Chapter 251 Rurik's first expedition begins on the first day of AD 830
Compared with previous years, this year's Hanukkah festival is obviously more grand.
On December 28th of the Julian calendar, there is no sunshine on this day, and Roseburg enters the only absolute day of the year.
The stone boat altar, brightly illuminated by a large number of bonfires, was crowded with people for a while. Including businessmen who were staying over the winter, they also joined the crowd at the grand gathering.
Under the attention of countless tribesmen, a young priestess took the old high priest's antlered helmet in public and put it on her head.
High Priest Vilia, she has become too old to perform the entire ceremony in person. She stood in the stone ship altar surrounded by the flames of the candlesticks, and with a hoarse voice, guided Lumia, who was wearing a deer-horned helmet, to do the most critical work.
Otto and Rurik, on the other hand, half-knelt in the altar quietly, watching everything that happened.
A stag's throat was slit by Rumia reluctantly, and the steaming deer blood was used to worship the Valkyrie who was parading in the sky.
She sprinkled the deer's blood on the snow, and then worked with other priests to cut open the deer's belly and pull out its liver.
"The next step is my work. Otto, Rurik, follow me."
Finally, the real high priest Vilia, who was in a state of supervision and observation, began the only divination that required personal participation.
Because the deer's blood has been shown to the gods, the deer's blood has also nourished the earth.
This time the divination will no longer require the "gem trick". The deer's liver must be cut, and Vilia will judge the good or bad luck of the northern hunt through the arrangement of blood vessels.
And this is the key to making this sacrifice different from the past.
A carbon steel dagger inlaid with gold was held in Vilia's hand. Because of carbon steel, Rurik had always lied that it was "technology from Valhalla." Naturally, this recently made dagger had some kind of
Divine power, Vilia firmly believes in this.
The bright red deer liver was carried to a wooden platform by Rumia, and under the illumination of the aurora moonlight and even the candlelight and bonfire, Vilia completed the cutting.
She held the oil lamp with trembling hands and concentrated on observing the cut section of the liver.
"Otto, come to me..."
Otto received the order and approached the high priest with extreme caution. "Great priest...is this a good omen?"
"It's a sign, maybe it's a good thing, maybe it's a bad thing."
"High Priest..." Otto was confused and his attitude was more cautious.
As for Villa, she felt that she had received some special revelation from the deer liver. Perhaps this was God's will, and she firmly believed in this.
"Tell the people. As you go east, you will inevitably fight with unknown people. The master of the deer will win his first victory. The territory of Rus will expand to the sea at the end of the world, and new people will be discovered in the frozen land.
The treasure..."
"What...what does this mean?" Otto asked doubtfully.
"This is the omen. Please inform your people."
Otto faced all this with confusion. He did not understand what a "master of the deer" was, but he was very interested in the so-called expansion of territory. Will there be a battle? It is best to have a battle, so that the young people involved in the action
People will not think that the action is boring and bullying the deer herders.
Therefore, Otto asked again: "The great priest, our enemy... is the deer herder?"
"No! Your enemy is an unknown person, not a deer herder."
Unknown enemy? Otto found it more interesting.
As for the deer's owner's first victory, now, Otto felt that he was talking about his own son.
Otto did not hesitate any longer. He grabbed the deer liver dripping with blood and told the tribesmen with a roar: "Brothers! The high priest has completed the divination! Are you eager to fight?"
His question immediately aroused the excitement of the young people in the tribe. The tribesmen who became very lively began to let out war roars.
"Then go fight! All warriors who participate in the hunt, you will fight against the unknown enemy, and you will expand the territory of the Rus to the sea at the end of the world. Brothers! We are not going to hunt, we are going to conquer the north.
."
Speaking of excitement, Otto pulled out his sword, picked up the deer's liver with the tip of the sword, raised it high, and let the steel sword drink the blood.
And the warlike tribesmen also fell into madness.
Seeing such a spectacular scene, Rurik's mood did not fluctuate violently. The young tribesmen became excited when it came to fighting, and they never even considered possible injuries and deaths.
