It seemed that the constant shooting of arrows really turned the Russians in the fortress into cowards. The opponent was slow to counterattack, and the attacking Smolensk soldiers gradually developed an illusion.
Some soldiers holding large shields actually dropped their shields. Such people did not run away from the battle, but relied on the cover of their companions' shield walls and were busy taking off their cumbersome clothes.
Just because the weather is cold does not mean that you will freeze to death in a short time if you jump into the river. Some people boasted that they dared to take risks during winter swimming, so some people rushed to the ditch barefoot and shirtless, jumped into the cold and biting water with an iron dagger in their mouths, and swam forward with all their strength.
They thought of a move and took advantage of the golden opportunity when the Russians did not counterattack obviously. They reached the suspension bridge and cut the rope, creating an opportunity for the army to break through.
Such was the opportunity presented by the ingenuity of a brave few in the war, but they were too late. The Russians suddenly rose up like a turtle!
"Now! Let's go!" Yellinger gave the order. He led the soldiers holding crossbows to repeat yesterday's success, and suddenly he devoted himself to the people who were still shooting arrows randomly and gently pulled the trigger.
Due to the widespread use of crossbows, many of the Ostara boys in the defenders became sharpshooters, and their arrows accurately hit the target. The armor-piercing arrows obviously had too much firepower and penetrated the unarmored Smolensk archers. The torso, and even the throat was sealed with an arrow.
It was at this moment that a defender noticed the troublemaker below the city from the corner of his eye.
"Boss! Their frogs are destroying our suspension bridge!" Hearing this, Yellinger's scalp went numb as soon as he glanced at it.
He was just trying to dodge, and sure enough, this was the enemy's plot to throw arrows at random?
"Kill these frogs! Archers, shoot your arrows quickly!" The sudden counterattack stunned the attacking archer, whose arms and fingers were sore. He retreated when his companions were suddenly hit by arrows.
But I saw the five people diving in the icy ditch and reaching under the wooden wall.
"Frog", as soon as they landed, they saw the headless corpses of their fellow humans under the curtain wall. fear? No! Some are renounced anger.
The five people forgot their fear and did not expect to make meritorious deeds for a moment. They didn't want anything else but to destroy the damn suspension bridge at all costs.
The firing rate of the crossbow is not ridiculously slow. It can be strung up, inserted, aimed, and fired all at once.
However, some of the defenders were young. After hanging out with visitors from the grasslands for a long time in New Ostara City, young people who lacked games to kill their boredom took archery as a pastime.
The fourteen-year-old Ostara warrior Avender once again boldly explored his entire body. He stood on a high place holding a recurve bow.
The arrow is placed on the right side, and the deer bone wrench is put on the thumb of the right hand, pointing at the man who is cutting the rope.
"Frog" is
"Prairie style rapid fire". His arms are not yet capable of fully drawing the recurve bow, but the advantage is that he can ensure a high rate of fire.
However, the arrow clearly hit the enemy, but they were still cutting the rope. All five people were hit by arrows, and two of them looked like they had ears of wheat growing on their exposed backs. They were vomiting blood and moving their hands without stopping.
The suspension bridge is controlled by two small winches. Since the outer wooden wall was hastily made and the supporting suspension bridge system was also hasty, it is not difficult to destroy it.
One winch has been damaged and the last one is left! The suspension bridge had already tilted due to the broken ropes, and was only one step away from falling as a whole due to damage.
The defenders standing on the high ground saw the two brave men, and no one saw them more clearly than Ayvind.
"You Smolensk people actually have brave warriors who are not afraid of death?!" He didn't know the identity of that warrior, but the man turned his face sideways and vomited blood. His eyes widened and he looked like a winner. With a smile on his face, he continued to work hard to cut the cable, even though this man was hit by no less than ten arrows in his back.
"No!" In desperation, Avender threw away his bow, found a cable and tied it to a protruding piece of wood on the scaffolding. He grabbed the rope and descended without warning.
