Rise of Rurik

Hundreds of people who fell into the water were fished out. The cold lake water made them tremble all over and their lips turned blue. They sat on the decks of large ships with their hands tied, and were simply frightened into confessing everything they knew.

Rurik knew the reason why the Yotalan people were going to war, and he judged the location of his cousin Arik through a simple interrogation.

"We should go north," he told his men.

The king's words were surprising. Someone asked: "Shouldn't we be pursuing victory?"

"That's a good question. However, the enemy's situation is unclear, and our army is still tired. I... want an upright victory. Let's fight the land forces first."

Based on this judgment, Rurik ordered the troops to exercise restraint. Even though a large number of warriors resting by the lake have boarded long boats and entered the battlefield on the lake, they are still wandering in the waters full of sawdust. They hope to pursue victory and be stopped by Rurik.

"The king is too conservative!" Many people judged this.

Some nobles murmured: "The king must have a deep meaning when he does this."

Finally, they won a victory early in the morning and captured hundreds of Jotalan prisoners of war. Joy spread among the Russian army.

Suddenly, the entire army received new military orders.

Show the Ross flag! The fleet lined up in a grand formation, raised its sails and took advantage of the south wind to go northward, and met with the land forces that arrived first.

The army is leaving the Jotalan-dominated area of ​​Wettern Lake. They are not escaping from the battlefield. According to the king's order, the glory of the decisive battle cannot be exclusive to the navy. The navy and land forces should meet at the lake and then launch a general attack.

Rurik figured it wouldn't be long before he could find land troops.

It was only noon, and a cavalry figure suddenly appeared on the cliff by the lake.

Look! White shadows suddenly appear on the dark green lakes and mountains. If you look closely, they are the decorations of war horses. No matter how beautiful it is! The cavalry soldiers held the flag, and the flag of King Rus with blue stripes on a white background was flying impressively!

The meeting on the battlefield was inspiring, and Rurik was overjoyed: "Guards! The ruling trumpeter blows the trumpet to tell the cavalry that we are coming!"

The trumpets began to blow intensively, followed closely by the sound of drums.

The huge fleet showed off its mighty lineup, and the soldiers shouted as loud as they could, beating their shields. How could the strong lake breeze cover up these noises?

A guard suddenly pointed to the shore: "Your Majesty, the cavalry is moving."

"I saw it. They are going to lead us to the camp. Notify the semaphores and order the ships to maintain formation. We are about to join the land forces."

The cavalry sent by Arik for reconnaissance brought back good news, and the land army camp was shocked!

The soldiers rushed to the edge of the camp and even stood on the cliff. They wore their uniforms, waved flags and shouted, forming a white human wall on the steep cliff.

They were very eye-catching, and the fleet warriors who continued to march north responded with the same call.

Since the land forces were not far to the north, why did they hide their presence? Rurik finally saw their camp, a captured village. The village is located in a small bay area, and it is also a rare flat land in this area.

Compared with the advancing Ross Army, which had a total strength of 7,000 people, the village area in front of them was too small, and the shoreline of the small bay could not tolerate all the fleet's longships rushing ashore.

After all, this is a rare campsite. Even if there is trouble, Rurik gave the order and the whole army went ashore to rest.

The soothing beach of the cove is crowded with half-stranded longboats, as are the cliffs below. All the big ships anchored near the shore, forming a dense formation on the lake.

The narrow area was crowded with people, and the military camps had to be extended in depth, so that many people's campsites had reached the forest.

Dense crowds lit dense bonfires, and among them were some of the most special people - prisoners of war.

It was a prisoner of Jotalan who was fished out of the lake. Rurik ordered his life to be spared, and he would naturally be a slave in the future. He also noticed the masterpiece of his cousin Arik. Killing and occupying the Jotalan village was actually an act of command. There were also a large number of women here, and falling into them was one of the results of their battles these days.

