Rise of Rurik

Arik and his brothers did find the source of the Musta River, but even if he floated on the lake, he could not be sure for a while that this was the real source.

Not far away, a larger body of water sparkled, perhaps that was the real source.

After all the hardships, those who were willing to follow Arik to this point finally got a good rest.

The nameless lake that appears in front of everyone seems to have no end as far as the eye can see. There are a large number of lush islands on the lake. Only God knows what is contained there.

In this era, there is indeed no ready-made waterway that can be absolutely safely navigable to connect the Volga River system and the Baltic Sea system. If you are willing to take risks, there are water channels that can be forced through by long boats with very shallow drafts, but the significance of such water channels to the commercial industry is almost negligible.

The extremely large Valdai Highlands is the geographical high point in a huge area. Lakes are dotted around, and almost all rivers are connected by large or small waterways. The rivers flowing out of these glacial lakes will eventually flow into the sea, into the Black Sea, Whether it is the Caspian Sea or the Baltic Sea, it all depends on the topography.

They were actually standing on the shore of Upper Volochok Lake, which is the natural watershed between the two water systems. This is the highest geographical point in the region. Even if it is only slightly higher than nearby areas, it is enough to prevent many rivers from finally flowing into the Baltic Sea without human intervention.

How to intervene?

All it takes is some labor force to dig water channels with shovels and hoes, so that part of the water from Upper Volochok Lake flows into the slightly lower Lake Msta. In this way, a long ship sailing to the Gulf of Finland can safely reach the After continuous inland navigation, he finally appeared on the shore of the Caspian Sea on the Volga River, or he turned to the Don River and finally appeared under the Eastern Roman city of Kherson.

Of course Arik had no idea of ​​all this.

Regardless of his instructions, the accompanying scribe Canutet, after settling down, took the time to write down what he saw and heard these days on paper. He picked up a pen made of charcoal and sketched the scene against the scenery of the lakes and mountains in front of him. The original methods were recorded as much as possible for presentation to the king.

Small pine trees that are easy to cut down are rich in oil. First, withered yellow reeds taken from the local area are used as a guide, and the flames ignited eventually ignite the pine branches. The bonfire grew more and more prosperous. The violent flames not only brought warmth to everyone, but also dissipated their tension in a new and unknown world.

Arik felt a little regretful. He looked at the people who were busy grilling fish around the huge bonfire. His eyes were filled with the beating of flames, and his heart was as unpeaceable as the flames flying to the sky with all their remaining parts.

The old man handed him a skewer of slightly charred sea bass, and the whole gutted fish was skewered from head to tail on a wooden stick.

He didn't have much appetite for the time being, so he handed the skewers to his son Jill and reminded him kindly. "Are you hungry? Be careful when eating so you don't get bitten by fish bones."

Gil nodded, took the skewer of fish, and began to use his young hands to slowly pick out the fish meat from the side of the bass and stuff it into his mouth.

"Are you really not hungry? Or are you just entertaining the children?" The old man who handed the fish looked at Arik and asked with a smile.

"It's true that I'm not very hungry."

"It must be both. It doesn't matter, anyway, the brothers caught quite a lot in this unnamed lake." The old man couldn't help but sigh: "In my opinion, we were the first to discover this lake. People, no one is trying to grab fish from us! Haha, as long as we sprinkle a little bait, a school of fish will soon approach us. At this time, we can finally have a delicious meal with one net. Just wait, there are more fish waiting for you Roasted."….

"Very good." Arik nodded, and his big hand couldn't help but point to the dark west. "I saw some islands there during the day, and I bet based on my experience there must be some wild ducks hatching their nests there."

"Are you planning to rush over and catch wild ducks tomorrow to get the best feathers?"

"Okay. But I still want to eat greasy food. Brothers!" Arik looked at the guys roasting around the fire: "Bass doesn't have much oil and water. To really eat comfortably, it needs roast duck. I've already thought about it. , we should consider turning back after we have had a good meal. I! I’m already planning to retreat.”

Everyone who was busy eating fish raised their heads.

The old man who handed over the fish was still surprised: "Brothers, I want to do some more adventures with you, but you are finally satisfied? Only God knows where the southern exit of this source lake can lead. Maybe it can really be passed. Toward the legendary Volga River."

"But we still have to spend time looking for it." Arik looked towards the south again: "Don't be too impatient. We will definitely explore as far as possible to the endless south. Maybe this year can be enough. At least we have found the Musta River We will come back next year... In my opinion, we can build a fishing village in our temporary camp. To be honest, the smell of grilled fish is wonderful."

