The most difficult period of the long expedition has finally passed. The huge army relaxed and occupied the entire Visby. They were finally able to put aside their worries, tension and rest.
Rurik gave the army a holiday, and after the soldiers handed over the main seizures to the Duke, they began to freely search for loot.
All the clay pots, cloth and leather that were found were looted. Most of the soldiers had changed into thick clothes, and their linen pockets were stuffed with many bottles and cans.
The best trophies are all in the hands of Rurik. For some of the treasures, he has taken out a small part and rewarded them in public to the most brave warriors.
A huge amount of loot, almost all the gold, silver and jewelry belonged to Rurik, and most of the leather and ironware also belonged to him.
Rurik did not want to distribute them all to the soldiers. This was definitely not his greed. Of course, some soldiers were chewing their heads. The so-called Duke himself almost ate up all the seizures.
But, so what? Who dares question the seed of God?
The most important thing is, without the planning and command of the Duke family, when will the great revenge of everyone in the Ross tribe be avenged?
The wealth will eventually return to the hands of the Russian people, but the way the wealth is given back is special.
After that night, Harald gave a total of eight hundred pounds of silver, as well as a sheepskin and washed loose wool. His daughter Aslaqi also officially became a woman and a Rus.
In the next two days, more than two thousand pounds of silver coins were unearthed, and as many as ten thousand pounds of copper coins were dug out.
Copper coins are not valuable goods, unless their currency value is relatively high when currency is scarce. Unfortunately, its value is mainly reflected in melting down to make bronze wares.
This is not an era of abundant commodities. After some inventory, Rurik basically understood the categories and magnitudes of the items he seized.
Silver coins amounted to ten thousand pounds, and copper coins also amounted to ten thousand pounds.
Gold coins are always scarce, now only a little over a hundred pounds.
There are three hundred pounds of raw amber and finished products. Ruby only comes in a small package.
The most abundant goods are 10,000 sheepskins and 1,000 cowhide. There were nearly 20,000 live sheep that were not slaughtered, and nearly 1,000 cattle. The most important thing is that Rurik discovered an extremely rare horse!
Unfortunately, it was completely different from what he imagined. Tall horses do not exist. Among the more than a hundred horses captured, their shoulder height only reached the chest of a strong man. This kind of horse is not even as short as a Mongolian horse. The stallion (actually bought from the Pomeranians by the Gotlanders through multiple transfers) is a treasure for pulling carts and carrying loads.
Dairy products such as cheese are processed into huge clumps. It is the gray color and smelly smell that makes Rurik instinctively resist. The seizure scale of cheese is not large. It is a high-energy food, and the taste without added sugar is very exciting. Children like Carlotta have no complaints.
Now a huge problem liesIn front of the army of Rurik and Ross. The army completely defeated the enemy and captured far more supplies than anyone expected. It is simply impossible to transport these money, supplies, livestock and poultry to Rossburg!
There were too many sheep captured, and those that had not yet been slaughtered were six times the strength of the Russian army.
Unfortunately, the Russian army only has 30 cargo ships at its disposal. How can they transport sheep in a short time? The temperature is getting colder day by day. Is the army going to abandon these captures? Even if it was a surprise slaughter, the brothers' stomachs were so big that they could only digest part of it before evacuating Gotland.
And this is just one of many problems.
The oats on Gotland Island are fully mature. Wheat is an extremely storable food. Regardless of taste, wheat that has been stored for three years can still be a good meal.
The army rested for two full days, and Rurik issued another order to harvest wheat. Who will do the hard work of harvesting wheat? Naturally, they are the Slavs and Malaren mercenaries in the army.
Essentially, they are farmers and have fields in their hometown. They have abundant experience in wheat harvesting, but unfortunately the Russians are extremely lacking in this aspect. As a result, the Russians who immigrated to New Roseburg had to learn farming from the Slavs who migrated there.
The corpses of those who died in the war still had no one to collect them, and their corpses were left to be eaten by ravens. The people who were busy harvesting wheat had no time to pay attention to the dead. They drove the captured wagons to transport the bundles of wheat to Visby.
