The battlefield was full of Tavastian warriors lying down, and the wounded among them were squirming with weak bodies. Once they were discovered, they were killed by the Russians.
The land became muddy, the air was filled with a pungent smell, and the blood of the war dead began to gather into streams, forming several terrifying "red runoffs" that poured into the rushing Oulu River. It's also red.
But the battle continues!
Tavastia's military leader Watkard has been defeated and committed suicide, but how many people in the rebel army have noticed this situation?
The Russian encirclement has been merged. They formed a large circle with their blood-stained shields and shouted neat chants to compress the encirclement.
At one time, some Tavastians in the circle tried to break through, but in the end they could not break through this rock-like shield wall.
The people in the circle were all holding short spears and hand axes tremblingly. They were covered in furry leather, and they looked like wounded beasts waiting to be hunted.
What is even more peculiar is that deadly arrows often fly out from the gaps in the shield. This was Rurik's intention, and the warriors with crossbows were ordered to continue bleeding the enemies in the circle.
"Where is the commander-in-chief? Watkard! Find a way for the brothers?" A village leader roared in despair.
"Yes! It's really going to be ruined if we continue like this!" Someone else was wailing.
Finally, a soldier who tried his best to remain calm and whose legs were shaking unconsciously rushed to his village chief and said desperately: "Watkard is dead, we are finished."
"Already dead? Shot by the Russians?"
"No...he committed suicide."
"Suicide?!" The village leader almost chewed his teeth. Teeth, yelling: "Stupid! You are a stupid leader who caused all your brothers to be killed. It would be better for you to commit suicide!"
"Village Chief, what should we do?" The man continued to wail.
What to do? What else can be done?
The village leader wanted to surrender and survive, but looking at the formation, the Russians were almost going to kill everyone.
Maybe... you can try it?
In critical moments, someone always has to stand up and find a way. The village leader took a moment to observe the situation and was horrified to find that there were probably less than 500 brothers who were still resisting.
The fact is that the three thousand troops assembled by Tavastia were nearly wiped out in one morning's battle. Who knew the Russian front was so strong? The brothers are basically using their flesh and blood bodies to collide with the iron-like enemy.
The village leader suddenly stood up and threw away his small wooden shield and hand ax in front of the aggressive Russians' bloody steel swords and blood-red shields.
He shouted loudly in his own language: "Armistice! We want to live! No more fighting, we surrender!"
He continued to shout, but the Russian front was still approaching.
Until Rurik issued a truceTake the order!
Could it be that the prayers of a village leader can win mercy from the Russians? It can be said that "Destroying you has nothing to do with you." The Russians did stop, but Rurik, who was sitting at the rear, gave the order. The reason behind this is also very simple - if the enemy is to be killed, who will do it? Can someone lead the way for me to go straight to Huanglong?
The appetite of Rurik or the entire Russian army has increased. A victory is nothing. Only a fool will be hesitant if he can take the opportunity to expand the results.
The person who was ordered to report the message took a lot of effort to accurately deliver the message, and the Russian army gradually came to a halt.
There are less than 400 Tavastians left alive. If the Russian army does not stop, the entire enemy force in the encirclement will be annihilated within half an hour. This will Like a pack of wolves breaking into the sheepfold, the outcome is destined to be clear.
The shield wall came to a halt, and the frightened Tavastians felt a little relieved.
Of course things were not that simple. The village leader, who had spread his arms to show that he had no malice, fell into a pool of blood. He was hit in the face by a heavy crossbow arrow and died on the spot.
But there are still many distinguished village leaders who are protected by their own people. They are still safe for the time being, but they are not willing to point the finger easily due to pressure.
Suddenly, the shield wall gave way to a passage.
First, more than a dozen Ross Berserkers, covered in black bear skins and bearing bear heads with fangs, stood up, followed closely by, a big man who looked like a child walked out with a serious face and a sword.
