The Russian army began to head towards Visby. To be on the safe side, Harold Zosen led the Second Flag of the Warriors to advance lightly. Everything was just as Harald said when he surrendered. There were only some old and weak people left in Visby, and some walking around.
sheep, and a pile of dead bodies lying on the ground.
When those women and children saw the invading army, they all entered their homes.
"Brothers, capture them all alive. These are the slaves of our Russian people. If they don't resist, go and don't do anything." Haro Zuosen has no intention of killing innocent people indiscriminately. After all, the enemy has completely stopped resisting. Of course, he has a certain attitude towards the Gotlanders.
Hatred, now gone as the enemy combatants turned into dead bodies on the ground.
The hostile forces on Gotland no longer exist, and the remaining population was absorbed by Luo. What finally increased was Ross's strength. Haluo Zuosen was a pragmatic old guy. No, he quickly sent troops to capture two hundred
Multiple people.
There were mostly women, old women, and a group of very young children crying loudly. The old women might be taken back to work as tailors, and the young women would of course be divided among their brothers and become their wives. No man would find it objectionable.
He has many women. As for a group of children, they will continue to be raised. Haro Zuosen knows Lord Rurik's strategy too well. These wailing brats will eventually become Russian warriors more than ten years later.
During the final march, Arik had no intention of being rude to his new woman. He was full of nice words, emphasizing to Aslaqi the strength of the Russian people, his own strength, and sketching a picture of a beautiful life.
However, Aslaki walked the whole way without saying a word, as if she was mute.
Actually? The girl's heart has been shaken. She doesn't believe some of the rumors in the past. Maybe some of them are true, and some of them are just men deliberately exaggerating the actions of the Russian army in order to resist the Russians.
What she saw with her own eyes was that the composition of the Ross army was extremely complex. The neatness of the ranks and the uniformity of clothing did not look like man-eating monsters at all. Instead, they looked like legends told by the priests. The Ross army looked like Ass.
Gard's army is so orderly. Look! Looking around, the Ross army is passing through the gaps in the mounds in an orderly manner, with Visby in front of them.
Now that things have happened, Aslaqi asks herself, it seems that the Russians have not persecuted her family more. What she fears is that "Arik the Butcher" will do violence to her. Maybe this man is not that barbaric?
She insisted on staying alert and waiting to see what would happen.
On the other hand, Harold Zolfsen, who captured as many as 400 people in Visby, also found the Harald family's mansion. The two sides almost got into a fight due to a misunderstanding. After asking for their names, Harold Zolfsen chose to take him with him.
Follow your brothers around.
They all carried the flag of the flag regiment and rushed to the coastal pier in Visby.
A group of men dressed in blue and white were beating their shields and shouting?
The fleet led by Gould continued to be on guard, and people saw that the flags waving and shouting were clearly their own troops, especially the flag that kept waving.
In a moment, a captured ship headed straight for the Aurora.
Gould remained vigilant and ordered the soldiers on the Aurora to prepare for battle and beware of possible enemy sneak attacks. As a result, the boat was still some distance away, and Gould and many people on board recognized it and were very familiar with it.
All the faces put down their crossbows and removed their arrows.
The small boat docked next to the Aurora, and Gould on the big boat poked his head: "Isn't this Mr. Harold Johnson? I was so scared that I thought it was an enemy."
"Haha! My big businessman, do you think that the enemy can defeat our army?"
"How is that possible? Look, we are firmly in control of the bay and have not let any enemies escape. How about it? The army has already entered the city?"
"Yes! The Duke asked me to bring you a message. Now the fleet is all docked and the entire army will be stationed in Visby tonight. The war is over. We have almost killed all the enemies! We won!"
Hearing the phrase "kill them all", Gould's heart tightened. At least 10,000 people had to settle in Visby. In just three days, they were wiped out by 3,000 Russian troops, including himself.
Pure? If this is true, then his three views must be recast.
"Okay! Let's set off now! Hey, brothers are feeling uncomfortable floating on the sea, let's go ashore!"
The Ross army has entered the city!
Rurik never imagined that he clearly did not send anyone to attack, and the current scene in Visby clearly looked like it had experienced an urban war.
The messy alleyways were littered with dead bodies, a large number of thatched and wooden longhouses were destroyed, and there were obvious signs of burning in some places.
This seaport city should have been a prosperous place, but now everything has become depressed.
