Chapter 785: Only One Arrow Broke Pecheneg's Arrogance

Even when shooting with a crossbow on a horse, they still need a lot of time to learn how to use a crossbow well.

More than a crossbow, the subordinates used an infantry weapon, which was not suitable as a mounted archery weapon. It's like changing the rifle to a horse fighting machine because the barrel is too long. The improved carbines are all carbine types, and there is also the operation of equipping the cavalry with Bobosa. The latter is naturally a good thing for Budyonni.

The most equipped crossbow in the Principality of Ross is the wooden arm, except for the core bronze cast crossbow mechanism, other parts are all kinds of wood.

Even if it is a short wooden bow, it is a wooden pole with a length of 98 cm when the bowstring is removed. The crossbow made of it is too wide to look at, and it is still very obstructive for horseback combat, unless the group of cubs use it. on a lightweight recurve bow.

Rurik immediately invented a way to deal with the trouble, which was to install a simple bracket on the right side of the saddle, so that the existing crossbow could be placed at an angle of 45°.

The bow arm of the wooden crossbow for horse warfare must also be shortened, at least to 75% of the previous one. The shoulder rest should also be removed, and it should be bundled into a straight stick, which is convenient for horseback shooting even if it is suspended.

These improvements seem to work well after the initial experiment. In just two days, all 80 wooden crossbows have been cut into horse battle models.

The range of the standard light arrows they fire has not been shortened, although the draw distance has been shortened a lot, and the shape of the bow arm has also become larger. This is of course not a good thing, the service life of the short wooden bow at the core of the crossbow is reduced.

After all, what Rurik needed most was the Pecheneg's recurve compound bow.

It was another sunny and very cold morning, the cavalry training entered a new stage, and the grand festival of the Rus was just around the corner.

Hanukkah is coming!

All the people attach great importance to this festival, which is the "New Year's Eve and New Year's Day" in the whole of the Principality of Russia. Various ethnic groups under the rule of the Principality will hold grand sacrifices on the winter solstice, and consider this as a new year's teaching. This custom is very similar to the Pecheneg people!

According to the agreement of the transaction, Kagan persuaded his subordinates to hand over thirty recurve bows. The slave warriors were reluctant at first, but Kagan comforted: "You'll get that kind of crossbow that lays horizontally, and though the common woodworkers of the Rus are terrible, their crossbows are really wonderful. Exchange, and when you go back, whoever surrenders the bow will get the new one, and the crossbow still belongs to you."

That's all, the brothers are all over it.

No one thinks that they have too few bows. If there is one more type of crossbow, the brothers will have one more choice.

The slave warriors noticed that the crossbow of the Rus could make a beginner a sharpshooter in a short time,

With this item, hunting groundhogs and foxes on the prairie will surely become much easier.

But how can Kagan's pattern be so little?

He couldn't understand the mechanical system of the Russian crossbow machine, but he understood how the bow arm was linked to the crossbow body. He couldn't help muttering: "I went back and removed your short wooden bows, installed recurve bows and fixed them with glue and rope. Isn't it a good weapon? It's nothing to do with a slow rate of fire, my people have become gods. Shooter. Mazar boys, when the time comes, I will teach you a lesson and open your eyes."

Because the Pecheneg tribal alliance is facing quite dangerous international conflicts, they are actually outsiders, and they directly compete with the Magyars and Khazarians for the lush lower Volga region. The disputes continue and maintain a dynamic balance. If one side has better weapons, the balance will be in favor of the side with advanced weapons.

Kagan is so refreshing because he feels that he has picked up a big bargain.

Isn't that the case with Rurik?

The two brothers who are righteous are each taking what they want.

The combination of tendons and corners of the recurve bow of the Pecheneg is a high-tech material science, and the mechanical structure of the cast bronze crossbow of the Rus is even more high-tech. However, only in terms of production efficiency, the Russian crossbow machines are still highly productive.

Today's rest day, both the warriors and the good horses need to take a good rest. Soldiers have the right to eat and drink, especially gnawing on the roasted deer legs to ensure that the muscles can further expand and further enhance their combat effectiveness. Horses are also served as snacks. Five pounds of oatmeal is not enough. Double the amount of feed and add more carrots with yellow roots to supplement vitamins.

The reindeer sleigh pulled some cargo, and the supplies were tightly packed with a piece of cloth.

Rurik himself led a small group of subordinates, and everyone walked firmly on the snow with iron wooden shoes.

