Rise of Rurik

Someone needs to hurry up and tell Ludwig in East Francia the good news.

Three thousand cavalry put down the Saxony rebellion, but the result was that the entire army was annihilated. Ludwig should have known this news as soon as possible.

Rurik's first thought was to exile the captured Count Robert of Rheingau and let him find his master with a letter. This guy had better describe his defeat vividly and tell Ludwig about the so-called terror of Ross and Denmark, and it would be better to induce him to take the main force to go north next year. Through a decisive battle, Ross would have this opportunity to clear out the Franks in the northern region in one fell swoop. power.

Rurik's wishful thinking certainly doesn't stop there.

He heard that Ludwig led the main army to engage in confrontation and friction with the Central Frankish army in Mainz. Can this guy really fight on two fronts? He could not influence Ludwig's military decision-making, and could only find ways to induce him into the "northern trap".

Even Earl Robert's injury has become a thorny issue. If the count died suddenly of scurvy caused by a wound infection, who would report the "good news" to Ludwig in the south that the entire army had been wiped out?

On the contrary, the military initiative is in his own hands. Because the geographical distance is too close, Rurik has made a plan to attack the huge Flanders County before the sea freezes.

In another stone chamber, Count Robert is still in a coma.

He rode his horse to charge on the battlefield, but his horse was stabbed by multiple spears. He was thrown off and pinned down by his horse. This fall was a serious one. If not for the protection of his helmet, he would have died on the spot.

He fell unconscious and was spared from seeing the destruction of his own army, and from being hacked to death by the Ross army after the battle.

He was stripped of his armor, and his upper body was stripped to only skin and flesh. The thick and curly chest hair is a symbol of his pure manliness, but the wound on his left arm has become red and swollen, causing the entire left arm to swell.

Fortunately, he was still unconscious, so he didn't have to drink precious liquor to induce "fragmentation".

The inflamed wound was cut open. It was originally a hole dug by the arrow cluster, but now the muscles inside have begun to die. A large amount of black pus and blood gushed out. When it was basically drained, the rotten muscles were cut away, and finally the bright red intact tissue was exposed. Then the wound is sewn shut like a leather garment, and finally a layer of honey is applied.

This is all the Russians can do. Whether Robert can recover, according to Rurik's words, "I hope the god he believes in can save him."

Will the Virgin Mary save the noble wounded man?

At least after the operation, Eskil, wearing a black burqa, went to pray for him in person.

In the early morning of the next day, Robert, who had been in a coma for nearly a day, finally woke up. His body was extremely weak, the pain in his left arm was still there, and all the bones in his body seemed to be broken, but he was not dead.

"What a miracle, I didn't die?! But where are my soldiers!?"

He wanted to shout loudly, but unfortunately his body was so weak that he simply continued to fall asleep.

Until the new dawn, the guard who was ordered to check the situation saw something strange as Robert, who was waiting with big eyes, saw something strange. His eyes were wide open as if he were still staring at death, but then he blinked suddenly, immediately attracting the soldiers to report the news.

Robert finally woke up and could finally have a good chat with him!

A war changed the fate of many people.

For example, the powerful Frankish heavy cavalry suffered a historic defeat on the banks of the Elbe River.

For example, the little-known Baron of Nassau turned into a count loyal to the Principality of Saxony. He was an enemy one day and a vassal today. This was a huge challenge to Henry Nassau, and it was also his choice. Rather than getting greater opportunities, he mainly didn't want to die.

Henry Nassau was proud to enter Liudolf's "palace" as a count, which was actually a stone tower fortress where the nobles of Hamburg lived.

The banquet hall of the fortress doubles as a reception room, but it is essentially just a small restaurant.

Liudov sat here, as did Rurik, as did Ragnar. He was just a duke, with two kings of Russia and Denmark sitting on his left and right. It was really Rurik who gave this guy some vanity.

The other two great nobles, Henry Nassau, who was promoted to earl, and Robert, Count of Hamburg, who was a serious Frankish system, were both sitting here.

Nassau was full of guilt for his betrayal. After he declared his allegiance to Liudov last night, Eskil immediately verbally declared that the recognition was legal, and he felt much better.

