Rise of Rurik

It was dusk, the setting sun was hanging on the sea level, and the soft orange light shone on people's faces.

This should have been a normal lazy evening, but the town of Groningen was no longer peaceful, and there was even little smoke.

Backlit settlements welcomed guests, and they welcomed those who had traveled far away with enthusiasm, only to suffer disaster.

Rurik had already seen those coming.

"Strange, are they going to welcome me? They don't know that I'm going to attack?"

The current scene was like a mouse mistaking a cat for its companion. The visitors were clearly a group of ignorant villagers, and they were led to the pier by men in burqas holding crosses. Perhaps this was not stupidity, but downright innocence.

It doesn't matter if they are so simple, it will be better if they are so obedient when they are asked to hand over their belongings later.

Therefore, no matter whether it was Rurik, Ragnar, or even partner Henry Nassau, everyone was surprised at first, and then immediately planned a good countermeasure.

A very peaceful response.

The Russian soldiers who were the first to land were ordered to exercise restraint, and any unauthorized looting of this small village would be punished by whipping them afterwards.

The Danish soldiers were also restrained and gathered together to wait for their king Ragnar to land.

Henry Nassau had already arrived with his entourage. He did not show the cross flag, but his eyes were aimed at the ocean. He said that as soon as Rurik landed, he would suddenly show the prepared flag.

Finally, King Rus arrived peacefully in a small boat, and at the same time, the villagers, led by priests and lords, further approached the fleet entrenched at the dock.

Before Rurik could stand firmly, Nassau came to ask: "You have finally arrived, what should you do now?"

"Just act according to the temporary plan. Haha, this group of people seems to be welcoming us. Let's act now."

Then, the calm army suddenly took action.

The Ross army suddenly spread out to both wings, outflanking the ignorant villagers in a running posture.

The villagers looked left and right, and when someone noticed something was wrong, they instinctively gathered towards the center of the crowd.

The local lord felt strange and immediately asked what was going on in broken Frankish.

At this moment, a cross flag suddenly appeared, and Nassau's entourage waved it desperately.

This was a method of blackmail and deception that immediately frightened the doubting lords, priests, and the entire people. They didn't flee, they just gathered together and watched the lord's every move.

Since the other party showed the cross flag, it turned out to be a big noble from the north.

The baron lord twisted his neck and motioned for his followers to follow him while holding the cross flag. At the same time, the priest of the local monastery also carried the wooden cross on his shoulders and walked straight away.

Rurik immediately led some soldiers to greet them, accompanied by Henry Nassau's cross flag, as if they were actually a crusade.

The leaders of both sides gathered together, and the baron briefly talked about the sailing guests from the north. As soon as he was about to speak, Henry Nassau interrupted him.

"I am Henry Nassau! Earl Henry Nassau of the Principality of Saxony! From now on, this is my fiefdom, and you... are all my subjects."

He explained the matter in Frankish, and the local barons and priests were immediately confused.

Nassau repeated this, but the listeners were still confused.

The scene became very awkward. The baron hesitated for a while before muttering tremblingly: "I am Baron Victor of Groningen, loyal to the Count of Flanders. My lord, are you the Count of the Principality of Saxony? Isn't it from... Hamburg or Bremen?”

But the pastor knew this was impossible. The local priest learned through some channels that St. Peter's Church in Bremen was reduced to ashes. This was said by the Norman pirates, and the local earl was also said to be dead.

This nobleman from the sea is definitely not the Count of Bremen. As for whether he is the Count of Hamburg, it is even more doubtful.

Nassau shook his head, and responded with a sharp look to the priest who cast a doubtful look, and said bluntly: "Times have changed! I was originally the Baron of Nassau under the Count of Rheingau. Now, I am an earl canonized by the Principality of Saxony. I I declare again that your area belongs to my fiefdom. You...say your name again!"

He pointed directly at the local lord, and Baron Victor of Groningen just had to bite the bullet and solemnly explain all his titles.

"So, your allegiance is to Count Baudouin of Flanders? It's over! I will defeat Baudouin, at least Flanders in general will belong to me. Now, you are all my subjects, you are My vassals. You must serve me now, or... this army will kill you."

Where is this?

Baron Victor was still hesitating, and Rurik couldn't bear to listen. Seeing that the priest was still standing here, he uttered the most terrifying words in Latin.

