Those businessmen sang songs and swaggered on the northbound business road, when they suddenly encountered "horse bandits".

The merchants were guarded by mercenaries and makeshift mercenaries, armed to guard against wild beasts, only to encounter an unprecedented blow from another gang.

The road is not wide, the average width is only about five or six meters, and some narrow places even make it a little difficult for ox carts to travel together. Clear the road.

Such a cramped road also forced Fisk's Ross cavalry to be unable to take advantage of the cavalry charge. He tried his best to shoot the armored elite in front, drew his sword and took the lead, and launched the first round with the most sturdy twenty cavalry.

More cavalry followed, either with long swords or lances, or with flags to show their status.

After all, it is a cramped place, and riding and shooting can show strong combat power.

The earth trembled, and strange noises came from the road not far away, covered by trees.

Just met a strange "big beast", like a beast mixed with a human, the businessmen rubbed their eyes and shouted incredulous.

Thanks to the merchant ranks and mercenaries from Denmark.

"Don't wonder! Don't be afraid! That's a horse! We've seen Franks ride it."

The mercenary explained to his financial master in this way, but instead deepened the misunderstanding: "Ah? Are there still legendary Franks here?"

It's impossible to think of such a thing.

The mercenary shook his head helplessly and said deliberately, "Who knows? Maybe. But if it's a Frank, our brothers should be cautious."

Thanks to the group of Danish merchants who fled to Vaxjo in the interior with their private soldiers, the Danish merchants who lost their wealth status are no longer the favored objects of mercenaries. The local merchants and nobles in Vaxjo not only can afford high prices, but are also willing to hand over some women as bargaining chips, just to keep these old mercenaries who have been struggling for a long time in the south, and they will work for them after winning over.

After all, for mercenaries, when they are old, they should also think about their future. Fighting and then fighting to death is a pleasure, but if you can enjoy a stable life, you have to seize the opportunity.

Most of these Danish mercenaries are the second and third sons of the family. Based on tradition, they do not have the right to inherit. They are forced by their families and tribes to establish their own businesses. trade.

There were very few Danish mercenaries in the merchant team, and there were only a dozen or so of the more than 100 armed men. It was precisely when they saw the sudden appearance of the cavalry that they took precautions.

The merchants got out of the bullock carts one after another and hid behind the team to avoid it, and the rest of the Vaxjo fighters leaned close to the Danish mercenaries. Their actions were considered swift, and the basic defensive array had been formed.

The round shield formed an arc line of defense in front, and more armed men were protecting the vehicle, and their eyes were staring at the front and the woods.

But saying that the Russ army was here, Fisk led his troops to charge forward quickly. When they saw the armed men with shields appearing in front of them and kept alert, he, who had experienced many battles in various senses, did not hesitate at all.

"They are the enemy! Follow me and kill!"

"Pioneer! Divide into two columns to attack and circle behind them!"

Therefore, the vanguard led by Fisk dashed forward at the fastest speed possible.

It was a half-ton behemoth with a man and a horse, and the horses were specially hung with deerskin armor with riveted iron pieces on their chests, which was most suitable for collision tactics.

The impact of the cavalry was something that even the well-informed Danish mercenaries had never seen before. They put their shields against their bodies and put their heads above the round shields, praying to the gods to bless them to withstand the impact. But the minds of more militants are still blank, and the battle has broken out.

Fisk directly slashed many people with his sword, and some fighters directly pierced through the enemy with a spear, as simple as training.

There are even horse archers here, and their archery accuracy is extremely accurate.

The armed men of the Vaxjo caravan had no time to fight back, and the cavalry rushed past like a flash of lightning. And that was just one more attack, because more cavalry swarmed.

It was true that there were wolves before and tigers later. The Ross cavalry attacked from front and back, forcing some of the armed men to flee into the woods.

However, the Russ infantry participated in the battle and joined the pursuit, just like hunting, the short wooden bows, recurve bows and crossbows were shot indiscriminately, and the battle ended quickly.

Those Danish mercenaries were brave and professionally fought to the end, but their shields were crushed by the cavalry, and then they were stabbed to death by lances.

Relying on tactical superiority and absolute force crushing, Fisk solved the battle cleanly, but a problem suddenly appeared in front of him - they were not the enemy.

