A large number of bonfires were lit in the ruins of Qiao Village, and the people who had been marching for a long time were finally able to rest well.
A piece of extremely important news spread wildly in the Ross Army camp. The so-called place where the army is stationed will definitely serve as a future battlefield.
Finally it’s time to fight for everything!
This should have been a thrilling event that would make it difficult to sleep, but for many soldiers of the Ross Army, they were relieved that they no longer had to rush on their way.
Excluding the boat ride, the Slavic soldiers from Novgorod in the army all felt that the roads they had traveled in their previous lives were not as long as these days. What's more, this is a big island belonging to another Varyag people. There are crises everywhere, but of course they are also full of opportunities.
After the bonfire meeting at night, Rurik and Arik hurriedly selected the manpower for tomorrow's special operation.
Soon after, the bonfire illuminated the faces of a group of unruly warriors.
The cool night breeze blew their beards, and the hilts of the steel swords hanging from their waists were also illuminated by the flames.
As many as three hundred people were selected! Not only are each of them a capable general who has experienced battles, but most of them are also equipped with important weapons - crossbows.
The Russian army is equipped with many long-range weapons, among which the steel-arm and wooden-arm crossbows are the most common and most powerful. The steel arm version is good at firing heavy armor-piercing arrows. It has a short range, high penetration and high kinetic energy retention. Although the wooden arm version fires light arrows, it is more lightweight.
Compared to an excellent archer who requires long-term training to become a good archer, a crossbow archer can be achieved quickly! The wooden crossbow is light and easy to use and does not take up much space.
Rurik carefully selected two hundred warriors to serve as shooters, and another hundred veterans who had killed many enemies joined. Thirty Kovin longbowmen were also led by Mechasta, adding some new tricks to the following actions.
They lined up in an array and accepted the inspection by brothers Rurik and Arik in the soft light of the bonfire.
Aric walked around for a few times and felt satisfied. He spoke on behalf of his brother: "They are all very energetic. Brothers, you beat the Gotlanders during the day, and soon you will beat more. Enemies. You are lucky. We will set off to climb that mound tomorrow. We will release the bait and finally defraud the Gotlander king of a huge sum of money. When the king appears, hehe..."
< p>Arik deliberately did not finish his words, but the brothers are not simple children either.Why do the soldiers who were summoned have sufficient experience in using bows and crossbows? What does "cheating money" have to do with carrying a large number of crossbows?
Bows and crossbows are used to kill enemies. The small group of Kewen people have amazing archery skills. What kind of shooting is planned by the Duke? Is that object the king of the Gotlanders?
It is really a great honor to shoot the enemy's nobles. Souls with such achievements must enter the Hall of Valor.
After this glance, Rurik ordered the brothers to disband and ordered everyone to have a good sleep. After all, before the decisive battle, they must complete a difficult task.
Soon, the two men and a small group of followers arrived at the camp of the captives at Baisha Port.
Seeing the arrival of "Rose the Cruel Man", many people trembled as soon as they saw Arik's face, even though Arik's injured left arm was hung with a rope around his neck.
Like a bear roaring, Arik drew his sword in his right hand and asked: "Now, I give you a chance to leave!"
A chance to leave? Is it the soul leaving this world? The prisoners in Baisha Port changed their faces, and many of them immediately begged for their lives.
"Don't cry!" Rurik couldn't stand his cousin's threatening attitude. He took two steps forward and said calmly: "I want to pick ten people and I will let them go." You go to Visby"
What? Can you escape back to Visby?
Almost all the captives were moved. In their opinion, they could start a new life by escaping to Visby and make a comeback. It was ten thousand times better than being a slave to the Russians until they died. .
But everyone also doubts the sincerity of the Russians.
Rurik explained again and again, and randomly picked a lucky one. Then, the others became a large group of crabs that fell into the oil pan, and began to struggle like crazy, saying that they should be the most deserving. Go.
"I told you, these guys are unreliable. You see, they want to escape in their hearts, but they just lack a chance." Arik pouted and muttered to his brother contemptuously.
Rurik was also surprised that the captive behaved like this. Anyway, this group of prisoners themselves are a kind of expendable product.
Since he had to choose ten people, Rurik randomly selected ten people according to whether they were strong or not.
Those who were selected were excited, while those who were not selected were crestfallen.
The ten people were separated, and in an atmosphere that was so shocking that their hearts almost exploded, they learned about the mission they should lead.
Perhaps Visby is no longer synonymous with security. This "large city" on the coast is already a serious big fat sheep for the Ross army.
Are the Russians planning some conspiracy?
Rurik’s self-awareness is not needed. The Ross tribe has mobilized the maximum amount of troops that can be mobilized in the current era. The tribe has mobilized in full force to fight the Gotlanders. Since it is a decisive battle, then they should square up and fight in an upright manner!
