The warriors of Götaland gathered by the riverside, snuggled up to sleep by the bonfire, and polished and polished their axes and swords under the fire.
Twenty villages in the lower reaches of the Yota River handed over their men one after another, and elected and gave military power to three strong men.
In principle, "Bigfoot" Badal, "Broken Tooth" Cedric and "Archer" Eric, the three have exactly the same power.
How to fight?
There are three thousand men in the hands of the three people, which is all the elites that the residents of the entire Yota River can gather. As for the other tens of millions of villagers armed, it was really a mixed crowd. At least these three brave men did not believe that those people could create any miracles.
Speaking of personal experience, only "Bigfoot" Badar has commanded an army of 500 people among the three. It was the first time to rule an army of 3,000. If he wanted to keep the army from chaos, Badar had no experience, and the other two brave men had no experience.
On the contrary, Eric the "Archer" discussed with the other two and came up with a small coup for the attack.
"Put all the men with bows under my command, and let me lead a group of people to take the lead. When I find the enemy, I shoot them with arrows, and then you two rush up with your brothers. If the enemy is in the river, then Jump gangs to fight, and if the enemy is on the shore, land and kill."
Nicknamed "The Archer", Eric is a true archer. However, this is personal bravery after all, and the guy in his hand is also average. He is a man who uses a short wooden bow to perfection, but he is only playing with a short wooden bow.
"You take all the archers to open the situation first, you... don't you enjoy the honor first?" Cedric was a little puzzled.
"I'm not obsessed with honor now, I'll open up the situation first, just to facilitate your actions." Eric explained.
"Just do it. I will give you all the hunters in my village." Badar made a difficult decision, and he looked into Eric's eyes: "You must mess up the battlefield and create opportunities for the brothers behind us. "
Listen, Cedric also surrendered all his hunters.
Iron is not uncommon in the Göta River basin. A very large cone-shaped hill stands in the southern part of Lake Vänern, and below the hill is the Göta River.
There is a local village that is famous for smelting iron from blocks. They mine high-quality superficial iron ore, burn it into sponge iron on the spot, and continuously hammer it into iron ingots, which are then processed into complex iron tools. They don't know the carburizing technique of steelmaking, but they know the importance of quenching.
Their lack of iron is relative to the consumption of ordinary life. The axe for logging, the fork for fishing and even the cluster of arrows are all iron tools, but they are not luxurious enough to make chain mail.
The suspected Swedes had already occupied the northern part of the river. If they discovered the secret of iron smelting and occupied there, no matter what the people in the south thought, they would indeed lose the iron ore they had opened up.
Fighting is not only fighting for the immediate survival, but also grasping the future.
The 300 men with bows were commanded by "Archer" Eric. Among the 3,000 elites, there were 10 longboats and 300 people. They would serve as the vanguard of the upstream fleet and challenge the enemy first.
At least until the sun rises, the huge force maintains the confidence of the Jotalan warriors. After all, there were 3,000 of them, and they all gathered together to show their golden hair to form a spectacular sight.
No, the morning sun rises, and the thick morning mist rising from the river quickly dissipates.
Today's weather is okay, but the sky is a little cloudy. Now that it has entered the early summer when it is easy to rain, the rain may happen at any time. If the battle takes place in the rain, it is quite unfavorable for the Jotaland people.
The three brave men banged on their round shields, and more warriors joined them to shake the momentum.
Many people slept soundly all night, ate some salted fish and dried meat early in the morning, then picked up their weapons and went straight to the long boat parked in the reeds.
The men shouted their horns and pushed the boat into the river. They didn't care about their wet boots. They put down their long oars as soon as they climbed the long boat, and started cruising and waiting near the shore where the current was extremely gentle.
Three thousand warriors rushed to the battlefield, and their relatives took up arms and waited on the shore.
The people made an agreement that when the elites went north, the others fled into the woodlands. For those women and children, their husbands and fathers are afraid of bad luck this time, and the farewell in the early morning is probably a goodbye forever.
The village priests slaughtered the cattle and sheep of their own villages, and slaughtered the cheeks and foreheads of the village soldiers with the blood of the livestock. The priest has sacrificed to Odin! The blood has divine power.
