An army is gathering, the soldiers of Arik's First Standard Corps.
This unit had almost no casualties in the previous battles. The wounded were temporarily settled, and the remaining strong warriors still exceeded 470.
They received an important task - armed reconnaissance.
Speaking of reconnaissance, if they suddenly launch an attack, they can probably achieve huge results.
Rurik gave his brother a reminder: "If there are few enemies, attack them with force. If there are many of them, don't rush to land to fight them."
This How to understand the words? Arik understands.
There is no need for the huge Russian fleet to stay in the Volkhov River. Except for the Slavs who stayed in Novgorod to continue construction, the real Russian army will return to its original plan and return to Nirvana. Gathering at the mouth of the Wahe River.
Rurik was preparing to leave, and Arik's first flag force was just the first to evacuate.
However, a summer heavy rain came unexpectedly!
The slightly hot air suddenly dissipated, and heavy rain poured down amid thunder.
People welcome such heavy rains in summer. Experience tells them that wheat seedlings that have not yet headed will grow better if they are moistened by heavy rains.
The heavy rain came and went quickly, and by the next day there was only drizzle. It was obvious that the weather was not far away.
After two days of delay, the first flag team boarded the ship in the clear morning.
This is an armed reconnaissance to discover and attack the Karelia people. It is obviously inappropriate to use large ships.
The Mercury, the only sail destroyer with human propeller power, became the flagship of this squadron, followed closely by the Venus Mona.
As many as ten traditional dragon-headed longships followed.
From any angle, the combat effectiveness of this fleet cannot be underestimated. If the Karelia people also have a fleet, the enemy will be suicidal if they attack rashly.
Rurik did not think that the group of Karelians who domesticated reindeer were very clever at all, but he was afraid that their military capabilities were about the same as those of the annihilated Tavastians.
How can the Karelians get the attention of the Russians if they can win a 50-50 battle with the Suomis?
The squadron furled its sails and drifted northward along the river.
The soldiers sang songs, talked and laughed and rushed towards the huge Ladoga Lake. They planned to establish a camp at the mouth of the lake into the Neva River, and then continue to move forward.
The trip of Arik and his party went very smoothly. They landed, stepped on the gravel beach, and lay down on the lakeside like animals to drink the cool water.
Some people even jumped in to take a bath, or took out soap to wash the linen clothes.
The bonfires were lit one after another, and someone caught fat burbot, and the largest one was immediately dedicated to Arik.
How can I not accept gifts from brothers?
Aric held the boneless fish in his hands and devoured it. Someone else chatted: "I heard that the old Duke also wanted to build a building in this place."Set up a town so that supplies shipped from Novgorod can stop here first. I don’t know if Lord Rurik will execute it. ”
“Do you think it’s feasible? "Arik said casually.
"Why not? "The man explained: "The lake area here is like a sea, and we haven't even explored its northern end. There are a lot of fish here, and we can easily kill them. ”
“Yes, there are a lot of fish. Brothers! "Arik's voice increased: "This time we will look at the northern end of the lake. There must be Karelia people there. If we find them, we will attack immediately. "
"Huh? But my lord, the Duke tells us to be careful. "
" Cautious? It's not like there are ropes that bind your hands and feet. Many of you followed me in my first attack on Gotland, and there were more than four hundred of you at that time. Were you ever afraid at that time? Flagpole hesitant now? ”
Everyone who spoke with such words had nothing to say.
Aric emphasized again: “My brother’s words are just for reference. Brothers, if we annihilate the Karelia people, The greatest credit is yours! Listen to me, I will act according to the opportunity. ”
They left an obvious trace, and the ruts left by the longship keels were left on the sandy lakeside.
The fleet passed through the mouth of the Neva River and entered here. The accompanying army was The thirty Kevin long archers, unlike the Russians, began to feel inexplicable worries.
Will the army encounter disaster?
No, they are simply entering a completely unknown place. Field, feeling pure fear.
Here in Novgorod, a great and famous city is under construction.
The Slavic men are sweating with their arms spread out. A lot of sweat, but a lot of salt was sprinkled into the oatmeal, and no one was worried about the loss of salt.
Even this kind of daily salt consumption was unprecedented for the entire White Tree Manor. On a clear evening, the soft light of the setting sun swept across the lake and forest. People who had worked all day became lazy, but only the Varyag people were still high-spirited.
It was just because Rurik had given the order. , the army will return to New Roseburg to assemble.
A warm and dry place
Svetlana is extremely looking forward to the birth of a new life, although it may be possible. Sexuality is relatively low. There will always be no results in having a relationship too early. This is what her mother gave her.
But after the wedding is officially completed, she must leave the White Tree Manor and follow her husband closely. Rurik.
Even if it means participating in the war?
