The Russians evacuated with the money box, and they soon returned to the top of the mound.
Contrary to the enthusiasm of his men, Rurik had no joy in getting the "ransom".
"What's the matter? My brother, are you feeling depressed because you are tired from walking?" Arik's smile was impudent. He pushed Rurik hard and advocated: "They are indeed a group of cowards, I will I'm afraid they won't dare to fight."
"Then we will follow your plan and our army will climb over or around the mound and attack Visby." Rurik said casually.
"Oh, then I still hope they will send people here. I will eliminate them in one go and let the brothers possess their women."
Rurik doesn't care about his cousin's remarks. , He knows the deceitful ways of soldiers, and also realizes the true significance of soldiers as a major matter for the country.
This was a gamble that risked everything on the Ross tribe. It seemed to have assembled a huge army, but for this army, failure was the end of everything, and the victory was achieved at the cost of heavy casualties. Victory, this result is better than failure.
Rurik prides himself on being more sober, or more cautious, than Arik.
Mokan has achieved many early victories. If he becomes complacent and becomes a arrogant soldier, will he suffer a big loss in the decisive battle?
"Arik!" Rurik thought of something and hurriedly called his cousin.
"What's wrong? What did you think of?"
"After we go back, don't say anything about money."
"What? Why? ? ! We have taken such a big advantage, how can we not let everyone know? "
"On the contrary," Rurik closed his eyes and calmed down. : "We will not display the coins publicly when we go back. I will publicly announce the despicability of the Visby people."
"What is this for?"
"Tell the brothers that we We were deceived by the enemy! We let the prisoners go and left, but the boxes were full of dirt." At this point, Rurik thought of another trick: "As soon as we got back, we took out the silver coins. Stuff it with soil and then display it in public."
Arik behaved like a murderous man in this war. He could not understand his brother's schemes, so he had no choice but to ask what happened.
“Hey, I just want to make my brothers angry! Arik, anger will bring courage. The Russians, Novgorodians, Kovins, everyone in our team was deceived by the enemy. This way everyone will have a reason to kill the enemy without any scruples. Arik, what do you want to do to the person who deceived you?"
It was only then that Arik finally realized this. This was my brother's way of boosting morale, so he smiled wildly and said: "Of course I'll chop off the liar's head."
"Then let's keep going. I'm going to leave some people behind to act as eyeliners and pile up some branches." . There is some dried cow dung under the mound, collect some and put them on the woodpile."
"What are your plans? ”
“Because burning cow dung will produce obvious thick smoke. When our agents saw the enemy making a big move, they lit the pyre and the brothers stood up and prepared to fight! It will still take some time for the enemy to arrive at our predetermined battlefield, so when they arrive, they will face our troops who are well prepared. ”
My brother does have the “wisdom given by Odin”. He obviously has a clear insight into the future decisive battle, and can even predict the enemy’s attack and make arrangements. Arik can only praise him. The remaining ones cooperated unconditionally.
Ten people remained on the mound. They had excellent eyesight and were good at fighting. They were also good at hiding themselves in the yellow bushes. They began to actively pile up firewood. Keeping the flammable tinder carefully, their eyes were fixed on Visby in the west.
Rurik and Arik returned to the camp with the victorious team. It was still the evening of the 17th. .
When they saw their brothers returning from a busy day building a field camp, most of them just looked at them from a distance and waved.
Some people were happy and indifferent to their physical fatigue. The people who welcomed the return were surprised to learn that the returnees had been deceived!
Rurik colluded with his brothers along the way, and even the rebellious Dane Grund also said everywhere with everyone: “We were tricked by King Visby! There are no coins, just sand. ”
The news quickly reached Otto’s ears. After things ended up like this, Otto felt that since the Gotlanders had betrayed the alliance, they would do something deceptive after calming down his raging heart. It's not unusual. This matter still needs to be inquired after seeing the son and nephew.
Soon, the Rurik brothers returned to the Duke's tent.
You're welcome. It is said that after a day of digging and inserting wood, the Russians just dug out the earth and built a half-person-high circular low wall, which gave the camp a good wind protection function. But it is obviously not just wind protection, brothers! Continuing to dig the earth even to the height of one person is equivalent to saying that the Russians have built a fortress.
