Some young children stood on the beach, facing a charred scene.
They were all Rurik's followers and servants. Maybe they still had some good imaginations about the war, but what they saw and heard now made everyone become realistic and nervous in an instant.
Kanuf and Fisk, both of them aspire to become the future stars of the Principality of Rus. For this purpose, they must go to the battlefield to gain merit at a very young age.
Fisk, a young man, has been carrying his late father's sword on his back and vowed to avenge his father and attack the Gotlanders.
Are the Gotlanders just a bunch of hateful and vicious people? Some girls were transported to the Aurora. They were in ragged clothes and almost mentally collapsed. They are all Gotland women. Do they want to take revenge on these people? He even felt pity for these girls who were almost the same age as him. He wanted to appease them, but also wanted to possess them.
Yes, Fisk already has a pair of twin sisters. According to tradition, marriage is consummated from one to twelve years old, but there are no rules that limit the number of wives a man can have, and Fisk longs for more.
On the beach, he saw many strange-shaped charred objects. After careful inspection, he was shocked to find that the layers piled up were the corpses of the dead enemies. They continue to burn and will turn into powder after a long process.
The Russians selected a small area on the beach, tents were set up, and most of the soldiers landed on the long-lost land.
They ate wheat and mutton, and even the captive slaves ate cooked wheat grains.
The Ross soldiers who landed were talking and laughing. They didn't think there was anything scary about the huge fire and the large number of corpses. After all, most of the people selected were veterans who had experienced hundreds of battles, and many of them were madmen who participated in the war against the Kovin people.
Most of the javelins shot out by the torsion slingshot were recovered. Rurik counted them. Eleven of them were shot out by the fleet, and ten were recovered now. Such a small battle loss is really gratifying!
What made him even more gratified was that the overall structure of the huge arrow-like javelins was not damaged. It can be seen that as long as the arrows can be recovered, most of the long-range ammunition in the Aurora can be reused.
However, Rurik clearly saw an enemy being pierced and assassinated, but he couldn't find this lucky arrow. It seems that the arrows pierced the enemy's body in unison, and they were carried and thrown into the fire by the Melalen people who were cleaning up the war. Both the man and the arrows were turned into ashes.
He didn't take it seriously, but this stika-long arrow was in Karl's hand.
At noon, in the large tent of the Maylaren Army.
Karl barged in aggressively carrying a strange arrow and presented it to his father: "Dad, this is a Russian weapon. It is very powerful. I have thought about it a lot..."
"You should call me king!" Olegin, who was holding a lamb bone and sucking the delicious marrow, rolled his eyes at his son.
"Look at this arrow! It pierced the enemy's chainmail and penetrated the body."
"I know about this." Olegin still didn't care.
"King! Do you really think it doesn't matter? They actually have such ferocious weapons."
"You mean the Russians? What about that?"
"You..." Karl gritted his teeth and said viciously: "Yeah, so what. We don't have it. If the Russians attack us, our soldiers will die."
"You! You... shut up!" Olegin threw the sheep bone directly, patted his thigh and stood up: "This is a time of war, and you actually said such bastard words. What do you mean? Ah! Do you? ……you think……"
Karl raised his head with his head raised: "Of all the tribes, they are the most unruly. No one really believes that the Russians are weak. This extremely long sword is proof."
"what do you want to say in the end?"
"King, I don't like them. They pretend to be polite, but they are actually bastards. As long as they don't really surrender, our power will be threatened. Our threat has never been the Gotlanders or the Danes, the biggest The threat is them.”
As if overnight, this arrogant man became wiser. As soon as these words came out, Olegin was shocked and speechless.
Yes, Origen never thought about the possibility of backstabbing. Should Karl’s words be carefully considered? Origen's answer was no.
This refusal made Karl anxious, and he walked towards his father rudely: "We suffered more than a hundred brothers casualties in this battle! Almost all of my soldiers were wiped out, and they are all our brothers from Melalen. We only attacked a small fishing village and so many people died. If we attack ten more, wouldn't it mean that the strength of the Melalen army will be seriously damaged? The other tribes, Fela, are not enough to prove it. Only the Ross tribe is preserving its strength. How can we maintain our power if we lose too much?”
Karl's emotional roar contained many key details, but the stubborn Origen simply didn't believe it.
Carl was brave and even crazy, but he was not foolhardy either. Ever since he was humiliated by Arik in the fight, he hated the Russians. Even if it was for personal grudges, he would suppress the Russians. Moreover, only a stubborn old guy would ignore the rise of the Russians.
What made Karl angry today was that he observed the landing Ross soldiers. Their brows exuded a different kind of temperament! They are not like the Malaren Army or a team of farmers and fishermen from other tribes. Their eyes are full of desire for wealth and a trace of doubt about fighting.
This group of people who were covered in chain armor were so extravagant that some of them used obvious iron pieces on their chests and crotches to strengthen their defense. Their armor was of the same level as those of the Danish warriors who were killed, and they stared with the eyes of those who had killed people.
