Rurik wants to cultivate the entire Novgorod region, and no longer hunt here like a hunter like he did in the past half century.
Sorgon voyages would give way to regular taxes, and outsiders collecting "protection fees" would become the real kings here.
Ligus's White Tree Manor is already relatively strong, while Uski of the Calf Manor and Toli of the Fisherman are much less powerful. All three of them interpreted Rurik's glorious declaration as a great opportunity for the future, and the loyalty they swore came from the bottom of their hearts.
This group of local Slavs has no clear lofty pursuits and beliefs. Worshiping the great god Peron or worshiping the invincible Odin is not the entirety of their lives. They are pure farmers. Fishing, hunting, logging, etc. are all additions to agriculture. Only by allowing them to obtain vast farmland through various means can they win their loyalty.
How to get farmland?
Land reclamation is a means, but it will take some years to bring a steady stream of land wealth.
Waging war against neighboring countries and plundering local people's farmland to grow their own wheat involves huge risks, and the benefits can tempt people to risk their lives. Similarly, farmland owners will fight to the ground against intruders in order to defend their farmland. Such people do not fight for any "warrior's faith" at all, they fight for everything they own.
It was precisely such enemies that Rurik had to face with caution, even if they seemed weak.
This was an era of the weak and the strong. Back then, the White Tree Manor was no match for the military power of the Pine Needle Manor, so it was forced to choose peace. It almost voluntarily withdrew from the fertile Lake Ilmen and handed over the farmland it had cultivated in the past. He cut down trees in the dense forest to open up fields, and after a period of rough and treacherous life, he suddenly opened up new acres of land on the banks of the Volkhov River.
The desire for revenge is passed down from generation to generation, causing the farmers of White Tree Manor to take up arms and take back the farmland of their ancestors. They have no moral scruples and even kill their opponents without mercy.
As a true duke, Rurik began to plan his campaign.
"We will take the initiative to launch a comprehensive and powerful attack. Even if they have 10,000 people, our army should have a lot of troops according to the current situation!" Rurik looked at Rigus.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Duke. My Medved leads the banner force. The strength is still eight hundred men. Just as shown in past battles, their wall of spears can kill all approaching enemies."
Ligus's answer was very confident, and he added: "The population of my farm is also different from what it used to be. There are still many young and old people who can pick up weapons, even if they are sharpened wooden poles. Male and female warriors Taken together, I... can still produce two thousand more warriors."
Two thousand new warriors?
Rurik was slightly surprised: "I did see a large farm. Tell me, what is your current population?"
"This...probably exceeds five thousand people."
"So many?! How dare you call yourself a small farm?!" How could Rurik not be surprised? A farm of five thousand people, placed on the shores of Lake Mälaren in Sweden, is a very powerful force. This Rigus can call himself a prince, and his manor can call itself a city-state.
Obviously, Ligus still doesn't know how strong he is. Maybe their fear of Pine Needle Manor still cannot be gradually improved because of the increase in size.
Otto took the opportunity to signal: "Rurik, this is your first time coming to Novgorod. Unlike me, I have been coming every year for twenty years. The population increase in White Tree Manor is only these few days." It’s a matter of years.”
"Yes, yes." Ligus immediately complimented: "This is all a gift from the great Russian people. Our life has become better. Many people from other farms have boldly moved to my place, and even your territory."
"Not only that." Otto smiled: "Those people use your farm as a springboard to move to New Roseburg."
If Rurik's announcement to directly notify the ruling Novgorod was clever, Otto's strategy of pulling one faction to fight another was nothing short of a clever plan.
The Slavs in this lake area are actually divided into three waves: those who support Russia, those who oppose Russia, and those who support whoever wins.
How many people are there in the fence-riding faction? Neither Rurik nor Otto can think much of these people.
There is only one thing Rurik wants to know accurately - what is the population of Pine Needle Manor, the main enemy?
Specifically, are there really 10,000 men and women who can afford weapons?
When it comes to the most critical issue, Rigus, Tolley and Uski all have ambiguous attitudes.
They frowned slightly, and Rurik was very annoyed: "Let me ask you a question. Their total population must be 20,000? Give me an accurate number."
"Definitely not twenty thousand," Tory said.
Uski hurriedly denied: "Maybe only 10,000 people."
"They persecute us and prohibit people from White Tree Manor from asking about their population." Rigus regretted: "At least I can't face them."
Rurik clenched the weak golden beard on his chin: "Then it is assumed that they do have ten thousand armed men. What is our total strength now? Rigus, the two thousand people you call do not count, pick out ten for me. Men from five to fifty years old. How many can there be?”
"We can probably add another four hundred people."
"Then your total number of people is 1,200." Rurik concluded.
"There are still only four hundred. Because the Slavic Banners are your warriors."
"You... are right." Rurik turned to Toli and Uski, "You two also handed over an army at this age."
Tory blurted out: "Barely two hundred people."
In order not to lose to him, Uski gritted his teeth and said, "I am also a 200-man warrior."
