Chapter 471 An Uninvited Guest Wearing a Golden Crown
The most difficult period of the long expedition was finally over. The huge army relaxed and occupied the entire Visby. They were finally able to put aside their worries and take a good rest.
Rurik gave the army a holiday, and after handing over the main captures to the Duke, the soldiers began to freely search for loot.
All the clay pots, cloth and leather that were found were looted. Most of the soldiers had changed into thick clothes, and their linen pockets were stuffed with many bottles and cans.
The best trophies were all in Rurik's hands, and for some of them he had already taken out a small portion and publicly rewarded them to the bravest in the battle.
A huge amount of loot, almost all the gold, silver and jewelry belonged to Rurik, and most of the leather and ironware also belonged to him.
Rurik didn't want to give them all to the soldiers. This was definitely not his greed. Of course, some soldiers were chewing their heads. The so-called Duke himself ate almost all the captures.
But, so what? Who dares to question the descendants of God?
The most important thing is, without the planning and command of the Duke family, when will the great revenge of everyone in the Ross tribe be avenged?
The wealth will eventually return to the hands of the Russian people, but the way the wealth is given back is special.
After that night, Harald donated a total of eight hundred pounds of silver, as well as a sheepskin and rinsed loose wool. His daughter Asraqi also officially became a woman and a Russian.
In the next two days, more than 2,000 pounds of silver coins were unearthed, and as many as 10,000 pounds of copper coins were unearthed.
Copper coins are not valuable goods, unless their currency value is relatively high when currency is scarce. Unfortunately, its value is mainly reflected in melting down to make bronze wares.
This was not an era when commodities were plentiful. After some inventory, Rurik basically understood the categories and magnitudes of the items he had seized.
The silver coins reached ten thousand pounds, and the copper coins reached ten thousand pounds.
Gold coins are always scarce, and now only amount to a little over a hundred pounds.
There are three hundred pounds of raw amber and finished products. There is only a small package of rubies.
The largest number of goods were 10,000 sheepskins and 1,000 cowhide. There were also nearly 20,000 live sheep that were not slaughtered, and nearly 1,000 cattle. Most importantly, Rurik discovered extremely rare horses!
Unfortunately, it was completely different from what he imagined. Tall horses did not exist. Among the more than a hundred horses captured, their shoulder height only reached the chest of a mature man. This kind of horse was not even as good as a Mongolian horse or a European pony (actually a Gothic horse).
The Pomeranians bought it from the Pomeranians after many transfers of hands), but it was a treasure for pulling carts and carrying things.
Dairy products such as cheese are processed into huge clumps, but their grayish-white color and smelly smell made Rurik instinctively resist. The seizure scale of cheese is not large. It is a high-energy food and tastes without added sugar.
It's exciting too, and kids like Carlotta don't complain at all.
Now a huge problem is placed in front of Rurik and the Ross army. The army completely defeated the enemy and captured far more supplies than everyone expected. It is simply impossible to transport these money, supplies, livestock and poultry to Rossburg.
!
There were so many sheep captured that the number that had not yet been slaughtered was six times the strength of the Russian army.
It is a pity that the Russian army can mobilize only thirty cargo ships at most. How can they transport the sheep in a short time? The temperature is getting colder day by day. Do the army want to abandon these captures? Even if it is a surprise slaughter, the belly of the brothers is so big.
Only part of it can be digested before evacuating Gotland.
And this is just one of many problems.
Gotland's oats are fully mature, and wheat is an extremely shelf-stable food. Regardless of taste, wheat that has been stored for three years can still provide a good meal.
The army rested for two full days, and Rurik issued another order to harvest wheat. Who would do the hard work of harvesting wheat? Naturally, it was the Slavs and Malaren mercenaries in the army.
In essence, they are farmers and have fields in their hometown. They have very sufficient experience in wheat harvesting. Unfortunately, the Russians are extremely lacking in this aspect. As a result, the Russians who immigrated to New Roseburg had to learn from the Slavs who immigrated.
land.
