Chapter 419 The end of a battle also begins a new journey
Jevro led his men in the wilderness to collect all kinds of arrows fired, and carefully checked every dead enemy. When he encountered a dying guy, he directly dealt with it.
During this process, the deceased actually had a large amount of silver coins stuffed in his pockets. The unusual situation made the brothers happy, but immediately made them suspicious.
Yevluo scolded several people who were trying to put silver coins into their pockets: "Don't be greedy, and don't break the rules."
The soldiers had no choice but to put all the silver coins they found in the same bag, and Jevlo would present them to their master.
The battlefield is being cleaned, some corpses have been dragged together, and the Ross soldiers are stacking them up.
After all, the enemy in the sneak attack is already dead. It would be a waste of time to burn him or bury him at sea. Rurik prides himself on not being a ruthless person, so he should build a Jingguan tomb for him.
Those attackers who were lucky enough to survive were not in a good situation at all.
They suffered serious skin injuries, the early morning sun shone on their ugly and bruised faces, and faced the disdainful onlookers of a large group of Russians. They actually didn't care, they just wanted to die quickly and end the humiliation as soon as possible.
But Rurik really didn’t want to waste a group of laborers in vain.
He personally interrogated the prisoners and learned important information about Borgholm Fortress.
Just as he estimated, after yesterday's bloody battle, the will of the fortress defenders to resist almost collapsed, and no one even bothered to escape. It was like a knife to the neck of a fat sheep. The wound was not big, but the fat sheep was still
Bleed to death.
The corpses covering the gap were the fortress defenders’ lost will to resist!
The sun had already risen. Otto took a small boat lowered from the big ship and landed slowly, without any sea spray getting his boots wet.
Otto knew nothing about the battle at dawn, but when he landed, he saw the victorious outcome of the battle.
When he saw a hill piled with corpses near the camp, he was so shocked that the hair on his body trembled.
Otto subconsciously clenched the hilt of his sword and asked the soldiers gathered around him: "Hey! Who can tell me what happened?"
A moment later, Rurik, who was standing next to a group of captives bound by ropes, faced his father with a confident yet weird smile.
"It's unbelievable that the camp was attacked!"
Rurik replied calmly: "Yes."
"The results of it?"
"As you can see, we defeated all the enemies without anyone being injured. We captured more than a hundred axes and swords, and even a large amount of silver coins."
"Are these the attackers?" Otto glanced at the tied people with contempt, like looking at slaughtered sheep, "Who are they? Oh, they must be from the fortress."
"They are Gotlanders."
"What? Gotlanders?! Why?"
"Dad, I asked for a lot of information. The people in Borgholm Fortress are all Saxons, and these Gotlanders are working as mercenaries for those people. Now listen to me..."
Saxon, this is really an unfamiliar term to Otto.
Many warriors participating in the battle spontaneously approached their leader, and their conversations were full of joy.
After listening to my son's introduction, the counterattack against the surprise attack was all done by shooting short arrows. Although it was not as smooth as a close-quarters bloody battle, the efficiency of killing the enemy and the zero casualty rate of one's own side was nothing short of a beautiful victory.
.
Otto listened to Rurik's explanation and fully understood yesterday's arrow support. The archer was blocked by the high wall and could not see the situation inside the castle, and the Gotland mercenaries who defended the city at that time paid a lot of effort.
big loss.
After a whole day of fighting, only a hundred or so of the five hundred Gotland mercenaries were left. They originally intended to sneak attack at dawn and rob the ship of the "obviously weaker" Russians to escape the battlefield, but they were easily killed.
of annihilation.
When they found themselves exposed to the terrifying rain of arrows again, their last bit of will to fight basically collapsed.
Otto's deep eyes looked at the fortress not far away. Due to the low altitude of Oland Island, his eyesight was also good. Looking at the obvious gap in the fortress, the death warrior sword, ax and iron armor were all there.
Reflecting the golden light of the sun.
"Ah! It seems that Olegin is going to win this year, and the enemy has lost the will to resist."
