Rise of Rurik

The cavalrymen had velvet hats on their heads and were covered with fur. Seeing the king's presence, they dismounted one after another and knelt down in an instant.

Rurik was in an excited mood. He did not complain that these men missed the decisive battle. As long as they brought back a large amount of supplies, they could conclude that they must have gained a lot in another unknown battlefield.

"Everyone, get up! Fisk, welcome back."

Rurik opened his arms to greet him, then hugged Fisk, who stood up, and stretched his chest to show his respect.

"It seems that you have gained a lot this time! Be sure to tell me your experience."

"Then allow me to show the king our most important trophy. You... will definitely be satisfied." Saying this, Fisk's heart continued to beat out of his chest due to excitement.

He pointed his big hand at a strange man sitting on horseback: "Perhaps, that man is King Ludwig of East Francia."

"What did you say?"

"Ludwig."

"That guy?!"

Subconsciously, Rurik quickly drew his sword, which shocked the berserker warriors with bear heads on their heads to also draw their swords.

Even though the decisive battle had come to an end, the coalition forces still failed to find Ludwig's body among the corpses. Since there were very few enemy soldiers captured, the information Rurik received was extremely unclear. There are rumors that Ludwig led the remnants of his cavalry and fled in disgrace, abandoning the fierce fighting of the infantry. Is this true?

Rurik looked serious, and suddenly Fisk presented him with a treasure.

"Your Majesty, this sword is very strange. It seems familiar to me. It was captured from that man."

"sword?"

Rurik looked at the gem-inlaid dagger that Fisk had attached and the exquisite scabbard, and was instantly surprised: "What a ghost. This sword is mine! How could it be... Wait a minute!" "

He closed his eyes and smoothed out the logic, and some things in the past suddenly fell into place.

When he opened his eyes again, he was convinced: "Yes. That man must be Ludwig."

Therefore, Ludwig, who is now attached to the horseback, is still pretending to be dead. As a defeated king, he is ashamed to meet Rurik the Russian. But Rurik had already walked over with a sword...

"The well-dressed clothes are different from ordinary soldiers. Hey! Ludwig, are you pretending to be dead? Or do you really not understand Latin?"

Seeing that he was silent and pretending to be dead, Rurik simply cut the hemp rope binding his feet and quickly pulled him off the horse. Ludwig fell hard and screamed, unable to continue the farce of pretending to be dead.

"Wearing a gold crown, or a gold crown in the shape of an iris, I knew it was you!"

That's all, Rurik raised his foot and kicked him again, pushing Ludwig on the ice and gliding for some distance before he could relieve his anger.

The poor King of East Frankia lost all his energy. He reluctantly got up and half-knelt on the ice, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Come here!" Rurik ordered with his hand raised.

All the bear-headed berserkers are here.

"We have finally captured King Ludwig of East Francia. Please escort this man and bring him back to Hamburg!"

"As you command!"

As a result, Ludwig was lifted up. Although he struggled subconsciously, he immediately became obedient after being punched in the abdomen, and was dragged towards Hamburg like a prisoner about to be executed.

This is the end of a relieving drama. Capturing Ludwig was a great achievement, and Rurik subconsciously concluded that this was the great achievement of his beloved general Fisk.

Rurik patted him on the shoulder, his force becoming more and more fierce: "Many people want to achieve this great achievement, but in the end the credit belongs to you. I will reward you well."

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Fiske remained calm: "I don't take all the credit, it was Brody Haraldson who did it."

"Oh? Who?"

Fisk roared immediately, and a soldier immediately knelt down in front of the king and then claimed his identity.

"Are you Brody? Get up."

"As commanded."

Looking at the man's eyes, it turns out that they are beautiful blue, and he also has beautiful, even white, blond hair. Sure enough, he is a Scandinavian with highly pure blood.

"Are they from Ross?"

"I am from Old Ross. My family is in New Rossburg, and I am one of the first immigrant families designated by King Otto. My bloodline is very pure."

"Great! What a hero! Is it the Ludwig you captured? I want to reward you."

