Every family has high hopes for their eldest son. They are like young eagles that have been in the nest for a long time. Their wings are full and it is time to fly.
The Seventh Flag Troop is a conscripted citizen soldier in terms of status.
Boys and girls with old Russian blood, according to the old rules of Russia, are theoretically obliged to join the army in wartime.
Half of the basic two-year education is devoted to physical fitness and combat training. Young children naturally know some combat skills.
When such talents organize a team and then step up their training in the hands of professionals, a new army will be formed quickly.
Such a new army is not qualified simply because their swords are not yet stained with blood.
He is burdened with the responsibility of not dishonoring the glory of his father's generation and has the desire to establish new achievements. Another reason is very practical. The child's parents need him to earn trophies outside to support the family because they have too many younger brothers and sisters.
The parents would not let their son go on a simple expedition. They had already prepared weapons and protective equipment for their eldest son.
A steel sword, multiple-handled axes, leather-covered and patterned bucklers, leather-clad helmets, leather-lined jackets, chain mail, and other implements.
Although the king will distribute some weapons and protective equipment, considering the complex situation on the battlefield, parents will take out the equipment that has been prepared and even hand over their own weapons to the eldest son in advance.
The Seventh Flag Troop is being formally armed.
Look at these warriors. The flag squadron has been reorganized, and unexpectedly two Centurions out of the five hundred-strong squad are fully equipped with crossbows.
Each person in the team carries a wooden arm crossbow modified from a recurve bow. Compared with the old version, its draw length can be longer and the poundage is higher. It uses needle-like armor-piercing light arrows. The tension mode makes
The stringing is already very fast. It doesn't matter if the mechanical parts are damaged. What you get after removing the bow arm is a normal recurve bow. The shooter can immediately continue fighting in the stance of a step archer.
Each member of the other team is equipped with a steel-armed crossbow. Its range is close, and it is extremely lethal when it fires short, heavy arrows within a distance of fifty meters. It can even be thrown, even if the effect is not good, against the enemy.
Soldiers with light armor or no armor are still lethal.
The other two teams seemed to be just normal sword and shield players, but that was not the case.
A hundred-man squadron can be broken down into twelve squads, the so-called combat squads. The two squads have a total of twenty-four squads, each of which is responsible for a lightweight torsion slingshot, or crossbow.
It is a heavy weapon that has demonstrated its superiority in previous battles. It can fire javelins or cast iron projectiles with conical heads. The former focuses on long-range damage, while the latter focuses on medium and short-range damage.
It has been more than ten years since its birth in Rus. The weapon system has been continuously optimized and is now made to be as dexterous as possible.
Some people carry the wheels, some manage the trolley parts, and some work together to take care of the core parts of the slingshot. When the various parts arrive at the destination, the modular design can be quickly assembled. The subsequent work is easier because of the wheels.
With power assist, a single person can move freely by pulling the vehicle-mounted torsion slingshot.
The Seventh Flag Team is too young, and Rurik is worried about them participating in the battle in front of the battle. What does Ross rely on to conquer the world? One is strong bows and crossbows, the other is large warships, and the third is cavalry. Ross has long been an outlier in the Viking world.
The tactics are really useful.
As the last month of their departure approaches, the Seventh Flag Team intensifies its training. They have become a force that is completely focused on the power of long-range weapons, but they are also an indispensable force in the army.
Another strength of the Russian army is that it separates different arms in advance and displays multi-arm coordination on the battlefield.
Blue Fox will recruit a thousand Jotalans in Gothenburg to fight, and follow the example of Ross in establishing a flag system. Those people can only learn as much as possible, but the real fight will be the same as before. The so-called personnel form a shield wall to hedge against the enemy, relying on With teamwork, they forcibly broke through the enemy's lines and then carried out random killings. Even so, they were stronger than many tribes, at least better than the Saxons, whose weapons had been weakened for a long time.
The real Rus' army cannot have too much expectations for those Jotalan allies. The two flags of the Rus' side must seize the time to contact and cooperate.
No, Rurik Raid invented a drill mode.
The wilderness where troops are trained is always covered with snow, and the snow that touches the knees is constantly collected, and the snow transported from the city is also constantly piled up.
The snow was deliberately made into a large number of snow pillars, which were then covered with rags and old thatch mats to imitate people's clothes and hats. Wooden boards were placed to act as shields, and the raised wooden poles served as spears.
A large number of dummies were made, making it look like an army array from a distance.
Look! The First Standard Corps of the Standing Army has set up a wide shield wall, and behind it are the crossbowmen who perform projectiles and the torsion slingshots that push forward. Here they are practicing Xu Jin's barrage attack, and a large number of sword and shieldmen are steadily advancing. The arrows and javelins were flying by. Before engaging the enemy at hand-to-hand combat, the enemy received a meal of arrows and javelins.
But the snowman is a dead creature, and the biggest benefit of this exercise is to ensure that the various arms are not disconnected during the attack.
When it comes to real exercises, it is better to organize a real army to engage in brutal "competition".
