Rise of Rurik - Chapter 636

[Chapter 637 Meeting Friends in Fort Fiske]

The chosen men were full of enthusiasm, and they returned home one after another, hurrying to prepare supplies for future expeditions.

Almost all able-bodied men in the small fishing village of Old Bringoethe joined the army, and they received strong support from the women, even if the men left one after another, it would make fishing operations more difficult in the future.

It was firmly believed that such a risk was worth it, because Hellafeld, the youngest son of Bryngothe the Elder, had proved himself a good fighter, and the final commander of the army was Rurik of the invincible Rus.

Far from worrying about war, they used it as an opportunity to get rich overnight.

In the old Bryngoethe’s house, the family practiced for this young man who was highly valued by Rurik, Duke of Ross.

The slightly dilapidated longhouse was brightly lit, and the old mother looked at her youngest son with a smile.

Old Bringoethe looked solemnly, and he handed his sword to his son.

“Boy, for the glory of our family, you go to fight. Bjorn is in the west and you are in the east. Both of you can make achievements in different fields. I will give you this sword.”

“Father…” Hailafeld knew the weight of this sword, even though it was just a seemingly ordinary iron sword.

“You let the whole family gain face in front of the Ross people. It’s just a pity that according to the tradition, you have to build meritorious deeds yourself, but this is also a good thing for you. Hold this sword and don’t think about anything else.”

Hailafeid knew that he had no right to inherit the sword, so he couldn’t help but glance at his elder brother, only to find that his elder brother hooked his head and said nothing.

Presumably the eldest brother is also dissatisfied…

He took the sword with one heart. To a large extent, he inherited the glory of the family, but unfortunately the right to inherit the property still belonged to the elder brother.

This is a tradition, and this is the consensus of everyone.

According to legend, since the creation of the giants, the human community has been that the eldest son inherits everything, and the rest of the children go out to their own businesses.

Therefore, Hailafeid was never angry with his elder brother, a coward who can take everything. Now that he has got the sword, his father has broken the rules, so he should leave forever, and he is actually seeking benevolence.

He drew the sword out of its scabbard a little, stared at it and closed it again.

“Father, I will lead my brothers to victory without casualties.” His face was full of determination.

Old Bryn Goethe said nothing more, “You must prove your strength to the Ross people, even if you die in battle. If you can be stronger than the real Ross people, it will be our luck.”

With the thighs of the Ross people, the Balmerks who stayed in their hometown will be able to prosper.

How to make the Ross people look at them completely as one of their own with admiration, then they must do better than the Ross people.

It is necessary to try our best to make the fanaticism of the converts get the real acceptance of the other party, Bryn Goethe has realized this.

It was as if Hailafeld had received a gift from his father, and the young men who set out for the expedition also picked up their best spears and shields.

They spend the night painting patterns on their shields or simply inscribing inspirational words in runic letters.

They actively prepared dry food along the way. Even though they learned that going to Ross would save a lot of energy due to sledging all the way, they tried their best to stock up on dried salted herring, a local specialty.

Herring already has high calories. When it is salted and dehydrated, a pound of fish has surpassed the same amount of wheat. Unlike wheat, these dried fish can be eaten directly.

The theory is so, but the human body is the first to consume starchy sugars. Fish jerky is a reasonable emergency food, but once a person has tasted wheat flour products such as bread, even the Balmerks will immediately fall into the embrace of bread.

No, they have already noticed the bread bread carried by the mercenaries under Rurik, the Duke of Ross, especially the old mercenaries from Balmerk. Distribute the bread to the brothers.

After all, these old mercenaries have become “team leaders”, and each of them is responsible for the nine people under him.

Sharing noodles and sharing delicious food is also a means to win over brothers. As for another function of noodles, it is to arouse everyone’s greediness.

The promise of the Duke of Ross should be fulfilled!

Fighting for the Duke can still eat free military rations, and there is bread and bread every day?

This kind of good thing is something that the old leader Magnut will not promise.

On the appointed day, the soldiers for the expedition gathered in Narvik, the core settlement of the harbor.

When the sky was just turning blue, soldiers landed with weapons, shields and large burlap bags on their backs.

