Rurik's royal fishing boats were busy trawling, and the newly caught herring immediately filled a huge appetite.
The dying people gradually regained their spirits after being replenished with food and fresh water. Then, these captives stared at the strange conquerors tremblingly, waiting for their unknown fate.
To be fair, Rurik intends to treat these people well, but whether they appreciate it is another matter.
Maybe a hot face and a cold butt? Isn't it just asking for trouble?
Because Ross is a conqueror, and the conquest has destroyed the lives of the islanders. I am afraid that they will just run away if they have enough food and drink and don't want to resist. Unless it is shipped to a remote place.
Detailed screening of thousands of captured personnel began.
No matter how they clamor, what right does a group of de facto slaves have to decide their own destiny?
There is a husband-wife relationship among the captives, as well as a mother-child relationship.
The former couple was forcibly separated, but the mother-child relationship could still be preserved.
Men and women were guarded separately, and their fates were completely different from this moment on.
Aric was ordered to find strong men among the men. The chosen ones were put in ropes and led away like animals. The number of men in the crowd gradually decreased, and those left behind became increasingly frightened, as if they were worthless and would be beheaded in a short while.
Someone tremblingly proposed: "I can do things for you, take me away."
Aric ignored him as if he couldn't hear him, and some Russian soldiers looked down upon him. They replied: "You are not even qualified to be slaves, shut up!"
This was like a death sentence. Those who were left behind were disheartened. They didn't understand why the Russians needed to In the end, it was better to die of thirst and starvation than to save myself in the end.
The weak are not even qualified to be slave miners, and those who are selected are quite sober.
In fact, Arik did not tell these men his true destination, nor even told them that the Russians' disdain was reflected in their laziness to chop off their heads.
The large fishing village occupied by the Ross army is now bustling with activity. This is the main camp of the Ross army and a giant prisoner of war camp. The original residents of this place turned into prisoners overnight. They clearly had their own houses there, but now all the wealth no longer belongs to them. The fishermen on Bornholm Island completely lost the fishing boats they relied on for a living. There were only wreckage of boats that were deliberately damaged near the shore, and there were also hulls that were smashed into random pieces and used as firewood for bonfires.
The men, women, and children of the surrendered big families enjoyed control of the Shiqiu Warehouse. They had only suffered losses in the previous battles. When they surrendered, most of them looked good.
They were all prisoners. Although they were all provided with food and water after the surrender, for the time being this group of people were all locked up in a room and were strictly guarded by Russian soldiers.
Rurik has made a decision, and for the time beingDidn't tell anyone else.
For the time being, he has no time to deal with this group of people who once dared not fight and were unwilling to surrender. It was their dilly-dallying that caused the Ross army to waste a lot of time and made this battle impossible. It's time for short bursts of action to become grindy.
Rurik planned to hold the so-called Nordic Conference the next day, and the leaders of the big families received orders to attend the meeting. What will they mutter in the house? Some ears were pressed against the wooden wall. The Rus warriors acted as listeners and hurriedly reported to the prince once they heard any significant whispers.
At night, the big campground is filled with the aroma of grilled fish.
Those Danish exiles ate a lot of fish and precious wheat cakes, and these people, who were already strong and had been screened by the war, returned to their former glory. Rurik kept his promise and put Ragnar in charge of this task.
Didn’t Ragnar beg to form a resistance army? Aren't the Danish troops coming soon? What's more, these 100 people are all Danes and are managed by a well-known Danish hero, which also saves the Russian army a lot of trouble.
As many as three hundred people knelt on the ground. Their identities in the past were varied, but now they only have one identity - prisoners of war.
If there were any islanders in the past who were the backbone of the battle, these were them.
They spontaneously knelt down half-kneeling and covered their chests with their right hands. The intentions of those who took such a posture were obvious.
No, Rurik, who is gorgeously dressed and deliberately wearing chain mail, appears kindly under the light of the bonfire array!
The mighty Rus warriors holding torches showed more majesty and further showed their humility while half-kneeling.
Rurik stood on the platform made of wooden boxes, with his hands behind his back and his chin raised almost to the sky. He looked unusually arrogant.
"I know!" He said loudly, "You are not those people, you are just a group of raised slaves and a group of mercenaries who work hard for money! You made wrong choices in the past. ! Now, I! Rurik Ottoson, Prince of Rus! I give you a choice! Refuse to serve and be beheaded now."
