When the sled team finally arrived at Ellenburg, the long river had mostly thawed. There are still a lot of ice floes on both sides of the river, and there is also thick snow on the banks, and the flow of water in the river has decreased a lot.
The wind as sharp as a knife has disappeared, the rising sun is blooming with warmth, the snow is melting rapidly, and the grass seeds under the snow layer are sprouting.
A small trouble faced Rurik. His teams were all on the right bank of the river, and the city of Ironburg was on the left.
One long boat after another acted as a transport ship, and it took some time to transport them, including people, deer, and even the empty sled, to the city on the left side of the river.
Finally, those Balmoks who crossed the mountains into the unknown eastern world for the first time finally arrived at Alon-Olava, the northern iron smelting city of Rus.
They were shocked at first, not only by the solid walls of the city and the well-proportioned buildings within the walls, but also by the joy of having a good meal.
People living in Ellenburg have resumed fishing operations, and because of the winter hibernation, fishermen have stepped up their herring fishing in this area.
The Balmok people ate herring that was different from their hometown. The appearance of the fish was a little different, it was smaller in size, and the scales were different, but the grilled fish was still sizzling and dripping with intoxicating oil. It tasted really delicious when sprinkled with salt. .
Because Baltic herring is a subspecies of Atlantic herring.
In today's era, humans have little ability to control the fishery resources of the North Atlantic. The only efficient trick they can think of is to light oil lamps on fishing boats, use the phototaxis of herring schools to cast large nets when they gather, and then continue trawling. . The Balmoks can often catch giant herrings nearly half a stika in size, and in the Gulf of Bothnia, which is said to be the inland sea of the Rus, all they eat are small fish the size of a palm.
But bear meat is a magical delicacy.
Bear meat itself has a pungent taste, but fortunately they are a group of ruthless people who can hold their noses and swallow even sultry shark meat. Eating roasted bear meat is just a matter of adding a pinch of salt. Eating a ferocious bear reflects the hunter's conquest, and people who learn the truth immediately marvel at the strength of the Russians.
When the snow melts, a large number of hunting families pull sleds far away, pulling a large amount of bear skins, heads, claws and meat in triumph.
Rurik arrived at Ironburg at a special time. The warmth of spring and summer was dispelling the cold winter at an extremely fast speed. The Arctic Circle, a land of ice and snow, was rapidly recovering, but the price was a period of extreme mud!
Since the establishment of the two northern strongholds of Ironburg and Fiskburg, the hunters in the north have become even crazier.
Ross hunters no longer need to form a hunting team of hundreds of people to cooperate and advance. In the past, everyone had to huddle together to keep warm because there was no base. Now, of course, people rely on their abilities to hunt. Husbands and wives, young men, and advanced weapons go hunting.
The wooden arm crossbow modified from a short wooden bow is not expensive. Its core is the crossbow assembly. Only it is mass-produced by blacksmiths through bronze casting. The other parts can be imitated by Ross's large number of woodworkers.
More and more hunters are buying wooden-arm crossbows. The arrows they shoot are difficult to shoot bears, and they can easily aim and shoot agile arctic foxes and sleds. This allows ordinary hunters to become archery masters in a short time. As for dealing with bears, hunters are equipped with a large number of short spears and throwing guns. Working together with several hunting families and groups, they can chase and kill bears that appear and wander in the field of vision.
They are not simple hunters. They are warriors. Each man must have at least ten lives under his command.
These were the men of the First and Second Banners. They knew before the Northern Hunting that the Duke was going to lead his brothers to defeat new enemies. They originally planned to sell the leather as soon as it was transported to their hometown. In exchange for the money, they would not only improve the family economy, but also enhance their own military equipment.
Unexpectedly, Lord Rurik would come to Ironburg.
Ships from Fort Ross would arrive in a few days.
Since many of the brothers who were eager to go on the expedition happened to be in Ironburg, Rurik, who was supposed to be gathering at Roseburg, simply trained his team here first.
