It seemed that the battle situation was developing as Arik hoped. The Ross people who were ready for battle were attacked by their opponents. This situation was what Arik had dreamed of.
But the situation has undergone a very surprising change.
There was a whooshing sound in the air. The Ross warriors saw many guys actually throwing javelins? !
Yes, there are indeed some sticks thrown by the shaggy-haired enemies.
"Damn it! Stack the shield wall! Defend!" Arik ordered loudly.
He had just finished issuing the order, and the soldiers had just raised their shields above their heads, when those javelins came crashing down on them.
The sharp spear heads directly pierced the wooden shields of many people. Only those shields deliberately reinforced with copper sheets and leather barely withstood the attack.
Aric's eyes widened under the shield. He saw a slender javelin head next to his left arm. It was like a huge arrow, which became a little crooked after it penetrated his shield.
The entire shield became heavier, and the wooden handle of the enemy's javelin hung outside it, which became an extremely embarrassing burden.
"Is there such a thing?"
Arik had never been attacked by such a weapon. Fortunately, he had seen many battles. After encountering an unexpected blow, he quickly recovered his consciousness.
He simply knelt down, placed his buckler on the ground, raised his steel sword with his strong right arm, cut off the entire javelin, and then pulled out the slender javelin head.
The first thing the Russians encountered was the opponent's long-range offensive. The distance between the two sides was actually within fifty meters. After withstanding this javelin, the Russians saw their commander cutting off the hateful javelin with skillful means, and they also raised their own The sword is imitated.
Encountered a direct attack from the javelin, the Russians were a little confused.
For these ancient Estonian villagers, the "bear hunting javelin" they were proud of did not directly destroy the opponent's front, and even the opponent even completely destroyed the javelin. They received a great shock.
Arik roared, followed by all the warriors roaring in the same way.
The Estonian leader gritted his teeth and hurriedly ordered his men to throw another javelin, which was also the last round of javelin attack they had.
They chose to get as close as possible and run together, eager to give the javelin more momentum to achieve greater results.
They did this and really achieved some results.
The Ross soldiers in the first row experienced the greatest pressure. Fortunately, everyone's arms were very strong. They relied on their own strength and even the help of their partners in the second and third rows to withstand the momentum of the javelin.
Inevitable injuries still happen.
A Ross soldier's wall was scratched by the javelin head. Fortunately, it lost a lot of kinetic energy after it penetrated the oak shield. Then it hit the soldier's leather coat and linen lining. It could no longer penetrate the soldier's flesh, but the internal injury was caused instantly. Congestion.
The arms of several soldiers could no longer lift their shields. For the sake of morale and to avoid letting their companions see their dejection, they gritted their teeth and successfully retreated to the back row.
Arik noticed this and said, "Damn it, I have to strengthen the defense of my arms and legs in future battles."
The Russians suffered a loss because they did not equip the front-line "heavy infantry" with metal neck and wrist guards.
All tragedies, of course, stem from the enemy's damn javelins.
In Arik's concept, no matter how bloody the battle between the Rus and other tribes, both sides rarely threw spears at each other, let alone this strange-looking javelin.
He himself had no insight into this, but Rurik had figured something out.
Several javelins falling from the sky landed not far from the "turtle shell" ordered by Yevlo. They were almost stuck straight into the mud.
Yevluo breathed a sigh of relief: "They actually threw the javelin. Fortunately, they didn't hit us. Sir, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Stay alert."
Rurik could clearly see the entire javelin through the gap in the shield that formed the turtle shell.
A strong sense of familiarity directly made him feel that this world was too crazy.
"Pilum?!"
Rurik couldn't believe his eyes.
"Sir, what did you say?" Jevro asked nervously.
"That weapon is a pilum. Why does it appear here?"
Jevro did not understand Latin, and he had no way of knowing that his master was talking about Roman javelins. This did not prevent him from making an explanation: "In fact, even we Finns will throw some javelins when fighting. We all use This kind of weapon will bend the javelin head if it hits something hard."
