Rise of Rurik

Longships were gathering one after another, and the owners of as many as a hundred longships responded to the king's order.

Rurik has some traditional longships as his private property, and he is naturally proud of his navy and warships. Due to the particularity of this operation, traditional longships became the main force.

Some families spend huge sums of money to order a new longboat and hire some idle people to serve as sailors. They often gather a dozen or more small teams to go fishing in distant places, and they also conduct armed expeditions. This is how they discovered Lu on their own. The source of the Jia River led to the birth of the first canal in the Kingdom of Rus.

Their spontaneous journey was to make a fortune. For this purpose, the fishermen turned into militiamen and assisted the king's army to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune. It was obviously very promising.

The navy naturally had to assist in this operation, and the fishermen who brought their own long boats became temporary navy sailors.

The two Aurora-class sailing cruisers, the Gray Squirrel and the Lord of the Salmon, became the main ships of the fleet. The two ships did not participate in the naval battle. In this operation, they were used as transport ships to carry a large amount of military supplies and logistics.

The first four ships of the planet-class sail destroyers, Mercury, Venus, Mona, and Mars, not only have to transport military supplies, but they also have to be more agile in combat.

Torsion slingshots, bull trebuchets, a large number of cast-iron projectiles, and a total of fifty thousand arrows of various types were lost.

The soldiers had to carry their own food, while the larger warships carried more grains of wheat.

The dry food stored by the army was enough for a thousand people to consume for half a year, so Rurik had to spend a lot of money for this. War is really a risky investment. The expeditionary force must try its best to achieve results. In this way, it can enjoy slightly more than half of the profits, which is worthy of the investment in ships, ordnance, armor and food.

Nowadays, the floating sea ice is melting at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the continuous good weather is obviously the help of God.

When the people began to be busy with spring plowing, the dock pier of Fort New Rose that had been damaged by wanderers began to be rebuilt. On the westernmost sandbar (Kinvasili Island), the soft sandy beach was densely populated with longships that were waiting to go out.

Although the grand ceremony has passed, here, with the golden light of the morning, a small farewell ceremony was held under the personal auspices of Rurik.

The soldiers in front of them were neatly dressed and put on all kinds of equipment to accept the king's review and instructions in their best appearance.

At this moment, regardless of their age, the soldiers were already in high spirits. Finally, what exciting words the king said were covered up by the rumbling in the ears brought by the gentle south wind.

The south wind is warm and happy, as happy as holding gold and silver in your hands.

Until they saw the king pull out his dagger, the blade reaching to the south.

The sacrificial deer was once again sacrificed to the gods, a small ceremony was held, and all the soldiers were ordered to board the ship.

Everything was smooth sailing. They stepped on the cold water near the sandbank and happily dragged the long boat into the deep water.

On average, there are thirty people per long ship, but more than a thousand people have one hundred ships. How wasteful is that? But seeing the first ship enter the deep water, the soldiers immediately stretched out the large oars characteristic of Ross. Thirty people shouted trumpets and steered the ship into deeper waters against the waves. The thick cable at the stern of the ship immediately lifted the long cargo-only boat. Boat towing, towing up to two boats into the deep sea. ….

One ship is for power, and the two ships are purely for cargo. Many longships were completely empty, and even their masts had been removed. They were equivalent to the "suitcases" of the first ship, and their function was only to transport the spoils of war.

Everyone was full of expectations for the prospect of war, so a large number of vacant longships drifted into the sea, and the brothers were full of confidence in making a fortune.

There are six large sail warships, one hundred long ships, and there are now 1,400 personnel of all kinds, and this is just the beginning.

"You... finally left. Ah! Only God knows when this Frankish civil war will end."

Rurik muttered to himself, the sun shining on his mail.

A large number of onlookers were reluctant to leave for a long time, and many fishing boats even continued to follow, wanting to see off the expedition soldiers on their last journey.

"Let's go!" The fleet gradually became as small as an ant. Only the main sail of the battleship was illuminated golden by the morning sun. "We should go back and rest for a while."

Rurik left with his entourage. He had no control over the affairs of the expeditionary force. The task assigned to him now was still to strengthen the construction of internal affairs and people's livelihood affairs.

Because this year’s spring plowing has begun across the entire Ross Kingdom.

On the other hand, the fleet leaving the capital had already planned a precise route. They would deliberately stop at some ports to replenish key supplies, and by the way, they would also convey news of the war to the local lords.

Commander Lan Hu, whose identity is the Earl of Gothenburg, has a goal of arriving in Gothenburg to recruit a thousand Jianyong from the local area to join the army.

He is the commander of the army. He is a "Marshal" in a practical sense at sea. If there is a land battle, he is a "Field Marshal".

The king has given full authorization. Even if new reinforcements are recruited along the way, those nobles must follow the orders of King Ross and recognize Blue Fox as the supreme commander of this battle.

In the past seven years, the man who was once as fat as a seal has lost weight and looks very strong, which is indeed the case.

