The warriors of Jotalan gathered by the river. They slept next to the campfire and polished their axes and swords under the light of the fire.
Twenty villages downstream of the Göta River surrendered their men one after another, and elected and gave military power to three strong men.
In principle, "Bigfoot" Badar, "Broken Tooth" Cedric and "Archer" Eric all have exactly the same power.
How to fight?
The three men have 3,000 men in their hands, which is all the elites that the residents of the entire Jota River can assemble. As for the other tens of millions of villagers armed, they are really a mixed crowd. At least these three brave men do not believe that those people can create any miracles.
.
Talking about personal experience, among the three, only "Bigfoot" Badal has commanded an army of 500 people. This is the first time he has commanded an army of 3,000 people. If he wants to keep the army in order, Badal has no experience, and the other two brave men have no experience.
experience.
On the contrary, "Archer" Eric discussed with the other two people and came up with a little trick for attacking.
"Put all the men with bows under my command, and let me lead a group of people. When I find the enemy, I will kill them with arrows, and then you two will lead your brothers and charge forward. If the enemy is in the river,
Fight in gangs, and if the enemy is on the shore, land and kill them."
Eric is nicknamed "The Archer", and his personal archery skills are indeed excellent. However, this is ultimately a matter of personal bravery, and the guy in his hand is average. He is a man who uses a short wooden bow superbly, but it is only
It's playing with short wooden bows.
"You led all the archers to open the situation first, wouldn't you... be the first to enjoy the honor?" Cedric was a little confused.
"Now instead of worrying about honor, I will open up the situation first so that you can take action." Eric explained.
"Just do it. All the hunters in my village will be given to you." Badal made a difficult decision. He looked into Eric's eyes: "You must mess up the battlefield and create opportunities for our brothers behind.
"
Hearing this, Cedric also handed over all his Orions.
Iron is not uncommon in the Göta River Basin. A very large cone-shaped hill stands in the south of Lake Vänern, and below the hill is the Göta River.
There is a local village that is famous for smelting iron from lumps. They dig high-quality superficial iron ore, burn it into sponge iron on the spot, then continuously knock it into iron ingots, and then process it into complex iron tools. They do not know how to make steel.
Carburizing technology clearly understands the importance of quenching.
They are not short of iron because they are not short of wear and tear in normal life. Axes for logging, forks for fishing, and even arrow clusters are all iron tools, but they are not luxurious enough to make chain mails on a large scale.
The invaders suspected to be Swedes have already occupied the northern part of the river. If they discover the secret of iron smelting and occupy it, no matter what the people in the south think, they will indeed lose the iron ore they have developed.
The battle is not just for immediate survival, but also for seizing the future.
Three hundred men with bows were put under the command of "Archer" Eric. Among the three thousand elites, there were ten longships with three hundred men. They would serve as the vanguard of the fleet heading northward, giving priority to challenging the enemy.
At least until the sun rises, the huge force maintains the confidence of the Jotalan warriors. After all, there are three thousand of them, and they gather together and show off their golden hair to form a spectacular scene.
No, as the morning sun rises, the thick morning fog that rises over the river quickly dissipates.
Today's weather is not bad, but there are a lot of clouds in the sky. It has now entered the early summer when it is easy to rain, and rainfall may occur at any time. If the battle takes place in the rain, this will be quite disadvantageous to the Jotalans.
The three brave men banged their bucklers, and more warriors joined in to increase the momentum.
Many people only got a full night's sleep, ate some salted fish and dried meat early in the morning, picked up their weapons and went straight to the longboat parked in the reeds.
The men shouted trumpets and pushed the boat into the river. Regardless of their wet boots, they put down their long oars as soon as they climbed onto the boat and began to swim near the shore where the current was extremely gentle and wait.
Three thousand warriors rushed to the battlefield, while their relatives also took up weapons and watched on the shore.
People made an agreement, and when the elite went north, the others fled into the forest. For those women and children, their husbands, and fathers, this time was afraid of bad luck, and the farewell in the early morning was probably a farewell forever.
The priests of the village slaughtered the cattle and sheep of their own villages, and slaughtered the cheeks and foreheads of the village warriors with the blood of the animals. The priests sacrificed to Odin! The blood gained divine power.
All battles have received divine instructions, and some people's nervous hearts have been appeased, and they are even more looking forward to today's active attack.
