Chapter 882 We want to conquer Jotaland within a month
The ocean is thawing rapidly, and the straits from the Åland Islands to Scandinavia have recovered. Although there are huge amounts of floating ice on the sea and the ice continues to drift southward, such harsh sea conditions can already allow some long ships to
Forced to go together.
The good weather in recent days is accelerating the disintegration of ice, and the snow covering the world is also melting at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The world is thawing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Streams flow from wooden roofs, there is mud everywhere, and everything is full of life.
The people of Mellaren knew very well that the king was about to launch a war against the south. Most farmers and fishermen did not want to participate in this risky expedition. In their hearts, they hoped that King Rurik would win. The most important thing before them now was
Prepare for the upcoming spring plowing.
Let those who are not afraid of death fight for their lives! Farmers and fishermen would rather work in peace and quiet than pay for the failure of the nobles' military adventure.
Some people want to be cowards, and Rurik will never force such people to go to the battlefield.
The surface of Lake Malaren is filled with broken ice, and all the ships that were once blocked have regained their former strength.
This is the case here. The situation in the Gulf of Finland, which has a warmer climate, and even Lake Ilmen, an inland lake further south, must be very good.
Rurik could anticipate the measures taken by the capital. The main force of the Ross fleet was anchored at the Kronshtadt anchorage next to the capital. The battleships had been trapped by the ice. Now all the ships should move out and head west.
What is exciting is that a squadron suddenly entered the mouth of Lake Mälaren.
It was the Ross Squadron anchored at Tombstone Island in the Åland Islands. The flagship Guldot led a group of standard armed cargo ships and honest cargo ships into Lake Mälaren, which was full of broken ice.
The hard oak keel and ribs of the ship broke through the obstructing ice, and the ship flying the Ross flag anchored next to the city of Stockholm.
The sudden appearance of the squadron shocked the nobles and was a powerful shot in the arm for the Ross army stationed there.
Because the fleet brought a batch of key supplies, as well as the first herring net of the year.
The Russian army set up large and small bonfires in the camp to grill fish stalls, and drank the unloaded ale. They feasted and enjoyed the last stage of the meal before setting off for the expedition.
The soldiers were optimistic, but the journey south was actually an unknown territory. This was a challenge, and people inevitably had worries in their hearts. How to relieve worries? There is nothing better than drinking mellow ale.
As the ice and snow melt, the world becomes increasingly muddy, and the restoration of lakes and rivers makes it easier for troops to gather.
The open space that was originally an old fishing village for free trade now serves as a gathering place for the Swedish tribal armies.
Regardless of how many men they had, the dukes, big and small, went into battle in person or appointed their eldest sons as commanders, and led their tribe's troops to this open space in Stockholm to assemble.
A large number of long boats rushed directly to the muddy beach. The soldiers waded ashore, then took off their shields and held short spears in their hands, and gathered in a group on the shore.
Such an army looks very disorganized, but in fact it is not the case. They come from the same tribe and get along with each other day and night. The friendship cultivated by the soldiers during production and labor can burst out powerful combat effectiveness on the battlefield.
But to be fair, their clothes were too sloppy, and they were not uniform. Some even wore simple fig leafs to fight, as if they were deliberately showing off the exaggerated blue tattoos on the backs of their arms.
In comparison, Rurik's entourage is more than just gorgeous and neatly dressed?
Compared with other Swedish tribes, the Mellaren people try their best to make their clothes uniform. They cannot really achieve complete uniformity, but it is quite easy to make the cloth black. This group is mainly composed of professional mercenaries, unemployed vagrants, and pure
The main color of the thousands-strong army of serfs and debt-ridden tenant farmers was black, and even the original brown-toned bucklers were coated with black toner.
This is a tradition. In the heyday of the Mellaren tribe, its leader and the first king of Sweden, Olegin, relied on a "black army" of 800 people to maintain his order.
If the Ross army does not come, the "new black army" of the Melalen people will naturally be able to overwhelm other tribes' armies in terms of aura.
Now the King of Rus appears on his horse.
