The goods transported by the Ross fleet are all in-demand commodities for the Balmok people.
The open-air market was crowded with people. The big shots with big names bought the best batches at the first time, and a considerable number of ordinary people also got something.
However, Rurik still underestimated their desire to buy. The sale was approaching, but they were still holding up their pockets filled with salt and intending to buy.
In a small warehouse, a large number of oak barrels are filled with white salt.
Rurik was invited in. He dug out the soft salt with his own hands and tasted it in his mouth.
"Look, it's indeed good salt." Magnute was quite proud, but he subconsciously stroked Rurik's golden ponytail from behind.
"Good salt indeed."
"It's also good hair. Not bad, feels like my daughter..."
"Let's talk about business." Rurik turned his head and demanded, "The army must gather as soon as possible. This time we must..."
Magnute then laughed and said: "I'm going to urge you now. This batch of two thousand pounds of salt is yours. When do you plan to load it?"
"Then wait until the battle is over. We will triumph."
"That's fine."
Magnute didn't say much, and the two of them started their own work after leaving the warehouse.
The Russian army was making final preparations at the port, and the Balmoks were also mobilizing their troops.
Rurik made up a very legitimate reason for this expedition, that is, the Kingdom of Northumbria not only refused to cede territory and pay tribute, but also dared to recruit troops to fight.
If those people are really like this, Ryuri respects them as a group of men, but their failure is simply fate. Even if the Ross-Balmok coalition does not come, the Danes from all walks of life will have to kill them. They can still survive by ceding territory and paying tribute. The only way to persist in resistance is Quick demise.
When will the expedition begin?
Rurik fixed the day on the twentieth day of July. It is said that according to last year's experience, the army can rush to the eastern coast of Northumbria in ten days.
But wait, only large sail warships can do this. Traditional leading warships cannot be as fast as this.
It may be the best choice to divide the coalition forces into two parts. After some discussion, the two sides will make a decision on the priority of the coalition's attack in the early stage of the expedition.
The promised date is today!
Glory belongs to the soldiers of the expedition, who are not stingy in promoting the spoils obtained by this expedition, as well as the new warm living space.
The youngest and strongest young men in the entire Balmok tribe, armed with the best weapons they have prepared, accept the leadership of the leaders of various families and communities, forming this behemoth with a strength of 3,000 people.
Balmok is a huge Viking force of 25,000 people! This is the first time that they have assembled such a large force, and they even have greater war potential. There is no problem in recruiting 6,000 men to join the war.
An altar of wood and stone was built by surprise, and hundreds of ships drifted in the bay.
The beach near the altar is full of Balmok warriors carrying spears and shields.
They are the most traditional Viking warriors. Many of them wear iron helmets on their heads, and more of them have blond hair and beards in braids. A group of young people even deliberately took off their leather clothes, revealing their horrific tattoos, thick chest hair, and strong muscles.
The majestic army numbered up to 4,000 people, and there was a huge fleet on the sea. There were also a large number of fishermen watching and seeing off.
With such a grand occasion, Rurik felt that he could sweep across the whole of Britain.
Nine reindeer, nine calves, nine sheep and nine ponies were sacrificed. This scale of sacrifice was the first of its kind for the Balmok people.
Magnute rarely put on his battle robe, chainmail, and gold-rimmed leather helmet, and he seemed to have regained his youth.
The blood of the sacrifice was soaked in the sea water, and the grand sacrifice ended amidst the shouts of tens of thousands of soldiers and people. Magnut raised his arms and boarded the ship!
The sun was rising, and the longships were gradually filled with warriors carrying large quantities of weapons. Each long boat is pulled by a cable, which is also commonly equipped with tools for building tents, tools for logging and digging, and even large hemp rope nets for fishing.
This is not just an expedition for the Balmoks, but many people do not plan to evacuate when they land.
They decided to colonize. Although York was the main direction of attack, a large area centered on Bamburgh must be regarded as "New Balmok".
On the mast of the large ship named Balmok, a raven flag with a white background was flying.
Why represents the glory of Balmok? Everyone claimed that Odin's warriors and their souls should arrive in Valhalla after death. Magnut easily made a decision that everyone accepted and mobilized women to sew multiple raven flags.
The Balmok will bring two hundred longships to the east coast of Northumbria at a relatively slow speed. Magnut himself is also the commander of this fleet.
This is the main force of Balmok but not the vanguard of the coalition. Rurik's fleet is rushing out of Narvik Harbor as the vanguard.
