The Russians wear white robes and can blend into the forest and snowy plains as long as they suddenly lie down.
This snow camouflage is indeed only available to the Russians who have mastered a large amount of white linen. The uniform dress is somewhat demanding, and only the Russians in the entire Nordic world can do it.
Many people were pulling a small sled during the operation, with personal belongings placed on it. As expected, the sled was also wrapped in white cloth.
After many days of marching and killing, Arik and his men were getting closer and closer to the lair where the invaders might be entrenched.
Along the way, they ate the dry food they brought with them, ate the captured food, and hunted decisively during the journey.
Even the cunning and alert white fox has difficulty realizing that the white pile of snow not far away is a hunter's disguise.
The swishing sound of arrows pierced the tranquility of the snowfield in early spring, and the fox died amidst the squealing sound.
The fox skin was an unexpected gain, and the meat was shared among the brothers.
It was a winding journey to the old Gray Squirrel Hill Castle, as they searched along the frozen Oulu River.
Everyone has their crossbows on their shoulders. Look at their appearance. It's not like they are holding crossbows, but more like they are holding shotguns!
Rurik's crossbow imitated a rifle from the beginning, and the stock was designed for ergonomics. Based on this, any warrior who uses it will naturally figure out how to use it better.
It is not good to let the bow arm charge for a long time. In order to avoid being in a hurry when encountering a battle, one arrow is pressed in the arrow trough of the wooden arm crossbow and stuck in the end shrapnel. When shooting, it can be wound with bare hands. Only the heavier and more powerful steel-armed crossbow was temporarily placed on the sled and pulled along.
The Russian team seemed to be loose, but in fact it was deliberately done by Arik in order to highlight his superiority in military equipment.
He was looking forward to an encounter, and now the opportunity has come!
A group of chaotic figures appeared on the frozen river ahead!
The Russians who were walking along the snowy field by the river lay down spontaneously, or squatted down with their backs against the big gray-black trees.
Someone rushed to Arik and said with an expectant smile: "Boss, I guess these people are here for revenge."
"Revenge? For what happened two days ago?"
"It must be so. There are no friends here anymore, and all those who come are damned enemies. Brothers all long for glory."
"Then fight!" Arik patted the man on the shoulder, and then asked all his men to come to him.
Many soldiers have been to Gotland and fought fierce battles. Even if they are small, they are determined to win against new enemies.
Aric took a good look at his left and right sides, and glanced at the corner of his mouth: "Look at you guys, do you want to kill them all, and then go back and report that our brothers have eliminated all the intruders?"
After that, everyone laughed.
"That's enough. We don't need to fight these intruders openly. Follow my orders and ambush them. Use arrows to kill them as much as possible without exposing any traces. Just lie down in the snow and rush out to chop them. Kill your enemies and be careful not to be shot by other brothers.”
They started to take action, and they were all scattered and lurking on the right bank of the river. The average distance between two people was only about one meter, essentially forming a rather dense ambush position.
Both crossbows were fully cocked. Due to the limited length of the position, everyone could see Arik's movements clearly.
Whether to attack or not depends entirely on Arik's order. Now the commander decided to let the prey step into the ambush circle with confidence.
At the same time, the Tavastians, who were heading to the mountain fortress of the Old Salmon Lord to inquire about the situation, led these two hundred people, coveting the smooth path of the glacier, to deliberately advance on the ice. Due to the boring march and the overwhelming number of people, ordinary soldiers gradually ignored the threats. Little did they know that they were walking into the Russian ambush without knowing it.
Everything was said without saying a word. Arik lay on the ground with a sullen face, his stubble-covered cheek pressed against the wooden support of the crossbow, and the crosshairs were randomly aimed at an enemy at three points and one line, and he gently pulled the trigger.
The crossbow arrow weighing nearly 200 grams flew away. The tremor and recoil shook his tiger body. The arrow hit an enemy in the face in a low and flat parabola with a soft whooshing sound.
This arrow alone pierced the enemy's entire mandible, causing him to fall down. Although he did not die immediately, in the crazy spurt of blood, all the Tavastians around him were confused by this inexplicable attack. measures.
Arik's shooting was just a signal. Upon seeing this, other soldiers started shooting.
A volley of arrows pierced the air softly, hitting the enemy group quite densely.
More than ten people fell to the ground immediately after the blow, many of them were wailing, and the ice surface was quickly stained red with blood. Of course, there are also strong people who, despite being hit by arrows, still stand in pain with their short spears.
The Tavastians began to exclaim, and Vateyala did not understand the situation at all, only knowing that he was being attacked.
"Raise your shield! Does anyone know the direction of the enemy?!"
"Don't worry about it yet, brother! Noise an arrow! Counterattack!"
