Chapter 401 A group of sea wolves immediately rushed to the battlefield
A large-scale army landed on Tombstone Island. Some people were excited and some were cowardly. Especially those guys from Novgorod. They had no idea in their lives that the world was so vast.
The world is limited to a corner of Lake Ilmen, and the distant world is full of dangers.
They found themselves on a large island, and it seemed that this was the home of the Varyags?
The team was gathered by Arik on the small flat land on the island in the north of the wooden castle. Together with the remaining people stationed on Tombstone Island, there were as many as 1,200 men who could hold weapons gathered here.
People were whispering to each other in a hustle and bustle. Most of the people here were talking about the Novgorod people and denounced them as born slaves. As for the Novgorod people, they are now submissive and don't know what to do. Yes, they even once
I feel that this island is the home base of the Varangians! Each of the many Varangians is a head taller than them, and any one who is waiting for him will definitely be beaten to death.
Arik looked over his soldiers from a high position and issued a brief battle mobilization. He called on the two groups to obey his orders, and he would strictly abide by all the orders of Duke Ross.
Immediately afterwards, he began to use all kinds of axes and iron spears to equip the Novgorod army commanded by Medvet again. The very next day, Arik couldn't wait to train this messy group of guys with the traditional fighting skills of the Russians.
"Ross team fighting techniques" to quickly correct their so-called group fighting tactics of "fighting without distinction of priorities".
What made Arik happy was that these Novgorod lakeside residents did come, and they also brought some stone farming tools and fishing gear.
The information Arik learned after landing was that the fleet transporting troops, ordnance and large amounts of food from the rear had not yet arrived. He estimated that the fleet had not left the port at all.
The island's population, which suddenly doubled, had to fend for itself until it received supplies and grain gifts from the Duke.
The Novgorod people's fishing skills began to impress some Russian soldiers. What was even more shocking was that some guys actually brought rapeseed. They actually plowed a small piece of land on the island to sow cabbage seeds.
"You are really a group of simple farmers. You are self-reliant, just like those farmers in Mälaren. This is good, it can reduce my pressure." Arik just didn't know a clear theory, that is, being born as a human being, you are born with
With strong subjective initiative, as long as there is no interference, you can spontaneously create wealth to support yourself.
As early as the second day after Arik landed on Tombstone Island, a fleet continued northward. Kawei, his Lilia, and the fleet escorting some tributes rushed to the mother city of Roseburg.
Another boat quickly rushed to Lake Mälaren to report to Otto and Rurik who were waiting for news.
Finally, on May 24th, the ever-large fleet carrying a large amount of supplies finally arrived at Tombstone Island.
A batch of black chrome iron spearheads and gray-black quenched wrought iron spearheads produced from Elon Orava Fort were unloaded. These ordnances were tied to wooden sticks to become powerful weapons, and then attached to axes, they became long-lasting weapons.
A halberd!
A large number of wooden bows and crossbows covered with linen caught Arik's attention, including some of them, such as the newly made torsion slingshot, and a batch of matching harpoons with barbs.
Among the heavily armed warriors were a group of short men carrying longbows. They were all servants of the Covin people of the Gray Squirrel tribe. There were actually many children among them, especially two of his younger brother's close followers, Banka.
Nuff and Fisk.
Things were far more complicated than Arik thought. He saw Fisk, who was still bald. This twelve-year-old child was stunned to be carrying the sword of his father who died in the battle. Could a child dare to go into battle to kill the enemy?
But seeing that he was also carrying a crossbow that seemed to be made of wood, I thought that this guy was only qualified to be an archer now.
Harold Zosen serves as the escort officer of the fleet. His appearance really surprised Arik. Even Harold Zosen, an old guy, was dispatched. Doesn’t it mean that Rossburg is already empty in a sense? Fortunately, Harold Zosen claimed that last night
Escort work, the next step is to quickly return to Roseburg.
Kawei also returned with this fleet because he had a deeper mission.
But now, he wants to give Arik another gift.
Some special crossbows were placed on the ground in front of Arik's feet. The strange thing was that their wooden bow arms were all standard Stika.
"Is this a wooden crossbow?" Arik was deeply doubtful.
"Exactly."
"Are they useful?"
