Even if they shoot with a crossbow while riding a horse, they still need a lot of time to learn to use the crossbow well.
More than just crossbows, the weapons used by his subordinates were infantry weapons, which were not suitable as mounted weapons. Just like when a rifle is used for horse fighting, it is always inappropriate because the barrel is too long. The improved carbine is all carbine type, and there is also the operation of equipping the cavalry with Bobosha. The latter is naturally a good thing Budyonny did.
The crossbows most equipped in the Principality of Rus have wooden arms. Except for the core crossbow mechanism made of bronze, other parts are made of various types of wood.
Even if it is a short wooden bow, it is just a wooden pole with a length of 98 cm when the bow string is removed. The crossbow made with it is too wide, and it is still very troublesome for riding on horseback, unless all these guys use it. Take a lightweight recurve bow.
Rurik immediately invented a way to deal with the trouble, which was to install a simple bracket on the right side of the saddle so that the existing crossbow could be placed at an angle of 45°.
The arm of the wooden arm crossbow used for horse fighting must also be shortened, to at least 75% of its previous size. The shoulder rest should also be eliminated and condensed into a straight stick, which is convenient for hanging and shooting from horseback.
After preliminary experiments, these improvements seemed to be quite effective. In just two days, eighty wooden-arm crossbows were whittled into horse fighting styles.
The range of the standard light arrows they fired has not been shortened, although the draw length is much shorter and the deformation of the bow arms has also increased. This is certainly not a good thing, as it reduces the service life of the short wooden bow at the heart of the crossbow.
To put it bluntly, what Rurik needs most is the Pechenegs' tendon recurve compound bow.
It was another sunny but very cold morning, the cavalry training entered a new stage, and the grand Russian festival was approaching.
Hanukkah is coming!
All people attach great importance to this festival, which is "New Year's Eve and New Year's Day" throughout the Principality of Russia. All ethnic groups under the rule of the principality will hold grand sacrifices on the winter solstice and consider this to be the beginning of the new year. This custom is also very similar among the Pecheneg people!
As part of the deal, Kagan convinced his men to hand over thirty recurve bows. At first, these slave warriors were reluctant, but Kagan comforted him: "You will get that kind of crossbow lying horizontally. Although the ordinary carpentry of the Russians is terrible, their crossbows are really wonderful. You can fight with them Exchange it, and when you go back, the person who handed over the bow will get a new one, and the crossbow will still belong to you."
All the brothers were convinced by this.
No one dislikes having too few bows. Having one more crossbow gives brothers one more choice.
Slave warriors noticed that the Russian crossbow could make beginners become sharpshooters in a short time. With this item, hunting marmots and foxes on the grassland would become much easier.
But how come Kagan’s pattern only has this point?
He could not understand the mechanical structure of the Russian crossbow machine, but he could understand how the bow arm was connected to the crossbow body. He couldn't help but mutter: "I will dismantle your short wooden bow when I go back, install the recurve bow and fix it with glue and rope. Wouldn't it be a good weapon? The slow rate of fire is nothing, my people have become gods. Shooter. Magyar boys, I will teach you a lesson when the time comes and open your eyes."
Because the Pecheneg Tribal Alliance is facing a rather dangerous international conflict, they are actually outsiders and compete directly with the Magyars and Khazars for the lush lower Volga River area. The dispute continues and maintains a dynamic balance. If one side has better weapons, the balance will favor the side with advanced weapons.
Kagan was so happy because he felt like he had gotten a big deal.
Isn't this the case with Rurik?
The two sworn brothers each got what he wanted.
The combination of ribs and angles of the Pechenegs' recurve bow is a high-tech material science, and the mechanical structure of the Russians' cast bronze crossbow is even more high-tech. However, in terms of manufacturing efficiency alone, the Russian crossbows are still highly productive.
Today is a rest day, both warriors and horses need to take a good rest. Soldiers have the right to eat and drink, especially roasted deer legs, to ensure that their muscles can further expand and further enhance their combat effectiveness. The horse should also be given a snack. Just five pounds of oats is not enough. The amount of feed is doubled, and more yellow root carrots are added to supplement the vitamins.
A reindeer sleigh was pulling some cargo, and the supplies were tightly secured with a piece of cloth.
Rurik himself led a small group of his men, and they all walked solidly on the snow on wooden shoes nailed with iron nails.
The sleigh stopped in front of the barn where all the Pechenegs lived, and the noise outside caused people inside to come out one after another.
Kagan had already made peace with his brothers, and he walked out of the door with enthusiasm and opened his arms to express his goodwill to his sworn brothers.
