It is never a good idea to march on a large scale in a world of ice and snow unless the logistics and supplies are very sufficient.
From Novgorod to Novorosberg, the capital city at the mouth of the Neva River, rafting on a boat on a nice day can take up to five days at the fastest. The frozen rivers and lakes give the sled team a shortcut to run wildly.
, the infantry sat on a large number of reindeer sleighs, and the cavalry, conserving horse power, also sat on the sleighs, and then carried a large amount of supplies, especially a large amount of food, to start the attack.
In this era, the most efficient method of logistical transportation was water transportation, followed by mules and horses, and third by manpower.
With manpower carrying shoulder poles for logistics transportation, as the logistics line lengthens, the loss of materials along the way also increases exponentially. It is known that there are a thousand kilometers of logistics lines, and it takes 20 pieces of food to transport one piece of food to the front line.
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Mule-drawn transport greatly reduces losses during the journey, but the requirements for reliable roads are more stringent.
Finally, the cheapest transportation method is water transportation, which is more restricted by rivers, lakes and canals.
Therefore, although the straight-line distance between Novgorod and Novorossberg is only more than 100 kilometers, Rurik's army had to make a big detour to reach its staged destination.
At least the frozen world provided a thoroughfare, and Rurik's "army of mules and horses" moved forward at the speed of ships drifting along the frozen river.
In the foreseeable future, the army will still march in this way until it reaches Sweden.
A big problem faces Rurik - the climate is getting warmer.
It is said that three feet of ice does not freeze in a day, and its final melting does not take three or five days.
Finally, the army entered the frozen Neva River. The ice journey has not been a serious challenge to everyone so far. The soldiers are looking forward to arriving at New Roseburg for a good rest.
Look! A sudden city wall appears in front of the flat farmland covered with ice and snow, and a tall tower stands out from the crowd!
Look again! A large number of ships stand on the ice like sculptures. They are fleets surrounded by ice, and those masts are as dense as a forest!
The people in the capital have been preparing for war since September last year, and today is already early March. They have been preparing for war for half a year. All war-related services, including military industry, have provided a large number of job opportunities for the people, and the temporary prosperity brought by the war has also provided everyone with
Injected chicken blood.
The prosperity of the war charter is a double-edged sword. No one knows this better than Rurik, the king. He has mobilized manpower to produce a large amount of war preparation materials. As the saying goes, if you have a good sword, you must kill the enemy. Any
Delay is fatal to any country.
The people not only welcomed back their king, but also welcomed a powerful army.
The huge sled team stopped directly on the ice of the Neva River, and the soldiers who had been sitting all the way got down to relax their muscles.
Due to the long distance, many people come to the capital very rarely, and because the capital is developing at a rapid pace, seeing each other today is like seeing a brand new city. They were once proud that Novgorod was a big city, but now it seems that Novgorod is a big city.
Fort gave a new definition to the city.
Rurik looked around with his sword in hand, arranging his confidants to control his subordinates who were looking around.
At this moment, the city wall was full of people, and a large number of people walked out of their homes to pay homage to Master Wang's glory by the frozen river. Those who were fishing in the ice also suspended their work, put down their fishing rods, and came to watch the grand event.
Among the many onlookers were Governor Cornuson and his son.
The father's old big hand pressed on his son's shoulder: "The king is here. This time, you will lead the army to participate in the expedition."
Unsurprisingly, young Cornuson will inherit his father's position and be appointed by the king as the next governor of the capital. This is an extremely honorable position. Although it cannot be used as a fief noble, the family is expected to be responsible for the defense of the capital for a long time and can be obtained as a close minister of the king.
Huge glory. Therefore, young Conuson must obtain military exploits.
"The king's army is gathering. I should now assemble the second banner to greet the king." He suggested.
"Let's do it! Gather as many brothers as possible from the Second Flag Team."
The old guys were either too old to lift the sword or passed away, so the Second Banner Corps was transformed into a youth army. A few old soldiers who could still fight formed the branches of the banner team, and a small number of young people from the old Rus who lived in the capital served as young men.
Branches, a large number of young people from other Viking tribes make up the leaves. This second banner team lacks a record, and most of the recruits' swords have not yet seen blood, but they are full of youthful vitality and are eager to use their military exploits to gain honor for themselves.
Young Konuson was in a hurry with King Rurik. When he made an emergency gathering in Harvest Square and barely managed to organize the Second Banner, he rushed outside the city non-stop to merge with the main force of the army that was about to enter the city.
The king's troops were uniformly dressed and equipped. They marched on Nevsky Prospekt in neat steps, accepting the ambiguity of the people. The newly assembled Second Banner Corps also joined them to participate in the grand event.
