Rise of Rurik

Rurik could feel the enemy's malice, and Ludwig also felt the enemy's malice.

Ludwig simply wore a double-layered chainmail armor and leather-plated iron plate armor this time. The triple-layered armor buckled on his body, which was extremely heavy, and was covered by a cloth robe, which further made him appear extremely strong.

Rurik strode forward with his "bear head, sunglasses, and heavy armor" berserker, swinging a steel sword with a gem-encrusted hilt.

He shouted in Latin: "I am Augustus of Rus! I am Augustus of all the north!"

Ludwig must be suppressed in terms of momentum. At this time, the name "Augustus" is above all else.

Ludwig was stunned when he heard this. He didn't expect that the enemy's chief could actually speak Latin. On the other hand, he only knew a few phrases. The humiliation of being uneducated aroused Ludwig's anger.

His entourage had a bad eye: "Your Majesty, it seems that the Count of Westphalia is also over there."

"It's the traitor, I saw it. Liudov is no longer a count, he is just a shameful traitor."

"Your Majesty, those Normans carry special weapons. They will use that weapon to fire deadly arrows at us. Please be careful, Your Majesty."

"I understand! You don't have to remind me!"

Ludwig was very emotional. He had never suffered such a serious humiliation in his life. A barbarian chief dared to call himself Augustus, but it was outrageous that he could speak Latin. What is even more bizarre is that the chief and his chieftains have huge dark eyes. Such a strange sight is like demons crawling out of hell.

Ludwig was not afraid, and the idea of ​​a single challenge between warriors once occupied his mind.

Then, a force affected his head. The guy got off his horse uncontrollably, told his subordinates to stand by, opened his arms and walked straight towards the people with "big dark eyes".

He was still swearing: "You are all despicable dirt! I am the grandson of Charlemagne! I am the Duke of Saxony! I am the Duke of Bavaria! I am the ruler of Osteria! I am the king of East Frankia! I He is the ruler of all of you! You dirty earthworms, why don’t you kneel down quickly..."

Liudov, who also dismounted, had no choice but to translate. He spoke tactfully for fear that Rurik would immediately get mad and start shooting.

Rurik was not furious. He stretched out his hand to signal his followers to calm down and temporarily put down the crossbow.

He looked at Liudov again: "What a coincidence. Originally this was a decisive battle between you Saxons and the Franks, and we Russians were guest troops. Maybe you should have a good chat with your former king."

"You are making fun of me." Liudov smiled helplessly, "My Saxony and you are in an alliance. You are the leader of the Northern Alliance, and you have the greatest say."

"Too."

After saying that, Rurik returned his sword to its sheath and took off his sunglasses to reveal his true appearance.

Under the sun, his golden ponytail seemed to be shining, and its magnificent color even overshadowed the golden laurel crown. His beard is naturally curly like his biological father Otto's, but now it is well groomed and looks very masculine.

Ludwig was shocked. He didn't expect that the black thing was actually a blinding prop. He had already seen the blue eyes of the barbarian chief, like the sky.

To be fair, this chief has none of the slovenliness and brutality of the Normans. He is tall and brave and at the same time too clean and tidy.

The opponent sheathed his sword as if he had no malicious intent, so Ludwig sheathed his sword and opened his arms slightly to ensure that he was harmless. Just seeing that the noble chief was accompanied by Liudov himself, this traitor was alive and well, made him angry just by looking at him.

Thus, the kings of the north and south finally have a historic meeting, and if both sides decide to duel, the battle can take place on this ice.

Rurik did not even object to a king's duel. First of all, it was a kind of Viking tradition. Secondly, he felt that if he had a life-and-death duel, he would be sure to win. Otherwise, this majestic Nordic body and specially trained martial arts would be in vain.

Because Rurik was indeed a whole head taller than Ludwig. He was young and energetic, and his deep eyes were ruthless beyond his years.

"Are you the grandson of Charlemagne? Ludwig?"

Ludwig still understood these Latin words, so he asked in Latin: "Who are you?"

"I am Rurik, King of Rus, and I want to become a man comparable to Augustus. The entire north is under my control, all the way to the sea at the end of the world. Remember my name! I am Rurik."

As for Ludwig, the tall man standing in front of him had no rough temperament like a barbarian. He is tall and handsome, with pure golden hair as his distinguishing feature, and the laurel crown made of gold is extremely wonderful.

Is Rurik, the leader of the Russians, actually this person? Those legends seem to be too conservative.

