The huge coalition army lost all its energy. They could still rely on the dragon-headed longships to cover their weakness at sea, but they all missed the trap after landing ashore.
In the war against Gotland, all the men from the Ross tribe who could fight were mobilized. Almost all the young warriors left Rossburg for the first time in their lives. It was also on the island of their hometown that they met the soldiers of the allied tribes.
Youdao said that the first impression was extremely important. They heard from their elders that the warriors of the Melalen tribe were all elite. Today, I saw that the allied soldiers were extremely exhausted. There was no fighting spirit in their eyes, but only a desire for food.
Origen of Mälaren became the first king of Sweden. He assembled an army of nearly 4,000 men and rushed south to Silver Castle to attack the Danes. This feast of plunder deliberately excluded the Russians, and the Russian army was freed to attack another enemy.
There is no need for any explanation now. Karl, who wears a golden crown, is stubborn. He does not want to admit the failure of the coalition, but he lost two-thirds of his troops. How can this not be a complete failure?
The Ross army returned to their camp in a mighty manner. Rurik and Otto made a brief calculation and distributed the empty houses in the inland area of Visby to the allied soldiers. A group of cattle and sheep were given to them as gifts out of sympathy. Of course, these guys were not polite. After getting the cattle and sheep, they immediately chopped them down with swords and axes.
The hungry people simply drank the warm sheep blood, which had a strong smell. They quickly processed the beef and mutton, put it on the branches and grilled it on the bonfire, and started devouring it regardless of whether it was completely cooked.
Are these the soldiers of the Alliance? A bunch of hungry losers!
Didn't they go to conquer Silver Castle? Look at the longboat they pushed up to the shore. It was almost empty!
The Ross warriors opened their eyes to observe, and their three views were rapidly refreshing. Melalen is a powerful tribe and the supreme leader in the alliance. There is a huge temple in Uppsala, and its people claim to be blessed by the sun. Yermalen and Onkras, their populations are not large but they cannot be underestimated...
With all previous perceptions being overturned, in the eyes of the young Ross warrior, why should brothers care about the opinions of their fathers?
Look at the Ross army! The brothers experienced the most brutal battle. Visby, which had tens of thousands of people, was just a bunch of lonely ghosts except for the hundreds of captured women and children.
People began to question the legitimacy of the Mellaren people's continued internal hegemony, and some even began to think that the Duke of Ross had reason to upgrade again and become the king of Sweden.
People have all kinds of ideas, but they just lack sympathy for their fallen allies.
In the meeting hall of the local people in Visby, this longhouse was originally a place where Visby's most powerful and wealthy businessmen gathered to discuss specific affairs. Now it has a new owner.
Should we still implement the Nordic system of tribal democracy?
The new king Karl naturally felt that it was unnecessary.
However, Karl could not enjoy any distinguished seats. All the tribal leaders, or the dukes, still gathered together and sat cross-legged.
Although Karl wore his father's crown, Otto and Rurik had no intention of showing any courtesy to the man.
After all, Olegin was also the old leader of Mellaren and the old leader of the alliance. Otto felt that it was okay to show some courtesy to this old guy. But Carl, forget it.
Only Olegin deserves a little respect, what do the other kings mean?
Otto completely assumed the posture of a king, and his aura completely overwhelmed Karl, which made Rurik, who was sitting next to his father, feel really good.
"Karl, I will mercifully settle your men. And you..." Otto raised his chin slightly and looked down at the dukes of other allied tribes with a king's coercion, "We are allies, and the cattle we captured I’ll share some of the sheep with you. All Swedish warriors, don’t worry. Let’s fill our bellies and rest for a few days before setting off.”
Although being looked down upon by this old guy Otto made people feel a little uncomfortable, after all, they seemed to have received his gift without having to pay, so everyone had to smile.
At least the Rus people are better than the Mellaren people, right?
The dukes of each tribe laughed bitterly, but of course Karl couldn't laugh.
In front of everyone, Karl slapped his chest hard several times to attract everyone's attention.
