The fleet discussed by Rurik and others must go to Tombstone Island. While providing comfort and an uplifting cruise to the settled brothers, it is also trying to play a role in "attracting investment."
Historically, the ancient Swedes colonized the Åland Islands in 1000 AD, even though the islands are not far from the mouth of Lake Mälaren. This is entirely because by 1000 AD, if the Rus did not make any progress in population development, the population of the ancient Swedes in the entire Svealand Plain would have been only able to maintain a population of 100,000 people, and Svealand would have been highly concentrated. of the Lake Malaren region. For them, according to Eastern standards, this is the population of several large clan communities. In their world view, the small Baltic world is a large part of the world. If it is not particularly attractive, they are not willing to go to the Åland Islands. Create settlements.
But Rurik intended to use the Tombstone Island where Arik, who had triumphed two years ago, buried his brothers who died in battle. There were only tombstones there, but Rurik wanted to turn it into a monument.
monument? That is the "Stone of Glory", which is spelled Stanislava in Old Cyrillic.
Stanislava is a funny name. If Rurik had the choice, he would be happy to call Tombstone Island "Stanislava Island", so could the settlers use "Stanislav" as their surname?
In short, the Melalen people, as well as other tribes in the alliance, need to know that there is Tombstone Island in the northeastern archipelago, and there is a Ross garrison in that area. If you plan to do business with the Russians, you can sail to the island with supplies. In this way, maybe Tombstone Island can gradually become a prosperous market?
Yes, at the entrance of the Melalen Sea, there are now some fishermen living sporadically, as well as hundreds of Melalen warriors stationed on guard under the orders of the leader. The Malaren people began to realize the strategic value of the location of the estuary. Does this mean the formation of a new trading stronghold?
Rurik believes that if the formation of Stockholm is a historical necessity, then the Åland Islands must also take a share of this commercial prosperity. Since history has chosen the Russians, in terms of trade, the Russians have the upper hand and should seize the leading role.
In order to achieve this goal, organizing a large fleet to cruise to Old Tombstone Island and bringing a large number of uninformed merchants from Mälaren, Uppsala, Onkras, and even Hjälmalen to arrive there is tantamount to giving A commercial for Tombstone Island.
This advertisement is very important!
The appointed day is tomorrow, and this time Gould doesn't care what kind of priest he invites to be a priest for this year's return voyage, because he really doesn't need it.
The most noble Rurik is here. Since he has received Odin's love, he will serve as the priest tomorrow. He will personally kill a sheep on the dock and use the sheep's blood to sacrifice the goddess of Lake Malaren and the great god Odin.
The most important sacrifice is the priest Odin. Everyone believes that the great god is the absolute master of the sun and the ocean. With Rurik who was "commanded by the god" to come to pray in person, people who learned this news were worried about carrying out a new route. The feeling of worry has disappeared.
Tomorrow is the day of departure, and a feeling of excitement called going home fills Rurik's mind. He barely slept all night, so early the next morning, only the cold morning wind could wake his little head up.
Gould Island was crowded with people, and outside the pier, a huge fleet had been assembled.
A large number of cargo ships that risked being overweight to carry grain dropped their anchors with thick hemp ropes as chains to fix the ships in the lake. They were the core of the entire fleet. There were actually more than a hundred longships carrying supplies guarding the left and right sides.
If it were a naval fleet, its combat effectiveness would be astonishing.
However, in today's era, there are not many wise people who can realize that those stocky and slow cargo ships have great potential to be transformed into warships. Rurik saw that for the shipbuilders who were about to immigrate to Rossburg, their future was not just to build transport ships, but unprecedented large warships with pure sails. In other words, the future Ross cargo ships must all have Combat attributes.
There is an altar made of stone and wooden boards standing on the lakeside. Some bronze utensils are placed on it, and there are also some small stone statues, which are the so-called gods representing Odin. As for their sculpture carving skills, Rurik really couldn't praise them.
"When one day my power really expands to the Greek area, I need to get some sculpture experts."
Rurik thought so, and logically speaking, his wish could theoretically be realized. As the "Idol Destruction Movement" swept across Eastern Rome, a large number of sculpture experts were forced not to carve human figures. They could only make a living by carving pillars for the houses of wealthy families, and even turned to carpentry.
An innocent sheep stood blankly on the beach. Rurik held his dagger in hand and stared at the sacrifice.
The priest comes to pray? It's really a superfluous thing.
