A large amount of spoils of war flowed into the Balmok society, people cheered for the triumphant heroes, and the young people of the tribe were eager to try and become participants in the next expedition.
The returning warriors all told about their experiences in Britain. They touted their strength and belittled the weakness of Northumbria. They especially praised the fertile land and mild climate there. The farmland cultivated by the locals seemed like they were waiting for Barr.
Merck accepted baby.
Young people are full of energy and want to explore, while some older people understand the risks of this expedition.
The price paid for looting trophies, a large number of women, and knowledge of distant lands was the death of more than three hundred young people for various reasons.
There are too many Balmoks in the Narvik Fjord!
Those who died on a long voyage must have failed to withstand the test of God.
Only cowards would refuse external expansion because of the risks of shipwrecks and battles. Young people once couldn't find the direction of expansion because of their narrow vision. Now the situation has changed.
Biyongni has a huge reputation. He is the great hero of the Balmok people. If the brothers follow him, they will all go to the British Isles to make a fortune in the future, kidnap a woman or two, give birth to a lot of children, and live happily.
Boundless.
After returning, leader Magnute was anxious for all the family leaders to discuss the goods received from this expedition in the tribe's somewhat old council.
Young people support Biyoni's illustrious martial arts, but the noble leaders of these tribes all know that the key to their victory lies in the correct command of Rurik of Rus.
They blew rainbow farts at each other in a happy atmosphere, as if the room were full of fighting heroes.
Finally, Biyongni inevitably talked about the shipwreck on his return.
"Based on this matter, we urgently need a big ship." He looked into the eyes of the leader's father, "Do you still need to make a decision on this matter?"
"Me? My attitude is to buy, I never hesitate."
After saying that, Chief Magnut turned his head, glanced at his daughter Nolen, who was lying on his side with his head on Rurik's lap, and asked directly, "You have already discussed the matter of buying the ship. Now we have got a large sum of money."
Money, so you don’t have to work hard to make salt to exchange it.”
"No, our contract is still valid."
"Oh? Do you have to limit the use of salt to buy a big Ross ship? Maybe our agreement can be adjusted."
"Of course it's possible. I'm not a stubborn person. However, we in Russia need your good salt. When your coins run out, salt will be your currency. At least I recognize this."
Magnut nodded, knowing that he didn't need to say anything.
He sighed softly, "Rurik, my son. When do you plan to return?"
"Just these few days, maybe two or three days."
"So anxious?"
"Lord Chief..."
"No!" Magnute pretended to be angry with a smile, "You have to call me father! I wanted to keep you for a while, but it seems that's not possible?"
"Yes. This time we have to pass through Danish territory. I am afraid it will take twenty days to sail back to Rossburg. Father, I know you are reluctant to leave Nolen. But if I delay, the big ship will be in the ice sea.
Obstruction. I want to get home before the sea freezes."
The ocean freezes? This is unimaginable to the Balmok people sitting in the ice-free port of Northern Europe.
My son-in-law, Rurik, had greatly helped all the Balmok people. It was human nature to persuade him to stay in order to entertain him well and show his friendship to the landlord. It was really inappropriate for me to retain him at the wrong time.
Magnute thought for a while: "Then get ready. Since you are going to cross the Danish territory, you need more soldiers to protect you. Let me choose fifty men for you to follow your big ship to Ross.
."
"This..." Rurik suddenly thought that behind this suggestion was the expectation of an old father who doted on his daughter.
"Father, I will not treat Nolen badly. I don't need a lot of guards around her. My Principality of Ross is strong and safe."
"But she also has to have some maids."
"That's not necessary. Because she will live with my parents. My mother will regard her as her own daughter. You don't have to worry about her bad life."
These words were heartwarming enough, and Magnute still shook his head, "I believe in your character, but your ship still has to pass through Denmark. You sank a hundred of their fishing boats when you came, won't they take revenge?"
"I have no fear. My big ship will easily destroy any enemy ship."
How could Magnute be persuaded by such optimistic remarks?
His stubbornness had to make Rurik think carefully and simply resort to his plan.
"Let's do this." Rurik raised his head, and considering his situation, he said: "I like the young people of Balmok, they are excellent warriors. I need to expand my mercenary guards, and I will personally
Recruit fifty warriors at the port who want to go to Rus. From now on they will fight for me and will protect your daughter."
"This is good." Magnute patted his thigh and no longer had any worries.
