Nominally, due to the addition of Calf Manor and Fisherman Manor, Otto's armed men increased by 300 people.
Are the newcomers trustworthy warriors?
Pooh! Can a barefoot, single-clothed peasant holding a spear be considered a warrior? They were not trained, had poor weapons and equipment, and were in poor physical condition.
Their current task is to defend, and Otto arranges for them to serve as flankers temporarily.
But Otto was surprised that they were poorly armed, but they actually raised a lot of cattle, and there were a lot of chickens stuffed in a lot of wooden cages.
Poultry is a good thing. They do not need to be carefully raised. They cannot fly if their flight feathers are removed. They can freely hunt insects near the farm like free-range chickens. Such poultry cannot eat too much fat and grow slowly, so they do not need to deliberately feed wheat grains.
Otto allowed the two manors to eat up part of the acres of the original Pine Needle Manor after the war was won, but some price would naturally have to be paid before that.
They all raise chickens, including White Tree Manor and the new ones.
The two manors provided a thousand chickens, and as a reward, Otto gave them more than thirty rusty spearheads to improve their weapons.
The old soldiers of Ross were busy eating chicken, roasting the chicken wantonly and eating only the bones.
The feathers of the chicken wings are all gathered together. Although there are no large and long flight feathers, the other feathers are still good materials for making arrow feathers.
The three estates of White Tree, Calf, and Fisherman were all actively preparing for war under Ross's rule. The men with spears were always on guard, and the women were mobilized to do military supplies.
For example, using newly acquired feathers to make arrows with generally disposable bone clusters.
Reinforcements from Fort New Rose finally arrived.
Following his father's instructions, young Konuson led an army of up to 400 men and rowed a traditional longboat up the Volkhov River.
The twenty boats washed up on the mudflat. They pulled down long cables and tied them to the nearby fir trees on the shore to secure the boats.
A bunch of classic Viking warriors disembarking?
Not only that, there are also a large number of Novorossians who speak Lislavian language among them.
Those were the so-called people who defected from various farms, and there were even men who defected from Pine Needle Manor.
Otto had a lot of trust in this group of people. They had all paid the grain tax to open up wasteland and farm in New Roseburg, and their families were all in the north. Their loyalty could be trusted.
Even so, Otto did not want to take the initiative. His plan was still to wait at White Tree Manor.
Young Cornuson led a new force to report to the old Duke. Seeing Otto's presence, he reported his situation on the spot. He made a bold suggestion: "There are rebels on the banks of the Great Lake. In my opinion, if I take some brothers to land on the beach, I will be able to annihilate all the rebels."
"No! You are too impulsive." Otto didn't seem to think, and immediately rejected the young man's proposal, and even warned: "I am the most powerful person here, you have to restrain your friends, who Anyone who dares to attack rashly will be punished afterwards."
"But do we really need to wait? We should strike first!" Little Konuson is still working hard, he is eager to make great contributions in the new battle.
Otto shook his head, pushed him suddenly, and ordered: "Don't attack rashly. We are on guard. We will wait until Rurik comes to decide when to attack. By the way, have you seen Rurik's fleet?"
"I...I didn't."
"No? How is this possible?"
Konuson Jr. did not lie. After all, Otto and Rurik acted separately. There was no clear communication between the two parties before the action. So when a rebellion broke out in Novgorod, Rurik was only ready to lead the army. New Roseburg.
There is a subtle time difference here, but fortunately the difference is not extreme.
Otto was moved by the young Konuson's offer, and even what he said was very constructive.
Based on the available intelligence, Otto can determine two things: First, the patricide Vadim of Pine Needle Manor can only control the people of his manor very well. Second, most other estates had a very ambiguous attitude toward the war.
So who is the main enemy? Naturally it is still the Pine Needle Manor.
If a small team is sent to launch a surprise attack and directly behead Vadim, will the local opposition be quickly eliminated?
