Chapter 1062 Guarding the chokepoint of the line of communication to Smolensk
The returning Ureco team brought great news. The death of three brothers aroused excitement among the people.
Soldiers will not have empathy for the Polotsk people unless the locals declare their allegiance to Russia. The current situation is that someone on the Russian side has died, and the deceased's old comrades are holding back revenge.
In this way, everyone originally had resistance to the idea of going south to establish new settlements, but after this incident, the negative emotions were swept away.
There are one hundred standing cavalry and two hundred cavalry in Ostara.
An army of three hundred cavalry is already a strong military force. In theory, the team can directly attack the settlement in Polotsk. As a commander, Fisk will not do this, even if he has the authority to start a war.
Sitting in the current position, Fisk has many things to consider. He cannot start a war without authorization because of the excitement of the crowd. After all, he has the Ostara cavalry in his hands, and he has elite standing cavalry on hand. Once the army is reduced, the loss will be too great.
He wanted to do things steadily, and the first point was to build the Vitebsk stronghold at the predetermined location.
An old man dressed up as tough as possible. The old Harold put on Russian clothes and joined the cavalry as a guide. Unfortunately, he could not ride a horse independently, so he had to sit on the horse and hug the horse's neck to ensure that he did not ride.
Falling off, his mount was held by the cavalry in front.
The construction of the Vitebsk stronghold is an unplanned move. How about a new stronghold? In Carlotta's concept, it is currently a riverside fortress.
This fortress must be built before Qiu Yu gathers, and it must be enough for some soldiers to survive the winter. She will send a small number of her men to complete the permanent garrison, even if this is a military adventure.
It was a sunny morning with a pleasant breeze. The cavalry were gathering in the open space outside the city. They did their best to prepare supplies in a short time. Now was the time to set off.
As a duchess, she deliberately stood on a high platform made of wooden carts and boxes before setting off.
When the soldiers saw the noblewoman wearing iron armor and standing on a high place with an iron helmet on her head, they couldn't help but comment on her. The cavalry team continued to rumble, and everyone whispered to each other until Carlotta's sharp voice drowned out the wind and silenced everyone's noise.
.
In full view of everyone, she drew her sword and pointed the sword straight to the south.
"Now, our king is in the north! I am his woman, so let me continue to expand on his behalf! People of Ostara! Gods bless you! Odin gives you strength!"
Perhaps this is a normal scene and a necessary part of the departure ceremony.
The real ritual lies in the sacrifice.
Even if the move south to establish a new stronghold is not considered a war, everyone has unified their mentality. If a new gathering point rises from the ground, it will be lost to everyone. There is a high possibility that a battle will suddenly break out around it. Even if it is not an immediate battle.
, it is the garrison base of the army and the starting point for the cavalry to deliberately seek trouble. As the saying goes, if there is no immediate battle, after stabilization, the Ross army, especially the subordinate Ostara army, will deliberately seek trouble.
After a brief speech, a cow was pulled to the bank of the Lovati River. Carlotta continued to hold the sword and pulled her son Karl over, letting his little hand touch the handle of the sword. In this way, mother and son worked together to stab.
The cow's throat was broken. Due to the cow's violent struggle, the cow's blood spurted out and instantly splashed all over the mother and son.
Blood stains are not scary, but they are not very auspicious.
The cavalry on standby saw this scene and found that the duchess had become a "bloody person", and they immediately started making noise again.
Fisk tightened his grip on the reins and rode his horse back and forth in front of the military formation. He noticed that the army was in a bad mood, and he looked left and right with a frown on his face.
"It seems! This is Odin's revelation! Everyone adjust their mentality, we are likely to fight as soon as we go to the south. Check your weapons again, and then adjust your mentality! I warn you! Once the war starts, you must fight with all your strength,
Any escapees will be hanged afterwards!"
Fisk's lecture was mainly aimed at the Ostara cavalry. Most of these people have no Viking ancestry, and most of them were ordinary Slavic farmers in the past. A short period of military training is not enough to improve their military literacy. The most important thing is
The army is not disciplined enough.
