When thoughtful people such as old Klavasen and his blacksmiths discussed the crazy events that were happening in their old meeting room, they all said bluntly that the so-called Rurik going to Balmok was certainly not just a co-op. The locals, but to organize an army far beyond the expedition to Gotland. Because those slogans were by no means just slogans, Rurik had made his ambitions very clear.
Some people also mentioned that at a certain meeting the year before last, if it hadn't been for last year's unexpected incident, the Principality of Ross would have stopped fighting to recuperate for a whole year.
The purpose of planning the truce was to conduct an expedition this year.
Now, the blacksmiths are willing to believe that an expedition against the Danes is about to begin. They also believe that the army will take a fleet to attack Britain, which is rich in wheat.
In short, there are many possibilities, and everyone can’t come up with a clear result after discussing it for a long time.
But the oppressive feeling of war acted on them, the blacksmiths who were on the front line of weapons manufacturing. In the beginning of 834 AD, the entire principality was trying its best to manufacture weapons. If a person holding a sword and a spear is regarded as a warrior, the Principality of Rus can arm 10,000 people in one year!
A few old blacksmiths and elders of the traditional Russian blacksmithing family completely underestimated Rurik's requirements for fierce warriors.
Because the new generation of Rus warriors are still a group of babies who are good at crying, such thriving teenagers and strong men in their prime, their large number of battle losses still makes Rurik frightened. The Principality of Rus must adapt to the current era and adopt a strategy of elite soldiers, and must arm the First and Second Flags of the Warriors and the Malaren Flag into heavy infantry in every sense.
In order to facilitate internal coordination, the Malaren Flag Team should be renamed the Warriors Third Flag Team. When a new Jianyong is recruited from Balmok, it can become the Warriors Fourth Flag Team.
They are soldiers as soldiers, and in peacetime they are fishermen, herdsmen, planters, loggers, miners, etc. They are militiamen whose militia strength far exceeds that of the general sense. Basically, the Principality of Ross implements a nearly comprehensive all-army strategy based on the old tradition.
As for the real standing soldiers, of course there are also mercenary troops around Rurik that have expanded to nearly 300 people.
Perhaps it is more appropriate to call this group of people the Guards.
In the real Rome, the Guards were always good at betrayal due to greed, but the Guards were extremely important to the emperor.
Many of them are already married. As their sponsor and monarch, Rurik naturally treats (monitors) their family members well. In particular, the focus is on Jevlo's wife, Hermi from Suomi, to serve as a benchmark for other mercenaries.
The daylight hours are getting longer and longer. Since Rossburg has been working hard to produce weapons and tools-related artifacts, rumors about Ross's new expedition have become rampant.
People were waiting for Rurik to give a realistic statement, but after waiting for almost a month, nothing happened.born?
It was not until early February, not far from the crisis of melting ice and snow, that Rurik finally issued a major order-a meeting.
Because Ross Duma, a building that looks like a huge traditional Viking longhouse, is about to be completed. Although it is still quite simple inside, it is suitable as a public meeting hall.
So, in the newly built huge parliament court, Rurik will really announce an expedition plan?
That must be true, otherwise there would be no need for the entire Ross to make steel weapons and warships.
It was a sunny morning, and the construction of Rosduma with its stone foundation was finally completed.
There is a small empty space at the entrance of this traditional longhouse, where thousands of people gathered to participate in the inauguration ceremony of the Rus Duma.
After all, it is a large public building, and it is even more sacred. The gilded statue of Odin in the temple was moved out, and Rumia organized a ceremony wearing an antlered helmet.
A bucket of deer blood was deliberately spilled on the ground in front of the Rus Douma to give the building a divine character.
Rurik was standing in the crowd, and he was the first to step into the building.
He climbed up the wooden steps, pushed open the closed wooden door, and subconsciously raised his head to stare at the hanging plaque.
A piece of carbonized oak board is nailed with thin bronze sheets, which together form the word RUSDUMA.
The wooden door opened wide, and the thick smell of pine resin hit our face.
Rurik subconsciously covered his mouth. He wanted to complain, but he still endured the discomfort and walked in.
For many people, the smell of rosin is actually a kind of fragrance, and those who are good at cutting wood are not taboo at all.
Just like Old Otto and a group of old elites from Russia, they dressed in colorful costumes and entered this new sanctuary blessed by the gods.
Odin represents justice and majesty, and the longhouse of Rosduma will implement this justice and majesty.
"It's a bit empty inside." Old Otto said as he looked left and right, and complained that the rosin gas was still too strong.
Rurik raised his head and pointed: "Those bronze lamp holders, do they have anointing oil in them?"
Then an entourage came with fire, and soon the wall Just brightly lit.
