Rise of Rurik

The long and narrow Lake Wittern has a special geographical structure. It is a typical ice-eroded lake, which is exactly the same as the formation principle of the lakes in the Finnish marshes.

The entire Jotaland region is a highland, and the melting snow every winter forms streams such as this large lake, but the lakes rarely have openings to the ocean.

It has only one winding waterway to the east, connecting it with the Eastern Baltic Sea. This waterway passes through some lakes, including Lake Gland. Eventually, the waterway empties into the sea at a fjord in the old Ostara territory.

The main force of Rurik's Ross fleet took this waterway. They went upstream and continued to approach their destination, Lake Vettern, in the destined tortuous waterway.

As for this large lake, it cannot enter the Denmark Strait from the west of Scandinavia.

To enter the Denmark Strait, you must take a detour, which is to pass through a broken small lake, and then follow the vein-like river in it to enter the larger lake adjacent to it, Vänernsee.

Lake Vänern in the west leads to a wide waterway, from which the lake water quietly flows into the Denmark Strait.

It is said that Gothenburg, a large settlement of the Götalans, is located along this waterway.

The news Rurik has learned so far is very trivial, and he is mentally prepared. Although the army is always drifting in the waters, it has to be subject to the twists and turns of the waterways, and the march will be delayed a lot of time. He was glad that he had made sufficient preparations and launched an attack when spring plowing was in progress, which bought him a lot of time.

"Arik, I'm afraid you can move faster than me. I hope you can win..."

He prayed silently in his heart, but his fleet had just entered the fjord of the old Ostarans.

The army wants to stay here for a while. This move is not just for rest, but the biggest purpose is to make a sacrifice.

Small-scale sacrificial activities are held to comfort the spirits of the dead here.

Exactly eleven years ago, the Ostara people living in this fjord area (now Norrkoping) suffered a disaster. Under the overwhelming overwhelming force of the army, their resistance collapsed.

They are a branch of the Swedes, the daughters of their nobles are now nobles of the Kingdom of Rus, and their refugees are reviving in the East.

Now Rurik is here again.

In fact, as long as you look carefully, you can still find a large number of village ruins in the bay. Although the power of nature is using grass, vines and small trees to cover up the traces of human activities, as long as you go into the forest and frequently push aside the fallen leaves, you can even find many broken skeletons.

Those bones must have been eaten by wolves, as broken bones were scattered everywhere.

Rurik ordered the landing troops to spend a day collecting bones everywhere, and finally dug a large pit and put them all into a mound, covering them with some found stones.

Everything has passed, and the enemies who killed the Ostara people have died one after another in the past ten years. The inhabitants of Gotland collapsed, the Danes fell into internal strife, and the control of the era finally fell into the hands of the Rus, who brought conquest, killing, and peace afterwards.

Just like a tsunami, the big waves settle past disputes. A new beginning is born on the land after the tsunami.

Only smart people can detect the strangeness before the tsunami hits, but the Yotalan people, who live in a relatively isolated environment, are completely unaware of the threats from the north and the east.

The soldiers who landed rarely took a break on land. After all, this fjord was once operated by a tribe of more than 2,000 people. The large flat land left behind was covered with traces of building ruins. It was now suitable for the army to station and rest.

The army's stay was destined to be short. Late at night, accompanied by the crackling of the bonfire, the Russian and Swedish nobles gathered around the fire to chat.

Bjorn's expression was not good, and even though his face was illuminated by the flames, he still looked worried.

"We have completed the ceremony, buried and found the bones, which can be regarded as comforting the souls of the people of Ostara. Next we have to head west. Bjorn, it seems that you are not in good spirits."

"It's not good. I'm worried about the future," he said.

"What's there to worry about? Or do you think the Jotalans are actually very powerful?"

Bjorn shook his head, then pointed to a few people with his big finger, and said: "These little-known little dukes once lived at the destination of our march. Their hometown is on the north shore of Lake Wettern. Now they are like me from Mälaren." Be neighbors. No one knows the westward passage, its intricacies and twists, better than they do, you can ask them."

