The morning mist filled the forest, and the sunlight was like a curtain in the morning light. The night campfires were sparsely extinguished, leaving only a large number of smoky embers.
Ross's army was sleeping in disarray, and they were still surrounding the entire old Gray Squirrel Hill Fort.
Want to attack the city? No. At least not today.
One of the major problems faced by the army during the expedition was supplies. Originally, Rurik hoped to use the waterway so that the rowing longboat could bring fish, wheat and onions that had been stored all winter to the camp, but the Oulu River was currently too fast. Yes, you have to wait for a while if you want to sail smoothly.
The Ross people do not completely need rear supplies. There are too many forest squirrel resources in this area.
Catching two squirrels and roasting them can basically feed a warrior for a day, not to mention fishing in streams.
The bonfire was lit again, and the smoke filled the circular barrier. There were already Ross warriors wandering around the edge of the forest, deliberately performing for the enemy.
In fact, more Rus and Balmoks have already brought weapons to hunt and fish.
There were more than fifty strong men carrying axes and two-man saws and started cutting down wood to build simple long ladders.
Today's plan is just a feint attack. Rather than killing the enemy, humiliating or intimidating them, it is better to make the enemy tremble after a day of tossing, and their morale will collapse, so that you can win without any losses.
But the enemy must be killed!
After eating a bowl of salted wheat, Rurik raised his sword and screamed.
"Brothers, gather together! It's our turn to work!"
What he gathered this time was basically just the longbowmen in the shooting team and all the people who operated the trebuchets.
The so-called technological advancement will become a huge advantage on the battlefield. Facts have proved that the Tavastians shooting arrows in the mountain fort can't shoot arrows to the Rus' forest camp in any case with their inferior short wooden bows.
On the other hand, the Russians can comfortably throw stones at the enemy's hillfort in the safe zone.
Tavastia's arrow throw was only at the limit of 150 meters. Rurik and more than 200 people stood in a safe zone of about 200 meters.
He raised his right thumb and pointed it at the mountain fort, "Very good, this is the position. Take off the head."
These so-called heads belonged to the deceased. Two hundred gray-white Guizhou heads that began to smell and ooze black blood were piled on the ground.
Indeed, these heads are real Guizhou heads. Almost all Tavastians have dark brown hair, even their beards.
These characteristics prove that they are immigrants from North Asia.
Jevlo and his crew had had enough of these unfortunate things, and now they were about to launch them, and everyone couldn't wait.
Mechasta and the Corvin longbowmen were already in formation, with ten arrows stuck in front of them.
The bull trebuchet is accumulating power. In addition to Guizhou pellets, there is also a batch of mostly pebbles picked up on the spot.
There were also a large number of Russian warriors holding shields wandering around the edge of the forest, shouting from time to time.
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Look at this formation!
The commander of the Tavastiya Army, Vateala, was sitting on pins and needles. He did not want to sit still and wait for death, but now that he had completely lost the chance to evacuate, the only comfort was that those who were not determined must now fight to the death.
They still didn't know the real intention of the Russians. Seeing that the enemy was about to attack, Vateyala not only ordered his men to prepare for a counterattack, but also ordered the surrendered Bakan to act as a messenger to negotiate.
This is almost certain death, right?
Looking at Rurik again, he noticed a person in the distance being slowly lowered on a rope.
"Everyone, be careful! Don't attack yet." He paused shooting and ordered everyone to stay calm.
Jevro pointed his sword at the man who was looking around and coming in fear, "Is that the messenger?"
"should be."
Rurik nodded and called Mechasta, who was holding the bow, "You understand their language very well. Come and ask carefully."
"Okay." Mechasta sighed, "Actually, I think this is superfluous. Neither we nor this group of Tavastians can give in to illusions."
"Indeed, I don't want to be merciful at all."
"Then shoot this man." After saying this, Mechasta raised his bow.
Rurik knew that this man was already good at shooting, but this time he used a long bow made of mulberry wood, and his skills were even more superb. Then he pulled down Mechasta's hand and said, "Listen to what this person has to say. I don't want to kill a messenger."
"All right."