Under the guard of the cavalry, Rurik, who was dressed in attire, rode a similarly attired military horse. The chestnut horse was covered with a "bed sheet" sewn with blue patterns, the horse's mane was tied into a large number of braids, and feather ornaments were installed on the horse's head.
Rurik deliberately put on a chainmail suit that was polished to a shiny finish, shining brightly in the sunlight.
He did not wear a helmet, but could show off his flowing golden ponytail and the golden laurel crown he wore on his head.
The cavalry present were also in full attire, each holding a lance with a flag hanging under the lance.
There were a hundred cavalry present for this review event. To ordinary Swedes, the appearance of the cavalry was as novel as the descent of a god from Asgard. They opened their mouths in awe, and their eyes were fascinated by the king and his cavalry guards.
attract.
In this way, poor Duke Bjorn of Mälaren had to squint his eyes and look up at his past. He was originally proud that he had assembled the agreed thousand warriors and wanted to show off his skills to the king, but now it seemed that his display was too clumsy.
The Ross cavalry is here, and behind the cavalry there is a squadron.
The squadron alone, with one Guldot at the helm, suppressed the five Russian armed cargo ships ordered by the Mellarens.
Bjorn followed the example of the Rus army and tried his best to organize his army into a phalanx. Someone in the team held a black flag with a pattern resembling a raven painted with chalk mud. This is the flag of Odin.
What is quite strange is that other tribes have also put up their own flags. Although the colors of the cloth are all kinds of strange, one thing they have in common is that they are all painting an abstract raven.
"How is it? King, I have assembled the army as you requested. I have a thousand men, are you...satisfied?"
"Well done." Rurik looked at the army and pretended to be complimentary: "I see a very capable army. How do you plan to transport them to the battlefield?"
"It's best to follow traditional methods! Everyone takes long boats and rushes to the fjord of Old Ostara."
"You don't plan to use the five cargo ships sold to you?"
"Of course they will be used, they will be filled with food. And..." Bjorn paused for breath, "I also plan to leave empty ships to hold the spoils of war."
Looking at Bjorn's face again, Rurik smiled: "Your ambition is not small, let's wait and see."
After saying this, Rurik suddenly grasped the reins and urged the horse forward.
It is not a problem to place five thousand soldiers in formation at the same time in an open space for free trade.
Now it seems that there are probably two thousand people gathered, and there are also many curious people in the distance looking around with their heads.
No one wanted to stand with the "black army". Mellaren's black army stood on the east side, and the armies of other tribes stood on the west side. Just because the forces on the east and west sides were roughly equal, Rurik concluded that the Swedes were really weak in this battle.
Only 2,000 troops were sent. I have to say that such a move was much more conservative than the military operation ten years ago.
Accustomed to the neat appearance of his Russian army, Rurik suddenly felt that the army in front of him was quite strange. He suddenly realized that he had forgotten what the most traditional Viking warriors looked like.
Their clothes are quite casual. Although soldiers worship heroes and regard sacrifice on the battlefield as a noble sacrifice, they still pragmatically use various objects to strengthen the defense of their vital parts. They will try their best to get a solid oak shield, a handful of
Iron sword and a sharp spear.
The soldiers brought their own weapons, and Rurik even saw farm tools and flails.
The soldiers also admired the king's honor.
King Rurik, now he has sharp edges and corners, and the golden beard on his face has been built into an attractive and neat beard. His ponytail hairstyle has never changed and has become a very recognizable presence.
He is tall and majestic, and his image satisfies all people's imaginations of a young and heroic warrior. This feeling is further strengthened by riding a horse.
The soldiers also felt an indescribable comfort. This king was not a superior person. Of course he was the supreme king, with an aura that made people want to get close to him. It seemed that those who sacrificed their lives for him would surely gain glory and victory.
In this regard, the Yelmalun army has demonstrated the strongest performance!
No matter what great dreams the king has, for the Yelmalun tribe, the king will send a large army this year to help him drive away the invading Jotalans.
Rurik's review of the Swedish army created a huge momentum, and the even greater momentum was the grand sacrifice that followed.