Just look at Brody's velvet hat Rurik and you can tell that his identity is extremely ordinary. The cavalry has "ten-man captains", "thirty-man captains", and "one hundred and twenty-man centurions". As well as the highest flag captain, such is the current four-level military rank system.

Brody is just a soldier, even though he is an old Ross.

"I will make you a centurion! What I need is a man of action, and obviously you are such a person! Remember, our country cannot only have one cavalry flag force. Don't think that the level of a centurion is low. In the future, you The future is bright.”

What more could Brody ask for? He immediately knelt down and struck his heart hard with his right fist: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift."

"Get up. I will continue to investigate your matter and give you more rewards as appropriate."

The implication of this statement is that Rurik has some doubts about the whole thing. Although the war of ideas he participated in always yielded bizarre results, as a king he could not just reward an officer arbitrarily based on his words.

However, when Fisk excitedly pointed out his huge capture, Rurik was so shocked that he suddenly slipped and sat directly on the ice. His face was trembling, and his carefully trimmed beard was trembling even more.

"Incredible, five thousand pounds of silver coins? You actually robbed Cologne?! With just a few of you, you actually forced Cologne to pay money?"

Fisk hurriedly pulled the king up: "You'd better see for yourself! I think those priests in Cologne really handed over five thousand pounds of silver coins. Oh, and there is also some ale, which tastes good."

As the zipper of the sack was opened, Rurik saw and touched the silver coins inside, and any doubts he had were a thing of the past.

Of course, there are always weird things in war, but it is too weird for the cavalry to steal five thousand pounds of silver coins seemingly unscathed. This is what happened, as many as fifty sacks were here, and a large number of horses were brought back...

As a result, the news about the capture of the East Frankish king spread like wildfire, and the news quickly spread throughout the Hamburg area, and everyone took it as an exciting thing to talk about and shared it with everyone who saw it.

People jumped and danced to celebrate "catching the big fish", and some people shouted that Ludwig should be hanged, burned to death, or even crucified as homologous revenge.

Since when did ordinary peasants need guidance when dealing with enemy nobles? Duke Liudolf of Saxony's attitude towards the captured Ludwig was completely opposite to the attitude of his own people. The down-and-out king was still the king. Only this person had legal claims to the entire Eastern Kingdom, and objectively the current Saxony region still belonged to East Francia.

Although the soldiers met each other on the battlefield and killed corpses everywhere, at the same time the great nobleman Liudov gave Ludwig face.

The captured king was untied, controlled, and stripped of all his weapons. He could stay in a warm place and meet some unexpected old friends, waiting for his unknown fate.

Because Archbishop Hardbold of Cologne had been captured first, Ludwig saw the "gilded True Cross" from Cologne in Hamburg, met the Archbishop of Cologne, and the long-missing northern saint Eskil.

In addition, Count Baudoin of Flanders and mercenary leader Harald Clark miraculously appeared in Hamburg.

There is even a character who, although not a heavyweight, appears in an extremely bizarre way - King Aynred of Northumbria and his crown prince Ella from Britain.

When he saw these nobles and high priests, his plan to anger his enemies and get them killed completely collapsed.

Ludwig didn't want to die at all, and he became extremely reluctant to die.

Just because he suddenly realized the situation he was facing: "They want to negotiate."

So, the defeated king, who had lost all his entourage, suddenly gave orders in the city of Hamburg, shouting: "I am the king of the Eastern Kingdom! You are all my king's ministers, kneel down to me and give me a good meal." And new clothes..."

Such shouting was very useful to Liudov. After all, Liudov had sworn allegiance to this man a few years ago.

It can be said that he betrayed the oath he made back then, and Liudov, who felt guilty, had to show his guilt. In addition to not kneeling down, he tried his best to satisfy the various demands of the defeated loser who was once again embarrassed.

Ludwig was able to feast on salty grilled fish, strange but delicious milk-flavored pancakes, and some ale mixed with honey in the warm castle, under the light of a dancing oil lamp. To be fair, these meals were quite sumptuous, and it was the first time in a while that Ludwig had eaten such delicious food.

Even in the capital Regensburg, you can’t eat this kind of delicious meal. Honey is mixed with refined flour, fermented and fried on an iron plate with butter. The pancakes are so sweet that Ludwig is addicted to them and asks for more. reason.