The documents engraved on wooden boards that Rurik saw in the chief priest's house, apart from records of the history of Rus, were a large number of prayers.
He faced the eastern sun, and in order to pursue a sense of history, he ordered all onlookers to kneel on one knee.
At this moment, a thin morning mist envelopes the whole world, and the sunshine is like a golden curtain. Its gentleness dissolves the coldness of autumn, and the whole world becomes sacred.
Rurik knelt on one knee and recited a prayer aloud, asking Odin to bless the fleet for safety.
Finally, he looked at the sharp knife in his hand and stroked the lamb's head. In an instant, the sword edge pierced the sheep's throat. Rurik held the sheep down, killed it with his own strength, and let the sheep's blood flow into Lake Mälaren. Like a true priest, he endured the fishy smell and opened the sheep's belly, holding the bloody sheep liver in his hand, and announced good luck to all the half-kneeling people.
Will anyone question whether this is a performance?
No! Absolutely nothing. Not only is everyone generally superstitious, but also because everyone has already preset a "bon voyage" conclusion in their hearts, and what they are waiting for is Rurik's auspicious declaration.
Rurik, the child blessed by Odin, completed a brief but crucial voyage sacrifice.
What happens next cannot be urged by anyone.
People on the shore boarded their ships one after another, and within a short period of time, the fleet assembled on standby was overcrowded!
Rurik chose a stocky grain cargo ship as his flagship, and put a piece of blue cloth on the top of its only mast (blue fuel is the easiest to obtain). For the time being, it will be the Peugeot as the flagship. The entire fleet must follow the agreement. Follow the flagship.
"Let's get started!" Rurik swallowed his saliva and ordered Gould who was accompanying him.
Immediately afterwards, the dull sound of horns came from the flagship, which was a positive signal. All the ships lowered their sails and began to recover the anchors that had fallen into the water.
The north wind blew across Lake Malaren, and they, who were good at using the power of the wind, began to take action.
The Russian fleet loaded with huge amounts of supplies began to move, and merchants from all walks of life were prepared, and their ships moved when they heard the wind.
The fleet is still running slowly towards the lake's entrance, with all sails tilted in order to seek a positive "lift" from the north wind, so the entire fleet is slowly accelerating.
The Ross fleet set off. Olegin, the leader of Melalen, took a long ship and looked at this extremely large fleet with a solemn face. At this moment, he was not only shocked, but also jealous. , and anger.
And this is just the first fleet of the Russians.
Rurik and his party began to set off to Tombstone Island as their initial destination. After completing the first material transportation, a large number of ships would return to Gould Island, and finally transport the last materials to Ross before the seawater freezes before November. fort.
The stocky flagship rides on the waves, and it is stable because of its width.
Rurik stood at the bow of the ship wearing a thick coat. He did not feel any seasickness. His eyes sometimes stared at the complimenting ships, large and small, and occasionally looked at the various merchant ships following behind. He paid special attention to the lakes and mountains in this area, and to the scattered wooden huts on the islands that were as numerous as stars at the entrance to the sea. When I think that this area is actually the Stockholm of later generations, a sense of vicissitudes arises spontaneously.
Where is Tombstone Island? In short, there are islands not far away.
The Åland Islands still do not have a clear name, and Rurik does not want to give it an exact name. He felt that the Malaren people had always lacked interest in that archipelago. As a result, the fleet left the estuary and a large number of merchant ships followed the coastline and headed north. They were separated from the Ross fleet. Obviously, these foreign merchants were accustomed to the safe old route. .
Rurik didn't force them all to take a trip to Tombstone Island, at least he still had some ships following him. So, are they willing to enter into a long-term deal with the Ross settlers garrisoned on the island?
On this trip, Arik is the indispensable navigator of the fleet. Here, no second person knows this route better than him. To others, the route is unfamiliar and dangerous. For Arik, the two months of continuous plundering of the Gotlanders gave him a very deep understanding of the hydrological data of Tombstone Island, which was used as a rear base, and even most of the Åland Islands. For example, he knew very well where the deep channels were and where the shoals were.
Rurik spent this night on the boat. Throughout the night, the fleet lowered its sails and all the ships floated on the sea. When the light sea fog dissipated, Arik continued to control the flagship and headed straight for the destination, using the direction of the sun as a guide. In this way, other ships also had a backbone.
"Too bad, I still don't like spending the night on a boat. Damn it, I should have built a cabin on the boat, a bedroom."
