An army is gathering, the soldiers of Arik's First Standard.
This unit had almost no casualties in the previous battles. The wounded were temporarily settled, and the remaining strong warriors still exceeded 470.
They received an important task - armed reconnaissance.
Speaking of reconnaissance, if they suddenly launched an attack, they would probably achieve huge results.
Rurik gave his brother a reminder: "If there are few enemies, attack them with force. If there are many of them, don't land rashly to fight them."
How to understand this? Arik understands.
There is no need for the huge Russian fleet to stay in the Volkhov River. Except for the Slavs who stayed in Novgorod to continue construction, the real Russian army should return to its original plan and return to the mouth of the Neva River to assemble.
Rurik was preparing to leave, and Arik's First Standard Corps was just the first to evacuate.
However, a heavy summer rain came unexpectedly!
The slightly hot air suddenly dissipated, and heavy rain poured down amid thunder.
People welcome such heavy rains in summer. Experience tells them that wheat seedlings that have not yet headed will grow better if they are moistened by heavy rains.
The heavy rain came and went quickly, and by the next day there was only drizzle. It was obvious that the weather was not far away.
After a delay of two days, the First Flag Team embarked on a clear morning.
This was an armed reconnaissance to discover and attack the Karelia people. It was obviously inappropriate to use large ships.
The Mercury, the only sailing destroyer with human propeller power, became the flagship of the squadron, followed closely by the Venus Mona.
As many as ten other traditional dragon-headed longships followed.
From any angle, the combat effectiveness of this fleet cannot be underestimated. If the Karelia people also have a fleet, the enemy will destroy themselves if they attack rashly.
Rurik did not think that the group of Karelians who tamed reindeer were very clever at all, but he was afraid that their military capabilities were about the same as those of the annihilated Tavastians.
How can the Karelians get the attention of the Russians if they can fight evenly with the Suomis?
The squadron furled its sails and drifted northward along the river.
The soldiers sang songs, talked and laughed and rushed towards the huge Lake Ladoga. They planned to establish a camp at the mouth of the lake into the Neva River, and then continue to move forward.
The trip of Arik and his party went very smoothly. They landed, stepped on the gravel beach, and lay down on the lakeside like animals to drink the cool water.
Some people even jumped in to take a bath, or took out soap to wash the linen clothes.
Bonfires were lit one after another, and someone caught fat burbot, and the largest one was immediately dedicated to Arik.
How can I not accept gifts from brothers?
Arik feasted on the boneless fish meat in his hands, and someone else chatted: "I heard that the old Duke also wanted to build a town here, so that the supplies shipped from Novgorod could stop here first. I don't know where to stay. Will Sir Rick execute it?"
"Do you think it's feasible?" Arik asked casually.
"Why not?" The man explained: "The lake area here is like a sea, and we haven't even explored its northern end. There are a lot of fish here, and we can easily kill them."
"Yes, there are a lot of fish. Brothers!" Arik's voice increased. "This time we will look at the northern end of the lake. There must be Karelia people there. If we find them, we will attack immediately."
"Huh? But my lord, the Duke asked us to be careful."
"Prudent? It's not like we are tied by ropes. Many of you followed me in my first attack on Gotland, and there were more than 400 of them at that time. Were you afraid at that time? Are you hesitant about the flagpole now?"
Such words leave everyone speechless.
Arik emphasized again: "My brother's words are just for reference. Brothers, if we annihilate the Karelia people, the greatest credit will be yours! Listen to me, I will act according to the opportunity."
They left an obvious mark, and the ruts left by the longship keels were left on the sandy lakeside.
The fleet passed through the mouth of the Neva River and entered here. The thirty Kovin long archers accompanying the army were not like the Russians, and they all began to feel inexplicable worries.
Will the army encounter disaster?
No, they simply entered completely unknown territory and felt pure fear.
Here in Novgorod, a great and famous city is under construction.
The Slavic men were sweating with their arms outstretched. They were sweating a lot, but so much salt was sprinkled into the oatmeal that no one worried about salt loss.
Even this kind of daily salt eating is unprecedented for the entire Baishu Manor.
On a clear evening, the soft light of the setting sun sweeps across the lake and forest. People who have worked hard all day become lazy, but only the Varyag people remain high-spirited.
Just because Rurik has given the order, the army will return to New Roseburg to assemble.
Rigus's home is a warm and dry place.
Svetlana is extremely looking forward to the birth of a new life, although the possibility is relatively low. Having a relationship too early will always lead to no results. This is what her mother gave her.
But after the wedding was officially completed, she had to leave White Tree Manor and follow her husband Rurik closely.
Even if it means participating in a war.
war? She is not afraid.
With Lanna actually participating in the battle, she felt that the Russian Valkyrie Sperosvilia had given her strength, and the heavy steel-armed crossbow would achieve new feats.