All battles have been divinely ordered, and some people's nervous hearts have been soothed, and they have become more looking forward to today's active attack.
But until now, everyone still doesn't know the real situation they are facing the enemy. All the knowledge comes from the long-distance witnesses of the escaped fishermen, who pointed out that they saw a very large fleet, and some large ships were like floating on the lake. boulders.
The Jotalans are not absolute frogs in the well.
Just two thousand years ago, an exotic fleet came with mighty power and burned Godfrehagen in the Kingdom of Denmark. The city was at the northernmost tip of the Jutland peninsula, and the straight-line distance from the mouth of the Göta River was not very far. The people of Gotaland didn't want to take the initiative to provoke the Danes, and they applauded when they saw that the former slave hunters suffered a catastrophe. Even if the Danes were attacked by a huge fleet, some people of insight in Gotaland were vigilant.
The inexplicable fleet that appeared in Lake Vänern was different from the inexplicable fleet that attacked Denmark. The eyewitnesses on the lake must have seen the huge fleet, and they described it with added content as "the fleet that attacked the great city of Denmark." exactly the same". It's just an added worry...
The sun shone on the faces of the warriors, and more than a hundred long boats of the Götalans formed a triangular array in the wide river.
They gave up their illusions of peace, as did the Rus army not far away.
It's just that unlike the Gotaland people, the naval battle mode that the kingdom of Ross loves can create a new era.
The flagship Gourdot sits in the middle, with six sails of the same class, Sperosville, Duke of Ostara, Avlora, Grey Squirrel, Vepsarava and Rudy Cruisers as the front line of the march, they form a wall!
There are four planetary sail destroyers on each wing of the sail cruiser. Their tonnage and small force are also weak. This weakness is naturally weaker than that of large ships.
Except for the royal pirate Speuter, who was holding the Salmon Chief, armed to the teeth, to attack freely in the Baltic Sea, the main ships of the Rus Kingdom were already drifting in the Gyota River.
Just like the cavalry launched a wall-mounted attack, the main force of the Ross fleet built a wall, and the front line formed a wide offensive arc. Once the enemy encountered the enemy, the enemy ship must first face the hard hull of the large ship, especially the deliberate installation of bronze rams. keel.
So, just as the sun was shining, the two armies saw each other clearly.
Some soldiers climbed along their bodies to the main mast observation deck and tied their waists with ropes to prevent them from accidentally falling. In the era of no telescope, natural farsightedness was invited to be a professional sailor, and now there is a watchman sitting on the top of the mainmast of every big ship. trumpet.
So all the observers of the big ship saw the terrifying scene due to the south. Isn't that large white thing shining on the river the sail of the long ship?
The traditional longboats of the Principality of Ross were all replaced with better Latin jibs, so as to catch the wind in all directions for their own use. .
A huge fleet appeared in front of them. Although they were all familiar longboats, they formed a dense formation of longboats on the 200-meter-wide river. The Rus army could not have imagined that the Gotalans were so heroic, and they chose to take the initiative. attack?
Yes, Rurik heard the bullhorn, and all the soldiers were wary.
One observed following the dangling cable, and fell heavily on the ground after only three or four seconds of rapid descent. The battle was imminent, and without regard for the etiquette, he ran to the bow deck of the flagship ship swiftly to meet the king, who had already put on his armor.
"King! There is a dense longship ahead, and the Jotarans are going to fight with us."
"I see. You... don't be afraid of the mast." Rurik's mind was full of confrontation, and he pushed the man directly: "You also join the deck battle, and quickly control the torsion slingshot."
Although Rurik would not personally fight with a sword or a crossbow due to the current situation, he himself issued an all-out battle order and ordered the semaphore soldiers to inform the entire army of the king's order.
The flag of the King of Ross on the top of the flagship was still flying, and a black flag was quickly raised to the top.
This is the meaning of war, and each ship only sees it as the king's life. At the same time, semaphore soldiers holding two prominent yellow flags stand on the open space of the bow or stern deck of each ship, so as to communicate precisely.
What is needed most at this moment is the spirit of a reckless man, and Arik is unparalleled in his qualifications for meritorious service.
