The gray sea is as rough as mountains, and Aphrola's sails are full of wind, soaring between the waves with the help of the cold wind from the Arctic.
Although he had already had psychological expectations, Rurik never expected that just three days after leaving the Narvik Fjord, the weather changed drastically and the wind increased sharply!
An Arctic cold current is moving south, and the autumn rainy season in Europe has arrived.
Gradually, it started to rain. Although there is no need to worry about ice, snow or freezing rain, the Aurora is enduring the wind and cold on the gray sea. The people on the ship still have to endure the cold when the big waves make them vomit.
Only a few sailors were on duty on the deck. They had to monitor the sails to prevent strong winds from blowing off the main sail. In order to prevent them from falling into the sea, they also had cables tied around their waists.
Rurik and Noren were wrapped in a leather blanket to comfort their woman's almost collapsed heart.
"Rurik...will our ship..."
"Capsize? How is it possible. This ship is indestructible."
"This Is it true?" Nolen hoped that capsizing was really impossible, but the huge waves and bad sea conditions were beyond her imagination.
"Of course it is true. What does this mean? We have encountered crazier ones."
Rurik is lying. This is the nature of the Avrola. The most dangerous situation I have encountered since entering the water.
Thanks to the strong winds and waves, she ran wildly on the sea at a speed of up to 25 knots for almost a whole day, risking her sails to blow off and her mast to break.
For a long ship, such sea conditions will cause it to capsize and sink quickly.
Facts have proved that the storm resistance ability of the imitation Caravel sailboat has reached a very high level. When it is upgraded to a Galen ship with a full load and displacement of 2,000 tons, as long as it is not forced to break through Typhoons and other storms can hardly do anything to her.
In just one day, the Avora made a three-day voyage.
The waves finally calmed down a little, and the rain outside stopped.
Rurik finally stood on the deck again, looking at the still gray sea around him, and a sense of confusion arose spontaneously.
There is a kind of fear called looking across the vast expanse, the ship is still heaving up and down. When he subconsciously looked up, he was so shocked that his heart almost stopped.
He screamed: "What's going on? Our mainsail is damaged? Boatswain!"
After a while, the sailors boarded Class A one after another. Based on the current danger, Rurik was really worried about the situation.
"Repair it quickly and sew the sail."
The boatswain frowned: "Sir, part of the sail was blown away by the strong wind. The situation is not too bad. Let's wait for the wind and waves to subside. It’s not too late to repair it.”
Indeed, with the current condition of the sail, there is still no problem in sailing with the wind.
But wait a minute, if the Avrora breaks into the Oresund controlled by the Danes in this manner, it is looking for death..
"Repair it as soon as possible! You can go up as soon as the wind and waves calm down. Let me check the condition of the mainmast again."
The boatswain added: "Sir, the materials we repaired... ..."
"Use the linen cloth in the cabin to cover the cargo, or if it doesn't work, use leather blankets to make up for it."
The cold front quickly rushed into the interior of Europe, and the cold high pressure brought a series of shocks. rainfall.
It is raining in the entire Baltic world, including the Russian-controlled Ellenborg, and in the Eastern European world, the continuous rain has caused quagmire everywhere, while the Alps and Carpathians are directly falling. Snow.
Rurik had no idea that although he could see the eastern coastline in the gray world, it was difficult to determine his position. The jib sail quickly passed the wall-like outlying islands off the Bergen Fjord. He didn't encounter any fighting at sea, and he didn't even see other ships.
After seven days of lonely sailing, the sun finally appeared and the world changed colors.
People crowded into Class A to bask in the long-lost sunshine. Their wet clothes were hung out to dry, and sailors began to climb the mast with tools and materials. When a man climbed to the top of the mast and looked around, the horrifying sight forced him to descend quickly.
The sailor hurried to the captain's lounge and reported to Rurik, who was resting and refreshed.