"I know! Why is it here?! Forget it, leave it alone."
Rurik really didn't understand that those Roman javelins from the first century AD, which were obviously classic shapes, almost hit him in the ninth century. Could it be that these weapons could also travel through time and space? !
The javelin certainly did not travel through time, because it was made by the hands of these Estonian tribes who occupied the pyrite mines. It was entirely because their ancestors had fought against the Roman army and learned a little something in the war. In the past, they were also tortured by Roman javelins. Now, they regard this object as the only magic weapon for hunting bears, and it is also a weapon for killing enemies in tribal wars.
The tribes in this area, or a combination of several villages, share an iron mine and elect the strongest family as their leader. Compared to other tribes, because they control the iron mines, they can use iron weapons, such as javelins, relatively luxuriously.
They had stocked up on more bear-hunting javelins. The leader heard that some Varyags were plotting evil intentions and learned that their opponents did not have many troops, so he did not lead all the men to carry as many weapons as possible and counterattack after a night.
In other words, the Estonian counterattack this time was an encounter in a sense. They did not make sufficient preparations, but they saw that their opponents had few troops and were huddled together like a turtle.
The leader no longer cares about the great results achieved by the two rounds of javelin (actually it seems useless). After all, he has no javelin at hand, so he can't throw away the iron spear as well?
The leader raised an iron sword and issued the order to attack across the board.
The Estonian villagers finally waited for the decisive moment to defend their homeland and resist the Varyag bandits. They almost tore their throats, holding their own weapons and charging from multiple directions with their heads blank, vowing to break the opponent's shield. Wall front, and then rely on the absolute advantage of numbers to carry out the most cruel and ruthless fighting.
Seeing them charging, Arik was secretly happy.
He remained calm and ordered: "Brothers, hold still and let them attack!"
"Hold your swords and stab them in the neck and stomach."
"Second row, smash their faces with your spears."
"Third row, smash their heads with your axes."
Arik briefly repeated the tactics again, and suddenly he felt that something was missing. He suddenly turned his head, and through the gap between the soldiers, he shouted at the rear: "Rurik, stupid brother, what are you doing in a daze?" Come with your people and protect our backs!"
Originally, Rurik felt that the heroic Arik could withstand the enemy's attack, but now it seemed that the enemy had normal intelligence and planned to outflank him.
In other words, the opponent does not have clear tactics. They tend to instinctively look for loopholes and then attack fiercely, which naturally turns into a pincer attack.
Arik couldn't help but say that Rurik would also lead the mercenaries as rear guards. Because all this is too similar to the siege of 800 Kovin people encountered on the frozen Oulu River half a year ago.
Just as the Estonians completed the encirclement, Jevlo not only threw his master into the safe area at the core of the shrinking Russian army formation, but also led all the mercenaries to complete the rearguard line.
The Russian shield walls joined together to form a ring.
The Estonians were furious. They were obviously a group of undisciplined rabble, but their performance fully demonstrated what it means to be brave and fierce.
Regardless of life or death, they actually showed up and threw their spears, and then jumped onto the shield raised by the Russians above their heads, trying to lift the shield with their hands.
Some saw that the spearhead could not inflict enough damage on the opponent's shield, so they simply bumped into it.
Of course, this kind of death-seeking behavior by the enemy is exactly what Arik dreams of.
The current formation of the Russians can be called extremely rigid, but it is also the most effective tactic for dealing with unorganized enemies under the current situation. In short, the Russians can win as long as they stabilize the current formation of the motionless turtle. Because what sticks out from the gaps in the tortoise shell are bright white steel swords!
The blood of the bravest Estonian warriors splashed on the Russians through their shields.
The smell of blood greatly stimulated both sides. Seeing their companions killed in battle, the Estonians who followed became even more crazy.