This time I officially met Robert, Count of Hamburg, and he was actually sitting here as a vassal of Liu Doufu. The scene was really embarrassing.

The good news is that Count Robert of the Rheingau has woken up.

So, after being fed a cup of very thick honey water to regain his strength, Robert changed into a simple piece of clothing, was pushed by the elite Ross warriors wearing bear heads, climbed the stairs with difficulty, and finally arrived at the Hamburg Castle. of heights.

He tried his best to maintain the arrogance of a noble, but he was the loser who lost his army. The arrogance that was difficult to maintain could not be maintained at all. Just this sore body required a lot of time to cultivate, and barely keeping it from being haggard was already the limit.

Finally, he climbed to the heights and entered the stone room where the banquet guests were staying, where he also saw his enemies up close. And...a traitor.

A layer of leather was spread on the stone floor, and Robert, who was already very tired, sat directly on it.

The kings looked at the haggard defeated man condescendingly and couldn't help but sneer.

"Is this a person who launched a cavalry charge against us yesterday? He is very brave and reckless." Rurik deliberately shouted loudly, the smile on his face holding his neck high was too arrogant.

Ragnar even opened his mouth: "He is an idiot! He killed all his cavalry! Haha, we Danes are very grateful. I want to thank this guy for the horse meat he gave us."

"The two kings are right." Liudof immediately raised his head and saw Robert looking so haggard. He was excited and sad at the same time. "How is it? Robert, you are defeated. I tell you clearly that your army was completely wiped out. Do you... have anything to say?"

Robert wanted to try his best to maintain his noble honor, but he was now a prisoner, sitting here like a dog, being laughed at and looked down at by the more powerful people.

He pressed his right hand on the ground, and his left arm tied with linen drooped casually, showing a provocative and unsparing look: "One of my generals has rebelled. A lowly person can cooperate with traitors and devils, but I can't! My family is Count Charlemagne, it is my failure to be defeated by the vile maggots. Kill me! I am here."

Liudof became furious when he heard this. He pressed his thigh and was about to get up: "Robert, don't you recognize me? Are you calling me a traitor?! We used to be neighbors."

"Liudov, you are the biggest traitor! And you! Robert! Count of Hamburg, I didn't expect that you also rebelled. And Henry Nassau, my vassal, you are also a little traitor. Be careful of the monarch's revenge on your hometown. Same race! In addition, there are devils here, and anyone who makes a deal with the devil will die a good death!"

Although the two were talking in Frankish, through a translator, Ragnar was furious when he knew the meaning.

Rurik hurriedly stopped the irritable brother: "There is no need to be angry. He must find a reason for his defeat, such as defeat by the devil."

Rurik was not in a hurry. Looking at this man's attitude, it was obvious that any attempt to instigate rebellion was unnecessary. That's fine. He is so energetic and capable of cursing. It seems that the injury will not kill him. A period of recovery will be enough to banish him.

Liudof looked at the two people around him, especially Rurik, and saw that they were not willing to say more, so he continued to speak.

"Robert, my family has never surrendered to Frank. Any surrender is just a drama. Now is the civil war between the three princes, and the opportunity for us Saxons to recover has come. What I am telling you is that all those who have been harmed by Frank now are The tribes have united. I have formed a coalition with my friends in the north to fight against the Franks and regain the territory of our ancestors. What is the crime? Charlemagne invaded us and killed us. Now is the opportunity to take revenge."

"So, you also kill the Franks and take revenge? You are a traitor. Any excuse is meaningless."

Liudov shrugged: "It doesn't matter, I tell you clearly, I even look forward to Ludwig leading the army to continue the attack. In this way, we can kill his entire army so that he can never covet the northern land again. "

"It's really arrogant." Robert still sat sideways with difficulty: "My failure is only because I don't have enough troops. When the monarch's army comes together, you will definitely fail."

"It doesn't matter, we hope this happens sooner."

This is because Liu Doufu never expected Robert to be so hard, which is in line with this guy's character.

Rurik now wears a golden laurel crown that blends in with his beautiful blond hair. He wore a robe made entirely of polar bear skin, which was also dotted with some lapis lazuli jewelry. The whole image was too noble.