"At least, it is better than the ordinary short wooden bow. Accept my gift, so that it can shoot ordinary arrows and at least kill ordinary enemies."
Arik shrugged: "Not bad. Brother, is there really you in the edict?"
"No, but the expeditionary force must have someone who specializes in repairing weapons. Look." Kawei pointed to one cargo ship and long ship temporarily anchored one after another, "The big leader. It is the Duke! The Duke decides, especially you
My brother has decided that all our Russian troops will use bows and arrows in this battle."
"Is that it? I hope the soldiers will fight the enemy bloody. You know, the sword is bloodthirsty."
"I'm not that particular." Kawei said bluntly and shook his head.
Both Kawei and Arik moved their families back to the home port of Roseburg, and a small group of frail women and children on Tombstone Island were also temporarily moved.
The entire island has turned into a huge military camp, but it is hidden in thousands of small islands and reefs. The vast area is essentially no man's land. Only a few businessmen know their location. The vast number of Melalen people
Little did they know that the Russians had quietly prepared a strategic reserve force.
The Principality of Rus, which was suddenly nominally born, has shown stronger mobilization ability than others since its birth. In fact, this mobilization ability is still lackluster. Rurik has not had time to establish a complete system. The tribe is not a universal mobilization. However,
Even so, if Novgorod and Elon-Olava Fort in the distance are included, as many as 4,000 to 5,000 people are involved in the current stage of war preparations.
So, during this period, Rurik, Otto and his party were stranded in the Lake Mälaren area. What happened to them?
The entire Lake Mälaren became unprecedentedly lively, with thousands of porridge passing by on the lake and the waves becoming turbulent.
A large number of soldiers were recruited in a short period of time in the most lively Melalen Market. The place became unprecedentedly lively, so-called crowded.
Similarly, Gould Island was also surrounded by merchants from all walks of life, and the Ross goods that arrived were completely sold out. Out of commercial principles, Gould consciously raised some prices, not to mention the guys who had urgent needs.
, they cursed and bought the things.
There were even some selected farmers who chose to use their unripe wheat as collateral to complete loan transactions with tribal leaders. After taking the money, they bought leather, wooden shields, and even leather sold by the Gran people on the market.
Axes of decent quality, and even some hard-storage smoked fish cubes.
Although Origen's promise was based on a reward of some wheat for everyone, this generous promise was unprecedented, and the peasant warriors of Mellaren were not too sure.
Until one day, someone saw a group of people pushing and pulling two-wheeled carts loaded with sacks, escorted by their leader Origen, parked at the dock where the Russian ship was moored.
Olegin began to fulfill an extremely important clause in the agreement. No, he came in person.
At this moment, both Otto and Rurik were staying on the Avlora in person, and they simply slept in the "Captain's Lounge" at the bow of the ship.
The noise attracted Rurik to stand on the high platform of the ship's bow. He held on to the wooden ship's side mast and carefully touched his head to the torsion slingshot covered with oil-soaked coarse cloth. He immediately saw Olegin's old wrinkled face.
"Hey! It's the respected king!" Rurik shook his right hand vigorously, his voice was loud, and he showed a very obvious smile.
Rurik clearly had a sense of joking in it, but what about Origen? He just felt that Rurik, a brat, was very sensible and respected him, which was a sign of smooth cooperation.
After a moment, Otto appeared wearing a velvet hat, with a snow fox coiled on his head, and two wild goose feathers stuck in the sky. Otto dressed more like a businessman, but he is also a businessman now.
thing.
The planks for boarding the ship were laid, and Otto and Rurik stood in front of Olegin.
Otto glanced at the two-wheeled vehicles: "It seems that all the grain you want me to carry is here."
"Exactly, enough to feed my army for ten days."
"Okay." Otto turned his head and greeted the people on the boat. He turned his head again and said, "I will remember our agreement, and please remember the agreement."
"Of course. I just have one question now."
"What is it?"
"This ship..." Origen pursed his lips: "Can she carry all my food? At least not a cargo ship. I want to go up and have a look."
"Come on board for a visit? Come now."
Otto had no intention of hiding it. He had already discussed it with Rurik that a person like Origen was qualified to visit in person. His visit was a bilateral courtesy.
Those private soldiers of Origen, all dressed in black, appeared as porters without any weapons. This was also an act of goodwill from Origen.
