The Russian army knew the enemy's strength more accurately. The information they had learned before clearly caused Rurik to seriously overestimate the strength of the opponent, which made him feel no worries after he was already under some pressure.
Originally, allowing the fleet to collectively confront the enemy on the broadside near the coast is to rely on ship-borne weapons to try to consume part of the enemy's forces, so that the pressure of the subsequent landing battle will be drastically reduced.
Three thousand people gathered at Pine Needle Manor? The manor was the leader of the rebellion, and the other so-called rebels did not send troops to assemble?
Could it be that most of the manors are just waiting to see who wins in the end?
As a result, the strength of the Ross army is not comparable to that of the enemy, and there is no doubt that victory will belong to Ross.
Victory must belong to Ross!
The majority of soldiers simply regard tomorrow's war as a feast of killing. Many people do not think that they can grab many good things in a pure peasant village.
Lord Rurik issued an order to eradicate the rebels. Is this decision really appropriate? It is clear that a group of prisoners can be captured and taken away as slaves. Many Balmoks in the team have this traditional idea, but they are now New Rus's and have to obey the Duke's orders.
The thing that gives everyone hope is to plunder food. The rebels are a huge manor, and they must have a lot of surplus food, as well as some livestock and poultry.
No one expects to plunder gold and silver treasures, seize grain, cattle and sheep to eat with open stomachs, but everyone is full of expectations.
Although he knew more detailed information about the enemy, Rurik was not stupid enough to tell everyone the revised information.
It is natural to despise the enemy strategically, but to pay attention to it tactically. Even a warrior with only a wooden stick may cause the heavily armored Russian army to capsize in the ditch.
Rurik was determined to cope with all changes by remaining unchanged, and continued to make his brothers believe that the enemy was an army of ten thousand men, so that they would not suddenly underestimate the enemy.
On this night, not many people were anxious about tomorrow's war.
The sky is not bad tonight. There are obviously many clouds in the night sky, and the stars and moon appear and disappear.
Since tomorrow is a big battle, many soldiers fell asleep around the campfire. A large camp appeared outside the White Tree Manor, and the snoring of the army continued one after another.
As for Rurik, he naturally lived in Svetlana’s old boudoir.
The moonlight shines through the wooden window onto Lanna’s peaceful face. Like other Slavic girls, the war did not let these women go away.
Rurik rested his arms on his head and just wanted to sleep. Unexpectedly, Lana turned sideways and boldly introduced herself: "Tomorrow, I will also join the battle."
"You? Be a female soldier ?" Rurik was not surprised.
"Yes. Just like Carlotta, she is a noble, and I am also a noble. She can lead troops to fight, and I should also participate."
"What can you do? "Rurik said unceremoniously.
"Probably archery?"
"Forget it, you're still a kid. "
"Huh? As if you were not a child. "
Rurik was stunned for a moment. Indeed, even if this body began to grow a golden beard, it was still that of a boy.
"Carlotta taught you archery? ”
“Other sisters taught me. We are all your women, and you say that I am the most noble. If I were a fool, wouldn't it be an embarrassment to you? Besides, this is White Tree Manor’s century-old revenge, so just let me join. ”
“That’s okay. You and I still have a wedding to go, so it makes sense for you to participate in this showdown. I leave you to Carlotta, remember, you must be brave. To be my head wife, you must be like a Valkyrie. I only like you like this. ”
Svetlana, who was already emotionally moved, suddenly felt an indescribable depression. She cherished the opportunity to be alone with her man in her boudoir tonight. She was ready to be a wife. Of all the things she could do, her man ordered her to be a female warrior, which was even more important than anything else.
She tried to calm down and looked at her index finger and ring finger in the moonlight.
p>
“Maybe I can shoot an enemy tomorrow. I don’t want to kill anyone, but..."
"You have no choice. This is war, if you don't kill them, they will kill you. Only by eradicating Pine Needle Manor can the lake truly be at peace. "After that, Rurik reached out and pressed down Lanna's arm, "Don't look at your fingers, I will give you a crossbow tomorrow, so you don't have to draw the bow and shoot. oh? Was it Frazier who taught you Mediterranean archery? I rather like you shooting arrows while wearing a wrench. "
Lanna didn't know what to say, so she simply closed her eyes without saying a word...
