Rise of Rurik

Rurik personally led the cavalry to continue upstream along the Hafen River, accompanied by still a large fleet of ships.

The young warriors continued to sing northern songs, and the huge oars rippled the water rhythmically. Even though they were traveling in reverse direction, their speed was faster than two human legs.

The old man Hafen was sitting on the boat at the moment, and he and the young man rowed together.

And he is the most important guide in this operation.

His aging eyes stared at the distance of the river on one hand, and on the other hand he stared at the changes in the river water beside the ship's side, and also glanced at the king advancing on the shore.

He must be careful because the river that bears his name has a second rapidity.

The river was completely plunged into a dark green forest ocean, so that the meadows on both sides became increasingly narrow, and the cavalry had to line up in a long snake formation to advance with difficulty.

Rurik tightened his grip on the reins, and the tall reeds had touched the horse's belly and his feet in the stirrups.

He felt very bad about marching in such an environment. Looking at the staggering appearance of the horses, it seemed that the horse's hoofs could easily step into the mud puddles under the reeds and the rider would be thrown off.

Everyone was struggling to control their horses, and it seemed that the brothers who were paddling forward were in a safer situation.

"Your Majesty!" An old voice came from the ship.

Rurik turned his head decisively.

"What's up?"

I saw that Hafen had already stood up, holding a wooden stick and waving it directly in front of the ship, muttering something in his mouth.

Although Rurik did not listen very lightly, he also knew the important information recorded by this man and the accompanying scribe Gom.

"Are we finally going to Lake Villiers?" he asked loudly.

"Yes! Your Majesty! Be more vigilant!"

"Okay! You should also be careful and be sure to rush out with all your strength!"

Therefore, compared with the damen area downstream, the river mouth area facing the new river bed has a large number of stones. They are not like stone knives across the bottom of the water. They are just an important outlet of Lake Villiers in the southern area. The terrain is quite high. A large amount of water from the lake leaves from here, first as a bay, and then as a converging bell mouth until it converges into a narrow channel. The water flow increases in a short distance. To pass this water channel, it really takes a whole boat of brothers to Paddle as fast as you can.

The leisurely drifting comes to an end, and the young warriors face the challenge.

They were mentally prepared in advance, and now they are well prepared to face challenges.

All the sails were tied to the mast, and the soldiers took off their obstructive tops. Holding the wooden handle of the oar tightly with both hands shows the strong muscle texture of the warrior's arms. In order to ensure that they will not lose their hands, some people tied their hands and the wooden handle with wooden strips and ropes, giving the impression of living and dying with the ship.

The ships began to shout slogans and charge, but when they really faced the reality, the situation was not as thrilling as they expected.

At this moment, Rurik and his cavalry had quickly passed through the last reeds and were still standing on the bank of the lake facing the huge and trivial Lake Villiers.

The calm lake water does indeed pass through the trumpet area full of rocks in large quantities. In the turbulent areas, long boats ride on the waves like carps jumping over the dragon's gate.

The first ship, the second ship... nothing can hinder the advancement of these long ships. They seem to be riding on the water and running wildly. The drike monster floating on the bow of the ship seems to really give the ship a strong vitality.

The long boats entered the calm waters of the lake one after another, and the panting warriors finally let out a sigh of relief. They faced the dangerous estuary they had just passed, their faces filled with the joy of being conquerors.

Ryuk saw all this, and he also paid attention to the scenery of the lake bay area.

He sent a semaphore signal to the ships floating in the bay. After all the hardships, the expedition team finally arrived at the big lake. Now everyone is camping in a relatively spacious lakeside meadow area selected by him.

A bonfire was quickly lit by the lakeside, and the people who built a temporary camp suddenly enjoyed the rare comfort.

They experienced a tortuous voyage for almost a whole day, said goodbye to the camp at Princess Mountain in the early morning, and finally faced the big lake in the evening.

However, according to what Old Man Halfen and "Drifter" Gorm said, the bay the brothers faced was indeed part of the Grand Villiers Lake. From a detailed perspective, it always gave people the impression that it was a body of water outside the main body of the lake.

