King Horik of Denmark abandoned his city and fled! His proud cavalry troops suffered huge losses, and even greater losses came from the casualties of the infantry. Those injured were destined to be unable to escape and became the prey of the Russians. The fugitives
Running away in all directions, chasing an unknown fate.
The situation was not all bad, and when the terrible collapse occurred, thousands of Danish warriors still managed to escape Godfreyhagen.
They were deserters, but Horik, who was also on the run, had no right to rebuke them.
The fleeing people lost almost all their treasures. Once upon a time, they transferred the wealth they collected in Flanders to Denmark and this new city in an attempt to live a good life.
They couldn't take away a lot of valuables, and the fleeing people probably only had the clothes on their backs, the shields tied to their arms, and the axes they carried in their right hands.
The entire city was occupied by the Russian army, but any participant in the battle could see that the casualties of the Russian army after a bloody battle were staggering.
"Meat grinder" is a perfect way to describe the battlefields inside and outside the city.
The corpses of the dead were gradually stiffening everywhere, and the black and sandy ground became smelly and muddy due to the large amount of blood. The blood of the dead men and dead horses mixed together to form a horrifying semi-solidified paste.
The objects gathered together into a stream of blood, flowing towards the sea under the stone hill.
The blood on Rurik's face has dried, his beard is still red, and the armor on his body is also red.
The Russian army seemed to have won. He saw the Danish king who was supposed to have his head chopped off fled away. In this way, this battle cannot be said to be a great victory.
Look at this terrifying battlefield again! The casualties of Ross's army are right in front of him. Although he was aware of this, he never thought that the heavy casualties would come from his own negligence.
The last act of bravery by the Danes can be described as a heroic act, which objectively caused heavy losses to the Russian army.
"If I had anticipated this situation earlier and kept alert on the flanks, this situation would not have happened."
The fact is that a group of Slavic and Balmok warriors died in battle, and they were fiercely pressed down by the dead horses. Even if some people could not die for a while, due to the anxiety of the battle, the wounded soldiers were ignored, and some could have survived.
That person is now dead.
Looking at his subordinates, they booed, cursed and taunted the fleeing cavalry.
The army outside the city seriously lacked land mobile troops, so it was naturally unable to pursue Horik.
The fleeing King of Denmark and his remaining cavalry had disappeared from everyone's sight, but the fighting in the city was still continuing.
Facing his subordinates who were happy after their victory, Rurik breathlessly issued an order: "You all go into the city and help the other brothers kill all the enemies."
The Russian army finally deployed all its combat forces and decisively killed the Danish infantry whose morale had collapsed.
The Danish infantry was escaping from the city and running towards the deserted beaches and forests in the west. The Russian army pursued them briefly and then stopped.
If the Russians had also brought cavalry, the pursuit would have taken place spontaneously without Lauryurik's personal order.
The exhausted warriors even lacked the strength to search for treasures. For a considerable number of warriors, such a tragic battle had not been experienced for many years. The capable veterans of the First Banner Corps of the Ross Army all thought of the Battle of Gotland six years ago.
service.
As far as the eye can see, there are densely packed dead soldiers lying there, their blood staining the ground red...
When the battle was completely over, Rurik deliberately kept his face covered with dried blood stains. He took a break and entered the city through the breach in the city wall.
Now, after the victory, the army finally began to clean up the battlefield.
The soldiers didn't care about their ethnicity. They rushed to all the houses and inspected them carefully, putting any valuable treasures that could be taken away into their pockets, and directly smashing the things that couldn't be taken away.
They deliberately caused damage and committed no evil except arson.
Arik's veterans and Ragnar's allies, these two teams participated in the most intense and fierce battle in the city. Thanks to better defenses and better weapons, they did not suffer many casualties.
Because, there was a group of madmen fighting bloody battles for these precious guys. The heavily armored Grund and his gang broke away from the shield wall at the last moment. Each "iron man" was literally invulnerable, waving his belt.
The spear and the double-edged battle ax were stabbing and slashing.
Perhaps two hundred people were chopped into mincemeat by their axes, and the enemy's heads were turned to pulp. Even if they claimed credit afterward with their heads, it would be in vain.
There were a lot of red and white things on the battlefield. When some soldiers realized what they were, they felt a strong sense of nausea that even surpassed murderous intent.
Grund, his heavily armored warriors, and the mercenary team suffered huge losses. This is the price of becoming a berserker.