This is a non-negotiable choice. Faced with the choice between life and death, they naturally choose life.
Slaves are the least scrupulous, but mercenaries have to think carefully first.
Rurik asked in a high-pitched voice: "Which of you was a slave in the past? Now stand up! I will give you the status of a mercenary. As long as you are loyal, you will get benefits."
Hearing this, all the slaves present stood up instantly as if they had springs on their feet. The speed of their movements shocked the soldiers holding torches.
The number of slaves was something Rurik never expected. They did not seem to be weak, and they should be able to serve as good soldiers after some training.
Of course, it is impossible for these people to burst out with strong fighting power and loyalty just because they change their families, and they cannot be used by themselves instantly.
Them! needI need a certificate of nomination! For example, if you kill someone at the request of the Prince of Rus, you will prove it with the blood of your enemy.
The slaves were counted with the most accurate count, and there were more than 200 of them? ! They are all young men and are not qualified to get married or enjoy private wealth. Many of them are "lions" raised by big families since they were young. In theory, they will be sold to the Danes in the west when they get older. The extended family also frequently went to the Danish market to "buy goods", thus ensuring that the slave group was always a group of mules that could be used easily.
This group of slaves is a tool, and Rurik wants to restore their value as human beings.
The slaves knelt on the ground and paid allegiance to Rurik himself one by one. The strange ceremony of loyalty was actually Rurik’s whim. In his mind, it was Slaves will be more loyal towards such a move. Loyalty largely comes from material provision and more power, and slaves who have nothing have very low requirements in all aspects. They were briefly pulled aside after taking the oath.
There are another hundred mercenaries who are simply paid to do errands. They are also carefree people, but they have weapons on hand (temporarily confiscated), just like lions walking together on the grassland. Gangs, they have the right to choose their sponsors independently, and they are basically just people who get paid to do things. As for what to do when you get old? No one thought about it. Is this person trustworthy? Absolute trust is impossible. As long as they have enough money, they can certainly take advantage of it.
In a sense, the mercenary groups that exist in the Ross army are the product of a recruitment system, which is different from the citizen soldier system that Ross derived from the tribal era. Of course, the recruited mercenaries are a supplement to the current citizen soldiers with limited manpower.
The current captain of the guard, Grund, is a former prisoner of war. He has changed his ways for so many years. This person has gained significant benefits from staying in Rus and staying with the Prince of Rus. As a Dane, he even has benefits in the Principality of Rus. gained political status. He can claim to be loyal. This loyalty is not for money or so-called morality, but for the benefits he currently enjoys, and a key issue - the Russians grant him a marriage, and his wife and children are monitored by the Russians.
For his own benefit, Grund claimed to be an authentic Rusian and a warrior serving the "Son of Odin".
He thinks very highly of himself, and his shield is still heavily painted with the raven pattern, and he is arrogant in front of the people who are also mercenaries.
Ryuri ordered him to collect this group of mercenaries on the spot, break them into pieces, and add them to each team of the mercenary team.
"After you recruit them, explain my policies, tell them the salary situation, and train them how to obey. You are their manager, and those who disobey will be beaten, and those who are extremely disobedient will be punished. Tell me what's going on," Rurik told Grund quietly.
That's all, Rurik made a big deal in front of the mercenaries who changed their families: "You serve me, and when you work until you are thirty-five, I will give you fields and a sum of retirement money. You You can marry a woman and have children, and feel safe in my territory.Be a farmer or a fisherman until the end of your life. At that time, you will be recognized as real Russians by me! I swore to Odin that I would never break my promise. "
Huh? This is a good thing! The new mercenaries all call the Prince of Rus a good man.
The slaves are still slaves, and they will continue to work as slaves even after they arrive in Rus. However, the Principality of Rus can provide better food and warm accommodation. Even if they are squeezed like cattle and horses, it is almost impossible to starve to death.
The destination of most male captives is to be slaves. Work, give them little by little benefits over time, and induce them to continue to be grateful. When they are too old to do it or have made meritorious service in the war, they will declare their freedom from slavery.
In contrast, those women. The prisoners may have been lucky. Rurik claimed that he did not favor them, because they were just a tool to maintain stability. He restored their beauty in captivity and then sold them to the group of Slavic peasants who surrendered to the farm. They had family members to worry about. , if the necessary tax increase strategy is implemented in the future, those men will definitely pay extra taxes for their family.
