On a new day, in the early morning, the Aurora sheathed its spearhead and continued to sail westward on the waves.
The route ahead is becoming more and more dangerous. The ship that is alone in danger will encounter the strength of the Danes at any time, and the soldiers on the whole ship have to stay prepared for war.
Nowadays, it is impossible to keep a low profile, and Rurik no longer expects a giant to fantasize about himself and turn a blind eye to others.
Look at the current situation!
Standing on the bow of the ship, Rurik looked north. Even if there was a faint sea fog that blurred the world, he could still clearly see the dim outline of the land.
He nibbled on the dried fish, his keen eyes watching the shoreline for any anomalies.
From the perspective of Biyongni who was approaching, his little brother was confident about the way forward.
"Rurik, if we continue to the west, can we successfully reach the sea at the end of the world?"
"Not really." Rurik muttered lightly.
"Why?"
"Because there will be a lot of obstacles ahead."
"Is it the Danes who are blocking it?"
"They? Can't stop us. Brother, if we sail for a while we can see islands or land again. Listen, we will have to make a choice soon."
Rurik didn't say anything more, but a target soon appeared in front of him.
At this moment, the sailor riding on the top of the mainmast had already seen the dim sea level in the west. He could not tell whether it was land, but it looked very much like land. There was only one target that stood out, that was a sailing ship. Judging from its appearance, it was clearly a sturdy cargo ship.
Looking at the approaching target, Rurik clenched his fists with a smile.
He hurriedly shouted to his eager brothers: "The prey is coming! A cargo ship! Let us seize the ship and search for the goods!"
The desire to plunder excited the hearts of the people. Everyone took their positions, the torque slingshot was full of power, and the arrows were loaded from the arrow trough of the crossbow.
The Avora took advantage of the wind and rushed towards the lone cargo ship, and the battle became one-sided again.
As soon as the big ship hit the enemy's side, a volley of torque slingshots and crossbows made the enemies who tried to fight back lose any courage to fight.
With its huge size, after circling the slow enemy ship for a week, the Avora followed the wind and pushed the ship's side directly over. Jevro and his brothers jumped into the enemy's cargo ship one after another, capturing all the trembling guys alive.
The two ships came together, lowered their sails, and swayed on the sea.
Rurik slid along a cable to the opposite ship and immediately asked: "What kind of goods are they transporting?"
"It's wool!" As Jevro spoke, the blade was still pressed against the neck of a prisoner.
"It's actually wool? The whole ship's linen sacks are full of wool?"
"Looks like it."
At this moment, brothers Biyongni and Floki also boarded the captured merchant ship. Biyonny approached Rurik: "Are these Danish merchants? What's your resolution? To seize the goods and then kill them?"
"Of course. We still have a lot of space in the cabin. Look at these sacks full of wool. They are our spoils. We brothers should divide them equally. As for these Danes, kill them now."
Rurik knew that what he was currently doing was piracy, and the so-called mercy was really unnecessary.
Is mercy necessary? What if he fell into the hands of the Danes? The result would be death.
"Jevlo!"
"exist."
Rurik roared: "Kill these Danes!"
Just when Jevrod ordered to be executed, the captured men wailed almost in unison: "We are not Danes! We come from Bergen."
"Wait a minute!" Biyongni was suddenly startled, stepped forward and pinched Javro's sword-holding wrist, then turned to look at Rurik; "Are they really Danes?"
"if not?"
The prisoners still claim to be from Bergen and have been to Oslo? Each one of them desperately claims that they have nothing to do with the Danes.
"Listen, my brother. We are not yet at war with the Bergens."
"Are they Bergen people?" Rurik asked in surprise? "Aren't they enemies of you?"
"But the war never broke out? I don't want to be the instigator of the wrong war."
Seeing Biyongni's determined eyes, Rurik canceled the killing order.
After a simple interrogation, the prisoner fully confessed in order to survive. They not only explained where they started from, which ports they stopped at? How they paid the toll and passed through the sea pass controlled by the Danish leader? And their final destination - Hedeby. But the words were empty, and after Biyongni asked a few more questions, it was confirmed that this merchant ship did come from Bergen.
The captured ship boss survived the attack of the Aurora. This man had no time to care about his two sons who were shot and killed. He needed to do his best to ensure the survival of others.
He pointed to the northwest and said with a trembling mouth: "That's the Danish pass. Any merchant ship passing through must pay fifty silver coins."
"Half a pound of silver coins for tolls? That Hafgen is really greedy for money." Rurik sighed? He didn't care what the gray-bearded man thought of him, and continued to ask: "You are going to Hedeby? How is the route?"