It is also a good thing for the enemy to attack the fortress in large quantities. This way the Russian army can take advantage of the geographical advantage. Continuously firing arrows from high places to cause damage
Even transforming the camp into a star fort with multiple convex corners
The thought flashed across his mind, and Rurik knew himself. It's obviously possible to do this, but it's not necessary based on reality.
Which commander would be so stupid as to make all the brothers who are waiting for a decisive battle exhausted physically and mentally by insisting on civil construction on the day before the battle? The strength of the Ross Army is by no means a disadvantage, and there is no need to rely on the defensive attributes of the Star Castle to make up for the shortcomings.
But the army's camp is still a substantial tactical high ground, and the Ross Army's long-range firepower has reason to take advantage of this.
Rurik and Arik are sitting in the Duke's tent. At this moment, the captains of the flag teams are gathered here.
Looking at the formation, Rurik is not here. The duty report is clearly for the entire army.The officers gathered for a pre-battle conference.
Seeing that his son and nephew were safe and sound, Otto breathed a sigh of relief: "As soon as you came back, there were rumors in the army that you were cheated by the enemy. They didn't give you any money? Don't just admire it, Goth." The Lan people are traitors, and the promises of traitors cannot be trusted."
Rurik shook his head with a calm face, then called the people standing outside carrying boxes to enter the tent one after another, unloaded the boxes and left immediately.
Otto squinted and stared at the suitcases: "The suitcases are good, but it's a pity that... they are all filled with sand?"
Rurik did not speak. He stood up and opened the suitcase at will. , showing everyone the silver coins.
All the boxes were opened one after another, and the large amount of silver coins shocked everyone.
Otto stood up suddenly and exclaimed deeply: "They didn't lie to us?! They gave us money?!"
"Yes, they gave us money, but... Rurik signaled the frightened people to calm down and listen to him explain the whole story, "I deliberately created public opinion. I think everyone outside this tent is talking about the Gotlanders being liars. This is what I need. Now I am." We need to take out all the silver coins and replace them with soil on the spot, and display these boxes filled with soil in public tomorrow."
Otto suddenly shot out his right hand, indicating that his son did not need to say anything, and then chuckled. Harold Zuosen, who was also an old guy, also laughed out loud.
"What a smart boy, everyone can't help but hate them!"
"Yes!" Rurik's face remained calm, and he made a special statement: "It just so happens that all the flag captains are Here, I tell you, I had a direct negotiation with the king of Gotland, the man named Hakon. The day of the decisive battle I declared was the 19th. We ambushed their people and killed the captured ones. Siegfast, brought back so many silver coins, I believe that after being so humiliated, they will definitely send troops to fight..."
Rurik said a lot, and Otto became more and more aware of the complexity of the matter. . "Rurik, if their army does not appear on the 19th, what will our army do?"
"Then our army will take the initiative to attack on the 20th! I believe this is actually the real choice of the majority of soldiers . We will eventually defeat the Gotlanders in Visby. I hope that the enemy will fight our army on the battlefield of Bridge Village, so that the price we pay for victory will be the smallest. I also believe that man. He will carry out his words and dispatch all Gotland warriors to fight me on the 19th."
Otto looked around happily: "Look, the war is coming, we should all remember it. , there are only friendly troops and enemies on the battlefield, there is no distinction between old people and children. When you go back, tell your people that you will show no mercy in the decisive battle."
Everyone roared in agreement.
Rurik did not finish what he said. Of course, it is wishful thinking to imagine that the enemy will definitely infiltrate into the preset location in the decisive battle. Since this possibility has become very high, the Russians should Use your own advantages to arrange the decisive battle place well.
What he didThe military commander immediately designed the formation for the decisive battle.
The formation that was rehearsed on Tombstone Island remains unchanged, and the Ross army still needs to use pincer tactics to kill as many of the enemy's effective forces as possible. The biggest adjustment made here is that the Russians will back their own camp, and the windproof earth wall facing the west will continue to be dug and piled up tomorrow until it is as high as an adult warrior. All the torsion slingshots will be placed on it. When the war began, all the crossbowmen who could not fight head-on retreated to the earth wall, especially the ten-year-old warriors. They relied on their crossbows and slingshots to continuously output firepower.
With such armored men slashing from the front and non-stop arrow shooting from the rear, the war turned into a three-dimensional battle unprecedented in the Nordic world.
No one has ever seen such a battle. It is currently based on Rurik's personal narration, and the listener can only rely on imagination to taste the excitement.