Rurik's complaint was heard by Gould, who was not very energetic. Even though everyone was very rich, they still had to resist the fatigue of traveling and traveling on the ship.
Gould scoffed: "You want to build a house on a boat? Oh, I really hope you can make it happen, if you can."
It sounds like this guy just doesn't believe it.
Rurik didn't argue. He shrugged and asked, "Why do you think I value those outstanding shipbuilders?"
Gould was surprised: "Huh? Are you serious?"
"Why not? In my opinion, it's not impossible to modify this ship. Oh, at least put a shed at the stern to protect it from wind and rain."
In fact, these cargo ships are temporarily installed with wooden slats and a small amount of boards that can be separated from the cargo. It is already a technological upgrade.
Arik leaned on the mast. He stood on a wooden barrel, grabbed the pole with his left hand, and put his right hand close to his eyes as if looking into the distance.
He thought the position was still too low, so he simply started climbing up like a monkey holding the mast. He grabbed the rope used to furl the sail and continued to look into the distance. Finally, he saw what he hoped for.
"Attention!" he yelled.
Everyone on the boat raised their heads.
"Brother! Have you seen land?" Rurik asked loudly.
"It's right there! The island!" Arik pointed with one finger, then hugged the mast and slid down instantly. He ordered the sailors; "Adjust the direction of the sail quickly, we will move towards the island."
As a result, a huge fleet of up to 200 ships of various types began to fine-tune the course with the flagship as the center.
Soon, the lush Åland Islands are in sight.
At the same time, the Ross people who settled on Tombstone Island were working on fishing boats and saw the huge fleet approaching. People shouted excitedly: "The leader is finally back." This stopped all fishing and fishing operations. , they put down their oars and approached the fleet confidently and boldly.
But the one who came was not the leader's tribute fleet.
The fishermen were not disappointed, and even felt a different kind of excitement. Who would have thought that this huge fleet actually belonged to Ross, and even the heroic "Double Sword Arik" served as the navigator. The fishermen were the first to start cheering. Rurik, the son of the leader, was here. The fleet transporting huge amounts of supplies would dock at Tombstone Island. This was not just as simple as the heroes of the tribe coming to express condolences, but a large amount of supplies would be on the island. Unloading, this is a timely help for them who are urgently collecting winter supplies.
Ross Fisherman started as the new pilot, and the entire fleet also conducted a search, and the drop-shaped team turned into a strip.
Eventually, all the ships anchored just offshore of Tombstone Island.
Stone spearheads tied with hemp ropes fell one after another in the inter-island sea, which was only ten to twenty meters deep. This was the case in the Åland Islands. The water depth in some areas was less than two meters. Ordinary long ships ignore such shallow water, but transport ships with deep drafts begin to face the terrifying risk of stranding.
What made Rurik very happy was that the scene on Tombstone Island was completely unexpected. Here, a new coastal community has risen from the ground! The Ross settlers were actively developing the island. They were definitely not leveling some land and erecting wooden racks to dry fish. They built a large number of wooden houses and even built wooden piers in the two natural harbors owned by the island.
What pleased Rurik the most was these docks. He had to admire his father's wisdom in choosing Tombstone Island as a settlement. It actually had a deep-water port!
There are two natural piers, they both have gravel beaches, but the slope of this beach is very steep.
At Rurik's request, the two cargo ships were towed by several rowing boats and entered the port, which was full of security.
"Rurik, what do you think of the island?" Arik said in a showy tone.
"It's really nice, they actually built a pier."
"I supervised their expansion of the dock. Did you know? This is an important base for my attack on the Gotlanders. You will see it after you land. We also built a wooden wall on the island. Now if the enemy launches To retaliate, our people can rely on the wall to fight back."
Wall? Rurik couldn't see it for the time being, maybe those walls were hidden in the woods.
Although the Åland Islands are located in the sea, their history is short. The vegetation on the islands is extremely dense, and most of the tree species are straight red pine and cedar. They are certainly not the best boat-building material, but they are also very cost-effective woods.
The settlers who had just received the good news rushed to the largest safe haven with their families. In fact, just now, everyone has clearly witnessed the fleet surrounding the entire island. This fleet full of oppression made everyone feel scared at first. When they learned that these were actually the fleet of Rurik, the son of the leader, their pride returned. won everyone's hearts.
Rurik saw a large number of people gathered, and what surprised him was that there were actually a large number of women here.
"Huh? Arik, are there many women in our tribe who didn't go to New Roseburg? Are these women the wives of our brothers?"
