Chapter 390 The big leader Otto returns to Melalen
The warm south wind swept across the entire Gulf of Bothnia, and a large ship raised her unique triangular sail.
Let's look at this sail. Its maximum length exceeds twenty stikas, which is nearly twenty meters. The horizontal girder installed at an angle does have such a length. Even if it is inclined, the maximum height of the ship is far away.
higher than the mast.
Compared with the size of the ship, her sail is the most eye-catching. From a distance, the sail is overall gray, but up close, you can see that it is made up of many small sails stitched together. There are two very small sails in the center of the sail.
The obvious staggered stripes prove her identity.
The south wind blows on this huge sail that is tilted to the central axis of the ship. It forms a perfect wing shape, allowing the big ship to easily make a zigzag and reverse course when facing the wind.
She is Aurora, the flagship of the Ross tribe's fleet. Only her stocky and powerful figure can undoubtedly fulfill this responsibility.
It is already April, and after the grand sacrificial activities have concluded, more than a thousand fleets of large and small ships, carrying as many as three thousand people, and even an astonishing weight and a wide variety of cargo, are rushing to their respective goals.
A small fleet, with the purpose of obtaining ore, rushed to Ironburg in the north.
A large fleet, carrying the Sorgon team and a group of cargo ships, rushed to Novorosberg and Novgorod in the east.
Here, the largest fleet, all ships, led by the huge triangular sail of the Aurora, headed straight for Lake Mälaren along the coastline.
As usual, Otto stood at the bow of the ship.
This time he didn't have to hug the relief on the bow of the ship, because he couldn't hold anything at all.
Avora has a special foremast, which is a wooden pole that is tilted and pointed straight ahead. Now it has a number of wooden pulleys and ropes installed on it. The ropes pulled diagonally from the mast are tightly tied here. So.
If you include the cable-stayed ropes of the mast, it can be said that the entire ship revolves around the keel and mast, forming a mechanically intertwined stable structure. Coupled with the most critical material of hard oak, the entire ship is, if not indestructible, at least
There is no need to worry about seawater erosion for many years.
Otto simply held on to the wooden railing on the side of the ship. He sometimes paid attention to the torsion slingshot covered with linen soaked in seal oil. His main focus was actually looking at the hazy coast in the distance and the sea ahead.
He must remain vigilant, even immersing himself in the sea breeze, acting as a pilot, because behind him is a huge fleet of thousands of ships.
He was enjoying a new sailing experience. For example, he could stand at a very high position and see the bow of the ship pushing through a lot of water. The keel of the bow protruded part of the way forward, as if it arched the sea water and then
Turn it to both sides. Why is this ship designed like this? Otto didn't think much about it.
Because the Avora does have a bulbous bow, it is probably the only ship with a bulbous bow among the ships cruising in the entire Baltic Sea.
It is a piece of oak that has been finely polished and protruding forward. It has a special presence of mortise and tenon on the keel, which means that it itself can be removed.
However, the existence of this bulbous bow not only reduces the interference of wave-making resistance to the ship's navigation, but its front end is riveted with some crudely made chromium iron bars that have a certain anti-rust ability. The head of the bulbous bow becomes
It got even harder, which is what Rurik wanted.
Rurik knew one thing about the development of the navy, that is, even if the world entered the existence of ironclad ships, since the artillery shells and artillery technology at that time could not keep up with the ship armor technology, it was quite unrealistic to expect shelling to quickly sink enemy ships. This
Under such circumstances, reviving the ramming tactics of the Roman era has an extremely realistic and necessary role. They have realized the importance of the bulbous bow, so they can strengthen the hardness of the bulbous bow, making the ramming tactics capable of blocking enemy ships.
The powerful ability to break without taking any damage to oneself.
Rurik's philosophy is actually the same. It is unrealistic to expect the six torsion slingshots on the ship to quickly sink the enemy ship. It is better to ram it directly.
He has this confidence. Even if the Aurora is not designed with human oars, its giant triangular sail has the ability to use any wind direction, and its speed is still astonishing. The big ship can rely on its own iron head to knock down the enemy.
However, the wave-making resistance was greatly reduced, and because of her stocky body, Otto, standing at the bow, saw the ship moving forward at high speed, and the bumpy feeling was actually extremely weak.
The big ship can hit the wind at six knots, even with her belly full of cargo!
A large amount of leather was bundled into bundles, soap was packed into boxes made of pine wood, and a large number of weapons to be sold directly to the alliance leader were stuffed into the cabin of the ship.
The Avora did not reach her full displacement. Even so, her displacement has exceeded one hundred tons. Now everyone has to face a gratifying reality. Only this ship really acts as a cargo ship.
Used, she is better than three cargo ships, and her speed is faster than the cargo ships.
The happiest person is probably the great businessman Gould. He never thought that the Avora was so powerful. I think the future Gouldot should be even stronger.
The Avora truly deserves to be the flagship. Her speed actually surpasses all the ships in the fleet, even though she is the heaviest. This makes her often have to slow down by slackening her sails to accommodate the entire fleet.
On the first night, the fleet docked near the shore, and huge bonfires were lit on the deserted beach.