Mechasta was disdainful. As the man approached, he lowered his bow and raised it again.
"Your Majesty the Duke, this guy is actually..." Mechasta's eyes were blazing.
"Do you know this person?"
"You should also know him. He is Bakan. He was supposed to surrender to you. Unexpectedly, he defected to the enemy?"
As soon as Rurik said this, he suddenly remembered that there were three Kewen leaders who surrendered, but it had been too long and he had forgotten it.
Bakan came cautiously, and his legs trembled nervously when he saw the arrow aimed at him.
Mechasta walked up and kicked him down, then spat again.
"Don't hit me, I have something to say," Bukan begged.
"Something happened? You betrayed everyone!" Mechasta said.
Looking at the current situation, Rurik changed his mind and said, "Press this person down first. Let's get rid of all the projectiles."
"Kill him!" Mechasta continued.
"Shut up!" Rurik shook his head and ordered his men to tie him up with a rope and take him away. He also tied a rope around his mouth.
Forget it, the Russian army's attack is still going on. Rurik would not change his plans just because this traitor became a messenger.
Because strong countries don’t need diplomacy, that’s the Nordic way of life.
Rurik drew his dagger and ordered all his men to form.
"Longbowmen! Nocking arrows! Catapults! Prepare!"
"hjtraaah!"
At an order, ten trebuchets fired rapidly. The Guizhou head wrapped in pus and blood was thrown out, and the fully charged lever hit the thick leather pad of the baffle, but the force was too great, and the entire trebuchet spontaneously bounced up from the rear. Like a kicking bull.
Accompanying the flying Prime Minister of Guizhou are arrows, the wrath of the longbowmen of Kewen.
A large number of strange things flew over, and the Tavastians who had suffered a loss subconsciously squatted down, especially those on the wall, who picked up wooden boards to protect their heads and torsos.
The defenders who had originally mobilized to meet the enemy hid in hiding. The longbowmen's attacks did not cause any damage, except for the sound of a few arrows hitting the wooden planks.
More serious impacts followed, and they seemed to be flying stones. Although it felt extremely absurd, Vatyala felt that they were stones.
"It's a rock! Protect your head, don't get smashed to death!"
During the raid and chaos, someone was suddenly stoned to death. At that time, the battle situation was extremely chaotic, and Vateyala couldn't care too much. Now that he could clearly see what was flying towards him, he was afraid that he would be smashed to pieces, so he curled up into a ball, like a pangolin.
But it wasn't a stone.
Some "stones" hit the shield and then seemed to be bounced away, and more fell into the open space in the mountain fort.
The "stone" clearly did not cause any damage. This round of the Russian offensive did not cause any injuries to the defenders. As the saying goes, the damage is not high and the insult is huge. The Tavastian warrior who staggered up looked at the black in disbelief. The "stones" on the ground, how could they be stones? They are clearly human heads!
No! It’s one’s own head!
Someone unexpectedly discovered that a head belonged to his friend. He threw down his shield, rolled over and crawled towards it, holding the head in his hands and howling.
Seeing this incredible situation, Vatyala's head was buzzing, and then he bared his teeth and became furious.
He stood up in rage, pointed the captured steel sword at the array of Russians and cursed, "You are all bastards born of slaves! You are abandoned babies raised by hungry wolves! How dare you humiliate me like this! I will chop him down." Kill all of your heads and kick them into the cesspit!"
In fact, Watyala couldn't think of any more vicious words. He cursed endlessly here, and for a moment he squatted down because of fear.
Then he screamed at the people who had gathered in the empty field to pick up enemy arrows and collect the heads of the dead, "Hide quickly! The arrows are coming!"
Indeed, the longbowmen started firing again, accompanied by the second round of Guizhou heads.
Fortunately, the Tavastians obeyed their boss's words. They hid and witnessed the falling objects, and were glad that they were not killed by arrows.
New heads smashed in, and some even fell to the ground and shattered into pieces, a sight that made people retching and dizzy.
Rurik stood with his sword in hand. The strength of his longbowman's arms was limited, and it would not be good to tire out his arms before a real battle was decided.