There was still no one to collect the corpses of those who died in the war, and their corpses were left to be eaten by ravens. The people who were busy harvesting wheat had no time to care about the dead. They drove the captured small carriages to transport the bundles of wheat to Visby.
The wheat harvest continued for three more days! In these three days, the Russian army and the captured women and children, more than 3,000 people, had eaten 1,500 sheep with great luxury.
The wheat harvesters cleared the flat land in Visby, made a batch of large flails with wooden sticks and hemp rope, and began to beat the bundles of Danish wheat ears frantically to remove the husks.
These Slavs put in a lot of work, and in return they ate mutton every meal, and finally had porridge cooked with new wheat.
It is almost September in the Julian calendar, and the rainy season is about to arrive. In the past, Gotland has only had a small amount of rainy weather, and it comes and goes quickly. But in September, once a long rainy weather comes,
It was a heavy blow to the army far away.
The evacuation of the Russians began as early as Visby had just been conquered.
By carrying all the captured gold and silver ashore, Gould was indeed just showing off his achievements to the Duke and Rurik.
On the fourth day after the conquest, all seven thousand pounds of silver coins were shipped to the Aurora, and almost all the sheepskins and cowhide were also loaded on the ship.
A group of young warriors under Rurik's command, these 200 people, together with some really old people, became the first batch of evacuees.
The fleet was already fully loaded, and fortunately there was no threatening force on the sea. This fleet of armed cargo ships headed straight for Fort Ross.
They sailed against the wind, and when they returned, they sailed with the wind all night long. Gould had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, and he had no right to relax.
It would take ten days at the earliest for the transport fleet to go back and forth, during which the Russians could only wait.
Time has quietly entered September, and the climate has become increasingly unfavorable to the Russians. Everyone is not afraid of the cold, but they are worried that the rain will make the whole world cold and damp.
People are still desperately eating mutton, and they have rarely become extremely luxurious. The mutton liver and mutton tripe that were once regarded as food are directly discarded, and people are obsessed with eating mutton, resulting in a large amount of food being used as fish feed.
By eating meat in this way, the army eats it with open stomachs, and ten thousand sheep can be eaten in no time.
The areas currently controlled by the Russians are generally too cold. Although the Novorosberg and Novgorod areas are suitable for raising sheep, they need to reserve large flocks of sheep and forage for the cattle to survive the winter, and they also need to mobilize strong manpower and material resources.
Do the Russians have so much manpower? Basically not. All the strength of the Russians is concentrated in Visby, and the rest are old and weak.
After all, cattle, sheep, and poultry were captured from the enemy and were not wealth cultivated by one's own hands. Naturally, one would not feel bad about squandering it.
Eating a lot of meat is also beneficial. Thin people will quickly become stronger and accumulate some fat. The key sheepskin and wool are the most important treasures.
With so many furs seized, the Ross tribe will be busy all winter.
With this war of conquest, the Russian power should be rooted in Gotland. However, considering reality, this area is too close to the Danish power and too far from Rosberg. Winter is approaching, and people’s breath
The fog was clearly visible, and it was obviously a bad idea to send someone to stay in Visby.
All the Ross ships in the port of Slittomo were transferred to Visby, where the army also captured nearly a thousand ships.
Among them, the cargo ships have been incorporated into the fleet going north to transport goods immediately. Most of the remaining ships are small fishing boats with very few people, and there are only a hundred large long ships.
A large amount of cargo still needs to be transshipped, and the Slavic mercenaries, who must be packed into cargo ships, must return to their hometown of Novgorod in September.
"Damn it. I'm not afraid of war or destruction at all. Now I'm trying my best to seize and bring back as many people as possible, but it's so troublesome!" Rurik was blaming himself for not being fully prepared and causing a mess now.
After some planning, and then looking at the long ships waiting for the coast to be empty, and the long-awaited empty transport fleet arriving at the port, it was the final moment for the army to evacuate.
It seems that all the Russian army has to do is sit down and eat new wheat porridge every day and gnaw on mutton wantonly. Unexpected things also happen suddenly.
