Rise of Rurik - Chapter 646

[Chapter 647]

Nominally, because of the addition of the Calf Manor and the Angler Manor, Otto’s armed forces have increased by three hundred people.

Is the newcomer a reliable fighter?

Pooh!

Is a barefoot peasant with a spear considered a warrior?

They were untrained, poorly armed, and equally unfit.

Their current task is to defend, and Otto arranged for them to temporarily serve as flankers.

But to Otto’s surprise, they were poorly armed, and they actually raised a lot of cattle, a lot of wooden cages and a lot of chickens.

Poultry is a good thing. They don’t need to be reared carefully, they won’t fly if their flight feathers are plucked, and they freely prey on insects near the farm like free-range chickens.

Such poultry can’t eat too much fat and grow slowly, and the advantage is that they don’t have to deliberately feed wheat grains.

Otto allowed the two manors to eat part of the original Pine Needle Manor’s fields after the victory of the war, and naturally had to pay some price before that.

They were all raising chickens, as was Whitetree, and so was the newcomer.

The two estates provided a thousand chickens, and as a reward, Otto gave them more than thirty rusty spearheads to improve their armaments.

The veterans of Ross were busy eating chicken, and they burned the chicken wantonly until only the bones were left.

The feathers of the chicken wings are all gathered. Although there are no large and long flight feathers, other feathers are still good materials for making arrow feathers.

The three estates of White Tree, Calf, and Angler were actively preparing for war under Ross’s rule. The men with spears were always on the alert, and the women were mobilized to do military logistics.

For example, use newly acquired feathers to make arrows with bone clusters, which are generally disposable.

Reinforcement from New Roseburg finally arrived.

With his father’s instructions, Konusson led an army of up to 400 people and rowed a traditional longboat against the Volkhov River.

The twenty boats washed up on the mudflats, and they pulled down the long cables and tied them to the nearby cedar trees on the shore to stabilize the boats.

A group of classic Viking warriors disembarked?

Not only that, but also a large number of New Russians who speak fluent Slavic.

Those were the so-called people who defected from the various farms, and there were even men who defected from Pine Needle Manor among them.

Otto had a lot of trust in them. They had honestly paid the grain tax for land reclamation and farming in New Roseburg, and their families were all in the north. Their loyalty was trustworthy.

Even so, Otto didn’t want to take the initiative, and his plan was still to stay at White Tree Manor and wait.

The young Conusson reported to the old prince with a new force, and when he saw Otto present, he reported his situation on the spot.

He made a bold suggestion: “There are rebels on the banks of the great lake. In my opinion, I will take some brothers to land on the beach, and I will wipe out all the rebels.”

“No! You are too impulsive.” Otto didn’t seem to think about it, and immediately rejected the young man’s proposal, and even warned: “I am the most powerful person here, you have to restrain your friends, who If you dare to attack rashly, you will be punished afterwards.”

“But, do we really need to wait? We should act first!” Little Konusson is still working hard, and he is eager to make great contributions in the new battle.

Otto shook his head, pushed him suddenly, and ordered: “Don’t attack rashly, we stay on guard, and when to attack, wait for Rurik to come. By the way, have you seen Rurik’s fleet?”

“I… I didn’t.”

“No? How is this possible.”

Little Konusson did not lie. After all, Otto and Rurik acted separately, and the two sides did not even have clear contact before the action, so that when the rebellion broke out in Novgorod, Rurik was ready to lead the army Go to New Roseburg.

There is a subtle time difference, but fortunately the difference is not extreme.

Otto was moved by Konusson’s initiative to ask for a job, and even what he said was very constructive.

According to the existing information, Otto can confirm two things: First, Vadim, the patricide and usurper of Pine Needle Manor, can only control the people of his manor very well.

Second, most other manors have a very ambiguous attitude towards the war.

So who is the main enemy?

Naturally, this pine needle manor.

If a small-scale team is sent to launch a surprise attack and directly behead Vadim, will it be possible to quickly clear away the local opposition?