As for the armed slaves who were promised to fight and gain freedom, their dreams turned into nothingness as their lives passed away. The more than 200 mutilated corpses lying on the ground were armed slaves, and they did not forget to caress themselves until they died.
Enemy heads in space.
Aric's veterans of the First Standard and Ragnar's allies actually enjoyed priority in raiding.
After taking a rest, Arik and his brothers rushed to the largest building in the inner city, which must be the palace of the King of Denmark.
The brothers didn't even have time to care about their injured companions. They just pulled them out of the pile of dead people and went to plunder them with weapons.
What they rushed into was a real palace, a tall building that was different from the traditional longhouse.
"Brothers! Take what is destined to belong to you! Except for the silver coins and gold coins that are to be handed over to the prince, everything else is yours!"
In this way, the soldiers started cleaning swarmly, and a cellar was successfully discovered. When the entrance to the cellar was opened, everyone already knew what might be hidden inside.
Ten wooden boxes were brought up, and when someone smashed them hard, the boxes could be opened. The densely packed silver coins inside were dazzling.
The veteran with a beard tied into three pigtails smiled from ear to ear and stretched out his blood-stained hand to grab the silver coins.
Someone muttered: "This is wrong. We have to give some silver coins to the prince."
"What's wrong? The prince has already said that the spoils of this battle are to be obtained based on strength."
"However, if our brothers embezzled so many silver coins, the prince must know about it afterwards and he will punish us. Didn't Aric also say..."
The old soldier with the special beard thought for a while and called on the brothers: "Then leave five boxes for the prince, and we will divide the rest."
Each of them stuffed a handful of silver coins into the cloth bag, and basically took away a pound at a time.
The number of troops dispatched by the First Flag Team this time barely reached 300. After the bloody battle, there were casualties, and there were still 250 people who poured into the palace.
Even the Danes are accustomed to storing various materials, including coins, in a decimal system. A box of silver coins weighs almost a hundred pounds, and the box itself is not big. Even with the wooden box, the total weight is only doubled.
Just over forty kilograms. People have two hands, and one hand can grab it once. Five boxes were grabbed cleanly like this. In the end, no one said it was unfair. How many silver coins can be grabbed depends on the size of the palm, because the hand is small and
If you catch less, then it can only be said that this is fate.
Arik watched all of this, and he would not stop it at all. He would only act as a supervisor and arbiter to watch the brothers' plunder.
Some old soldiers felt that it was inappropriate for flag captain Arik to be a spectator, so they gave him the captured pure gold cup.
Accept it? Why bother? I don't care about a pure gold cup, and I think my brother Rurik doesn't care about it either.
"Just keep it. This is not a precious treasure of the prince. You can keep it for yourself to enjoy or sell it to buy food in the future to subsidize your family. If you are really willing to give it away, give it to the family members of your brothers who died in the war."
Arik's words were very pertinent and generous, but the old warrior thought about it and decisively put the small gold coin into his pocket.
Maybe this prince has a lot of treasures? The brothers searched the house and grabbed some precious metal tableware and wine sets, as well as some Frank silver coins of excellent quality.
They despised the poverty of the Danish king, and even more despised the cowardly behavior of the Danish army who fled.
It was also looting, and the vengeful army composed of Ragnar and his Danish exiles took on a more pragmatic attitude towards looting.
They entered the residences in the inner city and collected daily necessities that were useful and easy to take away for their own use. Some warriors even had as many as ten axes hanging on their leather belts without feeling tired.
They also plundered some property, but in terms of proficiency, they could not compare with Arik's well-trained robbery army.
The two sides each got what they wanted, and there was a tacit agreement to keep the issue of plunder separate.
This was Ragnar's deliberate act. Even if they are victorious now, it does not mean that the Danish exiles have regained the Denmark that should belong to them. A true leader is rising, while Ragnar is buried in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
He has seen an era that belongs to him, but now, he must maintain the necessary humility and ensure that there is no friction with the powerful Ross allies.
There were three male lions who fought fiercely. One was so tired that he lay down on the battlefield to rest, while the other two ate the fattest meat of their prey.
When the lion is full, a group of jackals and vultures come to eat the remaining meat.
Slavs, Balmoks, Swedish fishermen, Saaremaa Island militia, Finnish army, etc. all entered the city.
Godfreyhagen said it was big when he said it was big, and it was small when he said it was small.
In Rurik's view, this capital city of a country is only about the size of three ordinary residential areas. The original residents who lack the technology to build high-rise buildings can only build two-story buildings. The buildings must be "spread out", except for necessary
Squares and main roads, other places are quite cramped.
