The so-called gray tree is actually an ash tree.
People in Northern Europe saw that its gray-brown trunk was completely different from the pine trees that can be seen everywhere, so they named it after the color of the trunk.
The ash tree has a very elastic trunk. When the European ash tree is young, it twists and turns. When it grows into a big tree, it has an "umbrella cover". Every autumn, it has a golden canopy, becoming the most beautiful tree in the pine forest. Unique existence.
No one is a fool and does not know the resilience of the ash tree. The plundering search by Finns and Vikings has resulted in the loss of ash trees. Some pewter rods can be made into bows with good elasticity, but their maintenance level is generally not high. No matter how good a single bow is, it will need to be replaced within two years.
In the end, hunters had to make do with oak bows, which started to lose weight after shooting five or six hundred arrows. Fortunately, the manufacturing cost of this kind of bow was not high.
On Gogland Island, Rurik's biggest gain was the large number of white wax poles.
In just one day of exploration, the team cut down all five trees they found. Of course, everyone concluded that there were more gray trees on this desert island where no outsiders settled. After cutting off the branches of the tree trunk, the mercenaries carried the stripped trunk on their shoulders and carried them all back to the ship.
When his son returned from his adventure, he brought a speechless treasure. Although Otto was dissatisfied, he was relieved since this thing was expected to be a very good bow.
After a whole day of rest, or in other words, everyone stayed on the island for a whole day, the lost energy and spirit were restored.
They left a large number of traces of campfires on the beach, and left a pile of rice fields as they walked away.
"Stone Island" is full of rocks, but there is also a freshwater lake. Its special status has become deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it has become the preferred anchorage for the Russian people in the future, even if it is a bit too rocky.
The fleet docked at Nesar Island again, and Arik introduced the clearly identifiable traces of bonfires on the beach, proving that this was his masterpiece, and pointed to the southern coast, where there were Estonian villages that were conquered and burned.
Those people are not Baltic, but Estonian? They have food and can smelt iron, and even own some leather, but their military power is very poor.
How could Otto not be tempted? It is only natural to bully the weak and plunder wealth.
It's just that the army is on the road right now and there really is no time to linger around.
Arik fulfilled his promise and actually led a group of brothers to row a boat to the southern coast to bring back some fresh water.
The fleet only stayed on Naisal Island for one day before gradually leaving the Gulf of Finland.
The sea ahead is extremely open, and those who dare to climb to the top of the mast will gradually lose sight of the southern coast. At this point, the most arduous rowing was over. The entire fleet followed Otto's flagship, and the bows began to face the north wind and began to make zigzag movements. The overall overweight fleet began to sail clumsily against the wind.
One day passed after leaving Nessal Island. The entire fleet spent the night at sea. They were slowly advancing at night. On the second day of the day, the fleet arrived at Tombstone Island!
"Attention, we have arrived at the island group. Brothers, please follow my orders and paddle carefully." Otto stood at the bow of the ship as always, holding on to the menacing bow relief. All the oarsmen on the ship listened to the orders and The entire fleet lined up in a single column very smartly, like a small train, cautiously shuttling through the waterways of the Åland Islands filled with sandy rocks and reefs.
Even long boats with shallow drafts did not dare to take risks here. They had to go straight to Tombstone Island along the determined deep water channel and spend the night on the island as planned.
The Åland Islands is a huge island group that stretches 150 kilometers from east to west. It is large and trivial. Most of the small islands are not worth settling at all, and many of the islands can easily be crossed by running water.
Among thousands of islands, the Russians chose an island with two small bays in the northern part of the archipelago and named it Tombstone Island.
The geographical location of Tombstone Island is still 90 kilometers away from the mouth of Lake Malaren in a straight line. Such a unique geographical location naturally restricts the nearby trade between the Ross people and the Malaren people.
The reason for choosing Tombstone Island is that it is small and compact, with its winding coastline and deep water level, making it an excellent port at this stage.
Rurik, who had landed on Tombstone Island, was actually very suspicious of his father's site selection, because standing on Tombstone Island, there was obviously a larger island to the west as far as he could see. That was the main island of the Åland Islands. Where was it established? Wouldn't a settlement be more suitable?
As the fleet returned to Tombstone Island successfully, Rurik finally understood his father's real considerations in choosing the location. Tombstone Island is located in a natural deep water channel in the archipelago. Doing business with the Mellaren people has never been the main purpose. Ensuring the smooth navigation of the Sorgon fleet is the most important thing.
The returning men were greeted as heroes by the islanders, and even more hearteningly, the fleet was not the only visitor.
When Otto landed, he unexpectedly saw Gould, who was as fat as an elephant seal. The appearance of the big businessman first shocked Rurik, but in an instant he understood the whole story.
Ah, look at the cargo ships with obviously deep drafts tied to the trestle of the small bay. You can tell that Gould is doing the last transportation operation of the year.
The almost missing big leader and his warriors seemed to have descended from heaven. When Jevro saw an old man with a fluttering beard walking down the trestle, he was so shocked that he subconsciously stepped back.
