Chapter 462： Advance Gotland Army

"The Rise of Rurik (

This is not like an army, but more like an armed refugee. They are very large, and they are passing through the valleys between the mounds or directly over the hills.

They left their home with mixed feelings, brought their weapons, and left most of their belongings at home.

How much property does an ordinary Gotland man have? All their cattle, sheep, livestock, and fish reserves were placed in the port area. A small number of soldiers and a group of old people stayed at Visby to guard against the sudden landing and attack of the Ross ships offshore.

The fighting power of the entire Gotland Island was almost mobilized. The wealthy businessmen left a handful of mercenaries and wives at home, and also put on chain mail and led their heirs to take up arms to fight.

Six thousand people of all stripes built up this huge army, and the driving force that drove everyone to fight madly was the anger and hatred towards the Ross people.

But they cannot be counted as a real army!

A group of savvy mercenaries raised by Gotland King Harken and his fellow merchants can be described as the main force of this team.

The armed team of strong men among the islanders is the second echelon of strength.

The third echelon consists of a large number of women, teenagers, and the elderly and infirm.

Only the most dignified Danish mercenaries wore chain armor on a large scale, at least these people achieved a set of leather armor.

As for the other fighters, they not only lack any form of armor, but a leather or commoner without a patch is excellent.

Many people do not have iron or copper helmets. They have loose hair or tied up, and they have bare upper body muscles and tattoos. They are in line with their historical image, that is, "a group of naked barbarians jumping from a boat."

If this army suddenly attacked the Frankish kingdom, it would have caused huge damage, and it would be perfectly possible to gnaw a large area from the empire's territory to establish a feudal state.

However, the Russ army they faced was completely inconsistent with the appearance of the Viking army.

Harken rushed to the battlefield with determination, saying that before the war, the various powers of the Gotland army should gather together to study the tactics of the battle. However, Harken did not do this. They also had a meaningless quarrel in the Tribunal. Besides, the biggest conclusion reached was that they decided to let the islander army charge first, and the savvy mercenaries would oppress the rear. power.

What can Harken say? In fact, he is not opposed to this deliberate means of preserving the strength of merchants, but can those armed islanders really defeat the Ross people? They must rely on their own numbers to kill the enemy's vigor. When the savvy Danish mercenaries rush up again, the Ross people will be defeated.

The businessmen thought this set of tricks was very practical, and they all concealed their contempt for the lives of ordinary people. After all, if it were not for the Ross people to move too fast, give them another ten days of preparation time, the families pack all the money and goods, and everyone will directly move south to the Danish territory and the important southern market Hazeby will be safe. As for What does the life and death of the Gotland Islanders do to them?

In any case, all the people with ghost detectives are now grasshoppers on a rope, whether it is a gorgeously dressed businessman, a sharp warrior with a reflective chain armor, or a man with a white upper body, they have arrived at the bridge one after another. The battlefield of the village.

Those who arrived first stopped one after another, and invariably saw the enemy in the distance, taking a breath.

Those young islanders with high self-esteem who had never seen the world and felt that killing a few Ross people on the battlefield were not difficult, they had to revise their understanding.

No one dared to act rashly, they stayed behind. As more and more people gathered, they finally formed a giant.

The angle of view turned to the Ross people.

The flag teams have been deployed.

The Warriors Flag team composed of two natives of the Ross tribe is divided into two wings. The Melaren Flag team splits the personnel to strengthen the Warriors Flag team.

The Slavic flag corps composed of spear-bearing Novgorods became the Chinese army, followed by the Duke's mercenary unit, which held the battle line and guarded the core of the command.

The flag team of shooters was divided into two groups. The people who manipulated the torsion slingshot stood on the dirt wall, and the other shooters were temporarily scattered and arranged in front of the formation.

