This is obviously a large island, but its lush appearance makes it not outstanding in the Gulf of Finland.
The island itself has no freshwater runoff, which puts the entire fleet in a minor embarrassment.
The Russian warriors all carry water bags made from animal stomach pouches, so drinking water is not a big problem under normal circumstances.
But now there's a whole new problem - oats.
Cooked wheat is really delicious. If it tastes good, you will love it. If you love it, you can’t stop eating it. In order to cook the wheat, they consumed a lot of fresh water. Although the water in the Gulf of Finland has very low salt content, it is still salt water. Drinking it to quench your thirst still has very bad results.
A bonfire was lit on the desert island, and the fuel was the readily available oil-rich pine trees. The firewood was roasting and crackling, and even though fresh water was in short supply, the hungry people still carried their own pottery to hold on to their wheat.
At night, the tide flooded the sand and gravel near the coast. The long boats that had been deliberately stranded were now soaked in knee-deep water.
Rurik saw that there were actually people squatting on the beach. They were not just enjoying the moonlight and the waves. They were actually using pottery to ride on the sea water to cook wheat!
"Arik, is this how they eat? They actually use sea water?" Rurik wanted to stand up to stop his fellows from being stupid.
Arik asked his excited brother to sit down and asked him not to be too surprised with an almost indifferent attitude.
"Why? You just watch them eat sea water? They will get sick."
"But, what about fresh water? You also know the situation. Damn it. If I had known earlier, I should have prepared a few oak barrels and filled them with Lake Mälaren water."
Couldn't Arik see the crisis? He knew it, but there was nothing he could do about it.
"Rurik, just think that they are using sea water to cook a bowl of salty porridge. Anyway, they are using fresh water to cook wheat, and they still need to add salt."
"Oh, it's really..." Rurik was speechless, but this expedient solution shouldn't last long.
Although the Varyags, represented by the Russians, generally have extremely strong beliefs and amazing endurance, I am afraid that these are the things they have to endure in difficult situations.
Whether it was voyages of trade or plunder, the risks involved were staggeringly high. If everyone can find a warm place, and this warmth can even guarantee wheat earing with a high probability, then of course everyone is willing to settle down and become farmers with hoes and pickaxes.
That's what the people of Malaren did, they no longer wanted to be pirates.
As a noble man, Rurik has no worries about not having fresh water to drink. He didn't expend any energy on the long voyage, and only needed a few grilled fish to satisfy his small stomach.
When the boat was about to dock, someone threw down some hemp ropes with bait, not to mention miraculously catching cod.
"Perhaps fish are plentiful here too?"
A large number of warriors originally settled on Tombstone Island, and their main way of making a living was fishing. Everyone can't help but think of many things. Since going south to fish will cause conflict with the Gotlanders, going north to fish will also compete with the tribesmen.
Wouldn’t it be a good idea to look east for new fishing grounds? As for the Baltic people, the young Russians simply couldn't listen to the old man's teachings about caution. It's okay if they don't show up, but if they do show up, just destroy them.
The problem of fresh water really troubled the Russians.
Tombstone Island, also has no natural fresh water there (if they were willing to dig deep wells). They obtained fresh water by carrying a large number of wooden barrels to the eastern land and fetching water from the dotted creeks.
Arik thought for a while: "Since there is still two days of sailing at the fastest, it is really dangerous for us to have no water to drink. Just like this, the south is what... is the territory of the Baltic people. We rowed across and found a small stream. , won’t the problem be solved?”
Rurik nodded: "It seems like that's all, but I'm just worried about being attacked by the enemy."
"Are you kidding?" Aric asked dismissively.
"I……"
Arik slapped his chest hard: "Look at this strong leather armor. I hope to encounter some kind of attack, so that we can have surprises."
"Hopefully, there will be no casualties."
Arik suddenly pinched Rurik's neck: "How can there be casualties? You continue to eat something and go to bed quickly."
"Oh fine."
What Baltic people? They must have been Estonian if they existed.