Rurik woke up early today, when the golden light of the rising sun crossed the snowy hills of the central mountain range and sprinkled the entire fjord, all he saw from a high place were warriors with reflective metal helmets on their heads, which should have been rusty spearheads The harpoon and harpoon were clearly polished and shiny, and a large army stood in front of him, and there was a strong morale rushing towards him.

After a while, Hailafeld, who had changed into a new outfit, hurried over to meet his master: “My lord, the brothers are all here, we can start now.”

“Well, even I’m not ready, but you are.”

Now that they were ready to go, Rurik had no intention of dawdling.

He stood on a snowdrift to meet everyone, and he stood there quietly waiting for the noise to subside completely.

People’s eyes fixed on the hero.

“My brothers,” Rurik shouted, raising his arms, “forgive my haste, now we must get on the sleigh and reach Roseburg before the ice thaws. What awaits us all is an expedition to the far east , is a great feat that you can proudly tell your grandchildren. Let’s go now, pack your bags and get on the sleigh!”

They howled, forming a Viking war cry, which shook some snow off, but did not scare the deer into jumping.

The herd of deer pulling sleds has long been accustomed to the chaos of human beings. During this short period of time, they were driven by the Lapp stewards in charge of grazing to eat the local pastures. Also a delicacy.

The deer ate a lot of hay and added some oats, and their strength has recovered.

It was the act of feeding oats that shocked the locals. The Balmerks who stayed behind did not understand how rich the Ross people were, so rich that they used wheat to feed deer.

Thousands of ordinary people gathered in the settlement of Narvik to cheer as men with arms mounted one sledge after another.

They chanted the slogan of blessing, and they were thinking about the future in their hearts.

Perhaps the fleet of the old leader Magnut is already sailing back to his hometown while taking advantage of the beginning of the warm season?

[To tell the truth, I have been using the source-changing app recently to read and update books, switch between sources, and read aloud with many timbres. www.huanyuanapp.com is available for both Android and Apple.

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However, a group of those who stayed behind were destined to leave. Today they sent away the Rus and the brothers who went to fight in the East, and soon they themselves and their family and friends will take all their belongings and go straight to Britain in a long boat.

The wind was no longer like a knife, and although it only lasted five days, the sled team ran wildly on the ice of the slender Torna Lake on the top of the mountain again.

The reindeer kept moving forward, the people on the sled were talking and laughing, and the atmosphere was so lively.

But when a snowfall hits, the merriment is cut short, and people have to huddle together in their leather blankets and pray that the sleigh sheds are strong enough to shelter them from the wind.

The snowstorm did not make the road difficult, and the sudden drop in temperature really reassured Rurik.

What is a sudden cold?

If the glaciers thaw quickly due to rising temperatures, that would be the worst!

This blizzard was really a gift from God, and a wonderful scene appeared on the glacier.

In the fine light snow, a team of reindeer sleds lined up in double file, speeding up the frozen Torna River.

How long did it take to come, maybe it will be the same when I go back.

Time has entered May, even with such a snowstorm, the arrival of the warm season is unstoppable.

Finally, when the snowstorm was over and the sled team had entered the lower reaches of the Torna River, everyone noticed the abnormality of the ice layer—it was visibly thinner.

Continuing to advance on the ice is full of dangers, and Rurik resolutely chose to advance in the riverside forest that was still full of snow, but the way he chose to go home soon caused everyone’s astonishment.

He immediately explained his decision, and then through the mouth of the old mercenary who was installed as a low-level officer, made them make the clearest explanation.

Because Rurik and a group of Ross people know the geography of this area, and Modgen, a native of Balmerk, probably knows the geography and hydrology best.

The sled team turned around and headed eastward. They advanced through the pine forest. The snow falling from the branches from time to time has clearly shown that this area is rapidly thawing.

Rurik is going to Elronburg, where he will obtain key supplies, and then recruit all the local longbowmen.

At that time, the frozen Gulf of Bothnia had better be thawed enough for navigation, then Roseburg can quickly send a large ship to easily transport the new force to Roseburg to achieve army assembly.

