There are some orange flags flying on the top of the city, which are the royal flags of Northumbria.
The attacking Viking army also raised this flag, which was the Ross oar flag held by Rurik.
The army that attacked Edinburgh was indeed a Rus' army in nature, because its commander was the de facto ruler of the Rus' Principality. In other words, this army, which is almost entirely composed of Balmoks and Shetlanders, should have the same combat mode as the former Ross army.
But the real Russian army has been completely reborn under Rurik's personal training. How can its strong combat effectiveness be compared to that of a thousand Balmokh warriors?
As for the Northumbrians in front of him, Rurik saw this city that could be called a "bandit city" and was already doubting how many treasures there could be in it.
No!
They do have babies!
Rurik squinted and suddenly saw a man with a pointed hat, even though the man was hiding behind the battlements and sneaking around. The man was holding up a shiny golden cross with a strong metallic color, and the hat was clearly a "bishop's hat."
"If a big shot doesn't just stay in the monastery, how come he comes to the city to suppress the battle? Give the defenders a sacred buff?"
Rurik had nothing to say, and there was no need for him to say anything on the battlefield.
A group of bow-wielders under his command gathered together to shoot arrows at the wooden city gate where the drawbridge was located.
A batch of bone cluster arrows flew out, with a high density of projection, giving the opponent a devastating attack.
How useful can an arrow cluster made of bone be? It is also effective in hunting small game.
Rurik did not expect the strength of the Balmok archers at all. If he really wanted to suppress the enemies who were shooting arrows on the city, he had to rely on crossbows.
The "crossbow shooting team" composed of Balmok explorers, elite mercenaries, and sailors of the Aurora who had stayed in Ross for a whole year, began the most precise strike.
The warriors of Northumbria were shot down one after another like birds on the branches.
No one in the city, including the Earl of Edinburgh, had ever seen it, let alone knew about the existence of the crossbow. At first, they felt that the opponent's bone arrows were too ridiculous. People tried their best to resist when they were overwhelmed by the occupation, but the fatal blow came.
The garrison archers gritted their teeth and hid, but the brave man Fener among them continued to shoot arrows, and the result was naturally fatal. Their integral cowhide armor can be broken with a single poke from the surface-hardened cone-shaped armor-piercing arrows.
The brave Bishop of Edinburgh, whose hat always exposed his position, was shot away by an arrow. The balding middle-aged Bishop was so shocked that he hurriedly hugged the gold-plated and gem-encrusted cross and lay on the wooden gallery at the top of the city. , he no longer cared about the image, he covered the cross with his left hand, and kept making the sign of the cross with his right hand, while he kept chanting prayers.
Pity his two young priestly attendants...
Perhaps, these two people feel that the power of faith is infinite. Wearing gray robes, they held high the cross hanging on their chests, shouted sacred slogans and glared at the attacking barbarians.
However, both of them were hit by multiple arrows and fell to the top of the city to their death.
Even an armor-piercing arrow fired from a crossbow hit the Earl of Edinburgh on his helmet.
Thanks to the hemispherical structure of the helmet, it objectively causes the arrow to bounce. The count's head was hit hard and he was knocked down. When the soldiers rushed to rescue him, he stood up staggeringly, holding his neck that was almost broken.
"Sir! Please retreat to the city. We will defend the city to the death." A soldier said shivering.
The earl, with stars in his eyes, did not reply to the warrior who spoke, and then moved off the wall under the escort of others.
Unfortunately, the morale of the defenders was on the verge of collapse.
A group of residents in the city were eager to escape through other city gates, but outside the huge city of Edinburgh, barbarians were everywhere looking at them eagerly. There are hungry wolves everywhere. Once the city gate is opened and the drawbridge is lowered, the civilians escaping from the city will be nothing more than a sheep in the tiger's mouth. What's even more terrifying is that the barbarians will easily use the drawbridge to rush into the city, and everything will be over!
No matter what the defenders of Edinburgh thought, all the preparations for Rurik's most proud ten-seat torsion slingshot were completed.
On the big ship, Biyongni truly saw the terrifying power of the torsion slingshot. He never imagined that this device could also be used to attack castles.
Rurik looked serious and pointed his sword directly at the suspension bridge: "Shoot me at the two corners of the suspension bridge!"
Biyoni was shocked: "Rurik, do you want the projectile to break the suspension bridge chain?!"
"No! Biyongni, let your people aim at the place where the chains are fixed and smash the wood. The bridge will naturally fall down."
The crossbowmen paused their suppression and transformed into torque slingshot shooters.
From the perspective of the Edinburgh defenders, they saw even more bizarre instruments beginning to show their power.
