Chapter 1527: Cold and Wet Snow
【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
What will the Luxembourg Valley look like now? Although it is surrounded by mountains and rivers and has beautiful scenery, the living environment of the locals is definitely not comfortable.
There are a lot of woods and grasslands there, and the winters are relatively humid and cold, and there are more mosquitoes in the summer. From the clothing and weapons and equipment of the local militia, we can know their poverty.
They can be very poor in terms of wealth, but food is real, and food is their most important property.
As for robbing their food and causing famine, the Russian army had no psychological concerns.
And those living priests were now in prison and had nothing to do but sit back and watch the army looting food march towards the upper reaches of the river.
The long and narrow fleet of boats formed an inland river transport team, with a large number of cavalry carrying captured horses and evacuated vehicles. The coalition forces had limited vehicles. Considering that there were no local resistance soldiers, a few more trips to transport food would be enough. .
According to Rurik's plan, the longships transporting grain entered the Moselle River and left south. The grain was unloaded directly at the Trier Camp, so that the army did not need to transport grain from the Coblenz Camp.
This is a food war. The morale of the soldiers who were ordered to move the food was very good, and they will definitely maintain high morale in the future because of the relatively sufficient food.
At the same time, after the massive militia left Luxembourg, only a small number of clergy maintained order.
The refugees began to help themselves by building large wooden shacks as shelters. The priests showed mercy by distributing a batch of food so that the tens of thousands of refugees who poured in would not starve.
The war will be won! The refugees saw a huge army composed of Franks. The number of ten thousand people exceeded the mathematical concept of most peasants.
They did not believe that they would lose, so the army that appeared along the river from the north must be a victorious army.
However……
Fisk was ordered to lead the Ross Army to carry out looting operations, and Black Fox, who was experienced in looting issues, led the Nassau Army to launch the operation.
Ragnar lost many veterans, and he urgently needed to kidnap a large number of people to meet the needs of the surviving veterans.
The three parties each have their own needs, but the locals in Luxembourg do not know that the danger is coming.
While tens of thousands of refugees were busy preparing for the winter, it was the Ross Cavalry that arrived before the grain ship!
The Ross cavalry came out in full force, and even the Courland slaves recruited from Kretinga, and the new nobles of Gdansk, all carried the banner of Ross and started looting and destroying in Luxembourg.
Iron hooves stepped into various settlements. Although they were ordered not to kill indiscriminately, they just entered the village and decisively shot arrows, stabbed and chopped, as a fatal threat.
The effect of their raid was superb, and panic quickly spread throughout the valley.
Tens of thousands of refugees who had just settled were once again running towards the barren mountainous areas. The open grasslands were full of people fleeing for their lives, dragging their families with them.
They fled in such a hurry that they didn't have time to bring much supplies. Many of them ran to the mountains and forests empty-handed just to settle down first before planning for the future.
Only those wounded soldiers who were left behind struggled to resist with their sick bodies, even with infected wounds and fevers, they still had to fight with swords.
Their resistance was easily crushed by the Ross cavalry.
In front of them were a large number of people fleeing, many of whom were wearing plain white hoods and black cloth robes. This was a very common makeup for Frankish civilian women.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
Seeing that some of his subordinates were about to shoot arrows, Fisk ordered them to stop: "That's enough, they are not female warriors. Fulfill the king's order and let them escape."
That's all, Fisk ordered to search the granaries everywhere, occupy them first, and then prepare to move them.
Before the follow-up grain ship arrived, the cavalry opened the warehouse to stock up on grain, allowing the horses to chew wheat. As riders, they also had to fill their prepared coarse cloth bags and their own backpacks with grain.
Unlike the Ross Army, the Danish Army and the Nassau Army immediately began capture operations after entering their destination.
The blond northern warriors stared at the young women as they captured them, dragged them and tied them with ropes in brutal ways.
For Ragnar, everything was just like what he had done in the Kingdom of Wessex. Many of his brothers died and he vented his anger on the issue of capture.
Fisk didn't care what the Danes wanted to do. The cavalry first took control of the building complex that was obviously a military camp, occupied all the barns here, and the row of flag-bearing soldiers stood guard here to declare their sovereignty.
