Rise of Rurik

Even the war horses were tethered and pulled onto the cargo ships. The open cabins were crowded with horses, and they had to endure the bumps of the sea.

This was something so crazy that even Rurik, who ordered it, thought it was a major risk.

When a war came to an end, Ross got more than just a brand new treaty and gold and silver spoils.

All the war horses from Rus must be taken away, and the strong ones among the captured horses must also be taken away.

Even easily portable calves and lambs will be shipped back to be used as breeding cattle and sheep.

The army collected seeds from peas, yellow-rooted carrots and local crops found in Saxony and planted them in Novgorod, where the climate is warmer.

But the journey home is undoubtedly their Odyssey for the soldiers who have been on the expedition for a long time.

After arriving at the mouth of the Elbe River, the Russian-Danish mixed fleet quickly separated from the other two squadrons.

One group headed west across the North Sea and returned to the Viking Kingdom of York, while the other group headed south along the coastline and plunged into the Rhine River to continue its operations.

Rurik and the main fleet headed north, rushing along the coastline of Jutland towards the Denmark Strait.

The broad Atlantic northwest wind is still there, it's just no longer aggressive. All the ships raised their jibs and moved against the wind, maintaining a speed of about five knots.

As long as the wind allowed, the entire fleet would sail during the day, and in order to get home early, the brothers would rather stay afloat at sea than land at night to rest. After all, they still have to do some important rest on the shore. This point must be a flat place, which is Mahobi (Malmö), the capital of the Kingdom of Denmark, and the military gathering place on the other side of the strait called Copenhagen.

Even though the fleet would pass through Gothenburg, Rurik had no intention of stopping there. He simply sent a large sailing ship off the main fleet and a messenger to inform the locals about the king's orders and what was happening in the south. One thing must be made clear to the people and nobles of Gothenburg. The so-called northerners won a complete victory in the war against the Franks. There are two newly opened river mouth settlements open to all northerners. Even the Götalanders of Gothenburg have the right to go. Open up a new living space there.

Rurik was on an adventure. He stood on the bow of the flagship, with densely packed ships behind him, and the sails were as dense as steaming clouds.

He calls his return voyage an Odyssey, but he has no desire to experience the messy adventures of Odysseus.

He didn't want to encounter any storms, and he didn't want any loot or people to fall into the sea.

After all, in the "Third Bremen Raid" during the December war, the army suffered very few losses on the battlefield, but suffered huge losses in a winter storm when it returned to Hamburg.

The fleet was racing against Mother Nature by seizing every moment to return, and now they were rounding the northernmost tip of Jutland.

No ships will land, even if the coast visible to the naked eye is where they landed last July, it was also the beginning of glory and madness.

Standing at the bow of the ship, Rurik looked there thoughtfully.

The eyes of the vast number of soldiers also cast their gaze over, discussing the past with the living.

They are victors but are inexplicably sad.

This strait was once a forbidden area for the Russian people. It has always required great courage to cross here, and it also requires ships to sail at maximum speed. The enemy cannot catch it at all like arrow feathers passing by.

The Danish Robard tribe, which once had hegemony over the strait, completely lost its hegemony, and even this tribe fell apart. The entire Jutland peninsula suffered a bloodbath from north to south, and the war even burned all the way to Saxony, triggering a strong counterattack from East Francia. This all came from the continuation of this uncontrollable war.

"It's here. The war I started is gradually getting out of control. I have no choice but to fight on until my enemy surrenders. Now...do I still have the strength to launch a new large-scale expedition?"

Asking his conscience, Rurik also felt war-weary.

This war made Ross a political upstart. The northern trade system that might have taken ten years to build was actually completed after half a year of bloody fighting.

Perhaps a more courageous monarch would continue the war in the hope that this kind of war adventure of betting on the fate of the country could continue to reap miraculous benefits.

Although Ross has stamina, his current military strength has been greatly damaged after all. Most of the veterans who once supported the expansion of the kingdom have withered away. The young warriors are still growing and need to recharge their batteries during this lean period.