After a moment, Gould hurriedly stepped forward, covered his heart and carried his luggage to the leader.
"You! You are actually here?! Why." Otto asked when they met.
"Dear leader, I am also surprised to see you here. Ah, Sorgon's fleet is finally back?"
"You didn't answer my question," Otto urged.
"Yes, Chief." Gould immediately raised his hand and pointed to his cargo ship: "Look, the ship is filled with wheat. Please allow me to tell you a beautiful thing..."
It’s definitely about food! Otto had already learned a lot from his son, so he asked no more questions. He urged: "Prepare a comfortable place for me, I want to have a good rest. Huh? Your wall has been erected? That's great, so the damn Gotlanders can't threaten our camp."
Returning to Tombstone Island, Otto felt like he was back home.
Of course, for those warriors from Tombstone Island, they really reunited with their wives and children with a batch of precious trophies.
Tombstone Island is bustling again.
The extremely limited number of Merlaren merchants who had no intention of going crazy north to Rossburg, just thinking of doing some business with the Ross people on Tombstone Island, unexpectedly met Otto, the mysterious leader of the Ross people.
Otto naturally met more than a dozen businessmen and decisively accepted some of the gifts provided by the businessmen. He also saw the twitching eyes of some businessmen and felt a sense of disharmony.
Otto's feeling was correct, because those with twinkling eyes were indeed businessmen themselves, and on the other hand, they were instructed by the leader of Melalen and the leader of the alliance, Olegin. It's true that they do business, and it's even more true that they spy on intelligence.
An old man who is obviously weather-beaten and physically strong is actually the legendary leader Otto? No matter how you look at it, this man is more powerful than his leader Olegin. There is also the illustrious momentum of everyone who returned from the Rus' tribute. It is said that the Ross people as a whole are far less powerful than the Melalen people. Even Rurik, the son of the Ross leader who met with the leader, also expressed his weakness. I saw a large group of Ross warriors today. Who dares to estimate that they are really weak?
Is it true that a tribe that can organize a large fleet is weak?
The merchants tasked with spying on the information sighed to themselves about their good luck. They immediately began to sell their goods at unusually low prices in order to escape from Tombstone Island early and report the information to their leaders to receive the reward.
Merlaren merchants are all lowering prices, which of course benefits the Rus people on the island.
Merchants are mainly selling pots, pans, and wooden daily necessities. Who cares about the reasons behind their sudden sales?
A warm wooden house is now the bed of Otto and Rurik. Before taking a break, Otto intended to have a good chat with Gould.
The dim oil lamp was not enough to hide the joyful atmosphere. Gould was in a very good mood tonight. He urgently needed to show off in front of the big leader and brag about the feats of young master Rurik in Mälaren.
Rurik had long told his father about his experience in Mälaren. The words were spoken by the child alone. Otto subconsciously thought that there was an element of exaggeration here, and he did not really believe that his son really had such great achievements. .
Now it was Gould's turn to describe it vividly, and Otto had to believe it even if he didn't believe it.
Wheat, in particular, is so large that even Gould, who owns a fleet of cargo ships, does not have the ability to transport it all at once.
After drinking "Ross Vodka" from a glass bottle again, Otto's face quickly turned red.
"Hahaha, wheat, a lot of wheat, our tribe really has no shortage of wheat this year. My dream when I was young has actually come true, because we paid too much money for wheat."
Rurik was present, and Gould didn't dare to talk nonsense, so he complimented: "Money is never a problem. Rurik is blessed by the gods, and we Russians have many ways to make money. I am indeed resourceful. Merchant, please rest assured, chief, I will make your family make a fortune in next year’s trade season.”
"I'm very confident about you." Otto, who was drunk, patted Gould's shoulder enthusiastically, which was a kind of affirmation of the businessman, which made Gould feel flattered.
Otto continued to mutter: "I heard that Olegin wants to see me. Well, maybe I should go there now."
"Ah? Chief, are you serious?" Not only Gould was surprised, but Rurik was also shocked.
Just when Rurik wanted to persuade his father not to cause trouble and to return to his hometown before winter, Otto suddenly gave up and said, "Forget it. That guy will call all the leaders for an alliance next year. My son said that Olegin wanted to Is there such a thing as revenge against the Danes?”
"Huh?" Who was Gould? Although he thought it was ridiculous, the words coming out of Otto's mouth were extraordinary. "Maybe so, Chief, what can I do for you?"
"What else can you do? You are a businessman, and I want you to raise some supplies for me. I am very optimistic about your material transportation capabilities. If there is a war in Anang, you will transport a steady stream of food and new supplies to my army. weapon."
"Ah! That would be such an honor."
Hearing this quietly, Rurik was a little surprised that his father really understood the importance of logistics. Obviously this is the fact. For example, during the Northern Hunting that started last winter, the entire team brought enough dry food for a month. If there was no such food, how could the expedition's hunting army complete the conquest of the Kovin people along the frozen Oulu River?