No one would question this. Seabass is a very common Eastern European freshwater fish. It is a kind of seabass. Fresh seabass may be the most delicious when steamed, but it also tastes quite good when simply and roughly roasted.

The nameless lake is called "Grilled Fish Lake". It can be said that these Russians gave it a name casually.

Of course, if wild ducks can still be caught on the nameless and trivial islands, the island in the lake can simply be given the name "Roast Duck Island".

The air in the entire environment was extremely clear. It was still daytime, and when they caught the first fish on the lake, they noticed that there was a large estuary not far away due south, and there was also a large estuary due west.

That's why even if Arik didn't say a word, someone was interested in exploring the mouth of the river in the south.

Some people are even mentally prepared in advance - only the gods know where we will drift to in the end. If the opportunity is presented to me, I should go and see it, and maybe I can make a fortune.

Since it was Arik who announced in front of all the men and women warming up that this year's expedition was coming to an end, the most radical people had to calm down.

After all, it was Arik who was in charge of this expedition. He was determined to return, so everyone had to admit it.

But what everyone didn't expect was that he had his own wonderful ideas on how to return.

Because he doesn't want to take the usual path anymore.

Arik coughed twice and shouted a few words loudly to attract the people who were munching on the fish.

"We're all here! Maybe we shouldn't go back the same way we came in boredom, and we should explore a new way home."

His words sounded like fantastic ideas to everyone. What is a "new way home"?

Someone hurriedly interjected: "Brother, can you explain what the new road is? The Musta River is right behind us. Everyone just needs to drift calmly and go back. Since you want to go home, why do you bother to go to the trouble?"...

Those who originally intended to continue exploring also heard the clue. But I saw a person slapping his thigh excitedly, and his eyes were about to pop out with excitement on his happy face. "I support you!" he said. "Everything is an adventure! Find a new way home. Maybe we can encounter bears and deer on the way. We can make a fortune by peeling some good leather back home." .”

Someone immediately retorted: "Are you so optimistic? Only God knows where we will drift to?"

"That's enough." Someone else said, "We are all old brothers who fought and killed enemies together. Out of friendship, I took my wife and followed you until now. Can't we choose a safe path home?"

They all started arguing among themselves.

To be honest, Aric was happy to see this scene. The fact showed that there were still adventurous people who were willing to follow him again.

But he is no longer as young and frivolous as he was ten years ago. He is in the prime of life in his thirties. He has two wives and three sons at home, and his life is prosperous. Because he has a warm family, Arik cannot abandon his family and risk his life to take a risky adventure. It is already a great attempt to safely drift to the Grilled Fish Lake.

"Listen to me!" He slapped his thighs so hard that his thighs crackled, and the meaningless argument ended with a roar. "As I said before, we only have one boat now, and I have the final say on how we go back."

As he spoke, he pointed his big hand directly to the west: "We all saw the mouth of the river there during the day. The scribe who accompanied us along the way was recording the correct direction. In my opinion, we only need to break into the mouth of the western river and keep moving along the river, saying Maybe we’ve touched Lake Valdai.”

"Are you that confident?" Someone else

Interjected: "Even if we have mastered a certain amount of Odin's wisdom, did the gods really imply that we can take a new path home?"

"Otherwise? Will Odin still tease us? Listen! Only the evil god Loki will tease us, but that god will not give us the new wisdom necessary for adventure."

The "new wisdom" that everyone keeps claiming is compass technology. This is what Rurik popularized to all sailors, so this technique can also be used for inland river exploration. The materials to be used are nothing more than a piece of black iron ore (magnetite), an iron wire, a leaf, and a bowl of water. Everything is common and within easy reach, but it always ensures that explorers can determine the right direction regardless of the limitations of night and day.

Canutet, the scribe, has been playing with the tools along the way. Until now at the fish grill camp in the middle of the night, he once again determined the direction, and marked everyone's current location on the rough hand-drawn map, using thick arrows to mark four direction.

Although the drawing must be very non-standard, Canutet tried his best to restore the twists and turns of the river he experienced during his travels. He could not remember the small turns, but the big turns were described very clearly.

On his map, the Musta River was specifically drawn, and its general outline resembled the real geographical formation. The new "Grilled Fish Lake" is separated from the Musta River by a gentle slope. Even though many people think that the two lakes are one, Rurik himself believed that they are two lakes after receiving some training.

Now Arik is talking about Canutet's extremely solid voyage records. ….

"Anyway, the return path has been mapped. I'm going to take you to the western river. Even if you do reach the wrong end, you may have to go back the same way, but it will only take a little more time. What do you think? Canutet, this kid? I will never go to war in my life, and now he is our best navigator. He is a boy trained by the king himself, and I trust him."

