Chapter 812： The collapse of Bornholm

Both the wife and the children are still alive, and their condition seems to be okay. As for the death of the servant, Swind can no longer take care of it. His wife and children are still alive, and he has no more worries.

He pinched his waist and raised his chest. After letting go of his wife, he shouted in a deep voice: "You will resist again! The Ross people let you surrender!"

As soon as this remark came out, Shiqiu's already swayed attitude became even more swayed.

However, the powerful patriarchs of the big family, based on their own life experience, will not descend so smoothly. If everyone had surrendered long ago, why persist until now.

An old guy leaned on a stone and poked his head out and roared: "Swind! You were the leader and led the Ross people!? You are a traitor, and you make the whole island miserable!"

Swind was also not to be outdone: "Sounds like Holmsund? I expected you to say that! My friend, I am not a villain, and! The Ross people don't want to be a villain either!"

"Absurd! We chose you to make peace with the Ross people. You betrayed everyone! We all thought you were dead. We didn't expect this to be the case. We might as well cut your wife and children if we knew this."

Swind guessed that if his family did not run down without permission, they would become a bargaining chip for surrender. Even if Shiqiu's people speak ruthlessly, it must be rhetoric with words in the words.

"But you have no chance." He said triumphantly: "Look at your own situation! How much food and water are stored on the stone mound, don't I know? The weather now doesn't seem like it will rain soon, as long as Ross If people continue to besiege, you may die of thirst tomorrow. As long as the Ross people are willing and don’t fight, you will certainly die. But! The Ross people want you to surrender. My friends, surrender! Neither we nor the Ross people. Reasons to continue fighting."

These words are very provocative, because what Swind said is true.

There is still a little grain on the stone mound, but the fresh water is really gone.

Escape to Shiqiu for refuge now seems to be a really bad move, but no one thought of this when they first fled, and everyone did not expect that the Ross army would be everywhere, like a net trapping a struggling cod.

The leaders of the big family are in a dilemma, and the exiled Danes are even more entangled.

They were hesitant, but the large number of heads exposed from behind the stone fully proved the strong shake of their mentality.

Considering his past friendship, Swind didn't want these old friends to die in vain.

He continued to shout: "If I landed on the island early to avoid this misunderstanding! Friends, we have all misunderstood. The war is not necessary at all, as long as we surrender to Rose, everything will be better. It is because you took the initiative to launch an offensive a few days ago. Let Prince Rus misunderstand that you are going to fight to your death. Why bother! We used to surrender to the Danish king Hafgen, now Hafgen is dead, and the newcomer despise us in the past. Since we once surrendered to Denmark, what is the problem of surrendering to Ross now? Now! Prince Ross has given our brothers very good conditions!"

Hearing, someone leaned out half of their body altogether: "You say! What do the Ross people want to do? If we descend, what good will it do? This is our island! This is our island!"

"so what?!"

"We have to accept our terms!"

Swind's head buzzed, and a group of old guys died of internal friction, and they still want to negotiate terms? He remained unmoved, and continued: "Negotiating terms? Yes! I'm just a messenger appointed by the Ross people, and I can only tell you the terms of Prince Ross. You surrender! The Ross people will guarantee your safety. You will be there every year in the future. Ross Nagon, publicly declared against King Horlick of Denmark, and surrendered some more slaves. That's it! The Ross people want these."

From the standpoint of the Ross people, ordinary soldiers felt that the prince gave a group of dying idiots too high a condition. How could they get peace? It's better for the brothers to swarm up and kill the islanders.

Rurik himself made a huge concession, he himself was reluctant, but in order to resolve the situation as soon as possible, let Swinder describe it like this for the time being.

It was said that the people on the stone hills should surrender after receiving such a promise. In fact, on the contrary, the patriarchs of those big families are still hesitant.

For no other reason, these men do not seem to be controlled by others.

Even if it was ruled by Denmark in the past, it was rule in name. The Danish lord or the king did not ask the Bornholm islanders for any real tribute, if there were some herrings. There are two reasons why the islanders fell out with the new king of Denmark. One is that the visitor is a de facto Frankish agent, and the existence itself does not represent the interests of Denmark. The other is the biggest contradiction-the new king announced the tax collection. .

After all, the new Danish king Horlick became an actual vassal in Frank. Even though Frank's tax system was primitive, it was a plain tax system. Naturally, as the king of Denmark, the means of making money was upgraded to relying on taxation to make a grandiose claim. The tribes under the rule of the new Danish king must pay a poll tax. Ships must also pay a mooring tax and a trade tax. Danish farmers must pay a grain tax.

The Frankish kingdom has not yet invented many types of exorbitant taxes. Even Charlemagne, who is a talented man, often faces the problem of lack of money from the treasury. So the great king has to rely on taxpayers to subdue and ask the local powerful aristocracy to regularly find ways to provide enough. The tribute was used as an army salary to continue the kingdom's expansion war. The nobles also participated in the war after they paid out, and the spoils of the war often offset the tribute. But this system has huge loopholes. The local nobles can do their own way. When the hero is about to die, the kingdom is actually divided.