Don’t look at the majesty of the fourth banner team composed of Balmerks. The weapons they bring are nothing to Rurik.

This group of men had to change their outfits completely, such as the long, tapered spearheads of stainless chrome iron on the spot at Elronburg.

Even distribute some bows and arrows to them.

Rurik did not dare to neglect at all in terms of fighting. He would rather spend a lot of money to arm his team. Even though the Ross army was already very strong, he did not dare to rush into battle out of optimism.

For example, the war against the Karelians in this year’s warm season, this battle cannot be completed by sending an army to fight the enemy decisively and win.

“I’m afraid the war will start after the autumn harvest.” Rurik was thinking.

The Principality of Ross is now extraordinary. He estimated that the war against the Karelians would not yield much immediately. The value of this battle is to completely wipe out the strategic threat of Novosibirsk on the Neva River. The huge Lake Ladoga may The huge economic value of the Ross people’s wanton fishing and even the wanton hunting in the surrounding areas will not be revealed in the next few years.

But the strategic results of conquest of Britain will still be tasted this year. A small fleet must rush to the Viking Kingdom of York before the autumn harvest season in Britain, and return after capturing the wheat tribute of the weakened Kingdom of Northumbria.

However, deep down in Rurik’s heart, he was not optimistic about the operation of going all the way to Britain to fish for wheat. After all, Northumbria was very weak after the war, and the amount of tribute offered to them was huge. De Wang had to sell everything he could to get it all together.

The food self-sufficiency rate in the core control area of the Duchy of Ross is too low, and it must be wishful thinking to expect wheat from the British Isle to fill the vacancy of the Duchy.

Desperately plundering the fish resources in the sea can basically sustain the livelihood of the people, just like the way of life of the Ross people in the past hundreds of years, but the root of the principality’s prosperity and the people’s hunger is to grow wheat.

“When Karelia is conquered, I should also focus on the reclamation of the east.”

There were no twists and turns in the final journey, and Rurik took advantage of the passive leisure time to deduce a future with a bountiful harvest in his mind.

The sled team found the Eron (Kemi) River very well, and to everyone’s surprise, they heard the sound of water flowing!

The snow on the shore was still thick, but the melted snow had washed away the ice floes, and the drift was not serious, but sledges and even boats could not walk on the river for the time being.

Look at the blue sky, the sun is so warm and the wind is no longer bitter.

A lake lies in front of the sled team. From a distance, there are large and small ice blocks all over the lake, and they are even a little blue.

In the distance, a village suddenly appeared, and now the old mercenaries of Rurik knew where it was—Fort Fiske.

The fishing season in the lake is coming again, and the people who waited for the ice to melt and push the boats on the shore into the lake were surprised by the sudden arrival of Rurik’s sled team.

How could Rurik not be surprised?

Because a man and his guys just happen to be here too.

It was a rare opportunity to stop and rest, and the Balmerk soldiers got off the ground one after another.

Now that everyone is from Ross, this group of guys immediately called brothers and sisters to the local Ross fishermen, exchanged things and shared some stories by the way.

At night, in the slightly crude but warm wood-carved den, the bearded face looks like the twenty-year-old explorer Spueut sitting cross-legged casually, and opposite him is Rurik himself.

There was a piece of leather on the floor, some jerky on a glass dish, and two glasses of plain ale.

“Sput, I hardly recognize you. Let’s drink some wine and toast our chance meeting.” Rurik had already raised his glass as he spoke.

It was an honor to be toasted by the Duke himself.

Thinking of his work in Murmansk, the northernmost city, Spyut’s nose was sore, and tears were still held back.

He raised his glass and drank half of it in one go.

“My lord, I know you want me to tell you about Murmansk. Well, I’m looking for an opportunity to report to you.”

“Say it now.”

“yes……”

Spueut was eloquent, and what he said was within Rurik’s expectations.

The construction speed of Murmansk is still slow. The current positioning there is based on the current strength of the Ross Principality. It is extremely difficult to maintain a hunter stronghold at most, and it is extremely difficult to maintain the settlement of 50 people.

The warm season means comfort for people in most areas, but for those who go to Murmansk, it is a trip to fight against mud.