If Rurik is really showing favoritism, it will be against all the captured children.
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Most of the children have died during the siege, and those who survived are all potential hard-core ruthless people.
Will the grown-up children hold grudges?
After some screening, the boy Rurik was unwanted, and all the girls were taken away.
Because Ross’s original intention of conquering the entire Bornholm Island was not to force all the islanders. The original plan of the immigrants was to complete peace talks with the big families in Japan, and just order the powerful people to pay tribute and declare their allegiance after a certain number of people. Even if the whole island is now reduced to fresh fish on a chopping board, Ross should take the fine meat and mix it up. The items had to be left on the island. This ruined island was still the front line of the Danish Kingdom's offensive policy.
The screening work took some time to complete, and the embarrassed Rurik ate more. He wasn't feeling sleepy anymore.
He ate half an onion to stay awake.
He had to have a small meeting for tomorrow. A secret meeting!
There were only a few people attending the meeting, just Rurik himself, Arik, Jevro, Ragnar, Spyut, Blue Fox, young Fisk, and the servant Grund, the captain of the army, and Swinder, the islander's talker, participated as allies, and Swinder was either a military noble of Ross or a vassal. In a special case, Rurik glanced at this person a few times, hinting at its significance.
“Everyone is here, there are no outsiders in this house. I also asked the guards to stand further away. "God Rurik said solemnly.
It is true that there are some oil lamps lit in this house, and the indoor light is extremely dim. The gloomy scene is really suitable for planning a conspiracy.
"Also Something big? "Arik asked.
"Yes. It's about the big families among the islanders. They..."
AricGuess one or two: "No one is left?"
As soon as this statement came out, everyone present was startled. The one who reacted the most strongly was Swinde: "Ah! They have all surrendered. . You actually..."
"Calm down! Are you accusing me of breaking my promise?"
"I..." Swinder dare not say this, driven by his rational mind. He closed his mouth hurriedly, as if his mouth was covered with glue, and now he couldn't speak for the life of him.
"Swinder, just listen carefully. In my opinion, those big families have lost their use value. Their private soldiers and slaves are now mine, and they even have no servants." There are only a few left, and their money has been taken away by me. Is there any need for such people to exist? Besides, you may stab me in the future! We need them."
"They really can't stay." The speaker was Ragnar, and his agreement really surprised Rurik.
"I thought you would sympathize with those big families."
Ragnar shrugged: "I have never sympathized with them, only because we jointly opposed the new Danish king. The reason for the exchange. Their lives are at your disposal. I just want to chop off the head of the Danish king."
"I support you as long as we work together to eradicate the source of all evil. Everyone can live a peaceful life."
Ragnar took this very seriously. After staying in Ross for a while, he saw clearly that the more small countries there are, the more conflicts there will be. Although the people of Ross think so. Violence has conquered a vast territory, but within the principality there is rare extreme peace. When people are no longer busy with armed fighting, they can spend a lot of time in production and life, and wealth is accumulated rapidly.
Rurik now publicly announced: "Swinder, I still want to establish contact with Bornholm. I canonize you as the war chief (count) of Bornholm, you can be here Continue your own business. All the prisoners I don’t want are yours to deal with.”
“Okay”
How dare you object. , Rurik did not leave many people for himself, and those left behind were all old and weak. The entire island has been ruined. Although he has been canonized as a noble, don't the Rus have the final say on the island and surrounding waters? The situation was even more complicated because the Russian army was also followed by a group of Svealan (Swedish) fishermen.
Swedes should not have appeared in this area since ancient times, but now these guys can come and fish openly. Bornholm surrendered to Ross, and Ross and Sweden were allies, which meant that Bornholm had to accept Swedish fishermen plundering the rich sea pastures.
Humiliation! Humiliation! Swinder was too lazy to change since he knew he was powerless to change. As a smart man, he knew the current affairs. From then on, he existed as a vassal of the Principality of Rus, so that his family could enjoy prosperity.
Swinder has no ambition, but Ragnar’s ambition is almost etched on his face.
In this secret meeting, Rurik and Ragnar officially made a deal, and used Ross's top military nobles toclan as witnesses.
Ragnar can use Bornholm as a base to oppose the Danish King and recruit troops to form an army.