He traveled far and wide, was not afraid of war, chatted and laughed with the Frankish nobles, and even had the most convincing achievement-making a fortune by organizing soldiers to rob.

It was a fact that Trier made a fortune after looting and burning. The entourage who followed him to the capital not only carried large amounts of cash to make purchases, but also boasted about his achievements and the achievements of the leader Blue Fox to everyone.

Once upon a time, this little fat man was nothing more than a shrewd businessman, but now he is middle-aged and has become an excellent war chief.

If Blue Fox had just led the army to stop in Gothenburg, then directly attack the Braun Maas River, and grab all the way to Aachen, things would have been easier to handle.

In fact, things are very complicated.

Blue Fox shoulders many tasks, especially the first battle of this trip, which is to use a large army to attack the port of Helsinki (Helsinki) in Finland.

The king ordered him to demonstrate the military power of the elite of the Rus Kingdom and shock the local Finnish Suomi people. The second step was to directly discuss with the ruler Jevlo about sending troops.

He was ordered to directly find the Count of Finland, and this Count was definitely not Javlo, but his eldest son, Kelha, who was probably eleven years old.

He came in person with the king's warrant, and the paper document clearly stated that the young Count of Finland needed to participate in military operations to prove that he was qualified to serve as a count in the future. ….

Accepting the order is actually proof of the surrender of Finland. Just like in the past, if there is a big war, Rurik will send Jevro to lead the guards into the decisive battle. After all, Jevro is getting old, and it is time to give young people a chance.

Besides, the Gould family to which Blue Fox originally belonged was Gevro's old club. He himself and the "mercenary brother" used to see each other every day without looking up.

The mighty army was guided by Finnish ships and headed straight for the port of Helminki. Finns who have been working in the Russian capital for half a year must first do some business in the port city, and then enter the inner lake area and return to their own villages.

Once upon a time, the core activity area of ​​Finland's Suomi tribe was Lake Nene, but now the center has moved to the port city of Herminki.

The Earl's family lives in this port city, and Finns are the main force in Russia's economic rise. As a country that has contributed a lot of labor, the working people continue to bring back wealth, and the port city has also developed in a decent way.

Suddenly, a huge fleet lined up in the port, each ship flying the Ross flag, and among them there were battleships that could not be ignored.

"Is Rurik planning a large-scale war? He must be calling me to send troops!"

Jevlo, who had grown a beard, was experienced and experienced. He completely guessed Rurik's intention, so he gathered his guards, and specially brought along his pampered and already well-fed wife and two thriving children. His sons Kelha and Satuli accompanied him. He estimated that Rurik was going to conquer Frank personally this time. As for who he would attack, he didn’t know yet. Looking at the formation, it might be the king who continued to conquer Frank himself.

When Gevro arrived at the dock, the landing of the Russian army had already begun.

The army was ordered to stay on the shore, but unexpectedly a kind of merchant came uninvited with a basket.

A large number of wealthy Russian soldiers suddenly disembarked. How could we let go of the opportunity to make money?

abandoned.

What does an expeditionary sergeant need? Food, spare weapons, spare cloth and leather, and even small wooden statues of gods and gem pendants serve as amulets.

Vendors sell only some dried meat, smoked squirrel meat, with the head chopped off and the internal organs cut clean. The dried meat is smoked until it is black and hard. Salt is not used because it is expensive. Although this kind of specialty air-dried meat has no salty taste. , it can also be regarded as a makeshift dry food.

The Ross warriors who were looking fresh naturally bought some. As for the missing arrows provided by the vendors, the warriors bought all the arrows without rejecting them.

Those were all "inferior arrows" made of bone arrow clusters, and the arrow feathers were entangled and glued together with the flight feathers of unknown birds. Naturally, its quality is not as good as the iron cluster arrows shipped in large quantities by Ross, but it is a good tool for hunting and can also be used for harassment operations. Why not buy it because of its low price.

The centurion organized his men to buy anything useful. The blue fox pinched his waist and was quite satisfied with this scene.

Finally, he keenly saw the familiar face of Jevlo. This guy came quickly with his family under the protection of guards.

"My old brother."

I saw Lan Hu, a strong man with a still big head, unbuttoning his cloak and opening his arms. He was facing Yevluo, who had some white silk in his hair and a slightly older face.

"Is it you! Blue Fox?! And... Little Red Fox?"

Yevluo trotted over in a hurry, smiling so much that his old friend Blue Fox gave him a hug. ….

He let go of his hand and faced the bustling scene at the dock with great joy: "Why didn't I receive the message? Why are you here? Where is the king? Did the king personally conquer such a large army?"

"Of course not. Brother, it is the king who brought you an order."

"Order?"

After saying that, Blue Fox took out the document from the bag hanging on his belt: "You can read it yourself. It's written in old characters, so you can understand it."

As a result, the document, a simple rune document, stated Rurik's request. Yevro's delighted face slowly turned serious, and then he grabbed the eldest son Kelha's neck and couldn't help but reveal a wry smile: "I didn't expect that the king would really I think highly of this boy. It’s really…” to follow you on the expedition to Frank.

