Suddenly, there was a strange whooshing sound in the sky.
On the other side of the battlefield, Rurik's raised sword suddenly fell down: "Men of Ironburg! Shoot!"
Yes, the first wave of arrows all came from the thirty longbows of the Ironburg troops. The bone clusters of arrows fell from the sky, giving a severe blow to the people in the fort who were carrying stones to support the defenders.
Men and women holding stones cried bitterly while covering their wounds. Some people were accidentally shot through the neck and were lying struggling in the mud.
Rurik continued to give the order: "Taravis, take your Ironburg army, shoot us ten volleys, and then rest!"
"Yes!" Terravis replied calmly. After all, this boy has seen large-scale battle scenes. He was just an enemy in the past, but now he is participating in a larger-scale battle as an ally.
The second round of arrows flew away. Considering that the weight of the longbow with a white wax rod was not low, the arms of those Covin people must have been quite sore after shooting ten times.
Rurik continued to hold the arrow high, and this time he was leading a group of crossbowmen.
What kind of army is this?
There were more than fifty shield-bearing Ross warriors wearing chainmail as the front row of guards, and behind them were as many as a hundred crossbowmen!
Their weapons include wooden crossbows and even more terrifying steel-armed crossbows.
They were divided into five groups, arranged in a very sparse formation, and directly began to support the Melalen Army who was mainly attacking the gate. All this is exactly what King Olegin wants to see, but the specific lineup of the Ross army makes him feel bizarre.
Olegin never expected that there would be many short warriors mixed in the team. No! They were all children, as if they were children of Rurik's age.
"Can a group of little brats fight? Do the Russians lack soldiers?" Olegin even couldn't imagine that some of the little warriors were girls themselves. He only glanced at it a few times and continued to look at the soldiers who hit the door, hoping that the door would be knocked open as soon as possible.
The heavy arrows fired by the steel-armed crossbow made all the little warriors almost fall.
"What a strong force!" Fisk said in surprise as he put down the crossbow.
Rurik changed his usual behavior and immediately yelled: "Don't bother Fisk, keep winding!"
He turned around again: "Second group! Shoot!"
Then the third group, the fourth group, the fifth group...
The Ross Arrow Array was now turned into five stages by Rurik. It was controlled to the point where a group of 30-second volleys could be fired. Naturally, its target was the people on the wooden wall, suppressing the enemy and preventing them from continuing. Throw stones.
In addition, the longbowmen not only continued to fire, but as the birds on the wall were cleared, Rurik also began to order the crossbowmen to fire.
Because the wooden crossbow itself is a modification of a short wooden bow, warriors holding such crossbows have already begun to perform new projectiles!
For this battle, the Russians decided to let a team of 200 people shoot 5,000 arrows. This was not a shameful waste, because most of the arrows shot were bone clusters and glass clusters, which were inherently inferior. If they were completely lost, Rurik would not be too sorry. Besides, a lot of these arrows can be recovered in the end.
But the defenders of Borgholm Castle had never seen such a move in their lives.
The attackers' archery skills exposed them to new tactics, and many Gotland mercenaries had no chance.
Why?
Many of the men who were throwing stones from the walls and manning the slings were struck with such precision by crossbows that they fell like arrowed birds from the branches.
Soon after the battle began, the defenders on the wall no longer dared to show their heads!
Just because no less than thirty people had fallen under the fortress, they either fell to death or were shot. There were also a group of wounded people in the fortress being dragged away by soldiers holding wooden shields to protect themselves from arrows. As for the wounded of the Gotland mercenaries, the Saxons in the fortress had no time to take care of themselves. How to take care of them?
At this moment, the Gotland mercenaries who were standing on the wall realized how humble their situation was. If the battle is allowed to continue, either everyone will be killed by the enemy's arrows, or the door will be broken down and a huge enemy will rush in, and no one will be able to survive!
No! Maybe it's not so bad after all...
We are all Gotlanders, are we going to die for the tortoise-like Saxons just for a few stinky money? Can everyone find a chance to escape?
They gritted their teeth and persisted under the rain of arrows, but saw that the Saxons they were guarding hid one after another.
Some people tried to fight back, or stuck their heads out to see the enemy's movements.
However, those who showed up were immediately sniped by the Ross crossbowmen who were waiting.
Rurik has changed his tactics. The most critical fire suppression is obviously to prevent the enemy from showing his head. The rest is free fire to ensure that the enemy will not interfere with the Melalens and continue to hit the wall.
