Rise of Rurik

The sky was already dark and the sun was setting quickly. Winter is by no means a good time for fighting. The daylight hours have been reduced to less than nine hours. Although there is no clock system in this era, everyone can feel that the daylight hours are getting shorter and shorter.

It would be extremely troublesome if the battle dragged on into the night. The reinforcements from the Gulf of Riga suddenly entered the battlefield. They noticed the disaster that the friendly forces were encountering. Spyut did not understand why the fortress defenders allowed the fortress to burn and why they went out to fight. Maybe it was just courage?

Spuyut didn't want to delay, and considering that the brothers had already prepared, he would not be physically exhausted by running to the battlefield on a sleigh. At most, his hips and legs would be sore from sitting for too long, so he could stretch his muscles during the battle.

Spuyut, Telalang, Stekander...all the heroes who traveled on the sea have now become land warriors.

But the first to strike were the torsion slingshots mounted on sleds and vicious blows from the steel-armed crossbows.

The shield wall was advancing, and Spuyut organized a small arrow array on the flanks of the army. They used the winch to wind up the crossbow, and together with the torsion slingshot, launched a straight attack at the extremely densely packed enemy. It was also the only long-range attack in the plan.

Javelins and heavy arrows immediately killed and injured a group of Smolensk warriors. The new Varyags who suddenly killed were still flashing the Ross flag. They were already struggling in the fierce battle and were hit again. Their companions died too easily. , which is undoubtedly a major blow to morale.

Even so, the Russian shield wall has been fully pressed, and retreat is absolutely impossible. The brothers can only bite the bullet and fight.

The Smolensk people roared with great force, and the Russian reinforcements pressing on the opposite side let out a deafening Viking war cry.

The warriors lowered their crossbows, drew out their steel swords, and mounted bucklers on their right arms. They quickly formed an array. A wide wall advanced steadily on the ice, and the Smolenskians did not hesitate to organize their spear wall of limited length and charged in in a rather chaotic manner.

"Get ready to fight! Protect yourself."

"The rear team pressed their shields against the front shields."

"Let them charge! Let's defend and counterattack!" Northerners pay attention to basic tactics in fighting - shield wall. No one knew the origin of this tactic. Swedes, Götalans, Danes, Norwegians, and all kinds of northerners were using this simple and effective tactic, including the group of Saaremaa pirates who had been recruited.

After all, they are not the Russian regular army, and they are completely unable to perform more complex tactical actions like the standing army and the citizen flag corps.

Spuyut is a veteran, and he knows best the level of the coalition he organized. Now all the warriors wearing plate armor are in the front, and those wearing chain mail are in the back row.

As for the brothers from the Danish community, their armed strength is relatively weak, so they have moved to the rear guard position as a whole.

But these Danes are not just watching the Russians kill their enemies. Stekander and the fifty Danish brothers he selected from his headquarters have a special mission.

A collision occurred! Some Smolensk warriors charged too hard and failed to release their spears. They hit the Russian round shield and were mercilessly assassinated.

The newcomer stepped on the corpse of his predecessor and jumped into the air. He actually carried an ax and flew directly over the head of the Ross warrior.

The iron helmet can protect against cuts and ordinary arrow strikes, but it cannot withstand the cracking of an axe. Even if the ax blade is no longer sharp enough, the force is enough to shatter a person's skull and kill him on the spot.

The Ross reinforcements began to suffer casualties, and the shield wall of the reinforcements completely withstood the enemy's crazy attack. Chaos inevitably occurred.

"Kill! Kill them!" Vadim's cry was drowned in the shouts of killing. He suddenly seemed insignificant, and normal combat had become extremely complicated!

It was no longer possible for Vadim to command his own army. He could not convey exact new orders to every soldier fighting in the chaos.

From the standpoint of the Smolensk Army, this does not look like a war, but like a mad dog fight involving thousands of people.

But when it came to Vadim, he fought hard with his elite troops and finally broke the myth that the Russian army was invincible.

Of course, it’s just a victory. Until all the enemies turned into corpses, Vadim also believed that those killed were all Rus.

In fact, the dead were all Danish armed merchants. These people were outnumbered. More than 80 male and female warriors all spilled their blood on the ice, and a corresponding number of Smolensk warriors were buried with them.

The ice turned bright and the blood quickly froze again. Vadim's armored warriors have suffered heavy losses, and now he is facing new and even newer challenges.

The Ross figures seem to be using intrigue.

"Damn it, I just dealt with one group, and another group suddenly appeared. When I deal with a new group of people, why are there more Russians? Are you beating me with wheel fighting? If you continue like this, my soldiers will soon lose morale. The moment it's over!" Vadim was extremely sad, angry and angry, but fortunately he had no intention of retreating.

The commander-in-chief showed his determination to fight to the death and led the elite troops into new battles. When ordinary tribesmen saw that the big leader was leading the charge or holding back the formation, they had the courage to follow suit.

