The follow-up troops of the Russian Army finally arrived, dragging a long queue.
With a calm face, Rurik brought the main subordinate commanders and a group of soldiers to meet his father with thirty captured raven-pattern shields.
He especially showed off the captured shield: "Dad, we defeated the enemy. You see, this is our key capture."
"Huh? Odin's warrior? Did you kill him?" Otto saw the raven pattern and couldn't help but take a step back in surprise.
"They are Danish mercenaries raised by the Gotlanders, and they are also their most elite warriors."
"Oh? Good job!" Otto laughed, "Come on, let me see if you are injured?"
"Of course not." Rurik still had a serious face. He snapped his fingers, and a dozen blond men with bare hands came over and half-knelt in front of Otto.
"What...what's going on? These people..."
"They are Danes," Rurik said quietly.
"Danes? It's amazing. Are the Danes fighting us? And you didn't kill them."
"It's not necessary, these people are useful to us."
"Okay. Tell me, what's their use?"
"They know the situation in Visby." After saying that, Rurik kicked Grund in the back, who was kneeling on one knee.
At this time, Grund finally raised his head and faced a bearded "old warrior" who reported his identity, and then explained his appeal: "Our old sponsor ordered us to fight the Russians. This is the last step." Ridiculous decision. So on the battlefield, we resisted the determination of our sponsors. Now, we are willing to become your mercenaries and fight for you."
"Your name is Grund? A surrender?" Otto narrowed his eyes and shook his head, "No! You are a prisoner. You fight with a raven shield, and you should fight and die."
A mercenary stabbed the financial owner in the back, which really violated professional ethics.
But Grund is very smart, so he deliberately complimented him: "We heard that Rurik of Rus was blessed by Odin, so it is wrong to be enemies of the Rus. We worship Odin's power, so we should be Odin Fight for your son..."
"Shut up! It's all flattery..." Otto just scolded and did not do anything more extreme. He immediately asked: "I am the Duke of Ross, and you people want to stay and be my warriors. How should I trust you? Are you worthy of trust?"
"Yes! I know the inside story of Visby, and I know many more important things. A lot of news about this island, and even news about Denmark."
"Oh? This way your people are indeed useful."
I don’t know where it started, but the Danes and Svealans, who had a common origin, split. The Baltic Sea is so vast that there is no room for peace between the two sides. Where did the fight between the two sides begin?
Otto had been taught from an early age that those guys in Denmark were something to be wary of. The Malaren people believe that Danish strength is a threat to the alliance. With the Gotlanders withdrawing from the alliance, Danish power became the target that must be attacked.
During the attack on Kalmar two months ago, Otto himself saw the power of Danish warriors. They are a group of unruly guys who will fight to the end for their sponsor.
The dozen or so people in front of him changed his perception.
Regardless, Wen Ting's son had no intention of arming these people a second time. He already knew his son's deeper intentions.
Firewood was piled into hills, and what was burned inside were human corpses!
The air was filled with a strange burnt smell. To be honest, it was a bit fragrant. However, when they thought about what was burning, many people began to retching inexplicably.
Otto didn't want to stay here. He learned that among the thousands of people sent out in this battle, not a single one was killed. Such a crazy victory was achieved by his son.
Look at Rurik again. This child is standing on the battlefield, neither excited about victory nor frightened by the large number of corpses.
A calm god of war has arrived! Do you think that in the future decisive battle, the losses of the Ross army will be minimal?
Before setting off for the expedition, Otto had been mentally prepared for the worst. They lost thousands of people in the first battle and achieved a difficult victory. Such a loss is the biggest price the Russians can currently accept. If the losses were more serious, the Russians would need to hibernate for a longer period of time and frantically ask for young women from the Novgorod people in order to restore the lost population after more than ten years.
Now it seems that I have worried too much!
Ross's flag troops returned one after another, and the army formed a rectangular array in the wilderness.
The four flag corps guarded the core baggage troops, non-combatants, and even the Duke.
As usual, a small group of people served as the reconnaissance force and rushed to the destroyed settlement Qiao Village ahead of them before nightfall.
A red sun shines in the west, and the world is immersed in a cold dusk.
The cool breeze blew, and everyone felt a sense of coldness.
The flames in Qiao Village have long been extinguished, leaving the clean black pillars silently telling what happened.
Some strange mounds appeared on the burned village. After being identified by Grund and others who led the way, the Ross army learned that one of the mounds was filled with dead Russian soldiers.
Otto's beard was trembled by the cold wind, and the setting sun dyed the world into blood. His ears were filled with the rumble of the wind, like the lament of his soul.
