Chapter 287： New tactics against the enemies of Gotland

Otto's big hand pressed Rurik's shoulder, which was a hint that he was safe and restless.

Otto deliberately said: "Is Rurik really young? Or do you think that just being young is not worthy of being a fighter?"

"Yes!" Arik replied decisively, "At least five years later, my brother will truly be like a soldier."

"Forget it. Arik, you are still too reckless. Those Corvins, those who guard the fortress, among them are eight-year-old boys and even girls. They are involved in the battle, and the arrows they shoot are just as dangerous. "

"But you can't hope that the eight-year-old Rurik will join the attack on the Gotlanders. We have to fight against the strong enemy. It is not Rurik's place to go there."

"Even so, I still want to give him this position." Otto ignored Arik's doubts, and even the doubts of others.

Otto gave a very simple explanation: "Do you think that if you have a position, you have to fall for war? Rurik is the war chief of our tribe. He has been to the battlefield and participated in the ice battle of our Rus. Arik , Although your brother is only eight years old, his courage is not worse than yours. This time, Rurik will lead a group of people to the north after the ice melts.

We Rus will build a new settlement in the north, that is Fort Elrond. There is an unknown world, there may be dangerous foreigners, there must be a lot of dangerous beasts.

Rurik will be responsible for the construction of the settlement and has the right to lead some fighters to resist possible dangers.

As for you..."

At this point, Otto made a deliberate pause.

Realizing that the atmosphere is very subtle, Arik straightened up instantly: "How am I?"

"You! You also want to be a war chief."

"Huh?!" Arik was so surprised that he was about to stand up.

Otto remained unchanged: "I want to understand. For a month, you have been lobbying me to attack the benefits of the Gotlanders. I can't convince you, I can only agree. Since young people have a fighting spirit, this Very good. I allow you to take someone to attack the Gotland."

"Dad! Did you finally agree?!" Arik was excited and called Otto his father.

Otto still maintained his composure: "I am your father, and even your leader. You can go to war, but you must accept my control. I can only give you two hundred soldiers. You can't even want more troops."

"This..." A fire broke out suddenly in Arik's heart, which was extinguished by a bucket of water. "Two hundred people, I...what can I do?!"

Seeing his aggrieved face, Otto's seriousness remained unchanged: "What else do you want? Give you two hundred people, you can't make a big difference?"

"But, I want to land on that **** island and destroy those wicked people. Chief, we still have to avenge the Ostras."

"No! We are not the leader yet, we don't have the authority to do what the Mellaren people should do."

Otto's words were a little subtle, and Arik suddenly realized that the leader's ambition was never a joke.

"So, what do you want me to do?" Arik asked, "I can't looting Gotland fishing boats at sea?!"

"Hey! That's what I meant." At this point, Otto's tight face finally showed joy. He slapped his son Rurik on the shoulder as if he was playing with a toy. "Aric, your thoughts coincide with your brother. I also ask you to listen to Rurik's opinion."

"His opinion? Good."

Arik sat down slowly, folded his hands and waited for the smart words of the little brother.

Regarding this, if Rurik held back for a long time, he finally had the opportunity to explain it to the second person outside the old man.

"My brother, war is inevitable, but we must control the intensity of the war. I also oppose your chance of dispatching a thousand people. I really support you in taking some actions."

Rurik spoke in a childish voice, his face was as serious as his biological father, but it sounded like something was said, but he said nothing.

"You...really support it," Arik asked.

"Yes, I support your attack on the fishing boats of the Gotlanders, because although these are not in your plan, they are precisely in my plan."

"Huh? Very interesting, go on."

"Arik, in fact, your main task is to build our Tombstone Island settlement this year as a war chief. You have to take your brothers and slaves to build there. One day, when our strength becomes strong enough , We must launch a full-scale offensive and eventually take away the wealth of the entire Gotland Island.

Our huge fleet can't all set off from Roseburg and launch an offensive after a long voyage, so the soldiers are too exhausted.

We really need Tombstone Island as an army assembly point. I heard that from there, it’s only a two-day voyage to Gotland? "

"Exactly." Arik asserted.

