Rise of Rurik

The Göta River is not a small river. Although its total length is not long, the water flows out from Lake Vänern, and the channel at the mouth of the lake is hundreds of meters wide.

When the mighty Ross fleet passed by Linhu Village, what people faced was a river whose width expanded rapidly.

The width of the river reaches about two hundred meters, and it is currently the flood season in early summer. Although the river is wide, the inflow of the river can still carry the entire fleet south quickly.

All the sails are furled, and people only need to hold the rudders of the various ships to ensure that the ships are in order.

The warm south wind is coming, and those with a keen sense of smell can smell the salty smell mixed with it.

On the bow deck of the flagship, King Rurik of Russia was in high spirits. Beside him stood a gorgeously dressed blonde girl. She was none other than Countess Nolen of Narvik.

The king stood behind him, his big hands on his shoulders.

Nolen was happy. She realized that something important had happened since she was counting the days and was surprised that she didn't have her period. As her belly slowly swelled, she knew that good things had happened.

She has shown her pregnancy, but her body wrapped in thick clothes can only be observed by her husband Rurik. Even if the army composed of people from her hometown is in the Ross army, most of those people don't know and don't care about it. .

Nolen is, of course, the countess of the port of Narvik, but the army composed of locals is now directly under Rurik's command.

Rurik was definitely not convinced that a pregnant woman could manage an army of five hundred people. This kind of technical work should be taken care of by General Hellafed.

The gentle breeze blew across her face, her disheveled blond hair spread with the wind, and her fair face turned golden.

Nolen squinted his eyes and enjoyed the tenderness.

"I feel comfortable standing here."

"Really? Try to open your arms." Rurik lowered his head and murmured.

"Okay." She did so, and gradually she felt like flying. "It's funny, I'm like a bird."

Rurik said nothing and held her waist with both hands...

This tender scene was seen by many people, and they discussed it happily.

This was especially seen by the village warriors of Count Wienerenstad's army who were newly enshrined servants. Obviously this must be the real reason why the king refused the villagers to provide women to serve him. King Rus took his wife on an expedition, and it would be really unsightly to see another woman.

More importantly, these people heard a lot of rumors. It turned out that the personnel in the Russian army were quite complicated. Not to mention some strange-looking residents of the "Eastern Land", the wife of the king was not a Swede, but a genuine woman. of norwegian.

What is a Norwegian? In the perception of all Götalans, they are mainly the residents west of the central mountains of Scandinavia. They are all Norwegians.

There were at least 500 genuine Norwegian warriors in the Rus' army. They were well-equipped and well-trained, which surprised the soldiers of the Earl's army, especially Earl Gorm himself.

So that woman is also an earl and has the same rank as herself? There are countless things that Gorm doesn't know yet. He is full of curiosity about the unknown, but he has already guessed about what the fleet will encounter after arriving at the southern mouth of the river.

Flying like a bird, Nolen enjoyed the current feeling. She gradually lowered her arms and asked coldly: "I heard some people say that this river goes straight to the sea. When we see the ocean, is it true that Denmark is on the other side of the sea? "

"Absolutely true."

"Ah! Then after passing Denmark, we can go straight to Britain, or to my hometown."

"Have you thought of some people or things, such as..."

"My two brothers." She turned her face: "Speaking of which, you haven't seen them for some years, including me. They became kings in Britain, and I really want to see them."

"It's not impossible, but I'm afraid it won't be possible this year."

"I understand. We chose the war against Denmark, even though the real king of Mercia is here. Reglaf will return to Britain sooner or later, right? By then, his small kingdom will border my eldest brother's Kingdom of York. At that time, Reglaf will still be protected by my eldest brother."

"indeed."

A sense of desolation came over him, and Nolen let out a sigh. After all, this was an era for men in the wilderness, and a female aristocrat probably shouldn't get involved in the men's struggle for hegemony.

"I... also heard that there are many Götalans living south of the river. They have been facing threats from the Danes for a long time and may take the initiative to attack us. Maybe you hope to force them to surrender..."

"Then fight! I have arranged for the soldiers to be prepared. If there is a war, I will easily defeat them. I hope my preparations are unnecessary. I don't believe those guys are simple fools."

