Rise of Rurik

On the night that Stad arrived, the Ross store began to evacuate that night. Escorted by thirty guards, the old Eric family quietly boarded the ship with the cash box and sailors and other personnel. The nine armed cargo ships slipped away that night! Only a few ordinary longboats of traditional oars belonging to the Ross were still in port.

The Ross shop became depressed overnight, and the blue fox took most of the softness and made them take away most of the money.

The old mercenaries he stayed around were rebellious old mercenaries, all of whom had high self-esteem and despised the Danish armed forces. Indeed, most of them had killed Danish soldiers.

And the thirty new Slavic fighters who had come in, Vadi Zdalovich and his men took up arms, and now they were strong and powerful. Since the Rus people regard themselves as brothers, everyone is willing to fight for Rus. Most importantly, they hated the Danish army, the enemy of the enemy was the friend, and the friend really regarded himself as a brother.

There are ninety armed guards under the blue fox, not too many or too few. They have high fighting spirit, and they all want to see what the new king of Denmark is.

He also has the determination that he may die. The so-called if the other party insists on asking for tribute, it is determined not to give it. If you will be killed, then you don't have to regret it. Your death will inevitably bring the most terrifying revenge from the Ross army. Maybe that kind of revenge will be a joint action by Sweden and Ross. In short, Ross cannot suffer in Hazelby, and the new king of Denmark must realize this. He must also recognize Ross's unique position in Denmark and stop all hostile actions against Ross.

The entire Hazebi was in a lot of chaos, many traders disappeared overnight, and what was worse was that many people apparently fled while taking advantage of the chaos.

Ordinary soldiers are just people who follow the crowd, just like the hierarchy of ordinary wolves and alpha wolves. Starken noticed this situation, and he was a little annoyed by his preaching during the day, although all this was requested by the master Horrick, and it was true that after such preaching, the people of Hazelby added distrust.

This was never what King Horrick had hoped for. The king needed to establish a new order in Hazelby, and to restore his rule, especially the right to tax.

This seaside trade market is known for its wealth, and ordinary traders can escape. Those big businessmen will not escape overnight.

He was correct in his estimation. Many business families who have been deeply involved in this business cannot escape from the entanglement of bottles and cans. Merchants are indeed not farmers, they will not be entangled in a piece of inherent land, but where can they go if they flee? Does giving up everything in Hazelby and living in a new area become a big fat sheep to be slaughtered?

All the big business families are in a daze, and they didn't want to pay taxes on Horrick's mushroom-like thing, let alone paying taxes? It is simply collecting tribute, which is gang behavior.

The next day, the soft summer sunshine shone through the entire harbor, but the supposedly prosperous Port of Hazelby became depressed due to the uninvited guests who arrived yesterday, and the so-called city CBD was also desolate.

"Are these guys on strike? Is this a public provocation?"

Stade, who was riding a tall horse, led his men around the empty market. Seeing that someone was shaking, he immediately sent troops to catch it. They even caught a few children, who were timid and hurried to figure out why.

Co-authored All businessmen are freaked out? !

He sent for the release of the child and threw a few copper coins. The child hurriedly bent over to pick it up, then fled barefoot without a trace.

"Boss, is this really very rich?" Some soldiers couldn't help but wonder.

Stad is also helpless: "They are worried that we will use means,

plunder all their wealth. That's ridiculous, I'm just claiming to require them to pay 11th tax. "

"How is this good. Boss, the king's fleet is about to arrive, and if he sees such a situation, we will be punished."

"It's a big problem. No problem! Let's go to the manors and gather the big local merchants. As long as this group of people puts out the money, we'll get the job done."

Generally speaking, it is impossible to squeeze much grain from the hands of the common people, and only the big businessmen can be squeezed hard as cows.

This is the life experience of Horlick's group in Flanders. Apart from looting everywhere and even sneaking across the sea to Britain, the priority is to attack merchants' mansions and monasteries. Looting belongings to split the loot in Flanders' Port Durist lair, so who's the big buyer? The real Earl of Flanders is, as is the Cape family in the south. The gold, silver and jewelry that were grabbed were exchanged for food, meat and salt, and it was okay for everyone to cooperate.

