appearance of the Russian warriors, so that they would have confidence in the military strength of the Russians so that they could do better things in the future.
The final voyage changedIt has become a kind of torture, and people who have ignored their hometown for a long time have gone crazy. Especially for those young soldiers, reuniting with their families is the simplest idea for everyone. They have already planned it, and they have gained a lot of benefits from this trip. They will live without worries for a long time in the future, so that they can get their wife pregnant again without any worries. Life has become much easier than before, which greatly stimulates the motivation of young couples to raise children indiscriminately.
Eight hundred thousand pounds of wheat, isn’t that a very huge order of magnitude? The Russians are proficient in mathematical calculations with small orders of magnitude, such as "eight hundred thousand", which is an order of magnitude beyond the understanding of many people. In their view, since the chief family promised to slowly sell wheat at the usual price of one silver coin for ten pounds, it seemed that the entire tribe would never have to worry about wheat.
There was so much wheat that even a transport ship needed it. If it overturns, do you have to worry about it not being enough to eat?
The first batch of supplies arriving at Fort Ross caused a strong sensation throughout the tribe.
It was another cold morning. Some fishermen, who were taking advantage of the sea to catch another wave of fish before it froze, rushed into the fjord like crazy. When they landed, they frantically delivered the good news——Big The leader returns victoriously with an unprecedented fleet of ships!
No, there are crowds of people on the coast, and their golden hair looks like wheat fields. The beach was crowded with people, and everyone pointed at the sudden appearance of the fleet. Many people simply cried with joy.
Niya, the leader’s wife, was so excited that her face was filled with tears. The husband and son came back completely as heroes.
They are the real heroes, they really think about this tribe, and this winter, the Russians once again refreshed the concept of wealth.