Rise of Rurik

Aleb Fortress, which once housed nearly ten thousand people, is now in ruins.

Almost all the people who retreated into the fortress were wiped out, and those who were lucky enough to survive were almost wiped out.

The conquerors did not realize that this area had been Danish territory since ancient times. They were also Danes and showed no mercy to the dying people.

Because all the people in the fortress betrayed Odin.

What will Ragnar's men do? Rurik didn't bother to care at all, and it seemed superfluous to even make irresponsible remarks. Jutland belongs to Denmark. According to the previous agreement, Rus will not occupy and rule this place, and the locals do not agree to accept Rus' rule.

How to deal with the people in the fortress is an internal problem for the Danes themselves.

Rurik was now concerned about two prisoners - Eskil and Liudov.

Count Liudolf of Westphalia declared his surrender and was freed from the ropes that bound him. No one was worried that this guy would run away immediately. This guy was injured and physically weak. What he needed most was fresh water and food.

Liudov, who had just been restrained by the contact, was immediately picked up by the Ross warriors.

Rurik immediately ordered: "Take this man to the river and let him push the water. Keep a good watch on him and don't let him escape."

That's all, Rurik chatted with Ragnar for a few more words, and each made arrangements to clean up the battlefield. As for the major events after the war, let’s leave it to tomorrow!

Regarding this long war, Ragnar believed that the captured Liudov must have concealed something. For example, Renhe might have dug a cellar with a lot of gold and silver buried in it. Otherwise, how could he buy a large amount of labor for him? What about building a city? He once pressed Liudolf about the whereabouts of his gold and silver. The tired man kept insisting that he really had no money. Such a description made Ragnar completely unconvinced.

Regarding this matter, Ragnar did not want to tell Rurik, and emphasized: "I don't care about your business of collecting arrows in the city, but don't compete with my people for the spoils." He really wanted to keep the gold and silver he found to himself.

If he only robbed gold and silver, wouldn't the King of Rus become a bandit?

Rurik promised with all his heart, and indeed the troops sent only recovered arrows and javelins. He did not believe that the enemy really had a large amount of gold and silver.

Finally, the warriors returned carrying bundles of arrows and reported to their king the tragedy in the fortress.

Two important prisoners fell into Rurik's hands, and they were worth two chests of gold, even though they were both mentally exhausted and wounded.

Eskil, the "Saint of the North", underwent surgery in a drunken state. His injured thigh was severely tied with hemp rope to stop the blood flow, and then the wound was cut open to take out the arrow. The bright red muscle tissue was turned out, and the magazines on the arrow cluster were cleaned with strong alcohol. Although now his The same alcohol content in the plasma is off the charts. If this person had undergone the operation while awake, the severe pain would have forced the old man to faint.

Late into the night, Eskil woke up, the dull pain in his legs also acting on his head. His injured leg was sutured. Without the best antiseptic and anti-inflammatory drugs, a layer of honey was applied to the wound to make do, and a circle of linen was wrapped around it.

While he was drunk, he was given some honey water. Although he was much more energetic now, his thighs hurt when he stood up and walked around. Fortunately, the arrows on his body were gone. Through the dim light, he noticed that his wounds had been treated.

"It was the Russians who did it. I...was treated by them?"

Eskil is still in poor spirits, and the noise caused by his awakening attracts the defenders outside the battalion commander.

A soldier was ordered to stare at the old guy, pick him up, and sneak into the battalion commander without saying a word. He threw a few wheat cakes and two glass bottles of honey water to the old man. You said: "Drink. This is given to you by the king."

He picked up the food and water and couldn't wait to ask: "Where is your king? Where is Rurik? I want to see him."

The soldier did not reply. He turned away and closed the curtain again. Finally, he shouted rudely outside the tent: "Old man, the king supports your immortality. Let's talk about anything tomorrow."

Because Eskil is a prominent priest, Rurik doesn't really respect this person's status. He really can't stand the endless chatter of this person once he enters the state.

