Rise of Rurik - Chapter 811

[Chapter 812 Bornholm’s collapse]

His wife and children are still alive, and their condition seems to be fine. As for the death of the servant, Swinder has already ignored it. His wife and children are still alive, and he has no more worries.

He pinched his waist and raised his chest, and after letting go of his wife, he shouted in a thick voice: “You are so stubborn! The Ross people want you to surrender!”

As soon as this remark came out, the people on the stone hill who were already vacillating became even more swaying.

However, based on their own life experience, the patriarchs of those powerful families would not descend so smoothly.

If you wanted to surrender, everyone would have surrendered long ago, so why persist until now.

There was an old guy leaning on the rocks and poking his head out, shouting: “Swind! You were the one who led the way and brought the Ross people here!? You are a traitor, and you brought disaster to the entire island!”

Swind was not to be outdone: “Sounds like Holmsund? I expected you to say that! My friend, I’m not a villain, and besides! Rus people don’t want to be villains!”

“Absurd! We chose you to make peace with the Ross people. You betrayed everyone! We all thought you were dead, but we didn’t expect it to be so. If we had known this, we might as well cut off your wife and children.”

Swind reckoned that if his family hadn’t run down without permission, it would be a surefire bargaining chip for them to surrender.

Even if the people from Shiqiu speak harshly again, there must be something in their words.

“But you have no chance.” He said triumphantly: “Look at your own situation! How much food and water are stored on the rock mound, may I know? The current weather doesn’t seem to be going to rain soon, as long as Ross If the siege continues, you may die of thirst tomorrow. As long as the Rus are willing and do not fight, you will surely die. But! The Rus wants you to surrender. Surrender, my friends! We and the Rus have neither A reason to keep fighting.”

These words are very inflammatory, only because Swinder said all the facts.

There is still a little food on the stone hill, but the fresh water is really gone.

Fleeing to the stone hill for refuge now seems like a bad move, but no one thought of this when they first fled, let alone the fact that Ross’s army was everywhere, like a net entrapping struggling cod.

The heads of the big families were in a dilemma, and the Danes in exile were even more entangled.

They showed hesitation, but a large number of heads exposed from behind the stone fully proved the strong wavering of mentality.

Considering the friendship in the past, Swinder didn’t want these old friends to die in vain.

He continued to shout: “If I landed on the island early, I could have avoided this misunderstanding! Friends, we have misunderstood. There is no need for war. As long as we surrender Ross, everything will be fine. It is because you took the initiative to attack a few days ago, Let the prince of Ross misunderstand that you want to fight desperately. Why bother! We used to submit to Danish King Hafgen, and now that Hafgen is dead, the newcomers despised us in the past. Since we once surrendered to Denmark, what’s wrong with submitting to Ross now? Yes! Prince Ross offered us brothers a very good condition!”

Hearing that, another person simply leaned out half of his body: “Say it! What do the Ross people want to do? If we surrender, what good will it do? This is our island! This is our island!”

“So?!”

“Accept our terms!”

Swind’s head was buzzing, a group of old guys were dying of internal friction, and they still wanted to negotiate terms?

Unmoved, he continued: “Talk about conditions? Yes! I am just a messenger appointed by the Ross people, and I can only tell you the conditions of the prince of Ross. You surrender! The Ross people will guarantee your safety. Ross pays tribute, publicly declares against Danish King Horik, and surrenders some slaves, that’s all! The Ross people want these.”

From the standpoint of the Ross people, ordinary soldiers felt that the prince gave too high a condition to a group of dying idiots. How could they get peace?

It’s better for the brothers to swarm up and kill the islanders.

Rurik himself made a huge concession, and he was unwilling, but in order to resolve the situation as soon as possible, let Swind describe it this way.

It said that the people on the stone hill should surrender after receiving such a promise, but the fact is exactly the opposite, the patriarchs of those big families are still hesitant.

There is no other reason, this group of men does not seem to be controlled by others.

Even if it was ruled by Denmark in the past, it was ruled in name.

The Danish lord, or king, did not ask the Bornholm islanders for any real tribute, if any, some herrings.

There are two reasons why the islanders fell out with the new Danish king. One is that the comer is the de facto agent of the Franks, and the existence itself does not represent the interests of Denmark. The other is the biggest contradiction—the new king announced tax collection.

After all, the new King Horik of Denmark was an actual vassal in Frank. Even though Frank’s tax system was primitive, it was a clear tax system.

Naturally, as the king of Denmark, the method of making money has been upgraded to relying on taxation to make grandiose claims.

The tribes under the rule of the new Danish king must pay head tax, and ships must also pay mooring tax and trade tax for trade. All Danish farmers must pay grain tax.

The Frankish Kingdom has not invented many kinds of exorbitant taxes so far. Even Charlemagne, who is talented and bold, often faces the problem of lack of money in the treasury. Tributes were used to pay for the army, thus continuing the expansion war of the kingdom.

