Rise of Rurik

Rather than a banquet for spiritual relaxation, it is better to call it a joint meeting of nobles.

The most critical point of this banquet was that Rurik expressed his fighting attitude for everyone.

The expedition strategy has been released, no matter whether it makes sense to everyone afterwards, it becomes meaningless, all the officers need to count the troops and supplies in their headquarters is enough.

It was also at this meeting that Rurik set a clear time for the expedition.

"The expedition must choose an auspicious day. The summer solstice! I am determined to hold a grand sacrifice on the summer solstice. The regular summer solstice sacrifice will be adjusted to an expedition sacrifice this year. We will sacrifice to the gods, and then we will all board the ship on the second day of the ceremony."

There are still some days before the summer solstice. When everyone thought that King Ross, who arrived in the capital, would soon gather his troops and set off, everyone was wrong.

The expedition cannot be rushed. If we say seize the opportunity and discuss it carefully, it is too late now.

Now that that's the case, what's the harm in staying at night for a week or two?

As the king and commander of the army, Rurik has many issues to consider. He currently lacks excellent staff officers, and some generals under his command can be called brave. The soldiers are unstoppable in courage, but they have great negligence in strategy.

The fighters have studied tactics, but it is easy to turn into a savage fight in a real fight-the Russian army's war art still has the barbarian's bravery and ruthlessness.

In the final analysis, this is a tactical level problem.

Rurik had to take into account macro strategy, or "war economics."

There is a saying that "settling accounts after autumn" is used in military affairs to mean: autumn is suitable for war.

Why is autumn suitable for combat? Economy of the Frankish World

It is based on farming. The former forest barbarians quickly transformed into an agricultural country after absorbing the old economic model of the Roman Empire.

Frank's economic activities are controlled by a pair of ruthless hands, and it is the season of farming over there.

Different from the peak of global warming a thousand years later, in today's Frankish world, especially in its northern regions, the autumn harvest world will be moved to mid-August in the Julian calendar. Grains with a short growth cycle and large caryopsis have not yet been cultivated, and the reclamation areas on both sides of the Rhine have always been planted with early varieties of dicotyledonous wheat, oats, rye, barley, and buckwheat. They are all cold-resistant varieties, which can resist the colder autumn or even early winter, but their yield per mu is relatively poor.

Rurik estimated the time, even if it was a land operation, the cavalry and the deer walked along the coastline to Saxony, would it really take a month on the road. Not necessarily so! When it comes to long-distance marches, last year's southern expedition since the first snow, the army fought all the way from Novgorod to Smolensk, so that what lay in front of the army was the legendary huge Pripyat swamp , and beyond it is Kiev—a sprawling southern Krivich settlement centered on the Blood Shrine at the Riverside Fondoki.

Departing on the summer solstice, the summer season will definitely arrive in Hamburg. Or there are conservative ones, as long as they continue to rush along the way, the cavalry can reach Cologne smoothly by the end of July.

The Ross Expeditionary Army didn't go directly to Lothair's army when they arrived in the Frankish world.

Even if Ross really intervened in the Frankish Civil War as an ally of Duke Ludwig of Bavaria this time, the army's war initiative rests with itself.

hand. Whether to be stationed or fight, whether to cooperate with Ludwig or fight alone, Ross is not at the mercy of others.

No matter how much rhetoric is used to promote the justice of this expedition, how much of it is tenable?

Rurik will not be swayed by the banner he plays.

"I took my brothers to Frank to make a fortune. When I arrived at the destination, I was free to attack which city or loot the countryside. They'd better harvest all the grain, thresh all the oats and wheat, and then I would send troops Loot the granary. The day of looting must be in late autumn, and it must be in September."

…

The army has a longer time to prepare, and more rest time will wear down the fighting spirit of the soldiers, but as the summer solstice is approaching, the spirit that has been lost will be regained.

Unlike the Frankish world, which relies heavily on growing food, an important way for Ross to obtain supplies is to catch fish.

In theory, war horses and reindeer only need to eat grass, and they do not need to be fed refined grains unless necessary.

