To prepare for an expedition, Rurik knew that he had to think deeply about the issue of food and grass.
Does the general medieval army simply plunder the place to solve the problem of supplies? The principle is this: what kind of supplies can be obtained depends entirely on the enemy's reserves. If our own side is not well prepared, does it mean that logistical problems are actually being manipulated by the enemy? If they create a fortified wall and clear the country, the army will have to starve to death in a foreign land or return home quickly.
At least the Balmoks don't pay much attention to logistical issues.
This is a reasonable thing. The allies simply do not know that logistical issues are related to the success or failure of the army.
Rurik planned to stockpile wheat that could feed a thousand people for two months, and this was just wheat. He planned to stockpile according to the standard of two pounds per person per day, which means he would have to stockpile ten Twenty thousand pounds of oats.
In his plan, it would take the Ross army three weeks to reach Balmok at the earliest from its hometown, and another two weeks to land in Britain. Although there are probably opportunities to catch fish during the trip, no one can expect unexpected surprises to solve certain problems.
But wait! Perhaps the army can attack Burgundy Island first and force the local fishermen to provide a batch of catches.
After some consideration, Rurik did not reject the possibility of robbery midway, but it was no longer a necessary means.
The best way is to store food, whether it is wheat or dried fish, or even dried young pine leaves to prevent scurvy. These should be stored for two months, so as to avoid the army. The situation of quickly running out of food after landing in Britain.
Although more than two million pounds of wheat were obtained from various places last year, the huge amounts of wheat were piled up in mountains, and the dry and cold climate made people have no worries about their winter storage. But this batch of wheat can only feed the Russians for more than half a year, and ordinary people still have to go out to sea to fish.
Having food in your own hands is equivalent to taking the military initiative! Rurik can decide the total amount of wheat to be released to the market every month. Since there is war, it is no problem to directly order the stockpiling of 200,000 pounds or more of oats.
Rurik naturally only considered the problems of his own people. As for the Balmok allies, of course they had to solve their own logistical problems. Of course, the allies can follow the old tradition and bring a small amount of dried fish or even catch fish to eat raw fish on the way, and then loot and replenish their physical strength immediately after landing. The Russians have no intention of helping them in this regard.
As the saying goes, even if they are allies, helping them with logistics is a matter of friendship and not Rurik's duty.
But Biyongni, the future commander-in-chief of the Balmoq Army, this man became smart in actual combat. Since the Rurik brothers are stocking up on supplies for the expedition, they should also be prepared for any eventuality.
There is still some time before the sea ice melts, but the Russians have begun to select men for the expedition, and some people have begun spontaneous fighting training.
It is a sunny afternoon and the temperature is still very low, but no longer aggressive.
In the past days, the Balmok travelers who were miners all became stronger because they received good and scientific meals and passively exercised their muscles in the mines. Now this group of people are armed with brand new steel swords and are officially receiving fighting training from Jevlo!
As for how to form a formation to fight, Rurik is not worried that the Balmoks will cause trouble.
On this basis, they should receive better training in fighting alone.
The Balmok travelers began to learn Frankish swordsmanship from Jevlo. The combined fighting technique of sword and shield was refreshing to everyone.
The boys in Rurik also received military training as expected, and some of the very young outstanding ones were selected by Rurik to become members of the expeditionary force.
You expect these teenagers to go into battle and fight? It was too hasty.
No one can deny their courage, but with their thin bodies, short stature and childish faces, these warriors are really weak on the battlefield. The place for people like them is the auxiliary force! It happened that Rurik had to bring a full-time shooting force with him when he went into battle, and he also had to be entrusted with important responsibilities.
This is all a war, and only those who are too naive will pursue a one-on-one duel with the enemy warriors to win.
The essence of war is to use whatever means necessary to win with minimal losses. A wise commander will avoid even close combat. It is great to be able to kill the enemy without guarding them and make them stand on their backs.
A group of boys were selected. They all carried steel-armed crossbows, and a pair of shoulder bags hung on each shoulder. There were as many as ten crossbow arrows in the bag. What a burden this is? Three arrows weigh two pounds! Coupled with the crossbow, which weighs an average of twelve pounds, and the portable cocking winch, which weighs two pounds, the load these boys carry is staggering in terms of weapons alone! Not to mention that they also need a small shovel for digging, a small multi-functional dagger, and a backpack with a hemp rope top, which must also contain food. One of these linen blankets is circled and tied around the backpack.
Rurik is really particular about this aspect. He is pursuing the needs of future generations of armies for clothing and supplies.
Not just these children, belts, shoulder sacks, linen blankets, shovels and daggers, water bags made from stomach pouches and other items that seem to have nothing to do with the battle, every Russian who is about to go on an expedition must One set per person.
The majority of Russian women also received direct tailoring orders from Rurik. He naturally took a special liking to Vodgen, who immigrated to Rus' with his entire tailoring workshop, and instructed this man to take on important jobs—— Create an instructive version of the military uniform for the Rus' army so that Rus' women can copy the style.
