The battlefield was full of Tavastian warriors lying down, and the wounded among them were squirming with weak bodies. They were killed by the Russians after they were discovered.
The land became muddy, the air was filled with a pungent smell, and the blood of the war dead began to gather into streams, forming several terrifying "red runoffs" that poured into the rushing Oulu River, making the river red.
But the fight continues!
Tavastia's military leader Watkard has been defeated and committed suicide, but how many people in the rebel army have noticed this situation?
The Russian encirclement has been merged. They formed a large circle with their blood-stained shields, shouting neat chants and constantly compressing the encirclement.
At one point, some Tavastians within the circle tried to break through, but in the end they could not break through this rock-like shield wall.
The people in the circle were all holding short spears and hand axes tremblingly. They were covered in furry leather, and they looked like wounded beasts waiting to be hunted.
What's even more strange is that deadly arrows often fly out from the gaps in the shield. This was Rurik's intention, and the warriors with crossbows were ordered to continue bleeding the enemies in the circle.
"Where is the commander-in-chief? Watkard! Find a way for the brothers?" A village leader roared in despair.
"Yes! It's really going to be ruined if we continue like this!" Someone else was wailing.
Finally, a soldier who tried his best to remain calm and whose legs were shaking unconsciously rushed to his village chief and said desperately: "Watkard is dead, we are finished."
"Already dead? Shot by the Russians?"
"No...he committed suicide."
"Suicide?!" The village leader almost broke his teeth and yelled: "Stupid! You stupid leader caused all your brothers to be killed. It would be better for you to commit suicide yourself!"
"Village chief, what should we do?" The man continued to cry.
what to do? What else can be done?
The village leader wanted to surrender and survive, but looking at the battle formation, the Russians almost wanted to kill everyone.
Maybe... you can try it?
In critical moments, someone always has to stand up and find a way. The village leader took a moment to observe the situation and was horrified to find that there were probably less than 500 brothers who were still resisting.
The fact is that the three thousand troops assembled by Tavastia were nearly wiped out in one morning's battle. Who knew the Russian front was so strong? The brothers are basically using their flesh and blood bodies to collide with the iron-like enemy.
The village leader suddenly stood up and threw away his small wooden shield and hand ax in front of the aggressive Russians' bloody steel swords and blood-red shields.
He shouted in his own language: "Ceasefire! We want to live! No more fighting, we surrender!"
He kept shouting, but the Russian lines were still approaching.
Until Rurik issued a truce and took orders!
Could it be that the prayers of a village chief could win the Russians' mercy? It can be said that "Destroying you has nothing to do with you." The Russians did stop, but Rurik, who was sitting at the rear, gave the order. The reason behind this is also very simple - if the enemy is to be killed, who will do it? Can someone lead the way for me to go straight to Huanglong?
The appetite of Rurik or the entire Russian army has increased. A victory is nothing. Only a fool will hesitate if he can take the opportunity to expand the results.
The person who was ordered to report the message took a lot of effort to accurately deliver the message, and the Russian army gradually came to a halt.
There are less than 400 Tavastians left alive. If the Russian army does not stop, the enemy in the encirclement will be completely annihilated within half an hour. This is like a pack of wolves breaking into the sheep. The result of the circle is destined to be clear.
The shield wall came to a halt, and the frightened Tavastians felt a little relieved.
Of course, things were not that simple. The village leader, who had spread his arms to show that he had no malice, fell into a pool of blood. He was hit in the face by a heavy crossbow arrow and died on the spot.
But there are still many distinguished village leaders who are protected by their own people. They are still safe for the time being, but they are not willing to point the finger easily due to pressure.
Suddenly, the shield wall gave way.
First, more than a dozen Ross berserkers, covered in black bear skins and bearing bear heads with fangs, stood up, followed closely by a big man who looked like a child and walked out with a serious face and a sword.
