The latest website: Rurik's plan was beyond everyone's expectations, but after thinking about it, it became reasonable that the order came from the mouth of the king.

Because the king even made a "route map plan" for the whole operation, it seems so perfect, the only flaw is that no explorers have confirmed the existence of this route.

As long as there is one success, some Ross people will take this route again.

Rurik was willing to be such a hero's pathfinder, so the captains of each banner had no choice but to follow the king.

After the meeting, the captains of each banner returned to their camps, and then all the lower-level officers in the team got together, and then the captain of the banner recounted the meeting minutes and spirit of the meeting.

The order was finally conveyed to every soldier, and any debate about the way home became meaningless.

Just because I chose a brand new road after the game, a frozen river in front of my eyes - I didn't expect that this river I knew for the first time could connect with Novgorod.

The soldiers are still discussing, but all they can talk about now is a series of matters that should be paid attention to during the journey.

Exploring and advancing in unknown areas, the Ross Army, which is composed of too young fighters, has been fully tempered in the past six months, and everyone is very clear about what to pay attention to.

The whole army immediately began the final preparations before departure.

It is difficult to light a bonfire in a snow-covered forest unless the army has flammable dry wood or briquettes ready. Obtaining dry wood is as easy as breaking down some old Pskov wooden houses. The wood that has been freeze-dried and dried in the shade is very hard, and it will be broken into pieces immediately when it is chopped by a steel axe. Even the thatch that serves as the roof is dry

, taking it off can act as a good kindling tinder.

They seized the time to pre-prepare some food, slaughtered all the captured cattle and sheep, and roasted all the uneaten meat as hand meat so that they could be eaten at any time.

The city of Pskov is adjacent to a large river and a large lake. The waters already have the most prosperous family of freshwater fish in Northeast Europe-the European perch.

Although there are many bones in European sea bass, they are concentrated in special parts. As long as you eat carefully, you will be fine, and the larger the freshwater fish, the fewer bones, so everyone is more inclined to catch the big ones.

The behavior of ice-piercing fishing is very dependent on technical means, so some soldiers took "crank bits" to dig holes on the frozen Velikaya River for fishing. Everything was as expected by the soldiers. The lack of oxygen under the ice forced the fish to feel any signs of cracks in the ice and rush towards the cracks. It is not necessary to lay bait, just bury a hemp rope net to catch the fish. On time, you can catch a group of fish that want to breathe.

The soldiers reaped a lot, but the skill of digging ice and fishing for fish stunned the Krivich villagers.

Scraping the fish scales, dissecting the fish intestines, pinching the head and removing the tail, the fastidious people deliberately cut the back of the fish to remove the **** spines, and finally the spread fish fillets are baked and dried by the campfire, and even contaminated with a lot of carbon powder.

In addition, making wheat cakes is an old tradition of the Ross Army.

Since wheat is no longer rare in Ross, the new generation of Ross grew up eating wheat. They were more fortunate than their parents, because after Ross completed his surprise attack on the British Kingdom of Northumbria in 832, he obtained a large amount of wheat. In the following years, Northumbria also provided wheat as tribute. . that is used to

A variety of colder regions, it is more hardy and can grow normally in the frost-free period of the Novgorod region.

The soldiers' respective reserves of wheat are only for their own use, and they will not eat this high-end product brought from their hometown unless necessary.

Since this is the last leg of the winter expedition, looking at the wheat left on hand, is there any reason not to eat it?

The last wheat was ground and pounded into semolina, to which they poured some rye and oats in order to make more wheat cakes, and water was added to finally make a more sticky mixed dough.

The brown dough made of three wheats was kneaded into a cake state, pasted on the inner wall of the seized pottery urn to be baked by fire, and finally a large number of wheat cakes that quickly became hard were obtained.

It is really hard, and the only advantage is that it is extremely storage-resistant, coupled with the prepared dried meat and fish, it is really a field dry food that grinds your teeth.