The new Danish king Horlick was an attendant of the tribal leader. He obtained the Danish throne today by doing things for the Franks. This by no means means the recognition of the Danish real powers. A considerable number of people do not recognize the Danish kingdom.

Horrick had to rely on taxes to stabilize his finances and then consolidate his royal power. Because his disobedience aroused the ambition of the Franks, he lost a sum of money and consumed the national money, making the already inadequate treasury even more impoverished. It is clearly reasonable to ask for tax from each tribe, but the tax must be implemented even for the infants of the tribe. This is challenging the bottom line of the Danish people! It stands to reason that the head tax is not a big problem, and the tax standard is also very low, and the people can obviously afford it.

From the standpoint of ordinary people in Denmark, this is not a good thing. The collection of poll taxes is regarded as an insult by many Danish people, as if even babies are to be Horrick’s slaves. The tribes in those remote places simply rowed long boats to find another settlement, and some tribes rose up to resist, such as Bornholm Island, the most remote place, has essentially separated from Denmark.

These major economic interest issues have separated the island from Denmark. Let's listen to Swinder's statement! If everyone surrenders, they still have to pay tribute or pay compensation. What is the difference between the conditions put forward by Prince Ross and that of Danish Horlick? Even the names of the two monarchs are very similar.

Because Ragnar had been here, the name of Prince Rose was mentioned as Rurik Ottosson.

The new king of Denmark is Horrick Haraldson.

What kind of thing is this? Because Horlick and Rurik are both variants of the name "Eric", there is no difference between them.

The names of the two monarchs are approximately the same, and the conditions put forward cannot be said to be similar, but they can only be said to be exactly the same.

But the big real problem is also in front of us-brothers are really going to die of thirst and starve to death.

Swind continued to talk nonsense again, and even if it took some words, it would be good to persuade them to avoid the killing. He was so dry that he had to untie the skin and drink from the water bottle.

He deliberately made the action very pompous, and after drinking, he dumped the rest of the water in public.

"Go down! Friends, the Ross people will not treat the surrenders badly. As you can see, the people who came down first are already eating fish and drinking water..."

Ragnar and Arik who were present maintained the utmost restraint, and they really felt that Swind's mouth was a waste of feelings.

Ragnar stepped forward and patted the guy on the shoulder: "Enough! Maybe those men finally realized that they still have the courage of a soldier and plan to fight to the end."

"No! Let me try again."

"Enough is enough, your kindness seems to them to be crows. Let me come, I want to convince the Danes."

No, Ragnar appeared publicly.

He unhurriedly took off the robe given by the Ross man, and then took off the shirt inside, showing his chest and arms. He showed his tattoo to the people on the stone hill, and raised his fist to indicate that he had a special ring.

It's "The Ragnar of Skull Slashing Pants"!

The Danish exiles were originally Danish lords. They were defeated by the new Danish king and the Frankish coalition forces, and fled to Bornholm with very few troops. There were some losses after a very ugly battle with the Rus army, and in the days when the stone hills were trapped, there were brothers who died of thirst.

Ragnar's nickname is very resounding, after all, at a young age of fifteen, this person can chop off the head of the snake-playing leader in a duel.

Ragner also spoke very well: "Danes! Why do you guys want to mix with Bornholm Islanders? Is it just for shelter? Me! Ragnar Sigurdsson, I’m from the Ross people. The leader is close. Our Stonewall tribe has formed an alliance with the Rus. My people have a very good life. The Rus admire you! Prince Rus asked me to give you a message! The enemy’s enemy is a friend! As long as you oppose Denmark King, the Ross people are willing to make friends with you. Come down!"

Yes, why should the Danes sacrifice their lives to the islanders. A group of desperate families only allowed the exiled Danes to live in the past. The fact is that they live in partnership with each other, and now the Rus are targeting the islanders. Isn’t it ridiculous that the exiled Danes are involved in this battle?

The Danish exiles who have figured it out are irritable, but they are still not completely sure that they will get a promise of safety.

Someone asked loudly: "Ragna! We can go down. You swear! You swear to Odin! If the Ross people retaliate against us, you will be cursed by the gods, and heroes like you don't want to enter Vallaha."

Ragnar is a true believer. He firmly believes that there is his place in the Hall of Valor, so he must abide by the principles of warriors, such as not betraying his companions. He believes that Rurik's so-called new policy towards Denmark is true. When the new Danish king is cleaned up in the future, the peace between Denmark and Ross, and even expanded, will bring peace to the entire Baltic world.

"Okay! I swear to Odin! If you come down and the Ruth kills you, let Odin take my life, let Thor chop me into coke with thunder, let Freya curse my heir die."

Enough enough, the Danes who had enough of these bets on the stone mound were convinced that Ragnar was real.

The Danes didn't care about the feelings of those big families and private soldiers, and they staggered down over the barriers.

At the same time, the Ross army is paying attention to the trend of persuading surrender here. Rurik kept squinting and staring, he took a breath, and after a while, it seemed that things could be resolved peacefully?