The sleigh stopped in front of the barn where all the Pechenegs lived, and the noise outside drew people out.

Kagan, who had already talked to his brothers, walked out of the gate with great enthusiasm, and greeted his sworn brother with open arms.

"Today is a good day for trading. Look at my men, their bows are about to become yours. So..."

Rurik nodded in satisfaction and motioned his men to lift the cloth from the sleigh.

In an instant, the neatly stacked wooden-arm crossbows were dazzling.

"Start redeeming now. Thirty crossbows are yours."

"Thirty?" Kagan's face was a little embarrassed, and he approached Rurik's body and couldn't help fiddling: "Brother, I changed my mind. Your crossbow is very beautiful, since you value my compound bow. Otherwise, we will expand the business, and I will exchange all forty bows with you in exchange."

"Forty for forty?!"

Rurik stepped back involuntarily, his face quivering violently. He quickly stabilized his mood and resolutely agreed.

Can't think of Kagan to be so extreme, if this guy brings a hundred recurve bows, he can't sell all of them? "No, I have to control my emotions, I can't let him see my greedy recurve bow." Rurik hurriedly controlled himself.

"That's the deal." Rurik held his head high, snapped his fingers, and his subordinates sent a steel-armed crossbow as planned.

"What is this? It's also a crossbow?!" Kagan was shocked.

"This is my personal gift to you, and it is our best crossbow. Of course, the cost of making it is also astonishingly high. One bows for you ten. I will now send someone to get ten additional wooden crosses. Bow, take this opportunity. I! Can show you the use of this steel-armed crossbow."

Having lived in Ross for almost two months, Kagan has never seen the steel arm version. He really didn't understand that a piece of iron could actually make a bow?

He was amazed that this crossbow used iron as its arms to be weird. One was equal to the price of ten recurve bows. Why is it so expensive.

What made him even more astonished was that a special tool was required to wind this thing. It's no surprise that the crossbow is stepped on the string, and the steel arm version is also possible, even if a strong man has done it a few times, he will basically collapse unless he uses a winch tool.

The winding is so laborious, and the whole is quite bulky, how about shooting with it? If it doesn't work well, it's a waste of money.

I saw a very short and stubby arrow with an arrow groove. It was not even as long as a person's forearm, and even thicker than a person's thumb.

Seeing that the iron sheet armor that the Pecheneg people took off was still hanging outdoors, Rurik just finished winding the string and pointed it out: "Brother Kagan, it seems that you made the armor into a dummy and placed it at the door. It is a kind of mighty power. Does it matter?"

"Of course. In the city, I can understand that you don't let your brothers carry weapons. Anyway, you ordinary Russ are walking on the road without weapons. I can only show our identity by putting on the armor."

"Because the city is a very safe place, except for the patrolling soldiers and my guards, ordinary people don't need to use weapons to protect themselves. It doesn't matter." Rurik had an idea: "I need a target. Brother Kagan, believe it or not. I can pierce your armor with one arrow."

"Um?"

"An arrow pierces armor." Rurik further emphasized.

Rurik repeated it three times in a row, and Kagan was sure that he had heard it right, but the description of Prince Ross was clearly a fantasy.

The quality of Pecheneg's iron sheet armor is naturally not good due to the limitation of materials. A cavalryman wears hard cowhide armor on the inside and puts on the armor on the outside. Such a soldier can defend against the enemy's cavalry archer. face shot! Of course, ordinary cavalry can't have such luxurious equipment. As the number one noble of the Khan family, Kagan naturally gave him a good set of armor for his private soldiers.

Kagan has plenty of self-confidence, and it happens that this is also an opportunity to prove the superiority of Pecheneg's armor.

"Okay! I'll make my subordinates wear leather armor, and then put on iron armor. You can just shoot at him. If you can penetrate it, I will lose."

What is the meaning of such reckless remarks and the king of Qin raising the tripod? Before Rurik had time to persuade, Kagan called him to his subordinates like a demon, and immediately a very proud Pecheneg warrior stood up, patted his chest and claimed that his armor was invincible in the world.

Rurik just glanced at it, and he kept sighing in his heart. If you look closely, the so-called armor is a series of iron pieces, just like the scales of carp are closely stacked, but even so, can it withstand the blow of carbon steel armor-piercing arrows?

"This... is inappropriate! If I accidentally kill your subordinate, I will blame myself."

"Brother, are you cowardly?" After that, Kagan laughed.

