Compared with previous years, this year’s Hanukkah festival is obviously more grand.
On December 28 of the Julian calendar, there is no sunshine on this day, and Roseburg enters the only day of absolute daylight in the year.
The stone boat altar, brightly illuminated by a large number of bonfires, was crowded with people for a while. Businessmen who were staying over the winter also joined the crowd at the event.
Under the attention of countless tribesmen, a young priestess took the old high priest's antlered helmet in public and put it on her head.
High Priest Vilia, she has become too old to perform the entire ceremony herself. She stood in the stone ship altar surrounded by the flames of the candlestick, and with a hoarse voice, guided Rumia, who was wearing a deer-antler helmet, to do the most critical work.
On the other hand, Otto and Rurik were half-kneeling in the altar quietly, watching everything that happened.
Rumia reluctantly slit the throat of a stag with her own hands, and used the steaming deer blood to worship the Valkyrie parading in the sky.
She sprinkled the deer's blood on the snow, and then worked with other priests to cut open the deer's belly and pull out its liver.
"The next step is my work. Otto, Rurik, follow me."
Finally, the real high priest Vilia, who was in a state of supervision and observation, began This is the only divination that one must personally participate in.
Because the blood of the deer has been shown to the gods, the blood of the deer nourishes the earth.
This time there will no longer be a "jewel trick" for divination. The deer's liver must be cut, and Villa will judge the good or bad luck of the northern hunting operation through the arrangement of blood vessels.
And this is the key to making this sacrifice different from the past.
A carbon steel dagger inlaid with gold is held in Vilia's hand. Because of carbon steel, Rurik has always lied that it is "technology from Valhalla". This recently made The dagger naturally has some kind of magical power, and Villa firmly believes in this.
The bright red deer liver was carried to a wooden platform by Rumia. Under the illumination of the aurora moonlight and even the candlelight and bonfire, Vilia completed the cutting.
She held the oil lamp with trembling hands and concentrated on observing the cut section of the liver.
"Otto, come to me..."
Otto was ordered and approached the high priest with extreme caution. "The great priest...is this a good omen?"
"It's an omen, maybe a good thing, maybe a bad thing."
"The great priest..." Otto was confused. , his attitude is more cautious.
As for Villa, she felt that she had received some special revelation from deer liver. I am afraid that this is God's will, and she firmly believes in this.
"Tell the people. As you go east, you will inevitably fight against the unknown. The master of the deer will gain his first victory, and the territory of Rus will extend to the sea at the end of the world, and Discover new treasures in the frozen land..."
"What...what does this mean?" Otto asked doubtfully.
"This is the omen. Please tell your people."
Facing all this, Otto was very confused. He didn't understand what a "master of the deer" was, but he was very interested in the so-called expansion of territory. Very interested. Will there be a fight? It is better to have a fight, so that the young people involved in the operation do not think that the operation is a boring bully deer herder.
So, Otto asked again: "Great priest, is our enemy... the deer herder?"
"No! Your enemy is an unknown person, absolutely Not a deer farmer”
An unknown enemy? Otto found it even more interesting.
As for the deer owner’s first victory, now, Otto feels a little bit like this is talking about his son.
Otto did not hesitate any longer. He grabbed the bloody deer liver and told the tribesmen with a roar: "Brothers! The high priest has completed the divination! Are you eager to fight?"
His question immediately aroused the excitement of the young people in the tribe. The tribesmen who became very lively began to let out war cries.
"Then go fight! All warriors who participate in the hunt, you will definitely fight against the unknown enemy, and you will definitely expand the territory of the Rus to the sea at the end of the world. Brothers! We are not To hunt is to conquer the north."
When it comes to excitement, Otto draws out his sword, picks up the deer liver with the tip of the sword, raises it high, and lets the steel sword drink the blood. .
And the warlike tribesmen also fell into madness.
Seeing such a spectacular scene, Rurik's mood did not fluctuate violently. The young tribesmen became excited when the battle was mentioned, and they never even considered possible injuries and deaths.
