On the night of April 20th in the Julian calendar, it was a clear night, and there was an undercurrent surging in the Ross tribe.
More than fifty of the tribe's most elite warriors gathered in the simple speaker's room, which could be called a shed, to discuss the next major event.
At this moment, Otto looked solemn. He looked at the brothers who had gathered and said calmly: "Now the problem is very clear. Some people are going to Novgorod, and some are planning to conquer Gotland."
People. I don’t object to your decision. Now, we need to discuss specific things. Things can’t be messy.”
As he said that, Otto, who was sitting on the floor, widened his eyes, took a good look at his people, and continued: "You are all the best and most experienced. Now tell yourselves who is planning to go to the south."
They have been discussing many things for at least a month, and the memories now are just to determine the specific action arrangements.
At this time, Harold Johnson volunteered and raised his head: "I'm going to the south!"
"You? I thought you were going to follow me to Novgorod again."
Arik suddenly said in a vulgar voice: "Chief, I am also going to the south. I want to avenge my father! I want to kill those Gotlanders to pieces."
"You keep quiet." Otto said harshly. He looked at the others again, "Are there any more? Those who intend to go south for revenge, raise your hands."
At one time, at least thirty people raised their hands.
Otto let out a sigh of relief. The fact was very clear. They were more willing to attack the Gotlanders than go to Novgorod to collect taxes.
Most young people are eager to make achievements at a young age and then get a large sum of gold and silver.
Young people are also the most capable of fighting. They have no family members of their own and have no scruples in battle. They urgently need to prove their bravery on the battlefield in order to gain recognition and respect from their tribesmen.
Half of the fifty people sitting here are under thirty years old.
However, the Russians have not taken the initiative on a large scale for a long time.
Otto felt that he had to express his concerns: "Brothers, we must take revenge. Young people are also willing to prove themselves on the battlefield. I heard that many people are rushing to the legendary Jinshan Mountain. Please give up this absurd idea.
Think. The Gotlanders were indeed rich, but they were also very powerful."
"Is it because they are strong that we won't attack?" Young Arik was not afraid of tigers as a newborn. He relied on his status as the leader's eldest nephew to speak the most radical words.
"You are very brave, Aric." Otto said slowly, "I hope you will always maintain this bravery on the battlefield. However, bravery is one of the elements of victory. If you young people who long for wealth and glory can do so,
If you attack with a chaotic attitude, you will definitely suffer big losses."
"Uncle, do you mean that the Gotlanders are very powerful?" Aric asked.
"Otherwise? Do you think they are stupid?"
"Aren't they stupid? My father died due to their despicable sneak attack, but that time, you and your brothers killed two hundred of them. Although we lost some people, two of them died.
Hundreds of people! Doesn’t this prove their stupidity?”
Arik's words triggered painful memories for Otto, and even though eight years have passed, the pain is still uncomfortable to recall.
In terms of feelings, Otto felt that there must be greater revenge to relieve the hatred in his heart.
In terms of rationality, revenge is not as simple as holding an ax and sailing a long boat to kill someone.
"Arik, you are too young. You and other young people should never think of your enemies as stupid! You will suffer big losses because of your arrogance. Okay! I will tell you the details of that battle. We Russians are simply
Instead of fighting openly with those people, we took advantage of them to push the boat and attacked suddenly. Besides, we were only seven hundred against them two hundred. How could it be that we were invincible?"
"This..." Arik really didn't think about it this way, but after thinking about it for a moment, on average, seven people suddenly attacked two people, and victory was not difficult.
Otto continued: "This time is no small matter! As the leader, I know that our entire tribe has at most two thousand warriors, and it is impossible to mobilize them all unless it is a crisis. Some people want to go to Novgorod with me so that we can build
A new stronghold. Some people have to do daily fishing and do business with southerners. The rest are you who are eager for revenge. Arik, you have great authority among young people. You think you can gather them.
How many people attacked?"
"About four hundred people, uncle. In fact, we have already discussed it. The reason is that only four hundred people went south to fight."
"Is this true?" Otto was busy preparing for his trip to Novgorod these days and had no time to pay attention to the young people's connections.
He looked at everyone's eyes and saw that many people answered in the affirmative.
"There are only 400 people. You dare to attack an island with 20,000 people. You are so brave."
Otto's words clearly revealed his negative views on this action. After all, he was in his fifties. At this age, he lacked enterprising spirit. He just planned to develop steadily, instead of blocking the fate of the young man.
Arik could not sense his uncle's passivity at all, so he argued with reason: "We can move quietly. We already know that we should attack in a roundabout way from the south of the island."
"Is it Gould who taught you this?" Otto asked deliberately.
"Yes, that's him. Gould made it very clear that day. We rowed at night and made a surprise attack. We robbed the gold and then retreated. What do you think?"
Otto nodded, "This is indeed the only possibility for you to win. But if you move slowly, you will be caught up by them, and the consequences will be disastrous."
