Chapter 429： Duke's Edict

The war has expanded, and the Rus will declare war on the entire island of Gotland alone.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Gotland has been completely isolated from a strategic perspective like never before. When will this matter be left alone?

When the matter came, there was no right to hesitate. Rurik looked at everyone’s faces and said solemnly: “For decades, our war with the Gotland has never been interrupted. They attacked our fleet and attacked fishing boats. , Killed our people, even killed my uncle, and killed my wife Carlotta’s people. In the past few years, our revenge against the Gotland is indeed stronger than before, but!

This intermittent revenge ends here! I just want to use an all-out war to completely defeat the Gotland people, and use their surrender as the end of everything. "

"Oh? You didn't want to destroy them all?" Arik stretched his head and shook his head: "You, you are still too kind."

"It has nothing to do with kindness." Rurik gave his cousin a blank look: "My purpose in launching the war is not simply killing people. I want them to surrender and let them give us tribute to wool, wheat, salt and dried fish every year. Give us a steady stream of their daughters. They must be tamed into a flock of sheep, able to contribute wool to us forever."

"Oh, I see, it probably means a slave?"

"No! Conquer them and be controlled by our Ross Principality. In the future, this group of Gotlanders must fight for me."

"But you have to defeat them first, these guys who used to rebel against the Alliance, I'll treat them..." Arik couldn't help shook his head.

Rurik has his own reasons: "During the war, our army will naturally kill the brave ones among the enemies, and the rest are sheep. You never believe that meek sheep will betray?"

"That's true."

Rurik cleared his throat vigorously, and finally said the official decision he had thought about for a long time:

First, call up men from 15 to 40 years old from the entire Rus tribe to join the army, recruit a group of fighters from the Kovins and Novgorod, and then recruit a group of people who intend to fight, so that the force can reach 3,000. .

Second, order the blacksmiths to build new weapons immediately, especially to build a batch of iron armor to strengthen the protection of a few extremely elite fighters.

Third, he ordered the big businessman Gould to organize a troop transport fleet and food transport ships.

Fourth, Tombstone Island and nearby islands will serve as a gathering place for the army. The day of the army's march is set on the first day of August.

There were only four decisions made by Rurik, but the listeners were all shocked and shocked.

"Three thousand people! Is this possible?" Otto couldn't help but feel guilty. He believed that this kid Rurik was aiming at Olegin's army, but there was a way to organize an army of the same size.

"How can this be impossible?"

While speaking, Rurik saw even the arrogant Arik and heard the decision of the "Three Thousand Army", his expression became embarrassed.

"Three thousand people are not what I said casually." Rurik pinched his fingers: "It is normal for us Rus to dispatch a thousand elite fighters. Tombstone Island still has five hundred Slavic fighters. They must participate in the war. A group of mercenaries, with some Ross archery masters and all the Corvin archers, there is no problem in organizing five hundred archers. Some young and older people in the tribe may not be suitable for first-line combat and participate in the war. Replenishment should be done. I also have children who have been training for two years, and they should also participate in the war..."

Rurik said to himself, Otto heard, this is indeed an explanation of the ability of the Rus to gather three thousand fighters.

"We really... assemble an army of three thousand people?!" Otto didn't want to listen to Rurik's nonsense, he asked loudly and solemnly: "You have to swear to the gods and tell me if you can do it?!"

Everyone's eyes were fixed on him, and Rurik stood up and showed his decisiveness. He suddenly drew his sword and pointed at the beam of the deliberating wooden house: "I can! This is my order, which is equivalent to the Duke's. Order! The Principality of Ross must assemble three thousand troops, and then set off on August 1. We take the initiative to fight the main forces of the Gotland and defeat them, and resolve this war forever."

There was nothing more to say, and the atmosphere of the decisive battle aroused enthusiasm among the people present.

Will the Principality of Ross miraculously assemble an army of 3,000 people this year?