The burning pine wood crackled, and the reeds were used as cushions. Rurik sat down and warmed himself comfortably by the fire. At this moment, the aroma of grilled fish and boiled wheat continued to fill the air.

While he was waiting for the meal, he ordered Gom to record everything he saw and heard during today's voyage.

"Is this really necessary?" The bold Gorm was a little doubtful for a time. "What exactly happened? Nothing can escape the eyes of the king."

"This is to be kept as a document forever and given to future generations. It is not just to meet the king's current needs..."

Not all scribes have a strong understanding of the significance of recording history. Gom always thought that the documents he recorded were only submitted to the king for reading. Could it be that my own records can be passed down forever? Therefore, we had no choice but to record every detail of King Rurik's full participation in the expedition, and also especially record that the prairie princess Beyahil, who was married from afar, took care of the king's daily life like a maid throughout the whole process.

Soon, hot grilled fish and boiled wheat were served in front of Rurik.

Do you have any special requests for a picnic? Some of the seabass caught in the morning had already had its contents and heads cut off. Even so, it was still slightly rotten. After being grilled at high temperatures and then sprinkled with heavy salt, it felt so rotten that it was hard to eat it. However, the deliciousness of the seabass was still there. Not coming out.

The supplementary food for ordinary soldiers can only be salted fish and dried meat. Fortunately, salted fish is plentiful, and wheat as a staple food is also plentiful. The hungry people couldn't wait for the wheat porridge mixed with wheat and oats to be boiled into a thick sauce. Just after it was cooked, it was mixed with salted fish and dried meat crumbs and stirred into a bowl of hot rice in a wooden bowl. They all sat cross-legged, leaning against the fire, looking at the lake, holding spoons and feasting.

And all the war horses were also unbridled and saddled. After regaining their freedom, they wandered around the camp, lowering their heads to gnaw on the endless grass...

After eating half full, facing the big lake, I stroked my finely trimmed beard, glanced at the sunset, and admired the forest and the orange lake surface that were as beautiful as oil paintings under the soft light.

The forest clearly has an end. If you look carefully, there are slightly raised hills in the distance. Some very special scenery emerges in the sunset.

"What did you name this small body of water?" Rurik asked casually.

The old man Hafen, who had had a full meal, responded casually: "The lake bay only has a very narrow twisting channel connected to the main lake. As you can see, this water area is very smooth. I would like to call it Ball Lake."

"Ball Lake?"

"Yes."

"It's a very casual name, but it's very appropriate." Rurik looked at Gorm again, who was always carrying a pen and paper: "Boy, record it truthfully that this place is called Ball Lake."

Therefore, it is almost inevitable to name it "Ball Lake". Apart from the twists and turns of the inlet and outlet, the lake area here looks like a circle. Therefore, using the Slavic pronunciation and adding a characteristic suffix, it is Glibotsko.

There was nothing special about the water of this small lake. Rurik noticed that it seemed to be a rock. The area on the hill that was not covered by woods was tanned orange by the sunset, and it felt like it had the texture of sandstone.

Anyway, we have arrived at Lake Villiers, so of course we need to explore this secluded place.

Besides, the expedition soldiers who have been sailing have exhausted too much energy in Demyansk, and now they really need a long period of rest.

Rurik had already set the basic outline for the entire expedition plan. The ultimate goal of the expedition was not only to find Lake Villiers, but also to go directly north to Lake Valdai. He wanted to personally check those claims that the two lakes could be directly connected by dry land boating, even though the Hafen expedition team who had witnessed it had sufficient evidence to prove that they really pushed the boat from the north.

The large army was resting, and the Ross cavalry, which had lost its bow, rushed directly into the forest full of pine and birch trees under the leadership of Rurik himself.

He was surprised to find a birch forest in this environment, and these white-barked birch trees were scattered, not as easy to block the cavalry's progress as the pine forest.

Marching under the birch forest, the soldiers suddenly felt like walking in the birch forest of White Tree Manor.

