Returning home, the Aurora loaded up with her largest cargo since her launch.
The cabin was filled with food, which Rurik estimated to be at least 200,000 pounds.
She actually carried nearly 300,000 pounds of wheat, plus part of the grain transported by other long ships. The Beijing fleet simply moved all the inventory in the Bamburgh granary.
Hundreds of captured women were forced to squeeze into the cabins of the ship. Until night, they had to share the same cabin with the sailors who came down to rest.
Rurik, who lives in the bow lounge, has no intention of caring about what happens in the cabin at night. He only hopes to take this team back to Narvik Port as soon as possible, before the sea becomes violent, and finally return to Rossburg.
This is an ocean voyage of the ninth century! The voyage itself is a hymn to mankind's courage to move forward, but for the individuals involved in the voyage, the voyage itself is a suffering.
No, when the fleet followed the south wind and arrived in the eastern waters of Scotland, the sea suddenly became violent!
The fleet encountered a sea storm at the end of August. Its size and power were nothing by the standards of a thousand years later, but now it is quite dangerous.
The Aurora, which was extremely bulky when fully loaded with cargo, urgently furled its main sail, leaving only a small triangular sail at the stern to face the incoming cold north wind and move forward among the dark clouds. She rose and fell in the big waves, but showed no tendency to capsize.
This caravel-type sailboat showed great stability in this storm.
However, other longships really suffered from this crime.
As many as 200 soldiers were lost in the war, and more than 400 women were taken captive on the ship. As the number of people increased, the efficiency of navigation decreased.
Out of a total of twenty-three long boats, five of them capsized in the waves! Nearly two hundred people fell into the sea again. What is very sad is that people in the waves had no time to care for themselves. They could only watch their tribal brothers feed the fish, and secondly, silently pray to the gods to appease their anger.
The entire storm lasted for two days. When the world returned to calmness again, half-dead longships gathered on the Aurora in the vast North Sea.
Looking up at this already very familiar ship again, Biyongni sighed and felt helpless.
He climbed down the lowered rope ladder to the wet deck, and soon all the surviving tribesmen gathered here.
Such a big thing happened, and the whole fleet was panicked. Rurik himself tried his best to remain calm, but the violence of the North Sea was really not comparable to the calm water of the Baltic Sea.
Biyongni sat down casually and sighed: "Odin is furious! Maybe we should kill that king in Bamberg as a sacrifice."
As soon as this statement came out, a group of people supported it.
"Kill those Britons!"
"We should have set up an altar and killed at least a hundred slaves to sacrifice to Odin!"
…
Rurik clasped his ears and pouted his lips and yelled loudly, "Stop complaining! This is the sea, and the sea can be violent at any time. You think you have no respect for God and encountered a shipwreck, but my big ship suffered no losses."
Rurik’s words had no other meaning, and Biyoni immediately made a wise interpretation. He slapped his thigh and said, “So, we must buy big ships from the Russians! Not just one, but multiple ships. With big ships, we will be able to It's really safe to visit that Northumbria."
"You're right." Geiger of Washobi said bluntly with a heavy heart. "One of our three ships suddenly lost one. Some brothers and women fell into the water. They were all finished. If there had been a bigger ship, we would have been safe." "
Big ship! There must be a big ship!
The Balmok people know best the violence of the Atlantic Ocean. People have always been anticipating the storm. If a ship is really destroyed and people are killed, people are helpless and sad.
At Rurik's request, the heads of each family reported their losses to each other. The results are astonishingly horrifying!
In addition, as many as 300 people were thrown into the water after the entire ship capsized and were thrown into the water! Half of the dead were expedition soldiers.
Another example is the Bergen immigrants in Shetland, who were really unlucky. One hundred Shetlanders took nearly a hundred women captive. These guys were almost always providing archery support from the rear during the war. Even though they were once attacked by cavalry, they only lost ten troops.
Perhaps their European energy was exhausted on the battlefield. Two hundred people crowded into three longships. One ship sank after a storm, and seventy people were killed on the spot.
Today's Viking fleet is not as poor and ambitious as it was on the day of the expedition. They were greatly satisfied, and the full load of goods made them worry about gains and losses.
Today there is a strong consensus that the tribe should get one or more large ships.
As the brother of Rurik of Rus, Biyony must comply with the demands of the nobles of the tribe and implement the ship purchase transaction.
Biyoni became anxious, "Rurik, we will rob a large sum of money. A big ship with two hundred pounds of silver coins. I will give you the money and I will get it as soon as possible."
Seeing the expectant looks from everyone, Rurik had no intention of hesitating.
"This is exactly what I want to advise you. This winter, my shipbuilding factory is still building new ships. I will fulfill that promise. I will personally bring the big ships to your port as early as next year."