Rurik felt that the so-called prophecy of the high priest was not a "god's will", but just another excuse made by the old lady. Of course, he himself also understood that until now, this old woman was still trying her best to promote herself, and even used prophecies to urge herself.
"I am the master of the deer. Because I am now the master of all the reindeer in the tribe. When I rule the group of deer herders, I will be the master of all the reindeer..."
So, Rurik did not feel that there was any ambiguity in the words of the high priest.
On the winter solstice, the Hanukkah festival ended successfully in the excitement of the group. After that, the people who decided to participate in the northern hunt returned home and started the final preparations.
On December 29 of the Julian calendar, the sun finally returned, although it still flashed by.
Life is already full of hope. People who see the sun again understand that the days will only get longer in the future, and spring will return soon.
Different from previous group hunting, Otto decided to organize an elite team of 300 people and head straight to the northeast along the frozen coastline to find the so-called "unknown enemy."
What is an elite team? Those young men who had participated in the war against the Gotlanders at the end of April aroused Otto's strong concern.
As the leader, he naturally chooses himselfChoose the most elite warriors.
Otto even forced the blacksmith Kawei to join the team. Not only did he trust the young man, but also because for this operation, the team needed a blacksmith who knew how to repair tools and weapons. What about Kawei? Being able to participate in new adventures is what he wants! Rather than hunting, Kawei actually wanted to find new iron ore, copper ore, or even directly dig for gold. Because the blacksmith in this time and space is basically a "geological expert".
Otto ordered this group of young boys, generally only twenty years old, to forget the idea of hunting and instead seize the time to prepare their weapons and all supplies for sleeping in the wild, especially leather blankets and making a large amount of wheat. cake.
The taste of Beikou has changed. Otto wants to follow the high priest's prophecy and go to war with the so-called unknown enemy.
Of course there are a group of brave people who simply go hunting, but the route heading north is completely different from Otto’s team.
The hunters acted spontaneously, while Otto assembled a real army.
Rurik was not idle during the last three days of preparations.
Right in front of his home, Rurik gathered his guards - mercenaries who mainly existed to make money.
All the mercenaries began to receive training from Jevro when they were still on Gould Island. They arrived at Fort Ross and received rigorous formation training.
Even at the last moment, this group of people received brand-new training in order to master the new weapons.
Rurik observed the twenty people standing in line in front of him, among whom Jevro was their leader.
The sharp eyes came from a child, but all the mercenaries did not think that the child was childish in any way. The legendary Rurik behaved much like an adult.
There is also the magical steel-arm crossbow he developed, which is now in everyone's hands. This weapon has the ability to make arrows penetrate wooden boards. It can be used to attack enemies or hunt. The power should be considerable. of.
Today's mercenaries all wear cowhide hoods on their heads that can protect their ears, and wear warm cowhide jackets of similar styles, tied up with leather belts. They also all wore layers of burlap trousers and warm and durable moccasin boots. A burlap waistcoat covered almost their entire upper body.
Not only are their clothing unified, but their weapons are also highly unified.
Equip the mercenaries with steel swords? Rurik felt that this consumption of property was unnecessary for the time being. There is no need for this group of people to have excellent weapons for the time being, let alone the steel sword that every warrior wants.
The mercenaries all have a short spear, and the spearhead is actually mass-produced cast bronze. After all, it is used as a piercing attack weapon, and the hardness of bronze is completely sufficient. Its greatest use besides being a weapon is as a marching staff.
The mercenary also has a small hand axe, an iron dagger hanging on his waist, and a round wooden shield on his back.
Have these equipments, a standard image of a Viking warrior is probably like this.
But this group of people is equipped with a new type of weapon that transcends the times - the steel-arm crossbow.
Compared with children, these mercenaries all have the strength to string a bow with their bare hands. They wear leather gloves, so they will not feel the stringing. The equipped crossbow has a linen strap installed on the wooden support, so that the mercenary can directly carry the crossbow on his back.
They each have a sewn cross-body bag, which is the so-called quiver, but it can only hold ten crossbow arrows.