Robert called a noble who wore such an outfit a "devil" just because he had a bad mouth. In fact, he didn't think his monarch, Ludwig, was capable of putting together such a costume.

Liudov didn't want to say anything anymore. Rurik stood up and pulled off his bearskin coat, revealing a purely ceremonial chainmail plated with gold inside.

A noble and tall man stood in front of him. Robert reluctantly raised his head and asked in Frankish: "Who are you?"

"I am the King of Rus, Rurik!"

The words he spoke were in Latin, and Rurik's question deeply shocked the defeated man.

"Barbarian? You can actually speak the sacred language." Robert's reply was still in Frankish, but he understood that it was Latin.

Without Liudov as an interpreter, this conversation would have been difficult to proceed.

"Now we can have a good chat. Robert, you arrogantly refused to negotiate with us, which prevented a war from happening. It was you who chose to fight, and you lost. Let's talk again at this time. What we talked about It can only be another topic."

"Yes! I was defeated. You are actually... King of Ross? I have heard of Ross's name a little bit. Could it be that I... was defeated by you?"

"It's me."

"As expected. There is no way I could be defeated by Liu Doufu, but you... are incredible."

"I am indeed the commander of the battle. To be honest, your cavalry caused me some trouble. Unfortunately, in the end, they provided me with a lot of horse meat. I captured 300 of your soldiers, including you."

When he heard that there were still 300 people captured, Robert was not happy at all, but was deeply frightened.

"Then, will you torture them until death?" What he said actually implied that Charlemagne tortured 4,500 Saxon prisoners alive.

Rurik shook his head: "Torturing people and watching them cry will not bring me any happiness. I will release some people, including you."

"You? Want to release me?"

"but not now."

Upon hearing that it was possible to leave alive, Robert, who was almost weak to death, immediately became nervous, as if the bones that had been broken into pieces were restored to their original state. His mind was spinning, "Release me? Why? What price will I pay?"

Rurik smiled: "Of course I want the ransom, and you should be able to give it to me, but can you really give it?"

"You...you...want me to betray something?"

"You? Do you have anything else to sell? You have already betrayed three thousand cavalry, causing your master to lose half of his elite. You should commit suicide to apologize! Oh, I forgot, according to your beliefs, you cannot Suicide. Perhaps, your monarch should execute you."

These words may seem ordinary, but Rurik is actually provoking in disguise.

The problem is that for Robert, if he dies in the hands of the enemy, it will be counted as death in battle, and any military misconduct on his part will not be held accountable.

Unfortunately, if he is exiled, he can only return to Ludwig to report the news. It depends on Ludwig whether he wants to be killed, beheaded, or be demoted to a monastery as a monk. With this tragic defeat, he feared that his entire family would be liquidated. But if he didn't go back, it would be a betrayal of his faith and vows. He was also afraid that his soul would go to hell after death.

Rurik continued: "You won't go back empty-handed. We will write some letters and you will take them to the south and hand them to Ludwig. Listen... we even very much hope for a decisive battle, very much hope and defeat. Let's have a good talk with Ludwig. It was never our intention to kill you Franks. The King of Rus, the King of Denmark, and the Grand Duke of Saxony are in front of you. This is our territory, and you Franks are outsiders. When we After regaining my territory, I don’t want to fight you anymore. I know that negotiation alone cannot make Ludwig surrender, so let’s have a good fight and we will wait for him here.”

Therefore, he was not defeated by the traitor Liudov and his Saxons, but by the legendary Rus.

Ross is a branch of the Normans, about whom more and more news has been heard in recent years. But most of the news points to the civil war against the Normans, in which Ross was the rising party.

What are the Normans? They were just a group of despicable pirates, just idiots who were killed by Charlemagne in the past.

The real Frankish nobles despised the Normans. After all, Charlemagne was conquering the country, and the Normans were defeated, and their leader Godfrey had to give in.

The nobles' understanding of the Normans was almost limited to Denmark, but the person who knew the most about the Normans and the north in Frank was the "Northern Saint" Eskil.

Eskil's first-hand news was only circulated within a small circle of clergy. Nobles had no access to these letters and reports, and even Ludwig himself did not bother to understand.