Although the materials for building the city walls are almost all pine wood, since the Edinburgh defenders consciously dug trenches, they naturally inherited some of the techniques from old Rome in making drawbridges. The winch mechanism is inside the wooden wall, and it is difficult to damage the winch by external blows.
However, Rurik saw its fatal design flaw at a glance. In other words, when the Edinburgh garrison was building it, they never considered that the Picts had siege weapons other than battering rams (big logs). Such a suspension bridge system was incomprehensible to the Picts.
The cast-iron projectiles began to hit the two corners of the suspension bridge heavily. The natural effect of one or two impacts was poor, but the situation suddenly changed after multiple impacts.
The torsion slingshot's precise shot at close range caused the suspension bridge to collapse in just two rounds.
Biyongni was like a raging bull. He roared: "Brothers! Charge me!"
There was no need for him to give orders. The Viking warriors who had noticed the crumbling suspension bridge had already moved closer.
The furious army stepped directly onto the suspension bridge and rushed under the wooden wall.
Even if there is still a wooden gate at the city gate, it is useless against the Vikings.
The long-handled Nordic forest ax specially built for cutting down giant trees began to show its power. Several strong men rushed to the front line with axes. They were covered with thick golden chest hair and tattooed with animal patterns. They wielded the big axes and violently demolished them in a moment. Their chest hair was shiny with sweat.
In order to cover these "special engineers", Rurik still ordered the torsion slingshot to continue suppressing fire.
For the defenders of Edinburgh and everyone in the city, they are trembling! Men and women, a large number of people fled to the most important stone building in the city, fled into the Abbey of Our Lady of Edinburgh, and stood with the bishop who had just escaped in and his head was buzzing. They kept making the sign of the cross, praying for the Lord to appear and for divine punishment to force the barbarians to flee.
But the last wooden door was still smashed to pieces by Viking warriors.
Nearly a hundred Northumbrian warriors gathered behind the city gate. Under the personal leadership of the Earl of Edinburgh, who had a sore neck and decided to fight to the end, holding the Northumbrian flag, they decided to live or die with Edinburgh.
Perhaps the Count simply did not want to become a prisoner of the barbarians and thus expose his soul to the most tragic desecration.
He was even more aware of the seriousness of the situation. If York learned that Edinburgh had suffered a huge disaster, it would be equivalent to announcing to the king, and even to the whole of England, that Northumbria's northern defense line had collapsed!
The defenders held spears and swords, and all of them were hunched over. Their skinny bodies, generally lacking nutrition, could not bring them enough confidence. There are only a few warriors wearing mail who have some confidence to block the enemy at the city gate.
How could these people block the Vikings' impact?
Relying solely on the huge advantage of military strength, personal strength and bravery, the Viking sword and shield players after breaking through the door formed a very tacit understanding of the classic and traditional shield wall tactics that are simply engraved in their souls. The round shields were stacked on top of each other, really imposing like a wall.
The shield wall barely blocked the spear thrusts of the defenders. Some Balmok Viking warriors were stabbed to death, and then a close-range fight suddenly began.
The swords and axes were quickly stained with blood. The long-handled axes held by the Viking warriors in the back row fell from the sky and kept pounding them, and the spearheads also penetrated through the gaps in the fight.
At one time, Edinburgh's troops detained outsiders who attacked the locals and even tried to convert some of them with potential to convert. But over the past few years, those so-called converts were still executed for the murders they had committed. However, due to some information, the Earl of Edinburgh learned that the foreign fishermen came from an island in the north.
Due to lack of contact, the people of Edinburgh believed that they were another tribe related to the Picts. In short, they were savage and untamable people.
Until the Earl of Edinburgh himself was in prison, he still did not know who these fierce and powerful enemies were. He has lost the opportunity to understand, because he is already dying!
Even though he was wearing armor and mail, it was useless under the rapid thrusts of the chromium steel spearheads purchased from the Rus by the Balmoks.
How does the Viking army determine the important targets among the enemy in the chaos? The battle has become one side crushing the other side. The red-eyed Vikings just want to annihilate the enemy's armed resisters, and then seize the time to plunder!
The Earl of Edinburgh, any commoner who saw him must bow. He is the most important military governor in northern Northumbria, a local powerful figure, and an important nobleman in the kingdom. Unfortunately, he died like the lowest-ranking warrior. The so-called armor could not block the enemy's stabs. He was hit by seven or eight spears and died on the spot. He lay on the black ground, and his body was trampled by the people who were fighting in a mess. Perhaps, only the bent iron sword with a silver-plated handle beside him and the orange royal flag that was trampled into mud could immediately prove the noble status of the corpse next to him.