The brothers were extremely happy to meet each other. The noble elites met here and had endless things to say to each other.

A bonfire was burning fiercely, and Rurik sat here surrounded by his two wives and concubines.

Looking at his brother's appearance, Arik would be lying if he said he wasn't envious. Unfortunately, his two wives are far away in safety and prosperity.

The main generals of the Rus Kingdom are here, and they exchange information with each other.

After learning that his brother had fought a victorious battle, and then hearing that the huge Jotalan fleet was trying to intercept him, his brother's victory was unexpected and reasonable. Aric heard this with mixed emotions. He drank a glass of ale, unable to suppress his complicated emotions and muttered: "You robbed me of what should have been my merit."

"Oh? Are you going to let about a thousand people land and attack you?"

"Why not? The brothers were very bored with the attack on the village. We were eager to fight their army head-on. As a result, we were easily wiped out by you."

Rurik shrugged and looked at the others: "You all think so?"

All the soldiers smiled back and then expressed their opinions.

"Okay! Okay..." Rurik patted his thigh and stood up, "Whether it's the navy or the army, everyone hopes to have an honest fight with the Yotalans. Will they give us a chance? I don't know. I I hope they have the consciousness to fight decisively and let us have glory. Brothers, eat some more, I will convene a military meeting!"

After a while, under the light of dense bonfires, as many as a hundred nobles and generals of the kingdom gathered together.

Ryuri ordered them to sit in a large circle as much as possible, and also called on the ordinary soldiers who had finished eating to go to bed quickly to avoid whispering and making noise.

He needed a relatively quiet scene so that he could announce the next war plan to his elites.

Hundreds of pairs of eyes stared at the high-spirited young king, all listening to his decision to fight.

"It was this morning that I defeated a Jotalan army and learned a lot of information from the prisoners, so I found you. Now the navy and army have finally joined forces!"

"Some people say that if I pursue the victory this morning, I can break into the home of the Ghotalans in Lake Wettern. Maybe I will win easily, but in this way, the glory of victory will be prematurely lost to those of me who are sitting here. Everyone has missed out on glory, and I feel this is inappropriate. Therefore, we are meeting here, and we will join forces to attack their stronghold."

"I interrogated the prisoners and learned that there are two strongholds of the Yotalans in this lake area! One is on the island, named Weisingser. The prisoners said that their leader is nicknamed the Wild Bear, and he is unbeatable when he wields a big axe! I I think this is ridiculous.”

This was a very serious content, but when Rurik mentioned the leader of the region, "Crazy Bear" Karl, everyone who was listening could not hold back.

Arik straightened his back: "There is such a fierce man? Are the words of the women I captured true? Does that guy dare to call himself a bear? Is he a berserker who looks down on us?"

"Exactly!" Rurik accepted his cousin's words with satisfaction: "Everyone! Only the berserkers of our Rus army can wear bear skins and bear head helmets. The rest of us are arrogant in dressing up like this. The leader of the Götalans If he is pretentious, he must die.”

At this moment, the captain of the guard, Grund, was here. Hearing the king's words, he almost laughed at the Jotalans mentioned. Just because he and his close comrades will go into battle in the most severe and anxious battlefield, put on heavy armor and bear heads on their heads, dressed like brown bears. Let me ask you, among the heavily armored brothers, which one is not more powerful than "Crazy Bear" Carl?

All the elites have a very clear target to kill - Karl "The Wild Bear", the warlord and tyrant of the region who was captured and surrendered.

For many Ross generals, this guy's name is not worth mentioning. It is gratifying to annihilate his troops and gain glory.

"That man may have a thousand mercenaries under his command. I don't think they are very powerful, but we still need to make it clear which enemies must be killed and which ones are fishermen who were suddenly mobilized."

Rurik continued, but the meaning of his words changed slightly.

The alert people heard the change in the king's attitude, and King Rurik seemed to be adjusting his strategy.

