Rise of Rurik - Chapter 672

[Chapter 673 Attack on Isotalva]

Only a dozen or so fled the field, paddling desperately in the twilight with the dire news.

The outpost in Karelia was breached, and the fugitives saw the tragedy of their companions being killed. As for how many people escaped successfully, they did not dare to have illusions.

The lake adjacent to Isotalva is not too big or small. It will take some time to reach the exit of the lake by boat. After night falls, the exhausted fugitives took a detour in the night and found the camp with the bonfire array as a reference. .

If there is no war, tonight would be another peaceful night.

However, it is true that the sky is not beautiful, the sky is covered with haze, and most of the stars and moonlight are covered.

The heavy rain in a few days will not be enough, but the weak north wind blows around the world, and the temperature drops a lot.

Although it is August, autumn clothes are already thick around Lake Ladoga.

The Great Horde tribe in Karelia has recently mobilized for war, but the morale of the army has not burst.

Ordinary herdsmen are very supportive of competing with their western neighbors for living space, but the details of the new enemies are still unclear. It seems that they are very powerful, and the herdsmen would rather continue to accumulate strength.

The calmness of the past few days makes people lazy. Sentinels have been placed in the forest and river mouth, but the alarm has not come. Does it mean that the unknown enemy is just occupying the bear altar?

Esairas, who was guarding the big camp, had already fallen asleep surrounded by female slaves. The pressure of the war in the past few days forced him to rely on physical catharsis to suppress his head that was about to explode.

Because that’s the bear altar!

The loss of the altar made the routine autumn meetings of the tribes have to be postponed or rescheduled.

The weary defeated landed. They first encountered some night fishers, and then brought the startled candlelight night fishers yelling on the shore.

Some people who were sleeping soundly in the tents were awakened, and their sleepy eyes were no longer sleepy when they learned the news of the enemy’s invasion.

Someone crazily broke into Elsairas’ big tent, knowing that it was trespassing, but the situation was urgent, and the messenger no longer cared about his own life.

“Something has happened! The enemy has reached the mouth of the river!”

The messenger yelled for a while, and Aesailas finally woke up.

He pushed the female slave away and yelled: “Where did you come from, such a lowly beast, get out!”

“My lord!” The messenger rushed forward without thinking too much, tremblingly said: “You…your two sons have already died in battle. Thousands of attackers are entering the lake in big boats. Our outpost… It’s over!”

Esailas suddenly lost his temper. He only felt that the world was absurd, and asked again: “You are so bold. You know what you want to say?”

“My lord.” The messenger sat down immediately, and slammed his right fist on his chest, “The enemy who attacked the bear altar is coming. Your two sons have died in battle, and almost all the four hundred brothers in the post are dead! My lord, listen Listening to the voices outside, people who have escaped are already telling everything. People are terrified.”

“Ridiculous, this is ridiculous.”

Ezairas struggled to his feet, put on his fur coat and walked out of the tent, and saw a large crowd of panic-stricken people walking around with torches.

He tried to control the situation, but how could the panic of such a large tribe be easily suppressed?

Seeing the garrison leader stand up, the terrified herdsmen gathered together one after another, begging for a good plan.

What is a good policy?

Where is there any good strategy to defend against the enemy?

He first called the escaped people to the battalion commander, and interrogated these tearful people aggressively.

This time, he got more terrifying news than ever.

Huge mound-like boats floating on the river, the number of which is astonishing?

The enemies all have white and blue flags, and even their clothes?

The enemy still has sharp arrows, making Karelian hunters a joke.

Could it be that the ambush of four hundred people could not inflict heavy damage on the enemy, so Aiko died in battle?

At least they died like men, but this bad news made Azairas blushed, and in his rage he vowed to fight the invaders to the end!

Thousands of people waited outside the war, and the lit bonfires and torches illuminated the dark world.

The people were not sleepy, and the roar of discussions exacerbated their fear and anxiety.

At last Esairas reappeared, and the scene fell silent for a moment.

Thousands of eyes watched his shadow and listened to his violent words.

“Brothers! The assailants who desecrated the altar are coming. The decisive battle is earlier than we expected. It is a pack of the most ferocious bears, or a pack of wolves. Our outpost has been breached, and they are about to attack our camp! He attacked Those who want to kill us all! Kill all the men, take all the women, they kill the old people and children, and take our herds. We have no escape, I will fight them to the end!”

The people with their eyes wide open trembled, they didn’t know which god they had offended to bring about such punishment.

Is it really impossible to evacuate the whole family?

Esailas claimed the loss of the sacred bear altar, and the entire Isotalva people were to blame.

The man who ran away was a traitor to the ancestors and gods and would be executed immediately.

But women and children must drive the deer away immediately!

Ezairas felt that he had made the most correct decision under the crisis.

It is impossible for him to flee with his tribe, after all, only the real chief has the authority to issue this order.

It is conceivable that the chief will not retreat without a fight.

As the chief’s younger brother, if you can’t keep the camp, let’s meet him first.