None of the merchants died, except those who resisted and some who escaped were killed, and the captives threw their weapons in the cold light of swords and spears and surrendered.

The five merchants were not injured, but they were all covered in mud when they took shelter under an ox cart. They were dragged out and shouted to pay for their lives, but they saw an unbelievably familiar face emerge from the attackers.

It's Hagrid Haraldsson.

"It's you?! What's going on? You're clearly in Jonkoping, and even if you come to the south to do business, you can't use the army to attack us." A Vaxjo businessman saw his acquaintance, and half of his panic disappeared.

Hagrid is also very speechless about this conflict, but now he has a new position, and he immediately acts as a mediator to deal with the contradictions and misunderstandings.

The Rus army will never apologize for their indiscriminate killings. After all, the caravan has taken resistance measures, not to mention that the purpose of the Rus army is to conquer the entire Vaxjo.

The five merchants were only controlled, and Fisk, who dismounted, was a head taller than the five, and he revealed his identity proudly, "I am the general of the Rus Kingdom, and now I am commanded by the Rus King to conquer Vaxjo. .You people can only live by surrendering to the kingdom, otherwise you will die!"

Being pinched by the strongman on horseback, the merchants naturally nodded frequently to express their surrender immediately, and they flatteredly promised to hand over some supplies to reward the Ross warriors.

Because the businessmen know Ross, they know Sweden better. It's just that everyone never thought that it seems that the uncontested Vaxjo will be remembered for countless years. The Danish nobles never tried to conquer, and the crazy bear Karl never planned to annex Vaxjo, but the Swedes. And the Russ who were born out of Sweden were killed.

Fisk was very satisfied with the obedience of the merchants, so their goods were temporarily impounded, and because the merchants said they were willing to hand over some materials in exchange for preferential treatment, the food and drink, especially salt, were naturally confiscated by the Rus army to be used as military supplies. The rest of the fur remains untouched.

Fisk was quite polite, he didn't loot everything, after all, his purpose was to conquer and not to actively kill in Vaxjo. After all, the locals of Vaxjo will be merged into the Kingdom of Ross, and the locals will be friends in the future. It is not good to make the truth too absolute.

Since Hagrid, the governor of Jonkoping appointed by the king, was here, Fisk took this person to show the merchants the purpose of the Rus Kingdom and the new tasks of these merchants.

"Don't go to the north any more, it's just been pacified by our Rus army. If you know Karl the Wild Bear, that man has already been cut by us, and thousands of people who resisted have been killed. If you Vaxjo don't want to suffer This bad luck, send all the leaders to negotiate with me. You, just happen to be my messenger."

Was it actually ordering Vaxjo to surrender? This is more difficult to accept than a few years ago when the Danish refugees asked for a place to live.

The merchants were all in trouble. Although they did not think that these mounted Rus troops could completely defeat the assembled Vaxjo fighters, the Rus were well-equipped and well-trained, and the caravans did not lose even a decent resistance in an instant. of.

What is even more terrifying is that this group of people actually went south from the direction of Jonkoping! The merchants who dared to travel in this era were not fools and cowards, and they immediately realized that what this bald Ruth warrior who called himself a noble was true. Because Karl the Wild Bear wouldn't let an army swagger along the banks of his Wettern, plus there were genuine Jnkping men in the team, all evidence pointed to the fact that behind this cavalry there was another An army capable of annihilating "Crazy Bear" Karl.

The businessman had to prevaricate, especially a businessman named Haverus. Because he was familiar with Hagrid, Fisk did not hesitate to target this middle-aged man.

Haverus was persuaded by Hagrid again, and Hagrid even patted his chest and pointed out that the Russ people would not lie, so he was willing to be the messenger of the Russ army, returning with the news and the rest of the people.

At first I heard that the Rus army would release the captured people and allow them to bring back some property, which was never imagined by the captured people.

They don't think these "gangsters" are good people, at least they are different from real gangsters.

So the bodies of those killed were pulled to the side of the road, and the living were ordered to dig pits to bury them.

The merchants lost half of the people, and the rest felt that they were either killed or made slaves. Unexpectedly, the Rus who were riding horses would release everyone. Hope immediately came out of despair. Some people even looked at these murderous cavalry. No matter how terrifying it is, it really feels like a **** misunderstanding.