The city of Stockholm was built on the basis of the old Birka Market. The city is surrounded by large and small islands. The terrain in this area is extremely trivial, and a variety of waterways can eventually lead to the sea.
This area serves as the general gathering place for the kingdom's army. Warriors from each tribe can just bring their own large and small ships to station and wait for orders.
Rurik concluded that the main fleet was heading to Lake Mälaren with a batch of supplies, but now he had to take the nobles straight to the Uppsala Temple in the north of the lake.
A small mixed fleet sailed against the swollen river and arrived at the inner lake where the Uppsala tribe relied. The huge yew tree was visible to the naked eye. The existence of this tree even made the temple building next to it seem insignificant.
exist.
Uppsala Governor Swinned will personally lead the troops to the battle, but the task Rurik assigned him is to assist logistics. The task of an armed cargo ship owned by him is to transport food. The army will not directly participate in the war, but it can
Swined was very happy to receive the glory of victory. He also had some things to report, especially a big happy event - the Uppsala priest arranged by the king was indeed pregnant with a child.
The king brought all the nobles from Russia, Sweden, and Finland directly to Uppsala, where he made oath sacrifices before the expedition as agreed last year. Ten reindeer were also prepared for the sacrifice.
It is true that there are only ten deer for this sacrifice. There is no other reason. There is no reason why the specifications of the Uppsala sacrifice should be the same as those of the country's New Rossburg. The so-called order of hierarchy, since the Rus Principality part of the kingdom is the absolute leading force,
Only the priests of the first temple located in the capital are qualified to define the highest standards.
It stands to reason that the priestly ritual of sacrificing ten reindeer is already of a high standard. Do the gods still think Rurik is stingy?
This time, Rurik desperately hoped to reach Uppsala as soon as possible.
Sacrifice is one aspect, and seeing your own priest Lumi again is another aspect.
The girl approached Rurik surrounded by Uppsala priestesses. She was a Kovin and a branch of Finns. Her black hair and slightly flat face were indeed in line with the Viking people everywhere.
Out of place.
She was ordered to stay here to preside over priestly activities, and now she finally has her man and her tribe here.
After half a year, Lumi had already puffed out her belly. Even though she was wearing thick clothes, Rurik could still clearly see her pregnant belly.
"Come, my priest!" Rurik opened his arms and let her fall into his arms.
The encounter was destined to be short-lived, so Lumi followed the example of Rumia, the high priest of Rus, and supported the last sacrifice before the expedition under the sacred tree in Uppsala.
According to the plan, after the spring of 840, the temple will undergo a renovation, especially the altar under the tree will be made more luxurious.
Now this sacrificial site has been poured into a large amount of deer blood.
As the king, Rurik killed all the reindeer, and a large amount of deer blood could be splashed on the huge tree trunk.
He then faced the nobles of all sizes present: "Odin's warriors! Legend has it that this big tree is connected to the World Tree through the earth's veins, and even to Asgard where the gods are. Do you know why the Uppsala people are here?
Is there such a strange tradition of blood sacrifice?!"
After saying that, Rurik pulled out his meat-cutting dagger, and with a cruel move, he stabbed a finger into his left hand, showing his bleeding hand in front of everyone.
"Because our will can inform the gods in the most direct way."
Rurik used his bleeding fingers to smear the blood on the tree trunk.
The rituals of the Uppsala people have been spread for a long time, and the Swedish nobles have not taken it seriously since ancient times. It is said that the Uppsala people have offered blood sacrifices to Odin since ancient times. Has Odin ever given them power? Over the years, Uppsala
People have always been territorial for their own good, and if they had not been forced before, they would not have planned to lead troops to participate in the war against Denmark ten years ago. But now, these guys are so cowardly that they no longer even have the form of a tribe, and have actually defected to the country as a whole.
The Rus Principality part of the kingdom became the legal jurisdiction of the king.
But the king himself demonstrated it. If the brothers didn't follow suit and cut their hands against the tree trunk, wouldn't they be betraying the king?
And they are really afraid that if others do the same thing and they don't do it, will the gods think this man is a thorn in the side and cause disaster in the future?