"Oh, that's great. Tombstone Island is our army assembly point. We want to build it and turn it into a fortress. So if the Gotlanders launch a counterattack, they won't want to break our fortress. In the end, we For the purpose of gathering troops in the port of the fortress, in the end, only we choose when to march, and the enemy can only be passively beaten."

The younger brother's words were very uplifting, and he opened up a very wonderful picture of the future.

Although he knew that it could not be realized quickly, Arik saw hope, and the war enthusiasm that lacked a bottom line in his heart finally converged.

Arik asked about another important matter: "My brother, what do you say about those ships. From what you mean, is it necessary to attack ships? Is it necessary to do pirate work in your opinion? In fact, real fighters are not. I don't like doing this kind of thing."

pirate? You, and me, are not all pirates?

By now, Rurik, who has experienced real battles, doesn't think the term "pirate" is so bad. In such an environment, any fisherman is equivalent to a pirate, and the reason why he did not choose to looting first is simply because he is worried about being bitten by the opponent. He feels that the fishermen are harmonious as a whole, just because the fishermen’s boats in the huge sea area have reached a crisis balance with each other.

Fishermen are brave and vicious people.

Rurik didn't bother to discuss the topic of "is a pirate right", it made no sense.

"My purpose is very simple. I hope your boat can only actively attack the enemy fishing boats. You can kill all the enemies and take away all the useful things on the boat. Only..."

"The only thing?" Arik asked.

"You want to bring the boat back to me."

"Ah?! This..." Arik was very surprised: "According to tradition, those ships will be destroyed directly. I will not tow enemy ships without special requirements. Why? You actually need those ships?"

"Yes!" Rurik finally stood up to show his determination. He walked straight up to Arik and stood upright like a red pine: "I am not interested in how much gold, leather, or any good things you grab. I just want those boats. Now, in my eyes, there is nothing more than a boat. important."

Arik was suddenly amused by the little brother's words, and the others also snickered.

The serious atmosphere is more joyful, and the reason for joy is very simple.

As a Roth, no one does not love boats.

Rurik looked at the happy people. He moved his delicate face over and continued to stare at Arik’s face that had already begun to hustle: "I just want the boats, and your people will drag the boats back to me."

"As long as this is the case, are you satisfied?"

Hearing this, Rurik's mind had to think more.

He felt that his brother wanted to ask for some remuneration. In fact, Arik was willing to do something for his little brother.

Arik really loves his younger brother, just like Rurik was even weaker, Arik is always happy to hug him while sleeping, and being able to hug his younger brother will make Arik feel a touch of warmth and pride.

After a mere battle, the enemy ship that was not very useful was pulled back with a bit of effort, and the matter was done as soon as it was done.

Rurik doesn’t know what his brother thinks. It is true that his brothers have to settle accounts clearly. He has planned a standard of remuneration, and then said: "I can’t let you and your people do things for nothing. You go to war and get captured. The ship is towed back. No matter any enemy ship, as long as it is towed back, I will give you two hundred silver coins for a ship."

"Ah? So many?!" Rurik's words were completely beyond Arik's expectations, and also beyond the expectations of many elders.

"Why? A lot? Arik, as long as you can do this, my tribe has made great contributions. I repeat, no matter how big or small enemy ships are, they are all at the same price, two hundred silver coins, you share with your warriors , It’s up to you how to share!"

To put it bluntly, Arik wants the tribe to launch a huge offensive. Deep down in his heart, he mainly wants to make a fortune based on war. Revenge for all kinds of people is mainly an excuse for war.

A large number of silver coins poured into Roseburg, causing inflation in the tribe in an instant. Rurik frantically searched for silver coins and hoarded them, or used various means to control the money of the priests. In addition to deliberately accumulating money to build a "national treasury", he was also objectively contributing to the stabilization of prices.

Even so, the lives of the Ross people have changed dramatically, and the prices of many things have risen somewhat, especially in the hot shipbuilding market, where the price of new ships has been rising steadily. Nowadays, it is not impossible to buy a newly built larger fishing boat with two hundred silver coins.

The price level changes so fast that both the Ross people and the visitors have to adapt. Those who are more conservative, they become a little uncomfortable.