Carrying heavy sacks on their backs, they walked up to the middle side of the Aurora with firm steps, and stood on the deck one after another, where they unloaded the sacks for the time being.
Immediately afterwards, the Ross soldiers accepted the transportation work.
Just now, Origen, who had already boarded the ship, entered the cabin of the ship along the wooden ladder. The huge space gave him a strong sense of oppression under the illumination of an oil lamp. No ship had such a feeling.
Structure! It’s like a warehouse floating on the sea!
The Aurora changed Origen's entire understanding of cargo ships. The ships he owns and this large ship must not be said to be inferior, but should be described as seriously backward.
A large amount of food began to arrive in the cabin. After seeing her huge capacity, Origen no longer had any worries.
Standing on the bow deck of the ship, he stood at a high place, and the poop she saw was even taller. He didn't notice the things wrapped in linen on both sides of the bow, but he suddenly hoped to get this big ship!
Because a king needs the greatest flagship!
Origen trembled, making no secret of his desire: "Otto, my brother. Your ship is so wonderful. I hope you will give her to me."
"Huh?" Otto was stunned and backed away for a while, but Rurik turned into a completely angry cat.
"No!" Rurik stood directly in front of his father, looking up at Origen and denying it bluntly.
"Isn't it okay to buy it with money?"
"What? You still have to pay?"
Olegin shrugged: "Is there anything in this world that cannot be measured by money? How much does your big ship cost? I will pay you a hundred pounds of silver coins."
"You! Are you humiliating me?"
"Huh? Do you think the money is too little?"
Origen just said it casually, and he felt that one hundred pounds of silver coins was already too much. What is the reality? The construction of the hull alone of the Aurora cost the equivalent of more than one hundred pounds of silver coins, and a mess of follow-up equipment.
From the installation to the decoration of internal components, the overall cost of this large ship has soared to the level of 200 pounds.
However, how can the value of the Aurora be measured in money?
Origen did not give up immediately: "So, two hundred pounds? How about it?"
"No! It just won't work! Unless you pay two hundred pounds of gold!" Rurik gritted his teeth and directly stated a price that the other party could not accept.
Because that's two hundred pounds of gold! Maybe Origen can come up with the same amount of wheat. Even if he raids the entire Melalen tribe, the theoretical limit is that he can come up with five pounds of gold. After all, gold comes from Roman gold coins, so
It is not a common currency used in trade.
Olegin had no choice but to give up and sighed helplessly: "Since you Russians can make it, you can build ships for me in the future, right?"
Listening to this, even shipbuilding costs a lot of national money, and building ships for others should lead to even greater benefits. Otto wanted to take over this guy, but was decisively stopped by Rurik.
Since ancient times, military weapons have been a profitable business, but some weapons must not be sold. This is called "keeping one hand". Even though Rurik knew that he could indeed cheat the Malaren people by selling large ships.
This matter is not about money at all, but about national defense! If this thing is really done, Rurik feels that it is political suicide. Melalen has a large number of people. If they control a group of big ships, Ross
People should weigh how long their advantages will last.
Origen returned angrily, with a wave of hatred welling up. Fortunately, this old guy was a rational person, and for the sake of taking pictures for the overall situation, he easily suppressed his hatred until it disappeared. It was his son Karl, who he always saw
The big ship anchored in the home port felt that it was an invasion and provocation.
Lake Malaren does not allow such a large ship to exist! If there is one, it must be the flagship of the Malaren people!
It's a pity that the glory belongs to the Russians...
Perhaps his father's plan to buy a boat right away, or even order a new boat, was rejected by that kid Rurik. Karl's clenched fists almost broke his bones.
There was also a sense of hatred and even evil in Karl's heart. He hoped that his old father would die soon so that he could become the king in advance. At that time, he could use the name of the king to forcibly buy the ships of the Russians, just like the Russians.
If you don't agree, then threaten them with military power. Wouldn't it be beautiful?
In fact, to this day, Karl's attitude towards the Russians is still that of "a group of guys who deserted everyone and went north to catch ferrets." He never thought that the Russians were very strong, even though big ships were swaying under his nose every day.
The time is getting closer to the departure date of June 1st.