But after communicating with the flagship, the flag soldier informed him of the king's order: "My lord, the king ordered us to try to sink the enemy's ship, but don't think about those who fell into the water to shoot arrows. The king ordered us to throw down the ropes and capture those who fell into the water."
"Is this more honorable? Bah!" Arik stomped his feet and gave the flag soldier a blank look: "Forget it. Go and tell the king, I will obey."
Aric sits on the Speros Villa, and because there is a small box under the wooden statue on the bow of the ship, which houses a strand of hair from the late High Priest Villa, the whole ship is believed to have always had divine power, and it can be used here. A group of soldiers from the First Flag Team were very happy when they fought on a boat.
Arik ordered his subordinates again: "Show all the torsion slingshots! Sink their ships! Remember, we must act fast! Sink them! Sink them!"
Therefore, Arik was determined not to take prisoners. If he didn't want to do so, he planned to take the lead in the battle. Compared with capturing prisoners, he wanted to become the general who sank the most enemy ships in the entire army.
But the wind direction is very unfavorable for the Rus army, although the jib can be used to travel against the wind after lowering the jib. Headwind sailing pays attention to fold-line movement, unless the distance between ships is large enough, and the relatively cramped environment today cannot allow ships to perform headwind skills.
Just like a duel between knights, the main ships of the Ross fleet have slightly left behind the armed cargo ships and traditional longships, and the pure battleships of the kingdom rushed to the battlefield.
On the other side of the battlefield, when the longboat fleet of the Gotaland people saw the so-called "huge fleet", no matter how they felt, the battle was inevitable, like a runaway car rushing hopelessly towards a Mercedes-Benz tank. .
At first, Eric "Archer" felt that the ships were not big because of the long distance.
"Brothers, put up the oars! Arrows and bows, and then prepare the axe! We are waiting for the opportunity to jump in."
It seems that it is impossible to raid the enemy's camp today, but to engage in a river ship battle. Such a battle is expected by everyone.
As the distance drew in, Eric "Archer" was already trembling with shock at the wall-like ship.
How to fight this?
The ships were flying some familiar flags, and Eric suddenly realized. "Ah! Those ships that pass through the strait every year and provoke the Danes every year are them?!"
The sea battles of the Vikings are nothing more than three types of collision, archery and jumping, and they are also the three most primitive and rude combat modes. Both sides are about the same long boats, and they can only be so big, and now those big boats are far higher than the long boats.
The broadside torsion slingshots cannot output full firepower straight ahead, and only the two frontmost seats can be fired forward.
that's enough.
The Pioneer battleship seems to be equipped with two "small-caliber single-mounted guns", which are essentially two one-pound conical cast iron bullets.
The projectile has grooves reserved during casting, and because of these slightly spiral grooves, the projectile also spins in flight, which greatly enhances the accuracy.
The Ross ships attacked first, hitting their longships first, just outside the range of the Götalan shooters.
The relief sculpture of the alien beast on the bow was smashed into pieces, and the soldiers standing in command were killed on the spot.
More projectiles were missed because of the long distance and the turbulence of the ship.
The distance between the two armies was rapidly approaching, and the shooting window left for the Ross Army was gone in an instant.
"Attention! Collision is coming! Help them all!" Arik commanded loudly, but he also grabbed the ship's side.
The front end of the bronze ram is an obtuse angle. Although the speed of Sperosville is agreed with the natural flow rate of the Yota River, it is better than her own tonnage. , After all, the whole boat was directly ridden by the big boat, and even the archers on it were pressed to the bottom of the boat.
Under such a fearful sight, the Gotaland ships did not dare to speak of archery, their bow-holding hands were trembling, and the soldiers were shivering hopelessly waiting for the impact to occur.
Because they are the vanguard of Jotaland, behind them are a large number of friendly longships. Their position determines that the enemy is in front of the enemy and the friendly army is behind. The retreat is blocked and can only be helpless and beaten.
Seeing that a large ship was about to rush over, Eric "Archer" made the first ship of resistance that was feared by the Jotalans.
He fired an arrow at the incoming warship, and the collision occurred.
The terrifying impact destroyed the ship, and Eric was thrown directly into the river, where he was pushed aside by the hard hull of the Ross battleship.