Rurik actually designed the quiver for them like this. Every crossbow arrow is heavy. Since his men are destined to march for a long time, they should not be equipped with too heavy equipment.
Rurik reviewed his men, and he felt that these guys had met his expectations.
He gave the order: "Brothers, you have trained on the use of crossbows, and I am satisfied with your training results. We Russians will go to the north to fight the prophesied enemy. You are my servants. Soldier, in the past few days, I have rewarded you with food and accommodation, and each of you has earned thirty silver coins. Ask yourself, are you stronger now than when you first arrived in Fort Ross? You must prove to me that everything I have given you is worth it."
Jevro immediately stood up from the team and suddenly knelt down: "Master, we will fight for you!"< /p>
Is it embarrassing to kneel down to a child?
No!
The rest of the mercenaries knelt down half-kneeling, lowered their proud heads, and swore: "My master, I fight for you."
The sources of the mercenaries are almost all The Malaren people are, specifically, a group of very poor young people who possess youthful vitality. They first want a stable life, secondly live with dignity, and then pursue their own honor.
At this point, the mercenaries want to prove the value of their existence through fighting and get rewards from their sponsors.
Rurik shouted calmly: "My mercenaries! You must prove your true loyalty through a battle. Once a battle occurs, I will reward those brave people , to punish the cowardly. I will reward each of you with ten silver coins in advance for this operation. In addition, I will prepare the food needed for our operation."
Listen, half-kneeling servant. The soldiers' eyes shone, and they didn't expect that the Northern Hunting hadn't even started yet, and they had already made a huge profit.
Rurik continued: "Don't think that I am a benevolent charity. What I need is your bravery." At this point, he suddenly asked about Yevluo: "Yevluo, what do you mean? ! What punishment should be given to a coward?"
"Kill!" Yevluo's response was concise.
Rurik was stunned for a moment, and after exchanging glances with Jevro, he made up his mind: "Okay! The best way to deal with cowards is to kill them! Are there any cowards among you? I think None. Listen!We made an agreement in advance to cut off the enemy's head and reward... a silver coin. If you capture a woman or child and bring them back safely, you will be rewarded with two silver coins. What do you think? ”
The mercenaries responded most enthusiastically with their gleaming eyes.
Looking at their wolf-like expressions, Rurik was certainly happy in his heart. He was also a little nervous.
Rurik was nervous about his irritating remarks, but things had reached this point. It was impossible to be completely merciful. The Russians just wanted to show their bestiality. He must also behave like a beast in front of his tribe, otherwise it would be too naive to expect to rule them as a simple "wise man"
"I just want to lead the army to fight, this is my first priority. Fight, I have to get things done. "
What is different from the preparations made by other elite warriors is that Rurik is responsible for the logistics supplies of his "direct army".
To win the battle, do it properly Of course, tactics are very crucial, and well-guaranteed logistics is the key to victory.
Rurik feels that as the master of mercenaries, it is not only important, but also particularly necessary. It even needs to be popularized so that future warriors of the Ross tribe will not have to worry about lack of food, clean water, or even accommodation during battles.
Rurik sent a group of women from the tribe and ordered them to grind wheat grains. , then processed into wheat cakes and put into linen bags, so that a cloth bag is stuffed with ten pounds of hard and dry wheat cakes. The whole wheat oat cakes of the Ross tribe are a hard biscuit, which is not what Rurik recognized. The excellent food in Zhizhong is indeed the most shelf-stable grain food that the Russians can make in this era.
In addition, Rurik also purchased a batch of cured meat from the tribe, and even frozen it.
The mercenaries will each have their own sled, on which each person will receive fifty pounds of wheat cakes and thirty pounds of bacon. Fish is additional food. In fact, the calories provided by these foods are indeed enough for a modern soldier to support him in combat for a month!
Rurik gave him enough energy to support combat for a month! The mercenaries prepared food, but he really underestimated the endurance of the Viking warriors in this time and space, and even the fact that they could obtain food through hunting
Rurik completed the final reserve. >
Each mercenary's sled is piled with a large amount of supplies. There are shovels for digging, hand axes for logging and fighting, daggers and spoons for eating, several pottery urns, some charcoal blocks, and a little sea salt. Nearly a hundred pounds of high-calorie food that can be eaten directly, linen for building a personal tent, and a deerskin blanket that can be wrapped around the body.
