Finally, the Ross cavalry arrived at the largest settlement, and the cavalry stopped at the mansion of the big leader.
"It's strange. The village is empty and everyone has gone to fight?" Fisk looked left and right. The wind blew through the streets and rolled over some thatch but could not knock down the wooden farm tools placed beside the wall.
He vaguely heard the bleating of sheep, but saw no living people.
"They should all be hiding, afraid that we will show up and kill them," Quetzal added.
Indeed, the people left behind in the settlement were all hiding, with only a few taking a cautious peek. They did not even go far, and some wore simple straw hats on their heads to hide and seek, so that they almost blended in with the houses.
There are three pillars in the empty space in front of the wooden village of the chief's residence that are very eye-catching, and the things on them are extremely terrifying.
"Boss, look over there." A soldier pointed at him with a riding crop.
All the soldiers raised their heads. Fisk looked up and saw that the three heads stuck on that side had turned black. There was no longer any doubt that the final whereabouts of the three veterans who died in the battle were here, although the fate of the deceased was already known.
, it still makes people angry when I see it.
Fisk was naturally angry and annoyed by this scene, and his subordinates were equally aggrieved.
Fisk still held back. He glared at the embarrassed Proclaw with a constipated face: "Sure enough, you really did this."
The latter did not speak harshly or defend himself, and only used an embarrassed smile to hide his inner fear.
"Forget it, I don't want to vent my anger." He ordered his men to chop down the wooden poles with axes, wrap the black and smelly heads with cloth, and planned to cremate the three brothers who died in the battle, at least leaving some ashes.
Return to the capital cemetery for burial.
Until he saw that the Russians had collected the remains of the deceased and had no intention of revenge, Proclaw, who had been silent, finally said: "I'm sorry, this is our fault."
He was afraid that this would cause the Ross Cavalry to become furious, so after weighing the situation he added: "We are willing to offer compensation in kind. All we ask is that you... don't kill anyone."
At least on the surface Fisk is still aggrieved, "Then bring out a lot of food to make amends! The sheep I heard braying, you can reward us with some more sheep. Our army will still rest here! This is yours
The village, your residence? Now it is my camp."
Proclaw had no choice. The Russian cavalry had completely controlled the settlement of Polotsk, and the independent village alliance had ceased to exist in name only. Everyone could only pray that the peace under the rule of the Russians would be real peace. He was completely released and could move freely.
Muscles and bones.
The leader who had lost his independent decision-making power received his first new task after the surrender, which was to persuade the people in the largest settlement to come out. He tried his best to persuade the people to show up, but the effect was equivalent to no effect.
Fisk, who dismounted, thought for a moment and simply ordered the soldiers to use some cruel tricks.
The Ross standing cavalry and the Ostara cavalry went directly to the village to find people in person. The Pechenegs were completely prohibited from participating in this operation. Fisk was very worried that if the steppe people joined, it would turn into robbery, and then there would be murder.
.At least the Ross-Ostara cavalry is more obedient to the command and will not fight to the death just for a little money.
Faced with sharp swords, people hiding in the houses were driven out one after another. Although some violent conflicts broke out, any resistance from a group of old, weak, sick and disabled was meaningless in the face of armored soldiers.
The hidden people were brought out one after another. They were white-haired old men and a large number of children. Even the women who were found had wrinkles on their faces like cracked earth, which proved that they were very old.
The entire Polotsk Village Alliance has a community population of only more than 10,000 people. A war has truly drained their combat effectiveness and even ruined their stamina. Now, cats and dogs can actually take advantage of the empty space behind them to invade and invade.
Robbery, but recent Latvian merchants from various tribes have not done this. The Latvians have no such idea at all, or in other words, what they are busy thinking about has nothing to do with the Polotsk people, but the threat of the Russian army.
One after another, the hiders were turned to the empty field in the village, where the entrances and exits of all lanes were controlled by cavalry. The sun shone on the helmets of the soldiers, and their weapons also shone with a dangerous metallic sheen. The horses kept going up and down.