"Just one?" Biyongni asked again.
"What? Your appetite has increased?"
"No! Next year I plan to get a big ship and attack Northumbria again."
"Huh? Are you so anxious? The sheep has just been shaved. Do you think it can grow another layer of hair instantly?"
Biyongni shook his head, "Have you been merciful to them?"
"No!" Rurik sat upright and mentioned something that the Balmoks did not need to care about but was very crucial to the Russians. "The purpose of building the big ship is to defend against the Danes' attack."
"Danish? Still a problem in your opinion?"
"Of course. This year I will take your sister back to Roseburg. I will travel through the Danish territory. I am not afraid of war, I am afraid of endless war. I must build a navy of big ships that are not afraid of storms. So, I just I can give you a boat.”
"This... okay." Although Biyongni felt regretful, he couldn't force it.
Although the fleet suffered a shipwreck, the people who survived still carried a lot of supplies!
Rurik of Rus is such a good guy. All the seized coins were on board the stable Avlora. He did not intend to ask for a single copper coin. All the money belonged to the Balmok tribe!
The brothers can take the money and go to the market in Bergen to purchase. When the Balmoks' own ship arrives, the tribe's strength will be greatly enhanced!
People are spontaneously optimistic. The frozen sea in winter and the Danish strait control cannot interfere with the land communication between Balmok and Rus. On the contrary, the freezing winter made the two tribes flow faster.
Biyongni came up with more trade plans. He said bluntly, "We will still organize our manpower in winter and take the glacier trade route to reach your Fort Ellen, and by the way, we can also reach Fort Ross. Maybe I can see it in person." The whole process of building a big ship.”
Rurik was naturally very welcoming: "Very good, if you take the frozen river route and take a reindeer sleigh, it may only take ten days from your port to my Fisk Fort camp, which is faster than sailing by sea. In this way, Novo Lun won’t feel too far away from his hometown.”
Biyongni smiled, and everyone laughed even more. The east side of the mountains no longer means adventure; climbing over the mountains has a very clear destination. The Russians are allies fighting together, and the brothers can boldly go to the East to make money. Gone are the days of being crowded in the cramped port of Narvik.
When the fleet reached the Shetland Islands, the islanders who participated in the expedition completed their voyage.
Rurik had no intention of staying here, and the fleet headed east!
Navigation across the North Sea is inherently risky. The Viking fleets that attacked Britain every time in history must have suffered huge losses once they encountered storms. In addition, the Danish king's expedition plan to defeat Wessex and regain the Danish area was once forced to be postponed due to the capsize of the fleet.
In the end, the fleet led by Rurik successfully crossed the North Sea. Relying on his understanding of the geography of this area, Rurik took the nearest route to the coast of Scandinavia.
People move along the coastline, even if such a voyage will inevitably encounter Bergen people, even if it will inevitably take many detours through the twists and turns of offshore island waterways, in order not to be hit hard by possible storms, such an adventure is worth it of.
Encounters with Bergen fishing boats and merchant ships are inevitable.
Rurik refused any form of "sea rules", as if the ships he encountered were air, and the fleet went on its own. Even if they passed an outlying island at the mouth of the fjord where Bergen is located, they could not get even half a step deeper. .
A large number of fishing boats from the Bergen area saw a strange fleet. They seemed to be a fleet of merchant ships, perhaps from Denmark or Flanders. The big ship at the head did not fly any flags, but considering the whereabouts of such a large fleet, it was obvious that they were going to North Port.
etc! A big ship with a spinnaker?
A piece of news spread among the fjord society more than two months ago, and later some Danish businessmen brought even stranger statements.
A large ship from the East passed through the Danes' checkpoints, but the fleet of the Danish chieftain was unable to intercept it.
But the sudden appearance of the fleet passed by in a hurry, and it became a new topic of conversation for the people in the Bergen area, and there seemed to be nothing else.
On its final return trip, the Balmok Viking fleet faced what may be the last warm southerly wind of summer and moved rapidly northeast along the coastline.
It was just September, and after another light rain near the end, the fleet entered the fjord.
Even if the sea becomes a little rough again, it is no longer a threat.
The expeditionary army is back!
Fishing boats followed this triumphant army, and the approaching fishermen couldn't help but cheer excitedly when they saw a large number of women sitting on the open long boat.
The anchor released by the Aurora, which was fully loaded with cargo, scratched the seabed for a certain distance before forcing the large ship with strong inertia to stop.
As for the longships carrying prisoners and supplies, they simply rushed directly to their respective territories and washed the beaches.
For example, Geiger of Washoby, even though he lost many people, this expedition brought back a group of women and a group of very critical production materials. The most important thing is that "the Kingdom of Northumbria has a good climate and fertile land." good news. His only two longboats returned to his estate and were welcomed by his hometown people.
