Rise of Rurik - Chapter 637

[Chapter 638 Assembly]

By the time the sled team finally reached Elronburg, the long river had largely thawed.

There are still a lot of ice floes on both sides of the river, and there is also thick snow on the shore, and the flow of lingering in the river has decreased a lot.

The blade-like wind is gone, the rising sun is warm, the snow is melting rapidly, and the grass seeds under the snow layer are sprouting.

A little trouble lay in front of Rurik, his team was on the right bank of the river, while the city of Elronburg was on the left.

It took one long ship after another in the form of a transport ship to transport them, people, deer, and even the empty sled to the city on the left side of the river.

At last, those Balmerks who first crossed the mountains to enter the unknown eastern world, they finally arrived at Elon Olava, the northern iron-making city of Ross.

They were shocked at the beginning, not only shocked by the city’s solid walls and the well-arranged buildings within the walls, but also delighted and able to have a feast.

The people living in Allenburg have resumed fishing operations, and because of the winter dormancy, fishermen have stepped up their herring fishing in this sea area.

The Balmerks ate herrings that were different from their hometown. The appearance of the fish was a little different, and the size of the fish was also different on the scales. However, the grilled fish was dripping with intoxicating fat, and it tasted really delicious when sprinkled with salt. .

Because Baltic herring is a subspecies of Atlantic herring.

In today’s era, human beings’ ability to control the fishery resources in the North Atlantic Ocean is quite poor. The only efficient way they can think of is to light oil lamps on fishing boats, use the phototaxis of herring schools to cast large nets when they gather, and then keep trawling. .

The Balmerks can often catch giant herring nearly half the size of a stika, but in the Gulf of Bothnia, which is said to belong to the Inland Sea of the Ross people, all they eat are small fish the size of a palm.

But bear meat is a magical delicacy.

Bear meat itself has a smell, but fortunately, they are a group of ruthless people who can hold their noses and swallow even angry shark meat. It is nothing more than a pinch of salt to eat roasted bear meat.

Eating the ferocious bear embodies the hunter’s conquest, and people who know the truth immediately feel the strength of the Ruth people.

When the snow melted, a large number of hunter families pulled sleds and ran a long distance, pulling a large number of bear skins, bear heads, claws and meat to return triumphantly.

Rurik arrived at Elronburg at a special time, the warmth of spring and summer is dispelling the cold winter at an extremely fast speed, the Arctic Circle, a place of ice and snow, is recovering rapidly, and the price is extreme muddy for a period of time!

Since the two northern strongholds of Fort Eron and Fort Fiske, the hunters in the North Hunt have become even crazier.

Ross hunters no longer need to form a hunting team of hundreds of people to cooperate and rush forward.

In the past, everyone had to huddle together to keep warm because there was no stronghold, but now it is natural to rely on skills. The husband and wife take the young man and advanced weapons to hunt.

The crossbow with wooden arms transformed from a short wooden bow is not expensive. Its core is the crossbow component. Only it is mass-produced by blacksmiths through bronze casting, and other parts can be imitated by Ross’s large number of carpenters.

More hunters bought wooden arm crossbows. The arrows it shoots are hard to kill bears, and it is easy to aim and shoot smart arctic foxes and sleds. This makes ordinary hunters become archery masters in a short time.

As for dealing with bears, hunters are equipped with a large number of short spears and throwing guns. Several hunting families and groups can work together to chase and hunt bears wandering in sight.

They are not simple hunters, their identities are fighters, and each man must have at least ten lives under his command.

These are the men from the First Banner Team and the Second Banner Team. They knew before Beishou that the Duke would take his brothers to fight against new enemies.

They planned to sell the leather as soon as possible after transporting it to their hometown. In exchange for the money, in addition to improving the family’s economy, they also strengthened their own weapons.

Unexpectedly, Master Rurik actually came to Elronburg.

Ships from Roseburg arrive in a few days.