Besides, the two cowardly sons were still able to sacrifice their lives for the tribe. For their courage, I would rather die for the tribe.

But if women and children are killed by soldiers, it is also the most serious disaster. A large number of men died in battle, and the women who managed to escape could continue to give birth. Although the population dropped sharply, the tribe could recover quickly.

The hesitant men had to stay, and more men were determined to stay and fight.

The Great Horde tribe in Karelia started an evacuation campaign. The wives cried goodbye to their husbands, and the children bid farewell to their fathers. The time given to them was very limited.

Women and children wake the sleeping deer and force them to start moving north.

There are still some women who are determined to stay, preferring to fight and die with their husbands.

Also included is a legion of old men who, determined to die for the clan, will do everything in their power to kill an enemy…

Esailas was moved to tears, but he didn’t expect that he didn’t actually commit violence in the end, and the people really took up arms and stood up because of their honor.

He promised all his male and female slaves that they would fight with sharpened sticks, and when they defeated the invaders, they would be free and become free herdsmen.

It’s a pity that the night in August is not long. Under the leadership of the rational leader, Isotalva made the correct preparations, and their actions were already too late!

On the other hand, the Ross army, which had won the first battle, dared to clean up the battlefield before the sun went down.

The corpses of the enemies were roughly tapped, and the prisoners were all hanged after the results of the trial.

The entire Ross army landed overnight, and the enemy’s weapons were confiscated. Through the large number of bone arrow clusters, and even the casualties of one’s own side, Rurik judged the level of the enemy’s army—the same level as the Tavastians.

Rurik didn’t want to expose himself, his subordinates had already hunted him down to the lakeside, and he especially ordered his subordinates not to light bonfires by the lakeside.

The Ross army leaned against the river and lit a large number of bonfires on the battlefield in the forest.

This could only obscure their presence to a limited extent, as the clouds in the sky were illuminated by numerous campfires.

The Karelians are not simple fools, do they believe the enemy to invade after listening to the words of the fleeing returnees?

Look at the southern sky, it’s lit up.

Although there is a forest cover, who would deny that there is not a large army hidden there?

The enemy’s corpse was removed, and one’s own corpse was temporarily placed.

The wounded soldiers were washed with spirits, then violently sutured with twine, and finally bound with sackcloth.

Brothers were killed and wounded, and the soldiers of the Rus army were furious.

The enemy dared to launch a sneak attack, and only the Ross army had the right to sneak attack.

A big bonfire, Rurik gathered all the banner captains and centurions.

As he walked among the brothers, he talked about the fleet tactics to be implemented. There were no sonorous and forceful words, but only specific tactical arrangements.

Everyone basically listened attentively to the end.

“That’s the arrangement, do you have any suggestions?” Rurik asked.

Everyone looked at each other, and the flames illuminated everyone’s expressions. It was obvious that people were supportive.

“In that case, let’s arrange it like this…”

Arik raised his head suddenly: “Brother, are we really going to let those women and cubs go?”

“Yes. We should let it go this time.”

“Why? Those bastards will grow up to take revenge and must be eradicated.”

“Maybe so. However, I don’t believe that you are afraid of a group of cubs who grow up. Brother, you were too violent before, and you really killed indiscriminately.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Arik asked back.

Rurik knew he would say that, but there was a point in what he said.

“It may be wrong or it may be right. I plan to conquer Karelia, so I can’t kill indiscriminately. I want them to surrender, and we want a group of slaves. I have already thought about it. Now that I have hit their lair, those who give up resistance Everyone is arrested.”

“I’m afraid your kindness will raise a pack of wolves.” Arik shook his head.

“It’s okay.” Rurik turned to the crowd again, “Is it angry to be ambushed and attacked? You should also understand that the enemy is not an idiot. Be careful, I don’t want any of you to be injured in tomorrow’s battle. Remember, the soul cannot go to Valhalla if you die in battle because of stupidity.”

The first banner team composed of pure old Russians just wanted to kill, and the other banner teams were more willing to rob women.

Rurik had no time to restrain the troops, and everyone fell asleep. When the sky turned gray and blue, people woke up one after another, ate dry food and boarded the boat.

The third flag team composed of Balmerks blew their walrus ivory horns one after another, and the sound of leather drums set off the solemnity.

The fleet of long snakes entered the lake one after another, and a gust of north wind hit, and the coolness made Rurik feel chilled.

The north wind will reduce the range of the arrow, and the biggest advantage is that the sailing ship can sail freely.

“Lower the sails!” Rurik raised his head and ordered.

The Aurora showed its huge triangular sail, the sail was deliberately kept at an angle to the central axis of the ship, and she began to sail against the wind.

All sail cruisers, sail destroyers, and armed cargo ships formed a line array and rushed to the other side of the lake like a wall.

Behind it, there is an array of as many as forty longships. The first and third are mixed with a group of veterans of the Second Banner Squad, and even a group of heavily armored mercenaries from Rurik. They are the literal meaning of Ross. Marines on board.

