Chapter 905 The red sky illuminated by the bonfire at night is their extreme malice
The Göta River is not a small river. Although its total length is not long, the water flows out of Lake Vänern and the channel at the mouth of the lake is hundreds of meters wide.
When the mighty Ross fleet passed by Linhu Village, what people faced was a river whose width expanded rapidly.
The width of the river reaches about 200 meters, and it is currently the flood season in early summer. Although the river is wide, the inflow of the river can still carry the entire fleet south quickly.
All the sails are furled, and people only need to hold the rudders of the various ships to ensure that the ships are in order.
The warm south wind is blowing in the face, and those with a keen sense of smell can smell the salty smell mixed with it.
On the bow deck of the flagship, King Rurik of Russia was in high spirits. Standing next to him was a gorgeously dressed blonde girl. She was none other than Countess Nolen of Narvik.
The king stood behind him, his big hands on his shoulders.
Nolen was happy. She realized that something important had happened since she was counting the days and was surprised that she didn't have her period. As her belly slowly swelled, she knew that good things had happened.
She has shown her pregnancy, but her body wrapped in thick clothes can only be observed by her husband Rurik. Even if the army composed of people from her hometown is in the Ross army, most of them don't know and don't care about it.
.
Noren is of course the Countess of Narvik Port, but the army composed of local people is now directly commanded by Rurik.
Rurik was definitely not convinced that a pregnant woman could manage an army of 500 people. This kind of technical work should be taken care of by General Hellafed.
The gentle breeze blew across her face, her disheveled blond hair spread with the wind, and her fair face turned golden.
Nolen squinted his eyes and enjoyed the tenderness.
"I feel very comfortable standing here."
"Really? Try to open your arms." Rurik lowered his head and murmured.
"Okay." She did so, and gradually she felt like flying. "It's interesting, I'm like a bird."
Rurik said nothing and held her waist with both hands...
This tender scene was seen by many people, and they discussed it happily.
Especially when seen by the village warriors of Earl Wienerenstad's army who were newly enthroned as servants. Obviously this must be the real reason why the king refused the villagers to provide women to serve. King Ross took his wife on an expedition. If he were to say goodbye again,
The woman is really an eyesore.
More importantly, these people heard a lot of rumors. It turned out that the personnel in the Russian army were quite complex. Not to mention some strange-looking residents of the "Eastern Land", the wife of the king was not a Swede, but a genuine woman.
of Norwegians.
What is a Norwegian? In the perception of all Götalanders, they are mainly the residents west of the central mountains of Scandinavia, and they are all Norwegians.
There were at least five hundred genuine Norwegian warriors in the Rus' army. They were well-equipped and well-trained, which surprised the soldiers of the Count's army, especially Count Gorm himself.
So that woman is also an earl, with the same rank as himself? There are countless things that Gom doesn't know yet. He is full of curiosity about the unknown, but he has already guessed what the fleet will encounter after arriving at the southern mouth of the river.
Got seven, seven or eight.
Flying like a bird, Nolen enjoyed the feeling now. She gradually lowered her arms and asked coldly: "I heard some people say that this river goes straight to the sea. When we see the ocean, is it really Denmark on the other side of the sea?"
"
"Absolutely true."
"Ah! Then after passing Denmark, we can go straight to Britain, or to my hometown."
"Have you thought of some people or things, such as..."
"My two brothers." She turned her face: "Speaking of which, you haven't seen them for some years, including me. They became kings in Britain, and I really want to see them."
"It's not impossible, but I'm afraid it won't be possible this year."
"I understand. We chose the war against Denmark, even though the real king of Mercia is here. Reglaf will return to Britain sooner or later, right? By then, his small kingdom will border my eldest brother's Kingdom of York.
At that time, Reglaf will still be protected by my elder brother."
"indeed."
A sense of desolation came over him, and Nolen let out a sigh. After all, this was an era for men in the wilderness, and a female aristocrat probably shouldn't get involved in the men's struggle for hegemony.
"I... also heard that there are many Götalans living on the south side of the river. They have been facing threats from the Danes for a long time and may take the initiative to attack us. Maybe you hope to force them to surrender..."