Although the expeditionary force carried all kinds of baggage, due to the presence of super battleships such as the "Sovereign of the Sea", all large sailing ships were heavy transport ships. The full load displacement of the largest battleship had reached 1,000 tons, which was the largest of the Aurora-class sail cruisers. Three times.

On the sea, there is simply no other country's ships that can challenge such a fleet. Simply relying on the size advantage, Ross's army can run rampant in the Baltic Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Rurik believed that there was nothing wrong with warships drifting across the Strait of Gibraltar and wandering in the Mediterranean Sea. As for why they didn't do it, it was just a lack of strategic opportunity.

The main positioning of the Sea Monarch is a grain ship, and its inner plug

It is equivalent to 500 tons of grain.

What kind of concept is this? Due to the characteristics of warfare in this era, real battles are often resolved within a few days through one or more large-scale field battles, and the army on non-war days is basically stationed quietly.

Compared with the army fighting thousands of years later, the food consumption of today's army is relatively small, and the army stays in the barracks to cultivate on non-war days.

The standard set by Rurik for soldiers is "no less than two Roman pounds of wheat a day", and the total amount of dry wheat is close to 800 grams. After cooking, the wheat product that absorbs water and expands becomes a giant.

Even if each soldier consumes one kilogram a day, the 500 tons of wheat on the warship alone is enough to feed an army of 5,000 people for 100 days. But can those thirteen or fourteen-year-olds really manage to eat two pounds of dry wheat a day? Can their bodies handle such a digestive burden?

The operation of the large army has the advantage of ships, and the infantry is very exhausted sailing against the current on the Rhine River. As long as the large army arrives at Koblenz and settles down, the energy consumption will plummet. At that time, it will be fine to eat a pound of wheat a day to keep quiet.

The so-called "sufficient food for half a year" refers to the 2.5 million pounds of wheat and its ready-to-eat products in reserve in a narrow sense.

Dried fish, dried meat, and pickled vegetables are not included.

In the past, one million pounds of grain was an astronomical figure for Ross, but now it is nothing. The reclamation movement lasted for more than ten years, and the surrounding Ilmen Lake was used as a large granary, and its annual grain output was several times that of it.

Just the royal family's fields, the annual grain output has reached the order of four million pounds.

Although the tax exemption policy has been implemented in recent years, Ross relies on the monopoly iron

The production and trading of utensils, alone, can efficiently search for surplus agricultural products among the people.

The royal family has a lot of grain in their hands. Not only is the wealth and wealth in today's era stable enough to stabilize the grain-based economic system, but there is also enough surplus grain to brew ale and then distill it into alcohol with the highest purity possible.

The food prepared for the expedition had already been transported to the capital in various ways. The warships were waiting at the Kronstadt berth. When the entire bay was frozen, their spacious cabins had been turned into grain storage warehouses. With so much grain crammed in, the ships still had room to load other supplies.

Now, there are more than two hundred traditional dragon-headed longships assembled.

The Ross Naval Squadron, which was originally at the berth of Tombstone Island, also sent ships under the command of Count Sarema to enter the depths of the Gulf of Finland to join the Royal Grand Fleet.

The fleet that had been in neat formation broke down at the berth, and they swayed slightly with the waves.

The figures from near to far are:

The Great Sail Ship Monarch of the Seas.

Sail cruiser Spellosville, Gray Squirrel, Salmon Lord, and Ostara four ships.

Destroyers Mercury, Venus, Mona, Mars, Ubit, Saturn, Neptune, Uranus.

There are also 20 standard armed cargo ships (fishing boats). These cargo ships are not fixed in number, and they only have a hull number without a specific name. They are used as cargo ships to and from the northern port and the capital on weekdays, but now they are logistics ships.

The Ross Navy is almost in and out of the elite, except for those ships that must be stationed in the ocean to continue patrolling and cruising, the others have returned to the Grand Fleet.

Such a behemoth is not intended to fight a naval battle with Frank, and the latter is not qualified to fight Luo

Clash at sea.