The huge yew tree trunk has the blood stains of every nobleman left on it, which is actually a formal demonstration of unity.
Their stay in Uppsala was very short-lived. Two days after the nobles returned to the gathering place in Stockholm, the main force of the mighty Rus' fleet arrived at Lake Mälaren.
Look! It's like a large forest has grown out of the lake. The masts of ships of all sizes are soaring into the blue sky. Now the jibs are furled. When the order to set off is given, how spectacular will it be for thousands of ships to set sail?
Rurik knew very well that the time he was waiting for was completely mature. He only needed to give an order and the army could set sail.
Now, he still has one more thing to solve.
All the nobles and generals gathered in the Stockholm meeting hall.
There are more than 400 boats of all sizes gathered on the lake outside the city. Among them, the large ships of the Ross fleet are very eye-catching, but the astonishing number of traditional dragon-headed longships are also a spectacular sight.
Several islands near the city have been turned into military camps, and the number of personnel stationed there who are in urgent need of expedition has exceeded 7,000.
In the meeting hall, people's eyes were filled with murderous intent and a strong desire to plunder.
Even though the Jotalans are also a branch of the Vikings, it is obvious that the Swedes and Rus present do not regard them as the same kind at this time.
They all hope to make a lot of money through the war. As the king, Rurik hopes to resolve the conquest war as soon as possible. If the Jotalans decisively give up in the face of a huge army and swear allegiance, there will be no need for a large-scale sword fight.
.After all, the conquest of Götaland is irrelevant to the people of Götaland. Now their "little transparency" has hindered the Kingdom of Rus's grand strategy against the Kingdom of Denmark.
Rurik spoke loudly in public, especially specifying the staged plan for the march. This plan was deafening.
"The king has decided to divide his troops into two groups! The army is divided into land and sea routes!"
According to his plan, the land forces were commanded by his cousin Aric, and the First Standard, Sixth Standard and Cavalry were commanded by him. At the same time, Longstall, commander of the Hjelmalen army, led his troops to follow Aric's instructions.
Command. This army with a strength of nearly 2,000 men first arrived at Lake Hjärmalen by boat. After replenishing supplies, it immediately went south, crossed the forest area and rushed to the northern shore of Lake Wittern, its staged destination in the south. If it moves quickly, it will be cleared immediately.
to the local Ghotalan village.
The sea troops were the main force of the army. The remaining troops under the command of King Rurik first entered the Baltic Sea, went south along the coastline, and then suddenly rushed into the fjords of the old Ostara people, and then followed the river into Lake Grand, and finally rushed into the lake.
Enter the huge Lake Wittern inland and join forces with the land forces.
This method of fighting really created a history. In the past era, Swedish tribes had never practiced war by waterway.
Aric laughed heartily about this arrangement. He was given a high degree of discretion, and the lovely king's brother made it very clear that although the troops did not use waterways, they should try to maintain high speeds.
To attack with thunder, to show all the destructive power, to give them a powerful attack. This arrangement is specially made for the famous reckless man Arik, and it is recognized that the most elite first flag team and rookie cavalry are all there
In his own hands, the king's brother even enlisted his newly married Princess Pecheneg, who longed to be a female warrior, into the cavalry, which really showed how important he was.
The land forces are indeed strong, and the sea forces are absolutely worthy. The sea route is not only a huge force, it is the Ross fleet itself, and the accompanying huge number of "horses". It is precisely the sea route that can quickly mobilize 5,000 people for an expedition.
The attack plan of both sea and land has been decided, and Rurik even made a bold statement: "One month! It is the end of April now, and I will level the entire Lake Wittern before June, conquer the local Götaland people, and then bring them down."
Proud Gothenburg capture! We will complete the conquest within a month."
Complete the conquest within a month! What a heroic claim.
It sounds outrageous, but King Rurik said it very clearly. If he had not done research, he would not have made such a bold statement. The nobles were aroused with strong self-confidence, and they could not wait to leave.
It so happened that the army was fully prepared by now, and the soldiers were extremely uncomfortable being forced to take their leisure time.
Everyone is eager for war, everything is ready, Rurik officially issued the order to go to war!