Chapter 932 Passive Siege War and Cavalry Adventure
The entire Aleb Fortress was surrounded, and the inner fortress was certainly stronger. With the previous success, Ragnar felt that he could fight again.
But the army is rough and needs to be repaired. It has just experienced a life-and-death struggle, and then fought a bloody battle the next day. The leaders of each tribe have lost their previous enthusiasm, at least not today.
A stone chamber became Ragnar's command post, and various sources pointed out that everyone who entered the city did not find any treasures.
There are a large number of Frankish troops stationed here, so it's unreasonable that they can't get any treasure.
He looked at the fortified castle, thinking that there were probably mountains of silver coins inside.
He gathered the leaders and demanded: "Gather your elites, my new battering ram is ready. If we attack it again, the silver coins inside will all be ours."
This statement immediately aroused doubts from many leaders.
The leader's subordinates suffered heavy losses when they broke through the trenches and did not make a fortune when they entered the city. Resentment arose spontaneously. "Could it be that they really have a lot of gold and silver?"
"It's very possible." Ragnar said firmly.
"Is that true? I didn't make a fortune in the outer city. There may not be much wealth in the inner city. Just look at it! My army has suffered great losses and I will withdraw if I don't get any wealth."
When someone backed down, more lords immediately agreed.
Some people even said rudely: "My brothers recognize you as king because they hope you will lead your brothers to drive away the invaders and make a fortune by the way. Now that the invaders are almost dead, you must satisfy everyone's dream of making a fortune."
"Yes! We want to get rich!"
"Even if you can't make a fortune, you still have to take some prisoners back."
The lords were all talking, and their desires really put a lot of pressure on Ragnar.
Ragnar frowned and slapped his thigh: "That's enough! Are you limited to this? The invaders are still there! There is a hill made of silver in their fortress!"
"Are you sure?" someone asked.
"When we get in, you will understand everything. Come and follow me!"
However, the lords all said that they should wait for a while. They did not believe the statement of a large amount of silver coins. Some people even proposed a principle, so-called, if the Russians decide to take action, the brothers will take action.
Like a bucket of cold water poured over the head, Ragnar longed to end the battle in one go, but now it seems he has given up.
He stamped his feet vigorously and walked directly out of the stone room, leaving a group of lords staring at him.
A huge army needs a lot of food, and the captured salted fish naturally cannot satisfy the appetite of the army.
There is a good reason why the lords of Zealandia do not want to attack today. After a night of repairs, they still need a lot of time to raise food and burn the bodies of those killed in battle.
Now is the warmest time of the year for corpses. If the corpses are not processed, the stench of corpses will fill the air within three days. Not to mention attacking the inner fortress, the stench can make people faint just by gathering soldiers.
The carcasses of a large number of war horses were cut up, and the lords of the new Danish Kingdom's military capital took their own men to eat the flesh of these Frankish war horses without ceremony.
For the Russian troops stationed at the seaside, they don't have to worry about logistical issues at all.
The Slavic troops brought by Medvet from the rear carried a large amount of wheat and salt, so that the Russian army, and even the servant troops recruited from Växjö and Jönköping, were proud to eat cooked wheat and cooperate with the newly caught wheat.
Fish and food are delicious.
So when Ragnar arrived at the Ross army camp again and smelled the aroma of wheat, his stomach growled.
Spyot kindly invited him to have a meal, but when Ragnar mentioned supporting some food, he was rejected outright.
"Why? Aren't we allies?"
"It's an alliance, but these grains are the property of King Rurik, and I have no authority to dispose of them freely. The grain for your Danish army will naturally be raised by you, the king."
This reason is very logical, and immediately the wheat in the bowl no longer smells good.
"But you still gave me a bowl of oats, and you can use it freely."
"Forget it. For the sake of you and me being friends, it's nothing to give you a bowl of food. Besides, our Russian army has given up on entering the city to plunder. Isn't that enough?"
"It's not enough." Ragnar licked his face and urged anxiously: "The army needs supplies to recharge its batteries. The lords hope that you will join the final attack, so that you can be completely sure. I can't convince them to attack today, so..."
