A large number of bonfires were lit in the ruins of Qiao Village, and the people who had been marching for a long time were finally able to rest well.
An extremely important piece of news spread wildly in the Ross Army camp. The so-called place where the army is stationed will definitely serve as a future battlefield.
It’s finally time to fight for everything!
This should have been a thrilling event that made it difficult to sleep, but for many soldiers of the Russian Army, they were relieved that they no longer had to rush.
Excluding the boat ride, the Slavic soldiers from Novgorod in the army all felt that the roads they had traveled in their previous lives were not as long as these days. What's more, this is a large island belonging to another Varyag people. There are crises everywhere, but of course they are also full of opportunities.
After the bonfire meeting at night, Rurik and Arik hurriedly selected the manpower for tomorrow's special operation.
Soon, the bonfire illuminated the faces of a group of unruly warriors.
The cool night breeze blew their beards, and the hilts of the steel swords hanging from their waists were also illuminated by the flames.
As many as three hundred people were selected! Not only are each of them a capable general who has experienced battles, but most of them are also equipped with important weapons - crossbows.
The Russian army is equipped with many long-range weapons, among which steel-armed and wooden-armed crossbows are the most common and most powerful. The steel arm version is good at firing heavy armor-piercing arrows. It has a short range, high penetration and high kinetic energy retention. Although the wooden arm version fires light arrows, it is more lightweight.
Compared to an excellent archer who requires a long period of training, a crossbow archer can be achieved quickly! The wooden crossbow is light and easy to use, and does not take up much space.
Rurik carefully selected 200 warriors to serve as shooters, and another 100 veterans who had killed many enemies joined them. Thirty Kovin longbowmen were also led by Mechasta, adding some new tricks to the following actions.
They formed an array and were inspected by brothers Rurik and Arik in the soft light of the bonfire.
Arik walked around for a few times and felt satisfied. He spoke on behalf of his brother: "They are all very energetic. Brothers, you beat the Gotlanders hard during the day, and soon you will beat more enemies. You are lucky, tomorrow Let's start our journey and climb the mound. We will release the bait and finally defraud the Gotlander king of a huge sum of money. When that king appears, hehe..."
Arik deliberately did not finish his words, but the brothers were not simple children either.
Why do the soldiers who were summoned all have sufficient experience in using crossbows? What does "cheating money" have to do with carrying a large number of crossbows?
Bows and crossbows are used to kill enemies. The small group of Kewen people have amazing archery skills. What kind of shooting is planned by the Duke? Is that object the king of the Gotlanders?
It is a great honor to shoot an enemy noble. A soul with such merit must enter the Hall of Valor.
After this glance, Rurik ordered the brothers to disperse and ordered everyone to have a good sleep. After all, they had to complete a difficult task before the decisive battle.
Soon, the two men and a small group of followers arrived at the camp of the captives at Baisha Port.
Seeing the arrival of "Rose the Cruel Man", many people trembled as soon as they saw Arik's face, even though Arik's injured left arm was hung with a rope around his neck.
Like a bear roaring, Arik drew his sword with his right hand and asked: "Now, I give you a chance to leave!"
A chance to leave? Is it the soul leaving this world? The prisoners in Baisha Port changed their faces, and many of them immediately begged for their lives.
"Don't cry!" Rurik couldn't stand his cousin's threatening attitude. He took two steps forward and said calmly: "I will choose ten people, and I will let you go to Visby."
What? Can you escape back to Visby?
Almost all the captives were moved. In their opinion, they could start a new life by escaping to Visby and make a comeback. It was ten thousand times better than being a slave to the Russians until they died.
But everyone also doubts the sincerity of the Russians.
Rurik explained again and again, and then randomly selected one lucky person, and then the others became a large group of crabs that fell into the oil pan, and began to struggle like crazy, saying that they were the ones who deserved to go.
"I told you, these guys are unreliable. You see, they want to escape in their hearts, but they just lack a chance." Arik pouted and muttered to his brother contemptuously.
Rurik was also surprised that the prisoner behaved like this. Anyway, this group of prisoners themselves are a kind of expendable product.
Since he had to choose ten people, Rurik randomly selected ten people according to whether they were strong or not.
Those who were selected were excited, while those who were not selected were crestfallen.
These ten people were separated, and in an atmosphere that was so shocking that their hearts almost exploded, they learned about the mission they should lead.
Perhaps Visby is no longer synonymous with security. This "large city" on the coast is already a serious big fat sheep for Ross's army.
Are the Russians up to some conspiracy?
Rurik realized that he was not needed. The Ross tribe has mobilized the maximum amount of troops that can be mobilized in the current era. The tribe has mobilized in full force to fight the Gotlanders. Since it is a decisive battle, let's set up a battle formation and fight openly!