As a result, the siege force of the Ostara army against Vesuend's battle out of the city suddenly weakened, and the brothers who had struggled to maintain the circular defense line were overjoyed.

"It's a friendly force! Thanks to Odin, we are saved. Brothers, let's break out and join the friendly forces!" Vesuend began to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the circular defense line resisted while moving in the direction of the friendly forces.

They stepped on the corpses of their enemies and companions lying in a pool of blood, and gradually joined forces with friendly forces. Both sides raised the Ross flag high. They had no time to greet everyone who had just met, and they immediately formed a new unit and began to fight side by side... Spyut did not know Vesuend, the city lord of Novopolotsk Castle, so he seemed to I don't even know an outstanding warrior like Bishom.

He didn't recognize him at first, but now he noticed the brave man among his new companions out of the corner of his eye. Some warriors swung their battle axes extremely fiercely, cutting off half of the enemy's head with just one heavy blow. The enemy's face was splashed with red and white, completely unmoved and still fighting hard.

The shield wall continued to advance, and the Riga reinforcements and the fortress defenders became one, and they began to fight against the Smolensk army.

Vadim also hoped that the brothers could defeat the new enemies in one fell swoop, but the situation on the battlefield was taking a turn for the worse.

"No, I will be defeated if the situation continues." Vadim gritted his teeth and raised his arms to call on his die-hard followers: "Brothers! The day of revenge is now. Kill all the Russians for you. Revenge for the murdered relatives!" Hatred is an existence that can suppress fear.

Those warriors wearing leather armor all suffered greatly. They lost their homes and relatives, and were living in other villages in misery.

They have a strong will to fight. Even if they die in battle, they must kill at least one Ross gangster among the casualties, so that they can give an explanation to their dead relatives in the nether world.

Vadim really put his experiment into practice, he was indeed leading the charge. He rushed to the front line with his own soldiers and faced the Russian shield wall that was constantly dripping blood.

He was not afraid or excited, but based on the instinct of a warrior, he charged forward without mercy.

Originally, the Smolensk army, which had been retreating steadily under the pressure of the shield wall, was on the verge of collapse in morale, but their morale suddenly rose again!

Everything is because Vadim is already on the front line, his sword has pierced the Russian shield. As for the Ross Alliance Army, the soldiers were obviously inferior in numbers. They maintained a relatively wide shield wall and pressed it horizontally. The width of the battlefield was deliberately widened but the shield wall remained unbreakable, which made the Smolensk army trapped in the chaos feel uncomfortable. Ross's new reinforcements were numerous.

Few people paid attention to the injured soldiers, and the bodies of their fallen comrades were left in a pool of blood. Spuyut's army had to treat its own people in this way, but there were some soldiers at the end of the team who checked all the wounded with swords.

It was the companion who ignored him, and the enemy who immediately stabbed the vital part with his sword. But Spuyut himself said that it had been many years and he had forgotten how many years ago it was the last time he fought on the front line in person.

The Russian navy has been relying on big ships to bully others from a high position since it started fighting wars ten years ago. Even the usual gang-hopping fighting in the northern naval war has been marginalized by the Russian people.

The current fighting reawakened the old man's warrior nature, and at this moment he became an infantryman.

The enemy who was already exhausted seemed to have suddenly gone crazy. Could it be the last moment of madness? The wide shield wall could no longer be advanced. It began to twist and turn, and some positions were in great danger of being overrun by the enemy.

Suddenly, some positions were still overwhelmed, and Smolensk warriors filed in through the breach.

"Damn it! Block the gap quickly! The entire army continues to suppress and advance!" Helplessly, Spuyut's rich cry was drowned in the deafening shouts of killing.

At this moment he looked at his son.

"Boy, find your Uncle Telalang yourself and ask him to lead his men to block the gap immediately!"

"Ah I?!"

"Go!" Little Spyut still doesn't have his own name. His name is Eric, he is also called Bjorn, and sometimes he is called Harald.

A boy with no merit in battle, even though he was the son of Spuyut, he was still unknown, but those boring Saaremaa pirates gave him random names for fun.

Only he knows his real name Eric, and he also needs to take the opportunity to get his nickname.

His own son acted as the messenger, and as expected, he led more than a dozen brothers covered in blood, took the troops from the stable sentry, and ran towards the gap.

Although the swords and axes did not block the gap, they contained the enemy's further influx. Vadim was disappointed,

"Damn it, their shield wall was almost broken! I was almost able to win!" Sometimes, once an opportunity is lost, it is lost forever!

Vadim couldn't help but turn his head behind him, and was dismayed to see that he clearly had an army of three thousand. Even though he had suffered hundreds of casualties in previous battles, he was still strong.

What's going on now? ! Some tribal warriors seemed to be standing still under the deliberate instructions of those noble youths. To put it mildly, they were too frightened to march.