The Ross army paid so much attention to logistical preparations. At first, Olafin, who was leading the way with him, didn't understand. When he really enjoyed the abundant logistics service, he had to admire King Ross's foresight.

And for others in the small Danish community, before they actually arrived in Novgorod to meet the world, they had already been taught a lesson in the Russian army.

Those Selon children and all the children of the small Danish community, under Rurik's command, these young children were given the best care. After all, children are suffering when participating in the winter expedition. We must ensure that the children have the best food and the warmest clothing, and we must ensure that the children do not fall behind at any time.

When traveling far, no one will feel that carrying too much supplies is a burden. On the contrary, as long as the capacity allows,

The Russian army will be filled with supplies as much as possible.

No, the hay that was originally stored by the locals for feeding cattle and sheep had to become food for the reindeer and war horses of the Ross Army. The loose hay was handed over to the Krivich villagers to take care of, and the army also purchased the forage stored by the villagers themselves. For this reason, Ross paid them some remuneration, such as a batch of scrap iron arrow clusters.

There is only one arrow cluster left, and the shaft and fletching are installed again, and it is a good hunting arrow. It is not uncommon to have such a refurbished Arrow Rose, and it is really a treasure for the local Krivich people.

Because I really got paid for doing things for King Ross, I felt that the new Varyags were good local villagers, and they became more and more daring to join the changed Pskov, bringing their own limited surplus agricultural products, even men and women Contribute to help with the work, but also to earn some benefits before the Ross Army leaves-they have their eyes on the complex metal products of the Ross Army's equipment.

Objectively speaking, Rurik doesn't need to care too much about his own logistics. The Krivich people who know how to adapt are acting as servants for the army.

During the final preparations, all the sledges were so packed that some riders simply sat on the sledges on top of the haystacks, where they could better handle the reindeer.

All the sleds of one's own side are used, and the sled vehicles seized from the local area are also towed by cables in series.

The rope provided by Nianzhuang (Rope Village) in Mancheco really came in handy. "It would be even better if you could provide more rope."

As a result, the victorious Russian army changed slightly. They no longer looked like an expeditionary army, but more like a huge material transport team.

stand

From the standpoint of ordinary soldiers, everyone felt that the king had made too much preparations for the final journey. For this reason, even the newly surrendered local villagers mobilized to do things.

Does all this mean that the journey ahead is extremely difficult?

have no idea. Anyway, no matter how hard the journey is, everyone has experienced it. The future is just to drill into the forest again. No matter how you go, as long as you go east all the way, you can rest easy.

As for worrying about getting lost in the forest? This is the last thing the army needs to worry about.

Each centurion has a small wooden box, in which are placed three wonderful small holes: a tiny round wooden barrel with directional scales, an extremely thin piece of oak wood, and a very finely ground steel needle. This is the water float compass of the Ross army. Since the army already knows its principle, and now the Ross hunters also widely use this trick, the army is more particular about it.

Once, getting lost in the winter forest almost meant certain death, but now the army has lost this concept.

No one felt that there was any risk of getting lost, we had a compass, which was the technical means the gods had given to Ross.

This is why Rurik commanded the army to charge into the forests of Eastern Europe more than once, and the majority of soldiers did not question the major reason for their worries. Of course, they noticed that the Ross Army publicly performed this kind of magical trick, and the clever Olafin and Bohm learned it on the spot.

It is believed that "our army has the blessings of the gods", so Olafin and his group who are rushing to the Pskova River are full of confidence.

On the appointed day, the horns sounded and the war drums sounded. The Ross army assembled in the open space outside the city was organized with a flag team, and the sled army lined up neatly with flags.

Every sled hoisted the Russian flag, and the warriors no longer wore

But armor is all put on the Ross shirt with white background and blue pattern. More than that? Any colorful objects are carried out, especially hung in a prominent place on the sled.