He staggered slightly and fell, rolling on the muddy ground. He drew his sword angrily and rushed towards the enemy who continued to cut the cable.
However, he was still a step too late. The last rope suddenly snapped, and even though Avender had already killed the enemy at this moment, he watched helplessly as the suspension bridge crashed down and crashed into the mud on the other side of the ditch.
No one expected that the battle would turn out like this. Especially Vadim, he had no intention of destroying the suspension bridge. After all, destroying the bridge only meant that he could touch the city gate. As for breaking it, he would need to find another way.
At first, the retreating Smolensk army was completely stunned, staring at the collapsed suspension bridge in disbelief.
A young Varyag warrior holding a bright white steel sword stood at the end of the bridge, and after standing up, there was a closed wooden door.
It was a kind of provocation. The butterfly helmet with blindfold eyes and a slightly thin body. The warrior only had a bloody sword, as if to say: "Anyone who comes to challenge will die." Who wants to challenge such a reckless man in a duel?
That is, the Varangians love to do some duels. The villagers of Smolensk have heard about that kind of thing. As for the locals... duels are not respected. Instead, the two sides of the conflict organize young people to fight in groups with bare hands and reconcile the conflicts at once.
Now is the real battle, why not attack together? Vadim never dreamed that the suspension bridge would collapse now. He was overjoyed, brandishing his sword and shouting: "What are you doing standing still?! Rush! Thanks to the God of Fire for blessing! Glory belongs to Smolensk!" Or was
The words "Blessed by the God of Fire" are inspiring, and the sluggish warrior finally realizes the opportunity. A Smolensk warrior holding a bow endured the pain in his arms and aimed at the young warrior at the bridge.
To be fair, these hunters' archery skills were quite accurate. The arrows did hit the warrior's body, but the bone arrow clusters were not even worthy of leaving scratches on the plate armor.
Even if an archer replaced his treasured iron cluster arrows, he still could not penetrate the warrior's passing arrows.
"Plate armor assembled from surface-hardened carbon steel sheets." Incredible! Absolutely ridiculous! The shooters simply don't understand, are the Varyag warriors invulnerable?
At first, Avender, who was imprisoned, was indeed scared, until his plate armor and helmet were scratched by arrows, and his fear soon turned into young and frivolous bravery.
This boy simply spread his legs and raised his chest. Anyway, he had armor on the front of his body, arrogantly acting as a target for the enemy - an impenetrable target.
"Is that enough?!" Avender suddenly asked sharply in Slavic: "I am Avender from Ostara! This is Vitebsk, the city of Rus! Come! The escapee Vadim, come with me Duel!" openly challenged?
! Vadim never expected that a half-grown boy whose childish voice had not yet fully transformed into an adult male voice would actually provoke him.
Shock? No. Look at the dead war horse near the wooden door. The horse's legs are missing. If he rushed there, wouldn't he fall into their plot?
! There must be a shooter watching the opportunity and preparing to snipe. Vadim was convinced that the sharpshooter in the fortress was waiting for him to die.
The Smolensk army was advancing slowly, and the archers retreated back to the shield wall when they saw that shooting arrows was meaningless. Even though they were imitating the Varangian shield wall, the stacking of round shields on top of each other was really intimidating.
But, is this also a shield wall? ! It looks like one thing from a distance, but another thing from up close. Even the too-young Avender noticed that this was a poor imitation.
The defenders fired arrows at the enemy, and the torsion slingshot also began to show its power. Someone on the attacking side began to be hit by arrows, but the situation was completely different from yesterday.
The descendants squeezed the predecessors, and the defenders in front were ravaged by arrows and javelins but could not retreat. The crowd became more and more dense, the soldiers squeezed each other, and the soldiers in the rear were still advancing.
The closer the array was to the front, the more it looked like a canned herring. Those who were hit by the arrows would either grit their teeth and hold on, or their bodies would collapse and be trampled to death by their companions.
