After a long and arduous journey, the Russian army detachment led by Herriger escorted this large amount of captured goods and more than 2,000 prisoners, and finally arrived at Lake Oulu, a new activity area for Russian fishermen.
What is the source of the water in the East? Now many Russians have figured out that the hinterland there is the entire lake area, which transports fresh water to the distant ocean year after year.
Lake Oulu seems very big, but it is far less beautiful than the lakes and mountains of the traditional territory of the Tavastia people. It is just a gathering point of water in the river flowing into the sea.
Faced with the sudden appearance of the brothers, the fishing people were shocked and then overjoyed.
After arriving at Lake Oulu, there is no need to rely mainly on walking for the rest of the journey.
The fishermen's boats began to transport people, and they received a small reward for this, such as axes, spearheads and some leather captured from the enemy. They even asked for some captured women, because these women were all tattooed by the warriors.
The mark had to be abandoned.
But two thousand women will suddenly join the Principality of Rus, and the male and female fishermen are really worried about the future.
They are all a group of short, dark-haired women. If they all become new Rus women, will the remaining children still be considered pure Rus? Maybe it should be ignored. After all, Rumia, the high priest who was appointed by Odin,
He also looks like this.
It will take some time for a large group of people to arrive at Kovenstad and then take a boat back to Roseburg on the other side of the bay.
Before that, the five hundred Suomi girls had their new homes, and the men in their camp were already in joy.
The young and most energetic men become their husbands. Likewise, these men are also the mainstay of the Russian army at this stage.
Can they fight another war? Can their energy still be enough to guarantee an expedition?
Rurik couldn't help but have some scruples, but he couldn't change the goal he set during the winter.
When he issued a new war mobilization, with the sword pointed directly at the British Isles in the west, the men of the entire Rossburg responded positively.
Especially those young warriors of the First Flag Team who had recently beaten Tavastia violently in the east, and the enemy's blood stains still lingered on their steel swords. They were obviously the most active group of people.
"These guys just married a new woman, and a group of women will come back soon. You still like to fight when you are entangled with women?!" Rurik was very happy but also speechless.
The intense atmosphere in Roseburg can be felt by any fool. All the men, from childhood to old age, are shouting for war and for looting wheat, cloth and money.
It was a sunny morning, and the gentle south wind poured warmth into the entire fjord.
The women were busy taking care of their children and washing clothes. Craftsmen from all walks of life stepped up their work in such good weather, hoping that the men who fought in the war were busy polishing their swords and spearheads, and painting their shields with new patterns.
Although the Duke has not yet announced a formal expedition plan, it is obvious that after the adults' meeting this morning, the formal plan will be announced, and then launching a new expedition by ship will only be a matter of the next few days.
Rurik sat in the most central position on the first floor of the palace.
He was sitting cross-legged on a bear skin, and the bear head hanging on the wall further showed his majesty.
Old Otto, with his white braided hair and beard, sat next to him. He was already the de facto Grand Duke, and became an old guy who wanted to enjoy his old age. There were many old guys like him, and they all were originally from the Ross tribe.
elite, and now their era has inevitably passed.
The young people in front of me are all the pillars of Ross, and the children held, nurtured, and pulled by the hundreds of thousands of women represent a bright future.
The two core flag corps of the Principality of Rus that are purely composed of Rus, the ten centurions and the two flag captains are all here.
In addition, Frazier, the captain of several flexible shooting flag teams, and Grund, who had a raven shield and led his brothers to surrender, were also fortunate enough to participate in the meeting.
Another example is the Biyoni brothers, the heroes of the Balmok people. Not only were they present as distinguished guests of the alliance, but anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Balmok people would make a strong contribution in the next war to conquer Britain.
Everyone present got the news, and everyone was waiting for Rurik to announce the expedition plan, and the brothers quickly went to implement it.
Rurik said something twice. Seeing that the time was ripe, he said solemnly: "We made the plan to expedition to Britain last winter. This plan cannot be interfered with by various external forces. Perhaps some of you will feel that it has already been completed.
It's June, is it appropriate to go to such a distant place to conquer the enemy? Yes, this is a bit risky, but we must do it."
In fact, he misjudged everyone's thoughts. People present were not afraid of war, and they would not give up because of the many difficulties they might face. There were no doves here at all.
Rurik added: "We must conquer Britain, and we must plunder a large amount of wheat. Brothers, do you know that we are facing a huge difficulty now?"
Prince Rurik put the question here, and everyone stared at him, not knowing how to answer this question for a while.
As his cousin, Arik shouted carelessly: "What's the difficulty? Our strength is extraordinary, and the Danes who are now considered powerful have also died under our swords. Brother, you are the one who killed the Danish King with your own hands. You
He even said there were any difficulties."
Arik burst out laughing after saying this, and the others also laughed out loud as they were immersed in their past achievements.
They had laughed enough, and Rurik shrugged his shoulders and pointed out the difficulty.
He knocked on the wooden floor and said: "The problem is that there are so many of us! It's not that there are many people now, but that there will be an astonishing number of people in the future."
