In the early morning, a faint sea fog covered the whole world. Kalmar's flames are burning, no, it is no longer just sea fog, it is haze!
The exhausted coalition soldiers continued to sleep soundly in this poor condition. Their fatigue could not be recovered from a lazy sleep.
In other words, because most of the soldiers got the spoils, happiness suddenly came, and the enemies were either dead or became slaves. Should we continue?
"This is really not a good place." Rurik climbed up, stroking his groggy head. The smell of burnt wood made his mood even worse.
He changed his clothes and woke up Carlotta who also had a headache.
"Get up, this place is terrible, let's go now."
"Alright alright……"
Carlotta pinched her face hard, and when she walked out of the tent, she felt the world was even more weird.
Smog enveloped the world, the smell made people cough, and everyone, including herself, exuded a mushy smell.
Otto woke up early. As a veteran soldier, he was already alert and instructing the Ross soldiers to seize the time to eat, and just take the clothes and leave this hellish place.
The morning tide has not yet risen, so the Aurora is now simply stranded on the shore, as are the empty cargo ships.
Soon, Rurik's stomach was filled with fish, and his mercenaries and tribesmen all knew about the next new military plan.
All the linen for the tent was tied up and carried on the shoulders of the soldiers.
Part of the seized dried fish meat has been transported and uploaded, and now the rest is carried in net bags and carried on the soldiers' bodies.
The Ross soldiers all landed in the haze, carrying all their weapons and trophies. Each of them carried an astonishing weight, making walking a little difficult.
It’s just that these trophies are not valuable.
A large group of people gathered around Otto, and even Otto himself was carrying a bag of dried fish: "Brothers, let's go! Go kill our feud."
The warriors roared in unison, and then followed their duke into the water up to their ankles, until they trudged close to all their ships.
The men on the boat threw down the ropes and pulled the last of the Westerners on board. They threw down the rope ladder again, and the soldiers returned to their respective ships one after another.
Kalmar is still burning, smoke and dust envelope the world, and the light south wind obviously cannot blow it away quickly.
The sun was looming in the smoke. This was not a good day for sailing.
However, a new battle plan has been set. Regardless of whether Rurik is anxious or not, his people can't wait to participate in the new war.
The tide slowly rose, and the Ross ship nailed to the shore was lifted up again. The dropped anchor was put away, and the ship naturally drifted towards the inland sea.
Otto gave an order and the furled jib was lowered almost instantly. It was blown by a weak southerly wind and also gained a good thrust.
Five Russian ships carried the ambitions of the warriors. They formed a column, headed by the Avora, and began their voyage northward in the Kalmar Strait.
And this is also a difficult test for the endurance of the Russian ships, because their destination is Tombstone Island in the north.
So is the road ahead smooth?
Anything can happen on the sea. Moving forward in the light fog, Otto's worry about yaw is probably not the most troublesome. Just because the fleet is still in the area controlled by the Gotlanders and Danes, the seemingly calm sea is probably full of murderous intent.
But Otto is full of confidence. This time he has a big ship, which the Gotlanders cannot easily destroy!
Besides, Rurik, whom he trusted immensely, had already taken over the important task of military command. The boy stayed on the deck all the time, and his navigation skills were enough to lead a group of people. A group of mercenaries stayed at the control position of the torsion slingshot, and the crossbowmen in the cabin were always ready to board the deck to shoot.
Because when the fleet set sail, Rurik had a premonition that he would definitely encounter the Gotlanders on the way back. This is not a clever plan of the Russians, but the fleet must pass through the waters on the west coast of Gotland. The Swedish coalition forces were dispatched with great momentum, and they still paraded openly in the waters controlled by the Gotlanders. Those who went to kill were also their friends. If this did not cause panic in Gotland, then it would be a ghost!
fighting? Rurik really wanted it. It is best for the enemy to take the initiative to attack, so that the soldiers can vent their pent-up anger.
The wind gradually became stronger, and the southwesterly wind greatly dispersed the haze that shrouded Kalmar.
Olegin also woke up from his confusion. Standing on the beach, he soon felt that something was missing in the sky.
He squinted his eyes, suddenly trembled all over and stamped his feet wildly, frightening his followers to retreat.
"Russians! Did you really run away?! You actually humiliated me..."
But the Russians had indeed left. What else could Olegin, standing on the shore, do? He had nothing to say and simply stopped worrying about the matter in anger.
With more pressure on the king's shoulders, Olegin intended to rest in Kalmar for two days before starting his preparations.
The sun rose higher and higher, leaving Kalmar in the haze, and the stronger wind blew the five Russian ships "all the way."
Otto fell asleep soundly in the comfortable captain's lounge. As a senior sea warrior, it was difficult for him to get seasick. On the contrary, the gentle ups and downs of the ship became a wonderful cradle.
