The cold wind blew violently at the top of the city, and Stein, the leader of Borgholm, who urgently climbed onto the wooden wall, was so shocked that he couldn't believe it.
It seemed that the rough sea could not stop the enemy ships, and the unexpected enemy troops had landed and began to destroy them.
No! They're coming to the fort!
"Let...let brothers get ready! At least we have to hold the wall!"
He gave his men death orders. At this moment of life and death crisis, no one dared to neglect him. At this moment of crisis, he could only pray for the strength of the wooden wall.
Although the Saxons who lived here came across the sea, they learned a lot from every experience and began to build walls soon after setting up settlements on the island. In recent decades, the wooden wall has become taller as it has been repaired, and its earthen platform has become thicker. It's not a half-baked project like Fort Voscar; it's much stronger.
Due to shelter from the wind, the local Saxons had already retreated to the castle.
The Gotland mercenaries were also in the fort. Only a few Gotland fishermen who did not evacuate saw that something was going wrong and thought of escaping.
Unfortunately, those who ran slower have been killed by the crazy attackers.
It was clearly planned, like the traitors from Voskas, who were supposed to be on the front line, but Karl was so eager to take credit that he no longer cared about so much, and simply led his brothers as the main offensive force.
Faced with the brutal attack, the Gotlanders who had no time to escape became the dead under the sword of the Malaren army. The property they did not have time to take away, especially the very important dried fish and meat, was immediately captured by the Malaren army. . The greedy eyes of the attackers who had obtained the treasure were naturally fixed on the fortress. No matter how high the wall was, could they still not be able to break through the damn wall with their prefabricated battering rams?
Maybe the Swedish coalition should reorganize their troops after landing, line up their lines, and launch an attack as planned.
Today's disorganized attack is full of courage, but also lacks discipline.
Rurik couldn't stand looking at their messy attack. "If I were to command this battle, I would rather spend some time arranging the military formation. Olegin, wouldn't your men be destined to die if they charge the tower with force like this?"
To die? Karl didn't feel it at all. He felt that with just a few collisions of his battering ram, the enemy's wall would collapse, and the spoils would be his.
Some panicked Gotland fishermen, wearing simple clothes, rushed under the wooden wall of the fortress with their families in tow.
At this moment, Stein, the spear-wielding leader, just looked helplessly at the refugees below.
They roared desperately and indignantly, praying that the door would be left open just a small crack.
But Stein just looked at them again and shouted at the Gotland mercenaries who had prepared a batch of stones and pottery urns on the city wall: "Brothers, they are coming! Prepare to smash them to death!"
Under this situation, the life and death of some people no longer mattered, and even the Gotland mercenaries did not care about the life or death of their own people. Stein was not an idiot. He had already ordered his Saxon warriors to use huge pine wood as door latches, and more pine wood was tilted against the door. Defense preparations have been made, and without some effort, the defenders will not be able to open the blocked door, let alone let outsiders in.
It seems that the defensive routine of Borgholm's defenders is no different from that of the Port of Voskas, which was captured by the Swedish army.
No! After all, the Saxons were a group that had fought with the Franks, and they really had some skills in defending the city.
They caught seals, herring, and cod to boil oil, which was naturally used for sacrifices and daily lighting. But at such a critical moment, grease will become an enemy-killing Noble Phantasm.
More and more Melalen warriors rushed out of the wooden houses near the shore. They guarded their own battering rams, and under the leadership of Karl, they finally rushed under the wooden castle.
"Ah! This thing is so tall. How come it's different from what it looked like just now?!" Karl didn't expect there to be such a high wall. He gritted his teeth, despised the enemies watching eagerly on the wooden wall, and immediately ordered an attack.
attack? How to fight?
The Malaren army did not have any long ladders, so they naturally could not climb the wooden wall about five meters high. Obviously, the core of the attack was to hit the wall with a siege ram.
The few archers of the Malaren Army shot at the people on the wall. More warriors held round shields and surrounded their siege ram, which required thirty men to carry. After a run-up, the siege ram hit hard. Hit the wooden wall hard.
However, the gates of Borgholm Fortress simply didn’t move.
"Haha! They can't open the door!"
Stein, who was worried on the wall, was so surprised that his face was trembling. He now stretched out his arms, faced the brothers in the fortress, and shouted: "Our wall is indestructible, they can never break through!"
The morale of the soldiers in the fort was greatly boosted.
A large number of stones and pottery urns fell from the sky, giving the Mellaren army holding wooden shields a crushing blow.
The battering ram struck more than twenty times in succession. The enemy's wooden wall seemed to be loose, but it seemed as if nothing happened.
Just when Karl was screaming in confusion, thirty strong men holding the battering ram (actually three thick pine logs tied together) were already panting from exhaustion.
Suddenly many people took their hands off, causing the battering ram to fall directly to the ground.
"Prince, brothers have just fought against huge waves and heavy rain, and now they have to attack the city again. Everyone is really tired."