In fact, he was hiding the fear in his heart by yelling at the maid provided by Liudov and pointing fingers at Liudov himself.

It was already late at night, and due to the great psychological stimulation, Ludwig, who was currently standing high in the castle, looked out through the narrow window and saw only bonfire stalls everywhere, as dense as stars. It was obviously a cruel battle and their entire army was wiped out, but they still lit bonfires here as if they had not suffered much losses.

Due to the reflection of the thick snow, the visibility at night was not bad. He could see the glacier under the dim world and the large number of large ships frozen on it, and he was even more frightened inside.

Normans and Saxons were mixed together, and their beliefs should have been diametrically opposed but they were as close as brothers on the battlefield.

Ludwig really didn't understand, and shouted loudly in the narrow restaurant: "Give me more grilled fish! Give me more cookies! Give me more wine! Liudolf, you are not allowed to abuse your king!"

However, Liu Doufu had already had enough of this guy's nonsense, and he chose to avoid it.

On the other hand, Rurik has basically handled the return of the cavalry. All evidence shows that it was indeed the soldier Brody who captured Ludwig and immediately promoted him to centurion. Everyone supported it.

Maybe the silver coins in a sack are not a sufficient amount of one hundred pounds. Even if it is less, it doesn't matter. After all, it is a huge thing in fifty sacks. Rurik ordered the captured Hadbold to come and see for himself whether the silver coins really came from Cologne.

Those sacks were marked with dyed twine, but when he examined the sacks with twine, Hardbold fainted with a loud cry. After he regained consciousness, it was immediately confirmed that the silver coins came from Cologne. The two cardinals Hildewin and Marquez mentioned by Fisk were indeed real people, which further confirmed the authenticity of the matter.

Rurik then followed the rules he had established, and the cavalry could share half of the silver coins in accordance with the "Queen's Pirate Regulations". It would be divided equally among all members of the cavalry, even if the soldier was killed in action.

Each cavalryman would make a lot of money from this. To be honest, Rurik really wanted to take most of them to fill the national treasury. Thinking about it, maintaining morale was the most important thing.

The appearance of these silver coins actually solved one of Rurik's urgent needs.

The war can be said to have lasted for a whole year, and the Kingdom of Rus has paid a huge price for this war. After defeating the army of the King of East Francia, the army's long-suppressed war weariness finally broke out.

After all, the brothers can't think of any more battles to fight in the future, but the situation is not yet clear and the army still needs to maintain a war-ready state. The best way now is to give money to the soldiers, and a huge sum of money has been obtained. Rurik has already spread the news of "Hanukkah welfare" that night.

The Ross camp was bustling at night. Except for the cavalry, every living Ross soldier could receive half a pound of silver coins in cash.

Rurik is not worried about inflation caused by the influx of large amounts of hot money after these brothers return to their hometowns. The price level of the Kingdom of Rus has long been greatly increased due to the large amount of war dividends, and the price of food is officially fixed. The issue of reselling food without official endorsement is a capital crime. In addition, the key metal smelting and iron making industries are also monopolized by the kingdom. Rurik is convinced that he controls food and metals, and the country will not collapse economically due to the influx of huge amounts of silver coins.

In the end, the silver coins will be turned into taxes and flow into the national treasury through many channels. Many people will even melt the silver coins and make them into noble living utensils because of the Viking tradition.

Perhaps silver coins will return to their essence as precious metals at the appropriate time. If the kingdom always uses them as its official currency, it will not be able to control its own economic sovereignty. After all, no silver mines have been found in the kingdom. Instead of printing paper and pen, using grains such as wheat and oats as anchors can be implemented. Isn't it just giving out food stamps...

Rurik finally wanted to figure out one thing urgently. A sword was said to have been seized from Ludwig. Rurik looked at it carefully and felt that it belonged to him no matter how he looked at it.

He needed to make a decision, so after eating, he summoned Blue Fox, who was already in a salty state after the war, to meet him at the Ross Army Camp.

Rurik spoke with a thick fog, his eyes were like a torch, and the dagger in his hand shimmered under the oil lamp.