What about the Ross warriors? They participated in the battle under the early morning light, that is, under the watchful eye of Odin, and the blood seemed to be a tribute to the warriors.
Swords and spears stabbed any enemy trying to get close to the shield wall.
There were even some Estonian soldiers who had their heads smashed or their faces cut off by axes falling from the sky.
Inside the shield, the Russians, whose faces were covered with sweat, were calm and composed, especially the soldiers in the first row. They squatted half-crouched, holding up the shield covering most of their torso, and stabbed blindly with their swords. The soldiers in the second row were also very busy, and their spearheads were dripping with blood.
The Russian "turtle" was simply indestructible.
The Estonians tried to find a breakthrough. They attacked from various places, but in exchange they died one after another.
More than fifty of the bravest men in their prime were killed in the battle. The blood of the fallen seeped into the ground outside the village. A large number of corpses surrounded the enemy's shield wall, but the damn shield wall remained unmoved.
Now, the spirit of the brave men has been worn away. The Estonian warriors were trembling with fear. They began to retreat uncontrollably.
This scene also shocked their leader.
The war has turned out like this. Tribal wars will certainly kill people, but he has never seen a scene where his own people were killed on a large scale at the beginning of the battle.
"You are indeed Varyags, and you bandits really deserve your reputation!" The leader could only sigh with emotion now.
The leader thought of retreating, but it was not good for his face, and he was afraid of losing the support of the villages and being driven out due to defeat. His family members were even used as an outlet for his companions to persecute him.
Maybe if you work harder, you can break the Varyag's front?
The Estonian leader simply went to the front line in person. He kicked and beat many frightened young people, and scolded: "Didn't you hunt the bear? Why are you afraid now? Keep charging!"
Seeing that everyone was still hesitant, the leader became fierce. He bit off his shaky front teeth (after all, he was old). Without caring about a mouthful of blood, he called on his tribe with a ferocious expression: "Follow me and destroy them! Otherwise, all men will Die and all women and children will become slaves. Fight like a man to protect your family!"
Only Jevlo heard the last cry of grief and indignation from such a character, which was indeed very inspiring, but of no use.
The Russians did not simply sit back and wait for death.
Is the enemy about to launch a final blow?
Arik responded calmly: "Brothers! Push!"
The turtle's shell was deliberately loosened, and it returned to a semicircular offensive formation, slowly evolving toward the line.
The Russian soldiers roared "rua" rhythmically and made a "rua" sound with each step. Their strong discipline simply scared off many Estonian soldiers who regrouped and charged with their leader.
The leader was dumbfounded. He suddenly discovered that no matter what happened, there would be 200 people rushing behind him, but in the end, there were only more than 30 people accompanying him.
The other tribesmen were not just watching the fire from afar. They were frightened and gathered into a group at a loss.
Escape? right! Run away.
The Estonians do not have a warrior culture. Seeing that the tribesmen are not cooperating, the leader thinks that he will not have to die. Anyway, the people in this village ran away yesterday. Anyway, the Varangians came to plunder property. As long as everyone fled into the woods with their belongings, could the enemy still chase us for a whole year?
"Everyone, run away! We have no chance."
The leader ordered to retreat, but the people who were at a loss saw that their charging companions were retreating with the leader, so of course they were the first to run away.
The retreat turned into a rout, and the perfect moment the Russians had been waiting for arrived.
Arik gave an order: "Brothers! Chase me, Odin is watching us, kill the enemy!"
The tribesmen led by Arik wanted to kill people just because they believed that they could accumulate more achievements.
After all, these Estonians are also masters of forest life. Their running with light armor is really not something that Ross and other heavy infantry can catch up with. Moreover, they have resisted the impact of hundreds of people and have been fighting for a period of time. Most of them have eaten a little bit of what was made yesterday. Wheatcake, I don’t have much energy now. They wanted to pursue a complete victory, but their physical strength simply did not allow it.