The girl's mentality is changing rapidly and she becomes a Varyag female warrior. She even looks forward to personally participating in the New Conquest War and fighting alongside Carlotta.
Rurik was not in his beloved wife's boudoir, so the men sat together and gathered together on the eve of the expedition.
Old Otto drank half a glass of strong wine, and he was vaguely convinced that he had vomited the truth after drinking.
"I won't leave this time! Rurik, according to your arrangement, go to your hometown and bring your women here to do big things. Bring your mother and daughter. I want to retire here."
Old Rigus was very supportive of Otto's decision. Now it seemed that this aging veteran was no longer intimidated by him, and his mumbled words were even somewhat approachable.
Otto's presence in charge means that the Ross people's momentum is in White Tree Manor, and the manor will have a respectable momentum to intimidate dissenters.
They talked a lot, especially that the ten maids were going back to their hometowns to count the acres of land, which was something Gus had never heard of.
The old guy was surprised and confused: "They... can they do it? They are just women."
"They were trained by me personally. They are not ordinary servants at all. Ligus, they are my scribes."
The Duke looked determined, and Ligus did not dare to say anything. He still didn't believe those women could do anything great, but their parents would be shocked if they came back in such wonderful ways.
The next day is the departure day.
The Ross army is gathering on the riverside. Except for some old guys who plan to spend the whole summer with old Otto in Novgorod (actually they also plan to immigrate and settle), the rest of the Varyag people will temporarily evacuate.
Only one ship, Sperosvilya, anchored in the river to show dignity, while soldiers from the other ships boarded the ship one after another.
This time it was not a tribute, but the fleet unloaded a batch of rewards. However, the army gained a lot of wealth through the war at Lake Ilmen. Naturally, it was unable to fight with the loot in tow, so the army moved lightly.
Rurik held his wife's hand and climbed onto the Aurora. Seeing that his daughter was about to leave again, Rigus, who looked up, was really filled with thoughts.
A few years ago, when the Ross ship was not so huge, the eldest daughter boarded the ship and left. Wait a minute, are the eldest daughter and grandson in New Roseburg now? The eldest son-in-law Kawei and the eldest daughter Lilia should also come back to visit relatives.
The younger daughter now looks exactly like her elder sister, and her status has been elevated to the rank of queen. His noble status is just right for this big ship.
The heavy anchor was stowed away, and the Aurora slowly moved down the river.
The people on the shore continued to cheer, and Otto stayed in the crowd. He saw and heard that these Slavs cheered farewell from the bottom of their hearts.
The Slavs had no fear, only kindness. Finally, the Russians became the masters of this lake area.
The huge fleet successfully arrived at the mouth of the Neva River in Lake Ladoga. There were obvious signs of fire on the shore. A little investigation revealed that this was done by Arik's troops.
Rurik has long been interested in the strategic value of this place. A permanent fishing village should be built here. It should be called the town of Ladoga or something else.
This will be inevitable. As long as the Karelia people are conquered, the entire Ladoga Lake will be completely safe, and the expanding population of the Rus Principality will spawn multiple settlements along the lake.
They did not stay here long, and as the fleet entered the Neva River, where the current became slightly turbulent, the voyage accelerated.
They arrived, and when Rurik landed, they suddenly discovered something strange in New Roseburg!
Rabbit Island is still covered with green grass. Opposite the island is the large wall and pier pier of the main city of New Roseburg.
The entire fleet docked here, and the grand scene attracted the residents of the city to come out of the city to watch, and even the city walls were filled with people.
A group of black-haired dwarves came over, and wasn't the leader Yevro himself?
"Who is that person? So strange." Svetlana asked curiously.
"This is the Finnish army I recruited. This way our troops will be huge and we will win."
Svetlana said no more. She did not believe that these black-haired men were very powerful in combat. Looking at the reality of their low stature, they were far weaker than the strong men of Ross.
Rurik got off the ship and immediately negotiated with Gevlo without talking to Governor Konuson.
As for Cornuson, his son is already happily reporting on his participation in the counter-insurgency war.
"How many troops did you bring?" Rurik asked.
Jevlo said proudly: "There are currently more than 400 people."
"Huh? That's it? Not bad, I just asked you to organize a flag team."
"My lord, please listen to my explanation. I am currently transporting warriors from Helminki on a single boat. You cannot expect their canoes to sail the sea."
Rurik nodded, "What is the attitude of the local leader?"
"My father-in-law? They... sir. We can discuss this matter in detail in the council chamber."
"That's fine. I'm tired. Let's discuss things first, and then I want to take a good bath..."
The meeting hall of New Roseburg now also has a "RUSDUMA" sign.
Rurik was meeting with the ministers here. He had no intention of being polite and insisted on asking about Jevlo's experience.