According to intelligence, Frank's fleet, which can be called a naval force, only operates in the waters outside Provence. Since there is no clear enemy, the so-called navy is also in the state of a prophet.

It is necessary to dispatch a huge transport fleet just to quickly transport personnel and materials to the mouth of the Rhine. At that time, the warships will stay in the estuary to show off their might, so as to ensure that during the war, Flanders, the Netherlands, and Saxony will never dare to have any intention of backstabbing Ross.

The eight sail destroyers were all dispatched, and they would not be idle. After fulfilling the cargo delivery task, they transformed into large trawlers. After all, their bodies are made by imitating the positioning of Caravel-type ships. Her body is more slender, and the huge sloop is highly seaworthy and fast. The fly in the ointment is that the tonnage is small and the cargo capacity is low, but as a fishing trawler, it is also have an advantage.

To operate such a huge fleet, the active duty of the Navy plus those "volunteers" who signed up for service, a thousand sailors can judge who is making up and who is temporary by whether they wear a uniform and a standard foldable three-cornered hat.

Admiral Goldlund and his subordinates will not participate in actual combat in principle, but there will be exceptions to everything. If they are not authorized to plunder, how can there be five hundred temporary personnel rushing to sign up for the war?

A large number of rowing dragon-headed longboats were still sailing in the sea. According to the plan, these intentionally empty ships were towed by cables by the big ship. When they reached the mouth of the Rhine, they transformed into the main force of inland river warfare. At that time, the dragon-headed longboats towed the big boats. Into Nassau and Koblenz inland.

continuous rest

In the past few days, there has been an endless stream of small boats to transport supplies to the big ship.

No one thinks that there are too many supplies. On the contrary, everyone hopes that there will be some kind of magic, so that soldiers in the war zone can easily get the supplies they need from their hometowns.

That is of course impossible, and King Ross, who is known as the Son of God, cannot do this either. As a king, Rurik thought of bringing some objects with images of his hometown as much as possible, so he ordered the Great Temple to take out some utensils and planned to build a stone boat altar in Koblenz, which is said to be relatively flat. .

As long as there is a large altar adhering to the beliefs of the north, and sacrificial activities are performed there, the soldiers on the expedition will surely alleviate a lot of homesickness.

There are more than two hundred ships of such a navy size, and this is not all the first round of transport ships.

The people are of course trustworthy, and they are willing to participate in this expedition in their own way, even if it is just to transport the king's reindeer to Riga. The practical consideration is that everyone wants to earn a labor fee immediately. The reputation accumulated by the Ross royal family over the years has made Rurik summon a large number of fishermen. There is nothing wrong with looking at it, because the king has promised to pay a deposit first, and then make up the other part after the matter is completed.

All of a sudden, thousands of boats became restless again!

The hub of the ocean and inland trade lines in New Roseburg, where the largest number of ships in Ross is gathered.

Although the estuary area of ​​the Neva River has annoying tidal floods, the dense small waterways in the estuary area are mainly sandy and rocky, which is really suitable for ordinary ships to beach and intentionally run aground.

It is in line with the tradition of the Ross people.

The largest Vasily Sand Bar, one side faces the tide, a group of fishermen deliberately took advantage of this feature, so the tide receded and the boat ran aground, and when the tide rose, they could comfortably lift the anchor to catch fish.

A large number of merchants from Lake Mälaren temporarily idled their boats. The merchants learned that transporting reindeer could make some money, so why not do it? Besides, the Gulf of Riga was only included in the Kingdom of Ross in the last two years. It is very unfamiliar to the Swedish ministries in the Mälaren Lake District. There are a lot of rumors that the local business atmosphere has great potential. Why not use the opportunity of transporting deer to take a look Woolen cloth.

The entire capital is changing until the summer solstice.

Before the summer solstice, a short-lived big fish harassed Fort New Rose, which worried Rurik and his ministers for a while.

It is the ferocity of the summer rain that dissipates quickly, and the sky is sunny again in just two days.