What's more, if the soldiers are supported to continue fighting for a whole year, if there is not a large amount of physical wealth to fill their inner dissatisfaction, no matter how loyal and brave they are, they may become passive and war-weary in the later stages.

Whether dead or alive, the soldiers who participated in the battle made a lot of silver coins.

Rurik's ability to reward generously came largely from an accident. The cavalry "cheated" an outrageous five thousand pounds of silver coins from Cologne through intimidation and deception. After all, as the king, Rurik still broke the rules. He didn't ask for a single silver coin, and the five thousand pounds of silver coins were all in the hands of the soldiers. Coupled with the plunder they had taken in the war, each man had at least a pound of silver coins in his hand, as well as a complete change of clothes and boots.

The cavalrymen were collectively extremely rich, and the brothers who died in battle would have their families share the war dividends, so that each cavalryman received eight pounds of silver just in the "Cologne Tribute".

How much purchasing power does a pound of silver coin have?

In the social production and life of the Kingdom of Rus, only luxury goods are marked with ridiculously high prices. Silver coins and grain have an unshakable official exchange price. One pound of silver coins is equivalent to a thousand pounds of wheat. It is used to buy furs and woolen textiles, and it is enough for wives, children, and children to have new clothes that can be replaced.

After all, only those who participated in the war will receive war dividends, especially since the Slavic army only sent a thousand troops, and in Novgorod around Lake Ilmen, the Slavic ethnic population has swelled to 200,000. Slavic warriors who made a fortune from war dividends could immediately hire poor fellow villagers to repair houses, clear fields, and even buy marriages. Those who were once poor became wealthy, and their experiences would serve as prominent examples for the kingdom's future military conscription.

At least there really can't be any more large-scale wars this year! In any case, Ross will have to go through a period of strategic defense.

Ross has a safe external environment, because Denmark, which can threaten Ross's national defense security, and Frank, its biggest enemy, are both bleeding heavily, and the other side is unable to threaten Ross in the short term. In addition, there is a peace treaty as a second line. Insurance.

The fleet drifted at sea for ten days!

The strait suddenly became extremely narrow, and the Oresund Strait was in sight.

The turbulence on the sea made people physically and mentally exhausted, and the horses in the cabin were also suffering. Earlier, the bottom of the boat was full of horse dung, and the entire cabin was too stinky.

It was not that Rurik had not imagined the possibility of returning home, the so-called true Odyssey given to Fisk's cavalry.

The so-called cavalry also set out from Hamburg, supported them in running north to the Baltic Sea coast, and then headed east along the coastline.

Rostock, Stralsund, Gdańsk, Königsberg, Courland, Riga, Tallinn...and finally to Novorosberg at the mouth of the Neva River, the destination of this cavalry.

If this is the case, then Fisk will really have to experience one adventure after another like Odysseus, and it is even possible that the entire cavalry team will be wiped out in the middle of the road.

The trend of the coastline and nearby geography and hydrology have remained unchanged for thousands of years, but the coastal roads pass through areas controlled by Pomeranians, Prussians, Lithuanians, and Estonians. Although they were in the era of tribal alliances, because Arik actually raided an Estonian village ten years ago and found that the locals were also using a large number of iron weapons, Rurik, who learned about this, could no longer attack these unconquered villages. despised by the people.

Then let the war horse go through a navigation test just to be on the safe side! If these Pecheneg Turkic horses can even endure the long voyage, then when they launch an ocean expedition in the future, Ross can directly transport more cavalry, which is undoubtedly a huge tactical advantage.

The long voyage finally came to an end in Mahobi, and the war horses, which had been weakened by torture, were happily transported down to rest on the shore.

Mahobi is still a settlement of sandbank villages, and it was too shabby for Ragnar to choose it as the capital of Denmark.

The real capital city is directly across the strait from Mahobi, but it is even more empty there.