Seeing this, Blue Fox was subconsciously startled.

"Your Majesty, is there something big going on?" he asked cautiously.

"This sword. Do you remember it?"

"I……"

"You traveled to Frank many years ago. I gave you a sword. The sword was like the authority of the king. You ran your business in Hedebe's shop. Later..."

Blue Fox immediately answered with a wit: "I almost died later. I experienced a lot while living in exile in Frankland. I even tried to meet Ludwig. You gave me the sword, and I used it as a meeting gift."

"But Ludwig didn't appreciate it. He put away his sword and ignored you. Look, is it this one?"

Blue Fox cautiously walked forward, looked at it and patted his thigh: "This is the sword. In this way, the captured man is indeed Ludwig."

"Let's go." Rurik stood up and signaled the angry Blue Fox to calm down, "Let's go see that Ludwig."

At this moment, Rurik and Blue Fox wanted to ridicule each other personally, but as soon as they arrived at the main castle in Hamburg, they vaguely heard a man's filial piety.

"Isn't that Ludwig still so energetic?" Blue Fox asked cautiously.

Rurik twirled his beard and looked contemptuous: "He has nothing, how can he be like this?!"

Just inside the fortress, he bumped into Liudov, who was in a dilemma.

"Isn't this the Duke of Saxony? You are pacing here, worrying about something?"

Rurik's words were full of joking, and Liudov immediately came to greet him as if he was expecting a savior: "Ah! King Ross! You are here. That guy Ludwig simply regarded himself as his master, which made me It’s very difficult.”

"What's the problem? Kick him a few times and tell him who is the ruler of Hamburg."

"However, I have sworn allegiance to him, so it is inappropriate to do so..."

"Absurd. Then the fact that he invaded Saxony with his army and threatened to kill all the Saxons does not count. He deliberately wanted to destroy your family. You... are so stupid."

This makes sense, but Liu Doufu just can't get around the problem in his mind.

He will neither release Ludwig nor abuse him. He can only keep him under house arrest in the tower for the time being. He will have to ask King Rurik of Rus to decide what to do next.

No, Rurik climbed to the high place himself.

The door with the metal latch was opened, and a man's roar could be heard through the door. After Rurik opened the door himself, Rurik stepped forward and kicked Ludwig in the stomach.

The kick was not harsh, but it caused Ludwig to kneel on the ground directly after feeling the pain. He covered his stomach and vomited a lot of second-hand barbecue and ale. The smell was really bad.

"Ju said you are a king, what qualifications do you have to be a king? You barked like a mad dog, and I heard it from a distance."

"Is it you?! The chief of the Ross people?!" Ludwig gritted his teeth and found that he was actually kneeling on his knees. He hurriedly stood up holding his stomach and tried to maintain his dignity.

After a moment, a general with a round face and a slightly chubby face, who could display a sterling silver cross, and wore a standard Ross blue and white uniform, appeared with orders to carry a short sword.

The blue fox is here. He showed this sword and shouted in Frankish with a slightly strange pronunciation, his chin raised: "Ludwig, do you recognize this sword?"

"This is my sword!"

"Bah! You are a thief! Years ago, I asked to see you, but was forced to be mercilessly deported. Now we meet again, and this time, you are our prisoner of war!"

"This matter... I remembered it. I am the king of East Francia, and I am born noble! You can't treat me like this." Ludwig was still stubborn.

"Really?" Blue Fox immediately answered: "You'd better calm down before our King Ross is furious. Listen, we still intend to negotiate with you and can send you back to East Frankland. But if you continue If you are so violent, we will throw you out of the window right now, and you will fall to your death. Think about it, if you die, won't your family power be directly occupied by your eldest brother Lothair? You don't want to die either. "

"You..." These words hit Ludwig's heart. His anger instantly cooled down, and he immediately found a wooden bench and sat down decently, still holding his stomach with his right hand.

He raised his head and still had a fierce look on his face, but his trembling eyes showed a hint of compromise.

He gritted his teeth and said slowly: "Rurik, the chief of Rus, I lost to you. You failed me miserably! But everything is over, we...should have a good talk."