Since many brothers who were eager to go to the battle happened to be in Elronburg, Rurik, who was supposed to gather in Roseburg, decided to train the team here first.

Thousands of people gathered at one place, and Rurik stood on a pedestal made of wooden boxes, receiving the respect of men and women.

He scanned the crowd under the scorching sun, breathing the warm and humid air, and noticed the water dripping from the eaves from the corner of his eyes.

He raised his arms and said: “Brothers of the First Banner Squad, I will take your troops to conquer Karelia. I saw that you hunted a large number of bears in the northern ice fields, and these leathers are enough for you to make a fortune. But I know, you You will not be willing to be a hunter or a fisherman at all. Hurry up and prepare, and we will return to Roseburg as soon as the boat is ready. You will only have two or three days to prepare, and then our fleet will rush eastward with all its strength!”

The words were spoken in Norse, and the Rus and Balmerks fully noticed Rurik’s anxiety.

They discussed lively, and the quiet scene suddenly became noisy.

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Rurik waved his hands again and gradually restored the tranquility of the scene, and shouted loudly: “Brothers of the First Banner, the Balmerks are now also Ross people. They are the Fourth Banner and your future comrades-in-arms. Take this opportunity and you Talk as much as possible so that we can take care of each other when we get to the battlefield.”

Without further ado, he quickly got out of the wooden box.

The men belonging to different banner teams actually knew a little about the previous battles. The brothers of the first banner team admired the fighting will of the Balmerks. They spoke the same language and believed in Odin. Also very similar.

Their attitude towards a group of new Balmerks who had just arrived was extremely kind, and what they got in exchange was naturally the comfort of the other party.

They got along, which Rurik would have liked to see.

However, the Fourth Banner Squad formed by the Balmerks is a group of labor force full of strength. While waiting for the big ship to dock, they cannot let this group of fresh troops eat dry food every day.

For the time being, the food for this group of people is provided by Rurik. If a large team is supported for a long time, the internal wear and tear will be astonishing. Thinking that the army organized in the future will consume the stored food crazily, Rurik can’t help but worry.

“Use the labor force of this group of people as much as possible.”

Rurik ordered the men of the Fourth Banner Team to cut logs on the spot, cut off the pine branches, and carried the cut logs to Elronburg and handed them over to the “Governor” Mechasta.

These logs would be thrown into charcoal kilns to burn charcoal, and then smashed into small pieces for iron smelting.

Quite suddenly, Elronburg became densely populated.

Many very young children here are old enough to run around, and a large number of Kewen women are still holding their babies.

On the contrary, some women directly set their sights on the new Balmerk boy who just arrived, and invited him to their home to continue to borrow seeds.

This is to provide fresh blood for the quick recovery of the gray squirrel tribe, and both Mechasta and Rurik are happy to see this situation.

Finally, the fleet from Roseburg has arrived!

The Aurora, the flagship of the Ross Principality’s navy, has a flag flying on her mast.

Not only it, but six other ships broke down at the mouth of the Iron River.

Rurik clearly recognized them through the words tacked on the ship’s gunwale.

There are two new Aurora-class sailing cruisers, the planned fifth ship Gray Squirrel and the sixth ship Salmon Chief, and they apparently launched perfectly while the sea thawed.

The other four are smaller, they are all the first four ships of the planetary-class sailing destroyer, such as the first ship Mercury, its propeller bearings are clearly visible.

A group of sailors with bare sleeves and light sackcloth disembarked. Apart from the old sailors under the command of the great businessman Gould, they were also a group of young people new to the industry, but they were not native Ross tribesmen.

These people are basically from several ethnic groups around Lake Mälaren, and now they drag their families and leave their hometown to join Ross.

Rurik trusted them, or they believed that the Duchy of Ross was several times stronger than the so-called Kingdom of Sweden.

Several leaders among the sailors were considered acquaintances in Rurik’s eyes. He asked these people to report some information, and learned a lot of key information.

