"Quick! Charge!"
Valin chopped a Bulgar soldier who was still in a daze on the shoulder and kicked him into the tent.
Then, ignoring the blood splattering on his face, he swung his sword to parry an arrow shot at him and shouted to the rear.
Because right in front of him, a large number of heavily armored Bulgar warriors were gathering, intending to drive out the invading enemies.
Valin knew very well that if he couldn't stop this group of people, everything would be over.
"Vanigo, tell your archers to fire quickly, and then throw in our secret weapon! Let the Bulgars get stung! Make sure they're covered in stings!"
"Alright! Did you boys hear that?"
Vanigo was using a long axe to bring someone down. While giving orders, he relentlessly hacked at the fallen person. He cleverly used the weight of the axe itself to kill the enemy, avoiding excessive physical exertion. Chainmail and flesh flew together, hacking the person into a bloody mess.
Following his voice, arrows shot from behind. Several unprepared heavily armored Bulgar warriors were shot in the face and fell, while others quickly raised their shields.
And after the arrows, lumps of grey matter were thrown into the newly formed shield wall. After dodging, the Bulgars realized that these were not arrows shot by the enemy. The wet mud covering the objects instantly fell off, and a large number of buzzing bees flew out from inside!
These beehives caused unexpected chaos among the Bulgar soldiers. They had no idea they would encounter such an attack. Even the most skilled warriors were stung unprepared, and after that came immense panic.
Compared to the actual damage, the Norse's secret weapon caused a greater psychological blow. Even if the attackers were also attacked by bees, they wouldn't panic and be as disheveled as the Bulgars, even losing their bearings and abandoning their armor.
The shield wall that was supposed to block the Norse was thus shattered under the Norse's tactics. The chaos created by the bees was even better than the Norse had anticipated.
Amidst war cries and screams, the Bulgars in the camp had fallen into chaos. Some blindly charged at Valin and his men, some stood still, bewildered, and some ran around like headless chickens.
At this moment, the sound of fighting erupted again in the chieftain's stronghold. Valin noticed that many prisoners of war had rioted at some point.
It seemed that taking advantage of the chaotic situation, many people broke free from their ropes and fought with the Bulgars, while others were busy untying more captives, letting them join the fight.
Compared to the entrance, the fighting here was clearly much crueler for the Norse. The captives basically had no weapons and could only fight the enemy with their bare hands. At worst, they could grab a handful of God-knows-what filth from the ground and smear it on the enemy's face, disgusting these tormenting bastards.
Moreover, their bodies had severely deteriorated due to the harsh environment and diet, which made these people quite weak when facing the enemy.
However, the abuse along the way had made the people's resistance extremely firm. Even if they were massacred, they resisted one after another, because the chance for freedom was right before their eyes. If they missed it here, it might be gone, and few people were willing to be sold as slaves.
"Quick! Aid our comrades!"
Valin bent down to avoid an enemy charging at him with a spear, then slashed the man in the back with his sword. The longsword destroyed the iron rings protecting his body, and then this enemy fell straight into a nearby tent.
The chieftain knew that if he didn't save them, it would mean letting them be slaughtered.
After dealing with this enemy, Valin turned and delivered a horizontal slash, beheading a person wearing a pointed hat. The head rolled directly to the side, and then he slashed at the next one.
His longsword rose and fell, forming a bloody, beautiful arc.
Compared to Valin's side, Vanigo, who was also charging at the front, was much bloodier. The blacksmith roared, attacking his opponents with an unstoppable momentum.
Vanigo, like a Norse berserker, easily swung his giant axe, as if he were swinging a stick.
First, an axe went straight for the head of the soldier at the very front. That soldier held up his spear to block, but the force transmitted from it was surprisingly strong. His arm strength, honed by decades of blacksmithing, was terrifying.
As expected, the block was useless. The long axe directly chopped into the Bulgar's skull, cleaving right through the cranium, splattering blood and brains everywhere.
With Valin and Vanigo at the center, two bloody whirlwinds formed. The Norse and Merya constantly pushed back the Bulgars. Any Bulgar who approached these two whirlwinds had only one path: death.
Soon, this battle group charged to the prisoners of war, having fought their way through the entire camp to save them.
"Congratulations on regaining your freedom."
Valin patted the shoulder of a tall prisoner of war, giving him a friendly smile. Around him were captives who, though scarred, remained resolute.
"Thank you very much for coming," the prisoner of war replied with a smile. His body was covered in whip marks, but even more noticeable was his strong physique. "But now is not the time for talking, look."
Following the prisoner of war's gaze, Valin saw that the Bulgars had finally emerged from their chaotic state, and at the same time, a large number of lightly wounded soldiers, under organization, joined the battle, strengthening their front line.
Under the angry curses and reprimands of several warriors, the Bulgars once again formed a shield wall in front of the chieftain's stronghold tower. The kite shields were tightly interlocked, leaving no gaps, and sharp long spears pointed outwards in unison.
A few reckless prisoners of war charged forward, but they were quickly riddled with spears and died without any value.
In the chaos, torches fell onto tents, and many tents caught fire, making the battlefield even more filled with the scent of blood and fire.
"So let's talk after we've dealt with this."
The tall prisoner of war said to Valin with a smile.
"Are you ready?"
Valin said to Vanigo and the tall prisoner of war. Vanigo swung his axe, while the prisoner of war merely brandished the parrot pickaxe he had just snatched.
"Good, let's go."
The three led the charge, followed by the Norse, Merya, and the rescued prisoners of war. Thus, in front of that tower, a very traditional shield wall battle erupted.
Although the Bulgars had set up a shield wall, due to the quality of their soldiers, this shield wall was truly clumsy. After all, it was filled with a large number of armed wounded soldiers, who were barely able to stand in formation, let alone fight.
Vanigo used his long-handled battle axe to constantly drag enemies out of the shield wall, then chopped them down with force. The gaps created were not filled by anyone, it was those warriors who filled the gaps, but there were only a few warriors.
In this brutal battle, soldiers on both sides constantly fell, and the sounds of shattering shields and clashing swords continuously echoed.
Finally, the Bulgars could no longer hold on. After losing nearly half their men, specifically after all several warriors had fallen, the Bulgars abandoned their shields and spears.
Some knelt on the ground to surrender, as being a slave was better than losing one's life.
Some turned and ran, disregarding the fact that they had nowhere to go.
And others resisted stubbornly, but the outcome for such fools was either being simultaneously impaled by several long spears or falling under the slash of swords and axes.
"Hooray! We won!"
All at once, cheers echoed through the sky. Everyone was incredibly excited for the victory, for regaining freedom, for defeating the invaders, and for reclaiming their homeland. Valin and Vanigo even embraced excitedly. Nothing could make them happier than this moment!
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