Rurik was indeed a big shot. He was obviously a filthy and dirty man who fought bloody battles with others, but now he was the one who remained clean.
He took off his helmet, pointed the sword in his right hand at the trembling enemies who had given up resistance, and shouted to the Tavastians in a language that at least the Corvins could understand: "Put down your weapons! Kneel on the ground. ! Become a slave! Avoid death! Otherwise, kill him immediately!"
Rurik said it three times in a row, looking at his opponent's trembling eyes, maybe they didn't understand?
He was too lazy to say anything more, so he simply asked: "Your leader! Come out!"
Looking at the Tavastian people again, the many village leaders who had been protected gradually became more active, and finally one of them had the courage to stand up.
This man approached Rurik cautiously, but he was afraid of the swords and spears of those Russian warriors, so he took two steps and stood straight again.
"You...who are you? Are you the leader of Tavastia?" Rurik asked again.
Such a scene is really a fool. He also knows that this blond boy with a childish face is indeed a noble person in this Ross army, but it is not certain whether he is the commander.
The village leader hesitated, Rurik gritted his teeth, and immediately asked Mechasta and Kehas behind him to stand up.
Kejas didn't have a good face towards this group of enemies. Because of his rage, the old guy just cursed when a wave of blood rushed to his head and he fainted.
Kejas was helped down, and it was Mechasta's turn to continue raising his sword and yelling: "You Tavastians, we don't want to go to war with you, but it's you who are causing trouble. Now that the Ross army is here, you all kneel down and do this slave!"
Seeing that the order was ineffective, Mechasta simply pulled over all the Kovin longbowmen.
The archers nocked their arrows one after another, and when Rurik's eyes allowed it, they suddenly fired.
Why a language they understand? This is!
The sudden death made the hesitant people wake up instantly. The last Tavastia warriors lost their souls and dropped their weapons and knelt on the ground, saying nothing like big fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
Looking at the village leader again, he knelt on the ground and crawled to Rurik's side. He was immediately pressed down by the Russian soldiers and then tied up with ropes. He lamented loudly that he was considered noble and should not be humiliated, and he hoped to get a chance to cooperate.
Want to collaborate? OK! Rose is in need of a leader.
A large group of captives became slaves. After a short period of identification, Rurik discovered that there were quite a few young men among them. They were not much older than him, but their height and body shape were too stretched.
According to the original tactical plan, Rurik wanted to kill all the invaders in one fell swoop to wipe out the enemy's vitality.
It was beyond his expectation that there were as many as 300 prisoners, and it made sense when he thought about it carefully.
Do you want to kill prisoners? This kind of thing is too unlucky. Rurik doesn't want to be a bad guy, but the fate of these captives shouldn't be as simple as being slaves.
What can the Russians gain from this war? Just a killing spree?
No! The Russians must obtain greater benefits, otherwise they will not be able to bear the loss of troops and materials in this battle.
The war was over, and in the afternoon, the still large and powerful Ross army began to clean up the battlefield.
Just as Rurik expected, with the complete destruction of Tavastia's reinforcements, the besieged old Gray Squirrel Hill Fort collapsed. The Russian soldiers climbed the wall without any hindrance and killed all the enemies inside who were dying of hunger. Only one person's life was spared, that of Terho. As for the other Ojedo, his people had been killed in the rebellion. The only reason that kept Terho alive was that he shouted a short sentence in Norse: I am the servant of Rus.
Those prisoners of war were forced to carry the headless corpses of the war dead. As for the heads of Guizhou, as proof of their achievements, the Russians deliberately arranged them in a matrix in groups of one hundred. Those headless corpses were thrown directly into the Oulu River and allowed to be washed into the sea during the flood period when the ice and snow were still melting. As for whether they frightened the Russians who were building a permanent settlement in Kovinstad, Liuli Ke can no longer care.
A large number of weapons were collected, especially the arrows collected, which surprised Rurik. The enemy clearly had as many as 20,000 arrows, but they had almost no effect.