"Today is a nice day, a good day for trading. Look at my men, their bows are about to become yours. So..."
Rurik nodded with satisfaction and motioned to his men to lift the cloth on the sled.
In an instant, a dazzling array of neatly stacked wooden arm crossbows appeared.
"Start the exchange now. All thirty crossbows are yours."
"Thirty?" Kagan looked a little embarrassed, then he got closer to Rurik and couldn't help but say: "Brother, I changed my mind. Your crossbow is wonderful, since you value my compound bow. I want it." Otherwise, we expand the transaction and I exchange all forty bows with you in equal amounts."
"Forty for forty?!"
Rurik couldn't help but step back, his face trembling violently. He quickly stabilized his mood and agreed decisively.
I didn’t expect Kagan to go to such extreme measures. If this guy brought a hundred recurve bows, why not sell them all? "No, I have to control my emotions. I can't let him see me craving a recurve bow." Rurik hurriedly controlled himself.
"That's the deal." Rurik held his head high, and after snapping his fingers, his subordinates sent a steel-armed crossbow as planned.
"What is this? It's also a crossbow?!" Kagan was shocked.
"This is my personal treasure given to you. It is our best crossbow. Of course, the cost of manufacturing it is also astonishingly high. One bow is worth ten. I am now sending someone to get ten additional wooden arm crossbows. Bow, take this opportunity. I! Can show you how to use this steel-arm crossbow."
Having lived in Ross for almost two months, Kagan has never seen the steel-arm version. He really couldn't understand that a piece of iron could actually be used to make a bow?
He was surprised that this crossbow had an iron arm, which was weird and weird. One crossbow was equivalent to the price of ten recurve bows. Why was it so expensive?
What surprised him even more was that special tools were needed to wind this thing. Kagan has become accustomed to the crossbow step-stretch method, and the steel-arm version of forced step-stretch is also possible. Even if a strong man does it a few times, he will basically collapse, unless a winch tool is used.
It's so laborious to wind and the whole thing is quite bulky. How about shooting with it? If it doesn't work well, then it's worth buying a piece of junk at a high price.
I saw a very short and thick arrow installed in an arrow trough. It was not even as long as a person's forearm, and even thicker than a person's thumb. The arrow cluster was a slender pointed cone that glowed coldly in the sun!
Seeing that the iron plate armor taken off by the Pechenegs was still hanging outdoors, Rurik had just finished winding it and pointed a finger: "Brother Kagan, it seems that you made a dummy of the armor and placed it at the door. It is a sign of power. Are you particular about it?"
"Of course. I can understand if you don't let your brothers carry weapons in the city. Anyway, you ordinary Russians walk around on the road without weapons in your hands. I can only show our identity by putting on armor."
"Because the city is a very safe place. Except for patrolling soldiers and my guards, ordinary people don't need to use weapons to protect themselves. It doesn't matter." Rurik had an idea: "I need a target. Brother Kagan, do you believe it? I can pierce your armor with one arrow from this thing."
"Um?"
"One arrow pierces armor." Rurik further emphasized.
Rurik repeated it three times in a row, and Kagan was sure that he heard correctly, but Prince Rus's description was clearly a fantasy.
Naturally, the quality of Pecheneg's iron plate armor was not good due to material limitations. A cavalryman wore hard cowhide armor on the inside and armor on the outside. Such a warrior could defend against the enemy's cavalry archers. Face shot! Of course, ordinary cavalry cannot have such luxurious equipment. As the top nobleman of the Khan family, Kagan's private soldiers are naturally equipped with a good set of armor.
Kagan has plenty of self-confidence, and this happens to be an opportunity to prove the superiority of Pecheneg's armor.
"Okay! I'll let my subordinates wear leather armor and then iron plate armor. Just shoot at him. If you can penetrate him, I lose."
What's the point of such reckless words and the King of Qin raising the cauldron? Before Rurik could persuade him, Kagan summoned his subordinates like a demon. Immediately, an extremely proud Pecheneg warrior stood up, patting his chest and claiming that his armor was invincible.
Rurik just glanced at it and sighed in his heart. If you look closely at the so-called armor-piercing armor, it looks like iron sheets connected in series, just like the scales of a carp stacked closely. But even so, can it withstand the blow of a carbon steel armor-piercing arrow?
"This...isn't appropriate! If I accidentally kill your subordinates, I will blame myself very much."
"Brother, are you cowardly?" After saying that, Kagan laughed.
