Since the joint fleet started its real move south, Olegin no longer cares whether his fleet will be exposed. Deep down in his heart, he even wished that the Gotlanders would challenge him so that he could have a beautiful naval battle quickly.
The root of his confidence lies in the fact that his own army is very strong, and the army that longs for wealth is full of motivation to fight.
If the purpose of this battle is to attack Gotland, he feels that he can defeat all the islanders in one battle, but that is not the top priority now.
In any case, the reason for the betrayal of the Gotlanders was the temptation of the Danes. If they defeated Denmark, the group of guys on Gotland who acted according to the prevailing circumstances would be smart enough to realize who is the real king. .
He also needed to solve a problem of disunity within the army. He urgently needed a new goal for the majority of coalition soldiers to vent.
This goal is not far away.
The Götaland Highlands in southern Scandinavia. Most of this vast area exceeds 200 meters above sea level. The highlands are scattered with a large number of lakes, massive pine forests and multiple varieties of oak trees. , there are also a lot of forest meadows. In the current era of very backward agricultural technology, it is not suitable for farming, but it is very suitable for grazing.
However, there are gentle coastal slopes on the east and west coasts of the highlands, where the geography is more pleasant and narrow areas of land can be reclaimed as farmland.
If the Gotlanders and Danes who immigrated to the Götaland Highlands can live in peace with the residents of the Svealand lowland plains in the north, then a line will go south from the mouth of Lake Mälaren, cross the entire Kalmar Strait, and finally reach Jutland, Denmark. The shipping routes on the peninsula will definitely become very prosperous.
People fighting for survival supplies eventually went to war.
However, the people living on the eastern coast of the highlands do not remember the invaders from the north. They are all fishermen from Gotland. Although they settled in new areas, their communication with their homeland has never been severed. Also because of the increasingly frequent transactions with Danish businessmen, they have naturally ignored the Northern Alliance as a potential threat.
Yes, there are some small fishing villages with only a few hundred people. They fish, herd sheep, raise cows, and grow a small amount of oats, rye and onions. Their life is like this year after year, how can it change?
A small number of fishing boats from Gotland Island have discovered a huge fleet heading south, as if they suddenly appeared from the sea. The fishermen hurried back to their island, intending to report the incident to their family chief.
Olegin was naturally aware of the presence of witnesses, but he didn't take it to heart at all.
The fleet left Norrkoping and Blow Bay and sailed against the wind. In the afternoon of the next day, a new goal suddenly appeared in front of the entire fleet.
Olegin looked back behind him with a dull face, and couldn't help complaining: "I slowed down, but they are still far away."
At this moment, Karl has been restrained by his father on the command ship of the Malaren Army. He also complained: "The fishing village in the distance is very small, so let me take my brothers to do it. Don't worry, I will win it quickly. "
"no!"
"Why? I am confident that no one will die in battle."
Olegin didn't want to see Karl's eager-to-fight face, so he pointed at the fleet in the distance: "We agreed to let those allies attack. This is what they want! This time we are also working with the Russians. Stand back and watch.”
"But that's not brave."
"Brave? You kid, you have to conserve your strength when attacking a strong enemy. Now that you have encountered a weak one, you talk about being brave." Origen shook his head.
"That's different..."
"Shut up, the fleet is parked at sea, and we let the people behind attack. Listen, only dogs will eat rats without mercy, and wolves will only hunt bigger prey. We are wolves, not hounds."
Soon, the entire Mellaren fleet stopped rowing. This sudden move directly forced the Russians to stop.
Otto complained about the nonsense of his allies for a while, until he stood on the deck of the forecastle and saw a classic Viking longhouse emerging from the narrow bay in the distance. Look at the architectural style, it was exactly the same as his old house. . Oh, by now Otto is no longer used to the old house. He just likes to live in a solid wooden house and lie on a soft wooden bed and sleep soundly.
Rurik pointed forward with vigilance: "That's the enemy's settlement."
"I've seen it all." Otto had a dull face, and the south wind made his beard flutter wildly.
"I'll give the order to anchor first. Dad, it looks like Olegin doesn't want to fight."
"It's just that he doesn't want to fight. If he doesn't leave, we won't leave either." Otto had completely understood the situation, because he saw that the fleet behind him was moving quickly: "Drop anchor. It's really boring..."
Otto shook his head. The bumpy sailing made him feel sleepy all the time. He just wanted to go back to the forecastle and continue to take a nap.
The two most powerful troops in the coalition paused their actions. The army behind them looked like they were in a state of panic. All parties were cheering for Olegin's fulfillment of the agreement. Of course, what they were even more excited about was a big shot. The opportunity to make money is now in front of you!
