The gentle south wind swept across the entire Gulf of Bothnia, and a large ship raised her unique triangular sail.
Look at this sail. Its maximum length exceeds twenty stikas, which is nearly twenty meters. The transverse girder installed at an angle does have such a length. Even if it is inclined, the maximum height of the ship is much higher than the mast.
Compared with the size of the ship, her sails are the most eye-catching. From a distance, the sail is overall gray, but from a closer look, you can see that it is made up of many small sails stitched together. There are also two very obvious staggered stripes at the center of the sail, proving her identity.
The south wind blows this huge sail that is tilted to the central axis of the ship. It forms a rather perfect wing shape, allowing the big ship to easily make a zigzag and reverse course when facing the wind.
She is Aurora, the flagship of the Ross tribe fleet. Only her stocky and strong figure can undoubtedly fulfill this responsibility.
It is already April, and after the grand sacrificial activities have ended, more than a thousand fleets of large and small ships, carrying as many as 3,000 people and even an astonishing weight and a wide variety of goods, are heading towards respective goals.
A small fleet headed for Ironburg in the north with the purpose of obtaining ore.
A large fleet, carrying Sorgon's team and a group of cargo ships, rushed to Novorosberg and Novgorod in the east.
Here, the largest fleet, all the ships, led by the huge triangular sail of the Aurora, headed straight for Lake Mälaren along the coastline.
As usual, Otto stood at the bow of the ship.
This time he didn't have to hug the relief on the bow of the ship, because he couldn't hold anything at all.
Aphrola has a special foremast, which is a wooden pole tilted and pointed straight ahead. Now it is equipped with a number of wooden pulleys and ropes, and the ropes are pulled diagonally from the mast. Tie it tight here. So if you count the cable-stayed ropes of the mast, it can be said that the entire ship revolves around the keel and mast, forming a mechanically entangled stable structure. With the most critical material of hard oak, the entire ship, if not indestructible, is at least There is also no need to worry about seawater erosion for many years.
Otto simply held on to the wooden railing on the side of the ship. He sometimes paid attention to the torsion slingshot covered with linen soaked in seal oil. His main focus was actually looking at the hazy coast in the distance and the front. of sea areas.
He must remain vigilant, even immersing himself in the sea breeze and acting as a pilot, because behind him is a huge fleet of thousands of ships.
He is enjoying a new sailing experience. For example, he can stand at a very high position and see a lot of water splashing through the bow of the ship. The keel of the bow protruded part of the way forward, as if it were arching up the sea water and pushing it to both sides. Why is this ship designed the way it is? Otto didn't think much about it.
Because the Aurora does have a bulbous bow, I am afraid that the entire wave also has a bulbous bow.Among the ships cruising in the Luo Sea, it is the only one with a bulbous bow.
It is a piece of oak that has been finely polished and protruding forward. It is a special presence of mortise and tenon on the keel, which means that it itself can be removed.
But the existence of this bulbous bow not only reduces the interference of wave-making resistance to the ship's navigation, but its front end is riveted with some crudely made chromium iron bars that have a certain anti-corrosion ability. . The bulbous head became even harder, which was what Rurik wanted.
Rurik knew one thing about the development of the navy, that is, even if the world entered the existence of ironclad ships, since the artillery shells and artillery technology at that time could not keep up with the ship armor technology, if one expected shelling to quickly sink enemy ships, then It's quite unrealistic. Under this situation, reviving the collision tactics of the Roman era has an extremely realistic and necessary role. They have realized the importance of the bulbous bow, so they can strengthen the hardness of the bulbous bow, so that the ramming tactics have the powerful ability to break the enemy ship in the middle without causing any damage to themselves.
Rurik's philosophy is actually the same. It is unrealistic to expect the six torsion slingshots on the ship to quickly sink the enemy ship. It is better to ram it directly.
He has this confidence. Even if the Aurora is not designed with human oars, its giant triangular sail has the ability to use any wind direction, and its speed is still astonishing. The big ship can rely on its own iron head to knock down the enemy.
However, the wave-making resistance was greatly reduced, and because of her stocky body, Otto standing on the bow saw the ship moving forward at high speed, and the bumpy feeling was actually extremely weak.
The big ship can hit the wind at six knots, even with her belly full of cargo!
A large amount of leather was bundled, soap was packed into boxes made of pine wood, and a large number of weapons to be sold directly to the leader were stuffed into the cabin.
The Avora did not reach her full displacement, but even so, her displacement was over one hundred tons. Now everyone has to face a gratifying reality. Only this ship can really be used as a cargo ship. Not only is it better than three cargo ships, but its speed is also faster than the cargo ship.
The happiest person is probably the big businessman Gould. He never thought that the Avora was so powerful. I think the future Guldot should be even stronger.
The Avora truly deserves to be called a flagship. Her speed actually surpasses all the ships in the fleet, even if she is the heaviest. This forced her to frequently slow down by slackening her sails to accommodate the entire fleet.
On the first night, the fleet docked near the shore, and huge bonfires were lit on the deserted beach.