"Then fight! I have arranged for the soldiers to be prepared. If there is a war, I will easily defeat them. I hope my preparations are unnecessary. I don't believe those guys are simple fools."
The Göta River is not meandering. Most of the river courses follow a nearly standard north-south direction. Its total length is nearly one hundred kilometers. Since it travels downstream, the Ross fleet can reach the mouth of the sea in only two days at most.
They set off early in the morning, and the large fleet advanced one after another. Although each ship pulled anchor and set sail at different times, the latecomers eventually caught up with the ships in front and merged into one fleet.
They encountered a new village by the river in the afternoon. The king had orders to beware of reckless attacks by the Jotalans from the south.
Everyone opened their eyes to look at the hazy village, and a strange feeling floated in their hearts. The village was definitely not abandoned, but the area lacked human life. No one was grazing on the lakeside grassland with rich water and grass, and the farmland was also
No one is taking care of it, and there are no people fishing on the river. It seems that the buildings in the village are selectively ignored, and this area is a no-man's land.
The long boats guarded the big ships, which were arranged in a long snake formation.
All the linen protecting the torsion slingshot was taken off, and the deck soldiers were on standby. Although the slingshot was not charged, the soldiers holding the javelin could quickly load it and shoot.
Bucklers were placed on both sides of the longship, most of the oars were stowed in the cabin, soldiers were vigilantly observing the river, and warriors with crossbows were always on standby.
At first, King Rurik issued an order to "be wary of the villagers at the southern estuary." Due to the strong alert shown by the flagship, all ships maintained absolute combat readiness, as if they were passing through the territory of the Kingdom of Denmark.
They were wary of Danish warriors from the Götalanders in southern Denmark. Perhaps this move was a result of nervousness.
In the evening, the fleet immediately docked and set up camp.
There was a village nearby, and Earl Gorm, who was familiar with the geography and hydrology of this generation, pointed out the name of the village without hesitation.
Gom told Rurik: "We call that village Milk Village. Just like this simple name, the people in the village raise a lot of cows."
Since the locals are good at raising cattle, sending troops to rush over now can easily force them to surrender, right? Just ask them to pay tribute to some milk immediately, so that you can change the taste of dinner here.
Rurik had an idea and pointed in the direction of the village: "Gom, the time has come to prove your loyalty. You know, this king does not pursue meaningless killings. You take your people there and convince them to surrender.
"
"Oh! Your Majesty is merciful, I will go right away."
Although Gorm felt that people in some villages had actually escaped along the way, not all villages had taken their families and hid themselves. The Russian army seemed to be mobilized, and their king was not a villain, but a true hero.
They are not bad things.
When Ross's army camped along the river, Gorm took advantage of the dusk and rushed to Milk Village as quickly as possible.
They were dumbfounded when they entered the village. Even though Gorm called hard, the whole village was still dead silent.
He vigilantly entered some houses to inspect and found that the charcoal from the fire was cold and there were only some useless things left in the houses.
This village used to raise far more cows than the number of villagers, and transporting milk products to surrounding villages was their specialty. Now, the cow sheds and sheep pens are empty. However, there are huge marks of cow hooves on the ground.
All traces point south.
"Boss, I've looked here, and there's not even a chicken." His close friend ran back to report.
After a while, another old man said worriedly: "It seems to me that they have all retreated south. I'm afraid they are wary of the Russians."
Gorm patted himself and rubbed his hands vigorously to shake off the dust. Although he didn't want this to be the case, the evidence pointed out that the villagers dragged their families to the south. In other words, the evidence was already shown from the moment the army landed. Not even a single fishing boat in Milk Village
No, the pier is empty.
Gorm hurried back to resume his duties and met the king by the campfire.
Rurik was very polite and threw a grilled fish over: "Eat it. Tell me about your discovery. It seems that you have discovered an uninhabited village."
Gorm was quite surprised when he took the grilled fish given by the king. The king was very young but he was very particular about the loyalty of a warrior.
The fish are caught locally, and the places near the river bank where the water flow is gentle are good places for trawl fishing, but the catch is not much.
Gom took a bite of his loyalty and expressed his gratitude to the king: "The villagers drove their cattle and sheep south. In my opinion, they made the stupidest choice."
