Rise of Rurik

There is one significant difference in geographical structure between the Jutland Peninsula in 840 AD and the peninsula after 1825.

In 1825 AD, a storm hit the entire Northern Europe. It not only brought huge amounts of precipitation, but also caused the waters of the Atlantic and Baltic Seas to become violent and abnormal. Not to mention that a large number of ships were swept into the sea, the Kingdom of Denmark fought against the British Royal Navy, and a large number of oak trees planted in the past few years fell tragically. For Denmark, the worst thing was that huge ravines appeared on the ground, causing seawater to pour in.

Originally, at the northernmost point of the Jutland Peninsula, there was a very deep Engst Bay, which caused the east-west width of the peninsula to suddenly tighten at this location.

Heavy rains coupled with sea intrusion forced a ravine to form at this extremely low altitude. Seawater poured in to form a new waterway, the so-called "Lim Strait", and the peninsula was divided into two sections. It does have an advantage, that is, passing this waterway can greatly shorten the voyage in and out of the Baltic Sea.

Today's Danes have never imagined that such a large-scale natural wonder would exist, but in this geographical location (the northernmost point of the peninsula is the point, equivalent to 80 kilometers to the south), the width of the peninsula has indeed suddenly tightened greatly.

The unique geographical situation gave the newly arrived army of Westphalian Count Liudolf, who had lost his title as Duke of Saxony, a choice.

Liudov and Horik discussed that since the fjord and the sea squeezed the peninsula, the Lindholm isthmus was forcibly recreated in this cramped and narrow place. The two sides would use the isthmus as the boundary. Horik Ke is on the back, Liudov is on the south.

Regarding this arrangement, considering that his strength was not as good as before, and his former nest of Durist (near today's Amsterdam) was taken back by the Frank army, Horik could only hold his nose and admit it.

Horik was fully aware of Liudov's purpose, and now the situation had taken a new turn.

As a supervisor sent by His Highness Ludwig, Liudov was stationed on the peninsula, and the French cavalry was present. He could no longer do anything rebellious and betrayal of East Francia.

But this man is a descendant of Vidukind, and this man clearly showed an inappropriate and arrogant attitude! If this boy had a chance, wouldn't he ask His Highness to take back the title of Duke of Saxony?

However, as the supervisor, Count Liudolf of Westphalia was ambitious and wise. After dividing their respective spheres of influence, throughout 839, the Frankish army did not cross the natural isthmus.

Having lost a large number of veterans brought from Durist, Horik could only recruit warriors from the Robard tribe, which he now firmly controlled.

In the past ten years, the Robard tribe, which has always enjoyed Danish hegemony, has been shrinking in strength after successive defeats. Now they are forced to convert their entire family to God in exchange for the military protection of the Frankish Kingdom. This is actually very humiliating and there is nothing we can do about it. Compared with betraying Odin and converting to God, it is more painful to accept a man who has been exiled and come back to be the king of Denmark and his own leader.

The Robard tribe had no choice. Too many brave and skilled warriors in such a large tribe had withered away, and their former glory had sunk into the ocean as the heroes died in battle.

They were forced to continue to recognize Horik's power and to serve as soldiers for their own benefit.

Now they can only stick to this path, because those friend tribes who still believe in Odin were either defeated and killed, or moved to Zealand.

Denmark has been divided, and now the French army has entered the army directly for the first time in history. The French general who gathered together is still the grandson of Widukind. The southern Saxons welcome their heroes!

In this way, wouldn’t the Danish world be divided into three parts?

In the autumn of 839, the Jutland peninsula ushered in the harvest.

Whether it was the Danes or the Saxons who had fled, their farming techniques were extremely crude. They just turned over the soil casually with wooden plows, and then men or women carried rattan baskets and randomly sowed oat seeds on the fields, and then left it alone.

In their understanding, how the wheat grows and whether there will be a good harvest during the harvest season all depend on God's will.

The results of the autumn harvest of 839 cannot be said to be a bumper harvest, nor can it be said to be a failure.

The people who stayed on the peninsula have all completed their conversion, and the food they harvested is basically enough to eat.

Leaving his own fiefdom and being separated from the resource supply of farmers, Liudov did not dare to say it in a big way. He felt that he was actually exiled by Prince Ludwig.

The prince forbade himself to take his family away, but only brought his own cavalry to the wild Denmark. You must know that most of these cavalry brothers also have families and properties. Everyone does not know how long they will stay in Denmark. They just want to return to Westphalia and are not allowed to return without orders.