The wheat harvest activity continues for another three days! In the past three days, more than 3,000 Russian troops and captured women and children had eaten 1,500 sheep with great luxury.
The wheat harvesters cleared flat land in Visby, made a batch of large flails with wooden sticks and hemp rope, and began to beat the bundles of Danish wheat ears frantically to shell them.
These Slavs put in a lot of work, and in return, they ate mutton every meal, and finally had a meal of porridge cooked with new wheat.
It is almost September in the Julian calendar, and the rainy season is about to arrive. In the past, Gotland has only had a small amount of rainy weather, and it comes and goes quickly. But in September, once a long rainy weather comes, it will be a heavy blow to the army far away.
As early as Visby had just been conquered, the evacuation of the Russians began.
Gould's move to carry all the captured gold and silver ashore was indeed just to show his merits to the Duke and Rurik.
On the fourth day after the conquest, all seven thousand pounds of silver coins were shipped to the Aurora, and almost all of the sheepskins and cowhide were loaded on the ship.
A group of young soldiers under Rurik's command, these two hundred people, together with some really old people, became the first batch of evacuees.
The fleet was already fully loaded. Fortunately, there was no threatening force on the sea. This fleet of armed cargo ships headed straight for Fort Ross.
They sailed against the wind, and when they returned, it was a strong tailwind all night long. Gould had a heavy responsibility;Any slack in power.
The fastest round trip for the transport fleet would take ten days, during which the Russians could only wait.
Time has quietly entered September, and the climate is becoming increasingly unfavorable to the Russians. We are not afraid of the cold, but we are worried that rainfall will make the whole world cold and damp.
People are still eating mutton desperately, and they have become extremely luxurious in a rare way. Lamb liver and mutton tripe, which were once regarded as food, were directly thrown away. People were obsessed with eating mutton, resulting in a large amount of food becoming fish feed.
By eating meat in this way, the army eats with open stomachs, and ten thousand sheep can be eaten quickly.
The areas currently controlled by the Russians are generally too cold. Although the Novorosberg and Novgorod areas are suitable for raising sheep, they need to reserve fodder for large sheep and cattle herds to survive the winter, and they also need to dispatch powerful troops. Manpower and material resources.
Do the Russians have so much manpower? Basically there is none. All Ross's power is concentrated in Visby, and the rest are old and weak.
After all, cattle, sheep and poultry were captured from the enemy and were not wealth cultivated by one's own hands, so naturally one would not feel bad about squandering them.
Eating a lot of meat is also beneficial. Thin people will quickly become stronger and accumulate some fat. And the key is sheepskin and wool, which are the most important treasures.
With so many furs captured, the Ross tribe will be busy all winter.
With this war of conquest, the Russian power should be rooted in Gotland. However, considering the reality, this area is too close to the Danish power and too far from Rossburg. Winter is approaching, and the mist of human breath is clearly visible. It is obviously a bad idea to send people to stay in Visby.
All the Ross ships in Slitomo Port were transferred to Visby, where the army also captured nearly a thousand ships.
The cargo ships among them have been incorporated into the fleet going north to transport goods immediately. Most of the remaining ships are small fishing boats with very few people, and there are only a hundred large long ships.
A large amount of goods still need to be transshipped, and the Slavic mercenaries must be squeezed into the cargo ship and must return to their hometown of Novgorod in September.
"Damn it. I'm not afraid of fighting or sabotage at all. Now I'm trying to bring as many people and seizures back as possible, but it's so troublesome!" Rurik was blaming himself for not being fully prepared and causing a mess now.
After some planning, and then looking at the long ships waiting for the coast to be empty, and the long-awaited empty transport fleet arriving at the port, it was the final moment for the army to evacuate.
It seems that all the Russian army has to do is sit down and eat new wheat porridge every day and gnaw mutton wantonly, and unexpected situations suddenly happen.
Some Russians took up their old trade and rowed into the sea off Visby in an attempt to hunt whales.