This will definitely not be the case. I am afraid that the entire Pine Needle Manor should be uprooted and the root of this rebellion should be completely eradicated, so that the entire Novgorod can really obey.
Otto feels that he is getting old and has lost a lot of courage to forge ahead in recent years. He prefers to work steadily, especially in war. Otto actually has an inferiority complex. He feels that he has never been very capable. The land commanded too many armies to fight large-scale wars.
Obviously, only Rurik had the ability to command an army of 10,000 people in battle.
Although the young Conuson was prohibited from carrying out sneak attacks with hundreds of brothers, investigation work against the enemy was still required.
Vadim threatened to gather 10,000 warriors. No matter whether there was water or not, Ross had never faced 10,000 enemies in one battle in the past. Otto has a good mentality. Even if some people criticize him for being too old to be a coward, so be it.
On the other hand, due to the large number of troops, accompanying non-combatants and large amounts of supplies, Rurik's fleet was not sailing very fast.
Rurik had considered this situation from the beginning, but due to the actual situation, he arrived at New Roseburg one day after the planned time, which was the first day of June.
Before that, the fleet took the opportunity to approach Gogland Island and Kronstadt Island to take a look. Even a sailing destroyer undertook a special mission, which was to collect a batch of weathered and rain-damaged fist-sized granite stones on the spot after landing on Gogland Island to use as trebuchet projectiles.
The three larger islands in the Gulf of Finland are excellent reference points for the Ross fleet.
During the voyage, Yevlo was ordered to take a group of soldiers and leave the team on a sail destroyer. Their target was the city of Helsinki, and then went up the river into Kupa Boka, the core living area of the Finnish Suomi people in the inland lake area, and announced Duke Ross's order to the highest local nobles.
In other words, the Javlo couple went to Kupaboka as Counts of Finland, especially their infant son Satuli, who was the real Count of Finland.
Rurik had long given Gevlo a great deal of discretion. As a canonized noble, Gevlo had the right to recruit Suomi and Tavastians throughout Finland who were willing to fight for Rus to organize Finnish servants. military. There is no limit to the strength of this servant army, but weapons, food, transportation, etc. must be paid for at their own expense. The servant army will benefit from the war, and each soldier can obtain the spoils of war based on his ability.
However, they had no idea that something big had happened in Novgorod.
Rurik's plan was to use the coastal plains at the mouth of the Neva River as a good gathering place for the army. Then he would rest the army and send scouts to search for intelligence. He intended to find the core of Karelia's rule, destroy it with one blow and seek a way to defeat the enemy. A decisive battle to complete the final conquest.
The war model of this era was such that for many tribal groups in Europe, as long as the capital-like core was destroyed, the entire political entity would quickly be destroyed.
The arrival of the large Ross fleet did not surprise the people of New Rossburg. When Rurik's men disembarked one after another, the soldiers were surprised by the tall walls and solemn towers of this big city, and they were also surprised by the serious faces of the onlookers.
Carlotta frowned at the side of the ship. She patted Rurik: "It's strange. The atmosphere is a bit depressing. Don't the people here seem to welcome us?"
"How is that possible?" Rurik smiled awkwardly, "Maybe, a little bit. There are too many people here. Maybe they are worried that our big appetite will eat up all the local hares."
The girl couldn't help but smile, but the seriousness of the scene was a fact.
Something big must have happened here! There is no way New Roseburg had ever encountered an active attack by the Karelians. Rurik had to be suspicious, because he found the local governor Konuson and asked about strategic issues and even the situation of his father Otto.
Rurik disembarked, and more than a thousand warriors had landed before him. Many Balmoks, especially Hellafed Bringodson, rubbed their eyes hard and looked up at the Ross flags fluttering in the wind on the heavy wooden walls, as well as the big city itself, just like the old city. What Rosberg saw and heard made him once again feel his own insignificance.
Many soldiers became close to their local counterparts as soon as they got off the ship. Due to the lack of knowledge about the outside world, they were willing to share their knowledge with others. This inquiry was a serious one, and reports of a serious rebellion in Novgorod spread like wildfire.