"Perhaps, we can only use this place as a temporary home! Your wives and children are all in your hometown. No one can marry here, except those who are not married. We are building a military camp here to be stationed for a long time. Be prepared, but also be self-reliant..." Liudov summoned his cavalry and said a lot incoherently.

The brothers are almost all Saxons, and everyone needs to settle down for the first winter.

The Isthmus of Lindholm is by no means an uninhabited land. Directly south of the isthmus is a low mountain, and there is a fishing village at the foot of the mountain. However, the people of this village are unwilling to give up their belief in Odin. I rowed a boat to Zealand Island.

Odin and other Viking gods were boring heretics from Liudov's point of view.

He was baptized the day he was born, received a theological education, and even knew a little Latin.

This kind of educated nobleman is rare in Frankland. The most direct reason why he is so unusual is that his ancestor Widukind himself is buried in the Dortmold Abbey in the Westphalian fiefdom. In the cemetery. It can be said that the Saxon people's desire for independence was suppressed. Instead of being killed, the family of the rebel leader became a Frankish aristocracy and continued to the fourth generation.

He disdains any heretical ideas. Although he is not a devout and pedantic priest, he also thinks that Odin's faith is inexplicable. If he can help priests spread their faith, it will be a huge bonus to his personal prestige, and this is simple Political behavior.

It was an unusual autumn day. Not long ago, news came from the northernmost part of the peninsula that the so-called Russian ship had once again easily passed through the strait and entered the Baltic Sea.

Regarding the news about the Russians, all Liudov knew was that they burned and killed Bremen. Various rumors were that they were a group of blond demons and pirates who killed without blinking an eye.

But no one knew the news of the Rus better than the northern sage Eskil.

The autumn wind is already bleak at this moment, and the wind from the North Pole seems to be carrying a knife.

Liudov's army has settled down. In a sense, he has become half the king of Denmark. He did not resort to force, but simply relied on his own blood. He suddenly found that he had won over no less than 30,000 people. support.

Such a large number of people are more than the number of farmers in the Westphalian fiefdom!

His thoughts changed drastically, and his mentality was inevitably a little drifting. Thanks to the news of "Russian ship passing through", he was somewhat sober.

He put on a hooded coat sewn with wool felt brought from the fiefdom, and even put a felt coat on his war horse.

The young earl held the reins of his horse and stood on the seaside. To the south of him was the fishing village of Lindholm and the low, rocky mountains on his back.

He looked at the north and the east, letting the north wind blow on his face, so that his mind would be frozen and clear.

The accompanying soldiers held the Frankish Three Lions flag and the blue cross flag on a white background to protect him.

An old man in black robes, holding a wooden staff inlaid with a gold cross, stood closely beside him.

This scene is like an employee swearing to the vast land that he is ready to challenge.

"Padra!" Liudov asked the black-robed northern saint Eskil: "Do you think the Russians are really strong?"

"..." This incident suddenly aroused many bad memories. Eskil remained silent, but his aging body was trembling under the black robe.

"Why don't you speak? I know that there is an island to the east, and those Danes who refused to convert went there. One day, the gospel will cover the whole of Denmark. Although this is not what I strive for, I am also happy to see success. "

"Are you... planning to go to war with the lords of Zealandia?" Eskil suddenly asked.

"Start a war? Maybe. At least not now. My footing is not stable now, and..." Liudov turned his head and looked alert: "Maybe one day, I can get back the dukedom that belongs to my family. I need some With my military exploits, I defeated those hostile Danish lords and the hateful Russians. Not only to avenge you, but also to avenge the devout people of Bremen, I will also gain great prestige. This is Prince Ludwig His Highness cannot ignore it. At that time, I will have the ability to summon the Saxons again, so that my military strength cannot be ignored by other nobles."

Thanks to the lack of people around, the few people who were there were close confidants of the Saxon ethnic group.

If these remarks were heard by Ludwig, Eskil couldn't even imagine what would happen.

However, this boy showed strong hostility towards the Russians, and Eskil was extremely confused.

"I don't think Horik is reliable." Liudov revealed again: "He is just a pirate, no different from the Danes and Russians who burned Bremen. If..."

"how?"

"If Horik dies, I may be able to control the entire Jutland Peninsula."