"We! We are the Normans! Submit to us now, or we will kill you all!"

However, even if Rurik thought he was showing his ferocious fangs, this so-called threat in the "sacred language" was completely counterproductive.

Norman? Normans who spoke Latin, that was outrageous.

Seeing that it was still ineffective, Rurik, who didn't want to use his power to make them feel scared, still maintained restraint. He suddenly thought of a move and summoned more than 20 soldiers, ordering them to take off their cold leather jackets and expose their backs.

Although the soft light of the setting sun was quite dim, the Groningen people present could clearly see the ferocious monster tattoos on the skin of the back, as well as the words spelled out in foreign scripts.

Seeing this scene, the priests and monks were immediately horrified, and they instinctively retreated. Many people also saw this scene and fell into a panic that invaded their bone marrow.

Baron Victor of Groningen was trembling with trembling hands and almost gibbering: "You... are actually Normans?!"

"At least I'm not," Nassau repeated.

The intimidation effect of the tattoo was outstanding. Rurik smiled with satisfaction and further threatened loudly: "Now, as long as you follow our requirements, at least your lives will be guaranteed."

The soldiers of Christ actually cooperated with the Normans to attack peaceful villages. The priests in Groningen all believed that Henry Nassau had indeed made a deal with the devil, and his dirty soul would definitely go to hell.

However, the entire town was firmly controlled by the huge Norman army.

The population under Baron Groningen's rule was too small. Even including newborn babies, the entire town had only three hundred people. Since there is only one settlement in a large area, the village of 300 people has completely acquired the political significance of a town.

This is an undefended town without wooden walls. All the baron can mobilize is a handful of retinues and at most fifty militiamen carrying short spears and harpoons.

They were so arrogant that they were always forgotten by the Count of Flanders, and they did not even expect the Baron to pay any tribute. Thanks to the priests who maintained the spiritual life of the people at the grassroots level, the monastery in Groningen maintained contact with the church in Utrecht.

The baron was forced to surrender, knowing that if he resisted, the Normans would easily defeat him.

Surrender naturally also faces humiliation. The Normans promised not to kill any people. In exchange, the locals had to pay a high fee and in exchange for the Normans not to loot.

So how does this compare to how much it costs to deliver.

The trembling people felt that they were lambs to be slaughtered, and as a result, they seemed to be ignored by the Normans.

The baron's family and all his retinue were controlled. The priests of the monasteries and all the clergy were also controlled.

Next, an "evacuation operation" began against the baron's mansion and monastery.

This mode of plundering by the Normans was simply unheard of, and Henry Nassau looked on in confusion. What worried him most was the indiscriminate killing of civilians by the Normans. When they finally reached Groningen, Rurik, who was so murderous, actually treated the local villagers with an attitude that could not be said to be merciful, but indifferent. care.

Gu Huan

Both the Russian army and the Danish army began to set up camps on the seaside pier. The number of Russian-Danish soldiers specially sent to plunder was not large, and their actions were also very purposeful.

Rurik understood the mentality of Ragnar's men very well, or the mentality of the most ordinary Vikings. The so-called highest priority of looting was to grab gold. Where is the gold and silver abundant? A monastery, of course.

The monastery in Groningen was very small, and even though he might not be able to grab anything good, Ragnar still rushed over with his people screaming. Since the clergy were under control, the plundering was destined to involve no casualties.

The Ross Army focused on the baron's mansion and plundered it. They focused on moving supplies from the warehouse and taking away the wool and wheat. As for other items, there was really nothing to rob.

Bonfires were lit and as many as fifty sheep were killed as tribute.

For Baron Victor, his family became Rurik and guests, sitting around the campfire in utter fear. His wife held her child in her arms and wept secretly as she looked at the terrible looting that was taking place in her mansion. They did not dare to cry loudly for fear of provoking the Normans and causing massacres.

Satisfied with the current situation, Rurik inspected his warrior camp with his hands behind his back. The air is filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the aroma of oats simmering in an iron pot.

Henry Nassau was walking beside him, sniffing the tempting scent and he was greedy.

Nassau still has great doubts: "What worries me most is that you are targeting people to kill people. Unexpectedly, you only looted the lord's house and the monastery."

"Is there any problem? Haha, do you think I really want to rob those ordinary farmers?"

"why not?"