As long ships carrying grain arrived one after another, large-scale grain transportation began immediately.
The Ross soldiers transformed themselves into porters. Taking advantage of the still warm noon in early winter, they seized the time to carry the prefabricated sacks to the target granary. Either with shovels or their hands, the soldiers filled the sacks and tied them with hemp ropes. After being transported to the trolley, the cabins were piled up in an almost assembly-line manner, so that the keels were partially attached to the mud at the bottom of the river.
Fisk estimated that the operation of transporting food could last three to four days. The army obviously underestimated the food reserves here.
Because there are not only local food stocks, but also tens of thousands of nearby people who have sought refuge in the Luxembourg Valley, many of whom came with food. Now they fled, leaving more food in the camp, which was then accepted by the coalition forces.
At night, the weather suddenly became cold.
The coalition forces spent the night in the former Frankish camp. The large number of wooden sheds were enough to provide shelter from the wind. They lit bonfires in the sheds and enjoyed the peace and quiet while eating the captured wheat porridge.
But the first night wasn't really peaceful.
Both the Danish Army and the Nassau Army captured some prisoners of war, and the cries of the prisoners made the Russian soldiers feel itchy. Because there is a military order, that is, there is no permission to prohibit the capture of prisoners when the army is fighting. A flag force is a combat unit, and miscellaneous matters must not interfere with subsequent operations. For the war was still going on, there was better Metz to be conquered, and it would be unwise to take prisoners in the mountains of Luxembourg.
The territory of the Nassau Army is Coblenz, the rear camp of the coalition forces. Black Fox and his brothers originally intended to plunder the population to enhance their overall strength.
Ragnar's Danish army is the most traditional pirate. Gold, silver, slaves and iron weapons are the three major things they pursue. It is not necessary to search for food. They are more accustomed to fish as their staple food.
The camp was filled with bonfires, as if the Frankish army was victorious on the march.
There is no morning fog on the new morning, replaced by a thin frost that dissatisfies the whole world.
The temperature was so cold that the soldiers who got up early to go to the toilet were trembling from the cold wind. When anyone spoke, his mouth was like a big watering can, and hot air could not stop gushing out.
The environment is similar to that of my hometown in the north, so it's hard to say whether it will become extremely cold.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
The morning sun was looming, and Fisk raised his head: "It's not good. If the weather has been cloudy recently, a rain will hinder my mission."
Thinking of this, he immediately cheered up and personally led the cavalry around the camp, calling on everyone to get up quickly and continue carrying.
As for Ragnar, he and his brothers indulged in those prisoners last night, and the pirates' tense nerves in recent days were finally able to relax.
The old pirate slowly got up, wrapped himself in a fur and went to relax outside the shack.
"It's another cold morning..." He looked around and noticed the noise in his ears. He looked closely and saw that the Russians were starting to move goods again like a colony of ants. "Hey! Fisk, are you so in love with food? Anyway, it's time for me to start."
The prisoners still had to be tied up and under strict supervision. He imagined arranging several boats to transport all of them to the mouth of the Rhine and sell them on the spot. Many women were captured, but most of the pirates did not want to marry them. Although they wanted to keep them as slaves, considering that the war was going to continue, it would be a burden to bring captives to fight.
It is better to sell them for money and then recruit some soldiers who are idle in the winter from the mouth of the Rhine, so that the strength of the Danish army can be restored.
A comprehensive operation to move grain began on this day. The coalition forces worked hard throughout the day and fell asleep around the campfire at night. At the same time, most of the longships were already piled high with wheat.
The Russian army took a long-term view on the issue of plunder. Before launching the expedition, Rurik focused on food. Fighting to support the war was to solve both sides of the logistics, so a batch of linen bags were prepared in his hometown. Because the cost of making bags out of rattan and hemp was not low, Frankish farmers did not necessarily prepare a large number of bags to hold grain, but instead made huge wooden boxes to pile the wheat in.
Ross's own linen bag solved a big problem, but when the Danes were loading food, they had to find various containers on the spot. Out of camaraderie, Fisk financed his pockets, but not much.