"Ah?! You! Plan to..." Esquier thought of assassination. Out of his own beliefs, the distinguished high priest immediately objected: "You can't! Horik is the Lamb of the Lord. If you dare, I will write a letter to Reims. Moreover, Horik is a vassal, and the only one who can execute him is His Highness Ludwig."

"Well, I'm just saying that. But that man was a pirate in the past and is a pirate anyway. I despise such people."

Young people are always impulsive. Seeing Liudov's appearance, Eskil suddenly thought of Ross's Rurik.

Liudof took a deep breath, drew his sword and pointed directly to the east: "Let's not mention Horik's matter for now. Over there is Zealandia, where all the Danish tribes who do not surrender to the kingdom and have erroneous beliefs are there. Wait for me When I have enough strength, I will personally conquer them, as well as the Russians who are feared by many people."

"Are you really going to start a war with the Russians? Maybe, this is not necessary."

"You..." Liudof felt something strange in his words when he heard what Eskil said. "Why is it unnecessary? It was a revenge! There are many Saxons near Bremen, and now the Saxons support me. I need them, and I need to avenge them."

"But! You can't imagine how powerful the Russians are."

As he spoke, Eskil's already fair face turned even paler. Liu Duofu didn't take it seriously. This old guy must be very cold now.

"Since you said Rose is strong, how strong are they? For example, burning down Werder Bremen?"

"And...the death of Count Bremen in battle."

"But I have five hundred cavalry."

"I heard that the Count of Bremen's three hundred cavalry were all dead. I... know a lot of Russians. You'd better listen to my advice!" At this moment, Eskil turned away from his usual dull behavior. An old face with a gray beard almost pressed against Liu Doufu's chin. At this moment, he seemed like a grandfather educating his reckless grandson.

Esquier lowered his face to explain some painful things that he didn't want to mention to others. As he spoke, his heart was bleeding, and he even burst into tears.

At this moment, the cruelty of the Russians was beyond Liudof's expectation. The Jutland Peninsula was much colder than the hinterland of Western Europe. He could not have imagined that there were more powerful Russian and Swedish forces in the colder north. They had a large population and basically obeyed the orders of the Prince of Rus.

However, the Prince of Rus was very young, and his exaggerated ambition was shocking.

Because Rurik told Eskil himself that he wanted to be Augustus and build a powerful country similar to Rome. Although this sounds like a fantasy, the Russians' expansion was so fast and so large that Eskil had to think about it.

Rurik is the top nobleman of Rus. The Rus businessman Blue Fox was in trouble in Hedeby, and he successfully persuaded him to convert to God. Eskil was very proud of this. Also based on this blue fox, he learned more secrets about Ross, and even some trivial geographical structures in the Far North.

Esquier was just a missionary, but he naturally became a real spy during his travels in Ross. It was probably for this reason that he was imprisoned twice.

His biggest impression of Russia and Sweden was that they had a huge population. These people all believed in heretics. But when he thought about it again, he realized that they were all lost sheep. As long as given time, they could all be converted to God. At least they are not absolutely rejecting God.

Rurik, the prince of Rus, had a broad vision and even had the energy to interfere with the change of kingship in the British Isles. He also showed strong hostility to Denmark. There was no doubt about the hostility, and no one felt it more than King Horik of Denmark.

Since Eskil began to speak, he had gradually become more eloquent, and his pale face became rosy with increasing excitement.

After some oral gymnastics, most of the arrogant fire in Liu Doufu's heart was extinguished. Liudov was unwilling to give in to all kinds of trivial information about the Russians, until Eskil said that the Russians could easily gather five thousand armored soldiers, and he was severely frightened.

"This... is not the case! Even the powerful Ludwig cannot easily mobilize so many troops to join the battle. You... there is no need to exaggerate the strength of the Russians just to scare me."

"I'm not exaggerating, they can. Otherwise, how could Horik have been defeated so badly?"

"That's true."

"Silly boy." Eskil swore in a hurry, "You have too few soldiers at hand. The Danes are regarded as old enemies by the Russians, and they will attack here sooner or later. You despise Horik, and now you should too Think carefully about how you can protect the lives of the Saxon people and the converted Danes. God has given you an opportunity. You must love and protect these people. Child..."

Esquier's words became gentle again: "If the Rus attack Denmark, and you block their attack and protect the people, I will apply to Reims and then write to the Pope. You will become the patron saint." "

The glorious status of a patron saint? ! This had a huge appeal to Liudov, who believed deeply in God.