Over the years, Otto knew that the strength of his tribe was rapidly expanding, and he couldn't expect to be able to expand to such a strength. With this kind of military strength, do the Rus still need to respect the Mellaren? Now the situation has changed. The five hundred capable warriors who have maintained the strength of the Mellaren people have all been consumed in the southern battlefield overnight. Without these standing soldiers, where is Olekin's trump card?

What Rurik issued was the "Duke's Edict". Otto expressed his full support on the spot. Therefore, the terms of the decree were set by Rurik. From a legal point of view, this decree was issued by Duke Otto.

In the small discussion room on Tombstone Island, the people present completely unified their thoughts. Immediately afterwards, at most one day off, the fleet will immediately set off back to Roseburg to formally issue this edict. Another ship should rush to Shilla Fort, and even Novgorod with wooden boards engraved with edict clauses, to recruit more soldiers and collect food and grass.

The meeting in the meeting room was quickly over. Otto, who had been floating on the sea for many days, had to take a comfortable bath on the island, and then get a good night's sleep.

But for those who got off the boat, they were forced to remain vigilant before. After landing on the island, their vigilance was lost, and the whole person was also weakened. They lie down in vacant wooden houses one after another, lie down in a corner and fall asleep.

Although Rurik was sleepy, he was the direct person in charge of the edict, the planner of the war, and even the commander of the war.

The rise and fall of Rose once again fought, after all, this is a bet on everything!

With 120,000 energies, Rurik immediately supervised the carpenter on the island and carved the full text of the edict in Luen letters against two pieces of old pine wood.

He wanted to use the Roman alphabet to write Gnossi, but he had to consider the audience. Only those children in the tribe received the initial education of Rurik's Roman alphabet, and there were not many children who really studied well. It is the Rune alphabet, which many people are familiar with. The royal decree should be publicly displayed so that the people who have been living scattered around can see and understand it. The Rune script will take some time to be used.

It wasn't until early evening that the two wooden boards engraved with text and coated with toner were completed.

This is the original text of the royal decree, and the Rus people only need to execute the order in accordance with the terms in it.

Of course, Rurik also thought of a very simple reality. To make the people of the tribe take things seriously, the promise of favors can be said to be the most important thing. Issuing "war bonds" in the duke's reputation? This kind of operation is so advanced that it is out of fashion!

But the Duke must give a clear promise of material rewards and "swear to the gods" to guarantee his credibility.

Therefore, in terms of terms, Rurik made such a vague promise that everyone who contributes to the decisive battle will directly participate in the combatant. He and his family have said that he and his family will benefit greatly, even if it is to provide weapons and food. The people who will receive the reward after the war.

The clause is marked like this: the victory of the war is rewarded by merit, and at least fifty pounds of wheat are involved in participation.

Everyone likes wheat, and there is really nothing more pragmatic than rewarding wheat. Rurik didn't dare to really make a heavy promise. The so-called "50 pounds of wheat" was a guarantee, to reward everyone in Ross with so much wheat, Rurik was able to take it out.

Rurik stayed on Tombstone Island until the morning of June 25th, and his two days here was not a mere dressing.

He made a major decision!

Are the conscripted Slavs really trained to fight as planned?

The refreshing south wind is blowing in the front sea area, and the vegetation of the entire Åland Islands is growing wildly. The sea has also become warm enough that many locals even go to the sea to swim, venture to the reef, and tap some edible mussels with an iron chisel.

On an offshore grassland on the island, Rurik saw a group of Slavic fighters with spears and even military exercises.

Most of them are shaggy and tie their foreheads with a piece of cloth to prevent their hair from being scattered.

They were still wearing ordinary linen gowns of gray and khaki, with their calves exposed and simple leather shoes.

At the moment they don't have any defensive measures, not even a small shield, not to mention leather armor or advanced chain armor.

Under Medveit's orders, these people pointed their three-meter-long spears at the front one after another, and then shouted chants, and the whole moved forward relatively neatly.

On this day, Rurik was reviewing this "Slavic spear phalanx". According to Arik, the guys in Novgorod have always rushed up in a mess and killed them in a mess. It's okay if they are real berserkers, but they are terrible in every way.