After all, there are only two colors in the dense forest: the whiteness of the snow, and the gray-black dark green of the pine forest.

Any unusual coloring is conspicuous so as to avoid the possibility of anyone being left behind.

Today, the nearby Krivichs gathered spontaneously in Pskov. The chiefs who were named boyars enjoyed hereditary power in principle. They won peace and even de jure Russian military protection for their villages. The hero of the village, no one opposes this kind of hereditary at the current stage.

For them, Rurik didn't intend to adopt a benevolent government. In fact, he knew that it was enough for him to be kinder than Goyle. He really didn't have time to deal with Pskov, so he allowed the local people to govern themselves.

This is exactly a kind of benevolent government, so the villagers rushed to search for unnecessary surplus materials at home at the last moment, even took out honey and cheese blocks that were extremely precious to them, and handed them all over to the urgently waiting army. In exchange for a wave of broken copper and rotten iron.

Now, Rurik has put on his golden laurel crown, and specially led his cronies to show off on horseback in front of the local villagers.

At this moment, the horns were sounding frequently, and the soldiers of the Russian army gathered in every sled along with the men and women who followed them away.

For the locals, they know that the days of the Danes are over, that the remains of the big communities are now shared among the villages, and that the small ones are left empty. But the city of Pskov already flies the Rus flag, doesn't it?

Every village is

The blue strips were dyed in a short period of time, and then sewn on the white cloth, thus declaring the village's allegiance to Ross. Flags were flying everywhere in the entire Pskov area in a short period of time. Although the villagers knew little about Ross, they already had a clear self-awareness: We are controlled by the Kingdom of Ross, and we should not act rashly for safety.

They all have a high sense of self-management, or they have been tamed under the influence of the Danish Great Community in the past, especially under the "tyranny" rule of Gower.

Now, with the blowing of a special rhythmic horn, the Ross army sets off!

The whole army lined up in a long and narrow column, and marched towards the Pskova River, the eastern tributary of the Velikaya River, with the flag team as a unit.

The long and narrow line finally stretched for three kilometers. Although all this was within Rurik's estimation, he never expected that the line could be stretched so long and still deteriorated. In the end, the whole army became a long and slender line of four kilometers. The team, the sledges are connected to each other and keep a safe distance, but because of the delay of one of them, the delay will be passed on to the next one, and it is not uncommon for a "ghost traffic jam" to suddenly occur in the end.

"It's really bad luck. You should tell me that the river becomes narrower as it goes upstream?" Rurik was dissatisfied with Olafin, but unfortunately he had already issued an order. The withdrawal of the army from here will inevitably cause a marching disaster, and the whole army will block each other in this forest gap.

Olafin's happy face gradually revealed a wry smile. He knew that the king was harsh, and he had no choice but to do so now.

As the leading hero, he had the honor of riding in the king's box sleigh

Inside, there is a small built-in iron stove that keeps the interior quite warm.

Olafin can stay with the king, princess and countess as a guest of honor, which is more gracious.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. The road is a bit narrow. I won't defend myself. I was wrong. However, I pledge my life and honor, and I will definitely lead the army to reach that lake. As for..."

"Your oath is enough. As for what to do after arriving at the lake, that is something this king should worry about."

The next journey is just to advance on the frozen river, and there is no need for the army to really walk on the ice all the time. The narrow riverside area on both sides of the river, the hardened snow layer is also a good way.

Every night the army stopped and camped where they were, lighting the firewood reserves and then lighting the newly felled pine logs.

At this time, if there is an eagle's bird's-eye view, a fire dragon will suddenly appear in the forest, sea and snow field in the evening, which is particularly obvious after nightfall.

Sufficient supplies and reserves have kept the personnel, war horses, and reindeer in good condition. Now everyone should consider whether there will be a snowfall at the end of winter, but the sky is full of stars, and the moonlight illuminates the world quite brightly. How do you see it? It doesn't look like it's going to snow.

