At dusk, a large number of tribesmen gathered at the place where the edict board was erected. Everyone saw the words on it and immediately had different opinions.
In the crowd, an old guy with half of his beard burnt off, after understanding the paperwork on the board, hurriedly squeezed out of the crowd and walked quickly back to his home.
He was Clavarson. When he returned to his home where he had been smelting all night to cast more iron farm tools (mainly digging shovels and axes) and cooking utensils (mainly iron bowls), he immediately His own blacksmith apprentices summoned.
In a moment, Kawei ran over with his shirtless body covered in sweat.
"Dad, you are back so soon? That order issued by the leader... We really want an all-out war against the Gotlanders."
Klavasen's expression Rutie did not immediately answer Kawei's words, but faced everyone present: "The big leader chose war, and Rurik will fight with all our strength. Now I have decided not to cast those farm tools anymore. , let’s make weapons now.”
“Ah? We…” Kawei asked hurriedly: “What should we make?”
“First…” Klawason said. He knew that his decision was quite arbitrary, but when he thought of the terms on the board, he was convinced that the blacksmiths would contribute a lot to this decisive war, and the kid Rurik would definitely come to the blacksmith shop to give orders tomorrow.
"Let's make arrow clusters first. We need to make a large number of carbon steel arrow clusters."
"This..."
Klavasen pointed his big hand directly at himself Son, "Kawei, Rurik will be our commander in the future war. It seems that we will gather an army of three thousand people. By then, I am afraid you and I will have to go to war. Rurik likes archery when he fights. We were told to hurry up and make arrow clusters, now let’s continue! All the iron bowls were smashed.”
“Dad, why?” Kawei was confused for a moment. .
"Idiot! Put it in the small stove and stir-fry it. We will make carbon steel arrow clusters now."
Kawei was helpless, obviously the batch of iron bowls he had rushed to make was Plan to take it to Novgorod this fall to exchange for local agricultural products. After all, the payment of tribute by local people has essentially nothing to do with the blacksmiths. Although the blacksmith also has to pay a tax to the leader, the other income is the blacksmith's own.
He raised a huge hammer and smashed the cast iron bowl repeatedly until it was broken into thumb-sized pieces. Then he threw it into a small stove and ordered the apprentice to wear leather gloves and handle a bowl. The iron rod kept stirring.
This is the method of frying steel. This technology can be said to have been discovered by Kawei himself due to an accidental incident. Although this incident was accidental, it was inevitable. After all, he already knew a lot about the "Periodic Table of Elements", especially knowing that the difference between iron and steel lies in the magical carbon content.
The method of mass-producing low-carbon steel has already emerged, but it may be more suitable for making small objects such as arrow clusters and spoons, or for pulling out iron wire.
According to Kawei’s estimation, there will beWhen many fragments are thrown to maintain the same size during rapid decarburization, the end result is an excellent arrow cluster blank. After beating and quenching, the arrow shaft can be bonded.
Exhausted, he had no energy to continue fighting, and the short night was about to end.
In Roseburg, which has a high latitude, it is still chilly in the summer morning.
During this stay, Rick was held in his mother's arms. While satisfying the woman's longing for her son, he also lay on the soft leather bed, truly sleeping. It was a peaceful night's sleep, but the bumps and undulations of the sea were really a headache.
The sun had already risen, and Rurik, who was awake, smelled the aroma of barbecue and walked into the hall of his home.
The family is sitting together. There is only one boy, Rurik, and the other girls are his future wives and concubines.
Soon the Britten maids in charge of the barbecue jointly carried a steaming wooden board into the hall and placed a huge roasted deer leg on the table.
Look at this sizzling and greasy barbecue!
Otto's stomach growled fiercely. Without saying a word, he even didn't care that the barbecue was too hot. He picked up a knife and pierced it. As the Duke of Ross, he unceremoniously cut off the best meat and tasted it for himself, tearing it wantonly with a bloody mouth, and even the grease splashed on Rurik's face.
"Dad, you are like a hungry wolf." Rurik protested unhappily and gently wiped the oil from his face.
Otto was busy chewing the meat, making a squeaking sound, so Rurik had no choice but to pick up the knife to cut the meat, and then he held the chopsticks gracefully and stuffed the cut pieces of meat into his mouth.
Those girls also followed suit. Their ability to handle chopsticks was trained by Rurik. They were completely different from Otto's tiger and wolf eating methods, and they were more elegant.
"That's weird, I thought there was oatmeal for breakfast." Rurik complained slightly.
Niya shook her head: "Silly boy, the wheat has been eaten long ago. The situation is better now than before. At least we still have deer meat to eat."
"Deer? Really? Are you willing to do so?" Rurik suddenly turned his head to look at the smiling Lumia and asked jokingly: "My high priest, is this really okay? "
" Um... Although I'm a little reluctant to part with it, it's the leader after all... No, it's the Duke's triumph, and this meal should be more substantial."