"Sure enough... you are Rurik. I heard your name many years ago, and finally, we met in this way. It's beyond my imagination."

Ludwig showed a little timidity, even though he shouted that he could have a duel between kings to vent his unhappiness. Now it seems that this may not be a good idea. If it is a duel, the probability of winning is...not high.

Now, it was Rurik's turn to ask.

"You didn't answer me. Tell me. Are you indeed Charlemagne's grandson, Ludwig of East Francia?"

"it's me!"

"Oh..." Rurik sighed meaningfully, inadvertently raising his neck to look at the sun.

Although there was a distance between the two sides, his crossbow was faster seven steps away. Sniping this reckless king is easy.

The murderous intention in a moment was suppressed by reason, and Rurik's blue eyes ignited with fire: "So, we will meet on the battlefield after all. Don't worry, my people will not launch a sneak attack, and neither will your mounted entourage." There will be a sudden attack."

"You are mocking the king as a despicable person. It is true that you do not believe in God, but I admit that you and your army are worthy of admiration. Unfortunately, you Normans have completely invaded my territory, and it is my duty to expel you . I'm in a good mood today, and if you put down your weapons, take a boat and leave and swear not to invade again, we can maintain peace."

Rurik did not find it strange to hear these remarks. The Franks had no intention of negotiating properly from the beginning. The king deliberately proposed humiliating and harsh conditions, in essence, to intensify conflicts and fight.

Rurik curled his lips slightly, noticed Liudov who wanted to speak, and ordered him to calm down for the time being with his eyes.

Then he said: "King of the Franks! Your words are ridiculous! This is the territory of the Principality of Saxony. We Rus, Denmark, and all the northerners are allies with the Principality of Saxony. In order to protect our allies, we formed a coalition. This is not your territory, And you! You must be responsible for destroying Denmark's peace and causing war."

"Does that mean you refuse my request? I gave you the opportunity to leave decently, but you don't appreciate it." Ludwig shook his head with feigned regret.

"Then choose war! Or, you and I, two kings, duel one on one on this ice. The soldiers don't have to die in large numbers. You and I take off our armor and fight with only our swords."

"Ridiculous! Rurik of Rus, you are just a northern chief who can speak Latin. How are you qualified to duel with me? Now I can see your face clearly. Today is the day of the decisive battle."

Rurik remained unmoved, staring with a sharp gaze like a beast: "You... are actually a coward. You let tens of thousands of people die for your desires, and you are still a noble. What face do you have to lead your Eastern Franks?"

"It's a joke. Your desire is not even half as strong as mine."

"Okay." Rurik knew that there was no need to stand on the ice and do oral gymnastics anymore. "Tell you a secret."

"What's the matter?"

"Horik Haraldsson is not dead. Unfortunately, I cut off his hands and feet, blinded his eyes, and pulled out his tongue. He is in Hamburg, and the King of Denmark you chose is this kind of thing. "

"You!" Ludwig's face changed greatly: "Horik has converted! You barbarians are trying to do such cruel things to devout believers."

"Really? But you are also aggressively attacking the Principality of Saxony and the Saxons here. You obviously have the same beliefs. You are a hypocrite! But all this is meaningless. We really need a decisive battle to solve the problem. Listen ! One king will not kill another king. I will capture you on the battlefield! Unless you abandon the army and flee as a coward. I have nothing more to say to you, and the battle will follow."

Feeling that he was at a disadvantage in the "negotiation", Ludwig did not forget to use his words at the last moment: "But you are not a king, you are just a chief. When I capture you, I will tie you up." Burn at the stake. Just as my grandfather Charlemagne did, your barbarian soldiers will be crucified."

"madness."

It was no longer necessary for Liudov to translate in detail. Rurik thought that it would not be good to continue to charge the steel-arm crossbow, so he immediately gave the order.

He pointed at several of Liudov's mounted followers and ordered his men to shoot immediately. In an instant, the short and thick armor-piercing crossbow arrow hit the horse's weakly defended side ribs, knocking down two heavy armored cavalry immediately, and immediately caused chaos among the other cavalry. At the same time, other Rus berserkers drew their swords one after another, and Rurik himself resolutely drew his own sword.

He shouted loudly: "Stupid provocation! Ludwig! It seems that it is better for us to duel in person! I will chop off your head and use your skull to make a wine bowl! Use your intestines to make a bowstring! Use you skin for a carpet!”

That's all, Rurik then charged forward with a menacing look like a berserker.

The two cavalrymen who had just been attacked at close range had fallen heavily, and the soldiers were unable to move under the weight of the horses. This also proves that the ice layer of the Elbe River is extremely thick now.