"What? Could it be that there is something wrong with the mast?" Rurik suddenly woke up, his heart beating wildly.
"No! Sir." The sailor also widened his eyes, and then whispered with a trembling face: "I think we have entered the strait with the help of strong winds in the past few days."
"Strait? What strait?"
"That's the strait! I think Oslo is ahead."
"Ah! So fast?" Rurik stood up suddenly , and then ran to the deck.
I opened my eyes wide and could not see anything for the time being. After he waited for a while, the sun slightly dispersed the mist on the sea. Everyone on the deck saw that Avro was already sailing against the eastern sun. Lahao, she has a long coastline to the north, and the same is true to the south!
Rurik hurriedly restrained his excitement. He clapped his hands to signal everyone's attention. By coincidence, almost everyone on the ship was working overtime to get some fresh air.
"Attention now! Sailors repair the ship immediately! Soldiers organize and check weapons! We are about to pass through the huge strait and are about to pass Oslo! We may be intercepted by the Danes and prepare to fight!"
"Ho ho!" people roared.
Now there is no distinction between Russians and Balmoks. We are all brothers on the same ship. Next, the Avora bravely enters a new battlefield.
As for the place name Rurik shouted Oslo, the Balmoks know it better than the Russians. Those people have very close ties with Bergen, and in principle everyone belongs to the concept of Norway, not Denmark. Dan ShuangThe Balmok mercenaries who had almost no contact with Fang and became Rurik's new subordinates naturally did not want to have any unpleasantness with any Oslo people. Coincidentally, Rurik also meant this.
The current population of Oslo is only 3,000 people, and the core of Norway is still Bergen.
Rurik knew that if he continued to move forward, he would not encounter any risks for a period of time, and even the probability of encountering a Danish fishing boat was low.
The storm has just ended, and the ship in the shelter has not yet come out. The width of this strait is very amazing. Even if an enemy ship is discovered, in order to avoid complications, unless it is impossible to escape, the larger ship will fight with it.
But through the narrow Oresund Strait, it is a narrow road and the brave wins.
Rurik expected a naval battle, and as a force, Hafgen, the leader of the Danish alliance, was not a fool!
More than ten days ago, Danish merchant ships returning from Bergen were reporting news of a large triangular sail ship. The ship took the large fleet straight to the north, or to Narvik.
Hafgen had heard about the Balmoks of Narvik. He was not interested in the fierce people of the Far North, but he had ideas about invading the Frankish Kingdom to make money, especially in the current situation. The nephew of the expelled former leader Harald Clark became a nominal earl in Flanders. This man set up a trading stronghold and successfully attracted some Danish brothers.
The Svealans in the north are a big threat, but the threats from the guys in the south are also increasing day by day.
The triangular sailing demon ship suddenly became a new problem. After learning the information, Hafgen summoned the lords who could quickly rush to the core of his rule to share this heart-wrenching incident.
Of course, all the lords are denouncing the viciousness of the Nasvealan ships. When it comes to sending troops to intercept, the lords are all evasive.
"Are you cowards? Are you afraid? If we work together, can we still let the ship escape? They must pass through our strait, and now we are preparing for victory."
Ha Fuggen was full of confidence, but the tragic loss of the fisherman on Burgundy Island proved one thing, fighting that big ship would mean death!
Sigurd, the lord of the south, knew that it was impossible to openly oppose him, and his son Ragnar, who hacked to death the old leader of the Svealans, became a great hero throughout Denmark. .
If I give in, I will bring shame on the family honor, and my son Ragnar is too bellicose.
It is a sign of a hero for young people to be warlike, but Sigurd is an old man. He needs to consider many things. He can be said to be stubborn or wise.
Sigurd made a clear statement, "There are large and small straits in our area, and all straits lead to Haizebi Market. Do we have to send troops to garrison in the straits of your Lobad people? Haha Hafgen, that’s your territory, it’s not appropriate for us to go there.”