The rebellion provoked by Vadim was almost just Pine Needle Manor coercing the rebellion of other manors. Most of them supported the rebellion in name, and they were very entangled in their hearts.
But the messenger sent by Otto arrived at New Roseburg, and the message was subconsciously embellished. Konuson explained it to Rurik, and it turned into a terrible geopolitical event: a barbaric guy assassinated Otto, and Gather an army and vow to drive out Rus' rule.
Konuson, who was standing on the trestle, explained this very urgently, which instantly made Rurik, who was smiling, frown.
"What? Otto was almost killed in an assassination attempt?!" How could Rurik believe this?
Cornuson used his gray beard as a guarantee: "Your Majesty the Duke, I have never deceived anyone in my life. In my opinion, this news is absolutely reliable. My son has taken four hundred brothers to Nov. Gorod's reinforcements to your father can make Lord Otto so eager, I'm afraid the situation in Novgorod is worse than I imagined."
"Is Otto still alive?!" Rurik asked cautiously.
"He's fine. The armor is an excellent defense."
Rurik asked: "Who is the perpetrator?"
"That's Vadim, who now calls himself Princip of the entire Novgorod. Sir, that crazy man is clearly provoking you. There can only be one Princip in this area, and that's you!"
After hearing this news, as an iron-blooded nobleman who relied on hard power to fight, Rurik's blood pressure rose. He has long since lost his innocence, and now it is no exaggeration to say that he is a ruthless nobleman.
"Assassinate my father, betray Rus and dare to call himself Princip (Duke), this person must die. It seems that I will kill a group of people in Novgorod and kill all the rebels and their families!"
Rurik said harsh words, and he really planned to do this in special times.
Is there anything more disgusting than this? When Ross gathered heavy troops and contacted his allies, he planned to effectively conquer Karelia, making New Rossburg an absolutely safe place. It was during this critical historical period that the Slavs in Novgorod rebelled!
Rurik no longer had any intention of visiting New Roseburg, or seeing his own palace and the rammed-earth "Harvest Square" at the door.
In the meeting hall here, he summoned all the flag captains under his command for a meeting on the same day as soon as he landed.
Even if you criticize Novgorod's rebellion in the most vicious tone, it is not an exaggeration. After all, reason overcame Rurik's emotions.
The rage did not dissipate, but turned into a plan to conquer the traitors.
The last thing Arik, Khelafed, Fraser and others could not tolerate were traitors. When they heard that their servants dared to rebel, the three of them thought exactly the same as Rurik - putting down the rebellion first.
Moreover, this situation is also related to the tribute demand this autumn. If the traitors are not hanged and liquidated, I am afraid that not enough food will be collected from Novgorod in the autumn. This is very important for the Rus Principality, whose food self-sufficiency rate is still extremely low. unfavorable. The life attitude of many Rus people who speak Norse has changed. They instinctively pursue good meals. Nowadays, life cannot be lived without wheat.
In the meeting hall, he loudly announced his new decision and wanted to hear the opinions of his colleagues: "It seems that the war against Karelia will be postponed. What do you think?"
"Fight the traitor first!" Arik said with a sullen face without hesitation.
Thus he spoke, and Khilaphid expressed the same opinion.
The opinions of those who participated in the meeting were completely consistent. There was no need for new discussions here. The crusade against rebellion had become the first priority. It was worth sending the entire army to Novgorod, and even Novorosberg no longer needed a new garrison.
Considering the population of Novgorod, Rurik was afraid that the enemy could assemble a team of astonishing strength, perhaps 10,000, or even 20,000.
Maybe the locals will burst out with resentment over decades of plundering their wealth.
Now that the information he has received is very limited, Rurik prides himself on being more cautious. There is nothing wrong with gathering superior forces to fight, but if he pulls out a team of 3,000 people, Rurik will be full of confidence.