Nodding and sometimes neighing, the warriors maintained their might but calmly looked at the gathered crowd.
There are old people and children everywhere, and there are not even half-grown adults.
"Your village is the largest. Did you really conscript all the people? Including women?" Fisk asked Proclaw with a frown.
The latter was also very helpless: "As you can see, after we were defeated, these people were the only ones left. They... are not even qualified to be slaves. You don't need them at all."
"Are you still worried about me catching slaves? Don't worry." Fisk smiled, but in the latter's opinion, it was not the same as a jackal's smile.
Proclaw could not completely trust the bald Fisk, and Fisk knew it very well. The Russian army was essentially an invader. No matter how much they justified themselves, they wanted the Polotsk people to give up the hatred caused by the war in a short time.
It's impossible. So what? As long as the nobles are won over and Ross maintains military pressure, what can the remaining ordinary farmers do?
"You tell your people not to be afraid and let them continue to live an ordinary life. Ross is a reasonable conqueror. Then you tell them not to do any humiliating actions and not to try to assassinate any warrior, otherwise they will suffer revenge.
"
People who live under the iron heel of the victor can only live in peace, and Proclaw can only do this for the sake of the lives of his people.
He spread his arms and made a high-profile propaganda, and as expected, the people scolded him and cried. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears, but he could not suppress his crying.
An old man cried bitterly and begged the people to accept the occupation of Rus, just so that Polotsk could have a future.
This scene makes it seem as if the Russian army is all executioners, and the people in front of them are crying for the last time before dying. The people cry bitterly because they feel that all their tribesmen who went on the expedition have been wiped out, and the remaining old, weak, sick and disabled can't do anything.
Lotsk is equivalent to destruction. If those Polotsk warriors who did not participate in the battle would not come, this community would indeed be considered extinct, and only the place name would continue to exist. According to normal development, a large number of people from the Kingdom of Rus would migrate here to complete the vacancy.
Change birds.
However, the Polotsk or Polota people are also outsiders.
The confluence of the Bolota River and the West Dvina River forms a gentle and fertile "T-shaped river area". This area is naturally suitable for growing food, and the bsantser culture was formed in the older era. This is the Baltic nation.
Early settlements, and now the Baltic tribes have migrated to the coastal areas centered on the Gulf of Riga.
It was precisely the Great Eastern Migration of the Slavic peoples. The Slavic tribes who migrated along many roads crowded out the Balts. The population of the Polotsk people has always been small, but the population of nearby ethnic groups is also small. For all kinds of
Tribe, Fisk's more than 600 cavalrymen are already the most powerful behemoths.
In order to show the benevolence of the conqueror, or to obtain "war compensation" more smoothly in the future, Fisk ordered the army to camp in the wasteland outside the village after inspecting the people left behind. He asked the army to be well defensive at night and be careful.
The irrational old guy risked his life with a hammer and a fork.
The people went back to their homes in doubt, and in the evening, some tribesmen came back miraculously.
On the first night, Fisk, Quetzal, Svalgard, and all the cavalry camped outside the village. This really seemed like the Russian conquerors had no additional plans for the village, but this was not the case.
Fisk noticed the fortress-like mansion of the leader of Proclaw. If he really occupied this fortress, who knows if he would have been assassinated while sleeping at night. If he was to be humiliated, he would risk his life no matter what.
Fight even if it means death. Fiske thought so, and was very worried that Proclaw and Lambart would join forces to cause a midnight terror.
The fact is that they do not trust them, but it also gives the two people enough time to imagine how to conduct formal peace talks.
The sentries were rotated throughout the night. The soldiers deliberately lit more bonfires to enhance their momentum, while the sentries listened carefully to the sounds in the distance to prevent sneak attacks.
In the early morning, a group of patrolling cavalry was released. These people wanted to go further afield to see if there was any new movement, so they suddenly stopped at a lower reaches of the river, shuffling with the three thousand people who had returned.