As a result, a huge fleet came from the south against the wind.
Is it an enemy? Did the Danes get the news and come to claim their lives?
The fishing boat tried to evacuate and informed the army of the important news about the enemy attack.
Of course, the attacking fleet did indeedIt was the desire for a battle in which the leader of a longship revealed his identity.
The battle still took place. The fleet quickly took control of the Ross fishing boat. Seeing that the opponent actually withdrew for a while without resisting, a young man wearing a gold crown shouted in confusion.
This man was holding a steel sword with a gold-plated hilt inlaid with gems, and pointed at the captured enemies who showed no fear: "You Gotlanders? Do you want to surrender on your own initiative?"
One person made a straightforward statement: "I recognize your coat of arms, and I also recognize your face. It is Karl, the eldest son of King Olegin."
"What? My name has been passed down. We're on Gotland." Karl nodded, "For the sake of your understanding, I'll spare you. Now kneel down and be my slave." "No!" said one person. After all, the others laughed.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Karl, you are actually wearing your father's crown? King Olegin has been passed down to you. We are not Gotlanders, we They are Russians."
Then someone opened the seized sheepskin coat and revealed the blue and white Russian uniform.
Why doesn’t Karl know about the totem heraldry of the Russians? He exclaimed about the wonders of the world and learned even more shocking news.
"Is the news reliable? Are you liars? Did you conquer Gotland? Visby?"
The great victory of revenge, this is every The pride of Rus warriors. "Then bring an army to Visby, and our Lord Duke will welcome King Olegin."
What made Karl quite angry was that these Russian fishermen did not give themselves any face. He doesn't care so much now, because Karl, he just experienced a bad failure.
The coalition of Swedish tribes has ended the expedition to Silver Castle. They have gone all the way north, passed the Kalmar Strait, and are now heading towards Lake Mälaren with all their strength.
There was no joy after victory on their faces. Every warrior was out of breath from the long rowing. As they entered the waters where the Gotlanders were active, everyone began to be on tenterhooks again.
Unexpectedly, Gotland changed hands? The Rus defeated the entire island of Gotland? At least Visby was captured?
Karl can't think of that much. His allies, every soldier, everyone urgently needs a resting place and very critical supplies! Presumably the Russians will fulfill their alliance obligations and provide everyone with food and fresh water.
The news that the Russians occupied Visby was like a gift from Odin.
After the news spread, no one worried about whether there was fraud. The Swedish fleet adjusted its direction and headed straight for Visby.
Of course, in the eyes of the Russians, this looked like a counterattack by the enemy's Danish reinforcements.
The relaxed Russians were tense, and the elite soldiers quickly gathered.
Bows, crossbows, and torque slingshots were aimed at the approaching fleet. Soldiers line up, firstThe men of the platoon formed a human wall of blue and white, while the shags of the Slavic flags formed a dangerous moving forest.
"It seems that God has brought me a new opportunity for meritorious service." Otto clenched the hilt of his sword and asked his stern-faced son, "Are you sure of winning?"
"Of course, our arrows are invincible in the world. Our soldiers have eaten mutton for so many days and are full of strength."
"Then let them land and annihilate them on the beach?"
< p>"Yes!"Otto patted his son's little head hard, but the situation became increasingly weird.
“No!” he suddenly shouted, “These are the Malaren people! Their coat of arms! And the Hjärmalen people! The Uppsala people, and the Unclas... Stop it!"
At the most critical moment, Otto ordered his son Rurik not to issue a shooting order. Carl on the ship did not expect that he was almost stabbed in the heart by thousands of arrows!
The Mellaren people's flagship ran aground on the beach first, and Carl jumped off with mixed emotions.
He straightened his golden crown hard and tried to show himself to be heroic. Unfortunately, the soldiers behind him looked at their images and the Russian soldiers close at hand. They were born one after another. underground.
There were a large number of coalition soldiers with shaggy hair, many damaged mail and leather armors, and many had large and small holes in their clothes.