The Göta River is not meandering. Most of the river courses follow a nearly standard north-south direction. Its total length is nearly a hundred kilometers. Since it travels downstream, the Ross fleet can float to the mouth of the sea in only two days at most.

They set off early in the morning, and the large fleet advanced one after another. Although each ship pulled anchor and set sail at different times, the latecomers eventually caught up with the ships in front and merged into one fleet.

They encountered a new village by the river in the afternoon, and the king had orders to beware of reckless attacks by the Jotalans from the south.

Everyone opened their eyes to look at the hazy village, and a strange feeling floated in their hearts. The village is definitely not abandoned, but there is a lack of human life in this area. No one is grazing on the lakeside grassland with rich water and grass, and no one is taking care of the farmland. There are no people fishing by the river, as if they are selectively ignoring the buildings of the village. , this area is like no man's land.

The long boats guarded the big ships, which were arranged in a long snake formation.

All the linen protecting the torsion slingshot was taken off, and the deck soldiers were on standby. Although the slingshot was not charged, the soldiers holding the javelin could quickly load it and shoot.

Bucklers were placed on both sides of the longship, most of the oars were stowed in the cabin, soldiers were vigilantly observing the river, and warriors with crossbows were always on standby.

At first, King Rurik issued an order to "be wary of the villagers at the southern estuary." Because the flagship showed strong alert, all ships maintained absolute combat readiness, as if they were passing through the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.

They were wary of Danish warriors from the Götalanders of southern Denmark. Perhaps this move was a result of nervousness.

In the evening, the fleet immediately docked and camped.

There was a village nearby, and Earl Gorm, who was familiar with the geography and hydrology of this generation, pointed out the name of the village without hesitation.

Gom told Rurik: "We call that village Milk Village. Just like this simple name, the people in the village raise a lot of cows."

Since the locals are good at raising cattle, sending troops to rush over now can surely force them to surrender easily, right? Just ask them to pay tribute to some milk immediately, so that I can change the taste of dinner here.

Rurik had an idea and pointed in the direction of the village: "Gom, the time has come to prove your loyalty. You know, this king does not pursue meaningless killings. You take your people there and convince them to surrender. "

"Oh! Your Majesty is merciful, I will go right away."

Although Gom felt that people in some villages had actually escaped along the way, it was not possible for all villages to hide with their families. The Rus' army seems to be in great numbers, and their king is not a villain, but a true hero, and surrendering to them is not a bad thing.

When Ross's army camped along the river, Gom took advantage of the dusk and rushed to Milk Village as quickly as possible.

They were dumbfounded when they entered the village. Even though Gorm called hard, the whole village was still dead silent.

He vigilantly entered some houses to inspect and found that the charcoal from the fire was cold and there were only some useless things left in the houses.

This village used to raise far more cows than the number of villagers, and delivering milk products to surrounding villages was their specialty. But now, the cow sheds and sheep pens are empty. Instead, there were a huge number of cow hoof marks left on the ground, and all the marks were pointing south.

"Boss, I've seen it here, and there's not even a chicken." His close friend ran back to report.

After a while, another old man said worriedly: "It seems to me that they have all retreated south. I'm afraid they are wary of the Russians."

Gorm patted himself and rubbed his hands vigorously to shake off the dust. Although he did not hope so, the evidence pointed out that the villagers dragged their families to the south. In other words, the evidence was shown from the moment the army landed. There was not a single fishing boat in Milk Village, and the pier was empty.

Gorm hurried back to resume his life and met the king by the campfire.

Rurik was very polite and threw a grilled fish over: "Eat it. Tell me about your discovery. It seems that you have discovered an uninhabited village."

Gorm was quite surprised when he took the grilled fish given by the king. The king is very young but he pays great attention to the loyalty of warriors.

The fish are caught locally, and the slow currents near the river bank are good places for trawling, but the catch is not much.

Gom took a bite of his loyalty in return and sighed: "The villagers drove their cattle and sheep south. In my opinion, they made the stupidest choice."

"After all...do we still have to fight? It is indeed a stupid choice."

"Because there are some strong men in the south." Gorm said.

"Strong man? How to be strong?"

