Wooden battens were used to reinforce the wooden walls, and some temporary scaffolding was also begun. The old mercenaries with considerable combat experience piled rocks and soil at the front entrance of the shop and mansion, pushed the carts with goods to the wall, removed the shafts of the carts and stacked wooden boxes to temporarily serve as a standing place, which was enough for the soldiers to carry half of the carts. Stretch out.
Blue Fox checked the weapons of his people. Although most of them were equipped with convenient melee weapons, there were also some crossbows with wooden arms, and there was also a bow of average quality. The arrows have inherited the tradition of the Russians. The carbon steel quenched arrow clusters have good penetrating power and are effective against any enemy.
Ross Store became a fortress, with a circular wooden wall framing a turtle shell. The wood in their outdoor stalls has been cleared and turned into tools for reinforcement.
It would be too passive to become a turtle and just watch.
On a quiet night, Blue Fox summoned all the soldiers in the house.
Although they were alone and deliberately trapped in a corner, the soldiers showed a fearless aura, as if they didn't care about their own death and just wanted to enjoy the fun of killing.
Now that the ominous atmosphere in Hedeby City has become a reality, soldiers can detect it from a high place. No one dared to approach the fortress of Rose's shop. Occasionally, ignorant children would poke their heads out and see soldiers approaching indifferently, waving their hands. The children were immediately taken away by their families, which undoubtedly revealed an obvious signal of crisis.
Putting the gorgeous clothes aside, the blue fox also put on an iron helmet. His face was squeezed and distorted, but even though this helmet was the largest, it could only barely fit the blue fox's head.
This young man who looks like a fat seal with a big belly is very suitable for him to be a big businessman, but it is too ridiculous to be a warrior.
It’s ridiculous. Under the obvious military pressure from the enemy, businessmen should think about how to protect themselves.
Some veterans took the opportunity and said casually: "No one is afraid of the Danes. The new Danes are still our defeat. It's just that we have few people and few weapons in our hands. We want to kill them." We still have to fight hard to kill many enemies."
When talking about fighting, some veterans immediately retorted: "You want us to fight them head-on, why do we do this when we have so few people?" Looking for death."
"What's wrong? We are almost bound to die in battle. I hope to look like a group of enemy heads from the front, instead of shooting cold arrows from a high place as planned."
"Do you think it is not honorable to shoot cold arrows? The enemy is dead and you are alive. This will be honorable. No one cares whether you kill the enemy with an ax or a sword."
"False. A true warrior should use an axe. Chop the enemy's head into pieces."
"Forget it, if you let the prince choose, he will definitely give us brothers a steel-armed crossbow, and let us line up to shoot arrows. If it's stained with blood, you'll get dozens of enemy corpses."
...
The old mercenaries themselves can quarrel, and they each have their own characteristics.For different reasons, Blue Fox was very happy with their momentum, but he was unhappy at this juncture when there were still people who wanted to pursue the so-called duel in an upright manner.
Blue Fox spoke: "We are not arguing now. I am the commander here, but I am not a soldier, and I don't understand some tactics. But I only know one principle, brothers, there is no need to really Fight to the last person. I hope you can continue to kill the enemy without killing anyone on our side. I hope you will all give us advice, guard our wooden wall, and try to think of ways to kill the enemy through the wall."
The old mercenary who was eager to break through the wall and form a formation to kill the enemy stopped talking, and his followers also fell silent.
As for Blue Fox’s proposal, everyone really couldn’t think of any new tricks other than releasing cold arrows.
"All you think about is archery? Don't you have any more ideas?"
Blue Fox was dissatisfied, and he was unable to make irresponsible remarks.
Wadi Zdalovich suggested: "How about we prepare some stones, which can also kill and injure the enemy."
"Stones... we There are still some stones here." Blue Fox was really speechless.
Wadi asked again: "If we make a batch of slings with cloth ropes, small stones will become useful."
"Slings? Are you good at throwing stones?" That thing doesn’t work at all, it’s just a trick played by shepherds.”
Vadi immediately became excited: “Sir, do you have any more options? Our brothers (referring to the Slavs) all know this. Trick, if the enemy doesn't have armor, the rocks we throw will give them a powerful taste." "Okay." Blue Fox shrugged, "At least it's a way..." He looked at it again. Others, "You should try to find some better ideas."
In fact, some people thought of heating hot water. Some old mercenaries saw the place when the Swedish coalition forces besieged Borgholm Fortress. What the defenders did, they poured hot oil, which later turned into hot water, but it gave a group of people who were attacking the city an extremely painful blow that they couldn't bear to look at. But there are many problems with this method. For example, they don't have much water, and they also lack pottery urns and fuel wood.
Rose's shop could have had a torsion slingshot available, but Blue Fox required that the armed merchant ships returning home must be equipped just in case something unexpected happened when passing through the waters of Burgundy Island, so there was no one left.
Blue Fox had his own considerations. He didn't want to fight to the death from the beginning. He just wanted to beat his opponent to kill a large group of enemies and then escape through a strange path.
No one had any objections to the issue of shooting cold arrows. As for Blue Fox’s order, someone finally found a way to make the whole room laugh.
