Chapter 124 General Arik prepares for action

On the night of April 20th in the Julian calendar, it was a clear night, and there was an undercurrent surging in the Ross tribe.

More than fifty of the tribe’s most elite warriors gathered in the simple speaker’s room, which could be called a shed, to discuss the next major event.

At this moment, Otto looked solemn. He looked at the brothers who had gathered and said calmly: "Now the problem is very clear. Some people are going to Novgorod, and some are going to Novgorod." We are going to attack the Gotlanders. I don’t object to your decision. Now, we need to discuss the specific matters.”

As he spoke, Otto sat on the ground with his eyes widened. Then he took a good look at his own people and continued: "You are all the best and most experienced. Now tell yourselves who plans to go to the south."

They have discussed at least one of many things. It's been a month, and now my memories are just to confirm the specific action arrangements.

At this time, Haro Zuosen volunteered and raised his head: "I'm going to the south!"

"You? I thought you planned to follow me to Novgorod again."< /p>

Arik suddenly said in a vulgar voice: "Chief, I am also going to the south. I want to avenge my father! I want to kill those Gotlanders to pieces."

"You keep quiet." Otto said harshly. He looked at the others again, "Are there any more? Those who intend to go south for revenge, raise your hands."

For a time, at least thirty Man raises his hands.

Otto let out a sigh of relief. The fact was very clear. They were more willing to attack the Gotlanders than go to Novgorod to collect taxes.

Most young people are eager to make achievements at a young age and get a large sum of gold and silver.

Young people are also the most effective in fighting. They have no family members of their own, and they have no scruples in battle. They urgently need to prove their bravery on the battlefield in order to gain the recognition and respect of their tribesmen.

Half of the fifty people sitting here are under thirty years old.

However, the Russians have not taken the initiative on a large scale for a long time.

Otto felt he had to express his concerns: "Brothers, we must take revenge. Young people are also willing to prove themselves on the battlefield. I heard that many people are rushing towards the legendary Golden Mountain, Please give up this ridiculous idea. The Gotlanders are indeed very wealthy, but they are also very powerful." "Is it because they are powerful that we will not attack?" Young Arik Chusheng. Calves are not afraid of tigers. He relied on his status as the leader's eldest nephew to speak the most radical words.

"You are very brave, Arik." Otto said slowly, "I hope you will always maintain this bravery on the battlefield. However, bravery is one of the elements of victory. If you are eager for wealth and The glorious young man will definitely suffer big losses if he attacks in a chaotic manner."

"Uncle, do you mean that the Gotlanders are very powerful?" Aric asked.

"Otherwise? Do you think heAre they stupid? "

"Aren't they stupid? My father died due to their despicable sneak attack, but that time, you and your brothers hacked to death two hundred of them. Although we lost some people, 200 of them died! Doesn't this prove their stupidity? ”

Aric’s words triggered painful memories for Otto. Even though eight years have passed, the pain is still uncomfortable to recall.

When it comes to feelings, Otto feels that there must be something more Great revenge relieves the hatred in one's heart.

In terms of rationality, revenge is not as simple as carrying an ax and driving a long ship to kill someone.

"Arik, you. Too young. You and other young people should never think of your enemies as stupid! You will suffer greatly because of your arrogance. good! I'll tell you the details of that battle. We Russians didn't fight those people openly at all. We took advantage of them to push the boat and attacked suddenly. Besides, we are also 700 against them 200. Is there any reason to be invincible?"

"This..." Arik really didn't think about it this way, but after thinking about it for a moment, on average, seven people suddenly attack two people, and victory is not difficult.

"About four hundred people, uncle. In fact, we have already discussed it. The reason is that only four hundred people will go south to fight. people. "

"Is this true?" Otto has been busy preparing for his trip to Novgorod these days, and has no time to pay attention to the connection between young people.

He looked at the eyes of everyone, and many people answered in the affirmative.

“Only four hundred people. You dare to attack an island with 20,000 people. You are so brave. ”

Otto’s words clearly revealed his negative views on this action. After all, he is in his fifties. At this age, he lacks enterprising spirit. He just intends to develop steadily, not that The young man's life is to block his destiny.

Aric could not feel his uncle's passivity at all, so he reasoned: "We can move quietly, we already know that we should attack in a roundabout way from the south of the island. "

"Is it that Gould who taught you?" Otto asked deliberately.

"Yes, that's him. Gould made it abundantly clear that day. We rowed at night, made a surprise attack, and then retreated after grabbing the gold. What do you think? "

Otto nodded, "This is indeed the only possibility for your victory. That is, if you move slowly, they will catch up with you, and the consequences will be disastrous. ”

“Don’t worry! uncle! "Arik hit his chest hard with great confidence,"They are a bunch of idiots! We will win easily. ”

“Stupid! Otto, who had a compulsively quiet spirit, suddenly burst out, "Arik, you big fool!" You are too young and think you can be a small leader, as if going to Gotland is just a trip?