Ten rounds were fired in a relatively short period of time. Even though the weight of these longbows was still not high, he thought it was better to take it easy. Only trebuchets, the hemp ropes, sinews and baleen that are the source of the torque of these heavy weapons are soaked in too much greasy seal oil. Throw it over and give the enemy a batch of pebbles.
He was extremely confident in the durability of these weapons, but he didn't know what the limit of damage would be.
It should be no problem for every trebuchet that uses torque to fire continuously for twenty-five rounds.
Qian Shou smashed them round after round, and they landed on the occupied hills quite accurately. Frightened and angry emotions permeated the entire mountain fort. The Tavastians were still thinking about waiting for the released Bakan to bring back the news of the Ross people. Now it is estimated that the Bakan has been chopped down. This is how the Ross people used it. Expressed the attitude - kill them all.
Many of the fallen Guizhou heads were shattered on the ground. The defenders saw it like a day nightmare, with sticky and smelly things scattered everywhere. They were all retching and trying to escape from this place.
There is actually no way for everyone to escape. As the real stones fall, the shacks where people hide are no longer safe.
Finally, a Tavastian warrior was hit by a stone that penetrated the roof of the thatched roof. His head was bruised and his muscles and bones were broken. People held up their wooden shields and prayed that they were lucky.
The offensive lasted for most of the morning, and actual combat proved that all trebuchets continued to fire for twenty-five rounds with excellent performance.
The longbowman finished his mission after completing ten rounds. Even so, everyone felt the fatigue on their shoulders.
The Russians cheered for the battle in the morning. No one knew how much the enemy had suffered. Anyway, the insulting capital of Guizhou was thrown over, along with two hundred arrows and fifty pebbles. The nature of this action was intimidation and insult. The majority of Ross and Balmok warriors should seize the time to polish their weapons.
When the siege of the old Gray Squirrel Hill Castle actually took place, Rurik actually did not come up with a precise "battle plan."
It can be tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Anyway, starting from tomorrow, the Russians will have the full ability to launch a general attack. Rurik suddenly seemed a little conservative. It was entirely because he hoped that his army would be an ally in the final battle and there would be no more casualties. After all, it is another great honor to achieve a complete victory without any injuries to one's own army.
Continue to torment the enemy in the afternoon? Of course.
Torturing the beasts in the cage was something Rurik was very willing to do now. After all, the cruel beast in his heart was forced out by these beasts.
Before that, he was interested in hearing what the detained traitor Bukan wanted to say.
At this moment, Bukan was simply tied to a big tree, and a bored Russian soldier peed on the unfortunate guy, deliberately using vicious words to humiliate him.
When Rurik came back, the guy already stank.
After several pots of pottery jars of river water were poured on him, the guy's condition improved slightly.
Rurik squatted down, with Mechasta and Kehas standing beside him.
In fact, Bakan was more surprised that Mechasta and Kehas could live in peace than seeing Rurik, a boy who had just begun to look like an adult.
"Tell me, what did they send you to do?"
Bakan was quite excited. Seeing the current situation, he could no longer care too much and suddenly announced, "Me! I am helpless. I am still your servant, and now everyone in my tribe has been killed by Tavasti." The demi-humans kidnapped me, and I lost all my tribe and everything.”
"You lied!" Mechasta saw the fallacy at a glance, and Kejas also agreed with this judgment.
"Sir, you must not listen to his nonsense." Kejas said angrily, "I saw with my own eyes that this guy was instructing those barbaric guys to attack our fortress. Without this person's help, how could the enemy successfully capture my fortress?" Hill fort?”
After hearing these words, Bukan's attitude suddenly became ambiguous.
Just looking at the man's dazed expression, Rurik judged that what this man said was definitely a lie. Anyway, I don't need this traitor anyway, or in other words, since the construction of the entire Oulu River Basin started at Kovinstad at the mouth of the river, it no longer needs the entrustment of the Kovin people. The Rus will directly rule and colonize.
Rurik signaled the two men to shut up, and then asked Bakan, "The enemies in the mountain fortress want to send me a message. Do they want to surrender?"