Stad finished camping in the woods and walked around Hazelby with all his men.

The small group raised the raven flag in an attempt to appease the local population. They were looking for big businessmen one by one, and the army was standing at the gate of the mansion, which often led to a confrontation with the merchants' guards, but the two sides did not want a military conflict at all.

The big businessman came forward in person, and looked up at the riding Stade at the door of his house, and they made it clear to each other.

Although it is a 11th tax, the specific amount is very informative. Horlick had no idea how lucky the Hazelby businessmen were, and how many people could give out a lot of money. He listened to the over-the-top descriptions of the surrendered tribal chiefs, that the so-called big merchants living in Hazelby could each give out a hundred pounds of silver.

Stade was instructed to pass on the news according to this amount. As for the specific tax collection, it would have to wait for King Horrick's navy to arrive in person.

He took the trouble to publicize the king's orders from door to door. He knew the benefits and asked him to prepare the taxes early. He even made a big cake: "Those who give money will be rewarded by the king." As for what the reward is, he will not say. .

Such an act is clearly an act of armed sorghum. The big businessmen often cannot afford to support too many mercenaries due to expenses. They have already expanded the number of their subordinates in advance, which is generally only fifty or sixty people. Even so, the monthly comprehensive remuneration must be at least five pounds of silver, which is a huge expense.

Merchants are calculative, and when Stade left with his all-armored army and cavalry squad, the merchants had to seriously think about it. Because King Horrick seems to describe such a situation, as long as you pay one hundred pounds of silver coins in a package, you can continue to do business. This tax is very high, because everyone has not paid tax for many years. That's not the case with the tax that Wang has promised to start next year.

Wang also promised to ensure the business safety of all tax-paying merchants. If someone dares to embezzle the merchant's money and endanger the safety of the merchant and his associates, Wang will personally send people to capture the attackers and execute them.

If so, why should a businessman keep a mercenary team? Maybe the tax to be paid from next year will be lower than the salary of raising mercenaries.

It all had to be based on the fact that the man Horrick would keep his word, and businessmen would be stupid if they believed it naively.

Their hearts did begin to shake, and after Stad left, they began to quietly connect, vowing to have another meeting urgently.

Stad's precise preaching seemed to be effective, and the merchants showed no resistance, and some claimed to deliver the tribute on time, even if it might have been a scene.

He thinks he will succeed until the army arrives at such a strange shop.

The wooden wall is not surprising, the booths are empty, but the wooden wall at the main entrance is clearly hung with white cloth sewed with blue cloth strips.

There were also guards at the door. They were all wearing chain mail and leather helmets. They were wearing a white tunic, a belt around their waists, and the white cloth on their chests was stitched together with blue cloth strips.

How is this going? Are these people too majestic? !

Stade saw that he came riding on a tall horse, and behind him was a kind of armored soldier, and everything could not make those on guard fear at all. On the contrary, those who stand guard see themselves sharp-eyed, and they are the arrogant ones!

Stad was so angry that he held the whip in his left hand and pointed at someone casually: "You are the merchant's guards? Let your merchants come out! I am the envoy of the King of Denmark, and let your masters come to see me quickly."

These Ross guards were not touched by expression, and the brothers didn't mind playing a game with this new group of Danes. Unlike the blue fox, the guards all had the determination to die. It is disgusting for them, the Danes, to hold the raven flag high, because Prince Rurik is a real "man blessed by Odin", and everyone is a real servant of the "Son of God" who died defending Rurik's interests , isn't this the moment after death to report to Valhalla? This is a good thing.

Lanhu had a hunch about what happened today. Although the shop went empty after a night of tossing people, he didn't sleep all night because of this, so he was woken up by the guard who sent a message after taking a nap in the morning.

"Finally the ultimatum is down. Someone! Get me dressed and we'll meet them."