Hafgen thought about it and thought that was the case. He owned the largest and safest Channel waterway and made a fortune from tolls. ifLetting other lords' military forces intervene would lead to endless troubles. Once he does this, the opponents in the Robard tribe will definitely stand up and attack him in groups.
Sigurd took advantage of the situation and pointed out a proposal that everyone accepted, that is, dividing the troops for garrison.
"Brothers guard their own straits to prevent the big ship from escaping secretly."
People support this, and Hafgen can only support it. He is the leader of the alliance, not the king. If the lords object on a large scale, Hafgen will not be able to use force to make them surrender.
Actually, Hafgen is just talking nonsense, and many lords just don’t want to get involved in this unfortunate thing. It was the ships of the Bornholm and Robards that were destroyed by the enemy, while the other lords suffered no losses.
Which fool wants to block Hafgen’s gun? This guy won't compensate me.
In fact, the lords were happy to see Hafgen and his men suffer losses, so that other lords could gain more profits. It would be best if the Robards suffered huge losses, so that the brothers could negotiate with Hafgen in the future to cancel all tolls on the Oresund Strait.
Lords like Sigurd hoped that the big ships from the north would beat Hafgen's fleet again.
The brothers also tacitly understood that if a large ship passed through their waters, let it pass. They could not suffer losses for the sake of this plague god.
"If I were the enemy, which waterway would I take? Do I really want to look for unknown waterways instead of taking the smoothest one?" Hafgen thought for a while and finally realized those They were irritating about the lord's true intentions, but on the surface, Hafgen knew that he could not take any drastic action, not even insulting and refuting them.
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Hafgen had a premonition that as time went on, he felt that a fateful battle was about to break out.
The Robard tribe lives in the northernmost part of the Jutland Peninsula. The free movement of that big ship puts the warriors of all tribes to shame.
My brother-in-law died in the failed interception, and nearly two hundred brothers were buried in the sea.
Not three days before the news of the reappearance of the big ship reached Denmark, a storm came. Heavy wind and rain could not stop Hafgen's interception plan. This time, he decided to use the pride of his power-the giant longship Red Dragon!
The storm had just ended, and Hafgen’s most trusted generals gathered in his “palace”.
He surprised everyone by issuing a special blockade order.
No one raised objections, but everyone had a lot of very real concerns.
Regarding their concerns, or rather everyone’s concerns, Hafgen thought he had come up with an excellent tactic.
"I want you to gather all those who are good at archery and collect all the bows and arrows. I want you to send your strongest oarsmen and bring your best longships into the strait to prepare for war.
I will dispatch the Red Dragon and find that the big ship takes the initiative to dispatchhit. I will prepare a batch of ropes with hooks. When the Red Dragon forces the big ship to stop, the warrior will throw out the hooks, climb up and kill the people on the enemy ship.
In order for the operation to be successful, we must send a large number of ships to force the big ship to stop. Even if the enemy can sink a little, just like an arrow can penetrate one layer of leather, it is unable to penetrate three or four layers. We have lost some ships and can definitely force the ship to stop. Then a large number of our ships surrounded it, and victory was ours.
We capture it and study its construction methods. In the future, we Robard people will be able to build such powerful ships in large quantities. ”
I have to say that Hafgen is an extremely intelligent person. Capturing, studying, and imitating a dragon is really a dream.
In essence, his plan It was exactly the same as the brother-in-law who was seriously injured and died.
My brother-in-law must have been defeated because he sent too few troops. If the ship was attacked by a "swarm of insects", would it be able to escape?
How confident is it? , and this blockade interception of the Red Dragon is a rare initiative. Even if the brothers still have a chance to wait for a while in the blockade, it will allow the passing merchant ships to see the charm of the Red Dragon.
It is common for combat-type long ships in the sea to have fifteen people on each side of the ship. Because the keel of the ship is usually a whole piece of oak, the length of a single oak directly determines the length of the ship. If possible, the long ship must be built larger. However, its length is always limited to less than twenty meters
The Red Dragon is an accident.