Immediately, a madman swiftly changed into leather armor and put on tie armor, and stomped on the snow with the posture of stalking horses.

The big nobles have to do a kind of "game" and stand in the position of slave soldiers. This is a shortcut to change their fate. As the so-called wealth and danger seek, some guys just want to test the body armor, which is equivalent to the possibility of the future. Khan Kagan is loyal.

Let's look at the Pecheneg warrior in armor and trotting, who has already dreamed of becoming a general under the Khan's command in the future.

This person is so active, what is not provocation? !

Rurik didn't bother to be humble any more, stomped his feet vigorously, with the intention of killing in his heart, and said bluntly in the Slavic language they could understand: "Warrior! You may die! You could have not died, all this is your own choice. I respect you as a man, and if you die, I will bury you in our Rus warrior cemetery."

Let's watch the Pecheneg warrior smash his chest with his fists: "This is my destiny, come! It is my honor to be killed by Ross Khan. But my noble armor can stop your noble arrows. "

Rurik looked at Kagan's resolute and extremely expectant eyes again, and kept a distance of about twenty meters from the arrow tester. He half-knelt down with a steel-armed crossbow, took aim and pulled the trigger.

With a crisp sound, the slender cone head of the sharp carbon steel armor-piercing arrow directly penetrated the man's abdomen, or most of the arrow clusters of about 10 cm have been buried in it.

The man was knocked down by the powerful kinetic energy as soon as he shouted, and then rolled on the ground while covering his stomach, blood oozing out.

Kagan was stunned by all this, and the onlookers rushed to pull up, and even Rurik threw down the crossbow.

Kagan, who hurriedly knelt down, was shocked by the scene in front of him. The long and narrow arrow cluster was almost completely buried in it. It ignored the iron and leather armor and penetrated deeply into the soldier's stomach.

"I've been merciful." Rurik said with a sullen face, "If I shoot at his heart, he will die."

"You!" Kagan bared his teeth. "You might as well just kill him. Hit him in the stomach, and he will die in extreme pain from a severe fever."

At this moment, the painful Pecheneg warrior shouted: "Kill me. I lost, I should die!"

The success of this arrow piercing the armor gave Kagan an indescribable shock. He really had to pull out his own knife to cut meat, and wanted to stab his subordinates' necks fiercely to complete the "willing to accept the bet". However, he clearly clenched the handle of the knife and was still an assistant, but turned his face sideways: "Rurik, you..."

"Should I just let him be?"

"Can you? He's a fool, and I want him to live. You can give him death, and you can give him life!"

"Yes." Rurik remained calm: "We Rus people have some advanced medical skills, but whether he can survive or not, just..."

Rurik deliberately paused for a moment, and then he deliberately said: "You are already in Odin's domain. Whether this person can survive or not depends on the will of God. Kagan, you and I continue to trade, and you have seen it. The power of this crossbow, I will bestow upon you."

On the other hand, Kagan, he was no longer happy when he got the killer weapon, but was deeply shocked. How could he be happy in the face of this weapon that destroyed his brothers' belief in iron armor defense?

No matter how much he shivered, he was thankful that fortunately, the Principality of Ross was in the far north, and it would take three months to reach Ross at the earliest! I am glad that Pecheneg and Ross are a substantial alliance, and I am glad that he and the Prince of Ross are righteous brothers.

If the man who shot them might be creating a rift in the friendship that had just been formed, Kagan's astonishing performance later revealed that Rurik could see that this man actually took his subordinates seriously, even though they were all slaves. warrior. So showing mercy is the right choice.

Soon, the crossbow for the recurve trade was successfully completed.

A reckless man's act of trying an arrow might turn out to be a good thing?

There is currently no real hospital in the Principality of Ross, and the priests assume the work of doctors and nurses.

Ordinary people do not suffer from severe colds on weekdays, and the most common is still diarrhea caused by eating a bad stomach. With the improvement of hygiene standards throughout the Principality, the common diseases in the past have been reduced too much, the infant mortality rate has plummeted, and the life expectancy of the elderly is still increasing.

As people have to perform heavy physical labor, the number of people seeking medical treatment for bruises has increased.

In the era when the Ross tribe lived in the fjords, the priests took on the work of curing diseases. Of course, that kind of treatment was mixed with too much witchcraft.

Now the situation has changed significantly!

Because the Principality of Ross has set off an innovation in surgical operations! In principle, it is not a routine with the Frankish Kingdom.