Aric explained without any ambiguity: "Oh, you mean them? They are almost all Gotland women?"
"Ah! They...why are they here? I thought you killed those women as well."
"How is this possible?!" Arik pinched his brother's neck hard and joked: "Boy, don't you also have a lot of women in your hands? Oh, even though they are children now. They are all your captives and also your future My wives and concubines, you are not very kind to them."
This is the truth. Rurik understood it immediately, but he still felt it was a little strange. "I thought women in Gotland would also fight to the death, but I didn't expect that."
"What else can they do? They just want to survive. Brothers can't expect the big leader to give them a wife. Of course, capable men should snatch a wife back by themselves. The Gotland women they snatch will take good care of them. The children born are also Rus. Many women should have been pregnant, and when they actually gave birth to children, they were no longer Gotlanders at all, but our people."
The truth was simple and crude, Rurik shrugged and said nothing more. Maybe the bravery of the Vikings was only between men. As for women, most of them just want to live as peacefully as possible.
Rurik set foot on Gould Island in full attire. Facing the curious and excited eyes of his tribe, he immediately took off his hat while standing on the trestle and deliberately shook his head, causing his golden ponytail to sway from side to side. .
The beautiful golden ponytail is already Rurik’s unique feature.
"Brothers, I'm Rurik, I'm here."
In an instant, a large number of Russians who were full of fishy smell surrounded Rurik. Everyone was talking and laughing, talking about their excitement.
At the critical moment, Arik shouted: "Everyone, be quiet and let our people bring their things to the island!"
Soon, the trestle was cleared of a road, and some of the accompanying Ross warriors happily carried sacks weighing a hundred pounds. Some even carried two sacks. They easily approached their tribesmen stationed on the island.
Packs of sacks were being unloaded one after another. There were five hundred of them!
This move was all within Rurik's plan. On behalf of his younger brother, Arik shouted in a loud voice: "Brothers, you have worked hard! The leader is grateful to you for guarding the tribe. You see, these five hundred packages are all from this year There are fifty thousand pounds of wheat produced in Mälaren! Now, Rurik plans to sell the wheat to you at the old price of ten pounds per silver coin. I know you have enough money, but you are struggling to spend it. Come on. Come on, buy these grains and you’ll be worry-free throughout the winter!”
The crowd was excited, and everyone was excited.
There is no free bread in the world. The settled people know that even if the returning leader’s fleet throws away wheat, everyone still has to pay a sum of money to buy it. At most, they will get a discount when buying. The majority of the settlers here are warriors who once landed on the island to attack the Gotlanders. They voluntarily stayed to guard the tombs of the war dead, and also to expand the living space of the tribe. As a reward for their meritorious service, they also received a large share of the huge amount of silver coins plundered by the Gotlanders. Despite the fact that they generally dress a little carelessly, in fact, every man has a lot of wealth.
Being stationed on an isolated island, they had basically no chance to consume. To everyone, silver coins were just some precious metals. Everyone cheered that the rotten silver coins in their hands had something to spend, and for the settled people, 50,000 pounds of food was evenly distributed to supplement the catches, and everyone could spend the winter without worrying about food and clothing. .
It is irrefutable that Rurik threw away a large amount of food to provide help in times of need. It also had the purpose of reducing the weight of the ship. Furthermore, it also attracted a strong reputation for himself. This was really a win-win-win move.
But is that where it ends?
Soon, the accompanying foreign businessmen learned that the Russians stationed on the island had money but had nowhere to spend money. The businessmen slapped themselves on the head and blamed themselves for not knowing that there was a group of rich people in this deserted archipelago. !
Foreign traders landed, and as soon as they landed, they began to sell their daily necessities of pots and pans, as well as vegetables such as onions and yellow-rooted carrots. The merchants thoughtfully thought of the demand for flax in their fishing operations, so there was still a large amount of flax in the merchandise, and even finished.
This guy Fodegen is not idle either. He has a large number of finished leather jackets on hand, and he had planned to bring them to Rossburg for dumping. Since Tombstone Island is also the territory of the Ross people, the pace of dumping actually starts here.
Rurik intends to stay here for a day. He needs to visit the tomb of the Russian warrior. He was also happy to see a small market suddenly formed, and he was happy to see the lives of the settled tribesmen improve.
Now, he and a group of tribesmen and friends are rushing towards the large number of tombstones arranged in a matrix that are carved into figures and engraved with patterns and runes.