With Lanna actually participating in the battle, she feels like a Russian woman. The warrior god Sperosvilia has given her strength, and the heavy steel-armed crossbow will make new achievements.
The girl's mentality is changing rapidly, and she even looks forward to participating in it personally. The new conquest war, fighting side by side with Carlotta
Rurik was not in his beloved wife’s boudoir, and the men sat together before setting off for the expedition.Evening gathering.
Old Otto drank half a glass of strong wine. He was vaguely convinced that he had vomited the truth after drinking.
"I won’t leave this time! Rurik, according to your arrangement, go to your hometown and bring your women here to do big things. Bring your mother and daughter, I just want to be here Retirement here."
Otto's decision was very much supported by Old Rigus. Now it seemed that this aging veteran was no longer intimidated by him, and his words were even somewhat amiable.
Having Otto in charge means that the Ross people's momentum is in White Tree Manor, and the manor will have a respectable momentum to intimidate dissenters.
They talked a lot, especially that the ten maids would return to their hometowns to count the acres of land. This was something Gus had never heard of.
The old guy was surprised and confused: "Can they...can do it? They are just women."
"They were trained by me personally, they are not ordinary servants at all. Li Gu Si, they are my clerks."
The Duke looked determined, and Ligus did not dare to say anything. He still didn't believe those women could do anything great, but their parents would be shocked if they came back in such wonderful ways.
The next day is the departure day.
The Russian army is gathering on the riverside. Except for some old guys who plan to spend the whole summer with old Otto in Novgorod (actually they also plan to immigrate and settle), the rest of the Varyag people will temporarily evacuate. .
Only one ship, Sperosvilia, was moored in the river to show dignity, while soldiers from other ships boarded the ship one after another.
This time it was not a tribute, but a batch of rewards from the fleet. However, the army gained a lot of wealth through the war at Lake Ilmen. Naturally, it was unable to fight with the loot in tow, so the army moved lightly.
Rurik held his wife’s hand and climbed onto the Aurora. Seeing that his daughter was about to leave again, Ligus, who looked up, was really filled with thoughts.
A few years ago, when the Ross ship was not so huge, the eldest daughter boarded the ship and left. Wait a minute, are the eldest daughter and grandson in New Roseburg now? The eldest son-in-law Kawei and the eldest daughter Lilia should also come back to visit relatives.
The younger daughter now looks exactly like her elder sister, and her status has become a queen. His noble status is just right for this big ship.
The heavy anchor was stowed away, and the Aurora slowly moved down the river.
The people on the shore continued to cheer, and Otto stayed in the crowd. He saw and heard that these Slavs cheered farewell from the bottom of their hearts.
The Slavs had no fear, only kindness. Finally, the Russians became the masters of this lake area.
The huge fleet successfully arrived at the mouth of the Neva River in Lake Ladoga. There were obvious signs of fire on the shore. A little investigation revealed that this was done by Arik's troops.
Rurik has long been interested in the strategic value of this place. A permanent fishing village should be built here. It should be called the town of Ladoga or something else.
This will be inevitable, as long as the Karelia people are conquered, the entire Lake Ladoga will be completely safe, RossThe duchy's expanding population would spawn settlements along the lake.
They did not stay here longer. When the fleet entered the Neva River, where the current became slightly more rapid, the voyage accelerated.
They arrived, and when Rurik landed, they suddenly discovered something strange in New Roseburg!
Rabbit Island is still covered with green grass. Opposite the island is the large wall and pier pier of the main city of New Roseburg.
The entire fleet docked here, and the grand scene attracted the residents of the city to come out of the city to watch, and even the city walls were filled with people.
A group of black-haired dwarves came over, and wasn’t the leader Yevluo himself?
"Who is that? So strange." Svetlana asked curiously.
"This is the Finnish army I recruited. This way our troops will be huge and we will win."
Svetlana said no more, she did not believe these black-haired people Their combat effectiveness is very strong. Looking at the reality of their low status, they are far weaker than the strong men of Ross.
Rurik got off the ship and immediately negotiated with Gevlo without talking to Governor Konuson.
As for Cornuson, his son has happily reported to him about his participation in the counter-insurgency war.
"How many troops did you bring?" Rurik asked.
Yevluo said proudly: "There are currently more than four hundred people."
"Huh? That's it? Not bad, I just asked you to organize a flag team."
"My lord, please listen to my explanation. I now rely on only one ship to continuously transport soldiers from Helminki. You can't expect their canoes to sail the sea."
Rurik nodded, "What is the attitude of the local chiefs?"
"My father-in-law? They... Sir. We can discuss this matter in detail in the meeting hall."
"Also Okay. I'm tired, let's discuss it first, and then I want to take a good bath..."
New Roseburg's meeting hall is now also hung with a "RUSDUMA" sign.
Rurik was meeting with the ministers here. He had no intention of being polite and insisted on asking about Jevlo's experience.
