Chapter 1,269 The Battle of Vitebsk Breaks Out

Just like in previous years, the Pechenegs organized cavalry and headed north in order to obtain more Russian iron tools.

Trafficking in horses was the only commodity available to these people living at the mouth of the Volga River, followed by recurve bows.

Rurik's sworn brother Kagan became Khan. Due to trade relations, the military strength of the Pechenegs is rapidly increasing!

Iron clusters replaced bone clusters on a large scale. In terms of import, the grassland people focused on importing arrow clusters and were not keen on finished arrows.

Since it is a mass-produced arrow cluster cast from molten pig iron, Ross's earthen blast furnace technology literally means he has a mine at home, and in the end the price of each cast iron cluster is very low.

The Russian standing army and citizen soldiers were more particular. Due to the high armor rate of the Frankish enemies they faced, tapered arrow clusters made of mild steel and quenched were the mainstream.

The Pechenegs do not have this problem. Their only enemies are the Oghuz, who are related to them, and the neighboring Khazar Khanate...

Another 500 commercial horses were escorted north by 200 cavalry. In order to avoid unnecessary complications and deliver the horses safely as soon as possible, Kagan ordered the team not to go to the Smolensk territory to clear grass and valleys.

Another of his clan brothers, Nurger, accepted the mission.

The steppe horse team was fully loaded with goods. They avoided all delays on the way and spent all their energy on the journey. After arriving in Kiev, they teamed up with the locals. The larger horse team took a barge made of a large number of rafts and floated to the other side of the Dnieper River, and then passed through Puri in a mighty way. From the edge of the Piati Swamp, rush all the way to the Orshacha River, and then go north along the river to reach Vitebsk smoothly.

It's not that they don't want to attack Smolensk conveniently, but it's because the Khan has ordered that they are afraid of Smolensk.

If something goes wrong, you are responsible for everything.

The prairie people, who had the largest number of people, were unwilling to take action, and the Kiev merchants who followed them had no choice but to go on their way with all their strength.

But after Carlotta completed full control of Polotsk, she did not stay there for a long time. She happily returned to Velikiy Luki at the end of September with a batch of grain.

It was in Velikiy Lucki that the passing prairie horsemen faced the duchess who was so gracious that they could not resist. They sold a batch of supplies and immediately exchanged a batch of grain, and finally arrived safely at Lake Ilmen.

The cavalry was a surprise to everyone, and the newly arrived horses and recurve bows immediately enriched the defense of Velikiy Lucki.

Velikiy Luki, located in the upper reaches of the Lovati River and at a major bend in the river, is experiencing rapid rise in geopolitical value.

Carlotta even had the idea: I could spend the winter here this year.

In winter, the entire Lovati River freezes, and reindeer sleighs and horses equipped with special horseshoes can move quickly on the ice. Compared with summer, the efficiency of transportation based on glaciers will not be reduced much.

We can no longer let the riverside settlements that were built up one after another be forced to isolate each other due to the harsh winter like last year. Although winter is cold, construction cannot stop.

She thought this way, but from Veliky Luki to Vitebsk, there is no direct waterway between the two cities. You have to pass through the gaps between lakes and forests. If there is a snowstorm and the snow is too deep, winter communication will become extremely difficult. difficulty.

Unless... we go around the Gulf of Finland and go all the way back from the Gulf of Riga along the frozen Daugava River to Vitebsk.

Vitebsk has been transformed into a fortress, with manpower and animal power gathered in a short period of time, giving the city a ring-shaped water ring with both protection and defense.

…

Road and built a circular wooden wall, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

The local garrison has expanded to more than 200 people!

Ostara soldiers, Polotsk farmers who were forcibly recruited to work, and even Danes stranded in the Gulf of Riga.

The latter were called the Varyags, and they were real Danes who had some goods on hand and hoped to tow their ships to do business in Kiev in the south when spring came.

As a result, a historic meeting took place in Vitebsk in the late autumn and early winter of 842 between the Riga Danish merchants and the Kiev-Pecheneg horsemen from the south.

Who would say no to a businessman?

After some scheming, the Danish businessman learned that a Varyag businessman had drifted to Kiev some time ago, peddling some amber and beeswax, and continued southward after a short rest.

It’s very clear who those people are.

Harold and Bjorn, two Danish caravans, set out early. Not long after they passed through Kiev, the southern cavalry began to head north. Although the two sides had never met, the stories they left behind are known to everyone.

The old man Yelinger, the guard of Vitebsk, clearly stated the names of the two businessmen and exchanged information with each other. The three parties found that they all recognized each other.

The first snow fell in Vitebsk. Although it was not large, it was enough to alert the guards of Vitebsk.

"Brothers, beware of heavy snow closing the door. Protect everything that is easily frozen."

