Every newly launched ship should be equipped with supporting weapons. Rurik gave his carpenters a relatively demanding task so that each ship could be equipped with sufficient torque slingshots to cope with naval battles.
Maybe he can base it on the actual situation without having to install too many weapons on each ship.
The standard armament of Ross naval ships is a large amount of torsion slingshot equipment, but the enemies faced by Ross are still widely equipped with traditional rowing long boats, and the two sides even have different concepts of naval warfare.
All of this was Rurik's request. Not installing bronze cannons on the ships was his biggest consideration based on cost-effectiveness.
Rurik was really moved by Aslaki's mill and left here. He immediately reviewed the weapons output of the woodworkers.
The torsion slingshots that were originally placed in the warehouse were moved out.
In order to ensure the best condition during battle, all new slingshots are unwound. The two carbon steel arms of the slingshot are inserted into the rope set and they move forward in unison.
Now that Rurik gave the order, the carpenters worked hard to bend the bow arms, and then fastened the bow strings that were twisted together from hemp rope, tendons and even whale baleen.
Are they all of high quality?
No problem, just one experiment.
If weapons are used poorly in combat, the results are often fatal. Rurik treated the handover of the weapon with great caution, and the best way to test it was to load cast iron rounds and fire at the target.
Simple wooden boards were pieced together to form a target, and each new torsion slingshot fired at it one by one.
The sound of their firing is extremely soft, and because they are fixed firmly enough, the shooter cannot detect the recoil of the slingshot, and even the vibration is minimal.
The projectiles hit the target frequently, and for a while there was a clear and loud impact at the target. All the onlookers saw sawdust flying everywhere!
The thickness of these oak planks is similar to that of ordinary longship planks. They can be broken into pieces by close range shooting and can be used in battle to sink enemy ships.
As many as twenty-nine new torsion slingshots have rolled off the production line, which basically meets Rurik's expectations. Although the number was slightly lower, he had no intention of pursuing it.
The war is imminent, new ships and new weapons are ready for battle, and the strength of the Russian army has been strengthened.
In addition to aiming flat-firing torsion slingshots and bull trebuchets with longer range, poor accuracy, and only capable of probabilistic strikes, this group of carpenters built fifteen of them.
They were roped and struggled to be pulled out by the carpenters.
The dead weight of each trebuchet is not large, which causes the end to be lifted up by inertia when shooting, like a bull.
It is undeniable that as long as they are hit and used, dozens of fist-sized pebbles will be fired at a time, which will definitely cause area damage and are actually a weapon for killing arrayed enemies.
No, what proves their strength is to open the matrix and shoot at an empty fjord sea.
The old and new trebuchets were arranged together. It was also afternoon, and thousands of people gathered lively on the beach.
Lord Rurik was testing weapons before going on an expedition. Whether the army's heavy weapons were easy to use was actually the most important concern for the soldiers who were about to go on an expedition. As for the large number of women holding their children who were watching, they were just watching the excitement to kill the boredom of their daily handiwork.
All the trebuchets have been charged up, and some operators are holding tightly to the ropes inserted into the ratchet pins, just waiting for orders from adults.
Rurik gave an order, and the twenty-five bulls were put to death collectively!
The stone bullets were thrown out almost at the same time. The black figure of the stone in the sunset was obscured by the dark green pine forest background. The onlookers squinted and could not see the result, but soon the waves of sleep stirred up a splash.
It was stone bullets. They hit towering splashes of water at a far distance, and for a moment people heard the roar of the splashes.
"It's very good. The landing points of the old and new trebuchets are different. It's a perfect probability attack."
It is the power of the bull trebuchet to hit a stone projectile as big as a fist to a distance of three hundred meters. Rurik had to estimate that if the Karelia people bravely gathered together and charged, his trebuchet matrix might be able to destroy half of their morale?
It's a pity that I have the ability to build more powerful trebuchets. This time I really need to make more such lightweight heavy weapons based on practical needs.
That night, the torsion slingshots began to be installed on the two new ships "Gray Squirrel" and "Salmon Chief". It was still the old rule, with six slingshots installed on the bow deck and four on the stern deck of each ship.
Simultaneously with the loading of weapons, wheat, dried fish, and even some special items were further transported to the cabin.
New green tender pine needles and the first Nordic daisies to bloom. Boil pine needle water and drink it to dispel the muddy smell of natural water with its fragrance and faint bitterness. Various Viking tribes have this habit. It is not tea drinking, but Rurik intended this tradition to evolve directly into tea drinking.