Summer is not a good opportunity to go to Murmansk, but summer is also the breeding season of elephant seals and seals. The local leather and oil resources have reached their peak. The castle is so far away, the people who stay behind feel that they are already in two worlds.

His words made Rurik’s heart itch, but the knee-high mud after the permafrost thawed would kill him.

Both the Ayron River and the Murman River come from the same swamp, and in today’s warm period, it will soon turn into deadly mud. I am afraid that the only way to go to Murmansk is by sea.

wait!

sea route!

Rurik chuckled.

“My lord… have you thought of any decision? Then the seals are everywhere, and we…”

“Of course we have to capture them as much as possible.” Rurik said with an open mind, “Did you see the Balmerk warrior I brought back?”

“See. They’re so much like us.”

“Of course. There will be no Balmerk in the future, or Balmerk is us. The western harbor is already our Ross territory, and these brothers are also our Ross people. Soon Balmerk will get in touch with Murmansk. We will not When you walk in the mud, connect with the sea.”

“Ah?” Spueut was taken aback: “Could it be that the seas are connected?”

“Of course. Eh? You’re wondering, you’re a good explorer and you don’t know this?”

“I’m sorry, if I brought a long ship, I should be able to notice this. The fact that the two places are connected by the sea is really a gift from Odin.”

“It’s a gift.” Rurik cheered up: “Soon, I will focus on operating Narvik, where I will build a new fleet.”

“A new fleet? Could it be that the current fleet can’t satisfy your… oh no! It’s because my vision is too small. Our Ross fleet must be huge.”

Rurik nodded, thinking that this guy is quite smart.

“Yes, what we have now is the Baltic Fleet, which is already invincible. Next, I will build an Atlantic Fleet, and the home port is Narvik. In this way, the Atlantic Fleet may go to Murmansk to catch seals , or go to Britain to get the wheat tribute will be smooth. Oh, and the western ocean is full of miracles. Believe me, there are no sea monsters in the west, but a land of miracles. At that time, I may send you to explore .”

This is the Duke’s flattery, and Spueut did his part. He slapped his chest and yelled: “Even if you ask me to explore the end of the world, I will go. Then the children of Ross will know that there is a man named Spueut. The guy who’s been the farthest is a hero.”

“To you.” Rurik raised his glass.

The two sides respected each other and drank the last ale.

Spueut didn’t just report some information, he brought back a batch of precious goods!

They were seal leather, elephant seal tusks, and seal fat that had hardened and turned white from the cold. There were a thousand pieces of leather alone.

When Rurik saw the bundles of seal skins, he touched the smooth texture himself, and the expression on his face was not just the joy of harvest.

This is the output of the hunters in Murmansk. Rurik did not ask them to hand over some leather as a tax in kind, but paid the market price for the leather that should have arrived at the Roseburg Bazaar at the winter market price. Buy them all.

This is a price that everyone is willing to accept. As for these leathers that are processed by Rurik and then sold at a higher price, that is what Spuute and his guys don’t care about.

The sled team became larger, and the snow on the land was melting faster.

Fortunately, Fort Fiske is very close to Fort Eron, and soon, the huge city wall standing by the river lay in front of everyone.

Many Balmerks who came here for the first time opened their mouths wide in shock, saying that they had witnessed the majestic face of Fort Rose.

But the reality made them even more astonished who were rare and strange, but because it was Fort Ailon Orava, no matter how majestic it was, it was only the northern iron smelting center of the Principality of Ross.

And as far as iron smelting is concerned, Roseburg’s iron smelting industry is obviously more evil.

When they learned that Roseburg was even more amazing, they could only take a good rest for the time being.

The Gulf of Bothnia has melted all over the sea. Although the sea is full of ice floes and giant ice lumps of astonishing size, these obstacles are no longer able to affect the navigation of ships. A group of daring fishermen have already started rowing and fishing offshore. homework.

Another ship rushed to report to Roseburg, so all Rurik had to do was to wait at Elronburg before the big ship arrived.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, it happened to give the novice a big change of clothes and become more martial arts.

[End of this Chapter]