Ragnar's "Stonewall" tribe has never actually fought with the Rus, and neither of them has ever been an enemy in their memory. They only have a hostile relationship based on the principle of protecting each other based on their past positions. Both of them once belonged to a large society that was hostile to each other.
The groups, now separated from the past, have no reason to fight with each other.
Ragnar successfully completed a peace deal with the Russian army. He returned to his camp first, and immediately announced the good news of merging with the Russian army to attack the city of Bremen, and then recruited more than 30 people to go to the Russian camp to get food.
The hunger was relieved immediately. Those who were once skeptical changed their attitude immediately after eating the hard wheat cakes provided by the Russians. It is not that this wheat cake is a delicacy, it is as hard as a stone and needs teeth to grind and chew.
, it is quite difficult to eat. But for so many days, everyone has been essentially a homeless dog, and no one has given any form of help when in trouble.
It happened that the Russians provided a batch of key supplies.
Real Vikings always value brotherhood. If a charismatic man is present, a large number of people will come to join him. Therefore, a pirate who has made great achievements can quickly build a team.
Ragnar was very honest with his people and pointed out without hesitation that the commander of the Ross army was named Aric Ogiersson, who was the cousin of the prince of Ross and a warrior who killed many people and had a good reputation.
The nickname "Two Swords". Even the life story of Arik is worth learning from the tribesmen. It is said that a young man's biological father was killed. After secretly training for many years, he led a group of brothers to revenge in kind.
Ragnar was not advertising Arik, but was using this story to inspire the tribe, especially the last group of children in the tribe.
No one is really stupid. Their home was destroyed, and the King of Denmark chose to backstab. These children can only grow up in humiliation, with eyes longing for revenge.
The Russian army came all the way to attack Bremen with a very clear purpose and were well prepared for it. Even the city's proud wooden walls were despised by the Russian army.
Aric heard a group of people cheering in the distance just before he fell asleep.
He lay in the shack, covering half of his face with a fur hat, and muttered casually: "Dane, I hope you eat the bread I gave you, and tomorrow you will fight like a pack of hungry wolves."
He didn't know that the Danes were cheering for the war and for the coalition commander Arik.
Why not cheer?
The Ross commander has made it clear that Ross is responsible for breaking through the city wall. The brothers of the Stonewall tribe swarmed up from the gap and had the right to rob immediately. Risk? The risk is nothing! The brothers just want to hold back their blood a few months ago.
To surrender means to carry a bloody battle ax and take revenge on the Frankish nobles through killing.
Ragnar even had a unilateral discussion with his brothers, saying that after breaking the city, he would lead a hundred ruthless men to attack the residences of the nobles, kill all the living people they encountered, and then plunder all the gold and silver.
Early the next morning, as the morning fog filled the river beach, a melodious horn sounded.
The Russian army took the time to cook a delicious meal this morning, and Arik even sent people to unload the carts and carry a cart of food to Ragnar's camp.
Jevro was responsible for the escort. When he saw Ragnar with a playful smile on his face and a gesture of gratitude, he punched his chest unceremoniously.
The sudden move really startled Ragnar.
Yevluo warned solemnly: "Why laugh? Let your people eat quickly and remember to be full this time. We will make the final voyage and attack the city as soon as we arrive at our destination. You must maintain your strength at the critical moment. In the end we will
I will eat Frankish wheat in Bremen."
The words were encouraging, and Ragna hurriedly accepted the heavy breakfast and repeated these words to his tribe.
The coalition forces had a good meal before the battle. When the fog gradually dissipated, most of the Russian army's bivouacs were put back on. Soldiers were boarding the ships one after another, and the entire fleet was about to pull anchor.
This time, the Russian army took a smarter approach and sailed against the current.
That was the aid from Ragnar's men. His fleet was supposed to go down the river, but now all the rowing boats received the cables thrown by the big ships and tied them to the wooden stakes protruding from the sterns of the long rowing boats.