Rurik is indeed a big shot. He was obviously a filthy and dirty man who fought bloody battles, but now he is still clean.
He took off his helmet, pointed the sword in his right hand at the trembling enemies who had given up resistance, and shouted at the Tavastians in a language that at least the Corvins could understand: "Put down your weapons! Kneel on the ground! Be a slave! Avoid death! Otherwise, kill immediately!"
Rurik said this three times in a row, looking at his opponent's trembling eyes, maybe they didn't understand?
He was too lazy to say anything, so he simply asked: "Your leader! Come out!"
Looking at the Tavastians, the many village leaders who were protected gradually became more active. Finally, someone bravely stood up.
This man approached Rurik cautiously, but he was afraid of the swords and spears of those Russian warriors, so he took two steps and stood straight.
"You...who are you? Are you the leader of Tavastia?" Rurik asked again.
Such a scene is really a fool. He also knows that this blond boy with a childish face is indeed a noble person in this Ross army, but it is not certain whether he is the commander.
The village leader hesitated, Rurik gritted his teeth, and immediately asked Mechasta and Kehas behind him to stand up.
Kejas didn't have a good face towards this group of enemies. Because of his rage, the old guy just cursed when a wave of hot blood rushed to his head and he fainted.
Kejas was helped down, and it was Mechasta's turn to continue raising his sword and yelling: "You Tavastians, we don't want to go to war with you, but it's you who are causing trouble. Now the Ross army is here, you all kneel down and do this Slave!"
Seeing that the order didn't work, Mechasta simply pulled all the Kovin longbowmen over.
The archers nocked their arrows one after another, and suddenly shot as Rurik's eyes allowed.
What is a language they understand? That's it!
The sudden death made the hesitant people wake up instantly. The last Tavastia warriors lost their souls and threw away their weapons and knelt on the ground, saying nothing as if they were fat and ready to be slaughtered. sheep.
Looking at the village leader again, he knelt on the ground and crawled to Rurik's side. He was immediately pressed down by the Russian soldiers, and then tied up with ropes. He lamented loudly that he was considered noble and should not be humiliated, and he hoped to get a chance to cooperate.
Want to cooperate? OK! Rose is in need of a leader.
A large group of captives became slaves. After a short period of identification, Rurik discovered that there were quite a few young men among them. They were not much older than him, but their height and body shape were too stretched.
According to the original tactical plan, Rurik wanted to drive away the invaders and wipe out the enemy's vitality in one fell swoop.
It was beyond his expectation to capture more than 300 people, and it made sense when he thought about it carefully.
Are we going to kill prisoners? This kind of thing is too unlucky. Rurik doesn't want to be a bad guy, but the fate of these captives shouldn't be as simple as being slaves.
What can the Russians gain from this war? Just a killing spree?
No! The Russians must obtain greater benefits, otherwise they will not be able to bear the loss of troops and materials in this battle.
The war was over, and in the afternoon, the still large and powerful Ross army began to clean up the battlefield.
Just as Rurik predicted, with the complete destruction of Tavastia's reinforcements, the besieged old Gray Squirrel Hill Fort collapsed. The Russian soldiers climbed the wall without any hindrance and killed all the enemies inside who were dying of hunger. Only one person's life was spared, that of Terho. As for the other Ojedo, his people had been killed in the rebellion. The only reason that kept Terho alive was that he shouted a short sentence in Norse: I am the servant of Rus.
Those prisoners of war were forced to carry the headless corpses of the war dead. As for Guizhou, as proof of their achievements, the Russians deliberately arranged them into a matrix in groups of one hundred. Those headless corpses were thrown directly into the Oulu River and allowed to be washed into the sea during the flood period when the ice and snow were still melting. As for whether they shocked the Russians who were building a permanent settlement in Kovinstad, Liuli Ke can no longer care.
