Chapter 1074： complete the conquest

Finally, the Ross cavalry arrived at the largest settlement, and the cavalry stopped at the mansion of the big chief.

"Strange, the village is empty, and everyone went to war?" Fisk looked left and right, the wind was blowing in the streets, and some thatch swept over the wooden farm tools placed on the wall.

He could vaguely hear the bleating of sheep, but he could not see a living person.

"They should have been hiding, for fear that we would show up and kill them," Quetzal added.

Indeed, the people left behind in the settlement were all hidden, and only a few peeked vigilantly. They didn't even go far, and some wore simple straw hats to hide and hide, so that they almost blended into the house.

There are three pillars in the empty field in front of the chief's mansion, and the things on it are extremely terrifying.

"Boss, look there." A soldier pointed at the whip.

All the soldiers raised their heads, Fisk looked up, and saw that the three heads on the side had turned black. It is no longer necessary to doubt that the final whereabouts of the three veterans who died in the battle are here. Although the whereabouts of the deceased are already known, it is still infuriating to see them now.

Fisk was angry and annoyed at this scene, and his subordinates were just as indignant.

Fisk still refrained, and he stared at the embarrassed Proclaw with a constipated face: "Sure enough, you really did this."

The latter did not speak stubbornly and did not defend himself, but only used an embarrassing smile to cover up his inner panic.

"Forget it, I don't want to vent my anger." He ordered his subordinates to chop off the wooden pole with an axe, wrap the black and smelly head with cloth, and plan to cremate the three brothers who died in battle, leaving at least a little ashes at the end. Buried in the cemetery of the capital.

It was not until he saw that the Russ had taken the dead body and had no intention of revenge, Proclaw, who had been silent, finally said, "I'm sorry, it's our fault."

He was afraid that this would cause the Ross cavalry to rage, and after weighing it, he added: "We are willing to pay in kind. I just ask you...don't kill people."

At least on the bright side, Fisk was still indignant, "Then take out a lot of food to make amends! I heard the sheep cry, you can take out some sheep to reward us. Our army still needs to rest here! This is yours Village, your dwelling? This is my camp now."

Proclaw has no choice. The Rus cavalry has completely controlled the settlement of Polotsk. The independent village alliance has already existed in name only. Everyone can only pray that the peace under the rule of a Rus is true peace. He was completely released and could move his muscles and bones freely.

The big leader who lost his independent decision-making power was given the first new task after surrendering, which was to convince the people in the largest settlement to come out. He tried his best to persuade the public to show up, but to no avail.

Fisk, who dismounted, thought for a while, and simply ordered the soldiers to do some ruthless tricks.

The standing cavalry of Ross and the cavalry of Ostara went directly to the village to find someone in person. This operation completely prohibited the participation of the Pechenegs. Fisk was very worried that if the Prairie people joined in, it would turn into a robbery, and then there would be a murder incident. At least the Ross-Ostara cavalry is more obedient to the command, and will not be desperate for a little money.

Facing the sharp sword, the people hiding in the house were driven out one after another. Although a certain amount of violent conflict broke out, any resistance of a group of old, weak, sick and disabled in the face of the armored warriors is meaningless.

The hiders were brought out one after another. They were gray-haired old men and a large number of children. Even if there were women who were found, the wrinkles on their faces like cracked earth proved that they were very old.

The community population of the entire Polotsk Village Alliance is only more than 10,000 people. A war has really drained their fighting power and even ruined their stamina. Now, in fact, cats and dogs can take advantage of the emptiness behind them to enter and loot, but the recent merchants of various tribes in Latvia have not done so. The Latvians had no such idea at all, or they were busy thinking about nothing to do with the Polotsks, but the threat of the Rus army.

The hiders were swept away one after another to the empty field in the village, where the entrances and exits of the alleys were controlled by cavalry, the sun shone on the soldiers' helmets, and their weapons also shone with a dangerous metallic luster. The horses kept nodding up and down and neighing, and the warriors maintained their might but calmly looked at the gathered crowd.

There are old people and children everywhere, not even half a child.

"Your village is the biggest one. You really recruited all the people? Including women?" Fisk asked Proclaw with a frown.

The latter is also very helpless: "As you can see. We are defeated, and these people are left. They... are not even qualified to be slaves. You don't need them at all."

"Still worried about me catching slaves? Don't worry." Fisk smiled, but in the latter's opinion, this was unintentional with the jackal's smile.

Proclaw couldn't be completely at ease with the bald Fisk, and Fisk knew it too. The Rus' army is essentially an invader, and no matter how much self-justification, it is impossible for the Polotsks to give up the hatred caused by the war in a short time. How is that? As long as the nobles are drawn, and Ross maintains military coercion, what can the rest of the ordinary peasants do?

"You tell your people not to be afraid, and let them go on with their ordinary lives. Ross is a reasonable conqueror. Then you tell them not to do any humiliating actions, and don't try to assassinate any warrior, or they will be revenge. "

Those who live under the iron hoof of the victor can only survive, and Proclaw can only do so for the sake of the lives of his people.