The reserve team of the Russ Army, all the heavy vehicles and the reindeer pulling carts are all in the camp, and their figures are covered by a dirt wall. The warriors of the reserve team have put on their silver scale breastplates. Each warrior’s arms and calves are also protected by iron sheets. The special iron helmets have also added a rough-made iron cover, leaving only the eye position. Come down a gap. They don't need any shields, some weapons are a steel sword and a steel axe. They are the Berserkers of the Russ Army, and they will suddenly come out after receiving a direct order from the Duke.

But there was a group of poor soldiers, all of them standing in front of the Ross army, trembling constantly facing the behemoth in the distance.

Nearly three hundred surrendering men in Baisha Port, look at this battle. They did not die on the battlefield to defend Baisha Port, and now they are bound to die in this decisive battle with the Visby people. They are all people living on the same island, so they have to fight each other? They have no malice subjectively, but unfortunately they can't help themselves.

Most of them would die in battle, but Rurik gave them a little thought of being alive.

"You must prove your surrender in a fierce battle with the Visby army. When you hear the horn, you will run back immediately. If you don't hear the horn, you will be killed as an enemy."

At least, they found a very faint hope in their despair, but now they see the huge army from Visby, how can they not be frightened?

Both Rurik and Otto were standing on the dirt wall, looking at the enemy's army. The two of them didn't know the enemy's actual strength. They just noticed that the enemy had a superior number. They did not know that the total strength of the soldiers on the battlefield in Qiao Village was close to 10,000.

Otto's deep eyes couldn't hide the trembling of his eyes. He felt a trace of fear because the enemy's forces were too much. From the corner of his eyes, he looked at his son who was standing upright, and saw the boy standing like a pine tree.

Otto's big hand was on his son's shoulders: "It will be a big battle soon, you..."

"Are you worried about me? Or are you worried about our army being frustrated?"

"No! I'm not worried, but... I haven't seen so many enemies in my life. This is the power of the Gotlanders? We underestimated their power."

To be honest, Rurik was a little worried, but looking at the ready torsion slingshot from the corner of his eyes, and the large number of backup arrows piled on the dirt wall, his worry disappeared.

"Dad, you also underestimated our own strength! And our army, only when the battle starts, they will find out how powerful they are!"

Hearing these words lifted up his breath, Otto squeezed his son's shoulder vigorously: "Next, shall we attack first?"

"Absolutely. Anyway, I'll say it to everyone. If the enemy sends someone to negotiate now, then he will cut it. If they don't move, I will let the guys in Baisha Port attack first. I want to see the enemy. strength."

Otto chuckled, "Alright. Let's look at the high priests first! Your kid really has an idea, and actually let your Lumia walk around the prayers on the front line."

Rurik's gaze was torch, and his eyes fixed on the girls in plain clothes: "This way everyone will feel that Odin is with us. Lumia will not fight. As for those girls, they will all draw a bow for me after the war."

The little priest walked in front of the army with the holy elephant in his arms, while the big priest was reciting the scriptures, he kept sprinkling the holy water on the soldier's armor with birch branches.

Rurik didn't know when this ritual before the formation began in the nineteenth century. He just wanted to imitate it, hoping to inspire the vigor of the frontline fighters through the priest's prayers.

The fact is that the Ross people's front-line troops are extremely uniform, and the overall blue-and-white "wall" has given their opponents a great mental shock.

On the other hand, the Gotland Army here, their clothing can be described as diverse, six thousand people simply gather in a group, there is no formation at all. The Gotland fighters on the front line are equipped with shields at least. The only tactic they know is to form a shield wall, slowly approaching the enemy's front and trying to maintain their own front and stabs and slashes frantically until the final victory.

This is what they know about the battle. If the shield wall line collapses, it will be a gang fight after everyone swarms.

The biggest difference between fighting and gang fights, I am afraid it is limited to the result of the fighting must be one party surrendered as a slave and died in battle.

The only thing that can maintain the morale of the Gotland army is its huge force.

Ten wealthy businessmen gathered in front of the battle. Harken saw that everyone looked like iron, and he knew that the prospects of the businessmen against the decisive battle were not optimistic, even if the Gotland army had the advantage.