Rurik brought a group of young warriors this time, and now Svetalan Na also became one of them.
Fisk, Kanuf, Terraface and other young and old friends were all ordered to participate in the war. First of all, they needed to participate in the new war gilding, and secondly, they were all involved. Being good at archery makes the Ross Archery Array even more powerful.
A group of capable young warriors are the generals of Rurik's future army. They all need to seize every opportunity to accumulate combat experience when they are young. After the other old soldiers fell asleep, these young lads chatted a lot around the campfire. When their eyes were bloodshot and they couldn't stand it anymore, they lay down and fell asleep.
At dawn, the calf fell asleep. The poultry brought by the manor collectively went "crazy". The crows of the poultry drowned out the snoring of the warriors. When the warriors woke up, they suddenly felt refreshed and couldn't sleep when they got up. < /p>
Soon, the early farm women hurriedly cooked the wheat while it was still early, so that the army that was eager to go out could eat and go to the battlefield.
Ligus also risked his life. Even though he knew that Rurik had brought a lot of food, he still ordered the food stored in his farm and called on every household to donate generously, just so that he could get more food and other spoils from the defeated enemy after the war. Keep your mind in mindHow could Ke not understand?
Ligus was promised that the White Tree Manor would receive a large amount of loot and even higher political power - the right to act as a ruler due to the feat of full support.
Rurik did not say it explicitly, but he had already made a plan in his heart. After the victory, he appointed Medved, the successor of White Tree Manor, as the interim governor, and also entrusted this person to mainly solve the mess after the war. .
Medved will not be canonized as an earl. The direct rule promised is the real direct rule. The governor is such an official position. If the monarch does not like it, he can be replaced at any time. Just appointing a local as governor is purely the optimal solution under specific time conditions. In the end, this governor must be a pure Russian.
After breakfast, the assembled soldiers were in high spirits.
The riverside station was full of warriors wearing blue-striped white robes. Their polished iron helmets shimmered in the golden light of the morning sun.
The huge fleet is anchored by the river, and some sailors are already dressing up and waiting.
The army has been assembled, and the warriors are like a bunch of wild bears.
This is indeed the case. Some of Rurik's elite mercenaries have their helmets holding up the entire bear's head. The mandibles and fangs of the wild bear are like sun-shielding hat brims. Their ferocious appearance makes them invincible. . They were madmen who were selected to be berserkers. They were all physically strong, wearing heavy armor made of thick patches, and the weapons they held were two battle axes. This was a group of madmen rushing into the battle, and they were undoubtedly the ones who shouted the most fiercely.
Rurik stood on the Avrora. He took off his hat and put on an iron helmet decorated with gold patterns, and pulled out his dagger to show off his warrior style.
He raised his arms and shouted: "Brothers! Follow me and kill the rebels! Today, Odin orders you to kill! Blood sacrifice to Odin!"
Three thousand warriors responded to the call. , they banged their swords on their shields, and rhythmically let out Viking war cries.
This roar shocked the entire White Tree Manor and ordinary people felt the terror of the underworld, and the women were thankful that these iron-clad berserkers were not enemies.
Squirrels in the forest hid in tree holes, minks hid in caves, and birds flew away in groups in fright.
This roar even caused a gap in the hostile Pine Needle Manor, and both Vadim and the six thousand troops he had painstakingly assembled felt a strange tremor.
Earthquake? Maybe something terrible will happen today.
Maybe... it's war!
A group of priests broke into Vadim's house, and they did not hesitate to express their concerns. Because the Russians had not gone far, since the enemy made a sneak attack yesterday, they might attack again today.
An old priest explained the result of his divination in horror: "There will be a war today."
War? Of course there will be a big fight!
Even if the Russians don't attack, Vadim will choose a good and auspicious day to launch a full-scale attack. Since the priests are all talking about a crisis, I'm afraid this is the will of the gods.
Pine Needle Manor began to gather an army, and all those who could afford weapons were organized. No one knows when and how the hostile Russian army will appear. The armed men instinctively guard the farm. More than 6,000 people gathered into a "super strong fighting group" and objectively adopted a passive defense.
At the same time, the Ross army has boarded the ship one after another, and they are heading up the Volkhov River and are about to enter the vast waters of Lake Ilmen.
A large number of brisk rowing long boats took the lead, and a thousand of the strongest warriors from the first and third flag teams took the lead into the vast lake.
