Every newly launched ship should be equipped with supporting weapons. Rurik gave his carpenters a relatively demanding task so that each ship can be equipped with sufficient torque slingshots to cope with naval battles.
Perhaps he can base on the actual situation and avoid installing too many weapons on each ship.
Russian naval ships have a large amount of torque slingshots as standard equipment, but the enemies faced by Ross are still widely equipped with traditional rowing long boats, and the two sides even have different concepts of naval warfare.
All of this was Rurik's request. Not installing bronze cannons on the ships was his biggest consideration based on cost-effectiveness.
Rurik was really moved about Aslaqi’s mill and left here. He immediately reviewed the output of the woodworkers’ weapons.
The torsion slingshots that were originally placed in the warehouse were moved out.
In order to ensure the best condition during battle, all new slingshots are unwound. The two carbon steel arms of the slingshot are inserted into the rope set and they move forward in unison.
Now that Rurik gave the order, the carpenters worked hard to bend the bow arms, and then fastened the bowstrings made of hemp rope, tendon and even whale baleen.
Are they all of high quality?
No problem, just one experiment is enough.
If weapons are not used well in combat, the results are often fatal. Rurik treated the handover of the weapon with great caution, and the best way to test it was to load cast iron rounds and fire at the target.
Simple wooden boards are pieced together to form a target, and each new torque slingshot shoots at it one by one.
The sound of their firing is extremely soft. Since they are fixed firmly enough, the shooter cannot detect the recoil of the slingshot, and even the vibration is minimal.
The projectiles hit the target frequently, and for a while there was a clear and loud impact sound from the target, and all the onlookers saw sawdust flying everywhere!
The thickness of these oak planks is similar to that of ordinary longship planks. They can be broken into pieces by close range shooting and can be used in battle to sink enemy ships.
As many as twenty-nine new torsion slingshots have rolled off the production line, which basically meets Rurik’s expectations. Although the number was slightly lower, he had no intention of pursuing it.
The war is imminent, new ships and new weapons are ready for battle, and the strength of the Russian army has been strengthened.
In addition to the flat-firing torsion slingshots and bull trebuchets with longer range, poor accuracy, and only probabilistic strikes, this group of carpenters built fifteen of them.
They were roped and pulled out by the carpenters.
The dead weight of each trebuchet is not large, which causes the end to be lifted up by inertia when shooting, like a bull.
It is undeniable that as long as they are hit and used, dozens of fist-sized pebbles will be fired at a time, which will definitely cause area damage and are actually a weapon for killing arrayed enemies.
No, what proves their strength is opening the matrix and shooting at an empty fjord.
The old and new trebuchets were arranged together. It was also afternoon, and thousands of people gathered lively on the beach.
Master Rurik is testing weapons before going on an expedition. Whether the army's heavy weapons are easy to use is actually the biggest concern of the soldiers who are urgently going to go on an expedition. As for the large number of women holding their children who were watching, they were just watching the excitement to kill the boredom of their daily handiwork.
All the trebuchets have been charged up, and some operators are holding tightly to the ropes inserted into the ratchet pins, just waiting for orders from adults.
Rurik gave an order, and twenty-five bulls were put to death collectively!
The stone bullets were thrown out almost at the same time. The black silhouette of the stone in the sunset was obscured by the dark green pine forest background. The onlookers squinted and could not see the result, but soon the waves of sleep stirred up a splash.
It was stone bullets. They hit towering splashes of water at a far distance, and for a moment people heard the roar of the splashes.
"It's very good. The landing points of the old and new trebuchets are different. It's a perfect probability attack."
Hit a fist-sized stone projectile to a distance of three hundred meters. That’s the strength of the bull trebuchet. Rurik had to estimate that if the Karelia people bravely gathered together and charged, his trebuchet matrix might be able to destroy half of their morale?
It is a pity that I have the ability to build more powerful trebuchets. This time I really need to make more such lightweight heavy weapons based on practical needs.
That night, the installation of torsion slingshots began on the two new ships "Gray Squirrel" and "Salmon Chief". It was still the old rule, with six slingshots installed on the bow deck and four on the stern deck of each ship.
At the same time as loading weapons, wheat, dried fish, and even some special things were further transported to the cabin.
New green tender pine needles and the first Nordic daisies to bloom. Boil pine needle water and drink it to dispel the muddy smell of natural water with its fragrance and faint bitterness. Various Viking tribes have this habit. It is not tea drinking, but Rurik intended this tradition to evolve directly into tea drinking.