But until now, no one knows the true situation they are facing the enemy. All knowledge comes from long-distance witnesses of fleeing fishermen, who pointed out that they saw a very large fleet, and some large ships seemed to be floating on the lake.
boulder.
The Jotalans are not absolute frogs in the well.
Just two thousand years ago, a foreign fleet came in a mighty manner and burned Godfrehagen in the Kingdom of Denmark. That city was at the northernmost tip of the Jutland Peninsula, a straight line away from the mouth of the Göta River.
It's not very far. The Götaland people don't want to take the initiative to provoke the Danes. They applauded when they saw those former slave hunters encountering great disasters. Even when the Danes were attacked by a huge fleet, some knowledgeable Götaland people were wary.
The inexplicable fleet that appeared in Lake Vänern was not the same as the inexplicable fleet that attacked Denmark. The witnesses on the lake must have seen the huge fleet, and they described it with embarrassment as "similar to the fleet that attacked the Danish city."
"Exactly the same". This is just to increase worries...
The sun shone on the faces of the warriors, and more than a hundred longboats of the Yotalans were arranged in a triangular array in the wide river. They lowered their sails to catch the south wind, and paddled quickly northward.
They gave up the illusion of peace, and the Russian army not far away did the same.
It's just that unlike the Yotalans, the naval battle mode favored by the Kingdom of Rus can create a new era.
The flagship Gurdot sits in the middle, with the Sperosvilia, the Duke of Ostara, the Avora, the Gray Squirrel, the Vipsalava and the Rudy, the six sailing ships of the same class.
The cruisers serve as the front line of the advance, and they form a wall!
There are four planet-class sail destroyers on each wing of the sail cruiser. Their tonnage is small and their force is weak. This weakness is naturally compared to that of larger ships.
Except for the Royal Pirate Spyut, who controls the Salmon Chief, who is armed to the teeth, and can freely attack in the Baltic Sea, the main ships of the Kingdom of Rus are already drifting in the Göta River.
Just like a cavalry launching a wall-mounted attack, the main force of the Ross fleet formed a wall, and the front line formed a wide attack arc. Once an enemy ship was encountered, the enemy ship would inevitably face the hard hull of the big ship first, especially if the bronze ram was deliberately installed.
keel.
So, just as the sun was shining brightly, the two armies saw each other clearly.
Some soldiers climbed along their bodies to the mainmast observation platform, tying ropes around their waists to prevent them from accidentally falling. In the era before telescopes, professional sailors with natural farsightedness were hired. Nowadays, they sit on the top of the mainmast of every big ship.
An observer, with a bull horn hanging on their waist, Rurik ordered to blow the trumpet as soon as he discovered the enemy's situation.
Then all the observers of the big ship saw a terrifying scene due to the south. Isn't that large shiny white thing on the river the sail of the long ship?
The traditional longships of the Principality of Rus have all been replaced with more practical Latin triangle sails, so that they can catch the wind from all directions for their own use. At the cost of losing the fastest thrust that wide sails can enjoy when the wind direction is positive.
.
A huge fleet appeared in front of them. Although they were all familiar longships, the longships formed a dense formation in the river with a width of 200 meters. The Ross army had no idea that the Yotalans were so brave and chose to take the initiative.
attack?
Yes, Rurik heard the horn blowing, and all the soldiers were alert.
One person observed that he followed the hanging cable and fell heavily to the ground after only three or four seconds of rapid descent. The battle was imminent and he ignored the etiquette of dignity and quickly ran to the bow deck of the flagship ship to meet the king who had already put on armor.
"King! There are a large number of longships ahead, and the Jotalans are going to fight us desperately."
"I understand. You...don't be afraid of the mast." Rurik's mind was full of fighting, and he pushed the man directly: "You also join the battle on the deck, and quickly control the torsion slingshot."
Although Rurik would not fight with a sword or a crossbow in person due to the current situation, he himself issued a comprehensive battle order and ordered the flag soldiers to inform the entire army of the king's order.
The flag of King Rus on top of the flagship was still flying, and a black flag was quickly raised to the top.
This is the meaning of starting a war, and each ship sees it as a royal command. At the same time, each ship has a semaphore holding two eye-catching yellow flags standing on the bow or stern deck of the ship, thus communicating accurately.
What is most needed at this moment is the spirit of a reckless man, and Arik is unparalleled in his qualifications to perform meritorious deeds.