It is like a good omen, the heavy rain washes away the dirt of the world, and the summer solstice is a wonderful sunny day, which is the best time for worship at noon.

One hundred and eleven stags, the number of which can be Ding Kemao, were led to the stone boat altar outside the city.

As long as deer are massacred here, the deer blood will flow into the ocean along the drainage trough, and then be washed into the entire berth by the water of the Neva River.

Thirty thousand soldiers and civilians gathered near the altar early in the morning, and there were also a large number of fishing boats floating on the berth. People were eagerly waiting for the time to enter noon.

Today, the high priest has to wear full ritual attire as always, and she now has three more assistants.

Except Verika, the deputy priest, and the blackbird with tattoos on both hands.

The most honored assistant is none other than King Ross himself!

have a look

King today!

He was deliberately shirtless, so that he could show his subjects the golden chest hair on his chest and the tendons on his arms.

He has fair skin and has obvious rune tattoos on his upper arms and shoulders.

He still wears a golden ponytail and a golden laurel crown on his head.

Some old guys living in the capital couldn't help but think of those scenes more than ten years ago. Rurik, who was still a child at that time, held a sharp knife in his hand, and slaughtered deer to sacrifice to the gods under the guidance of the old king Otto and the high priest Vilia. .

Rurik, who exists in such a posture, satisfies all the imagination of the northerners for a "warrior".

Those holy people who live in Asgard are probably like this!

The men envied the young king's majesty, the women admired the king's masculinity, and the old people were full of praise. The onlookers saw how majestic Rurik, the king of Ross and King of Sweden, was so majestic under the jacket, and they had more confidence in future business activities. up.

Everything was proceeding step by step, and Rumia and the lower priests sang the prayers handed down from ancient times with the accompaniment of various musical instruments.

Rurik is very reassured about his daughter Vilia, as for the princess Ghisla who was renamed Blackbird Theresia, can she do it?

He just heard that this blackbird killed many sacrificial deer with his own hands on the Hanukkah High Priest on the Winter Solstice half a year ago.

This is real?

"Let's wait and see." Rurik still had some doubts, and finally the ceremony entered the most critical link.

"Slaughter deer! Gods! Accept our humble gift! Now, your son, Rurik, the great king of Rus, will offer you a deer!" Rumia, wearing sunglasses, shouted towards the sun, and that

The sunglasses almost covered most of her face, coupled with a huge antler helmet and a bejeweled ceremonial costume, the feeling of heat on the whole person was weird and abstract, and it could naturally be extended to a sense of sacredness.

Rurik gave his two daughters a look, he drew his sword first, and then the children drew their daggers one after another.

Different from the child, his sword is really the "Destroyer" patterned steel sword of Ross's sacred object. Its combat significance has been weakened and it has been sacred. The old people know that this sword is of great significance to Ross. Use it to take the lead Deer slaughter is the most suitable.

The sword directly stabbed a deer in the neck, and the blood of the deer sprayed Rurik all over, and the noble king was blood red, which was just the good omen everyone wanted to see.

It's like the Roman triumph ~www.readwn.com~ Caesar painted his face red with cinnabar, which simply symbolizes that the victor has just returned from the battlefield, so it is called a triumph.

Rurik's words have a similar meaning, and it is a good sign, which means that the Ross army will have the last laugh on the battlefield.

Lumia was very happy with this auspicious omen, and amidst the cheers of all the people, she cut open the first deer with her own hands, took out the deer liver and cut it up, shouting: "Good luck!"

Then, amidst the cheers of the people and the tsunami, the massacre began.

Rurik, his daughter, and his adopted daughter are like ruthless killing machines, which is what both soldiers and civilians would like to see.

In the end, the blood of the deer turned into a scarlet stream and poured into the ocean, and the altar was full of fresh venison. The people on standby are not idle, and the skinning work has already begun. As for the remaining venison... tens of thousands of people are still waiting to buy the sacrificed deer that has just undergone the ceremony, cut it into pieces and buy it home to eat , because it is believed that venison has

Sacred, eating it can keep the whole family healthy throughout the year.