Chapter 812 The Collapse of Bornholm

My wife and children are still alive, and their situation seems to be good. As for the death of the slave, Swinder can no longer care about it. His wife and children are still alive, and he has no more worries.

He pinched his waist, raised his chest, and after letting go of his wife, he shouted in a rich voice: "You guys don't resist anymore! The Russians want you to surrender!"

This is the first sentence When he came out, the already wavering people on the stone hill became even more swaying.

However, the powerful patriarchs of big families will not decline so smoothly based on their own life experience. If we wanted to surrender, we would have surrendered long ago, why bother holding on until now.

An old guy leaned on the stone and stuck his head out, shouting: "Swinder! It was you who led the way and led the Russians here!? You are a traitor, you let the entire The island is in trouble!"

Swinder was not to be outdone: "Sounds like Holmsund? I expected you to say that! My friend, I am not a bad person, and neither are the Russians! I don’t want to be a bad person!”

“It’s ridiculous! We chose you to make peace with the Russians. You betrayed everyone! We all thought you were dead, but we didn’t expect this. It's better to chop your wife and children."

Swinder estimated that if his family did not run down without permission, it would definitely be a bargaining chip for them to surrender. No matter how cruel the people in Shiqiu say, they must have some meaning behind their words.

"But you have no chance." He said proudly: "Look at your situation! Do I know how much food and water are stored on the stone hill? The weather now doesn't seem to be very good. It will rain soon, and as long as the Russians continue to besieged, you may die of thirst tomorrow. If the Russians are willing, you will die if you don't fight. But, my friends, surrender! There is no reason for us and the Russians to continue fighting."

These words are very inflammatory, because what Swinde said is true.

There is still a little food on the stone hill, but there is really no fresh water.

Fleeing to the stone hills for refuge now seems like a bad move, but no one thought of this when they first fled, and no one thought that the Russian army would be everywhere, like a net catching a struggling cod. Deadly trapped.

The leaders of the big families were in a dilemma, and the exiled Danes were even more entangled.

They showed hesitation, but the large number of heads exposed from behind the stones fully proved that their mentality was strongly shaken.

Taking into account the past friendship, Swinder did not want these old friends to die in vain.

He continued to shout: "If I had landed on the island early, I could have avoided this misunderstanding! Friends, we have all misunderstood. There is no need for a war. As long as we surrender to Russia, everything will be fine. It is because of you We took the initiative to launch an attack a few days ago and made the prince of Rus misunderstand that you would fight to the death. Why bother! We used to submit to the Danish king Hafgen, but now Hafgen is dead. Since we once surrendered to Denmark, we are now surrendered.What's the problem with serving Ross? Say it again! The conditions offered by Prince Rus to our brothers are very good! "

Hearing this, someone else simply leaned out half of his body: "You say it!" What do the Russians want? What would be the benefit if we surrendered? This is our island! This is our island! ”

“So? ! "

"You must accept our conditions! "

Swinder's head was buzzing. A group of old guys are going to die from internal friction. They still want to negotiate terms? He was unmoved and continued: "Negotiate terms? Can! I am just a messenger appointed by the Russian people, and I can only tell you the conditions of the Russian prince. Surrender! The Russians will keep your lives safe. You will pay tribute to Rus every year from now on, publicly declare your opposition to King Horik of Denmark, and hand over some slaves, and that will be enough! The Russians want this. ”

From the standpoint of the Russian people, ordinary soldiers felt that the prince gave too high conditions to a group of idiots who were dying. How could they get peace? Why don’t the brothers swarm up and cut down the people of the archipelago? Kill them all.

Rurik himself made a huge concession, but he was unwilling to do so, but in order to resolve the situation as soon as possible, he let Swinde describe it this way.

For no other reason, these men are not like them. Subject to others.

Even if it was ruled by Denmark in the past, it was a nominal rule. The Danish leader or king did not ask for any tangible tribute from the people of Bornholm Island, if there was any. Herring. There are two reasons why the islanders fell out with the new king of Denmark. One is that the visitor is actually an agent of the Franks, and the existence itself does not represent the interests of Denmark. The other is the biggest contradiction-the announcement of the new king. Collect taxes.

After all, the new Danish king Horik became a de facto vassal in Frank. Even though Frank’s tax system was primitive, it was a clear tax system and it was a natural way to make money. It was upgraded to rely on taxation to openly claim the tribes under the new king of Denmark. All tribes must pay head tax, ships doing trade must also pay berth tax, and trade tax, and all Danish farmers must pay food tax. >

The Frankish Kingdom has not invented many exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes. Even the talented Charlemagne often faced the problem of lack of money in the treasury, so that the king had to rely on tax collectors to subdue him and ask local powerful nobles to find solutions regularly. Providing enough tribute to pay for the army will continue the kingdom's expansion war. The nobles will also participate in the war after paying for it, and the loot of the war will often offset the tribute. However, this system has huge loopholes, and the local nobles can do whatever they want. Tao, when the hero was about to die, the kingdom was actually divided.