One thousand Russian troops and 500 Balmok elites led by Biyongni. Their tactical goal is to rush to Bamburgh in Northumbria as soon as possible, and then immediately declare their permanent rule here. The main force from the rear arrived, and the main force of the army attacked York again.
They were Vikings. As long as they had one successful sailing experience, they basically memorized the route.
Magnut had no regrets about his slow troops. Standing on the huge Balmok, he witnessed the large number of longships guarding him, and he was always indulged in inextricable narcissism.
The huge coalition army set out to see off their elders in their hometowns. They gradually left the harbor and entered the vast Atlantic Ocean with weapons, construction materials and a large amount of dried meat from their hometowns.
As a vanguard, Rurik's goal was to establish a solid landing site first.
However, the strength of this team has surpassed that of last time. If Northumbria really suddenly kills three or four thousand people, he will be worthy of it.
The distance between the fleet and the subsequent Balmok main fleet is getting wider and wider. Biyongni stood at the stern of the Avlora and looked at his people in the distance, and couldn't help but feel regretful.
Rurik happened to be standing here. He took off his helmet and complained: "We are too fast and they are too slow. If we can maintain a constant speed..."
"Do you want us to accommodate them?" Rurik muttered casually.
"No need. I have all the best soldiers in Balmok. We brothers will control the landing place first, and then we will start doing big things."
Rurik had no intention of looking at the ship behind him, so he walked down the stern deck and went straight to the lounge. He added: "It's time for us to rest. The rest of the voyage will be very boring. Just wait, even if we get help from the God of Wind, we will do our best." If we hurry, it will take us ten days at the earliest."
What Rurik said was true. They almost drifted across the entire western coast of Scandinavia, and for the sake of safety they did not continue along the offshore waters.
Heading against the southwest wind, the Ross fleet moved against the wind, its huge triangle sail constantly adjusting.
But in the vast Atlantic Ocean, thunderstorms always come suddenly even in the warm season.
When the fleet was about to arrive in Bergen, the sky began to rain, and a sudden north wind caused the temperature to drop sharply.
People hid in the cabins and allowed the ship to sway in the big waves.
It seems that the sea in this area always suddenly becomes violent? Or is this actually Odin's special love?
A large number of soldiers hid in the cabin and prayed, but Rurik himself didn't care. He believed that his big ship could quickly pass through the cloud and rain areas.
After all, this is not the Atlantic Ocean of the Americas. The most violent Atlantic hurricanes cannot reach high latitudes like Britain, not to mention that the fleet is still located off the coast of Norway.
This airflow from the Arctic brought rain to the entire Baltic Sea from Bergen to the east, including Novgorod. The rain washed the ship's Class A, and the sealing measures were done well. The soldiers in the cabin still enjoyed being dry.
The fleet was running wildly against the north wind, and everyone no longer had the ability to consider the situation of the subsequent fleet, because the so-called Gem Islands were ahead.
Rurik and Biyony passed through this archipelago for the second time.
The Shetland Islands are here, and look, there is a fishing boat floating in the distance.
After a seven-day voyage, we finally saw land! People on each ship stood on the railing of the ship and commented on the islands. The talk of landing and plundering also reached Biyongni's ears.
"How about it? Brothers have been holding back these days. It's time to let the sword see blood." He encouraged Rurik.
Rurik just squinted his eyes a few times and waved his hand, "Forget it. It's a waste of our time."
"Since we are not attacking, we will recruit soldiers from the island. They are no longer Bergen people."
Rurik shook his head again and asked, "Will you give those people the spoils?"
"This...I don't want to."
"Then leave them alone." Rurik pointed to the south and faced the south wind. "We continue to move forward. In front of us is Scotland, and in front of us is England, which is Northumbria."
Biyongni was already familiar with these terms. He was not interested in Scotland for the time being. The main reason was that he didn't think of how much benefit he could get there.
The brothers are eager for gold, silver and women, and it is best to seize a batch of wheat, because the Balmoks have to cultivate the land themselves.
The fleet quickly entered the eastern coast of Scotland and drifted across the mouth of the River Tay in just two and a half days.
The fleet did not enter this coast at all, and Rurik had no intention of going back to what Edinburgh, which had quietly experienced the war, looked like now.
He even lost sight of Lindisfarne. After all, in the old monastery there, all the monks and priests were killed, and there was still an old battlefield on the beach.
Has the monastery been destroyed?
On the tenth day of the voyage, the Ross fleet quickly rushed to Lindisfarne Abbey, which had been reduced to ruins.
It was abandoned, at least in Rurik's opinion.