This sounds reasonable, Rurik nodded, and continued with the venison. Asked about the most important thing: "I remember correctly, there is no night between tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. When the sun stops at the sea level, it will be our big sacrifice. How are you preparing for the sacrifice?" ”
Rurik, who returned yesterday, quickly fell asleep. Rumia was called by Otto to explain some important matters, so she now fully knows about the Ross tribe’s all-out war on Gotland. big event. No one is joking about this matter. Rumia knows very little about the Gotlanders, but she has fully understood that this war is not a continuation of the previous war southward launched by the Alliance, but the Russians.The Qiankun Throw of Total Revenge.
When she thought that the outcome of this battle was either victory or destruction, she became stumbling when she spoke: "There is... a plan to have five deer as sacrifices."
" That’s too little!” Rurik pointed at the deer legs, “There are more sacrifices for the gods! You choose ten from the herd.”
“Huh? ! So much."
"You can't bear it anymore? High Priest!"
"Yes." She really didn't want to. Too expensive.
Rurik looked at the table again: "Lumia, raise your head. This sacrifice is of great significance, you have to get things done."
"Yes! I Yes."
"After you have eaten, you can continue to discuss with the priests. As for me, I have some important things to do."
I have eaten this morning. He was not happy at all. He even bluntly stated that he no longer wanted to be with his mother, but devoted himself wholeheartedly to war preparations.
Even though there was no official announcement of the actual general mobilization, the notice board had already been put up, and some important members of the tribe began to take action. He knew that he had to race against time, especially the production and maintenance of equipment.
To put it bluntly, considering the way of life of the Russian people, although the troops and horses have not used food and grass first, since the army will also control a large area of the sea, the so-called warriors are fishermen who spend some time occupying There is no problem in fishing and fishing in the vast sea area, not to mention eating to fill your stomach. Because the herring caught by the Ross fleet during an off-net fishing trip more than ten days ago did meet the meal needs of 300 people that day.
The most important thing for the Russians is to solve the problem of weapons and equipment.
Perhaps the number of weapons retained by the Russians was enough to cope with a full-scale war, but Rurik really saw clearly the major weakness of his tribe-the inability to bear the loss of too many soldiers.
The agreed date of departure is in August, and August is still a full month away! Even including the final gathering time of all parties, let's count it as ten days, then the time to prepare for war based on Russian ordnance is still three weeks.
Three weeks may not seem like a long time, but in fact it is.
As long as a group of people are mobilized to help, Ross Blacksmith will surely create a miracle.
After dinner, Rurik called a dozen mercenaries and hurried to Klavason’s house.
Otto was not idle on this day. He estimated that the standing notice board had aroused the blood of the tribesmen. As the big leader, the Duke of Ross, he must shoulder the responsibility of recruiting everyone. He took his cronies with him and began to call on the men left behind to take up arms on the complex roads of the tribe. However, more strong men are still holding the fishing ropes at sea and fighting with the hooked cod.
A place where blacksmiths gather, the smoke and dust never dissipates, and the air is filled with a faint smell of burning.
Rurik’s visit was completely unexpected by the Klavasen family.What surprised Rick was that he remembered that Kawei took his wife and children to Novgorod to visit his mother-in-law, and now...
This sturdy young man was already sweating profusely and was holding a poker in one hand and another Holding a small hammer in one hand, he builds some gadgets on the blacksmith's bench.
For a moment, Rurik saw clearly, "Ah! You are actually making arrow clusters?!"
"You have done a lot." Arik wiped it with his arm With the sweat on his face, he pointed his hammer at the little iron fist at his feet.
“It’s all arrow clusters, so many?!”
Klavason chuckled and joined in: “I already know the news, and finally... I’m going to fight the Gotlanders. Get up."
"What do you think?"
"Okay!" In fact, Klavason felt a little anxious about the decision. He had no right to question the scene, so he continued to echo: "I will have no regrets in my life if I can watch those guys completely defeated in my lifetime."
"Okay, I remember when your grandson was born, you He said something similar. "Where is Kamne?" Rurik looked around and asked: "Where is Lilia?" Let her take the child and come back in the fall. You know, I am a blacksmith, and our family now has some influence in Novgorod. Lilia is a good woman, and she is helping my family expand its influence."
"Oh, so where is Kamne? I see why your place is a little deserted now. Where are the large group of apprentices?"
"They are all going to the mountains. Mining." Klavason stroked his beard and relished: "The blast furnace cannot be stopped. I asked some old guys to help take care of the furnace. But when it comes to mining, this kid Kamne is really smart. He can already do it. The apprentices are just young, and they have good physical strength and endurance. They don't look tired when they carry the ore back."