Can a fishing boat be towed back to earn two hundred silver coins? and many more? Why does it have to be two hundred?

After thinking about it for a while, Arik felt that he understood the brother's intention. Is the co-authored bounty a silver coin for each fighter? If this is the case, Arik believes that everyone has the motivation to attack the fishing boats everywhere, but to drag the empty boats back.

As long as he can make money, he can't fight the enemy hard, although he feels that it is not appropriate to make money from his brother.

Arik deliberately tentatively said: "I don't need so much money, you are my brother after all."

"That won't work! I'm a contract. You and I are brothers. Even so, I have to make a contract. This is my attitude, and I will not change."

"Since you insist, I will agree." That was the case, Arik was totally ecstatic in his heart.

Rurik did not finish his words. He added: "I hope that in future battles, our tribe will not lose a single soldier."

Arik was surprised: "This...may be a little difficult. The enemy is not weak. They will defend their catch and fight to the death. We..."

"Listen to me. I will provide you with a special batch of weapons."

"What kind of weapon is that?"

"It's my steel-armed crossbow!" Rurik said of the phrase "krosebage", but the crossbow was still very strange to Arik.

"You said crossbow? I have seen your experiment, it seems to be very good, but..."

"Do you think its performance in actual combat is doubtful?" Rurik shook his head, "It is really good. The arrows it fires can penetrate the enemy's wooden shield, and it must be able to penetrate the ship's hull. The arrows hit the enemy. , Can cause death. Compared with a bow, my crossbow does not even need to be trained to use it well. Shoot those people with the crossbow and win their ship. This is what I designed for Gotland. People’s new tactics."

This is very dreamy, and Arik also pays attention to seeing is believing, so he hesitated for the time being. Otto, who never wanted to shut up, is now on the Rurik platform, praising the strength of the crossbow.

The elder brother's questioning was also within Rurik's expectation.

"My mercenary captain participated in the battle in the East and made great achievements. At least twenty mercenaries are worthy of our trust now. Arik, maybe you don’t know that our leader has appointed these twenty men to become A warrior of our tribe."

"There is such a thing?!" Arik is unheard of, "Are they reliable?"

"Three hundred people against eight hundred people, they have never been cowardly! They have been trained by me to be masters with crossbows. They have shot many enemies and they can be trusted! So they will join your team as our tribal warriors. ."

"Big Chief, is that right?" Arik asked Otto suspiciously, and got a very affirmative answer.

Yes, Otto kept his promise. When the army was still in the triumphant triumph of the Oulu River, he made a promise to give the mercenaries who had made military exploits the identity of the "Russ". Back at Roseburg, Otto kept his promise, but the ceremony of joining was too low-key.

Right here, Rurik announced that his mercenary captain and a group of mercenaries formed a squad of twenty to join Arik's crusade. Rurik also mentioned a new naval battle routine, that is, don't give priority to the use of collision and jump to help fight tactics.

The arrows of the Gotland are not strong, even worse than the Finns and Corvins. The new tactic is that the ship quickly approached with the tactical advantage of the Ross oar, and suddenly launched a crossbow to kill the enemy. After all, the enemy ship did not have a deck.

What Rurik wanted was the ship. His bottom line was that the ship was not leaking, so that the hull was pierced with crossbow arrows, and even the mast was broken. Such a terrible ship still has the value of two hundred silver coins.

Rurik is actually planning another thing, that is, let Arik lead the brothers to fight, and use actual combat to test whether the crossbow he developed is really a naval weapon as imagined.

Rurik clearly has a variety of plans. In order to use the crossbow tactics, he is stunned to come up with a big deal, as many as two thousand arrows!

Of course, some of these arrows have participated in the battle against the Kowenmen. Among the thousand recovered after the war, their arrow clusters are relatively intact, most of the arrow shafts have to be redone, and the feathers on the tail are almost shed. .

However, these heavier crossbow arrows do not need tail feathers at all when used at short distances. It is even said that deliberately cutting a piece of wood with a knife and cutting the end into a posture with a slight tail wing, so that the arrow can probably maintain a stable flight at a longer distance.