Rurik's eyes widened, listening to the introduction of his cousin.

"Look, these people at least use their spearheads to form a wall, and they must be able to pierce the enemy into all sorts of holes during the war."

"Is this a phalanx of infantry?" Rurik said to himself.

"what did you say?"

"They...the formation is still chaotic."

Arik shrugged: "I have done my best. Rurik, you can't expect that a group of farmers from the east will become elite fighters in a month, even if you think they are moldable."

"That's true."

Any spear phalanx has obvious tactical advantages, and its disadvantages are equally obvious. Rurik clearly sees that its disadvantage lies in the two wings. If it is outflanked by the enemy, the result will be a disaster.

Just as Rurik could see, Arik patted his little brother on the head: "Next, I have to test their effects."

"Ok?"

Arik held his fingers in his mouth, and after a whistle, the idle Ross fighters gathered.

Rurik thought that those people were tired of training and rested temporarily. He didn't expect them to rush towards the Slavs' spear array, and at first glance they were about to fight together.

Seeing this scene, Rurik was shocked and his scalp numb, but the spears raised by the Slavs stood up one after another, and many people even started to escape.

The charging Rossman stopped abruptly, then pointed at some guys who threw their spears and sat on the ground after being frightened and laughed.

"You get it!" Arik shook his head helplessly. "It's so difficult for these people to attack the guys in Gotland."

The problem suddenly became thorny. The Ross soldier didn't even place the shield wall, and he frightened the Slavic spear formation with his aura.

Arik felt helpless. Otto, who was watching, felt that his people were brave, and he really couldn't have any confidence in these Slavs from Novgorod.

Rurik gently pinched his hairless chin thoughtfully: "They are still weak. However, weakness also has its advantages."

"Weakness is also good?"

"Yes! I have already thought of a tactic." Rurik looked up at his cousin, "I'm going back to issue orders. You will train them on the island with new rules."

"New rules? What do you think?"

Rurik did think of some ways to force people to become brave. Although it seemed barbaric at first, it was probably the quickest way to turn a farmer into a soldier.

Medveite, who felt embarrassed, stood in front of Rurik, his brother-in-law was still a handsome boy, but what he said was embarrassing.

"Medvette, your people are now on the battlefield, only to be hacked and killed by the enemy and finally become slaves. Your people don't know how to fight at all, they simply lack courage."

Medvedt shook his head noncommittal.

"There is only one way, punishment! For the cowardly guy, draw him on the back with a stick! For those who voluntarily threw the weapon away, he will be directly beheaded! Now..."

As he said these words, Rurik felt a little ashamed, and he didn't expect that he could also put out such cruel words.

The key is how to do it.

Rurik straightened up and approached the panting Slavic fighters under the **** of mercenaries. Although they have such a good impression of Rurik himself, now seeing the boy's face stretched out, they all feel a little bit of ignorance.

Rurik stood in front of them, pinched his waist with his hands, and shouted in Ancient Slavic: "People of Novgorod, you all know that I am going to attack the Gotland. You don't know Gotland too. It doesn't matter, as long as you know that they are also Varanges. I will take you to conquer the tough and tough, but your performance is simply shit!

Now we will make a rule! We must continue to practice, and those who retreat will kneel down and be beaten! Those who dared to throw their weapons and escape, beheaded on the spot!

Now continue to practice! "

Could it be that some admonition is effective? Rurik didn't want to hurt the killer, but now he has faded away from the illusions about war.

The Ross warriors continued to charge like a berserker. Of course, they just showed a beast-like aura, and they wouldn't really hit a spearhead.

However, there were still Slav fighters who were frightened by this momentum. The people at the back of the team threw their spearheads and ran away. More than a hundred people infected by fear followed and ran away, and the entire formation quickly collapsed...

"Damn it! Are you forcing me to kill! Or are you provoking me? Jeflo, the man with you, hold up the guys who ran the farthest." Rurik flushed his head with anger.