It must not be the case, I am afraid that the entire Pine Needle Manor should be uprooted, and this root of rebellion should be completely pulled out, so that the entire Novgorod can really obey.

Otto feels that he is getting old, and he has lost a lot of courage to forge ahead in recent years. He prefers to fight steadily, especially for war. Otto actually has a low self-esteem. He feels that he has never been able to do well. Command too many armies to fight large-scale wars.

Obviously, only Rurik has the ability to command an army of 10,000 people in battle.

Although little Conusson was forbidden to carry out sneak attacks with hundreds of brothers, there was still a need for reconnaissance against the enemy.

Vadim threatened to gather 10,000 soldiers, regardless of whether there was water in it or not, and Ross had never faced 10,000 enemies in one battle in the past.

Otto has a good attitude, even if someone scolds him for being too old to be a shrinking turtle, so be it.

On the other hand, due to the large number of troops, non-combatants accompanying the army and a large amount of supplies, Rurik’s fleet sailed at a really slow speed.

Rurik had considered this situation from the very beginning, but due to the actual situation, he arrived at New Roseburg one day after the planned time, that is, the first day of June.

Before that, the fleet approached Gogran Island and Kronstadt Island for a look.

Even a sail destroyer undertook a special task, which was to collect a batch of fist-sized granite stones weathered and rained on the spot after landing on Gogran Island, and use them as stone bombs for the trebuchet.

The three larger islands in the Gulf of Finland are excellent reference points for the Ross fleet.

During the voyage, Yevro was ordered to take a group of warriors and break away from the team on a sail destroyer.

Their goal was the city of Helminki (Helsinki), and then they went up the river and entered Kupaboka, the core living area of the Suomi people in Finland in the inland lake area, and announced the Duke of Ross’s order to the local supreme nobleman.

In other words, the Gevlos went to Kupaboka as Earls of Finland, especially their infant son Satuli, who was the real Earl of Finland.

Rurik has long given Yevlo a lot of discretion. As a canonized nobleman, Yevlo has the right to recruit Suomi and Tavastians who are willing to fight for Ross in the entire Finnish region to organize Finnish servants. join the army.

There is no limit to the strength of this servant army, but weapons, food, transportation, etc. have to be paid for by themselves.

The servant army will reap the benefits in the war, and each soldier can use his ability to reap the spoils of war.

However, they didn’t know that something big happened in Novgorod.

The Rurik plan is to use the flat land near the mouth of the Neva River as an excellent army staging area, and then rest the army and send scouts to search for information, intending to find the core of Karelian rule, destroy it with one blow, and seek a way to defeat the enemy. A decisive battle to complete the final conquest.

The war mode of this era is like this. For many tribal groups in Europe, as long as the core similar to the capital city is destroyed, the entire political entity will quickly be destroyed.

The arrival of the massive Ross fleet did not come as a surprise to the people of New Roseburg.

When Rurik’s subordinates disembarked one after another, the soldiers were amazed at the tall walls and solemn towers of this big city, and they were also amazed at the serious faces of the crowd watching.

Carlotta frowned on the ship’s side, and she patted Rurik: “It’s strange, the atmosphere is a bit depressing, don’t people here seem to welcome us?”

“How is it possible.” Rurik smiled awkwardly, “Maybe, there will be a little. There are too many people here, maybe they are worried that our big appetite will eat up all the local hares.”

The girl couldn’t hold back her poof and smiled, but the seriousness of the scene was a fact.

Something big must have happened here!

It cannot be that New Roseburg has encountered an active attack by the Karelians.

Rurik had to be suspicious. He found the local governor Konusson and asked about strategic issues, and even the situation of his father Otto.

Rurik disembarked, and more than a thousand warriors had landed before him.

Many of the Balmerks, especially Hellafeld Bryn Goldson, rubbed his eyes vigorously, looking up at the banner of Rus fluttering in the wind on the thick wooden wall, and at the great city itself, as if Like what old Roseburg had seen and heard, he once again felt his own insignificance.