In this case, the crossbows fired by children are just as deadly. Their disadvantage is probably limited to having to use a winch to wind the crossbow, unlike some reckless men who violently wind the steel-armed crossbow with their hands wearing leather gloves.
Rurik glanced at his battle maids with satisfaction. In the past two years, they had grown a lot taller and began to appear "feminine", but they were too thin.
Anna, Bella, Sisia... Rurik deliberately and clearly called out the names given to them, and this battle was also their first actual battle.
The long-term shooting made the Ross army tired, and the constant rotation of the winch was rapidly consuming the children's physical strength.
The twelve-year-old bald Fisk suddenly became discouraged. He put down his crossbow, pulled out his father's sword and stuck it on the ground. He looked at Rurik with an embarrassed face: "Is it effective for us to continue shooting? It seems that the Malaren people It’s hard to break through the wall.”
"you are tired?"
"Yes! It's better to worry about your women first, they are even more tired."
Rurik stared at the wooden wall, where there were still some shaking figures. They seemed to be some enemies with short spears, trembling behind the bunker.
"Let's keep shooting! Fisk!" Rurik looked at the guy he trusted, "Keep shooting and try to break the enemy's hateful spear."
The towering wooden walls blocked the attackers' view, and Rurik could only speculate on the current situation of the enemies in the fortress. Many people think that a large number of arrows will do little damage to the enemy. The enemy is a human being and not a fool. Wouldn't they hide?
The Saxons did hide one after another, and the Gotland mercenaries wanted to hide too, but they were forked out one after another because the frustrated leader Stein ordered you to continue fighting.
What makes Stein angry is that he can no longer use hot oil attacks in the light rain. He saved some grease, but the firewood that burned the grease was too soaked in last night's rain.
The defenders had no better weapons to deal with the attacking army. The Saxons, old and young, had gathered around their priests, praying to gods to save them.
Or realistically hoping that the wooden wall will just stand.
The offensive operations have been going on for some time. The soldiers who were in charge of the battering rams boasted that they had smashed them more than a hundred times, but the enemy's wooden walls and gates actually remained motionless? !
"Prince, if this continues, everyone is getting more and more tired. What should we do? Continue to waste time here?"
"We can't do this anymore, we have to find another way."
"Prince, why not throw the rope up and let the warriors climb the wall..."
Karl's thoughts were very confused under the city gate. His panting men were either explaining their fatigue or making suggestions.
It was like a ball of fire erupted from the gap in the helmet. Karl simply took off his helmet and slammed it against the hard oak wall: "Hold the damn wall! Brothers, let's retreat!"
The offensive in the morning did not seem to have made any progress. The powerful Malaren Army took the lead in retreating, and friendly forces followed suit.
The Swedish army was still roaming in the open, and the situation surrounding the fortress did not change at all.
Is the most dangerous moment over?
The Gotland mercenaries who had endured the rain of arrows began to check the strange arrows, only to realize that they were actually a large number of obsidian arrow clusters?
Yes, the die-cast glass arrow clusters that Rurik ordered Roseburg to mass-produce contained huge amounts of impurities, and the finished product was no different from obsidian.
The arrow will break when it hits something harder. It is suitable for hunting, but in battle it is mostly a disposable weapon.
The Gotland mercenaries were angry. Their archers captured a batch of arrows, but they could not expect them to bring much results.
The enemy retreated temporarily, and the enemy suffered almost no losses in the entire battle.
The mercenaries looked under the wooden wall again, and all they saw were a dozen of the latest corpses. What was worse was that among them were their own people who fell from the wall after being shot by arrows.
No one was happy about the retreat of the attackers, and the people in the fort knew that they would launch a new attack in the afternoon after eating something. But can the fortress be able to withstand the new offensive?
Through the frightened faces of the Saxon women and children, as well as the selfishness and cowardice of the men in avoiding the arrows, the Gotland mercenaries who suffered great losses gathered in front of the leader with weapons. Doorstep.
As a last resort, leader Stein and the elders brought armed entourage to meet these angry mercenaries.
"Many people died! But you are the turtles!"
"Give us more money or we won't fight!"
"Give us silver now, give us double."
The demands of Gotland's mercenaries are getting higher and higher, and the fighting has escalated, so it is natural to increase the money.