Arik led the archer troops to remain on guard. He ordered no one to escape. As long as the people who came down did not try to fight, the crossbows held by the brothers would go upright.

There are hundreds of Danish exiles who come down, they are not a strong force.

Ragnar collided with their fists, patted some people on the shoulders, and continued to promise peace.

But Arik stopped them: "Dane, you hand over your weapons first."

As soon as the words came out, the exiles who had just come down were instantly alert and drew their swords.

The Ross army is more tidy here, and the crossbow towards the sky suddenly leveled, and Arik's team formed a Ross arrow formation.

"You still don't want to surrender? Resistance is a dead end!" Arik commanded with his teeth.

Those exiles are not to be outdone, even though their bodies are severely short of water, they still pose as if they are stubbornly resisting on the shield wall.

The two sides are in a stalemate with a distance of about 20 steps. The Ross is not the main attacker, and the Danish exiles are also completely defensive.

Upon seeing this, Ragnar was caught between the two armies alone, spreading his arms to mediate.

"Brothers Arik, why bother? They are really surrendering, don't frighten them. Hey! Friends of Denmark, you can avoid misunderstandings by handing in your weapons first. When Duke Ross thinks you are not threatening, everything is easy. Let's talk about it. Now, Prince Rose is still recruiting mercenaries. Wouldn’t it be good for you to defect together? For the sake of my face, both of you exercise restraint."

It's rare for Arik to accept the softness first. As the elder brother, he doesn't want to cause trouble to his brother on this key issue.

The warrior with the crossbow slackened, and the Ross army at the scene was relieved.

The Danish exiles looked at each other, and since the Rus were like this, everyone had no choice. They put down their shields and swords one after another, and handed over their lives to the Ruths.

Soon, the temptation to eat meat and drink water prevailed. Rurik was also very interesting. He could see that the people who got down the stone mound were full of suspicion, which added some material to the materials provided to these people. More than grilled fish? Danish exiles also ate biscuits made of wheat. This pancake is not ordinary, with a little honey spread on it, directly making it a delicacy that an exile has eaten for the first time in his life.

When the Danes, who had unloaded their weapons, began to drink and eat in open water, the people on the stone mounds collapsed completely.

The patriarchs of the big family can no longer restrain other people except their own family.

The slaves rebelled! They didn't turn to look at their masters, but threw their swords and axes, blatantly the warriors rushed into the arms of the Ross people with their empty hands.

The slaves have all gone, so why bother with the private soldiers? The big family can't get paid, so it's better to go down and join the Ross people. The brothers are mercenaries in nature. It's a good choice to give the Ross people their lives. Just because they saw it, it was a Danish who was clearly inextricably fought, and he drank water in the Rus camp.

Having lost slaves and private soldiers, the so-called big family has all turned into bare veterans.

At this point, they lost even the strength of the last fight, and then looked at the large group of fishermen on the stone hill who were helpless waiting to die, and simply announced their surrender.

Rurik saw that the big families were the last to surrender. He had despised these idiots, but now he despises them even more.

Of course, he was still openly and arrogantly welcoming the surrender of the big families on the island, and emphasized: "We will hold a Nordic meeting with each other to discuss matters after your surrender."

This is Prince Ross? The Danish king Horlick was a low, round-faced fellow, and this Rurik was a handsome young boy. The handsome men are more friendly. With the fact that Rurik really provided water and food, people who were about to die of thirst came back to life. In the hearts of the patriarchs, Rurik only left a good impression. It seems that the previous siege has really become his own misunderstanding. Caused by asking for trouble.

But they weren't what Rurik took seriously. Is it necessary to invite a group of patriarchs of a large family to be the guests, what is the use of this group of unreliable guys?

On the other hand, those who are dying on the stone mound and have no energy to come down to contribute, they really have nothing and are very easy to control.

The Ross soldier carrying the water bag began to rush towards the stone mound, kicking the "dead" first, feeding water if he could move, and then carrying it down.

Such an act of saving people is ridiculous. Ragnar felt that those people who died of thirst and starvation were fate. Even Prince Rurik didn't need to save those people. He did not express the criticism, and forbids his fellows to speak falsely, so as not to cause Rurik's dissatisfaction.

An astonishing number of dying people were transported down, first with clear water, and then with clear water of honey. Lurik used military honey to save people The effect was immediate.

They survived, and then took the food given by the Ross army and ate them in big mouthfuls. After taking the opportunity to conduct a general inventory, as many as 1,200 islanders of various ages survived.

The top of the stone hill is already a huge mound! When the living people left, a group of crows took the opportunity to fly over and began to eat the flesh of the dead.

Thousands of people died there, and a large number of young children and the elderly died. Most of the survivors were young men and women, including more women.

It was this kind of person who was the prisoner Rurik needed most.

"The young man was thrown into the mine in the north, and the young woman was sent to Novgorod as a reward. That's it." Rurik was satisfied, so the blood-related family members of the big family who surrendered, their situation changed. It's very embarrassing.

In the past, slaves and private soldiers attached to large families could be quickly incorporated by Rose.

As for those people...

For the time being, Rurik still showed a kind smile, but now...