The Angkras Army, Hjärmalen Army and Uppsala Army have a combined strength of 1,500 people!
They were afraid that if they dilly-dallyed, the best spoils would be taken away by others.
They were literally three packs of wolves, with a pack of jackals behind them.
There were as many as two thousand people in the team. They paddled frantically, passing by the Mellaren Army and the Ross Army, which were floating quietly on the sea, and galloped away towards the goal.
So, the target fishing village is a lamb to be slaughtered?
The offshore fishing boats saw the appearance of a huge fleet with malicious intent. For a moment, the fishermen stood on the boat, restrained by an inexplicable force and watched, but because the other party was stagnant, they themselves were at a loss.
Finally, a large army rushed towards them. Only then did the fishermen feel the real threat and began to rush towards their own port.
They got into the bay, intending to tell the tribe to evacuate urgently. However, the entire settlement has missed the best time to escape.
Only when a large number of residents saw the fleet intending to land on the beach did they realize that the danger was imminent. They were absolutely sure that these people were not friends from Gotland, and the islanders had no time to organize such a huge team to run around. If you are not a friend, then you are an enemy!
It is no longer appropriate to flee by sea in such a predicament, even if they know that there are some allies and business partners in the south of the sea.
They began to pull the cattle and sheep out of the pens, picked up the few wheat in the barn, and the heavy smoked fish and dried meat strung on the wall and left.
Unfortunately, the attackers have already begun landing.
Ungrif of the Unkras tribe is obviously an old man. He feels that this is the first and last time he will invade the Danish-controlled area in his life. He feels that he is thirty years younger! He held his sword high and led his warriors to land first and attack first.
Immediately afterwards, the Hjermalen Army and the Uppsala Army landed.
Soon, allied armies from subsequent small tribes also landed.
As many as two thousand armed men attacked an unsuspecting fishing village with a population of only 400 people. It can be said that the battle ended the moment it started.
The wealth-hungry warriors directly intercepted the fugitives from the fishing village with a large number of treasures. They wielded axes, spears and swords and killed the men who dared to resist. Many women and old people were also killed in the rebellion.
They grabbed cattle and sheep, and held down many women and children. The faces of the soldiers were filled with the joy of the harvest.
When the sun was about to set, the battle was completely over without any suspense, and the losses of the coalition forces were minimal.
The coalition forces occupied this settlement, and through the mouths of the prisoners, they learned the name of the place - Westwick.
This is the meaning of "Western Port", and for Gotlanders, it is the "port to the west".
Soon, the fleets of the Mellaren Army and the Ross Army, which were focused on watching the show, also docked.
Compared with other settlements, Westwick has certain advantages. The place where locals dock their ships has water deep enough to berth the fully loaded Aurora.
This time the Russian ships finally did not have to worry about running aground, and each ship docked very close to the beach. A batch of food was unloaded on the shore. This was the food for the Maylaren Army. Most of the Russian army landed on the beach and camped just offshore.
As the sun sets, the enemy's settlement is now a "sea of joy."
The main attacking force preserved the lives of a large number of prisoners, including some adult men who were not killed. Such people would be used as slaves, and the various dukes intended to take them back to be labor slaves or even serfs.
Especially captured women and children cannot be killed. In addition, it was learned that these people were not Danes, and the parties had no reason to kill them.
Like the Angkras tribe, they just need more people to expand their strength. This time, the leader Angreev recruited all the unmarried young men in the tribe. One of the main reasons why the tribesmen followed him was that they hoped to kidnap a wife after the war.
No, the Angklas army was the first to land and also the first to get the spoils of war. They "marked" the female prisoners in their own way, and the soldiers tied up their captives and covered them with their own blankets, for fear that the newly captured women would be taken away by others.
Such a move was naturally dissatisfied by the leaders of other tribes. Angreev did not want to suffer a disadvantage, so he immediately started taunting: "Are you jealous of me, or do you think you are incompetent? We still have many goals! If you have the ability, just Go grab people at the next target, no matter how much you grab, I won’t question it.”
No one was willing to admit their stupidity. While the leaders were scolding Ungreave for being greedy, they had no choice but to put their hope in the future battle.
Night finally fell, and the tired warriors happily ate their spoils.
Compared with the Malaren Army and the Ross Army, the logistics situation of other units can be called "theoretical existence." They did not and could not bring a lot of food. The hungry soldiers had already finished their dry food. If they could not support the war with war, they would have no choice but to go home.
