Nominally, due to the addition of Calf Manor and Fisherman Manor, Otto's armed men increased by 300 people.
Are the newcomers trustworthy warriors?
Bah! A barefoot, single-clothed peasant holding a spear can be considered a warrior? They have no training, poor weapons and equipment, and their physical condition is also poor.
Their current task is to defend, and Otto has arranged for them to serve as flankers temporarily.
But Otto was surprised that they were poorly armed, but they actually raised a lot of cattle, and a lot of chickens were stuffed in a lot of wooden cages.
Poultry is a good thing. They do not need to be carefully raised. They cannot fly if their flight feathers are removed. They can freely hunt insects near the farm like free-range chickens. Such poultry cannot eat too much fat and grow slowly, so it is better to not have to feed it deliberately.
Wheat grains.
Otto allowed the two manors to eat up part of the acres of the original Pine Needle Manor after the war was won, but some price would naturally have to be paid before that.
They are all raising chickens, including White Tree Manor and the new ones.
The two manors provided a thousand chickens, and as a reward, Otto gave them more than thirty rusty spearheads to improve their weapons.
The old soldiers of Rus were busy eating chicken, roasting the chicken wantonly until only the bones were left.
The feathers of chicken wings are all gathered together. Although there are no large and long flight feathers, other feathers are still good materials for making arrow feathers.
The three estates of White Tree, Calf, and Fisherman are all actively preparing for war under Ross's rule. The men with spears have been on alert, and the women have been mobilized to do military supplies.
For example, you can use newly acquired feathers to make arrows with disposable bone clusters, etc.
Reinforcements from Fort New Rose finally arrived.
Following his father's instructions, young Konuson led an army of up to 400 men and rowed a traditional longboat up the Volkhov River.
The twenty boats washed up on the mudflat. They pulled down long cables and tied them to the nearby cedar trees on the shore to secure the boats.
A bunch of classic Viking warriors disembarking?
Not only that, there are also a large number of Novorossians who speak Lislavian language mixed in among them.
Those were the so-called people who defected from various farms, and there were even men who defected from Pine Needle Manor.
Otto had a lot of trust in this group of people. They all worked conscientiously in New Roseburg to open up wasteland and pay food taxes. Their families were all in the north. Their loyalty could be trusted.
Even so, Otto did not want to take the initiative. His plan was still to wait at White Tree Manor.
Young Cornuson reported to the old Duke with a new force. Seeing Otto's presence, he reported his situation on the spot. He made a bold suggestion: "There are rebels on the shore of the Great Lake. In my opinion, I will lead some brothers to seize the beach."
Landing will surely annihilate all rebellion."
"No! You are too impulsive." Otto didn't seem to think, and immediately rejected the young man's proposal, and even warned: "I am the most powerful person here, you have to restrain your friends, who
If you dare to attack rashly, you will be punished afterwards."
"But do we really need to wait? We should strike first!" Little Cornuson is still working hard, he is eager to make great contributions in the new battle.
Otto shook his head, pushed him suddenly, and ordered: "Don't attack rashly. We are on guard. We will wait until Rurik comes to decide when to attack. By the way, have you seen Rurik's fleet?"
"I...I didn't."
"No? How is this possible?"
Konuson Jr. did not lie. After all, Otto and Rurik acted separately. There was no clear communication between the two parties before the action. So when a rebellion broke out in Novgorod, Rurik was only ready to lead the army.
New Roseburg.
There is a subtle time difference here, but fortunately the difference is not extreme.
Otto was moved by Young Cornuson's offer of service, and even what he said was very constructive.
Based on the available intelligence, Otto can determine two things: First, Vadim, the patricide of Pine Needle Manor, can only control the people of his manor very well. Second, most other manors have a very ambiguous attitude towards the war.
.
So who is the main enemy? Naturally it is the Pine Needle Manor.
If a small team is sent to launch a surprise attack and directly behead Vadim, will the local opposition be quickly eliminated?