But the world returned to silence, with only the fallen man wailing while holding his bleeding wound. The nervous warrior carefully looked at the forest under the snow, feeling more and more terrifying there.
They gathered on the ice, forming a large gray-black mass that was incompatible with the entire gray world and became the target of the stupidest public criticism.
Some people guessed the direction where the attackers were hiding, and they shot arrows there, but no one dared to leave the shelter of the large army.
The arrows flew over the heads of Arik and everyone else, either flying too high or hitting the tree trunk.
Arik didn't say anything. He lay down and used his strong thighs and arms to forcefully wind the steel-armed crossbow with all his muscle strength.
The brothers sitting on the wooden crossbows have all finished winding up, waiting for their boss to launch a new round of shooting.
Arik led the brothers to fire another round of volleys. This time the Tavastians saw the general direction of the arrows, and more than ten people were hit by the arrows.
The wooden shield did block a few arrows, but some of the wooden shields were smashed open, and the arrow clusters smashed through the arm of the shield holder!
In this very unfavorable situation for the Tavastians, mere injury would mean fatality.
The sudden situation confused Vateyala's mind. He was attacked by three arrows in a row. Although he could see the direction in which the arrows were coming, where were the traces of the enemy?
He had never encountered such an enemy before. Forty brothers were already lying on the ground, and the glacier turned red.
"Brothers! Charge over there! The enemies are hiding, hack them to death!"
"Hey! What are you doing standing around here? Are you all cowards?!"
"Don't get together in a group, you're sitting there waiting to be killed!"
However, the fourth round of arrows came again.
Although the average power of wooden crossbows has a higher firing rate, their power is really average. Against armored enemies and shield holders, defensive measures can block arrows. The weapons of the Tavastians are still too weak. Facing the various Vikings chopped off in the Nordic world, they can only be ravaged! They were able to gain advantage by bullying the weaker Kovins and the equally incompetent Karelians.
The Tavastians, these proud men who dared to hunt bears together, finally realized that leaving their homeland of ice and lakes would face an enemy that was difficult to match.
This is just an armed reconnaissance team of the Russians.
Seeing that his warriors had turned into a group of cowards, Vatyala, who had fought such a useless battle for the first time, was furious.
He summoned more than a dozen trustworthy men. They held wooden shields wrapped in wolf skins in front of them and held battle axes and short spears in their right hands. They organized an assault team to rush towards Arik without hesitation.
"You actually want to charge at me?! Idiot!"
Now Arik is no longer pretending.
A snowman rises from the ground. No! That's an enemy.
Holding the crossbow that was strung up with a winch, Arik suddenly revealed his body, leaning on a tree and shooting an arrow at a charging guy.
The shield wrapped in wolf skin was of some use. The arrow did not penetrate the shield, but it ricocheted and cracked a lot of the man's teeth. He fell down with his mouth full of blood.
These ten people became the target of public criticism in a real sense. The chargers retreated one after another after killing six of them, falling to the ground and wailing.
It wasn't until now that Vateyala actually saw the first enemy.
Arik was already covered with a white cloth cloak, and even his head was covered with white cloth. He heard arrows flying past his ears but remained unmoved. Liang Ming glared at the furious enemy from behind and hid behind a big tree.
"Asshole! Come out! The Russians! Fight with us!" Vatyala yelled in his language, but the Russians refused to come out.
Although he couldn't understand, Aric could understand the hostility in his opponent's words through the atmosphere of his words. That man just asked the brothers to come out and kill them!
If it had been in the past, he would have definitely jumped out and slashed in all directions, but he was beaten violently by the enemies who counterattacked on Gotland and fled in panic. The lessons of that failed battle were left on his left arm with horrific scars. Even if he didn't show up, he still asked his soldiers to continue shooting arrows. As for the fewer and fewer arrows he carried and captured, it didn't matter. If the ambush couldn't be fought, the brothers would withdraw. After all, the brothers are just a scouting force.
It was indeed only when Arik was about to run out of arrows that he realized that he was just serving as a scout.
Vatyala was forced to flee, with as many as five arrows stuck in his wooden shield. His brothers suffered heavy losses. Many simply fled to the forest opposite, while others hurriedly fled towards the fortress from which they came. .
But the Russian arrows were still flying, and what shocked the Tavastians was that the enemies seemed to be sharpshooters.
Someone among the rebels climbed up to Vatyala: "Let's go quickly. The Russian army is in the forest. We can still hold on by relying on the mountain fortress if we go back. Now if we stay here, everyone will die!"
It is said that Vatyala is unwilling to retreat, but considering the reality, it is really impossible to leave.
I originally thought about having a decisive battle with the main force of the Rus' people, and after making great achievements in battle, I would go to the tribal alliance to gain reputation and achieve a great cause, but now it seems that saving my life is the most important thing.