Tea leaves are naturally unimaginable. Daisies, the substitute flowers for tea, are now in full bloom as daisies! The ground had just thawed and these flowers popped up almost overnight.
Perhaps eating whole wheat bread is enough to meet the vitamin needs of the soldiers. While Rurik is cautious, he would rather let them take in more vitamins, especially the very critical vitamin C. Drinking chrysanthemum tea will definitely solve the problem for the Nordic people. Vitamin difficult question. Although boiling tender pine needles is also an option, boiled chrysanthemum tea tastes better.
The agreed date is tomorrow, and everything is ready!
In the conquest of Karelia, this battle cannot be solved by a large army rushing in and killing. If that were the case, things would be easier to handle.
That night, Rurik gathered his wives and concubines on the third floor of the palace.
He opened the window and let the cool breeze flow in. The moonlight and stars almost covered the dancing flames of the oil lamps, shining on each girl's face.
The girls were nervous. It would be a good thing if they could follow Rurik on the expedition this time.
So, who will get this opportunity?
Rurik guessed what they were thinking through their faces, and he breathed out softly: "Time is very tight, and tomorrow is the day of the expedition. Now I announce who will follow me."
He stretched out his hand and pointed very simply at Carlotta and Svetlana.
The tense nerves of the girls were instantly deflated, and Rurik heard a slight boo of jealousy.
"I know that you all want to follow me to see the world. This is a war, not a game! Carlotta will participate in the battle as a warrior. Svetlana!" Rurik deliberately emphasized his tone. His eyes also glanced at her: "You are the wife my father has chosen for me, and I will not disobey my father's arrangements. You and I still have a Slavic wedding, so we will get it done this year."
"Yes." Svetlana tried her best to suppress the ecstasy in her heart. Thanks to her parents' strict education, she was able to suppress her inner emotions.
She was already twelve years old and was expected to be married according to Slavic tradition. Besides, it’s really nice to be able to go back to my parents’ home with Rurik to take a look.
Even Nolen can't go to the East again, even if Ross's Warriors Fourth Banner are all her Balmok kin.
Rurik had no intention of saying anything more, and the small meeting on the third floor ended quickly. He sent away the other wives and concubines, leaving only Carlotta and Lanna to make some additional arrangements.
The appointed day! It's today!
Thousands of people gathered on the beach, and the city's wooden walls were once again filled with people, thanks to further reinforcements to be able to bear such weight.
A small altar was temporarily built on the sandy ground. Although she could not go on an expedition with her beloved man, Rumia knew that she must abide by the important task of the high priest.
To be fair, she was very supportive of Ross's conquest of Karelia. All deer farmers are taught that Karelians are not to be messed with, even if everyone makes a living by raising deer.
The source of this fear actually comes from hundreds of years ago. The Lapps (deer farmers) were a group of people who were excluded from the Karelian ethnic group. The Lapps are the humblest existence in this area. Now they have become Ross's servants followed Lord Rurik, and everyone finally had a stable life.
The beach was full of fully armed warriors, including the newly promoted Fourth Flag Team. Captain Hellafed Bringodson and his guys all changed into standard Ross uniforms.
There are blue stripes sewn on the white cloth, and a deerskin belt is tied around the waist. There are also daggers, hand axes and other weapons hanging on the belt. They also all carried burlap backpacks with straps and drawstrings, which were filled with cooking utensils, a small amount of dry food, and leather water bottles filled with water. A piece of linen was rolled into a roll and bent to fix it on both sides of the backpack. Finally, a huge buckler hangs from the bag.
Only a few of them carry spears, and most of them carry swords.
One centurion was widely equipped with wooden-arm crossbows and was also issued a small amount of arrows.
Hellafed was the captain of such a flag team. He never dreamed that an army could be equipped with such weapons.
Look at himself! In addition to these weapons funded and distributed by the Duke of Ross, the only other things that Hellafide could use were the iron swords given to him by his father and his own leather helmets.
Now, this leather helmet has been ordered by the adults to install a helmet collar made of a large number of wild duck and wild goose feathers. The feathers on the collar of the helmet were dyed with woad, and a large amount of rosin was glued in to further fix it.
"Now, both the enemy and my people can clearly see that I am an extraordinary character."
Hellafed was very appreciative of Rurik's arrangement. The entire flag force was subdivided into more combat groups. The rank of officers was distinguished by the number and installation method of helmet collar feathers. Thinking about it carefully, this is really the smartest choice. After all, everyone is roaring during the melee. It is difficult for the commander to exchange information with other guys even if he shouts his throat. Now, you can know where the friendly troops are by looking at the feathers on their heads.