It was necessary to talk to him about something in detail, but now Rurik just wanted to have a good chat with Liudov.

Now there is a big question that needs to be clarified - who is Liudov's ancestor Vidukind.

On the battlefield, Rurik had no time to verify it, but now he has enough time to figure it out.

After some inquiries about this name, it was Rurik's captain of the bodyguard, Grund, who revealed the truth.

Likewise, even Jevro mentioned this man's name.

As Blue Fox traveled anonymously in the Frankish hinterland, he learned a lot of things, including several statements about Widukind.

They are all their subordinates, and they know "Vidukind" through various channels.

The man's name originally meant "Son of the Forest," which was more like a title than a name. In other words, the man's name itself is not important. "Vidukind" is not only a name, but also a belief.

Long ago, when Charlemagne launched a war of annexation against the barbarian principality of Saxony, it was Chief Widukind who stepped forward to lead the Saxons against the Frankish army. However, he was defeated and surrendered, a large number of Saxons were killed in retaliation, and 4,500 prisoners of war were executed in public, just like Caesar executed the slaves who failed in the Spartacus uprising. This was what Charlemagne the Conqueror did deliberately.

Some people fled to Denmark, and some were forced to give up their belief in sacred trees and convert to God. For the conquering Franks, the Saxons could only survive under high pressure, and it was precisely after Liudov launched the banner of "the grandson of Widukind" and the "real Duke of Saxony" that he immediately attracted many Saxons to defect.

The key question is exactly this Widukind.

Once defeated, Widukind led his Saxon troops and fled to Denmark, where he met the young Danish lord Godfrey. Although it was half a century ago, and almost all the nobles from all parties at that time had passed away, the memory of the war was still passed down by word of mouth among the Danes.

Because Ragnar also knew the name of Vidukind, his father, Sigurd, who had died, met Vidukind when he was young.

Sigurd, who was still a child, could not help but see that man. After all, when Widukind came to Denmark, he wanted to seek military help from Danish lords as much as possible. The fact is that most of the Danish lords organized coalition forces to help him counterattack. However, the Danish-Saxon coalition at that time was trampled into minced meat under the iron hoofs of the Frank cavalry, which scared the Danes to start building the Schleswig Great Wall.

Precisely because of word of mouth, historical information is distorted in the process of dissemination, but the core issue will not be distorted.

Because through the story of Widukind, the barbarian Duke of Saxony, which is generally believed to be true, Rurik suddenly understood after smoothing out the information.

Many of his generals and cronies, especially those who had dealt with the Danes, were sitting around him around the campfire.

Rurik slapped his thigh: "I understand! The reason why the Danes built the Great Wall! Everything is coherent!"

The king's excitement really frightened the blue fox: "My king, what do you think?"

"Escort that Liudov! I want to have a good talk with this man.?"

Hearing this, Arik was quite disdainful and laughed casually: "You talk so much about Vidukind, a person who is like a legend, so what if Liudov is a descendant of this person? He is just our prisoner, a despicable person."

Rurik immediately glanced at his elder brother: "Him? He is not despicable. If everything is true, he should be the Duke of Saxony. Maybe we can force him to lead the Saxons to rebel against the Franks again."

If Liu Duofu really wanted to be killed, Su would call an executioner and kill him with a battle axe.

Capturing Liu Doufu alive was indeed the right choice, and could even instigate him to rebel.

Unless, this man is not a direct descendant of Vidukind, or even shamelessly loyal to the Frankish Kingdom.

But it was said that this Liu Dofu, when he was pulled to the stream, his tired body suddenly became excited. He stuck his head into the water, almost ready to dive in.

He drank like a cow until his belly was hard.

However, this man was already disheartened. When he drank in the water, he quickly regained his energy. He stood up and looked around. The horrifying scene made him feel that the world was false.

Look! The western seas are full of ships. Those big ships are too eye-catching, and the waving flags are too blinking.