Occasionally they would pull out their swords, and what shocked Karl was that the swords were all bright white. It is no secret that the Russians manufacture and sell "hard swords". Who would have thought that they could equip them on a large scale? Even the short spears they held, the so-called spearhead was simply a "short hard sword" stuck on a wooden stick.
That's not all yet. Karl noticed that among the landlanders there was a group of clean and elegant girls. In terms of hair color, they must be from another group of ethnic groups.
There was also a group of short men with brownish-black hair. Although they wore leather armor, they were carrying wooden bows that were almost the same height as them.
The last time Carl saw a real Ross army, he was just a kid. More than ten years have passed, and the Ross Army he saw today has refreshed all his perceptions.
He had to be sure that Arik was a brave warrior, and he also had to be sure that this child Rurik, regardless of those rumors, this child did have many extraordinary qualities.
Otto, an old man, might die of illness in a few years, and Rurik would surely become Duke of Rus by then.
A young and wise new duke, a brave war chief, a murderous army, and even the maids have been trained to be polite. What is this if not a threat? . They can say that they have no intention of coveting power, but if they have the idea, they really have the strength to fight for it.
Karl, he really wished that Ross's fleet was completely wiped out in this war and everyone on board was killed. Wouldn't this be the biggest internal threat after he became king?
However, no matter what he consciously said was reasonable, his father Olegin's attitude was as solid as a rock. Karl was so angry that he subconsciously tightened his sword hilt and cursed secretly: "You'd better die too, it's best to die on the battlefield, and then I will." Be king where you are.”
Perhaps only careerists can clearly discern who the competitors are and what their possible ambitions are.
Aren't the actions of the Russians deliberate to preserve their strength in the war?
Meeting by the campfire Karl himself did not know many inside stories, especially the previous political transactions between Otto and Olegin on Leg of Sheep Island. He also knew nothing about more inside information.
A new day has arrived.
The mist in the bay rose and dissipated very quickly. The warriors from various tribes who were recharging their strength took in their shacks and pushed all the boats into the sea. Each tribe gained very little loot from this battle, and only the Melalen people gained a lot.
A small fleet was the first to leave Bullough Bay. They were two rowing long boats and a fleet that towed as many as twenty captured fishing boats carrying trophies. A group of wounded people were also on board. This was May. The Larren fleet. Following closely behind is an armed cargo ship of the Russians. The sheep, slaves, and other useful things obtained will first be transported to Gould Island in Lake Malaren.
Everyone understands that the fleet is leaving. They are transporting burdens away, and the remaining people are more determined to fight.
But Karl didn't think so. It was reasonable for his people to evacuate with the loot and wounded. Why did the Russians follow? The fact that they are missing one ship is a reflection of their retreat to preserve their strength.
As the supreme commander of the army and the King of Sweden, Olegin's only thought was to continue to expand the results of the war. He selectively ignored his son Karl's obvious hostility towards Ross' allies. After all, the top priority right now was to continue fighting. What made him more anxious was that he had no advance plan for the next battle, and could not have a detailed plan. Because of the conditions in the southern seas, including the Danish settlement of Kalmar, which was targeted, he was told only by hearsay.
At this moment when the enemy's situation is unclear, without this massive coalition, Olegin would never have dared to launch such a war.
After everyone had a big meal on the shore, each army boarded its own ship. After each duke took inventory of his ship, he sailed out of the bay in a chaotic manner.
They completely left Bullough Bay in the afternoon, and then all the ships corrected their lines and began to follow the almost purely north-south coastline, heading south against the southwesterly wind.
At this moment, Origen can proudly say that his Swedish army is already involved in a new field, Sweden's sphere of influence has increased, and the next battle may break out at any time.
Olegin never felt that the losses in previous battles were really huge. Look, the sea is full of ships of the Malaren Army, and the sight of collective oars is really spectacular.
He was unwilling to look behind him, because the five Ross ships were walking in a zigzag line, relying on pure wind power to move backwards, and their speed was still the same as his own army.
Olegin gave his allies new opportunities, but the fleets were still struggling. Since it was agreed that they would be the main attack in the next battle, he simply deliberately slowed down the fleet to give the rear personnel time to catch up.
The Mellaren army was essentially stop-and-go, and the Russians simply did not pull up the sails, and instead accommodated the entire army by limiting their speed.
In the captain's lounge of the Aurora, Otto was wearing armor and he was ready to go into battle immediately.
Rurik, along with his Carlotta, Fisk, Kanuf and Terravis were all sitting in the cabin. Like the maids, they were all ordered to stay in the lowest cabin just because they were non-combatants.
The sides of the ship and the deck were filled with warriors holding bows and crossbows. When a naval battle suddenly broke out, just one salvo from the Aurora could hit the enemy with fifty arrows from a high position. This does not include the conical "armor-piercing bullets" made of cast iron from the torsion slingshot that hit the ship. Now on the forecastle deck above Rurik's head, the soldiers were ready.
The long voyage was really boring, and Otto was a little worried. He had never been to this sea area in his life.
