Since Harald said that, Yaroslav couldn't say much. The Norwegian King was, after all, an invited guest army, not a subordinate of the Great Duke. He couldn't demand too much from a comrade who came out of family affection.
Moreover, Alar escaping alone was harmless. What could a Chud warlord, who had lost all his tribesmen and personal guards, do except retreat into his Mountain Stronghold and await the army's Crusade? And now, even his former subordinates and tribesmen wanted his head.
The Chud tribes united around him only because he could gain benefits for them, but all he gained was death and slaughter, and there were also the various reinforcements he had invited. These people all had to "settle accounts" with him.
Furthermore, these factions had various long-standing feuds with each other, so they might start fighting among themselves soon.
When the last Chud deserters hid in the forest, the attackers let out cheers that seemed to reach the sky. The joy of victory filled everyone's hearts, and the captives, herded together like ducks, represented countless gold and silver, which was even more exhilarating.
Yuryev quickly dispatched personnel to clear the battlefield, and after the citizens cleared the battlefield and tallied the results, everyone discovered that this was a truly great victory. The number of captured Chud alone reached over a thousand, while the Rus' and Norwegian losses were less than a hundred.
As for the spoils of war, apart from the furs that were common in the North, the valuable items were the gold and silver ornaments and amber jewelry of the warriors and chiefs. Amber was the gold of the North and a very good spoil of war; if sold to the South, it could fetch an even higher price.
Harald naturally received the largest share of the captives and spoils. The Norwegian King's defection and assault were key to this victory. However, he did not accept slaves; instead, he sold them all cheaply to the wise, exchanging them for a batch of grain and armor, as well as various materials for repairing ships. These were things his fleet urgently needed. He did not come to the Baltic Sea for tourism; he had been fighting Danish longships all the way, and his fleet had sustained considerable losses.
The remaining captives and spoils were distributed among the others. Grand Prince Yaroslav generously gave his share to others, and this generous act earned him everyone's cheers.
As the vanguard who charged at the forefront, Rostislav received over a hundred slaves and several pieces of amber jewelry. This was a considerable fortune and also his grandfather's reward for his military achievements.
Of course, some people were not satisfied with the distribution of spoils, but the Great Duke's decision to advance into Estonia suppressed these voices. There were still many opportunities to gain glory and wealth. Since there were still opportunities, who would complain then?
After the battle on the outskirts of Yuryev, the joint forces of the Rus' and Norwegians did not delay long. They rested for only one day before entering the territory of Estonia. They would "cultivate" this land with fire and sword.
The Chud were caught off guard by this. They originally thought the Rus' would not attack, as the Rus' had already captured so many young and strong men, which was the greatest wealth the Chud tribes could offer.
But now it seemed that the Rus' intended to root them out and exterminate them.
The Mountain Strongholds in the low hills of Estonia simply could not resist the large army. When a number of armored soldiers, beyond the imagination of the local people, charged up, those pitifully short earth walls and wooden stockades simply could not stop the brave warriors.
And the fate of the Mountain Strongholds after being breached was self-evident. Most of the men were killed, and the women suffered unspeakable torment. Finally, all survivors would be taken as slaves to Rus' and sold.
Over the next month, the joint forces perpetrated countless such tragedies in Estonia. The Chud of Estonia seemed to have no other choice but to flee into the Mountain Strongholds—though only the Mountain Strongholds could protect them—and the joint forces pried open their not-so-hard shells like prying open lobster shells, enjoying the delicious and fresh meat.
In addition to slaves, the joint forces obtained many amber products and raw stones. The Baltic Sea region, from now to the future, is the world's largest amber producing area. Amber is constantly washed ashore from the sea, and the Chud tribes naturally have a considerable amount of amber in their hands, which is also an important local export commodity.
People who successfully made a fortune constantly withdrew from the army. The joint forces could not impose any restrictions on these people. Firstly, their organizational capacity did not allow it, and secondly, the Great Duke had assembled this large army with the temptation of spoils, so it was unreasonable not to let people leave once they got rich.
But the joint forces' strength was constantly increasing. The desire for wealth attracted new people to join the army, as this was an extremely rare opportunity for two top rulers to lead everyone to prosperity.
Moreover, the return home of those who had achieved success also facilitated the joining of more new people, as nothing was more effective in propaganda than practical examples. The opportunity to get rich was right in front of them, and few people would refuse it.
Some Chud tribes within Novgorod's jurisdiction even dispatched their main forces. They had little tribal affection for their fellow Chud in Estonia; making money now was the most important thing.
It can be said that the entire North Rus' was mobilized by this war.
To more efficiently capture and manage slaves, the Great Duke also specifically transferred a unit of the Black Hat Army from Kiev. These Nomads, who were attached to Rus', not only served as border guards but were also the best slave catchers, and they had rich experience in this regard. Didn't the Great Duke mostly hire them to come to the Rus' interior for slave catching?
The riders of the Black Hat Army also quickly demonstrated their value. These fellows, with just a few local guides, could drive out most of the Chud tribesmen hiding in the dense forests, then shackle them and turn them into slaves.
The slave Team therefore grew larger and larger, and the Black Hat Army excelled at these tasks.
Both Great Duke Rostislav and the Norwegian King seemed uninterested in this, not for any other reason, but simply because for these two Princes, who had long experienced battle, this continuous prying open of shells, eating meat, and catching slaves was indeed a bit boring.
However, their boredom did not last long, because they received news—many Chud had gathered in Alar's Mountain Stronghold.
Under the attack of the joint forces, apart from fleeing further west or south and into those uninhabited dense forests, many Chud gathered towards Alar's Mountain Stronghold. This was the strongest Mountain Stronghold in all of Estonia. The disagreements and conflicts were now put aside; they understood that only by uniting could they have a glimmer of hope.
And upon receiving this news, the joint forces immediately advanced towards that location, as the main objective of this war was originally the head of this former master of the Chud tribes.
Upon reaching the Mountain Stronghold, the joint forces quickly swept away the Chud tribesmen nearby who had been refused entry into the fortress, then set up a siege camp, adopting a posture of long-term siege.