The real horror is only understood by the businessmen, especially Haverus, based on the past trade experience with Jonkoping City, he asked Hagrid to try to reveal some secrets to himself.

Under the general trend, Hagrid exposed himself to the noble identity he was given, and also spoke coldly about the terrifying killings that broke out on the island of Weissingos, as well as a more terrifying secretthe Rus army united with the Swedish army, and the unnamed army. There are ten thousand troops in the far east, and they are storming the Gota River in the west, and Gothenburg is bound to fall.

So the Rus army that really attacked Vaxjo was actually a partial division, with only 400 people?

The businessman Haverus was both frightened and puzzled. On the one hand, the main force of Ross was 10,000 people, and on the other hand, there were only 400 people in this partial division.

Can't sleep? Counting on four hundred people to order Vxj to submit?

But the general on horseback said it very clearly, the so-called "you don't surrender to me and don't force me. If you don't give an answer within a time limit, you choose war, and I will take the initiative."

What the future might bring, Haverus dared not to think about it, and he could guess how the big families of Vaxjo and the Danish immigrants would feel. After all, the army that attacked Silver Fort, slaughtered Gotland Island, and burned all the way along the Ores Strait was the combined army of the Swedes and the Rus. Now they have made a comeback by land!

He was afraid that he would be treated as a surrendered son of a **** because of the message, and would be pulled out by his own clan to sacrifice to heaven.

In line with the principle of one more insurance, Haverus asked Hagrid to go with him.

The Ross cavalry continued on their way, adding a group of prisoners to be released, and now they were the guides to help Fisk reach Vxj.

The journey that followed was very smooth, and even the cavalry captured some scattered merchants. Because there was no resistance, they were promised to release after confiscating useful materials.

The whereabouts of the cavalry team were still exposed. There were people who were chopping wood and hunting to witness the merchants heading north returning to the same way. There were also a large group of armed men riding monsters. The hunters instinctively sensed the danger and rushed towards the residential area. It was accidentally ignored by the cavalry.

As a result, the residents of Vaxjo, whose settlements are mainly concentrated in the southern part of Lake Helga, learned of this bizarre deal.

It's too bizarre to think about the army of merchants turning back and riding monsters.

The people of Vaxjo did not take vigilance, and even big businessmen and other prominent people were too lazy to convene a parliament to sum up the news.

Until a group of refugees rowed boats on the lake to the south desperately, they cried to the fishermen who were working in the lake that they had been attacked, and suddenly scared the fishermen to join the escape team.

There was a panic on Lake Helga, and when the refugees arrived in Vaxjo, it was for the first time that those who took Orion's report as a word of insanity realized that something was wrong.

enemy! Already on the north shore of the lake!

The thing is, when the Rus army finally passed through the forest area, what appeared in front of them was a lake area with quite beautiful scenery.

what lake is this? Both Hagrid and Haverus called this Lake Helga.

There are a lot of low mounds around the lake, and dense forests cover the land. Fisk glanced and saw a small village directly.

"What village is that?" Fisk asked, raising his hand.

Haverus didn't want to say more. When General Ross asked, he estimated what would happen.

"Come on! What kind of village is that!"

"Ah! Just a small fishing village."

"Really? How many people are there and who are the locals?"

Listen, Haverus faltered.

Fisk shook his head and immediately ordered the army to move. After some lectures, the cavalry launched a strong attack on the fishing village.

Finally, there was an open field, and the cavalry lined up and ran wildly on the oat field. The appearance of the cavalry was very sudden. Thanks to many fishermen who actually stayed on the shore to dry and repair their fishing nets, when they saw a group of monsters rushing towards them, their subconscious thought was to escape.

Although they didn't know what the visitor was, they jumped on the boat and didn't care about being soft.

Fisk has no intention of taking care of the escaped fishermen. He now needs an action to disarm the Vaxjos, and now he will take action on this village, which must have a large population!

Those who resisted were killed one after another, and all the women were controlled by the Russ cavalry.

Now, the previously captured Vxj caravan survivors no longer dared to doubt the tactics the Rus would take.

The blood-stained Fisk just washed his face, and then wore a blood-stained shirt to the terrified Haverus: "You can see it! Those who do not surrender to us, this is the end."