A small but resolute figure stood on the bow of the ship, and Rurik stood here, sometimes looking warily at the lands on both sides of the Kalmar Strait, sometimes lowering his head to watch the Avora's bulbous bow riding the wind and waves.
Without the drag of the crane stern and no need to consider the interference of the Melalen fleet, the Russian fleet enjoyed the full force of the southwest wind and reached a speed of eight knots.
Eight knots is already an extremely astonishing speed. Although a long boat with oars can easily reach such a speed, it does not last long.
The Avora's own advantage is that if faced with strong winds, she can soar to ten knots without stopping. During this period, the sailors only need to monitor the sails and rudder to maintain high speed until the strong winds subside.
The sea ahead is becoming increasingly dangerous. Cargo ships without longship escorts will obviously be regarded as big fat sheep by the enemy and try to rob them.
This is the case for fishermen in the Baltic Sea. When a fleet of ships unexpectedly comes into view, it would be against the rules to refuse to vote. Just because they landed on shore, they transformed into Viking warriors.
Rurik looked forward to fighting but was unwilling to fight. The first priority of the fleet itself was not to attack the Gotland fishermen, but to rush to the north as quickly as possible and arrive at Tombstone Island. In the name of the big leader, he mobilized the entire Ross tribe and the Servant the tribe's military might to launch attacks.
The fleet worked day and night. The five ships set off early in the morning and passed Borgholm just after noon. In the morning of the next day, the fleet passed the port of Voskas without looking back.
The long voyage without landing is an exercise for the fleet and is also accompanied by huge crises.
Until noon, when the people on the flagship Avlora were eating dried meat, they took this opportunity to issue an order as a military commander.
"Brothers! Ahead is the Gotlander's sea area. I want you to be ready at all times. Once a battle breaks out, kill all the enemies! We will show no mercy and let those idiots feed the fish!"
The order was short and full of violence, and everyone who listened laughed.
Otto stood next to Rurik, and he appreciated his son's order.
Looking at my son's ponytail flowing in the wind, I couldn't help but sigh: "It's a pity that I'm old..."
All the cargo ships were chasing after the Aurora. The distance between the two ships was only 200 meters, forming a single column of about one kilometer.
This is Rurik's favorite formation. Just when they encounter an enemy ship, they can seize the T-head and unleash the maximum firepower of the torsion slingshot.
The day ahead is destined to be full of risks. The Ross fleet will need to spend the whole long day sailing through the western waters of Gotland. If the wind weakens, this journey will take more time.
It's another new day, and the people on the boat are eating, drinking, sleeping, and solving problems on the boat. The troubles have caused everyone to lose their energy, even though this sea area is already full of dangers.
Some sailors climbed directly onto the mast, tied themselves up with hemp ropes, and then looked up under the summer sun.
The warriors on the deck were all sitting on the side of the ship, holding their longbows and torsion slingshots and taking a nap in boredom.
The long and peaceful voyage had worn away Rurik's vigilance. Just when he was relaxing, the thing that was destined to come was already approaching the Ross fleet.
The people watching on the mast immediately lowered themselves down the rope and hurriedly knelt down in front of Rurik: "It seems that the bright spots in the distance are fishing boats, but..."
Rurik, who instantly regained his vigilance, asked hurriedly: "Are they really the enemy?"
"If... they're coming towards us, they're the enemy. Even the fishermen are the enemy."
"Okay!" Rurik looked up at the sun, then glanced at all the brothers who were standing up and gearing up: "Russians! The battle we dreamed of has actually come! A group of pirates who are not afraid of death have indeed come to attack us, kill them! "
The Russian army had been looking forward to this fateful battle from the beginning, but there were two bright spots approaching the fleet in the distance. After all, they were meeting on a narrow road. No matter what the opponent's attitude was, the Russians had unified their attitude three days ago - —Sink first and then talk.
Jevro stretched out his neck and shouted: "Charge the winch! Prepare the ammunition!"
The Kewen longbowmen on the other side have already replaced long iron cluster arrows, and the warriors holding steel-arm crossbows have prepared the cheapest cast iron arrow cluster crossbows without tail fins, because close combat does not require the most Good weapons.
What the Russians encountered was a patrol ship from Visby, Gotland's largest stronghold. A lot of major events must have happened in the south. Since a patrol ship saw the black smoke rising from Voskas Port from a distance, they concluded that the war was over. expand.
The army from the north was not easy to deal with. Their new settlement in Norrkoping was eradicated, and unexpectedly their friends in the south were also affected.