All the left-behind guards probably changed into the robes of the Rus. After all, it is white cloth as the background color, and you can sew blue cloth strips at will. The blue fox easily unified the clothes of his subordinates, but a group of brothers still did not have a defensive tool like chain mail.

The blue fox put on a jacket stitched with ferret fur. The time was in the afternoon, and it was a bit hot in Denmark during the warmest season. The blue fox doesn't matter, his velvet cap is also plugged with long, white swan feathers, and the hat and clothes are embellished with amber and glass beads. His belt was wrapped with gold thread and hung with gold and silver pieces, and a short sword hung from his waist, and the ruby ​​(in fact, a red glass piece) at the end of the hilt was more striking.

He walked out of the shop in such a noble outfit, and the mustache that he deliberately combed trembled in the wind.

Seeing that the other party has issued a flag, you can't stand still!

Stad was a little confused by such a big businessman's action, and the fact that it took him a moment shocked him.

I saw a man dressed in almost identical clothes walking out of the main entrance, with their round shields on their backs to show that they had no intention of fighting, but they were actually standing in line, revealing the swords and axes around their waists.

There is also a wooden pole raising a flag, the pattern is almost the same as the dress of each of them.

A very peculiar feeling arises spontaneously. Stad feels that he is facing a Frankish businessman, and these armed men dressed in classic Danish warriors may be the subordinates of a Frankish nobleman.

Stad was at a loss all of a sudden. If it was a Frankish noble, if an untimely conflict broke out, he would not be causing trouble to King Horrick.

Very subtle is that Starken himself hurriedly dismounted, and his attitude became respectful.

"You... who are you?"

"We are from Russ!" Lanhu realized that he could obviously take the opportunity to lie, but that would violate his junior high school. Whether he can change his name, sit still or change his surname, he simply says that he is a Russian.

"You are actually from Russ?!" Stad put away his respectful attitude in an instant, and clenched the hilt of the sword with his right hand. The corners of his eyes also noticed the armed men in robes, and those people also held the sword. handle.

Even if he has a tall horse and hundreds of brothers, the other party is clearly not easy to mess with.

The reputation of the Rus is actually notorious, legend is that the prince of Rus killed the Danish king Hafgen. Although Hafgen himself was a reckless man, his killing was a spiritual blow to the heroes of Denmark, as if everyone's honor had been tarnished by an outsider.

Even though he is from Rus, he can do business in Hazelbee in a dignified manner, and still have such a huge garrison?

Seeing such a neatly lined up team, Stade suddenly realized that the previous Danish army's defeat in the battle against Ross was not without reason. Although he didn't know the reason, the Rus army in front of him did remind him of the regular Frankish army.

The blue fox deliberately paused for a while, then raised his fat belly, pinched his waist and threatened: "This is the shop of the Duchy of Ross! I am here to do business on the order of the prince of Ross! You are the messenger of the new king of Denmark, I have learned I know exactly what you want from your preaching yesterday."

It seems to be borrowing the words of a donkey under the slope? Stade hurriedly asked: "Since you all know, you Russ people have to take out a hundred pounds of silver coins. But you are Russ people, and your presence here is illegal in itself. Maybe King Horrick will forgive you..."

"Are you threatening me?"

"Yes. This is a threat! Denmark does not allow you Russ to trade in principle. Hazelby is Denmark's Hazelby. Whether you have the right to trade in the future depends on the wishes of our King Horrick, maybe ...you take out more tribute, and the king can grant you the right to trade."

Originally, the blue fox planned to discuss with this person that he saw that Horrick in person, and personally persuaded the new king of Denmark to give Ross the right to trade, of course, on the premise of complete tax exemption.

The other party's messenger was so arrogant that his plan had come to nothing.

The blue fox didn't want to lose the momentum, so he threatened: "Hazelby is a free city-state, not a person who claims to be the king of Denmark can occupy it. Our prince of Ross originally intended to reconcile with Denmark, since the new Danish leader is greedy , It seems that we can only give up the idea. I tell you clearly, the Duchy of Ross will not pay you even a single copper coin tax, and if you dare to prohibit us from trading here, that is to choose war."