Having said that, the drunken father actually believed that the coalition forces after the alliance would fight back against the Danes and Gotlanders.
Youdao means telling the truth after drinking! Rurik estimated that his father had such a plan, and what would be the result of such an analysis.
The remnants of the Ostara tribe are now clinging to the thighs of the Ross people. If Otto proposes war at the alliance, Carlotta, a revengeful girl, will definitely be the first to support it.
As long as the leader Olegin sees Carlotta's determination, he will definitely avenge the Ostara people under the supervision of other tribal leaders.
After some analysis, Rurik came to a surprising conclusion. Regardless of whether the alliance made a decision on war, as long as Otto mentioned war, the entire alliance would definitely unite to counterattack the Danes.
The choice of war actually fell into the hands of the Russians?
In the past few years, the Russians have never been defeated at all, and their many conquests have made the people full of expectations for the war. Because for those young people who fought for the great god Odin, their dead souls went to Valhalla to become heroic spirits, and they could plunder a lot of wealth if they survived. Those warriors who followed Arik in his crusade against Gotland gained hugely. Which young man wouldn’t be greedy?
Under the influence of alcohol, Otto tightened his grip on the empty glass bottle: "Real warriors drink the strongest wine and kill the hardest enemies. It's time to continue our revenge. I want to avenge my brother Ogier, and I want to avenge my brother Ogier. The warriors on this island took revenge! They died in battle, and ten times as many Gotlanders must be buried with them. The revenge will continue, and it has nothing to do with Olegin."
How could Gould not be afraid when he saw Otto's angry bullfight? He thought that by mentioning Olegin, Otto would respect the leader of the alliance. Obviously the Russians didn't take that guy seriously. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Looking at Rurik's solemn little face, Gould could tell that it was a good thing.
What is the Mellaren tribe? Olegin abused his people, and Karl was a boastful guy. Is this kind of person worthy of being the leader of the alliance? Do they have the talents and strategies of Otto and his sons?
Gould also vaguely felt that Rurik never wanted to be an alliance leader. He still preferred to be a leader with real power, that is, the people under the leadership of this leader, not thousands, but probably one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, or even More. Rurik wants to maintain the relationship between the leader and the people through a system of taxation and contracts, which is completely different from those in the past.
The next day, when Otto sobered up, he talked about whether to break into Lake Mälaren to meet the leader of the alliance and gave a negative answer.
In this way, a larger fleet was formed, and the number of people on board actually exceeded a thousand!
The women of the shipbuilder family, along with almost all of the family's property, were incorporated into the fleet. The craftsman who can build cargo ships publicly announced that his family would immigrate to Rus, and the female relatives were not careful about their words. They told many people in a ostentatious manner that after the family immigrated, they would be valued by the leader of Rus.
This is a good time. Some carpenters and potters brought their families with them. They stopped waiting and decided to use their own skills to become Russians.
The construction of New Roseburg was in full swing. The key inspections of the two islands on the way back made Rurik determined to develop "Stone Island" and "Freshwater Island". To carry out construction, a large number of craftsmen were needed, and professional potters and carpenters really only needed a steady stream of immigrants to replenish them.
The magnificent fleet began its final voyage, with longships guarding cargo ships escorting grain and miscellaneous immigrant ships. Otto wanted to let the new immigrants see enough of the heroic appearance of the Russian warriors, so that they would have confidence in the military strength of the Russians so that they could do better things in the future.
The final voyage has become a kind of torture, and people who have ignored their hometown for a long time have gone crazy. Especially for those young soldiers, reuniting with their families is the simplest idea for everyone. They have already planned it, and they have gained a lot of benefits from this trip. They will live without worries for a long time in the future, so that they can get their wife pregnant again without any worries. Life has become much easier than before, which has greatly stimulated young couples' motivation to raise children indiscriminately.
Eight hundred thousand pounds of wheat, isn’t that a huge order of magnitude? The Russians are proficient in mathematical calculations with small orders of magnitude, such as "eight hundred thousand", which is an order of magnitude beyond the understanding of many people. In their view, since the chief family promised to slowly sell wheat at the usual price of one silver coin for ten pounds, it seemed that the entire tribe would never have to worry about wheat.
There is so much wheat that the transport ship will capsize. Do we have to worry about not having enough food?
The first batch of supplies arriving at Fort Ross caused a strong sensation throughout the tribe.
It was another cold morning. Some fishermen took advantage of the sea to catch another wave of fish before it froze. They broke into the fjord like crazy. When they landed, they frantically delivered the good news-the big leader brought the unprecedented huge boat. The team is back victorious!
No, there are crowds of people on the coast, and their golden hair looks like wheat fields. The beach was crowded with people, and everyone pointed at the sudden appearance of the fleet. Many people simply cried with joy.
Niya, the leader's wife, was so excited that her face was filled with tears. The husband and son came back as heroes.
They are the real heroes, they really think about this tribe, and this winter, the Russians once again refreshed the concept of wealth.
