Every newly launched ship should be equipped with supporting weapons. Rurik gave his carpenters a relatively demanding task so that each ship could be equipped with sufficient torque slingshots to cope with naval battles.
Maybe he can base on the actual situation and not install too many weapons on each ship.
The standard armament of Ross naval ships is a large amount of torsion slingshots, while the enemies faced by Ross are still widely equipped with traditional rowing long boats, and even the two sides have different concepts of naval warfare.
All of this was Rurik's request. Not installing bronze cannons on the ships was his biggest consideration based on cost-effectiveness.
Rurik was really moved about Aslaki's mill and left here. He immediately reviewed the output of the woodworkers' weapons.
The torsion slingshots that were originally placed in the warehouse were moved out.
In order to ensure the best condition during combat, all new slingshots are unwound. The two carbon steel bow arms of the slingshot are inserted into the rope set, and they move forward in unison.
Now that Rurik had given the order, the carpenters worked hard to bend the bow arms, and then fastened the bow strings which were twisted together from hemp rope, sinew and even whale baleen.
Are they all of high quality?
No problem, just one experiment is enough.
If the weapon does not work well in combat, the result is often fatal. Rurik treats the handover of the weapon very carefully, and the best way to test it is to load cast iron bullets and shoot at the target.
Simple wooden boards were pieced together to form a target, and each new torsion slingshot fired at it one by one.
The sound they fire is extremely soft, and because they are fixed firmly enough, the shooter cannot detect the recoil of the slingshot, and even the vibration is minimal.
The projectiles hit the target frequently, and for a while there was a clear and loud impact sound at the target. All the onlookers saw sawdust flying everywhere!
The thickness of these oak planks is similar to that of ordinary longship planks. They can be broken into pieces by shooting at close range, and can be used in battles to sink enemy ships.
As many as twenty-nine new torque slingshots came off the production line, so the number basically met Rurik's expectations. Although the number was slightly lower, he had no intention of pursuing it.
The war is imminent, new ships and new weapons are ready for battle, and the strength of the Russian army has been strengthened.
In addition to the flat-fire torsion slingshot, which has a longer range, poor accuracy, and can only carry out probabilistic strikes, this group of carpenters built fifteen bull trebuchets.
They were roped and pulled out by the carpenters.
The dead weight of each trebuchet is not large, which causes the end to be lifted up by inertia when shooting, like a bull.
It is undeniable that as long as they are hit and used, dozens of fist-sized pebbles will be fired at a time, which will definitely cause area damage and are indeed a weapon for killing arrayed enemies.
No, what proves their strength is to open the matrix and shoot at an empty fjord sea.
The old and new trebuchets were arranged together. It was also afternoon, and thousands of people gathered on the beach in a lively manner.
Lord Rurik was testing the weapons before the expedition. Whether the army's heavy weapons were easy to use was actually the most important concern of the soldiers who were about to go on the expedition. As for the large number of women holding children who were watching, they were just watching the excitement to kill the boredom of daily manual work.
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All the trebuchets have been charged up, and one operator is tightly holding the rope inserted into the ratchet pin, just waiting for the adult's order.
Rurik gave an order, and twenty-five bulls were put to death together!
The stone bullets were thrown out almost at the same time. The black silhouette of the stone in the setting sun was obscured by the dark green pine forest background. The onlookers squinted and could not see the result, but soon the waves of sleep stirred up a splash.
It was stone bullets. They hit towering splashes of water at a far distance, and for a moment people heard the roar of the splashes.
"It's very good. The landing points of the old and new trebuchets are different. It's a perfect probability attack."
This is the strength of the bull trebuchet to hit a fist-sized stone projectile to a distance of three hundred meters. Rurik had to estimate that if the Karelia people also bravely gathered together and charged with a roar, he would be in trouble.
The trebuchet matrix might be able to destroy half of their morale?
It's a pity that I have the ability to build more powerful trebuchets. This time I really need to make more such lightweight heavy weapons based on actual needs.
That night, the torsion slingshots began to be installed on the two new ships "Gray Squirrel" and "Salmon Chief". The old rules were still the same, with six slingshots installed on the bow deck and four on the stern deck of each ship.
Simultaneously with the loading of weapons, wheat, dried fish, and even some special items were further transported to the cabin.
Fresh green tender pine needles and the first Nordic daisies to bloom. Boil pine needle water and drink it to dispel the muddy smell of natural water with its fragrance and faint bitterness. Various Viking tribes have this habit. It is not drinking tea, but staying in it.
Ke intentionally allowed this tradition to evolve directly into tea drinking.
