Except for those who escaped first and survived, the people who subconsciously fled into the city now either became victims of the Viking army, or were continued to be ravaged.
The fleeing farmers and herdsmen headed straight for the surrounding villages with their only belongings.
In this era, the geographical location of Edinburgh is slightly different from a thousand years later, but this area has not changed since it was named "Edinburgh".
There are some villages hidden in the large pine and oak forests, and crops are widely planted in the open spaces in the forest.
The wheat harvest has just ended, and the yeoman farmers or tenant farmers have just paid their rent and the kingdom's grain tax. The farmers have not much food left, but now after the wheat harvest, they can finally enjoy the joy of a bumper harvest, which is rare. Have a great meal.
Various villages are some distance away from Edinburgh, a military-based stronghold. When the fleeing people spread the terrible news that the "sea barbarians" had invaded and attacked the city, it completely detonated the peaceful pastoral atmosphere. Tranquility leads to extreme panic. The person who came here was not a "barbarian from the sea", he was clearly a devil jumping out of the sea! He is an apostle of Satan!
The priests stationed in the countryside gathered the panicked villagers. Some thought they were brave and decided to pick up wooden farm tools to fight the devil, but most people had very simple ideas. It is said that everyone fled and hid in the woods with Xirou, and when the "devil from the sea" left, everything would be peaceful again.
When night began to fall, people in the villages around Edinburgh had already begun their exodus. Some people were a little doubtful until the villagers saw the direction of Edinburgh and the thick smoke rising in that area on an unprecedented scale. They used their imaginations and imagined the most terrifying hell that the recruiter could think of, and began to escape at an accelerated speed.
And Edinburgh is indeed a hell for locals.
No matter whether they resist resolutely or surrender to these barbarians, the Northumbrian warriors guarding the city will die.
The lowest-level warriors of the Balmok Viking Army that besieged the city were personally selected by their family leaders, and those who were selected must be warriors. They fought under the sun, sacrificed the blood of their enemies to Odin, and gave back to their families with the blood of their enemies.
When most Viking warriors realized that they should leave a few alive either as "tongues" or as future slaves, they suddenly realized that they had gone too far.
Alive? Where are the survivors?
Are those a handful of women who are crying and have a nervous breakdown?
The battle has come to an end, and Rurik feels that he has waited too long.
Jevro, who was holding the sword, felt itchy in his heart. He circled around Rurik again and again, flying around in front of Rurik like a fly.
"That's enough! Yevluo, please be quiet."
"Sir, do we want to spend the night outdoors?" Yevluo suddenly asked.
“No.”
“We should also enterWent. Brothers, we all want to..."
In the middle of Yevro's words, Rurik glanced at his men a few times. Even the sailors who got off the ship to join the battle had strong emotions in their eyes. Expectant eyes.
“Then let’s go. Go and see what good things they have done..."
Rurik cheered up and started walking on the suspension bridge leading to the city.
Everything was as he expected, so-called In Edinburgh, there are obviously a large number of wooden huts wrapped in wooden walls. There are no hardened roads in the city. There are at least a few relatively straight roads, but they are obviously nothing more than hard blackened dirt roads.
Civilians and even soldiers live in thatched houses, and as for the roads, they are muddy once it rains!
Rurik’s last illusion about this city didn’t even feel like it was here! What kind of treasure will there be?
Especially Yevluo, who also opened his mouth and couldn’t help but sigh: “Shouldn’t there be mountains of gold and silver here? ”
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“Hey! What are you thinking about? ! "Rurik asked casually.
