Chapter 591 Coalition and the main direction of attack
Leader Magnut never dreamed that not only did the Russians come, they also came with a fleet of unprecedented size.
They are not just one big ship, but as many as twenty!
The towering masts and triangular sails make each ship look huge. In fact, any ship is much larger than the fishing boats cruising on the sea, so the proud dragon-headed warships have become sampans.
Deep in Narvik Port, the core settlement of the Balmoq people, tens of thousands of people gathered on the shore. Men and women pointed at the approaching Ross fleet, which was guarded by numerous fishing boats, talking and laughing.
They believe that one of the large ships will become the property of the entire Balmok this year.
The Ross fleet selected a nearshore anchorage, but the Balmoks' pier was not very well built, and the best pier could only accommodate two large ships.
Without it, the Avora and Balmok approached the dock directly, and other ships immediately anchored at the selected anchorage...
Rurik and others stepped off the ship on the wooden plank. At this moment, the Magnut family and most of the Balmok families warmly welcomed the guests from afar.
Magnute opened his arms. He was an old father, and he came to welcome his three sons and the three hundred warriors who had returned from a long journey.
In the eyes of the Magnute family, Rurik became their son when he married their daughter.
There seems to be little difference between the concepts of son-in-law and son, and they have no taboos.
Magnut kissed Rurik's forehead, and then Imbjorg kissed him as if he were holding his own son.
Their real sons also returned, Biyongni and Floki, who stood in front of their parents.
"Look at you, you're a man now." Magnut slapped his eldest son on the shoulder hard. "The beard is like mine. It's time to find you another woman."
"Woman? Yes. However, now I long for a great expedition."
"Ah? You guys just came back and talked about war?"
After listening carefully, Rurik wiped his face and said, "Father, this time I came with the strongest fleet of Ross. How could it be that I am just here for trade?"
"You..." Magnute was shocked, but this old guy was not opposed to war, and the noble people standing around all believed that waging war was a shortcut to becoming rich and powerful.
"Who...are you going to hit again?"
"It's still the target of our attack last year." Biyongni patted his chest and said: "Our time of dormant in the fjords should be over! We should expedition to Britain to force the king to fulfill his contract and occupy their land to grow our wheat and graze our
sheep."
As soon as he finished speaking, several noble family leaders came over, their eyes blazing with fierce flames.
Magnute looked at the brothers on the left and right and sighed slightly, "You are talking about war just after you came back. Is it really that urgent?"
"Very urgent." Rurik said coldly.
"Okay then." Magnut forced a smile again, "At least you have to have a good meal first. You have brought so many soldiers here, at least let me treat you as a treat for food."
"That's not necessary." Rurik waved his hand in greeting casually, "Let the fishermen sell their catch. Everyone in the army I brought has copper coins and silver coins in their bags. Soon, I will also set up a market for selling.
Let’s start trading now.”
The uniformly dressed Russian soldiers who were landing one after another were really eye-catching. Looking at their reflective helmets under the sun, they were all wearing white shirts and had swords hanging from their waists.
These people are not only the Ross army, but also capable mercenaries under Rurik. Fifty of them are the same people of the local people. They work hard for the Duke of Ross. When the elders in the hometown look at it, they see that these young people have made a fortune.
.
Yes, these fifty people are deliberately showing off their small linen bags. There is a crisp clanking sound of metal inside. Could it be that they are all silver coins? At least the swords on their waists are bright white and flexible. They are really expensive gods.
Weapons.
Not only this group of old mercenaries, but also the nearly three hundred Balmok warriors led by Biyongni who returned have also changed their outfits. Not to mention that the guys at hand have been upgraded, and their temperament is far superior to that of their peers.
There was murderous intent in those eyes. After landing, they naturally returned to their homes first and introduced their Eastern war history to their elders and brothers.
They bluntly stated that they formed an alliance with the Russians, and almost at the end of the eastern world, a decisive battle broke out with 10,000 terrifying and brave local warriors.
Some brothers died gloriously in battle, and victory ultimately belonged to the coalition. They did not hesitate to praise Rurik of Rus, the precious son-in-law of the alliance leader Magnut, who was truly a natural master of controlling the army.
They added so much to the description that the war against the Tavastians became more and more bizarre. This also explained the origin of the one hundred short black-haired warriors who came off the ship. It turned out that these people were the newly conquered Others.
Now it exists as a servant army.
The news of launching a new war first spread from the dock, and then the group of Balmok travelers returned to their hometown after an absence of more than half a year, and truly told the villagers that an expedition against Britain in the autumn was like an arrow already set in the
On the bow.
The goods that will be sold to a Balmok man are being moved one after another. They are a batch of iron tools, and the price is at least cheaper than the Bergen Market in the south.