“Otto still didn’t wait for me, and took some people to the Neva River first. The big merchant was also busy with this year’s trade, and took the Gouldot to lead other merchants to Lake Mälaren. Fortunately, Otto Before leaving, the tax in kind and money was collected.” Rurik pinched the golden retriever on his chin and thought about it, and things were indeed going on step by step, but he still hoped to cooperate with Otto’s Eastern Sorgon fleet. .

Thinking about it, I have already delayed too much time. It is already the middle of May, and indeed only the Elrondburg area still has the lingering sound of winter. It must be the early spring scenery in Roseburg.

People boarded the boat quickly, and within a day, hunters from the First Banner Squad, Balmerks, and even thirty longbow-wielding Kewen veterans brought by Rurikla gathered in the fleet.

A large amount of leather was naturally also thrown into the net bag, and was dragged onto the boat and fixed by people.

Even a batch of new chrome-iron weapons produced by Allenburg will actually help future battles.

The fleet was sailing against the southerly wind, and although these young Balmerks had seen the large sailing ship that in principle belonged to all the Balmerks, she must now become the treasure of Magnut, who was promoted to be King of the Kingdom of York.

That big ship was built by the Ross people, and now the fleet of pure sail-powered sailing ships that I ride on is the main force of the Ross people’s navy.

The fleet is so huge that everyone can look down at the ordinary long ships cruising. Wouldn’t this be a condescending attack if they encounter an enemy?

It’s really cheap.

The young men of the Fourth Banner heard the bragging of their respective captains. They were full of statements about the invincibility of the Ross Fleet, as well as embellished victories.

Especially when a battle example is talked about, people can’t help but pay attention to the boy who likes to stand on the bow.

Rurik, Duke of Ross, this boy killed the king of the Danes during the naval battle!

They arrived at Fort Rose smoothly, and the men of the Fourth Banner Team all saw the huge, majestic and fantastic true face of Fort Rose.

It was a sunny morning, the snow in the fjord and nearby areas melted cleanly, the dark green world not only recovered, but the feeling of new greenness could be felt from afar.

The golden sun just shone into the fjord facing the east, and Roseburg was immersed in the holy light of the morning, and everything was full of hope.

There were already a group of fishing boats cruising on the sea, and some boats had washed up on the sandy beach.

Thawing beaches are buzzing, and Rose’s morning market is full of people buying and selling their catch.

When a fleet arrived, the people looked enthusiastically. They saw the fleet and knew that Lord Rurik had returned.

The ships of the fleet stopped at their respective berths smoothly, and the soldiers disembarked one after another, followed by a large amount of cargo.

A fat man was waiting on the trestle bridge, welcoming the returning Duke with open arms.

“Blue Fox? You were not in Gould Island or went to Hedeby, and your father arranged to stay behind?” Rurik didn’t see any outsiders.

The second son of the great businessman Gould, nicknamed the Blue Fox, looks like an elephant seal because of his fatter body than before. He fell into the sea because there is too much fat to not sink.

He said politely: “It was arranged by my father. He said that the Gould family will fully support Ross’s new expedition. If there is any need for the remaining material ships, he ordered me to fully support it.”

“Gould? Your father is really a smart man. Well, my time is very tight, and I have to act immediately.”

“My lord, arrange a task for me.”

“Mission?” Rurik stood up straight and thought for a while, “Then take out the money first, and buy all the bear skins I delivered at the market price. Be careful! It’s the market price! I want ready-made silver coins.”

Blue Fox was a little puzzled, since this was the Duke’s order, he fully agreed.

The bear hides are the wealth of the hunters in the First Banner Team. Rurik doesn’t want them to waste their limited time on selling the leather themselves. They must turn the bear hides into silver coins as soon as possible. What they save is Ready time.

Rurik was very anxious, and as soon as he landed, he called all the young people of the first banner team to assemble.