"Why? It's ridiculous. Nassau, when you are chewing on the roasted leg of lamb dripping with oil, you are also trying to rob the moldy bread from the hands of the poor? Every soldier in my army is beautifully dressed and eats excellent meals. . Even a thin man becomes my warrior and will soon become strong. I just look down on the people here. They are too poor and do not deserve to be robbed by me. Unless, they are used as slaves. "

"This...will you take some people as slaves?"

"If it weren't for you, of course I would do this. But you have already betrayed a lot of profits, and I have no reason to rob slaves." As he said that, Rurik turned his head abruptly: "Don't you think this town can be used as a good place? A port? In the future, our Ross merchant ships can choose to dock here.”

"All right."

Rurik continued to walk and talk with his hands behind his back: "As far as I know, the nobles will gather most of the wealth in the territory. The nobles control the granaries, and the priests always control the gold and silver. But the nobles are only a very small number of people, and they just want to live a practical life. It doesn’t take much supplies. I saw that the baron here not only has a warehouse but also raises a large number of sheep. Could it be that he would share so much wealth with the people under his rule? Bah, they are all plundered from the hands of the people. He has helped I’ve done my job, and all that’s left is for me to move the supplies.”

"So...that's it?"

"Exactly. How about you? What you did in your hometown is the same as what Baron Groningen did here? Will you share the wealth with the people under your rule? It's not that you control too much and you have nothing to do to improve their lives. ...No idea at all.”

"Is there anything wrong with this? According to our belief, God has decided everything, and those poor people must accept their ordinary fate."

Rurik did not refute Nassau's statement. This is what determines the head. As a king, Rurik needs to stabilize his rule, and the kingdom's hierarchy is also constantly improving.

The Catholic faith formed a strict hierarchy so that movement between classes was almost impossible, thus achieving social stability. It seems that commoners can only be commoners, and only nobles and priests have ways to advance upwards.

Although such a system can adapt to the conditions of a certain period, it is by no means an eternal truth.

In the purely agricultural era, this top-down hierarchical system was very suitable for the absolute stability required by agricultural life. However, society is developing, the population is expanding, and people's desires are also expanding.

Especially population expansion. In the agricultural era, a huge population maintained a country's overall strength, but it would also bring backlash due to excess population. Only by continuously improving people's lives can we continue to tinker and maintain stability. The so-called rulers can take away a lot, but the people must always try to live as decently as possible.

Taking into account the special economic structure of the Rus Kingdom, the so-called model of equal emphasis on maritime commerce and mainland agriculture, on the one hand, it is necessary to increase material production, and on the other hand, it is necessary to actively expand maritime and river transport trade routes.

The territory of Nassau would be the region of Flanders, which Rurik preferred to call the Netherlands. In this era, inland water transportation lines were very important to Ross, and the territory of Nassau would be guarded at the mouth of the Rhine. Supporting such allies was very necessary for Ross to open up trade with the hinterland of Western Europe.

For this reason, Rurik was willing to teach this nobleman some philosophy of governing the country.

"If a loaf of toast weighs ten pounds, you take eight pounds and your villagers take two pounds. You make yourself comfortable and your people starve. If the loaf of bread becomes a hundred pounds , even if you took away ninety pounds, your villagers also took away ten pounds. This is an increase of five times compared to before! Ordinary people will support you as a lord. Therefore, if you want your rule to be stable, just The bread must be made bigger.”

This is the first time Nassau has heard this explanation of "making the bread bigger", but the question arises, how can a lord have ten times more wealth than before?

Nassau asked about getting rich, and with future considerations in mind, Rurik readily pointed out his strategy.

"The next step is to attack Utrecht. I will still use today's strategy. But considering your future rule, I may not attack the local church, but I will raid the local lord's warehouse. From now on, these areas will be yours In your territory, you should try to produce as much wool, wheat, dairy products, salt and fisheries as possible. You can encourage the people under your rule to produce more, and you can collect very little tax in a few years. Don't charge a tithe tax, this tax rate is too high High, why not lower the tax to 31%. You don’t have to worry about encountering military attacks in the future. We in Russia will build military camps, shops and docks here, not only to protect you, but also to trade directly with you. You export these materials to me , I will sell you ironware and many other good things. As long as you make the people here richer and richer, even if the tax rate is extremely low, you can get a lot of wealth."

Nassau was deafened by what he heard, and had to admire that King Ross was really a master of structure.