The nobles also had to participate in the war after spending their money, and the spoils of the war often offset the tribute.

But this system has huge loopholes, local nobles can do their own way, and when the hero is about to die, the kingdom has already been divided in fact.

The new Danish King Horik is an attendant of the tribal lord. He obtained the Danish throne today by doing things for the Franks. This does not mean that the real Danish people agree. A considerable number of people do not recognize the Danish Kingdom.

Horik needs to rely on taxation to stabilize the finances and then consolidate the kingship. Because his disobedience has aroused the ambition of the Franks, he lost a sum of money and consumed the national treasury, making the already insufficient treasury even poorer.

It is obviously reasonable to ask for taxes from various tribes, but if the taxes are to be implemented even for babies in the tribes, this is challenging the bottom line of the Danish people!

It stands to reason that collecting poll 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 Danish people, this is not a good thing. Many Danish people regard the collection of poll tax as an insult, as if even babies should be Horik’s slaves.

The tribes in those remote places simply rowed long boats to find another settlement, and some tribes rose up to resist. For example, Bornholm Island, the most remote place, has essentially separated from Denmark.

These major economic interests make the island separate from Denmark, and listen to Swind again!

If everyone surrenders, they still have to pay tribute or pay compensation. How is the condition proposed by the Prince of Ross different from that of the Danish Horik?

Even the names of the two monarchs are similar.

Because Ragnar had been here before, and mentioned that the name of the prince of Ross was Rurik Ottoson.

The new king of Denmark is Horik Haralsson.

What kind of business is this?

Because Horik and Rurik are both variants of the name “Eric”, there is no difference between them.

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

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But the real big problem is also in front of us-the brothers are really dying of thirst and starvation.

Swind continued with some nonsense, even if it took some words, it would be good to persuade them to avoid killing.

He spoke so dryly that he had no choice but to untie the water bottle and drink freely.

He deliberately made his movements very exaggerated, and poured out the remaining water openly after drinking.

“Come down now! My friends, the Ross people will not treat those who surrendered badly. As you can see, those who came down first are already eating fish and drinking water…”

Ragnar and Arik who were present maintained the greatest restraint, and they really felt that Swind’s words were a waste of emotion.

Ragnar stepped forward and patted this guy on the shoulder: “Enough is enough! Maybe those men finally realize that they still have the courage of a warrior, and plan to fight to the end.”

“No! Let me try again.”

“Enough is enough, your kindness is a crow to them. Let me do it, and I will convince the Danes.”

No, Ragnar showed up publicly.

He unhurriedly took off the robe given by the Ross people, and then took off the inner shirt, revealing his chest and arms.

He showed his tattoos to the people on the knoll, and raised his fist to indicate that he had a special ring.

It’s “Ragnar the Skull-Cut Skull”!

The Danish exiles were originally the lords of Denmark. They were beaten back by the new Danish king and the Frankish coalition forces, and fled to Bornholm with only a very small force.

There were some losses after the ugly battle with the Ross army, and in the days when the stone hill was trapped, some brothers died of thirst.

Ragnar’s nickname was very resounding, after all, at the young age of fifteen, he could cut off the head of the snake leader in a duel by himself.

Ragnar also spoke nicely: “Danish! Tell me why you want to mix with the Bornholm islanders? Is it just because of asylum? Me! Ragnar Sigurdsson, I have a close relationship with the leader of the Ross people , our Stonewall tribe is allied with the Rus, and my people are living a very good life. The Russ appreciate you! The Maharaja of Rus asked me to bring you a message! The enemy of an enemy is a friend! As long as you oppose the King of Denmark, Rus People are willing to make friends with you. Come down!”

Yes, why should the Danes work hard for the islanders.

A group of impoverished big families only allowed exiled Danes to live in the good old days.

They are living together in fact, and now the Ross people are targeting the people of the islands. Wouldn’t it be absurd for the Danes in exile to intervene in this campaign.

Figured-out Danish exiles are fidgety, but they’re still not entirely sure they’ll be promised safety.

Someone shouted: “Ragnar! We can go down. You swear! You swear to Odin! If the Ruths take revenge on us, you will be cursed by the gods, and a hero like you will never enter Vallaha.”

Ragnar is a true believer. He firmly believes that he has his own place in the Hall of Valor, so he must abide by the principles of warriors, such as not betraying his companions.

He believed that Rurik’s so-called new policy towards Denmark was true, and when the new Danish king was dealt with in the future, the peace between Denmark and Ross would even expand, and the peace of the entire Baltic world would come.

“Okay! I swear to Odin! If you come down and the Ross kills you, let Odin take my life, let Thor chop me into charcoal with lightning, and let Freya curse my children die.”

Enough had been enough, the Danes had sworn enough that the Stonehills were convinced that Ragnar was serious.