He opened his arms to publicize in a high-profile manner, and as expected, he was scolded and cried by the people. He closed his eyes to hold back the tears in his eyelids, but he couldn't restrain his cry.

An old man cried and begged the people to accept the occupation of Rus, only for Polotsk to have a future.

This scene makes it seem that the Rus army is all executioners, and the people in front of them are the last cry before dying. The people cried bitterly because they felt that the tribesmen they had set out on the expedition were wiped out, and that the old, weak, sick and disabled could not do anything, and Polotsk was equivalent to destruction. If those Polotsk warriors who did not participate in the battle would not come, this community would indeed be destroyed, and only the place names would continue to exist. According to the normal development, a large number of people from the Rus Kingdom would migrate here to complete the vacating cages and changing birds.

But the Polotsks, or Polotas, were outsiders.

The confluence of the Polota River and the West Dvina River forms a soothing and fertile "T-shaped river area". This area is naturally suitable for growing food, so the bsantser culture was formed in an older era. This is the Baltic nation. The early settlements of the present-day Baltic tribes have migrated to the coastal area centered on the Gulf of Riga.

It was precisely the great migration of the Slavic peoples to the East, and the various Slavic tribes who migrated along multiple roads squeezed out the Baltic people. The population of the Polotsks has always been small, but the population of the nearby ethnic groups is equally small. For all kinds of tribes, Fisk's more than 600 cavalrymen are already the most powerful behemoths.

In order to reflect the conquistador's kindness, or in order to obtain "war compensation" more smoothly in the future, Fisk ordered the army to camp in the wasteland outside the village after checking the people left behind. He asked the army to be on the defensive at night, and beware of the irrational old guy who went out to fight with a wooden hammer and a wooden fork.

Those people went back to their homes in disbelief, and in the evening, some clan members miraculously returned.

On the first night, Fisk, Quetzal, Svalgard, and all the cavalry camped outside the village. It does seem that the Russ conquerors have no extra plans for the village, but it is not.

Fisk noticed the fortress-style mansion of the chief family of Proclaw. If he really occupied this fortress, he would not know if he was sleeping at night or not. Comparing heart to heart, if he encounters a great shame, no matter what mess he is, he will risk his life to fight even if it is death. Fisk thought so, and was worried that Proclaw and Lambert would join forces for a midnight terror.

The fact is that they do not trust them, but it also gives the two enough time to imagine how to conduct formal peace talks.

This night, the sentry was always rotated. The soldiers deliberately lit some more bonfires to boost their momentum, and the sentries carefully listened to the movements in the distance to prevent sneak attacks.

In the early morning, a group of patrol cavalry was released. These people were going to a distant place to see if there was any new movement, so they suddenly met the "army" of the 3,000 people who had returned.

How embarrassed are the Ross cavalry with these people? ! The cavalry subconsciously moved to kill, and those exhausted and exhausted people who had worked so hard to attack far from the victory, collectively fried their hair in an instant, fear was branded in their hearts, and they were motionless and dumbfounded.

Seeing this, the cavalry quickly withdrew, and Fisk didn't care about being stunned. For fear that he would be beaten by the disappearing 3,000 people, he immediately ordered all the soldiers to mount their horses to meet them.

Said to be fighting, except for a small number of guys who fled into the subconscious forest, most of them were disarmed because they had long lost their fighting spirit.

Soon, Lambert and Proclaw heard the news.

Shocked and ecstatic, Proclaw stopped Fisk's warhorse and shouted vigorously: "There are still many noble people here! The others are ordinary villagers. We have been defeated, and they also put down their weapons, just as we agreed, Let them live."

"It seems that you have completely thought about it last night? Very good." Fisk pointed his big hand at the people who were in a daze everywhere: "Go and find out the nobles among them. I want all of your nobles to gather."

Proclaw is already very clear about what to do after that. He, the defeated leader, has no right to be the leader anymore. The new leader is Lambert, who was designated by the conquerors of Rus. Now is the last chance to fulfill the power of the leader.

Whether it was shock or anger, or other emotions, the village chiefs who were hiding in the crowd were all pulled out.

As noble people, they are also high-profile main battle factions. Some of them saw the big leader actually sing along with a large group of horse bandits, and resolutely denounced "you are a traitor".

"Just treat me as a traitor! In order to survive, please give up the idea of ​​fighting." He responded.

Let the face go to hell! If these clansmen return safely, Polotsk has indeed lost a lot of people but it will not be destroyed. What he has to do is to restore stability to the people.

Take a look at these village leaders who have been identified. Some of them suddenly acted like they were going to die in a righteous manner, some were trembling as if they were scared to diaper, and more were in a state of numbness, with their feet just walking around mechanically. The mind went blank.

"Ten leaders were found, they are all here, and with me, all the nobles of Polotsk are here." Proclaw looked up at the proud Fisk on horseback, and added: "I hope you will fulfill your promise. "

"These people are really nobles?!" Fisk wanted to ask again.

At this moment, Lambert suddenly stood up. He even showed a flattering smile and said respectfully: "It's all here. As long as I let them all support me, I'm the big leader, and I can do things for you."

"Very good, so the others are useless."

