In Polotsk, many people felt that Lambart and his group, who were personally serving as envoys, would be in trouble. The barbaric horse bandits would kill them and then refuse any negotiation. The horse bandits were such villains, and negotiating with them was really unnecessary.
A large number of people felt that Rambat was brave but also very reckless, and that the big leader Plotclaw behaved unwisely on this issue. The people were most concerned about their own immediate interests, and the survivors of Duka Village complained everywhere
His own experience has aroused fear and anger among the people. Mainstream public opinion may not have any thoughts about any peace. War is inevitable, and the top priority is to strengthen military preparedness.
Farmers tried to arm themselves as much as possible. Since they did not have many iron tools, they used the limited sharp tools to make a large number of short spears. Wooden poles about three meters long, daggers, bone spurs, or just polished wooden poles to make them sharp.
Forks, scythes, and threshing flails are all weapons.
The previous skirmishes proved that those horse bandits were very sharp at shooting arrows. How should we deal with this? It would be great if they were protected by iron chain armor like the big leader and his soldiers, but it is a pity that ordinary farmers cannot do that.
They made a large number of wooden boards and transformed them into square and round wooden shields. If possible, they would cover the shield with a layer of animal skin.
Wrapping oneself in hard animal skins is a means of defense. Hunters who are able to afford it simply wear wild boar pelts, while poorer ones simply hang two wooden boards on the front and back of the body. This is just to hope that their vitals will not be hit by the arrows of horse bandits.
Shot through.
All farms are actively preparing, even though this year’s wheat harvest is not far away.
It is fair to say that the leaders of each farm are unwilling to fight because the enemy is pressing too hard. The Ross horse bandits have arranged soldiers to keep an eye on them. It has been many days since the messenger set out. It stands to reason that the scouts arranged at the ruins of Duka village should encounter Lambart's group on their return.
Already.
"Will they really be killed? Forget it, we can no longer have any extravagant hopes..." The big leader adjusted his mentality. He is indeed not a coward, and has now become an outright main fighter.
The whole Polotsk crowd was excited, and the Riga businessmen who were stranded here were so frightened that they went home one after another. Some businessmen who knew Ross better had no obligation to tell these guys that Ross was untouchable, so they ran away and wanted to tell Riga to do something good.
Responses.
Some farm leaders were so impatient that in the subsequent small meeting, no one asked for an early start of war.
"We don't have to wait any longer! Rambat has been killed and the enemy has declared war."
"Now we still have the upper hand and rush over immediately. We rely on our numerical advantage to win quickly and not delay this year's wheat harvest."
They kept saying this, and the heart of the big leader Proclaw was shaken violently. Reason still prevailed, and he ordered: "Continue to proceed according to the original plan. And we need a grand sacrifice and let the priest divine it."
The leaders gathered together and then each took a cow from their own farm and sacrificed a total of thirty cows on the wooden pile ring altar in the large settlement. Such a grand sacrifice was unprecedented in scale, and the priests made the altar
Soaked in cow blood.
They prayed to the sun god, river god, forest god, and wind god to give them strength. Facing the kneeling tribesmen, the priests announced in a loud voice that the Polotsk people would win a great victory.
Who dares to say defeat in this situation? Polotsk does not have the ability to gather 5,000 men, and it is no problem to organize a large number of women to reach an armed force of 4,000 men.
They never knew they could have such a large army. The spears soaring into the sky were like a forest. The spear holders tied their foreheads with white hemp ropes, and tied their scattered hair into simple braids on the back of their heads. They
Use this attire to identify yourself with the battlefield, and the uniformity on the surface further enhances morale.
The big leader insisted on waiting until the appointed day, and set off en masse before Lambat could wait.
Just two days before the appointed day, on the afternoon of the second day after the sacrifice was completed, the scouts stationed at Duka Village hurriedly returned in a canoe.
The return of the envoy immediately caused a sensation. What the people who had already sharpened their knives wanted to hear most was the disdain for peace from the Russian bandits, so that everyone could justifiably kill them all. Rumors immediately spread wildly about the returning envoy.
They all received special corporal punishments, and the leader, Lambart, did not return.
Why is this? Yes! Rambat must have been martyred! Brothers must avenge him!
As many village leaders as possible rushed into the city of Proclaw, and the victims sat on the ground and accepted questions.
They were asked to tell about their encounters with the enemy, and each one of them cried bitterly and told their sufferings, pointing out the enemy's strength, and most importantly, pointed out the enemy's crazy intentions.
Proclaw, the great leader, felt his scalp numb after hearing this. The village leader who was watching could not bear the stimulation and criticized the situation very seriously: "I told you long ago that you should send troops early. Now that the Russians are on guard, our opportunity for a surprise attack has been eliminated."
not much."
Someone also made a correction: "It takes time to gather the army, and the rusty sickle needs to be polished. Now our village is ready to launch an attack."