A large number of weapons were collected, especially the arrows collected. Rurik was surprised. The enemy clearly had as many as 20,000 arrows, but they had almost no effect.
It is undeniable that,Those javelins with long and narrow wrought iron heads that had been bent were beaten hard by the Russians.
In this battle, more than fifty people from the entire Russian army died, of course there were also Balmoks who came from afar, and as many as three hundred people were injured to varying degrees.
Since the injured generally suffer from bruises and pain in the limbs, this problem is not difficult.
In exchange for such casualties, the enemy piled up as many as thirty matrices!
The Russians actually collected more than 2,900 heads. How is this not a great and wonderful victory?
Including the previous battles, it means that the total army of 4,500 people sent by the Tavastians has now been completely wiped out, leaving only three to four hundred who can be dealt with. prisoners of war.
The overall price paid by the Russians cannot be said to be small.
The strategic plan of the Principality of Ross for this river basin was completely collapsed due to the enemy's invasion. More than 300 people from Covin and the Ross who stayed behind for the winter were killed because they were outnumbered.
At night, the entire Ross army left the dirty and dark battlefield, and they spent the night at the old camp in the forest.
The victorious warriors continued to eat wheat and fish, laughing around the campfire, seemingly ignoring their fatigue.
People are walking around saying that Lord Rurik wants to carry out the war to the end and continue to fight south with the power of victory. It is best to destroy Tavastia's lair and let the brothers loot and triumph!
Such a mentality also enveloped the entire Balmok "Expeditionary Force". Although they planned to attack Britain in the second half of the year to grab money, food, women and territory, they faced the opportunity to crazily plunder furs and women in the East. , Is there any reason for brothers Biyoni and Floki not to get along?
Just like the Rus, the Balmoks have no grudge against women. No matter what kind of woman she is, as long as she can give birth to children, she is a good woman. With this mentality, the three hundred Balmok soldiers are already ready to move.
The prisoners were all given a little dried fish, and that was all for dinner. They were closely guarded by the Ross army. As for their fate, Rurik already had a new plan, even though he felt that his brothers might not support this plan very much.
The bodies of the Watkard brothers were found and identified, their heads severed.
The terrifying Qian Shouli Rick didn’t even want to look at it. Since Kejas wanted to vent his anger, he just threw it to him for safekeeping.
Only five of the thirty village leaders are left alive, and there is also the old traitor Terho who is lucky enough to be alive. After having two of his front teeth broken, this man is not still kneeling on the bonfire. Side, facing the noble Rurik.
The noble prisoners were all tied and sitting on the ground with their hands and knees. The Rus elites sat casually and looked at them like tied wild boars.
Seeing that the time had come and everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, Rurik shouted in public about his new strategy for the prisoners.
"I have decided! These people are no longer slaves, and I will not kill them. ILet them go. "
Aric suddenly sat upright, "Brother, you...you really think so? Why release them? Show your kindness? "
Seeing this, Rurik added: "Look at your suspicious eyes, I know you are questioning. Okay, just tell me what you think. "
Mechasta took the lead and signaled: "It should be killed. My lord, I advise you not to trust the Tavastians, they are dangerous. "
Kehas also said: "I also recommend killing him. If they are not slaves, they must be killed, otherwise they will regain their strength and start a rebellion even if they surrender now. ”
Such rhetoric put Rurik in a difficult position, because the enemy chiefs were kneeling here.
He was looking at what everyone meant. Although he was opposed to killing and surrendering, Everyone’s attitude is still one of a kind.
“That won’t work either! Rurik said suddenly: "I am the Duke!" My word is a command! I will never kill a prisoner because it is not honorable at all! If you want to kill them, kill them on the battlefield. "
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"Then Give them weapons, and I'll fight them again. "Arik shouted as if he was angry.
Rurik shook his head, his attitude would not change at all.