Tea leaves are naturally unimaginable. Daisies, the substitute flowers for tea, are now in full bloom as daisies! The ground had just thawed and these flowers popped up almost overnight.
Perhaps eating whole wheat bread is enough to meet the vitamin needs of the soldiers. While Rurik is cautious, he would rather let them take in more vitamins, especially the very critical vitamin C. Drinking chrysanthemum tea is a must. It can solve the problem that Nordic people have difficulty in taking this vitamin. Although boiling tender pine needles is also an option, boiled chrysanthemum tea tastes better after all.
The agreed date is tomorrow, and everything is ready!
In the conquest of Karelia, this battle cannot be solved by rushing in with an army and killing them. If that were the case, things would be easier to handle.
That night, Rurik gathered his wives and concubines on the third floor of the palace.
He opened the window and let the cool breeze flow in. The moonlight and stars almost covered the dancing fire of the oil lamp.Seedlings shine on every girl's face.
The girls were nervous. It would be a good thing if they could follow Rurik on the expedition this time.
So, who will get this opportunity?
Rurik guessed what they were thinking through their faces, and he breathed out gently: "Time is very urgent, and tomorrow is the day of the expedition. Now I announce who will follow me."< /p>
He stretched out his hand and pointed at Carlotta and Svetlana very simply.
The tense nerves of the girls were instantly relieved, and Rurik heard the slight boos of jealousy.
"I know that you all want to follow me to see the world. This is a war, not a game! Carlotta will participate in the battle as a warrior. Svetlana!" Stay Rick deliberately emphasized his tone and glanced at her: "You are the wife my father has chosen for me, and I will not disobey my father's arrangements. You and I still have a Slavic wedding, so we will get it done this year." Done."
"Yes." Svetlana tried her best to suppress her inner ecstasy. Thanks to her parents' strict education, she was able to suppress her inner emotions.
She is twelve years old and is getting married according to Slavic tradition. Besides, it’s really nice to be able to go back to my parents’ home with Rurik to take a look.
Even Nolen can't go to the East again, even if Ross's Warriors Fourth Banner are all her Balmok compatriots.
Rurik had no intention of saying anything more, and the small meeting on the third floor ended quickly. He sent away the other wives and concubines, leaving only Carlotta and Lanna to make some additional arrangements.
The agreed date! That's today!
Thousands of people gathered on the beach, and the city's wooden walls were once again filled with people. Thanks to the further reinforcement of the walls, they could bear such a weight.
A small altar was temporarily built on the sandy ground. Although she could not go on an expedition with her beloved man, Rumia knew that she must abide by the important task of the high priest.
To be fair, she is very supportive of Ross's conquest of Karelia. All deer farmers are taught that Karelians are not to be messed with, even if everyone makes a living by raising deer.
The source of this fear actually comes from hundreds of years ago. The Lapp (deer herders) were a group of people who were excluded from the Karelian ethnic group. A humble existence, now he has become a servant of Ross and follows Lord Rurik, so that everyone can finally live a stable life.
The beach is full of heavily armed warriors, including the newly promoted Fourth Flag Team. Captain Hellafed Bryn Goldson and his guys have all changed into standard Ross. Tabard.
The white cloth is sewn with blue stripes on the body, and a deerskin is tied around the waist. The belt is also hung with daggers, hand axes and other weapons. They also all carried burlap backpacks with straps and drawstrings. The bags were filled with cooking utensils, a small amount of dry food, and leather water bottles filled with water. A piece of linen was rolled into a roll and bent to fix it on both sides of the backpack. Finally, a huge buckler hangs from the bag.
Only a few of them carry spears, and the weapons of most of them are swords.
One centurion was widely equipped with wooden-arm crossbows, and also received a small amount of arrows.
Khelafed was the captain of such a flag team. He never dreamed that an army could be equipped with such weapons.
Look at himself! In addition to these weapons funded and distributed by the Duke of Ross, the only other things that Hellafide could use were the iron swords given to him by his father and his own leather helmets.
Now, this leather helmet has been ordered by the adults to install a helmet collar made of a large number of wild duck and goose feathers. The feathers on the collar of the helmet were dyed with woad, and a large amount of rosin was glued in to further fix it.
"Now, both the enemy and my people can clearly see that I am an extraordinary character."
Khelafed was very approving of Rurik's arrangement , the entire flag force was subdivided into more combat groups, and the rank of officers was distinguished by the number and installation method of helmet collar feathers. Thinking about it carefully, this was really the smartest choice. After all, everyone was roaring during the melee, and it was difficult for the commander to exchange information with other guys even if he shouted out his throat. Now, you can know where the friendly troops are by looking at the feathers on their heads.