Each ship was towed, and the fleet transformed into a mixed fleet. The team of more than 900 people zigzagged towards the east along the inland channel of the Weser River.
A terrifying army is attacking Bremen!
For the people in the city, although they are not aware of the approaching enemy situation, they are already full of fear for the world outside the city walls. Because tens of thousands of villagers have always lived their own pastoral life, and most of them are actually Saxons.
, but after being conquered by the Frankish army for more than half a century, many things have changed.
The villagers knew almost nothing about the past history, and no one told them what the "Barbarian Principality of Saxony" once existed. The role of a teacher is essentially a priest in the village, and the priest holds a handwritten gospel with a scrawled handwriting.
Preaching so that the people feel that the many stories in the Old and New Testaments are their history.
Obviously this is the northern border area of the Frankish princes, but a large number of villagers do not know the existence of Denmark. There is only a vague concept of "Normans". There are almost only two major things in the lives of the villagers, paying agricultural taxes to the lord and leaving.
Worship in the monastery.
It wasn't until the Norman fleet burned, killed, and looted along the Weser River in 836 that they finally realized that the Satan described in the scriptures was real, and the Normans were Satan!
Therefore, the Count of Bremen rushed to raise taxes during the wheat harvest season. For the sake of their own safety, the villagers rarely paid the grain tax for three more years. Some farmers who could not afford to pay their debts were recruited to join the Count.
army to attack the Normans.
The earl led the warriors from the territory to fight in the north, but the rear was ravaged by the Normans.
In peacetime, the city of Bremen can be described as a medium-sized city in Western Europe by current standards. Now, this city has a crowd of 10,000 people, and it has become a big city by the standards of the ninth century! People from ten miles and eight villages ran away.
They were all clean, driving horse-drawn carriages and ox-carts, carrying newly harvested wheat for emergency evacuation.
The earl was away from the city, and the lower-level nobles, especially the patrol captain who had arrested Blue Fox, suddenly became the commander of the city defense.
The acting bishop of St. Peter's Church in Bremen held a surprise mass and actively mobilized the priests to give a collective blessing to the city's guards. "Holy water" mixed with rose essential oil was dipped in cypress branches that symbolize nobility.
Precisely sprinkle it on every warrior, even if it is a peasant warrior who is armed only with sharpened sticks and wearing bare feet, blessings are also given.
It is because of the heavy losses suffered in the first half of the year that now in August, the people hiding in Bremen are frightened and at the same time, the anger in their hearts has finally been awakened. As the saying goes, risk death and survive. Some farmers have awakened.
After they were blessed by the holy water, they immediately had something they must protect with their lives - faith.
Defending Bremen became a great deed, even a merit that could be used at the Doomsday Judgment.
Realistically speaking, their families and belongings were all evacuated to the city. The Normans' brutal methods were too terrifying, and they had to hold on to the city for their families and wealth.
Bremen is a riverside city. Now the pontoons on the river have been completely demolished and all the city's gates have been closed. A lot of debris has been piled up behind the thick wooden doors. This operation has turned the entire Bremen into a huge turtle shell.
The city is overcrowded, many refugees live in churches, and the city squares have become huge refugee camps.
Everyone is trapped in the city. They firmly believe that it is dangerous outside the city and dare not go out. Now it is impossible to go out in this situation. The farmers are restricted and they are very happy to be safe now, while the merchants who are forced to stay just want to leave this terrible place as soon as possible.
place. Because thefts occurred one after another in the city, the merchants' property was plundered by the people in the city. Whether it was the Normans or the Bremen, it was a loss after all.
In a sense, the people of Bremen are resting on their laurels. They have not even arranged to ambush outside the city so that they can inform the city of any situation. The city's wooden walls have relatively narrow corridors, and a group of soldiers are stationed for a long time.
There are more warriors stationed on the ring road below.
There are always archers on duty in the simple tower. It is just a gathering of the entire Bremen garrison. There are only more than a thousand defenders in name. Among them, the good fighters are more than a hundred people from the city patrol team. The rest
There may be many people who are passionate, but in the end they are still a bunch of rabble.