Seeing that the guy with blood on his face who was obviously the commander was also running away, how could he think that a coward could actually command hundreds of people to fight? Why!
Arik casually grabbed a companion and said, "Brother, I can lend you your short spear."
The Rus warrior handed the boss his bloody spear without hesitation.
I saw Arik bending his body and throwing the universe, and the spear with full martial virtue turned into a heavy javelin, directly smashing through the back of the Estonian leader from behind!
The leader of a federation of Estonian villages died in such a cowardly manner, and his death made Arik more powerful.
When the remaining Estonians saw that their leader had become the prey of the Varyags, they simply threw away their weapons and fled into the forest as fast as possible with their bare hands, just like a shot bear. The core of their settlement scrambled to give early notice to their families to evacuate. Later, these thrown away iron swords, spearheads and axes all became the trophies of the Russians.
Yes, the only thing that can give them safety now is the dense forest.
Some Rus warriors wanted to go deep into the forest, but they were stopped by Arik.
He pulled out the blood-stained spear and spat at the prone enemy leader, "You are a coward. I killed you from the back."
At this time, Rurik walked through the battlefield full of enemy corpses, approached his cousin, and asked as if nothing was wrong: "I thought you wanted to continue the pursuit?"
"Pursuit? I don't want to take risks in the forest. And you, brother, I thought you would be scared."
"I'm not afraid. I thought the enemy was very brave, but I didn't expect that they were not as good as the Kovin people who were conquered by us. They died at least nearly 200 times before escaping. Of course, they were almost all killed by our army."
Rurik's words were said carelessly, but in reality Arik felt offended.
"Alas, it seems that I am still not as good as my uncle. I still need more experience in war before I can become as brave and glorious as our leader."
Rurik didn't want to say any more: "Let's look at the reality. We don't have time to fight with them, and we don't have the strength to conquer them now. Brother, I know you want them to kneel in front of you."
Arik chuckled: "They are in this area. One day I will lead a large army to conquer them, just like I conquered the Kovin people. You are treating those Kovin people well. It must be the leader who knows that they have been very brave before you open the net." One side. Oh, these guys are cowards, worthy only of being despicable slaves."
"Stop talking, let's go, we have to continue running towards the east."
His brother was urging him. After thinking about it, Arik felt that he really didn't have time to stay any longer. Everything that should be grabbed was obtained. After a little statistics, the result of the whole battle was that five of the Russians had injured arms and could not row, and the remaining soldiers were completely healthy.
There were more than eighty enemies lying on the ground, and the wailing wounded were all wounded by the Russians. This was the case in ancient wars. Wounded enemy soldiers who were left alone were basically stabbed to death regardless of their severity, and the euphemistic name was "preventing them from suffering any more."
At this moment, the sun has risen and the fog in the forest has completely dissipated. The Russians ate some prepared wheat cakes and threw the grabbed batch of wheat and the seized iron tools onto the ship. Of course, there was some wheat that could not be taken away. Based on the principle that if you could not eat it yourself, you should not let others eat it. The linen bags containing the wheat were thrown on the thatched roof of the Estonian wooden house.
This is a waste of natural resources!
The reason why Rurik didn't stop his companions from destroying the food was because the ship really couldn't carry that much.
The three Ross ships were pushed to the sea by the soothing river water. They had stored enough drinking water and a large amount of food, and the subsequent journey was worry-free.
Rurik opened his eyes wide and looked at the village behind that was burning with fire. He felt complicated and didn't know what to say.
"Maybe I did something wrong. But if we failed in that war, I would also be a slave to the Estonians."
Rurik turned his little head back, and soon the ship rounded a big bend, and saw thick smoke and dust rising from the forest in the distance, and the Russians on the ship were talking and laughing.
Ahead is the Gulf of Finland, later known as Tallinn Bay.
The place where the smoke burned has been recorded by the Rus, and it is natural to conquer them.
