king of ros

Chapter 8 Snowfield Army
On the snow-covered land, a group of troops bearing the Rurik Trident banner stood out, and they left a series of obvious footprints on the snow field they walked through.

The Russian army assembled in Novo had already set off. They crossed Pskov and marched along Lake Chud to the besieged Yuriev. At the moment, this team is the vanguard of the Russians.

The army was much more orderly than when it first set off. After leaving Pskov, the loose military style of grandfather disappeared immediately, and some only had stricter military regulations and more and more frequent supervisors. Many sloppy people left the army because of this, but more people persisted. After all, it is rare to participate in such a big battle and such a large looting.

Looking towards the side of the road, dense coniferous forests can be seen from time to time, but they are also covered with snow.And on the right, through several coniferous forests, is the vast and beautiful Lake Chud.

And the leader of this team is Rostislav Vladimirovich, the prince of Nuocheng. He wears a pointed helmet inlaid with silver, and wears layers of overlapping steel armor. Wearing chain wristbands, and buckling the leather boots that nomads like on their feet.

On his saddle hangs a sharp riding spear with a hollow decoration on the tip of the spear, a long sword with Cyrillic letters on the hilt hanging on his waist, a kite-shaped shield on his back, and a riding horse hanging on the other side of the saddle. A bow, two bags full of arrows, and a dagger at his waist.

When the prince of Nuocheng was riding, he looked back and saw that his cavalry was closely following the prince. The young people who were about to set foot on the battlefield seemed excited or nervous. Spears and bows and arrows, looking like an elite in all battles.

Walking further behind were Rostislav's personal soldiers. This team was inherited from his father and was the essence left by Vladimir for his son.

The number of this team is 200, they are all elite fighters, they are reliable people who can be relied on in the shield wall - but this is for father, Rostislav is not sure how many of these 200 people are now Willing to be loyal to oneself.

The soldiers all wear armor or ring armor. As the soldiers of the prince of Novgorod, the income brought by the wealthy city is enough for the prince to put on iron armor for his subordinates.

There are swords and axes in their waists, various painted round shields or kite-shaped shields on their backs, some of them have long axes of the Dan people, and some of them carry longbows on their backs.

The leader of the guards is called Gevalan, and he looks armed to the teeth now, with a big round shield on his back and a two-handed ax in his hand.

However, his appearance on the horse was a bit unnatural, because the captain of the personal army was not good at riding, and he only rode for the journey.

Rostislav is still not sure whether this personal captain is loyal to him, but he doesn't have many people available, so he can only try to trust the people left by his father.

Behind them were the tall and burly soldiers with rough beards. They formed the main body of the army, marching on the dirt road in a barely neat formation.

Most of the soldiers only wore fur or commoner clothes, a few had armored clothes or chain mail, the only thing worthy of praise was that everyone had weapons and shields, and the better equipped citizens were in the grandfather's main force.

Most of these soldiers are Ross farmers and Chude tribesmen in the area under the jurisdiction of Nuocheng. Their financial resources cannot allow them to obtain better equipment, not to mention that the north is a place of bitter cold, so Nuocheng is more prosperous.

For them, this war came in a timely manner. Winter is here. If everyone can only stay in the house and use the autumn grain and collected food to survive this winter, now that the war is here, they also have a way to "make money". And a rare opportunity to pass the time.

War was nothing new to them. The people here more or less had the experience of being recruited, either by the grand duke of Kyiv or by the prince of Nuocheng, not counting the private fights between the villages and tribes.

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Rostislav's 500 men are the forwards of the army. His task is very simple, to ensure the safety of the marching route, to clear the enemies on the road, and to engage the enemy's main force if necessary, but to save himself as the first priority.

This was the first time that Rostislav led such a large army, so many things seemed very unfamiliar to him, and he was in a hurry.

Fortunately, he was assisted by his father's close friend, Veshata. This nobleman helped him a lot selflessly, allowing him to manage the entire army in an orderly manner.If it weren't for his help, it would be a question of whether he could bring this team from Noble City to Pskov in such a stable manner.

Veshatta also sent his son as his own soldier, and now this young man is his standard bearer.

Coincidentally, when thinking of Vesha Tower, this nobleman also appeared by the side of the road. He was in charge of commanding the scouts, and now it was talking to the scouts about something.

The prince signaled the brigade to move on, and he drove his horse to Veshata's side, and as soon as he approached, he heard the conversation.

"You said that all the people from Chude are gone?"

"Yes, my lord, the Chude villages along the way are all empty now."

"Then continue to investigate and don't let go of any possible information."

"As you order, Lord Veshatta."

Veshatta is a very majestic middle-aged nobleman. He does not have a thick beard like the northerners, but a capable beard, and his hair in the shawl is tied up, giving him a lean look.

"His Royal Highness Rostislav."

When the scouts left on horseback, Veshata turned his head and saw the son of his comrade-in-arms, Rostislav, who was also his current commander, and he immediately nodded to the prince of Norse.

"Uncle Veshata, you don't have to do this."

Rostislav smiled wryly. This elder had helped him a lot. If it wasn't for him, he wouldn't be able to command these 1500 people at all. Moreover, in terms of seniority and experience, it is obvious that he is more suitable to be the commander.

Veshata just gave Rostislav a friendly expression, and then waved his hand, expressing that he was unwilling to talk more about this matter. The Norse nobleman didn't care much about these trivial matters.

"Your Highness, I think you have heard that the Chude villages on the marching road have all disappeared. It seems that the Chude people are well prepared. It can only be said that they have planned for a long time to run so fast. But the most important thing Is the main force of Chu De still under the city of Yuriev? Your Highness, is there any news?"

Rostislav glanced at the marching army, the spears were shining a little coldly in the sun, he was a little dazed looking at the cold light.

"No, nothing. Those riders didn't bring any information, and grandfather didn't give any orders. We just need to move on. Just send someone to inform grandfather about the situation here."

Seeing Rostislav like this, Veshata also nodded. This is indeed the safest way to deal with it now.

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(End of this chapter)