Ten years ago, his Sorgon fleet deviated due to sea fog. The fleet actually deviated to the small island northeast of Gotland, which is Gotland Island. The island is in a sense a huge piece of granite. Due to countless years of wind erosion and flooding, the island has a lot of sand. Otto led his troops to defeat the Gotlanders in a perfect ambush, but he lost his only brother.
He is really not familiar with this sea area, but there are young and veteran soldiers in the Ross army who attacked Gotland three years ago.
It can be said that there is no shortage of Russian navigators in the entire fleet.
In fact, Rurik was the greatest navigator, just because he could describe the geographical structure of the entire Baltic world extremely accurately, and especially knew the situation on the next battlefield.
The captain's lounge on the forecastle contained huge secrets. The porthole (which also served as a crossbow shooting hole) let in the light. Rurik used the tip of his knife to draw a map on a slightly white pine board.
He introduced Otto to a magical world.
Everyone knows that the coast of Scandinavia is complex and changeable. The shallow sea area offshore is huge and full of lush islands and sandbars. In order to avoid stranding, the entire fleet is farther away. Sea navigation.
Rurik's map did not show the tens of thousands of islands, including bays large and small.
He specifically marked two extremely critical existences, namely Gotland and Öland.
Rurik directly pointed out an extremely rare peculiarity of the ensuing battle: "Dad, what awaits us is no longer the open sea. Although you have never seen the island of Öland, or even know its definite existence, but I know it."
Otto was about to ask if this was also an oracle, but he shut up when his son was still introducing him. And what about Carlotta? She felt that Rurik was a god simply because he could see into the unknown world.
As an old man who travels across the sea, Otto has a strong sense of spatial orientation. He has accepted Rurik's "up north and down south" method of drawing maps, and he quickly understood Rurik's description. .
"Oland is just southwest of Gotland. It is like a long wall and has become a natural barrier for the enemy. The Danes and Gotlanders must have established many strongholds on the coast, and there must be roads. The Götaland people who live there also settled here, and they rely on the island of Oland to be protected like a wall in the outer sea. In this way, the extremely long and narrow sea area between the land and the island will be our future battlefield."
Rurik's description is indeed a truth. That sea area is the so-called Kalmar Strait, which is only three kilometers at its narrowest point.
As he spoke, Rurik calmed down, raised his head and stared at his solemn-faced father, and then said coldly: "Dad, we will soon enter this extremely narrow sea area. Our coalition fleet is very large. Once an outbreak occurs, In a naval battle, it is difficult for us to have a chance to turn around. Because if we turn around and there is no chaos in the team, we are likely to be backstabbed by the Gotland army. Since we have chosen war, we must go all the way south. This is a cramped place The battlefield is like crossing a single-plank bridge. In my opinion, the brave will win when we meet on a narrow road."
"You..." Otto, who was already frightened, finally spoke: "Do you really believe that a naval battle will happen?"
"At least we have to be prepared."
"This is an oracle. Maybe it shouldn't be kept as a secret exclusive to us Russians. You should tell Olegin to stop the crazy Melalen army from charging too fast."
Rurik shook his head: "This is the war they chose. We are only participating in the war to fulfill our alliance obligations. It is beneficial for us that they suffer losses, and I don't think the enemy ships really pose a huge threat to our ships."
Otto thought for a while and felt that this was the case, "No one knows the battlefield better than you now. Rurik, you are still the commander of the entire team. You can do whatever you want."
Rurik nodded: "Then let everyone remain vigilant. No one should leave his weapon. Our final goal is to attack the Danes' Kalmar. Before that, Olegin will definitely attack the towns along the way. Maybe tomorrow we will We are about to attack the first target, and a naval battle is likely to break out. Even if there is no naval battle, there will be fleeing enemies running towards the south."
"What will happen?"
Rurik pointed directly to a location on the map, which was the lower left corner of the board and the highlighted part, which was the Jutland Peninsula, several surrounding key islands, and even the lower part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The fate part, "This is the core of the Danes. Dad, you can see that it is not difficult for them to reinforce Kalmar. We may encounter the Danish army at sea! That is not just about attacking Kalmar."
"Okay! Attack the Danes!" Otto was not nervous at all, he was even gearing up!
His father's actions fully proved that his courage had not diminished. In fact, Rurik had great confidence in the Avora and was only worried about other cargo ships. But for friendly ships, it is pure worry.
Rurik put down the plank and said conclusively: "We are about to enter the Kalmar Strait, and the looting is about to begin. I hope Olegin will stop when he is good. That guy is eager for honor. Will he forget it after he won a huge victory? Where is his weight? Is he ready to fight the Danes?"
"I don't think he can do it." Otto frowned and shook his head.
"That's right!" Rurik shrugged, "So, if the most serious situation occurs, our safe retreat is the most important. I don't care about the life or death of Olegin and Karl, they are just Melalen anyway. If the spokespersons elected by the big households die, the big households can still elect a new king, and our business will continue as usual."
After hearing this, Otto's tense spirit finally relaxed. He subconsciously stretched out his hand to rub Rurik's little face and said with a smile: "Good boy, I didn't expect you to be quite vicious, but I like it. Just do this and prepare to fight. !”