The attackers began to spontaneously raise their round shields over their heads to avoid the sharp arrows, but this was effective. The armor-piercing arrows could not completely penetrate the oak shields deliberately made by the Smolensk army. After the arrow clusters penetrated the wooden boards, the arrow shafts got stuck in them. Whether the arrow clusters could kill the enemy depended on luck.
From now on, the attacking soldiers were hit by arrows in their palms and arms at most. Due to the super adrenaline level stimulated by the soldiers in the chaotic battle, even if they were seriously injured, they could not feel pain.
as if! A swarm of squirming monsters moved slowly towards the Vitebsk fortress. as if! As long as the monsters pass through the suspension bridge, they can break through the gate and complete the destruction of the city they dream of.
How could the East Gate Bridge be guarded by Aiwende, who was only fourteen years old? Being a coward? Or be a hero?
Even just for a little while?
"I am a hero! If I die in battle, I will enter the Hall of Valor!" He said to himself to gather his courage. Young people firmly believe in those legends, especially because they firmly believe that they are essentially fighting for King Rus.
It's best if one man kills the enemy so that they can't cross the bridge, and survives successfully to become a hero. Maybe he can be promoted to a standing army general by the king in the future!
As for dying in the torrent, it was a worthy death. The oak shield held above the enemy's head was like a hard blanket. Realizing that continuing to shoot randomly would be a waste of arrows, Jellinger simply ordered to stop shooting.
Jellinger would never open the door. He kept shouting and ordering Avender to hold on to the rope, and the brothers would pull the reckless boy back.
However, the shouting over and over again eventually turned into swearing and swearing. Any words spoken to that boy were clearly an insult to a stubborn person.
"Damn idiot! Do you really want to be a hero?!" Yellinger looked around, and he saw more young people who were eager to try. Apparently everyone had been wondering what that kid Avender was going to do, and no one complained about that brother. Recklessness is exactly what everyone wants to be a hero.
Indeed, the brothers all had this attitude. They were forced to continue to defend. If they could not protect themselves, a group of strong-blooded brats would collectively open the door and fight with the enemy.
Instead of rushing like that, it is better to fight in a more organized manner under your own command. Yellinger is old and doesn't think he can't rush to kill him. He still won't open the door, but points his big hand at ten warriors who are young and old enough.
"You guys, bring your swords and shields and follow me! Others, stand on a high place and continue to shoot arrows at the enemy! Use the captured arrows!" Then he added: "Don't hurt us." Duo Gen The cable was thrown down, and with a round shield on his back and a steel sword and hand ax hanging on his waist, Jellinger quickly completed the rope descent with a group of Ostara boys.
Avender is a little surprised, why are all the brothers already standing behind him? In front of them were the Smolensk warriors who were covering the sky and the earth with eager eyes. They built a dense shield wall and moved their spears forward in unison. However, Yelinger saw the tense enemies through the gaps in the shield wall. face.
"People of Smolensk, you haven't learned how to fight yet?" The narrow bridge created conditions for the defenders, and the situation of serious unequal forces was greatly improved.
The collapsed suspension bridge effectively created a situation where one man was in control and no one could get through. The defenders dispatched twelve warriors, led by the experienced veteran Yellinger.
Yellinger pinched Avender's neck hard and cursed rudely: "You are a reckless man. Because of your stupid actions, I have to stand here to solve the problem for you." But Avender did not. He didn't think he had a problem: "Uncle, are you just going to execute the prisoners and negotiate an honorable deal?! As you said, we are offering a blood sacrifice to Odin. You see, the enemy is approaching."
"Yes! Blood sacrifice to Odin." Yelinger stopped talking nonsense and ordered very calmly: "Shield wall!"
"Ho!" A loud war roar formed and a shield wall was built. Even though they are all young men, they are really pure Nordics in blood, specifically the Nordic little golden retrievers and the big golden retrievers from Lake Mälaren in Sweden... However, they are really wearing Ross-style jerseys, Even the thin shield wall built is blue and white.