The new Danish king Horik was a servant of the tribal leader, and he got the throne of Denmark today by doing things for the Franks. This by no means means the approval of the powerful people in Denmark. A considerable number of people do not recognize this.Kingdom of Denmark.

Horik wanted to rely on taxation to stabilize the finances and then consolidate the king's power. Because his disobedient behavior aroused the ambitions of the Franks, he lost a lot of money and consumed national funds, leaving the country with no power. Rich coffers are poorer. It is obviously reasonable to ask for taxes from various tribes, but to implement taxes even for babies in the tribe is to challenge the bottom line of the Danish people! Logically speaking, the head tax is not a big problem, the tax standard is also very low, and the people can obviously afford it.

From the perspective of ordinary people in Denmark, this is not a good thing. Charging a poll tax is regarded by many Danish people as an insult, as if even babies have to be Horik's. slave. The tribes in those remote places simply rowed long boats to find other settlements, and some tribes rose up to resist. The most remote place, such as Bornholm Island, has essentially separated from Denmark.

These major economic interests have caused the island to separate from Denmark. Let’s listen to Swinder again! After everyone surrenders, they still have to pay tribute or pay compensation. What is the difference between the conditions proposed by the Prince of Rus and that of Danish Horik? Even the names of the two monarchs are similar.

Because Ragnar has been here before and mentioned that the name of the Prince of Rus is Rurik Ottoson.

The new king of Denmark is Horik Haraldsson.

What kind of thing is this? Because Horik and Rurik are both variants of the name "Eric", there is no difference between them.

The names of the two monarchs are almost the same. The conditions proposed cannot be said to be similar, but they can only be said to be exactly the same.

But the big real problem is also facing us - the brothers are really going to die of thirst and starvation.

Swinder continued to talk nonsense. Even if it takes some words, it would be good to persuade them to avoid killing. His mouth went dry after talking, so he had to untie the water bottle and drink freely.

He deliberately made his movements very exaggerated, and when he was full, he poured out the remaining water in public.

"Just come down! Friends, the Russians will not treat those who surrender badly. You see, those who came down first are already eating fish and drinking water..."

Ragnar and Arik, who were present, maintained the greatest restraint. They really felt that Swinder's talk was a waste of emotion.

Ragnar stepped forward and patted this guy on the shoulder: "That's enough! Maybe those men finally thought that they still had the courage of warriors and planned to fight to the end."

"No! Let me try again."

"That's enough, your kindness is like a crow to them. Let me do it, I want to convince the Danes."

No, Ragnar appears publicly.

He slowly took off the robe given by the Russians, and then took off the inner shirt, exposing his chest and arms. He showed his tattoo to the people on the stone hill and raised his fist to show that he had a special ring.

It’s “Ragnar the Beheaded Hairy Pants”!

The Danish exiles are originally the lords of Denmark.They were defeated steadily by the new Danish king and the Frankish coalition, and fled to Bornholm with only a very small number of troops. After a very ugly battle with the Russian army, some losses were suffered, and during the days when they were trapped in the stone hill, another brother died of thirst.

Ragnar's reputation is very loud. After all, at the young age of fifteen, this man was able to chop off the head of the snake-charming leader in a duel.

Ragnar also spoke very nicely: "Danes! Tell me why you want to mix with the Bornholm Islanders? Is it just because of asylum? Me! Ragnar Sigurd Song, I have a close relationship with the leader of the Ross people. Our Stonewall tribe has formed an alliance with the Ross people. My people all live a very good life. The Ross people appreciate you! The Lord of Ross asked me to give you a message! Just friends! As long as you oppose the Danish king, the Russians are willing to make friends with you. Come down!"

Yes, why do the Danes need to sacrifice their lives for the islanders. A group of large and impoverished families only allowed the exiled Danes to live in the past. They are actually living together as partners, and now that the Russians are targeting the people of this island, wouldn't it be absurd for the exiled Danes to intervene in this war.

The Danish exiles have figured it out and are impetuous, but they are still not completely sure that they will be promised safety.

Someone asked loudly: "Ragnar! We can go down. You swear! You swear to Odin! If the Rus take revenge on us, you will be cursed by the gods, and heroes like you will never be able to enter Vaal." Laha."

Ragnar is a true believer. He firmly believes that he has his own place in the Hall of Valor, so he must abide by the principles of a warrior, such as not betraying his companions. He believed that Rurik's so-called new policy towards Denmark was true. When the new Danish king was taken care of in the future, peace between Denmark and Russia would even expand, and peace would come to the entire Baltic world.

"Okay! I swear to Odin! If you come down and the Rusians kill you, let Odin take my life, let Thor chop me into char with thunder, let Freya cursed the death of my heir."

It's enough. These curses are enough for the Danes in Stone Hill to believe that Ragnar is serious.

The Danes did not care about the feelings of the big families and private soldiers, and staggered down the stones one after another.

At the same time, the Russian army is paying attention to the trend of persuading surrender here. Rurik kept squinting and stared. He let out a long breath. After all the twists and turns, it seemed that the matter could be resolved peacefully?