In fact, for Nolen, she naturally has no worries about going to Ross alone. This is her fate as a woman.
On the second day after returning, Rurik set up a recruiting list near the berth of the Aurora.
In just one day, fifty new mercenaries were recruited.
For this matter, Rurik almost appointed the mercenary captain Yevro to complete the matter, and the result was quite remarkable.
Until late in the evening, Rurik appeared at the berth of the ship, reviewing these new mercenaries with a strong sense of freshness.
Yevluo hurried over to report: "Everything has been done properly."
"Are they all the most ordinary men? Are they all poor people who intentionally left their homes?"
"Yes, sir. Almost all of them are fishermen. They have been working as servants for the owners of the boats. They are not the subordinates of the nobles. These people have nothing but their own strength."
Rurik nodded. He looked up at these men again and realized that they were indeed the soldiers he wanted.
He asked Yevlo again, "Have you told them about our treatment?"
"I said part of it, and everyone was very happy."
"Of course. I have to eat and wear my food, pay them, and even find women for them."
Jevro immediately emphasized in a low voice, "Sir, I didn't say anything about finding a woman."
"Well, what I'm most concerned about is their loyalty."
"I will train them." Yevlo emphasized, patting his chest.
"No, they need a battle to prove themselves."
Yevluo was surprised, "Sir, you said that Russia would not fight this year. Do you plan to next year..."
"Maybe, but if possible, we still need some time to accumulate strength. We have to cross the Danish-controlled area, and fighting is almost inevitable. Now equip these people immediately, and you quickly train them to use torsion slingshots and trebuchets. Also, they
I will immediately pick out someone who can use a bow and arrow."
"Yes! Sir, when will we return?"
"We'll have a rest tomorrow and we'll return the next morning."
Rurik's original intention was to leave quickly, but Noren was marrying Ross far away after all, and her natal family had to bring a dowry for their daughter.
Rurik has seen all those dowries. In terms of commodity value, they are far less valuable than the "luxury goods" produced by Ross, but for this girl, the love of her parents has been poured into her.
Among these disguises, only two musical instruments interested Rurik the most.
Ten bone flutes made of eagle leg bones, and a small cowhide drum. These instruments are most suitable for appearing in sacrificial activities. Instruments are instruments. Noren’s sense of sound is really good. With these instruments, Rurik feels that he
You can ask her to use one winter to train all of her Slavic maids, numbered from a to j, to become musicians.
In the afternoon of the day before the decision was made, the sea conditions in the fjord stabilized. Even if the heroes triumphed, only a few people would get the spoils.
On the morning of this day, the priests of Balmok dispersed and held more than thirty weddings for the men of the tribe.
The soldiers participating in the expedition brought their newly acquired women, who were actually mostly girls from Northumbria aged fourteen or fifteen. The groom of Balmok took the crying bride and completed the Viking-style wedding under the auspices of the priest.
.
The brides lamented their fate of being taken captive to a barbarian country. What was most difficult for them to accept was that accepting a barbarian marriage was tantamount to betraying their own God. They all found that they had to swear an oath to a barbarian god.
The only option is to compromise.
The priests are extremely busy these days. They actually have to conduct four hundred weddings in a few days. Even if the ceremony is forced to be simple, it still takes a lot of time to organize.
They will still be busy in the afternoon.
But people in the port area suddenly discovered that the large Ross ship named Avora suddenly pulled anchor and set sail.
Is Rurik of Rus about to return? No way! Isn’t the agreed date tomorrow?
Some fishing boats stopped fishing. The fishermen felt that the big waves made by the big boats were full of charm. When they watched closely, they realized that this was not a departure at all, but a military exercise!
A small and badly damaged fishing boat, it was supposed to be dragged ashore and chopped to pieces with an axe, and used as firewood for the owner in the winter.
The ruined ship was bought and left to sway on the sea.
The Avora was cruising beside him, and Yevro was already directing his new brothers to operate heavy weapons.
"I've told you the essentials! Aim at the target ship! Shoot!"
Jevlo gave the order, but one of the five torsion slingshots on the port side refused to launch?
He hurried over, grabbed the mercenary who was responsible for pulling the latch by the neck, and shouted sternly, "Why? Why don't you shoot?"
The young and ignorant mercenary warrior suddenly became confused and muttered, "Sir, are we really going to fire a piece of iron?"
"if not?"