All the silver coins in the box were dumped, and a pit was quickly dug out in the Duke's tent. All the silver was buried in the pit, and the excess soil was stuffed into the box.
Thanks to the protection of the low earth wall, this nasty northwest wind did not cause much trouble to the Ross army in the camp.
The Kevin people here are undoubtedly the most active in digging soil. They are good at building hillforts made of wood and soil, and they gave the most direct technical guidance to the construction of low walls in the Ross army camp. Of course, they also dug themselves a pile of earth pits that were ridiculed as tombs, and put a large number of branches on them to form sheds, with a cave inside. This is a semi-underground house, so the effect of keeping warm and windproof is really poor.
Time soon arrived on the 18th. On this morning, the Russian fleet arrived off the coast of Visby Port and sank the fleeing merchant ships.
In the afternoon, the Russian observers on the mound suddenly saw a large ship on the sea in the distance!
These people must have very good eyesight, and the air is extremely clear. There are some boats floating unexpectedly on the vast sea, and they all have unique big triangular sails.
A messenger frantically ran back to the camp where the Ross army was still intensifying their arrangements, and reported the news of the arrival of Gould's fleet to Rurik and Otto.
Early in the morning on this day, when the soldiers had finished eating the dried meat and were about to do something, Rurik summoned his mercenaries to deliberately create a noise in the camp.
Soon more than a thousand people gathered in front of the Duke's tent.
The suitcases were all opened, and the sand and soil inside were clearly visible. Rurik, Arik and Otto spoke loudly one after another, denounced the Gotlanders as liars, which aroused the excitement of the crowd!
Soon, the angry soldiers smashed the boxes, and the chaotic scene almost led to an accident.
Two strong mercenaries used their hands as saddles, and Rurik stepped on them, keeping him at a high place.
When the excited people's mood calmed down a little, he began to control everyone's well-being.A familiar voice loudly announced: "Brothers! The King of Gotland is a liar! The day of decisive battle! Tomorrow! War! Kill them!"
Thousands of eyes focused on this man with golden hair The pony-tailed boy has a handsome face, and Rurik's blond hair is blown by the northwest wind.
Becoming the king that attracted everyone's attention, Rurik was already infected by this exciting atmosphere. He raised his right fist high and shouted one after another: "War! War! War!"
He doesn't need to make a long speech. He can actually publish a "remonstrance against thieves" but it's not necessary.
He focused on two concepts: We have been deceived by the enemy, and we should take revenge with war.
He used the simplest words to explain his tough attitude and quickly inspired people's fighting spirit.
People began to chant war. At this moment, who can question the morale of the Russian army?
Some really insignificant tool men, such as those prisoners of Baisha Port who were willing to serve as slaves in order to survive, were given some shovels to dig the soil, or they just used their hands to move the camp under the supervision of Ross warriors. The earthen walls facing west continued to pile up. If any of them slacked off, they would be beaten and kicked by the Russians. Even though their hands were digging in the soil and were full of blood, they were still forging ahead.
If it had been in the past, Rurik would have felt compassion for these tool people.
But now, these guys are destined to become victims of the war. Rurik only spared their lives temporarily. I am afraid that they will all die tomorrow.
The Gould fleet arrived at the Port of Visby and immediately imposed a military blockade on the port. Although the news was conveyed in the afternoon, Rurik estimated that the enemy must have completely given up the idea of escape by sea early in the morning. .
The enemy either sits back and waits for death, or breaks out and fights to the death. With the port blocked, the enemy no longer has option C.
The day of decisive battle is coming!
On the 18th day of August in the Julian calendar, the Russian soldiers were basically recharging their strength for the whole day.
It can be said that most of them spend the whole day sitting and lying around doing nothing. The construction of the earth wall was done by the slaves of Baisha Port. The brothers only had to sit on the grass and use the sharpening sandstone in their burlap backpacks to keep sharpening their ax blades and spearheads.
The crossbowmen counted all their arrows, plus the inferior arrows seized at White Sands Port. The number of bows and crossbows currently owned by the Russians reached an astonishing three. Ten thousand, equivalent to all the crossbows equipped with an average of nearly ninety arrows. This is just a crossbow. The torsion slingshot is installed on the trolley, and some tailed javelins and cast iron bullets are also fixed on it.