"After all...do we still have to fight? It is indeed a stupid choice."
"Because there are some strong men in the south." Gom said.
"Strong man? How to be strong?"
"Just like Carl the Wild Bear, the people in those villages are also very courageous. If the Danes attack, they will rush in and fight. Because the Danes always come to capture slaves, no one can tolerate this kind of thing. Although I don't
It's clear, but they must have learned a lot of information and have been prepared for us."
Gorm is a local, and his information is very valuable. In addition, Rurik is not completely sure about Gothenburg, which will peacefully conquer the entire Göta River. Now the sun is setting in the west like blood. Look at the sunset, it doesn't look like a
Omen.
Rurik composed himself: "In this case, I don't have extravagant expectations."
He immediately summoned the nobles and generals to convene a military meeting around the bonfire.
The main strategic principle is still to strive for peaceful conquest. If they choose to resist, Ross will take the initiative to attack. However, the attack must be stopped in moderation, creating opportunities for them to surrender, and even allowing them to surrender honorably.
This caused some brave and fierce men to express their confusion, and the unparalleled Arik questioned: "In my opinion, they must be defeated in one battle. I have never seen the power of Ross's army. Those guys will still think about it in the future."
Rebellion."
Arik said it unintentionally, but invisibly, these words were also knocking the surrendered Earl Gorm.
Arik is a reckless man. If he is given a huge army, this guy will definitely fight until the whole army is exhausted. Blue Fox made this comment about the king's cousin.
After all, the king has already made the canonization in advance. A fortress city named Gothenburg will rise at the southern mouth of the river. This is the location of the new Ross shop for trade with Denmark, and it is also the fiefdom of Blue Fox. If the local people are massacred, he will be destroyed.
The ambition of the blue fox.
"Forget it." Blue Fox shouted in front of everyone: "Your Majesty made me an earl, Aric, you don't want to kill all my people?"
"Are they the Jotalans in the south? Do you really believe that they will be submissive to an outsider like you? Forget it! We still have to kill some people to force them to submit."
"So? You kill people wantonly, and those who survive will be filled with hatred. I will be in charge of that place, not you! Their hatred can only be directed at me, and then the plan of reviving the shop that the king hopes will be over."
"What do you think?" Aric didn't want to continue arguing with his friends, so he shrugged and said softly: "Maybe you still think you can convince them with just one mouth."
"It's not a bad idea."
"Forget it. I advise you not to be reckless. If you go, they won't be able to chop off your head." Arik reminded him politely.
Because Gorm mentioned three strong men, Badar "Bigfoot", Cedric "Broken Tooth" and Eric "Archer", and pointed out that they were very prestigious among the locals.
These three people are not warlords and tyrants. They have all made great contributions in the battle against Danish pirates in the past, and they were naturally elected as talkers by their respective villages. They are all the leaders of large southern villages, and they are different from other village talkers.
Everyone is suddenly elected when the situation arises. These three people have always been stable leaders. It is more appropriate to say that they are chiefs.
He led the villagers to successfully resist the pirate invasion, but the resistance was only successful.
The pirates who attacked them in the early years were none other than the Robard tribe of the old Danish king Hafgen. This fact was known to the residents of the entire Göta River Basin.
Count Gorm naturally knew about this, and he was now willing to obey Rurik's command, not only because of the huge Russian army, but also because the man who killed the old Danish king Hafgen was King Rurik in front of him. This matter
, Gorm is very willing to believe it.
There are three chiefs in the south, and they have a high probability of choosing to fight.
The Russians, Swedes, Norwegians and even Finns, these warriors in the Russian army can also be described as "Viking warriors". They admire brave warriors, even if the battle is an egg against a stone.
Are the people in the south really determined to fight, and will the battle be on land or in the rivers? That night the soldiers informed each other, and as the information spread, by the next morning all the soldiers were convinced that a big battle would be inevitable today.
People who have been on the battlefield for a long time can often detect murderous intent, but the Rus people lit bonfires along the river to make the river seem to be burning. For the Jotalans at the southern mouth of the river, this is not a matter of murderous intent, but a battle axe.
Hanging on the head.
Now, the situation for the Yotalans at the mouth of the sea has become extremely terrifying!