"Sir, things are in a bad place here. They should obviously be wealthy, but why do I feel that they are even more dilapidated than the Malaren Market? "
"It can only get worse. Rurik pointed at the large number of dead bodies everywhere: "Look at these dead bodies. Most of them are soldiers, and even more are civilians." ”
“My lord. Are you... pitying them? "
"Poor? Rurik shook his head slightly with a dull face: "I seem to hear the wandering soul lamenting." We have entered the city. Do you think it would be a good thing to stay in the city? "
"This...I don't want to sleep with a dead body. From my experience, the weather is the hottest right now, and within two or three days, these corpses will emit a stench. The stench was a curse from the devil, and anyone who breathed in the stench would die of illness. "
Rurik raised his hand to stop him: "That's enough, I ended up spending the night outside. Look, guys. If there is treasure here, it has been found by our allies. Let's do this, let's continue to find the enemy's granary, transport as much food as possible, and then evacuate immediately. ”
This fortress called Edinburgh, which is mainly built of wood, is actually the northern military base of the kingdom, but it cannot withstand the onslaught of a truly powerful army. Wooden walls can block Pictish Although it is a strong military town, it is actually a small-scale walled city.
The black soil in the walled city is now everywhere. The blood of the dead flowed, the soil was muddy, and the stench of rust filled the air.
Rurik and his party were simply walking on the "bloody road", and their leather boots were stained with a lot of Yin Hong's blood. Mud, all the elite mercenaries who were eager to grab some property, they all changed their faces after following the great Lord Rurik.color.
The further they advanced, the more painful it became. Rurik saw those crazy Balmoks running around. They did grab some useful things, but others had already started setting fires.
Rurik glanced at the group of malicious arsonists and couldn't help being shocked: "No! We have to hurry up. Once the fire develops, it will be uncontrollable!"
"Sir, we still don't know about their granary..." Jevro was only halfway through his words when he saw a carriage appearing not far away. "Sir, look! It's a horse!"
"That's right there. How can there be a horse if it's not a warehouse? Come with me."
Rurik doesn't have time to deal with the corpses on the ground. , crazy Viking warriors, he and his closest men collided directly with the Shetlanders who were busy carrying food.
"Yes! Lord Rurik of Rus, when you are not busy searching for gold, you actually..." The speaker was Huo De, the guide of the voyage.
This old boy is leading his friends on the island to carry sacks filled with hulled wheat grains frantically.
Rurik just glanced at it and understood how thoughtful the Edinburgh army was in terms of warehousing. They piled heavy sacks into a wall. As for the horses and two-wheeled carriages, they were obviously used to carry food. The local army, which seems to have been completely wiped out, is preparing to transport some food?
Rurik signaled to Yevlo, who immediately grabbed Hod’s neck.
This move shocked all the Shetlanders to stop, and they were surprised to see Rurik pull out his dagger.
"What's going on? Lord Rurik?!" Huo De muttered with difficulty.
"Let him go, Yevlo."
After saying that, Rurik approached the carriage where some food had been piled up with his sword, holding the sword and copper into a sack, and some The grains of wheat immediately flowed out. He borrowed some wheat and sniffed it to judge its good quality.
"Lord Rurik, this is what we have captured." Huo De said cautiously.
"Yes! You Shetland Bergens are indeed a little different from those people. You know better that food is more precious than gold."
Is this a compliment? Huo De smelled something else. Rurik was the commander-in-chief of the army, and there could only be one situation when he led people here.
Huo De assessed the situation and realized that no matter how good a wolf's appetite was, he could not swallow a whole sheep.
"Lord Rurik, your warriors are all looking for gold and silver. We can only come here to find some good things. I was lucky and found their granary."
"No! You definitely came prepared, and you didn't just look for it randomly."
"Anyway, it's you who set the rules. The one who finds the property first will own it. But this one The granary is too big. My people have to resist taking away at least one sack of wheat."
"Did I say you can't ask for it?" Rurik said, but he admired Huo De in his heart. Greedy for gold and silver. He also noticed that these Shetlanders also captured a group of women, who looked likeBe young.
After seeing enough of the dead bodies in the city, these Shetlanders who were robbing food actually left some alive. These women were disheveled and in a daze. After their hands and feet were tied one by one, they were tied to pillars. There was no light in their eyes and their bodies were shaking non-stop.
Rurik didn’t want to say any more, so he could announce: “Now this granary is all my property. Huo De, take your people and the women you captured, carrying a bag Maizi retreated outside the city."
"Ah! This... we plan to..."