Jellinger Eriksson, who was born in the Gran tribe, was appointed as the lord of this city, and he was responsible for all matters. Last year he took his brothers to spend the winter here safely, and people believe he can do better this year.

Although the local winter is more comfortable in the north, it is extremely cold

It is still destructive, and the West Dvina River on which the city depends is particularly dangerous.

How dangerous are rivers? Isn't it the best way to access the river after it's frozen?

It is precisely the rivers that freeze, and the expansion of ice is ineffective against large ships, but can damage the hulls of small boats.

There were more than 20 stranded Danish merchants who worked together to drag their longboat ashore and placed it beside the wall outside the city. They laid down wooden piles, unloaded the sails, and fixed it firmly with cables.

This is not the most critical winter preparation.

After the snow, the north wind gradually blows away the haze, and the wind is like a knife, forcing anyone to wear a thick leather hat for any outdoor activities.

Under the leadership of Jellinger, the garrison sprang into action.

More than a hundred people gathered at the pontoon.

Yellinger looked around, rolled up his sleeves, and signaled to the men with axes: "It's time, be careful when removing the ropes later."

"Yes!" All the strong men said yes.

"Then let's get started!"

Then, the ax cut the rope, and the pontoon bridge that was stretched into an arc suddenly fell apart.

The pine raft, which had been soaked all summer, disintegrated. Since these floating blocks were tied with ropes in advance, while it disintegrated, the men on the shore gradually dragged them to the shore.

“That way, spring wanderers don’t destroy our bridges.”

Jellinger was very satisfied with the demolition of the bridge. He continued to direct his men to inspect all the floating blocks, then hoisted them with a human crane and placed them vertically on the city wall. The so-called taking advantage of the fact that the weather is still good, the early winter sunshine will dry them out. .

Vitebsk is not too far from the Novopolotsk Fortress, considering that once it snows heavily and the rivers freeze, people will spontaneously hibernate like brown bears. If there is no important matter, people will not leave the residential area without permission.

…

At least take advantage of the limited daylight hours to do some auxiliary heating work in fortresses and villages.

After all, this is not Novorosberg or Novgorod. The local population is large and there are many industries. Some industries are still doing business in full swing in winter. Because of economic interests, those people have changed their behavior in the past winter. Even if they use oil lamps for lighting, they continue to work. .

The only task of the defenders of the Vitebsk Fortress is to survive the winter safely. The Yelingers are old and appear to be very stable and conservative mentally. It is this personality that is very suitable for commanding and guarding the southernmost fortress of the kingdom.

Now there are sufficient food reserves, and there is also a batch of butter, salt, and ale stored. I think the food this winter will be better.

He would never touch the property of the Danish merchants living there, but if they wanted to stay here until spring, they would have to pay for the food stored in the fortress. This move is fair and the guest merchants have no objections.

Everyone's task seems to be to stand guard, or at least go to the nearby forest to cut down some trees and try their luck to catch small animals to improve their food.

The most important thing is the wood for heating. In order to meet the needs of more than 200 people to survive the winter safely, the more wood the better.

People carrying long-handled forest axes and two-man saws gradually entered the forest, dragged the pine trees back to the city wall through the suspension bridge, and began to chop them down.

If life continues like this, the people of Vitebsk will usher in the spring of 843 in peace and boredom.

And the accident happened as expected.

There were more than a dozen lumberjacks busy in the forest. Although it was cold, they were still shirtless and raised their long-handled forest axes with brute force. A small tree would fall within five critical strikes.

For larger trees, Viking logging laws were introduced by Danish traders.

Powerful performance. Help the defenders cut down trees so that they don't have to pay for wheat. It's really a cost-effective deal.

Such logging caused so much noise that the hardy birds would have been scared away, and the squirrels and prairie dogs would have fled in fear.

but! The advancing Smolensk Army noticed something strange in the forest, like a shark smelling blood, and decisively attacked here...

"Chief! The forest is shaking! Could it be that it was done by bandits?" A returning scout pointed to the location of the forest in the distance and reported to Vadim on horseback.

Vadim squinted his eyes and listened carefully, and indeed noticed something strange.

"The forest is shaking. Could it be the action of the forest god?"

"Absolutely impossible." All the scouts had the same attitude. The speaker said bluntly: "We are almost to the northern river and the territory of the Polotsk people. So we are not far from the bandit's settlement."

Suddenly, Vadim suddenly realized: "The bandits are cutting wood." He laughed slowly, and then looked at the horseback riders behind him: "Soldiers, the opportunity is mine. The bandits are unprepared, let us catch them off guard. We... …Attack with full force!”

Vadim just wanted to avoid things going wrong. He knew that the Ross gangsters were very good at it. If they wanted to defeat them, they had to gather superior forces to fight with more troops.

He issued orders to the entire army who were waiting anxiously. The soldiers who were marching continuously were already suffering from boredom. The marching journey in the past few days was longer than walking in this life. Let the battle come soon! End it all.