"Don't worry, uncle!" Arik hit his chest with great confidence, "They are just a bunch of fools! We can win easily."
"Stupid!" Otto, who had a compulsively quiet spirit, suddenly burst out, "Aric, you big fool! You are too young, you think you can be a small leader, as if going to Gotland is just a trip?
Do you think they are stupid? But you don’t know that all their elites are on the island. The big merchants of Gotland have their own elite guards, and they need hundreds of people to protect their treasures. Those people are not ordinary fishermen, they are
Warriors in chainmail live to protect the gold of the rich. If you don't kill them, how will you get the gold?"
"Is this... is this true?" Arik asked cautiously, his eyes showing concern.
"Well, it's not that I want to scare you. Arik, remember, tell your young brothers that if you rob those fishermen, you can only get some salted fish. If you want everyone to return with a box of gold, just
Those armored warriors must be killed. Young people don't understand, but us old guys understand. When you go to take revenge, you must be led by old guys, and you can't be allowed to run wild."
Otto here criticized the saying that newborn calves are not afraid of tigers, and his eyes deliberately drifted towards Harold Johnson.
"Hallo Johnson, you are also willing to go south. That's good! As the leader of the young people, you will command them to fight, supervise them to sort out the spoils, and order them to withdraw after completing their plan."
"Okay!" In fact, Harold Johnson has always wanted this.
Otto looked at the others: "Brothers, I have arranged for Harold Johnson to be the combat leader. Do you all support it?"
Everyone looked at each other, talked silently, and expressed their support.
After all, in any case, Harold Zosen killed at least ten enemies by himself in the great battle eight years ago. When he was young, just like Arik now, he longed to win with a battle axe.
The fact is that when he was young, Harold Zuosen led people in a boat and robbed several Gotland fishing boats. His heroic appearance in triumph with the loot attracted the attention of young Otto.
Later, in the tournament where the tribal leaders competed, Harold Johnson was a strong competitor, but he still lost to Otto.
It is important for a person to be self-aware. Harold Zuosen has long lost his desire to compete for the throne. If he follows the leader, he can easily obtain a large amount of wealth. Why bother to be competitive anymore?
It is impossible for the leader to personally lead his men to handle everything. The upcoming raid is completely contrary to the arrangements Otto had planned last year, but public opinion cannot be violated.
The Ross tribe has the concept of "war chief". It is not the chief leader of the tribe, but is completely equivalent to a simple military general, a general.
Now, Harold Zuosen has legitimately obtained the status of "General of the Crusade against the Gotlanders".
Since Arik is around 20 years old, a young man who is in urgent need of making contributions has a huge reputation here.
Arik also obtained the temporary status of "Second War Chief" and was recognized by everyone.
In this way, the commander system is determined. As for the grassroots...
The grassroots warriors don't need to worry too much, because everyone knows how to do things like war since they were young.
They naturally know many tactics, and they do not fight alone on the battlefield. The elders teach the younger ones. The battlefield is not a competition, and they must ensure that they use more to defeat fewer people.
It is said that one's back is protected by brothers, a shield wall is organized to overthrow the enemy, and a group of people work together to kill.
At this point, Otto felt that his only son Rurik was going to take the old tactics of the Ross tribe to their peak.
It's really too extreme. That child throws children under ten years old into the training tribe and forces them to have exactly the same movements including walking, blocking, and pushing shields.
When these children grow up, they all fight with steel swords. I am afraid that the warriors of the wealthy Gotlanders who make me cautious will turn into fools who can be defeated quickly.
The meeting didn't last long, and two things were determined at the meeting.
The crusade to the south and tax collection from the east started on April 22 of the Julian calendar, which was the morning of the second day after the meeting.
By then, the entire tribe will undergo tremendous changes.
On the morning of that day, the army heading to Novgorod must set sail, and the army heading south to conquer the Gotlanders must also take action.
Moreover, the new operation is destined to be larger than the previous ones, and the most elite forces of the Ross tribe will be mobilized. For this purpose, more than a thousand male warriors have left the tribe.
Colleagues, a large number of residents have already begun to trade southward. The great merchant Gould has the most goods. He is waiting for the Russian army to set sail and follow him.
Some families were willing to accept the leader's request, that is, to immigrate to Lake Ladoga with all kinds of people and their families, and became the first residents of the new settlement at the mouth of the sea.
For this reason, Otto actually has deeper arrangements.
As a result, the Ross tribe must have lost more than half of its people. And when the people return, the population of Rossburg will not be the same as it is now. Because in the settlement of Ladoga, a group of people will inevitably be diverted there, and more people will leave the crowd later.
In the Rossberg Fjord, in the New World and as more and more Novgorod women marry, they give birth to more people, and the size of the settlements will become larger and larger.