The white stones really blinked in the sunlight. If you look closely, there is a touch of green on the ruins.
Looking at this strange building ruins, the soldiers of the First Flag Team of the Russian Army who came here for the first time were really amazed.
However, a group of Balmok soldiers got the opportunity and began to explain to the surrounding brothers that they were the parties involved in last year's battle and that everyone destroyed this place.
In fact, Northumbria has not given up here. Lindisfarne Abbey is a holy place after all. The Broken Arm King Aynred is now busy blocking the territorial claims of Mercia and Wessex. How can he have enough financial resources to recover? Build a monastery?
Rurik was really right about one thing. After Eynred was defeated last year, he first sent the unclean queen to the monastery in York City, and then he showed the iron bowl in front of the people.
There was indeed a levy in Northumbria, and all peasants were required to report to their local lords at critical moments.
He used a large amount of financial resources to retrain the cavalry, and also learned some experiences from the battle against the Viking army. For example, he ordered the infantry to form a wall with mandarin duck shields, and a hundred men should advance and retreat together.
God knows whether these reforms can withstand the new Viking offensive, at least in the recent border conflict with Mercia.
Maybe the Vikings won't come this year?
The seaside has been calm for more than half a year. Although the repairs at the Edinburgh and Bamberg strongholds were extremely slow, there was no more trouble.
Aynred had a fluke mentality. He felt that coastal defense was not the most important. In fact, southern Mercia still wanted to annex Northumbria, just like what happened in history.
But, the Vikings are at it again.
Why did Rurik and Magnute want to learn about the "Spring and Autumn Period of the Seven Kingdoms" on the British Isles? What does conquering them have to do with them?
Originally, the fleet maintained a stable formation, but suddenly Rurik ordered the pilot flagship Aurora to take the lead.
The sudden change of the flagship forced other ships to adjust accordingly, and the formation of the fleet also turned into an arrow.
Everything changed for one reason, the Ross fleet arrived for the first battle of their expedition.
Rurik recognized this tiny bay. Look, there were fishing boats escaping in the bay.
"It's really strange. I remember that Bamburgh was destroyed by us." Rurik from the bow class was a little strange.
Biyongni patted his brother on the shoulder: "Brother Rurik, it seems they are repairing this fortress. I guess this is a fierce battle given to us by Odin. This time our swords and spears should see blood."
"Okay, let's get ready to land." After that, Rurik said casually, "Get ready to dock! Get ready to release the boat! Well... maybe I should prepare more boats."
The water level in this small bay was relatively deep. Rurik already understood the water level situation, so he boldly led the fleet to directly attack the coast.
Near the shore, the Aurora put down the four small boats placed on the side and began to transport troops to the shore. Due to the capacity of this small boat, transporting five or six people at a time is probably the limit.
But the four sail destroyers at the rear are even bolder.
There was no high tide yet, so the destroyers directly hit the beach, and finally all of them were deliberately stranded near the shore. They are not afraid of being stranded. When the tide comes in, all stranded ships will have to float again and anchoring will be necessary.
On the sail destroyer, one soldier after another jumped directly into the water, dripping water close to his chest, and gradually walked ashore.
The entire landing process seemed slow due to the small number of boats he carried. Rurik blamed himself for this as an oversight on his part.
But these are not big problems.
It was almost evening, and Rurik was already standing here for the second time.
Most of the soldiers of the First Banner Corps came ashore through water, and then, regardless of lighting a fire to dry themselves out, they demanded that Bamburgh be captured immediately.
The distance from the current landing site to Bamburgh City Gate is only a maximum of three kilometers. Since this area has been developed by local people, the originally dense forest has been turned into a large amount of farmland (almost all farmland has been abandoned), and only a few clusters of woods exist. The soldiers who landed can clearly see the stone city not far away, which is the so-called Bamburgh.
Look, Arik has already raised his two swords high, giving the warriors a majestic momentum.
Although it was evening, it was seen that there were at least 800 people who had landed. Without Alik's urging, Rurik had already launched an attack on Bamburgh with the brave men and women at hand.
Is Bamburgh defended today? It shouldn’t be! Rurik was very surprised when he landed. He couldn't feel the presence of other people's activities here. Except for the sound of wind, waves and the noise of the army, the world was extremely quiet.
Bamburgh is just ahead, what a ruins under the setting sun?
No! There's someone in front!
Originally, Arik had already gathered most of the soldiers of the First Flag Team, and Biyongni also brought more than 200 wet men.
They were on alert, forming a shield wall and preparing to attack the city.