He lost his bow, and when he fell into the water, he hurriedly took off his absorbent boots and jacket under the water, and finally felt a piece of wood that floated up. Like him, there are quite a few Gotaland warriors who have surfaced like a sap. They all saw a horrific scene. There were some large ships around them, and a large group of cross-dressed soldiers with bows were condescending and glaring. onlookers.
If the people on the big boat shoot arrows at this time, Eric knows that he is almost certain to die.
He was so lucky to have survived, the next door had just been knocked numb and at least his life was saved, and he realized that his longboat had been knocked down, and many brothers in the same village died in the river.
Suddenly, a cable was thrown down.
Only to hear the people on the big ship shouting in Norse with some strange accent: "Gottarans! Surrender to avoid death! Grab the rope and come up!"
Surrender to death? Of course Eric didn't want to die, and he didn't have time to think about the current situation. He simply succumbed to his survival instinct and grabbed the rope thrown by the invader, so he became a prisoner of war in the Ross army.
"Archer" Eric was caught alive by the follow-up armed cargo ships, or the main purpose of these cargo ships was to capture prisoners. Eric was thrown aside with his hands tied, he dared not speak, and then saw more survivors being carried up. Those who didn't agree were hit with a few sticks and then tied their hands and feet, and those who didn't resist were simply tied and thrown aside.
Obviously, these foreign invaders have powerful ships and are unwilling to slaughter, which is very abnormal. With Eric's limited knowledge, he estimated his future - becoming a slave.
This huge fleet is here to capture slaves! Just like the old Danish pirates! If they succeed, wouldn't the entire Gothenburg region be doomed?
Thinking of the strongest army ever assembled in the lower reaches of the Jota River in the Pan-Gothenburg region, it was hit by the invader's fleet in an instant. Unwilling? resignedly? Eric is more of a lament for the no-net war situation.
As the battle continued, the mighty Ross battleship rushed into the army of barefoot peasants like heavy cavalry.
The successive impacts ravaged the longships of the Jotalans, and hundreds of warriors were immediately swept into the river. Those long ships that passed through the gaps of the big ships were not lucky. The ships were fatally shot by the big ships at close range, and the bottom of the ship was immediately smashed into a large number of holes, and the river water poured in like a spring. The soldiers roared hopelessly with their round shields and axes, and in response they were again crossbow bolts fired by the Rus army.
No, Arik still rushed to the front. He deliberately let the Sperosvillea hit less, just to avoid the speed being delayed.
He seized the opportunity, and the whole ship became the vanguard officer among the vanguard officers.
"Brothers, the opportunity is here! Drop the triangular maple! Charge against the wind and kill them!"
However, his speed was still delayed, and the impact could no longer shred the long ship, but it pushed the ship in front of him away.
Arik was delighted to be besieged, and he was not the target of public criticism, for the bowbearer's longship had already been annihilated in the initial impact.
As for the other two brave men of Gotaland's army, they were shocked by the easy defeat of their old friend "Archer" Eric, and now a terrifying big ship is killing everyone. The sad reminder is that now only this big ship is condescending to shoot arrows and terrifying arrows. (actually projectiles) can also smash through ships. Because of the loss of long-range weapons, he can only throw harpoons in vain to fight back.
There was chaos in the river, and it was like a large traffic jam scene.
The Gotalans have a large number of ships, and they have lost the motivation to continue northward, and they have lost a lot of ships. Continuing to go north is already powerless, and the ships at the entire chaotic battle scene are slowly drifting downstream at the speed of the Yota River.
"Shoot! Sink their ship! Don't let them flee!"
Arik ordered loudly He can't wait to run on the water and kill with an axe!
But the morale of the Gotaland army had collapsed.
Badal and Cedric, who had never fought such a useless battle, seemed to be able to continue to consume only if they were all sunk by these outsiders, so they could only retreat tactically.
In fact, it was a complete rout!
The two brave men didn't really lose their confidence. They had a second plan, and now they wanted to take the remnants to retreat to the downstream villages and gather with the hidden villagers.
The escape has begun! However, the two of them were shocked that a **** big ship was chasing after them.
It's Arik. Let the poor thief go to hell!
Rurik no doubt noticed this, stomped his feet in anger and felt helpless, so he could only complain: "My cousin, the old problem has been committed again!"