Rise of Rurik

To Ragnar, the kingdoms of Britain were like lumps of fat.

In 842, he set his sights on London. It is said that there are mountains of gold coins there. This must be an exaggeration. It must be true that such a statement is not groundless.

In the end, a hundred Danish longships rushed to Britain. They successfully rushed to the Thames, but facing the closed gates and solid stone walls of London, Ragnar was helpless.

"Perhaps, with the Rus people following me, the damn stone wall will be broken down."

What he faced was actually the inner city of London, the real Londinium, known as "Little London".

There are a large number of black-haired Roman descendants in the inner city. The Saxon chiefs who completed the colonization more than 300 years ago have allied themselves with these noble Romans, and they still maintain their nobility.

Although the capital of Wessex is now Chester, London is also the second capital. If London had not been rejected by the descendants of the old Romans, she would have been the first capital.

But Ragnar and his Danish warriors did not know this, nor did they need to know it.

The outer city of London was the residential area of ​​the Saxons. The wealth of the inner city could not be obtained by relying on the manpower of the shield-holding Viking warriors, so Ragnar led the warriors to vent his anger on the outer city.

They destroyed everywhere, and in an attitude of simplicity and brutality, the warriors killed men, captured women, and looted property in search of coins.

His actions are stuck at a delicate point in time.

After the previous king died, the new king Æthelwulf succeeded to the throne and gave his eldest son Æthelstan the right to rule Kent and Essex.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see the king's love for his eldest son. He is already training his eldest son's ability to govern the country, and he will definitely inherit the throne in the future.

However, there was a new strong enemy in the north, the Viking Kingdom of York, the Norse, and the Mercian nobles fell into civil war. Aethelwulf, who took advantage of the chaos in the north to expand his territory, indeed forced a group of Mercian nobles to support him, and the de jure fiefdom was also incorporated into Wessex.

But the Viking activities are becoming more and more frequent. The Norwegian Vikings have eaten a large area of ​​Northumbrian territory. Will they have a greater appetite in the future?

Æthelwulf had no need to doubt that the Rodney Plain on the southern coast of the kingdom was sacked by Danish Vikings, and only a year later London was in danger.

The de facto prince Æthelstan personally led troops to rescue.

It is completely different from the Frankish army's national system of purposefully training heavy cavalry and organizing a large number of light cavalry when necessary. Wessex, which had been fighting for many years, was very poor. It is intriguing to know who reported that Britain was extremely wealthy.

Wessex can only organize a small number of heavy cavalry, and even this is a deadly sword in the hands of the prince.

Composed of a small number of elite cavalry, infantry, and a large number of peasants armed only with pitchforks, axes, and sickles, an army of up to 3,000 troops headed straight for London.

Most of the soldiers came from Kent, Sussex and Essex. Although they had been gradually annexed by the expanding Wessex in the past two decades, they had personally experienced or witnessed the abominations of the Vikings, and their anger outweighed their fear. They were willing to follow the prince to eliminate the villains.

The strength of more than 3,000 troops gave the soldiers great confidence, but it was only when they arrived in the outer city of London that they realized something was wrong with the situation.

Almost all the residences in the outer city were looted. In the Danish camp on the Thames River, more than 300 young women and more than 100 men were tied up with ropes.

Just take the captive's daughter as your wife? No! If you marry these women, you will probably have children who will betray Odin.

Both men and women will be sold into slavery, and Ragnar has found buyers for the warriors.

The Earl of Flanders, the Earl of the Netherlands, and the Duke of Saxony, these three Frankish feudal nobles are not Franks. They have their own opinions, but they cannot do some dirty work themselves.

The nobles had money and food, but they lacked a population that was easy to control, especially a special resource - fertile young women.

Taking the captives across the ocean would bring in at least half a pound of silver per captive.

The Danes were completely unable to break through the inner city of London, and several attempts were repelled by the defenders' stone arrows. They simply arrested people on the spot and set the vacant houses on fire.

Just as Ragnar was evacuating with the loot and prisoners, reinforcements from Prince Æthelstan finally arrived.

A war is inevitable!

On one side was the Danish army, which had completed its rest and was waiting for work, and on the other side was the Wessex army, which was stressed out from the expedition.

The war is completely one-sided! The shield wall cooperates with the centralized attack of archers. Ragnar did learn some tactics while fighting side by side with the Ross army. This was too over the top in the eyes of the Wessex army.

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On one side is the Wessex army, which is roaring and charging with all its strength, and on the other side is the Danish shield wall, which is ready for battle.

The Danish army is not as powerful as the main force of Ross, but even if they only learn a little bit, it is enough to defeat the Wessex militia.

When the elite suffered heavy losses, the militiamen immediately began to retreat. Under the continued pressure of the Danish army, the Wessex army collapsed.

Prince Æthelstan was forced to withdraw his troops. As for how to lift the siege of London, he did not know. But he knew very well that if he continued to fight to the death, the suburbs of London would be his burial place.