Rurik also turned his head and looked at the fortress: "Olegin should try to persuade the opponent to surrender! If he can avoid fighting and force the opponent to surrender, he should try so. There is no point in continuing the battle, just like these twenty
They are prisoners, and I decided to spare their lives."
As soon as these words came out, the hope of survival suddenly appeared in the eyes of the mentally broken prisoner!
Otto looked at these hateful guys with contempt again and curled his lips to express his rejection.
"Why?"
"Because your uncle was killed by these Gotlanders. Don't think that they don't understand us. Our war with them cannot be easily ended. We still want revenge."
"But..." Rurik pointed at the mountains of corpses. "At least too many enemies have died here. Maybe we should postpone our revenge. These men can work for us as slaves."
"Slaves? At least not now." Otto's heart was as hard as a rock: "You don't need mercy now, not at all. They must die."
"No! I object. They can go logging and do many things."
"You don't want to do it? Then I'll help you."
"No. If they must die, we don't have to do it ourselves. Give them to Olegin and let that guy do it."
Otto sighed deeply: "I think you just don't want your hands to be stained with blood. No matter what, someone will help you do it. Rurik, remember, your kindness is always good, but this
We don’t need any prisoners in this battle. You should imagine, if the brothers were a little lazy, how many people would be killed by them? Today I will teach you that a man must be as ruthless as a piece of iron."
After hearing this, Rurik grinned and couldn't say anything.
Killing the captives simply made Rurik, who had a different kind of education, feel it was a shameful thing, but for the typical Vikings around him, everyone had very simple ideas. Revenge is revenge, and things should be done as they should.
Pay attention to simplicity.
Someone needs to kill these guys who have become useless after handing over the information. Otto pointed at the two boys with a clear target: "Kanulf, Fisk. Your boss can't bear to do it himself, now you go ahead!"
At least Kanuf hesitated, while Fisk walked straight into Otto.
Otto casually threw a dagger to the boy: "Now avenge your father who died in the battle."
The short sword was stuck in the ground, but Fisk calmly took off the sword on his back. He quickly held a long sword in his hand: "Big boss, this is my father's sword, and now I want to use it for revenge."
“Great, let’s do it!”
Fisk is extremely proactive, but Kanuf's timidity makes Otto a little worried. The new generation of the Ross tribe must be brave. Otto can say that Haro Zuosen has never been timid or hesitant when fighting, so why is his youngest son timid?
?
Twenty prisoners had their eyes covered with cloth and were assassinated by Fisk one after another. The Ross soldiers and mercenary soldiers who were watching were all applauding. But this terrifying scene made all the Gray Squirrel tribesmen from Ironburg
The Kovin warriors were so shocked that they had nothing to say.
Rurik really didn't want to say anything. He simply stopped watching the execution for a while. But when he heard the soldiers' wanton shouting, it was clear that they had no compassion, or that it was unnecessary. Their kindness had become alien.
.
But Rurik still rushed over and kicked away Fisk who was about to stab his sword again, "That's enough! Spare his life for the last guy. Let's take the prisoners and tell Olegin the details of the enemy."
The red-eyed bald Fisk couldn't listen to Rurik's words at all. He wanted to continue killing, but Rurik immediately tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword.
"Then let's stop here!" Otto yelled, as if everything was over.
At this moment, Rurik, who was still holding the sharp sword with a blood-stained blade, sat cross-legged on the ground, feeling really unhappy about what he was thinking.
Because there is a principled issue here, that is, I am clearly a "battlefield commander" who was given power by my father. Why do I no longer have power?
He bared his teeth and faced Otto in a commanding tone: "Next time if something like this happens, you must listen to my opinion. In my opinion, the constant use of force will only make the Gotlanders completely fall to Denmark.
People, since we were allies, we should find a way to bring them back. I don't want all the Gotlanders to be killed, we should recognize their submission, at least let them be slaves, but kill them."
Otto didn't change his expression: "I expected you to have such an idea. The Gotlanders are different. They killed my brother, and I will take revenge for the rest of my life. If your cousin was here, he would not care.