"Just like Karl the Crazy Bear, the people in those villages are also very courageous. If the Danes attack, they will rush in and fight. Because the Danes always come to capture slaves, no one can tolerate this kind of thing. Although I don't It’s clear, but they must have learned a lot of information and have been prepared for us.”

Gorm is a local, and his information is very valuable. In addition, Rurik is not completely sure about Gothenburg, which will peacefully conquer the entire Göta River. Now the sun is setting in the west like blood. Look at the sunset, it doesn't look like a Omen.

Rurik composed himself: "In this case, I don't have extravagant expectations."

He immediately worried the nobles and generals and convened a military meeting beside the bonfire.

The main strategic principle is still to strive for peaceful conquest. If they choose to fight, Ross will take the initiative to attack. However, the attack must be stopped in moderation, creating opportunities for them to surrender, and even allowing them to surrender honorably.

This caused some brave and fierce men to express their confusion, and the unparalleled Arik questioned: "In my opinion, they must be defeated in one battle. I have never seen the power of Ross's army. Those guys will still think about it in the future." Rebellion."

Arik said it unintentionally, but invisibly, these words were also knocking the surrendered Earl Gorm.

Arik is a reckless man. If he is given a huge army, this guy will definitely fight until the whole army is exhausted. Blue Fox made this comment about the king's cousin.

After all, the king has already made the canonization in advance. A fortress city named Gothenburg will rise at the southern mouth of the river. This is where the new Ross shop for trade with Denmark is located, and it is also the fiefdom of Blue Fox. If the local people are massacred, he will be destroyed. The ambition of the blue fox.

"Forget it." Blue Fox shouted in front of everyone: "Your Majesty made me an earl, Aric, you don't want to kill all my people?"

"Are they the Jotalans in the south? Do you really believe that they will be obedient to an outsider like you? Forget it! We still have to kill some people to force them to submit."

"So? You kill people wantonly, and those who survive will be filled with hatred. I will be in charge of that place, not you! Their hatred can only be directed at me, and then the plan of reviving the store that the king hopes will be over."

"What do you think?" Aric didn't want to continue arguing with his friends, so he shrugged and said softly: "Maybe you still think you can convince them with one mouth."

"It's not a bad idea."

"Forget it. I advise you not to be reckless. If you go, they won't be able to chop off your head." Arik reminded him politely.

Because Gorm mentioned three strong men, Badar "Bigfoot", Cedric "Broken Tooth" and Eric "Archer", and pointed out that they were very prestigious among the locals.

These three people are not warlords and tyrants. They have all made meritorious deeds in the battle against Danish pirates in the past, and they were naturally elected as talkers by their respective villages. They are all the leaders of the large southern villages. Unlike other villages where the talking heads are suddenly elected when the situation arises, these three have always been stable leaders. It is more appropriate to say that they are chiefs.

He led the villagers to successfully resist the pirate invasion, but the resistance was only successful.

The pirates who attacked them in the early years were none other than the Robard tribe of the old Danish King Hafgen. This fact was known to the residents of the entire Göta River Basin.

Earl Gorm naturally knew about this, and he was now willing to obey Rurik's command, not only because of the huge Russian army, but also because the man who killed the old Danish king Hafgen was King Rurik in front of him. Gom is very willing to believe this.

There are three chiefs in the south, and they have a high probability of choosing to fight.

The Russians, Swedes, Norwegians and even Finns, these warriors in the Russian army can also be described as "Viking warriors". They admire brave warriors, even if the battle is an egg against a stone.

Are the people in the south really determined to fight? Will the fight be on land or in the rivers? The soldiers informed each other that night, and as the information spread, by the next morning all the soldiers were convinced that a big battle would be inevitable today.

People who have been on the battlefield for a long time can often detect murderous intent, but the Rus people lit bonfires along the river to make the river seem to be burning. For the Yotalan people at the southern mouth of the river, this is not a matter of murderous intent, but a battle axe. Hanging over his head.

Now, the situation for the Yotalans at the mouth of the sea has become extremely terrifying!