Rurik felt that the so-called prophecy of the high priest was not a "god's will", but was just an excuse for the old lady to use it. Of course, he also understood that until now, the old lady was still trying her best to promote him, and even more so through the prophecy.
, supervise yourself.
"I am the master of the deer. Because I am now the master of all the reindeer in the tribe. When I rule the group of deer herders, I will be the master of all the reindeer..."
Therefore, Rurik did not feel that there was any ambiguity in the words of the high priest.
On the winter solstice, the Hanukkah festival ended successfully in the excitement of the group. After that, the people who decided to participate in the northern hunt returned home and started the final preparations.
On December 29th of the Julian calendar, the sun finally returned, although it still passed by briefly.
Life is already full of hope. People who see the sun again understand that the days will only get longer in the future, and spring will return soon.
Different from previous group hunting, Otto decided to organize an elite team of 300 people and headed straight to the northeast along the frozen coastline to find the so-called "unknown enemy".
What is an elite team? Those young people who participated in the war against the Gotlanders at the end of April aroused Otto's strong concern.
As the leader, he naturally selects the most elite warriors himself.
Otto even forced the blacksmith Kawei to join. Not only did he trust the young man, but also because for this operation, the team needed a blacksmith who knew how to repair tools and weapons. What about Kawei? He could participate in the new adventure.
It's a dream come true! Instead of hunting, Kawei actually wants to find new iron ore, copper ore, or even directly dig for gold. Because the blacksmith in this time and space is basically a "geological expert".
Otto ordered this group of young boys, generally only twenty years old, to forget the idea of hunting and instead seize the time to prepare their own weapons and all supplies for sleeping in the wild, especially leather blankets and making a large number of wheat cakes.
The taste of Beikuri has changed. Otto wants to follow the high priest's prophecy and go to war with the so-called unknown enemy.
Of course, there are also a group of brave people who simply go hunting, but the route heading north is completely different from Otto's team.
Those hunters acted spontaneously, while Otto assembled a real army.
Rurik was not idle during the last three days of preparations.
Right in front of his house, Rurik gathered his guards - mercenaries who mainly existed to make money.
All the mercenaries began to receive training from Javlo when they were still on Gould Island. When they arrived at Fort Ross, they received elaborate formation training.
Even at the last moment, this group of people received brand-new training in order to master the new weapons.
Rurik observed the twenty people standing in line in front of him, among whom Jevro was their leader.
A pair of sharp eyes came from a child, but all the mercenaries did not think this child was childish in any way. Many of the legendary Rurik's behaviors were very much like adults.
There is also the magical steel-arm crossbow he developed, which is now in everyone's hands. This weapon has the ability to make arrows penetrate wooden boards. It can be used to attack enemies or hunt, and its power should be considerable.
Today's mercenaries all wear cowhide hoods on their heads that can protect their ears, and wear warm cowhide jackets of similar styles, tied up with leather belts. They also wear multi-layered burlap trousers, and have warm and wear-resistant deer boots on their feet.
Leather boots and a burlap waistcoat almost covered their entire upper body.
Not only are their clothing uniformed, but their weapons are also highly unified.
Equipping all the mercenaries with steel swords? Rurik felt that this consumption of property was unnecessary for the time being. These people did not need to have excellent weapons for the time being, not to mention the steel swords that every warrior wanted.
The mercenaries all have a short spear, and the spearhead is actually mass-produced cast bronze. After all, it is used as a piercing attack weapon, and the hardness of bronze is fully sufficient. Its greatest use besides being a weapon is as a marching staff.
The mercenary also had a small hand axe, an iron dagger hanging on his waist, and a round wooden shield on his back.
With these equipment, a standard Viking warrior looks like this.
But this group of people is equipped with a new type of weapon that transcends the times - the steel-arm crossbow.
Compared with children, these mercenaries all have the strength to string a bow with their bare hands. They wear leather gloves, so they will not feel strung up. The crossbows are equipped with linen straps on the wooden supports.
The mercenary can directly carry the crossbow on his back.
Each of them has a sewn cross-body bag, which is called a quiver, but it can only hold ten crossbow arrows.