In last year's war, Rurik really noticed that the Northumbrian army was trying its best to uniformly dress, but in fact they could not fully achieve it.
The Northumbrian army has a distinct earthy orange color, while the Balmoks are really unkempt.There are many kinds of clothes. Gorgeous attire demonstrates military power to intimidate the enemy, enhances one's own sense of glory and boosts morale, and most importantly distinguishes between ourselves and the enemy on the battlefield.
The Russian military uniform does not need to be modified. It is still a white robe that can be worn on the body, with staggered blue strips sewn on the chest and back.
This obviously requires fine tailoring. Irurik required that characters such as centurions should have epaulettes dipped in cinnabar red on their shoulders. As usual, they had to have feathers on the top of their helmets so that they could be easily seen by warriors in battle. If he hadn't thought it was too silly to put a small flag on his back, Rurik would have done it. Of course there is a flag. Since a flag team is going to be dispatched, of course the flag captain is my cousin Arik, and the flag officer is also a professional.
A subtle atmosphere enveloped the entire Roseburg.
The Duke is going to war! All participants in the war have the opportunity to gain wealth and glory!
Rurik set the date for the expedition near June, so he would not go straight to Britain when the ice and snow melted. He had a lot of time to train the troops, including but not limited to training three hundred Balmok travelers into true warriors to adapt to the Russians' fighting method that was different from the ordinary Vikings.
Considering that Northumbria had cavalry, Rurik had no doubt that the freed Eynred would rebuild his cavalry. Since there is a decisive battle, the fight between one's own and the enemy's cavalry on the battlefield is essential. Judging from that guy's elm head, of course he still ordered the cavalry to charge according to traditional tactics. Maybe they didn't intend to rush and break the formation, and assassination with spears was indispensable.
Therefore, the Russians should prepare a batch of spears, and also sell a batch of spears to the Balmoks. The coalition formed a "hedgehog formation", which should be able to cause heavy casualties to the British cavalry in this time and space.
If there are sufficient preparations, there are no problems with armaments and logistics, and there is a grain officer Paul who leads the way, and if they really reach York this time, Northumbria may be defeated in one fell swoop. The country is destroyed!
However, in so-called wars, half of the plans are often scrapped once the war begins.
Rurik is preparing for an expedition that can be called adventurous, with crazy goals, and whose success means huge rewards and great glory, but the east has encountered big trouble.
A group of sled teams suddenly rushed north to Fort Ross. Look at their dejected appearance, like cocks that have lost a fight.
They are indeed the losers! They took a long circuit around the frozen coastline of the Gulf of Bothnia, and after receiving a batch of supplies at Ellenburg, they successfully arrived at Fort Ross.
Kehas came, and he was caught off guard.
This old guy has a face full of vicissitudes of life, and his eyes are full of the sorrow of defeat.
There are only more than a hundred of his followers, men, women, old and young, and these are already the last members of the "Lord of Salmon" tribe.
As soon as they arrived, a piece of bombshell news began to spread from their mouths.
It turns out that it has been completelyThe Salmon Lord tribe of the Corvin people, who were servants of the Rus, were attacked by powerful enemies! They lost their mountain fortress, the last of their men was nearly killed, and the remaining people were forced to abandon their belongings and flee for their lives. Here are the squirrel and ferret skins that were supposed to be tribute to Ross in the warmer times, and now everything is gone!
Rurik was overwhelmed by such a major event. He could not think of any other enemy that could attack Kehas.
Rurik urgently summoned the old guy who had fled for his life. He was worried that the man would lose control of his emotions, so he specially brought Lumi with him.
Daughter Rumi has been working as a priest among the Rus people, and now it seems that her relationship with Rurik is even closer.
Seeing his daughter, Kehas was filled with sadness. He stamped his feet, beat his chest and cried loudly. It took Rurik a long while to understand the reason for the crying.
"Your mountain fortress! It was actually breached by the enemy. Your wife was killed by them?! Is there such a tragedy?"
Rurik tried his best to remain calm. Can't do it.
Kehas wiped his tears again, "They did it..."
"They? Who are they."
"It's Tavasti The Asians, they came, they noticed us, and now they have occupied our territory. The leather we stored in the mountain fortress has now been robbed by them..."
"Then what. ?" Rurik asked urgently.
"They did not leave. They occupied our territory and did not want to leave. Now I need you...to fulfill the agreement."
"The agreement! I will implement it! Tavastians , I heard you say, there is no point in me attacking them, now they are looking for death!"
Rurik said this without hesitation, his clenched fists seemed to crush the iron into powder.
He temporarily resettled Cajas and the tribesmen who had successfully escaped, and then sent Lumi to comfort her poor father.
That night, Cajas, who had stabilized his mood, was invited to the meeting hall on the first floor of the palace. He entered the Rossburg for the first time. While he was shocked by this huge city, he was also worried about the future. The counterattack was filled with joy.