Rurik arrived in his loyal capital in high spirits, and now, the real expedition has just begun.
The king arrived with the main army from the east, and many officers gathered together to eat barbecue and drink strong wine.
All "ship" captains, that is, officers equivalent to platoon-level commanders, were on the invitation list. Dozens of them drank with the King and the Supreme King and listened to the King's speech.
"If I just crusade against the Jotaland people and destroy a few villages, I don't have to gather an army of thousands of people. This year, I will sweep across the entire Jotaland! Those who are willing to surrender to us will be our compatriots! Those who dare to resist,
Will be completely wiped out by our army! Odin gave me his blessing and gave me a mission. My mission is to conquer. Those villages and tribes that speak Norse will all be classified as Rus! What we need is a great Rus! You all
You will gain glory in this war, and you will get more in the future..."
Rurik said a lot. He never mentioned that war would bring about killings. He emphasized that this was a glorious war, and it was a war in compliance with the will of the gods.
As soon as they heard that they had won the glory promised by the gods in the battle, the soldiers became excited. They did not want to stick to ordinary life, they envied the heroes in the legends and stories, and longed to live like legends themselves.
This time, Rurik allowed the whole army to have a drink to wash away the fatigue of the long journey and to prepare for the more arduous journey to come.
The whole army has a three-day holiday, and the soldiers can use their own money to buy some needed supplies on the spot. After all, it is a war, and the handicrafts on the market sell very well, including a large number of lucky elf wood carvings, and even Thor and Frey.
These small sculptures of gods are widely worn around the necks of soldiers as a protective shield, giving them peace of mind.
Rurik was not idle this time. As a recognized "person blessed by Odin", he did not need the protection of these amulets, because in a sense, he himself was the amulet of the entire army.
The key to winning a war lies in sufficient troops, the right time, and adequate logistical support.
In particular, the issue of logistical support is often ignored by European generals in this era. In this regard, the Russian army must try its best to make plans.
During this half-year period, the weather was extremely cold, and the royal mill of Rurik's sister-in-law Aslaki continued to be busy. Wheat was crushed into powder, and the wheat bran was mixed with refined flour and kneaded into a ball. It was then baked with some whole oat flour.
A large amount of dry and hard whole-wheat sesame cakes. They all contain a lot of moisture at the beginning. When stored, the water freezes into ice. The earliest batch of sesame cakes was last year's product. The sesame cakes were essentially freeze-dried outdoors in a large refrigerator, and they became a large amount.
Dehydrated hard cake.
Such biscuits are not easy to eat, and you will grind your gums if you bite them hard. The advantage is that they are extremely shelf-stable ready-to-eat military rations, and the reserves of the past six months have finally been put to use.
Not only the ready-to-eat sentinels, but also a large amount of dehydrated salted fish and dried meat were piled up in the warehouse. Now they are all pulled out, stuffed into large shopping bags and thrown on the sled.
If an army of 5,000 men were mobilized, a soldier would have to eat three pounds of oats every day during wartime to cope with the extreme physical exertion. If the campaign lasted for six months, the army would have consumed 2.7 million pounds of oats.
This is only the consumption of personnel. If the loss of animal power is added, it is normal for a cumulative consumption of five million pounds of oats.
Rurik set the standards for his army based on the scientific military ration standards of a thousand years later. He especially took into account that all kinds of things would happen during war. The only thing that can stabilize the morale of the army is sufficient food and grass.
During the break, a high-level military meeting was held under his chairmanship.
The atmosphere at the venue was enthusiastic but soon turned serious.
The elder Cornuson worked hard to promote his son's loyalty and bravery, and the younger Cornuson also took a selfie of his chest and swore not to disgrace his old Russian blood.
"Putting anything aside in advance, now, Governor Cornuson, I want you to count all the stocks in the granary and prepare them. In addition to the normal consumption of the people, you must prepare a strategic reserve of two million pounds of oats for me.
And wait for my king’s call.”
Old Cornuson half understood and half confused, "The king must have profound arrangements."
Rurik said: "The thing is very simple. I, the king, must be fully prepared. If the war becomes intense, I will need a large amount of supplies from the rear to fill up the consumption at the front. You...can't hope that our army can plunder Jotta.
The food of the Lan people? I don’t think they are very wealthy. Therefore, the original sale of food to the people has been suspended, and all the grain warehouses have been sealed. How much food is left?"
Old Cornuson was shocked, but the king had given an order and he must carry it out. Fortunately for him, it was his great responsibility to control the granary, and the current inventory was extremely gratifying.
"There are also more than 3 million pounds of oats and 200,000 pounds of wheat. As you know, the state's granary is the largest in the country. If food is really tight, there are actually a lot of private grain stocks. If we really encounter problems, we can
Collect food from the people.”