"I have decided that I will attack the hinterland of Tavastia. , I want to release these captives in exchange for ransom. I will take you to their territory to plunder wealth, especially taking away a group of local women to satisfy the brothers. I also want to establish a contract with them. "
"Contract? A servant's contract? "Aric asked disdainfully.
"Yes. The Corvin people have suffered too much, and there are fewer people to provide us with squirrel skins. Since the Tavastians chose war and they were defeated, they will provide leather from now on..."
In fact, no one was too lazy to oppose Rurik's determination, at least when it came to invading the enemy's hinterland to expand the results. Everyone supports this, not only because the Russians can take advantage of the enemy's extreme weakness to expand their victory, but also because they have a waterway that leads directly to the southern lake area, which the Russians can paddle. The most traditional longship rushed in, and in just a few days, everyone would make a fortune.
Rurik spared Terho's life and asked him to serve as a guide. He would spare the prisoners. The demand for life in exchange for a final ransom (in exchange for leather) informed the surrendering village leaders that they had no choice but to simply agree.
The proud heart is dead and the warrior has become a sheep. The losers of the Asian war did not know what would happen after the Russian army rushed into their homes. Fortunately, the Russians gave everyone a condition, which was that the five village leaders who surrendered would receive the "Russian" for their surrender. "No looting" promise.
Previous wars were fought with big sticks, but Rurik continued to give small favorsHui claimed that the five Tavastian villages were different and that remaining in a surrendered state would also receive military protection from the Rus.
They had no choice, but now the five village leaders all felt that this young commander Ross was worthy of trust. When things got to this point, they didn't care about the other villages that had suffered heavy losses. If they became the hunting dogs of the powerful Ross people, just like the Kovin people who thrived among the Ross people, this was acceptable.
But Ross is still the conqueror!
When Rurik publicly announced on the new day that he would lead his brothers to the hinterland of Tavastia and plunder, no matter what they could plunder, the Rus, the Melalens, and the Upps The Salas, the Kovins, and the Balmoks were all excited!
The Russian army is such a mixed army. If necessary, thousands of Slavic warriors can be immediately placed in it.
This Viking army, which is a mixture of multiple tribes, has increasingly strengthened its identification with the Principality of Rus in war and trade. Rurik also realized that for this group of Nordic berserkers, they could be defeated. The simplest and crudest way to unite into a fist is to launch a foreign war. Of course, these are all expedient measures in today's era. In the longer term, it is still the education of children in the safe areas behind the rear that allows people in the future to identify Ross as everyone's Ross.
To continue to expand the war, Rurik needs to gather a group of long boats to go upstream to the current camp location, and then continue to rush upstream to Lake Oulu to find the correct river channel to fight towards Tavastia.
He needs a lot of longships. The order has been issued, and support from Fort Ross's hometown due west of the ocean will soon arrive.
Before that, although the lives of these prisoners were spared, some special measures had to be taken.
The words of Arik and other Russian elites should be understood clearly. Rurik does not want to be a willful person. Since the brothers are worried about letting the tiger return to the mountains and at the same time he is disgusted with killing indiscriminately, special measures should be taken.
No, all the prisoners were held down while wailing and their thumbs were cut off.
What does this mean? Because this group of Tavastian hunters all have a "finger-pulling style", if they cut off their thumbs, they will not be able to pull the bow with their fingers wrapped around the bones. That's not all. In order to prevent them from being forced to learn "Mediterranean Flow" again, their index fingers were also cut off.
Regardless of age, ordinary prisoners have lost their thumbs and index fingers on both hands. Of course, such people can still grasp some things, but their grasping strength may only be 40% or less of the past. Draw a bow and shoot an arrow? Maybe the arrow can be fired up to fifty meters away, but that's about it.
What kind of combat effectiveness can such a prisoner have?
Such an action really satisfied Arik. Unexpectedly, what was hidden under his handsome face was not only the family’s fierceness since ancient times, but also the endless wisdom gifted by Odin, as well as cunning.