Looking at the situation that is about to get out of control, is there any use in continuing to hoard a large number of silver coins? At the critical moment, Stein's mind was still clear. As the leader, he ordered the other elders to shut up. Then he took out the silver coins from "everyone's warehouse" on his own initiative. Each of the mercenaries present stuffed twenty silver coins into their hands. pieces! This is not over yet, he urgently needs a promise: "We must persist, I need your strength. After victory, I will give you more money!"
The mercenaries who got the money calmed down. After all, everyone has their own destiny. The silver coins they are holding now are more meaningful. This is what they want.
On the other side of the battlefield, the retreating Swedish army was not discouraged by the setback of the third challenge.
Everyone was really angry, and the dukes of each tribe gathered together again to discuss the next battle.
At this moment, no one questioned whether there was anything wrong with King Olegin's tactics. Everyone looked at each other and found that since only a handful of troops had been lost, no one questioned the king's motives. In fact, no one can think of a better way than knocking down the city gate.
No! etc!
Olegin, who hoped to break the city early to obtain loot and complete the supply of the army in one package, knew that he could not delay.
He suddenly thought of a trick: "Since their walls are made of wood, use an ax to chop them off, just like logging. As long as we insist on cutting down, no matter how hard the oak trees are, they will collapse."
"Wonderful!" Wenderson from Hjälmalen slapped his forehead: "Why didn't I think of that?"
Ungreave of Unclas even asked: "If my people are the first to cut down the wooden wall, will they be the first to enjoy a batch of spoils?"
Amidst all their chatter, Otto and Rurik kept a cautious silence.
Olegin liked this feeling of being praised. He felt that his resourcefulness was unparalleled, so he deliberately asked Rurik, who was present and kept quiet: "Boy, what is my plan?"
"Very good." Rurik replied calmly.
Olegin's proud smile remained unchanged, "It's not a small blessing! It's a great blessing! God will protect us, and we will definitely be able to break the city before dark today."
The Swedish soldiers ate actively, and the axe-wielding soldiers also began to polish their ax blades with stones.
Unlike the carbon steel axes equipped by some of the Russians, the axes of friendly forces are all made of wrought iron. It cannot be said that it is a bad tool. If you swing it frequently and chop at the hardened oak wood that has been standing for more than ten years, its blade will quickly become dull.
The sun had been hidden under the dark clouds, and the attacking side realized that it was already afternoon. They regained some strength in the light rain and started a new attack.
The shouts of the Swedish army almost scared the defenders of Borgholm Fortress to death. Now only the paid Gotland mercenaries are on the front line with the last trace of morality in the mercenary profession.
Suddenly, some hemp ropes with nooses were thrown up the wooden wall and began to wrap around the sharp points of the wooden wall.
Already with bare backs, a dagger hanging from their waists, and a handaxe in their waists, the Mellaren warriors began to climb the wall. They were as skillful as monkeys, but the defenders on the city wall who insisted on not retreating were not fools either.
The Swedish army's battering ram began to crash into the gate again. More than 200 axe-wielding warriors gathered under the wall and began to violently smash the wall. The Russians also continued to throw arrows from the rear to support.
Olegin hoped that the climbers could deal with some enemies, then reached behind the wooden wall and moved away the large pile of wood blocking the door.
However, he saw that the bodies of the desperadoes he had sent were thrown down by the defenders.
Although there were also armored defenders who were hit by Russian arrows and fell, it can be seen that the strategy of climbing the wall and breaking the city was lack of consideration from the beginning.
The entire battlefield looked like a large-scale civil construction site, and the so-called enemy's resistance was weak and futile.
Although there are still a lot of debris falling from the sky, there are not many usable stones left.
The wooden wall made of aged oak that looks like fossils cannot be cut by a strong man in a few hours, unless it is cut with a chain saw. Even if they did cut down the oak, they would find there was another layer behind it.
The Saxons who immigrated here brought the technology of building wooden fortresses. In order to make the wooden walls strong, they used a luxurious mixture of oak and pine. One layer could not block the strong wind, so they used double layers. The wooden piles are deeply rooted in the ground, and behind the wooden walls there is a reinforced foundation made of rammed soil.
If Olegin had known that the fortress was actually constructed like this, he would never have thought of cutting down the wooden walls.
What is really effective is the frontal battering ram collision.
The gate of Borgholm was finally loose. Seeing hope, Karl shouted excitedly: "Haha, keep hitting! We Mellaren people were the first to break the city. Brothers, the silver coins, fish, meat, and women are all yours." !”