"Just go south and enter the huge bay there. You will soon reach Hedebe. It is a large coastal city? You... can see it from a distance? You will never get lost. Young hero, we We are just businessmen, please forgive our lives."
An old guy begged to himself, and at this moment he ordered to raise the butcher knife? Rurik shook his head, his heart softening.
"Old man, what's the price of your wool?"
When asked this question, all the captured people were stunned.
"A bale of wool weighs a hundred pounds. We plan to sell a bale at Hedeby for fifty silver coins."
Rurik nodded, "I'll buy you two bales of wool. Also, I'm sorry for the innocent people who died in this conflict. I saw four of you died, and I'll give you two pounds as compensation. Listen, You are in no position to bargain. I can forgive you simply because you are not Danish. You even pointed out to me the exact location of Hedeby and the location of the Danish pass. I will give you another pound of silver coins as purchase information. money."
People climbed back to the Aurora along the rope ladder one after another. Just as Rurik climbed up in person, the boss of the merchant ship holding four pounds of silver coins still couldn't understand what kind of pirates he was encountering. He had the courage to ask; "You guys Who are you? You have huge ships. Your sails are very unique. Do they come from the warm sea in the south? You can speak Norse..."
Rurik paused. He wanted to say something, but finally shut up.
The Aurora resumed sailing, and Rurik on the ship realized that he had made the right choice. Of course, many people feel that they should not be merciful to those guys. After all, this is an encounter on the vast sea. It does not matter if they do any cruel things, because the only witness is the sun in the sky. The sun is the incarnation of Odin. Based on faith, everyone wants to believe that Odin is happy to see the killing battles of mortals on the earth.
Compared to killing those merchants and seizing their goods, the information provided by those people was priceless. Both Biyoni and Rurik were very surprised to meet a businessman from Bergen in this sea area. Based on the other party's confession, Rurik completely understood the origin of the wool-Oslo.
Merchants in Bergen transported crude iron ingots to Oslo to buy local wool, and then trafficked the wool to Hedebe to buy a variety of goods from Europe, such as slaves, and finally brought them back to Bergen. Although you have to pay a sum of money to pass through the Danish alliance, compared with the profits from trade, those tolls are nothing.
Land finally appeared in the west, and the imprints in Rurik's mind and the confessions of previous merchants allowed him to confirm his current geographical location.
The sailors shouted, and the soldiers also participated in the work of pulling the cable.
The ship began to sail in a wide waterway leading to the northwest. The strong south in the afternoon gave the ship extremely strong power.
The Aurora was unstoppable, and her speed once reached ten knots! A ship of this size is "racing" on the sea, and its powerful momentum makes her an unstoppable monster.
The plan to attack Danish fishing boats began to be implemented, and many targets appeared in the increasingly narrow waterway ahead. Rurik completely stopped showing mercy. He wanted to wreak havoc near the Danish pass.
Rurik knew that he had entered the Oresund Strait, which was also the core area of the Robard tribe, the rumored leader of the Danish alliance. But Rurik knows this place better by another name, Copenhagen.
Copenhagen did not exist in the ninth century, or it was only the prototype of a miniature fishing village.
Rurik's eyes did see a small fishing village on the coastline. The scene there was indeed different from the lush woods. The white beach was very unique. However, he only had one boat and forty brothers. The damage he could do was Take the initiative to attack fishing boats.
The Aurora was desperately attacking fishing boats, and the boats it attacked were all from the same fishing village. The name of the village is Malholm (Malmö), which is named after the chalk soil rich in calcium carbonate. Only in the era of intensive manufacturing of cement and glass did these chalk soils have huge utilization value. Nowadays, the locals are just a group of fishermen.
The Aurora is like a monster, and its purpose of existence is to cause destruction. Her attack ended after nightfall when all the fishing boats fled for their lives. After causing fatal terror to the fishing village, Rurik ordered the anchor to be dropped. The brothers ate the captured fresh herring and recharged their batteries to wait for the crossing of the Danish pass tomorrow.
A big scary ship is causing destruction everywhere!
The terrifying news was spreading, and it reached the ears of the pass garrison immediately.
The main part of the Danish leader Hafgen's Robard tribe is located at the northernmost tip of the Jutland Peninsula. The so-called Oslo people are across the sea. The areas he directly ruled were scattered across multiple straits. The Great Bell Strait, the Little Bell Strait, and the Oresund Strait, the three straits from the Baltic Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, were all controlled by the Robard tribe. Hafgen actually inherited and consolidated them. This is the hegemony of collecting tolls. In other words, the Danish leader has the right to have this power. The ships of any Danish tribe that joins will only pay a symbolic toll to pass freely immediately. As for the ships of other tribes, Hafgen will ask for a lot of silver coins as usual.