He hurriedly called the injured Arik to his side: "It seems that the leader of the Gotlanders did not destroy the corpses of our soldiers, so he has a conscience. Stop venting your anger and torturing him. Give that man something to eat. The time will be cut off immediately.”
"Alright alright……"
Arik looked at the identified mound and had some good ideas about the foul-mouthed Sigfast.
Otto then ordered: "Go, take your brothers and dig up the graves. Burn them according to our custom, and let their souls go to Valhalla."
Arik ordered, and the brothers, who were in a sad mood, dug out the gray corpses of their clansmen one after another.
Black blood flowed from the gray human figures. They died in battle, and the leather armor on their bodies was still there, but the weapons in their hands were taken away by the enemy. Now these lost steel swords have been taken back by the Russians.
A raging fire ignited in the dim world, and Ross's war dead finally gradually turned into ashes.
In Qiao Village, the Ross army held a sacrifice for these brothers. The warriors knelt in circles around the fire. They were not only sending off the spirits of their brothers who died in battle, but also offering sacrifices to Odin. Rumia, wearing an antlered helmet, successfully completed this battlefield sacrifice as the high priest.
But the sacrificial activities are not limited to this!
Since there is a decisive battle, where is the best place?
Maybe the open space in Qiao Village is the best.
The army camped here, and many people set up their tents near the stream. A large number of bonfires lit up the darkness of the night.
The soldiers of the Russian army grilled themselves over the fire, ate their own food, and discussed the future battle in multiple languages.
It can be said that the Slavic warriors, composed of Novgorod farmers, achieved what they knew was an unprecedented victory! Medvit became a great hero in the eyes of the villagers. Of course, Rurik, the son-in-law of the manor owner Ligus, was indeed a commander worth following for the brothers, even if he was still a child for the time being.
The Slavic warriors began to call for their battlefield captures, and the extra axes and daggers they grabbed were distributed, and the extra leather boots were also thrown to those who had worn out their leather shoes.
After all, they had defeated the enemy together. The two factions of Covins and the two tribal leaders, Mechasta and Kejas, were now comrades eating meat over a campfire.
The Ross tribe warriors, who had the largest number of troops, all talked about hoping that the decisive battle would come soon. After all, the dried fish and dried mutton in their hands were not delicious. After the army defeated the enemy's main force and then robbed Visby, the brothers could eat fresh meat again.
A bonfire burned fiercely, and Rurik ate mutton jerky. He prepared an extra portion and waited for Rumia, who was supervising the construction of the stone altar, to come back and give it to her.
Sitting here are Otto, Rurik and all the local nobles of the Ross tribe. They are the core of the army.
However, there is an uninvited guest sitting here, the Danish Grund.
Soon, Rumia came back after washing her hands. She came back with the antlered helmet in her arms and sat next to Rurik naturally.
Unexpectedly, the Russian priest actually had a strange flat face. This...
Grund was startled. He paused speaking and looked directly at Rumia.
"What are you looking at? Danes, keep talking about Visby!" Otto yelled.
"She...is actually your priest? She is the most noble one."
"Does this have anything to do with you?" Otto continued to scold.
Rumia was really shocked. She hurriedly took Rurik's arm, took the dried meat Rurik handed her and ate it with her head down.
Not only does she have a flat face, but she also has black hair. Who is she?
Suddenly it dawned on Grund that this woman was actually a deer herder.
What is the reason that allows a deer farmer to thrive among the Russians? Since they can do this, why can't they do it themselves?
Grund immediately turned his head and continued to report the details of Visby.
What he reported was mainly the normal population size of the large settlement on the bay, and the fact that due to the pressure of the Northern Alliance's military operations and the invasion of the Ross army, people from settlements large and small on the west coast of the island were gathering towards Visby. This is a big deal.
He reported a shocking thing: "The number of people gathered in Visby has exceeded 10,000! You defeated Sigfast's 500 people, but Visby can still pull out a team of 5,000 people."
"So many people? Really..." The enemy's strength exceeded Otto's expectation.
Seeing the fearful trembling in his father's eyes, Rurik hurriedly interjected and questioned: "Five thousand people? Five thousand people out of ten thousand people? They are only five thousand men in total! Are they letting babies join the battle?"
"Boys who are at least ten years old will definitely go to the battlefield. Just like what you did." Grund's words were not concealed. He just saw that Ross's army did have a size of 3,000 people, but there were actually a group of boys and girls among them. Making up the numbers. He really didn't know what kind of operation this was. He thought that for this battle, the Ross people also wanted to gamble the last strength of the tribe.
