At this moment, Rurik was secretly observing from behind the human wall. The old warrior standing in front of him was actually the king of the Gotlanders?
To be honest, Rurik was not sure. "Why doesn't a great king have a crown? Or are you a warrior? That's not right! Siegfast is a businessman."
Leading the way was the renegade Grund, who saw a group of fellow countrymen from Denmark and even friends from a village. He didn't want to meet his old friends, nor did he want to be his enemy. Grande, who was behind the scenes, immediately told the suspicious Rurik that the man who looked like an old warrior was Haken, a big businessman who had only become king in recent days.
In this case, there is no point in continuing to be conservative.
Rurik motioned for his men to follow him.
Soon, a hole appeared in the Russian wall. Rurik, with a smooth golden ponytail, appeared with brave and proud steps. Behind him was poor Siegfast. His hands were covered with blood and scabs, his face was covered with bruises, and his mouth was tied with a rope and he could only moan. The two soldiers were holding Sigfast's shoulders at all times, with such ferocious aura that they really wanted to kill this man at any time.
Seeing this scene, Haken's heart bleeds, and his eyelids have been trembling because of his anger.
Sigfast is still alive. He was tortured so badly by the Russians that he seems to have mental problems. The worst outcome that Haken thought of was for the Russians to rip him off, but he never expected that the Russians would return him a useless person who had lost his soul.
"Are you the king of Gotland? What's your name? Haken?" Rurik was not tall, and he deliberately asked arrogantly, making everything very inconsistent.
"Yes, I am the King of Gotland. You? A beautiful boy, who are you from Rus? Children have no right to speak, let your leader do it."
Rurik didn't feel strange at all, so he sneered contemptuously, raised his chin deliberately, and looked at Haken arrogantly: "You are just scum, and you dare to call the leader of Ross? I don't want to talk nonsense with you, mark my name ! I am Rurik! Rurik of Rus, brother of Aric of Rus, the one blessed by Odin! Also...the hero who defeated you Gotlanders."
"Absurd! This is so ridiculous." Haken's beard was trembling. He felt that his soul had been insulted by a son of a bitch, so he asked: "Are you the leader? Have the Russians fallen so far that they need a child?" leader?"
This statement made Arik, who led the ambush, appear immediately, and the soldiers with his crossbows cocked suddenly fired.
Of course, Rurik also felt the anger of his brothers. He just raised his right hand to order the soldiers behind him to calm down, and then continued to emphasize: "I am Rurik, the commander of a huge army."
"A huge army? Oh? I can't see it." As he spoke, Haken looked around from the corners of his eyes. He did not feel any danger. So, wouldn't this arrogant child and his guards become lone sheep? But their son is indeed in their hands.
Rurik had no excuse, and he was not afraid at all now. He ordered his men to push Siegfast out: "Your son is here, and you? I want two hundred pounds of silver coins."
Haken snapped his fingers, and soon five suitcases were brought out. The lids of the boxes were all opened, and they were filled with silver coins. He personally pulled the box and deliberately displayed the huge amount of silver coins.
"The silver coins are all yours, let him go now!"
"No!" Rurik crossed his arms and shook his head, "I want to get the box first."
"Let the people go first."
"Pay the money first!"
"People must be released first."
"Give me money!"
Rurik always kept a calm face and asked to get the money first, but Haken became more and more excited and his words became more and more severe.
"Let him go first! Otherwise..."
"Are you going to threaten me?" Rurik narrowed his eyes slightly.
At this moment, the Gotland warriors put on their postures one after another, and the shirtless strong men deliberately showed off the colorful tattoos on their bodies.
"What are you doing?! Who are you threatening?" Rurik felt a hint of fear. Then he thought that there were many crossbow-wielding soldiers ambushing him. With just one order from him, these pretentious guys would be ambushed. suffered great losses.
Haken sensitively felt that there was a heavy murderous aura hidden in this area. The bleak autumn wind and the murderous aura tortured him and he really didn't want to stay any longer. He looked left and right out of the corner of his eyes, but didn't notice much abnormality. He took advantage of the fact that he had the strength in numbers, so he became bold.