The nobles arrogantly despised the Normans. They regarded themselves as the noblest and the true successors of the Roman Empire. It's a pity that he can't even speak Latin, let alone bother to learn it. He only knows some excerpts from the mass prayers.

Then when Robert saw Rurik wearing excessively luxurious clothes, his insult as a "devil barbarian" was no longer tenable.

When he heard that Rurik could speak fluently in Latin, his mentality completely collapsed.

He immediately thought of Caesar.

Now Robert was finally willing to have a good conversation. He and he were willing to serve as messengers. As for his defeat, he should report it truthfully and not lie. Because the war is no longer a simple counter-insurgency, but the north of East Francia has fallen into rebellion, and things are getting more difficult every day.

Just because Rurik personally revealed his next plan: "If you recuperate for a few more days, I will let you go back. When you leave on horseback, our army will continue the war. We are about to attack Flanders (today's Netherlands and Belgium ), you'd better act quickly and ask your master to send troops to force us to stop."

The implication is that Rurik hopes to fight a decisive battle as soon as possible.

Recruiting a large army is a time-consuming and labor-intensive matter. Only the Russian Navy has the strength to transport an army of ten thousand people from the far east and north to the Elbe River, and the cost is also a large amount of material consumption.

Rurik will not reveal the secret in this regard. The reason why he hopes to fight the decisive battle early is to hide that he cannot afford it this year and that it will be time-consuming and laborious to call for an expedition next year. Therefore, Ludwig must be forced to go north as soon as possible with a larger-scale provocation. Similarly, by plundering the Flanders region, the trophies can be used to satisfy the grievances of the soldiers who worked on expeditions and witnessed the death of their comrades.

In response to Flanders' attack, the Russian army and the Danish army were already drawing off their elite troops to prepare for action.

Even the goals become clear.

Utrecht, the largest town in the Friesland region under the jurisdiction of the Count of Flanders, is also a coastal town located on a bay.

This place name was explained by Liudov, who pointed out that this place was also the seat of the bishop's cathedral. The Bishop of Utrecht is on the same legal level as the northern saint Eskil. Eskil is a "doer" who travels around, and is really an ascetic alien. On the contrary, the so-called Bishop of Utrecht himself belongs to the "Benedictine Order", so they are much more stable.

Stability means the ability to accumulate wealth, and a place like a monastery must be a place rich in gold and silver. Wealthy colonists would also live near the monastery, and they would have a lot of money and food. In particular, Flanders has its own specialty - wool.

Revealing this information is tantamount to "directing trouble to the west." Liudov himself has betrayed Frank, and he has no scruples. Anyway, it was not the Saxons that the Normans wanted to kill. Afterwards, they would throw the surrendered Nassau over and make them count. In the end, Saxony had no losses anyway, and the wealth of Flanders just satisfied the greed of the Normans. Why? Not happy. As for faith... Liudov found that instead of being punished by God for cooperating with the barbarians, he actually won the war and his power became more stable. Clearly, God does not blame himself for being unjust.

But Eskil heard about the Norman plan and went to Shuyuan www.zhaoshｕyuan.com. Especially the young Rurik who wanted to do this without stopping. He was so angry that he became seriously ill, so he had to stay in the Hamburg monastery to rest. So much so that Sunday Mass is useless.

He didn't even have the ability to tell the church members in Utrecht to tell them to evacuate immediately. After all, he could only write a letter to the little priest to report the news, and the speed was far inferior to the speed of the Russian ship.

He could only silently pray for a miracle to happen, such as a sudden storm that would destroy the Russians' new conquest.

Unfortunately, what responded to him was only general cloudy weather. That little rainfall did bring coldness, but it did not cause huge waves that could prevent navigation on the sea. Instead, the north wind gave Ross's ship super power to move south quickly. How can a mere drizzle stop Rose's new plan? !

Ross wants more than just attacking Flanders. This year, as in previous years, he can no longer delay sending people to Britain to demand tribute from the Kingdom of Northumbria. By the way, you can also tell the locals about the restoration of the Principality of Saxony and the war, especially the Viking Kingdom of York, the so-called brotherly country of Rus, who is at war with the Franks. It is also possible to invite them to come to Europe to take a look, if they are willing to come.

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