This will definitely not be the case. I am afraid that the entire Pine Needle Manor should be uprooted and this root of rebellion should be completely eradicated, so that the whole of Novgorod can really obey.
Otto feels that he is getting old and has lost a lot of courage to forge ahead in recent years. He prefers to work steadily, especially in the war. Otto actually has an inferiority complex. He feels that he has never been very capable.
The land commanded too many armies to fight a large-scale war.
Obviously, only Rurik had the ability to command an army of 10,000 people in battle.
Although the young Conuson was prohibited from carrying out sneak attacks with hundreds of brothers, investigation work against the enemy was still required.
Vadim threatened to gather 10,000 soldiers. No matter whether there was water or not, Ross had never faced 10,000 enemies in one battle in the past. Otto's mentality was very good, even if some people scolded him for being so old.
If you are shy, then so be it.
On the other hand, due to the large number of troops, accompanying non-combatants and large amounts of supplies, Rurik's fleet was not sailing very fast.
Rurik had considered this situation from the beginning, but due to actual circumstances, he arrived at Fort New Rose one day after the planned time, that is, on the first day of June.
Before that, the fleet approached Gogeland Island and took a look at Kronstadt Island. Even a sailing destroyer took on a special mission, which was to collect a batch of weathered weapons on the spot after landing on Gogeland Island.
Granite stones as big as fists were eroded by the rain and used as projectiles for trebuchets.
The three larger islands in the Gulf of Finland serve as excellent reference points for the Ross fleet.
During the voyage, Jevlo was ordered to take a group of soldiers and leave the team on a sail destroyer. Their target was the city of Helsinki, and then went up the river into the core living area of the Suomi people in Finland in the inland lake area.
Kupa Boka, announced the Duke of Ross's order to the highest local nobles.
In other words, the Javlo couple went to Kupaboka as Counts of Finland, especially their infant son Satuli, who was the real Count of Finland.
Rurik had long given Gevlo a great deal of discretion. As a canonized noble, Gevlo had the right to recruit Suomi people from all over Finland who were willing to fight for Rus, and the Tavastians organized Finnish servants.
Army. There is no limit to the number of soldiers in this servant army, but weapons, food, transportation, etc. must be paid for at their own expense. The servant army will benefit from the war, and each soldier can obtain the spoils of war based on his or her ability.
However, they had no idea that something big had happened in Novgorod.
Rurik's plan was to use the coastal plains at the mouth of the Neva River as a good gathering place for the army, then rest and reorganize the army, send scouts to search for intelligence, intending to find the core of Karelia's rule, destroy it with one blow, and seek a way to defeat the enemy.
Fight decisively to complete the final conquest.
The war pattern of this era was such that for many tribal groups in Europe, as long as the capital-like core was destroyed, the entire political entity would quickly be destroyed.
The arrival of the huge Ross fleet did not surprise the people of New Rossburg. When Rurik's men disembarked one after another, the soldiers were surprised by the tall walls and solemn towers of this big city, and they were also surprised by the tenseness of the onlookers.
They had serious faces.
Carlotta frowned at the side of the ship. She slapped Rurik: "It's strange. The atmosphere is a bit depressing. Don't the people here seem to welcome us?"
"How is that possible?" Rurik smiled awkwardly, "Maybe, a little bit. There are too many people here. Maybe they are worried that our big appetite will eat up all the local hares."
The girl couldn't help but smile, but the seriousness of the scene was a fact.
Something big must have happened here! There was no way that Fort Novorossu had been attacked by the Karelia people. Rurik had to be suspicious. He went to the local governor Konuson and asked about strategic issues, and even
The situation of father Otto.
Rurik got off the ship, and more than a thousand warriors had landed before him. Many Balmoks, especially Hellafed Bryn Goldson, rubbed their eyes hard and looked up at the heavy wood.
The Ross flag fluttering in the wind on the wall, and the big city itself, just like what the old Rossburg had seen, made him feel insignificant again.
Many soldiers got close to their local compatriots as soon as they got off the ship. Due to the lack of information about the outside world, they were willing to share their experiences with others. This inquiry was extraordinary, and there were widespread reports of serious rebellions in Novgorod.