The most important thing is the steel-armed crossbow. They will carry weapons with them, and they will also carry ten arrows in their waists. However, their sleds will be loaded with forty arrows.
The above heavy equipment makes Rurik's mercenaries different from others. RossWarriors are completely different. What's more, they wore uniform clothes. Under the command of Jevro, these twenty people were only responsible to Rurik.
The promised first day of the Julian New Year in 830 AD has finally arrived!
The warriors on the expedition to the north gathered on the ice, and behind them were thousands of Ross people. The tribesmen welcomed the warriors into the unknown territory and wished the old leader a new victory.
Everyone has more or less interpreted the prophecy. The so-called trip is Rurik's first battle.
Children who are favored by God will surely make great achievements.
"Let's stop here." Otto ordered his old buddy: "I will run towards the one who leads you along. Hello Zuosen, I think the tribe must be guarded by a respected man. ."
"Don't worry, Chief, everything is just like before."
Otto nodded deeply, but he was not completely at ease with this old guy. Of course Otto has a certain defensive mentality. After all, this guy participated in the leadership competition when he was young.
Otto still trusted his blood family the most. His feelings for his deceased brother were now completely transferred to his eldest nephew.
He patted Arik on the shoulder: "Halozorson said a lot. Before we come back, just like in May and June, you two war chiefs must manage our Ross tribe. You Do you understand?"
There was a hint of regret in Arik's eyes: "Big Chief, how much I want to go with you."
"Your words are offensive, call me daddy. ."
"Yes! Dad. I..."
Otto waved his hand: "This battle is your brother's first action. We can't go against God's will."
"Yes! I completely understand." Arik said no more. He knew that although he had lost this opportunity, the opportunity to fight was not far away. future.
The deep warriors did not have many words. The Ross tribe warriors dragging their respective sleds, under the leadership of Otto, formed a considerable team.
Here, only Otto's sled was pulled by the young warriors of the tribe.
He was sitting on the sleigh, with Rurik and Rumia sitting next to him. The leader's sleigh is protected by elite warriors, and it is a great honor for the young warriors who hold this job to be able to pull the sled for the leader, the future leader, and the future high priest.
And because the Russians have to face the frozen sea and the snow-covered world every year, they are highly skilled in making sleds. People pulling the sled will not feel how strenuous it is. Of course there are exquisite elements in the design of the sled, but also in the warriors Otto selected. They are young and strong, and are full of the violence and tenacity of warriors.
Otto was shocked by Rurik's training of mercenaries. It seemed that these guys were well-trained, but because they had not passed the battle,Dou Zi proves that Otto has always been highly vigilant towards them. Until now, he ordered all the people led by Yevlo to be at the forefront of the team.
To put it bluntly, if there is contact with the so-called "mysterious enemy" in the priest's prophecy, these mercenaries will be the first to fight.
Mercenaries! It is the combat power bought with money. If the battle is destined to kill people, it is best for the mercenaries to bear all the casualties of the team.
That’s what Otto thought, and Rurik didn’t object to it.
Rurik had his own idea, saying that it was best to have a battle, so that the mercenaries could line up and shoot one or two heavy crossbow arrows at the enemy to achieve the first kill.
The women of the tribe cheered for their husbands and sons.
They were so excited that they cried one after another and watched the people on the expedition drift away.
"Okay, only mother and daughter are left..." Niya held the hands of Carlotta and Ella.
"Mom, Rurik and Dad, will they be safe?" Carlotta asked naturally.
"Of course! My daughter, let's go back and wait for their triumphant return."
The prophecy of the high priest has always made Carlotta worried. She doesn't like war, but she longs for violent revenge. This thought is of course very contradictory, just like she hopes that Rurik will make great achievements in the war, but she also doesn't want him to be injured. Because the future of the Ostara people depends on the protection of the Rus' people under Rurik's rule.