As Rurik was sleeping wrapped in an animal skin blanket, an idea suddenly occurred to him.
After knocking on his clansmen, they all put on their weapons and equipment and were clearly ready for battle.
Arik's relationship with these warriors is so close! In a daze, Rurik felt that all this was his cousin's plan. Maybe he already knows that there are other people living in the southern land who may be easy to bully, so he took the opportunity of going to the east to visit Fort Ross and took the opportunity to grab another one along the way?
Arik can definitely do this kind of thing.
Rurik is not the case. If you really want to fight, you must identify the enemy. You must know a little bit about the enemy, and it is best to make a basic tactical plan, or even a plan B after the battle situation cannot be controlled. When the battle is over, follow-up work must be arranged in advance.
Rurik did not like taking risks to rob unknown people.
After all, this fleet is under the command of his cousin Arik, who has never been defeated and is always full of confidence.
A new day is coming soon.
Rurik quickly forgot the dream after waking up. He vaguely remembered that it was not a good dream. It seemed that his tribe had suffered a failure.
"Dream? They are the most superstitious. If I tell you about the dream, won't it disturb the morale of the soldiers?"
Rurik was inevitably uneasy, or he didn't sleep well at all after sleeping on the island.
Arik, who was busy roasting cod meat, looked at his brother who was a little depressed: "You look very bad. What's going on?"
"nothing."
While chewing the fish meat, Arik muttered: "Brothers, get ready, we will set off soon."
"Oh." Rurik sat down, chewing on the fish and a small bowl of almost cooked oats.
People are basically tight on their own fresh water, but don't panic. Everyone is well aware of the structure of this small world. It is said that as long as you find the coast of land, you can easily find rivers.
Taking advantage of the rising tide again in the morning, three longships slid into the sea.
People put down their oars, and the bow of the boat pointed straight to the south to start a new voyage.
The land was hazy in the morning mist, and the three long boats lined up in a row wanted to quickly rush to the stalls, find fresh water, and then sail away.
Of course, it would be nice to catch a wild deer or two on the shore.
Some warriors carried short hunting bows made of oak and a batch of crudely made arrows. It is really difficult to expect this kind of bow and arrow to kill enemies wearing leather and chain mail. It is only effective at hunting rabbits and deer and shooting at close range.
Everyone must reach the shore. Are there any interesting unknowns on the shore? The morning mist made the land seem so far away, deepening everyone's sense of anticipation.
In fact, the island where the fleet anchored was Naisal Island. Now, the fleet headed straight for Tallinn Bay.
The sea fog blurred the phantom of the Russians, but the vigilant Russians sailed in unknown waters. They kept their eyes open at all times and did not miss any clues.
Vaguely, someone saw some vague shadows on the sea.
"What is that? Arik!" a soldier shouted.
Arik was almost instinctively vigilant. He stood up and looked around.
"Could that be a ship? Ah! It must be a ship."
For a moment, Arik was not excited. He remained vigilant and said to his men: "Brothers, maybe they are fishermen from Gotland again. Odin really blessed us and allowed us to meet them here? How about it? , destroy them?"
Gotlanders, upon hearing this word, the blood of the Rus warriors boils. Blood feuds cannot be eliminated with just one or two revenge victories.
The three ships were close together, and everyone's attitude became very unified.
fighting! If you discover the record of war and don't fight for it, you are not considered a man.
Seeing the brothers so excited, they were almost out of control. Rurik frowned, which worried Jevro.
"Sir, don't be afraid. If a fight breaks out, my brothers and I will protect your safety to the death."
Rurik, who was guarded by twenty elite mercenaries, was naturally relieved. He regretted not bringing ten crossbows. Having them was the greatest safety.
Rurik ordered: "My cousin and the Gotlanders are at odds with each other. Since they have been discovered, fighting is necessary. If the enemy's stronghold is discovered, they must plunder it. But you, before the war situation becomes clear, , you don’t want to plunder.”
Arik nodded, "I will convince the brothers to stay calm."
"Don't worry, abiding by my destiny will benefit you."