As Gorm revealed, as many as twenty small and large villages, as well as some scattered woodcutter families in the forest, all moved towards the mouth of the river. Perhaps it would be better for everyone to disperse and escape into the forest, because they had successfully fought against Denmark in the past.
Following the example of pirates, they clearly realized the advantages of working together to defeat the enemy, so they naturally and quickly gathered together this time.
Three strong men who had made great military exploits in the past were elected as leaders by the people, and a population of nearly 20,000 people suddenly poured into the mouth of the sea!
It has been more than ten years, and the Jotalan people have never been so united as they are today. Their unity came from fear, but now they are united into confidence.
There are a large number of islands at the mouth of the Göta River. The landform in the bay area is trivial, and there are many hills on both sides of the bay river.
Outsiders did not dare to trample on the farmland of Haikou villages, so they had to set up temporary camps on the deserted beaches. Due to the large number of people, the environment was cramped, and they had to graze cattle and sheep here to continue production.
So at night, a large number of bonfires were lit at the mouth of the sea, and the air was filled with the strong smell of burned rosin.
The south wind carried the peculiar smell and drifted north, directly to the camp of the Russian army.
So when the Götalanders at the mouth of the sea saw the northern sky illuminated red, they could tell that a suspected Swedish army was about to attack.
As the night went on, Rurik, the nobles, generals, and even ordinary soldiers had no extravagant hopes for tomorrow.
After many battles involving tens of thousands of people, the veteran Russian warriors who have experienced hundreds of battles can only see two situations when they see the sky suddenly turn red at night. Either the forest is burning, or there is a large army stationed there.
.
A large number of bonfires can make the clouds in the sky glow red. In this medieval world without light pollution, the strange scene is enough to make people sensitive to it.
The Russian soldiers subconsciously imagined the enemy as thousands of soldiers preparing for a fierce battle. Although everyone was confident that they could quickly defeat them with powerful force, ordinary soldiers still did not dare to take it lightly.
Do the Jotalans have three strong men? In fact, many soldiers surrendered because Gorm refused to fight. They subconsciously thought that this guy was a coward. The so-called breaking other people's arms by breaking their wrists became a boast.
The three strong men in the south are probably really strong men. Their troops can light up bonfires and make the clouds shine red. This must be really brave.
What about the facts?
The huge camp at the mouth of the sea is in chaos! A mysterious army from the north, suspected to be Swedish, has arrived at the doorstep. The three leaders carry the people's desire to survive, and nearly 20,000 people are actually in a desperate situation.
The political situation is very unfavorable for these Götalanders. Across the strait to the south is Jutland and Zealand, where Danes are everywhere. To the east is endless undeveloped forest. If you enter rashly, only real hunters will be able to survive in the wild.
To the west is Oslo. In recent years, as many Bergen people have migrated across mountains and rivers, the local Norwegian population has become quite large.
If you cross into enemy territory, you will be resolutely counterattacked. The Jotalans have no retreat and an unknown enemy is right in front of you. The three leaders each showed their abilities and pulled out an army of 10,000 people that night.
It was indeed an army of 10,000 men, women, and children, even if a pine stick was sharpened to serve as a short spear, the people who did not want to die or be slaves were united.
An army of 10,000 people is really just a make-up, among which there are only more than 3,000 strong men who are really young, strong and good at fighting.
Three thousand people! The Jotalans have never gathered three thousand men as warriors. This is definitely not the case that Karl the Wild Bear forced a group of fishermen who did not want to fight to fight. These three thousand people have no illusions. They have already made up their minds to fight under the call of the leader.
Fight for your own homeland. Or that’s what everyone who can wield weapons thinks.
The longships of the Götalanders were mobilized, and a hundred longships carried the largest fleet of the Götalanders in history. In fact, with such a large army assembled, they could directly invade Denmark for revenge. It was true.
If the right to life had not faced a devastating threat, there would be no such thing as today's national army. They would not even know that they have unleashed a strong fighting power.
Unfortunately, what they faced was the Ross fleet and more than 6,000 warriors who had defeated all the invincible enemies in Northern Europe.
The two sides have never been in contact, but they can judge the other's extreme malice through each other's illumination of the clouds directly above the camp.