On the land covered with white snow, a group of troops flying the flag of Rurik's Trident stood out, leaving a series of obvious footprints on the snowfield they walked through.
The Russian army gathered in the city of Novo has already set off. They crossed Pskov and advanced along Lake Chud towards the surrounded Yuriev. This team is now the vanguard of the Russians.
The army was much more orderly than when it first set out. After leaving Pskov, my grandfather's loose military management style immediately disappeared. There were only increasingly strict military regulations and more and more frequent supervisors.
Many stragglers left the army because of this, but more people persisted. After all, it is rare to participate in such a big battle and an equally large plunder.
Looking towards the roadside, you can see dense coniferous forests from time to time, but they are also covered with white snow. On the right, through several coniferous forests, is the vast and beautiful Lake Chude.
The leader of this team is Rostislav Vladimirovich, the prince of Nocheng. He wears a pointed helmet inlaid with silver, layers of overlapping steel armor, and his arms are tied.
Wearing chain wristbands, and buckling leather boots favored by nomads.
There is a sharp riding spear hanging on his saddle with a hollow decoration on the spear tip. A long sword with Cyrillic letters on the hilt hangs on his waist. There is a kite-shaped shield on his back. On the other side of the saddle is a riding spear.
A bow and two bags full of arrows, and a dagger at his waist.
When Prince Nuocheng was riding, he looked back and saw that his personal cavalry were following the prince closely. The young people who were about to embark on the battlefield looked excited or nervous. They wore steel helmets, ring armor, and mounted cavalry on their saddles.
With spears and bows and arrows, he looks like an elite warrior.
Walking further behind are Rostislav's soldiers. This team was inherited from his father and is the essence left by Vladimir for his son.
The number of this team is 200, they are all elite warriors, reliable people who can be relied on in the shield wall - but this is for his father, Rostislav is not sure how many people there are in the two hundred people.
Be willing to be loyal to yourself.
The soldiers all wore armor or ring armor. As the soldiers of the prince of Novgorod, the income brought by the wealthy city was enough for the prince to put on iron armor for his subordinates.
They have swords and axes stuck on their waists, and various painted round shields or kite-shaped shields on their backs. Some people also have long Dan axes, and some people carry long bows on their backs.
The leader of the soldiers is named Gwalan. He now looks armed to the teeth, with a large round shield on his back and a two-handed ax in his hand.
However, the way he looked on the horse was quite unnatural. This was because the captain of the personal soldiers was not good at riding, and he only rode for the purpose of traveling.
Rostislav is still not sure whether the captain of the janissaries is loyal to him, but he doesn't have many people available now, so he can only try to trust the people left by his father.
Further back, there were tall soldiers with rough beards. They formed the main body of this army and marched on the dirt road in a barely neat formation.
Most of the soldiers only wore furs or cloth clothes, and a few had armor or chainmail. The only commendable thing was that everyone had weapons and shields, and the better-equipped citizens were among the main force of Grandfather.
Most of these soldiers are Rus farmers and Chude tribesmen within the jurisdiction of Nuo City. Their financial resources do not allow them to obtain better equipment, not to mention that the north is a bitter and cold place, so Nuo City is more prosperous.
For them, this war comes at the right time. Winter is here. If usually everyone can only huddle in the house and spend the winter with autumn food and collected food. Now that the war has come, they also have a way to "make money"
A rare opportunity to pass the time.
War is not a strange thing to them. The people here have more or less experience of being drafted, either by the Grand Duke of Kiev or by the Prince of Novo, and that's not counting the private fights among the village tribes.
————————
Rostislav's 1,500 men are the vanguard of the army. His task is simple, ensuring the safety of the marching route, clearing the enemy on the road, and if necessary, he can confront the enemy's main force, but his first priority is to preserve himself.
This was Rostislav's first time leading such a large army, so he seemed very unfamiliar with many things and made himself confused.
Fortunately, he had the assistance of his father's close friend Visatta. This nobleman selflessly helped him a lot, allowing him to manage the entire army in an orderly manner. If it weren't for his help, would his company be able to maintain this team so safely?
Bringing it to Pskov is a problem.
Visatta also sent his son to serve as his own soldier, and now this young man is his standard bearer.
Coincidentally, when I was thinking about Visatta, this nobleman also appeared on the roadside. He was responsible for commanding the scouts, and now he was talking to the scouts about something.
The prince motioned for the group to continue moving forward, and he drove his horse to Visatta. As soon as he got close, he heard the conversation.
"You said all the Chude people are gone?"
"Yes, sir, all the Chude villages along the way are now empty."
"Then continue to investigate and don't let go of any possible information."
"As you command, Lord Visatar."
Visatta is a very majestic middle-aged aristocrat. He does not have a thick beard like the northerners, but a capable beard, and his shawl hair is tied up. His whole person gives people a lean and capable look.
"Your Highness Rostislav."
When the scouts left on horseback, Veshata turned around and saw Rostislav, the son of his comrade-in-arms and his current commander. He immediately nodded to Prince Nojo.
"Uncle Vishatta, you don't have to do this."
Rostislav smiled bitterly. This elder helped him too much. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't be able to command these 1,500 people. Moreover, in terms of seniority and experience, he is obviously more suitable to be the commander.
Veshata just gave Rostislav a friendly look, and then waved his hand, indicating that he did not want to talk more about this matter. This nobleman from Nokia did not care much about these trivial matters.
"Your Highness, I think you have also heard that the Chude villages on the march have disappeared. It seems that the Chude people are well prepared. To run away so quickly can only be said to have been planned for a long time. But the most important thing is
Or is the main force of Chude still under Yuriev City? Your Highness, is there any new news?"
Rostislav glanced at the advancing army. The spears were shining with a little cold light in the sun. He looked at the cold light in a daze.
"No, nothing. Those riders didn't bring any information, and grandfather didn't give any orders. We just keep going. Just send someone to inform grandfather about the situation here."
Seeing Rostislav like this, Visatta also nodded. This is indeed the safest response now.