But after communicating with the flagship, the flagman informed him of the king's order: "Sir, the king ordered us to sink the enemy's ship as much as possible, but not to shoot arrows at the people who fell into the water. The king ordered us to drop the cables and capture the people who fell into the water."
"Is this more honorable? Bah!" Aric stamped his feet and rolled his eyes at the flag soldier: "Forget it. Go tell the king, I will obey the order."
Arik was at the helm of the Sperosvelia. Since there was a small box under the wooden statue at the bow of the ship, which contained a lock of hair of the late high priest Vilia, the entire ship was believed to always have divine power.
There was a battle on the ship, and a group of soldiers of the First Flag Team were very happy.
Arik ordered his men again: "Reveal all the torsion slingshots! Sink their ship! Remember, we have to move fast! Sink them! Sink them!"
Therefore, Arik was determined not to take prisoners. He did not want to do so unless necessary, so he planned to take the lead in the battle. Rather than capture prisoners, he wanted to become the general who sank the most enemy ships in the entire army.
However, the wind direction is very unfavorable to the Ross army. Although it is possible to move upwind after lowering the jib, sailing against the wind requires zigzag movement. Unless the distance between ships is large enough, the current relatively cramped environment cannot allow ships to use upwind skills.
Just like a duel between knights, the main ship of the Ross fleet has slightly left behind the armed cargo ships and traditional longships, and the pure warship of the kingdom rushed towards the battlefield fiercely.
On the other side of the battlefield, when the Jotalan longship fleet saw the so-called "huge fleet" clearly, no matter how they lamented, the battle was inevitable, like an out-of-control car rushing hopelessly towards a Mercedes-Benz tank.
.
At first, Eric the Archer thought the ships were not big because of the distance.
"Brothers, put away your oars, put arrows on your bows, and get your axes ready! We are waiting for the opportunity to join forces."
It seems that today we will not be able to assault the enemy's camp, but instead engage in a river boat battle. Such a battle is as expected.
As the distance increased, "Archer" Eric was already trembling with fright at the wall of ships.
How to fight this?
Those ships were flying some familiar flags, and Eric suddenly realized. "Ah! Those ships that pass through the strait every year and provoke the Danes every year, are they?!"
The Viking sea battles were nothing more than ramming, archery, and gang fighting, which were also the three most primitive and brutal modes of combat. Both sides were about the same, and their longships were evenly matched and could only be so big. Nowadays, the sides of those big ships are much higher.
Better than a longship.
The torsion slingshots on the side cannot output all the firepower directly forward, and only the two at the front can fire forward.
that's enough.
The Pioneer battleship seems to be equipped with two "small-caliber single-mounted guns", which actually fire two one-pound conical cast-iron bullets.
Grooves are reserved when the projectile is cast. Due to these slightly spiral grooves, the projectile also spins during flight, which greatly enhances accuracy.
The Rus' ships attacked first, hitting the Jotalans' longships first just outside the range of their archers.
The relief sculpture of the alien beast on the bow of the ship was smashed until sawdust flew everywhere, and a soldier who was standing in command was shot dead on the spot.
More projectiles still missed due to the longer distance and the bumps of the ship.
The distance between the two armies was rapidly approaching, and the shooting window left for the Ross army was gone in an instant.
"Attention! A collision is coming! Hold on tight!" Arik ordered loudly, and he also held on to the side of the ship.
The front end of the bronze ram was an obtuse angle. Although Spellosvilia's speed was determined by the natural flow speed of the Göta River, it was better due to her larger tonnage. The impact occurred suddenly, and the bronze ram directly broke the keel of the longship ahead.
, but the whole ship was directly mounted by the big ship, and even the archers on it were pinned to the bottom of the ship.
Under such a terrifying scene, the Jotalan ships did not dare to shoot arrows, their bow hands were shaking, and the soldiers were trembling and waiting hopelessly for the collision to happen.
Because they are the vanguard of Jotalan, with a large number of friendly longships behind them, their position determines that they have enemies in the front and friendly forces in the rear. Their retreat is blocked and they can only be beaten helplessly.
Seeing that a large ship was about to rush over, Eric the "Archer" made a move to resist the first ship, fearing that it was the Jotalans.
He fired an arrow at the oncoming battleship, and a collision ensued.
The terrifying impact destroyed the ship, and Eric was thrown directly into the river, where he was pushed aside by the hard hull of the Ross battleship.