And go.
The rebellion provoked by Vadim was almost just Pine Needle Manor coercing the rebellion of other manors. Most of the people who were coerced were nominally supporting the rebellion, and they were very entangled in their hearts.
But the messenger sent by Otto arrived at New Roseburg, and the message was subconsciously embellished, and then explained to Rurik by Konuson, and it turned into a terrible geopolitical event: a barbaric guy assassinated Otto, and
Gather an army and vow to expel Rus' rule.
Konuson, who was standing on the trestle, explained this very urgently, which instantly made Rurik, who was smiling, frown.
"What? Otto was almost killed in an assassination attempt?!" How could Rurik believe this?
Cornuson used his gray beard as a guarantee: "Your Majesty the Duke, I have never deceived anyone in my life. In my opinion, this news is absolutely reliable. My son has taken four hundred brothers to Nov.
Gorod's reinforcements to your father can make Lord Otto so eager, I'm afraid the situation in Novgorod is worse than I imagined."
"Is Otto still alive?!" Rurik asked cautiously.
"He is very good. The iron armor is an excellent defense."
Rurik asked: "Who is the perpetrator?"
"That's Vadim. Now he calls himself the Princip of the entire Novgorod. Sir, that crazy man is clearly provoking you. There can only be one Princip in this area, and that's you!"
Hearing this news, Rurik's blood pressure rose as he was an iron-blooded nobleman who relied on hard power. He had long since lost his innocence, and now it would be no exaggeration to say that he is a ruthless nobleman.
"Assassinate my father, betray Rus and dare to call himself Princip (Duke), this person will die. It seems that I will kill a group of people in Novgorod and kill all the rebels and their families!"
Rurik's words were cruel, and he really planned to do so in special times.
Is there anything more disgusting than this? When Rus gathered heavy troops and contacted allies in order to effectively conquer Karelia and make Novoros Fort an absolutely safe place. It was during this critical historical period that Novgorod's
The Slavs rebelled!
Rurik no longer had any intention of visiting New Roseburg, or seeing his own palace and the rammed-earth "Harvest Square" at the door.
In the meeting hall here, he summoned all the flag captains under his command for a meeting on the same day as soon as he landed.
It is not an exaggeration to criticize Novgorod's rebellion in the most vicious tone. After all, reason overcame Rurik's emotions.
The rage did not dissipate, but turned into a plan to conquer the traitors.
The last thing Arik, Hellafed, Fraser and others could not tolerate were traitors. When they heard that their servants dared to rebel, the three of them thought exactly the same as Rurik - put down the rebellion first.
Moreover, this situation is also related to the tribute demand this autumn. If the traitors are not hanged and liquidated, they may not be able to collect enough food from Novgorod in the autumn. This is very important for the Rus Principality, whose food self-sufficiency rate is still extremely low.
Disadvantage. The life attitude of many Rus people who speak Norse has changed. They instinctively pursue good meals. Nowadays, life can no longer live without wheat.
In the meeting hall, he loudly announced his new decision, and at the same time wanted to hear the opinions of his colleagues: "It seems that the war against Karelia will be postponed. What do you think?"
"Hit the traitors first!" Arik said with a sullen face without hesitation.
So he said, and Hellafide expressed the same opinion.
The opinions of those who participated in the meeting were completely consistent. There was no need for new discussions here. Conquering the rebellion had become the first priority. It was worthwhile to send the entire army to Novgorod, and there was even no need for a new garrison in Novorosberg.
Considering the population of Novgorod, Rurik was afraid that the enemy could assemble a team of astonishing strength, perhaps 10,000, or even 20,000.
Maybe the locals will burst out with resentment over decades of plundering their wealth.
Now that the information he has received is very limited, Rurik prides himself on being more cautious. It goes without saying that he must gather superior forces to fight. If he pulls out a team of 3,000 people, Rurik will be confident.
