Although spring has returned, the location where Roseburg sits is still exposed to the north wind.
The Rus, like other tribes, do not care about the direction of the wind.
Each of their ships has only one sail. In the process of hundreds of years of ship modification, they spontaneously learned the technology of sailing against the wind. The Ross tribe is undoubtedly better in this regard. They will adjust the bow of the ship to the windward.
They make a larger angle close to 40° to get the fastest tacking speed. Coupled with their wide and concave oars, they make them faster than their allies' ships.
However, after all, ships of all colors all have wide bellies, they are not very streamlined, and they do not have a bulbous bow.
The Russians have already developed quite good upwind sailing skills. Due to the traditional design of their hulls, there is huge room for improvement in the efficiency of wind power application.
Even so, in this era of competition, their ships were more advanced than the Franks.
The trigger date set by Otto was April 22 in the Julian calendar, and he also made a basic plan for the formation of the Novgorod team he led.
The wind direction in the past few days has been somewhat unpredictable. Most of the time there is a slight northerly wind, and sometimes a strong and mild southerly wind will suddenly blow.
It is best for nature to blow the south wind, so that the fleet can move forward efficiently!
No matter what kind of wind it blew, or even if there was no wind, Otto set a goal for himself. He must reach the "intersection of the bay" within three days, which is the so-called T-junction between the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland.
For this reason, everyone has to spend the time on the boat during the journey. No matter how strong the wind is, the men must participate in paddling, and Otto must also lead by example.
In this way, the fleet heading to Novgorod can move at a very high speed.
What speed is that? Their speed can quickly exceed ten knots and maintain it for a long time. If the wind is always strong, they can sail at a high speed of about twelve knots and sail all day long.
The shortest voyage from Fort Ross to the "crossing of the bay" was actually close to 500 kilometers. Otto and his party were able to complete this voyage in two days at the fastest speed they could achieve.
Suppose this journey takes three days.
Otto calculated the time in his mind. When the fleet entered another bay, everyone might stay ashore for one night. At that time, everyone would have to be prepared for possible harassment by the Baltic or Finns. If the enemy was strong enough, hundreds of people would be killed.
A soldier suddenly set off to rob them, and Otto was very happy to do so.
This trip is of great significance, and it is best not to cause unnecessary complications.
However, entering the bay to the east, the hydrological conditions here are generally complicated. Otto is more willing to paddle forward again. If the wind direction is suitable enough, it will still take at least four days for everyone to reach the "Stone Island", which will be later known as Kotlin.
Island, the key port of which is Kronstadt.
The local Finns call it Redusali Island, but have not done much development on it. For decades, due to the activities of the Rus and a small number of other Viking tribes ships in the Gulf of Finland, various Vikings have attacked the coast.
The Fen tribe plundered the men and women of the tribe and took them away as slaves.
But there are also outstanding people who have become reliable mercenaries to protect the safety of their sponsors. Such people are even as powerful as the Danes and Siyans.
The Finns always become losers in tribal wars. Perhaps the biggest reason is that their weapons are still mainly granite hammers tied with wooden sticks and oak sticks with sharp tips. Is this a complete wear and tear?
A, the opponent of the elite chainmail-clad Vikings?
Once they can train and fight like the Vikings, the situation will be different. Due to their special status, many wealthy families in Denmark or Gotland are happy to have some such mercenaries, who are well fed and fed.
To ensure the stability of oneself and wealth.
Some people will definitely camp at the mouth of the river, while others will enter the Great Lake and find the southern sewer to enter Novgorod.
As long as there are no excessive stops along the way, the entire journey will be completed within twelve days.
When the Julian calendar reached the first three days of May, Otto believed that he would be able to reach his destination. He thought that he would stay for two days at most, take the tributes and other things he received on the ship, and then return.
Even though the situation this time is very special, the fleet will still return to Hong Kong smoothly around June 1 as planned.
By that time, the army that went south to conquer should have returned in triumph with a large amount of loot, right?
However, there will be casualties in war. As long as the casualties are not serious, the Ross tribe can completely ignore them.
What's going on with the feeling of worry in my heart?
Is it because of Arik?
Otto suppressed his worries, and on the last night, he had a routine farewell with his wife and children at his home, that is, they got together to have a meal.
He was munching on the fish and suddenly muttered: "Rurik, the promise I made to you will be fulfilled. When I come back, I will bring you at least ten servants."
"Thank you dad, actually I...I would rather they come to me voluntarily."
"Don't worry too much about this." As he said that, Otto glanced at the obedient Rumia sitting on the side. Because of the permission of her master Rurik, she could also enjoy the master's house.
catering. This look scared the girl and quickly lowered her head.
"Child." Otto asked his son.
"Um."
"It is your decision to have many servants. I will try my best to help you fulfill your wish, but I will not help you train them. How to arrange your servants is your own business, understand? It is your choice to imitate one from now on.
You are very brave in your adult life, I will let you do it now."
Rurik nodded deeply, looking understanding.
Otto felt that his son's attitude was a bit frivolous, so he immediately took the fish from Rurik's hand and scolded him: "You want to express the feeling of enjoying being a leader? You can try. You will bear the discomfort of not doing well."
Be prepared, your brother will return in triumph, and maybe he can bring you a few servants. After all, Gould will definitely come back in two months, so be prepared to accept the astonishing number of servants you want."
Rurik nodded deeply and said "I understand" pretending to be obedient.
The early morning light shines on the land, and Fort Ross is also rendered into a golden color.
The pine and oak trees on the surrounding hills have sprouted, bringing a different color to the blue-gray and black rocks.
The woods on the hills have become mysterious, especially the location of the Stone Boat Altar, where dust and morning mist have always been floating. The golden light of the morning sun shines through the gaps in the leaves and branches, forming sacred light curtains.
