The fleet discussed by Rurik and others must go to Tombstone Island. While providing comfort and an uplifting cruise to the settled brothers, they are also trying to play a role in "attracting investment."
Historically, the ancient Swedes colonized the Åland Islands in 1000 AD, even though the islands were not far from the mouth of Lake Mälaren. It was entirely because by 1000 AD, if the Russians had not done anything in terms of population development,
According to any article, the ancient Swedes in the entire Svealand Plain must have only maintained a population of one hundred thousand people, and were highly concentrated in the area around Lake Mälaren in Svealand. For them, according to Eastern standards, this
They are the population of several large clan communities. In their world view, the small Baltic world is a large part of the world. If it is not particularly attractive, they are not willing to go to the Åland Islands to open settlements.
But Rurik intended to use the Tombstone Island where Arik, who had triumphed two years ago, buried his brothers who died in battle. There were only tombstones there, but Rurik wanted to turn it into a monument.
Monument? That is the "Stone of Glory", which is spelled Stanislava in Old Cyrillic.
Stanislava is a nasty name. If Rurik had the choice, he would be happy to call Tombstone Island "Stanislava Island", so can the settlers use "Stanislav" as their surname?
?
In short, we need to let the Malaren people and other tribes in the alliance know that there is Tombstone Island in the Northeast Islands, and there is a Ross garrison there. If you plan to do business with the Ross, you can sail to the island with supplies.
In this way, maybe Tombstone Island can gradually turn into a prosperous market?
Yes, the Melalen estuary is now home to some scattered fishermen, as well as hundreds of Malaren warriors stationed on guard following the orders of their leader. The Melalen people are beginning to realize the strategic value of the location of the estuary, does it mean a
What about the formation of new trade outposts?
Rurik believes that if the formation of Stockholm is a historical necessity, then the Åland Islands must also take a share of this commercial prosperity. Since history has chosen the Russians, and the Russians have the upper hand in trade, it is
to seize the dominant role.
In order to achieve this goal, a large fleet was organized to cruise to Old Tombstone Island, and a large number of uninformed merchants from Mälaren, Uppsala, Onkras, and even Hjälmalen arrived there, which was tantamount to giving
A commercial for Tombstone Island.
This advertisement is very important!
The appointed day is tomorrow, and this time Gould doesn't care what kind of priest he invites to be a priest for this year's return voyage, because he really doesn't need it.
The most noble Rurik is here. Since he has the love of Odin, he will serve as the priest tomorrow and personally kill a sheep on the dock and use the sheep's blood to sacrifice the goddess of Lake Malaren and the great god Odin.
The most important sacrifice is the priest Odin. Everyone believes that the great god is the absolute master of the sun and the ocean. With Rurik who was "commanded by the god" to come to pray in person, people who learned this news were worried about carrying out a new route.
The feeling of worry has disappeared.
Tomorrow was the day of departure, and a feeling of excitement called going home filled Rurik's mind. He almost didn't sleep all night, so early the next morning, only the cold morning wind could calm his little head.
Wake up.
Gould Island is crowded with people, and outside the pier, a huge fleet has been assembled.
A large number of cargo ships that risked being overweight to carry grain dropped their anchors with thick hemp ropes as chains to fix the ships in the lake. They were the core of the entire fleet. There were actually more than a hundred ships carrying supplies.
Long boats guarded the left and right sides.
If it were a naval fleet, its combat effectiveness would be astonishing.
However, in today's era, there are not many wise people who can realize that those stocky and slow cargo ships have great potential to be transformed into warships. Rurik saw that the shipbuilders who were about to immigrate to Rossburg belonged to
Their future is not just to build transport ships, but unprecedented large-scale warships with pure sails. In other words, the future Ross cargo ships must all have combat attributes.
There is an altar made of stone and wooden boards standing by the lake. Some bronze utensils are placed on it, and some small stone statues are also erected, which are the so-called gods representing Odin. As for their sculpture carving skills, Rurik is really not good at it.
Dare to compliment.
"When one day my power really expands to the Greek area, I will have to recruit some sculpture experts."
Rurik thought this way, and logically speaking, his hope could theoretically be realized. As the "Idol Destruction Movement" swept across Eastern Rome, a large number of sculpture experts were forced not to carve human figures and could only carve them for wealthy people.
The pillar of the house made a living, and even changed his profession to a carpenter.
An innocent sheep stood blankly on the beach. Rurik held his dagger in his hand and stared at the sacrifice.
The priest comes to pray? It is really a superfluous thing.