After all, you are a king, and you are also a king if you establish yourself as a king.
Haken opened his hands and finally untied the belt holding the short blade.
He walked towards Rurik and felt a slight pressure, so Rurik had to take a step back.
After all, the visitor was an adult, and Rurik thought carefully about self-defense. His child's body was not yet able to subdue his opponent with his bare hands.
"Kid, are you scared?" Haken continued walking with a wicked smile.
Rurik still wanted to send a signal. At this critical moment, Arik really wanted to lead a sudden attack with his brothers, but they still ambush in the withered grass.
"You! King of the Gotlanders, stop!" Rurik roared suddenly, and then knocked on the mercenary's shield after standing up.
The elite mercenaries were ready to fight. Suddenly, five more people appeared. They showed their steel-armed crossbows. One of them was ordered to shoot. The arrow hit Haken's foot accurately and almost penetrated it. The ball of his right foot.
Haken was so startled that he jumped suddenly. The hundreds of Gotland warriors present instantly remembered the legend about the Rus - their bows were extremely fierce, and they rarely escaped safely from unfortunate encounters.
However, since he was still wearing double chain mail, Haken felt that he had ignored the arrows. He tried his best to suppress his suddenly beating heart, took three steps back to calm down, and then restrained his men not to act rashly.
The world fell into a strange silence.
One side is an army of hundreds of people, and the other side is just a dozen people guarding a child.
Suddenly, Haken looked up to the sky and laughed, and then pretended to be arrogant to suppress his fear: "There are only a dozen of you, and you dare to ask for ransom. You, Rurik of Rus, I really can't believe your identity."
"Whether you believe it or not has nothing to do with me?" Rurik still said the same thing: "Get the money first, and I will release Siegfast. Otherwise, I will kill him."
"Do it? You don't dare." Haken didn't want to lose his momentum. He couldn't tolerate being threatened by a Ross boy. He forcibly ignored Siegfast's pleading eyes and said deliberately: "Just do it! But you will be killed by me because of your actions. Look, with more than ten of you, do you think you can defeat me with confidence? army?"
Is Rurik afraid? Of course not at all.
"It seems that the King of Gotland misjudged his own strength. I originally wanted to complete this transaction peacefully, but it seems that you want to take action. Your name is Haken? Don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Rurik suddenly raised his right hand and made scissor hands.
This is the so-called "V" gesture. Firstly, it represents the archery fingers of Mediterranean archers, and secondly, it also refers to the word Victoria, the word for victory.
"Let's do it!" Arik stood up first, pointing his sword at the enemy and giving the order to fight.
The soldiers who were hiding in the tall grass and bushes suddenly appeared. They fired almost at the same time. The first round of firing dealt a serious blow to the Gotlanders.
Quite a number of men from the Viking tribes only wore civilian clothes when they fought, and many of them went into battle shirtless. Ordinary warriors, their protective equipment only has a wooden shield, and nothing else. This is not because they are pursuing the ultimate in bravery, but entirely because of poverty.
Of course, the one hundred men selected by Haken with ferocious sea dragons tattooed on their chests and backs, as well as other unexplained strange beasts and suddenly strong men, were purely cosplaying Berserkers.
These almost defenseless guys, with their white bodies and flowing golden hairs, became the most obvious targets.
The arrows hit them at close range. Just as a large number of tattooed warriors realized that they were being ambushed and were about to raise their swords and axes in front of their shields in a fighting posture, the arrows pierced deeply into their bodies.
No matter how strong the person was, he suddenly became weak and fell to the ground after spitting out a mouthful of blood.
In the first round of ambush, more than 30 people fell to the ground, and more than 50 people were hit by arrows to varying degrees. They were holding on forcefully.
The long bows and short bows of the Coven shooters continued to output, forcing the Gotland army, which spontaneously began to build a shield wall after encountering the first round of attacks, not to dare to act rashly.