Only those cargo ships and the largest ship, the Aurora, were floating offshore with their rivets thrown off.
The entire huge fleet basically set sail at the same time. They formed a huge team. After leaving the fjord and entering the sea, they gradually formed a team six nautical miles long.
The Aurora led the entire fleet and drifted at sea for at least fourteen hours.
At the current time point, the sunshine time enjoyed by ancient Sweden has climbed to fifteen hours. Adding in the time of dawn and evening atmosphere scattering sunlight, it enjoys up to sixteen hours of light, and this time Still increasing rapidly. Until June 28 of the Julian calendar, there was not even a second of darkness in Roseburg on that day.
In these fourteen hours, all ships sailed against the wind at an average speed of four knots.
Of course, when the wind is favorable, a traditional longboat can rely on a rowing assistant to directly reach a high speed of ten knots, but unfortunately this usually does not last long. The Avora is completely against the wind and still has amazing speed. Only the leader is worthy of this magical ship. Those ordinary people operating their own ships could not catch up with the leader's flagship despite all their efforts, and their dignity and inferiority were also reflected here.
If ships continue to move forward bravely at night, some ships will rush to the mouth of Lake Mälaren in only three days.
It is a pity that this mixed fleet contains a large number of merchant ships. What the merchants want is smooth sailing on the sea, and they will never risk their own property. This forces Otto to sail even if he has a high speed. The big ship was also able to move at an unprecedentedly slow speed, and it took five days to finally enter Lake Mälaren, which is composed of pure fresh water.
A strange large ship flashed its magical sail, leading an astonishing number of ships into the big lake, like a powerful crusade army.
The first people to discover them were the fishermen of Melalen and even some Ross fishermen from Tombstone Island.
When approaching the Åland Islands, the fleet split. Those Sorgon fleets that were going to the east, under the leadership of Arik, would first visit Tombstone in the name of their leader Otto. Island, stay here for correction and continue eastward.
The Melalen warriors stationed at the mouth of the Great Lakes saw an unprecedented fleet of ships, and their eyes were all fixed on the largest ship.
They couldn't help but begin to speculate on who was the owner of the ship.
Speculations are probably redundant, because the fleet comes from the northern seas, and this year coincides with the visit of Chief Ross to Mälaren for more than ten years. This historic meeting made those young Mälaren Warrior Laren, for the first time in his life, glimpsed the face of the elite force of the Rus people.
Just as Rurik and Otto both hoped, the huge sail of the Avlora and the staggered blue stripes on the huge sail earned enough face for the Russians, and they were shocked. The people of Maclaren were witnessed to be at a loss for words.
Otto, who was still like a statue on the bow of the ship, put his big hands gently against his eyes and asked about Rurik and Carlotta who were standing beside him.
"You two are familiar with this place. After passing those damn island groups, we finally arrived at Lake Malaren?"
Rurik was quite surprised; "Dad, Haven’t you been here? Have you forgotten?”
“Haha! That was all ten years ago, and I had already forgotten that you didn’t exist ten years ago.exist. Too many things have really happened in these years..." Otto
I don't want to continue to recall it, because more than ten years ago, his second son had not died in an accident, and his biological brother was still alive, and his nephew Ali He was Rurik's age.
Otto saw a large number of boats floating on the vast lake. If he looked carefully, he could tell that they were all fishing boats.
"Wuhu! Are they still good at catching fish? "
"Them? Rurik deliberately sneered: "How can they catch fish as well as we do?" ”
“Hey, compared to us, at least they face a calm lake and never have to worry about wind and waves when fishing. "
"Yes, but the fish they caught had a lot of fish bones. ”
Otto shrugged. He knew that this was true. After all, herrings would only break into freshwater areas when they went crazy. Moreover, he learned that not many people from Melalen entered the sea to fish. In recent years, due to the tense war, the Melalen people have become more conservative.
Rurik does have criticisms of the Melalen tribe, mainly because of the powerful leader of the tribe, Olegin. There are clearly visible cracks within the tribe, and their society is quietly torn apart. Unlike the Russians, although the tribe has begun to prosper in a "wide net" style of settlement, the tribe has had a tendency to split. Rurik can say that it is his own series of operations that are gradually improving the cohesion of the tribe by strengthening the power of the leader.
If the Ross tribe is a rising sun, then the Melalen tribe is. The sun is probably setting.
There are indeed a large number of fishing boats cruising on the lake. Due to the pressure of survival, most of the residents have taken up their profession as fishermen. They have actually sown spring oats. Seeds, this batch of seeds is the food they have cherished all winter, and they would rather starve than eat it.
The rations of ordinary tribal people are about to reach the bottom. Everything stems from last year's severe harvest failure and... Exploited by the leader, they must rely entirely on fishing for the next four months.
If they were once worried about being attacked by Gotland fishermen when they entered the sea, Pian'an and the Great Lakes actively did so. Farmers. Now, under the control of hunger, once the fishing harvest in the Great Lakes is no longer good, they will rush into the sea and compete with the Gotlanders and even the Rus on Tombstone Island for fish resources, even if they use force.