Following closely behind were the sail destroyers headed by the Aurora, and then the last sail destroyers and armed cargo ships also entered the Great Lakes one after another.
It was still morning, and the huge Ross fleet began to adjust its formation in the lake.
Last year's sea and lake battles made Rurik deeply aware that his army had serious communication barriers. After organizing a large fleet, communication between ships became difficult.
How do each ship clearly understand the flagship’s orders?
A simple set of semaphores has become popular among sailors.
It is not surprising that the traditional Nordic runes and Roman letters can be converted into each other, purely because both alphabet systems come from ancient Greece. The semaphore system has been born, and each letter has a corresponding semaphore action.
The sailors responsible for pulling the ropes, lifting the sails, and retracting and retracting the anchors turned into communications soldiers. Relying on this communication system, the Ross fleet set up a tactical formation.
The four most stocky cruisers are in front, and the destroyers are in the rear. The traditional rowing longboat is in the middle, and the slower armed cargo ship is in the rear.
The mighty fleet sailed in the vast waters, and the huge triangle sails easily took advantage of various wind directions. The entire fleet headed straight for the slightly hazy Pine Needle Manor on a route close to the lakeside.
At first, to those on the shore, a strange dark blue shadow appeared on the lake. It happened that the armed men entrenched in Pine Needle Manor were forced to assemble. Some people began to notice the approaching monster, and one after another people gathered at the lakeside to watch the shadow approaching.
What is that? Some say they are Russians, others say this is ridiculous.
More people just watch the show. They are farmers who have spent their whole lives farming by the lake. They have never been to a very far place in their lives. It seems that the whole world exists around Lake Ilmen. As for Lake Ilmen, The Ross bandits came from an unexplainable place of darkness.
They have never seen a big ship, let alone a huge fleet.
Not only them, but even the Danes could not imagine things they had not seen before, such as the fully manned Ross fleet.
Finally, the dark blue shadow became clear. It seemed to be a boat, or maybe not a boat. Many farmers couldn't tell why.
Rather than going to fight, thousands of armed men gathered at the lakeside. They were so busy watching the incredible Western scenery that they even ignored whether it wasIs it imminent danger?
It’s like beachgoers who have never seen the horror of a tsunami. They will even point to the strange white line on the approaching sea level and talk and laugh...
But this group of people is watching the excitement. , putting the entire armed group in danger.
Rurik stood on the bow deck, and the Avora was ready for battle.
Wooden boxes filled with cast-iron bullets were placed on the deck, and some javelins were held by the warriors themselves. A group of crossbow-wielding warriors were waiting in the cabin, including Svetlana, who volunteered. She also cautiously held a heavy steel-armed crossbow, and held two pointed arrows tightly in her young hands.
"Sir, I saw a group of people gathering at the lakeside!" The voice came from the mast, indicating what the sailor with excellent eyesight had seen.
Rurik squinted his eyes and observed carefully. For the time being, he could not see anything, except that there was a large group of strange shadows on the lakeside, and behind the shadows was obviously a large village settlement.
"Is that Pine Needle Manor?" he asked Mu-face's father.
Otto's deep eyes saw through everything, and he said deeply and forcefully: "Your enemy made a fatal mistake. Did you see those shadows? I dare to conclude that the enemy is already gathering troops."
“They are actually very brave?” Rurik said in surprise.
"No! They are very reckless. Rurik, this is a good opportunity given to us by God to kill the enemy. Everything is within our plan."
It should have been a cannon-shot plan. Rurik was not so wishful thinking that he could predict that the enemy would immediately rush to the lakeside to stand up and become a target for artillery fire. But this is the fact, the enemy is standing stupidly waiting to die.
Rurik thought of the Russian army standing still at Austerlitz and being shelled.
The Russian army is all Slavs, and the guys who knocked on this group of Pine Needle Manor are the purest Slavs.
The opponents don’t know why they are standing still, but they are looking for death.
Rurik immediately ordered: "Flagman! Inform all ships to proceed as planned! Change formation immediately!"
The man who tied himself to the top of the mast immediately waved two flags, The notification of the order went very smoothly, and the formation of the Ross fleet was changing.
The sail cruisers and destroyers gradually formed a single column formation. Between the hostile Pine Needles Manor on the east coast of the lake, the single column of the Ross Fleet entering the Great Lake from the north all faced the enemy on the port side.