"I've asked." Rurik looked a little unhappy.

"how?"

"It's not that difficult."

"Forget it! This will be a long journey, just like a rope that looks small but turns out to be an extremely long rope after stretching. You still underestimate the twists and turns of the river."

Rurik frowned: "You seem to understand?"

"I don't understand, but my merchants do. That's fine. I believe that the armies of Arik and the Yelmalen people can arrive at Lake Wettern first, but their strength may be smaller. If a conflict breaks out with the enemy, they will But they can’t get our support. In my opinion, we still need to make a sacrifice to pray for their safe movement.”

This sounds like Bjorn is satirizing himself for placing too much emphasis on sacrificial activities? Rurik didn't want to say anything, not even to talk to Bjorn.

In the end, the night talk around the fire broke up unhappily, and everyone went to the camp to have a sleep. After eating tomorrow morning, the whole army set off.

However, the next day, when the army began to rush towards the first inner lake, Lake Gran, Rurik finally understood the many implications of what Bjorn said.

Ask yourself, I did underestimate the twists and turns of the waterway.

Although the large sailing warship is pulled by the oars of a traditional longship, it is like two horses pulling a carriage. The water channel became narrow, and the large ship also had a deep draft. The person standing at the bow of the ship holding a probe measured the water depth and confirmed that the river bed in the center of the river would not damage the keel. Even so, dozens of large ships can only form a long snake formation at this stage. The depth of the army is stretched extremely long, and the overall marching speed is completely limited by the speed of the warriors paddling against the current. The overall speed is slower.

Now, Rurik really began to worry that Bjorn would really be possessed by the crow's mouth, and Arik, who took the so-called land shortcut from north to south, would suffer.

Will Arik's troops really encounter difficulties?

Rurik would never have imagined that in order to win the first victory, his eldest brother Arik would not need the logistics troops and a large number of infantry, and advance rapidly through the forest with only 300 horsemen.

The refreshing spring sunshine shines on the Arik cavalry troops marching through the gaps in the forest.

Each cavalryman in this cavalry team has an extraordinary status. They have at least a lot of wealth to be qualified to be selected as cavalrymen. Among them are many sons of Slavic boyar nobles. They have made great achievements as cavalrymen and can return to the village to inherit their noble titles in the future.

Their first allegiance was to King Rurik, and now the king's cousin Arik suddenly became the commander. Even though this thirty-year-old guy in his prime had experienced hundreds of battles, the cavalry warriors were somewhat resistant.

The cavalry have commanders they trust, firstly, their own Pecheneg instructors, and secondly, "Bald" Fisk. Among them, Fisker is the most prestigious.

Of course Arik is aware of this. He is not a arrogant person just because of his past glorious achievements.

He held the reins in his hand and pretended to be arrogant. He shouted loudly: "You guys can disobey me! Those rumors are all true. I have actually chopped off the heads of at least three hundred enemies in my life. I can hold my hands without a shield." I am the number one berserker in Rus. If I wasn't so brave, how could my brother the king trust me?"

He made such a threat that ordinary cavalry could not refute it. Arik's madness was well known to everyone in the old Ross. At this moment, Fisk was still speaking for the brothers.

"Brother Arik, you are not good at riding a horse and fighting."

"You? You kid?!"

"How? I'm not right? You haven't joined our training since you learned how to ride a horse without falling off. Brother, you are an expert in infantry combat, but I have to command the cavalry in combat." Fisk said this, Because the other young cubs cheered and cheered.

For a moment, Arik was speechless and smiled bitterly for a moment.

Arik had no intention of refuting, he was not a braggart.

Since Fisk's father and his biological father died in the same battle, he kept calling himself "brother". They were both from Russia, so Arik did not give in or show off.

He encouraged: "When the target is discovered, I will announce the attack, and you will direct the specific battle."

"Okay. I just hope that you won't rush too fast after the battle. Now that the snow has melted, you will really hurt yourself if you fall off the horse."