Because war is not simply about piling up numbers, the gap between soldiers can be very huge due to the comprehensive influence of factors such as military strength, armament, discipline, logistics, etc.
Since Konuson's son and a group of warriors have gone to Novgorod to meet with Otto at the White Tree Manor, it means that Medvet's Slavic Standard Corps of 800 soldiers is full.
As a result, the First and Third Banners were a thousand powerful Viking warriors, and there was also a team of more than 500 archers.
What is the true military appearance of this kind? It is almost similar to the military appearance of the Battle of Gotland.
Not only that! There are some people here in New Roseburg who are now Ostarians, and they should accept Carlotta's command to participate in the war. Another group of Slavs who immigrated to New Roseburg have taken up arms.
Also capable of entering into battle.
What's more, White Tree Manor is like a dodder clinging to the huge oak tree of the Rus' Principality. Novgorod is undergoing a large-scale rebellion. White Tree Manor, as the rebels' first attack, will definitely use all its military strength to protect itself.
The meeting did not last long, and there was not even much discussion. The attitude of the Russian soldiers present was unanimous in demanding that the traitors be eliminated and eradicated. As for the identity of the Karelians, they were still in the fog, and they did not come to the south bank of Lake Ladoga to provoke the Principality of Russia at all.
Rurik made a bold decision.
He entrusted Konuson with a major order: "Organize your remaining troops to ensure the alert of New Roseburg and ensure that the Karelia people are unable to make a sneak attack. You also send a new expedition team to explore the north of the lake to collect intelligence."
Konusson nodded in agreement and had no more critical questions.
The situation was so urgent that Rurik only wanted to stay in New Roseburg for one night.
His determination inspired Carlotta, because this time the Duchess of Ostara could truly lead her army to fight as an ally of the Principality of Ross, even if there were only seven men and women who could fight together.
There were only ten people. Due to their extremely weak strength, the so-called Ostara Army was directly organized into the Archer Flag Team, using bows and arrows as tactical support.
Rurik's determination also made Svetlana very happy. However, when she realized that the rebellion of the main manor in Novgorod would definitely bring disaster to her family's White Tree Manor, she cried until her eyes were swollen with tears.
The Ross army will immediately go south to suppress the rebellion, and her pessimistic mentality is completely reversed.
The next day, most of the soldiers completely gave up the illusion of rest. Some non-combatants such as Arik's wife Asraqi stayed outside the local area with their children, and all the combatants went south.
Old Harald was very happy with the arrival of his daughter and son-in-law, and he was even more delighted with the birth of his grandson. He regarded his son-in-law Arik as a son, and now this powerful young man was going to fight again. Old Harald had no more
To express his stance, he gave Arik a few pieces of amber and some words of encouragement.
Just like other warriors, Arik is now a passer-by. The huge fleet pulls the warriors, with as many as 1,700 sailors. This is an extremely powerful fighting force that can successfully use the wind to pass through the Neva River, and then to the Great Lakes
Float to the Volkhov River.
The large number of troops and necessary baggage forced the ships to no longer be able to move upstream quickly. Rurik knew that there would be a drawback after gathering a large army - logistical problems.
The Ross army cannot be stationed for a long time. When the army arrives at White Tree Manor, it must start training immediately, and even launch a full-scale attack on the traitors a few days later.
Rurik could not afford to spend it. Even if a large amount of wheat was unloaded at Fort Novosibirsk, that food was prepared for the attack on Karelia. Allocating time to counter the rebellion has already invalidated more than half of the original plan!
If this battle cannot be resolved quickly, it will directly affect the success or failure of the conquest of Karelia this year.
Finally, one cloudy afternoon, taking advantage of a wonderful north wind, the Ross main fleet against the current suddenly gained strong power. Rurik's final voyage went extremely smoothly. He saw the wood carvings and a large number of haystacks at White Tree Manor.
, and even a large number of Viking longships parked on the riverside.
People on the shore also raised their heads, danced and cheered for the Russian flags on the fleet's mast.
Rurik and his army followed Lord Otto's request and arrived at White Tree Manor!