"Haha. You urge me to provide food and also urge me to lead the attack? Maybe you should give up the throne and let me command everything."
"..." Ragnar was speechless, so he simply put down the wooden bowl, stood up, and turned around to leave.
"What?" Sipuyute asked sideways, "You haven't finished eating the wheat yet. Are you leaving now?"
Ragnar didn't even look back and said: "I'm very anxious. I have to see if our fishing boat has caught enough fish."
Ragnar left as hastily as he had come.
Medved really felt that Siput was too rude today: "Friend, why bother?"
"Am I heartless?"
"Yes, and no...he is a king after all."
"Really?" Spuyot shook his head: "Except for his own cronies, other Danish lords have their own thoughts. He is not capable of controlling the overall situation. In my opinion..."
"how?"
"It's better to let our king also serve as the king of Denmark."
Medved suddenly became energetic: "Is this possible?"
"Perhaps. If the King wants to be King of Denmark."
After all, Spyot is well-informed, and his stay in Britain in recent years has not been as simple as asking for tribute. He will take the opportunity to inquire about the situation of the local garrison in the kingdom, and understand the methods of those small countries in handling international relations.
Kind? Loving? Forget it! No one will remember your kindness, they will only surrender to the fist.
After all, the ones Spyot stole most in the past were Danish ships, which were actually his current allies. Without the order of King Rurik, he would not have been willing to cooperate with the so-called New Danish Royal Army.
Although he was friendly to Ragnar himself, he was very cautious towards those lords and their armies.
Ragnar also showed no control over the lords, or his private army was simply unable to suppress other armies.
There are various signs that Ragnar cannot become a good king.
But the war will still continue...
The lords of Zealandia were busy cleaning up the battlefield. They piled wood on the beach and burned the bodies of their own people to ashes.
Similarly, the Russian army is also disposing of its own corpses.
Different from the former, the "Valhalla on Earth" built by the Kingdom of Ross in New Rossburg exists precisely as a cemetery for soldiers and outstanding people.
The burned remains of the deceased were sorted out and placed in separate wooden boxes with clear names until they were buried in the cemetery upon return.
As for the enemy's corpse, the simplest way to dispose of it is to use the trench dug by the enemy, throw the corpse in and bury it...
Because of the delay in these matters and the subjective deliberate delay of all parties, objectively the coalition forces launched a siege of the inner fortress of Aleb Fortress.
After taking a break, Liu Dou regained his mental clarity, but his energy was not as good as before.
He understood the current situation and was very worried about the Normans launching a surprise attack. His subordinates pointed out that a large number of people were armed and decided to fight to the death with the enemy.
Apparently, it was extremely quiet now, and a siege had not broken out.
And isn't this even scarier?
Thinking of this, Liu Duofu, who had just woken up, had a splitting headache.
He covered his head and hurriedly asked his cronies: "How many people do we have now? How much food and fresh water do we have!?"
The answer is heartbreaking.
His confidant, a baron, can last up to two days.
"You said... five to six thousand people came in. So many people supported for three days?!"
"No. It's armed men, plus some female warriors. We have two thousand people. Two thousand people support us for three days."
"Is this... going to trap us to death?" Liu Doufu was so angry that he fainted.
The situation is indeed very unfavorable for the defenders. It is fair to say that Ragnar is in no hurry to attack. Let the defenders who have forced themselves into a desperate situation be left to fend for themselves. They are too hungry to hold weapons. Attack now.
Win easily.
Spyot had personally experienced this kind of siege. Unfortunately, Ragnar and many lords were attacking the city for the first time. They didn't understand the tactics involved, and they still wanted to fight in a group.
Liudov, who regained consciousness for the second time, shuddered when he thought about his current situation. The inner fort was full of people. Although there were reserves of food and salted fish, the refugees without enough cooking utensils could only bite raw oats. What was worse was the shortage of fresh water.
He thought of sending cavalry to rush out and ordered Horik in the north to send reinforcements.
But when he stood on a high place and saw that the entire outer city was occupied by the enemy and the inner castle was surrounded, he reluctantly gave up the illusion of asking for help.