Sail cruisers with the largest deck area, all twenty-five Russian bull trebuchets were moved to the overtime area.
Many shooters boarded the deck one after another, and the decks of each ship suddenly became crowded with armed people.
All long-range weapons have been charged, and Rurik, who is on the flagship, announces when to anchor and turns the ship into a firepower fortress on the lake.
I saw Rurik stretching out his thumb to estimate the distance, while the entire single-column fleet rushed towards Pine Needle Manor on a tilted course. The large crowd on the shore was clearly visible, and the weapons they carried wereFortunately, the light reflects in the sun.
When it was only about 150 meters away, the Avora dropped anchor and furled its sails!
The flagship was like this, and other ships followed suit.
At the same time, Vadim, who had already entered the crowd at the lakeside, had suddenly seen a huge fleet coming into view. He could not believe what he saw, but the tall spruce-like masts were fluttering in the air. This is the temperament of the Russian people! All the ships are flying the same flag!
"It's the Russians! Prepare for war! Fight with them!"
Vadim's shouts broke. One after another, some people realized that a war was coming, but who could think of the Russian army? Did he actually arrive at the manor this way?
Very suddenly, there was a buzzing sound like wild bees dancing in the air. The Slavic warriors of Pine Needle Manor raised their heads. They saw a bunch of flying black lines in front of them, and a bunch of birds. A lumpy shadow.
What are these strange black shadows? No! They're coming right here!
Even if some people start to panic, the killings still come.
The buzzing sound comes from Whirlpool's javelin, which is fired from a torsion slingshot. The more dark shadows are the conical cast-iron bullets shot by slingshots and the pebbles thrown by trebuchets.
The projectiles and javelins came down with strong kinetic energy, and the victims were either hit with their heads blown off, or the javelins were deeply pierced into the ground, or even shot through two people.
Death came so quickly, and my companion died so inexplicably. The crowd began to panic. Those warriors with short spears and axes just panicked, and a large number of arrows fell from the sky!
At such a distance, the improved wooden arm crossbow can also hit the crowd at the lakeside with light arrows that lack penetration. This time, the number of archers gathered by Rurik exceeded 500 people. . Because the crossbow was charged in advance and the arrows were inserted, the soldiers of the shooting flag team had just completed the first round of torque slingshot firing, and immediately picked up the crossbow and launched the projectile.
First there was a critical strike from more than 70 heavy weapons projectiles, and then there was a rain of arrows composed of more than 500 arrows.
Not to mention the Slavs on the shores of Lake Ilmen, even the Frankish army who had fought back and forth with the Danes, had never seen this kind of fighting style.
Another army in this time and space that intends to adopt this combat mode is the Tang Army. The Eastern soul in Rurik's heart drove him to use long-range weapons extensively without hesitation.
No, the sudden and tragic casualties caused by this single blow caused the morale of the armed men in Pine Needle Manor to collapse. This was a collapse that Vadim himself could not recover from!
The second round of torque slingshot shooting came soon. Although it became a free fire and the shooting density was seriously reduced, it still further accelerated the collapse of the armed forces on the shore.
"Huh? Is this going to collapse? It's really ridiculous." Rurik's prediction could predict that the enemy would be a fool who would collapse at the first touch.
Most of the soldiers were quite surprised, but they still tried their best to charge the crossbow and twist the lever to charge the torsion slingshot.
Otto still urged his son with a calm face: "It's time for the landing troops to attack and imitate the enemy's escape."
"That's right."
Rurik hurriedly ran to the starboard side of the flagship, He raised his dagger at the thousand men on standby and shouted: "It's your turn to land!"
Arik fully understood when he saw his brother shaking the dagger crazily. This was the signal agreed upon by the two brothers.
Thirty longships acted collectively, and the soldiers paddled hard, getting out of the gaps between the warships, and quickly completed the final sprint of more than 100 meters as a landing craft.
The oak keels gnawed deeply at the shore of the muddy lake. The Ross First and Third Flag Troops, wearing leather helmets and identically dressed, began their most deadly attack, and their enemies, the so-called Six Thousands of Slavic troops led by Vadim were unable to organize a decent defense.
The grieving and angry Vadim has been bundled into the fleeing army by his cronies and fled towards the farm...