"It seems that I am worried that it is unnecessary. "
Rurik looked at the current situation and bluntly told Kawei to suspend the work at hand.
Klavasen moved three leather mats and spread them on the sandy floor of the blacksmith shop. He knew that Rurik's visit this time must be for something big, just like before.
As expected, Rurik’s words were astonishing.
"It seems that you understand my thoughts very well, and the notice board I asked to put up has some effect. You are making arrow clusters, and it seems that they are the best carbon steel arrow clusters. That's great! Card Wei, you are a man I respect!"
"It is my honor to serve you"
Kawei is very happy to flatter Rurik, since they are so. With their cooperation, my next plan will be easy to implement, although it is indeed a challenge for them.
Taking this opportunity, Rurik briefly explained his experience of fighting south in the past twenty days. Although there are too many thrilling details in it, Kawei and Clavarson were so shocked that they had the huge energy to ask questions.So.
Rurik had no time to spend time promoting the great achievements of the Russian army.
He emphasized one point in particular: "In this battle, the enemy suffered huge losses, but the elites of the Malaren Army suffered heavy losses. All allies suffered considerable losses, but we did not even have a single wounded person. Exist. Why is this happening? Because we have been shooting with bows and arrows. When the enemies rush in front of us, they are all shot by us. It can be seen that it is great for us to use bows, crossbows and torque slingshots on a large scale! /p>
Kawei held his head high, his body trembling with excitement as he sat: "You mean to encourage me to work hard to make arrow clusters before our war comes?"
"Yes! You and your son are both masters in making the best steel-arm crossbows and ordinary oak crossbows. You are indeed the best blacksmiths in Ross, and you will definitely train a large number of young blacksmiths. Of course you will make a large number of arrow clusters We are going to fight a very strong enemy, so we naturally need to prepare a large number of hardened carbon steel arrow clusters. You are only responsible for making arrow clusters, arrow shafts and gluing tail feathers. I will send someone to take care of it."
" Your girls? Oh no, the children of the Valkyrie Legion.” Klavathon joked.
"Of course, the arrows they made and assembled have proven to be useful in actual combat."
"That's a good thing." Originally, Klavasen felt that those girls were really unreliable. Since their master Rurik trusted him, he always kept silent.
Unexpectedly, Rurik said something shocking again.
“This time I plan to gather an army of 3,000 people, but if I think about it carefully, our tribe does not have 3,000 men who can stand up and walk, not to mention babies. I must join forces for this battle. Enough for three thousand people. This is the promise I made to everyone, and it is also...a promise to God. So my Valkyrie army, those girls, have to go to the battlefield. "In fact, Rurik just didn't want to break his promise. He deliberately acted like he kept his word. Anyway, he planned to have an army of 3,000 people, including cats and dogs, and even a group of "cheerleaders". If he gathered 3,000 people, he would be considered as true to his word.
Besides, strength in numbers can also frighten the enemy's senses, right?
"Huh? You...are really..."
"Klavason, do you want to say this is ridiculous?"
"I..." Klavasen denied it, but the look in his eyes made it clear.
Rurik shrugged: "If they don't go to the battlefield, what's the point of training them? I never expect those children to go into battle to kill the enemy, and they can't become female warriors fighting in close combat in the future. . They just hold crossbows and shoot. That's what my Valkyrie Legion does."
This was Rurik's decision. Klavason was very self-aware, and he immediately changed the subject. : "So, in the previous battle, you mobilized a lot of people to make arrows, and together with the stocks made in advance, the total number was 20,000? They must have been consumed a lot in the war. Sir, you need us to rush to work. ."
"You asked.Got the idea. "Rurik thought for a while, considering that there are only three weeks for full production before the battle. We really can't expect the blacksmith's single-handed power to be so terrifyingly efficient. "Let's just do this and make a thousand quenched carbons. Big arrow clusters of steel, they are for steel arm crossbows, I will use them specifically to kill the enemy's elite. I also need a large number of traditional arrows fired from ordinary crossbows and wooden bows, and the arrow clusters are made of molten iron. You know the time of my planned expedition. You still have three weeks to complete 10,000 coins! "
"Huh? ! so much? Kawei lost his composure for a moment and asked: "Rurik, do you think we can do it?" ”
“This is an order. "Rurik had a sullen face, pretending not to take a step back.
"This..."
"Kawei, you have no right to hesitate. Remember, this is a bet on everything of our Ross tribe. For this victory, we must work hard to make weapons in order to save as few lives as possible. Even if you don't sleep or hire labor, you still have to make these 10,000 arrow clusters. Even if it is a bronze arrow cluster, it is okay. I just want weapons now, and..."
"Huh? what else? ! ”
At this time, Rurik’s eyes were focused on Klavasen, who was a little embarrassed...