Haken also rushed into the shield wall like a hare burrowing into a hole.
The second crossbow volley came, and as many as forty men were now at the bottom.
Strong men with patterns all over their bodies. They had the chance to become berserkers and were expected to become brave men on the battlefield. Now they fell to the ground needlessly, helplessly vomiting blood and waiting for ruthless death.
Killing enemies is so cruel, and harvesting lives is so efficient.
Siegfast was suppressed the whole time. He once hated his father for not cherishing his own life, and he also suffered from the fact that his mouth was tied with a rope and he could only moan. Now, he saw Gotland enter the army and meet a painful death, and his father, the king, was as embarrassed as a fool.
Arik had appeared, his shield covering his injured arm, and he looked normal and feral.
The Ross warriors held their crossbows and raised their bows, and spontaneously ran towards the enemy who had shrunk into a turtle shell.
They did not launch the third round of shooting because Rurik ordered a pause.
The ambush warriors appeared, and Haken saw the strength of the Russians through the gap in the shield. He had no time to regret, let alone complain. He saw the death of a large number of his men, including the mercenaries he had raised, and many peripheral warriors had been hit by arrows. They were still struggling to stand. No one dared to be the leader in the counterattack. They were smart enough to know what it means to be the target of public criticism. , the brave mercenaries are now collectively doing turtles.
The comparison of forces between the two sides was actually evened out, and the Russians had a strong advantage in momentum.
Seeing the corpses of the enemies lying on the ground, as well as a group of dying people moaning in pain, Rurik's heart beat faster involuntarily.
Seeing the blood of his enemy, Arik laughed arrogantly with excitement.
Rurik only felt an inexplicable excitement, but it couldn't please him, but it was a relief!
"Hey! King of the Gotlanders, are you dead? Who do you think you are threatening? Just a child? Or do you think we Russians are just that few people? Look at these dead people, this is your arrogance Price! Listen, you can’t be arrogant today, come out! Otherwise!”
Haken woke up from the initial dizziness. He was shocked by the number of archers and the fierceness of the opponent's arrows. He was even more regretful that he and his own people were suppressed by them and unable to fight back.
He was forced to open his arms and walk out of the shield wall filled with arrows, walking beside the dying and dying men, keeping a distance from Rurik.
Aric pointed his sword directly at Haken and spoke arrogantly: "You! King of the Gotlanders, do you know me?"
"You? A young warrior."
"I am Arik of Ross. It is said that your people call me Arik the Butcher? That's good. I just want to kill a hundred of you with my own hands on the battlefield of the decisive battle."
"Ah! It's you! You can even chop down a hen that lays eggs. Is it you?" Haken briefly looked at Arik. He saw that the young man had taken off his helmet and had fluffy blond hair. He had already grown a beard and his eyes were filled with excitement. Killing intent.
Ryuri ordered his cousin to be quiet, and Arik shut up.
"Hakon, King of Gotland, are you still arrogant now? As long as I give an order, your people will be shot. Especially you, there are a hundred bows pointed at you now, and your chainmail is meaningless. "
Seeing the current situation, Haken knew that he was behind bars. Any action that angered his opponent would result in his sudden death, which was no different from having an ax on his neck.
At this point, Haken looked at the pleading eyes of his kneeling son Siegfast and sighed with regret.
"This was actually a trap. I was so arrogant that I looked away. I will die here today and be killed by you. However, the counterattack of us Gotlanders is like a strong wind that will overturn all ships. Do it! Ross’s son.”
"I am Rurik of Rus! The commander of the Rus' army! Watch your words!" Rurik ordered sternly, and then said slowly: "I have no intention of killing you, and don't force me to do it now. Let me go. One Siegfast is not a problem at all, and whether you pay a ransom of two hundred pounds has no meaning on the outcome."
"What? You..." Haken suddenly realized something. This prompted him to ask tentatively: "What is your purpose? Did you just hope from the beginning for a decisive battle in which everyone will be sent?"