"You!" Arik immediately became furious when he heard this, but he immediately calmed down and said harshly: "Young people dare to educate me? Are you worried that I will get hurt? I want to show you my hand."

Fisk indeed felt that Arik was too reckless, including this time abandoning the infantry and some heavy equipment on vehicles and relying only on the rapid advance of the cavalry, which was a huge reckless act.

As a result, the Pecheneg instructors smoothed things over, which is also a type of Pecheneg tactic.

What is the land dividing line between Götland and Svealand?

The ground ahead seemed to be rising slightly, and the cavalry felt it was just right. Because Götaland is a highland with an average altitude of 130 meters, while the Svealand Plain guards the huge and trivial Lake Mälaren, with an average altitude of only two or three meters.

After they passed through the narrow forest area south of Lake Hjärmalen, the terrain began to gradually rise. Only when the cavalry were in it and looked north through the gaps in the forest could they realize that they were on high ground.

The cavalry has entered the northern area of ​​​​the Jotaland Highlands first. The horses' hooves stepped on the soft grass, and then frequently passed through streams and swamps.

Some seemingly larger lakes were nearby, but our intuition told everyone that this was not the target.

If you investigate more carefully, you can still find that there is no one here, it is like a simple no man's land.

However, in the evening of the second day after leaving Lake Yermalen, the peculiar smoke in the forest attracted the attention of all the cavalry.

"It looks like there are forest hunters or loggers. What do you think? Send someone to take a look?" Aric shouted to Fisk.

"Just in time, we need the prisoner to ask questions."

Not too many people were needed, so two cavalry squads of twenty cavalry rushed over. The rest of the cavalry followed closely and approached the smoke.

Just as Arik guessed, this is a family living in the woods. There are more than ten people in a family, some children of the male and female owners, and slaves living together.

The sudden appearance of cavalry and monsters was unintentional. They had never seen cavalry before, and randomly launched an instinctive resistance.

This move undoubtedly angered the cavalry warriors. They remembered the king's order clearly, and faced these Jotalans, they acted ruthlessly.

They killed many people, leaving only two slaves alive.

After a while, Arik and the cavalry troop came in at random, and saw the corpses lying in a mess, feeling nothing. Although Fisk felt a little uncomfortable during this scene, his energy immediately recovered.

The hands of the two slaves were tied and they were led under the iron hooves of the war horses.

Arik then jumped off his horse and kicked the slave over to show his power.

"Speak! Jotalans! Where is your village?"

Look at these two people huddled in the mud and shouting out of fear: "We are not Götalans! We are from Denmark. We are Danes and are slaves for them."

"Isn't it even more deserving that he is a Dane?" After saying that, a cavalryman with a lance stepped forward on horseback, looking like he was about to stab him.

Then one person sensed the meaning of the words and hurriedly screamed: "We are useful! Great warriors! We will be your slaves and will tell you anything you want to know."

"Stop! Leave them alive."

Arik stepped forward and kicked the man who was shouting loudly: "We just want to know where the Jotalan village is."

The slave turned his head and said, "Yes! I know the location of the village. I will be your slave, as long as you spare my life."

"Really? Very good. How about we make another deal."

"Okay! I'll do any deal."

"Idiot, I haven't spoken yet. We make a deal, you take us to the nearest Jotalan village and I give you your freedom, any?"

"I promise. I promise everything!"

Arik nodded, pulled the man's hair to one side, and then pulled his head to watch another slave being stabbed to death by the spear of the Ross cavalry.

"Slave, do you understand? You must cooperate well, otherwise this is what will happen."

There are many similar forest huts, just because this place is very close to the village chief, so close that the cavalry can attack the village before noon if they attack in the early morning. This is still based on the premise that travelers are on foot. If the cavalry advances, it will only be faster.

In order to avoid alerting the enemy, the cavalry did not burn the forest hut. The food stored by the deceased was cleared away by the cavalry, and the metal parts of the body were pulled aside and discarded casually in the bushes.

It has to be said that some cavalry soldiers who were new to the battlefield were surprised by the nature of war, but for the Pecheneg instructors present, this behavior was too common on the grasslands.