"You still want to live in the city? Don't you smell the burnt smell? Those guys are already setting fires. Do you want to stay in the city and be cremated? "Hurry up and escape." Huo De waited until everyone raised their heads, and they finally realized that the situation was becoming increasingly uncontrollable. He bared his teeth and yelled: "Friends, let's evacuate."
The Shetlanders immediately began to evacuate, and Huo De also asked at the last moment: "My lord, won't you evacuate?"
"I'm going to come in and load the wheat before leaving, you don't have to worry about me."
In the granary area, the chaos seems to have disappeared, but there are rumblings from around you, listen carefully, That was clearly the carnival laughter of the looters.
"Let's take action now! Jevlo, lead the brothers to carry the wheat. Search for everything that can be used and find horses and carriages."
"Yes." After that, Jevro waved his hand, and the fifteen people began to take action.
Rurik indeed only brought this few people into the city, and a few others were still looking at the heavy equipment outside the city.
They took off their chainmail armor and began to carry the sacks vigorously, just like famous porters.
It was at this busy time that a hidden man was discovered.
Who could not be surprised when a prisoner suddenly appeared in front of Rurik?
At this moment, Rurik was already sitting on the side of the carriage, while the very docile packhorse just stood motionless, as if the killing of humans had nothing to do with it.
This is a middle-aged man with brown hair. He is dressed in gray coarse cloth, but he has a small sterling silver cross hanging around his neck.
This man kept kneeling and begging for mercy, mumbling some words.
"What is he talking about?" Rurik asked.
Jevro suddenly kicked him, and the man muttered louder, and Rurik finally understood some words.
Rurik knew that what this man was mumbling was Old English, and it was this wonderful accent that reminded him of Stein, the Saxon chief of Borgholm.
Yes! The composition of the Kingdom of Northumbria is also Saxon in nature! Even if they are three or four hundred years removed from the Great Migration Era, the language drift should not be very drastic. The so-called Old English here is essentially Old Saxon.
The grammar and vocabulary of Old Norse and Old Saxophone are highly similar.
WithThe man spoke slowly, and Rurik figured out the general profile of the man through some key words.
I am afraid that in any era, talents are the most important to a monarch. The man, who called himself Paul, said that he was an old servant of the Earl of Edinburgh and was engaged in the management of granaries.
This person is actually a rare technocrat in this time and space? !
Rurik put away his sword, flicked his ponytail, and deliberately stood in front of Paul. How should I calm down this man and try to influence him to be of use to me?
A wonderful operation suddenly brewed in Rurik's mind.
From Paul's perspective, the old servant hid as soon as he discovered that the barbarians were coming in. Several of his young men were killed, and he himself could only The poor corner kept praying.
A savage boy stood in front of him. No! Is this boy really one of those savages?
Just because Rurik "expertly" made a cross on his chest with two fingers of his right hand in front of Paul.
This behavior, which can be called the confusing behavior of barbarians, suddenly made Paul feel that the people in front of him only looked barbaric, but in fact they were also servants of the Lord. Just like those Picts, they are obviously servants of the Lord, but they have repeatedly invaded the frontier for many years. However, the Picts had red hair, but the fair-skinned boy in front of him had hair that was brighter than gold.
Rurik's weapon was majestic, and the soldiers around him were immediately asked to put on blue-striped cloaks and assume a more solemn aura.
Then, Rurik spoke extremely slowly and spoke some key words in Norse: "Paul! You are... Edinburgh... servant! Your master, Death. Now! Me!" This is your master! Surrender! Betray, die!”
What else can you hesitate? In the eyes of this "grain officer" Paul, the boy in front of him was indeed noble, and he should be a servant of the Lord like himself.
What is happening now? Maybe Edinburgh was attacked by another kingdom. The kingdom's continuous civil war and turmoil over the years have attracted other kingdoms to covet and plunder Northumbria's territory. It was a war between princes and nobles, but could it have anything to do with ordinary people? In troubled times, Paul made a choice that could save his life.
Paul knelt upright, then lay down to kiss Rurik’s bloody boots. When he felt something strange, there was no turning back.