Of course people in Denmark use spliced keel technology, but it is just due to technology. The reason is that such a ship is considered to be relatively fragile. In rough sea conditions, the joints of the keel are very likely to break.
The Red Dragon has always faced this problem. What is very crazy is that it is actually made of three oak logs. The keel is not that the ship with the spliced keel is fragile, but the open boat Red Dragon uses too primitive technology.
The bow of the Avora is also spliced on the keel. Huge ship ribs, staggered plates, and even decks made of mortise and tenon structures. Under the guidance of mathematics and mechanics given by Rurik, the shipbuilding family Hotla family, the mechanical structure of Avrola is already very stable. The large ships that have recently been launched and are still under construction still adhere to this stable mechanical structure, which makes them capable of weathering wind and waves.
Longer ships are never better!
The name of the Red Dragon not only comes from the ferocious snake head painted red with cinnabar on the bow of the ship, but also from the overall slender body proportions, like a sea snake, and has even been described by good people as imitating an earthly python. This is a large ship.
This ship is enough for seventy-five people to row on each side of the ship, and there is space in the center of the ship for at least fifty people to stand and shoot arrows.
The Red Dragon, like the sea demon king hiding in Jutland, slowly left its home port amid the cheers of the Robard people.
A sword was unsheathed. ! It must see blood when it is unsheathed.
Hafgen Station.On the bow of his Red Dragon, holding the ferocious dragon's head, he rushed toward the Oresund Strait with great momentum.
His proud and heroic appearance appeared in the strait, especially at the narrowest point, which is only four kilometers.
He saw a large number of sails stitched and printed with the totem emblem of the tribe floating on the sea, and at least twenty longships were wandering here as far as he could see.
Are there only twenty ships? No! There are also a group of long ships interested in a wider area, and a group of ships are moored on the shore and are on standby.
The two sandbars and islands in the strait have also been staffed with eyeliners to keep an eye on the sea surface at all times.
Hafgen's men set up a "drag net". In order to intercept and capture the Aurora, he mobilized as many as two thousand athletes from his tribe to directly fight. All the lords of the Danish Alliance, in name only Also helping in the fight.
The fear that the Aurora brought to the Danes prompted them to get rid of it quickly.
Rurik had clear psychological expectations for all this. The big ship had repaired its sails and had successfully passed the northernmost part of the Jutland Peninsula. She was traveling through the geographical Kattegat Strait. Off the coast of Scandinavia. She has essentially sailed within the waters actually controlled by the Danish Robard tribe.
The front is becoming more and more dangerous. It is extremely easy to run aground when sailing at night, and you must face battles when sailing during the day.
Under the choice, Rurik decided to drop the anchor before crossing the Oresund Strait.
Although in theory he does not have to go straight to the Oresund Strait, he can enter the Baltic Sea through the Belt Straits in the south where the defense is equivalent to the "theoretical existence".
But, which Viking hero will escape his fateful battle?
Rurik knew quite well that even if he could not bring a prosperous life to his people, as long as he could show his great martial arts and win battle honors, his brothers would still support this warrior king. Because everyone needs their own heroes.
Even if Rurik knew that there was a safe waterway for navigation, he would still choose this waterway that was full of dangers and was as malicious and insulting as excreting on the head of the Danish leader. It is very realistic that Rurik does not know the exact location of the Great and Small Belt Straits. Rather than risk finding a way out, it is better to approach the Oresund Strait in front of him.
The soldiers on the ship are fully aware of the risks ahead. Rurik no longer needs to make any impassioned speeches. The brothers must face a big battle. Before the battle, everyone has a full meal of wheat cakes and drinks some ale. Take courage.
At dawn tomorrow, the heavily armed brothers rushed over, trying to catch the north wind and pass through the entire strait in one go, heading towards the wide and relatively calm Baltic Sea.