Otto immediately changed his attitude to a gentle one: "Karl, it seems that your father really died in the war."
"Yes, absolutely true."
"Ah..." Otto sighed. To be honest, he had never liked Olegin himself.
The old guy was also a bit headstrong, but he was willing to organize his brothers to attack Denmark. Otto respected him as a man.
"Olegin is a brave old soldier. So, please tell me, what exactly happened to the coalition forces at Silver Castle? A...a defeat?"
Upon hearing the word "failure", Karl gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
Rurik saw his behavior keenly, and his ferocious expression was clearly full of anger and unwillingness.
"Karl, what's going on?" Rurik asked bluntly.
"Shut up! You! It's not the child's turn to speak here!"
"No! You are wrong." Rurik was somewhat thankful that Arik was busy chatting with his Aslaqi. If Arik were here, Karl's head might fly off his neck. He still stood up, pinched his waist and announced: "I am the commander of the Ross army, and my father has given me too much power. Do you think you are talking to a child? Me! I am the Duke of Ross."
"But, I am the king!" Karl was not to be outdone.
"Are you the king?" Rurik burst out laughing. "Yes, you inherited your father's power. You are indeed our king. It's just that your king is different from the kings in the past."
"how do I say this?"
Seeing that the dukes of all the major tribes in Sweden were here, Rurik simply made his words clear. "You have obviously failed. The Melalen tribe has to bear a lot of responsibility, and we Rus have completely defeated the Gotlanders. We will definitely enjoy greater power in the kingdom. Karl, I can admit that you are the king, But you have no right to instruct other tribes to act as you like. We are still an alliance, but when it comes to launching a new war, we Ross people! I, the Duke of Ross, must have a greater say. So, when you tell us about Silver Castle Before we find out what happened, I want your answers."
Karl listened half-understanding and half-confused: "You...you...what do you want me to admit?"
"It's very simple." Rurik sat down again, clapped his legs and looked at the dukes of each tribe confidently: "My friends, the cattle and sheep distributed to you are not free. I don't need your money. I just want a promise from everyone here. When our tribes reunite in the future, the Melalen people, who are still the strongest, have the highest say, so we Ross people must have the second right to say."
As soon as he finished speaking, the two dukes, Wenderson of Hjelmalen and Angreev of Onkras, fully agreed with Rurik's proposition.
Someone opened his mouth, and others supported him one after another.
This was something Karl could not estimate. The boy sitting here was clearly a boy with a golden ponytail. He was not even old enough to marry his wife. How could he speak so magically?
Karl just didn't know that the various small tribes that followed the Melalen tribe to conquer the world suffered heavy losses in the war. Someone must be responsible for this failure, and the biggest person responsible is of course Origen. The old king has died in the battle, so his successor Karl must inherit the shame of the failure, especially the financial debts, when he succeeds to the throne. .
Karl gritted his teeth. The only thing he was glad about was that the Russians did not ask for the royal power.
In this Gotlandian forum, he, a king, could not display the aura of a king at all. So who can blame it? This is a place occupied by the Russians. The only remaining group of the Malaren Army that landed was a group of tired farmers and fishermen. The once all-powerful "Black Guards" were all exhausted in the war that lasted throughout the summer.
Karl didn't say it, but he actually had to face another severe test. That is, after returning to his hometown, he will naturally inherit everything in his family, but without the protection of five hundred black-clad mercenaries, how can he maintain his power stably? "I still want to be happy with women! I still have to enjoy the fun of being a king! I'm still young, so I have to rectify my troops quickly. In a few years, when I regain my strength, I can suppress other families and command the armies of various tribes. I still have to settle accounts with the Danes.”
His revenge plan was buried in his heart. After experiencing this failure, Karl's temperament changed drastically. He became more tolerant and became aware of current affairs under the impact of cruel reality.
Karl, he agreed with Rurik’s idea.
With the approval of the second king, the Russians enjoyed a second say in the Kingdom of Sweden.
So, why not always strive for first place?