The Wessex reinforcements, which once gave great hope to the Roman descendants of inner London, collapsed after a massive melee.

Just one day, first despair, then hope, then disappointment and deeper despair.

Maybe things will turn around in London, maybe the Vikings will take the money and leave.

Once the Pope of Rome paid tribute to Attila, the Scourge of God, in exchange for peace in the city of Rome, maybe...

While the Danes were still cleaning the battlefield and collecting iron tools, a small crack opened in the originally closed inner city of London.

In just three hundred years, there was not much difference between Saxon and Danish. When he learned that the besieged people were willing to use one thousand pounds of silver coins to buy the evacuation of the Danish army, Ragnar, as the king, was heartbroken.

But now the inner city of London is at a serious disadvantage. Perhaps if the siege continues and the city's supplies are exhausted, he can lead his troops to easily break the city.

However, considering that he got a bargain and the army was tired after the battle, for fear of being beaten again by another Wessex army, Ragnar, who was eager to accept it as soon as possible, added 200 pounds of silver coins to the Roman descendants of the inner city of London. We Kang's generous donation to rescue the family in trouble finally bought peace.

Ragnar wins! The blackmailed silver was an unexpected bonus. He gave half to his men, and the remaining six hundred pounds of silver remained for himself.

This money is enough for him to train and arm a powerful king's guard. With stronger weapons, he can do greater things.

So has London really bought peace?

Appeasement can only buy temporary peace, but it cannot buy peace for a generation.

The longships are gathering, and the Danes are about to evacuate with their prisoners.

Standing on the high wall in the inner city of London were a group of Roman descendants and Wessex nobles wearing toga robes. It seemed that the Vikings were really leaving. Some people were happy, and more people were worried about the unknown. .

Once last year, again this year, and again next year.

I hope you don’t come next year.

The weeping female prisoner took a Danish longboat to the east, which was the direction of the mouth of the Rhine River.

Flying in the huge fleet is a raven flag, which is Ragnar's Danish king's flag.

He was standing on the flagship, behind him was the Thames River and the strong and fragile inner city of London on the riverside, as well as the scorched remains of residential buildings in the outer city.

"You are just a bunch of fat sheep! Next year, I will change places."

Ragnar, who gained great prestige, intended to rest for a while after returning to Rotterstad, so he sent his men to Utrecht.

He knew that even selling prisoners was not easy to put on the market in the Frankish world. The decentralization of power in Utrecht required both population and face, so transactions could only be carried out secretly. But maybe Utrecht is unwilling to pay or provide food, so the Duke of Saxony in the north will definitely pay, right?

Ragnar felt that there was no need to worry about selling the captives. If he sold them to a widower, he could make a lot of money, right?

When the Danish fleet successfully entered the mouth of the Rhine River, it unexpectedly saw an astonishing sight.

Just like the work of piling firewood and boiling salt, it seems that the Russian army from the expedition to Aachen has returned. There are a large number of long ships standing on the shore of the main channel, and a large number of Russian flags are flying. Under the flags, there is thick smoke billowing.

"The Russians won, right? Now as for large-scale salt boiling?"

When Ragnar saw the returning Ross army, Blue Fox, who had brought all the training with him, also saw them.

"The Danes are back? They traveled thousands more than I did and came back earlier than I expected?" The blue fox was curious about what Ragnar encountered in Britain, but it was time for Yinvar to return his father and explain Of course, I also want to give Yin Val a few nice words.

So it wasn't until Ragnar's flagship passed by the burning spots on the shore that he finally realized with wide eyes that the Rus were burning people.

Are they actually doing mass cremations?

Based on the Danish funeral tradition, burial and deliberate burial in large graves are the mainstream. That is to say, the Rus people from the north pay more attention to cremation.

It seemed that the dead were Rus warriors, and it was their tradition to remove their own corpses from the battlefield. In this cremation, the body will be burned into gray bones, and finally it will be smashed into powder as much as possible with an axe, sealed in a wooden box or a pottery urn, and then transported to the cemetery in their capital for burial.

It was from living in New Roseburg that Ragnar learned about these traditions. He admired this kind of behavior very much, but it was a pity that he couldn't do it yet.

Did the Russians suffer a big loss in Aachen?

He ordered his men to return to the Danish settlement of Inkoko with the spoils of war, especially all the prisoners of war, who were under the custody of the Yan family.

After he returned to the settlement to arrange some work, he hurriedly arrived at the Ross Army camp by boat.

"There is no feeling of defeat here. They should have won. If they attack Frank's capital, wouldn't they be able to bring back a mountain of gold?"

Thinking of these, Ragnar was unwilling to show off his success rashly, and he was also a little worried about his son Yin Val, who had a bad leg. He was happy that when he saw the blue fox, his son stayed with him.

"King of Denmark! Ragnar! You must have returned victorious! The gods are with you." After a commercial boast, the blue fox opened his arms. This enthusiasm for praise made Ragnar happy.

The two men hugged each other and patted each other on the back, like long-lost brothers.