The "army" met.
How embarrassed were the Ross cavalry and these people?! The cavalry subconsciously had murderous intentions, but those exhausted men who had worked hard to attack far away without any results suddenly collectively exploded with fear, and fear was branded in their hearts. They actually remained motionless and dumbfounded.
Upon seeing this, the cavalry quickly withdrew. Fisk was not even surprised, fearing that he would be beaten violently by the disappearing 3,000 men, so he immediately ordered all the soldiers to mount their horses and fight.
It was said that it was a head-on fight, but except for a small number of guys who fled into the subconscious forest, most of them were disarmed because they had long lost their fighting spirit.
Soon, Lambart and Proclaw heard the news and came.
Shocked and ecstatic, Proclaw stopped Fisk's horse and shouted: "There are many noble people here! The others are ordinary villagers. We have been defeated, and they have also laid down their weapons. According to our agreement,
Let them live."
"It seems that you thought it through last night? Very good." Fisk pointed his big hand at the homeless and dazed people everywhere in front of him: "Go and find the nobles among them. I want all your nobles to gather together."
Proclaw was already very clear about what he was going to do next. He, the defeated leader, no longer had the right to be the leader. The new leader was Lambart, who was appointed by the Russian conqueror. Now was his last chance to fulfill his authority as leader.
Whether it was shock, anger, or other emotions, the village leaders hiding in the crowd were all revealed.
As nobles, they were also a high-profile militant group. When one of them saw the big leader actually singing along with a large group of horse bandits, he decisively shouted, "You are a traitor."
"Just think of me as a traitor! In order to survive, please give up the idea of fighting." He responded.
Let face go to hell! If these tribesmen return safely, Polotsk will indeed lose a lot of people, but it will not be destroyed. All he has to do is to restore peace to the people.
Look at these village leaders who were found. Some of them suddenly showed great righteousness and wore their clothes generously to die. Some were trembling as if they were so scared that they wet their pants. Most of them were in a state of numbness, with their feet just moving around mechanically.
Blank.
"We found ten leaders, and they are all here. Including me, the entire Polotsk nobles are here." Proclaw looked up at the arrogant Fisk on horseback, and added: "I hope you will fulfill your promise.
"
"Are these people really nobles?!" Fisk wanted to ask again.
At this moment, Lambart suddenly stood up. He even showed a flattering smile and said respectfully: "They are all here. As long as they all support me, I will be the big leader, and I can do things for you."
"Good, then the others will be useless."
After muttering a few words, Fisk ordered all the cavalry surrounding them to return to their ranks, and shouted in Slavic: "Ordinary people! You! Go home! Leave quickly!"
The words were all in simple terms, but the people who were obviously frightened were so confused that they didn't know how to escape. The anxious Proclaw hurriedly shouted: "You run away! If you run home, you won't die!"
Lambart added: "You will be safe when you go home."
As a result, three thousand people began to flee, including those who escaped into the forest during the initial battle. Some people got lost and died, but most of them found the retreating team. It can be said that the Polotsk people's military strength was not
It was a huge loss, with less than 400 people dead. Of course, for a community of more than 10,000 people, such losses were already too great, and it was enough to break their fighting spirit.
People's hearts have collapsed, and the nobles who have the ability to organize the war have all given up fighting. The village leaders who have just escaped were frightened to the point of almost cardiac arrest, but now their heartbeats are calming down.
The powerful Ross cavalry was interested in peace talks, and the nobles who had to think about life and death issues accepted the peace talks one after another.
But when the victor negotiates peace with the defeated, the losing side will naturally have to accept the victor's various claims.
That's what Fisker thought, and rightfully so.
The fortress in Proclaw was finally opened and became the scene of peace talks.
Fisk, Svalgard and Quetzal, as conquerors, looked down upon all the defeated Polotsk nobles, and the entire fortress or the largest settlement was controlled by the Rus' army.