Only the cargo ships and the largest ship, the Aurora, had their rivets thrown off and were floating offshore.
The entire huge fleet basically set sail at the same time. They formed a huge team. After leaving the fjord and entering the sea, they gradually formed a team six nautical miles long.
The Aurora led the entire fleet and drifted at sea for at least fourteen hours.
At the current time point, the sunshine time enjoyed by ancient Sweden has climbed to fifteen hours. Adding in the time of dawn and evening atmosphere scattering sunlight, it enjoys up to sixteen hours of light, and this time is still there.
Rapidly increasing. Until June 28th of the Julian calendar, there was not even a second of darkness in Roseburg on that day.
During these fourteen hours, all ships sailed forward against the wind at an average speed of four knots.
Of course, when the wind is tailwind, a traditional longship can rely on an oar assistant to reach a high speed of ten knots, but unfortunately that usually does not last long. The Avora is completely against the wind and still has amazing speeds. Only the leader is worthy of it.
Board this magical ship. Those ordinary people who control their own ships cannot catch up with the leader's flagship despite all their efforts. Their dignity and inferiority are also reflected here.
If the ships continue to move forward bravely at night, some ships will reach the mouth of Lake Mälaren in only three days.
It's a pity that this mixed fleet contains a large number of merchant ships. What the merchants want is smooth sailing on the sea, and they will never risk their own property. This forces Otto, even if he has a fast ship, to sail at an unprecedented speed.
After five days of hard work, we finally entered Lake Mälaren, which is composed of pure fresh water.
A strange large ship flashed its magical sail, leading an astonishing number of ships into the big lake, like a powerful crusade army.
The first people to discover them were the fishermen of Merlaren and even some Ross fishermen from Tombstone Island.
When approaching the Åland Islands, the fleet split. Those Sorgon fleets that were going to the east, under the leadership of Arik, would first visit Tombstone Island in the name of leader Otto, and stay here after correction.
Continue east.
The Merlaren warriors stationed at the mouth of the Great Lakes saw a fleet of ships of unprecedented size, and their eyes were all fixed on the largest ship.
They couldn't help but begin to speculate about who was the owner of the ship.
Speculations are probably redundant, because the fleet comes from the northern seas, and this year coincides with the visit of the Ross leader to Mälaren for more than ten years. This historic meeting made those young Mälaren warriors the first person in their lives.
For the first time, we got a glimpse of the elite forces of the Rus.
Just as Rurik and Otto both hoped, the huge sail of the Avrora and the staggered blue stripes on the huge sail earned enough face for the Russians, and they were shocked to witness the fact that the Malaren people did not know
At a loss.
Otto, who still looked like a statue on the bow of the ship, put his big hands gently against his eyes and asked about Rurik and Carlotta who were standing beside him.
"You two are familiar with this place. After passing those damn island groups, we finally arrived at Lake Malaren?"
Rurik was quite surprised; "Dad, haven't you been here before? Have you forgotten?"
"Me? Haha! Those were all things from ten years ago, and I have long forgotten them. You didn't exist ten years ago, and neither did Carlotta. Too many things have happened in these years..." Otto
I don’t want to continue to reminisce, because more than ten years ago, my second son had not died in an accident, my younger brother was still alive, and my nephew Arik was just as old as Rurik.
Otto saw a large number of small boats floating on the vast lake. If he looked carefully, he could tell that they were all fishing boats.
"Wuhu! Are they still good at catching fish?"
"Them?" Rurik deliberately sneered: "They don't have the ability to catch fish like we do."
"Hey, compared to us, at least they face a calm lake and never have to worry about wind and waves when fishing."
"Yes, but the fish they caught had a lot of fish bones."
Otto shrugged. He knew that this was true. After all, herrings would only break into freshwater areas when they went crazy. Moreover, he learned that not many people from Mellaren entered the sea to fish for fish. In recent years, due to the tense war, Mellaren has
People in London have become more conservative.
Rurik does have criticism towards the Melalen tribe, mainly from the leader of the tribe, Olegin. There are clearly visible cracks within this powerful tribe, and their society is quietly torn apart. No.
For example, although the Rus' people began to "cast a wide net" style of settlements and prospered, and although the tribe had a tendency to split, Rurik can say that it was his own series of operations that just strengthened the power of the leader.
Gradually improve the cohesion of the tribe.
If the Ross tribe is like a rising sun, then the sun of the Melalen tribe may be setting.
There are indeed a large number of fishing boats cruising on the lake. Most of the residents are forced to survive and take up their old trade as fishermen. They have actually sown spring oat seeds, which they have cherished for a whole winter.
I would rather starve than eat.
Ordinary tribesmen's rations are about to run out, all due to last year's severe harvest failure and exploitation by their leaders. They must rely entirely on fishing to survive in the next four months.
If they were once worried about being attacked by Gotland fishermen when entering the sea, they actively worked as farmers in Pianan and the Great Lakes. Now, under the control of hunger, once the fishing harvest in the Great Lakes is no longer good, they rush into the sea, and even the Gotlanders
It is the Ross people of Tombstone Island who are robbing fish resources, even if they use force.
