king of ros

Chapter 10 The Prince's First Battle
Even from a distance, his grandfather was formidable, his large cloak woven with countless silver threads, showing the wealth and strength of the Rurik family.

The Grand Duke's pointed helmet is inlaid with gold, silver and precious stones, which is the style from the imperial capital. On the top of the steeple is a small golden cross, shining brightly in the somewhat dull sunlight.

The double-ring mail armor made by famous craftsmen in Kyiv wrapped the Grand Duke's body, and a layer of cloth was attached to the inside of the mail armor to prevent heat loss as much as possible.

Rostislav commanded the left flank, and he was now moving nervously in front of the formation, surrounded by his armed entourage. This was his first formation.

Behind them are 1000 warriors from all over Novgorod. Citizen soldiers and peasant soldiers stand side by side. Chude tribe spear throwers are always ready to throw their javelins behind the front line. Follow the order of the army formation.

The prince glanced at the central army commanded by his grandfather. The archers lined up in three rows, separated the front from east to west, and calmly adjusted their bowstrings. Behind them were row after row of infantrymen armed with spears, swords and axes. Most of them were citizens of Nuocheng. , Most of them wore iron helmets, armored clothes and even chain mail. 3000 soldiers maintained the army formation in an orderly manner under the order of their grandfather.

Uncle Veshata's right wing is undoubtedly the iron fist of the entire army. It is 300 personal soldiers led by nobles, most of whom have iron armor, and the elite of Nuo City gather here.

Grandfather sits on the hill, looking at the overall situation, surrounded by a reserve team of personal soldiers in full armor, ready to go to the battlefield at any time.

On the front, the Chude people were advancing towards them. At the moment the main force arrived, the existence of the Ross army could not be hidden from the Chude people. The barbarians gathered their troops in panic and with various horns, and then greeted the Ross army.

"Yang, calm down, don't panic."

Rostislav put his hands on the shoulders of Veshata's son Jan. The child still had a childish face, and his beard hadn't grown a few. At this moment, he was so nervous that he was about to drip water.

In this battle, Yang is his flag bearer. This is a glorious position, and only the most trusted person of the prince can take it. The flying of the battle flag is related to the fighting spirit of the whole army.

"Yes, no, I mean it, Your Highness Rostislav."

Yang blushed a lot to himself, and finally he blushed and lowered his head after finishing speaking with difficulty.

Rostislav shook his head, but there was nothing he could do. The fear of the battle could only be restrained by himself. Maybe he would be much better after the battle was over.

Turning his head, Rostislav heard the rumble of war drums in the enemy's line, and he saw all kinds of barbaric totems and tattered old flags in the Chude line.

Seeing this, his thoughts turned irresistibly to the sacrifice scene he saw in the burned village. If he was defeated and captured, would these barbarians treat him like this?
Once the thinking starts to run wild, it can't stop at all. Where is Alar, who Rostislav wants to lead this army?Standing like a Gallic champion or commanding like a grandfather?

Fortunately, the enemy's horn broke his thoughts. With the sound of the melodious ox horn, the Chude people began to charge, and the prince who reacted hurriedly retreated into the battle line with his followers.

Rostislav saw that the Chud people were using the classic boar's head tactics, and a large number of elites were piled up in the central army, intending to break through the center directly and tear the Ross's front.

This is also a tactic often used by uncivilized barbarians, and my grandfather has already responded to it-the thickest part of this army is the central army.

The two wings are still advancing with the shield wall, which is really a classic boar's head tactic. The center breaks through and tears the front line with all its strength, while the two wings are only to hold the enemy.

The archers threw out rounds of arrows, and a heavy rain of arrows fell. Many people fell to the ground after being hit by the arrows, and the shouts turned into wailing, and the second wave of arrows was coming.

Rostislav was glad that he didn't have to face such a rain of arrows and killed so many enemies, but after all, wars still have to be tested with swords.The soldiers stood ready for the attack of the Chude people.

The brutal Estonian army crashed into the shield wall of the Rus, and the Rus blocked the brute force with their shields and bodies, and this declared the official start of the battle.

Rostislav saw the face of the Chud man in front of the shield wall, which was filled with the enthusiasm and bloodthirsty of war, as well as the passion brought by hormones, but this face was chopped off by the oncoming battle ax, Like torn paper.

All of a sudden, swords and spears struck each other, shields collided with shields, battle roars, screams, and the sound of metal and iron clashing between weapons and shields constituted this barbaric symphony called war.

From the perspective of onlookers, the battle between the shield wall is the most boring. After all, from a distance, this is a group of people using shields to protect themselves as much as possible and at the same time attacking those who are in the same situation on the opposite side. The two sides have such a long battle. Mutual exchange.

But for the parties involved, this is also the most cruel. Soldiers on both sides are trying their best to kill the enemy on the opposite side. In the space surrounded by comrades-in-arms and enemies, all kinds of intense emotions are flooding their minds, but there is only one thought in their hearts. — Killing.

Shouts and prayers to all kinds of gods rang out, including those to Jesus, as well as to the Slavic or Ugric gods. Everyone hoped that the gods would give power to defeat the enemy at this moment, but after all, the gods just looked at the earth silently, like It's like enjoying a play.

Rostislav saw his personal soldiers use Danish longaxes to hook out the soldiers in the enemy's line, and the unlucky ones who were dragged out were beheaded mercilessly.

These fighters are worthy of their identities, whether they are tribal warriors or ordinary tribesmen, they appear so weak and powerless in front of efficient killing machines.

Rostislav saw that his side was stable and had the upper hand, so he also decided to implement the strategy he had prepared for a long time. The Chudes attacking his side obviously had few troops, and this was the right opportunity.

Leaving the banner in place, Rostislav led his followers and conscripted cavalry, forming a cavalry team of about 70 men, and they detoured towards the enemy's flank according to the route planned in advance.

Under the cover of woods and shrubs, the cavalry easily detoured back to their position. The Chude people were not prepared for this, and even a single scout was not encountered.

Now Rostislav, looking at the defenseless flank of the Chud, took out the cross on his chest and gripped it tightly.

The prince understands that it is very risky to do this now, and there is no need to do it. He can win the battle by following the pattern of shield and wall interaction, and there is no need to take such a risk at all.

Grandfather just asked him to hold the front line without giving any orders.

But he can't do this, this is an opportunity, an opportunity to show his grandfather, and to show himself, there is only a risk - to win a victory that his grandfather didn't expect, to make the enemy lose faster, there is nothing You can express yourself more than this.

"Jan, raise my flag."

Following Rostislav's order, the young Jan took out the rolled Rurik trident and hung it nervously on the spear shaft.

"Follow me, God bless the brave!"

Rostislav put down the cross, drew out the long sword, put it in front of his nose, and immediately raised it high. Following the master's movement, the war horse also stepped forward.

Behind him, the cavalry galloped along, and this God's cavalry rushed towards the defenseless pagan army with a fierce momentum.

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(End of this chapter)