He took his brothers and evacuated quickly. This was not too shameful, because many people had already run away...
The Russians seemed to have won, and that was the victory. The brothers just smiled, and no one had the joy of winning a bloody battle.
Another person rushed to Arik: "They are so weak! Boss, we recovered the arrows and took over their camp along their retreat route. In my opinion, with just thirty of us, we can really kill three hundred of them." Brain.”
Arik sat down and twisted his arm: "Clean the battlefield first. None of you understand the language of the enemies anyway."
Now someone else came over: "I understand!"
"you?"
"It is said that the Corvins are related to the Tavastians. I have dealt with those Corvins while fishing here. Maybe I can understand the language of these enemies."
"Then give it a try. I'd like to know their situation."
The Russians picked up the arrows and also collected the corpses of their dead enemies.
This was definitely not their good intention, it was completely Arik's intention to further humiliate the enemy.
Two enemies with minor arrow wounds were escorted to Arik's side. As expected, the languages of the Tavastians and the Corvins had great similarities, and some key intelligence was learned by the Ross scouts.
Arik never imagined that this was not an accidental invasion by the invaders, but a deliberate and permanent occupation. The nature of this behavior is as bad as the Danes' expedition to the north to occupy the Lake Mälaren area.
In order to survive, the prisoners tried to demonstrate their strength, claiming that five hundred men had occupied an old fort.
Are all five hundred people warriors? Aric was convinced of this by the fallacy of translation. The approximately seventy corpses collected so far and the wounded killed were only one-seventh of the enemy's strength?
After learning this news, the brothers who were clamoring to annihilate the invaders with just thirty scouts now shut up.
Arik guessed that the so-called fortress must be the old Gray Squirrel Hill Fort. The Russians also paid some casualties when they conquered this fortress, and the fortress did require some heavy weapons to defeat it. He thought of a new tactic. Even if the brothers could not annihilate the invaders, they were very happy and confident in disturbing the enemy and living in fear all day long.
The prisoners were not killed, and the two men were released and fled back to the hillfort occupied by the Tavastians with some very crucial and concise information.
The two men later returned from the escape and told Vatyala what the Rus had told them.
They only relayed the strange-sounding words of the Kovan language passed down by the Rus: "Snowmelt, Rus, ships, many people, war."
Vatrava, who had suffered a useless defeat, was furious. The defeated warriors were frightened and the Russians quickly attacked the mountain fortress. Together with all the women and children of the Tavas immigrants, they were already strengthening their defenses and preparing to fight. The preparations for the battle to defend the city were just like fighting the Karelians in their hometown.
Now Vateyala has basically figured out one thing. The main force of the Russians has not come yet, and it is only a small force.
But isn't this even more terrifying? !
Just a small army! Just let the more than 300 brothers you have now lose 70 or 80 in one battle! The living people were trembling with fear from the strange arrows, and were even full of fear of going out hunting. Hunters are not afraid of bears and wolves at all. They are afraid of being suddenly hit in the neck by a flying arrow while walking. After all, the terrifying arrow cannot be easily blocked by a wooden shield.
It is impossible to abandon this area. By controlling the resources of this area, Tavastia will become more powerful.
Vatyala did not think of running away. If he really ran away, he would not have the face to meet the people in his hometown.
He began to send messengers to the rear to ask for help. He learned that the expeditionary force had fought with the mysterious Rus and suffered losses. It was reasonable for Tavastia leader Vatkad to be furious, and all the villages in the alliance requested that troops must be sent to protect everyone. fruits of victory.
As for how many troops to send, this is very particular and requires a meeting.
It was precisely when they were busy discussing that the appearance of reinforcements was actually delayed.
On a macro level, the temperature is gradually warming, and Arik also noticed that the sea ice is thinning rapidly. Just when the world was about to return to warmth, he ordered the soldiers to create an atmosphere of terror.
Ross's scouts were also hunting, but the list of prey included Tavastians.
Fortunately now, the Tavastians prefer to hide in mountain fortresses, and their activities are limited to fishing by the river. Many people are in a state of semi-starvation, because there is no news from those who ventured into the distant forests to go hunting. Obtaining meat becomes extremely dangerous, so you have to starve and wait for reinforcements.
But Rosberg had already received Arik's investigation report. Although the messenger rushed back in a reindeer sleigh with verbal news, the information was somewhat distorted. Rurik understood two basic pieces of information exactly: First, the enemy occupied the entire The river basin does not want to leave unless they are all killed by war; secondly, the enemy's combat effectiveness is weak, but the scale of its troops does require the attention of the Russians.
How should Rurik judge?
Isn't this a deliberate provocation by the Tavastian invaders, eager for a decisive battle from the very beginning? This is what Rose needs! It was just a good time to use a weak enemy like Tavastia to train troops and prepare for the next expedition to Britain.