Rurik ordered the tribal women to sew the "Russian backpack with straps and mouth from ancient times". Basically, every soldier has one. There were some personal belongings of the soldiers in the bag, and they were also asked to insert some arrows to help transport them.
Most of the arrows packaged in bundles are still loaded on reindeer carts, but now the situation has changedBig changes. The captured reindeer were carrying supplies. Even if there were a large number of reindeer, the main force of the Russian army carried a large amount of supplies and equipment, which made the march quite difficult and had to take a detour when encountering hills.
Every warrior carries a heavy load when marching. Fortunately, the men of the Ross tribe have developed strong endurance while rowing desperately in peacetime.
All the sweat and sweat are for this decisive battle. The decisive battle is approaching, and many people are stunned to have only a short sleep all night. They were unable to sleep purely due to excitement, but the little warriors who had been trained by Rurik all slept soundly. They still don't know what the decisive battle means, but in daily training, the girls in the team have become resistant to blood. They kept Lord Rurik's orders in mind, and each knew their position and role in the decisive battle.
But the agreed day for the decisive battle, August 19th in the Julian calendar, maybe today is just a peaceful beginning?
Early in the morning, Rumia built a decent altar in the camp. With all the sacrifices, they all wore flower crowns woven with wild chrysanthemums picked locally to make a pre-war sacrifice for the decisive battle. .
A reindeer was sacrificed, and Rumia held the cut liver of the deer as usual and announced Odin's will to the gathered people - Ross must win.
This is really routine. Too much good news has come. The Russian army has long believed that Odin has given the army a blessing for victory. The high priest's actions are just a way to strengthen their belief.
In the early morning, everyone hoped that the enemy would suddenly appear after the thin morning fog disappeared, and then the two armies would fight against the Ross army and win a complete victory. In the evening, the army would be able to march to Visby and plunder wantonly.
However, the enemy did not appear. Instead, the dark clouds completely dispersed and the sun came back!
Although the west wind was still blowing, everyone was illuminated by the warm sunshine, full of strength, and urgently needed to kill a few enemies for fun.
The earthen wall facing the west has been repaired. Arik sat on the top of the wall boredly, and all ten torsion slingshots around him were in place.
He gnawed on the dried fish, his eyes facing the west.
Rurik sat quietly next to his cousin with a dull expression on his face, seemingly simply waiting for the enemy to arrive.
"It seems that we are going to be disappointed. I really admire that Haken. He is going to be a turtle with a shrunken head, waiting for me to smash the turtle shell with a big ax." Arik said fiercely mocked.
"Don't worry, maybe they are on their way."
"You just think too highly of them. I have been waiting for a long time, and everything is still calm as usual?" Arik Shaking his head, he threw away the dried fish, "I've eaten enough dry food. I have to go talk to Rumia about the sacrificial stag that is being roasted. I have to take a leg of the deer and chew it."
Aric stood up and came down the mound, looking for the aroma of barbecue and leaving.
Suddenly, Rurik stood up, turned around and shouted to his cousin: "Arik! There is smoke coming from the mound!"
It was like an electric shock.Normally, Arik, who was leisurely and leisurely, suddenly turned around and looked to the west intently. Thick smoke was really coming out of the mound again, and it was getting thicker and thicker.
There is nothing to hesitate about!
Arik suddenly pulled out his sword, ran like a cheetah, and roared like a lion: "The Gotlanders are coming! Fight!"
The Russian army immediately became nervous. When they got up, after seeing the early warning "wolf smoke", they began to line up according to their own flag formation, and quickly formed an array to meet the enemy.
Yes! Early in the morning on this day, King Haken of Gotland, with his army of all kinds of people, began to climb over the mounds and rush to the place where the decisive battle took place in Qiao Village.
At this point, there is nothing to worry about. The Gotland Army actually gathered as many as 6,000 people in this battle! Even though they are mixed with a large number of too young boys and a large group of female warriors, they are still a powerful military force.
Haken saw the thick smoke suddenly rising from the top of the hill and concluded that this was an early warning from the Rus.
There is nothing to hesitate about!
Separated by a hill between the two armies, the commanders of both sides and most of the soldiers had surprisingly consistent attitudes - since this decisive battle has been decided, let the decisive battle come as scheduled.
The decisive battle related to the rise and fall of the Gotlanders and the Russians officially broke out.