Three generals guarded the three strait passes. A man named Halik became increasingly important after marrying Hafgen's sister. This man placed his family at the pass and built a military castle. He sent troops to patrol and collect tolls every day. Later, he turned it over in full to show his loyalty to his brother-in-law Hafgen. Because Hafgen was almost forty years old, his wife and concubines did not give him a son. Who is the future successor of the Robard tribe? Harrick feels that his son has a good chance.
Information about the crazy attackers reached Ha Li Ke's ears overnight, and this man who loved beef and was as strong as an ox, making his beloved wife both loved and hated, was furious! In his extreme rage after learning the news, he strangled two Saxon female slaves who were sleeping with him to vent his anger. Of course, this kind of thing made his head-wife happy the most.
A big ship comes to provoke? Killing the fishermen of Malhom Village?
Halik was not sleepy at all. A string of torches lit up the top of the wooden fortress, and all the soldiers were awakened. Even the men of the Robard tribe who settled near the fortress were summoned overnight.
The perspective then turns to the Aurora anchored in the strait.
The sleeping Rurik was invited by the night watchman to see a strange scene.
Rurik squinted and saw the extremely obvious fire in the distance.
"Sir, what is that?" His capable mercenary carefully speculated: "I suspect it is an alarm from the enemy."
Rurik nodded: "It seems that our actions have gone too far. Are you afraid? I am going to fight their guards."
The mercenary smiled: "I have followed you for many years and have participated in all battles. I am not afraid of fighting, but..." The mercenary suddenly laughed.
"why are you laughing."
"Sir, I want to get a woman, and I also want to have a family."
This statement was really thought-provoking. Rurik thought that his capable mercenaries had indeed experienced all the foreign wars of the Ross people in recent years. They themselves were not from the Ross clan, but they had sacrificed too much for the interests of Ross.
"Woman? Okay."
"Oh, thank you very much, sir."
"But not now. You are in the prime of life, and women will only affect the speed of drawing your sword. Keep following me, and when you are almost thirty years old, I will find at least two young and beautiful women for each of you. There Until then, obey my orders and fight well."
Thirty? The mercenary felt unspeakable pain in his heart. For example, the mercenary leader Yevluo was already twenty-eight years old. The current situation seemed as if this man was not naturally a womanizer. In fact, it was not allowed by the financial owner. . On the other hand, whenever the mercenary brothers go to Ironburg, they have a brief relationship with the group of women who are eager for men. Unfortunately, it is not home, and those women are just greedy for the strong muscles of the mercenaries.
It was getting colder, and at dawn Rurik gathered everyone on the deck.
He stood on the forecastle holding a sword and shouted: "Brothers, I learned that Denmark has been prepared. They lit bonfires overnight and must have organized a fleet to try to prevent us from breaking through. For the Danes! We must fight with a high profile!" This has nothing to do with avenging King Olegin who died in the battle. This is a battle that belongs to the courage of us Rus and Balmoks. I just want to show the Danes how powerful we are."
Everyone roared happily, flapping their shields and stamping their feet, and even the sailors felt like warriors.
Rurik's sword reached the east again: "The sun is about to rise, and the sea wind will be fierce. Odin is watching us. I ask you to be merciless, not afraid of any danger, and to protect yourself. Remember! I ask you not to Any injury, kill the enemy with all your strength.”
No matter how many enemies appear ahead, the people of the Avora are fearless. Past battles have proven, and new battles will continue to prove, that the big ship Aurora is the nemesis of any long ship!
People are even fantasizing that the legendary Red Dragon, the leader of the Danish alliance, will also participate in the siege.
People are eager to try it, because sinking the red dragon will be a glory that will last a lifetime.
With the belief that it would win, the Avora's speed suddenly surged to 11 knots under the strong south wind. Of course, the waves did not become a little violent, and the roaring sea wind was simply a hymn to a hero.
At the same time, Harik, who was stationed at the strait pass, organized more than 300 people, divided into ten combat longships, into a fleet and was already waiting in the offshore of the strait.
As the day dawned, they squinted their eyes to avoid the golden light of the morning sun, and saw a huge sail on the sea. It formed a golden light spot, just as the ship group was rushing towards them.
"It's that murderous monster. Brothers, seize the ship and dedicate it to our lord! Fight for Hafgen!"
Harrick, who was as strong as an ox, personally beat a calfskin drum, and the sound of the drum drove the entire fleet to launch what they thought was a sure-win interception...