Some Russians took up their old trade and rowed into the waters off Visby in an attempt to hunt whales.
As a result, a huge fleet came from the south against the wind.
Is it the enemy? The Danes got the news and came to claim their lives?
The fishing boat tried to evacuate and informed the army of the important news that the enemy was attacking.
Of course, the attacking fleet was indeed eager for a battle, and the longship leading it revealed its identity.
The battle still broke out, and the fleet quickly took control of the Ross fishing boat. Seeing that the opponent actually withdrew for a while without resisting, a young man wearing a gold crown shouted in confusion.
This man was holding a steel sword with a gold-plated hilt inlaid with precious stones, and pointed at the captured enemies who showed no fear: "You Gotlanders? Do you want to surrender on your own initiative?"
One person made a straightforward statement: "I recognize your coat of arms, and I also recognize your face. It's Karl, the eldest son of King Olegin."
"What? My name has spread to Gotland." Karl nodded, "Seeing that you are wise, I will spare you. Now kneel down and become my slave."
"No! You are mistaken." After one person finished speaking, the others laughed.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Karl, you are actually wearing your father's crown? King Olegin has passed his throne to you. We are not Gotlanders, we are Rus."
Then, someone opened the seized sheepskin coat and revealed the blue and white Russian uniform underneath.
How could Karl not know about the totem heraldry of the Russians? He exclaimed about the wonders of the world and learned even more shocking news.
"Is the news reliable? Are you liars? Did you conquer Gotland? Visby?"
The great victory of revenge is the pride of every Russian warrior. "Then bring the army to Visby, and our Lord Duke will welcome King Olegin."
What makes Karl quite angry is that these Russian fishermen actually don't give him any face. He doesn't care so much now, because Karl, he just experienced a bad failure.
The coalition of Swedish tribes has ended the expedition to Silver Castle. They have gone all the way north, passed the Kalmar Strait, and are now heading towards Lake Mälaren with all their strength.
There was no joy after victory on their faces. Every warrior was out of breath from the long rowing. As they entered the sea area where the Gotlanders were active, everyone began to be on tenterhooks again.
Unexpectedly, Gotland changed hands? The Russians defeated the entire Gotland? At least they captured Visby?
Karl couldn't think so much. His allies, every soldier, were in urgent need of a resting place and critical supplies! Presumably the Russians would fulfill their alliance obligations and provide everyone with food and fresh water.
The news that the Russians had captured Visby was like a gift from Odin.
After the news spread, no one worried about whether there was fraud, and the Swedish fleet adjusted its direction and headed straight for Visby.
Of course, in the eyes of the Russians, this looked like a counterattack by the enemy's Danish reinforcements.
The relaxed Russians were tense, and the elite soldiers quickly rallied.
Bows, crossbows, and torsion slingshots were aimed at the approaching fleet. The soldiers lined up, the first row of soldiers formed a blue and white human wall, while the long hair of the Slavic flag formed a dangerous moving forest.
"It seems that God has brought me a new opportunity for meritorious service." Otto clenched the hilt of his sword and asked his sullen son, "Are you sure of winning?"
"Of course, our arrows are invincible in the world, and our warriors are full of strength after eating mutton for so many days."
"Then let them land and annihilate them on the beach?"
"right!"
Otto patted his son's little head vigorously, but the situation became increasingly weird.
"No!" he suddenly shouted, "This is the Malaren people! Their coat of arms! And the Hjälmälän people! The Uppsala people, and the Unclas... stop it!"
At the most critical moment, Otto ordered his son Rurik not to issue a shooting order. Karl on the ship did not expect that he was almost pierced by thousands of arrows!
The Malaren flagship was the first to run aground on the beach, and Karl jumped down with mixed emotions.
He straightened his golden crown hard and tried to show himself to be heroic. Unfortunately, the soldiers behind him, looking at their images and the Russian soldiers close at hand, were born one and the other.
There were a large number of coalition soldiers with shaggy hair, many of their mail and leather armors were damaged, and many of them had large and small holes in their clothes.