Discipline, even the Russian standing army is not strict enough to be dogmatic. The standing cavalry is divided into well-organized teams, of which a ten-man squad is the smallest combat unit. Since the soldiers in the army have similar origins and participate in large-scale wars, the squads can cooperate well.
He is quite skilled. Since the organizational structure is hierarchical, Fisk can accurately command the entire team according to regulations.
Looting and destruction are a form of warfare, and cavalry are encouraged to engage in crazy looting. The only principle in this regard is that once the other party declares surrender, any robbery will be terminated immediately, and the parties involved will be punished if there is further destruction.
The discipline of the cavalry comes from this hierarchical structure, and the morale of the army comes from the soldiers' beliefs and experience of fighting side by side.
The Ostara Cavalry is weak in this aspect!
Even in the past few years, a part of the Ostara cavalry teamed up with the personal guards of Pecheneg Prince Kagan to rob, but they all fought with the wind. Because they had been hanging out with the Pechenegs for too long, they used rogue tactics.
After learning a lot, Fisk, who now has command power, is a little worried about whether he can fight a tough battle. It's not that the "rogue tactics" in the grassland are bad. One of the key points is "if you can't defeat, run away and then sneak attack". Such tactics are very
Smart, but in many cases the cavalry must face challenges, especially when the cavalry becomes the main force in the battle.
The fact that the Duchess was covered in cow's blood was interpreted as Odin's revelation that there was a battle trial ahead.
The veterans of the standing army were fearless and even held back their vengeance, while the Ostara cavalry had to be fully vigilant.
Three hundred horses have four hundred horses, and one hundred horses are used as pack mules. They are not riding horses, and each of them transports a large amount of supplies.
The standing cavalry all wear armor to reduce the load on their mounts. All armor is packed and transported on pack horses. They move forward lightly, with the sword hanging on their waist always at their side.
The extravagant Mongolian marching technique of one man and five horses traveling 200 miles a day is simply not possible. Fisk and the 300 cavalry led by him can only do their best. After a period of rest, everyone is in good spirits, and the war horses are eating grass every day.
, before leaving, they were fed cooked oats with salt. The horseshoes of each horse were removed, the shoes were repaired or replaced, and the horseshoes were rested.
A blacksmith arrived from the rear with new shoes specially brought to Lukiholm. A blacksmith shop was immediately opened in this emerging town. Its responsibility was first to repair all kinds of old construction tools, and now it is to re-shod all the horses.
There is a prairie proverb: A bad horse shoe breaks a horse's leg. If a horse's leg is broken, the battle will be defeated. If the battle is defeated, the tribe will be destroyed.
The horses were shod with new shoes, the soldiers put on clean clothes, swords were hung on their belts, and bows and quivers were hung on the saddles. The dense rain of arrows in the bags was like the reeds and bulrushes on the riverside.
The packhorses carried chain mail, large quantities of cables, grain and cooking utensils.
In principle, this cavalry team can quickly enter the battle, and it is also a good construction team.
The straight-line distance from the starting point to the destination is 120 kilometers long. The cavalry did not have precise navigation equipment. The only high technology they mastered was to determine the direction by rubbing iron needles against magnetite to float on water, but it was useless.
They went south along the banks of the Lovati River, relying on the sun to navigate, and finally reached the end of the river - a lake.
The lake was simply called "Lovadi Source Lake". The army did not stay here because Fiske himself came up with a very straightforward answer during the previous investigation. As long as he drove hard and headed south, he could reach the West Dvina River in the same day.
's riverside.
The whole army did exactly this. They arrived at the lake at the source of the river near noon, and finally entered the watery swamp in the evening. In front of them was the quietly flowing West Dvina River.
"Are we really here?" General Svalgard of Ostara asked, tightening his grip on the reins and looking at the river.
"Here we are, this is the West Dvina River." Fisk was in a cheerful mood, with a faint smile on his face.
