Vikings: Lords of the Ice Sea

Chapter 275 Betrayal Once Again

After the war, Rurik returned to the west bank of the Dnieper River and received news of Horus's complete annihilation. Nearby Rus leaders arrived one after another to celebrate this hard-won victory.

Horus was only eighteen years old, and given enough time, he could very well have become the dominant nomadic ruler of the middle Dnieper River region. Fortunately, the young wolf was killed by Rurik, averting a series of subsequent disasters.

"To Rurik, thank you for everything he has done for us!"

"To King Rurik!"

The leaders raised their glasses in celebration, and as they ate and drank to their hearts' content, someone made a bold suggestion: "Nowadays, the harassment from nomads is becoming more and more frequent, and individual tribes can hardly cope with it. Why not elect a king (a fool) to organize the strength of the various tribes to resist these Pechenegs?"

After the banquet, twenty-three tribes recognized Rurik as king, which he gladly accepted. He planned to select a strategically located open space on the west bank of the Dnieper River to build a castle as a resting place for passing caravans.

Initially, he chose Nils as the garrison commander, but was privately dissuaded by his confidant Holmren.

“Your Majesty, Niels is exceptionally talented, surpassing you and all the nobles under your command. In recent years, you must have heard of his exploits in Denmark. This man’s ambition is far too great; if he were left to guard the frontier, he would betray you one day!”

Rurik hesitated, "Niels has performed a great service this time. If I don't receive a reward, it will affect my reputation and cause him to resent me, which will increase the possibility of rebellion."

At this point, Holmren offered a suggestion that would benefit both sides: "I heard from the banquet that the Varangian Guard of the Eastern Roman Empire has suffered heavy losses, its commander has been killed in battle, and Emperor Michael III is pressing for his return."

"How about this: let the chiefs of the Rus tribe jointly recommend Nils to the Eastern Roman Empire to succeed him as commander of the Varangian Guard. The reward will be sufficient."

In recent years, the Eastern Roman Empire began to hire Viking soldiers. The Vikings were tall, had a martial tradition, and lived in poverty, making them the best mercenaries.

Witnessing the ferocity of these barbarian mercenaries, Emperor Michael III spent a fortune to establish a Varangian Guard, a name derived from the Old Norse word Var, meaning oath.

“Nils was the best commander I’ve ever had; it’s such a shame to lose him.”

Rurik sipped his chilled mead, and Holmren did not try to persuade him, but stood quietly to his side, like a harmless statue.

The next morning, Rurik told Niels the "good" news. Niels vaguely guessed the purpose behind it. He did not get angry, but took advantage of Rurik's guilt to make his request.

"Since the Varangi Guard has suffered more than half its casualties, I cannot go alone. I should recruit enough soldiers."

“Alright, you can choose any volunteers except the palace guards.” In order to get rid of this old acquaintance as soon as possible, Rurik agreed to let Nils choose the volunteers himself.

Thanks to the extremely high wages offered by the Eastern Roman Empire, Vikings and Rus's flocked to sign up, and Nils carefully selected five hundred men. The middle and lower reaches of the Dnieper River were not yet frozen, and he set off immediately after recruiting his men.

In mid-December, Niels' fleet arrived at the mouth of the Dnieper River and headed to a nearby Greek outpost to report.

At the dock, a middle-aged civil official named Titus came to greet them. "You've finally arrived!" At Niels's signal, the five hundred members lined up in a square formation in the open space to await inspection. Titus slowly walked through the line, carefully observing the physiques of these Varangians.

“Very good. They are strong and disciplined. His Majesty will be satisfied.” Titus asked Nils in broken North English, “Are you their commander?”

“Yes, I am Niels, the White Raven of Gnutz, Ragnar’s nephew.”

Niels's experiences were too convoluted to recount in a long time. Titus nodded slightly and led the group of noisy, gazing-around, and unsophisticated barbarians to the camp.

After resting for five days, taking advantage of favorable winds, Titus led his fleet carefully along the coastline and arrived in Constantinople at the end of the year.

As twenty longboats passed through the Bosphorus Strait, the first thing that caught their eye was the Theodosian Walls, which stood along the coastline like the spine of a giant, their tall, heavy stone walls appearing majestic and solemn under the gloomy sky.

“By Odin, I never imagined I would be able to visit this place a second time.”

Everything remained unchanged. A massive iron chain still stretched across the entrance to Golden Horn Bay, supported by countless floating pontoons that gleamed with a cold, icy light, guarding the port area behind it.

Although winter is the off-season for shipping, the port of Constantinople, as a trading center of the Mediterranean and even the entire Western world, remains bustling. Merchant ships from Egypt, Syria, the Black Sea coast, Italy, and even further afield are anchored here, their masts standing tall. On the shore, figures in different clothes move about in the cold wind, like a tireless swarm of ants.

"It truly deserves to be called the city the world longs for. Cities like Rendinium, Paris, Oslo, and Novgorod combined cannot match even half of its prosperity and grandeur."

Nils had seen grand scenes before, but the sheer scale and diversity of the spectacle still left him in awe. Suddenly, five enormous double-decker rowboats sailed by, and Nils quickly ordered his fleet to take cover.

Titus greeted one of the officers on the warship, then introduced him to Nils:
"This is the largest warship in the Empire, called the 'Dromon'. The standard configuration of this warship is 180 people, including 60 crew members and 120 oarsmen. Oarsmen are on both the upper and lower decks. The bow is equipped with two types of rams: an underwater ram to damage the hull and a surface ram to damage the oars of enemy ships."

Niels gazed at the dragon-shaped sculpture on the bow, guessing it must be a Greek fire vent used to burn enemy ships. A heavy torsion ballista was placed on the stern deck.

"Haha, exactly the same as the crossbows of the British Fleet."

Titus immediately retorted: "This thing originated in Greece and has been used for thousands of years. What does it have to do with the barbarians of Western and Northern Europe?"

Niels paid no attention to the origins of the ballistae, instead focusing on the size of these Dromon warships.

The "Dromon" is longer than Viggo's new sailboats. Thanks to its two layers of densely packed oars, the oars combined with wind power can allow the oarsman to reach speeds far exceeding those of the new sailboats in a short period of time.

The disadvantages are that these types of ships have a high center of gravity, poor resistance to wind and waves, are not suitable for rough seas, and carry too many crew members, which reduces the space for cargo.

Ultimately, he concluded that these types of warships had a greater advantage in coastal areas. However, in the open ocean, they were inferior to Viggo's new two-masted sailing ships.

(End of this chapter)