His fortress flew the flag of the raven, which was the symbol of Odin believed by the barbarian Normans. The village of Lindholm was occupied by groups of barbarians. In fact, the original owners of the village, the Lindholm tribe, had returned, because this was their homeland, and Liudov and his Saxons were the invaders.

There are many tents on the beach in the south. There are many tents and flags there. There is a huge difference from other Norman camps that is visible to the naked eye.

That was the Russian beach barracks, and it actually looked quite similar to Ludwig's Frankish regular army barracks.

It would be better if those waving flags were not "X"s but "tens".

Liudov seemed very honest. After drinking the water, he halfheartedly ate the salted boiled oats provided by the Russian army. He was confused about the future. The army he brought from the fiefdom was wiped out, and the people who followed him either died or fled. Alone and imprisoned, he could only be at the mercy of King Rurik of Rus.

At least the young victor retained aristocratic decency to himself.

He never thought much about it until nightfall, when he was under guard and invited to have a face-to-face talk with King Rurik.

Talk face to face? Just a detailed conversation between two men?

He didn't understand what Rurik wanted. Since it was the winner's request, he just had to comply.

Liudov was stripped of all his weapons and escorted under strict guard to a specially prepared seaside camp for Rurik.

There were a group of soldiers guarding this tent, and when they saw Liu Doufu coming in single clothes, they all looked at him warily.

"Let's go! The defeated nobles, go see our king yourself." A soldier pushed him.

So, Liudov cautiously approached the tent, and in the dim oil lamp, he saw King Rurik sitting casually.

"You? It is indeed the defeated Liudov." Rurik raised his head and immediately emphasized the attribute of "the defeated".

Such humiliation was heartbreaking. Liu Duofu had nothing to say and had to sit down.

He was angry, and as soon as he sat down, he raised his head and bared his teeth and asked, "You don't even give me any comfort! There are only you and me in this tent, aren't you afraid that I will strangle you to death with my own hands?"

Rurik chuckled: "Stupid. Is it good for you to assassinate me now? Or do you really think you can strangle me to death? Instead of being strangled to death by me?"

As he spoke, Rurik rolled up the sleeves of his arms. Even the dim oil lamp could not hide the clearly textured tendons.

Just one look at this, Liu Doufu, who was already quite old, was completely discouraged, and he made an old face: "Young victor, what... do you want to do with me? You can't find a good time and auspicious time." I killed the sacrifices to your barbaric gods.”

"Haha. What you said is wrong, but not entirely."

"how do I say this?"

"The sacrifice is already there, it's Horik."

"Huh?" Liu Duofu felt confused.

"No need to be surprised, I have captured Horik, and all the Robards and affiliated tribes in the north have been defeated. Liudov, I hope you understand your situation. You don't have any allies in Jutland. You It’s time to come here. You and your Frankish soldiers were all defeated. I heard that you also won over many Saxons, but they all also failed.”

"Alas... I admit my defeat. When I saw the full picture of your army, I knew that my defeat was natural."

"You are very self-aware." Rurik felt very good after hearing these words, and immediately asked the key question: "Have you thought about your future?"

"Am I still eligible?"

"I know your true identity."

"Yes! I am a vassal of Frank, and I am the Count of Westphalia."

"It's not just this identity...so you." Rurik's words stopped suddenly, and suddenly an idea came to him: "I actually have no ill intentions towards you. You learned that you are a Saxon, not a Frank. Rus and Denmark, for you Saxony People have no hatred, we are just against Frank, of course our war methods have always been barbaric, and we often kill wantonly, you have to understand this."

To understand the savagery of the devil? Of course Liu Duofu couldn't understand that even if he won a certain battle, he would not kill innocent people indiscriminately.

Rurik asked again: "Why don't you tell me your intention of coming to Denmark first. I hope you are not far away from your own fief and coming to Denmark out of a subjective attitude."

The words spoke to Liu Doufu's heart, and he couldn't express his pain. Now he just revealed his heart to his enemy: "I came here on the order of the king..."