"Iron is precious and we shouldn't waste it."
"Because of this? You don't have to worry about this matter!" After saying that, Yevlo pushed the man away, personally raised the "shoe tail" of the torsion slingshot and gently pulled the latch, and the cast iron projectile flew and hit the fishing boat.
Among the five projectiles, only the one in Yevlo hit, and the old fishing boat had begun to take in water.
He shouted loudly: "You must read and listen to my orders! I am like your war chief, your family leader. Our duty is to protect the safety of Duke Ross and fight for him! This way you can all make a fortune. But
, any one of you who refuses to implement or even hesitates will be punished."
Jevlo ordered the hesitant man to be tied to the mainmast, and then ordered his fellow villagers to hit his calf ten times with a "spirit-injection stick" as a punishment.
Jevro couldn't help but sigh, these guys are really trying hard to use wooden sticks to beat the legs of their fellow countrymen. Maybe they are all trying their best to show off?
"You have all seen it! In peacetime, you will suffer physical pain if you hesitate, but on the battlefield, any hesitation will be fatal! The weapons you control can sink enemy ships and knock off the enemy's head. You don't want to
I think iron tools are very precious. Now, keep shooting and sink that target!"
Rurik prepared a large number of cast-iron bombs when he set out. He came well prepared and recovered most of the cast-iron bombs after the battle in Britain, so that he had the opportunity to squander it now in Gevlo.
This squandering does not mean that all the projectiles are fired. As the saying goes, once the cannon is fired, gold is worth ten thousand taels, and the use of any long-range weapon is directly burning money.
Rurik hoped that the newly recruited brothers would instantly become masters of handling heavy weapons, which was obviously unrealistic.
They must immediately start training, and everything should be based on actual combat. Rurik authorized Yevro to fire fifty rounds of cast-iron bullets, so that each mercenary warrior could fire them once personally, and a mere target ship was not enough.
Even though these men had no experience, they found that this heavy weapon was not difficult to use, and soon the target ship was sunk.
A large amount of water spray exploded on the sea surface, and the projectiles were finally shot away.
Their training attracted a group of fishing boats to observe. The fishermen watched helplessly as the unmanned target boat gradually sank in a large amount of water spray.
People were shocked, they couldn't imagine that a ship could be directly sunk by some kind of weapon.
Finally, the day of return.
Nolen woke up in a daze. She was sleeping on the soft leather floor. She randomly pulled her palms and touched the face of the person next to her. She subconsciously grabbed Rurik's ponytail.
"Don't pull my hair."
Nolen suddenly woke up and said, "You pressed my hair last night too."
"It's already dawn." Rurik sat up quickly, "We will leave soon. You...say goodbye to your parents."
"I finally have to leave, okay..."
Even if it was his own fate, Nolen left the boudoir with complicated emotions.
She hugged her mother Inbjerg, kissed her father on the face, and drank a glass of ale with her two brothers at home.
Bjorn could see his sister's sadness, but this was not a true separation.
"Go back with Rurik and give me a nephew in a few years." Bjorn's encouragement only made her sad and shy.
Floki brought real comfort, "Sister, don't worry about anything. Every winter in the future, we will take the ice and snow road to Ross. You go to Ross first, and my eldest brother and I will go there again in about two months."
Nolen felt much better, so he wore a large flower crown woven from pink heather and walked out of the home where he had lived for nearly eleven years.
When she boarded the Aurora, named after "Dream Aurora", her identity became Ross's woman.
Rurik put his arm around Noren's waist and said goodbye to Balmok's friends.
The leader, the Magnute family, had strong expectations for the new couple, but the new couple looked childish, and the scene was really wonderful.
People who came from various settlements in the fjord gathered on the flat land of the pier and drove boats on the sea.
The heads of each family came to see Rurik off in person, expecting that Rus's ship would be turned upside down again, leaving behind not only the ship belonging to the Balmoks, but also a large amount of Eastern goods.
A arduous and dreamy voyage finally came to an end, and it happened to be an extremely critical end. Even though there was a high possibility of a fierce battle with the Danes in the future, Rurik was not afraid.
The Aurora set sail and drifted zigzag along the direction of the wind towards the mouth of the fjord. Behind it came a large number of ships to see her off, as if the Aurora once again led a large fleet on an expedition.
This time, Rurik and his beloved ship will fight back to Fort Ross as a powerful maritime lone ranger as quickly as possible.