After a moment, someone untied the iron chain of the chandelier, and the lamp with sixty-four lamp holders arranged in a radial pattern was lowered, bringing ultimate light to the entire longhouse.
However, in Rurik's view, a 40-watt energy-saving lamp is more reliable than these hot things, so given this era, there is no need to pursue more.
Otto clapped his hands and applauded: "I saw there are three chandeliers here! The blacksmith and carpenter's work is so good! Why didn't I think of doing this before?"
Old Clavarson and his old friends were also here, and everyone was very happy to be praised by the old Duke.
Rurik pinched his waist: "Isn't it because we were poor before? This huge forumIt was to be further renovated that I financed its erection, being the property of the ducal family. "
Everyone deeply agrees with this.
He publicly said: "However, we have to discuss Rose's future here. That’s fine! I think today is the perfect time! You have long since realized that we, Ross, will choose a new target and strike it with our axe. "
People who had been whispering for a long time immediately started talking loudly. Some people simply couldn't hold back their interest and shouted: "Your Majesty, just give the order! Are you fighting the Danes? My big ax is waiting to drink blood! ”
Someone spoke so eloquently that hundreds of people present were as excited as if they had been pumped. They all opened their coats and showed off their bulging muscles, eager to fight.
Old Otto was also immersed in pleasure. , he opened his arms to signal everyone to be quiet.
After all, he has been an old leader for more than ten years, and Otto still has a strong voice.
The crowd fell silent again. Q: “Stop dawdling. Tell me, who should we fight? Could it really be Denmark? "
Denmark? No! It is not appropriate to intervene in Denmark now, or there is no real benefit to be gained by really attacking Danish Rus.
He has made it clear that the public opinion is clear, and the brothers are all talking about attacking Denmark. But his plan was not to beat them up.
Rurik turned around, called out the names of some senior guys one by one, and then recruited the flag captains of the Calvary flag team to Rosdu. Horse.
There is even a woman, Jevlo’s already pregnant wife Hermi.
Why should an ordinary woman come to the sacred place of discussion of the Russians? , is the Duke still interested in the East?
Are there no enemies in the East?
In the afternoon, Ross Dumari gathered. There were more than forty people. There were strong men with strong body odor sitting everywhere. Fortunately, the smell of rosin was stronger and the discomfort was washed away.
Hermi sat tremblingly next to her husband Jevro. I can’t imagine how a woman like me, who is an ordinary person, is qualified to participate here?
Or is a woman also qualified to participate in the men’s council?
She seems to be a small role? , everyone’s eyes are still fixed on the current Duke Rurik who is still trying to hide his secrets.
“Just say it, son! Do you want your father to continue waiting? "Otto has the highest status, and he expressed his dissatisfaction on behalf of the old guys.
Rurik looked around again, no longer intending to talk nonsense, and said bluntly: "Who are you attacking? Karelia! ”
As soon as the words fell, everyone who was about to cheer and cheered was speechless.
Karelia, what is that?
People had different opinions, until Otto Realization dawned: “You said Karelia. Rurik, do those guys really exist? Do those guys really need to be targeted? We have been going to Novgorod every year for decades, and we didn’t know that there were really Karelians north of the big lake. It's you who alwaysEven if they exist, they are still a threat. "
Rurik was also surprised by his father's reaction: "Dad! Not only do the Karelians exist, they are also feared by other Finns. ”
“Finns? Didn’t even the Suomi and Tavastians submit to us? ”
“That’s right. But Karelia is very strong, and I believe what Chief Suomi said is true, so I invited Hermi here. She is the only daughter of Chief Suomi, so he must know a lot. "
"Okay, let this woman say it. Hopefully she has learned Norse. ”
So, poor Hermi was pushed out and faced with a group of tough Varyags. She felt that she was a rabbit among wolves, pitiful and helpless.
Yes, even her husband Jevlo was urging her to explain what Karelia was.
Hermi, she finally stammered...
Although she was born in the lakes of southern Finland, almost all her understanding of the Karelians, her neighbors to the west, comes from her people.
Hermi’s Norse language is still spoken. She was blunt, so she subconsciously included some important words in the context.
She said that the Karelian people were unruly and strong in fighting, and even claimed that they had a strong population, but these words were repeated over and over again. p>
“Is that all there is to it? "Old Otto suddenly blew his beard and stared.
Hermi shrank into a ball tremblingly, his mouth couldn't help but trembled, but he couldn't say anything.
"Dad, you It scared her. Rurik tilted his head for a moment, then turned his head: "Helmi, can you provide more details?" "
Hermi raised her head after a while. She seemed to want to say something, but in the end she did not speak. Her disheveled black hair covered her face again.