Everyone was in a good mood and enjoying themselves. The relatively complete woodland allowed the soldiers to clearly see possible threats from farther away. They carry crossbows and recurve bows, and are not afraid of possible brown bear attacks.

However, during the journey towards the hills, except for some squirrels scurrying around and inexplicable birds cooing on the branches, there was no sign of any larger beasts.

Soon, when the cavalry arrived at the top of the hill, the reality was not as wonderful as Rurik expected.

What is in front of you is not sandstone, but a large area of ​​soil where even weeds do not grow. Such soil does show signs of desertification, and a handful of sandy soil does not have much use value.

The cavalry stood at the highest geographical point in the entire Valdai Highlands. There were indeed places in the nearby area that were higher than this location, but no matter how high they were, they were not much higher. The dense forest completely obscured Rurik's sight. He could only overlook the entire Ball Lake. If he wanted to see the larger main water area of ​​Lake Villiers, he could only climb over the low mountain and take a shortcut into the lakeside area and continue towards the lake. Head north.

How big is Lake Villiers? The intelligence only shows that its structure is trivial and its main water area is very slender.

There was nothing special to do, so Rurik with the cavalry simply acted as an adventurer.

He suddenly behaved like a steppe khan, accompanied by Ross cavalry and Pecheneg cavalry, and even the princess Beyathil clutched the handle of the bow and acted as an armed guard.

They were still on the lookout for bears. After climbing over the mound, they found no sign of the bears, but saw something sneaky like a human figure.

"It looks like a bear?!" Brody said excitedly, pointing at the shaking shadow.

"I can't see it. It doesn't matter. We'll find out soon if we rush forward." Rurik looked around again: "Listen, don't fire arrows wantonly, follow me and charge quickly. Let's go!"

The cavalry ran wildly through the sparse forest and soon pursued the swaying shadows.

Everything is revealed, and the truth is surprising.

The figure being overtaken was a real Ross hunter. Because the vast forest was full of risks and opportunities, the Ross people who entered the southern lake area were on high alert. After sensing the danger, no one thought that running away was a sign of cowardice.

There were five hunters, both male and female, carrying crossbows and short spears, and one person was carrying a large amount of ropes. Due to their sophisticated weapons, the fivesome had ample information about bear hunting.

From their perspective, a large number of swaying shadows quickly revealed their true identities. The white-toned uniforms of the Ross Cavalry were sewn with eye-catching blue lines. The soldiers' hats sewn from polar bear skin were not only eye-catching, but also deliberately inserted into the top. Feathers dyed blue.

Such a color is particularly conspicuous in the overall gray-green forest, which is exactly what Ross's beauty is. Although it feels incredible, these hunters from the old Ross tribe recognized that it was actually one of their own, so it was natural for them to stay where they were without resisting.

The cavalry who caught up were quite surprised, but once the two sides met their eyes, the truth became clear.

In the final analysis, most of the soldiers of the 2nd Cavalry who were actually armed and trained by Rurik for the expedition came from the city of Mstisk. They came from the same city as the hunters. Both of them are old Russians, and the truth became clear after just a few words.

It was unbelievable to see the king himself in an inexplicable forest, but that was the truth.

The hunters were shocked by this, so why not Rurik?

After a brief conversation, he realized that a brand new settlement had been built as a result of the spontaneous actions of the hunters from the south—the Bear Hunting House.

As its name suggests, various bear hunting groups have been hunting in the nearby area for some time.

Brown bears have a sense of territory and will defend their territory. How do wild beasts like them understand that hunters who break into this area will not only include this mountain forest in Ross's territory, but also all animals of all sizes living on the land will be hunted, especially the forest. Overlord bears, they must understand who is the real master.

The Russians, who had sufficient experience in hunting bears, were now completely chasing the bears, so that all the bears in the nearby area were strangled in a short time.

The main job of the temporary settlement of the Bear Hunting House is to process these leathers, and it also serves as a place for fishing and drying fish. In this secluded place in the far east, the Russian people once again live the most familiar life of fishing and hunting.