The person who spoke was still Krafteg. Looking at this person's face, Karl suddenly thought that this guy had said similar words when the army attacked the Voskas Fortress.
Karl's lips trembled and he yelled: "You! You are a coward!"
"But who would be happy to see us Melalen people being stoned by the enemy? Prince, didn't you agree that those traitors should be the main attack? Why did we become the main attack again?!"
"You!" For a moment Karl felt that he had become a completely reckless man.
What he saw through the gaps in the crowd was indeed an anxious situation. Since the siege weapons only had large logs on hand, all hopes were pinned on the logs, but the continuous impacts did not open the gap.
Karl didn't think that his tactical weapons were not easy to use. It must be because the brothers were too tired.
"Then let's go! Let's retreat and let the Voskas attack! Brothers, take the battering ram and avoid it!"
The Mellaren army withdrew, and all the soldiers holding shields under the city ran away in a short time.
However, these "black warriors" who were on the front line were elite, and their defense was sufficient so that they suffered no losses in the first battle. Oh, it's just that there is no loss on the surface. Only when these soldiers returned to the rear of Anding and took off their armor would they find bruises on their arms.
Just like the thick wooden walls of the Borgholm Fortress blocked the battering ram, the excellent wooden shields of the Malaren Army also ensured that the soldiers were not directly killed by stones.
At this moment, standing at the top of the city, Stein's worries suddenly disappeared. "Brothers, they really can't get in! We don't have to be afraid of anything!"
The people on the wall laughed, mocking the attackers for their recklessness and stupidity, even though there was not even a single enemy dead under the wooden wall. Yes, only the handful of Gotlandic fishermen who did not escape into the fortress.
After all, the Mellaren Army had gained some experience in sieges in the battle a few days ago. They at least knew how to protect themselves under the wall.
Cal withdrew with a hint of dismay and returned to the king's side.
Olegin was not polite and punched his son directly, which caused his nose to bleed.
Karl hunched his back helplessly, looking at his father with an atmosphere and listening to the scolding.
"You reckless man, did I ever order you to lead the battle? You almost killed the main force of our army!"
Not wanting to defend his recklessness, Karl whispered: "Father, these enemies are extraordinary."
"Then stand down! Francis, now is the time for you to prove your loyalty!"
With Karl's troubles, the remaining Swedish soldiers had a short rest. They arranged their camps. Only the Russians were still watching the battle on the ships that were off the coast in accordance with the contract.
The battlefield is already far beyond the maximum range of all the long-range weapons of the Russians. Rurik and the others can only be spectators, and they can see clearly the failed siege of the city by the Melalen army just now.
Otto saw Cheng and couldn't help but feel anxious: "Rurik, the enemy's wall is too hard, maybe these torsion slingshots won't work either."
"Yeah, let's see what Olegin will do. I don't think they can break the city today."
"Then keep watching! We must also be prepared to provide support."
Rurik nodded and immediately ordered his men to prepare for landing. In view of the obvious unusual nature of this battle, the steel-armed crossbows that had been hidden were authorized for use.
After some adjustments, the Swedish troops on the shore formed a very dense formation and spread out at the main entrance of the fortress.
The defenders, who had just been immersed in the joy of victory, only lasted for half an hour. Now they were dumbfounded when they saw that the enemy had such a huge force.
Now the leader Stein became anxious, "Those people who are boiling oil, keep cooking for me! If they dare to attack, I will burn them to death!"
The defenders' warriors with bows climbed to the top of the city, more stones were carried up, and more spear-wielding warriors gathered at the back end of the gate. It is said that once the gate is broken, they will stab the attackers to death with their spears. .
Stein felt that the enemy was about to attack, and his people were also feeling the pressure. They don't even know the specific identity of the enemy and can only pray to the gods they believe in to help them escape the crisis.
Realistically speaking, the defenders have the best hope. They have never been afraid of siege. Inside the fortress is their granary (filled with dried fish and meat). There are many wells in the fortress, and all the water brought up from them is fresh water. They can hold out for a long time, but how can the enemy continue to surround them? When the Danish friendly forces realize that something is wrong and send troops to support them, won't the problem be solved?
He didn't put all his hope in the support of the Danes. No matter how strong the friendly forces were, their support would take time. In the coming period, the Saxons of Borgholm Fortress will have to rely on themselves, and even those Gotland mercenaries are not so reliable.
Reliable or not, Stein did not want a large number of his people to die in the war. Those Gotlanders who had taken the money should perform their duties as mercenaries, so a large number of these people stood at the top of the city.
What could the Gotland mercenaries have to say? They soon saw a group of ragged men walking among the enemy formations not far away. They all took precautions.
At this moment, Rurik in the distance stretched out his hand and shouted: "Look, the Malaren Army is attacking again?"
Otto put his big hand on his son's head: "It's strange. I think those are those people."
"Huh? It's actually them?"
"It's them...this is their fate."