He then pointed at the experienced young people present: "In the past, the number of women in our Ross tribe was less than the number of men, but now it's completely the opposite. Which one of you doesn't have two women in your home? Which one of them doesn't have one in their arms?
, pregnant with one in the belly? Soon, we Russians will have ten thousand children, then twenty thousand, fifty thousand, and even one hundred thousand! In just twelve years, the boy can take up arms, and in fifteen years, the baby will
Every girl in your life can become a new mother. I have complete faith in your strength, just as I have seventeen women. I also have complete faith in the strength of the women we shelter. I dare say that when I arrive
In the years when our beards turn gray, the population of us Russians will exceed half a million!"
Five hundred thousand people?! Rurik used five hundred and one thousand to describe it.
Seeing that everyone was a little confused, he deliberately said: "A flag corps has 500 troops. At that time, we can rely on a population of 500,000 to organize 200 flag corps composed entirely of strong men! Think about it, that is
Our true strength. But to feed so many people, we need a lot of wheat!"
"Sure enough, the only thing we can do is rob the Britons?" the calm old Otto coughed and said.
Rurik turned back slightly: "Yes, at least for now. We are still pioneering in the east. Before the newly cultivated farmland can produce enough wheat to feed everyone, we must continue to attack it in the next ten years.
Otherwise, we will inevitably starve. Not only will we attack Britain this year, I am afraid this will become a norm in the future."
"So, is this the reason why you decided to keep fighting?" Arik said and smiled again, "Very good, I like it. I think all the brothers like it."
When Arik said this, everyone present raised their fists in response.
He added: "Brother, no one refuses war. Brothers are all eager to kill the enemy. Tell me! When will we raise the army? What is the strength of the troops? Brothers, please hurry up and prepare."
Now that the matter is at this point, any further delay is a waste of time!
Rurik stood up suddenly, standing like a giant, and began to give orders.
"Obey the order! Brothers..."
As for how to send troops, according to the original plan, the Ross army dispatched a thousand soldiers to go on an expedition to Britain. The attack was still directed at Northumbria, which was a weak country. Even this expedition did not necessarily involve a decisive battle with them.
Rurik estimated that the armless king named Aenred would consider the strength of the Viking army and either hide in the fortress to die or send envoys to seek a peace plan.
Any war must have a purpose. If it is a war for the sake of war, how is it different from rogue bandits?
Therefore, the first strategic purpose of fighting against the Principality of Rus is to use all subjective initiative to grab wheat.
At the same time, together with the Balmok Allied Forces, a treaty must be formally signed with Northumbria to carve off a piece of land from its territory and become a territory shared by Balmok and Rus. Then the kingdom must pay a sum of money every year.
tribute to meet the needs of the northern army.
The latter plan is actually more to satisfy all the Balmoks in Narvik Port, so that they can properly manage the territory cut off from Northumbria, so that the Russians also have a free port in the Western world.
.
Therefore, where should be the long-term control area of the northern army, naturally Lindisfarne and Bamburgh, which were the focus of last year's expedition, should be built as a new castle for the northerners, also known as Newcastle. To put it bluntly, Newcastle itself is
A military fortress built by the Normans, descendants of the Vikings, located near what is now Bamburgh.
In fact, everyone who listened attentively understood to some extent that this expedition was also to help the allies. Now no one would think that the Biyoni brothers and their Balmok warriors were outsiders. This is not the first time that everyone has fought together.
Although they are half-brothers, the comradeship cultivated on the battlefield makes us all like brothers.
It would be a good thing if Northumbria could be made to surrender and pay tribute by displaying a strong military presence.
Of course, the bellicose Arik understood his brother's idea and immediately questioned it.
Rurik's casual explanation forced his cousin to think again: "We now have the ability to attack York directly and destroy the Kingdom of Northumbria. But if we do this, other nearby kingdoms will be devoured like vultures.
The corpses of the war dead, then we will have to fight them endlessly, and it will be impossible to continuously obtain wheat and other tributes."
Keep a weak Northumbria and let the northern warriors carve off a territory, use their land to grow their own wheat and graze their own sheep. When they are strong enough, they will naturally destroy this kingdom and replace it.
The strategic plan is like this. How many troops should be sent?
Rurik's first thought was of course the young men of the First Banner Corps. They had suffered some losses in previous wars, but their essence was still the same and their strength was only slightly reduced.
He was a little hesitant at first. These young men had just finished their two-month expedition to the East, and they were afraid that they had been emptied by the newly acquired women in the past few days. Since Arik and the five centurions under him were all the same
He was so lively that Rurik put aside his worries.
Thinking about it again, maybe I shouldn't have any worries. The advanced fleet of the Russian army can float all the way along the coast to Balmok. As long as they don't take the initiative to provoke a fight with possible enemies along the way, I'm afraid it will take at least sixteen days.
They could arrive at Narvik Port. During this period of time, they had enough time to recuperate on the ship. Without the entanglement with women, the recovery speed should be faster.
There are already less than 500 soldiers in the First Flag Team, so we will recruit some experienced old guys from the Second Flag Team!
In addition, the shooting flag force is essentially a hodgepodge of various people, and today it still has to go into combat as a hodgepodge.