No one wants to sit back and wait for death, but now it is difficult to escape. Unless they fight to the death to break out...
But breaking out also meant surrendering thousands of women and children to the Normans. The deeds of those pirates were countless. If you abandoned these people who believed in God, your soul would go to hell even if you succeeded in escaping.
The defenders had no choice but to continue to hold on, waiting for an unknown fate amid rapid internal friction.
As for Esquier, he and other young priests have been living an ascetic life for decades. They can endure hunger very well. Even though the monastery has been demolished, they are praying collectively on the old site.
People who were exhausted from hunger and thirst gathered here again, participated in a very simple mass, and prayed for a miracle.
Of course, Liudov is more pragmatic.
A clearing at the top of the hill was cleared, and after the people finished mass, the place was immediately covered with wood. Some dried cow dung and even human excrement were thrown in. After a while, the flames ignited, and gradually thick smoke rose into the sky.
The grotesque scene caused the attacking coalition troops at the foot of the hill to stop and watch, discussing whether the enemy was setting themselves on fire.
It was already evening, and Ragnar did not expect that the enemy would be so fierce, but then he thought about it. The enemy believed in the God of the Franks. Wouldn't it be the worst to commit suicide?
Who wants to set themselves on fire?
This was Liudov's plan. He hoped that the thick smoke would attract the attention of the Danish villages in the distance, especially the people in Horik's controlled area in the distance, to see that something was going on in the Aleb Fortress.
Obviously, Liu Doufu, as a man in the game, had no idea that the current situation was sinister and corrupt.
Because in this land, a cavalry team is looking for prey.
More than twenty brothers were killed or wounded. The Ross Cavalry, who never thought that he might suddenly die in battle, now feels a deep hatred for the people on this battlefield.
Fisk was the most angry. He ordered: "Kill all enemies you encounter, even women."
This order was simply outrageous, because women could be taken back as wives if they were caught. The Slavic warriors in the cavalry really wanted to take a few more Danish Varyag women to show off to their hometown.
Fisk's order needs to be implemented, but the Aleb Fortress has absorbed all the people from the nearby Danish villages.
There are also some villages in the south. Their fishermen and cattle herders saw the war from a distance and hurried back to report the news. Many villages have collectively moved south.
These villages collectively and unwillingly converted to Christianity. Ironically, only the Frankish Kingdom, which believed in God, would protect these Danes and Saxons who decided to cross the border.
News spreads faster than human legs. When someone brought the news to the artificial pass of the Schleswig Great Wall, which is the city of Schleswig, a baron under the local Count of Hamburg learned of the great war in the north and immediately
Send the message to Hamburg.
Therefore, the reinforcements Liudov hoped for existed. Once the Count of Hamburg received the news, he would naturally organize an army to go north to support. However, water from afar could not quench the thirst for immediate relief, and Liudov had no time to wait for the unknown reinforcements from Hamburg.
But Fiske, who robbed homes and homes in retaliation, was shocked that all he found was a village where people had left their houses empty.
The wheat field seemed to be abandoned, and the war horses took the opportunity to nibble on the wheat seedlings.
After quickly making a large circle, they had arrived at the western part of the Lindholm Isthmus. The warriors who tried to drink their horses found that their mounts disdained to drink water. When they drank it themselves, they discovered that it was salty sea water.
The seawater here comes from the Atlantic Ocean, and its salinity is much higher than that of the Baltic Sea, which can be clearly perceived in terms of taste.
Fisk no longer hesitated and led the army to mount their horses and head north.
"Let's go, brothers! Go to the north to attack Horik's people! Follow my orders and kill them without mercy!"
They spent a wild night and saw the thick smoke from the distant hills. The smoke was too conspicuous when the air was extremely clear, and it even turned orange under the setting sun.
The smoke can be seen in extremely distant places, such as Horik's troops who are unable to escape on horseback.
But as for Horik, he suffered a heavy defeat and retreated to the villages of Robard. After finding the horses, he retreated south without looking back.
Horik needed the support of Liudov's troops, but his defeated troops were lingering on the road. He was afraid that it would be too shameful for him to go south as a lonely man, so he accommodated his last army of more than 500 people and went south.