Yes, the attackers were the fishermen of Voskas. They had just experienced a near-death voyage and had not yet gained a solid footing for landing, and now they had to work for the Swedish army.
The Voskas people, led by the surrendered Danish mercenaries, especially the man Francis, worked together to carry the battering ram and rushed towards the wooden door. They know how to build walls and doors, and naturally they also understand the weaknesses of doors.
Any door is afraid of being knocked into. Some fishermen are actually very familiar with Borgholm, and some even entered the fortress built by the Saxons. In the past, they came for the purpose of doing business, but now they came for crazy offense.
As attackers, the Voskars were poorly armed. Wearing thin clothes, they carried pitiful harpoons, short spears and logging axes, and charged with makeshift shields made of wooden boards.
If anyone inside was well-equipped, it was the renegade Danish mercenaries, but unfortunately their number was only thirty.
These remaining Danish mercenaries pride themselves on their martial virtues, but they don't know that they will fall victim to some secret weapon.
More than 300 people launched this attack. King Olegin in the rear had already planned it. These guys were like some kind of sacrifice. They desperately broke open the door, and then the coalition soldiers swarmed up. Victory was just before dark. Take it.
Finally, the battering ram hit the gate again, and the fishermen began to gear up desperately. Naturally, what greeted them was stones smashing into their faces.
Francis gritted his teeth, and with the shield protecting half of his body, he knew how difficult the attack would be.
He was protected by a wooden shield and chainmail, and those Voskas fishermen had been seriously injured by stones and pots!
More than a dozen people had their skulls smashed by stones thrown by the city defenders, and their makeshift wooden shields were useless. The short spears and harpoons they held were meaningless against the towering wooden walls. Instead, they became the targets of wanton attacks by the few archers of the defenders.
However, there was a sudden commotion at the top of the city. The excited garrison leader Stein Saxon and more than 20 soldiers under his command actually walked up the slope and onto the wooden wall. These Saxon warriors carried wooden sticks on their shoulders, and under the sticks hung a clay pot filled with hot fish oil.
"Haha! Brothers, now let these idiots see how powerful we are! Pour the first bottle for me!"
There was a Gotland mercenary with his hands wrapped in extremely thick linen, and then he carefully picked up the hot clay pot. Then hot oil fell from the sky, giving a terrible blow to the Voskas fishermen who were struggling to hit the wall below the city.
The man who was severely burned in an instant simply dropped the battering ram in his arms, and the impact was suspended for an instant.
Then came the second can, the third can...
Francis felt that something bad was going on at first, but he had no time to worry about others.
The armored people under the city naturally became the key targets of attack. It was difficult for bows and arrows to penetrate their armor. What about the hot oil?
A can of hot oil was poured directly on Francis. The 200c fish oil seeped into his chainmail and the linen lining inside, immediately causing a fatal burn!
This wasn't the end yet, there was a second jar that gave him a purgatory-like horror experience.
Francis, who was covered in hot oil, subconsciously tried to break free from his chainmail. He grabbed the belt randomly and tried to free himself, then rolled on the ground. Unfortunately, his companions had already started to run away!
The sudden hot oil scalded more than 20 people, and it seemed that the damage caused was not high.
But wait! The input of hot oil destroyed the momentum of the attackers. They were already full of flaws and even forgot to protect themselves with wooden shields.
More people were smashed to death. While Francis was struggling desperately, he was suddenly hit in the head by a piece of granite. After struggling for a while, he became completely motionless.
The Swedish coalition forces watching the battle saw a horrific scene not far away!
"What did they pour down? Hot water?" Carl exclaimed.
Olegin shook his head and bared his teeth and said: "No matter what it is, the Voskas people are defeated! Damn it, today is really not the day to attack the city. Let's camp here and wait until the weather gets better before fighting again!"
"But..." Karl was still angry. He just wanted to complete the victory before dark.
Olegin suddenly grabbed Karl's neck and ordered: "We will know the situation when they withdraw. You, send me someone to call all the Russians over. It's really hateful. This time we really need them to make people confused." Shy archer."
"But what if those guys who are good at archery compete for our spoils?"
"Then let them camp far away so that they can never rob it in person. All they have to do is provide us with support!" Olegin said angrily.
In fact, Olegin has realized that the special equipment of the Russians has turned the archers, who were once of limited use, into elite enemies. Just because of tradition, warriors still like to fight at close range to gain the so-called honor.
Now that the enemy had used some terrible weapon, Olegin didn't bother to worry about tradition. When the general offensive is launched after the rest, the Russian archers will be a strong support for the coalition forces.
However, the Ross army cannot be too close to the coalition camp. They should camp farther away. Olegin was guarding against them. The so-called Russians should not participate in the distribution of spoils after the city was broken, and they should not grab any spoils. They could only get a small amount of rations "rewarded" by Olegin to support subsequent operations. .
A contract is a contract, and Olegin feels that the money owed to the Russians should be returned after the wheat harvest.