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Many soldiers made friends with their local counterparts as soon as they got off the ship. Due to the lack of information about the outside world, they were willing to share their knowledge with others.

The inquiry was serious, and news of a serious rebellion in Novgorod spread like wildfire.

The rebellion provoked by Vadim was almost just the rebellion of Pine Needle Manor coerced by other manors. Most of the coerced people supported the rebellion in name, and they were very entangled in their hearts.

But the messenger sent by Otto arrived in New Roseburg, and the news was subconsciously embellished, and then explained to Rurik by Konusson, which turned into a terrible geopolitical event: a barbarian assassinated Otto, and assembled The army vowed to oust Rus’s rule.

Konusson, who was standing on the trestle bridge, explained this very urgently, which instantly made the smiling Rurik frown.

“What? Otto was assassinated and nearly died?!” How could Rurik believe this?

Conuson used his gray beard as a guarantee: “Your Excellency, I have lived for so long and have never deceived anyone. According to my opinion, the news is absolutely reliable. My son has brought four hundred brothers to Nov Lord Otto is so eager to reinforce your father in Gorod, I’m afraid the situation in Novgorod is worse than I imagined.”

“Otto, is he still alive?!” Rurik asked cautiously.

“He’s fine, and the armor is a fantastic defense.”

Rurik asked: “Who is the perpetrator?”

“It’s that Vadim, who now claims to be the Princip of the entire Novgorod. My lord, that crazy man is clearly provoking you. There can only be one Princip in this region, and that is you!”

Hearing this news, Rurik’s blood pressure rose as an iron-blooded nobleman who relied on hard power.

He has lost his innocence a long time ago, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he is a ruthless nobleman.

“Assassinate my father, betray Ross and dare to call himself Princip (Duke), this person must die. It seems that I will kill a group of people in Novgorod, and kill all rebels and their families!”

Rurik’s words were cruel, and he really planned to do this in special times.

Is there anything more disgusting than this?

When Ross assembled a large army and contacted allies with the intention of conquering Karelia reasonably, making New Rossburg an absolutely safe place.

It was during this crucial historical period that the Slavs of Novgorod turned against each other!

Rurik has no intention of visiting Fort New Rose, and has no intention of seeing his palace and the rammed-earth “Harvest Square” at the entrance.

Right here in the meeting hall, he called all the flag captains under his command for a meeting on the same day as soon as he landed.

It is not an exaggeration to scold Novgorod’s rebellion in the most vicious tone, but reason finally overwhelmed Rurik’s emotions.

The fury did not dissipate, but turned into a plan to conquer the traitors.

Arik, Hailafeld, Fraser and the others could not tolerate traitors the most. When they heard that their servants dared to rebel, the three of them thought of exactly the same thing as Rurik—putting down the rebellion first.

Moreover, this situation is also related to Sogon this autumn. If the traitors are not strangled and liquidated, they may not be able to collect enough grain from Novgorod in the autumn. unfavorable.

The life attitudes of the many Norse-speaking Ross people have changed. They instinctively pursue good food, and today’s life cannot live without wheat.

Right in the chamber, he loudly announced his new decision, and at the same time wanted to hear the opinions of the guys: “It seems that the war to conquer Karelia will be postponed. What do you think?”

“Hit the traitor first!” Arik said sullenly without hesitation.

He said so, and Hallafield also expressed the same opinion.

The people who participated in the meeting said exactly the same, there is no need for new discussions here, the conquest of rebellion has become the first choice for everything, and it is worthwhile to stay the entire army in Novgorod, and even Novorosberg no longer needs new garrisons.

Considering the population of Novgorod, Rurik feared that the enemy would be able to muster an astonishingly strong army, perhaps ten thousand, or even twenty thousand.

Maybe the locals will burst out their grievances over the decades of looting of their wealth.

Now the information I have received is very limited, which is why Rurik claims to be more cautious.

Gathering a superior force to go to war is nothing to say, then pulling out a team of 3,000 people, Rurik is full of confidence.