The first ones to come down were naturally the soldiers of the Mellaren Army. They lost their former arrogance, and a dejected atmosphere enveloped everyone.
Soldiers from other tribes also got off the boat, but unfortunately their situation was even worse.
"It's really weird. Am I dazzled? Why didn't I see that old guy Olegin?" Otto kept pinching his beard and suddenly realized a terrifying possibility.
Otto directly struggled to pick up his son Rurik, so that his head could go beyond the helmets of all the soldiers and see clearly the image of the "huge" army that had landed.
"Now you see Karl clearly, the guy wearing the crown. Do you think so?"
"He...he actually became the king?!" Rurik now He saw it really clearly, and he rubbed his eyes vigorously to make sure he saw it correctly.
"I think so." Otto speculated disdainfully: "Maybe he killed Olegin, he is really a great evil man."
"Maybe Origen died in the battle . Look at the soldiers behind him, they all seem to have lost the battle. Didn't they go to rob the legendary Silver Castle?"
"Let's go and take a look at this group. Poor guy." Otto put down Rurik, squeezed through the wall of people, and appeared with his son.
Seeing the leader of Ross and the young Rurik again, Karl couldn't help but be startled, and then he steeled himself and walked over.
He approached Otto and asked respectfully: "It seems that the Duke of Ross has occupied this town. Visby is occupied by you, which means that this place is already the territory of our Kingdom of Sweden."
Otto did notI have been listening to this for a long time, and I am very curious about how this arrogant boy has become gentle now? What exactly did they experience in the southern world?
"Karl, you are actually wearing your father's crown? Where is Olegin? Let him come! You are not qualified to talk to me."
Karl suddenly felt sad He was angry, but looking at the current situation, he was not stupid enough to unleash his anger on the strong man.
This is the Nordic world, and whoever has the biggest fist is the king. In Visby, Gotland, the Russian army is obviously the king. Even Karl can't believe what he sees is real. Is this the real strength of the Russians? !
Karl struggled to maintain his arrogance. He raised his head with a beard and pointed at his crown with his right hand: "Now, I am the king."
"Really? Where is Olegin? Where is your father?"
"He died in the battle, we..." Karl had an idea and said deliberately: "Our coalition forces are in the south and the entire Danish army In the decisive battle, we almost won, but the other side killed a hero and we were defeated. But you left early, look at this Russian army! It is a pity that if you appear on the battlefield in the south, the victory will belong to Sweden. Didn’t the little Gotland surrender at that time?”
At this moment, Rurik gritted his teeth and heard Karl’s excuse for failure, “So, you put your The responsibility for the failure should be placed on us?"
"You?" Karl looked down and shook his head: "You are still a child, you have no role to speak here."
"Then don't say it." Rurik was not to be outdone, "I only have two questions now. First, what do you want to do when you land in Visby? Second, the debt owed by your father, since you inherited the throne , you must claim it.”
The debt! This is a major event that Karl must not avoid. He pretended to be a coward in front of a boy, and when the boy raised the issue of debt, he had no choice but to slap him.
Karl's attitude softened again, and he opened his arms to face Otto: "Look at us! We need help, we are allies, I... just want to eat something in Visby. Believe in the strong The Russians will give his allies some food and fresh water. As for the debt, I will repay it for my father when I return to Mälaren."
Otto and Rurik expected the defeat of the coalition. , looking at the tired looks of the soldiers, he tentatively believed Karl's words. The most realistic thing to say is that these soldiers are almost all farmers working on Lake Mälaren and fishermen in the lake. They are really starving to death from exhaustion. Who can provide the Russians with wheat that can be purchased? Even if it is selfishness, we still have to give these people something to eat.
The father and son had a unified attitude, so they invited Karl and all the tribal leaders participating in the war to gather at the Visby people's council. The other warriors landed one after another, and everyone will get some cattle and sheep. , as for how to butcher the food, it all depends on their own abilities.
In this way, an army with only 1,200 people is exhausted.The "big army" completed the landing.