The morale of the defenders was on the verge of collapse long before the fierce battle began. The momentum was forcibly gathered by the count himself. Now that the king's flag has fallen, morale has completely collapsed.
Edinburgh has been breached!
Some of the frightened defenders were pushed by the more frightened people, some small doors were opened, and the drawbridge was lowered. As a result, this saucy operation was immediately discovered by the Viking army who was waiting for help.
Edinburgh was riddled with holes, Balmerks and Shetlanders, who had simply come to partake in a bloodthirsty plundering orgy. They ran wildly, swinging their swords and axes at anyone they met in the city.
It was a horrific afternoon, the horror of which is beyond description.
Biyongni looked crazy, and even his brother Floki was covered in other people's blood. The two brothers participated in the final fight with the defenders. After the army completely annihilated the handful of defenders, they immediately began to look for a new main attack target.
Because the Biyongni brothers are the sons of tribal leaders, and they are different from other family leaders! At least the pattern is higher.
Those small families have begun to search everywhere for anything useful, especially gold and silver.
Of course, there are women...
The whole city was in chaos, and some people even started setting fires deliberately.
But Rurik didn't want to get involved. He restrained his best men and guarded the crossbows and torsion slingshots all night while the city was in chaos.
Jevro was very puzzled for a time: "Sir, aren't we going to plunder? Are we giving them all the opportunities to make a fortune?"
"It doesn't matter. I am the Duke of Ross, not a group of gangsters like them who focus on small profits. Me! I am not a despicable gangster!"
That being said, Rurik actually didn't want to go into the city to "appreciate" the human tragedy caused by the Balmoks. Although he already has a strong resistance, if something does happen, it is better to watch it less. After all, Rurik himself took no pleasure in such acts of violence, and only felt a lingering displeasure after witnessing them.
Biyongni is just the opposite! He led more than a hundred brothers covered in blood and headed straight for the largest stone house.
There was a cross on the roof. Although Biyongni didn't know what it meant, considering the uniqueness of this house, he believed that there must be treasure inside.
Pity those who pray, who pray incessantly to numb their failing hearts.
They prayed for angels to come and drive away the raging demons.
Now, the devilish Vikings break in. People began to scream crazily, trying to find a chance to escape. They looked at the savages covered in blood. What are these if they are not devils from hell?
All escapes are in vain, the devils reveal their deadly axes to harvest lives...
Biyongni led his men to kill everywhere, and both men and women became victims of the Vikings, until even the bishop himself had his head chopped off with a sword.
What should have been a solemn and pure monastery has now turned into a hell.
It was only then that Biyongni led the team to search for the treasure, and indeed they found a lot!
Sacred vessels made of gold were looted, as well as valuable jewelry from the deceased. Once upon a time, gold artifacts were extremely rare among the Balmok tribe. Biyongni simply obtained two large cups made of pure gold. In fact, this is a gold vessel that holds holy water. Together with two crosses made of gold and silver, it is the most important sacred vessel in this monastery.
What shocked Biyoni even more was that the stairs leading to the underground of the monastery were connected to the Edinburgh Treasury! When the wooden door was violently smashed open, two boxes of silver coins were moved out.
As for Biyongni's good friend Geiger, this boy led more than a hundred soldiers composed of farmers and fishermen from Washobi, and roared directly into the Earl of Edinburgh's mansion.
They did not hesitate to kill the earl's heirs and wives, snatched away the treasures in his family, insulted the maid and then tied her up with ropes. Their idea is extremely simple, that is, to capture young women and bring them back to their hometown of Washebi, so that they can become slaves under the orders of the "Resident Alliance" or even become everyone's wives and concubines. This is really because the people of Washebi need foreign women too much.
This is the major difference in philosophy between Geiger and Bjornni's group. Brothers Geiger and Esbjorn realized that the dozen or so women who were bullied by their men must be local "big shots". "Slave, since it is a slave, it is perfect for me to use.
In a sense, Geiger and the others are the last bit of humanity in this terrifying city. If that's even human nature.
As for Rurik? He still stayed outside the city, waiting for the army in the city to complete the most complete occupation, and then went into the city to find out.
Rurik didn't particularly value getting prisoners or collecting gold and silver. There was only one thing that mattered to him, and that was Edinburgh's granary.
He did not expect that those Shetlanders, led by Hod, who had been here because they were captured, rushed straight to the Edinburgh granary based on their memories. Gold and silver are good, but can food and cloth be good? Shetlanders are more interested in eating wheat. While others were killing him in a daze, dragging the captured women by their hair and committing violence, the Shetland fishermen were already using the burlap sacks they had found, crazily stuffing fresh wheat into them.
In terms of searching for new wheat, the Bergen immigrants in Shetland really coincided with Rurik.