Otto, he didn’t understand what economics was. He simply believed that the limitations of the narrow land had restricted the development of the tribe. If he didn’t want to die from poverty, he went out to build New Roseburg. In the past few years, he had collected taxes from the East.
I have been thinking about building a new settlement and trying to find a reliable location.
To find an area with many waterways and a milder climate, there must be a lot of trees around. It is possible to establish settlements around Lake Ladoga and even at the mouth of the river.
After some consideration, he finalized the location of the estuary and made full use of the resources of several islands at the estuary. He even noticed a stone island outside the river's estuary. It has a tortuous coastline and its existence also connects the estuary to the sea.
A small piece of sea area has become a natural port.
There is no doubt that Otto's so-called "stone island" was Kronshtadt, and he realized its value as a port.
There was only one full day left before the day of departure, and the good news of the upcoming expedition spread quickly throughout the tribe. All warriors of all ages who decided to participate were sharpening their knives and preparing dry food and drinking water at the last moment!
Together with all the hunters who own bows and arrows, they are also sorting out the recently made arrows. These people intend to follow Arik south, intending to treat the enemy as a wild deer and kill them mercilessly, thereby proving to the rest of the tribe that archers
Although you don't participate in close combat, you can still kill your enemy easily from a distance of at least fifty steps. This is another kind of bravery, and you are not a so-called coward!
No one is in a hurry. They have spontaneously organized a series of meetings with the crusade army going south. The meeting has decided to attack the general. As long as they bring food and water, they can theoretically set off immediately.
The move to Novgorod and the establishment of a new settlement have been prepared for a long time. A large number of construction tools and more than a hundred immigrants are ready to go.
What everyone has to do is to say goodbye to those left behind tomorrow, have a big meal together, and then head off to their unknown "journey".
They have already started saying goodbye!
April 21st, if nothing else, is just an ordinary day. For many Russians, they will have a brand new start tomorrow.
Arik was the nephew of the leader, so the steel sword order he gave to the blacksmith was completed first, even though he still had part of the money on credit.
Early in the morning, he wiped his shining steel sword with linen cloth, and even tried to touch its sharp edge with his fingers, with a look on his face that he couldn't put it down.
His wife, Peravina, was packing the luggage for their "travel" with her belly bulging and her head sullen.
The woman caught a glimpse of her husband playing with a sharp sword from the corner of her eye, and she could no longer suppress her inner words.
"Aric, you promised to accompany me back, but I'm the only one going back to visit my relatives alone..."
Arik was still playing with his steel sword, waving it in the air unconsciously, as if slashing a transparent enemy. "What do you know? I must take revenge, and I must avenge my father."
"Oh... you promised me." Pausing what she was doing, Peravina held her waist, straightened up, and looked at her husband with a look of regret on his face.
Arik didn't appreciate it at all. He was still playing with his beautiful flexible steel sword and didn't notice his wife's melancholy at all.
"Aric, you... you go and take revenge. I will go back with your leader, and I will tell my parents that I am living a good life here with you Rus people. I just hope that after a while I will
The child will be born healthy. You...do you want..." Peravina did not say any more.
At this moment, Aric, who seemed to have never listened to her words, suddenly stopped the sword in his hand and quickly returned the sword to its scabbard.
Arik looked back at his wife: "Are you worried about me? Are you afraid something will happen to me?"
"I……"
How could Peravina say something unlucky? To be honest, she quite liked her current fate and knew that her current good life was entirely based on her husband's health. If possible, she just hoped that her husband would not go there.
Fight against those enemies, but this is impossible.
"You are still worried that something will happen to me. How stupid!" Arik strode towards his wife, his face full of confidence, and his heart felt a little relieved. Seeing his wife's bulging belly and slightly tilted head, he felt pity.
Arik stroked his wife's blond hair and leaned close to her ear: "Do you want jewelry made of gold? My brother actually made a set of silver jewelry for his servant. I am destined not to be a big leader like him. Now I
I have become a war chief and will lead my brothers to defeat those sinners. I will definitely get some gold for this. I will make you a gold necklace and put a gold pendant on your ear. I will also spend money to
You order a furry coat made of ferret fur. Do you want it? Then support me."
It is impossible to say that Peravina is not materialistic. She was moved by her husband's promise.
But reason quickly took over her mind. She suddenly grabbed her husband's thick arm, looked up with a pleading look on her face and said, "Promise me, nothing will happen to you!"
"Something happened? What happened? You are such a woman, shut up!" Arik knew that his wife was worried about her safety, but this worry was too unlucky. He continued with a harsh tone: "You continue to do things,
Prepare the bacon I need, and what you need for yourself. You must listen to the leader in the future, don't cause trouble to the leader, and do your part."
After saying that, Arik paused again: "Listen, don't worry about me. When you come back from Novgorod, I have already gone home, and you will see a lot of gold."
"you promise?!"
"I promise! I will make great contributions to this. You continue to work, and in the evening, I will take you to my father's grave to have a look. Do you understand?"