All the warriors landed on solid land, and those Danish warriors finally came home!

Their return surprised the fishermen of Mahobi, and immediately attracted the attention of the Danes in Zealand.

There was no need for Lagnar to send messengers to various Danish villages to report the news. After the nobles witnessed the return of the huge fleet, the messengers arrived in Mahobi one after another the day after the fleet arrived, and many of them met in person.

There are boats moored everywhere and camps on the shore.

In the Oresund Strait, the warmth of spring was finally rewarded. The fish dormant due to the cold became active. The Russian army who arrived here just threw down the big net and fishing line and started fishing.

They were able to grill salted fish on the shore and take out the uneaten wheat and cook it in urns.

They often choose the forest land behind the sandbar to build their shacks, and they also drive their listless horses to the forest meadows and let them eat the fresh and tender grass that has just sprouted.

New shoots sprouted from dead wood, mushrooms sprouted from rotten wood roots, and nameless flowers appeared everywhere. The sound of waves came and went, and at night the tide completely submerged the sandbar in Mahobi, and the anchored ships kept swaying in the tide.

There were bonfires as dense as stars near the woods, and there was talk and laughter in Norse everywhere.

Rurik, Ragnar and other nobles gathered together to enjoy a feast of grilled cod, each holding a fish steak and devouring it.

"I want to stay here for at least ten days! I want to take a good rest." Rurik shouted loudly in a happy mood.

"Ten days? Even if this place is very simple? Although I am the king, alas... even that guy Liudov has a castle."

Looking around, there are only three villages here, as well as the remains of the military camp when the army gathered last year. Now the abandoned camp has been picked up by the army again. What Ragnar said was very cowardly. He had seen a lot of them in the Frankish world. Although those people were not as vicious as the northerners, those nobles at least had big houses of their own.

Rurik could understand what he was thinking. After all, the Kingdom of Rus had been carrying out large-scale construction whenever there was an opportunity in recent years. As the King of Ross, although the palace is not a huge restricted area, an attic that can have five floors with the roof is the largest building in the palace. It has become a behemoth in New Ross Fort that can have a bird's eye view of the whole city. It is also the original place where ships can as an obvious marker.

"Just build a city!" Rurik pointed to the dark west. "We agreed to call it Copenhagen. It has very flat land. There is no need to use it as a small pasture for grazing cattle and sheep. It is the land God gave you to build the royal city. Most of your Danish compatriots are now concentrated there. On Zealandia, Jutland as a whole, which has gone through the war, may not have any development in recent years. Just run Zealandia first! You are absolutely right to listen to me."

Rurik said it to the point, and Ragnar nodded: "That's really all I can do. I'm very happy that you stayed like this for a long time. I hope all the nobles can come to see me."

Even if the Ross fleet is rushing like crazy, everyone has to face an extremely embarrassing problem.

Insightful people silently record the time on the day the fleet sets off. They all find a piece of wood and mark it with a knife every time they experience a sunset.

They showed each other their records and finally got a very accurate time.

It is only March now, but the ancestral place of Rossburg in the Gulf of Bothnia will not completely thaw until April. Even the Kronshtadt mooring outside Neurosberg is definitely covered by a layer of sea ice at least for now. .

Spute, who has very rich navigation experience, provides extremely accurate navigation for the entire fleet. After all, no one in the entire Ross knows the route from New Rossburg to the British Isles better than him. He made a judgment that the so-called sea conditions should not be exceeded before bad sea conditions. Under the circumstances, starting from the Mahobi moorings in the current Oresund Strait, you can reach Tombstone Island in the Åland Islands in the fastest eight days.

Arriving at Tombstone Island is like going home.

Even according to the standard of ten days of rest and then a non-stop sailing, it was only April when we arrived at Tombstone Island.

Winter came not too early last year, but the cold current was too severe. The entire Denmark Strait was filled with salt water from the Atlantic Ocean, so the entire Eastern Baltic Sea would not freeze. However, starting from the Åland Islands, Rurik could think of it with his toes. It is judged that the sea ice in the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland will be ridiculously thick, and even giant ice packs like hills will be squeezed by the stress of the ice layer.