"Ah! But... but you didn't give them a chance to surrender."

Fisk shrugged. "So, I'll give other villages a chance. Especially you! You have to take my word to the south of the lake, or else!"

"You're going to massacre?!" Haverus asked in horror.

"Yes. Killing."

When the blood-stained Fisk spoke the word "kill", he felt like a monster.

But what the monster did next really surprised Haverus.

As many as three hundred men, women and children of the village were taken prisoner, and they could be taken as slaves by the conquerors, but Fisk did not.

In this war, the king has formulated some principles for the cavalry team. Although the cavalry can act on their own, they can take some things and some can't take the spoils, even if there is no one who can restrain Fisk now. He can definitely come out and "will not accept the order of the outside monarch", and after all, the king's order has been implemented.

Most of the captives in the village were released, except for one type of personyoung, unmarried women.

Many prisoners were sitting together, their heads helplessly hooked, and they didn't dare to look at the conquerors at all.

Fisk shouted in public: "Twelve years old! Women who are not married! Stand up."

Who dares to stand up? The mother held her daughter tightly, and no one responded to Fisk's words.

"Damn! Stand up! Stand up quickly. Don't stand up, right? Wait a minute and I'll get you all out, and then I'll chop off your heads!" Suddenly thinking that he was too irritable, Fisk hurriedly called the businessman Haverus out .

When it comes to Haverus shouting, the words are very euphemistic and bitter: "Bring out your daughters quickly! They are from Rus, as long as you hand over your daughters, you can leave. I will take you personally. Leave, there is no need to worry about disaster. You don't challenge these Rus, they will all die if you annoy them."

After some Huairou shouting, the villagers finally handed over their daughter semi-voluntarily. For a while, it was a painful parting. In order to survive, the parents abandoned their adult unmarried daughters and took the other children to escape as soon as possible. On the one hand, the girl cried in pain, and struggled hard at the Ross soldier who grabbed her body, resisting the terrible order she didn't know.

On the other hand, the Rus soldiers are happy, because the king has ordered, the brothers in this war can arbitrarily arrest young women and go back to be wives.

Because the ancestry of most warriors is from Sweden, when it comes to the aesthetics of women, their favorite essence is still Viking women who can also speak Norse, and then they will choose Slavic women.

Nearly 300 villagers were released, and they were allowed to leave by boat.

So when Fisk captured more than 20 young women, he was released from the army's custody, and after making way for a passage, the villagers rushed to the pier to row and run away, and they ran clean in a short time.

At this point, Haverus really couldn't figure it out.

He was suddenly pointed out by Fisk: "Look, they all fled. It's up to you merchants and others. You go too! Our Ruth army will be stationed in this village, and we will wait for your news."

"I... I'll leave right away. Hagrid, must come with us. He must explain the Jonkoping matter to the chiefs and merchants."

"That's natural, and Hagrid himself would." Fisk shrugged.

"actually"

"how?"

Haverus settled down: "I really don't understand, you let them go, and you let me go too."

"Aren't you happy?"

"No." Haverus' eyes lit up: "You are a very young warrior. I really don't know whether you are kind or cruel. I...would like to know what you are going to do by leaving these women behind."

"They? Naturally, to marry these young warriors. Why, are they wronged?"

"That's their honor." Haverus hurriedly prevaricates, and said nervously: "I'm just worried that my friends will refuse to surrender, if... I mean if! If they choose to go to war with you, what will you do? ?"

"How? Why don't you ask my king. The big deal is to kill you all, and that's how we treat non-subjects. I warn you!" Fisk stretched out a grim face: "The kingdom of Rus has ruled Sweden and In the far east, the entire Gotaland will be conquered by us this year. As long as you surrender, we are brothers. You, a businessman, can freely enter Sweden to do business, and the entire Rus will be open to the surrendered Vxj merchants. You can also refuse The result of rejection is death!"

It was like a stone was pressed against his chest, and Haverus almost suffocated when he heard it, so he suddenly fell on the ground and retched under great pressure.

Fisk glanced at him again: "You are scared to see the dead body? You go away, I will give you three days. When I can't wait for the news, I will go to your settlement in person and use swords and spears to discuss the explanation."