"The Russian army is invincible! You... must have captured Aachen! You must have obtained countless golds?"

"That's natural, but the process is very tortuous."

"How to twist?"

"A cruel war, we made a fortune and got the glory of a warrior. And your son Yin Val." As an elder, Lan Hu rubbed the head of Yin Val sitting on the sedan: "No one is qualified Laughing at his weak legs. Innocent Inval, facing the ferocious Frankish cavalry, was not afraid of danger, and the Danish army defeated the most powerful enemy together with us."

After saying this, Ragna covered up his disbelief with a smile. But Blue Fox's words of praise should all be true.

He wanted to ask more, and the cunning blue fox responded with what he wanted to hear.

Ragnar really lacks the cunningness of a profiteer. He doesn't understand what it means to report good news and not bad news. Blue Fox's rhetoric is as if the Russian army won the war with only very few losses.

Maastricht, Liège, and Aachen, three cities were plundered. The three terms were very unfamiliar to Ragnar. Compared to London being robbed by himself, and the Russian army plundering three cities, they were more prosperous, right?

As for the burned corpses, Blue Fox Solid described them lightly: "The heroes' souls have gone to the Hall of Valor, and the human bodies in the world will turn into ashes."

It seemed like he didn't say anything, so Ragnar simply didn't ask.

The blue fox did not ask, Ragnar had already revealed the benefits of the expedition to Britain. He had not yet gone too far into the city, and told him directly about his slave hunting and successful blackmail.

Talk without intention and listen with intention.

"Damn it, why is London, the famous city Rurik mentioned, as cowardly as Cologne? Can you buy peace with money? I can do it if I go." It was also a compliment, and the Blue Fox remembered this deeply in his heart. After all, Gothenburg The fiefdom is located in the entrance and exit area of ​​the Denmark Strait. If a Götaland expedition is organized, Blue Fox realizes that he does not need the King of Ross to accept his fate and can take people to London for blackmail.

Ragnar came here to pay for the wine, and as the host, Blue Fox wanted to give him a banquet.

Want to show off the spoils of the Russian army? No! Ragna didn't want to know any valid information, so this banquet was almost a private banquet for men of similar age.

Askard, whose mouth is so injured and his whole body is sore, will not come, the five Jotalan nobles who have suffered heavy losses will not come, and the Finnish army's Kelhar will not come.

Even the fourth Frankish princess Gisla, who could be used as a major trophy by the Blue Fox and used to show off, was completely hidden.

Ragna was busy drinking, and when he was drunk, he began to talk arrogantly about his achievements until he fell asleep, which was remembered by the blue fox.

He gained a lot of face from the Blue Fox, and the next day he brought his son Yin Val and the Danish soldiers who had suffered losses.

But from his son's mouth, he learned something else.

Princess Frank? Charlemagne's tomb? Aachen palace wealth? Gold and silver in Maastricht and Liege? The Russian army captured them all.

Blue Fox didn't tell the truth! He didn't understand why Blue Fox had to hide so much, but he didn't need to ask anymore.

I'm afraid the real fact is as said by his eldest son Yin Val the Boneless, who witnessed everything. Although the Ross coalition received a large amount of loot, as many as half of its troops were killed and a large number of soldiers were injured.

The victory of the Russian army can only be described as a tragic victory. So if I face a large number of Frank cavalry charges on the battlefield, can I do just fine? Ragnar didn't want to think about it because he still had his own things to do.

Gisla was placed under house arrest, which meant he was actually locked up in a separate wooden house. The wooden house built according to Ross-style woodcuts pays more attention to warmth, and its interior is compact and complete.

There is a clear wooden toilet and soft paper for wiping your buttocks. How to use the princess can be learned as soon as she is taught. She was stunned by all this and quickly adapted to it.

Although she thought the Norman life was extremely barbaric, even though she was under house arrest, it didn't seem unbearable to actually live the Norman lifestyle.

Because on the first night, she slept on a wooden bed with a wool mattress and quilt and even two kinds of pillows, fine linen bags stuffed with wool or buckwheat husks, and the latter was Rurik's own preference, and it was soothing. Easy to sleep.

She can drink water and eat some sweet snacks at any time.

There is nothing that can threaten my safety for the time being, but I just wonder how Alicia is doing?

I really took the initiative to break up with my personal maid, is it too stupid to think about it now? If given a chance, could the relationship be repaired?

But, can we go back to the past? There should be no going back.

The princess guessed correctly. Alicia immediately returned to her job as a maid after arriving in Rotterstad, but the person she served became Asgard.

However, Askard's mouth was injured and he couldn't eat hard food for a while. She personally cooked the wheat porridge mixed with peas, boiled it completely into a slurry, personally delivered it to Askard, and then personally put the food into his mouth with a spoon.

She even deliberately let the soldiers of the Seventh Flag see it, deliberately making them talk about it.

This is probably what a wife does, right? Askard's eyes were full of Alicia.

For Alicia, this is her purpose.

What she wants is another, more stable life.