Everyone's eyes were on Knutate. The boy never expected that Arik, who gained prestige due to his bravery in fighting, would unexpectedly promote himself, a "useless guy".

Even if you question Arik, you cannot question the king! As a scribe, the boy Canutet was King Rurik's right-hand man. Since this person's drawing records can ensure that everyone has the correct escape route, and Arik's attitude is very determined.

What else? Just keep going with him.

In this way, everyone agreed on the first night of rest by the Grilled Fish Lake.

Those adventure junkies were obsessed with the southern bayou and subconsciously felt that they could discover greater things by exploring the south.

Early the next morning, after the bonfire burned out, they grilled the fish again. After everyone threw down the fish bones and scales, the morning sun shone on their backs, and everyone rowed the boat towards the due west.

Just as Arik estimated, and also as an old Russian estimated, a large number of uninhabited islands are indeed breeding spots for wild ducks in the summer.

They easily picked up a large number of duck eggs, captured some ducklings, and shot some mallards with their crossbows.

They lit a new bonfire on the island and roasted the fat duck. What everyone is short of most now is oil and water. Although wild duck meat smells fishy, ​​hungry people are busy stuffing duck fat into their mouths, and the smell is obvious when they finally burp.

The prey is thrown into the basket, and the basket made of vines, which originally contained the catch, is now lined with reeds and contains a large number of duck eggs.

For a while, everyone no longer has to worry or have problems. With the ducks and duck eggs caught from the Unnamed Island, we have enough energy to head west again.

Soon, they arrived at the mouth of the western river.

"Don't hesitate, let's row in." Arik acted together with everyone. He sat on the bow of the boat and set an example. The huge paddles flapped on the river. From a distance, it looked like a giant centipede moving quickly on the water.

Arik just had to move northwest after entering the new river. In this way, the lowered jib could finally catch the warm wind from the far south, even though the wind was relatively weak today.

The course of the nameless river is extremely winding, and it is indeed looking northwestward as a whole.

The current of the river is very gentle. Everyone is paddling hard and with the help of the wind, the long boat is advancing at a high speed of about five knots. After all, they are old Russians and can maintain

Maintain this speed for several hours. The piled up plucked wild ducks and a large number of duck eggs, as well as the uneaten salted fish jerky and grain, ensured relatively sufficient logistics for the people.

With plenty of food and water, no one worries about running out of supplies.

Aren't the longships moving at high speed? What if it really drifts back to Lake Valdai? Besides, the axes and arrows in the hands of the brothers are not just decorations. They still have fishing hooks and large nets for catching fish. They can also get a certain amount of river fresh food from this unnamed river to satisfy their hunger. ….

They rested by the river, and the nameless river was soon given its exact name - Qingni River.

The mud in the flat and muddy riverside area has a main color of gray-brown mixed with Chinese blue and blue. This is the characteristic of the local mud. Use a shovel to peel off the mud, and the smooth cross-section will also glow green in the sun. The blue color is extremely noticeable.

In the Russian dialect, it is called the Dupbo River, and in today's Slavic language, it is pronounced as the Shyna River. No matter which language is used, what stands out is the slightly bluish mud on the riverside.

And this is the Shlina River, and its source is in Shlina Lake.

Lake Shlina is not an independent lake. Like the lakes dotted in the area, it is also part of the huge Valdai lake group. However, it is located at the watershed, and the river eventually flows into the Volga River.

The entire river is a tributary of the source area of ​​the Volga River, specifically Lake Shlina, and its water source is the most specific - Lake Villiers.

Things get extremely weird and wonderful.

Arik's voyage was destined not to reach Lake Valdai, but it was close.

There are some small streams and large muddy swamps between Lake Valdai itself and Lake Villiers. The Ross explorers relied on the human towing of dry land boats, and the ships were able to force their way through the mud to continue their exploration.

They just thought it was a damn boring dirt road, but they didn't know that this muddy land was also part of the Great Divide.

As long as you enter Lake Villiers through this dirt road, you will completely enter the Volga River system.

Lake Villiers has some small exits that extend southward to the real main channel of the Volga River, and there are two more exits to the east. One of the small rivers continuously pours lake water into Lake Shlina, and then into the green mud-filled lake. Shlina River.

Today, Arik and his brothers are sailing on this river. They are still cautious about exploring, but they are unaware that they are rushing towards the known world that the Russians have discovered.

They will no longer be alone, because Lake Villiers has only recently been discovered by the Russians. The people who invaded here are plundering fish, birds and beasts, so that a village called "Bear Hunting House" spontaneously sprouted by the lake. Temporary settlement….

The reborn star fruit