Regardless of the feelings of those big families and private soldiers, the Danes staggered down the stones of the barrier one after another.

At the same time, the Russian army is paying attention to the trend of persuading surrender here.

Rurik kept squinting and staring, he let out a long breath, after a lot of twists and turns, it seems that the matter can be resolved peacefully?

Arik led the archers and remained on alert. He ordered that no one should escape the fire, and that as long as those who came down did not try to fight, the crossbows held by the brothers should be vertically facing the sky.

A hundred Danish exiles came down, and they were not a strong force in the first place.

Ragnar fisted them, patted some on the shoulder, and continued to promise peace.

But Arik stopped them: “Danish, hand over your weapons first.”

As soon as this remark came out, the exiles who had just come down were instantly alert and drew their swords one after another. Although they were exiles from different tribes, they drew their swords very quickly and moved in unison.

The Ross army was even more orderly, Xiangtian’s crossbow was suddenly leveled, and Arik’s team formed a Ross arrow array.

“You still don’t want to surrender? Recalcitrance is a dead end!” Arik ordered with gritted teeth.

Those exiles were not to be outdone, even though their bodies were severely dehydrated, they still put on a shield wall and looked stubborn.

The two sides were in a stalemate at a distance of about twenty paces, the Russians did not attack mainly, and the Danish exiles were completely defensive.

Seeing this, Ragnar was alone between the two armies, spreading his arms to mediate.

“Brothers Arik, why bother? They are sincerely surrendering, don’t scare them. Hey! Friends in Denmark, you can avoid misunderstandings by handing in your weapons first. Once the Prince of Ross thinks that you are no longer a threat, everything will be easy to handle. Besides, Prince Ross is still recruiting mercenaries, wouldn’t it be great for you to join us together? For my sake, both of you should exercise restraint.”

It was rare for Arik to give in first. As the elder brother, he didn’t want to cause trouble for his younger brother on this crucial issue.

The soldiers holding the crossbow relaxed, and the Ross army at the scene lifted their guard.

The Danish exiles looked at each other, and now that the Ross people were already like this, everyone had no choice.

They put down their shields and swords one after another, and handed over the right to dispose of their lives to the Ross people.

Soon, the temptation to eat meat and drink water trumps everything.

Rurik was also very interesting. He could see that the people who came down the stone hill 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 was unusual, with a little honey spread on it, which directly became a delicacy that the exile ate for the first time in his life.

When the unarmed Danes began to drink water and eat openly, the people on the hill collapsed.

The patriarchs of big families have been unable to restrain other people except their own family members.

The slaves rebelled!

They did not turn against their masters, but threw their swords and axes, blatantly throwing their empty hands into the arms of the Rus.

The slaves have all run away, why should the private soldiers hang on?

The big families can no longer pay their wages, so it is better to go down and join the Ross people. The brothers are essentially mercenaries, and it is a preference to work for the Ross people.

Just because they saw that the Danes, who were obviously fighting hard, actually drank water happily in the Ross camp.

Lost slaves and private soldiers, the so-called big families turned into polished veterans.

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

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

Of course, he still publicly welcomed the surrender of the big families on the island, and said emphatically: “We will hold a Nordic meeting with each other to discuss matters after your surrender.”

This is Prince Ross?

The Danish King Horik was a low, round-faced fellow, and this Rurik was a handsome young boy.

A handsome man is more friendly. As Rurik really provided drinking water and food, people who were dying of thirst came back to life. Rurik only had good feelings in the hearts of the patriarchs. It seemed that the previous siege had really become a misunderstanding Caused by asking for trouble.

But this group of people is not what Rurik attaches importance to.

Is it necessary to invite the patriarchs of a group of big families as guests? What is the use of these down-and-out guys?

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

Ross soldiers carrying water bags began to rush towards the stone hill, kicking the “dead bodies” first, feeding water to those who could move, and then carrying them down.

This act of saving people was ridiculous. Ragnar felt that it was fate for those people to die of thirst and starvation. Even Prince Rurik had no need to save those people.

He did not express his criticism, and he also forbade his fellows to speak nonsense, so as not to arouse Rurik’s dissatisfaction.

An astonishing number of the dying were transported down, and they were first poured with water, and then with water mixed with honey.

Rurik used military honey to save people, and the effect was immediate.

They survived, and then took the food given by Ross’s army and ate it.

After an opportunistic general count, as many as twelve hundred islanders of all ages survived.

The top of the hill is already a giant mound!

When the living left, a flock of crows took the opportunity to fly over and began to eat the flesh of the dead.

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

It is such a person that Rurik most needs as a prisoner.

“Young men are thrown to the mines in the north, and young women are sent to Novgorod as rewards, and that’s it.” Rurik was satisfied, so the situation of the blood-related family members of the big families who surrendered changed. very embarrassing.

Rose can quickly recruit slaves and private soldiers who used to be attached to big families.

As for those people…

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

[End of this Chapter]