"If I do this, will you just happily do business with me?" he asked.

Rurik nodded: "That's true."

"In the end, it doesn't seem to cost me anything?"

"Of course. We Normans are not pirates, we are actually merchants. Who wants to be a pirate if we can do business in peace of mind? I just ask you to open the door so that we can do business in peace of mind, so that you and I will become rich."

At least judging from today's situation, King Rurik of Rus has indeed fulfilled his promise. The Russian and Danish troops were supposed to be villains who killed civilians without restraint, but in the end they just evacuated the residences of local nobles and looted the gold and silverware from the monastery. Even the Norman camp was deliberately kept at a distance from the town.

Nassau was now more willing to cooperate directly with Rurik than to be loyal to Liudov, Duke of Saxony.

But how could a simple Nassau know the hidden risks? Is King Rurik of Rus really a good man?

What is an open door? According to the conspiracy between the two parties, Nassau will fully welcome the arrival of Russian merchants in the future. For this kind of international trade, Russian merchants will not have to pay tariffs to Nassau.

The productivity of various materials in the Kingdom of Rus is increasing rapidly. Rus needs to dump goods in the external market that is beneficial to itself, and then import food crops and salt that are difficult to grow in the north to meet the actual needs of Rus.

In this way, Ross can economically colonize Flanders, and even use Nassau as a "shell" to transport Ross's goods to the hinterland of Western Europe very safely and smoothly.

Now that the strategy was laid out, it all started in the occupied town of Groningen.

The two returned from an inspection, and what followed was the darkest moment for Baron Victor of Groningen.

Victor had two choices before him, so either declare allegiance to Count Nassau immediately or his entire family would be killed.

Victor somewhat understood the current situation. He could not have imagined that the Saxons would actually sell their souls to join forces with the Normans in order to regain their country, and even annihilated three thousand Frankish heavy cavalry. As a Frisian, the people here also surrendered to Frank because of their defeat.

Henry Nassau was not a Frank, and it was said that he wanted to bring all the so-called "Nassau tribe" immigrants from his hometown to escape Frank control. Nassau himself also put on a show, blaming the Frankish nobles for tricking the Nassau cavalry into fighting the Saxons, just to make both sides suffer, and then completely annex the Nassau tribe. This rhetoric is very useful, because it is the policy of the Franks to encroach on the Frisians, so that because of the large number of Franks moving in, the Frisians have been passively migrating north.

Due to the situation, Baron Victor could only kneel down half-kneeling, and after going through a ceremony, he officially pledged his allegiance to Earl Nassau.

Paying a large amount of property is not considered true allegiance. Baron Groningen had to personally organize an army to prove his loyalty, join the ranks of Nassau, and continue to attack Utrecht with the Norman army. He didn't even have time to hesitate, he had to organize at least twenty warriors tonight. This small amount of troops is meaningless, but its political significance is very important.

Only in this way can the lives of Victor's family be saved.

But he never imagined that the priests had collectively "rebelled". Without it, once the Earl of Nassau really wins, and once the Principality of Saxony is stabilized, the diocese here will naturally be transferred from the diocese of Utrecht to the diocese of Saxony, all because the northern saint Eskil himself is in the city of Hamburg. A fact. Because the land of Western Europe at this time was jointly governed by the aristocratic group and the clergy group, they did not fully cooperate with each other, and in many cases were even antagonistic.

The Normans come and go in a hurry, but the Diocese of Saxony will always exist. The small monastery can only obey the arrangements of its superiors. In terms of authority, Eskil has the noble title of "Patron Saint of the North", and his authority far exceeds that of the Bishop of Utrecht.

Even if the other party may lie, what can the captured priest do? After all, the Norman boss knew sacred Latin, and he swore that he would not kill indiscriminately in Utrecht, but would only steal gold and silver at most. It was also said that that area would break away from the County of Flanders and become the County of Friesland under the rule of Nassau, or the strange term "County of the Netherlands".

It was impossible for the priests to cooperate with the Normans. At least they begged the Norman leader who could speak Latin not to kill innocent people indiscriminately. Rurik lied, claiming that Eskil had decided to absorb this area into his own diocese.

What else can a priest do? They did nothing but passively obey.

It is this passive and obedient look that seems to be cooperating with the Normans.

In this way, Victor no longer had any religious concerns, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and be coerced into joining.

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