Svalgard couldn't laugh. He felt uncomfortable riding a horse, and his mount was tired. "Now that we've arrived, it's time to set up camp. We'll build a stronghold here."
"No, this is not the destination."
"Not here yet?" Svalgard was a little frustrated. He raised his head and looked at the ground, "Okay. There is a lot of water here, and water will seep out when the horses' hooves step on it. We should find a good place."
"No. We still haven't arrived." As he said that, Fisk pointed his big hand towards the lower reaches of the river: "Our guide will take care of things next." That's all, he shouted: "Come here, bring that Olaf here.
."
When the horse came carrying old Harold (Olav), he still hugged the horse's neck, lying on the horse's back and passively sticking his buttocks out, which was very indecent.
Looking at this man, Fisk and Svalgard both suppressed their laughter, but luckily they could.
"What? It's been many days and you still haven't learned to ride a horse?" Fisk's words were slightly joking.
Old Harold grinned in embarrassment: "I'm still better at rowing."
"Let's take a look in front of us. This is the West Dvina River, the name given by our king. The Riga people call it the Daugava River, but it's the same anyway. What do you think? You can lead the way."
"You can lead the way. Where are we going?"
Such a question actually stopped Fiske. Yes, it is inexplicable for a guide to not know how to navigate.
Fisk thought again: "Aren't you towing the longship south? Now take us to that location. We will build a fort where the trade route must pass."
"okay."
Old Harold actually felt that his guiding behavior was unnecessary if not precise navigation. Ross's cavalry army had already arrived at the Daugava River. The rest was not something they could do as they wanted. So-called
Do we really want to find the destination? They killed people and abandoned the longship. There are obvious markers on the swamp. Why rely on human navigation anymore?
Since you have received the errand, you should complete it to the end. But it is too late today, and the cavalry does not have time to reach its destination.
So the army camped by the river, and the soldiers were finally able to get off their horses and have a good rest. They led their mounts to eat grass, and filled the unloaded cooking utensils with river water to cook wheat on the spot...
The whole army rested for a night and continued their operations after the fog dissipated the next morning. They farmed and arrived at their destination in the afternoon.
The river channel has a huge S shape. Because of this structure, the water potential becomes very gentle. In addition, some tributaries flow into the West Dvina River, creating a large shallow wetland here.
The cavalry completely passed through the river and successfully found the exposed and damaged longship, as well as the place where they had buried the dead bodies. The traces on the ground were still there, but it was a pity that things and people had changed.
When he arrived here again, Old Harold didn't want to make any statement, but the frustration in his heart was written on his face.
The whole army had dismounted, and everyone was told that this open space was a good place to build a fort.
Fisk could see the embarrassment of the old guy. Old Harold, who was piled with bodies, sighed: "We just buried the people who killed you here before. Do you feel uncomfortable, or dig out the bodies and bury them again?"
"No need. I have already fulfilled my duties. Besides, they are already dead, so there is no need to destroy the corpses."
"That's fine. It's just that the presence of Otsuka may delay our construction."
Old Harold didn't want to talk more about this matter. He pointed his swollen hand at the small river in front of him: "This is the correct path. The small river is called Lucasa (Lucasa River), which means the winding road leading to Smolensk."
’s creek.”
After hearing the detailed description, Fisk and Svalgard, who were slightly tired, instantly became energetic.
"Haha? Can our cavalry just go south along this river?" It seemed that the bald general was about to suddenly change his mind and attack Smolensk itself directly.
Anyway, the matter has come to this, and Harold Sr. realizes that he has no reason to hide anymore.
"That's right! It's just that this section of the river is too shallow, and people can swim through it at will. We can only drag the boat through this place before continuing to row. When we arrive at the lake where the water source is, we drag the boat for a while and find another river.
water source, and finally reach the big river in the south. If you really plan to attack the main city of Smolensk, this is the shortcut."
"Very good." Fisk nodded.