"Hold on! We won't attack! Hold the bridge and let them die." Yellinger continued to order. A standard steel sword was placed on the shield. It was more suitable for stabbing than cutting. The sharp, strong, elastic and hard arrow sword was a hundred times sharper than the spearhead of the advancing Smolensk people.
Due to the pushing and pushing by the rear team, the soldiers were squeezed into the bridge trestle, and then stepped on the collapsed suspension bridge.
They were elite soldiers trained by Vadim. They all had a deep hatred for the Ross gangsters, but when they really had the opportunity to fight the enemy at close range, the situation was different. Many of them became timid and frightened.
One party moved carefully on the suspension bridge, and the other party set up a curved wedge-shaped shield wall. Jellinger was in the middle of the formation as the commander. He staked his life on the line, and the fight began.
The defenders' shields covered most of their bodies, and their heads wearing masks and helmets shrank behind the shields. Jellinger cleverly seized the opportunity to give orders to the crossbowmen on standby on the wooden wall. Then, all four torsion slingshots, including those mounted on the scaffolding, worked together. The arrows and javelins passed over Jellinger's head, facing the enemy in front of him. Hit a critical hit.
He only has four well-maintained torque slingshots in total. He originally thought that they could be mounted on a sled and he could try his luck at sniping a few bears not far away in the winter. It would be useful for killing enemies in unexpected battles. On the right track.
A javelin even penetrated two people, and the sharp spearhead also stabbed and injured a third person. The hard leather armor was shot at close range by the same person in the same dormitory.
Like candied haws, the three of them fell directly into the ditch with the spears piercing their bodies, and sank to the bottom of the ditch in a short time.
Such shooting is not about how many people are killed, but about completely disrupting the attacker's layout.
"Let's go!" Yellinger continued to order. When the defenders' shield wall begins to advance, hand-to-hand combat begins.
The warriors leaned their bodies against the shields, holding the steel swords in their right hands and stabbing forward continuously. The assassinations seemed chaotic but very efficient.
The attackers, who were in great disarray, were squeezed into the drawbridge by their companions and hurriedly responded to the challenge. Before they had time to adjust their shields, and the short spears became unable to be used here, they reluctantly raised their shields and pulled out their hand axes to attack the enemy.
In the chaos of the battle, people continued to be stabbed by steel swords. If there was no defense, an arrow would cause a fatal penetrating wound. They immediately fell into the trench and were slowly rushed into the main river along the circular trench by the slow-flowing West Dvina River... …and those wounded soldiers who were heavy enough sank to the bottom of the ditch.
Yellinger continued to order: "Young man, keep stabbing! Blood sacrifice to Odin!" The guards of the fortress stood unmoving at the bridge. The shield wall stood here, and the painted chalk mud on the shield was completely dyed with the blood of the enemy. The color is red, and the stripes of woad are more brilliant, forming a typical red, white and blue band.
The twelve blood-stained warriors are not only Ostara warriors, they also represent the glory of the Kingdom of Rus and the glory of the Odin warriors.
The friendly troops on high places are always shooting, responding to the enemy's poor bone cluster arrows, not asking for damage but only to disrupt the enemy's position.
As a result, the Smolensk army completed the refueling tactic. The rear team could not see clearly what the front team was experiencing, and Vadim could not see clearly either. With this
The "brave" kept giving orders, and the rear team had no choice but to squeeze the front team desperately. Yellinger was panting. He could continue to fight, but he saw that the boys around him showed no signs of fatigue.
"It's great to be young. I've never had such a comfortable fight when I was young." The old man couldn't help but sigh. Avender heard him, and the kid joked: "Uncle, are you really old?"
"I'm old, but I can still continue to fight. Do you know how to fight now? Maybe what you said is not impossible."
"What?" Avender asked breathlessly.
"With just a hundred of us, if we get the right opportunity, we can kill this group of enemies. Opportunities don't come to us. Remember, it's the gods who give us opportunities. You all should seize them. The enemy is coming again! Keep fighting!" , the twelve warriors of the garrison who had just taken a breather were plunged into a new fight, bathed in new blood...