"Sure enough, as the legend says, there are at least three thousand people in the Ross!"

"What's next? Let the islanders rush up and kill them?"

"Yes! Let them rush, our people are behind. We force them to fight, and if they dare to retreat, kill them directly."

…

The businessmen express their opinions and are teaching Haken to do things. Of course, as the king, Harken himself lacks his own opinions. To be fair, it is an unprecedented event that the entire Nordic world can command six thousand people in a decisive battle at one go!

Harken's mind is very confused, and his anger and arrogance before he really arrived on the battlefield, as well as the decisive sacrifice of his children and destroying the statue of Frey, have given way to rational prudence.

"Or, send someone to talk about their tone first? If they are willing to retreat... Maybe they are afraid to see us crowded?"

"Absurd!" Harald of the Hrolev family really wanted to slap Harken in the face, so he yelled: "It's this juncture, why do you suddenly imagine that the Rus will withdraw? Is it your eldest son or younger son? White dead? You destroyed the statue of Frey and worshipped Odin. If you don’t fight today, you! If you blaspheme one god, you can’t blaspheme the second. If you dare to blaspheme Odin, the people will kill you. "

"Even so... forget it, you all go back and prepare!"

Harken's attitude is very determined. He has a stinking face and obviously doesn't want to talk more with his colleagues.

The gorgeously dressed merchants have returned to the rear of the army. Now, thousands of Gotland warriors have their eyes focused on their king.

Harken turned around and opened his arms to roar. He successfully mobilized the morale of the people, and all the men and women were shouting.

The roar directly irritated the Russian army, and now the Russian army spontaneously responded with a fierce battle roar.

Taking advantage of this momentum, Haken dispatched five bold fighters to approach the Ruth's army.

These guys were talking nonsense at the first glance. Arik shook his neck in front of the formation and walked over with more than a dozen soldiers from the formation.

As soon as the other party was about to speak, Arik directed his men to do it with his eyes.

The person sent out was suddenly killed by the Ross people! The Ross people do not accept any conditions at all! There is no idea other than the decisive battle at all!

Arik has done too much! He cut off the head of the deceased, lifted the head high, pulling off the helmet and pulling the hair of the deceased.

It's not over yet, he is all his subordinates lifting up the linen coat in front of the Gotland army, exposing the crotch and roaring swear words to mock the enemy.

"These **** Roths!" Harken was shaking with anger, and he heard his own yelling at the same time!

Arik's ridicule had a very good effect, and the Gotland army had been furious.

Taking advantage of the anger of the people at hand, Harken Jianfeng pointed directly at the Ross army: "Warriors of Gotland! Attack!"

The first line of the Gotland Army was full of crackling and stacking shields.

The fighters on the front line can be described as elite soldiers among the islanders. First of all, they are strong men, but the overall equipment is somewhat unsatisfactory.

The Gotland Army spontaneously set up three shield walls, and some of them formed a human wall that was more than 300 meters long as the Russ. Behind it, the Gotland army could not guarantee the order of the army. Those armed men of all kinds were trapped by the same clan and walked forward with weapons.

When the Gotland army began to move, Arik threw the enemy's head directly.

"Brothers, let's withdraw! Let's see what Rurik's scheme is."

After Arik returned to his flag team, he immediately restrained his impatient subordinates to remain calm.

Just before the Rus army formation, the little soldiers of Rurik, the two hundred lying boys and girls, picked up their wooden crossbows and were ready to shoot. In the first actual combat, they couldn't help trembling. Fortunately, they were ordered to fire only once, and then immediately retreated along the gap of the military formation, and finally turned on the non-stop firepower output in the so-called safe zone round of the earth wall.

The fighters of the Archer Flag team are all waiting for the order to shoot arrows, but the first round of the Rus' attack came from the defectors in Baisha Port.

The order to attack has been issued!

The men in Baisha Port didn't care about the formation, they raised their axe and rushed towards the attacking Gotland army.