Everyone who has calmed down can understand that the fleet cannot compete with the ice, and it is unrealistic to go home too early.

They continued to rest in Mahobi, and Ragnar immediately sent people to Copenhagen across the strait for further investigation. There are still a lot of remains of the military camp there, but unfortunately they were completely destroyed by winter storms.

A city with strong wind-shielding walls was to be built, and Ragnar also intended to move the last of his tribe stranded in Novgorod.

After all, living under someone else's roof is not enough for a man. He wants to be a real king!

A large number of Danish nobles arrived at Mahobi, where they met their king and paid their highest respects to Rurik, the king of Rus and the lord of the whole north.

The huge bonfire was blazing, and there were no less than twenty Danish nobles sitting cross-legged beside the fire. They had all participated in the war to "recover all Denmark for Odin" last year, but due to various practical factors, they all withdrew and went home for the winter.

The nobles already had a rough idea of ​​the truth - the defeat of the arrogant Franks.

This was unimaginable in the past, and they urgently need to know more detailed truth. As a result, the several battles surrounding Hamburg and Bremen immediately became topics of conversation that could be discussed from dusk to dawn the next day.

So, they can roar at the sky. The nobles all believed that it was because of the greedy desires of the Frankish nobles that Denmark became fat meat that could be eaten. As a result, Ludwig, the instigator, was wiped out. It was puzzling to everyone that Rurik and Ragnar did not execute this man. Maybe it's because of Rurik's greater wisdom! At least Ludwig had a noble head, which is fully reflected in the fact that Saxony, which had been annexed and violently killed by Frankish forces, regained its freedom, and the heroic descendants of the Saxons regained the royal power.

With the restored Saxony as a barrier, the Danish world returned to the state it had been fifty years ago. The so-called Danish chief Godfrey and the Duke of Saxony, Widukind, formed an alliance to resist the Frankish invasion.

Why isn't talking about mountains and rivers over the fire a show of muscle?

Rurik talks endlessly here, and Ragnar also strives to show his extraordinary performance in the war. The two kings sang in harmony, and Frank was defeated by the overwhelming offensive of the army that believed in Odin.

It was so exciting that the nobles couldn't believe it. They just didn't dare to question them face to face because of their dignity. Rurik could sense this consistency and he patted his chest: "Tomorrow I will take you to the big ship to take a look. The ordnance we captured is piled up everywhere."

The noble lords looked at each other, and then all agreed with King Rus's bravery.

"Ah! After all, we are Russians and you are Danes. This is your homeland. My people and I dare not invade your homeland. Of course, you collectively worship me as your lord, and I am very happy. I want all of you Ragnar and his family must be recognized as the king of Denmark, and I want you to fulfill the alliance treaty between Ross and Denmark. Denmark and Ross are both Odin's warriors, and we are brothers. In the future, if a foreign enemy attacks either of us, the brothers will We must join forces to fight together..."

Rurik took this opportunity to become brothers with the local Danish nobles. He must reiterate that the Ragnar family is the legitimate Danish royal family recognized by the King of Rus.

This is very necessary. Ragnar's exiled tribesmen total less than three hundred people, and among them, less than a hundred can fight, including women.

After all, they suffered heavy losses in the war many years ago, and they have no qualifications to convince the public simply based on their own strength.

So what if Ragnar has a huge reputation? He is in urgent need of a large number of fans. However, he currently only has more than 300 ruthless people still alive who are loyal to him because of his reputation. Plus the exiled tribesmen, it is absolutely impossible. There were only five hundred people taking orders from him.

Five hundred people really lacked an advantage when facing Zealandia's population of 50,000.

The Ragnar family still needs the help of Ross to maintain their rule over the Danish world, so from another perspective, the Danish world has completely fallen into the sphere of influence of the Kingdom of Ross.