Tea leaves are naturally unimaginable. Daisies, the substitute flowers for tea, are now in full bloom as daisies! The earth has just thawed, and these flowers have sprouted up almost overnight.
Perhaps eating whole-wheat bread is enough to meet the vitamin needs of the soldiers. While Rurik is cautious, he would rather let them take in more vitamins, especially the very critical vitamin C. Drinking chrysanthemum tea will definitely solve the problem for the Nordic people.
The problem of vitamins is difficult. Although boiling tender pine needles is also an option, boiled chrysanthemum tea tastes better.
The agreed date is tomorrow, everything is ready!
In the conquest of Karelia, this battle cannot be solved by a large army rushing in and killing them. If that were the case, things would be easier to handle.
That night, Rurik gathered his wives and concubines on the third floor of the palace.
He opened the window and let the cool breeze flow in. The moonlight and stars almost covered the dancing flames of the oil lamps and shone on each girl's face.
The girls were nervous. It would be a good thing if they could follow Rurik on the expedition this time.
So, who will get this opportunity?
Rurik guessed what they were thinking through their faces, and he breathed out softly: "Time is very urgent. Tomorrow is the day of the expedition. Now I announce who will follow me."
He stretched out his hand and pointed to Carlotta and Svetlana very simply.
The tense nerves of the girls were instantly deflated, and Rurik could hear their slightly jealous boos.
"I know that you all want to follow me to see the world. This is a war, not a game! Carlotta will participate in the battle as a warrior. Svetlana!" Rurik deliberately emphasized his tone,
He also glanced at her: "You are the wife my father has chosen for me, and I will not disobey my father's arrangements. You and I still have a Slavic wedding, so we will get it done this year."
"Yes." Svetlana tried her best to suppress the ecstasy in her heart. Thanks to her parents' strict education, she was able to suppress her inner emotions.
She is already twelve years old and is getting married according to Slavic tradition. Besides, it is really a great sight to be able to go back to her parents' home with Rurik for a visit.
Even Noren can't go to the east again, even if Ross's fourth banner of warriors is all her Balmok kin.
Rurik had no intention of saying anything more, and a small meeting on the third floor ended quickly. He sent away the other wives and concubines, leaving only Carlotta and Lanna behind to make some additional arrangements.
The appointed day! It’s today!
Thousands of people gathered on the beach, and the city's wooden walls were once again filled with people, thanks to the further reinforcement of the walls to be able to bear such a weight.
A small altar was temporarily built on the sandy ground. Although she could not go on an expedition with her beloved man, Rumia knew that she must abide by the important responsibility of the high priest.
To be fair, she was very supportive of Ross's conquest of Karelia. All deer farmers were taught that Karelia people were not to be messed with, even if they all made a living by raising deer.
The source of this fear actually comes from hundreds of years ago. The Lapps (deer farmers) were a group of people who were excluded from the Karelian ethnic group. The Lapps are the humblest existence in this area. Now they have become
Ross's servants followed Lord Rurik, and everyone finally had a stable life.
The beach was full of heavily armed warriors, including the newly promoted Fourth Flag Captain Hellafed Bringoldson and his men, all of whom had changed into standard Ross uniforms.
They wore blue stripes sewn on the white cloth and wore a deerskin belt around their waists. The belts were also hung with daggers, handaxes and other weapons and equipment. They also wore burlap backpacks with straps and tops, and the bags were full of cooking utensils.
, a small amount of dry food, a leather water bag filled with water. A piece of linen was rolled into a roll, bent and fixed on both sides of the backpack. Finally, a huge round shield was hung on the bag.
Only a few of them carry spears, and most of them carry swords.
One centurion was widely equipped with wooden-armed crossbows and received a small amount of arrows.
Hellafed was the captain of such a flag team. He never dreamed that an army could be equipped with such weapons.
Look at himself! In addition to these weapons distributed by the Duke of Ross, the only other things that Hellafide can get are the iron sword given to him by his father and his own leather helmet.
Now, this leather helmet has been ordered by the adults, that is, it must be installed with a helmet collar made of a large number of wild duck and wild goose feathers. The collar feathers are dyed with woad, and a large amount of rosin is glued in to further fix it.
"Now, both the enemy and my people can clearly see that I am an extraordinary character."
Hellafed was very approving of Rurik's arrangement. The entire flag force was subdivided into more combat groups. The rank of the officers was distinguished by the number of helmet collar feathers and the way of installation. If you think about it carefully, this was really the smartest choice. After all, it was a melee.