Both sides dispatched all their forces, and the Ross army won a dignified victory. Rurik felt that this was a true battle to establish his power, and it also instilled pride into the Ross tribe.
Of course, the strength of the Ross Army can be informed to those guys in Visby.
"Our Russian army has three thousand people, and you all know the situation of our army these days. You can tell the Gotlanders in Visby about these situations, and tell them that our Russian army expects a decisive battle!
You must tell the king of the Gotlanders and the big merchants. Their prince's expedition team of five hundred people was wiped out, and only the prince was captured. The King of Gotland must bring two hundred pounds of silver coins and arrive at the foot of the hill before noon on the 17th to exchange money with us, otherwise Sigfast's head will fall to the ground! "
Based on just a dictation, Rurik did not believe that these guys could convey it perfectly.
Rurik's messengers carved the extortion terms they set on a freshly cut and processed pine board. The grooves were coated with toner, revealing multiple strings of rune documents. This is the so-called "kidnapper's conditions", or the last war ultimatum to the Gotlandic forces entrenched in Visby.
The next morning, morning fog filled the whole world.
The air was cool, and when Rurik got out of his animal skin sleeping bag early in the morning, he couldn't help but feel a chill. He ate some dried fish and drank it with boiled chrysanthemum tea, and then his body regained its warmth.
The Ross army will be stationed at the Bridge Village camp until the war.
The remains of the village were sparsely cleared, and some warriors who didn't mind the trouble were already carrying axes and double saws, quickly cutting down a group of pine trees, and starting to build more comfortable wooden sheds early in the morning. Since you're already building a shed, why not make it more presentable?
Some deer villages and wooden fences were quickly built as part of the fortifications. They did not bother to dig trenches, but dug and piled up four mounds at the four corners of the camp, and then placed the torsion slingshots they carried on them. This is the tactical commanding height of the camp. If the enemy unexpectedly attacks, the crossbowmen can stand on the high ground and shoot at will.
Everyone is essentially a Viking, and they send out a team of dozens of people to launch a sneak attack. This is a tactic known to both the Rus and Gotland. Of course, the Ross army is not afraid of sneak attacks. It's like a fly flying around in front of your eyes. It's better to swat it to death quickly to avoid trouble.
Siegfast's hands were useless, and his broken forearm muscles formed clearly visible masses under the flesh. He was so tortured by pain and hunger that he was woken up by a copper basin of cold water.
Arik looked down at this proud man in the past with arrogance: "Sigfast, the prince of the Gotlanders. Now, we are going to put you back, get up!"
After saying that, two people untied the chains around his neck that were wrapped around the tree trunk.
Siegfast was kneeling on the ground in a daze. Someone threw down a small piece of mutton. He was so hungry that he immediately lay down and ate it, not caring about the dirt on the meat.
This move made the Ross warriors who were watching burst into laughter!
"This is a hunting dog!"
"No, is a hunting dog with a broken leg still a good dog?"
"He deserved it. He actually thought he had great powers and now he is just a docile sheep."
Sigfast allowed himself to be ridiculed by the Russians because his soul was dead and all that was left was an empty shell.
The chains that had been seized from White Sands Harbor to tie up the cattle were now used as treasures for fastening people. The Russian warriors led Sigfast and began to leave the camp and run towards the mound.
[ ] The Ross Army’s camp is only ten meters above sea level, so the so-called mound is not that high to begin with.
In contrast, a forty-meter-high mound stands, only fourteen stories high. However, the pine and oak trees growing on it make the mound even more spectacular.
As he walked, Siegfast, who was like a zombie, regained consciousness a little and realized what he was going through was worse than death. Where are you going now? Going to Visby? What do these Russians want? !
Siegfast no longer dared to curse. The swelling on his face had not gone away. He also knew that if he continued to curse, his tongue would be cut off by them.
He observed the Russian army. They were a group of warriors carrying strange bows and arrows. Each of the marchers actually had one hand. There were also some short black-haired men carrying large bows of astonishing length. Despite the small number of them, Sigfast knew best that these guys had become extremely powerful due to some magical weapons. He was eager to tell his father the news. As the saying goes, don't try to fight the Russians, even if it means victory. A miserable victory, and the probability of victory is too low.
He cast more eyes on a despicable leader - the elite mercenary Grund.
This guy is good. Although he is unarmed, the Russians obviously value this guy very much. He silently cursed Grund for his unlucky death, and also cursed the Russians for their fleet being destroyed by huge waves, and for the heavy rain making them all sick and die. No matter what kind of curse, Siegfast clearly realized that pure force would be difficult to defeat this landing army!
Soon, the Russians climbed to the top of the mound, and Sigfast was tied to a tree like an animal and guarded by the Russians.
The ten selected prisoners were immediately driven away.
They started walking down the mountain, and when they left, they kept turning their heads. It seemed that they had been abused and developed feelings?