Thousands of people gathered together, and Rurik stood on a raised platform made of wooden boxes, accepting the admiration of men and women.
He scanned the crowd under the scorching sun, breathing in the warm and humid air, and noticed the water dripping from the eaves from the corner of his eyes.
He raised his arms and said: "Brothers of the First Flag Team, I will take you to conquer Karelia. I saw you hunted a large number of bears in the northern ice fields, and the leather was enough for you to make a fortune. But I know that you You will not be content with being a hunter or a fisherman at all. You take the time to prepare, and we will return to Fort Ross as soon as the ships arrive. You will only have two or three days to prepare, and then our fleet will rush to the east with all its strength!"
The words were spoken in Norse, and both the Rus and Balmoks fully noticed Rurik's anxiety. They discussed lively, and the quiet scene suddenly became noisy.
Rurik waved his hands again to gradually restore the silence of the scene, and shouted loudly: "Brothers of the First Flag Team, the Balmoks are also Rus' people now. They are the Fourth Flag Team and your future comrades. Take this opportunity and you will Let’s talk as much as possible so that we can take care of each other on the battlefield.”
He said nothing more and quickly got off the wooden box.
The men belonging to different banners actually knew each other somewhat from the previous battles. The brothers in the first banner admired the fighting will of the Balmoks very much. They spoke the same language to each other, believed in Odin, and had a fighting style. Also very similar. Their attitude towards the new group of Balmoks who had just arrived was extremely kind, and what they received in return was naturally the other party's relief.
They mingle, which is what Rurik would like to see.
However, the fourth flag force composed of the Balmoks is a group of powerful labor force. While waiting for the ship to dock, this group of fresh troops cannot be allowed to eat every day.
For the time being, the food for this group of people was provided by Rurik. If he supported a large team for a long time, the internal wear and tear would be staggering. When he thought that the army organized in the future would frantically consume the stored food, Rurik couldn't help but worry.
“Try to make the most of the labor force of this group of people.”
Rurik ordered the men of the Fourth Banner Corps to cut down the wood on the spot, cut off the pine branches, and carry the chopped logs to Ironburg and hand them over to "Governor" Mechasta. The logs would be thrown into charcoal kilns to burn charcoal and then broken into small pieces for iron smelting.
Very suddenly, Ironburg became densely populated.
There are many very young children here who are old enough to run around, and a large number of Kovin women are still holding their young children. On the other hand, some women directly focused on the new Balmok boy who had just arrived, and invited him to their home to continue borrowing seeds.
This is to provide fresh blood for the gray squirrel tribe to quickly restore its strength. Both Mechasta and Rurik are happy to see this situation.
Finally, the fleet from Fort Ross arrived!
Avora, the naval flagship of the Principality of Rus, flags flying on her mast.
Not only it, but six other ships anchored at the mouth of the Iron River. Rurik recognized them clearly from the words nailed to the side of the ship.
There are two new Aurora-class sailing cruisers, the planned fifth ship Gray Squirrel and the sixth ship Salmon Chief. Apparently they took advantage of the thawing of the ocean to launch perfectly.
The other four are smaller, and they are all the first four ships of the planet-class sail destroyers. For example, the first ship Mercury, its propeller bearing is clearly visible.
A group of sailors with bare sleeves and only light linen clothes got off the ship. In addition to the old sailors under the great businessman Gould, they were a group of young people who were new to the industry, but they were not native Ross tribesmen. These people are basically from several ethnic groups around Lake Malaren. Now they have left their hometowns with their families to join Ross. Rurik trusted them, or in other words, they trusted that the Principality of Rus was several times more powerful than the so-called Kingdom of Sweden.
Several leaders among the sailors were also considered acquaintances in Rurik's eyes. He asked these people to report intelligence and learned a lot of key information.