It is undeniable that those bent javelins with long and narrow wrought iron heads gave the Russians a hard blow.
In this battle, more than fifty people from the entire Russian army died, of course there were Balmoks who came from afar, and as many as three hundred people were injured to varying degrees.
Since injured people generally suffer from bruises and pain in their limbs, this problem is not difficult to deal with.
In exchange for such casualties, the enemy piled up as many as thirty matrices!
The Rus actually collected more than 2,900 heads. How is this not a great and wonderful victory?
Combined with the previous battles, it means that the total army of 4,500 people sent by the Tavastians has now been completely wiped out, leaving only three to four hundred prisoners of war who can be disposed of.
The overall price paid by the Russians cannot be said to be small.
The strategic plan of the Principality of Ross for this river basin was completely collapsed due to the enemy's invasion. More than 300 people from Covin and the Ross who stayed behind for the winter were killed because they were outnumbered.
At night, all the Ross army left the dirty and dark battlefield, and they spent the night in the old camp in the forest.
The victorious warriors continued to eat wheat and fish, laughing around the campfire, seemingly ignoring their fatigue.
People are walking and saying that Lord Rurik wants to carry out the war to the end and continue to fight south with the power of victory. It is best to destroy Tavastia's lair and let the brothers loot and triumph!
This kind of mentality also enveloped the entire Balmok "Expeditionary Force". Although they planned to attack Britain in the second half of the year to grab money, food, women and territory, faced with the opportunity to madly plunder furs and women in the East, Biyoni and Flo Is there any reason for Ji brothers not to mix things up?
Like the Rus, the Balmoks have no grudge against womanhood. No matter what kind of woman she is, as long as she can give birth to children, she is a good woman. With this mentality, the three hundred Balmok soldiers are already ready to move.
Those prisoners were given a little bit of dried fish, and that was all for dinner. They were closely guarded by the Ross army. As for their fate, Rurik already had a new plan, even though he felt that his brothers might not support this plan very much.
The bodies of the Watkard brothers were found and identified, their heads severed.
The terrifying Qian Shouli Rick didn't even want to look at it. Since Kejas wanted to vent his anger, he just threw it to him for safekeeping.
Only five of the thirty village leaders are left alive, and there is also the old traitor Terho who is lucky enough to be alive. After having his two front teeth broken, this man is still kneeling by the bonfire, facing the noble Rurik.
The noble prisoners were all tied and sitting on the ground with their hands and knees. The Rus elites sat casually and looked at them like tied wild boars.
Seeing that the time had come and everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, Rurik shouted in public about his new strategy for the prisoners.
"I have decided! These people are no longer slaves, and I will not kill them. I will let them go."
Arik suddenly sat upright, "Brother, you...you really think so? Why do you want to release them? Show your mercy?"
Upon seeing this, Rurik added: "Looking at your suspicious eyes, I know you are questioning. That's fine, just tell me what you think."
Mechasta took the lead and signaled: "They should be killed. Sir, I advise you not to trust the Tavastians, they are dangerous."
Kejas also said: "I also recommend killing them. If they are not slaves, they must be killed. Otherwise, if they regain their strength, they will launch a rebellion even if they surrender now."
Such rhetoric put Rurik in a difficult position, because the enemy chiefs were kneeling here.
He was looking at everyone's thoughts. Although he was opposed to killing and surrendering, everyone's attitude was still up and down.
"That's not okay!" Rurik said loudly: "I am the Duke! My words are orders! I will never kill prisoners, because this is not honorable at all! If you want to kill them, just kill them on the battlefield."
"Then give them weapons, and I will fight them again." Arik shouted as if he was angry.
Rurik shook his head, his attitude would not change at all.
"I have decided that I will attack the hinterland of Tavastia, and I will release these prisoners in exchange for ransom. I will take you to their territory to plunder wealth, especially taking away a group of local women to satisfy the brothers. I We also need to establish a contract with them.”