In fact, they were worried that they would suddenly be attacked by the Russians after they left, so they took three steps and turned around. The so-called Russians suddenly fired arrows so that they could lie down and avoid them.
"What happened to them? Why are they still complaining after letting them go?" Rurik said displeased.
Arik didn't have a good face, so he ordered several soldiers: "Shoot arrows to scare them! Drive them away!"
The Russians really shot arrows! The whirling feather arrows came with a strong whooshing sound. The prisoners in White Sands Harbor first lay down, then stood up suddenly, and fled westward towards Visby like a "tiger descending the mountain". Some people were even too panicked and fell into the grass on the slopes. He fell everywhere and was bruised all over his body, but he got up and ran away as fast as he could.
"They are really cowards. Such people can only fall into the underworld after death." Arik looked at their backs and shook his head in disdain.
Rurik sighed softly: "They are all fishermen. Don't expect them to have the dignity of warriors. You see, that Siegfast just wants a dog now. But these cowards, they will be in Vis Than spreading terror. Haha, I hope their king won’t be frightened into twitching by the strength of our army.”
"Dog?" This matter caused Arik to think: "I would like to keep a real dog that can be used as a hunting partner. Maybe I will get one in Visby."
"Okay." Rurik shrugged: "I hope to get some horses. You know, we don't have horses, and the Malaren people don't have any either. Is it said that only the Danes have such good cart-drawing animals?" Yes? The Gotlanders, as allies of the Danes, wanted horses in Visby.”
Arik had never seen a horse in his life, and of course most of the Viking tribes were the same.
The Danes living in that part of the Jutland peninsula, as the neighboring Kingdom of Saxony was destroyed by the Frank Empire, the Danes not only directly bordered the Franks, but also encountered Frank cavalry for the first time. The markets of Hedeby and Sirius began to be populated by bold Frankish merchants, selling horses against the orders of Charlemagne. Even though most of the horses sold by Frankish profiteers were inferior horses, some Danish tribes immediately began to use the horses' ability to pull goods after buying them. As for upgrading to cavalry, the Danes were powerless until they got excellent riding horses.
Horses certainly existed in Gotland, but they were just the treasures of some merchants. Businessmen have to use horses to pull small trucks, and probably the biggest advantage is eating horse meat.
The ten slaves who were deliberately released ran madly towards Visby with the Duke of Ross's letter of war, blackmail terms, and Sigfast's sword and other tokens to prove their identity.
The men were soon discovered by refugees camped outside Visby.
For the people of Visby, they all saw that Haken, who had proclaimed himself king, assigned his eldest son to lead five hundred soldiers over the mountains to find out the truth about Ross's invasion. This clearly happened three days ago.
what happened? Prince Siegfast's 500 men were all wiped out? It seems this is true!
Rurik's plan was being implemented by the fleeing White Sands Port. They trumpeted in Visby that the powerful Russians were in the bridge village to the east of the mound, and even the failure of the pathfinding force.
The Ross army has arrived at the city! They would come to Visby, kill everyone, take away the wealth, and burn everything.
People began to run in panic, and the panic quickly spread from the outside in. People shouted as they walked, and finally it was rumored that Ross's army of 10,000 people had entered Visby.
A large number of people fled to the beach, and if Haken's warriors had not finally stopped people from seizing the boats, Visby's escape across the sea would have begun. Some people were beheaded and the flight across the sea was stopped. After waking up, people began to swarm towards the forum and the altar.
Although the Visby people were actively preparing for war in the past few days, the news that King Haken had killed the escapees spread wildly in the settlements, and no ship had disobeyed orders and entered the sea in the past few days.
The men of Visby were polishing their weapons and repairing their shields, and many women also took up arms and prepared for battle. Visby has reached a critical moment of survival, and everyone must fight to protect their farmland, pastures, fisheries, and most importantly, their altars.
In this way, the Gotlanders had no problem gathering an army of five thousand men, and a large number of young women could bring weapons to the battlefield and actively engage in the fight.
The Rus were forced into a dangerous place and gradually became more protective of the women of the tribe. But for people in other areas of this sea area, it is normal for female warriors to participate in the fighting.
Rurik brought a group of young girls into the team as crossbowmen. At first, many tribesmen criticized him, but some tribesmen who knew the old traditions were happy to talk about this move.
Terrible news is spreading wildly. Those who claim to be ready for battle have now gathered outside the chamber. The whole world is extremely noisy. People are shouting and questioning, and some are wailing.
People are actually afraid of a decisive battle in their hearts. Everyone also knows that the Russians will not give up easily and war may be inevitable.
But these thousands of ordinary people don't know that the distinguished businessmen in the chamber have ulterior motives, and they are talking about a decisive battle. What they are thinking behind their backs...