You hesitate to take action. You see, your Fisk is so decisive. This kid will also be a strong soldier of my Ross in the future. You should be happy."
"That's all. I hope Gotland can surrender to us, pay us tribute every year, and cede the northern sea area of the island as our fishing ground. Instead of completely annihilating them, this is the biggest problem between us and the Malaren people.
Different, we are not and should not be pirates, we are the Principality of Rus. Under my rule, I want the Gotlanders to kneel in front of me and swear allegiance. I don’t want to face the bones. So, Dad, I must be sure
one thing."
"What's the matter?"
"If I were the military commander in a normal battle, I should have enough power, and it would also be my right to deal with the prisoners."
"Huh?" Otto suddenly realized, "You mean, I did something wrong?"
"Future battles are all subject to my arrangements. I can do everything well. No one is allowed to kill any prisoners they capture without my permission."
Otto neither approved nor refused. He said nothing and looked at the fortress with a deep gaze, as if he had acquiesced.
The last prisoner was tied up more tightly, and he was led closer to the main camp of the Melalen Army (in the end, he was taken away and chopped down by Karl).
The Russian army came with their crossbows, and Otto also presented the prisoner of war. The appearance of the prisoner of war really surprised Olegin, and he learned a lot of news about the fortress.
The Dukes present are preparing for a big battle, but the battle may not start.
Olegin decided to put on his armor and take his followers to persuade him to surrender in person. If he succeeded, the fortress would be conquered today.
No one realized that the Russians had easily thwarted the enemy's sneak attack. Everyone's focus was on the empty situation inside the enemy. Suddenly, everyone had great hopes for the success of persuading them to surrender.
The soldiers of the Swedish army all woke up. They moved their stiff bodies and ate boring dried fish to satisfy their hunger. Many of them fantasized about hunting some wild deer for tusking ceremony, but on this bare island, they probably only hunted a few rabbits at most.
After yesterday's bloody battle, the shocked soldiers felt much better after a night's rest. After eating, revenge for the brothers who died in the battle became the purpose of everyone's fighting, although Fort Borgholm was only
A stronghold that is temporarily intended to be attacked.
Olegin was full of confidence. He looked at the Dukes: "I will reiterate to you, I hope those Saxons, oh, it seems to be that name. As long as those Saxons surrender to us, they will no longer be enemies. They
If they fight for me and attack Kalma, we will spare their lives. But their wealth must be used to redeem their lives, and your tribes do not have to worry about not being able to get money or food."
A still large army was assembled, and they gathered on the beach north of the fortress. Facing the gap covered by corpses, they did not launch a fatal blow.
However, there was already a wailing inside the Borgholm Fortress. A shirtless blond man was preparing to die generously under the sad gaze of his tribesmen.
Stein Saxon, armed with his ancestral bronze dagger, did not even bring a single entourage, and wanted to sign a city alliance with the enemy.
At this moment, Olegin only brought a dozen followers with him, and he walked towards the gap in a swaggering manner.
I saw a bare-backed man standing on the pile of gray corpses in the gap. He raised his hands and the dagger, and shouted as he walked: "I am the leader, and I want to see your leader!"
Stein quickly noticed Olegin, who was dressed compactly and arrogantly. Because Olegin had a few dye-dyed feathers on his helmet, he looked extremely noble.
Stein walked cautiously, and when he saw the black-clothed soldiers on guard, he stepped closer.
Olegin raised his hand and told his men to relax: "Don't be stupid, this man has been scared out of his wits. He has no hostility."
He held his waist and stood arrogantly. When the shirtless man got close enough, he shouted sharply: "Are you a Saxon? Are you the leader of the fortress?"
Stein was taken aback and replied calmly: "Yes."
"Put down your weapons and kneel down! Crawl up to me like a dog!"
Stein felt humiliated by asking a warrior to kneel down to serve as a hunting dog, but he had no choice. He knelt down, pulled out the well-maintained bronze sword, and stuck it in the mud.
Olegin saw at a glance that the sword was unusual, "Wait a minute! Hold your sword and crawl in front of me!"