With his understanding of Christ, Rurik played a guest role as the servant of the Lord, and perfectly became the servant of the grain officer Paul. Regardless of whether this servant is sincere or not, it makes the subsequent work of transferring food smoother.
Due to the simple taxation, the grain warehouses in Edinburgh Walled City were not piled up like mountains.
However, after the first wave of plundering by the Shetlanders, there was still a lot of food in several warehouses.
Five carriages filled with grainFood, it can be said that gold and silver are not piled up into mountains, but grains are piled up into hills.
In order to avoid misunderstanding, the ordinary Paul put on the blue-striped white cloth hood of the Russians. He followed closely beside a carriage, walking the bloody road in fear.
Until he saw the corpses of Kingdom soldiers on the ground near the damaged city gate, he really couldn't move around.
"What happened? Why did you stop?" Liu immediately yelled at Paul who was standing in a daze, and then walked over.
After a while, Rurik followed the direction of Paul's finger and saw a corpse said to be that of a big shot among the corpses.
The deceased was actually the Earl of Edinburgh himself? !
Jevro and other elite mercenaries were ordered to drag out the corpses. As some of the gold and silver utensils carried by the corpses were found, they perfectly proved their noble status.
What’s more important is the bent iron sword with a silver-plated hilt, which ordinary people can enjoy.
And another elite mercenary simply pulled out a blood-stained flag. Even if it became torn, it was still a flag with clear patterns!
"It's the flag of the King of Northumbria!" Paul pointed his finger and exclaimed in surprise.
"Your! Flag?" Rurik raised his head and asked.
"It belongs to the nobles! I am just the most ordinary servant."
Rurik nodded and signaled Yevro to take some measures.
Immediately afterwards, Paul was shocked and had to re-evaluate his judgment. Is this beautiful boy who can make the sign of the cross on his chest really a servant of the Lord?
If the young man is truly a servant, he is a fallen servant of the Lord.
Even if the earl is dead, he is a noble after all. How can he be so humiliated? !
It turned out that Jevro and others tied the count's upper feet with ropes and tied them to the wooden planks of the carriage. They took off the count's mail and iron helmet, and confiscated his sword and dagger.
The count, who was like a piece of rotten flesh, used his back to wash the bloody dirt road, while the smoke from the burning houses around him became more intense.
Perhaps Rurik did not have to engage in such an act of dragging the corpse. Actually it’s not! Because those Balmoqs and Shetlanders are essentially Vikings, and they all have infinite admiration for the strong. A commander, in addition to making his brothers rich, also wants everyone to know that he is the most violent warrior.
The corpse of the enemy's commander could be found among the rebels. If this was displayed publicly, it meant that Rurik would definitely win people's cheers. Because the warriors are very eager to see their commander kill the enemy's commander with his own hands, such as using the enemy chief's head to make a bone cup, the Viking warriors will only be happy that they are following a great warrior king.
At dusk, outside the city.
A small forest near the sea was Rurik’s chosen campsite. From this location, he could easily see his Aurora.
The Earl of Edinburgh's neck was hung with a hemp rope, and the body was hung up and displayed.Qu's iron sword was stuck in the soil at his feet.
After finally arriving here, the grain officer Paul finally realized that they were not the Lord’s servants at all.
However, they are not simply barbarians.
After Rurik settled down here, Paul climbed deep into Rurik who was warming himself by the fire, humbled himself and asked: "Sir, who...are you?"
"Me?" Rurik glanced at him and signaled to his mercenaries that they no longer need to be on guard.
He looked at the dancing flames and said calmly and solemnly in Norse with a serious face: Paul sighed deeply. He knew that he was doomed and was being closely guarded by them. If he escaped, he would be killed immediately. die.
What will be your fate? Paul boldly asked again.
"Be my grain officer and manage my grain. If you do it well, you will get benefits. Otherwise! Death."
Paul completely understood these words. He didn't really surrender, he just knew that he couldn't escape this new fate. This person has been relieved from the dilemma. No matter which master he follows, he will always be a slave. He can only hold on to his faith and live strong. The only good thing is that these invaders can take away everything in Edinburgh, but they have no intention of taking away his faith...