Rurik decided to select 300 people to participate in the battle, which were the 200 mercenaries under his command and the 100 Suomi servants. He actually wanted to choose the Heligel and Malaren banners, but also wanted to
With the useful Kewen Archer, those people are still on their way back.
There should be 800 Russian soldiers who landed for the landing, and 200 auxiliary sailors (actually a group of elderly fishermen and professional sailors).
A total of 1,000 soldiers of the Russian army is enough, and it does not look like a large army at first glance.
No! This is an army!
Because, for this expedition, Rurik decided not only to dispatch all the current main force of the Russian navy, but also to match it with twelve armed cargo ships to build a large fleet of up to twenty large ships!
This is the plan of the expedition to Britain. At least the Russians are going to try their best to fill their ships with loot. A fleet of this size also has another function, which is to allow all Danish people to pass through the strait controlled by the Danes.
People stayed back and tried their best to avoid unnecessary battles. Yes, Rurik had no intention of launching any attack even on the island of Bornholm he was passing through.
The plan had been drawn up, and Rurik set the time for the expedition to start on June 20 in the Julian calendar.
This time is actually not over. When the army first went through a lot of troubles to reach the Balmoks' hometown in Narvik Port, and then organized a huge fleet to arrive in Britain, it was just August. Rurik was already very
Knowing that the British people harvest spring oats, we arrived in early August, just in time for the locals to finish shelling the wheat grains, so we found the right time to grab the ready-made goods.
There were still some days before the planned time. When the order was issued, Rossburg turned around and began to allocate grain and fodder to prepare military supplies.
So much so that merchants immediately began to sell wood carvings of their gods at reduced prices, hoping that warriors and their families who were in urgent need of expeditions would buy them for good luck.
The four sailing cruisers Avora, Spellosvilia, Duke of Ostara and Balmok, as well as the four sailing cruisers Mercury, Venus, Mona and Mas
The sail destroyer and twelve armed merchant ships with hull numbers all began to increase their armaments.
Rurik really didn't have to worry too much about weapons. He went out to fight, and military production in the rear never stopped.
The elderly Clavarson is still a busy man. Although he is too lazy to forge iron himself now, he is instructing his blacksmith apprentices to make the metal parts of the torsion slingshot. He is also cooperating with carpenters and cobblers to quickly manufacture the torsion slingshot!
All sail cruisers have five torsion slingshots on each side of the ship. Sail destroyers have six torsion slingshots on each side. All armed cargo ships still only have one. What’s even more amazing is that these torsion slingshots can be disassembled and installed.
On a two-wheeled cart, it became a land warfare weapon.
For the various rowing longships of this era, weapons such as torsion slingshots, which were not very powerful, could also show terrible destructive power.
Although it cost a lot to increase the military equipment of Rurik, so what? When the looted materials were transported back, wheat and leather were sold, and there was another powerful wave of "silver coin recovery".
Soon, another piece of good news came. There were hurried ships reporting good news from the east!
The Russian army detachments finally returned to Covinstad one after another on the fourth day after Rurik returned. On the sixth day, which was the day after Rurik concluded the military meeting, the news arrived at Rossburg.
The good news was spreading like wildfire. After receiving this news, Rurik gave an order and eight large ships headed by the Aurora set off immediately and rushed to Covinstad due east, trying to bring back as many people as possible at once.
The facts were as Rurik expected. The large ships showed their powerful carrying capacity and their high speed under high carrying conditions. However, the handling of subsequent matters was really embarrassing.
Although the crew miraculously arrived at Roseburg after a day and night of drifting on the sea after boarding the ship, it was a terrible crowded situation. Although it was not suffocating due to lack of air, the environment inside was really uncomfortable, mainly because of a certain
The smell of urine and even vomit...
The ships had to be cleaned again. Fortunately, the soldiers from the Russian army detachment from the east, the captured Tavastian women and the children in their arms, a total of 2,500 people, were transported by these 100 ships.
Back. It was really crowded, but Yurik also tested the manned capacity of his ship. It can even be improved further. After all, the cabin can be filled with people, and the deck can also be filled with people.
Maybe the Aurora can transport five hundred people in one ship? That's only a maximum cumulative weight of thirty-five tons. According to her design, Rurik will have no problem loading up to one hundred tons of cargo.
At least his expedition does not have to face such a dilemma. Even if there are more than 200 Balmoks (who were damaged in the battle) on board, 20 large ships carry 1,300 people, and one ship can only carry 60 people.
What trouble.
With the expedition imminent, the men of Fort Ross divided the captured Tavastian women among themselves. Most of the men found the women they marked according to the "tattoos", which was regarded as a "family reunion."
So what? The selected young soldiers of the First Flag Team are no longer too lazy to tangle with women. Now only a new great victory can satisfy their restless hearts.
Similarly, they have never been more aware of the good intentions of the Duke. Facing his two or more wives, a man feels a heavy burden on his shoulders, which drives him to do his best in this expedition.
Can get loot, especially wheat.
Otherwise, my women and children will really have to live frugally and live a miserable winter.