"As expected, Otto didn't wait for me, and took some people to the Neva River first. The big merchants were also busy with this year's trade, and took the Guldot to lead other visiting merchants to Lake Mälaren. Fortunately, Otto The tax in kind and money were collected before leaving." Rurik held the golden retriever under his chin and calculated. Things were indeed going according to plan, but his original intention was to cooperate with Otto's Oriental Sorgon fleet. .
I think I have wasted too much time. It is already the middle of May. Indeed, only the area of Ellenburg still has the lingering sound of winter. It must be the scene of early spring in Roseburg.
People quickly got on board in small boats, and within a day, the hunters of the First Flag Team, the Balmoks, and even the thirty longbow-wielding Kovin veterans drawn by Rurik gathered in the fleet.
Naturally, a large amount of leather was thrown into the net bag, and people pulled it onto the boat and fixed it. Even a batch of new ferrochromium weapons produced by Ironburg will actually help in future battles.
The fleet sailed against the south wind. Although these Balmok young people all saw the large sailing ship that in principle belonged to all the Balmok people, now she must have become the treasure of Magnute, who was promoted to the king of the Kingdom of York.
That big ship was built by the Russians, and the fleet of pure sail-powered sailboats that I now ride on are the main force of the Russian navy.
The fleet is so huge that everyone can look at the ordinary longships cruising from a bird's eye view. Wouldn't this be a condescending blow if they encountered an enemy? It's really a huge advantage.
The young people of the Fourth Flag Team heard the boasts of their respective team leaders, all of them saying that the Ross fleet was invincible in the world, and there were also examples of victorious battles that were added to the story.
One battle example in particular was talked about so much that people couldn't help but pay attention to the young man who liked to stand at the bow of the ship.
Rurik, Duke of Rus, this young man killed the king of the Danes in a naval battle!
They arrived at Fort Ross successfully, and all the men of the Fourth Flag Team saw clearly the huge, majestic and fantastic true appearance of Fort Ross.
It was a sunny morning. The snow in the fjord and nearby areas had melted cleanly. The dark green world was not only restored, but the feeling of new green could also be noticed from a distance. The golden morning sun just shines into this fjord facing the east. Rossburg is immersed in the morning light, and everything is full of hope.
There were already a group of fishing boats cruising on the sea, and some boats had already washed up on the sandy beach.
The thawed beaches are bustling with activity, and the morning market in Ross is filled with people buying and selling their catch.
When a fleet arrived, people looked at it enthusiastically. They saw the fleet and knew that Lord Rurik had returned.
The ships of the fleet parked smoothly at their respective berths, and the soldiers disembarked one after another, followed by a large amount of cargo.
A fat man was waiting on the trestle, welcoming the returning Duke with open arms.
"Blue Fox? You weren't on Gould Island and you didn't go to Hedeby, but your father actually arranged to stay behind?" Rurik said without hesitation.
The second son of the great businessman Gould, nicknamed Blue Fox, is fatter than before and looks like an elephant seal. He fell into the sea because he had too much fat and could not sink.
He said politely: "It was arranged by my father. He said that the Gould family will fully support Ross's new expedition, and if there are any needs for the remaining supply ships, he ordered me to fully support it."
"Gould? Your father is really a smart man. That's good, my time is very tight, and I need to take action immediately."
"Sir, please arrange tasks for me."
"Mission?" Rurik stood up straight and thought for a while, "Then first take out the money and buy all the bearskins I delivered at the market price. Attention! It's the market price! I want ready-made silver coins."
Blue Fox was a little confused. Since this was the Duke's order, he completely agreed.
Bear skins are the wealth of the hunters who are organized in the First Flag Team. Rurik does not want them to waste their limited time on selling leather personally. They must turn the bears skins into silver coins as soon as possible. The savings will be War preparation time.
Rurik was very anxious. As soon as he landed, he summoned all the young people of the First Banner Corps to assemble.
No, in the afternoon when the fleet returned to port, Arik gathered all the soldiers of the First Flag Team on the beach.