Rurik actually designed the quivers like this for them. He said that every crossbow arrow was heavy. Since his men were destined to march for a long time, they should not be equipped with too heavy equipment.
Rurik reviewed his men and felt that these guys had met his expectations.
He gave the order: "Brothers, you have trained with the crossbow, and your training results satisfy me. We Russians will go to the north to fight the prophesied enemy. You are my mercenaries. In the past days,
, I rewarded you with food and accommodation, and each of you earned thirty silver coins. Ask yourselves, are you stronger now than when you first arrived in Roseburg? Now, you must prove to me that I rewarded
Everything given to you is worth it.”
Yevluo immediately stood out of the team and suddenly knelt down: "Master, we will fight for you!"
Is it embarrassing to kneel down to a child?
No!
The other mercenaries all knelt down, lowered their proud heads, and swore: "My master, I fight for you."
The sources of mercenaries are almost all Melalen people, specifically a group of very poor young people who are young and energetic. They first want to have a stable life, secondly live with dignity, and then pursue their own honor.
Now, the mercenaries want to prove the value of their existence through fighting and get rewards from their sponsors.
Rurik shouted calmly: "My mercenaries! You must prove your true loyalty through a battle. Once a battle occurs, I will reward those who are brave and punish the cowardly. This time
If you take action, I will reward each of you with ten silver coins in advance. In addition, I will prepare the food we need for our action."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the half-kneeling mercenaries shone brightly. Unexpectedly, they had already made a huge profit before the Northern Hunting began.
Rurik continued: "Don't think that I am a benevolent charity. What I need is your bravery." At this point, he suddenly asked about Yevluo: "Yevluo, tell me! What should be done to cowardly guys?"
How to punish?"
"Kill!" Yevlo's response was concise and to the point.
Rurik was stunned for a moment, and after exchanging glances with Jevro, he made up his mind: "Okay! The best way to deal with cowards is to kill them! Are there any cowards among you? I don't see any. Listen!
Let's make an agreement in advance. If you chop off the enemy's head, you will be rewarded with... one silver coin. If you capture a woman or child and bring it back safely, you will be rewarded with two silver coins. What do you think?"
The mercenaries gave the most enthusiastic response with gleaming eyes.
Seeing their wolf-like expressions, Rurik was certainly happy inside, but also a little nervous.
Rurik was nervous about his irritating remarks, but things had come to this point. Complete mercy? That was impossible. The Russians wanted to show their bestiality, and he felt that he must also behave like a beast in front of his tribe.
, otherwise it would be too naive to expect to rule them with the image of a simple "wise man".
"I just want to lead the troops to fight. This is my first battle. I must get things done."
Different from the preparations made by other elite warriors, Rurik was responsible for the logistics supplies of his "direct army".
If you want to win a battle, proper tactics are of course very crucial, and well-guaranteed logistics is even more crucial to victory.
Rurik felt that as the master of mercenaries, it was not only important but also necessary to establish a logistics standard. It even needed to be popularized so that future soldiers of the Ross tribe would not have to worry about lack of food, clean water, or even accommodation during combat.
Rurik sent a group of women from the tribe and ordered them to grind wheat grains, then process them into wheat cakes and put them into linen bags, so that a cloth bag was stuffed with ten pounds of hard and dry wheat cakes. Whole wheat of the Ross tribe
Oatmeal cake is a kind of hard biscuit. It is not an excellent food in Rurik's opinion. Indeed, in this era, the Russian people can make the most shelf-stable cereal food.
In addition, Rurik also purchased a batch of cured meat and even frozen fish from the tribe.
Each of the mercenaries will have their own sled, on which each person will receive fifty pounds of wheat cakes and thirty pounds of cured meat. Frozen fish will be additional food. In fact, these foods can provide
The amount of heat is indeed enough for a modern soldier to support him in combat for a month!
Rurik prepared food for the mercenaries according to the time limit of one month to support the battle. But he really underestimated the endurance of the Viking warriors in this time and space, and even the fact that they could obtain food through hunting.
Rurik completed the final reserves.