Rurik originally wanted to refuse to take the initiative to provoke an extraneous fight, but his cousin insisted on having his own way, so he had to reserve his attitude. He did not want his mercenaries to participate in possible fierce battles. If there was a crisis, his own people would still participate. For now, the mercenary team will serve as a tactical reserve for the marauding army whenever it encounters danger.
The fleet began to run towards the enemy's fishing boat as fast as possible.
The small fishing boat clearly sensed the danger and began to row desperately to escape.
After all, the quality of fishing boats is worrying, so they can only cast nets on the coast to catch fish. Seeing that the unknown big boat had evil intentions, he hurriedly ran for his life, and the fishing boat quickly plunged into a small river and headed upstream.
"Damn it, just one step away!" Arik on the boat was like a hunter who lost his deer, he gritted his teeth angrily.
A soldier consoled him, "At least the escaping Gotlanders led us to a small river. We should be able to find their village if we go deep into the interior."
"Village? Okay!" Aric laughed again, "Brothers, we are not busy collecting fresh water. We will go upstream, plunder their villages, and finally burn them."
Blinded by the desire for revenge, the Russian soldiers subjectively believed that the escaped fishermen were Gotland fishermen. After all, the Gotlanders are not trapped on the island. They are vigorously exploring new living spaces. Their economic conflict with the tribes of the Northern Alliance was the core factor that led to the war.
But Rurik didn't think they were Gotlanders because they didn't fit with history.
Rurik remembered that the traitors of various Varyag people, that is, the guys who deserted their respective tribes and immigrated with their families, spontaneously immigrated eastward, probably on the island of Saaremaa (later formed the Principality of Semeria) , mixed with the Latvian territory, and even continued eastward to Pskov, where they merged with the local Pskov Slavic tribes.
The other Varyags described by the Novgorodians almost all entered Lake Ilmen from Pskov in the west along small rivers.
Rurik even believed that the escaped fishermen were Estonians.
Estonians, they were generally called "people of the east" by the Roman Empire, and were distinguished from "Finns". In fact, both sides are from the same family, or the Finns are the ancient Estonians who crossed the sea and headed north.
The fleet followed the fleeing fishing boat and began to enter an unknown river.
The forest surrounding the river is lush and green, and you can't see any ups and downs. The river flows into the sea at a very slow flow rate.
Fresh water has become readily available, and as for the escaped fishermen, there is no reason to pursue them urgently. No one believed that there would be a single Gotland fisherman living alone, there must be many fishermen living in groups.
Their villages must be built along rivers or lakes, and they are like a group of lambs waiting to be harvested by the well-armed Rus.
However, people from top to bottom, including Arik, underestimated the twists and turns of the river.
It may have a name, but when the Danes settled here in history and built their own Reval Castle, or Tallinn (meaning Danish castle), they gave the river an exact name - Pirita river.
Pirita means pyrite. Although minerals are scarce throughout Estonia, miracles will occur in individual places.
Near Tallinn Bay, there is pyrite that is rare in this area. Because of this, ancient Estonians were able to smelt iron on their own without relying on outsiders.
Now, the Russian army led by Aric accidentally broke into the river, and a fateful encounter was about to happen.
The boat moved quickly along the winding river, and the warriors rowed while gazing at the surrounding scenery.
Finally, the fleet rounded a huge bend, and the villages along the river suddenly appeared.
Aric's eyes widened. He felt that these strange houses were not made by Gotlanders. Everyone felt strange. Those houses that were obviously made of wood were all small houses, not the most common wooden longhouses in Gotland.
The village is built along the river, and there are obviously some farmlands along the river. Even if the crops have been harvested, people who know how to do it can tell at a glance whether it is farmland.
There are also a small number of canoes tied with hemp ropes to wooden piles on the shore, and the styles of the boats are also very different from what everyone knows.
There are many signs that the Russians may have encountered a group of unknown guys.
"They can build such a shabby house, they should be no better than the Gotlanders."