Soon, Rurik saw the capture of the advance troops.
"A large group of women and children? All the men in Visby were killed by our army?" Rurik imagined that this was probably the case. What Harald said was true. There was no resistance here.
The corpses on the ground were too eye-catching, but the cattle and sheep in the pens were really precious.
Otto, who entered the city, casually gave the order: "Brothers, catch the cattle and sheep according to your skills, and slaughter them immediately. We will all eat meat tonight."
Rurik felt that this was a bit inappropriate. Every cow and sheep was a seed, and they could reproduce a lot. Considering that he was also hungry for roasted lamb legs, he simply gave up.
Rurik gave the brothers a key order: "Clean away the corpses! Check all buildings, look for belongings, and beware of ambushed enemies."
The mansion of the Khrolev family welcomed a new owner, and Harald respectfully welcomed the conqueror, Duke of Rus, and his entourage into his home.
His family members were all frightened, and they selectively avoided the Russians when they came in.
"Are your people afraid of me?" Otto asked with a smile.
Harald hurriedly explained, "They are indeed a little scared. They don't know what the Duke will bring."
"Of course it is conquest. Oh, your loyal servant, I forgive all the sins of your family members. Now go into the house and tell your people to bring out their belongings. And!"
"yes."
"Tonight my nephew Arik must marry your daughter."
"As ordered. We should hold the wedding in the long room of the big altar. That is... the priests have all run away. Maybe Aslaqi returns to your territory and then..."
Otto laughed boldly, "Is it just for this reason? Fortunately, our high priest of Rus is also accompanying this expedition. Our priest has received the favor of Odin. It is your daughter's honor to have her hold the ceremony."
"That...is really great."
Harald could only agree. Now that the Russians had occupied the entire Visby, he could only hope that the conquerors would treat his family better as promised.
Russians don’t reject wealth, right?
Harald led the Russians to dig out his silver cellar, and a large number of coins buried underground were revealed today.
The man carrying the boxes was panting, and a large number of wooden boxes were placed in the small courtyard of the mansion. Seeing this scene, Otto was ecstatic, but he couldn't laugh wildly, he had to maintain his dignity.
Rurik also had a sullen face and restrained his subordinates who were not calm.
"All of them? You only have fourteen boxes?"
The Duke of Ross seemed not satisfied yet? Harald hurriedly explained: "In addition to the meeting gift, there are also 1,400 pounds of silver coins here, and they are almost all of good quality."
"I have to see for myself whether it's in good condition or not."
After that, Otto motioned to Rurik, "The money is all yours, come and see how it is."
Rurik's eyes widened and he swallowed hard. If it was true as Harald said, the army would really make a lot of money from this trip.
The dusty box on the ground floor was full of dirt and slightly damp, but silver was hard to rust.
The boxes were opened one after another, and the spectators all shuddered. The huge wealth stimulated the minds of the warriors. If these belongings were not marked as belonging to the Duke, the brothers would have swarmed in and robbed them based on their skills.
Rurik, who was handling the silver coins, completely confirmed their quality. A considerable part of them were Frankish silver coins, and the old ones were Roman silver coins that had been used for an unknown period of time. Some of the silver coins had obvious damage, which may not have been caused by wear and tear during circulation.
, but some merchants deliberately filed down the corners and finally recast a silver coin.
Silver is silver. When a smart businessman faces payment for goods, he first looks at the quality and secondly weighs the weight. Overall, the quality of this batch of silver coins is very good. They represent the financial strength of the Harald family and also highlight their wealth.
Sincerity.
Rurik patted his clothes and stood up, throwing back the silver coins that he had played with until they were warm.
"Harald, is this really fourteen hundred pounds?"
"As you can see."
"More than that." Rurik raised his head and looked at the houses in the mansion again: "Your house is very big! It's just that the family members who live in you are obviously too big. There are a lot of people living in the houses, but now they are empty. This
Why?"
"Many longhouses are the residences of mercenaries. I..." Harald hesitated, then explained: "I raised nearly two hundred Danish mercenaries, but unfortunately they all died on the battlefield in Qiao Village. Also
There are some warehouses with a bunch of sheepskins piled up, as well as some strange little things. Those things, I...are willing to offer them."