Avora finally docked at the largest natural berth in the port area, and the boats that surrounded it quickly began to help unload the cargo after it stabilized.
The strong men saw a large number of women climbing down the rope ladder. They looked haggard and spiritless. They were all dressed plainly and wore white scarves on their heads.
Are they all Britons from across the sea? They looked very different from the slaves sold at the Bergen market. Looking at the slave's appearance and hair color, he is very similar to the women of this tribe.
Magnut, the great leader of the Balmok tribe, came with his cronies, especially his little daughter, to welcome the heroes' triumph in person.
A large number of prisoners were unloaded, a large number of iron weapons were moved off the ship, and even a large number of suitcases loaded with coins. The personnel and materials were displayed on the land of the harbor. Magnute almost fainted in ecstasy.
Biyony stepped towards his father like a king, but it seemed that the commander of the fleet, Rurik, was taking second place.
But Rurik didn't suffer any loss. Noren was wearing a white cloth gown, with a beautiful huge pendant made of mixed gems hanging around her neck. She was wearing a tiara woven with Erica flowers, and she hurriedly threw it towards Rurik. . Because she knew that this boy was her great hero.
The heather named Erica has begun to bloom, and the women of Balmok began to use this flower to decorate their beauty. It is also based on the tradition of scrubbing their bodies and bathing their long hair with water soaked in flowers.
The pink and white flowers combined with Nolen's blond hair make this girl even more charming. She threw herself into his arms, and Rurik put his nose to her and sniffed her long hair, feeling even more relaxed and happy.
She asked bluntly in her joy: "You must have achieved a great victory."
"Of course! I led the army to defeat many powerful enemies. You see, these prisoners and these materials are all the wealth of your family."
"That's great."
Nolen gently let go of her hand and, accompanied by Rurik, walked toward the captive female slaves who were similar to her age. She looked at these girls with pride and sympathized with their plight? That is completely absent.
She proudly raised her delicate chin and said casually: "Women! You are all our servants, and this is your destiny. Only by serving us well can you escape the fate of slaves."
As the words came out of her mouth, the image of an innocent, romantic and kind-hearted girl in Rurik's heart was gone.
But wait, she is the daughter of the top noble in the Balmok tribe. On the European continent, she is equivalent to the princess of a country. She is a pampered and noble person, so it is strange that she cannot say these words.
Rurik stepped forward, easily grabbed the back of her neck, easily pulled her to his side and said casually: "Whether they are slaves or warrior wives, it has nothing to do with you. Nolen, you should Make some preparations, I must return before the autumn sea becomes violent, and in a few days I shall be gone, and I shall take you with me.”
Although this was her destiny, suddenly leaving her hometown, the girl suddenly felt a sense of desolation in her heart.
She sighed softly and turned around to look up into Rurik's eyes: "Do I want to return to the voyage with you alone?"
"Of course, I don't want you to bring any maids. You should know that I am a noble man, a saint blessed by Odin. There are already some wives and concubines living in my home, and I will not allow you to do the most special thing. The one who is."
This is indeed the case. Nolen sighed softly again: "Could it be that I really can't be your most beloved woman?"
"At least, you can give birth to many children for me." Rurik did not answer and had no intention of making any promises.
Of course, as an emperor, he must face the reality of having many wives and concubines, and Rurik knew that he was unable to take care of each of them, but so what? In this era, a woman who is an emperor must have this kind of awareness.
Rurik asked himself that all the marriages he faced had a strong political purpose. The women who married him all represented a force behind them. Behind the expansion of the Principality of Rus was the stability and stability brought by marriage. Maintaining a strong power can continue to expand.
Which woman is true love? None other than Rumia, the deer herder girl. But now, Rumia has essentially become the spokesperson for the interests of all the deer herders who serve Ross.
She is her first servant, her first woman, and she will give birth to her first child.
Rurik still put his arms around Nolen's neck and made intimate gestures for the leaders Magnute and his wife to see, but his heart had already drifted back to Rossburg.
"Rumia, you should already have one... There will be a successor to the high priest. If he is a boy, he will become a general, and if he is a girl, he will succeed the high priest!" Rurik currently hopes that Rumia will give birth to a girl so that he can be the rightful person. He will take over the duties of priest in the future. What to name her?
Rurik looked at Nolen's flower crown again and instantly had an idea.
"Just call her Virika."
He quite admired his idea. The name has three meanings. One is "Flower Sacrifice", the other is "Smart Daughter" in Slavic. The most important third point is that this name is a tribute to the deceased Mr. Ross. The inheritance of the name of Priest Vilia.