At the same time, the Fourth Flag Team composed of Balmoks was also assembled.
All of Rurik's capable mercenaries, one hundred young warriors led by Frazier.
There were even as many as two hundred sailors (soldiers when necessary) manning the ships.
This sudden gathering was so huge that the city walls were filled with people laughing and criticizing Lord Rurik's soldiers.
Due to battle losses, the original 500 soldiers of the First Flag Team had been reduced sharply to just over 400. Fortunately, the best were still there, and the brave Arik did not feel that he was short of men at all.
Regarding Otto and a group of old guys belonging to the Second Standard, he once again bravely ran to the Neva River. Rurik and even Otto had few opportunities to travel such a long distance. Since the ascension of the high priest Vilia, Otto Just aging rapidly. He continued this route with the similarly aged men, and a feeling of emotion for the bygone era came to Rurik's heart.
He knew that his father's trip had many purposes, and everything had been discussed before. He thought that Otto's prestige would not only make the people of Novorosberg cheer, but also quickly draw a team from Novgorod.
Many old guys no longer know how to evaluate the Principality of Rus now governed by Rurik. The principality no longer belongs solely to the Rus tribe. An astonishing number of outsiders have joined in. The old Rus are inevitably a little repulsive, because the Rus are indeed getting better and better now. He became stronger and more unfamiliar. He was no longer the Rose in the old guy's mind.
Familiar people either died or immigrated to new settlements in the East. Although Roseburg's dense population forced everyone to urgently need the opportunity to immigrate, now many pure Russians have immigrated, and Roseburg's population has become denser with the addition of outsiders. What's even more amazing is that the solution to the tight living environment is Building high-rise houses and logging land to build houses nearby, but the new settlers include a large number of people from Lake Mälaren. Now there are hundreds of young guys. They take off their hats and show off their patterned bald heads with braids. Prove that you are very different from traditional Russians.
Indeed, due to cultural customs, Balmok men like to shave off a lot of their hair and then tattoo their heads.
The old guys will eventually die, and when they die, tens of thousands of squealing children will grow up to the age where they can take up arms and fight.
Rurik focuses on the future, and it is even more important to lay a stable external environment foundation for a harmonious future.
He stood on a high place, tearing his throat and loudly preaching the purpose of this war to the soldiers.
Even though his understanding of the Karelian people was rather vague, he thought they were just a bunch of local chickens and dogs. However, his subordinates cannot think that the Karelia people are weak. The result of underestimating the enemy will be disastrous. He knows that the more than a thousand people in front of him are basically half of the combat strength of the Ross Principality. A disastrous defeat for any reason will be a disaster. It will ruin the strategic opportunity for the rise of the Principality of Rus.
He describes the Karelians with great emotion, deliberately inventing some terrible things, and deliberately portraying them as terrible and brave enemies.
He understands the attitude of his brothers very well. It is best for the enemy to be brave, so as to arouse the fighting spirit of the brothers.
But the most important promotion is this!
Rurik drew his sword and pointed to the east: "Brothers! Kill those brave enemies, take their wives and daughters to be your women, and let those women give birth to your children. Take their livestock, take their The leathers, deerskins, bearskins, and minks are all yours! You will all become rich!"
The warriors raised their fists in the air and cheered. Rurik was happy to see this, and he and his brothers made no secret of their desire for plunder.
If it were just to plunder the women and wealth of the Karelia people, the pattern would be too small.
As a duke, Rurik not only had to deal with possible strategic threats from the north in New Roseburg, but also seized local resources.
He gave everyone a mere three days to prepare, and the army would set off on May 22 of the Julian calendar.
Time was very tight. Rurik had been on the road these days. He was also quite tired but could not care too much. His plan was even more radical, which was to try to reach New Roseburg before June 1st.
The selected soldiers have begun their final preparations, and the entire Rossburg has become extremely lively because of the war fever.