The documents carved on wooden boards that Rurik saw in the chief priest's house, apart from records of the history of Rus, were a large number of prayers.
He faced the eastern sun, and in order to pursue a sense of history, he ordered all onlookers to kneel on one knee.
At this moment, a thin morning mist envelopes the whole world, and the sunshine is like a golden curtain. Its gentleness dissolves the coldness of autumn, and the whole world becomes sacred.
Rurik knelt down on one knee and recited a prayer loudly, asking Odin to bless the fleet's safety.
Finally, he looked at the sharp blade in his hand and stroked the lamb's head. In an instant, the blade of the sword pierced the sheep's throat. Rurik held the sheep down and killed it with his own strength, and let the sheep's blood flow into Mei.
Laren Lake. Like a true priest, he endured the fishy smell and opened the sheep's belly, holding the bloody sheep liver in his hand, and announced good luck to all the half-kneeling people.
Will anyone question whether this is a performance?
No! Absolutely not. Not only is everyone generally superstitious, but also because everyone has already preset a "bon voyage" conclusion in their hearts, and what they are waiting for is Rurik's auspicious declaration.
Rurik, the child blessed by Odin, completed a brief but very crucial voyage sacrifice.
What happens next cannot be urged by anyone.
People on the shore boarded their boats one after another, and within a short period of time, the fleet assembled on standby was overcrowded!
Rurik chose a stocky grain cargo ship as his flagship, and put a piece of blue cloth on the top of its only mast (blue fuel is the easiest to obtain). For the time being, it will be the Peugeot as the flagship. The entire fleet must follow the agreement.
Follow the flagship.
"Let's get started!" Rurik swallowed his saliva and ordered Gould who was accompanying him.
Immediately afterwards, the dull sound of horns was heard from the flagship, which was a positive signal. All the ships lowered their sails and began to recover the anchors that had fallen into the water.
The north wind blew across Lake Malaren, and they, who were good at using the power of the wind, began to take action.
The Russian fleet loaded with huge amounts of supplies began to move, and merchants from all walks of life were prepared, and their ships moved upon hearing the wind.
The fleet is still running slowly towards the mouth of the lake, with all sails tilted in order to seek a positive "lift" from the north wind, so the entire fleet is slowly accelerating.
The Ross fleet set off. Olegin, the leader of Melalen, took a long ship and looked at this extremely large fleet with a solemn face. At this moment, he was not only shocked, but also jealous.
, and anger.
And this is just the first fleet of the Russians.
Rurik and his party began to set off to Tombstone Island as their initial destination. After completing the first material transportation, a large number of ships had to return to Gould Island, and finally transported the last materials to Ross before the seawater was frozen before November.
Fort.
The sturdy flagship rides on the waves, and is stable because of its width.
Rurik stood at the bow of the ship wearing a thick coat. He didn't feel any seasickness. His eyes sometimes stared at the complimenting ships, large and small, and occasionally looked at the various merchant ships following behind. He paid special attention to this area.
Looking at the lakes and mountains, I noticed the scattered wooden houses with thatched huts on the small islands at the mouth of the sea, which are as numerous as stars. When I think that this area is actually the Stockholm of later generations, a sense of vicissitudes arises spontaneously.
Where is Tombstone Island? Anyway, it's on the archipelago not far away.
There is still no clear name for the Åland Islands, and Rurik does not want to give it an exact name. He feels that the Malaren people have always lacked interest in that archipelago. As a result, the fleet left the estuary and a large number of merchant ships clung to the coastline.
They went all the way north and separated from the Ross fleet. Apparently these foreign merchants were accustomed to the safe old route.
Rurik did not force them all to travel to Tombstone Island, at least some ships would follow him. So, are they willing to conduct a long-term trade with the Ross settlers stationed on the island?
During this trip, Arik was the indispensable navigator of the fleet. There was no second person here who knew this route better than him. For others, this route was unfamiliar and dangerous. For Arik, it lasted for two months.
His continuous plundering of the Gotlanders gave him a very deep understanding of the hydrological data of Tombstone Island as a rear base, and even most of the Åland Islands. For example, where are the deep channels and where are the shoals?
, he knows very well.
Rurik spent the night on the boat. Throughout the night, the fleet lowered its sails and all the ships floated on the sea. When the light sea fog dissipated, Rurik continued to control the flagship with the direction of the sun as a guide.
destination, so that other ships also have a backbone.
"Too bad, I still don't like spending the night on a boat. Damn it, I should build a cabin on the boat and have a bedroom."