Because the Earl of Bremen has pulled all the troops that used to fight against forest bandits to the north, the city has essentially fallen into a huge emptiness.
If Ragnar's tribesmen fight against these Bremen defenders in the wild, victory will definitely belong to Ragnar.
The tall wooden wall opened Ragnar's eyes, and then he fell into an extremely disgusting helplessness. He did not understand siege technology, and now that he formed an alliance with Ross, he imagined that the Ross army could easily conquer the city wall.
So the actions of the Ross Army will be absolutely sure?
The fleet sailed at a steady and slow speed. On the flagship Salmon Chief, the main materials for building siege engines had been transported to the deck. Two large hand-made vehicles began to assemble the shafts, which would be completed after the fleet docked.
After the tree trunk is cut down on the ground and placed on the cart, the hard bronze punch can be installed.
They have been preparing all morning, not only prefabricating the parts of the punch car, but also moving a large amount of hemp rope stored in the box to the deck and unpacking it. A batch of long ladders also need to be bundled on the shore. As for the key to forming the long ladder
The wooden poles had been prepared long ago and were anchored to the left and right sides of the unloaded armed cargo ship.
The coalition forces set out early in the morning and actually saw the city walls of Bremen by noon.
"That's the target!" Blue Fox pointed with strong excitement.
"Okay! I will anchor at the landing point you mentioned. I hope your information is very accurate."
"Accuracy is inevitable. I haven't left here for long." Blue Fox yelled for a while, then directly found Ragnar who had the honor to stand on the Ross battleship and travel with the Ross army.
"Danes, it's time for you to put on a show. You can kill as much as you like, but you must not set fires."
"Why?" Ragnar asked in surprise.
"I'm afraid you will burn the wheat too."
"It doesn't matter, I won't destroy it myself before plundering the property. I just hope that what you personally inspected is correct. I don't want my people to die on the way to attack."
The Ross army and Ragnar army assured each other that the fleet was still sailing, and Ragnar entered the long ship along the rope ladder thrown from the big ship.
From the standpoint of the Malaren people, a fleet floating on the river suddenly appeared, and the defenders, who were so nervous that they were so nervous, were suddenly awakened. For a time, the city walls were filled with the roars and screams of men, and they used various methods to attack them.
The method was to make noise. Until the church bell tower bells rang loudly, the whole city realized that the Norman army was coming again, and the coming ones were evil!
The patrol captain was now the commander of the city defense. He hurriedly climbed onto the wooden wall, held on to the wooden railing and took a closer look. Then he stamped his feet and cursed loudly.
Then, he pretended to be calm and ordered his men: "Let all the bow holders go upstairs! The people upstairs put the earthen pots, wood blocks and stones under the city wall. Go quickly!"
After all, this was the ninth century AD, and the so-called typical European medieval city defense projects did not yet exist. The city defense commanders only had crude weapons at hand, either shooting attackers with arrows or using clay pots and rocks to kill those who tried to climb the city walls.
.
However, the Ross Army was not playing a game of chess with them.
The Ross and Ragnar coalition forces have landed at about three arrows away. Although it is called the "three arrows away", this distance is actually the maximum range of the torsion slingshot throwing cast iron bullets. Theoretically, the Ross army's formation at the landing site is enough to
The defenders brought a hailstorm of iron. In fact, Arik was prepared to do just that.
"Quick! Unload all the slingshots on the port side. People under the boat, assemble the trolleys quickly. You all move quickly and go chop down the trees! We will try to finish the battle today..."
Arik gave orders at the top of his lungs, and those who landed prepared nervously.
Ragnar was quite curious when he saw the tense actions of the Ross people. Didn't they agree not to give the enemy a chance? The Ross people were actually playing with a large number of wooden parts on the grass on the river beach. But he soon understood it and spoke from the bottom of his heart.
He praised the Russians for being really cruel people.