"Then let's go quickly! I don't want to wait any longer..."
The village leaders completely believed everything the released messenger said, and what the messenger repeated was what Fisk sent to tell them. It was not that these Polotsk elites lacked wisdom, it was because the messenger relayed the words of the Russians and people could not tolerate disbelief.
Proclaw suppressed his blush and asked one more question: "Did you really see Lambart killed?"
One person ignored the pain in his ears and answered hurriedly: "But those gangsters want to use Lambart as a sacrifice to worship their god. Lambart must have been martyred."
"So you didn't see Lambart's death..."
"Is there anything left to doubt? We demand an immediate battle!" A village leader urged ruthlessly, fearing that Proclaw would waste time by nagging.
"Forget it. Let's start the war! It seems that all the illusions I have about the enemy are false! Brothers, get ready immediately. We will gather tomorrow, bring all the supplies, and we will march upstream!"
Proclaw made the most difficult decision in his life. The returning envoy suffered humiliation but still got some important information that was very unfavorable to Polotsk - the Russians were increasing their troops.
The battle situation has become complicated and confusing. What is certain is that if Polotsk fails to take action and the Russians have more troops, their chances of winning will be slim.
They still don't know how many troops the Russians can mobilize. Polotsk, in the "fog of war", doesn't have many choices. The whole people are mobilized, and all that's left is to give it a try, even if it may lead to destruction.
But the majority of the people did not have the slightest pessimism. They were swayed by anger and saw the unprecedentedly large army composed of their own tribe gathered together. When the army assembled in the largest settlement, their self-confidence reached its peak.
The grand sacrificial ceremony has ended, and today is not the day for the expedition. Proclaw followed the public opinion and announced the departure today, which greatly satisfied the people's desire to fight.
Next, is the march straight upstream...
It is certainly very lively when the army gathers. The identity of the armed farmers is first attached to the farm where they are located. The village leader leads the farm to build a combat group. There are twenty large and small combat groups in total, among which the largest
None more so than the part from the largest settlement, led by Proclaw himself.
The number of men and women armed peasants gathered in Polotsk reached 4,000. It can be said that they have exhausted their military potential.
The old and the weak were placed at home, and all the young and strong men and women set off.
The troops from each farm gathered together and marched on foot carrying dry food and weapons mainly short spears.
They could have used canoes, but no one did so. No one made the first move. All the leaders believed that victory could only be achieved by working together. Any advance in fighting would only give the Ross horse bandits a chance to defeat them one by one.
Losing the ability of canoes to transport troops quickly, all the Polotsk militiamen could only walk together. The strength of each farm was uneven. Their march along the right bank of the West Dvina River gradually turned into a long snake due to the delay of all parties.
It is not surprising that the marchers formed a long snake formation. The key is that the formations of these militiamen are not coherent with each other.
The team was gradually delayed for five kilometers! The army of the largest settlement was led by Proclaw, who was naturally the leader. They had higher arrogance and naturally walked faster.
Several farms in the second echelon followed, followed by the third echelon, the fourth echelon, and the fifth echelon that seemed to be deliberately dilly-dallying.
In a sense, this march is similar to a marathon. Those who are not good at foot strength are forced to fulfill their obligation to defend their homeland. Their weak physical disadvantages are clearly shown, and there are even people with sprained feet who are left behind.
When they arrived at the settlement, the crowds were excited and their morale was high. After two days of continuous march, the morale of many people was severely depleted.
Proclaw's own situation was also a bit bad. He personally led a team of 500 people, which was actually the largest group in the entire army. The wooden carts transported by the ponies were piled with grain, and the marching people also carried them on their backs.
He was carrying dry food. He was very aware of the situation of the army he directly commanded. The army could carry limited food, so relying on rivers to bring drinking water to the army was not a problem.
Your own team cannot support a long-term march, and the situation of other allied villages can only be worse.
On the surface, he is indeed the big leader of the entire Polotsk. In essence, he is still the talker elected by each village. He has no power to influence the affairs of each alliance village. In this war, he was completely kidnapped by the fierce public opinion of each alliance.
.
As soon as the war started, it was like an arrow that could not be recovered. After two days of continuous action, they were now camping by the river. A large number of bonfires were lit, and the villagers were armed and camping on the spot to rest. He found that his team was already complaining incessantly, and the men were all rubbing their hands.
Holding her calves, panting for a while, she hurriedly ate it after waiting for the wheat porridge to be cooked. The situation of female soldiers in the army was even worse. They were originally peasant women. Due to the basic principle of all-people combat, they were also fulfilling their obligation to defend their homeland. This is
It seems natural to them, but in the current environment, they have become a burden.
Women are mostly weak, so there is no problem if they have rested before joining the fight. Since they have passed through the ruins of Duka Village and are not far from the enemy-occupied swamp, these female warriors have clearly shown signs of fatigue in their legs and feet.
Their speed throughout the army will be greatly reduced.