In Aric's mind, "Gotlander" was regarded as a unit of measurement. Going deep here is purely an adventure. Even if the enemies that may appear are weak, Arik does not want the situation to continue to be complicated.
He was still on the boat and shouted: "Brothers! We are going to land in this village! They may be powerful enemies, but they will still be killed by us. I only hope that no brothers will be injured after you win. Be alert, Get ready for war!”
After all, they were the old guys who had fought with Arik. They were well-trained, and every man knew his position after landing.
Arik's plan is to form a classic Viking shield wall after landing. Each warrior performs his or her own duties, some standing in the front row as sword and shield bearers, and some in the back row killing enemies with long-handled weapons. In fact, these are all agreed-upon things, and there is no need for Arik to make any plans.
Rurik clenched the hilt of his sword. In the tense atmosphere, he really thought that he would fight with the enemy after the army landed.
He saw some warriors wiping their sword blades and axes. These weapons were still made of ordinary wrought iron. It was a pity that the warriors of Tombstone Island did not replace their new equipment as soon as possible due to geographical barriers.
While the soldiers of Fort Ross have purchased steel swords, steel axes, and even more sinister chromium steel weapons, a group of brothers guarding the "South Gate" of Ross are still using old weapons.
Even so, this clumsy "toy" is enough for a group of savages covered in animal skins.
Here, Rurik was surprised to see some soldiers remove the spearheads of short spears, and then remove the heads of hand axes, and press them on the wooden sticks. In this way, the short spears turned into a very strange spear with a length of more than two meters. A long poleaxe.
"How can this weapon be used?"
Rurik didn't care so much. His slender but powerful arm was grabbed by his cousin. Arik didn't care about the intimacy between brothers. He simply admonished a young warrior: "Once a fight starts, you stay behind. It's best to let your people protect you. When the fight starts, I can't take care of you."
Three long boats docked slowly at the quiet dock.
Quiet! Very quiet!
It was so quiet that it was scary, as if behind every wooden house there were warriors armed with sharp weapons and ready to fight for their lives.
One of the keys to winning a battle is vigilance and maintaining basic discipline at all times once a battle breaks out.
Arik summed up these useful experiences in the battle, and he believed that his victory was due to experience.
No, after the soldiers landed, they quickly formed a hemispherical formation.
The sword and shield bearers in the front row took off the shields hanging on the side of the ship and wore them on their left arms. The shields, which were enough to protect most of the torso, were intertwined to form a solid wall.
Rurik finally understood the purpose of those axes. It turned out that the purpose of these weapons was like the use of weapons, which were the means of force output for the soldiers in the back row after the battle broke out - axes were used to assist in pecking and hitting. In this way, the enemy has to face the warriors from the front and also beware of the ax coming from the sky. Rurik admired his cousin's tactical skills, but it was a pity for him. If he had brought a dozen crossbows on this trip and let the mercenaries equip them, wouldn't the team's combat effectiveness be greatly improved?
The heavily armed soldiers were ready to fight. Everyone was waiting for Arik's order, and Arik was also waiting for the enemy's attack.
The scene fell into a strange stalemate.
Where are the enemies? As if they exist. However, his intuition told Arik that this small village chief was still popular, and there was no possibility of it being abandoned.
He finally couldn't bear it anymore, but he didn't want his people to encounter a possible ambush.
"Rurik!"
"Ah!" Rurik, who was hiding behind the team, roared.
"Ask your mercenaries to investigate. Quick!"
"Ah? Why my people?" To be honest, Rurik didn't want his people to be used as flesh detectives who were easily attacked by concentrated fire.
Arik became impatient: "What? Don't you listen to your brother? Brother, this is a war! Let the mercenaries explore the way, quickly!"
Jevro could no longer care about his master's hesitation. In his heart, he didn't dislike Arik at all. Everything is the fate of mercenaries. Risky investigation itself is the job of mercenaries.
Without hesitation, Yevro led a few men, formed a skirmish line, held the steel sword against the wooden shield, and went deep into the village where he was on high alert...