The army wanted to find prisoners, but all they found were a handful of wounded Danish soldiers. They were frightened, and their injuries seemed incurable.
According to the prince's order, such prisoners could be exchanged for one pound of silver coins.
Forget it! Why go to the trouble of bandaging the prisoner's wounds in exchange for more money? Why not chop another ax and exchange his head for fifty silver coins.
The "decapitation operation" has been going on among the piles of corpses. It is not difficult to distinguish the heads of brothers who died in battle from those of the enemy. Unfortunately for the soldiers, the corpses of the Danish soldiers left on the battlefield were all destroyed in the war. They want to find intact ones.
The first level is not easy.
After all, a group of "vultures" brought their severed heads with them. Seeing the powerful prince coming, they hurriedly covered their bulging money bags, and then gave the heads tied together like many flat pumpkins to the prince's warriors.
.
"It's all your victory? Okay! Okay... You are worthy of being veterans of the First Flag Team." Rurik's praise came from the heart. After all, he wanted to fulfill his promise and distribute the money to the old Ross tribe.
The veteran warrior he was happy to do.
The soldier asked carelessly: "When will we get the reward?"
"It's coming soon! A comprehensive cleanup of the battlefield is about to begin, not to mention that we have to write down the names of the brothers who died in the battle and cremate them. When the time comes, I will take credit for each of you!"
The soldiers who gathered around were overjoyed, and at the same time Arik came over in high spirits.
Arik's pockets were empty. He only had two polished steel swords. He pushed away the crowd and snapped his fingers, and a kind of soldier came carrying a wooden box.
"Brother, this is the treasure I found. They are all silver coins, so I give them to you!"
The boxes were opened one after another, and the silver coins looked so dazzling in the sun.
Rurik's heart was in ecstasy. Apparently, he could use this money to reward his subordinates who beheaded their heads. Or if he had extra money, he could reward him on the spot.
He knew his cousin's old habits. Although everyone loved money, Arik was not greedy. The more he went through wars, the less he liked money. In other words, this guy wanted to be an honest warrior.
Rurik can also boast that he is not greedy. The taxes he collects and the loot he gets are all for the expansion of the Principality of Rus and the construction of prosperity. As an arbiter and ruler, why talk about corruption?
"I have all this money. You..." Rurik asked cautiously: "Brothers, you didn't lose much, did you?"
"Fortunately, more than ten brothers died and more than ten were injured. The injured are not serious."
Arik had just climbed out of the pile of corpses. He was such a ruthless person and his words were completely calm.
Rurik felt really nervous when he heard this. He frowned: "So many people died? They are all old soldiers!"
"After all, this is a decisive battle! Have you chopped off the head of the King of Denmark?"
"Damn, I almost succeeded!" Rurik gritted his teeth.
"Maybe this is fate." Arik shrugged: "You can't defeat the Kingdom of Denmark in one battle, but look at this battlefield. A large number of Danish soldiers also died here. Many years ago, I experienced a fierce battle again
It feels like this is the best sacrifice to Odin." Speaking of excitement, a steel sword reaches the sun, and Aric faces the scorching sun with emotion: "Odin, you will recognize me now! We
People who are chasing heroes, we want to have a place in Vallaha!"
"Why be excited?" Rurik simply laughed out loud, and then faced everyone sincerely: "I am a person blessed by Odin. The moment you fought for me, in Valhalla and with you
position... No need to wait any longer, go and pull out the sacrificed brothers, I will sacrifice for them, and their souls will go to Valhalla."
After the war, the cleanup began in full swing, and this was also the most elaborate search for loot.
Just in the inner city, the Danish Kingdom's granary was discovered. There were oats and rye in sacks, and the overall storage condition was just okay.
The autumn harvest in Denmark's Jutland Peninsula is about to begin. As a result, the most powerful King Horik is now like a bereaved dog. Rurik can estimate that Denmark will enter a state of chaos again. Ragnar may intervene strongly at this time, or
You can't really convince the crowd. Rurik doesn't know whether the fleeing Horik can make a comeback, but the current Russian army has no time to pursue him.
Because time is turning against the Russian army.
The army must evacuate quickly. Since the wheat harvest is about to begin in Denmark, the wheat harvest in the large granary of the Rus Principality and the Novgorod region around Lake Ilmen is also about to begin. A large number of strong men are standing in the Danish capital and looting
The plunder went beyond the plan of the operation, and the war was ruthlessly expanded. Even though it achieved great results, it was now gradually disadvantageous for the Principality of Rus.