Rurik's complaint was heard by Gould, who was not very energetic. Even though everyone was very rich, they still had to resist the fatigue of traveling on the ship.
Gould scoffed: "You want to build a house on a boat? Oh, if you can, I really hope you can succeed."
It sounds like this guy just doesn't believe it.
Rurik didn't argue. He shrugged and asked, "Why do you think I value those outstanding shipbuilders?"
Gould was surprised: "Ah? Are you serious?"
"Why not? In my opinion, it's not impossible to renovate this ship. Oh, at least install a shed at the stern to protect it from wind and rain."
In fact, these cargo ships are temporarily installed with wooden slats and a small amount of boards that can be separated from the cargo. It is already a technological upgrade.
Arik leaned on the mast. He stood on a barrel, grabbed the pole with his left hand, and put his right hand close to his eyes as if looking into the distance.
He felt that the position was still too low, so he simply started climbing up like a monkey, holding the mast. He grabbed the rope for reefing the sail and continued to look far away. Finally, he saw what he hoped for.
"Attention!" he yelled.
Everyone on the boat raised their heads.
"Brother! Have you seen land?" Rurik asked loudly.
"It's right there! The island!" Arik pointed with one finger, and slid down instantly holding the mast. He ordered the sailors: "Quickly adjust the direction of the sail, let's move towards the island."
As a result, a huge fleet of up to 200 ships of various types began to fine-tune the course with the flagship as the center.
Soon, the lush Åland Islands are in sight.
At the same time, the Ross people who settled on Tombstone Island were working on fishing boats and saw the huge fleet approaching. People shouted excitedly: "The leader is finally back." This stopped all fishing and fishing operations.
, they put down their oars and approached the fleet confidently and boldly.
But the one who came was not the leader’s tribute fleet.
The fishermen were not disappointed, and even felt a different kind of excitement. Who would have thought that this huge fleet actually belonged to Ross, and even the heroic "Double Sword Arik" served as the navigator. The fishermen were the first to start cheering,
Rurik, the son of the leader, is here. The fleet transporting huge amounts of supplies will dock at Tombstone Island. This is not just as simple as the heroes of the tribe coming to express condolences, but a large amount of supplies will be unloaded on the island.
They collected winter supplies, which was a timely help.
Ross fishermen began to serve as the new pilot, and the entire fleet also conducted a search, and the drop-shaped team turned into a strip.
Eventually, all the ships anchored off Tombstone Island.
Stone spearheads tied with hemp ropes landed one after another in the inter-island sea, which is only ten to twenty meters deep. This is the case in the Åland Islands. In some areas, the water depth is less than two meters. Ordinary long boats ignore such shallow waters.
However, transport ships with very deep drafts are beginning to face the terrifying risk of running aground.
What made Rurik very pleased was that the scene on Tombstone Island was completely unexpected. Here, a new coastal community rose from the ground! The Ross settlers were actively developing the island. They were definitely not leveling some land and erecting wooden structures.
Dried fish. They built a large number of wooden houses and even built wooden piers in the two natural harbors owned by the island.
What pleased Rurik the most was these docks. He had to admire his father's wisdom in choosing Tombstone Island as a settlement. It actually had a deep-water port!
There are two natural piers, they both have gravel beaches, but the slope of this beach is very steep.
At Rurik's request, the two cargo ships were towed by several rowing boats and entered the port, which was full of security.
"Rurik, what do you think of the island?" Arik said in a showy tone.
"It's really good, they actually built a pier."
"I supervised their expansion of the dock. Did you know? This is an important base for my attack on the Gotlanders. You will see after you land that we have also built a wooden wall on the island. Now if the enemy launches
To retaliate, our people can rely on the wall to fight back."
Walls? Rurik can't see them for the time being. I'm afraid those walls are hidden in the woods.
Although the Åland Islands are located in the sea, their history is short. The vegetation on the islands is extremely dense, and the tree species are mostly straight red pine and cedar. Of course they are not the best shipbuilding materials, but they are also very cost-effective wood.
The settlers who had just received the good news rushed to the largest haven with their families. In fact, just now, everyone had clearly witnessed the fleet surrounding the entire island. This fleet was full of oppression and made everyone feel at first
Fear, when they learned that these were actually the fleet of Rurik, the son of the leader, pride dominated everyone's hearts.
Rurik saw a large number of people gathered, and what surprised him was that there were actually a large number of women here.
"Huh? Arik, are there many women in our tribe who have not gone to New Roseburg? Are these women the wives of our brothers?"