The Third Banner, the Slavic Banner, was mainly composed of White Tree Manor personnel. Those who had finished hunting and waited for the ice to melt were suddenly assembled. There were also veterans of the First Mstisk Banner, and even dismounted cavalry as infantry. .
No, one side is the army left behind, and the other side is the army that is eager to go out.
"Competition" does not use bows and arrows, only round shields and wooden weapons are used. Wooden swords and wooden axes can be pounded on people at any time. If the force is hit, bones may be broken alive. All participants wear normal armor. Under the command of the solemn sound of horns, more than two thousand people lined up in two shield walls and collided with each other on the snow. They agreed that no one should make a fatal blow and the victory would be achieved by overwhelming the opponent's line.
Are they really not going to kill each other? The anxious people completely forget that the other party is their own race. Most of them are ruthless people fighting in the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Even if they are holding wooden sticks in their hands, they still have to keep poking them. The hammering was continued, and the people shouted chants and kept pushing with their round shields.
The noise was so loud that people from the entire city of Novgorod and even nearby villages came to watch these barbaric late-winter dramas.
There were dense crowds of people standing on the city wall, and some people piled boxes on their sleds just to get a better and more realistic view.
The young soldiers of the Seventh Banner were mixed with the standing army. They became part of the shield wall and were supported by the old guys. The soldiers gritted their teeth and faced off against their fellow soldiers on the opposite side.
A distinguished old man put on his gold-plated battle armor, sat on a sled, and wore a sturdy polar bear skin. The sled was even decorated with a bear head, just to prove the old man's bravery.
Otto will go to the capital. He wants to see off the expeditionary force in person and see the launch of the "Sea Monarch".
Now, with a gold-plated helmet on his head and the "Destroyer" sword in his arms, he is accompanied by his family to watch the barbaric "Great Melee" in a high-profile manner.
At this moment, the shouts of killing were loud, and tens of thousands of onlookers stood far away, some were excited, some were worried, or some were crazy, and all the sounds turned into the roar of the earth.
"Rurik, if you do this... you might die." Otto's old face raised slightly and looked at his serious-looking son.
"There is indeed a risk. But I... would rather they be beaten black and blue here than be suddenly killed by Frank soldiers. Father, we have very powerful old warriors, and the new recruits can only make rapid progress by following them."
"We've never done this before!"
"It's here now. I think it's not too late."
"What?"
"Those who were injured or even died accidentally in the chaos. They were either too reckless or too cowardly. In my opinion, the front lines of both teams are heavily armored and have organized shield walls, so it is difficult to get injured.
.”
"Okay. You always have a point." Otto closed his mouth and continued to admire.
Rurik could hear that his old father was a little displeased. He looked at his daughter's paper again, especially at the tangled face of his mother Niya. It seemed that his barbaric training behavior was too cruel. It was indeed ferocious. It was a drill.
The war has begun and I can no longer stop it.
The standing army was fierce and led the Seventh Banner Corps to attack all the way.
However, they saw that the mixed force on the opposite side seemed to be retreating steadily due to lack of physical strength. Unexpectedly, it was a trick or following the trend. It was a fact that they were retreating in the middle. They actually launched an outflank from both wings.
"Idiot! Guard our flanks quickly!" However, Grund's cry was drowned out by the shouts of killing.
Ascard, who was involved in a frontline fight for the first time, was infected by the strong stimulation. He could ignore the pain of the wooden stick hitting his armor, and almost ignored his fatigue. He just gritted his teeth and continued to attack, unable to execute it at all.
Grund's order.
The experienced veterans successfully completed the outflank, the shield wall pressed directly over, and the pincer-shaped pocket formation was being built...
At this situation, Old Otto recalled many bloody battles in the past. He cleared his throat: "It's enough. Our recruits have been defeated, thanks to the wooden sticks used. You issued a restraining order again, otherwise..."
"Otherwise they will be killed one after another with swords in their backs." Rurik said with a sullen face.
"Yes. Maybe your trick is indeed effective. This farce can be ended. Call their commanders over and we can question them."
The sound of horns and drums tried their best to overwhelm their fighting, and the people trapped in the encirclement still rushed out of the encirclement from the front. They heard the signal sound and slowly stopped the "fighting".
It wasn't until my frantic heart calmed down that my muscles and bones began to ache.
Who won? Hard to say. It seemed like it was just a tie.
The young people were surprised by the ferocity and ruthlessness of the veterans, and the veterans also admired the young people's brute force.
Poor Askard was not injured on the surface, but his helmet was knocked off and his head was buzzing. When he took off his helmet and touched his head, he found that there was still a swelling.
"Did we win or lose?" he pouted and asked Grund, whose head was soaked with sweat and his hair was smoking crazily.
[To be honest, I have been using Yeguo to read and catch up on books recently. I can switch sources and read aloud with many sounds. www. Android and Apple are available.]
"Of course I won. Boy, you did a great job."
"Hey, young man." Askard touched his head, which was still smoking, "The helmet didn't protect my head well either."
"It's good that you realize this. If we really break out a war with the Franks, we will be killed by tomahawks and swords. Maybe you will have your skull smashed by a big ax and die immediately. Let's learn from you."
"oh."
Askard did learn a lot. He had to report the situation to his uncle and grandfather, and at the same time, the nobles involved in the chaos also had to report.
He was holding back an evil fire in his heart. The guys he had just gotten together with were either relatives or friends, but when he looked at them, they had other meanings.
Everyone stood in front of old King Otto's sleigh with different expressions. The same thing was that they were all trying their best to exude mist, as if they had just emerged from the sauna.
Who won? Otto gave a "evenly matched" answer.
"Now, the Supreme King declares that it is a tie." Rurik repeated it again, opening his arms: "Then, all of you can enjoy the stewed venison feast that I promised the winner."
Old Otto coughed twice more: "Tell me how you feel." He glanced at Ascard in particular, and when he saw his grandnephew's pouting little mouth, he knew what the boy was thinking.
He first asked Governor Medved.
"It was really a fierce battle. I felt like I was facing a formidable enemy. If there really was a battle, I'm afraid my people would die on a large scale."
Medved's words were full of flattery. Although most of his people were Slavs, many of them were now Vikings. After the fighting patterns began to converge, their brave and fierce appearance became more and more similar to that of real old Russian warriors.
Arik and Fisk also participated in the "fight". Considering that they were either nephews or brothers, the two tried to maintain a humble attitude. Especially Arik, he knew that his son was angry, but he did not dare to use radical words to this kid
Pour cold water on your head.
"What about you? Asgard." Otto waited until the end to ask.
"Grandpa, I..." The boy raised his head, looked at Otto, and then at Rurik.
"How is it?" Rurik had just finished asking. When he looked carefully, he noticed the bulge on his nephew's head. "Are you injured?"
"This is not fair! We are too young and our bodies are not strong enough. This kind of fighting is very detrimental to me."
"Fair? How can war be fair?" Otto was a little surprised. He didn't expect his grandnephew to say such a thing. "Haha, tell me, what is fair?"
"Well...it should be a completely equal battle. They are all old warriors, we are new, they are strong, and we are still weak. So it is unfair."
Askard's words made everyone present speechless.
"Nonsense." Arik scolded him bluntly.
"Hey! This kid is just innocent." Otto motioned for Arik to shut up, and then waved his hand to let his grandnephew come to him.
The pouting Asgard had no choice but to do as he was told, thinking that his grandfather could comfort him. Unexpectedly, a big hand suddenly stretched out and stuck directly into the boy's neck. Askard subconsciously grabbed the big hand with both hands and tried to break free.
, I coughed so hard that I instinctively moved my feet.
Otto was unmoved when his grandnephew's leg kicked him. He even signaled to the surprised people not to come near him, and then he grabbed Asgard's neck with both hands. However, the boy gritted his teeth and resolutely resisted, and finally relied on strength.
, broke away from grandpa's restraint, patted his red face again, and asked with confusion: "Grandpa, what are you doing?"
"So, is our duel fair?" Otto panted and asked again, which showed that he was very tired just now.
"I...I don't know."
"What's fair? I'm old! If I were young, how would you break free? Your neck would be broken. But you are young and can break free from my hand quickly. You know..." Otto grabbed the wooden stick next to him.
, indicating that everyone would not support him, he stood up angrily by his own strength. Now the polar bear's clothes fell off, revealing his heavy gold-plated armor.
"You know, I was the number one warrior in Ross when I was young? Do you know Ross's old competition? In order to compete for power, participants bet their lives! Anyone can participate, young or old. Is this kind of competition fair?
"
"I……"
Otto intended to give a good lesson to his grandnephew, because he always felt guilty for his brother who died early. If that unlucky yaw had not happened, there would not have been a sneak attack by the Gotlanders, and his brother Ogier would not have died. Thinking of this
For this reason, he had high hopes for his grandnephew Askard.
"My child, you still need to learn. Are you really suitable for going to the battlefield? Will you tell those fierce Franks that a fair fight is needed? Don't make excuses for defeat! You have obviously participated in a real war, why didn't you learn
Do you understand? Remember, you have to use your brains to fight. Victory is the most important thing. In order to win, we have to use more to defeat less, and we have to launch sneak attacks. Forget the experience you learned from fighting among children, you are now a war chief!"
"Yes." The pinch just now woke up the boy.
Thinking about it carefully, it would be ridiculous for him to make excuses for his failure in the battle. He didn't want to quibble anymore, and he still didn't want to admit that he was not in a good position in the battle. Of course, he had nothing to admit. Abandoning the excuses for defeat, the only thing left was not admitting his mistakes and refusing to admit defeat.
.
The boy simply raised his chest and said wildly: "I will become stronger, and I will make great achievements in Frank to show you!"
"That's right. Bring more of the gold and silver you captured when you come back. I'll see if you keep your word."
Otto used another provocation, but Asgard beat his chest again and said that he meant what he said...