The first ones to come down were naturally the soldiers of the Mellaren Army. They lost their former arrogance and an atmosphere of decadence enveloped everyone.
Soldiers from other tribes also disembarked one after another, but unfortunately their situation was even worse.
"It's really weird, am I dazzled? Why didn't I see that old guy Olegin?" Otto kept pinching his beard and suddenly realized a terrible possibility.
Otto directly struggled to pick up his son Rurik, so that his head could see beyond the helmets of all the soldiers and clearly see the image of the "huge" army that had landed.
"Now you see Karl clearly, the guy with the crown. Is that what you see?"
"He...he actually became the king?!" Rurik saw it clearly now, and he rubbed his eyes vigorously to make sure he saw it right.
"I think so." Otto speculated disdainfully: "Maybe he killed Olegin and is really a great evil man."
"Perhaps Origen died in battle. Look at the warriors behind him, it looks like they all lost the battle. Didn't they go to plunder the legendary Silver Castle? They must have failed."
"Let's go and take a look at these poor people." Otto put Rurik down, squeezed through the wall of people, and suddenly appeared with his son.
Seeing the leader of Ross and the young Rurik again, Karl couldn't help but be startled, then steeled himself and walked over.
He approached Otto and asked respectfully: "It seems that the Duke of Ross has occupied this town. Visby is occupied by you, which means that this place has become the territory of our Kingdom of Sweden."
Otto didn't have time to listen to all this. He was very curious about how this arrogant boy had become gentle now? What had they experienced in the southern world?
"Karl, you are actually wearing your father's crown? Where is Olegin? Let him come! You are not qualified to talk to me."
Karl suddenly became angry, but looking at the current situation, he was not stupid enough to unleash his anger on the strong man.
This is the Nordic world. Whoever has the bigger fist is the king. In Visby, Gotland, the Russian army is obviously the king. Even Karl can’t believe what he sees is real. This is the Russian people.
True strength?!
Karl struggled to maintain his arrogance. He raised his head with a beard and pointed at his crown with his right hand: "Now, I am the king."
"Really? Where is Olegin? Where is your father?"
"He died in the battle, we..." Karl suddenly had an idea and said deliberately: "Our coalition forces fought a decisive battle with the entire Danish army in the south. We almost won, but the other side killed a hero and we were defeated. But you left early.
, look at this Russian army! It is indeed powerful! It is a pity that if you appear on the battlefield in the south, victory will belong to Sweden. By then, will the little Gotland still be defeated?"
At this moment, Rurik gritted his teeth. He heard Karl's excuse for failure, "So, you put the responsibility for your failure on us?"
"You?" Karl looked down and shook his head: "You are still a child, you have no role to speak here."
"Then stop talking." Rurik was not to be outdone, "I only have two questions now. First, what do you want to do when you land in Visby? Second, the debt owed by your father, since you inherited the throne
, you must claim it.”
Debt! This is a big thing that Karl must not avoid. He pretended to be in front of a boy, and when the other boy raised the issue of debt, he had no choice but to fight.
Karl's attitude softened again, and he opened his arms to face Otto: "Look at us! We need help, we are allies, I... just want to eat something in Visby. I believe that the powerful Ross people will give it to him
Some food and fresh water for my allies. As for the debt, I will repay it for my father when I return to Mälaren.”
Otto and Rurik estimated the defeat of the coalition forces and looked at the tired appearance of the soldiers, so they believed Karl's words. The most realistic point is that these soldiers are almost all farmers working in Lake Mälaren and fishermen in the lake.
They are really starving to death. Who can provide the Russians with wheat that they can buy? Even if they are selfish, they have to give these people something to eat.
The father and son had a unified attitude, so they invited Karl and all the tribal leaders participating in the war to gather at the Visby people's council. The other warriors landed one after another. Everyone will get some cattle and sheep. As for how to slaughter them, it all depends on them.
their own abilities.
In this way, a tired "army" with only 1,200 troops completed the landing.