The entire island is in turmoil, and the wealthy families who settled in Visby, the largest stronghold, have spent their own money to recruit ordinary fishermen to arm themselves. Of course they hope that the Danish forces can give the guys of the Svealand Alliance a good beating, but Gotland is too far north, and the islanders must be armed to protect themselves until clear support from Danish friendly forces arrives.
The waters north of the island are a dangerous zone, and the damn Russians have begun attacking fishing boats again just like they did last year.
Gotlander fishing boats operate in the waters in other directions of the island, and local leaders organize patrol boats to intercept and kill lone Svealan Alliance ships, or to guard their own fishing boats.
Now, the patrol ship was surprised to find a lonely transport fleet. Isn't this an opportunity to attack the enemy and make a fortune at the same time?
Two Gotlandic longships carried more than eighty warriors, armed with swords, spears, axes and inferior short bows.
They also carry hooks specially used to rob large merchant ships. They use the high maneuverability and speed of their own rowing boats to catch up with the merchant ships, throw the hooks to jam the side of the ship, and the warriors climb to complete the occupation.
This move is the specialty of Gotland's sea warriors. Seeing five ships boarding the ship, although it looks a bit strange, in everyone's eyes, these are five slow-moving fat ships! Even if we capture a ship, everyone will be rich!
The Gotlanders moved forward at full speed, and at this moment the Ross fleet also deliberately slowed down.
The cargo ships in the rear saw that the Aurora was actively preparing to fight, and the ships did not dare to neglect. In a tacit understanding, almost all the soldiers climbed onto the deck with their long-range weapons.
Otto woke up, and he was pleased to see that his brothers were about to officially fight an unprecedented naval battle, which made him feel so happy. He still had a stern face, and his serious expression made this battle seem very difficult, but in fact, in Rurik's view, when the torque slingshot completed charging, the Russians were already sure of victory.
Rurik personally stood in front of a torsion slingshot. He held on to the railings of the ship with both hands. "Brothers, hold still. Listen to my order. Move them closer and then fight."
The cast iron projectiles of the three slingshots are ready. Due to the existence of the circular tray, the slingshot can continuously fine-tune the direction, so that the sight can always stare at the approaching enemy ship. The soldiers have locked the enemy ship.
The Ross fleet maintained a single column, and the crossbows of the soldiers on each ship were all facing the enemy.
When both sides were still far enough apart, the Gotlandic ships could not clearly see the outline of the ship they were attacking until they were close enough.
ah! Look at the strange off-white sails of the largest ship, up there! It actually has crisscrossing blue stripes? !
In an instant, the Gotlanders who were rowing desperately took a breath of cold air, because such a pattern belonged exclusively to the Russians!
The leader of the patrol threw off his woolen felt hat; "Brothers, we actually encountered the enemy again! Follow me to capture their transport ship and take the ship back. The head of the family will definitely give you a heavy reward."
The leader's words caused the trembling people to cheer up again, and the two longships locked their sights on the largest Avora. They began paddling desperately in a death charge!
But the outcome of the encounter was doomed from the start.
When they saw clearly that the deck of the big ship was full of people, before they had time to be shocked, the battle had already broken out.
"Now, shoot!" Rurik held it in for a long time. He even suspected that his own tribe was the first to be unable to hold back and shoot in advance. Fortunately, everyone had good restraint.
Three torsion slingshots fired at the same time, and a long ship became the key target.
The cast iron projectile directly hit the bow of the longship at a distance of only fifty meters.
Unfortunately, when encountering a long ship made of real oak, especially the strongest raised bow, the conical cast iron bullet suddenly became an unreliable chisel, and the two projectiles were directly embedded in the wooden planks.
However, war is always full of coincidences. A projectile hit the bow keel of the ship and saw chips flying across it. The unit that bounced away slightly hit the leader standing at the bow on the right side of his face, tearing it off. He and others fell directly into the sea...
The people on the boat did not have time to react, because a large number of arrows followed one after another!
Longbows and crossbows fired deadly cast-iron arrows, striking the Gotlanders hard as they clung to their wooden oars!
For the purpose of fighting gangs at sea, they would not wear deadly chainmail at all, and they would not even wear absorbent woolen slub sweaters. Many people simply went into battle shirtless, with strange patterns tattooed on their chests and backs to show off their martial prowess.
Unfortunately, for these defenseless people, their shields were directly penetrated by clusters of cast-iron arrows, and they were hit by arrows one after another.
With just one salvo, a Gotland longship was paralyzed only forty meters away from the Avora, and the battle became a one-sided terrorist attack.
The Russian people's pent-up emotions, which were so high that the news exploded, have now found the best outlet.
As for the Gotlanders, when they were hit by arrows and vomited blood, they clearly realized that they had misjudged their opponents, and before they died, they realized that the Russians were already kings of the sea.