Immediately, there was a madman who quickly put on his leather armor and then his armor, and stood on the snow like a horse.
The nobles want to play a "game" and put themselves in the position of slave warriors. This is a shortcut to change their destiny. As the saying goes, wealth can be obtained through danger. Some guys just want to try out body armor, which is equivalent to risking the future. Khankagan expresses his loyalty.
Look at the Pecheneg warrior wearing armor and walking on horseback. He is already dreaming of becoming a general under the Khan in the future.
This person is so proactive, what else is it if it's not provocation? !
Rurik was too lazy to be humble anymore, and stamped his feet vigorously, with murderous intent in his heart, and said bluntly in Slavic language that they could understand: "Warrior! You may die! You could not die, it is all your own choice. I respect you as a man, and if you die, I will bury you in the cemetery of our Russian warriors."
Look at the Pecheneg warrior punching his chest with both fists: "This is my destiny, come on! It is also my honor to be killed by Rus Khan. However, my noble armor can stop your noble arrows." "
Rurik looked at Kagan's resolute and expectant eyes again, then kept a distance of about twenty meters from the person who was trying the arrow. He half-knelt down and held the steel-arm crossbow, took aim and pulled the trigger.
With a crisp swish, the slender cone head of the sharp carbon steel armor-piercing arrow penetrated the man's abdomen directly, or in other words, most of the approximately 10cm arrow cluster was buried in it.
The man screamed loudly and was knocked down by the powerful kinetic energy. Then he held his stomach and rolled on the ground, with blood oozing out.
Kagan was stunned by all this, and the onlookers hurriedly rushed forward. Even Rurik dropped his crossbow.
Kagan knelt down in a hurry and was shocked by the scene before him. The long and narrow arrow cluster was almost completely buried. It ignored the iron pieces and leather armor and penetrated deeply into the warrior's belly.
"I have already shown mercy." Rurik said with a dull face as he came up to him, "If I had shot his heart, he would have died."
"You!" Kagan gritted his teeth, "You might as well kill him directly. Hit him in the stomach and he will die in extreme pain due to severe fever."
At this moment, the painful Pecheneg soldier was heard shouting: "Kill me. I lost, I should die!"
The success of this arrow in breaking through the armor gave Kagan an indescribable shock. He actually pulled out his meat-cutting knife and wanted to stab his subordinate in the neck to complete his "willingness to accept defeat". However, he clearly held the handle of the knife tightly and was still an assistant. Instead, he turned his face sideways: "Rurik, you..."
"Should I just let him do it?"
"Is it okay? He is a reckless man, and I want him to live. You can give him death, or you can give him life!"
"Okay." Rurik remained calm: "We Russians have some advanced medical skills, but whether he can survive depends on..."
Rurik paused deliberately, then suddenly had an idea and said deliberately: "You are already in Odin's domain. Whether this person can survive depends on God's will. Kagan, you and I continue to trade, and you also saw it. I will give the power of this crossbow to you personally."
On the other hand, Kagan was no longer happy that he had obtained the killer weapon, but was deeply shocked. How could he be happy in the face of this weapon that destroyed his brothers' faith in armored defense?
He was trembling and thankful. Fortunately, the Principality of Ross was in the far north. It would take three months to reach Ross at the earliest! I am glad that Pecheneg and Rus are in a substantial alliance, and I am glad that I and the Prince of Rus are sworn brothers.
If the person who shot them had really created a rift in the newly established friendship, from Kagan's subsequent shocking performance, Rurik could see that this man actually valued his subordinates, even if they were all slaves. warrior. This seems to be the right choice to show mercy.
Soon, the crossbow-to-recurve-bow transaction was successfully completed.
Maybe a reckless man's act of testing his own arrows could turn out to be a good thing?
There is currently no real hospital in the Principality of Rus, and the priests take on the work of doctors and nurses.
Ordinary people do not encounter severe colds on weekdays. The most common one is diarrhea caused by eating bad food. With the improvement of the health level of the entire principality, diseases that were common in the past have been greatly reduced, the infant mortality rate has plummeted, and the life span of the elderly is still increasing.
As people have to perform heavy manual labor, the number of people seeking medical treatment for injuries caused by injuries has increased.
In the era when the Ross tribe lived in the fjords, the priests were responsible for the work of treating diseases. Of course, that kind of treatment was mixed with too many witchcraft elements. Whether it had to be treated mainly depended on luck.
The situation has changed significantly now!
Because the Principality of Rus has set off a revolution in surgery! In principle, it is no longer the same routine as the Frankish Kingdom.