After the words, Jeflo took a group of mercenaries and made a decisive move.

Soon, ten captured Slav "warriors" knelt on the ground with horror on their faces. They were already tied with their arms, and behind them were a group of Ross fighters.

Duke Otto of Ross and General Arik, the two of them never thought that the kid Rurik was not telling lies at all, he just wanted to implement the order just issued immediately.

It's his own clan after all! Medveit hurriedly knelt in front of Rurik: "Ruriek, do you really want to do it? They are all farmers in White Tree Manor, please forgive their timidity!"

For a moment, Rurik really softened his heart. He does now have the power to live and kill. However, the Lord's treatment of cowards is to encourage the whole army to be deserters.

Those who were kneeling were crying for mercy, but Liu Rick's red head glared. He stretched out his right arm and fell suddenly. The Ross warrior behind the kneeling man raised his axe without hesitation, and finished the beheaded cleanly!

The grass became silent, the Slavic warrior was completely dumbfounded, and Medved sat on the ground dumbfounded, really speechless.

With a shiny dagger in his hand, Rurik approached the frightened Slav, and pointed at the corpse on the ground: "You have all seen it! Fight us the Rus, and this is the end of the coward. You remember, again. There are those who dare to run, run one and cut one, run a hundred and cut a hundred. If you all run away, you are not worthy to live!

If you are brave, it is completely different. In future wars, you can get rewards just as you kill enemies. For example, you don't have to pay tribute, and you can even get spoils.

But the coward on the battlefield will be beheaded after the war, and his wife and children will be slaves. "

Otto looked stunned, he recovered a little, and really admired the boy's ruthlessness.

The beheading of ten cowards immediately achieved amazing results. When the rehearsal took place, the Slavs’ spear array turned out to be as stable as a rock. On the contrary, they were some Ross fighters who could not hold a car. They were forced to hold their shields. It really collided with the spear wall, and there were a lot of deep marks on the oak shield.

So what kind of military training is Rurik?

This trick is not surprising. Since the military reforms of Morris in the Netherlands, the army's emphasis on military discipline has risen to an extremely high level since the end of the Rhône era. Even in the Kingdom of Prussia, soldiers were trained so that they were not afraid of death in battle. What they feared most was punishment for making mistakes during training.

Wasn't Wu Qi also beheading the two concubines who disobeyed the military orders, and was so shocked that the remaining concubines and court ladies were quickly trained into a neat lineup.

Rurik knew this knowledge, and he also knew it personally.

Fear and bravery seem to be contradictory, but when attacking Corvin’s Fortress, Rurik felt that he was almost shot by Corvin’s arrow, which made him see the reality in an instant—this is not a game!

The Slavs didn't want to be cut for cowardice. Instead, they gathered tightly, yelling with their mouths open, and their spears pointed firmly in the direction where the Russ rushed.

In their screams, UU reading www.uukānshu.com couldn't think that he had managed to contain the collision of the Ross people.

At this point, Rurik proudly announced to his father and brother: "Some cowards have died, and the rest are forced to become brave. Now they are qualified to land on Gotland and fight the enemy."

There are currently 1,000 soldiers on Tombstone Island. Soon, the force on the island is expected to increase dramatically to 3,000!

To maintain such a huge army in combat, Rurik knew that he had to consider many issues, and even compared to weapons and equipment, food supply was the most critical.

For this battle, the entire Ross tribe must fight against the enemy.

Rurik, who had already boarded the Aphrodite again, couldn't wait to return to his hometown to announce his general mobilization order.

The big ship left Tombstone Island in the southwest wind in the early morning, and another cargo ship, carrying messengers and edict styles, rushed to the east of Shilla Fort.

In Rurik’s plan, he kept sailing, and he was bound to return to Roseburg around the evening of June 26th in the Julian calendar. In this way, he can give orders in front of everyone on the occasion of the "night without night", taking advantage of the assembly of the entire tribe on the summer solstice.