A thousand of the most elite warriors wearing hardened armor roared angrily and pointed their spearheads towards the north.

…

"Warriors! Follow me, enter the forest, and shout towards the sound.

direction forward. "Vadim gave the order, and he himself transformed into an existence like supervising the battle team.

The elite spearmen were in front, followed by a large number of bow-wielding hunters and spear throwers. Although Vadim and his cavalry were small in number, they personally supervised the army's entry into the forest, and behind them were more numerous tribal warriors with various equipment.

People busy cutting trees were unprepared.

Yes, the bears around here have been hunted to death long ago. If bears and wolves appear again, these beasts will seek their own death and eventually turn into leather coats worn by the defenders.

However, what suddenly emerged from the forest was no beast at all.

The dark soldiers carried three-meter-long iron spears and rushed directly into the lumberyard in the direction of the sound.

Since they were given an order to kill without mercy, people whose relatives and friends were killed by the gangsters formed this elite vanguard force. They have super strong ability to execute Vadim's orders.

Everyone wants revenge, and in this situation, they don't even think about whether the woodcutter has any grudge against them.

At first, the loggers thought it was a wild beast and gathered nervously, talking and laughing about who could give the bear the final blow.

More than twenty people gathered together, some holding swords or spears, and some held strung crossbows.

"Brother, something doesn't feel right. Are there still wolves attacking us?"

"Haha, it would be great if it were a pack of wolves. We could make a fortune by skinning a hundred skins."

They laughed in their optimism, but it was not the wolves who came.

Spear-wielding warriors wearing velvet hats appeared in large numbers, making it awkward to see each other.

"Bandit! Go to hell!" Someone roared in Slavic and charged bravely with a spear.

The contact battle broke out immediately. The loggers came without armor at all.

Few people are still shirtless.

They were assassinated in the Jungle of Ten Thousand Spears, with little chance of counterattack.

They were surrounded, and all the lumberjacks, whether Danes or Polotsk men who were asked to work, were quickly stabbed to death in the chaos.

Soon, Vadim on horseback rushed out of the forest, holding an iron sword and standing in the logging camp he had just occupied.

Looking at the dead bodies on the ground, he was overjoyed. After all, this was his first battle to fight back! Even if it's just a logging camp in the forest.

"Is there no one left alive?" He tightened his grip on the reins and walked around the dead body.

The soldiers looked at each other, and some were already picking up the trophies for their own use.

"Forget it. Keep marching, follow the path cut by the enemy, and see what we can find."

Vadim decided to take advantage of the victory and attack. It would be best to seize the settlement in one go today.

In any case, the Smolensk troops achieved their first victory. The soldiers all passed through the logging camp, and those who were killed were deliberately beheaded, and their terrifying and ferocious heads were stuck on wooden poles.

Vadim intended to motivate the follow-up troops in this way, but little did he know that many of them were on the battlefield for the first time. They did not understand war and thought it was some kind of "dangerous hunting." When they suddenly saw the horrific corpses, their hearts beat wildly. Vadim's Good intentions backfire.

However, the ones with the real tenacious fighting ability are his elite soldiers. A thousand soldiers with deep hatred are happy to vent their anger by destroying the dead bodies of their enemies with their own hands.

…

The trick of hitting the head with a wooden pole was done by them themselves. After that, they were full of fighting spirit and officially rushed to the Vitebsk Fortress with the captured weapons.

The horse is carrying some baked coarse wheat cakes, and someone is holding the horse. This is

Deliver meals to forest logging sites.

It was Jellinger who arranged for people to build a logging camp. It was stipulated that in the future, the inventors would focus on an area and swing the ax vigorously, so that the loggers did not have to run around and the carriages transporting wood could move easily. Furthermore, only planned logging can start from Begging for land suitable for farming in the forest.

Before the food delivery man arrived at the lumberyard, the sight in front of him shocked him.

Axes and two-man saws had cut out an open area in the forest, and a large number of people clearly appeared from it carrying spears. The number of visitors is large, and the number continues to increase.

Suddenly, the meal delivery person who was stunned on the spot realized clearly that the armed men were actually targeting him.

"God Loki! Are you kidding me? I'm going to be killed by them!"

What about the lumberjacks? To hell with them. The food delivery man had no time to throw away the obstructive sack full of wheat cakes. He directly mounted a horse without a saddle and fled towards the fortress in an extremely awkward way.

Behind him, a large number of armed men were chasing after him.

Vadim noticed an escapee on horseback. He was overjoyed and immediately called to his cavalry: "Warriors, that escapee can help us find their city quickly. Follow me! We will take the lead in attacking."