The battle longships of various tribes were gradually prepared. In a short period of time, a group of fishing boats were quickly transformed into transport ships to make up for the loss.
What about the Russians? In nearly a month, the five cargo ships anchored at the Gould Island dock have undergone major renovations.
In terms of structure, the Aurora is a massively enlarged version of an ordinary cargo ship.
The hulls of all cargo ships are still the same. They are all equipped with pine decks and spliced with higher railings. A "wooden house", the so-called poop, is built at the rear end of the deck to protect the rudder.
Give all sailors a safe place to shelter from wind and rain.
The cargo ship's sails were also completely replaced. The original straight beams were removed and replaced with longer, tilted beams.
In other words, these cargo ships anchored in the port have all been equipped with brand new triangular Latin sails, but none of them have been equipped with bulbous bows, which will inevitably cause them some disadvantages when sailing. Their bows have also been nailed
Special wooden strips were pieced together with numbers spelled out in rune script, some pine gum was applied, and chalk soil was sprinkled on them. This was the so-called temporary ship number to facilitate command.
The first people to land on Gould Island were the old warriors from Tombstone Island. This group of guys attacked and looted the Gotland village three years ago, and looted the Estonian village last year. Although there were only thirty people here,
Each of them is a fierce fighter. They are elites on the battlefield, and their strength cannot be underestimated.
Finally, the large force that Rurik had longed for most came from the home port. They formed a compact fleet and arrived at their destination carrying a batch of key strategic supplies.
The wooden boxes were carried off the ship one by one, and Rurik inspected them as usual to confirm that they were the required "ammunition".
They are a large number of conical cast iron projectiles, each with an inclined groove intentionally left during casting. The advantage of this design is that it can rotate on its own during flight, and the gyroscopic effect ensures that the trajectory will not tremble.
.
There are also a large number of crossbow arrows. Their arrow clusters are of various shapes, but the quality is not very good.
So what can be done? The rear area is given too much time to prepare for war.
What makes Rurik most gratified is naturally the unloaded batch of newly manufactured torsion slingshots. In terms of weight, they are weapons like Roman scorpion crossbows. They can be maneuvered quickly with only three men carrying them. There is this
The weight is naturally not very powerful. Rurik can conclude that these quick-made products are far less powerful than the carefully processed treasures before.
It's better than nothing. As soon as they arrive, they start to be installed on the cargo ship.
Ross's army for the expedition was assembled. On the first day of landing, they completed their assembly in the courtyard of the center of the Gould Island wooden fort.
Look at them! A group of warriors wearing chainmail and leather armor. They carry shields on their backs and wear helmets reinforced with metal sheets. Many of them have iron masks to protect their faces. Steel swords and swords are hung on their waists.
Steel axes, all members also got the bows and crossbows assigned to them.
Thirty of them were the Kovin warriors of the Gray Squirrel tribe who wielded longbows, and the Rus people who settled in Ironburg. Thirty of them were equipped with longbows made of white wax rods, and the leader of Mechasta personally commanded this "Northern Force"
Among them was his eleven-year-old son Taravis, an accurate archer.
Some childish faces were also inside, including Kanuf and Fisk, as well as ten naturally strong boys. Especially Fisk, Rurik and Otto, who were standing high to inspect the soldiers, all saw this kid.
Carrying his father's sword on his back. Obviously, this battle is the best coming-of-age ceremony for him who has just grown up (he is an adult at the age of 12).
Other children lined up in neat lines were particularly strange among the many lines. Because they were girls, Rurik's ten Slavic maids, and their commander was Carlotta herself.
Could it be said that the Ostara people have become so difficult that their female leader is the only combatant? Now, the Ostara army has eleven people, and they are all girls. They are not using winch steel arms.
A crossbow is a pure wooden crossbow. The military training these girls receive is to shoot arrows with all their strength. They are girls under Rurik's command who have been given accurate names. Their existence is like Odin's Valkyries.
They themselves are producers of commodities, and they must serve as priestesses during important festivals. They are also loyal female warriors of Rurik, and this battle is their first battle.
Through frequent crossbow training, they have long become excellent "small animal hunters", but this time, the prey may become the enemy.
Everyone, including the sailors who participated in the war, formed a diverse team of more than 300 people, assembled in this small courtyard.