Do you think they are stupid? But you don’t know that all their elites are on the island. The big merchants of Gotland have their own elite guards, and they need hundreds of people to protect their treasures. Those people are not ordinary fishermen, but warriors wearing chain mail, who live to protect the gold of the rich. If you don't kill them, how will you get the gold? "

"This...is this true?" Arik asked cautiously, with worry in his eyes.

"Well, actually, I didn't want to scare you. Arik, remember, tell those young brothers of yours. If you rob those fishermen, you will only get some salted fish. If you want everyone to return with a box of gold, you must kill those armored warriors. Young people don’t understand, but we old guys do. When you go to take revenge, you must be led by an old guy, and you cannot be left to do whatever you want. "

Otto's words criticized the so-called newborn calves not afraid of tigers. His eyes deliberately drifted towards Harold Zosen.

" Harold Zosen, you are also willing to go south. This is great! As the leader of the young people, you direct them to fight, supervise them to sort out the spoils, and order them to withdraw after completing their plan. ”

“Okay! "Actually, Harold Zuosen has always wanted this.

Otto looked at the others: "Brothers, I have arranged for Harold Zuosen to be the combat leader. Do you all support it? ”

Everyone looked at each other, talked silently, and expressed their support.

After all, in the battle eight years ago, Harold Johnson killed at least one person. Ten enemies. When he was young, he was just like Arik now, eager to win with a battle ax.

The fact is that when he was young, Harold Zuosen led the people in the boat and robbed. After several searches of Gotland fishing boats, his heroic appearance in triumph with the trophies attracted the attention of young Otto.

Later, in the tournament where the tribal leaders competed, Harold Zuosen was a strong competitor. However, he still lost to Otto.

It is important for a person to be self-aware. Harold Zuosen has long lost his desire to fight for the throne. If he follows the leader, he can easily obtain a lot of wealth, so why bother to fight for power. What about being competitive?

It is impossible for the leader to lead his men to handle everything personally. The upcoming raid is completely contrary to what Otto planned last year, but public opinion cannot be violated

Ross. The tribe has the concept of "war chief", which is not the chief of the tribe, but is completely equivalent to a simple military general, the general.

Now, Haro Zuosen has legitimately been awarded the title of "General of the Crusade against the Gotlanders".

Since Arik is around 20 years old, he is a young man who is in urgent need of making a career and has a huge reputation.

Arik also obtained the temporary status of "Second War Chief" and was recognized by everyone.

In this way, the commander system is determined. As for the grassroots...

The grassroots warriors don’t need to worry too much, because everyone knows how to do things like war since they were young.

They naturally know a lot of tactics, and they will not fight alone on the battlefield. The elders will teach the younger ones. The battlefield is not a competition, and they must ensure that they use more to defeat the less.

It is said that one's back is protected by brothers, a shield wall is organized to overthrow the enemy, and a group of people work together to kill.

At this point, Otto felt that his only son Rurik was going to take the old tactics of the Ross tribe to their peak.

It’s really extreme. The child threw children under ten years old into the training tribe and forced them to have exactly the same movements in walking, blocking, and pushing shields.

When these children grow up, they all fight with steel swords. I am afraid that the warriors of the wealthy Gotlanders who make me cautious will turn into fools who can be defeated quickly.

The meeting did not last long, and two things were determined at the meeting.

The departure date for the southward crusade and the eastward tax collection was on April 22 of the Julian calendar, which was the morning of the second day after the meeting.

By then, the entire tribe will undergo tremendous changes.

On the morning of that day, the army heading to Novgorod will surely set sail, and the army going south to attack the Gotlanders must also take action.

And the new operation is destined to be larger than before. The most elite forces of the Ross tribe will be mobilized. For this purpose, more than a thousand male warriors have left the tribe.

Colleagues, a large number of residents have begun to trade southward. The great businessman Gould has the most goods. He is waiting for the Russian army to set sail and follow him.

Some families are willing to accept the leader's request, that is, to immigrate to Lake Ladoga with all kinds of people and families, and become the first residents of the new settlement at the mouth of the sea.

For this reason, Otto actually has deeper arrangements.

The Ross tribe must have lost more than half of its people as a result. And when people return, Roseburg's population won't be what it is now. Because the settlement in Ladoga will inevitably divert a group of people there, and more people will leave the crowded Rossberg Fjord in the future. In the new world and more and more married Novgorod women will have more children. The larger the population, the larger the size of the settlement will be.

Otto, he did not understand what economics was. He simply believed that the limitations of the narrow land had restricted the development of the tribe. If you don't want to die of sleepiness, go out and build New Roseburg. In the past few years of collecting taxes from the East, he had been thinking about establishing a new settlement and trying to find a reliable location.