"Great!" Rurik's serious face was filled with a smile: "Stop the granary immediately, and I will post a notice to inform the people. Anyway, everyone has surplus food at home, and when the temperature recovers, people will go fishing again. In the past
We Russians have always eaten fish to survive, and we can only eat some wheat during Hanukkah. Although wheat has become a common delicacy now, the old tradition of eating fish cannot be abandoned, especially now that it is a war period, it can only temporarily make the people suffer.
"
"They will understand us, and as long as we gain glory, everything will be fine." Old Cornuson said some glorious nonsense, and he promised to take a lot of practical actions to cooperate with the king in the rear.
Rurik found many people and held a meeting, and also gave the governor old Konuson important tasks, especially the important matter of dividing his troops and marching.
Of course, waiting for the ice and snow to melt and marching by sea will consume less materials. In that case, the march will be delayed until May, giving the Kingdom of Rus too little time to fight.
The main force must try its best to reach Stockholm, Sweden, as quickly as possible. It must wait until early April to assemble its forces and start moving south. At that time, most of the Gulf of Bothnia and the Gulf of Finland are still full of ice floes for navigation.
It's not good.
In the capital city of New Roseburg, a mere 50-man alliance army composed of Vips and Rudy people joined the king's army under the leadership of Count Terravis. Terravis himself was a Covin, but now he has transformed
He became the count of the Veps people who were canonized by Rurik. His territory is on the west bank of Lake Ladoga. The core is the city of Kekisalmi, which is like a stop for the Rus people to hunt towards the northeastern world.
All of Terravis's army held bows. Because of his friendship with Count Jevlo of Finland, his army was heavily equipped with "ash tree" longbows. In terms of blood, they are all a tribe under Finland, and they will also
They were part of the Allied Forces. Rurik didn't ask them to send many troops. Anyway, they didn't have many men. To be able to gather fifty men was already Talavis's best effort.
According to Rurik's plan, the army gathered at Novorossberg to participate in a grand expedition. The army headed west on the northern shore of the frozen Gulf of Finland. The army would arrive at Herminki (Helsinki), the trading town of the Count of Finland.
Another army was absorbed, especially with the Finnish Count Jevlo personally leading it, and it fell under the direct rule of Rurik as before.
A grand sacrifice was held under the auspices of High Priest Rumia. More than 10,000 people gathered in Harvest Square, making this rather spacious square look cramped.
Thickly dressed people crowded around, keeping a distance from the assembled army out of awe, admiring the military might from a distance, and waiting for the grand occasion of public sacrifice.
After all, this was a national war, and Ross also dispatched the largest army in history.
Another one hundred and eleven reindeer were pulled out, and the strong men with their upper bodies exposed showing golden chest hair held sharp knives and bled the stags one by one in front of the big temple. The barbaric and high-standard sacrifice came to an end, and those who were collected
The soldiers rushed to drink the deer blood. The serious fishy smell was a problem, but these sacrifices must have been ordered by the gods, not to mention that it was said that men who drank deer blood would become more masculine. The soldiers actually
The deer blood was eaten cleanly, the deer skin was peeled off, and the deer meat was prepared and frozen in the cold weather into fresh meat, which was just right for the journey.
The Russian army received an extremely important supply in the capital, a batch of heavy weapons loading sleds, combat troops plus a variety of accompanying non-combat auxiliary personnel, the number swelled to 3,000 people. The number of sleds pulling people and goods also reached six
There are hundreds of sleighs, but there are as many as 3,000 reindeer pulling the sleigh, and there are more than 300 horses.
After the army left the capital, it headed west. The army marched according to the formation of flag teams. Although the distance between the teams gradually widened, they were eventually divided into multiple modules. Each sled in each module set up a flag. A large number of flags gathered together were
An eye-catching presence that cannot be ignored. There are as many modules as there are flag corps. Three thousand people were divided into seven modules and rushed towards Helminki City.
Rurik was convinced that his loyal Javlo had prepared a capable archer corps and would follow the king's order to organize a Finnish flag force of about 500 people, bringing their own dry food and waiting to be merged into the royal army.
The army will never be lost in the world of ice and snow. They advance along the frozen coastline, rest at night and continue marching during the day. Sufficient food reserves ensure the consumption of reindeer, horses and personnel, and the specially selected routes also allow the reindeer to rest.
From time to time, he would use his head to push away the snow and eat hay under the snow to reduce material consumption.
The army finally arrived at Helminki. It had been seven full days and nights since leaving the capital, New Roseburg. At noon on the eighth day, Rurik finally saw the Finns' first main castle built under his command.
The city of Erba Sutra.
The loyal Jevro has already taken his six-year-old son Kelha to wait for the king's arrival.