Rurik and Otto spoke one after another. After some war mobilization, deafening shouts came from the closed wooden wall, which shocked the foreign businessmen doing business at the dock. It was as if the wooden wall locked a group of monsters, frightening them.
I hurriedly checked out and left with some of the latest soaps I bought that arrived at Gould Island.
The day of the expedition is approaching, and the entire Gould Island seems like a volcano about to erupt, and everyone is actively preparing for war.
No, Rurik, who was under the greatest pressure, wrote another letter and sent it to Arik and his troops who were already stationed on Tombstone Island.
Regarding these matters, Otto has completely handed over the tactical and strategic matters to Rurik. The current situation is such that even a fool can realize that this kid Rurik is the wisest person and the most suitable combat commander.
By.
Facing the war, Otto's heart was as calm as a windless lake. He actually felt a little regretful. According to the agreement, the Russians should not be involved in the land battle. He had to comfort himself and relied on two hundred soldiers.
It would be too difficult to "grab food" with an alliance army of more than 3,000 people, so it would be better to "stand back and watch" as agreed and wait for Origen to hand out a large amount of loot.
On the morning of May 31st, the day before the expedition day, Lake Mälaren was already crowded with ships, and many desert islands had become anchorages for armies of various tribes.
There are fishing boats plying the various moorings everywhere, and fishermen are selling their catch, and even some arrows, wooden sticks and other weapons made by the fishermen.
It was also at this time that Arik, who was stationed on Tombstone Island, received an order from Duke Ross.
Yes, Rurik gave the Strategic Reserve such a task in the name of Otto.
First, train the army so that it stays awake every day and can go to the battlefield at any time.
Second, especially train the Novgorod army so that they can imitate the fighting of the Russians as soon as possible.
Third, strengthen the defense of Tombstone Island so that enemies and potential enemies cannot threaten the safety of the Tombstone Island wooden castle at any time.
Fourth, dispatch patrols to go deep into the vast sea to intercept and kill all Gotland fishing boats as last year. At the same time, as a warning, beware of any form of enemy sneak attack on the kingdom. If a large number of enemies appear, resolutely eliminate them.
"Damn it, this order is really..." Aric put away the wooden board and urgently called his people together for a meeting. He read out Duke Ross's order and tried his best to hide his regret.
If he was going to intercept and kill the enemy's fishing boats as usual, why would he go to such trouble to assemble so many troops? He felt that he was destined to miss the war. Just sending five patrol boats would not lead to a big battle with the enemy. He wished he could kill the enemy.
Attract to Tombstone Island to complete the annihilation.
"Huh? That's right. If the Gotlanders attack my Tombstone Island, wouldn't an army of a thousand people be able to kill them all? That would also be a great victory!"
Take a look at his own armament. Because he received a batch of equipment from Rossburg, the strength of the Novgorod army has increased. He has ten steel-arm crossbows, ten wooden crossbows, and more than thirty short wooden bows.
, and four torsion slingshots used as defensive wooden forts. He also kept twenty long boats docked in the fjord in the north of the island.
With such an army, there is no problem in raiding a Gotland village, but taking the initiative to attack would go against the wishes of the uncle's leader. Unless Tombstone Island becomes a battlefield.
The setting sun shrouded the world, and the shores of Lake Malaren were filled with bonfires. A large number of tents appeared beside the bonfires, as well as Lu Su's people. Under the setting sun, an unprecedented number of battle longships appeared on the lake. They swayed and collided with the waves.
Under the calm appearance, each soldier is either nervous or daydreaming.
Many people are destined to be unable to sleep this night, because tomorrow is the day when thousands of ships will go on an expedition!
Origen, for example, was so excited that he couldn't sleep when he thought about getting the opportunity to command an army of three thousand men at the end of his life.
Rurik felt nervous, but he was not afraid of trouble. After the transformation, the Ross fleet and even the cargo ships had become "battlefield giants". Enemies who dared to challenge would not be turned into scarecrows by crossbows.
.
Otto, on the other hand, should eat and drink. Having experienced many battles, he didn't think what the future war would be like.
Arik, who was located on Tombstone Island, stood on the wooden wall and looked at the sunset and the south, and couldn't help but reveal an evil smile full of ambition...