No, on the afternoon when the fleet returned to Hong Kong, Arik assembled all the soldiers of the First Banner Squadron on the beach.

At the same time, the fourth banner team composed of Balmerks also gathered.

All of Rurik’s capable mercenaries, a hundred young warriors led by Fraser.

There were even as many as two hundred sailors (and fighters when necessary) manning the ships.

This sudden rally was so massive that people stood on the city wall laughing and criticizing Lord Rurik’s big soldiers.

Because of the battle damage, the original 500 soldiers of the First Banner Squad had been reduced to just over 400. Fortunately, the elite was still there, and the brave Arik didn’t feel that he was short in numbers.

About Otto and a group of old guys who belonged to the Second Banner Team bravely ran to the Neva River again. There are not many opportunities for Rurik and even Otto to travel this far. Since the high priest Velia ascended to heaven, Otto Just aging rapidly.

He continued on this route with men of the same age, and a feeling for the past era leapt in Rurik’s heart.

He knew that his father had many purposes for this trip, and everything was discussed before. He thought that Otto’s prestige would not only cheer the people of Novorosburg, but also quickly draw a team from Novgorod.

Many old guys no longer know how to evaluate the Duchy of Ross, which is now governed by Rurik. The duchy is no longer purely owned by the Ross tribe, and an astonishing number of outsiders have joined in. Fat and powerful, but also more and more unfamiliar, he is no longer the Ross in the old guy’s mind.

Familiar people either passed away or immigrated to new settlements in the East.

Although Roseburg’s dense population forced everyone to urgently need the opportunity to immigrate, and now many pure Ross people have immigrated, the population of Roseburg has become denser with the addition of outsiders. What’s even more amazing is that the solution to the poverty of the living environment is Building high-rise houses and building houses nearby by logging and expanding land, but among the new settlers there are a large number of people from Lake Mälaren, and now hundreds of young boys, they take off their hats and show their bald heads with braided patterns. Prove yourself to be very different from traditional Russ.

Indeed, because of cultural customs, Balmerk men like to shave a lot of their hair and tattoo their heads.

The old guys will eventually die, and when they die of old age, tens of thousands of howling children will grow up to the age where they can take up arms and fight.

Focusing on the future, Rurik must lay a stable external environment foundation for a harmonious future.

He stood on a high place, tearing his throat and loudly proclaiming the purpose of this war to the soldiers.

Even if his understanding of the Karelian people is quite vague, he thinks they are just a bunch of chickens and dogs.

But his subordinates can’t think that the Karelians are weak, and the result of underestimating the enemy will be disastrous. He knows that the thousand people in front of him are basically half of the combat power of the Principality of Ross. It will ruin the strategic opportunity for the rise of the Principality of Ross.

He described the Karelians with eloquence, deliberately invented something terrible, deliberately portrayed him as a terrible and brave enemy.

He knows the attitude of the brothers too well, the enemy is best to be brave, so that it can inspire the fighting spirit of the brothers.

But the most critical publicity is this!

Rurik drew his sword and pointed to the east: “Brothers! Kill those brave enemies, take their wives and daughters to be your women, and let those women bear you children. Take their livestock, take their Your hides, buckskins, bearskins, ermines are all yours! You will all be rich!”

The warriors cheered with raised fists, Rurik was pleased to see this, and he and his brothers made no secret of their desire to plunder.

If it is just to plunder the women and wealth of the Karelian people, the pattern is too small.

As the duke, Rurik not only had to deal with the possible strategic threat from the north in New Roseburg, but also seized local resources.

He gave everyone a mere three days to prepare, and the army would set off on May 22 in the Julian calendar.

Time is very tight, Rurik has been on the road these days, and he himself is quite tired but he doesn’t care too much. His plan is even more radical, which is to try to reach New Roseburg before June 1st.

The selected fighters have already started their final preparations, and the entire Fort Rose has become extraordinarily lively due to the war frenzy.

[End of this Chapter]