As Gom revealed, as many as twenty small and large villages, as well as some scattered woodcutter families in the forest, all moved towards the mouth of the river. Perhaps it would be better if everyone dispersed and fled into the forest, because there was a precedent of successfully fighting against Danish pirates in the past. They clearly realized the advantages of working together to defeat the enemy, so they naturally gathered together quickly this time.

Three strong men who had made great military exploits in the past were elected as leaders by the people, and a population of nearly 20,000 people surged into the mouth of the sea!

It has been more than ten years, and the Jotalan people have never been so united as they are today. Their unity came from fear, and now they are united into confidence.

There are a large number of islands at the mouth of the Göta River. The landscape of the bay area is trivial, and there are many hills on both sides of the bay river.

Outsiders did not dare to trample on the farmland of Haikou villages, so they had to set up temporary camps on the deserted beaches. Because of the large number of people, the environment was cramped, and they had to graze cattle and sheep here to continue production.

So at night, a large number of bonfires were lit at the mouth of the sea, and the air was filled with the strong smell of burned rosin.

The south wind carried the peculiar smell and drifted north, directly to the camp of the Russian army.

So when the Götalans at the mouth of the sea saw that the northern sky was illuminated red, they could tell that the suspected Swedish army was about to kill them.

As the night went on, Rurik, the nobles, generals, and even ordinary soldiers had no extravagant hopes for tomorrow.

Having experienced many battles involving thousands of people, the veteran Russian warriors who have experienced hundreds of battles only see two situations when they see the sky suddenly turn red at night. Either the forest is burning, or there is a large army stationed there. .

A large number of bonfires can make the clouds in the sky glow red. In this medieval world without light pollution, the strange scene is enough to make people sensitive to it.

The Russian soldiers subconsciously imagined the enemy as thousands of soldiers preparing for a fierce battle. Although everyone was confident that they could quickly defeat them with powerful force, ordinary soldiers still did not dare to take it lightly.

The Ghotalans have three strong men? In fact, many soldiers surrendered because of Gom's refusal to fight. They subconsciously thought that this guy was a coward. The so-called breaking other people's arms by breaking their wrists became a boast.

The three strong men in the south are probably really strong men. Their troops can light up bonfires and make the clouds shine red. This must be really brave.

What about the facts?

The huge camp at the mouth of the sea is in chaos! A mysterious army suspected of being Swedes from the north has arrived at their doorstep. The three leaders carry the people's desire for survival, and nearly 20,000 people are actually in a desperate situation.

The political situation is very unfavorable for these Götalanders. Directly across the strait to the south is Jutland and Zealand, where Danes are everywhere. The east is an endless undeveloped forest. If you enter it rashly, only real hunters will be able to survive in the wild. To the west is Oslo. In recent years, as many Bergen people have migrated across the mountains and rivers, the local Norwegian population has become quite large.

Stepping into enemy territory will result in a resolute counterattack. The Jotalans have no retreat and an unknown enemy is right in front of them. The three leaders each showed their abilities and pulled out an army of 10,000 people that night.

It was indeed an army of ten thousand men, women, and children, even if a pine stick was sharpened to serve as a short spear, the people who did not want to die or be slaves were united.

An army of 10,000 people is really just making up the numbers, so look for Shuyuanwww. zhaoshuyuan.com Among them, there are only more than 3,000 strong men who are truly young, strong and good at fighting.

Three thousand people! The Jotalan people have never gathered three thousand men as warriors. This is definitely not the case that Karl the Wild Bear forced a group of fishermen who did not want to fight to fight. These three thousand people have no illusions. They have already been determined to fight for their homeland under the call of their leader. war. Or that's what everyone who can wield a weapon thinks.

The longships of the Ghotalans were mobilized, and a hundred longships carried the largest fleet in the history of the Ghotalans. In fact, with such a large army assembled, they could have invaded Denmark directly to take revenge. If the right to life had not encountered a devastating threat, there would not be such an army of people today, and they did not even know that they had burst out with strong combat effectiveness.

Unfortunately, what they faced was the Ross fleet and more than 6,000 warriors who had defeated all the invincible enemies in Northern Europe.

The two sides have never been in contact, but they can judge the other's extreme malice through each other's illumination of the clouds directly above the camp.

Fierce fighting on the Göta River was inevitable.

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