Arik led the archer troops and remained on alert. He ordered that no one should fire. As long as those who came down did not try to fight, the crossbows held by the brothers would be pointed vertically into the sky.

A hundred Danish exiles came down. They were not a strong force to begin with.

Ragnar fist-bumped them, patted some on the shoulder, and continued to promise peace.

But Arik stopped them: "Danes, you firstHand over the weapons. ”

As soon as these words came out, the exiles who had just come down were instantly alert and drew their swords one after another. Although they were exiles from different tribes, they drew their swords very quickly and in uniform movements.

“You still don’t want to surrender? Resistance is a dead end! "Aric gritted his teeth and ordered.

The exiles were not to be outdone. Even though their bodies were seriously short of water, they still put up a shield wall and looked like they were resisting.

Both sides There was a stalemate at a distance of about twenty steps. The Russians did not attack, and the Danish refugees were completely defensive.

Seeing this, Ragnar was sandwiched between the two armies, spreading his arms to mediate. .

“Brothers Aric, why bother? They are sincerely surrendering, don't scare them. Hello! Danish friends, you can avoid misunderstandings by handing over your weapons first. Once Prince Rus thinks you are no longer a threat, everything will be easy to handle. Besides, Prince Rus is still recruiting mercenaries. Wouldn’t it be great for you all to join him together? For my sake, both of you, please exercise restraint. ”

It was rare for Arik to be the first to relent. As the elder brother, he did not want to cause trouble to his younger brother on this critical issue.

The warrior holding the crossbow was relaxed. Coming down, the Russian troops on the scene were off guard.

The Danish exiles looked at each other. Since the Russians were like this, everyone had no choice. They put down their shields and swords and handed over the control of their lives. Gave it to the Russians.

Soon, the temptation to eat meat and drink water outweighed everything else. Rurik was also very interested. He could see that the people who came down from the stone hill were full of doubts, which was why they were provided to them. Some ingredients were added to the people's supplies. Not only the grilled fish, but the Danish exiles also had wheat pancakes. This pancake was also coated with a little honey, making it a delicacy that the exiles had eaten for the first time in their lives. p>

When the Danes unloaded their weapons and began to openly drink water and eat, the people on the stone hill collapsed completely.

The patriarchs of the big families could no longer restrain anyone except their own family members. Others.

The slaves rebelled! Instead of turning against their masters, they threw away their swords and axes and threw themselves into the arms of the Russians.

The slaves have all run away. Why should the private soldiers continue to rely on them? The big families can no longer afford their wages, so why not rush down and join the Russians? The brothers are essentially mercenaries, and working for the Russians is nothing less than one thing. Just because they saw the Danes, who were clearly fighting fiercely, drinking water happily in the Russian camp

The so-called big family was gone. They turned into bare veterans.

At this point, they had lost the strength to fight for the last time. Looking at the large group of fishermen on the stone hill waiting for death, they simply announced their surrender.

Rurik saw it, the big families made their final surrenderOr, he already despised these idiots, and now he despises them even more.

Of course, he still publicly welcomed the surrender of the big families on the island and emphatically stated: "We will convene a Nordic meeting to discuss matters after your surrender. ."

Is this the Prince of Ross? The Danish King Horik was a short, round-faced guy, and this Rurik was a handsome young boy. The handsome man is more approachable. As Rurik really provided drinking water and food, the people who were about to die of thirst came back to life. Rurik only had a good impression in the hearts of the patriarchs. It seemed that the previous siege had really become his misunderstanding. Caused by asking for trouble.

But this group of people is not what Rurik values. Do you have to invite the patriarchs of a group of big families to be your guests? What is the use of this group of lonely guys?

On the other hand, those who were dying on the stone hill and had no strength to come down to offer their sacrifices, they really had nothing and were easy to control.

The Ross soldiers carrying water bags began to rush towards the stone hill, first kicking the "dead bodies", feeding those who could move with water, and then carrying them down.

This kind of rescuing people was ridiculous. Ragnar felt that those people were destined to die of thirst and starvation. Even Prince Rurik had no need to save those people. He did not express his criticism and forbade his men from speaking nonsense, so as not to cause Rurik dissatisfaction.

An astonishing number of dying people were transported down, first poured with water, and then water mixed with honey. Rurik used honey used for military purposes to save people, and the effect was immediate.

They came to life and took the food given by the Russian army and ate it. After taking the opportunity to conduct a general inventory, as many as 1,200 islanders of various ages survived.

The top of the stone hill is already a huge tomb! When all the living people left, a group of crows took the opportunity to fly over and began to eat the flesh of the dead bodies.

Thousands of people died there, including a large number of young children and elderly people. Most of the survivors were young men and women, with more women among them.

It is people like this who are the captives Rurik needs most.

"Throw the young men into the mines in the north, and send the young women to Novgorod as rewards, and that's it." Rurik was satisfied, so the blood families of the big families who surrendered members, their situation becomes very embarrassing.

Russ can quickly recruit the slaves and private soldiers who were previously attached to the big family.

As for those people...

For the time being, Rurik still showed a kind smile, but now...