Although spring has returned, the location where Roseburg sits is still exposed to the north wind.
The Rus, like other tribes, do not care about the direction of the wind.
Each of their ships has only one sail. In the process of hundreds of years of ship modification, they spontaneously learned the technology of sailing against the wind. The Ross tribe is undoubtedly better in this regard. They will make a larger angle between the bow and the windward side, close to 40°, to obtain the fastest tacking speed at one time. This, coupled with their wide, concave oars, makes them somewhat faster than their allies' ships.
However, after all, ships of all colors all have wide bellies. They are not very streamlined, and they do not have a bulbous bow.
The Russians have already developed quite good upwind sailing skills. Due to the traditional design of their hulls, there is huge room for improvement in the efficiency of wind power application.
Even so, in this era of competition, their ships are more advanced than the Franks.
The trigger date set by Otto was April 22 in the Julian calendar, and he also made a basic plan for the formation of Novgorod under his leadership.
The wind direction these days has been somewhat unpredictable. Most of the time there is a slight northerly wind, but sometimes a strong and mild southerly wind will suddenly blow.
It is best for nature to blow southerly winds, so that the fleet can move forward efficiently!
No matter what kind of wind it blows, even if there is no wind, Otto sets a goal for himself. He must reach the "intersection of the bay" within three days, which is the so-called T-junction between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.
For this reason, everyone has to spend the time on the boat during the journey. No matter how strong the wind is, the men must participate in paddling, and Otto must also lead by example.
In this way, the fleet heading to Novgorod can move at a very high speed.
What speed is that? They can reach speeds exceeding ten knots quickly and maintain them for long periods of time. If the wind is always strong, they can sail around the clock at a high speed of about twelve knots.
The shortest voyage from Roseburg to "The Crossing of the Bay" was actually closer to five hundred kilometers. Otto and his party used the fastest speed they could achieve, and the fleet could indeed complete this voyage in two days.
This journey will take three days.
Otto calculated the time in his mind. When the fleet entered another bay, everyone might stay ashore for one night. At that time, everyone must be prepared for possible harassment by the Baltic or Finns. If the enemy is strong enough, hundreds of soldiers will temporarily rob them, and Otto will be very happy.
This trip is of great significance, and it is best not to add unnecessary complications.
However, entering the bay to the east, the hydrological conditions here are generally complex. Otto was more willing to paddle forward again. If the wind direction was suitable enough, it would still take at least four days for everyone to reach the "Stone Island", which would later be known as Kotlin Island, and the key port was Kronstadt.
The local Finns call it Redusali Island, but they do not develop it. For decades, due to the activities of the Rus and a small number of other Viking tribes ships in the Gulf of Finland, various Vikings attacked the Finnish tribes along the coast, plundered the men and women of the tribes, and took them away as slaves.
But there are also outstanding people who have become reliable mercenaries to protect the safety of their sponsors. Even such people are as powerful as the Danes and Siyans.
The Finns always become losers in tribal wars. Perhaps the biggest reason is that their weapons are still mainly granite hammers tied with wooden sticks and oak sticks with sharp tips. Could this be the opponent of the Vikings who were all wearing leather armor and the elite were wearing chain mail?
Once they could train and fight like the Vikings, things were different. Due to their special status, many wealthy families in Denmark or Gotland are happy to have some such mercenaries, who are well fed and fed to ensure the stability of themselves and their wealth.
Some personnel must set up camp at the mouth of the river, while others will enter the Great Lake and find the southern sewer into Novgorod.
As long as there are no excessive stops along the way, the entire journey will be completed within twelve days.
When the Julian calendar reached the first three days of May, Otto believed that he would reach his destination. He felt that he could only stay for two days at most, take the tributes and other things he received on board the ship, and then return.
Even though the situation this time is very special, the fleet will still return to port smoothly around June 1 as planned.
By that time, the army that went south to conquer should have returned in triumph with a large amount of loot, right?
However, there will be casualties in war. As long as the casualties are not serious, the Ross tribe can completely ignore them.
What's going on with the feeling of worry in my heart?
Is it because of Arik?
Otto suppressed his thoughts, and on the last night, he had a routine farewell with his wife and children at his home, that is, they got together to have a meal.
He was munching on the fish and suddenly muttered: "Rurik, the promise I made to you will be fulfilled. When I come back, I will bring you at least ten servants."
"Thank you dad, actually I...I would rather they come to me voluntarily."
"Don't worry too much about this." As he said that, Otto glanced at the obedient Rumia sitting on the side. Because of the permission of her master Rurik, she could also enjoy the master's house. catering. This look scared the girl and quickly lowered her head.
"Child." Otto asked his son.
"Um."
"It is your decision to have many servants. I will try my best to help you fulfill your wish, but I will not help you train them. How to arrange your servants is your own business, understand? It is your choice to imitate one from now on. You are very brave in the life of an adult, I will let you do it now."
Rurik nodded deeply, looking understanding.
Otto felt that his son's attitude was a bit frivolous, so he immediately took the fish from Rurik's hand and scolded: "You want to express the feeling of enjoying being a leader? You can try. You will bear the discomfort of not doing well." Be prepared, your brother will return in triumph, and maybe he can bring you a few servants. After all, Gould will definitely come back in two months, so be prepared to accept the astonishing number of servants you want."
Rurik nodded deeply and said "I understand" pretending to be obedient.
The early morning light illuminated the land, and Fort Ross was rendered golden.
The pine and oak trees on the surrounding hills are sprouting, bringing a different color to the blue-gray and black rocks.
The woods on the hills have become mysterious, especially the location of the Stone Boat Altar, where dust and morning mist have been floating. The golden light of the morning sun shines through the gaps in the leaves and branches, forming sacred light curtains. Coupled with the solemnity of the altar, isn't this place a holy place?