Fisk was not intended to be the only protagonist; he announced Ross's policy.
At the beginning, his lectures were all about the minutiae of the battle. After all, he had experienced too many things, and as a close student of King Rurik, he still learned some humanistic ideas and wanted to resort to experiments.
Effect.
"It all started with a misunderstanding! Our enemies are the Smolensk people, and fighting with you Polotsk could have been avoided. It was not our intention to destroy your village, and you killed my people, and I suppressed them too.
I have suppressed the anger in my heart. If we met in another way, we might become friends. Maybe it is not too late for us to reach a normal relationship now."
These words spoke deeply into the hearts of the nobles. Fisk was observing the eyes of these people and keenly noticed that their sullen faces were relaxing.
"It seems that following the king's tricks to tame these guys is effective." He thought silently in his mind and further deepened his words.
"So even if you use all your troops, it's impossible to defeat us. What's more, my army is even one-tenth of the tribal Ross army. You are seeking death if you are an enemy of Ross. I will show you a clear way! You can't defeat us.
Just join us, so at least other forces will attack you. The whole of Polotsk will join Rus, all of you here will still be nobles, and the whole of Rus will open its doors to you. Do business with us and sell good things to us.
We will buy what you need from Russia. Pay tribute to us, and the Russian army will ensure your safety. What do you think?"
This was a repetition of the previous words, which first convinced Lambart and then Proclaw. Now, the nobles thought about it with their toes and realized that this was the best outcome.
Fisk continued to add, and he had to beat his chest again: "I am Fisk, a noble of Ross, a noble trusted by the supreme leader, and my request can represent the will of the king. Listen, even if we don't have a war
, the expanding Rus will inevitably conquer you, and it is your destiny to accept the rule of Rus. What has happened cannot be changed, and it can still be saved now, so are you willing to accept the rule of Rus? Those who are dissatisfied can stand up."
Stand up? Who dares to stand up? If there is any objection to the calculation, the shrewd noble will continue to sit cross-legged.
Fisk nodded: "So, you all support Ross's rule. Now I will announce two more things. Your great leader Proclaw is no longer the leader. Ross only recognizes Lambart as your new leader.
We don’t need the support or opposition of you nobles, this matter has nothing to do with you. Of course, you’d better support Lambart.”
The youngest of the village leaders is also middle-aged. They have lived for a long time and are not absolutely stupid. Looking at the situation in front of them, it is clear that Lambart is the agent of the conqueror of Ross. It’s just that this young man is the strongest main battler.
Pai has now become the docile dog. Some discerning people have discovered right away that this kid actually just wants to be the leader, and it may not matter how he becomes the leader.
In any case, this Lambert leadership will not lead Polotsk to destruction.
At this point, everyone could only accept the peace under Ross's rule, so the old guy who knew the current affairs suddenly said: "On behalf of my village, I support Lambart as the leader and support Polotsk to accept the rule of Ross."
With the first comes the second, and those who follow will add: "May you fulfill your promise, and we will be at peace with each other from now on."
This is what Fisk wants to see most. All the nobles declare their surrender, and Polotsk has been nominally included in the rule of Rus. However, in fact, it is legally under the rule of Rus and still needs the approval of King Rurik. Follow-up
Fisk felt that he shouldn't think about it himself. He was an old Russian, and it was his duty to open up territory for Russia. Now the matter was basically settled.
And that's not all he thought.
We have already arrived in Polotsk, the climate is not too cold, we have a strong cavalry, and there are obvious guides at hand, and it is said that there is a large group of Danish immigrants speaking Norse in the distance, why don't brothers go and meet
What about them? If they can be persuaded to join Rus, it would also be good to agree that Rurik, the king of Rus, is the overlord of the northern ocean. This is another achievement.
For a while, Fisk was only interested in the people of the Gulf of Riga because of the description of the captured old Harold. An opportunity was in front of him, and he wanted to lead his troops to have a look.