This is not the case. What is she trying to hide? She is the daughter of a well-protected Suomi leader. How does she know the details about the Karelian people?
Seeing that she can’t find out much information, Liuli? Ke whispered and had no intention of making any further inquiries.
He raised his head and looked at everyone: "Although the information is very limited, we can at least confirm two facts. The Karelians have a lot of men, and to defeat them we will need a lot of men. ”
But this is almost knowingly asked. Some old guys’ sons participated in the war of conquest of the Eastern Land last year. The news they first learned about the Karelia people was nothing more than “the strength of many people” "Strong" comes from the discussion of the Suomi people.
Whether it is the Tavastians or the Suomi people, the Rus army defeated them quickly.
Follow this idea Someone stood up and expressed his point of view: "Rurik, do you pay too much attention to the Karelia people? If they are strong enough, they should defeat everyone else around them. However, our fishing boats never encountered their canoes directly. They all hurriedly ran away after seeing our boats. If they are strong enough, defeat themHis Finns, the fact is that we are the conquerors of Finland. ”
Rurik motioned the old man to sit down. To be fair, he certainly felt that this view was reasonable.
However, as a commander-in-chief, Rurik intended to develop steadily, especially You must be more cautious about anything related to war.
The atmosphere in the longhouse has become very obvious. The unruly men regard the new enemy Karelia as an enemy that can be easily defeated.
I’m afraid their attitude is completely correct, but Rurik still doesn’t want to take risks, even if this caution may be a bit too much.
“I know. He said, "You think I'm too cautious!" Yes, I am just cautious! We must deal with the Karelias as if they were Danes, and we must conquer them. Only by conquering them could New Roseburg be completely safe. Only by conquering them can we Russian immigrants have a stable living space. ”
Aric pursed his lips with murderous intent, and shouted before he could speak: “Brother, you are too cautious.” Might as well leave the work to me. I will row over with five hundred brothers, and the enemy you are worried about will soon be destroyed. "
The cousin's preemptive remarks made Rurik a lot annoyed. He stared angrily and shouted in a rare way: "I am a Duke! First flag captain, you must accept my arrangement! If you continue to attack without permission like in the past, you will be ashamed to be my brother! ”
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Arik was stunned by such a shout. Not only him, but everyone including Otto Everyone was shocked.
Otto stroked his beard subconsciously, and his mind could not help but think of the time when this brat held his sword to deliberately protect Rumia.
"You are brave enough, you are my son. "Otto was extremely happy.
Aric's preemptive words were indeed meaningless. Although it was a meeting hall, everyone present did not dare to say that they were as wise as Rurik, so they all closed their eyes. He listened with all his heart.
A feeling came to his mind. Rurik simply opened the skylight and spoke openly, explaining his terrifying strategy.
He stood up and drew his dagger. He dug deep into the wooden floor in front of him and suddenly sat down cross-legged.
"War! This is not a fight between warriors! War determines life and death for everyone on both sides. This is a life-and-death war. If Karelia does not die, it will be like a spear pointed at our throats all the time! You can say they are weak, but they have the potential to launch sneak attacks and cause us to bleed heavily.
Either no war, or a war of annihilation. This time, I took at least a thousand warriors to the east. Not only this army, but also the armies of Suomi's allies. I also want to organize a new army from Novgorod! We must destroy Karelia in one fight. I have no enmity with them, but they are just north of New Roseburg. They must either surrender and offer tribute and women, or they all die! ”
A little bear showed its fangs, peopleThey couldn't help but be afraid of Rurik's momentum.
This is called a council, and the final decision-maker is Rurik himself.
This is another war of annihilation. Although it is definitely not as exciting as the attack on Jutland in Denmark, it is still a war that attracts everyone's attention.
Someone cried: "Then let's fight! Friends, after all, Karelia threatens our territory, and there is no harm in annihilating them."
"Okay, I We also support the war. It would be great if we could seize a lot of leather from them."
"Since they claim to be strong, I bet they are still our warriors. It's really brave."
...
Everyone's attitude is very obvious. Since Duke Rurik is determined to send a large army to conquer, even if this battle gives people a long sword to kill the enemy. Go chop off the rat's tail, brothers, just listen.
Otto raised the last question at the right time: "Rurik, when do you plan to take action? Are you going to Balmok, right?"
"Exactly. Dad, I plan to launch the operation in early May. "Oh? Isn't it the same time as our spring voyage? No, you have to come back from Balmok. You are more pressed for time."
"It won't be a problem." Rurik said firmly: "Just in time, you recruit the army in Novgorod first, and I will arrive with the army casually. We will assemble at Novorosberg and then attack On the north shore of the lake, we found the Karelian settlement and launched an attack immediately!"
"That's it!"