At this time, everyone was roaring, and it was difficult for the commander to exchange information with other people even if he shouted at the top of his lungs. Now he can know where the friendly troops are by looking at the feathers on their heads.
Not only that, there was a flag officer beside Hellafed. This person was holding a wooden pole with a ferocious beast on it. There was a flag on the pole, and it was sewn with strips of blue cloth and said to be Roman letters.
Text message: Ross Army Warriors 4th Flag.
The brothers have just changed their uniforms this time, and they just look like a regular and fierce Russian army. The team really has the strength of the Russian army and needs some training.
Hellafed was very lucky, because the captain of each group, that is, the ten-man team, was Rurik's old mercenary. These people could already make the brothers stand up neatly, just like those of the First Flag Team.
Same guys.
But, why are there a group of teenagers standing on this beach?
Those were Fisk and Kanuf, and even Tyravis who was captured from Ironburg.
Rurik selected a hundred young warriors from his own army. They were in adolescence, their minds were full of ideas of fighting and meritorious service, and their physical fitness was inferior to that of adult men. Compared with their older members of the same race, they had been constantly improving over the years.
Having received education in Roman letters, Latin and mathematics, his cultural level is beyond that of others.
These young warriors mixed with their other elite mercenaries, the Covins who assisted in the battle, and the old sailors who controlled the torsion slingshots, directly formed a shooting team.
In this expedition, a team of nearly 2,000 people will rush to New Rossburg on the Neva River!
And this is still part of the army. When the Slavs are in place, Rurik estimates that he can organize an army of more than 3,000 people.
Is that all? No! There is a large group of Finns who can help.
Those Suomi people who are part of Finland chose to obey very wisely. Just like Rome, Rurik claimed to build a northern Rome, and he had to imitate Rome in doing things, such as recruiting Suomi servants to join the war. After a great victory,
Divide the spoils among them.
Besides, by eliminating the Karelian forces, wouldn’t the long-standing threat of the Suomi people be gone?
Rumia wore a deer-horned helmet and sang hymns to Thor beside the flames of the altar.
She, Lumi, and even the other ten minor priests were essentially Rurik's wives and concubines. All Russians and guests knew about this and were happy to talk about it.
Thor is not only the god of craftsmen, but also the god of war. Today, he will praise and sacrifice for them.
After that, there was another hymn to Odin, and the sacrifice reached the most critical moment.
Now that Ross owned the herd of deer, he no longer had to worry about sacrificial sacrifices. Rurik stared at the blazing fire, and all he could think about was whether he could recruit an army of four thousand people, or talk to the leader of Suomi to form a two-pronged coalition.
A full-scale attack on the forces of Karelia.
Now that it was the critical stage of the sacrifice, he showed off his dagger and walked towards the sacrificial deer...
The deer's liver was cut out, and Rumia cut open the liver and declared that the battle would be won amidst the cheers of the people.
Victory must belong to Ross. The warriors who are now ready begin to line up to board the fleet that has been parked on the pier and is ready to go!
The Avora, the Duke of Ostara, the Gray Squirrel and the Salmon Chief, these four ships alone packed 500 people at once!
There are also the first four smaller planet-class sail destroyers, which now have another 400 people crammed into them.
With the success of the last ultra-long-distance sailing expedition, Rurik actually learned a lesson from it. He crammed too many people into the ship at once, so that the crew was overcrowded and strapped, which was really uncomfortable.
Even the crew of a large ship like the Aurora has been reduced a lot, not only because it cannot carry too many people, but also because she has a lot of rations and reserve weapons stuffed in her cabin.
How to place more soldiers? Naturally, those modified armed cargo ships.
Four sailing cruisers, four sailing destroyers and twenty sailing armed cargo ships.
The cheers of the people resounded throughout the fjord. They excitedly watched this invincible fleet slowly leave the pier, watched the ships gather into a fleet in the fjord waters, and slowly sailed out of the fjord against the wind.
The people have been paying attention, and the decks of each ship are full of people.
As a mercenary captain, Yevlo was qualified to stay on the flagship, and this time he was ordered to bring his wife and even his infant son with him.
After all, Hermi gave birth to the child very safely. Although the baby was very delicate, it was very risky to take him sailing. Both Hermi and Jevlo knew the significance of this voyage, because Jevlo received a
The important mission is to go to the territory of the Suomi people and pull out an army of servants to assist the Russians in destroying Karelia.
Therefore, as the Count of Finland, he rushed to support Ross with a large army.
As for the Count of Finland, he is this infant boy!
Jevro has already named his son Satuli, which means warrior.