For example, a hammer made from direct pig iron has a hammer head that weighs four pounds and is sold for only one silver coin.
Why such an astonishingly low price? In fact, Rurik is still willing to sell his allies a favor. It doesn't matter if he loses a little in this regard. The Balmoks must have prepared a lot of good salt waiting for the transaction! The latter is among the Russians
In my eyes, it can be said to be priceless. When the supplies were being prepared for sale, they were already promoting that all Ross goods were being sold at low prices for the sake of friendship.
Winning over the most ordinary Balmok and establishing an image of a good guy in the local area was Rurik's conspiracy for the future.
At night, the news of the arrival of the Ross fleet and a powerful expeditionary force further shocked the entire harbor. Although the big shots had not issued orders for the expedition to Britain, in fact the young people in Balmok felt that there was nothing to worry about, and the war was bound to happen.
On the eve of the expedition, everyone should prepare weapons and dry food early, and even check their ships.
The night is very short, but even so, there are still tinkling sounds coming from every house.
The blacksmiths in Balmok hurriedly repaired and made new spearheads and axeheads, and many women and children were also making arrow shafts and wooden sticks to hold the spearheads.
Still in the evening, an urgent and extremely important military meeting was held urgently in Balmok's chamber.
Of course, Magnute wanted to give his son-in-law a good welcome back, and then asked him about his experience in Ross with his two sons, and how his lovely little daughter Nolen was living in Ross.
At least he knew that his daughter's life was very good. She had meat and wheat every day, and the tableware she used was made of crystal clear glass.
But he is an alliance leader and the commander-in-chief of the entire Balmok. His marriage to the Duke of Ross is equivalent to further strengthening the power of his family. Now the big ship belonging to Balmok has returned. Although the big ship is shared, it is obvious that he has
Nut now had unshakable rights to the ship.
In the public meeting hall, all the prominent figures in Balmok came in the evening.
Rurik easily recognized many familiar faces because they had all organized manpower and personally led troops to expedition to Britain.
The whole bodies of these family leaders were trembling unconsciously, and their faces showed extremely strong joy. They were already discussing how much results the brothers would achieve in the so-called new war.
The oil lamp combination on the wall makes the whole room warm and bright.
Magnute thought that since Rurik himself landed, there would be no greetings but straight to the point and he would go straight to the target, and he had no intention of saying anything else.
He spoke bluntly: "Rurik, my son. You are determined to attack Britain, and my two sons are also very supportive. After an afternoon, now the whole of Balmok has been inspired by you. Look around you, these
All brave men hope for war."
Rurik looked around and stood up from the leather mat. He punched his chest with his right fist to build up his momentum.
He said sternly: "This war is our destiny. Odin gave us the opportunity to go on an expedition, and Odin also encouraged us to go on an expedition. It's not just me who plans to attack Britain, but you too!"
As he spoke, Rurik pointed directly at Osten of Vashobi and his son Geiger who were present: "You hope to occupy the warm land in the south and open up new farms. Now the opportunity has come."
A strong young man stood up angrily. Geiger rolled up the sleeves of his leather jacket, flexing his muscles and posing for a fight, "I have long wanted this. In my opinion, this year I can take a group of people to spend the winter in the new British territory.
.I remember we made an appointment with that king last year, and a territory was supposed to be in our hands."
"Yes." Rurik followed the words and deliberately squinted his eyes to make up a story, "But I learned some bad news. The king regretted it. They were expanding their army and preparing for war. They didn't want to give us tribute or cede.
land."
"What?! That won't work!" Geiger suddenly became furious and stamped his feet in anger.
The atmosphere in the entire chamber was like a bursting powder keg. No one questioned where Rurik got the news. However, if the Britons decided to resist, everyone understood the motives of that group of people.
Magnute opened his hands and struggled to suppress the anger of his brothers.
After the council was quiet for a while, he said: "The land in the fjord is limited, and we really have to go out. Since the British are unwilling to fulfill their agreement last year, they must be punished. I have decided to launch a war, and we must seize their territory."
, as the new Balmok, what do you think?"
Hearing this, everyone raised their fists and let out Viking war cries, and the violent sound could knock down the entire roof beam.
Since everyone agreed that an expedition was expected to determine the future, the arrangement of war objectives and details naturally fell on Rurik's shoulders.
Let a teenage boy handle this matter? No one thinks it is inappropriate. After all, the Russian army has a thousand people, their navy is invincible, and they are a powerful force anywhere.
So, how many troops should the Balmoks send? When will the coalition forces go out? How many ships and logistics materials should be organized? Where will the first battle and the main target of the attack be?
Rurik already had a plan for many problems, but due to the current situation, he also knew that he could not make too detailed a plan.
The army needs a very clear goal, or at least a main direction of attack, so that all forces can be twisted into a hemp rope.