Seeing that the brothers are in full swing, it will really hurt morale if they are not decisive at this moment. Rurik suddenly drew his sword and pointed it at Bamburg, "Brothers! They must have abandoned this fortress! Come on, let's occupy this place."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Rurik was already taking the lead and walking alone with a sword. Yevro, who was afraid that something might happen to his gold master, hurriedly led fifty or sixty people to follow and attack.
Seeing this, Arik and others had no intention of advancing any further.
The Viking army is coming and they launch a surprise attack on Bamburgh!
The battle ends when the sun goes down, if a mini skirmish counts as a battle. As a result, a small group of craftsmen who were rebuilding the fortress were captured. A Northumbrian centurion who had intended to resist and wore orange warrior uniforms was frightened and fled after a little resistance. After a group of soldiers were killed in this group, ten others were captured.
Rurik stood here again, and the dilapidated scene made him extremely confused. Is Bamburgh really being rebuilt? There are a collection of tools and wood and stones to be processed scattered on the ground, as well as tents that are obviously the residence of craftsmen. It only lacks the atmosphere of life in a residential area, as if the civilians' flight since the attack last year has gone forever.
As the fearful grain officer Paul approached Rurik, he began to interrogate the captives on behalf of the Vikings who feared they were about to be executed.
Yes, Arik, Biyongni and even most of the soldiers did not intend to keep alive unless the captive was a woman.
They did capture two women. Just by looking at their clothes, you can tell that they are just cooks. The wrinkles on their heads really make the strong young soldiers uninterested. But in theory, the cooks can cook fish for the brothers. .
Paul has completed the interrogation. Although the truth has been revealed, it really makes the Viking army eager to fight furious.
Bamburgh was captured for the second time without any casualties, and the army encountered almost no resistance, so there was no glory in this victory.
Arik sharpened his sword and said to his brother who was organizing mercenaries to set up the camp for tonight: "Rurik, we can't be merciful this time, we must sacrifice blood to Odin. Do you know? Cowards do not deserve to live. A few were captured Northumbrian warriors, they deserve to be put to death."
"No! We still have some use in keeping prisoners." Rurik was afraid that his cousin would be violent.
"A slave? Maybe."
"Since they are building a fortress, we should take advantage of it. After all, this will be our territory from now on."
"This is Balmok's! I don't care. I just want to kill enemies and cowards." Arik chased.
"It just can't be killed. Let's go! Look at the situation of the prisoners now."
Rurik was also worried that Balmok would take action, but what he worried about happened.
Because the cook could not understand the Norse language and screamed wildly in fear, the Balmok warriors killed her in anger when she refused to cooperate in cooking the fish.
The captured craftsmen cursed in Saxon that the Vikings would go to hell. The Balmoks could not understand but they also knew that they were curses.
Many craftsmen were killed, and more Balmoks began to search for loot at this huge construction site, dreaming of digging out gold and silver from the cracks in the broken wood of the stone wall.
In fact, many craftsmen and farmers who were recruited to work fled away when they first saw a large number of ships. Even the newly promoted Earl of Bamburgh and Aynred's distant nephew also fled to York in a donkey cart. The captured craftsman was not caught because of his integrity, but because he ran slowly.
Rurik stopped the angry Biyoni at the last moment, knowing he could not complain, but ordered the release of the remaining men.
"Why?" Biyongni asked, "Mercy?"
"No! To spread fear. Let them flee back to York and tell them we are coming."
"Is it necessary? I found that some people have fled to the woods. They will pass the news to that and what? Oh, York." Biyoni's expression told Rurik that he didn't care.
"However, the newly released prisoners will tell the broken-armed king that our sword will stab York. It is also said to tell him to prepare gold, silver and women, and kneel at the gate of York to welcome us."
Having said that, Biyongni thought about it too.
Rurik then found Paul and told the pardoned prisoners that not only were the so-called Vikings coming, but the next step was to attack York.
The freed prisoners escaped overnight, and Bamburgh fell into Viking hands again.
However, Rurik soon found that what he got was a large construction site and a large number of abandoned fields. right! Just abandon it. The nearby farmers were either killed or fled during the war last year. It’s a wonder that there is still a good harvest here!
There is an advantage, that is, the Balmoks can control the acres of land immediately and plunder the local fishery resources in preparation for next year's spring plowing. Bamburgh, which is being rebuilt, can quickly become the Vikings' new castle and their first permanent stronghold in Britain.
Rurik even thought of a very clear name for this future stronghold, but it had no special meaning. Simply put, it was the so-called "New Fortress", or in other words, "New Castle".