A rare thing? Rurik learned that the merchants of Visby had close exchanges with the Danes in peaceful days. He learned of a Danish market called Hedeby, and another called Sirius Port. In other words,
Schleswig. This Harald must have some gold and silver utensils imported from the Frankish Kingdom, or even old items from the Western Roman Empire.
It's a pity that his mansion is not small, and the buildings and wooden walls are simple. What's worse is that these buildings have no floors!
"Okay, I don't want those weird things of yours. No matter how precious the glassware is, I don't care about it either. Harald!"
"yes."
"I am the military commander of Ross and the owner of the largest wealth in the Principality of Ross. My words are law! I will take away half of your wealth as agreed, and the seven hundred pounds of silver will still be your wealth. When we are finished
After all this, your family will leave with our army, and your family must serve me from now on. Listen, serve me seriously, and you will get more wealth."
"Oh! That's great!" It sounded like the Russians promised a great thing. Harald couldn't be sure that this was true. He was still wary, and his eyes were looking at his daughter. "
Boudoir", but now the boudoir has a new owner - the butcher Arik.
Arik and Asraqi are waiting. The newlyweds will get married tonight. They should be very happy, but Harald can't laugh. He doesn't know what will happen in the future. Obviously he can only look at Rose.
The Duke acted with a face.
Rurik still greatly underestimated the wealth of the Visby merchants.
Visby, which was supposed to be withered and dilapidated, soon became lively again as the conquerors moved in. There were young warriors from the Warriors' Second Flag, as well as a large number of sailors who disembarked, old Russian warriors and female soldiers,
They lined up in a long line carrying a large number of boxes, and the viewers were wondering what they had got.
The sun was about to set, and the whole of Visby turned into an excavation site.
Harald knew best where his fellow merchants liked to bury their money. This kind of strange knowledge was not something that bandits and civilians could understand. He led a group of soldiers to almost demolish the old house of his dead friend merchant, and Ross
People moved out a large amount of seized leather, linen, and some extremely valuable old wheat. Some people were already holding shovels and axes to actually dig into the merchant's bedroom, and a batch of heavy boxes were unearthed one after another.
Prior to those digging, Gould happily walked into the "military command post" at the Duke of Ross's house in Harald, and presented him with a gift that was so shocking that Otto fainted.
There is nothing more to say. Fifty boxes, the initial estimate is five thousand pounds of silver coins.
In addition to what Harald presented and what the soldiers dug up immediately, Otto and Rurik were shocked that they had actually obtained seven thousand pounds of silver coins and even a small amount of gold coins.
A few years ago, a silver coin was extremely precious in Rossburg. Ever since Arik led his troops to plunder Gotland and brought back nearly a thousand pounds of silver coins, the silver coins have become worthless. Now, seven thousand pounds
Silver became the treasure of the Russian people.
After a huge sum of money was spent, Otto had no idea at all. Many elites imagined that they could buy something after dividing the huge sum of money. Although Rurik was also shocked, he turned around and realized that this
If all the money fell into the hands of the tribe, would the Russian economy be in chaos due to hyperinflation?
Therefore, the seven thousand pounds of silver coins and even the new money discovered later, and the seized goods must be firmly controlled by yourself!
Fool, mortals have no right to get this huge sum of money. After all, it is the original capital for the rise of the Ross tribe!
At this moment, Rurik really understood why the accumulation of original capital was full of blood and tears. But, who cares?
As night fell, the Ross army and warriors of all ethnic groups became the new residents of Visby.
Everyone lit a bonfire and roasted the newly slaughtered sheep and poultry without restraint, and feasted on the captured ale. From the time of the expedition to the present, three long weeks have passed! If there are not enough seizures, the Ross army will be in need of rations.
.
Fortunately, the dust settled and the Gotlanders were completely defeated. All the food they had stored and the cattle and sheep they raised became delicious meals for the Russian army.
People laughed and talked about the unprecedented victory in many languages. Many budding young warriors felt that the brothers had killed at least a thousand Danish mercenaries. The legendary dangerous and powerful Danes were nothing more than that, or Ross
Under the leadership of Lord Rurik and the old leader Otto, the army is already the strongest force in the known world. Pride and complacency are spreading, which is understandable. After all, since the Russians left the fjord and began to expand, they have grown from one country to another in the past four years.
Victory leads to another victory. Failure? Doesn’t exist.
Visby is a sea of bonfires. She was originally a city formed around the "Great Altar of Frey". Now the Temple of Frey has a new owner.