Both sides dispatched all their forces, and the Ross army won a dignified victory. Rurik felt that this was a true battle to establish his power, and it also instilled pride into the Ross tribe.
Of course, the guys in Visby can be informed of the strength of the Ross Army.
“Our Russian army has three thousand people, and you all know the situation of our army these days. You can tell the Gotlanders in Visby about these situations and tell them what our Russian army expects. A decisive battle!
You have to tell the king of Gotland and the big merchants that all five of their prince’s expedition team were wiped out, and only the prince must be captured. with two hundred pounds of silver coins, arrive at the foot of the hill before noon on the 17th and exchange money with us, otherwise Sigfast’s head will fall to the ground! "
Based on just a dictation, Rurik did not believe that these guys could convey it perfectly.
Rurik sent someone to engrave the blackmail terms he had set on a fresh side On the cut and processed pine boards, the grooves were coated with carbon powder, revealing multiple strings of rune documents. This is the so-called "kidnapper's conditions", or the last war ultimatum to the Gotlandic forces entrenched in Visby. .
The morning fog filled the whole world.
The air was cool, and Rurik couldn't help but feel a chill when he got out of his animal skin sleeping bag. After eating some dried fish and drinking some boiled chrysanthemum tea, I regained my warmth.
The Ross army will be stationed at the ruins of the village before the war. Some soldiers who were sparsely cleared and did not mind the trouble were already carrying axes and double saws to quickly cut down a group of pine trees. Since they were already building a more comfortable wooden shed early in the morning, why not make it more presentable. What about some?
Some deer villages and wooden fences were quickly built as part of the fortifications. Instead of digging trenches, they dug and piled up four mounds at the four corners of the camp and then carried them. This is the tactical commanding height of the camp. If the enemy unexpectedly attacks, the crossbowmen can stand on the high place and shoot at will.
Everyone is essentially a Viking, sending dozens of people. The team launched a sneak attack, which was a tactic known to both the Russians and Gotland. Of course, the Russian army was not afraid of sneak attacks. It was like a fly flying around in front of them, so it was better to kill it quickly to avoid worrying.
Sigfast's hands were useless, and his broken forearm muscles formed clearly visible masses under the skin. He was tortured by pain and hunger, and he was dazed by a copper basin of cold water. Wake up.
Aric looked down at this proud man in the past: "Sigfast, the prince of the Gotlanders. Now, we're going to put you back, get up! ”
After that, two people untied the chain around the tree trunk around his neck.
Sigfast knelt on the ground in a daze, and someone threw him down. A small piece of mutton, he was so hungry that he immediately lay down and ate it, not caring about the dirt on the meat.
This move made the onlookers of the Ross soldiers burst into laughter! "This is a hunting dog! "
"No, is a hunting dog with a broken leg still a good dog? "
"He deserves it. He actually thinks that he has great powers, but now he is just a docile sheep. ”
Sigfast allowed himself to be ridiculed by the Russians because his soul was dead and all that was left was an empty shell.
Captured from White Sands Port The chain used to tie up the ox has now become a treasure to tie up the man. The Russian soldier led Sigfast and began to leave the camp and run towards the mound.
The Russian army’s camp was ten meters above sea level. , soAnd the so-called mound is not very high to begin with.
In contrast, a forty-meter-high mound stands, which is only fourteen stories high. However, the pine and oak trees growing on it make the mound even more spectacular.
While walking, the zombie-like Siegfast regained consciousness a little and realized that it would be better to die when he saw what he was going through. Where are you going now? Going to Visby? What do these Russians want? !
Sigfast no longer dared to curse. The swelling on his face had not gone away. He also knew that if he continued to curse, his tongue would be cut off by them.
He observed the Russian army. They were a group of warriors carrying strange bows and arrows. Each of the marchers actually had one hand. There were also some short black-haired men who actually carried large bows of astonishing length. . Despite the small number of them, Sigfast knew best that these guys had become extremely powerful due to some magical weapons. He was eager to tell his father the news. As the saying goes, don't try to fight the Russians, even if it means victory. A miserable victory, and the probability of victory is too low.
He cast more of his perspective on a despicable leader - the elite mercenary Grund.
This guy is good. Although he is unarmed, the Russians obviously value this guy very much. He silently cursed Grund for his unlucky death, and also cursed the Rus people for the huge waves that destroyed the fleet, and the heavy rain that made them all sick and die. No matter what kind of curse, Siegfast clearly realized that pure force would be difficult to defeat this landing army!
Soon, the Russians climbed to the top of the mound, and Sigfast was tied to a tree like an animal and guarded by the Russians.
The ten selected prisoners were immediately driven away.
They started walking down the mountain, and when they left, they kept turning their heads. It seemed that they had been abused and developed feelings?