Of course, Ragnar can finally ask for his own proportion of food as discussed at the meeting. Anticipating discussions was one thing, but now that everyone had arrived in the Luxembourg Valley, moving food became a matter of skill.
He can use the results of the meeting to make a fuss. He wants to be as decent as possible. Seeing Rurik, the king of Rus, getting stronger and stronger, a sense of inferiority arises in his heart. Even so, he will still choose to be stubborn, so he doesn't want to shamelessly tell Rurik in the end. : "Please give me enough food in proportion."
In the evening, Ragnar had nothing to do and walked leisurely towards the Ross camp, just in time to wave to Fisk who was warming himself by the campfire.
"You are very elegant. It seems that the winter here is nothing." Ragnar glanced at the shirtless Fisk and said.
Fisk took a look at himself: "I have enough hair on my chest to keep out the cold. And the winter here doesn't seem to be cold, and even the river won't freeze. Brother, why are you in the mood to come to me if you don't take care of your own people? All the food has been moved. ?"
Ragnar sat down casually and motioned to his followers to stand aside. He took the dried mutton sent by Fisk, peeled it open and began to chew it. While eating, he said: "I have thought about it. I will transport the food and prisoners back, and I will continue to increase troops from Roterstad."
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
"Indeed, your people have suffered losses. But you don't have to be so anxious. I think my king may postpone the offensive against Metz for many reasons."
"Oh? You haven't suffered any casualties either. Rurik can continue to advance."
Hearing this, Fisk pointed to the sky: "There is no moon tonight, not even starlight. It feels like it is going to rain or snow. If the snow is serious, we will have to rest in the camp and refuse to fight. What I am most afraid of is rain. , if the food is wet we will be in trouble."
"Maybe." Ragna didn't care about this. He had nothing to talk about, so he stood up and patted his clothes: "Thank you very much for the linen bag you gave me during the day, which made my work of carrying food easier. "
"Are you leaving now?" Fisk raised his head and looked at the Danish King slightly.
"It's time to go. The key is, are you ready to go?"
"Just wait one more day. Wait until my fleet is fully loaded."
"That's fine. Let's go." Ragna turned his back and waved his hand, walking towards his camp without looking back.
The figure of the Danish King quickly disappeared into the moonless darkness.
"It's really weird. I thought I could tell me something interesting, but..." Fisk shook his head.
"He has something on his mind, but maybe he doesn't want to tell you after thinking about it?" Brody, another flag captain and young general, asked.
"Only he knows. Maybe..."
"how?"
Fisk pouted: "He is also a king after all, but unfortunately... he can only follow us. Otherwise, he will be eliminated by the Franks."
"so what?"
Fisk turned his head and looked at Brody's face: "There can only be one king in the north." He said no more.
The gap is always gradually widening due to one small incident after another. Ragnar wanted to show his independence in this war, but his Danish army was unable to directly fight the Frankish army on a large scale.
Ragnar's mentality was very twisted. He repeatedly set up camps near the Ross army instead of camping together. This was not an accident. Rurik didn't think too much and some people couldn't help but think too much.
When the fleet was fully loaded, even the war horses carried some linen sacks, and the soldiers had to line up in long queues by the river to escort the captured goods.
The weather is bad today, snowfall occurred suddenly.
It started as nerve-wracking rain, then ice particles, and finally developed into heavy snow.
Marching on the wet and cold grassland, the world gradually became blurred. The faces of the soldiers were once filled with the joy of the harvest, but now their faces were numb from the cold.
Fortunately, they all put on thick leather clothes, and their helmets were replaced with velvet hats that covered most of their faces. The helmets hung on their waists and jingled with the daggers.
Such a mighty infantry team and those tall long ships, in the gray-white world, they are like things coming out of another world.
They will not get lost, even if they can only see a person a few dozen steps away, they will definitely return to the river mouth camp if they follow the river path honestly.