He was convinced that some of the cavalrymen at hand had been wreaking havoc in this area in the past few years. They were by no means ignorant of the situation in this area, but they had no intention of settling down and controlling it. They were all just passers-by.
I'm too lazy to investigate the hydrology and geography of this place.
Even the commercial cavalry from Kiev and Pecheneg did not bother to stop on the way as they rushed north. In the past, the cavalry went directly north along the left bank of the Dnieper River and crossed the river at its upper ford. Geographically, it was actually in Smolensk.
The eastern part of the main city is also where there are many communities and villages, which is convenient for cavalry to plunder.
That path was actually a detour, but the river was indeed a natural chasm. The team had to consider crossing the river. Since the horse team wanted to cross the water, they had to find a suitable ford.
Or, simply waste some time, take a boat in the Kiev area to reach the other side, and take the right bank of the Dnieper River from the beginning, heading north without looking back. The cavalry has tried both routes, and each has its own merits.
The Kiev people only have small boats, but the boats are more organized, and it takes a short time to transport the cavalry across the wide Dnieper River. Once you cross the river, the rivers you encounter later have many shoals that can be waded. If you are simply rushing, take this one
Right Bank Road, if you want to take advantage of the opportunity to plunder, take the Left Bank Road.
There are a large number of villages centered on the main city of Smolensk, especially along the river. Due to the raging cavalry in recent years, the villages in the western area of the main city have shrunk significantly, and people have evacuated eastward with supplies, leaving many abandoned farms.
Old Harold actually didn't know about this situation, nor did the residents of the entire Gulf of Riga. In the past few years, the joint plundering of Rus, Kiev, and Pecheneg had created a no-man's land (today's Orsha region).
The people ran away completely, and the original lines of communication did not disappear. When the cavalry was not wreaking havoc, merchants from far away could still take advantage of the opportunity to travel together.
There were actually cavalry raids in the southeast and northwest directions of the main city of Smolensk, and the worst was in the west direction, so it was a shortcut for caravans to travel together.
Fiske can conclude that this year's southern caravan will most likely go north from his own area, and they will also have to pass through this shallow swamp.
In the past, the marsh had no name, and a large area was generally called "Valde marsh". Now it has a very specific name - Vitebsk.
Where will the building be built?
Since it's somewhat unlucky to have a corpse buried right in front of you, you might as well go upstream and have a look.
About two kilometers northeast of the tomb, Fisk solemnly announced: "Here it is! Let's build a fortress!"
At the lower end of the S-shaped bend in the river, the first pine stake was driven down, and the construction of the fortress began.
The first wooden stakes of the Vitebsk Fortress were laid here. The suitable geographical location determined that a city was necessary to be built here. It just guarded a throat leading to the Smolensk waterway, and even guarded more roads.
There are many paths leading to Smolensk, and the existence of the city of Vitebsk can guard all the paths. Even now Fisk only feels that he is guarding only one path.
The Ostara people began to roll up their sleeves and use various tools to build wooden fortresses. Some of Ross's standing cavalry assisted in the construction, and some of them became scouts on the spot and began to conduct further area reconnaissance.
The kingdom's tentacles will permanently extend here. From now on, people will no longer rush past here. The kingdom must understand the geography here and rule permanently.
However, only two scout teams with a total of twenty people were arranged, one traveling in the south and one traveling in the east. It was clear that the Polotsk people were in the west, so in order to avoid unnecessary complications, Fisk did not arrange any western reconnaissance teams.
Faced with the new situation, he had to adjust his plan. He said that he should not take the initiative to cause trouble unless necessary, even if he knew that the enemy was in the west. So the task he gave to the scouts was to only conduct reconnaissance. Even if he saw the village of Smolensk, he was not allowed to do what he had done in the past.
They usually rob homes and houses only to detect their locations.
Such a mission would be very boring, but the scout was given the only key mission - to find the cavalry of Kiev or Pecheneg.
To this end, both scout teams prepared flags and horns to avoid causing an inconvenience in the event of an encounter.