He wanted to say that it was too dangerous, but he saw another boy standing next to the blue fox. It was Askard, the eldest son of Aric with double swords. This boy also participated in the war two years ago.

"It's risky, but also full of promise."

"Dad? I... going to fight?" The black-haired Kelha couldn't help but raise his head.

"How's it going? This is where King Ross asked you to go. Are you afraid?"

"Bah! I couldn't ask for more."

As he said that, the boy immediately winked at Askard: "It's not that I haven't participated in the war, or that the king didn't name him, I will sign up myself and go if I get the chance."

"Oh! That's good. That's good..." Jevro let out a long sigh of relief.

Regarding this matter, the boy's mother was very worried about an accident. After all, the battle was in an area far away beyond a woman's knowledge. Only God knew what would happen to her son. However, the king's document mentioned that "the Count of Finland led at least one hundred Finnish longbowmen to assist in the battle." Who is the Earl of Finland? The real Earl is Kelha, the eldest son. He must lead the army to the war.

So, after two days of sailing, the Russian army rushed to Helminki in the evening and rested here all night.

This move was actually Rurik's intention. He did not expect Yevro to send only a hundred men. With that guy's rather calm character, he would definitely send more troops to ensure the safety of his eldest son. Secondly, As in the past, a large number of Finnish longbowmen fought together with troops operating torque slingshots. This has been the custom of the Russian army for many years.

One hundred men is too few, but five hundred men would be too many. Jevlo must consider the consumption of military resources. After all, he has to take responsibility for the expeditionary military resources.

Two hundred elite Finnish longbowmen, each carrying one hundred arrows, Kelha, as the Count of Finland, officially led the Finnish army to join the Ross Expeditionary Force.

And this is still part of the expansion of the expeditionary force.

Today, the Gould family mansion on Tombstone Island is a public building, and its furniture has been evacuated, leaving the empty house for the garrison.

The islanders used it as a parliament chamber.

The large fleet arrived at Tombstone Island in a mighty manner, where the Blue Foxes immediately met Kawei, the "King of Blacksmiths" who had been waiting for a long time.

Tombstone Island, originally a T-junction of the ocean, becomes lively once the spring sailing begins.

Merchant ships from Lake Malaren learned that the Ross fleet was active on Tombstone Island, and the good news immediately spread back to the lake. Soon, Duke Bjorn of Malaren was seen personally leading twenty longships and as many as five hundred warriors. , happily rushing into Tombstone Island. What's the purpose of this guy here? The purpose of his visit was exactly the same as that of Kawei who arrived at Tombstone Island with a group of blacksmiths. ….

Everything stems from the strategic deployment made by the King during his tour of the north last autumn. Now is the time for all parties who made the promise to take practical action.

They drank and talked happily, after all, all parties could easily reach a consensus on the issue of joint expedition and plunder.

As for the disharmony, Bjorn also had to complain. It was said that other tribes were afraid of the expedition, but only Melalen felt that the opportunity was rare.

Hearing this slightly drunk guy embellishing his face, the blue fox followed suit.

It is impossible for Kawei to go in person. His eldest son Kuzneslav, a young man nicknamed Kuja, is bringing a group of northern craftsmen to join the expeditionary force in the name of maintaining and improving the heavy equipment work system. If necessary, These young men, whose arms are thicker than their legs, either carry tomahawks as infantry, or operate well-prepared heavy equipment to participate in battle.

And Bjorn's very simple purpose here is to prove to the residents of Lake Malaren that an abdicated Swedish king is not a coward!

At the same time, this move also proves to Rurik: I have no intention of questioning your power.

First, 200 longbowmen were added, then 100 northern craftsmen were added, and with the assistance of 500 soldiers from the Duke of Malaren, the army had now expanded to 2,200 people, and this was not over yet.

After a long voyage, the huge fleet arrived at Copenhagen, the new capital of the Kingdom of Denmark, along the coastline through the narrow Kalmar Strait and through the Silver Castle, which had been devastated by the war.

At the same time, King Ragnar of Denmark was making final preparations for his expedition.

Suddenly, a large number of ships flying the Ross flag appeared in the Oresund Strait, and then anchored in the wasteland south of Copenhagen. Some longships had begun to land.

Ragna was not nervous. The Russians were not hostile at all. Such a huge fleet must be docked in Copenhagen for supplies, and then launch a new attack.

"You? Who are you going to attack? Do you also have ideas about that Wessex?"

The delighted Ragnar was looking forward to the appearance of Rurik himself, and he wanted to express his gratitude to the young and loyal brother. Both of his sons came back, and even made a wheelchair for Yin Val, who had a weak leg. The other tribesmen all made a fortune in the hinterland of Rus. The returning remnants of the "Old Stonewall Tribe" did not return empty-handed. Ragnar also Before winter last year, I unexpectedly received an important supply.

He hurriedly organized his cronies to greet them. Naturally, the appearance of the mighty army had already attracted the attention of Danish ships fishing in the rich fishing grounds, and the contact with each other had already begun at sea. .

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