The routed troops suffered a huge defeat. Their weapons and equipment were not thrown around, but the supplies they brought were too little.
They still escaped quickly, and Horik knew very well that the direct reason why there was no Ross chasing troops behind him was that the Ross people fought the most brutal war against all the northern tribes, including the Robard tribe.
For the sake of their territory and people, those who were once war-weary were forced to resist desperately.
Now, Horik has even abandoned his tribe, and his current situation is no different from being expelled.
As the Catholic King of Denmark, Horik betrayed his own people, at least he did not betray the Catholic faith.
After all, he still had an escape route - to retreat to Frankland and work as a mercenary under Ludwig.
After all, I am also a vassal conferred by Ludwig.
He managed to transport the priests who stayed in the north to each other, and at first the army was able to move southward at a steady pace. Until they saw the thick smoke on the hills, their hearts boiled!
Everyone needs Horik to provide a way out, so they all gather around their king.
"I will not give up on you! Maybe we can no longer count on Liudov now! We may be able to take a detour to the south and follow the western coastline through the isthmus. As long as we retreat to Frankish territory, we will be safe."
He provided everyone with a seemingly safe escape route, and the people with no masters had a backbone. As for Liudov and his army, no one is willing to estimate it now.
Even though the accompanying priests shouted that the teacher Eskil was still in the Aleb Fortress Monastery.
The priest's mouth was stuffed with a ball of cloth, and Horik threatened sternly: "The Russians still have a second army. Letting us go to Aleb is asking for death. The thick smoke is the best proof. Your teacher is dead.
Liudov is dead too!"
Horik was already frightened. When he saw Uncle Nong Yan, he acquiesced that the fortress had fallen, and he also imagined that the Russian army would have a second army with tens of thousands of people.
His estimate was indeed good. He did not take the initiative to look for the Ross army to fight. The Ross cavalry came to him personally!
Hundreds of people were lying on the green meadows in the wilderness. After waking up, they dragged their tired bodies and continued southward, hoping to find the beach to fish or find a village to plunder some food.
They exposed themselves. A large group of black people stood out in the green meadow, and some people's armor reflected strongly.
The Ross cavalry wearing blue and white uniforms noticed them, and everyone immediately realized that they had discovered a huge prey.
"Could it be reinforcements from the enemy in the fortress?" a soldier suspected.
Fisk felt that it was very possible. Although there were not many enemies in front of him, there might be more behind him.
Because the Robard tribe in the north is a large tribe, they are the main body of the hostile force. To this day, Fisk still respects these people and feels that it will take some time for the king's main force to defeat them.
Then, Horik in the north is likely to be able to divide his troops and go south to support.
Fisk regarded the enemies in front of him as reinforcements and killed them. Every cavalryman was furious.
The recurve bow was raised high, and Fisk ordered: "Take out the bow! Shoot them all!"
People held bows and shouted Ula.
Then Fisk added: "Leave a few alive, we need to get some news, let's go now!"
The cavalry soldiers were divided into two groups. The warriors held bows and reins in their left hands, and three arrows in their right hands.
At the same time, realizing the cavalry appeared, Horik instinctively thought it was Frank cavalry.
Because Liudov's Frank cavalry uniform is blue and white.
Horik was overjoyed, and so were his men. They didn't even defend themselves, but cheered with their swords and shields raised high. Unfortunately, what greeted them was not greetings from friendly forces, but arrows that choked their throats.
Horik was shocked. He survived thanks to the protection of his wooden shield, but the arrow cluster had already penetrated his shield, and the strong killing intent in it suffocated him.
"Damn it! These Franks are crazy! Liudov betrayed us! Defend quickly!"
The Horik army, which was unprepared and was shot three times in the face, suddenly suffered nearly a hundred casualties and had to pay a heavy price to get into formation.
Everyone was in disbelief until they saw a cavalryman displaying a particularly obvious flag.
"Ah? They are actually Russians? Why do they have cavalry?!"
Horik shouted that it was ridiculous, but the second round of cavalry attacks had already begun. His men were only qualified for passive defense and gradually collapsed under the ruthless blows of arrows...