"In this way, you can send up to 800 troops? Not a lot, but a lot. Your so-called warriors are all farmers, and they are not real warriors in my eyes. I am their commander-in-chief, and I will not let them lead the battle. . You can all rest assured that if you follow my plan, your people will not suffer any battle losses or even be injured. Unless, you violate my arrangements."
The three of them looked at each other and remained silent for the time being.
As for the real strength of the Russian army, it is very clear.
The Warriors' First Flag Team and Third Flag Team were fully reorganized, with a total of one thousand Varyag warriors in classic costumes. They wore completely uniform military uniforms, and the two staggered blue stripes stitched on the chest of the gown were the symbol of Ross. The warriors all carry log shields that can protect the entire torso. The shields are either covered with leather or reinforced with thin bronze skin. The surface is also painted. Most of them are coated with pine gum and then sprinkled with chalk mud powder and Then apply woad dye.
Otto came with some old guys from the Second Flag this time. He lost some old soldiers, and there are still more than a hundred of them. They are thirsty for revenge and swear ruthless revenge on the villains who attacked Pine Needle Manor. But Konuson Jr. brought more than 100 additional people, and these people were simply incorporated into the Second Flag Team, making the flag team's strength exceed 300.
There were eight hundred warriors in the Slavic banner, and their armament was almost a spear. Fortunately, they have received training, and most of them have experienced the decisive battle on Gotland. Having experienced large-scale war scenes, they are not afraid of new wars. Moreover, most of them come from White Tree Manor, and a large number of people come from other manors other than Pine Needle Manor. They are now all New Rus's and are directly responsible to the Duke of Rus himself. So Rigus's remarks are completely correct. This "Spear Banner" is only loyal to Rurik.
As for the Marksman Flag Team, this team is a mixed bag. Young and old, there are elite mercenaries, armed sailors, Finnish people, and surrendered Danes.
There are also the Ostara Allied Forces led by Carlotta. For the time being, they have also been incorporated into the flag-shooting team.
The Flag Guard is like a big basket, with all kinds of people stuffed into it. But no one can deny that they can show their strong combat effectiveness in special ways.
As a result, the real strength of the Russian army reached 2,700 people.
The main force of Ross is indeed like this, and it is by no means exhausted. Even so, such an army would be able to fight all the way from Bremen to Rome on the borders of the Frankish Kingdom in today's corrupt and gloomy Europe.
When Rurik counted the troops he could accurately control with his fingers, Ligus, an old guy, could not hide his worries.
"Sir, are we going to fight Vadim's 10,000 people with more than 3,000 people?"
"What? Are you actually scared?" Rurik asked harshly.
"No." Rigus's heart trembled and he quickly denied: "I didn't say that the Russian army had few soldiers. It's just..."
"It's just that the number of enemies scares you. Ligus, you should just be a rich man with peace of mind. You don't understand the war, so don't mess with it."
"yes."
"However, the three manor owners you are present must still bring their own warriors to participate in the battle. Now are my specific tactical arrangements."
With white trees, calves, and fishermen's manors, they could muster at least eight hundred people into the so-called farmer's armed force. Rurik completely does not believe in the combat effectiveness of these untrained people. They lack organization and their individual physical fitness is worse than that of the Russian soldiers. They can only fight with the wind, so they will be used as auxiliary troops in the new battle, and they are not even qualified. It was completely unable to advance simultaneously with the Ross army. This is a group of burdens, and it is precisely the burdens that have certain uses.
Rurik believed that if they were given a task, these three guys would be able to squeeze out all the combat power of their manor, firstly to vent their hatred, and secondly to flatter the rulers of Russia.
What he was most worried about was the meaningless death of these farmers in the war, because these people still needed to cultivate the large amounts of vacant farmland that appeared after the war.
Based on these practical factors, Rurik arranged a land march strategy for the three of them. The peasant armies of the three manors brought their own various weapons to form a whole. When the Ross fleet launched a strong attack on the enemy's Pine Needle Manor, they took the land route to kill the Pine Needle Manor.
These peasant warriors must tie a strip of cloth or hemp rope on their left and right arms, and a strip of cloth should also be wrapped around their foreheads to show their identity and avoid misunderstandings in melee situations.
The "Nine Transformations" of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu once described it this way: "A general may be too benevolent and be exploited by the enemy; he may be too protective of the people's strength, thus limiting his tactical performance."
Rurik did have such a problem. What he cherished was definitely not the people of the hostile forces, but the farms of these three die-hard servants. Originally, he did not want these guys to join the battle, but this battle was indispensable for them.
The three farmer warriors of Ligus will march on the riverside. When they arrive at the outskirts of Pine Needle Manor, they will decide whether to march or not. Once the Ross army enters the farm and the battle falls into the most chaotic situation, they will take the opportunity to break out. In a sense, this group of people is a tactical reserve team, a reserve team with poor combat effectiveness, and the value of its existence is to aggravate chaos. They also got a more brutal mission - to kill anyone in Pine Needle Manor on sight.
Rurik, who issued such an order, was like a man-killer. He once resented such a tyrant, but when he took over the power and had to lead Ross to face many life-and-death tests, the brave man also turned into a dragon.