The servants of the Rus’ “Eastern Land” were massacred? ! How unreasonable!
The news has spread throughout Fort Ross. Although most people don’t even know who the attacker is, the brothers have begun to spread the rumor that the Duke will definitely issue an order to send troops.
This is not an expedition, but a crusade against the invaders to regain the wealth belonging to Ross that was stolen by the enemies.
The entire Roseburg has exactly the same atmosphere, which is to send troops early to kill the enemy and take revenge.
In Rurik's chamber, the atmosphere of revenge was very strong, including the large Balmok armed mission, who were also very interested in a sudden war.
The elites of the Rus are all here, as well as the Balmok hero Biyoni and the Duchess of Ostara Carlotta. Kejas saw the political significance of this at a glance.
Kehas accepted Rurik's request and personally explained to everyone what happened to him. He was so frightened and so filled with a desire for revenge that he went too far in describing his enemies.
"There were a thousand of them, and each warrior had an iron spear. They threw javelins and shot arrows. They were also good at setting fires. Because they couldn't take down our mountain fortress, they set it on fire. We took advantage of the chaos to flee... "
In its description, the old gray squirrel tribe's hillfort was occupied by Tavastian expeditioners, who then attacked Kehas' territory.
Rurik felt something strange, "Your fortress located on a mound should be very strong. Even if they set fire, is it really reasonable in this snowy world?"
"Sir, there were too many of them. They piled firewood to create thick smoke, which resulted in igniting some pine trees... Some people were choked to death by the thick smoke."
Rurik stared, he really knew about the fire Medium-dense smoke is often more dangerous than flames.
Rurik is still asking the key question: "They really have a thousand people?"
"It's absolutely true, I'm afraid there will be warriors later. As far as I know, Tavas The Tia people hunt the prey in their territory everywhere, and the more they have, the more wealth they need. We Corvin people have been trying to get rid of them, but we didn't expect them to come."
"It sounds like fate. War."
"Yes. They know that if they want to seize the leather resources in the north, they must annihilate us. But these leathers all belong to Ross, and we are the servants of Ross. Humiliate Ross!"
Kehas' words were very offensive to everyone. Now Biyongni looked sideways and spoke, "Brother, your servant was attacked by the enemy, which means that you are also humiliating us Balmoks. I don’t know what kind of villains the Tavastians are, but now I declare that I will take my brothers to help you fight.”
Is that the new ally of the Rus? Wouldn't the Russian army be more powerful in this way?
Kejas took this opportunity to add fuel to the fire, "They also did an evil thing!"
"What happened?"
"The enemy destroyed our The cemetery, and Ross’s summer camp was destroyed. I understand that those intruders must be wiped out, otherwise Ross’s fishermen will..."
Rurik stood up violently when he heard that the cemetery was destroyed: "I. I heard that two Ross fishermen’s children died in your place. Could it be that their graveyards were also destroyed?”
Kejas nodded hurriedly, “There are also Ross who are staying at my place this winter? Warriors. They helped give birth to our daughter, and they were all our heroes!"
"Damn it too?"
" The boats that were pulled to the shore were all taken away by the enemy. "That's enough." Rurik stood up and raised his hand, and everyone else also stood up, with hatred in their eyes.
What Kejas said is the truth, but he just deliberately made things miserable, such as describing cruelty.The enemies were like mad dogs tearing at the corpses of dead Rus warriors, and even like vultures pecking at the livers.
The details of the facts are no longer important. Rurik ordered on behalf of everyone, "It seems that before the expedition to Britain, we have to attack the Tavastians first. When the ice melts and the snow melts, our fleet Rush directly to the other side of the sea, let all the young people of Rus join the battle, and let the blood of the Tavastian invaders be sacrificed to Odin!"
People roared, and the news spread quickly.
Now it is no longer a question of who is qualified to go to the battlefield, but that the Russians can go out to attack them.
Theoretically, Rurik can send an advance army now, but wait, it would be bad if the enemy feels that the battle situation is unfavorable and runs away.
When fighting a war, it is either a war of annihilation or creating opportunities to fight a war of annihilation.
And this battle makes everything subtle.
Rurik was afraid that this battle would delay the expedition to Britain, and he was also worried that the enemy would run away after the army was assembled to prepare for the expedition.
Spring will definitely come early this year, and the ice will melt enough for navigation in April. Of course, a land expedition is not as efficient as taking a boat. The army must sail directly!
Now, Arik, who was eager for new military exploits, stood up. He led the organization of a fifty-person reconnaissance team and ran wildly on the sea ice on a sled. According to Rurik's determination based on geographical knowledge, Direction, rush directly to the mouth of the Oulu River, and then go deep into the robbed territory of the Salmon Lord tribe, revisit the old place to spy on the invaders, and then have his men rush back on reindeer sleighs to report the news...