Thanks to past ice and snow march training, the Ross Army has very sufficient experience in trekking in severe wind and snow. However, this time was no different than before. The winter in the Frankish hinterland was relatively wet and cold. They were walking on the flat meadows beside the Alzette River, and they needed to be careful not to step into puddles or mud puddles, because when their boots got wet, their entire feet would quickly become cold.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
On the contrary, it is the dry cold caused by the extreme cold in Ross's hometown. It is very dry there, and those who go out in winter only need to wrap themselves up thickly. The situation to consider in the far north is that because the ice is too frozen, it takes some effort to melt the ice and boil the water if you want to drink water.
Even Fisk also felt the discomfort from his feet. Because the horses were carrying food, he had to walk on foot like everyone else.
It was as if his feet were stepping on two pieces of ice. When he took off his boots to rest, he found that the foot wraps were cold and damp, and his feet were frozen to the point of losing their color.
It happened that there was a cold rain first, and then there was heavy snow. The nearby woods were wet for the time being. Even if they collected the branches and drilled the bows to make fire, the soldiers were shocked to find that although the fire was burning, it was not able to burn at all. Set those branches on fire.
The soldiers had to endure the first night in the cold until nightfall the next day, when the branches finally became dry and the bonfires were finally lit.
However, many soldiers have already developed frostbite. All this was unexpected by the army.
"I never thought I could suffer here, and one of my brothers died inexplicably..." Ragnar trembled. Only after successfully lighting the fire, he stood by the bonfire to warm his feet, and his energy was restored.
"King, my dead brother was probably frozen to death."
"Yes, we didn't succeed in making a fire yesterday."
His subordinates were trembling and muttering.
"Bah, the Russians didn't freeze to death, but us?" Ragnar said with anger.
"Maybe they're wearing it thicker, or maybe we're wearing it too thin."
"It's our problem. Damn it." Ragnar clenched his fists. "My feet almost froze in order to carry food."
What Ragnar said was true. The personnel mainly came from the Danish army in Jutland and Zealand. The soldiers were dressed very chaotically. Since the Danes usually stayed in warm longhouses after winter, they rarely fought in winter. experience.
Ragnar thought that the Russians could do it. He was also a warrior of Odin, so there would be no problem in fighting in winter. He had to learn war in war, but the price was a bit high.
He felt that the Ross people were coping well with the current situation, but this was not the case.
If the cold-proof clothes become wet and cold, wearing them for a long time will inevitably cause frostbite, especially the damage to the extremities of the body will be more obvious. Redness and swelling in earlobes, fingers, toes, etc. can be tolerated for a short period of time, but if the hands remain cold for too long, the ears and toes will freeze off.
If an ear is frozen off, it is considered a disfigurement. If a toe is frozen off, walking becomes distorted. If a finger is frozen off, a swordsman or an archer will lose his glory along with the missing finger. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoｓhuyuanｎ.com
Both the Ross Army and the Nassau Army were enduring pain. Fortunately, this was not a long trek, and fortunately the ignition became smoother in the following days.
Even so, when the army finally arrived at the Hekou Camp, a group of soldiers' earlobes that were red and swollen from the cold had begun to ooze pus, and the frostbite on their hands had to be treated.
The army looting food seemed to suddenly emerge from the gray world. In the heavy snow, people's hats and shoulders were covered with snow.
The camp had already been covered with snow and turned pure white. Rurik had been waiting for a long time again. Continuing to wait in such a harsh environment was also a test for himself. Rurik knew that he should not return to the warmer and stronger Trier camp early without permission, so he waited here to return to the army before leaving together.
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【The Rise of Rurik】 【】
Finally he waited.
However, the dull expressions on the soldiers' faces fully proved that everyone's situation was in a mess, and they had obviously suffered a "magic attack" from the wet and cold snow.
At least the food was brought back. Looking at the piles of linen sacks on all the longships, Rurik smiled slightly.
"Your Majesty, we are back." Fisk moved his stiff feet and forced a smile.
"What's wrong with your legs?"
"Stepping into the mud puddle, I was numb with cold."
"Ah? Okay." Rurik understood instantly and patted the old man on the shoulder: "Thank you for your hard work. Now, the whole army returns to camp, and I have prepared a bonfire for you..."
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