The resentful black-clothed warriors, who had long been tortured by the bitter battle and the cold rain, burst out with powerful force, and the momentum of the collision became more and more fierce.
The weak point of the wooden wall finally began to loosen, and it was this weak point at the gate. It began to shake violently with the collision, scaring the guarding Gotland mercenaries to retreat.
Even the defenders on the wooden wall were shaken to the ground by the violent vibration, holding their broken legs and wailing. Unfortunately, more than 40 companions were holding spears and nervously waiting for the gate to collapse.
This fear also awakened the disillusioned Saxon.
The leader, Stein, picked up his ax and ordered the men in his unique dialect: "Warriors, this is the last battle! Fight the enemy to the end!"
Suddenly, no one was prepared, and the door collapsed!
The beam on the gate collapsed, causing the entire platform above the city gate to fall. Like a big stone, it suddenly hit a group of Mellaren soldiers below who were holding a siege ram against the wall.
Karl's face was stabbed by a piece of sawdust, and he fell to the muddy ground. He didn't care about his bleeding face, and subconsciously raised his sword to charge with his shocked brothers.
Ten people were pinned down by the collapsed city gate. Even if they were not killed on the spot, they had lost their combat effectiveness.
The collapsed gate created a ruin with a height of more than two meters, and a gap appeared. Soldiers from all tribes of the Swedish army were rushing here.
In order to take the lead, more than a dozen black-clad warriors from Melalen had already rushed in. Who would have thought that their bodies, pierced by a large number of spears, would be pushed out by the enemy.
A gap suddenly appeared, and Olegin's goal was successful! However, the most brutal and fierce battle began around this gap between the red-eyed attackers and the defenders who fought back desperately!
This scene was so shocking that Rurik was shivering in the rain.
"Son, what's wrong with you?" Otto put his big hand on Rurik's head, trying to calm him down.
"It's really scary...it can still be like this..."
Rurik always felt that this scene was like the shocking scene in "Kingdom of Heaven", where the offensive and defensive sides fought bloody battles for a gap until corpses were everywhere?
He was shocked and sighed: "This is no longer a duel of force, but a battle of will."
"You? Want to join?"
Rurik glared and objected: "No, our support mission... has been completed. We will just watch! Just watch..."
As a result, the corpses of soldiers on both sides looked like "bleeding stones", and the gaps were filled with these terrible stones. The fighting remains intense, and new walls are rising higher and higher.
Olegin could not have imagined that the enemy would be so crazy. As he watched the battle, he was trembling with heartache: "They are obviously not Danes! They are actually braver than the Danes!? Who am I attacking!"
The battlefield environment is really fascinating. When the wooden wall was still stable, the Saxons were like frightened sheep. Now that the wooden wall collapsed and a fatal gap was opened, they suddenly became a pack of wolves! And the leader Stein is the alpha wolf.
No one noticed that the rain had stopped, and the hidden sun suddenly poked its head out from the west, soon illuminating the whole world blood red.
Under the setting sun, Olegin could not feel any warmth, but a stronger sense of coldness. He felt that normal battles were sacrifices to Odin. For the war to reach such unprecedented anxiety, God must be involved. He just believed this, and he just wished he didn't bring a few priests with him.
The soldiers on both sides of the battlefield were panting for a long time. The two sides who were fighting red-eyed did not care about the corpses of their enemies and friends, and continued to climb higher and higher "walls" to continue fighting, but their arms wielding swords were no longer weak.
Olegin knew that it was no longer appropriate to continue fighting, and he gave the order to retreat. And retreat is still to prepare for the final blow tomorrow!
Karl was too tired to stand up, and his injured face made him look particularly hideous. He was dragged away by his companions, and behind him was a large group of black-clad soldiers retreating. Seeing that the Malaren army was at odds, all friendly forces retreated one after another.
Did you win the fourth round of defensive battle? Stein, who was guarding the city, looked at the enemies who were gradually leaving, and asked with all his strength: "Enemies! Who are you?!"
Karl, who was almost out of strength, suddenly turned around and yelled one word with all his strength: "Melaren!"
Now that everything is clear, Stein wiped the sweat from his face and the blood of the enemy, looking at hope: "Oh my God! Are these the Svealans? Are we Saxons still going to be beaten if we withdraw here?" Are the people in the north cutting off the roots? God, please give us life!"