At present, there are no signs of extreme situations happening. The lives of ordinary Melalen people and other tribes living around the lake can only be said to be poorer than before.
The huge fleet actually began to part ways after entering Lake Mälaren.
Uppsala merchants headed for a river leading to northern waters, returning to their home port.
The Hjärmalen merchants went directly south, found the pebbly river bottom, and entered their Hjärmalen Lake. Oh, they would first encounter the Glan people who had established a new home on the banks of the Stone River.
The main merchant ships come from the Melalen tribe, and only this tribe has a large number of wealthy and powerful merchants. These people are actually the owners of the market, and of course the Gould family is one of them.
The Gould family is still considered by people in the business circle to be not only the representatives of the Ross tribe, but also closely related to the Unkras tribe from which it originated. Look, there are only a small number of Unkras businessmen who are not only following Gould, but even
Their merchant ships were also allowed to conduct a supply repair at Gould Island.
During this trip, the Gould family was authorized by the leader of Rus and was under direct supervision. Rurik really did not need other Rus merchants to sail for many days to Mälaren to do business. Originally, their business was just to exchange some furs.
Then exchange them for some daily necessities. This year's situation is very special, because Roseburg has quickly formed an introverted market. The work of various craftsmen has enabled the main daily necessities to be self-produced and sold, so there is no need for individual people.
Taking risks out of desperation.
The Gould family and the chief family are an all-round strategic alliance, so the fleet has an absolutely official nature.
This year's situation is indeed special, because the great leader of the Rus people not only entered the Melalen people, but also visited Gould Island, which was built into a wooden fortress on the lake.
In a sense, Gould Island is the enclave of the Ross tribe in the area controlled by the Melalen people. Here, everything is decided by the Ross people. When the big leader comes here, the island residents all cheer and want to pay their respects.
Look at the majesty of the leader!
However, when the giant ship arrived, the hull and masts of the Aurora were taller than the wall. The mercenaries stationed on the wooden wall accepted this reality in a thrilling manner.
The port slot that could originally accommodate two cargo ships can now barely accommodate one large ship.
Otto, Rurik, and everyone on the boat, with great excitement, stamped their feet and cheered, watching the ship slowly enter the slot, and there was a dull sound caused by the bulbous bow hitting the soil on the shore.
There was a loud noise and violent shaking, and the ship stopped.
"Completely reef the sails! Start the winch." The sailors, who were raised by the Gould family, took action immediately under the orders of the boatswain.
The huge sail was gathered up by the rope mechanism, and finally wrapped around the inclined beam. Finally, the beam changed from tilting to standing upright. So at first glance, the Avora only had one soaring mast but no sail.
.
The cables held the ship firmly in place, and at this moment, other cargo ships were also docking at the port.
The once deserted Gould Island has now regained its liveliness. No, all the sailors, even Rurik's mercenaries, and soldiers carefully selected by Otto, all turned into porters, and began a tense and
Important unloading work.
Coming to Mälaren again, setting foot on the road controlled by the Russians for the first time, and looking at the wooden walls and towers erected on the island, Otto felt a dream.
He hesitated a little, but Rurik took his father's rough hand decisively: "Dad, let's go. Here you can enjoy everything you can enjoy in Roseburg?"
"Huh? Really?" Otto became interested, and his beard trembled.
Gould quickly paid close attention and complimented: "What Lord Rurik said is good. My island has undergone some transformation. I think the big leader will be satisfied."
"Really?" After walking away from the trestle, Otto stopped deliberately: "I want strong wine, I want barbecue, I want to take a comfortable bath, I want..."
Gould kept up his efforts: "Big Chief, when the wooden door opens, all your requests will be realized. If you are willing, I can even find a beautiful woman to satisfy you."
When Gould said this, Rurik frowned suddenly, and his expression shocked Gould to realize that his words were inappropriate.
Otto did not notice this. In fact, he was itching in his heart because reason was firmly occupying his mind: "Haha, you are quite thoughtful. If I want, I can enjoy the service of a hundred young women in Novgorod.
But I didn’t. I’m old and this doesn’t mean anything to me, so let’s talk about business.”
"Ah! Yes!" Gould let out a long breath and hurriedly put on a businessman's professional smile: "I am willing to serve you."
Otto waved his hand: "Let me remind you first. I will send a messenger to see Olegin soon. You are familiar with Melalen. You can do this well."
"Yes. However, the big leader Olegin has a secret agreement with us Russians. Maybe it would be okay for you to go directly."
"Absurd!" Otto glanced at Gould. "I didn't think he was a hero ten years ago, and I still don't think he is a hero today. We expedition, we expanded, we killed the enemies of Gotland, and they, the Malaren people, huddled in the lake.
, like a coward. Maybe, it’s him who should see me in person, rather than me going to see him right away!”
As expected, both the Ross leader and his son had criticisms of the Mellaren people, and they were both full of fighting spirit, arrogance and ambition. Gould regretted his talk and compensated: "I will do this well."
"It's good to know. Let's go and let your people open the wooden door."