Following this line of thought, Grund said hurriedly: "Not only will they send all men who can afford weapons, but also many women to the battlefield. Those wealthy people in Visby, their lifelong industry is here. They will not They will run away, but spend money to recruit people who dare to fight to protect their interests. Those ordinary people, they will fight to protect their homes."
Otto shook his head contemptuously: "That's a group of businessmen? I don't believe that businessmen will really fight. They will run away with their money. Let's talk about some practical issues. What kind of equipment are Visby's warriors, including A lot of Danes like you?”
"Yes, but not many. We Danes only make money as mercenaries here."
"Okay, tell me what the weapons of the Visby people are like?" Otto urged.
I saw the powerful crossbows of the Russians, the strict tactical configuration of the team, and the tactical prediction of ambush from the rear. These Russian troops not only have excellent weapons, but are also particularly good at using tactics. Looking at the Gotlanders, Visby bluntly explained: "What equipment can they have? Oak shields, iron swords, various axes, large harpoons for hunting whales, iron flails for beating wheat bran, and Wooden staffs for driving sheep. Some of their archers are no match for yours, and their number is very small. Some people know how to use slings, but they must be of no use. They just have more people, and when they fight, they form a shield wall to attack you. "
"That's it?" Otto burst out laughing, and others laughed too.
Originally, Rurik wanted to advise everyone to be more cautious, but after thinking about it carefully, what Grund said should be the truth.
On the way to the wilderness, the first thousand men he led did indeed kill more than 400 enemies without any loss. It is said that they are already a very elite force of the Gotlanders. They really gather together in a group to fight and advance forward like idiots holding up wooden shields.
This is just a group fighting tactic. To be honest, this tactic is still better organized than the so-called armies in Britain. They at least spontaneously maintain a fighting unit.
For example, the armies of Wessex, Mercia and Northumbria, their armored warriors roared and charged, followed by a group of barefoot farmers holding dung forks to fight downwind. The only thing they were proud of was not the Welsh longbowmen, but the small group of cavalry. Of course, they are still a purely land-based country.
However, in this Nordic world, the Ross army and these people are not playing a game of chess! The Ross Army truly explains what organization is.
Thinking of this, Rurik also laughed, thinking that the victory in the decisive battle was certain! Even if there are five thousand enemies, they are still a mob. Rurik didn’t believe they could really gather five thousand people! Especially for ancient armies, military strength and combat effectiveness are often diminishing at the margin. The more troops there are, the more people will be fishing.
If the Gotlanders were gathering urgently, would they have any strict organizational structure? Pooh!
On the other hand, the Russians! As a commander, Rurik could judge the battle status of each flag unit under his command with just his naked eyes, and then send messengers to deliver the latest instructions in real time.
Can those soldiers in Visby do these operations?
Including Grund, who reported Visby intelligence, after witnessing the strength of the Ross army at close range, he could say without flattery that the Ross army would win.
There were some violent revelations that Grund had been holding back. He did this just to tell them at a critical moment, so as to save himself and his brothers' lives.
Until now, he has not explained the king-proclaiming incident in Visby!
The time should be ripe now.
Grund tried to calm down and made a special plea: "There are some extremely important things that I would like to explain to you. For the sake of Odin, I hope that after I tell you these important things, you can swear to save the lives of our brothers."
The Ross elites present simply couldn't stand the feeling of being appetized. Arik was so angry that he almost drew his sword, and cursed and urged Grund to speak faster.
"Quiet." Otto stopped his son and immediately ordered: "Grund, as long as you and your people don't rebel, your lives will be protected by me. Say it!"
"Yes! It's about the king of Visby. A big businessman named Haken. He was elected as king by all the merchant families and village leaders. He is the king of the Gotlanders, and he is determined to fight you."
This is indeed a big news, but no one is surprised.
"What is this?" Rurik felt a little ridiculous. "Of course the Gotlanders have to elect a leader to lead all the warriors to fight us. Could it be that they have just elected a king now? Is this important news? I can only say Their innocence. That’s good, so that what we are fighting is not a group of armed fishermen charging in chaos.”
Grund felt frustrated. He said coldly with a wooden face: "So, our old financial lord Siegfast is the eldest son of Haken and the heir to the throne. Now, that guy is captured by you. .”
"What? That guy is actually a prince?!" Arik was shocked.
Also shocked was Otto, who urgently ordered Arik: "We almost killed a noble man. Arick, quickly order your people to stop and don't chop him."
"Damn it! I'm afraid I won't have enough time!" Arik stood up in a hurry and ran to stop the execution of the guys.