This is really an opportunity given by the gods to the army. In this fine weather, the army seems to be able to reach the mud lake as long as they follow the Pskova River.

But the reality is not so smooth.

If you just walk along the Pskova River, you can only reach a swamp in the north, which is closer to the Luga River and quite close to the huge Lake Pskov (it is already Lake Chud).

the right way

Yes, when the river seems to be running east-west, and the main channel suddenly extends northward, it turns into a narrower eastern tributary and continues to march eastward, which is right.

No, under the joint guidance of Olafin and Bohm, the Ross army started the final sprint that was said to be absolutely correct.

It can be said that in a sense, the Ross army is climbing mountains!

It is more appropriate to call the nameless river a stream. The forest here is still dense, but the geographical structure is quietly undergoing changes visible to the naked eye. Because Rurik is leading the army to attack the watershed in Luga Heights.

Although there are no mountains in this area, the land is indeed in the process of orogeny.

The Luga Heights is a long and narrow raised area with an average altitude of only 100 meters higher than Pskov.

In fact, in terms of altitude, Pskov is higher than Novgorod on Lake Ilmen, so the latter, as a large area of depressions, is really a treasure for forming large lakes and rivers.

Everyone didn't feel that they were going to hit a high ground that was only more than 100 meters away. It was only because the army had marched rapidly for four consecutive days before quietly raising the 100 meters. Rurik had already passed Fengshui Ridge inadvertently.

They stood on the top of the Luga Highlands, surrounded by snow-covered pine forests.

They are still heading east, and the water float compass is extremely powerful, coupled with the continuous guidance of Olafin and others, it seems that the mud lake is just around the corner.

Until, they discovered an unnamed river, and observed the bottom water flow by cutting through the ice, and the soldiers accidentally discovered that the water flow was eastward.

Rurik found it novel, but Olafin and others believed that this was the answer.

case.

"My lord, we have arrived at our destination! As long as we walk along this river, we will eventually reach that muddy lake."

Olafin's enthusiastic face was full of confidence, and Rurik had no reason to refuse. Besides, everyone drilled in the dense forest for two consecutive days. There are many layers of responsibility, and the management is accurate to each sled and each person. Although there are challenges, no one is left behind.

The main reason for worrying about being left behind is that the roads are too narrow, and the dense forest has forced the entire army to become extremely slender.

Now that they entered the Unnamed River, the road gradually became wider, and finally... it suddenly became clear.

A miracle happened! An open, flat area is close at hand, and the nearest forest is far away. Just check the ice beneath your feet to see endless silt beneath the surface.

After seeing the open world, the tension of the past week was completely relaxed. It was the first time in many years that Olafin and Bohm, and even the explorers in the small Danish community who had visited this mud lake, felt relieved.

And all the people walking nervously through the forest one after another obviously felt like giving birth at that moment, and people felt a new life.

"Is this the mud lake?" Rurik asked casually, breathing the cold air in a great mood.

The smiling Olafin hastily replied: "Yes. UU reading www.uukanshu.com and my memory have not changed. Look at this environment, and no one has settled down. It's just... now is the dry season, and it will be huge in summer The waters are out. I don't know what to expect if I continue east, maybe..."

"Don't be confused." Rurik looked at him full of fighting spirit.

Dongfang, fortunately, drew his sword suddenly. Behind him is the gradually setting sun, and the sword points directly to the east of Weilai: "I can guess where the water of this lake will eventually flow! In the end, we will reach Lake Ilmen!"

Everyone is very pleased that the king made such an ambitious statement.

And this lake is Lake Radilovskoye, which is part of the upper reaches of the Ilmen lake system. It is a lake of great change in water area, and the river at its eastern mouth will quickly flow into the Sheron River, and then the huge Ilmen Lake.

Of course, what awaits Rurik is still a 100-kilometer expedition!

However, the Ross army ushered in a wide and frozen passage, and the whole army could finally ride the sled.