"The purpose of us Russians? I want your surrender! All your money! Your wives and daughters, your cattle and sheep, your wheat, your ships! And most importantly, your eternal failure."
"You!" Haken was deeply angered. He gritted his teeth and broke one of his decayed front teeth.
"You Russians are so arrogant! We Gotlanders have gathered ten thousand warriors in Visby! How many can you have? Three thousand or four thousand?"
Rurik tilted his head and tried to suppress his smile, but unfortunately he couldn't. "At this point, are you still trying to show off? Can you really send out 10,000 people? If you count the children who are babbling as soldiers, you can only send out 5,000 people at most. But in my opinion, you can send out 10,000 people." Ten thousand people are also our sacrifices to Odin.”
The blond brat was right, Haken asked himself, he felt that the army Visby could muster would only be 5,000 in the end. Haken has lost a lot of momentum to the Russians, but he is a businessman after all. His long white beard is proof of an old businessman, but he is not an old warrior.
But now, the businessman Haken must become a warrior.
Haken didn't want to continue to show off his strength. Of course his opponents came with their own agenda, but their request to "grab everything" was too crazy. Perhaps they are still waiting for a bargain?
Yes, that must be the case. If they didn't want to discuss, they would have continued shooting arrows.
Haken forced himself to be bold and suddenly put on a smile, causing Rurik to be stunned.
"Russ is just a tribe. If the Mellaren army comes, I will be very afraid, but... I admit that you Ross people are powerful, and you, Rurik of Ross, you are the leader of the Ross people , the commander-in-chief of the army?”
"Of course. What do you think now? Do you want to talk to me?" Rurik asked knowingly.
"Since you are willing, let's talk. Rurik, what do you want? War?"
"Yes, all I want is a war."
Haken slightly raised his head and chuckled: "Is war really good for you?" He raised his head, "You are so beautiful, you are really a young warrior. I can accept you as my adopted son, I He is your father! In this way, we don’t have to worry about the Mellarens or the Danes. I will be your father. If the Gotlanders and the Rus form an alliance, I will give you a lot of money, and you have the right to rule in my country. We enjoy a huge voice in Tran's council. We can work together to attack others, and we will be prosperous together. Why do we need to fight to the death here?"
"You!" Rurik Fer pulled out his sword. He didn't have a beard for the time being. If he had one, his beard would be crooked with anger. "Who do you think you are? Newgate?!"
Haken hurriedly explained: "I am an old man. I am the king of Gotland and the largest businessman on the island. Don't you Russians need huge wealth? We can definitely form an alliance. Listen, your fighting power will increase. With my business skills, we will become very rich together."
Rurik asked immediately without even thinking, and of course his words were very clear: "Then you continue to betray? You are not trustworthy! I am a person blessed by Odin, and I am born noble, and you are as humble as a cow. Shit. You! I just want to chop off your head and let the humblest slave use your skull as a drinking bowl."
"What a foul-mouthed brat! Do you have to choose a decisive battle?!"
"It's a decisive battle! Our army has set up its formation in Qiao Village behind the mound. Today is the seventeenth day of the Julian calendar. My army of three thousand people is always ready for battle. You make a decision, on the tenth On the 9th, we will send troops to fight with our army. Listen, we are not afraid of any number of troops you bring."
"Aren't you afraid of ten thousand people?" Haken deliberately showed off his stubbornness, but unfortunately this was clearly his final stubbornness.
"I'm afraid you won't come, but it doesn't matter." Rurik shrugged. It was he who commanded the army to fight the Gotlanders, and one of the weaknesses of the Russians was that the Gotlanders were cowering in Visby. , if the war turns into an order to send three thousand soldiers to Tuvisby, the Russians' tactical advantage will be lost if it leads to the final street fighting. How can that be done? The enemy must be forced to fight decisively!
Rurik calmed down. There was no point in playing tricks anymore. He simply launched a conspiracy: "Don't think about escaping or delaying time. Gather your people for a decisive battle! Don't think about escaping. The Mellaren army will win." When you return, the sea will be full of ships from the Malaren Alliance. They defeated the Danes, and the next step is you.