Even though Vadim only had a hundred riders, he felt that as long as he was fast enough, he could rush into the settlement before the enemy was prepared. You don't need to kill many enemies, as long as you cause chaos and force the enemies to fail to defend themselves, and when the follow-up army arrives, victory will be within your grasp.

Apparently, the escaping food deliveryman kept urging the horse to run wildly with such force that it almost beat the horse to death. As the horses approached the fort,

He started shouting.

"There is an enemy! Enemies from the east are attacking!"

At this moment, there were still some people working outside the circular ditch. They strained their ears to understand the words of the riding brothers. Some people asked Kuangbiao's back: "Calender, how did you come back when I asked you to deliver food?"

The horseman had no time to respond, so he rushed into the fortress as fast as possible. Unable to wait for the horse to stop, he fell down, climbed up from the mud and pointed directly to the southeast in front of the onlookers: "Enemies! Countless enemies appear. "

A series of warnings confused the defenders, and then more people rushed back to the city through the drawbridge. Not only that, they pushed the winch hard, raised the drawbridge in a short time, and even closed the east gate of the wall.

"What's going on?! It's like the Smolensk people are coming." The old man Jeringer walked out of the warm house with thick smoke from the chimney, stroking his beard and angrily scolding people for being nervous. That’s it, when he heard the news again: “What’s going on?!”

People were talking a lot, but the warrior standing on the simple tower in the wooden city wall shouted in a majestic tone: "Cavalry! They are the enemy's cavalry!"

"Cavalry?!" The old man raised his head sharply.

"There are also infantry! A large number of infantry have appeared."

The old man didn't want to believe it, so he immediately climbed onto the proposed scaffolding of the outer wooden wall.

…

Since the outer wall has just been completed, it will be further reinforced in the future and a circular wall corridor will be built. The corridor needs to be built slowly, and now there is only part of the scaffolding built against the wooden wall.

The limited scaffolding was filled with people. Standing on the high ground, Jellinger could clearly see the crowds of people gradually coming out of the forest and gradually becoming densely packed.

It's the unique reflection of metal under sunlight

Light, look carefully, it's like a jungle of ten thousand spears.

"Oops, are we going to be attacked by the Smolensk people? The duchess's worries have actually come true at this juncture?!"

Jellinger didn't want to believe it, but reality forced him to believe it.

Looking around, those Polotsk farmers are not reliable at all, and they are trembling with fear because they have never seen the world. The remaining warriors still have the strength to fight, and the Danish businessmen who are visiting have already drawn their swords and carried axes. However, the brothers have too few manpower, and there are at most 150 people who can fight.

Perhaps, it was not too late to escape now, it seemed that all the boats were pushed back to the West Dvina River, and everyone evacuated safely. But if you do that, you will insult your faith and your own oath.

Yelinger gritted his teeth, and he undoubtedly retreated: "Your Excellency ordered us to guard Vitebsk. Brothers, do not forget your oath and prepare to fight!"

"Roar!" Everyone roared in a low voice, and then took out their various weapons.

Because most people don't even think about evacuating. Everyone has their own honor. They are very proud and think that the Smolensk people are just weak. Even in a wild battle, the Ostara people from Northern Europe can win. .

It seems to them that fighting depends on morale. The brothers have only had some awe of the Frankish army in these years. After defeating the Frankish army two years ago, the last awe has disappeared.

Are you at a disadvantage? uncertain. Only a battle will tell.

At the same time, Vadim led the cavalry to take the lead in seeing the true appearance of the legendary Russian settlement. The situation was contrary to his imagination.

It is not a large village settlement, but it actually has thick wooden walls.

"Damn it, are you trying to guard against me?!" Looking at the white flag with blue stripes flying on the wooden wall, it made Vadim nauseous and further aroused his anger.

Wooden wall? They were just stacks of hardwood that could break after a few hits with an axe.

Vadim had to wait for his troops to gather. He had no intention of negotiating with the defenders, just to wait until the Smolensk infantry was assembled and to use their numerical superiority to overwhelm the Russian fortress.

Even though a noble nephew kindly advised them: "Chief, I saw a small waterway protecting their fortress. If they attack by force, it will be detrimental to me."

"Don't worry, it's a shoal that can be waded through. The Russians are right there, listen to me, you can attack as a group."

Vadim had his own necessary reasons for hesitation, and it actually provided critical preparation time for all the Rus' Ostara garrison.

Therefore, although there was no negotiation between the two parties, they both guessed the identity of the other party correctly.

One side was well prepared. The city of Vitebsk was divided into an inner city and an outer city. The double-layered wall made the settlement easy to defend but difficult to attack.

On one side, there is bitterness and hatred, and people who have been aggrieved for several years or more than ten years and long for revenge unite around Vadim, the exiled prince in the north, and are determined to fight for their lives.

In such an atmosphere, the Vitebsk offensive and defensive battle broke out suddenly in a very delicate season, so that both warring parties actually responded in a hurry...