Each mercenary's sled is piled with a large amount of supplies. There are shovels for digging, logging, hand axes for fighting, daggers and spoons for eating, several pottery urns, some charcoal blocks, a little sea salt, nearly a hundred pounds
There are high-calorie foods that can be eaten directly, linen that can be used to build personal tents, and deerskin blankets that can be used to wrap the whole body.
In addition, the most important thing is the steel-armed crossbow. They will carry this weapon with them, and they will also carry ten arrows in their waists. However, their sleds will be loaded with forty arrows.
The above-mentioned heavy equipment makes Rurik's mercenaries completely different from other Russian warriors. What's more, they also wear uniform clothes. Under the leadership of Jevro, these twenty people are only responsible to Rurik.
The promised first day of the Julian New Year in 830 AD has finally arrived!
The warriors on the expedition to the north gathered on the ice, and behind them were thousands of Ross tribesmen. The tribesmen sent the warriors off into the unknown territory and wished the old leader a new victory.
Everyone has interpreted the prophecy to some extent, and this trip is Rurik's first battle.
Children who are favored by God will surely make great achievements.
"Let's stop here." Otto ordered his old friend: "I will run towards the one who is leading you. Haro Zuosen, I think the tribe must be guarded by a man of high moral character."
"Big boss, please don't worry, everything is just like before."
Otto nodded deeply, but he could not completely trust this old guy. Of course Otto had a certain defensive mentality, after all, this guy had participated in the leadership competition when he was young.
Otto still trusted his blood family the most, and his feelings for his deceased brother were now completely transferred to his eldest nephew.
He patted Arik on the shoulder: "Hallo Zuosen said a lot. Before we come back, just like in May and June, you two war chiefs must manage our Ross tribe. Do you understand?"
There was some regret in Arik's eyes: "Big Chief, how much I want to go with you."
"Your words are offensive, call me daddy."
"Yes! Dad, I..."
Otto waved his hand: "That's it! This battle is your brother's first action. Listen, we can't go against God's will."
"Yes! I completely understand." Arik said no more. He knew that although he had lost this opportunity, the opportunity to fight would be in the near future.
The deep warrior didn't have many words. The warriors of the Ross tribe who were dragging their own sleds, led by Otto, formed a considerable team.
Here, only Otto's sled was pulled by the young warriors of the tribe.
He was sitting on the sled, with Rurik and Rumia sitting next to him. The leader's sled was protected by elite warriors, and he could serve as a sled puller for the leader, the future leader, and the future high priest.
The young soldiers who worked felt this was a great honor.
And because the Russians have to face the frozen sea and the snow-covered world every year, they are highly skilled in making sleds. The people pulling the sled do not feel how strenuous it is. Of course, there is the design of the sled.
The exquisite element also lies in the warriors Otto selected. They are young and strong, full of the violence and tenacity of warriors.
Otto was shocked by Rurik's training of mercenaries. It seemed that these guys were well-trained, but because they had not proven themselves through battle, Otto had always been highly wary of them. Until now, he ordered Yev
The people led by Luo were all at the forefront of the team.
To put it bluntly, if there is contact with the so-called "mysterious enemy" in the priest's prophecy, these mercenaries will be the first to fight.
Mercenaries! They are fighting power bought with money. If people are destined to die in battle, it is best for mercenaries to bear all the casualties of the team.
That's what Otto thought, and Rurik didn't object to it.
Rurik had his own idea, saying that it was best to have a battle, so that the mercenaries could line up and shoot one or two heavy crossbows at the enemy to achieve the first kill and achieve the first kill.
The women of the tribe cheered for their husbands and sons.
Caught in excitement, they cried one after another and watched the expedition people drift away.
"Okay, only us mother and daughter are left..." Niya took Carlotta and Ella's hands.
"Mom, Rurik and Dad, will they be safe?" Carlotta asked naturally.
"Of course! My daughter, let's go back and wait for their triumphant return."
The prophecy of the high priest has always troubled Carlotta. She doesn't like war, but she longs for violent revenge. This idea is of course very contradictory, just like she hopes that Rurik will make great achievements in the war, but she also doesn't want him to
Injured. Because the future of the people of Ostara depends on the protection of the Rus' people under Rurik's rule.