Should I persuade them to go back?
Proclaw did not do this. He arranged for his scouts to go to the front and rear to investigate the advancing farm army. Some news reached his ears, and the information was very regrettable.
"Damn it, you guys are taking too long! Do you want me, the five hundred people, to fight the enemy head-on?"
He cursed and summoned his cronies, then gathered all the strong men in the army, and lectured them based on the current situation.
The campfire shone on the slightly tired faces of these young people. He pointed directly upstream of the river and said loudly: "The enemy is there! It's a pity that our alliance soldiers are too lazy. Are we going to get glory with our small strength? Unless the armies unite
Only by fighting can we have a chance of victory, otherwise we will be seeking death! We cannot take risks. I order you to slow down and cheer up. We are entering an area where enemy activities are rampant..."
His words were as tactful as possible, and the listeners all realized that their allies were delaying. The original plan was for the army to launch a collective charge and destroy the enemy's fortress in one fell swoop. Now it seems that the fighter planes are very immature and are deteriorating.
It's not that Proclaw wants to screw up, he just doesn't want to end up dying by adding fuel to the fire.
The next day, he deliberately slowed down while holding his head, which was very friendly to the first echelon of the march. The five hundred people in the vanguard adopted a wedge-like formation, with the strong men in front, the small carriage with baggage in the middle, and the female soldiers behind. Because it was
Moving upstream on the right bank of the river, they now had the river on their right and there was no need to defend this position, so they placed defensive troops on their left hand side in case an enemy suddenly came out of the forest.
A few days ago, Lambart's team of envoys, because he himself was quite agile, the people he gathered were also in good physical condition. This small group of people could move quickly and could reach Vitebsk in four days on foot.
The army led by Proclaw himself has to accommodate the slower people in the army, and now it has to move to the alliance villages where the situation is even worse.
It was already the fourth day, and they still had not seen the so-called Vitebsk Fortress, and it was still early for the river near the camping area to turn into a swamp.
How many more days of walking are needed? The sluggish march is quickly eroding the morale of the soldiers. Proclaw did not expect that the war would become like this. He thought that if the march was so sloppy, there should be some village leaders who thought that taking the initiative would be a good idea.
A reckless mistake.
What is very bad is that now the possibility of the army turning around and returning has been completely lost, and the cost of silence they have invested in the war has been extremely huge.
This was the fourth night after the expedition, and geographically they were very close to the Vitebsk Fortress.
In this way, if Ross sends cavalry scouts for reconnaissance, they can easily detect the traces of the Polotsk army.
The scout cavalry has always been arranged, and they noticed the undisguised enemy troops without any effort. They even took advantage of the moonlight in the night to find a way back and forced their way back, dragging their tired bodies early in the morning when the morning fog just started to steam.
The body and bloodshot eyes returned to the camp.
Fisk sharpened his sword like all the soldiers, and ordinary soldiers thought that fighting the enemy openly was a waste of the advantage of the cavalry. They all obeyed Fisk. Since the boss asked so, the brothers and the brothers who joined later had no choice but to agree.
Yeah.
Many scouts returned in a hurry at the wrong time, each reporting the news of the enemy's sudden appearance.
Fisk, who was sleeping soundly, was disturbed by the noise outside and woke up. He patted his face and yelled to instantly get rid of his anger.
"What's going on?!"
The soldier outside the door hurriedly said: "It's the scout we sent out! There is important news to report."
"It's the enemy!" The scout soldier who was a veteran broke in without any regard for etiquette, and said loudly and cordially: "Brother! That Lambart was right, their army has already appeared."
Fisk stood up immediately, his mind was stimulated and he suddenly woke up: "Is the news reliable?"
"It's absolutely true, just..."
"How? Speak slowly."
"yes."
So all the returned scouts entered the house. They had some discrepancies in what they said about the enemy. The greatest common denominator of their remarks pointed out one situation. Based on the number of bonfires lit by the enemy, it can be roughly estimated that their troops are not large. The earth is between 500 and 1,000.
among people.
Is this the entire strength of the enemy? Taking the maximum estimated number of one thousand men, such a strength is considered a behemoth, and just like challenging the cavalry, then the Polotsk people are asking for trouble.
Fisk believed in the investigation reports of his old subordinates. He did not believe Lambart's description of the "five thousand troops" at all. He rather agreed with the "three thousand troops" estimated by the leader, Old Olaf.
Even if we refer to the latter, the strength displayed by the Polotsk people now can be regarded as a vanguard force.
What is this?
A question posed before Fisk: Either take the initiative to attack this team and weaken its spirit, or wait until they reach the enemy's gate before attacking.
After all, we must attack. Considering that the enemy is moving very slowly on foot, the Ross coalition still has time to discuss whether to take the initiative to attack.
"Okay. Send me an order to notify Quetzal, Wladyslav, Svalgard and Olaf (Old Harald) for a meeting." He ordered.