He lost his bow. When he fell into the water, he hurriedly took off his water-absorbing boots and top under the water. Finally, he touched a piece of wood and floated up. When he surfaced like this, it was like Jota who had been beaten with a sap.
There were many Lan soldiers, and they all saw a horrifying scene. There were some large ships around them, and a large group of cross-dressing soldiers holding bows looked down and angrily at them.
If someone on the big ship shoots an arrow at this time, Eric knows that he is almost certain to die.
He was so lucky to survive. The neighbor had just been knocked numb and at least saved his life, but he suddenly realized that his long boat had been crashed and many brothers from the same village died in the river.
Suddenly, a cable was thrown down.
I heard people on the big ship shouting loudly in Norse with a strange accent: "Yotalan people! Surrender and avoid death! Grab the rope and come up!"
Surrender to avoid death? Of course Eric didn't want to die. He had no time to think about the current situation. He simply succumbed to his survival instinct and grabbed the rope thrown by the intruder. In such a confused way, he became a prisoner of war of the Ross army.
"Archer" Eric was captured alive by the armed cargo ships that followed. In other words, one of the main purposes of these cargo ships was to capture prisoners. Eric's hands were tied and thrown aside. He did not dare to speak. Then he saw more
Many survivors were brought up. Those who refused were beaten with several sticks and their hands and feet were tied. Those who did not resist were simply tied and thrown aside.
Obviously, these foreign invaders had powerful ships and were unwilling to kill people. This was abnormal. With Eric's limited knowledge, he estimated that his future would be to become a slave.
This huge fleet is here to capture slaves! It is exactly the same as the Danish pirates in the past! If they succeed, wouldn't the entire Gothenburg area be doomed?
When he thought that the strongest army in history had been assembled in the lower reaches of the Göta River in the Pan-Gothenburg area, it was unexpectedly hit by the invader's fleet in an instant. Unwilling? Helpless? Eric was more concerned about the situation of the war without network.
's lament.
Because the battle was still going on, the powerful Ross battleships rushed into the barefoot peasant army like heavy cavalry.
Continuous collisions severely destroyed the Jotalan longships, and hundreds of warriors were immediately swept into the river. Those longships that passed through the gaps in the longships were not lucky either. The ships were fatally shot at close range by the big ships.
A large number of holes were immediately punched out in the bottom of the ship, and the river water poured in like a spring. The soldiers raised their bucklers and axes and roared hopelessly, and in response were crossbow arrows fired by the Russian army.
No, Arik still rushed to the front. He deliberately prevented the Sperosvilla from being hit just to avoid being slowed down.
He seized the opportunity and the entire ship became the vanguard officer among the vanguard officers.
"Brothers, this is your chance! Bring down the triangular maple! Charge against the wind and kill them!"
However, his speed was still slowed down, and the impact could no longer shred the longship, but it pushed the ship in front of him away.
Arik was delighted to be besieged. He was not a target because the bowman's longship had been completely destroyed in the initial impact.
For the other two brave men of the Jotalan army, they were shocked that their old friend Eric the "Archer" was easily defeated. Now a terrifying large ship came in front of everyone. The tragedy was that now only this large ship was shooting arrows crazily from a high position. The terrifying arrows
(actually projectiles) can also smash through ships. Since I have lost my long-range weapons, I can only throw harpoons in vain to fight back.
There was a chaotic fight on the river, and it looked like a large traffic jam.
The Götalanders had a larger number of ships. They had lost the motivation to continue going north and lost many ships. They were no longer able to continue going north. The ships in the entire battle scene were moving towards the Göta River at the speed of the flow.
Drift slowly downstream.
"Shoot! Sink their ship! Don't let them escape!"
Arik ordered loudly. He now wished he could run on the water and chop with an axe!
But the morale of the Jotalan army had collapsed.
Badar and Cedric, who had never fought such a useless battle before, saw that they would be destroyed by these outsiders if they continued to waste their troops, so they had no choice but to retreat tactically.
In reality, it was a complete rout!
The two brave men did not really lose confidence. They had a second plan, and now they intended to take the remaining soldiers to retreat to the downstream villages and gather with the hidden villagers.
The escape has begun! However, the two of them were shocked that a damn big ship was actually pursuing them.
It's Arik. Let the poor guy not chase the devil!
Rurik undoubtedly noticed this, stamped his feet in anger and felt helpless, and could only complain: "My cousin, the old habit has happened again!"