The Mellaren Army has prepared rations for ten days, but under the current situation, their ration reserves are also in danger. Their strength still remains at 1,400 men. If the non-combatants are temporarily armed, the strength will become a behemoth of 1,600 men. Whether a soldier or an auxiliary, one thousand six hundred mouths must be fed.
No, the cargo of the Avlora is decreasing every day. With the camping tonight, it has been six days since the coalition forces left Lake Mälaren. The Mälaren Army only has four days of rations left before it can get effective supplies. .
The situation of the Russian people is the best. The only reason for this situation is that the team has very few troops and the food reserves are enough to sustain three hundred people fighting for thirty days!
A huge bonfire was lit on the beach, and a group of leaders gathered here.
Because of the issue of dividing the spoils, many leaders can't stop bickering to this day. Olegin was actually happy to see this situation, and he hurriedly waved his hands to play the role of peacemaker.
"Don't quarrel, don't quarrel. There is still a lot of wealth in the distance, so there is no point in arguing over the immediate interests."
The king had thus spoken, and all the quarrelsome parties fell silent.
Everyone gathered here and naturally talked about the process and results of the battle. No one asked about the distribution of spoils, but everyone talked about a very real issue of food.
A choice lay before Olegin as the king.
Ungrieve had just enjoyed the service of the female prisoner. He was very happy now. In fact, in a sense, he was basically satisfied with normal fighting. If he went back home now, he didn't think he would lose more. Chance.
Just because the situation of the Onkras tribe is very serious: "King, if our fleet continues to move forward, we must rely entirely on plundering their food. So far, we are still plundering the Gotlanders. Wait until we meet the real Danes. If we fight, there will be a big battle. We must get them as food, otherwise..."
"He's right." Wenderson of Hjärmalen said calmly: "Our army prepared too little food when it set off. I didn't know that the world was so vast. If we hadn't slaughtered these people's cattle and sheep, our army would have lost so much food." I'm really hungry. Oh, what a luxury." Obviously, Wenderson's face was full of helplessness. He wished he could take the cattle and sheep back to raise them. Now, people who don't eat cattle and sheep will starve to death.
In the past, everyone really cared too much about this matter, but now all tribes are facing the problem of expanding war and food shortages.
Finally someone made a request: "King! Brothers need a guarantee from you. You have the most food. If we are hungry, you must share the food with everyone. Otherwise..."
"What else?"
"That might as well end there."
Olegin never dreamed that someone would back down. He suddenly drew his sword, alarming everyone. He threatened in a vicious tone: "There are actually people who want to escape. My advice to traitors is to kill them. What do you think? Running away after getting some benefits is nothing."
"Then make a promise." Wenderson urged: "No matter how brave a person is, he cannot pick up a battle ax when he is hungry. You cannot let a hungry army fight."
Olegin was a little hesitant at this moment. The inevitable battle was full of uncertainty. Who could guarantee that the next goal would be a full barn?
At this moment, Otto spoke: "My opinion is to fight to the end. Since we are afraid of hunger, we must fight even more."
When the situation was favorable, someone stood up and supported him wholeheartedly. Olegin was delighted and at the same time made up his mind. He stabbed the steel sword into the ground: "I can make a promise. If any of you are short of food, I can provide some of it. You have all seen that the Russians who transport food are determined to carry out the war to the end.
I am your king and you must listen to me. No ships are allowed to evacuate now. Anyone who dares to escape is a traitor and will be punished by everyone. At least we Melalenites will never let a traitor go. "
At this point, those so-called dukes who had limited vision and accepted their opinions were all quiet and did not dare to question any more.
The situation is already very clear. The strongest Mellaren Army and Ross Army are going to rush to unknown seas and attack unknown enemies one after another until they capture the legendary Danish Kalmar. Putting aside whether he could defeat the enemy, relying on his own strength, he was unable to compete with the power of the Melalen people in the first place. If his troops were lazy in this battle or even ran away, looking at Olegin's attitude, it would be obvious whether he would be retaliated against.
The thoughts of all parties have been unified, and even if they have doubts, they have to hold back.
The next day, the prisoners and a little captured food were carried onto the ships. Those empty ships finally had a use. Is it really appropriate to continue to expand the war by transporting a group of captives tied with ropes?
The ship had left the bay, and the warriors, who were full of roasted mutton and beef, rowed hard. The Ross fleet, including the Avora, also started a new journey.
The huge fleet continued southward with great momentum. Behind them was the burning Westervik. The pillars of thick smoke rising into the sky showed the power of the Swedish army.
So, who is the next target?