Fight for first place? Of course it is necessary. It's just that the current Ross tribe cannot achieve all-round strategic advantages, not to mention that the Ross army destroyed Gotland. Will Gotland's allies, the Danes, really give up? Having lost this northern wool and leather supplier, the Danes, whose economic interests have been harmed, will definitely take revenge.
Rurik felt that he was really evil, and he had already thought of handing over Gotland, or Visby, to the Malaren people, specifically to Karl to rule. Let this man who has experienced failure and longs to wash away his shame own Gotland, let him inherit the feathers here, and face the wrath of the Danes.
The Russians, on the other hand, were happily counting money in the rear and continuing to expand their territory in new areas.
Now, Karl finally reluctantly opened his mouth, and coupled with the descriptions of other dukes, Rurik and Otto finally learned in a thrilling way about the detailed encounters of the Swedish coalition forces at Silver Castle.
Because the Danes are never big fat sheep left to be slaughtered, they are a group of sea wolves!
In this era, Jutland and its affiliated islands were home to large and small settlements in the fjords. Denmark is the main source of the Viking movement.
King Hafgen of Denmark, his power was indeed achieved by force.
In 818 AD, the Danish leader Godfrey died of illness. During his lifetime, he worked hard to strengthen the "Great Wall of Denmark" that stretched across the entire Jutland peninsula south of the port of Heideby, and also gathered and sheltered tens of thousands of Saxons. A large number of Saxons gathered in the small port south of Hedeby. These people belonged to the same tribe. They fled into Denmark to escape the attack of the Franks. They were not all the people of Odin or Frey. They believed in the Sirius god. When they began to settle, they named their new residence Sirius Port, and Schleswig developed quietly.
The Danish forces, large and small lords, merchants, their beliefs are diverse.
In 826, after listening to the sermon of the Archbishop of Reims, Harald Clark, the leader of the Danish Alliance, became the Lamb of the Lord, and was therefore unanimously expelled by the tribal leaders. Odin's belief is still the mainstream, and lords large and small cannot accept a person who betrays Odin as the "boss." It was this year that Harald Clark took his nephew Horlik and some brothers to escape from Frank. A Christianized barbarian mercenary who became Louis the Pious.
There was a huge power vacuum in Jutland, and small-scale civil wars broke out among the tribes.
Hafgen, who gained hegemony through force, was extremely fond of power, and he knew that his power was entirely maintained by the strong force of his tribe.
Now the Svealans have taken some crazy action. As the fugitives sent horrifying information one after another, Hafgen decided to "conquer personally" even though it was not a good time to go on an expedition.
Because the battlefield is not far from Hafgen's hometown, and the Svealan Alliance army is already attacking Silver Castle, the local tribes and merchants are struggling to support themselves by relying on low wooden walls and the rugged terrain of the fjord. If support is provided, If there is a delay, Denmark's wealth will suffer great losses. What Hafgen can't stand the most is that if he cannot preserve the wealth of Silver Castle and the local people, the lords of Denmark, large and small, will question and challenge his power.
Although the lords have various beliefs, their struggle for interests and garrison are exactly the same. Even if they listened to the missionaries and became lambs, once their real interests were harmed, their Viking souls would be awakened instantly.
Sigurd, the lord of the south, and his eldest son Ragnar personally led five hundred elite warriors to the battle. They bought brand new leather armor, chain mail, and a large number of brand new battle axes from Hedeby, a market farther south. Although this set of equipment is nothing in the eyes of the Russian "Iron Man" who is covered in fish scale plate armor, it can be said to be the elite of the elite among the Danish forces.
Ragnar was ambitious because he was located in the south. When his father was young, he also participated in the construction of the "Great Wall of Denmark" under the command of leader Godfrey. He obviously had more knowledge about the Franks than others. He was already conceiving this great plan to go to the Franks in the south to plunder and make a fortune.
However, those guys in Svealand did not stay in their territory and actually dared to attack the traditional territory of the Danes. What's even more terrible is that if the Danish army fails, will it mean that the huge Øresund fishing ground becomes the property of the northerners?