"Contract? A servant's contract?" Aric asked disdainfully.
"Yes. The Corvin people have suffered too much, and there are fewer people providing us with squirrel skins. Since the Tavastians chose war and they were defeated, they will be the ones providing leather in the future..."
In fact, no one was too lazy to oppose Rurik's determination. At least everyone supported the matter of invading the enemy's hinterland and expanding the results. It's not just that the Rus can take advantage of the enemy's extreme weakness to have a reason to expand their results;
There is a waterway leading directly to the southern lake area. The Russians can row the most traditional long boat to quickly enter. In just a few days, everyone will make a fortune.
Rurik spared Terho's life and made him serve as a guide. He informed the surrendering village chiefs of his demand to spare the lives of the captives in exchange for eventual ransom (in the form of leather), and they had no choice but to simply agree.
Pride has died, and the warrior has become a sheep. What will happen to the defeated people of Tavastia when the Ross army rushes into their homes? Fortunately, the Ross people give everyone a condition, which is that the five surrendered village leaders will receive the Ross army in return for their surrender. Man's promise not to plunder.
The previous wars were fought with big sticks, and Rurik continued to give small favors. He claimed that the five Tavastian villages were different and that remaining in a surrendered state would also receive military protection from the Rus.
They had no choice, and now the five village leaders all felt that this young commander Ross was worthy of trust. When things got to this point, they didn't care about the other villages that had suffered heavy losses. If they became the hunting dogs of the powerful Ross people, just like the Kovin people who thrived among the Ross people, this was acceptable.
But Ross is still the conqueror!
When Rurik publicly announced on the new day that he would lead his brothers to the hinterland of Tavastia and plunder, no matter what they could plunder, the Rus, Melalen, Uppsala, Kovin and Balmok people, everyone is excited!
The Rus' army is such a mixed army, and if necessary, thousands of Slavic warriors can be immediately placed in it.
This Viking army, which is a mixture of multiple tribes, has increasingly strengthened its identification with the Principality of Rus in war and trade. Rurik also realized that for this group of Nordic berserkers, the simplest and most brutal way could unite them into a fist. The only way is to launch a foreign war. Of course, these are all expedient measures in today's era. In the longer term, it is still the education of children in the safe areas behind the rear that allows people in the future to identify Ross as everyone's Ross.
To continue to expand the war, Rurik needs to gather a group of long boats to go upstream to the current camp location, and then continue to rush upstream to Lake Oulu to find the correct river channel to fight towards Tavastia.
He needed a lot of longships, and the order had been issued, and support from Fort Ross's hometown due west of the ocean soon arrived.
Before that, although the lives of these prisoners were spared, some special measures had to be taken.
Arik and other Russian elites should be aware of what they are saying. Rurik does not want to be a willful person. Since the brothers are worried about letting the tiger return to the mountains and at the same time he is disgusted with killing indiscriminately, special measures should be taken.
No, all the prisoners were held down while wailing, and the thumbs of their hands were cut off.
What does this mean? Because this group of Tavastian hunters all have a "finger-pulling style", if they cut off their thumbs, they will not be able to pull the bow with their fingers wrapped around the bones. That's not all. In order to prevent them from being forced to learn "Mediterranean Flow" again, their index fingers were also cut off.
Regardless of their age, ordinary prisoners have lost their thumbs and index fingers on both their left and right hands. Of course, such people can still grasp some things, but their grasping strength may only be 40% or less of what they used to be. Draw a bow and shoot an arrow? Maybe the arrow can be fired up to fifty meters away, but that's about it.
What kind of combat effectiveness could such a prisoner have?
Such an action really satisfied Arik. He didn't expect that hidden under his handsome face was not only the family's ancient ferocity, but also the endless wisdom gifted by Odin, as well as cunning.