Stein had no choice but to do so, and he knelt down holding his sword, but Olegin finally snatched it away.
"What a strange sword. It's actually made of bronze. It's indeed a treasure."
Stein immediately said: "I am Stein, the leader of the Saxons in Borgholm, and I ask the Lord of the North to spare our lives. You can take away our wealth, but please spare my people's lives."
.If you are kind enough, we will be loyal to you..."
Seeing this surrendered man and the sword in his hand, Olegin was overjoyed.
He deliberately said: "I am the King of Sweden, what you call the Lord of the North. I know you are Saxons, and you surrender to Denmark. This is your sin! Anyone who surrenders to Denmark is my enemy, but you
With such sincere surrender, I can promise you that your life and that of your people will be protected."
"Merciful King, thank you..."
"But." Olegin said sharply: "I can make you a duke under me. Before that, you must prove your loyalty with actions. Those Gotland mercenaries escaped, you know? All those guys were killed
I kill easily. At least your wooden wall made me pay the price. My warriors are very angry. You need to spend enough wealth to quell their anger!"
Stein had long expected that this would happen. When people are being used as flesh and blood, he only has the option of fully agreeing. "Yes! I am willing to spend all my wealth to redeem my people's lives."
"Not only that! I will attack Kalmar, I will attack you simply because you are an obstacle. You are not Gotlanders, and you are not Danes. I want you to organize an army to fight for me. You can only kill enough Danes.
, can prove true loyalty.”
To be honest, Stein did not want to be enemies with the Danes. After all, he was close enough to the Danish forces and far away from Lake Mälaren in the north. The price of trying not to offend both sides was to offend both sides. He found that he did not even have the power to choose sides.
, for the survival of his people, he must stand in the Swedish camp.
"Yes! I will organize soldiers to fight for you."
"Okay!" Olegin was indeed one generation older than Stein. He stroked this man's head and promised: "Let your people come out without any weapons, young and old. Don't worry, God is watching.
With us, I swear on the honor of the king that I will fulfill my promise. Let them all come out, otherwise when my people rush in, they will find those who have not come out and kill them as enemies."
The Saxons had no choice at all. Stein was put back. After a while, people began to carefully step on the corpse and leave the gap. They were indeed bare-handed and didn't even bring food. Men, women and children gathered together, and they
They all sat on the ground waiting for their unknown fate.
Stein himself, still shirtless, cautiously asked Olegin what would happen next.
"Let your people sit still and don't think about escaping. I will restrain my men not to attack your people, and you will restrain your men not to do stupid things. Anyone who dares to disobey my orders will be killed. I will send
My elite warriors protect you, but this fortress is mine now."
Protection? It is indeed protection, but it is also surveillance.
After the battle, as many as 1,800 men, women, and children from the fortress evacuated. They did pay a heavy price in the bloody battle, but the core of the tribe did not collapse. They simply lost their fighting spirit due to the bloody battle.
In fact, no matter how hard you fight, you still have the strength to fight.
Olegin really didn't expect that the so-called persuasion to surrender turned into the enemy's begging for surrender. Both sides were interested in making peace, so the truce naturally hit it off.
As the king of Sweden, he arrogantly led the team towards the gap, and covered his mouth when he saw the large number of corpses from close range.
"Damn it, the money and food are all in the fortress. These people who died in the battle...Brothers, take away the bodies, put them on the boat, push them into the sea and burn them! May their souls rest in peace in the underworld..."
The corpses were cleared one by one, and each tribe began to claim the corpses of their own people and bury them in their own way. Nothing was more important than looting the empty fortress.
At this point, the three-day war at Borgholm Fortress ended with the surrender of the defenders' survivors.
In terms of military strength alone, due to the addition of a group of Saxons, the strength of the Swedish army increased, and Olegin regained the confidence to attack Kalmar. Because as far as the Voskas servants and Saxon surrenders were concerned, even the
Several Danish mercenaries who have survived to this day and people from all three parties claim that the settlement of Kalmar does not have a large-scale wall.
Without the damn difficult wall, the biggest worry of Olegin and the Swedish army disappeared.