Not only that, there was a flag officer beside Hellafed. This person was holding a wooden pole with a ferocious beast on it. There was a flag on the pole, and it was sewn with strips of blue cloth and said to be Roman letters. Text message: Ross Army Warriors 4th Flag.
The brothers had just changed their clothes this time, and they just looked like regular and fierce Russian troops. The team really has the strength of the Ross army and needs some training.
Hellafed was very lucky, because the captain of each group, that is, the ten-man team, was Rurik's old mercenary. These people could already make the brothers stand up neatly, just like those of the First Flag Team. Same guys.
But why are there a group of teenagers standing on this beach?
Those were Fisk and Kanuf, and even Tyravis who was captured from Ironburg.
Rurik selected a hundred young warriors from his own army. They were in adolescence, their minds were full of ideas of fighting and meritorious service, and their physical fitness was inferior to that of adult men. Compared with their older brothers and sisters, they had been constantly improving over the years. Having received education in Roman letters, Latin and mathematics, his cultural level surpassed that of others.
These young warriors mixed with their other elite mercenaries, the Covins who assisted in the battle, and the old sailors who controlled the torsion slingshots, and formed a direct shooting team.
In this expedition, a team of nearly two thousand people will rush to New Rossburg on the Neva River!
And this is still part of the army. When the Slavs are in place, Rurik estimates that he can organize an army of more than 3,000 people.
Is that all there is to it? No! There’s also a whole bunch of Finns to help out.
Those Suomi people who were part of Finland, they very wisely chose to obey. Just like Rome, Rurik claimed to build a northern Rome, and he had to imitate Rome in doing things, such as recruiting Suomi servants to join the war, and giving them the spoils after a victory.
Besides, by eliminating the Karelian forces, wouldn’t the long-standing threat of the Suomi people be gone?
Rumia wore a deer-horned helmet and sang praises to Thor beside the flames of the altar.
She, Lumi, and even the other ten minor priests were essentially Rurik's wives and concubines. All Russians and guests knew about this and were happy to talk about it.
Thor is not only the god of craftsmen, but also the god of war. Today, he will praise and sacrifice for them.
After that, there was another hymn to Odin, and the sacrifice reached the most critical moment.
Now that Ross owned the herd of deer, he no longer had to worry about sacrificial sacrifices. Rurik stared at the blazing fire, and all he could think about was whether he could recruit an army of four thousand people, or talk to the leader Suomi to form a two-pronged coalition. A full-scale attack on the forces of Karelia.
Now that it was the critical stage of the sacrifice, he showed off his dagger and walked towards the sacrificial deer...
The deer's liver was cut out, and Rumia cut open the liver and declared that the battle would be won amidst the cheers of the people.
Victory must belong to Ross. The warriors who are now ready begin to line up to board the fleet that has been parked on the pier and is ready to go!
The Aurora, the Duke of Ostara, the Gray Squirrel and the Salmon Chief, these four ships alone packed 500 people in one breath!
There are also the first four smaller planet-class sail destroyers, and now there are another 400 people crammed into them.
With the success of the last ultra-long-distance navigation expedition, Rurik actually learned a lesson from it. He crammed too many people into the boat at once, so that it was overcrowded and strapped, which was really uncomfortable.
Even the crew of a large ship like the Aurora has been reduced a lot, not only because it cannot carry too many people, but also because she has a lot of rations and reserve weapons stuffed in her cabin.
How to place more soldiers? Naturally, they are those modified armed cargo ships.
Four sailing cruisers, four sailing destroyers, and twenty sailing armed freighters.
The cheers of the people resounded throughout the fjord. They excitedly watched this invincible fleet slowly leave the pier, watched the ships gather into a fleet in the fjord waters, and slowly sailed out of the fjord against the wind.
The people have been paying attention, and the decks of each ship are also full of people.
As a mercenary captain, Yevlo was qualified to stay on the flagship, and this time he was ordered to bring his wife and even his infant son with him.
Hermi finally gave birth to the child very safely. Although the baby was very delicate, it was very risky to sail with him. Both Hermi and Yevluo knew the significance of this voyage, because Yevluo had received an important task, which was to go to the territory of the Suomi people to pull out an army of servants to assist the Russians in destroying Karelia in the first battle. Ah.
Therefore, as the Count of Finland, he rushed to support Ross with an army.
As for the Count of Finland, he is this infant boy!
Jevro has already named his son Satuli, which means warrior.
