February 4-30, 1238
Yuri Vsevolodovich, Grand Duke of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality, leaves the capital Vladimir with his squad. To gather the reinforcements of the North in one fist. And hit the Tatars with all his might.
February 5-8 Vladimir army of 8,000 swords arrives in Rostov the Great. Here it joins the Rostov infantry regiment with Prince Easily Rostov. After a little rest, the army should continue. And arrives in Yaroslavl, where it remains, awaiting the arrival of reinforcements.
On North
The reason why the great Prince Yuri went to the North all the more obvious. Militias and squads of the South and center of the Principality fell in battle near Bologna, Moscow or defended in Vladimir.
Reinforcements from here have dried up. Tartars roamed the roads everywhere. Gather strength to resist Batu can only be in the North. In addition, there was the smallest distance to Verify Novgorod. Yuri Vsevolodovich counted on his brother's help.
The maneuver of Prince Yuri for 600 years will anticipate the maneuver of generals Barclay DE Toll and Bag ration. They, too, will retreat with deeper and deeper Russia, not giving Napoleon battlefield. In order to save the troops and connect them...
In Yaroslavl, Yuri is joined by the Yaroslavl regiment with his nephew Prince Vsevolod, a small Glitch army of Prince Vladimir. Glitch nephew invites the jury to leave the Yaroslavl and go even higher. On the river Sit there waiting for support under the protection of the forest.
Vladimir's army goes to Sit, first on the ice of the Volga up, then on the river Bologna to the left. The decision was correct.
Sit
Even now it's a wilderness, surrounded by swamps and forests. What to say about the winter of the XIII century? The Mongol cavalry, hemmed in the city by swamps, snow, and forest, would be hampered in their ability to flank. The Tartars would have been forced to attack head-on, dismount from their horses. The last was most important, its cavalry have Yuri Vladimir was a bit, about 3,000.
Finally, from the upper reaches of the city there was a road to Novgorod, ideal for the approach of Novgorod reinforcements...
On the river With came according to various estimates 13-17 000 soldiers of the Russian North. Having heard about the gathering of troops, men from all Northern churchyards and towns came here singly and in groups.
But too many people for the forest small river in fierce winter. Everyone needs heats, food. The train — the warehouses and stables. And the princes of the direct connection between them. Because it is no accident that the camp of the Prince's armies stretched along the river a long thread of 20 kilometers. Bases became Riverside villages, which gave everything you need.
The Northern princes understood the vulnerability of the location. But the Tatars could not know where the Russian army was. In the unknown, the swamp they will not venture. Batu's cavalry will follow in their footsteps along the rivers. From the Volga to the lower reaches of the city will be the most dangerous...
So in the lower reaches of the city stood the best part. Foot regiment Rostov Prince Easily of Rostov. The Prince is a seasoned commander, with a regiment of 8 wars under his belt. On the Bologna and the Volga even Easily sent advanced patrols. The men of the villages cut and spotted in places likely break the cavalry.
The Grand-Ducal camp of Yuri Vladimir sky is located higher up the river. In a week the army of Svyatoslav Yurievsky will come here. Yaroslavl regiments of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavl stood even higher, 3 kilometers from Yuri. Ivan Starodubsky, hiding from the Mongols ring roads, to the Grand Duke did not have time.
The farthest Bastion of the army will be the camp of Vladimir Glitch. The Prince will lead the warriors far up the river. 1000 Glitch will cover the upper reaches of the river With in order to ensure the approach of the Novgorod army and control the Novgorod tract.
The army was spread out like the wings of a Falcon, in the center was the Grand Duke. On a long line of 50 km, the soldiers went to the warm huts, and the horses in the cozy stalls...
Lead
But the peace of the camps in the city did not last long. At the end of February terrible news will fall. The capital Vladimir fell, the whole family of the Grand Duke died. Over is burning and Took is besieged. One by one the cities of the Principality are dying. The scale of the tragedy, the strength of the Tatars and a terrible future opens princes and army. Plunging all in a wild despair.
Only Novgorod's help can still change the scales of Russian-Tatar power...
But the Tartars have in the West, the probability of an attack from the West has increased dramatically, Novgorod needs more cover. There is no point in Eastern camps on city, if in the West the entire hope. And then Yuri Vsevolodovich gave the order to the captain Dorothea with 3,000 militiamen urgently to take the river from East to West to strengthen the camp of Glitch. And all army to prepare for the same transition in the next few days.
The Grand Duke did not even suspect that at this moment not far from him begins the covert deployment of the 30,000 th Mongolian corps of Burundai. Sent by Batu to find Yuri and found him.
March 4, 1238 the remote shores of the city will witness the desperate heroism of the Russian army. This will be the last battle of Ancient Russia. The future of all 3 million Russians. From Kiev to Pskov will be solved here. In the wilderness of the North.