After a few words, Fisk ordered all the cavalry that surrounded them to return, and shouted in Slavic: "Ordinary people! You! Go home! Go!"

The words were all simple words, and it was obvious that the people who were scared and stupid were so confused that they didn't know how to run away. The distraught Proclaw hurriedly shouted: "You run away! You won't die if you escape home!"

Lambert added: "You will be safe when you go home."

As a result, 3,000 people began to flee, including those who fled into the forest during the initial battle. Some people lost their way and died, and most of them found the retreating team. It can be said that the strength of the Polotsks did not suffer a huge loss, and only less than 400 people died before and after. Of course, for a community in the early 10,000s, such a loss is already too great, enough to destroy its fighting spirit.

People's hearts have collapsed, and the nobles who have the ability to organize wars have all given up fighting. The village leaders who have just escaped have just been frightened to the point of cardiac arrest, but now their hearts are relieved.

The strong Rus cavalry intends to negotiate, and nobles who have to think ideally about life and death issues have accepted the negotiation.

But the victor negotiates with the vanquished, and the losing party naturally accepts the victor's various propositions.

Fisk thought so, and rightfully so.

The fortress of Proclaw was finally opened, and it became the scene of peace talks.

Fisk, Svalgard, and Quetzal, as conquerors, looked down on all the defeated Polotsk nobles, while the entire fortress, or largest settlement, was under the control of the Rusian army.

Fisk has no intention of being the only protagonist, and he announces Ross' policy.

In the beginning, his lectures were all about the details of the battle. After all, he had experienced too many things, and as a close student of King Rurik, he still learned some humanistic ideas and wanted to resort to experiments. Effect.

"It all started with a misunderstanding! Our enemy is the Smolensk, and the war with you Polotsk could have been avoided. It was not our intention to destroy your village, and I oppressed the people you killed me. Stop the anger inside. Maybe if we met in another way we might be friends, maybe it's not too late for us to have a normal relationship."

These words were deeply expressed in the hearts of the nobles. Fisk was observing the eyes of these people and keenly noticed that the tensed faces of these people were relaxed.

"It seems that taming these guys according to the king's tricks is effective." He meditated in his heart, and further deepened his words.

"So even if you use all your forces, it is impossible to defeat us. Besides, my army is even one-tenth of the army of the tribe Rus. You are fighting against Rus. You are looking for death. I will show you a clear way! You can't beat us. Just join us, so at least other forces will attack you. The whole of Polotsk joins the Rus, all of you sitting here are still nobles, and the whole of Rus will open the door for you. Do business with us and sell good things to We, buy what you need from Rus. Pay tribute to us, and the Rus army will keep you safe. What do you think?"

This is to repeat the previous words, so the words first persuaded Lambert, and then persuaded Proclaw, and now, the nobles think about it with their toes and realize that this is the best ending.

Fisk then went on to add that he had to pat his chest again: "I am Fisk, a nobleman of Ross, a nobleman trusted by the supreme leader, and my request can represent the wishes of the king. Listen, even if we don't have a war. , the expanding Ross will inevitably conquer you, and accepting Ross' rule is your destiny. What has happened cannot be changed, and can be saved now, so, are you willing to accept Ross' rule? Those who are dissatisfied can stand up."

stand up? Who dares to stand up? If there is an objection to the calculation, the shrewd nobles must continue to sit cross-legged.

Fisk nodded: "Then, you all support Ross' rule. Now I will announce two more things. Your great leader, Proclaw, is no longer the leader. Ross only recognizes Lambert as your new leader. We don't need your nobles to support or oppose it, it has nothing to do with you. Of course, you'd better support Lambert."

The youngest of the village leaders are also middle-aged people. They are not absolutely stupid after living for a while. Looking at the situation in front of them, it is clear that Lambert is the agent of the Ross Conqueror. It's just that this young man was originally the strongest fighting faction, but now he has become the most docile dog. There are also discerning people who have found that this kid actually wants to be a leader, and it may not matter how he is a leader.

In any case, this Lambert leadership will not lead Polotsk to ruin.

Up to now, everyone can only accept the peace under the rule of Ross So the old guy who knows the current affairs suddenly said: "I represent my village, support Lambert as the leader, support Polotsk to accept Ross rule."

If there is a first, there will be a second, and those who follow will add: "May you fulfill your promise, and we will be at peace with each other from now on."

This is what Fisk wants to see most, all the nobles declare their surrender, and then Polotsk has nominally been brought under the rule of Rus. It's just that in fact and de jure, it is under the rule of Rus, and it needs the approval of King Rurik. Fisk felt that he should not think about the follow-up matters by himself. He is an old Russ, and it is his duty to expand the territory for Russ. Now things are basically done.

And his idea is not only that.

They have already arrived in Polotsk, the weather is not too cold, there is a strong cavalry in hand, and there is an obvious guide in hand, and there is said to be a large group of Danish immigrants who speak Norse in the distance, why don't brothers go to the meeting? will they? If they can be persuaded to join Ross, it would be good to agree with Rurik, the king of Ross, as the overlord of the northern seas. This is another credit.

For a period of time, Fisk was only interested in the people of Riga Bay because of the description of the captured old Harold.