Soon, the fight began!

The people of Baisha Port crashed into the shield wall of the Gotland people and immediately became a piece.

Swords are jabbing, axes are slashing, and the Gotland's long-handled axes and short spears help to cause greater damage in the first line.

The White Sands Port Army and the Gotland Army had mutual casualties. As the fierce battle continued, Harken saw this situation in the battle. In the formation, he immediately ordered the team to surround the enemy and kill all of them.

The encirclement of the Gotland Army began to form, and the pessimistic Baisha Port man wished to hear the horn of the withdrawal of the Rus, but only the collision of the sword and the axe and the roar of the warrior were in his ears.

At this moment, Rurik is still watching his father with a blank face.

The soldiers of the Russ Army saw it. Because of the efforts of the Baisha Port defectors, the Gotland Army did not continue to advance, although the enemy's front-line troops were already within the coverage of the Russ Arrow.

Otto held his breath and saw that the battle had suddenly progressed. He asked in particular: "Now the men in Baisha Port have been killed by the enemy, and their line has been broken. You need the time!"

"Yes! It's here!"

Rurik stomped his feet hard and gave the torsion slingshot shooter the command to launch!

With an order, the heavy javelins fired by ten slingshots flew into the sky at an angle of 45° with the violent whirring sound of swirling feathers, and then fell sharply.

The people in the fierce battle encountered this sudden blow, their chests were pierced, and the whole person was pierced to the ground.

The damage is irrespective of the enemy and me. Of course, Rurik did not regard the defectors as enemies. As for blowing the horn to make the defectors retreat, Rurik had deceived them from the beginning. What's more, now I have changed my mind. Even if the horns are sounded, the defectors in Baisha Port are unable to break through.

Ten javelins pierced into the enemy's front. The enemy was standing very densely, causing a lot of damage. Even two people were nailed to the ground for the same javelin piercing.

The launch of the torsion slingshot is a signal that the flag team of the Russmen are attacking!

All the long-range weapons were being launched, and the first wave of arrows composed of nearly 500 arrows appeared in the sky, which hit the Gotland army with a heavy casualty like hail.

Many Gotland fighters died before they came into contact with the Russian army!

Some of the targets of Arrow's killing were shot by young soldiers and female soldiers of the Gotland Army. Once they fell, there was no one to rescue them. What’s worse is that the military spirit of the Gotland Army suddenly became turbulent, because the five hundred large and small arrows are at least iron clusters, whether they hit shields or lock armors. Armored or clothed, the results are similar! As many as three hundred people were actually hit by arrows, and most of them lost the ability to fight on the spot and fell to the ground.

The Gotland army began to panic, and the fellers clutched their wounds and howled and were trampled on by friendly forces.

But how could they endure a rain of arrows and the whole army collapsed?

The Ross people are still shooting arrows, but the new arrows are no longer dense.

"This is your secret weapon? Rurik! Butcher Arik! Ross!" Harken cursed, almost crushing his teeth, and then threw away the shield with two iron arrows inserted.

Harken roared in the chaos: "Brothers! Fight with them! Charge us!"

Harken first led his mercenary troops with raven-patterned shields to charge. The Gotland soldiers who were frightened by the rain of arrows all eased. They all saw their king beating and being held up high. The raven shield, facing the arrow attack, reorganized the formation and continued to advance.

At the same time, the crossbowmen on the front line of the Russian army have gradually withdrawn to the back of the army. Those children are already climbing the earth wall and will continue to shoot arrows. As for the Torsion Slingshot and Cowen Archers, they didn't stop shooting arrows.

Of course, archery alone cannot contain and defeat the enemy's charge. It is the sword and axe that breaks the opponent's offensive.

"Shield wall! Ready to stab!" Arik roared.

"They are here, ready to kill the enemy!" Harozuosen ordered calmly.

Medveit commanded in ancient Slavic language: "Don't be afraid. Spear array, stab me to death these Varangians!"

As the shields of both sides collided, a full-scale fight began.