Actually, they were worried that they would be suddenly attacked by Russian arrows after they left, so they took three steps and turned their heads. The so-called Russian people suddenly fired arrows so that they could lie down and avoid them.
"What happened to them? Why are they still complaining after letting them go?" Rurik said displeased.
Aric didn't have a good face, so he ordered a few soldiers: "Shoot arrows to scare them! Drive them away!"
The Russians did shoot arrows! The whirling feather arrows came with a strong whizzing sound. The prisoners in White Sands Harbor first lay down, then stood up suddenly, and fled westward towards Visby like a "tiger descending the mountain". Some people were even too panicked and fell into the grass on the slopes. He fell everywhere and was bruised all over his body, but he got up and ran away as fast as he could.
"They are really cowards. Such people can only fall into the underworld after death." Arik looked at their backs and shook his head in disdain.
Rurik sighed softly: "They are all fishermen, you don't expect them to have the dignity of warriors. You see, that Siegfast just wants a dog now. But this group of people Cowards, they will spread terror in Visby. Haha, I hope their king will not be frightened by the strength of our army."
"Dog?"This incident aroused the idea of Arik: "I would like to keep a real dog that can be used as a hunting partner. Maybe I will get one in Visby."
"Okay." Rurik shrugged: "I would rather get some horses. You know, we don't have horses, and the Malaren people don't have any either. Is it said that only the Danes have such good cart-drawing animals? Gotland As an ally of the Danes, people hope that Visby will have horses."
Arik has never seen a horse in his life, and of course the same goes for most Viking tribes.
The Danes living in that part of the Jutland Peninsula, as the neighboring Kingdom of Saxony was destroyed by the Frank Empire, the Danes not only directly bordered the Franks, but also encountered Frank cavalry for the first time. The markets of Hedeby and Sirius began to be populated by bold Frankish merchants, selling horses against the orders of Charlemagne. Even though most of the horses sold by Frankish profiteers were inferior horses, some Danish tribes immediately began to use the horse's ability to pull goods after buying it. As for upgrading to cavalry, the Danes were powerless until they got excellent riding horses.
Of course there are horses in Gotland, but they are just the treasures of some merchants. Businessmen have to use horses to pull small trucks, and probably the biggest advantage is eating horse meat.
The ten slaves who were deliberately let go ran madly towards Visby with the Duke of Ross's letter of war, blackmail terms, and Sigfast's sword and other tokens to prove their identity.
These people were soon discovered by refugees camped outside Visby.
For the people of Visby, they all saw that Haken, who had proclaimed himself king, assigned his eldest son to lead 500 soldiers over the mountains to find out the truth about Ross's invasion. This happened three days ago. what happened.
What's going on? Prince Siegfast's 500 men were all wiped out? It seems this is true!
Rurik's plan is being implemented by the fugitives from White Sands Port. They are trumpeting in Visby that the powerful Russians are in the bridge village to the east of the mound, and even the failure of the path exploration force. .
The Ross army has arrived at the city! They would come to Visby, kill everyone, take away the wealth, and burn everything.
People began to run in panic. Panic quickly spread from outside to inside. People shouted as they walked. Finally, it was rumored that Ross's army of 10,000 people had already attacked Visby.
A large number of people fled to the beach. If Haken's warriors had not finally stopped people from seizing the boats, Visby's escape across the sea would have begun. Some people were beheaded and the flight across the sea was stopped. After waking up, people began to swarm towards the forum and the altar.
Although the people of Visby are actively preparing for war these days, the news that King Haken killed the escapees has spread wildly in the settlements, and no ship has entered the sea against orders in the past few days.
The men of Visby were polishing their weapons and repairing their shields, and many women also took up arms and prepared for battle. Visby has reached a critical juncture, and everyone has to fight to protect their farmers.Fight for fields, pastures, fishing grounds, and most importantly, the altar.
In this way, there is no problem for the Gotlanders to assemble an army of five thousand men, and a large number of young women can go to the battlefield with weapons and actively join the fight.
The Rus were forced to go deep into dangerous places, and they gradually became more protective of the women of the tribe. But for people in other areas of this sea area, it is normal for female warriors to participate in the fight.
Rurik brought a group of young girls into the team as crossbowmen. At first, many tribesmen criticized him, but some tribesmen who knew the old traditions were enthusiastic about this move. Ledao.
The terrible news is spreading wildly. People who claim to be ready for battle have now gathered outside the chamber. The whole world is extremely noisy. People are shouting and questioning, and some are wailing.
People are actually afraid of a decisive battle in their hearts. Everyone also knows that the Russians will not give up easily and war may be inevitable.
But these thousands of ordinary people don’t know that the distinguished businessmen in the chamber have ulterior motives, and they are talking about a decisive battle. What they are thinking behind the scenes...