Not only that, there is a flag officer beside Hellafed. This person is holding a wooden pole with a ferocious beast on it. There is a flag on the pole, with blue cloth strips on it. Stitched is a text message said to be in Roman letters: The Fourth Standard of the Rus Army Warriors.
The brothers have just changed their clothes this time, and they just look like a regular and fierce Ross army. The team really has the strength of the Ross army and needs some training.
Khelafed is very lucky, because the captain of each group, that is, the ten-man team, is Rurik's old mercenary. They can already make the brothers stand up neatly, like It's the same as those guys in the First Flag Team.
But why are there a group of teenagers standing on this beach?
That was Fisk and Kanuf, and even Terravis who was captured from Ironburg.
Rurik selected a hundred young warriors from his own army. They were in adolescence, their minds were full of ideas of fighting and meritorious service, and their physical fitness was inferior to that of adult men, and they were older than them. They are members of the same race. Over the years, they have received continuous education in Roman letters, Latin and mathematics, and their cultural level has surpassed that of others.
These young warriors mixed with their other elite mercenaries, the Covins who assisted in the battle, and the old sailors who controlled the torsion slingshots, directly formed a shooting team.
In this expedition, a team of nearly two thousand people will rush to Fort Novoros on the Neva River!
And this is still part of the army. When the Slavs are in place, Rurik estimates that he can organize an army of more than 3,000 people.
Is it just that? No! There’s also a whole bunch of Finns to help out.
Those Suomi people who are part of Finland, they very wisely choose to obey. like romeIn this way, Rurik boasted of building a northern Rome, and he had to imitate Rome in doing things, such as recruiting Suomi servants to join the war, and giving them the spoils after a great victory.
Besides, if the Karelian forces are eliminated, won’t the long-standing threat of the Suomi people be gone?
Rumia wore a deer-horned helmet and sang praises to Thor beside the flames of the altar.
She, Lumi, and even the other ten little priests were essentially Rurik's concubines. All the Russians and guests knew about this and were happy to talk about it.
Thor is not only the god of craftsmen, but also the god of war. Today, he will praise and sacrifice for them.
After that, there was another hymn to Odin, and the sacrifice reached the most critical moment.
With the deer herd, Ross now no longer has to worry about sacrificial sacrifices. Rurik stared at the blazing fire, and all he thought about was whether he could recruit an army of four thousand people, or fight with Suomi. The leaders chatted and formed a two-pronged coalition attack on the Karelian forces.
Now that it was the critical stage of the sacrifice, he showed off his dagger and walked towards the sacrificial deer...
The deer's liver was cut out, and Rumia cut open the liver. Declaring with cheers that this battle will be won.
Victory must belong to Ross. The warriors who are now ready begin to line up to board the fleet that has been parked on the pier and is ready to go!
The Aurora, the Duke of Ostara, the Gray Squirrel and the Salmon Chief, these four ships alone packed 500 people in one breath!
There are also the first four smaller planet-class sail destroyers, which are now packed with four hundred people.
With the success of the last ultra-long-distance navigation expedition, Rurik actually learned a lesson from it. He crammed too many people into the boat at once, so that it was overcrowded and strapped, which was really uncomfortable.
Even the crew of a large ship like the Aurora has been reduced a lot, not only because of the fact that it cannot carry too many people, but also because she has a lot of rations and reserve weapons stuffed in her cabin. .
How to place more soldiers? Naturally, they are those modified armed cargo ships.
Four sail cruisers, four sail destroyers and twenty sail armed cargo ships.
The cheers of the people resounded throughout the fjord. They watched excitedly as this invincible fleet slowly left the pier, and watched the ships gather into a fleet in the fjord waters, moving slowly against the wind. Head out of the fjord.
The people have been paying attention, and the decks of each ship are also full of people.
As a mercenary captain, Yevro was qualified to stay on the flagship, and this time he was ordered to bring his wife and even his infant son with him.
Hermi finally gave birth to the baby very safely. Although the baby was very delicate, it was very risky to take him sailing. Both Hermi and Yevluo knew the significance of this voyage, because Yevluo had received an important task, which was to go to the territory of the Suomi people to pull out an army of servants to assist the Russians in destroying Karelia in the first battle. Ah.
So,As the Count of Finland, he rushed to support Ross with an army.
As for the Count of Finland, he is this infant boy!
Jevro has already named his son, Satuli, which means warrior.