He got the gratifying news.
"Haha, I really didn't expect that old guy to be so cooperative!"
"After all, the Karelians and the Suomis...are Finns. The Finns are No worries," Javlo continued.
"So they have started an active attack?"
"Indeed. All the men in Suomi have invaded the inherent territory of the Karelian people and begun to harass the buildings they established. Stronghold. My lord, please don’t think that the Suomi people are very capable. If you hadn’t led a large army to attack them, they wouldn’t have dared to fight and attack in person.”
Ryurik nodded. The Finns by definition refer almost exclusively to the Suomi, whose population is at most thirty thousand, and when all the men who can fight are assembled, there is an uneven strength of at most ten thousand.
They only had canoes and no navy, so they assembled at Fort New Rose., we can only rely on Ross ships.
With Yevro’s guarantee, Rurik believed that those people participated in the war as a whole family, but he did not believe that the Suomi people could win alone.
If these guys are not trained, they are an atmosphere group!
"Jevlo, are the people you brought here training?"
"Yes, I train them in archery. Sir, they are not tall, maybe they are organized into spearmen." Suitable. But they are all good at archery. If they use a good crossbow, they will have good combat effectiveness."
"Forget it. Let them use traditional bows. I will reward them with some iron. Arrows of arrows."
Jevro understood, and he realized that the Duke could not fully trust the Suomi people.
This is very normal. How can people trust someone without having the experience of fighting side by side? It was for this reason that Jevlo successfully persuaded the Suomi people to join the war collectively.
On a macro level, the "Finnish Army" has assembled a so-called 20,000-strong army! When Yevlo said this number, everyone burst into laughter.
There are at most 5,000 people with some actual fighting ability, and the rest are mostly just cheering.
Despite this, Yevlo still explained his ambition.
"I plan to bring a thousand people to form two Suomi flag teams. I will train them in archery, on large ships, and in formation on land. They will definitely be able to effectively support other brothers."< /p>
The words sounded encouraging, but Rurik immediately became worried: "There are so many people? What about food? I have no obligation to give food to the servant army."
"Don't worry about this. , I dragged some canoes, and they fished and hunted rabbits near the bay. Sir, they have paid tribute to more than a thousand rabbit skins!" Jevro said, and Conuson immediately supported it.
A group of servants who bring their own dry food and can fish by themselves are here. Their strength can reach one thousand? This is not the number of people claimed to be there, it is actually a thousand people.
Yevlo provided the most critical intelligence.
"Sir, I learned about the core of the Karelia people in Suomi's hometown."
Rurik shivered: "Where?"
< p>"It is indeed north of the Great Lake. I know that the Karelia people have many allied tribes, and the largest one is probably based on the lake. They are good at hunting bears.""They also dare to claim to be good at it. Bear hunting? Forget it, their core is called Bear City?"
"I don't know about that."
Jevro also said a lot about his people. The recruitment work was very gratifying.
Rurik was very satisfied that this man’s heir was indeed a suitable hereditary Earl of Finland.
The fog of the Karelian people gradually dissipated, and their figures became clearer.
Ryurik now fully believes that the Karelia people are indeed large Tavastians. They will be very courageous, but they are on the edge of human civilization and do not know what lies beyond the Great Lakes. There are powerful enemies everywhere.
LiuliKe took a comfortable bath in New Roseburg. He just wanted to have his head flooded with hot water alone, and then be steamed softly in the sauna.
This big city has a clear plan. Nevsky Prospekt runs through the entire city, with Harvest Square in the middle. The rest of the city is mostly filled with residential buildings neatly arranged along the streets. The most valuable thing is that the city dug some gullies as a drainage system, and the residents, mostly Viking immigrants, took good care of hygiene. Every household has a dry toilet, but people don't dare to dump feces and garbage on the road out of dignity.
Paving stone roads is a huge project. Laying cement roads is theoretically feasible, but the cost is too high.
New Roseburg must further expand farmland, reclaim wasteland, and then solve enemy dangers before further urban construction can occur.
It was here that Rurik gathered his army.
At this time, the Ross fleet began a new operation.
The explorer Spyut took the big ship Gray Squirrel, then led two ships, Eubit and Mas, and the three ships went straight to Britain, asking for food tribute from King Aenred, and paying tribute to the Viking York The Kingdom brings sincere greetings from the Principality of Rus.
The Salmon Chief will sail directly back to her hometown of Roseburg. Ella and the ten maids will arrive here and be sent directly to Novgorod, the hometown of those maids.
Many matters are under Rurik’s careful control.
Only the unlucky Karelia people, who had only recently become aware of the border crisis, began to mobilize their men to fight back against the rare Suomi invasion.
Unexpectedly, a fatal attack is about to come across Lake Ladoga, which is larger than the sea...