Coupled with the solemnity of the altar, isn't this place a holy place?
The priests gathered at the stone boat altar. They performed a small ceremony and slaughtered a rabbit as a sacrifice to bless the people who were going on the expedition.
The Ross tribe did not go out to sacrifice the flag, or in other words the spring fishing festival, the sacrifices were already done perfectly.
Ordinary people from the tribe gathered at the beach. Niya held her son's hand and followed the crowd. Thousands of people watched as Yang Fan, a mighty fleet composed of nearly 200 boats, set sail.
Otto put on his beautiful armor and set foot on his own flagship - a medium-sized dragon-headed warship that could row fifty people together.
Many merchants brought some magical legends to Rossburg, such as the great leader of the Danes, the guy nicknamed the Lion, whose ship was called the "Red Dragon".
The "Red Dragon" is dangerous, not at all because the dragon head decorated on its bow is smeared with a layer of scarlet cinnabar, which makes it look particularly scary. The most terrifying thing is the ship itself, which is said to support a hundred people rowing together.
of.
A hundred people rowing oars does not mean that the ship is faster. It clearly proves a terrible thing. The "Red Dragon" is a very large ship. As long as it appears, it must be dangerous. For a long time, Ross
People and even the allies had never seen this ship. Some businessmen who sneaked into the Danish-controlled areas to do business swore that the "Red Dragon" existed, but did not provide much evidence.
Otto did not name his flagship because he felt it was unnecessary. If he insisted on naming it, then name it after his wife.
Otto's flagship lowered its huge sail, revealing the light blue coat of arms on the gray-white sail. The cross-shaped oar pattern arranged in an x shape is the totem of the Ross tribe, symbolizing their unique paddling skills.
The largest ship leads the group, and the other ships follow its lead.
Many ships adjusted their sails to face the wind, and they began to sail in an S-shaped tack. People on the side of the ship also used oars to assist. When the ships started to set sail, they left the port at a very fast speed.
Otto did not say his final goodbyes to his relatives on the beach. Soon, his figure standing on the deck became a black dot as big as an ant in Rurik's eyes, and only the illuminated sail was still clear.
The flagship was followed by a large number of ships decorated with dragon heads, which are the so-called Russian standard warships and the most classic ships of the Vikings. The Russians have always believed that there are thirty such standard warships.
The human rowing slot is the most reasonable, so their warships almost all have the same appearance and the same number of people on board.
The tribe's tradition also directly affected Rurik's training of the group of brawling children. Thirty people in his team constituted a basic establishment, and the commander directly used the term "captain" in the tribe.
Everyone accepted the arrangement of thirty people forming a "fighting group". Because once the ship grabbed the beach, thirty oarsmen jumped off. They put on a full fighting lineup, and the thirty people continued to fight side by side. They have been fighting side by side for many years.
When paddling together, we have unintentionally developed good organization and coordination, which has become a huge tactical advantage.
Excellent organization is also a reflection of their combat effectiveness!
The fleet finally set out to sea.
This mighty army soon left the Rossburg fjord, entered the vast Gulf of Bothnia, and rushed towards the middle of the bay, because the ice floes there had disappeared.
The arrangement of the team soon changed.
The fleet led by Otto will soon head east, along with the hundred families who plan to colonize the mouth of Lake Ladoga and as many as six hundred warriors.
All young warriors face a choice this year. Either go south to seek revenge and find opportunities to make a fortune, or go to Eastern Novgorod to marry a beautiful woman.
As the saying goes, everyone has his own ambitions. There were a hundred unmarried young people. After some consideration, they decided that it would be more pragmatic to find a wife first. It is said that there are more women than men in that area, which is completely the opposite of the Ross tribe. So much so that only women are given to them.
With a small betrothal gift, parents can get a beautiful and hard-working wife. Ah! It’s like a dream.
Of course, there are also young people who married Novgorod women last year. They are taking their pregnant wives back to their father-in-law's house to announce the good news.
At the level of leader Otto, this was used to win over those people, so that they could provide more women to solve the marriage problems of the young men of the tribe, and then obtain a larger tribute.
The total number of Otto's team is close to a thousand people, and because there are a large number of transport ships carrying only building materials and daily necessities, these people share a total of fifty ships of various types.
Behind Alto is a crusade army composed of twenty warships. They are all dragon-headed warships, and the passengers are all extraordinary people.
Look at their arms covered with golden hair and muscles. They are already shouting and rowing at exactly the same frequency!
Among them is Arik. Although he is not yet nineteen years old, this standard Nordic man has already grown a golden beard that runs all over his face. His hair is also golden, and under the influence of his wife Pella
Wei Na's skillful hands were able to braid more than twenty tiny braids.
Peravina is very good at braiding hair, because Novgorod is good at braiding, and her skills are even better than those of the Vikings.
Unfortunately, the couple now belong to two fleets.
Peravina's pregnancy has lasted as long as six months! Her bulging belly is already very obvious, and the fetal movement can be clearly felt.
Such a Novgorod woman has become so extraordinary that Otto personally placed her in his flagship and will be well taken care of during future voyages.
The so-called promise to Rurik and treating Rumia as his daughter was mainly to make his son happy.
As for the current Peravina, Otto is happy to regard her as his own relative. Because whether she gives birth to a boy or a girl, they are all of Arik's blood, and they are also the grandson of his brother Ogier who died in the war.
He is also his great-nephew. After losing two biological sons, only Rurik is still alive. Otto is very happy when any child who is closely related to him is born.
Even now, Otto is still worried about Arik's safety. Even in front of his niece-in-law, he knows that he must shut up.