"This..." Originally, Bakan wanted to confirm that he was really in the Ross army. He quietly changed his mind and insisted, "The Tavastians regard me as a tool. They said it! They think you They will not capture the mountain fortress no matter what, saying they will hold on to the end.”
"Do they really have such confidence?" Rurik smiled wildly.
People who understood the words also laughed.
Seeing this, Bakan continued to fight, "Yes, they are very arrogant. Their leader said that it was just a small defeat before, claiming that if the Russians dare to attack the city, under the wooden wall, they will inevitably..."
"What must it be?"
"It's all Russian corpses."
The joking Rurik stopped laughing immediately, and drew his sword and pointed it at Bakan's throat, "You are laughing at me!"
Bakan, whose eyes were wide and trembling, hesitated, "Yes...it was the leader who said it."
"Kill the traitor," Mechasta suggested.
"Yes, chop him!" Kejas said the same.
Instead, Rurik's sword relaxed slightly, and then he laughed as if he understood, "Indeed, you are a tool. The Tavastians think you are redundant and hope I will kill you. You... think I will Cut you?"
Hearing this, Bukan suddenly started shaking violently, obviously eager to express his position: "Sir, I am still useful. I also know one very important thing."
"What's up?"
"It's their reinforcements! Their leader sent many messengers many days ago and moved all the immigrants from the entire fortress. Their reinforcements are countless, maybe two thousand people. No! It's three thousand people! They will definitely come Rescue here.”
"Three thousand reinforcements?" This matter was completely beyond Rurik's expectation. He could not believe that the Tavastians, who were boasted to be extremely powerful by the Kovin people, would really risk their lives for this area.
Bakan hurriedly continued to explain, "Because their leader said that the Tavastians will not give up any newly conquered territory, even if they fight the Rus in a bloody battle to the end."
"It's ridiculous. I didn't provoke them at all. They came to hurt me. In this case, they sent people to my door to kill them. How can I ignore them?"
I originally thought that by demolishing this mountain fortress and killing all the defenders, I could solve the "border trouble problem" in the Oulu River Basin through "physical destruction". Now it seems that all this is the general trend of the wheel of history rolling forward, and the fateful battle between the Rus and the Tavastians is inevitable.
Rurik admires this kind of enemy. After all, he is the ancestor of Finland, and his courage is worthy of admiration. Unfortunately, the strength of the two sides is seriously unequal.
Rurik continued to inquire and learned more details about the enemy's reinforcements. He even knew that the Tavastians' grand leader was named Watkad, who occupied the Gray Squirrel Hill Castle and massacred and plundered the local Covins and Ross fishermen. The leader of the Tavastiya army is named Vatyara, and it can be determined from their names that the two are brothers.
The Russian military division in this crusade was well-known, and its legitimacy was very reasonable. Rurik had already adopted some extreme measures against the enemy. He did not feel any guilt. Instead, these deeds were regarded as heroic actions by the soldiers.
After all, Bakan provided information. Rurik did not directly spare the man's life, but he did not kill him immediately. This person doesn't want to die. He should be desperate to reveal all kinds of information in order to survive. Besides, this person claims to be completely familiar with the road to the hinterland of Tavastia. There is at least no harm in leaving the life of a beggar guide.
The situation has changed dramatically. If the enemy really organizes an army of 3,000 people to come to the rescue, will the assault on the mountain fortress be detrimental to future battles?
Rurik believed in the brotherhood of the enemy. His younger brother was besieged. As the eldest brother, how could the leader of the alliance rescue the siege without bringing heavy troops?
Now attacking the mountain fortress has become a secondary purpose. To solve the border troubles, the simplest and crudest way is to kill the enemy's active force as much as possible. It is more meaningful to try to annihilate this enemy's huge active force! That's all, the mountain fortress was pulled out immediately.
Rurik decided to convene a frontline military meeting in the evening. Before that, it would be a good idea to give some gifts to the trapped beasts in the mountain fortress!
As a result, the trebuchet smashed dozens of pebbles over, which was regarded as a special "extra meal" for the enemy's simple dinner...