He got wonderful news.
"Haha, I really didn't expect that old guy to be so cooperative!"
"After all, the Karelia people were annihilated, and the Suomi people...are Finns. The Finns have no worries." Jevlo continued to explain.
"So have they started an active attack?"
"Indeed. All the men in Suomi have invaded the territory of the Karelia people and started to harass the strongholds they established. But sir, you must not think that the Suomi people are very capable of fighting. If it weren't for you, sir, you would lead a large army to attack , they did not dare to personally fight the attack."
Rurik nodded. The Finns he now defined almost only refer to the Suomi people. Their population is at most thirty thousand, and all the men who can fight are gathered together, with at most ten thousand uneven military strength.
They only had canoes and no navy, so they had to rely on Ross ships to assemble at Fort New Ross.
With Yevro's guarantee, Rurik believed that those people participated in the war as a whole family, but he did not believe that the Suomi people could win alone.
Without training, these guys are an atmosphere group!
"Yevlo, are the people you brought here training?"
"Yes, I train them in archery. Sir, they are not tall, so maybe they are organized into spearmen. But they are all good at archery. If they are replaced with a good crossbow, they will have good combat effectiveness."
"Crossbow? Forget it. Let them shoot with traditional bows, and I will reward them with some arrows with iron clusters."
Jevro understood it, and he realized that the Duke could not completely trust the Suomi people.
This is very normal. How can people trust someone without having the experience of fighting side by side? It was for this reason that Jevlo successfully persuaded the Suomi people to join the war collectively.
On a macro level, the "Finnish Army" has assembled a so-called 20,000-strong army! When Yevlo said this number, everyone burst into laughter.
There are at most five thousand people who actually have some fighting ability, and the rest are mostly just cheering.
Even so, Jevlo still explained his ambition.
"I plan to bring a thousand people to form two Suomi flag teams. I will train them in archery, archery on large ships, and formation on land. They will definitely be able to effectively support other brothers."
The words sounded encouraging, but Rurik immediately became worried: "There are so many people? What about food? I have no obligation to give food to the servant army."
"Don't worry about this. I towed some canoes. They fished and hunted rabbits near the bay. Sir, they have already paid tribute to more than a thousand rabbit skins!" Jevro said, and Conuson immediately responded. support.
A group of servants who bring their own dry food and can fish by themselves are here. Their strength can reach a thousand? This is not the number of people claimed to be there, it is actually a thousand people.
Jevlo provided the most critical intelligence.
"Sir, I learned about the core of the Karelian people in Suomi's hometown."
Rurik shivered: "Where?"
"It is indeed north of the Great Lake. I know that the Karelia people have multiple allied tribes. The largest one probably has a city near the lake. They are good at hunting bears."
"They dare to claim to be good at hunting bears? Forget it, their core is called Bear City?"
"I don't know about this."
Jevro also said a lot, and his intelligence and recruitment work was very gratifying.
Rurik was very satisfied that this man's heir was indeed a suitable hereditary Earl of Finland.
The fog surrounding the Karelians gradually dissipated, and their figures became clearer.
Rurik now fully believes that the Karelia people are indeed large Tavastians, and they will be very courageous. However, they are on the edge of human civilization and do not know that there are powerful enemies outside the great lake.
Rurik took a comfortable bath in New Roseburg. He just wanted to have his head flooded with hot water alone, and then be steamed softly in the sauna.
This big city has a clear plan. Nevsky Prospekt runs through the entire city, Harvest Square is in the middle, and the rest of the city is filled with residential buildings neatly arranged along the streets. The most valuable thing is that the city dug some gullies as a drainage system, and the residents, mostly Viking immigrants, took good care of hygiene. Every household has a dry toilet, but people don’t dare to dump feces and garbage on the road out of dignity.
Paving stone roads is a huge project. Laying cement roads is theoretically feasible, but the cost is too high.
New Roseburg must further expand farmland, reclaim wasteland, and then eliminate enemy dangers before further urban construction can occur.
It was here that Rurik gathered his army.
At this time, the Ross fleet began new operations.
The explorer Spyut took the big ship Gray Squirrel, then led two ships, Eubit and Mas, and the three ships went straight to Britain, asking for food tribute from King Aynred, and bringing the sincerity of the Principality of Ross to the Viking Kingdom of York. greeting.
The Salmon Chief will sail directly back to her hometown of Roseburg. Ella and the ten maids will arrive here and be sent directly to Novgorod, the hometown of those maids.
Many matters are under Rurik's careful control.
Only the unlucky Karelians, who had only recently become aware of the border crisis, began to mobilize their men to fight back against the rare Suomi invasion.
Unexpectedly, a fatal attack is about to cross Lake Ladoga, which is larger than the sea...