The priests gathered at the stone boat altar. They performed a small ceremony and slaughtered a rabbit as a sacrifice to bless the people who were going on the expedition.
The Ross tribe did not sacrifice flags for the expedition, or the spring fishing festival, the sacrifices had been performed perfectly.
Ordinary people from the tribe gathered at the seaside. Niya held her son's hand and followed the crowd away. Thousands of people watched as Yang Fan, a mighty fleet composed of nearly 200 boats, set sail.
Otto put on his beautiful armor and set foot on his own flagship, a medium-sized dragon-headed warship that could be rowed by fifty people.
Many merchants brought some magical legends to Rossburg, such as the great leader of the Danes, the guy nicknamed the Lion, whose ship was called the "Red Dragon".
The "Red Dragon" is dangerous not at all because the dragon head decorated on its bow is smeared with a layer of scarlet cinnabar, which makes it look particularly terrifying. The most frightening thing is the ship itself, which is said to support a hundred people rowing together.
A hundred people rowing the oars does not mean that the ship is traveling faster. It clearly proves a terrible thing. The "Red Dragon" is a very large ship, and as long as it appears, it must be dangerous. For a long time, the Russians and even their allies had not seen this ship. Some businessmen who sneaked into the Danish-controlled areas to do business swore that the "Red Dragon" existed, but did not provide much evidence.
Otto did not give his flagship a name, as he felt it was unnecessary. If you insist on a name, name it after your wife.
Otto's flagship lowered its huge sail, revealing the light blue coat of arms on the gray and white sail. The pattern of oars arranged crosswise in an X is the totem of the Ross tribe, symbolizing their unique paddling skills.
The largest ship leads the group, and the other ships follow its lead.
Many ships adjusted their sails to the windward side, and they began to sail in an S-shaped tack. The people on the side of the ship also used oars to help. When the ship started to set sail, it left the port at a very fast speed.
Otto did not say his final goodbyes to his relatives on the beach. Soon, his figure standing on the deck became a black dot as big as an ant in Rurik's eyes. Only the illuminated sail was still clear.
The flagship was followed by a large number of ships decorated with dragon heads, which were the so-called Russian standard warships and the most classic ships of the Vikings. The Russians have always believed that it is most reasonable for such a standard warship to have thirty people's rowing slots, so their warships almost all have the same appearance and the same number of people on board.
The tribe's tradition also directly affected Rurik's training of the group of brawling children. Thirty people in his team constituted a basic establishment, and the commander directly used the term "captain" in the tribe.
Everyone accepted the arrangement of thirty people forming a "fighting group." Because once the ship grabbed the beach, thirty oarsmen jumped out. They put on a full fighting lineup, and the thirty people continued to fight side by side. As they rowed together for many years, they had unintentionally developed good organization and coordination, which became a huge tactical advantage.
Excellent organization is also a reflection of their combat effectiveness!
The fleet finally went to sea.
This mighty army quickly left the Rossburg fjord, entered the vast Gulf of Bothnia, and rushed towards the middle of the bay, only because the ice floes there had disappeared.
The arrangement of the team soon changed.
The fleet led by Otto himself will soon move eastward, along with the one hundred families who intend to colonize the mouth of Lake Ladoga and the river, and as many as six hundred warriors.
All young fighters, they face a choice this year. Either go south to take revenge and find an opportunity to make a fortune, or go to Eastern Novgorod to marry a beautiful woman and come back.
As the saying goes, everyone has his own ambitions. There were a hundred unmarried young people. After careful consideration, they decided that it would be more pragmatic to find a wife first. It is said that there are more women than men in that area, which is exactly the opposite of the Ross tribe. So that as long as a woman's parents are given a small betrothal gift, they can get a beautiful and hard-working wife. ah! It's like a dream.
Of course, there are also young people who married Novgorod women last year. Their trip is to take their pregnant wives back to their father-in-law's house to announce the good news.
At the level of leader Otto, this was used to win over those people, so that they could provide more women to solve the marriage problems of the young men in the tribe, and then obtain a larger tribute.
The total number of Otto's team is close to a thousand people, and because there are a large number of transport ships purely carrying building materials and daily necessities, these people share a total of fifty ships of various types.
Behind Alto is a crusade army composed of twenty warships. They are all dragon-headed warships, and the passengers are all extraordinary people.
Look at their arms covered with golden hair and muscles. They are already shouting and rowing at exactly the same frequency!
Among them is Arik. Although he is not yet nineteen years old, this standard Nordic man has already grown a golden beard that runs all over his face. His hair is also golden, and under the skillful hands of his wife Peravina, it was braided into more than twenty tiny braids.
Peravina is very good at braiding hair, because Novgorod is good at braiding, and her skills are even better than those of the Vikings.
Unfortunately, the couple now belong to two fleets.
Peravina's pregnancy has lasted six months! Her bulging belly was already very obvious, and the fetal movement could be clearly felt.
Such a Novgorod woman had become so extraordinary that Otto personally placed her in his flagship and would be well taken care of during future voyages.
The so-called promise to Rurik and treating Rumia as his daughter was mainly to make his son happy.
As for the current Peravina, Otto is happy to regard her as his own relative. Because whether she gave birth to a boy or a girl, they were of Arik's blood, the grandson of her brother Ogier who died in the battle, and her grandnephew. After losing his two biological sons, only Rurik was left alive. Otto would be very happy when any child who was closely related to him was born.
To this day, Otto is still worried about Arik's safety. Even in front of his niece-in-law, he knows that he must shut up.
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Chapter 125 The Ross fleet sets sail