Now, the Russians have surpassed the threat of the barbarian Danes in Liudov's mind. Just now, he was very confident that he might be able to take the initiative to attack the Russians and gain military exploits. Now he thought it would be better to strengthen his defense.

Therefore, the cavalry brought by Liudov from the Frankish hinterland chose a good place as a garrison.

On the mound just south of the Lindholm Isthmus, Liudov demolished the people who followed him and built a wall around the entire low hill. The wall even encloses half of the village of Lindholm.

The materials for building the wall were local stone and readily available wood. At the beginning, a stone wall was built first.

Then, on the top of the mound, a fortress of stone and wood began to be built.

The Saxons who were living here welcomed a hero they could trust. They privately called Liudov Widukindson, and added the title of "Duke of Saxony".

The Saxons and Danes jointly built a fortress here, and the cavalry was stationed here, which served as Liudov's military fortress in the Danish world.

A stream leads from the mound, and the water flows into the Baltic Sea in the east.

Based on this geographical feature, the emerging fortress was named "Aleb Castle" by locals, replacing the name of the village of Lindholm.

The people of Lindholm have left, and a large number of Liudov's followers have moved here. Building a fortress requires a lot of labor, and they need a place to live. Now they urgently need a winter residence, so they build their own houses while building the fort.

As a descendant of a great nobleman of ancient Saxony who had been completely Frankized, Liudov used the Franks' specialty here - building a fortress.

What is the strongest thing to build a wall with? ! Of course it’s a stone!

In Frankia, including the small castles I own in the fiefdom there, buildings are made of stone as much as possible as long as conditions permit.

Now it is even more important to consider that the Russians have the ability to siege cities. Multiple intelligence shows that the Russians have a way to collapse wooden walls, so they must not be able to destroy stone walls!

Construction began around the top area of ​​the mound of a stone-based, timber-based wall, as well as outbuildings within the wall. It must have a strong Frankish style, with high stone walls, a watchtower, pits dug around the stone walls, and suspension bridges at the four gates.

This is a big project. It really wants the people to be willing to build a fortress for themselves despite the cold winter. Pure enthusiasm is not enough. They also have to solve their own supply problems. The pressure is not ordinary.

So Liudov made this promise: "As long as I am stationed here and surrender to me, you will not have to pay tribute or taxes to anyone in the future, and your lives will be protected by me."

It is equivalent to saying that when everyone builds a fortress for Liudov, it is equivalent to paying all the taxes for an unlimited period of time in the future, and even the tithe to be paid to the priests has been denied. This is really a kind person!

Eskil was very unhappy about this but could do nothing about it.

Horik was very angry. As a result, he lost a lot of taxes. Now he feels that Liudov is no different from Rurik of Rus. In the end, he wants to divide his royal power over Denmark, and there is nothing he can do.

King Horik of Denmark couldn't get taxes, and Liudolf didn't care at all. After all, this was Denmark, and the locals didn't even pay taxes to Frank. The current situation meant that there was no tax collector. He, Liudov, could serve as a tax collector, at least not now.

Liudov only had this simple request for all the people who followed him and agreed with him: "In the future, provide food for my army and nothing else."

He asked for very little, and what he did next was even more touching.

Unmarried cavalry soldiers were allowed by Liudov to marry local women. Is there such a good thing? ! A prominent person who was eager to find a backer quickly pushed out his daughter who was about to be married.

In this way, a fortress continues to be built, and a group of newly married cavalrymen.

When the time came to AD 840, Liudov faced a great situation. He even wrote to the southern fiefs in a good mood, telling his wife and children that everything was safe in the far north. Find Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuuan. com

He was also paying attention to the civil war between the three princes. Based on his own interests, he hoped that Ludwig would win and take the crown of the French King, so that he could naturally restore the title of Saxony.

Maybe this year is the beginning of his glory?

It wasn't until early summer of this year that some ominous news was heard by fishermen in Jutland.

After this year's summer solstice, those terrible rumors are becoming true.

I really don’t want anything to happen! Liudov had no idea that instead of attacking the Russians, the Russians would attack them themselves. They came with bad intentions, because Horik, the short and fat man, was so frightened that he couldn't even think about food. His round face suddenly became so thin that his cheekbones were exposed in a short period of time.

It was this man who hurried to the Aleb Castle, which was still under construction but the main part had been completed. He got off his horse and lay beside his boots in disbelief, wailing: "Count of Westphalia! The Russians' The fleet is on the other side of the strait! There are also traces of Russian activities on Zealandia. Help me!"

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