Rurik was most shocked by one thing, which prompted him to hurriedly dismount and talk to the hunters who provided important information with a straight face.

"Are you telling the truth? Arik actually came to your bear hunting home?"

"It's absolutely true, and they claim to come from a lake further east called Grilled Fish Lake." An elderly hunter explained in a coquettish way.

The old man's daughter-in-law, an authentic middle-aged Russian woman, immediately added: "It's not a grilled fish lake. It was Arik and the others who discovered the source of the Musta River! Oh, God bless us, I'm afraid our Villiers The lake is the real source. It’s not like why those Slavs gave this big lake such a name, it’s exactly the same name as our late high priest.”

"That's just a coincidence. I didn't expect that Arik would be training in your bear hunting home?" Rurik asked anxiously.

"Exactly. How about..." The woman smiled and glanced at Rurik: "How about we take you to the camp to see. Now that you have become the king, everyone thinks that you will stay in New Roseburg and be high up, but unexpectedly We still miss our old family members. Come on! Look at the bears captured by our Russians, you will definitely be surprised."

This old Rus woman is like the other old Rus guys, they regard Rurik as the new warchief. What's more, everyone knows Rurik's personal situation very well. Many people can claim to have watched him grow from a newborn baby to the current king.

No one thinks that Rurik is a lonely king who is unattainable and should not show up easily. But in the past few years, he has been busy in Novorosberg and Novgorod, and objectively he has been somewhat alienated from Mstisk, a city dominated by old Russians.

The appearance of Rurik himself in the barren mountains was a positive sign. The hunters who led the way heard that their cubs were undergoing a wilderness march in the name of exploration. Not only did they feel that Ross had a successor, but also the king himself was practical. The action demonstrated the importance he attached to new settlements in the East.

Nestled against forests and lakes, the Bear Hunting House, a settlement with a simple dock and a large number of simple wooden sheds, exists on the west shore of Lake Villiers.

Here stood Rurik and his cavalry.

"Wow! As the name suggests, there are bearskins everywhere!"

The first impression on people is often as indelible as the mark lying on the skin. Rurik saw a large number of wooden supports next to a large number of wooden sheds. There were no less than thirty brown bear skins tied up with hemp ropes. They were stretched as much as possible. , a leather craftsman is working on it.

A large number of bear heads were impaled on wooden stakes as if in a sacrificial ceremony. Obviously, no one thought the bear heads and ferocious fangs were a terrifying existence.

Some children were still running around and playing among the bear skins and bear heads, but the adults had already noticed the sudden appearance of the Ross Cavalry.

At this moment, Arik, who was lying on the grass by the river with his legs crossed and taking a nap in the sun, was suddenly awakened by his buddy.

The brother was nervous and happy, and slapped Arik's hairy face roughly: "Brother, the king is here."

"King? Is it... Rurik?" He was obviously sleepy.

"It's him! It's really him."

"Really?" Arik suddenly jumped up, turned around and looked towards the settlement, and saw the shaking figure of the Ross Cavalry.

However, Gil, who was playing with the local hunter children, happily rushed there with his little boy when he heard that his uncle the king was coming.

Rurik was so happy to meet his little nephew in this wild land that he held him up high, then simply let the kid ride on his neck, and then continued to twist his body to do some dangerous things. Gil enjoyed the crazy fun with his uncle. Because it was too exciting, he hugged his uncle's arm and laughed excitedly.

The laughter easily attracted the attention of Arik who hurried over, and then he saw Gil riding on his brother's shoulders.

】

"Rurik! Why are you here? It's incredible."

Following the voice, Rurik saw his cousin's face that was obviously very weathered. He suddenly picked up his nephew and spun the brat around in his arms before placing him safely on the ground. Jill was obviously still unfinished, and as soon as he landed on the ground, he hugged his uncle's waist and kept smiling.

"Brother! I heard that you went to explore the Far East. It's amazing! I heard that you discovered some incredible things. And your face... it feels a lot older..."

Pushing his nephew away slightly, Rurik walked forward.

The two brothers just greeted each other, opening their arms and hugging each other tightly with smiles.