Because war is not simply about piling up numbers, the gap between soldiers can be very huge due to the comprehensive influence of factors such as military strength, armament, discipline, logistics, etc.
Now that Konuson's son has led a group of warriors to Novgorod to meet with Otto at the White Tree Manor, it means that Medvet's Slavic flag regiment of 800 people is full.
In this way, the first and third flags were a thousand powerful Viking warriors, and there was also a team of more than 500 archers.
What is the true appearance of such a military? It is already close to the military appearance of the Battle of Gotland.
Not only that! There are still some people here in New Roseburg who are now Ostarians, and they should accept Carlotta's command to participate in the war. Another group of Slavs who immigrated to New Roseburg were armed and capable of fighting.
What's more, the White Tree Manor is like a dodder hugging the huge oak tree of the Rus' Principality. Novgorod has a large-scale rebellion. The White Tree Manor, as the rebels' first attack, will definitely use all its military strength to protect itself.
The meeting didn't last long, and there wasn't even much discussion. The Ross warriors present unanimously demanded that the traitors be eliminated and eradicated. As for the fact that the identity of the Karelians was still accompanied by the fog and they did not come to the south bank of Lake Ladoga to challenge the Principality of Ross, Rurik made a bold decision.
He entrusted Konuson with an important order: "Organize your remaining troops to ensure the alert of New Roseburg and ensure that the Karelias are unable to make a sneak attack. You also send a new expedition team to explore the north of the lake to collect intelligence."
Konusson nodded yes and had no more critical questions.
The situation was so urgent that Rurik only wanted to stay in New Roseburg for one night.
His determination inspired Carlotta, because this time the Duchess of Ostara could truly lead her army to fight as an ally of the Principality of Ross, even if there were only seven men and women who could fight together. There were only ten people. Due to their extremely weak strength, the so-called Ostara Army was directly organized into the Archer Flag Team, using bows and arrows as tactical support.
Rurik's determination also made Svetlana very happy. However, when she realized that the rebellion of the main manor in Novgorod would definitely bring disaster to her family's White Tree Manor, she cried until her eyes were swollen with tears. . Ross's army will immediately go south to put down the rebellion, and her pessimistic mentality is completely reversed.
The next day, most of the soldiers completely gave up the illusion of rest. Some non-combatants such as Arik's wife Asraqi stayed outside the local area with their children, and all the combatants went south.
Old Harald was delighted with the arrival of his daughter and son-in-law, and he was even more delighted with the birth of his grandson. He regarded his son-in-law Arik as a son, and now the powerful young man was going to war again. Old Harald did not say anything more, but gave Arik a few pieces of amber and some words of encouragement.
Like the other warriors, Arik is now a passing visitor. The huge fleet carried as many as 1,700 soldiers and sailors. This extremely powerful fighting force successfully passed through the Neva River by wind, and then floated to the Volkhov River on the shores of the Great Lake.
The large number of troops and necessary baggage forced the ships to no longer be able to move upstream quickly. Rurik knew that there would be a drawback after he assembled an army - logistical problems.
The Ross army cannot be stationed for a long time. When the army arrives at White Tree Manor, it must start training immediately, and even launch a full-scale attack on the traitors a few days later.
Rurik couldn't afford it. Even if he unloaded a large amount of wheat at Fort Novosibirsk, that food was prepared for the attack on Karelia. Allocating time to counter the rebellion has already canceled more than half of the original plan!
If this battle cannot be resolved quickly, it will directly affect the success or failure of conquering Karelia this year.
Finally, one cloudy afternoon, taking advantage of a wonderful north wind, Ross's main fleet against the current suddenly gained strong momentum. Rurik's final voyage went extremely smoothly. He saw the wood carvings and a large number of haystacks at White Tree Manor. , and even a large number of Viking longships parked on the riverside.
People on the shore also raised their heads, danced and cheered for the Russian flags on the fleet mast.
Rurik and his army followed Lord Otto's request and arrived at White Tree Manor!