But this is not the end, because Ross needs a window for trade with Denmark. Even if Denmark is now occupied by the new king Horik, the various lords of Denmark will not think that doing business is a shabby thing, right?
The large fishing village now used as a military camp will return to its former purpose of existence, but the residents will be joined by Russian merchant fishermen, Danish exiles, Swedish fishermen, and even Finns, who can also row this south if they like. Trade in the Baltic Sea for herring.
Bornholm will become a free island. Legally, it will be under the jurisdiction of Rus, and the governance rights will also belong to Rus in principle. The Swinder family has been granted power and is also a tax collector. Rus paid a small tribute.
Such a determination also requires Ragnar's approval, even though this man is still an exile.
Ragnar completely agreed, his attitude was straightforward and sincere. He is a man who wants to become the King of Denmark, and he needs the help of the Russians. In his opinion, the guys on Bornholm Island have always been strongheads, and this island will cause no loss to Denmark.
A secret contract was signed, and the paper Rurik brought came in handy.
The secret agreement is established in the form of a written document, and oral oaths must be made. The written document makes the secret agreement impossible to deny.
At the same time as the secret meeting ended, the fate of those big families was also finalized.
The principles are simple and they are important to everyone.
But Rurik decided to make things a little more complicated. Will raising the butcher knife in public be detrimental to him in public opinion? After all, when they surrendered, Prince Rus publicly announced that he had granted the right to life.
It would be nice if those guys could create their own reason to kill them.
At noon the next day, Rurik held an indoor banquet publicly. Six large families surrendered, and he ordered the family heads and male members to join the banquet.
There are grilled fish, wheat cakes, and even honey water and ale.
When the men who had been nervously staying in the house all night witnessed these delicious meals, they subconsciously felt that they would have a bright future because of the hospitality given by Prince Rus, so the venue was also very happy.
Alik, Jevro, Ragnar and other people were all involved. They pretended to be kind, but Swinde still managed to smile with a frown on his face.
The patriarchs of the big family were too lazy to pay attention to Swinder. They just stared at Rurik's handsome face. The more they looked at it, the more comfortable they became.
"Let's all enjoy a good meal and let's talk." Rurik deliberately said this and went straight to the topic: "I very much welcome your surrender. I have raised a few questions. I asked you to think about the conditions all night, have you figured it out now?"
As expected, the clan leader said: "We have been talking all night, and we are willing to become your vassal...."
"Do you still want to put forward conditions? "Rurik squinted his eyes, picked up the glass inadvertently, and drank all the wine while still holding the glass. This was a signal, and Arik was paying attention to it from the corner of his eye.
Just when the patriarch who spoke was interested As he continued to describe, Arik signaled to leave the table and go to the toilet.
The patriarch continued his words: "We can vassal, but you must ensure our previous power. You took our slaves, please give them back. We can resume our daily lives before we can pay tribute to you later. We are willing to pay tribute and ask you to promise to provide us with military protection. "
At this moment, Rurik's eyes became even sharper. He could not even imagine that the impoverished big family would dare to negotiate conditions with him now.
He was furious: "You! You don’t have the strength to bargain with me now! "
The patriarch was startled suddenly and said hurriedly: "You are a hero, and we are willing to marry our little daughters to you. ”
“Oh? Could this be your final concession? "
The patriarch was speechless for a moment, and could only continue to emphasize: "We are willing to surrender. "
" Ridiculous! Your daughter is only worthy of being a slave who rubs the feet of my warriors! You are the losers and you still dare to ask for benefits! "The glass in Rurik's hand suddenly hit the wooden wall and broke into multiple pieces. The noise was quite loud.
Soon, a group of ragged sword and axe-wielding men stood in front of Arik.
These people are Rurik's axemen. They break into the house and kill them under the guise of throwing cups. Their other identities are also slaves, and now they have the blood of their former masters. The heads of the six big families were reduced to minced meat under the knife and axe, and the mosaic of the scene caused Rurik to avoid the banquet hall with a dull face.
He left the banquet hall. , continued to instruct his men: "Go and deal with the remnants of these families. remember! No men or women left! If you dare to stay alive, I will chop off your heads afterwards! "
Another group of slaves took action immediately upon being ordered to attack their former masters with butcher knives, and the old forces of Bornholm Island were physically destroyed.