“The arrow clusters smear our feces. The princes and lords have said that feces is a kind of filth, and there are some invisible bad things in it. When it comes into contact with bleeding skin and flesh, it will cause redness and swelling, and eventually people will die. If you don’t have strong alcohol to clean the wound, you will definitely die.”
Someone said that, and it turned out to be true.Joy blossomed.
After all, this is also a method. Since the prince said that this trick is effective and explained the principle inside, brothers don’t use it in vain.
This was a meeting to discuss more ways to kill enemies. The results of the research were nothing more than fancy archery and slings with unknown effects. They also developed some new tactics in terms of tactics, such as making some ladders and assembling wooden slats on the roofs of the houses within the walls to form platforms for crossbow-wielding warriors to lie down and shoot arrows.
According to this plan, the Russians will consume arrows on a large scale. There are actually not many arrows in Blue Fox's hand. There are forty crossbows and foot bows in total, and the arrows can barely make up a thousand. Since arrows were the main force in killing enemies, Blue Fox had no choice but to mobilize his men to do more.
How to make more arrows? Soldiers are good at using their ingenuity in difficult situations. At first, long arrows were cut in two, and thick iron nails in the wooden bars, bone fragments from leftover food, and even pottery fragments were polished and trapped on the wooden poles with ropes. It doesn't matter whether they have tail feathers or not. These can only be fired with a crossbow. If you can hit them at close range, you will win.
They have not yet come to the point of inventing the split arrow on their own, but they have realized that one arrow can be used as a double weapon.
On the other hand, Wadi Zdalovich also led his hometown people to build their slings, which were just hemp ropes tied to a cloth bag, and their power was unknown in terms of simplicity.
They still have a way to escape unscathed. Blue Fox is a businessman, and when doing business, he must be cautious. Big businessmen are often coveted by gangs and powerful people. If the other party comes to rob them by force, the businessmen and wealthy owners must have an escape route to escape.
A lane was excavated just beneath Ross's store. The interior was dark, but the passage was reinforced with wooden bars. It's not very narrow, and it's just right for the fat guy like Blue Fox to run in one direction, which is enough.
The laneway leads to about 200 meters away. When the shop was first built, the old guy Gould told his second son Blue Fox that it was similar to the "cunning rabbit's three burrows". The laneway and the shop were at the same time. When it was built, a large amount of excavated soil was placed next to the wooden wall, and the wall was reinforced.
Even if there is an escape route, many old mercenaries are like sharks that smell blood. You can say that they are ignorant, but they have their own opinions. They always feel that they are not ordinary mercenaries, but The personal soldiers of the Son of God cannot let the enemy see their fleeing figures.
The Russians have given up all illusions. They stay behind closed doors and hang the white and blue flag of Russia on the wall. There is more than one flag, which is a mockery of Stade.
Since a group of big businessmen and a group of gang leaders described the legend of Roseburg's gold and silver mountains, Stade and his brothers were also actively preparing for war.
Attacking a wooden fortress? Based on his experience in robbing wealthy locals in Flanders, Stade knew nothing about sieges.
The rich men of Flanders or some villages would build walls to create shelters.
In a substantial sense, Horik's group who invaded Flanders were among the first batch of "Norman conquerors". However, as Horik led his troops back to Denmark, the territory they occupied in Flanders was destined to decline rapidly, and they did not achieve long-term conquest. These years of ravages have greatly changed the lives of the locals in Flanders. They were afraid of being robbed by the Norman bandits of Durist, so powerful people began to build defensive measures, such as building strong buildings, setting up defensive towers and digging tunnels. Ditches, buildings stored enough food to keep many people alive for a long time and wells dug.
It was the ravages of the Vikings that led to the "Castle Age" in Western Europe. All capable villages and wealthy lords would build defensive buildings of wood and stone to shelter refugees when the Vikings invaded. crowd.
Changes first occurred in Flanders, where locals began to build wooden fortresses. While it became more difficult for the Normans to rob, they also began to practice engineering skills.
Studer only knows two tricks. He piles cut wood on a wheelbarrow to break through walls and rush cars. There are also long ladders made so that warriors can climb directly into the wall.
Another trick that is generally not easy to use is to throw a rope with a collar around some protrusions of the wooden wall. The brothers swarm up and pull the rope to forcefully collapse the wall.
The new armored Danes are actually chopping wood?
The gray wolf Karl, who took participation in the war as a form of submission, had already summoned five hundred people with coaxing and deception! A large group of ragged locals, carrying their own various weapons, formed a menacing army and came towards the Stade soldiers.
The appearance of a large army really surprised Stud. The gray wolf Karl, wearing an iron helmet on his head, reported to his new master with great pride.
"Look, these are my people. Don't look at them as they are a little slovenly. They will be like hungry wolves and mad dogs, and they will even bite with their teeth in order to fight."
" Mad dogs and hungry wolves? Why do I feel like they are a group of beggars?" Stade's words were very aggressive, and Gray Wolf Karl was speechless for a moment.