Because war is not simply a matter of piling up numbers, the gap between soldiers can be huge under the combined influence of factors such as military strength, armament, disciplinary quality, and logistics.

Since Konusson’s son had already gone to Novgorod with a group of soldiers to meet Otto at the White Tree Manor, it means that Medved’s Slavic flag team was full of 800 people.

In this way, the First Banner Team and the Third Banner Team consisted of 1,000 powerful Viking warriors, and also had a team of more than 500 archers.

How is such a military reality?

It was already close to the military capacity of the Battle of Gotland.

Not only that!

There are still some people here in New Roseburg who are now Austalans, and they should accept Carlotta’s command to participate in the war.

Another group of Slavs who had immigrated to New Roseburg were armed and capable of fighting.

What’s more, White Tree Manor is like a dodder hugging the huge oak tree of the Principality of Ross. Novgorod has rebelled on a large scale.

The meeting didn’t last long, and there wasn’t even much discussion.

The attitudes of the Ross soldiers present all demanded to wipe out the traitors. As for the fact that the identity of the Karelians was still accompanied by fog and they did not come to the south bank of Lake Ladoga to provoke the Principality of Ross, Rurik made a bold decision.

He entrusted Konusson with an important order: “Organize your remaining forces, ensure the security of New Roseburg, and ensure that the Karelians are unable to attack. You also send a new expedition to the north of the lake to explore and collect intelligence.”

Konusson nodded and said yes, there are no more key questions.

The situation was so urgent that Rurik only wanted to stay in New Roseburg for one night.

His determination inspired Carlotta, because this time, the Duchess of Ostara can truly lead her army to fight as an allied army of the Principality of Ross, even if there are only seven men and women who can fight together. There were only ten people, and based on their extremely weak strength, the so-called Ostara Army was directly incorporated into the Archer’s Banner Team, with bows and arrows as tactical support.

Svetlana was very pleased by Rurik’s determination, but when she realized that the rebellion of the main Novgorod manor would destroy her family’s White Tree Manor, she cried until her eyes were filled with pear blossoms and rain. Swollen.

Ross’s army will immediately go south to suppress the rebellion, and her pessimistic attitude is completely reversed.

The next day, most of the soldiers completely gave up their fantasy of resting and recuperating. Some non-combatants, such as Arik’s wife Yaslaqi, stayed outside the local area with their children, and all the combatants went south.

Old Harald was delighted with the arrival of his daughter and son-in-law, and he was even more delighted with the birth of his grandson.

He regarded his son-in-law Arik as his son, and now the powerful young man was off to war again.

The old Harald didn’t make any more statements, and gave Arik a few pieces of amber with words of encouragement.

Just like other fighters at a glance, Arik is now a passerby.

The huge fleet pulled up to 1,700 soldiers and sailors. This is an extremely powerful combat force that successfully crossed the Neva River by wind, and then floated to the Volkhov River on the shore of the Great Lake.

A large number of troops and necessary supplies made it impossible for ships to go upstream quickly, and Rurik knew that there would be a disadvantage after he assembled a large army-logistics.

The Ross army cannot be stationed for a long time, and the army must start training immediately when it arrives at White Tree Manor, and even launch a full-scale attack on the traitors a few days later.

Rurik couldn’t afford it. Even if a large amount of wheat was unloaded in New Rose Fort, the food was prepared for the attack on Karelia, and the allocation of time to counter the rebellion had already canceled more than half of the original plan!

If this battle cannot be resolved quickly, it will directly affect the success or failure of the conquest of Karelia this year.

Finally, on a cloudy afternoon, taking advantage of a wonderful north wind, the upstream Ross main fleet suddenly gained strong power, and Rurik’s final voyage was extremely smooth. Even a large number of Viking longships parked by the river.

People on the shore also looked forward one after another, dancing and cheering for the Ross flags on the fleet mast.

As expected, Rurik and his army arrived at White Tree Manor at the request of Lord Otto!

[End of this Chapter]