All the priests of Old Visby fled, and the Russian army had no intention of capturing them. Since they had given up on the gods, the gods would naturally no longer bless them.
The dead Gotland king Hakon forcibly blasphemed Frey and changed the god served in the temple to Odin.
Now the high priest Rumia of the Rus, the woman who everyone believed was spared by Odin, is worshiping Odin in the altar. The sacrificial activities are just part of a series of rituals. When the sacred ceremony is completed, a wedding
Held immediately.
At the altar in the longhouse, Aric and Aslaki completed the wedding ceremony according to the customs of Russia. Otto was really happy to see his eldest nephew marry the second woman.
A bottle of strong wine was Otto's special gift to his nephew. In shock, Asraqi held the burning walrus ivory glass and drank the burning strong wine by force. Looking at Aric in front of her, this man seemed to have already
Habit.
Could it be that the Russians who went to the north learned some magic in the world of ice and snow? There is actually burning wine!
Since Aslaqi had chosen to agree, there was no resistance. She was hugged by her man, the princess, and returned directly to her boudoir.
The door was closed, and the female soldiers who were usually responsible for guarding had no right to enter.
After the bonfire carnival, the well-fed and drunk Ross army finally calmed down, and they took possession of the Visby people's old house and slept soundly.
Otto drank the last bottle of liqueur in one gulp, and finally drifted off to sleep.
As for Rurik, he slept together surrounded by maids.
Harald's mansion serves as the command center of the Ross people, and currently only a group of elite soldiers patrol regularly.
Almost everyone was asleep, but Arik didn't want to go to bed so early, and he didn't "make a move" on his wife immediately. The two just lay quietly on the soft sheepskin blanket and talked.
Aslaqi hopes to get an answer, that is, Arik himself tells what he did on the island. In fact, she has never hated Arik. Her family's losses in the war were not serious, and the person in power in Ross is obviously
He was also lenient. Aslaqi just listened to those legends and was preconceivedly afraid of Arik.
The gods have witnessed that this young woman is his second wife. Aric has no intention of hiding his wife.
"Some people say that I am a butcher, maybe I am. They turned me into this! I only kill my enemies. For my brothers, I will give them all the money I captured."
Aslaki was horrified when she heard that, because those rumors were all true, and her husband's murder was too much.
She didn't want to and didn't dare to criticize anything, so she asked: "Is your character always like this?"
"No."
"So……"
"Since my father was killed by the Gotlanders in the autumn ten years ago, I have decided to take revenge. We Russians just yawed and had no intention of attacking Gotland, but the battle still broke out. Our attack was for
Revenge! For the past ten years, I have thought about revenge every day!" Arik became more and more angry as he spoke, but the smart Aslaki heard the sadness and inferiority.
Finally, she noticed that Arik was crying.
"Now, do you still have hatred? There are only a few houses left in Visby, and Gotland has failed." Aslaqi approached Arik and asked weakly.
"The hatred is gone, the old Gotlanders no longer exist. You... you are my wife, you are the Rus. Do you know? I need the company of my family, be my woman, I will treat you well
If you give birth to a child for me, you will enjoy a high status in the Principality of Rus and your family will prosper."
At this moment, Aslaqi was also moved by her true feelings. Perhaps Arik was a butcher, a man who had lived in intense hatred for ten years, and it was reasonable for him to become the most dangerous berserker with a blank mind during the battle.
She asked softly: "That Rurik, is your brother? A beautiful boy. I feel that he is the... king of Ross."
"Yes, he is favored by Odin. It is a gift given by Odin to us Russians. Everyone obeys his orders. Our old priest has also been blessed by Odin. Now she is eighty years old. She will
The position was given to the girl, our new high priest, a deer herder. That woman was supposed to die, but Adin gave her a new life to serve us Rus."
The people of Russia are really full of fantasy. Aslaqi asked in surprise: "So you...were you also blessed by Odin?"
"I think so. My arm was seriously injured, but I didn't have any disease. I recovered without pain. Because during the treatment, our priest sang a prayer, and it was God who made me recover.
.”
Aslaqi no longer had any doubts. She took a long breath and even couldn't wait: "Then come, my berserker! Our priest told me that my man is a real warrior. Odin is
Correct, let me..." She composed herself and said decisively: "Let me become a woman."
Under the dim oil lamp, Arik smiled and rushed over without saying anything more...