In the final analysis, Rurik's concept is that his crossbow is a tactical weapon used within fifty meters. Beyond this distance, the accuracy will be somewhat reduced, and the worst thing is actually the reduced power caused by the loss of kinetic energy.

During the "North Hunting" period, Clavason's smithy was not idle at all. He must continue to fulfill Rurik's production requirements for the crossbow, as well as the steel sword requirements of the tribal warriors. Although he possessed a lot of wealth, Kravasson became busier. He had to start to squeeze the workforce of Kamnier, who was only eight years old, to force such children to strike iron and manipulate tongs. There is also a pregnant daughter-in-law. She doesn't want to rest in peace, but also to produce glassware and wine.

Clavasson produced many new crossbow arrows, which are full of imagination.

Because their arrow clusters are the glass arrow clusters cast in the bronze mold after the glass liquid has condensed.

According to this old blacksmith's understanding, due to the strength of the crossbow, the excellent steel arrow clusters are always unimpeded, and the arrow shaft must be replaced with a new one after almost one use. Youdao is an unchanging arrow shaft with flowing water. Based on this principle, it still sticks to what the iron arrow cluster does.

A large number of glass arrow clusters are still mass-produced. Finally, they are tied with loose glue and twine to the cut wooden sticks that are not too straight, so that an inferior one-time crossbow arrow that does not even have a tail feather is completed. Not to mention, it is really inferior, and the victory lies in its high production capacity.

After all, it was a battle. What Rurik gave to his brother were all iron cluster arrows. The issue of fighting was vague, and that was to abuse his fighters. Rurik didn't dare to do that kind of thing. Finally, those inferior crossbow arrows with glass arrow clusters, it must be useful to hunt with them, but basically I don't want to use them again.

It doesn't matter! Even Rurik felt that he could equip himself with more glass crossbow arrows. After all, the team only wears leather and intensively charge enemies. If the glass crossbow arrows can kill the enemy, then there is no need to use expensive iron cluster arrows.

It seems that at this point, the arrangements for this year's war have come to fruition.

After all, today's meeting is not just a study of how to fight.

Otto's headaches finally ended with Arik's compromise and joy.

Otto made two other plans.

First, Otto, as the leader, will lead the fleet, doing the tribal tradition of the spring Sorgon sailing to Novgorod.

Second, Lulik needs to lead a group of tribesmen, and all the surrendered squirrel tribes, to the mine in the north to establish permanent settlements. It is best to quickly use the rich local iron ore resources to smelt iron.

The meeting was over, and immediately after the meeting, Arik saw the mercenary captain Jeflo and also saw the so-called crossbow use routine invented by Rurik.

Rurik organized all his mercenaries, and also teamed up some soldiers who had participated in the glacial battle. Rurik was stunned to organize as many as seventy crossbowmen, and being able to use so many crossbows was a miracle in itself.

Such battles not only shocked Otto, but also made all the onlookers hooked. I'm afraid, this is the true state of Rurik's so-called "Ross Arrow Formation"!

They lined up in two rows. They pulled the trigger at the same time, and the wooden board that was erected fifty steps away was instantly smashed with iron clusters of arrows, and many of the arrows directly pierced the board. . Of course, this wooden board is also made of specially selected materials, and it is inherently fragile. It was smashed with sawdust flying around and riddled with holes, which is really a good show.

The onlookers were shocked, especially those professional shipbuilding craftsmen. When they saw such a scene, they had to think of a very realistic thing: "We must use thicker, preferably dry oak boards for many years. Use it to build a big ship. Even if the materials are hard to find, it is better than being hit by a crossbow with a crossbow and leaking into the water."

The craftsmen subconsciously thought of the possibility of technology leakage. In order to ensure the robustness of the Ross ship and not smash their own signs, they decided to improve the manufacturing process.

It cannot be said that their thoughts are unfounded and worrying, but the fact is that there is no second European nation that knows how to forge a hundred steel in the Baltic Sea, the entire Europe, and even the Mediterranean Sea. It is even less imaginative to use its flexibility as a powerful weapon.

With the strongest long-range weapon, Arik is full of hope for future raiding operations. In the hope of countless people, everyone ushered in the thawing of the ice sea and ushered in the great sacrifice that the Rus people were forced to postpone.