This can't happen! The loss of the Oresund fishery would mean a terrible famine for the Danish forces.
No one believes that a guy from Svealan can also take away the vast fishing ground? At least they are already snatching the gold and silver of Silver Castle. If Denmark does not intervene or the intervention fails, the Svealans will take possession of it, go up the river, and take possession of the Götaland villages in Porsche. , so the Danish leather supply will have problems!
Ragnar wanted to fight for the courage of warriors, while his father Sigurd, while focusing on courage, made it clear that this untimely war was to protect Denmark's current and future interests.
The expedition of King Olegin of Sweden was equivalent to taking a knife to cut off the fat flesh of the Danes.
The lords of Denmark share the same hatred! It was clearly the oat harvest season. Hafgen gave an order and easily summoned an army of nearly 4,000 people!
More than two hundred longships rushed to Silver Castle, and a decisive battle broke out on land and sea!
In the autumn of 831 AD, the first war broke out between Denmark and Sweden.
Comparing the strength of the two sides, the Danes clearly had the advantage.
The Swedish army did not immediately capture Silver Castle. Of course Olegin knew the threat of Danish reinforcements. While he gritted his teeth and persisted, he also realized that once there was no strong support from the Russians' long-range weapons, the Swedish army's siege capabilities would plummet. reduce.
All Swedish tribes suffered damage, the greatest of which was naturally the Mälarens.
The Danish reinforcements they least expected to see arrived, with huge sails moving against the wind. The armored Danish troops disembarked one after another, and a battle broke out with the Swedish troops on the beach of the fjord.
In the melee, Ragnar's warriors charged most ferociously.
Young Ragnar, his sharp eyes fixed on a man wearing a golden crown in the enemy army, and commanded his brothers to thrust through like a sharp spearhead.
The old king Olegin was seriously injured in the melee. Some brave Mälaren warriors pulled the old king who was vomiting blood to the rear. When Origen was dying, he handed the bloody crown to Karl's head. And asked: "Remember! Revenge me! One day, you will defeat the Danes. One day, we will become the king of this sea area."
At night, the two armies made a truce.
In the fierce fighting during the day, both sides suffered losses from each other. It was obvious that the Swedish army suffered heavy casualties. Warriors from various tribes were trapped on the beach, and the Danes had lit numerous bonfires.
After an inventory, including the wounded, there were still 1,300 living people in the Swedish army. The horrific casualties were before everyone. The king himself died in battle, and Karl became the new king on the battlefield. But this was clearly a failure!
The Danish silver castle is still strong. Even if there is a mountain of silver hidden in it, it has nothing to do with the Swedes.
Understand the current situation! Calculating the Danish reinforcements, there were also a lot of losses, and the balance of strength between the two sides was completely unbalanced.
The attack on Silver Castle has been going on for many days, and the arrival of Danish reinforcements instantly defeated all hopes of the Swedish army.
In order to avoid the annihilation of the entire army, Karl had no choice but to withdraw at the request of the dukes of each tribe.
They dumped the bodies of the war dead and didn't even have time to cremate them, but Olegin's body was taken away. They repaired at Borgholm on the island of Öland, and in this Saxon fortress cremated the dead Great King Olegin.
The Swedish army left, leaving the Saxons behind full of doubts about the future. The leader, Stein, didn't know what to do. He once provided supplies to the Swedish army. Now that the Swedish army was defeated, what should the already weak Borgholm do? Stein made the difficult decision to join the Danes again.
Rurik and Otto finally understood what happened to the Swedish army.
If this isn't a complete fiasco, what is? Perhaps, the vitality of Visby and the entire Gotland was almost annihilated.
Are the Danes so powerful? Rurik became cautious again. He didn't want to arrogantly announce that the Russian army had annihilated a thousand Danish mercenaries. Now it seems like forget it.
Now it seems that the Swedish army's brutal loss to the Russians has proved two things: first, the Danes can quickly assemble a large army, which is more troops than the current Russians can muster with all their capabilities. Second, the army composed purely of Danes is really strong.