Your wheat is almost ripe and we are happy to wait a few more days. All the wheat is mine, and all the fall pasture is under our control.
If you run away from war, you will eventually starve to death in this winter. The survivors will be killed by the coalition forces of the northern tribes.
On the contrary, your only chance of survival is to fight a decisive battle with our Ross. You must win in order to have a chance to continue to survive. "
The Russians are determined to fight decisively. There must be something hidden behind this kid named Rurik's words. Haken feels that the Russians are simply unable to support a protracted war.
But this kid clearly understood the huge crisis of the Gotlanders. If this group of Russians are not driven away, if they continue to occupy the fishing grounds, pastures for grazing, and wheat fields that are about to mature, the huge Visby will definitely turn into a disaster. on site. Unless the enemy took action, thousands of people would freeze to death in the winter and starve to death. The mere power of God (that is, nature) defeated the Gotlanders.
The more Haken thought about it, the angrier he became. He now felt that today's meeting was just a noble person among the Russians personally coming to declare a challenge, and it had nothing to do with any prisoner transaction.
As Rurik said, the life and death of a Sigfast is of little significance. Haken, now the king, knows that he is responsible for the rise and fall of the entire Gotland power.
"Then fight! You are an arrogant son of a bitch. I will gather all the Gotlanders and crush you into scum! In two days, the fields behind the mounds will be the mass graves of all your Russians."
Arik and other warriors were about to pull the trigger of the crossbow, but Rurik smiled. He was not pretending to smile, but he was happy that the king who had really angered his enemy was determined to fight to the end.
Rurik immediately ordered Sigfast to be released, untied the rope around his neck, and was urged by the sword-wielding Rus warrior to fight with his father.
Haken also returned the favor and sent someone to place the box containing silver coins to the Russians.
Some Russian soldiers immediately ran to pick up the money box and then happily ran towards the mound.
Although Arik and other soldiers were unhappy, now that they had taken the money, they had no choice but to retreat on alert according to Rurik's order.
Sigfast was finally free, and Haken finally got a son. But when he saw his eldest son's broken hands, he couldn't help but feel sad. He looked up to the sky and roared: "Damn Russians! Arik the Butcher! And you ! Rurik with the golden ponytail! You arrogant brat, I will cut off your scalp and use your ponytail to decorate my velvet hat!"
The whistling north wind weakened Harken's roar, and Rurik was busy evacuating. He knew that his opponents were yelling and cursing, so he had to surprise them as planned.
The sound of the wind also covered up the buzzing sound of the whirling feather arrows. The Ross whirling feather arrows with extremely high resistance to wind resistance fell from the sky like a rain of arrows! This was the last performance of the Russians who happily ran away with their money box in hand!
Right in front of him, his son Siegfast vomited blood. Haken looked at the blood of his son on these hands, and his whole body trembled in fear. At this time, he forgot that it was his son who was hit by the arrow and he was safe and sound.
Siegfast could no longer survive. He was hit by two heavy crossbow arrows and three light arrows in his back.
After the rain of arrows, more than twenty people were hit by arrows. Even though the Danish mercenaries were all wearing chain mail, the cone-headed iron cluster crossbow arrows made for the armor brought huge lethality with the help of the earth's gravity. Fortunately, the examples taken by both sides were far enough away that the final losses of the Gotlanders were not serious.
But even so, there were nearly a hundred people shot and killed lying on the ground, and more than thirty people suffered varying degrees of arrow injuries.
This operation was considered useless. Not only did they lose their son, but they also lost 200 pounds of silver. The tattooed islanders died without pity. The key is that their elite mercenaries also suffered losses.
The craziest thing is that the arrows of the Russians are like Odin's punishment! It seems that contacting them and slashing wildly is the only way to win.
But can the Gotlanders withstand their arrows and rush in to fight?
Must fight! If they were afraid of this, the Gotlanders might as well give up resistance and be slaughtered. 1603381309