Today, he has nothing to lose. As the loser, of course he had to find some excuses for his defeat to restore his respect as a noble, so all the responsibilities were passed on to Horik and Prince Ludwig.

In this way, Rurik finally learned about the unknown side of this war through the mouths of the people involved.

As the saying goes, cause and effect are intertwined. Liu Doufu did not come willingly. If he did not come, his fief would be confiscated, his family would be exiled, and he would not even be able to keep his status as a noble.

"We don't have to be enemies, but your master Ludwig asked you to come to the north to fight. I do know this big noble. My shop in Hedebe was destroyed. Although the Black Hand is Horik's army, it is really The man behind this is Ludwig. You..." Rurik suddenly asked in his soul: "To this day, are you still loyal to him?"

Such a question suddenly confused Liu Duofu. He hesitated for a while, and hesitation equaled a lack of loyalty to Ludwig.

"It seems that you no longer trust him?" Rurik asked immediately.

"This...I am his vassal, maybe...but..."

Liudov obviously meant something in his words, but through the large amount of information revealed by this person, Rurik was laughing wildly with joy in his heart, but he couldn't show it on his face. Because it was necessary to attack Frank to vent his anger, but there were three Frank princes who were at odds with each other. This news spread all over the Danish world. Due to the lack of information, people did not know the extent of this contradiction.

Liudov was a party to the fight between the princes. Such a Frankish count vassal had to choose sides at this juncture.

It turns out that Frank's "War of Three Kings" broke out! The actions of figures like Horik and Liudov in recent years are directly related to the Frankish Civil War, and are even an extension of the Civil War.

Since the biggest enemy of all the Viking forces is Frankish Prince Ludwig, then beat this man up!

It happened that the Count of Hamburg and the Count of Bremen were both vassals who sided with Ludwig, and Blue Fox provided very solid information about this.

Rurik slapped his thigh: "I can tell you a secret now."

"ah?"

"My army will assist King Ragnar of Denmark to regain the entire Jutland and restore the rule of Lord Godfrey. Then, directly attack the territory of Prince Ludwig. This man is the source of all evil, and he will pay the price A tragic price! Therefore, I will attack Hamburg first and destroy the Earldom of Hamburg."

"ah?!"

Liu Dou opened his mouth and trembled: "Why? Why hamburger?"

"What? What are you going to say? Are you against my attack on Hamburg?"

"No. I don't dare, but..."

"Do you have any inside information? You might as well tell me."

"I have some personal matters of mine. However, I can't stop any actions of you Normans."

Rurik nodded: "You are just my prisoner, and you are very self-aware. However, I am willing to listen to your suggestions. Remember, any suggestions!"

"Okay. Can you...can you tell me why you Normans insist on attacking Hamburg? Just because the nobles there also obey Ludwig's orders."

"You actually asked me back?" Rurik smiled and looked for Shuyuan www.zhaoshuyuan. ｃcom And the whole crowd laughed loudly, and just stared into his eyes: "You are brave enough, and you are worthy of being a ruthless person who fights to the end. To be honest, Liudov would not have been able to do anything if he had not been tortured to the point of collapse by hunger and thirst. Being captured. Your spirit is worthy of admiration. That’s fine, I’ll tell you the truth.”

"Speaking."

"This is a coalition of Rus, Sweden, Götaland, Denmark, and the armies of the far east. You can understand it as all the Normans uniting to fight the Franks. I have ten thousand troops under my own command. King Ragnar of Denmark also has 10,000 people. Such a huge army requires a lot of food, and now that the autumn harvest is coming, I intend to enter Hamburg and plunder all the local food to meet the needs of our army."

"Ah! You? Are you like a swarm of locusts gnawing at Egypt?"

"A very appropriate metaphor." Rurik shrugged, "This is war. Do you have anything to say? Do you want to stop me?"

"This..." Liu Duofu closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he had a sad look on his face, as if he had been constipated for seven days. After holding it in for a long time, he managed to choke out some words: "I beg you, don't attack Hamburg!"

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :