Rurik sat calmly on the fallen tree trunk, and so did Yevlo.
It seemed like an older brother was giving a lesson to his younger brother. Of course it wasn't like that, but Rurik was indeed a younger brother in some respects.
"Rurik, you want me to train you? Of course I can. However, I won't show mercy just because you are my master. I hope..." Jevro paused, but he was actually a little surprised when he said
Say something like this: "I hope you don't have any misunderstandings."
"I understand. I understand everything! I am hurt now just to avoid bleeding in the future."
Rurik raised his head slightly, thinking about his future. In his heart, he also had the hope of becoming a warrior.
Will it become cool?
But it will definitely convince the tribesmen further.
Yevluo said sincerely: "Since you agree, when will you decide to receive training?"
"Today is over. Let's start tomorrow morning. You have already taught my people a lesson. Tomorrow, I will join them and accept your training."
Hearing this, Yevlo jumped down from the tree trunk and half-knelt in front of Rurik, "I will be merciless. This is what you want."
"Yes! If I can't endure the training, I won't be able to become a true leader. You get up, and you and I don't want to be too formal."
Jevro was ordered to sit next to Rurik again and listen to his wishes.
"Jevlo, what do you think of my people?" Rurik pointed at the boys who were continuing to scuffle not far away.
"They are very brave, but they still lack training."
"Is it still training to fight alone?"
"Yes." Yevluo said sincerely: "The tactics you invented may be effective. If they can become masters of fighting alone, your people will be more powerful."
Rurik nodded, Yevro's words made sense and were in line with his own feelings.
Because of what Rurik knew about the battle that took place this year, the front line of the Russian army overturned the enemy's line, and what followed almost became a personal battle for each Russian soldier. The formation did have a tactical effect, but the changes on the battlefield were always sudden.
A warrior has many skills but is not overwhelmed.
Rurik was in a good mood and continued to point to the other side, where the girls were being trained to walk in line.
"What do you think of me training these girls?"
"Them?" Jevro frowned instantly: "Are you planning to let them go to the battlefield?"
"Isn't that bad? I won't despise them just because they are women." Rurik said proudly.
However, his wishes were strongly questioned by Jevlo.
"It's better to give up. It's best for women not to go to the battlefield. Even if you set up the Valkyrie Legion, they are mortals, not real Valkyries. They are just a group of weak women."
Weak? Not necessarily. Rurik wanted to use Carlotta's example to refute, but after thinking about it carefully, his quarrel was really meaningless.
A senior mercenary captain and a personal bodyguard who was highly trusted by Gould, he would definitely be able to offer some wise insights.
Rurik emphasized: "I have always had a dream, which is to organize all the women of our tribe. We Rus's population is not large. If women can become warriors when necessary, our strength will be enhanced.
Listen, I hire you to ultimately enhance the combat effectiveness of us Russians."
Jevro nodded: "Rurik, my master. You are indeed smarter than other tribal leaders I know. You are worthy of being a god blessed by Odin."
"Flattery again?" Rurik deliberately touched his ears with his little finger: "I'm not happy at all. I've heard these words too many times, and they almost blocked my ears. Tell me, what do you think?"
Yevluo smiled slightly: "Maybe a small number of girls can become female warriors. When most girls grow up, their best job is to give birth to more boys for you Russians. You know, some boys can grow into
The legendary giant, standing here with a huge figure, can scare many enemies into silence. Female warriors? They will definitely attract the enemy's attention. Oh, maybe you don't understand it well."
"I understand! I understand everything. However, I must train them. At least they must learn to pick up weapons to protect themselves."
"If this is the case, then give up the idea of letting them hold swords and shields as soon as possible. It will be difficult for them to have the strength to pick up the sword, it will be difficult for them to participate in fierce battles, and they will even go crazy when they see bleeding wounds."
"So, what kind of weapons should they be equipped with?" Rurik asked.
Jevro said righteously without hesitation: "Of course it's a bow. Is there anything better besides this?"
As he spoke, Yevlo looked at the sky, and his hands made a gesture of drawing a bow and shooting an arrow. Rurik noticed that the fingering of this man's right hand was not at all the usual Mediterranean style in Europe, but the thumb and index finger formed a special angle.
, seems very strange.
"You... can also shoot arrows?" Rurik couldn't help but asked in surprise.
"Of course." Jevro didn't care, "I know this skill, but I'm not perfect. If it's a rabbit or a turtle dove, I can still do it."
"So, you suggest that I train all the girls in my Valkyrie army to be marksmen?"
Jevro shrugged: "Of course. If they learn archery, even if they can't go to the battlefield, they can still shoot a rabbit and take it home. If they can shoot a ferret, they can make a lot of money by peeling off the leather."
"However, I don't think my tribe likes bows and arrows. Many hunters set traps. There are less than thirty bow-wielding hunters in our tribe."
"Really? That's too bad. Over the years, I have discovered that the tribes in the entire Siiya Alliance don't seem to like to use bows. This is a bit different from my hometown."
"Your hometown?" Rurik immediately turned his head and looked at Jevlo's glasses: "Yes, you are a Finn."
"Yes! I am a Finn. Do you want to know more about me? I am happy to share my story with you. But now, I must tell you about the bow."
"Okay. Do the people in your hometown love to use bows?"
"Of course. We are different from you. The people in our hometown don't know how to smelt metal tools. In order to hunt animals, we must make bows and arrows."
Jevlo's words illustrate a reality.
The Finns, specifically the Finn-Ugl people, crossed the Ural Mountains from Asia into Europe.
Perhaps since the beginning of civilization, the East has naturally had a strong archery culture, and the Fenugl ethnic group from Siberia also naturally possess this ability.
To this day, as the attacking Slavs continue to squeeze out their living space, the Finns who have escaped to modern Finland, and even the Sami people who have fled further north, still have to make wooden bows and arrows for hunting and protection.
Security of the territory.
But they really lacked metal tools, and it was really not enough to rely on obsidian and bone-polished arrow clusters to kill Varyag attackers wearing leather armor or even chain mail.
In a sense, the weapons and equipment of the Finns are naturally inferior. Even though there are many warriors among them who dare to fight, they are still constantly harassed by Slavs and Varyag attackers, and their space for movement continues to shrink.
Jevro's words were a good reminder to Rurik, because in his plan, the Ross tribe must be equipped with a large number of bows.
Bow? Not just a bow! You also need to equip a crossbow.
After all, Rurik has an Eastern mind, and the Eastern archery traditions cannot be lost!
What is very realistic is that the era of fighting solely by brute force will eventually come to an end. Even in a brute force battle, both sides must use their killing moves when they meet. They must be able to protect themselves to the maximum extent and eliminate the enemy. If a certain weapon can be used to achieve victory,
Why do you need to fight it yourself?
Bows, crossbows, and even gunpowder weapons were all created for this purpose.
Thanks to them, the intensity of the war continued to increase.
Rurik asked strongly: "Jevlo, you mean, you can make a bow?"
"Of course, it's not that difficult."
"That's great!" Rurik slapped his thighs happily: "I want you to make me a bow, and I want you to teach my girls archery. No! And my boys."
For a while, Yevlo was confused by Rurik's whim.
"My master, didn't I agree to train you in swordsmanship tomorrow?"
Rurik smiled awkwardly: "Of course we need to train. Do you have a bow in your hand? It's a pity that all the bow-wielding hunters in our tribe were taken away by my father."
"Of course there are. Gould's family owns bows. You know, as mercenaries, we are not berserkers who only know how to fight with brute force. We all have other combat skills. Some are good at throwing spears.
Some are good at throwing axes, and most can shoot arrows."
"Okay! What about my other mercenaries? They are as powerful as you said? Why do I think they are more suitable to be lumberjacks?"
Yevluo's expression was immediately awkward: "My master, because of Gould, it is impossible for him to transfer the entire mercenary team to you. Many of your mercenaries still need time to train. In my opinion, their current situation is no better than yours."
How clever is this boy?"
When he said this, Rurik somewhat understood the intention of his father's actions. Of course there was a factor of distrust here, and his father Otto must have also read the order. Those so-called mercenaries were not real warriors. The work of cutting wood with axes was
There are many benefits. For example, the tribe's current large-scale construction projects require a large amount of wood. While they cut wood to provide building materials, they also exercise their own physical fitness.
Rurik basically understood: "Very good, bring me five bows tomorrow and give me some arrows. Or, I will go to Gould with you in person later and ask for some wooden bows."
A group of fair-skinned girls with blond hair and blue eyes were holding wooden bows and shooting arrows.
Rurik felt that if they had pointed ears, they would be even more dreamy.
Maybe the Valkyrie Legion can be completely transformed into archers. Of course, they must also learn some hand-to-hand combat techniques. Archers who don't know how to fight in close combat are not good archers.
This is true for girls, and even more so for boys.
In the afternoon, Rurik Zhen and Jevro arrived at Gould's mansion somewhat unexpectedly. Gould had already undertaken a lot of large-scale civil engineering work for the Ross tribe, and he was also expanding his "mansion"
.Now that the chief's family has lived in a special longhouse with wooden floors that imitates Novgorod's architectural style, Gould started building according to the example.
Rurik also saw a large number of his maids here, that is, a large group of former beggars of Melalen who had to live together.
His appearance was somewhat sudden, but even so, Gould still hosted a banquet in honor of his big benefactor.
In the living room, as usual, some dried meat, pieces of bread, and even some dried plums were placed in front of Rurik's low table.
And the former mercenary captain Jevro was now a guest. Gould felt a very strong strangeness.
"My little master, do you have any orders? I will try my best to complete them." Gould said politely.
"I have only one purpose. I want a bow."
"Bow? You...you want to hunt?"
"Of course. If the enemy is considered prey, I don't want to talk nonsense. Give me five bows and fifty arrows. I know you have these things."
Gould didn't say much. He nodded with all his strength with his neckless head: "Okay, I can provide it now, as long as you are satisfied."
Seeing how cooperative Gould was, Rurik couldn't help but think more.
"Okay, so can you make more bows and arrows?"
"This..." Gould, who had no doubts at first, now had to ask the truth. "My master, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Then I will tell you clearly. Gould, I want to train an army that is good at holding bows and archery, but I am very lacking in bows and arrows. I will be very happy if you can wish me to fulfill this long-cherished wish."
"That's it?" To be honest, the wily Gould almost laughed out loud. He thought this child's words were too ridiculous. How could a team purely holding bows expect these people to kill the enemy? Is there any stranger determination than this?
What?
Gould did not refute immediately, and with a wave of his hand, he sent someone to bring a bow. He held it in his hand and stood in front of Rurik.
Let's talk about this bow. It is made from the core of a small oak wood.
It was cut into a roughly cylindrical shape and then went through bow training to form a curved arc.
The bowstring is a twisted hemp rope with pockets at both ends, which is hung on the so-called bow tip.
Is this thing really a bow?
Rurik frowned when he saw it. It looked like a toy.
"Gould, are you kidding me? Is this also a bow?"
Gould, who was about to explain, exclaimed in confusion: "My master, I dare not expire at all. This is our bow."
"But, this thing is too crude."
At this moment, Yevluo hurriedly interjected: "Master, Master Gould is indeed not deceiving. This is our most common bow. Even your Ross tribe has such a bow. A bow is a bow. If you think it is simple, you can maybe inlaid it.
Some gold and precious stones."
Hearing this, Rurik was dumbfounded.
As for this thing, where is the oriental tendon-angle compound bow that is interesting?
Gould was very happy that Jevro continued to call him "my lord". He placed the bow on the table in front of Rurik: "It is not a sharp weapon for killing enemies, but it is definitely a good tool for hunting. As long as you practice diligently,
Shooting precious ferrets is not a problem."
"Then can it kill a bear?" Rurik asked.
"Forget it." Gould shrugged, pointing to the bear skin hanging on the wooden wall of his home: "Listen, don't be afraid of bears, face them bravely. The best weapon to deal with bears is a spear, everyone.
As soon as it came out, the dangerous bear became a decoration in my house. Expecting a bow? Those arrows couldn't even penetrate the bear's hide."
Gould's words seemed a bit exaggerated, but looking at the style of the bow, Rurik no longer thought it was nonsense.
Rurik stared at the bow. The total length of the bow arms seemed to be only one meter.
This object is obviously a single short bow, which looks almost like a toy.
Rurik stood up, grabbed the bow with his left hand, and began to strum the bowstring with his right hand.
"Strange! I didn't seem to use much effort to pull the bow open?! Is this really a bow?"
At the same time, Yevlo's eyes lit up when he saw his master Rurik's movements. It was his thumb that plucked the bowstring!
Jevro couldn't help but ask: "My master, are you... born to be able to shoot?"
"Maybe." Rurik shrugged: "I don't know how powerful this bow is. Just let me go out and try it, and you can find something for me to use as a target. Go!"
Gould was very active in this matter. After a few greetings, a group of people began to set up the so-called shooting range in order to let his Rurik sponsor have a good time.
The fact is so realistic. Gould didn't say it. He felt that Rurik just came to play with him as a "bow-wielding hunter" today.
As for organizing a team with mainly archers, Gould still finds it ridiculous. Because the reality is here. The wooden bow used by mercenaries as an auxiliary weapon for hunting and killing enemies is an object that a little boy can draw.
.How powerful can it be?
Gould thought silently: "Rurik, you should just treat it as a toy."