"You!" Stad, who was instantly furious, drew his sword directly. This act also forced the Ross mercenaries to draw their swords collectively. Many people even removed their shields and looked like they were about to fight.

The two sides were instantly at each other's throats, and if it really started, it wouldn't end well.

The two sides confronted each other. Ross mercenaries surrounded the blue fox and formed a shield wall in front of it. Every cold light and sharp sword was attached to the shield. It was so orderly that he had received training. Dare to act rashly. He also saw that a group of people watching the fun had gathered nearby. If they suddenly fought each other, it would be indistinguishable from each other. It might also hurt the onlookers. The worst thing would be to cause unfavorable public opinion. Loot everything, that's bad.

Stad hurriedly ordered his sword to be sheathed. He quickly took the weapon, laughed maliciously, and asked, "What is your purpose? Just doing business in Hazelby without paying taxes at all?"

The blue fox poked out his furry head from the shield wall and stared at it with a dull face like a Tibetan fox: "I want to meet your king. We Ross just want to do business in Hazeby, but the tax is to be paid. Impossible. Since your king is coming soon, I can wait. Don't worry, we are not afraid of death, even if your army has thousands of people, we are not afraid."

It is impossible to pay taxes, compromise is impossible, and a group of people are not afraid of death. How can such a stubborn person mean the slightest businessman?

Stad felt that he had met the hard bones of his life, and the other party had such an attitude. His heart was like a volcano erupting, and he relied on willpower to suppress the fire in his heart.

He still held back, after all, only relying on his own strength to gnaw this hard bone, and finally his teeth cracked. As for making King Horrick soft? absurd!

The king has long told the brothers that he will change his relationship with Prince Ludwig when he has got Denmark, and try to have a country-to-country relationship of the same level between Denmark and East Frank. Horlick did not think that Ludwig would accept this new situation and would recognize the independence of Denmark. It doesn't matter. With the real power of Denmark and a strong army, Horlick also wants to do whatever he wants.

If it wasn't for the situation, who would be the unruly Danes who would treat outsiders as dogs? The exiled sea wolves have returned to their hometown, and everyone will no longer be Ludwig's eagle dogs when they get Denmark. After the internal affairs are stabilized, they can let go of attacking East Frank.

A group of arrogant Rus has been pierced into the flesh like a fishbone, and this group of armed merchants should be eradicated. Are they not afraid of death? Then let them die!

Stad firmly believes that King Horrick will continue to maintain a hostile attitude with Ross for his own authority, and will first attack these armed merchants.

He evacuated with his subordinates, and before leaving, he threatened: "Arrogant Russ, you can leave, I will give you time, so that you can live."

The blue fox retorted: "We won't leave! I won't leave without the order of Prince Ross."

Stad didn't speak any more. In fact, everyone knew it well. It was as if the dry riverbed was shaking, and everyone predicted that the flood was on its way...

The blue fox immediately informed his subordinates: "Hurry up and transform our shop into a fortress, beware of the tricks of that bastard on horseback."

Everyone said in unison that they obeyed the order, and some people couldn't help but ask the blue fox that the purpose of everyone's perseverance was just to obey the prince's order? Indeed, if persistence itself does not make much sense, the brothers are courting death.

The blue fox quickly explained his arrangement: "We must show Ross's attitude to that Horrick. If they attack, they will choose war. If they choose to negotiate, we will naturally be able to retreat. We will transform the store into a fortress in case of unexpected events. , if we die, the Maharaja will avenge us. If we finish our defense or if we negotiate with the Danes, all of you will have a glorious future."

To die is honor, to live is to be honored and to make a fortune. These old mercenaries are no longer working for Ross simply for glory and wealth. They have their own arrogance. Everyone can see the contempt in the eyes of the group of guys on horseback just now. The opponent has left everyone a window to escape.