Aric explained without any ambiguity: "Oh, you mean them? They are almost all Gotland women?"
"Ah! They...why are they here? I thought you killed those women as well."
"How is this possible?!" Arik pinched his brother's neck hard and joked: "Boy, don't you also have a lot of women in your hands? Oh, even though they are children now, they are all your captives and also your future.
My wives and concubines, you are not very kind to them."
This is the truth. Rurik understood it immediately, but he still felt a little strange. "I thought women in Gotland would also fight to the death, but I didn't expect it."
"What else can they do? They just want to survive. Brothers can't expect the big leader to give them a wife. Of course, capable men must snatch a wife back. The Gotland women they snatch will take good care of them.
The children they gave birth to were also Russians. Many women should have been pregnant. When they actually gave birth to children, they were no longer Gotlanders at all, but our people."
The truth was simple and crude, Rurik shrugged and said nothing more. Maybe the bravery of the Vikings only lies between men. As for women, most of them just want to live as peacefully as possible.
Rurik set foot on Gould Island in full attire. Facing the curious and excited eyes of his people, he stood on the trestle and immediately took off his hat and deliberately shook his head, causing his golden ponytail to sway from side to side.
.
The beautiful golden ponytail is already Rurik’s beauty.
"Brothers, I am Rurik, and I am here."
In an instant, a large number of Russians, whose bodies were full of fishy smell, surrounded Rurik. Everyone was talking and laughing, talking about their excitement.
At the critical moment, Arik shouted: "Everyone, be quiet and let our people bring their things to the island!"
Soon, the trestle was cleared of a road. Some of the accompanying Russian warriors happily carried sacks weighing a hundred pounds. Some even carried two sacks. They easily approached the tribesmen stationed on the island.
Packs of sacks were being unloaded one after another, there were five hundred of them!
This move was all within Rurik's plan. On behalf of his younger brother, Arik shouted in a loud voice: "Brothers, you have worked hard! The leader is grateful to you for guarding the tribe. You see, these five hundred packages are all from this year.
There are fifty thousand pounds of wheat produced in Mälaren! Now, Rurik plans to sell the wheat to you at the old price of ten pounds per silver coin. I know you have enough money, but you are struggling to spend it. Come on.
Come on, buy these grains and you’ll be worry-free throughout the winter!”
The crowd was excited, and everyone was excited.
There is no free bread in the world. The settled people know that even if the returning leader’s fleet throws away wheat, everyone will have to pay a sum of money to buy it. At most, there will be a discount when buying. The settlers here are the main force.
The warriors who once landed on the island to attack the Gotlanders voluntarily stayed to guard the tombs of the war dead, and at the same time to expand the living space of the tribe. As a reward for their meritorious service, they plundered a huge amount of Gotlander silver coins.
They also get a big share of the pie. Despite the fact that they generally dress a little carelessly, in fact, every man has a lot of wealth.
Stationed on an isolated island, they had basically no opportunity to spend money. Silver coins were just some precious metals to everyone. Everyone cheered that the rotten silver coins in their hands had something to spend, and for the settled people, 50,000 pounds of food was evenly distributed.
, with the help of the catches that have been caught, everyone can spend the winter without worrying about food and clothing.
It is irrefutable that Rurik threw away a large amount of food to provide help in times of need. It also had the purpose of reducing the weight of the ship. Furthermore, it also attracted a strong reputation for himself. This was really a win-win-win move.
But this is where it ends?
Soon, the accompanying foreign businessmen learned that the Russians stationed on the island had money but had nowhere to spend money. The businessmen slapped themselves on the head, blaming themselves for not knowing that there was a group of rich people in this deserted archipelago?!
Foreign merchants landed, and as soon as they landed, they began to sell their daily necessities of pots and pans, as well as vegetables such as onions, yellow root carrots, etc. The merchants thoughtfully considered the demand for flax in their fishing operations, so the goods also included
A large amount of flax and even finished fishing nets.
This guy Fodegen is not idle either. He has a large number of finished leather jackets on hand, and he originally planned to bring them to Fort Ross for dumping. Since Tombstone Island is also the territory of the Ross people, the dumping process actually started from here.
Rurik intended to stay here for a day. He needed to visit the tombs of Russian soldiers. He was also happy to see a small market suddenly formed, and he was happy to see the lives of the settled tribesmen improve.
Now, he and a group of tribesmen and friends are rushing towards the large number of tombstones arranged in a matrix that are carved into figures and engraved with patterns and runes.