Who is the enemy, who is the slave, and who is the person who can be used, these must be figured out in advance.

The Götaland people also live in more than just one corner of Lake Vättern. There is only one large Götaland stronghold in this lake area, one is Vissingse on the island, and the other is Jönköping at the southernmost end of the lake.

The warlord tyrant Karl lived on the island, and the region's merchants, craftsmen, and most of the farmers and fishermen lived in Jönköping at the southern end.

"If these people just live by the lake, how can they interfere with the stability of Sweden? Our army will kill the local ruler and annihilate all his men. I want the remaining Götalans to surrender to Rus and sign a contract with them , delineate the border between Sweden and Götaland, order them to pay compensation to our army and hand over slaves. What do you think?"

The king ordered this, and even if some people questioned whether the king seemed merciful, the doubts were kept in the stomach.

At least they all chose to support it openly. Rurik nodded. He felt that he had unified the thoughts of the entire army, and all that was left was to deploy the army.

Like the previous march mode, the new operation means formal all-out war.

In the two Yotalan settlements in the Wettern Lake area, the Ross army will change their tactics and attack with all their strength the fortress on the island of Wisingse, the core area of ​​local rule, in order to kill Karl the "Crazy Bear" and win. The force forced Jönköping to surrender.

This tactic seems to be very good, but it sounds a bit far-fetched.

Rurik asked everyone to give their opinions on his decision, and "Bald" Fisk said something.

"Fisk?"

"Ah! I have an opinion. If the people in Jönköping see our army coming and run away, what will we gain? I'm afraid they will run away."

"This is indeed worth thinking about." Rurik spoke lightly, as if he had predicted Fisk's prediction.

Fisk seemed to understand what his monarch meant. He did have an opinion: "Why don't the king order my cavalry to march independently? After all, it is impossible for the cavalry to run wildly on the lake. Since the city of Jönköping is in the southernmost part of the lake, I will rush quickly." In the past, we even captured this city for the king in advance to form a double-team on that...oh, Wizinger. This would be a complete victory."

Fisk's bold words reminded some people in the army of Arik more than ten years ago. That was twelve years ago, when the 19-year-old Arik led more than 400 brothers to attack the villages on Gotland Island, winning a victory with a small number.

Twelve years ago, Fisk was a little bald man whose father died, and now he is an arrogant "bald man" riding a horse.

Of course, his baldness is not unique. The Balmok flag soldiers in the Russian army were shaved bald and tattooed with blue patterns. According to the tradition of Narvik Port, this hairstyle is very masculine.

"It seems that our little brother Fisk wants to take the great credit!" The speaker was Arik, and his words were a bit frivolous.

"Brother, can't I do it?" Fisk retorted.

"Of course you can. But you don't know the path, and your move is a risk."

"Any war is an adventure, and I am sure I will make a difference."

This was not a sarcastic question by Arik. He had also heard about Vissingse and Jönköping from the mouths of a bunch of female prisoners at hand. Both settlements had a population of several thousand people. Some female prisoners resisted with force, and retaliated against the conquerors with bad words, shouting that the Jotalan warriors in the south were powerful.

Is the army as huge as today's Rus-Sweden-Finland, and the huge army composed of miscellaneous tribes?

The risk would be too great if Brother Fisker goes deep alone. What's more, if the cavalry goes out, Princess Beyakhir of Pecheneg will inevitably participate.

Things get tricky. Arik himself can be very reckless, but he doesn't want his little brother to take huge risks.

Fisk was determined. The more Arik questioned him, the more he doubted that all the generals and nobles present would doubt him. Sitting here are the traditional nobles of Sweden. They absolutely do not believe in the achievements that a little kid can achieve. Is there a second person on the same level as the dreamy King Rurik?

"I support you!" Rurik stood up, grabbed Fisk's right arm and raised it high: "I made an agreement that the cavalry will act alone. Three hundred cavalry will attack Jönköping!"