There are no signs of extreme situations happening yet. The lives of ordinary Melalen people and other tribes living around the lake can only be said to be poorer than before.
The huge ship. The team actually began to separate after entering Lake Mälaren.
The Uppsala merchants headed for a river leading to the northern waters and returned to their home port. The Lun merchants went directly south to find the pebbly river bottom and entered their Lake Yermalen. Oh, they would first encounter the Gran people who built their new home on the banks of the Stone River.
The main merchant ships come from the Melalen tribe, and this is the only tribe.There are a large number of wealthy and powerful businessmen. These people are actually the owners of the market, and of course the Gould family is one of them.
The Gould family is still considered by people in the business circle to be not only representatives of the Ross tribe, but also closely related to the Unkras tribe from which it originated. Look, not only are the few Onclas merchants still following Gould, but their merchant ships are even allowed to carry out supply repairs on Gould Island.
On this trip, the Gould family was authorized by Chief Ross and was directly supervised. Rurik really does not need other Russian merchants to sail for many days to Melalen to do business. Originally, their business was just to exchange some furs and exchange them for some daily necessities. This year's situation is very special, because Roseburg has quickly formed an introverted market. The work of various craftsmen has enabled the production and sale of major daily necessities, so there is no need for individuals to take risks.
The Gould family and the chief family are an all-round strategic alliance, so the fleet has an absolutely official nature.
This year's situation is indeed special, because the great leader of the Rus people not only entered the Melalen people, but also visited Gould Island, which was built into a wooden fortress on the lake.
In a sense, Gould Island is the enclave of the Ross tribe in the area controlled by the Melalen people. Here, everything is decided by the Ross people. The big leader comes here, and the island The residents all cheered and wanted to see the majesty of the leader!
However, the giant ship arrived, and the overall height of the Aurora's hull and masts was higher than the wall. The garrison mercenaries standing on the wooden wall accepted this reality in a thrilling manner.
The port slot that could originally accommodate two cargo ships can now barely accommodate one large ship.
Otto, Rurik, and everyone on the boat, with great excitement, stamped their feet and cheered, watching the ship slowly enter the slot and hit the shore with the bulbous bow. There was a muffled sound and violent vibration caused by the mud, and the big ship stopped.
"Completely reef the sails! Start the winch." The sailors raised by the Gould family immediately took action under the orders of the boatswain.
The huge sail was gathered by the rope mechanism, and finally wrapped around the inclined beam. In the end, the beam also changed from tilting to standing. So at first glance, the Avora only had A mast soars into the sky but no sail.
The cables held the ship firmly in place. At this moment, other cargo ships were also docking at the port.
The once deserted Gould Island has now restored its liveliness. No, all the sailors, even Rurik's mercenaries and soldiers carefully selected by Otto, have all turned into The porters began the intense and important work of unloading.
Coming to Mälaren again and setting foot on the road controlled by the Russians for the first time, Otto felt a sense of dreaminess as he looked at the wooden walls and towers erected on the island.
He hesitated a little, but Rurik took his father’s rough hand decisively: “Dad, let’s go, you canEnjoying everything there is to enjoy in Roseburg? "
"Huh? real? "Otto became interested, and his beard also trembled.
Gould quickly complimented: "What Lord Rurik said is right. My island has been transformed. I think the big boss will be satisfied. "
"Really? "After walking away from the trestle, Otto deliberately stopped: "I want strong wine, I want barbecue, I want a comfortable bath, I want..."
Gould kept up his efforts: "Big Chief. , when the wooden door opens, all your requirements will be realized. If you want, I can even find a beautiful woman to satisfy you. ”
When Gould said this, Rurik suddenly frowned, and his expression shocked Gould to realize that what he said was inappropriate.
Au Tuo didn't notice this. He was actually itching in his heart because reason firmly occupied his mind: "Haha, you are quite thoughtful. If I wanted to, I could enjoy the service of a hundred young women in Novgorod, but I don't. I'm old and this doesn't mean much to me, so let's get down to business. "
"Ah! yes! "Gould took a deep breath and hurriedly put on a businessman's professional smile: "I am willing to serve you. ”
Otto waved his hand: “Let me remind you first. I will send a messenger to see Olegin soon. You are familiar with Melalen, so you can do this well.” "
"Yes. But, the big boss. Olegin has a secret agreement with us Russians, maybe you can just go directly. "
" Ridiculous! Otto glanced at Gould, "I didn't think he was a hero ten years ago, and I still don't think he is a hero now." We expedition, we expanded, we killed the enemies of Gotland, while they, the Mellarens, huddled in the lake like cowards. Maybe, it's him who should see me in person, rather than me going to see him right away! "
As expected, both the Ross leader and his son had criticisms of the Melalen people, and they were both full of fighting spirit, arrogance and ambition. Gould regretted his talk and compensated: "I will do this well. thing. ”
“It’s good to know. Go ahead and let your men open the wooden door. ”