The ten ships of the Ross fleet still have to get close to the city, at least to "a stone's throw and a half", that is, the river a hundred steps away from the city wall. There are only a few armed sailors on the ships, and they all operate the torsion slingshots on the starboard side in order to
Provide fire support during an attack.
Looking at the land route, the coalition forces took a little more than an hour to complete the formation of troops under the fearful gaze of the Bremen soldiers and civilians. In fact, as Vikings, the coalition forces could quickly put up a shield wall and advance. The reason for this cost
This amount of time was spent on building siege weapons.
It must be said that Blue Fox's adventurous inspection last year made great contributions to the coalition forces this year, such as the structural materials and height of the city wall, especially the structure of the city gates. These key intelligence helped the coalition forces choose the most suitable siege weapons.
Thirty torsion slingshots are each installed on a small cart, and a basket of cast iron bullets is also placed on it. It can be pulled forward by a warrior. The auxiliary warriors carry some light javelins and special large arrows.
, is actually another weapon of the slingshot.
There were eight long ladders that had been bundled up, and they were carried on the shoulders of Ragnar's men. At the same time, engineering vehicles that had been cut down on the spot and built with native materials were also in the formation.
Ragnar's men were at the front of the battle formation, followed closely by the hundred-man team of the capable First Flag Team of the Ross Army, but they were divided into thirty groups and were temporarily responsible for controlling the torsion slingshot. The remaining two hundred or so
The composition of the Russian soldiers who landed was more complex. There were Finns, Saaremaa people, and even a few Slavs. The same thing was that they all held crossbows or ash tree longbows, and there were as many as 200 of them.
Archers are the best cover for frontline siege troops.
They even relied on long-range weapons to directly break the will of the defenders to fight! After all, the Russians have experienced too many similar battles. Standing under the city and relying on the advantage of the weapon's range to shoot arrows has long been a specialty of the Russian army.
This time Aric did it again without even thinking!
As many as twenty Ross flags were flying. The Ross army was uniformly dressed, while Ragnar's army was still dressed in various colors. The group of women and children who were not combatants, especially Ragnar's two sons, were all placed at the landing point, eliminating the need for soldiers.
their worries.
On the other hand, the defenders could only watch helplessly as the Norman army arranged their troops in an orderly manner. Upon seeing this, the defenders had given up their illusions. Thanks to the confidence boosted by the city wall, they were not scared to death by the sudden appearance of the army.
. But the city was already filled with grief, and rumors were flying all over the sky in an instant. With no choice, the church suddenly held a mass to pray for victory, and now two thousand people poured into the already large St. Peter's Church! A large number of people entered, making the church overcrowded, just because
Everyone hopes that the power of faith can move the Lord, and the so-called Seraph will rain down fire and burn the Normans, the Satanic people, to ashes.
However, Bremen responded with a whooshing sound in the sky!
Then, like hail, strange black shadows fell from the sky.
There were people under the city who were on standby for support at any time, and their heads were smashed and their chests were smashed. Many people started to cry, but at this time, the arrows came down again.
At this moment, the city defense commander realized that the battle had begun. But how is this the way of the Normans? At the beginning, he was hit by arrows and iron blocks from extremely long distances. Even Prince Ludwig's regular army could not do it.
This type of attack.
The commander had no choice but to face the Norman army, which was advancing in an orderly manner with a shield wall, and the formation looked extremely regular. He could only grit his teeth and order the soldiers hiding in Tibet: "Don't run away, hold your post! Kill them in a moment!"
However, a cast-iron bullet fired from a torsion slingshot hit him. The city defense commander stood up, raised his sword high and set an example by calling on the soldiers to hold on, but his entire head was cut off by the iron bullet!
The battlefield is full of coincidences. If you expose yourself to a battlefield filled with arrows, you may die quickly.
This is indeed a coincidence, but this once money-grubbing patrol captain and today's city defense commander gave his life for the city and died on the battlefield as a soldier.
It's a pity that his death was seen by everyone, and the morale of the army collapsed! The defenders were destined to be unable to unite as one, and were destined to fall into the dilemma of fighting on their own...