Rurik let go of his hand again: "Fisk obeys the order!"

Upon hearing this, the young cavalry general immediately knelt down on one knee.

"The king orders you to attack Jönköping. Your mission is to conquer it and avoid unwarranted killings. You must kill those who resist and kill all the cronies of Karl the Wild Bear. Those who are willing to surrender must save their lives. . But! If the locals are determined to resist all, you should not attack recklessly, hold them back as much as possible, and try to prevent them from supporting me in attacking Weisinger Island. Otherwise, you can make your own decision!"

"Yes!" Fisk nodded deeply.

There is still only one main direction of attack, the island called Vicingse, especially the fortress on the island.

The whole army has established the final strategy to attack Lake Wettern. They will rest for another day tomorrow, and on the third day the whole army will go south.

However, the cavalry must take action in advance tomorrow in order to create a time difference against Jönköping.

According to statistics, there were more than 300 prisoners fished out of the water. They could serve as guides. Rurik did not trust them, at least he did not trust that 300 people could become mercenaries of the Russian army.

Almost all of them came from Wiesingsø and a few from Jönköping.

Rurik selected a few men with good legs and feet, who were said to be debt slaves who were forced to fight. Such men were promised to be freed after victory, and were promised a sum of money as a reward for leading the way.

These people had never been the dependents of the ruler Karl the Wild Bear. More than a dozen people swore that they would be good guides and begged to save their lives and the lives of their wives and children in Weisinger during the war.

A group of prisoners of war still dare to bargain? How did the Russian army protect the captured wives and children during the war?

There are corresponding promises, and you have to give them a thought.

The entire Ross army reorganized their armaments and rested for a whole day. On the third day, it was the day Rurik established the march.

Attack on Vissingse Island! Breach the fortress on the island! Kill the ruler Carl the Wild Bear and all of his one thousand minions (it is said there are one thousand people)! Conquer the entire Wetternsee! Then expand the war with the glory of victory!

The army slogans were shouted loudly, and the officers and soldiers in the army were highly motivated.

It was this momentum that made the male and female captives look like a bunch of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

The total number of prisoners totaled six hundred, and the prisoners were also very surprised. The conquerors of Sweden and Rus did not want to kill people for fun, and even gave them boiled oats, even though they were small amounts.

Food reserves were made before the expedition. Some of Rurik's armed cargo ships were full of food. Considering that the entire Götaland was to be conquered this year, the military food reserves were enough to feed 10,000 people for five to six months. In this era, European logistics support reached its peak. Of course, because of the extremely cost-effective material carriers such as large ships, the army marched along rivers and waterways, and the cost of transporting military rations was extremely low. Otherwise, Rurik would not be able to provide this level of logistical support.

If the logistics are done well, the soldiers can go into the battle of Visingse Island with full stomachs and full energy.

Three hundred cavalry had already taken action yesterday, and the remaining nearly seven thousand troops boarded the ship one after another.

The army stuffed all the prisoners into clothes and looked for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuａ. com Male and female prisoners of war were deliberately fed small amounts of oats, leaving them starving and unable to escape.

The huge fleet is floating on the lake, and the entire army has not yet taken action. They are all waiting for a special ceremony.

A group of soldiers were still standing in the captured village in the small bay, holding burning torches, waiting for the king's order.

"Fire up!" Rurik on the flagship gave the order, and the horn that served as a signal blew.

The soldiers on the shore received the order and immediately began to set fire to the haystack roofs of the longhouse wooden sheds one by one.

The conquered villages are destined to have nothing left, and the burning of the village chiefs in the black and gray smoke is a farewell to the Russian army.

On the flagship, a torsion slingshot faced south. It struggled to launch a javelin and fell into the lake in front of thousands of people.

This is another symbol. Toward the direction in which the javelin flew, the ships of the fleet lowered their sails, pulled out their anchors, twisted their hulls against the south, and rushed towards the decisive battle target due south.

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