"Forget it." Stade waved his hand: "I've seen it all. You have a lot of strength. I hope these guys who attack the signs are really not afraid of death in battle."
"Ah?! You know everything?"
"You are arresting people in the city and nearby Saxon villages. You are not doing this kind of thing. That's fine..."
< p>Stade became interested. He walked into the group of farmers, small traders and even small craftsmen who had been raided by force, and announced to them: "I am your future lord! You are fighting for me now, and you should win." Finally, you will all be rewarded."Some people started shouting and cheering, and then a group frenzy began.
This was an unparalleled momentum. Even the Russians in the distant fortress noticed that it was the Viking war cry of the soldiers, and it also brought an abrupt end to the peaceful and boring days that had been like water for many days. The war is finally coming?
Karl the Gray Wolf did not hesitate to take credit: "I just said it,These people are as powerful as a rainbow and will definitely help you win. Then..."
"Don't worry, we won't treat the meritorious people badly, you can take them away. "
"Yes. It's just..."
"What's wrong? "
"I have something to ask. "
"What's the matter? "
"I saw your warriors chopping wood and preparing a lot of hemp ropes. This..."
Stade was too lazy to explain, thinking that the leader would not know how to do it. Too stupid to even attack a city?
“You don’t need to ask anymore, you’ll understand when I decide to go to war. Now I give you a task. "
"Follow your orders! "
"I haven't said it yet! "
"Of course my brothers and I will abide by your orders. "
This guy's attitude is like a pug, and I'm afraid it's more hypocritical and submissive. It doesn't matter whether he is pretending or not, Stade directly ordered: "Then prepare more bows and collect arrows. "
"Follow your orders. ”
Is it difficult to dismantle that fortress? The scouts sent by Stade were observing in secret. Those who came back claimed to have seen the Russians actively preparing for war, and even transformed the roofs into towers.< /p>
Stard was quite arrogant at first. Now that the scout reported this unusual information, he had to become serious.
The Russians were by no means confident in their field operations. , they even think that they are also good at building defenses? The dress of their soldiers is quite similar to that of the Frankish army. If their strength can be compared with the Frankish army, they really need to treat their opponents with caution.
He began to respect his opponents, so to speak. The best respect is to use your maximum strength to kill your opponents.
What’s more, August is not far away, and the wheat harvest in Denmark will begin, and the Danish heroes who have gone out to rob will also return home to harvest wheat. You will see that Denmark has changed, but these people are probably the most unruly people in Denmark. If you want these people to surrender to the new king, Horik needs some victory.
Horik is here. In order to prepare, he sent Stade to occupy Haizeby and declare his dominance, and also gave him the qualification to annihilate the rebels. Horik was actually worried that his general would bring all his own troops with him. If Haize stood by. It would be worse than separatism.
Horik decided to lead troops to Hedebe during the wheat harvest season and occupy the trading city founded by his grandfather to show all the Danish lords and pirate leaders what courage was. .
In order to please his master, Stad encountered the disgusting thorns of the Ross merchants. If he didn't annihilate them, wouldn't he be disgusting with King Horik in the end?
Those big merchants? There is a mountain of gold and silver in Hustad that is easy to rob. They gave all the support except help. The so-called mercenary did not cooperate. Instead, they guarded their wealth and watched the gang fight.
The gangsters. It is impossible for the leader and a group of loyal horsemen to go through fire and water themselves, and the brothers also succumb to that.A legend of wealth, still waiting to grab money after victory.
Since then, a group of poor civilians have been gathered together. Almost all of them have been forcibly recruited. However, after learning that if they win the battle, they will have the right to rob the Russian people of their mountains of silver coins, the civilian farmers are in high spirits, because They all know that businessman Ross is really rich. They had long envied the wealth of the Russian merchants, just because they would inevitably die if they robbed a weak force. Now, the new king of Denmark is backing them to justify the collective robberies. The so-called this is not robbery but a fight for the honor of Denmark. .
The leaders of various gangs were arresting people, but in the end, a team of thousands of people was gathered in Hedeby and nearby villages! A group of farmers are very much looking forward to plundering money from Ross merchants before the wheat harvest, so that they can wipe out the rent they owe to the landlord, or get money to buy new land, farm tools, or even find a wife. .
It is true that they are farmers, but they are farmers in Denmark. They are completely different from Frankish farmers and British farmers. This group of people has actually transformed into shirtless Vikings. It's just that their weapons are too poor. Their offensive weapons are just hand axes, short spears, harpoons and rusty iron swords. However, each of them has prepared a round shield that is enough to protect half of the torso. Many people were literally shirtless, with weird braids and even beards in braids.
It is reasonable for Stade to say that they are like beggars, because Horik’s old subordinates have completely popularized the armor. Although it is made of cowhide and riveted iron sheets, this is very similar to the practice of regular Frankish infantry. Horik's new Danish army can reflect dazzling light under the sun. Can the momentum of a group of shirtless soldiers be comparable?
At least they were outnumbered. The scale of more than a thousand people was completely beyond his expectation. He thought that this attack would be easy to win. Studd even felt that making his own siege engines and ladders was redundant.