Now it is time for me to fight resolutely with my cronies, and then lead a group of brave people to continue fighting. Vadim himself was panting from exhaustion, and for a moment he felt that he had been shamefully betrayed.

It was as if hundreds of people were war-weary and were not participating in the toughest battles. Those people seemed to be bending down to pick up the trophies, completely ignoring that their companions were being killed by the Ross people... And in the Ross coalition camp, Spuyut had always hidden a secret weapon - the tactical reserve.

Eric, his son, did things quickly and returned to his father.

"Good job. Tralang will take care of everything. Now go and notify Stekander who is on standby!"

"Ah? I'm still going?!"

"Go quickly and tell him to take his cronies out of the shield wall and rush out like a berserker!"

"Okay." Until now, Stekander was only certain that the fortress defenders were the Ostara army. One notable feature was that some soldiers had horn decorations on their helmets.

What a pity for these decorations. Some only have one horn left, and some have their horns broken in half. They were obviously chopped off by the enemy during the fight.

The specific identity of the enemy must be the Smolensk Army, and the leader must be someone the Russians hate to the bone.

"Fugitive Prince" Vadim. He only knew the identities of the fortress defenders, but he had no acquaintances here.

It is this kind of incomprehension that gives us the most appropriate understanding of them while fighting side by side - although many of the soldiers are too young, they are just a group of young wolves. It is really cruel to turn into wolves and die needlessly in battle.

Stekander had been holding his men on the left flank, near the burning fortress and close to the right bank of the frozen river.

The shield wall of the Russian coalition therefore appeared very uneven, which explains the breach on the right wing.

The reserve team is on the left wing!

"Brothers, it's our turn! Danes, Odin is watching us. Let's go!" Stekander led a group of warriors who didn't even wear armor and rushed out of the shield wall. It was obviously extremely cold weather. A group of them, shirtless and with colorful tattoos on their chests, backs and arms, built the shield into a wedge shape and lined up their personnel.

The "Wedge Team" inserted directly into the chaotic enemy camp. Courage is the best defense at this moment. The Danish warriors who deliberately conserved their physical strength had realized that something bad would happen to their compatriots who stayed in Polotsk. Along with the burning of the fortress were two pointed longships. They knew that the Kingdom of Rus controlled the local area by cavalry advance, so they All the longship owners here must have come from Riga and from the Danish community in Riga.

They have been neighbors and friends for decades. They boldly went to the Roman city to sell amber and beeswax, but were actually tricked by the Smolensk people on the way?

Maybe, because he arrived too late, his friend had already died in the battle. If it had been earlier... they couldn't care too much for the time being. Although Stekander took Brother No. 50 away from the shield wall to fight, they were physically strong and well-equipped, and the Smolensk Army soldiers were generally out of breath.

Because the fighting lasted from morning to evening, both warring parties had nothing to eat during the process. The battle has become a duel of wills. Even if you just stand still for such a long time, a person is already too exhausted.

They have been fighting, and the physically dominant Ross side have shown their endurance advantage.

Swords and axes slashed wantonly, and Stekander led his berserkers to kill the exhausted ordinary tribal warriors.

And this has become the last straw that breaks the camel's back. The collapse began on the right flank of the Smolensk Army, which was also the left flank of the Russian coalition.

Fifty Danish berserkers successfully broke the anxious situation! Facing their companions, a group of tall, tattooed, pure-blonde warriors suddenly burst out. Their companions suffered a large number of casualties. The tribal warriors who witnessed all this no longer had the physical strength or courage to counterattack.

They threw down all kinds of weapons and chose to escape. Such escape also forced those who

The soldiers who were "watching the show" followed and fled. The village chiefs of Smolensk were forced to send out aristocratic young men one after another under the orders of the leader Vadim. Most of the young men who could be elected by relatives and friends were arrogant and had hatred and disdain for the Russians.

They had a friendship with Vadim when they were in the same room and drank kvass. But in the current scene, Vadim felt that he had been betrayed.

"No! You traitors, you can't leave!" Vadim turned around and shouted, but the collapse had already begun.

The building collapsed. The soldiers who were clenching their teeth one second gave up their defensive positions the next second and ran towards the village, completely ignoring the wails of their injured companions. Their boots were running wildly in the semi-coagulated blood. He tripped over the corpse, got up and continued running without even bothering to pick up his weapon.

"Chief!" Finally, one of his close associates couldn't bear the most critical situation: "They ran away, we should retreat too."

"You?! Are you going to be a deserter?"

"Chief, you will definitely die if you stay here." What followed was some rhetoric that the green hills would not have to worry about running out of firewood.

Vadim gritted his teeth and looked at the situation, and the desire for survival suddenly took over his mind.

"Damn it! Let's run! Run!" Vadim escaped, and everything seemed to reappear more than ten years ago...