Attack York!
This is the ultimate strategic goal given by Rurik.
He walked around in the meeting hall, accepting everyone's attention and explaining as he walked: "I married your woman, and now I am also a Balmok. From the standpoint of Balmok, we want to conquer the entire North
Sembria, but not yet.
Our army has a guide, and we should go up a river and go straight to their capital.
We attacked their richest cities, plundered their treasures, and then ordered their king to cede northern lands, such as Edinburgh and Bamburgh, to us.
We want to keep a weak Northumbria, just like we keep a sheep, and we can get sheep every year.
We also don’t have to make a countermeasure, which is to be mentally prepared for another decisive battle with them. Northumbria has a large population, and they may be able to recruit 10,000 people. Even if it is a large group of ragged farmers, 10,000 people
It is also a dangerous existence.
We must prepare for war."
The heads of each family looked at each other and deeply agreed with Rurik's statement.
Some people stood up and said, "That kingdom does have some means. They make good use of cavalry. In last year's war, many of our brothers were smashed through the shield wall by cavalry, and many people died. This time, we must take some precautions."
When it comes to such details, the first thing the Balmoks think of is the restraint method of spearmen forming a formation. How difficult is it to prepare a batch of spears?
Rurik does have a way to restrain the opponent's cavalry, which is to form a formation of infantry to hold the line, and then use various long-range units to shoot all approaching cavalry.
He determined that Northumbria simply did not have the financial resources to train, cultivate and maintain an armored cavalry. This was probably not even a possibility. They were unable to make plate armor, and they did not have the ability to make piercing armor. The most they could do was chain mail.
Is it just that chain mail is meaningful against the Russian army's steel-armed crossbow armor-breaking crossbows, or even the torsion slingshot cast iron conical bullets?
No one thinks that this expedition is risky. Victory is inevitable. It just depends on how much it costs and how long it takes.
In order to achieve a quick victory, how many troops should be sent to secure Balmok's victory? Rurik gave Magnut a hint in his eyes, urging this man with the highest say in Balmok to be as generous as possible for the sake of glory.
The leaders of each family were eager to try, thinking about the huge benefits they could gain from fighting here, and whether their current power would encounter competition? Magnut waved his hand, "For this expedition, we Balmok will send 3,000 troops!
I will also personally take my brothers on an expedition. I! am the commander-in-chief of the Balmok army!"
How could Magnute be so ambitious at such a young age? Rurik was surprised, but after thinking about it, he was relieved.
Rurik then complimented: "Father, we Russians also support you to be the commander of Balmok. You are the leader of the alliance, and this honor belongs to you. In the future, the glory of establishing the new Balmok will also be yours."
Being told this, Magnute said happily: "My son, thank you for your praise. When we have a new territory, you are also welcome to visit us. However, I want to know now, what do you personally desire in Britain?"
What? Don’t you yearn for land?”
Rurik was a little surprised and blamed himself for looking down on the old leader.
This time Biyongni spoke directly: "Dad, of course the Rurik brothers long for land. The Russians long for the east, and we Balmok should own the west."
"Indeed," Rurik said along the way, "What I long for most is wheat from the West. One day you will occupy Britain, an island rich in wheat, and you are masters at making salt and raising sheep. We Russians
Then you are good at building ships, raising deer, and smelting iron. We need each other, and our two races are brothers. Therefore, when you have a good harvest of food in the future, you must sell it to me."
The old guys present loved hearing this flattery.
All fools know that the Russians have a strong military, and seeing that their young and promising Duke is so respectful to everyone, it's not that Balmok is far superior to the Russians, but that this kid Rurik really pays attention to friendship and also treats everyone.
Mutual business conduct is now clear.
After all, brothers are also settling accounts. One of the major problems that plagues the Balmok people's trade is that the products are too single. Industries such as sheep and horse breeding are hampered by the tightness of Narvik Bay and the rugged mountain roads. Even the big oak trees for shipbuilding here are not available.
The only salt that is in short supply now has only one big buyer: Ross.
Smart people see through it without telling it, and many village leaders have understood that Ross's support for Balmok's prosperity is for better trade in the future.
Rurik's current words must be true. In the distant future, the two races will avoid competition because of their complementary economic needs.
Then let’s work together!
Magnute almost roared, "It's decided! I'm going to mobilize my family! My dependents and relatives! We're going to organize at least three thousand of the best warriors, with the best weapons! Sit down and let me stay.
Rick has brought our big ship and at least two hundred longships to the expedition to Britain! Let the women and children get ready, our great migration is about to begin!"
Finally, the meeting ended in an atmosphere as warm as a boiling soup, and the bargaining session that started the next day immediately caused the entire Narvik Port to boil, and the scramble to buy the in-demand commodities shipped by the Russians began.