Herdsmen always have to live together and even go together to herd, just to be wary of sudden attacks by Khazars or Magyar horse bandits.

Those who separated from the village and lived in independent huts in the forest paid the price of death for their boldness, and the Ross cavalry was also resting in this area.

Arik ordered the entire army to live without food, immediately removed the sacks from the saddles, and fed the horses a large amount of high-quality oats.

The cavalrymen themselves ate hard wheat cakes brought from home, dried fish and a small amount of dry cheese.

After the men and horses had eaten their food, they lay dormant in the forest and waited until dawn to begin the attack.

…

It’s another new day, and for the Yotalan people who entered the northern part of the lake to develop villages, today is just a normal day.

In fact, they didn’t know how the Swedes who originally lived here escaped completely. Later, there was a legend that the Danes actually launched a large-scale attack, which scared many Swedes to move north and even completely evacuated Vetern. lake.

Götaland's fishermen occupied the vacant houses, and three villages that were originally Swedish were transformed into Götaland's. Using this as a base, they grazed cattle and sheep northward and naturally invaded the traditional territory of the Hjärmalen people in Sweden.

After all, the shortest straight-line distance from Lake Wettern to Lake Hjärmalen is not even fifty kilometers.

The sky becomes blue and the morning fog rises.

The mist makes the lake blurry, and the fishermen wake up lazily. The women continue to repair the fishing nets, and the men eat some food and play with the fishing boats. Others pulled goats, sheep and cattle out of the sheds to graze nearby.

More than three hundred Yotalan villagers live an ordinary life. They are also Vikings, but they live in a very isolated place. It is obvious that other tribesmen have been wary of the Danes, and sneak attacks on each other have occurred from time to time, but that is a matter for the locals in Gothenburg, and has little to do with the people living on the shores of the inner lake Vetern.

Suddenly, something strange happened.

A pottery urn that protects the city from clear water, and blog posts appear on the water.

Dried fish swaying gently on an outdoor rack to dry.

The ground seemed to be shaking, and something seemed to be pouring out from the forest.

Some cautious men left their homes, picked up their tools naturally, and looked around warily.

Those who were about to paddle into the lake to start a new day of fishing now also floated on the water and stopped to watch.

Suddenly, a large number of black shadows emerged quickly, and the Ross cavalry raid suddenly began.

The recurve bow fired deadly arrows at close range, and the mounted spears began to stab the bewildered villagers wantonly.

The cavalry spear is only used once. After hitting the enemy, the cavalryman immediately switches to his sword and rides the horse to kill him wantonly.

War is bound to be ruthless. Princess Pecheneg now joins the battle as an ordinary soldier. She is even ignored by everyone. She simply sits on the battlefield, rides on horseback, holds a bow and shoots arrows, stands and shoots "moving targets", and trains on weekdays. The technology is fully demonstrated.

If prepared properly, this Jotalan village could organize more than a hundred people to pick up shields and swords to form a shield wall. They were suddenly attacked by cavalry they had never seen before, and there was no time to organize the troops. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan.com They were killed indiscriminately, and any resistance was in vain. Not only were they unprepared, they even had more cavalry than their old, weak, women and children combined.

Faced with the sudden killing, the fishermen still floating on the lake were completely numb. They saw someone swimming and trying to get help from them, so the fishermen naturally threw the cables and rescued their own people first, regardless of the current situation.

"They are running away! Fisk! Take your men and shoot them! Damn it, or take their ship and intercept them!" Arik shouted, but it was completely diluted by the noisy roar.

Fisk was not a fool. He allowed his other brothers to kill indiscriminately, and he called some people to shoot arrows at the many fishing boats that were drifting away by the lake.

This is another "shooting at a moving target" show.

Some fishermen were shot and fell into the lake, and even those with arrows stuck in their backs were pulled back to the boat from the water by their companions. Many more people bent their backs and continued to paddle to escape.

They gradually escaped from the range of the recurve bow, and now Fisk could only spit and curse a group of cowards and run away.

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