The Rise of Rurik

Now, the islanders of Gotland have submitted to the powerful Danes.

The Danes, they are the masters of the entire bay today, controlling the entire Jutland Peninsula. Their influence is not only penetrating deep into the European continent but also expanding to the Scandinavian Peninsula to the north.

Denmark, this tribal conglomerate, is forming into a nation. At this time, having gained the submission of the Gotlanders, the enemies of the Danes are also the enemies of the Goths of the island.

The most significant threat to the Danes comes from the Norwegians and the Svear people on the Scandinavian Peninsula.

These two groups are also on the path of forming nations, possessing strong forces and ambitions equal to those of the Danes.

The morning sea breeze blows across the barren island, different from yesterday, at least today there is a slight northeast wind, and the fog did not appear.

But the sentry on high alert, soon after waking up, noticed something unusual on the sea with his excellent vision.

He ran around his sleeping brothers, shouting alarms.

“Enemies! The enemies have appeared!”

“Everyone, get ready! Prepare for battle!”

They are a tribe very sensitive to battle. Hearing “battle” once, Otto, usually unflustered, got up.

He tidied up his cold-resistant animal skins, looking at the approaching ships, and calmly drew his sword.

Otto shouted towards the sky: “Warriors of Odin, the time for battle has come! Let us defeat these enemies, take their belongings, and present more gifts to our tribe!”

After a roar, everyone’s fighting spirit was thoroughly ignited.

Everyone knew the enemy was getting closer, and there was no time to untie the moored ships. As for immediate evacuation? No! That would be cowardly!

The enemy was already in front of them, only a head-on confrontation would honor the ancestors and be worthy of entering the temple after dying in battle.

However, Otto was not a reckless man. He realized the island had many boulders, perfect for cover.

They had a large number of ships, just lying lonely on the beach. Otto and his seven hundred warriors quickly hid.

Escape? No! Otto thought of a clever plan to ambush the enemy as soon as they landed.

Indeed, the moment Otto was anticipating was happening step by step.

Up to ten ships approached the island, all armed fishermen from Gotland, this operation was essentially armed reconnaissance.

Two hundred men, led by a leader, successfully landed on the island. When they saw the numerous dragonhead warships, they were sure of their judgment.

“Indeed, these are the ships of the Svear people, planning to attack us!”

The Danes and their “relatives” in the north have been in constant conflict, but not really in a state of war.

After all, looting and trade are part of their way of life, even considered quite normal.

The small leader ordered all his men to disembark, two hundred men with round shields, axes, and spears cautiously approached the seemingly stranded dragonhead warships.

Looking secretly, they did not find anything unusual, and the world was eerily quiet.

But as the bold ones boarded the warships and saw the numerous jars and containers under the canvas, their worries vanished.

“Haha! These are their transport ships!” the small leader laughed, discovering honey.

“Leader! According to the rules, we will all share these goods.”

“No, according to the rules, part goes to them (referring to the Danes), the rest is mine. These are goods that the Svear people robbed or bought from the south, now all ours,” the leader said strictly.

“But where are the Svear people? Where did they go?”

“Maybe, because we are many and strong, those guarding the cargo ran away? Forget about them, let’s untie the ropes now, we have captured all the ships, a great achievement!”

The joy of victory immediately filled the landing team.

The leader asked his men to untie the ropes first, but more people were interested in the cargo.

The beach became chaotic.

Meanwhile, Otto and his men hiding, seeing these “pirates” trying to take their wealth, their eyes filled with blood.

It took the seven hundred men nearly twenty days to bring all the goods here, were they to be stolen by some “pirates” from Gotland?

The people of the entire bay, their battles tended more to individual fights, but not purely personal combat.

Although each warrior of the Ros tribe has good personal combat ability, prolonged combat has forced everyone to follow some tactics. For example, Otto’s ambush is a tactic.

And it was a very successful tactic.

“Brothers! Annihilate these enemies!”

Otto was the first to stand up from his hiding place, holding his ruby-inlaid longsword “Destroyer,” and continued to shout: “Warriors of Odin, fight!”

Suddenly, hundreds of people emerged from the hidden crevices between the rocks, not only numerous but also well-equipped.

More importantly, everyone understood the wealth of thirty warships belonged to the entire tribe, also their own wealth.

They had a common goal – to defend their wealth.

Just for this, to eliminate these thieves, could there be mercy?

A crazy battle ensued on this desolate, unnamed island.

One side was angry and numerous, the other not too few in number but already lost their fighting spirit.

The Ros tribe showed their most ferocious side, the hastily formed line of defense of the armed Gotland islanders was instantly broken.

Then came the time for individual combat, and for these islanders, they should think not of defeating these “Svear people” but of finding a way to escape.

“What a tragedy! Brothers, let’s retreat! This is a trap!”

The leader chose to flee, thanks to their recent landing, the ships were not securely moored, and there was enough time to escape.

More than fifty people led by the leader boarded their own ships, seeing the enemy about to escape, Otto, who had fallen into a frenzied battle, suddenly reacted, waving his hand towards the direction of the fleeing enemy: “Don’t let them go! Kill them all!”

Thus, a group of madmen with axes and spears rushed over, the Gotland islanders’ leader was horrified.

In the chaos, he urged his men to push the ship, while ordering the archers to use arrows to repel the “Svear people’s” attack.

Arrows fired from individual short bows flew towards the charging Ros tribe warriors, something Otto and his men had not anticipated.