To find an area with many waterways and a milder climate, there must be a lot of trees around. There are opportunities for setting up settlements around Lake Ladoga and even at the mouth of the river.possibility.

After careful consideration, he finalized the location of the estuary and made full use of the resources of several islands in the estuary. He even noticed a stone island outside the river's estuary. It had a tortuous coastline, and its existence also wrapped a small sea area at the estuary into a natural port.

There is no doubt that Otto’s so-called “stone island” was Kronshtadt and he realized its value as a port.

There was only one full day left before the day of departure. The good news of the upcoming expedition quickly spread throughout the tribe. All warriors of all ages who decided to participate were sharpening their swords and preparing dry food at the last moment. And drinking water!

Together with all the hunters who own bows and arrows, they are also sorting out the recently made arrows. These people deliberately followed Arik south, intending to treat the enemy as a wild deer and kill them mercilessly, thereby proving to other tribesmen that although the archers did not participate in close combat, they could still stand at least fifty paces away. The distance can easily kill the enemy. This is another kind of bravery, and it is not the so-called coward!

No one is in a hurry. They have spontaneously linked up with the crusade army going south. The meeting has decided on the crusade against the general. As long as they bring food and water, they can theoretically set off immediately.

The move to Novgorod and the establishment of a new settlement have been prepared for a long time. A large number of construction tools and more than a hundred immigrants are ready to go.

What everyone has to do is to say goodbye to those left behind tomorrow, have a big meal together, and then rush to their unknown "travel".

They have already begun to say goodbye!

April 21st, if nothing else happened, would be an ordinary day. For many Russians, tomorrow will bring a fresh start.

Arikgui was the nephew of the leader, so the steel sword order he gave to the blacksmith was completed first, even though he still had part of the money on credit.

Early in the morning, he wiped his shining steel sword with linen cloth, and even tried to touch its sharp edge with his fingers, with a look on his face that he couldn't put it down.

His wife, Peravina, was packing their "travel" luggage with her belly bulging and her head sullen.

The woman caught a glimpse of her husband playing with a sword from the corner of her eye, and she could no longer suppress her inner words.

"Arik, you promised to accompany me back, but I am the only one who goes back to visit relatives..."

Arik was still playing with his steel sword, unconsciously. It waved in the air, as if slashing at transparent enemies. "What do you know? I must avenge myself. I must avenge my father."

"Oh... you promised me." Suspending the work in her hands, Peravina held her waist and looked at her whole body. The man straightened up and looked at the regret on his husband's face.

Arik didn't appreciate it at all. He was still playing with his beautiful and flexible steel sword, and he didn't notice his wife's melancholy at all.

"Arik, you...you goTake revenge. I will go back with your leader, and I will tell my parents that I am living a good life among you Rus. I just hope that after some time, I will give birth to the child healthily. You...do you want..." Peravina did not say any more.

At this moment, Arik, who seemed to have never heard her words, suddenly stopped the sword in his hand and quickly returned the sword to its sheath.

Aric looked back at his wife: "Are you worried about me? Are you afraid something will happen to me? "

"I..."

How can Peravina say something unlucky? To be honest, she quite likes her current destiny and knows that the current situation is not bad. Life is entirely based on her husband's health. If possible, she hopes that her husband will not fight against those enemies, but this is impossible.

"You are still worried about something happening to me. How stupid! "Arik strode closer to his wife, his face full of confidence, and he felt a little relieved in his heart. Seeing his wife's bulging belly and slightly tilted head, he felt even more pity.

Arik caressed her He held his wife's blond hair and leaned close to her ear: "Do you want jewelry made of gold? My brother actually made a set of silver jewelry for his servant. I am destined not to be a great leader like him. Now that I have become a war leader, I will lead my brothers to defeat those sinners, and I will definitely get some gold for this. I will make you a gold necklace and put gold pendants in your ears. I'll also pay to have you custom-made a furry coat made of ferret fur. Do you want to get it? Then support me. ”

It is impossible to say that Peravina is not materialistic. She was moved by her husband’s promise.

But rationality soon took over her mind, and she suddenly grabbed her husband’s thick body. arms, looking up with a pleading expression: "Promise me, nothing will happen to you! "

" Something happened? What's up? You are such a woman, shut up! "Aric knew that his wife was worried about her own safety, but this worry was too unlucky. He continued with a harsh tone: "You continue to work, prepare the bacon I need, and the ones you need. . In the future, you must listen to the leader, do not cause trouble to the leader, and do your duty well. "

As he said that, Arik paused again: "Listen, don't worry about me. When you come back from Novgorod, I have come home, you will see a lot of gold. "

"You promise? ! ”

“I promise! I will make great contributions to this. You continue to do your work, and in the evening, I will take you and you to my father's grave to have a look. Got it? ”

Peravina nodded, saying nothing.