Maybe after three days of looting according to Eastern customs, now facing this city, Rurik wanted to withdraw tomorrow.
It would be too hasty to evacuate tomorrow. He thought about it and simply held a sacrifice tomorrow. When all his dead were reduced to ashes, the ashes were collected in wooden boxes and transported to New Roseburg for burial.
The cleaning operation has achieved great results. Although the oats and rye seized are in the mature state, they can easily fill the cabin of a large ship like the Aurora, and the total weight may reach the equivalent of forty tons.
There was also a small batch of baled wool, a small but necessary quantity.
A major seizure was weapons. Danish army axes, bent iron swords, and spearheads were piled together. The useful portable weapons had been taken away by the victors, and all that could be turned over were junk. Rurikben
He is not picky, after all, in his opinion, these weapons are all rubbish. They are at least weapons made of iron and bronze. After being melted and processed again, the efficiency is far better than burning the ore from scratch.
Rurik took down these metal objects that looked like tatters but were actually treasures. He immediately took out the captured silver coins and rewarded the soldiers who presented the enemy's heads.
Because he gave real silver coins to the Danish exiles in the alliance, the Saaremaa Island militia, and even the Finnish shooters who picked up and beheaded the enemy's corpses. Five boxes of silver coins were given away, thanks to the large number of heads that were destroyed.
Otherwise, there will really be bleeding.
Statistics on casualties have also been obtained. What Rurik is really worried about is the loss of the elite troops of the Principality of Rus. Nearly twenty veterans of the First Banner Corps died, and more than a hundred mercenaries were killed. As many as six
Well, this is an extremely shocking loss.
As for the losses of Ragnar and his Danish exile allies, Rurik was not concerned. After all, they actually surrendered to Ragnar, a legendary figure. Even if the entire army was wiped out, only Ragnar had the right to feel sad.
Gurner.
More than 30 Slavic warriors died, and more than 20 Balmok warriors died. There were also more than 10 Saaremaa Island militiamen led by Spuyut who died in the fighting outside the side city.
He had gained a group of good mining experts, but Rurik actually relented. He noticed that the slave soldiers were very brave, so he planned to give the slave soldiers the status of "New Rus's" after the war was over and let them work for a year.
Farm tools were distributed to open up wasteland. They all died in the battle, and their bodies were blurred.
Since these people died for the glory of Rus, they should let their souls enjoy eternal glory in Valhalla as Rus warriors.
The corpses of the war dead that could be found were piled together, forming more than a dozen corpse mounds at once, and each corpse mound was covered with a large amount of firewood on the beach.
Rurik personally held the torch and lit it one by one.
When setting off from New Rossburg, the Ross army mobilized 1,800 people. In addition to non-combatants, there were also 1,500 people who could fight. After the attack on Bornholm Island and the attack on Godfrehagen
, the Russian army achieved a huge victory, and as many as 5,000 enemies died at the hands of the army due to various factors. The irrecoverable losses of the Russian army also reached 200 people.
"You just destroyed your city and killed thousands of people, but I lost two hundred brothers! Your sin is unforgivable!"
The fallen soldiers are burning, and their souls go to the temple. The soldiers who watch them "leave" all believe that there is a paradise for the soldiers.
Rurik looked at the flames, and the anger in his heart became stronger and stronger.
The Russian army will not pursue the enemy, and the army will have to divide its forces after leaving Godfrehagen. Especially Spyut has to control the Salmon Chief to go to Britain to transfer Reglaf's possession of the Mercian kingship.
Tell the nobles of the local kingdom about the matter, and then get back the wheat as tribute.
Rurik himself wanted to leave with the loot. He would not attack any Danish targets again. His plan was to rush back to his hometown to harvest autumn grain.
As for Ragnar and his Danish exile allies, their strength is still weak and they dare not stay in Denmark because the time is not yet ripe. They will return to Bornholm. Everyone believes that this
They will have great prestige during the war, and more exiles will drag their families to the island of Bornholm, which will transform into a fortress against the pro-Frankish forces in Denmark.
Therefore, all parties reached a consensus - Godfrey Hagen must be burned!
No one collected the bodies of the fallen Danish soldiers, and even the horses that died in the battle gradually turned to ashes in the fire and thick black smoke of the city.
It was as if a marine volcano suddenly erupted. In the violent and soaring smoke and dust, there was the victorious back view of the Ross and Ragnar coalition fleets.