Rurik deliberately looked up to the enemy, trying to imagine this assault as a beach landing in Normandy, imagining that the enemy had already prepared on the beach.

Coincidentally, Normandy was formed after Danish immigrants colonized an area under the Frankish Kingdom and accepted Zhao’an.

There are a large number of warriors holding crossbows and footbows standing on the deck of large ships.

They stood densely together, so that some heavy weapons seemed to be cramped for manipulation.

Before the war broke out, Rurik had fantasized about a decisive land battle with the enemy, so that he could show the advantages of his own heavy weapons.

Rurik now had a premonition that the enemy would be ready for battle in their fully exposed camp. After all, those captured enemies said they were ready for a decisive battle.

It seems that heavy weapons can only be used on ships, which is a good thing.

The vehicle-mounted torsion slingshots of the trolleys prepared for land warfare were put on the ships again, and the bull catapults were basically evenly distributed among the ships.

The decks at the bow and stern are mainly equipped with heavy weapons, and the middle deck is densely packed with people holding bows and crossbows.

This time Suomi and Vipus will shoot arrows at the enemy. Their overall poor bow cannot create a very long range of damage, so it is no problem to land as a cover.

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】

As the sky slowly dawned, the Ross army rushed towards Isotalva as a whole.

Many women and children had just left with their children and herds of deer before they could go far.

A large number of men stayed up all night. Many people said that the decisive battle was not tomorrow morning but the day after tomorrow. There must be a big battle within a few days.

The men in Karelia dare not have illusions anymore, because those optimistic illusions have been completely broken by a group of shadows approaching quickly after dawn!

The man by the lake saw a big ship with strange triangular sails.

Although the distance is approaching, the huge blue stripes on the sail are clearly visible!

The totem of the Ross people is two interlaced blue stripes, which symbolize the oars.

Ross means paddle, and this fleet that once crossed the ocean to expedition to Britain suddenly appeared in the small lake of Isotalva in the north of Lake Ladoga.

This kind of incident completely overturned the cognition of most Karelian people. This is the first time they saw the true face of the invaders. The strange thing is that many people did not feel fear, but lamented that the big ship must not be owned by ordinary people. make.

“Maybe they are the apostles of the lake god. We didn’t worship the god properly, which caused God’s punishment?” Some priests made a reasonable guess.

Esailas is not so stupid. Even if he really blasphemed God and was punished, it would be more punishing than it should be.

The approaching attackers are either God’s apostles or despicable strangers!

He yelled through the camp and called the men to the lakeside with spears and axes and shields.

Those formidable ships put an end to the Karelians’ desire for water warfare, and they assembled by the lake, and soon a black army was assembled.

They roar to make the world rumble, seeming to frighten enemies away with sound.

But in the eyes of all the Viking troops in the Ross army, this is the most classic Viking provocation.

“They are challenging you. I think they have gathered a lot of people, and they are looking for death!” Yevro yelled at Rurik in the strong wind.

Rurik squinted his eyes and looked dignified. The gold-plated leather helmet covered most of his face, and his whole body was also covered with a chain mail reinforced with bronze sheets, which made the whole person look golden and noble.

This kind of defense is indeed a bit too much.

Remaining calm, Rurik ordered: “Get brothers ready for battle. Your semaphore bearers are on standby immediately.”

“As you order, my lord.”

More than three thousand Karelians had assembled by the lake, shivering in the coolness of the morning wind.

They are not cold, but fear, excitement, hesitation, all kinds of emotions mixed together.

Most people bring their own bows. When it comes to the rate of long-range weapons and equipment, Karelia’s big tent tribe is really strong, even too much.

It’s a pity that their wooden bows are too bad. Even the bear hunting is mostly used as an auxiliary function, and the fatal blow comes from the spear.

Spears and bows, the Karelian army has the most equipment, and the desperate archery combined with the spear-holder’s combined force and stabbing is their magic weapon for victory in battle. Cheap.

However, the Ross fleet suddenly dropped their spears, and Rurik intuitively determined that the flagship was in place.

The sails were adjusted to a suitable angle, coupled with the inertia of the ship’s navigation, the flagship quickly reached the port side to face the enemy.

The Aurora entered the battle formation, and soon, all the battleships were in place.

Standing on the deck, Rurik could basically see the opponent’s hair and face clearly. The distance between the two sides seemed to be 150 meters, which was enough.

The flagship communicates with the ships through semaphore, conveying the meaning of Rurik himself.

The enemy stood still in a very strange way, but they formed a dense formation. Naturally, it would be advantageous to use armed fights in this formation. However, facing the intensive attack of long-range weapons, isn’t it just courting death?

!

Rurik felt that he had stumbled upon a great opportunity, and ordered the semaphore to inform the ships of the last message: pay attention to the signal flag and shoot freely.

A black flag was quickly rising to the top of the flagpole. After all weapons were fully charged, the shooters were staring at the flag.

When the black flag reached the top, all the ships started shelling very tacitly…

[End of this Chapter]