He had no burden in his heart, and the order given to the Ross army was exactly the same.
The Ross army will enter Lake Ilmen on ships and by water, and Pine Needle Manor will see the most powerful navy in Northern Europe in this era.
Lake battles would be non-existent, and the Slavic canoes would be meaningless against the sheer size of the Avora-class sailing cruiser.
The Ross Army will engage in a landing battle, but the landing battle will not be as violent as a beach landing.
Since we have very good long-range weapons, we should try our best to bring out their strong combat power.
Now, Avlora, Spellosvilia, Duke of Ostara, Gray Squirrel, and Chief Salmon. These five sail cruisers alone were equipped with fifty torsion slingshots.
Mercury, Venus, Mona, Mars, Eubit, Saturn, and Ouranos, these seven sail destroyers also have a total of forty-two torsion slingshots.
As many as twenty more torsion slingshots will be maneuvered for disposal. Rurik also prepared trolleys for these weapons, which were originally used as heavy land warfare weapons.
There are also twenty-five bull trebuchets, which have no accuracy, but the advantage is that they can throw all kinds of stones, and pebbles as big as a fist can be thrown to a distance of three hundred meters.
Basically, the sailors and shooters control these heavy weapons. It is supposed that these terrifying ship-based and land-based weapons will first deal a heavy blow to the enemy.
Rurik always believed that it was a stupid tactic for warriors to fight at close range, especially when sword and shield players fought too dangerously.
Gunpowder weapons can be created according to Ross's current strength. For the time being, Rurik has no idea of developing this technology. The biggest reason is that the current armament situation is already domineering in Northern and Eastern Europe.
Twenty-seven hundred Russian warriors will be deployed on sailing cruisers, sailing destroyers, armed cargo ships, and up to thirty traditional longships.
It is the most traditional longship that has the most tactical value in landing battles on lakes. Because they themselves are the most suitable landing craft!
Thirty longships squeezed in a little, and the most elite warriors of the first and third flag teams rowed hard. A thousand warriors will serve as the initial landing force. They are engaged in work similar to Ma Run.
Arik and Hellafed will open up the situation at the beach, but I am afraid that the first thing they will face is a pile of dead bodies on the beach.
Rurik decided to deliberately spread out the fleet, facing the enemy sideways, and deliberately let the enemy stand still for some time to allow the enemy to gather their forces, luring them to form a formation on the lakeside (at least in a group) and then launch a long-range attack.
What kind of tactic is this? It is actually the most classic joint tactic for sea and land landings since ancient times. It's just that the ironclads are now wooden-hulled ships, the steel heavy cannons are now torsion slingshots, and the landing craft are all Viking longships.
"I hope they really gather 10,000 people on the lakeside, so that our hundreds of torsion slingshots can kill 10,000 of them at one time. I hope they are as tough as pine trees, so our people take some time, We can kill them all with arrows, javelins, and stone bullets.”
Rurik's summary made everyone applaud.
Because their opponents were not real Vikings, Arik and others had no intention of engaging in a warrior's duel with such rebellious farmers. Their opponents were not worthy at all, so how to kill them had nothing to do with them.
Formulating complex tactics is not appropriate in the current era, precisely because generals are unable to pass new orders to grassroots troops in a very short time. Since the delay is too long, they have to formulate a tactical framework.
Rurik finally concluded: "I don't have much military rations. My main enemies this year are the Karelia people. The crusade against rebellion is purely an accident that must be settled. I will give you a day of rest tomorrow, and we will launch our attack in two days." War! Pay attention, this time we are not punishing Vadim, the rebellious manor of Pine Needle Manor. Pine Needle Manor will cease to exist after this war. You should understand what I mean!"
The people present looked at each other and laughed, but the smile was ferocious.
But it was a tragedy for the rebels of Pine Needle Manor. They brought a variety of weapons to congratulate "Prince of Novgorod" Vadim and follow him for his feats of resisting the Russian invaders. It's a pity that they had no idea what kind of terrible enemy they had provoked. All the armed farmers saw were the astonishing number of companions gathered, and everyone's morale was high!
But their current appearance is almost the same as that of cows. Vadim has not planned an active attack, at least not yet. He consciously prepared a huge army, decided to hold a grand sacrifice on the summer solstice, summoned the leaders and priests of each farm, and used the severed heads of the Rus people as sacrifices, becoming the well-deserved prince of Novgorod. .
Even though they all know that the Russian ships are anchored in the waters where the lake enters the Volkhov River. Their optimism caused them to seriously misjudge the situation, and even ignored the defection of entire families from small estates. They naively believed that the Ross ship's failure to penetrate deep into the lake was a sign of cowardice, and the people of Pine Needle Manor did not take the initiative to attack. It seems like this is a subtle confrontation?
Pooh! The stupid Vadim could not have imagined that the elite main force and the strongest fleet of the Russians who had killed all over Northern Europe in just a few days had already gathered in the Volkhov River, just like arrows on the bowstring.