Ludwig's entourage was already in chaos. He was afraid that he would be shot by the sharp and strange arrows of the Russians. He instantly lost his previous vigor and fled in a hurry. But during this stupid escape, he slipped and fell three times in a row on the ice before he touched his horse and evacuated quickly.

Seeing this, Rurik stopped pursuing him.

"Your Majesty, are you going to let them escape like this?" A mad warrior asked unwillingly.

"That's right! This man has bullied others too much. We can't kill him immediately. It's unbearable for our brothers."

Rurik shook his head, looked at the back of Ludwig who was escaping, and sighed: "You all just saw that the man slipped and fell many times. This shows that except for the cavalry, they are asking for trouble if they advance on this ice. I will I’m afraid that they will realize that the ice battlefield is not good for them unless...we provoke them."

He thought of a barbaric method, "Aren't you very resentful that you can't kill that Ludwig? Look. There are two unlucky cavalry on the ice. You go and cut the cavalry into pieces. You must do your best. Savage. Cut off the enemy's head and swing it on a sword to anger the enemy in front."

All the bear-headed heavily armored berserkers took the order and immediately began the brutal "provoking method".

Rurik also withdrew amidst the cheers of the soldiers in the rear, telling his generals that the battle was about to break out.

Ludwig fled in a panic. He was extremely dissatisfied with who he was today. Unfortunately, this body simply didn't listen to the wisdom of his head and fled. When he returned to his Frank formation, he bought some time with his fierce greetings from King Ross. Most of the formations were in place, basically meeting the needs of launching an attack.

But he soon heard the boos and roars of the soldiers.

Look!

Those enemies dressed as white bears are holding up the body parts of the dead to show off! Those were the stumps of two cavalry soldiers who had not returned. What a barbaric move!

The Frankish warriors gritted their teeth and were surprised that their king had withdrawn in a hurry.

As soon as Ludwig returned, he comforted the Archbishop of Cologne who had just finished his congratulations: "My king, everything is well with you."

"Bah! I have never been insulted like this before! Even my grandfather, my father, and my brother have never humiliated me like this! I want to..." followed by a lot of rubbish, and I was surprised. The archbishop retreated continuously.

After enough scolding, the enemies stood there in a dense and majestic manner. The enemies are all in the open area, and their clothing has obvious different colors. It is obvious that they are the Norman barbarian army with mainly blue and white tones, and the Saxon peasant soldiers with mainly gray tones.

Such enemies have obvious differences in strength. Those Norman troops with blue and white tones and a large number of unified flags flying are the elites who must be killed. Ludwig gained something this time. He noticed that the traitor Liudov had already followed the lead of the Ross chief Rurik. Obviously, if these Norman troops were not defeated, there would be no victory and it would not help solve the northern defense problem.

Having said that, as long as Rurik is killed and the Norman army is annihilated, the entire Norman world will suffer heavy losses. Presumably there will be no border troubles in the north for many years, and the Saxons will not dare to move again. A rebellious mind. As for the traitor Liudov, this person is no longer useful. Ludwig even complained about his grandfather Charlemagne's appeasement of this family. The entire Widukind family tree should be exterminated! Since grandpa can't do it anymore, he has the obligation to do it.

"Attack! I want to arrange for people to attack!"

Ludwig muttered for a while and decisively pushed the "dead soldiers" he had prepared to the front line.

A large group of Sorbian slave soldiers accompanying the army numbered five thousand when they set out. However, due to sneak attacks, road damage, and the severe damage caused by the recent cold snap, only 1,500 slave soldiers were able to persist until now. A hundred people can still fight.

They turned into "two-legged cows and horses" after their baggage horses were viciously killed by mysterious enemy cavalry. They were treated as livestock and suffered unspeakably.

Now, they all know that they will face an extremely cruel fate - launching the first round of attack.

Perhaps dying in battle early can end the pain. If you continue to survive in this extremely cold environment, you will not last long. Either you will defeat the Norman army and create a good opportunity for the large army to advance, or you will be killed by the enemy...

At least the Sorbian slave soldiers are blessed by the spiritual buff of the Archbishop of Cologne.

"You are fighting against the barbarians, and your feats will offset your original sin. Your souls will ascend to heaven, and everything will be beautiful..."

Death in battle is no longer scary.

These 1,500 slave soldiers were gathered, and they distributed a large number of short spears and axes, and most of them used simple wooden boards as shields.

They had no armor at all, and their clothing was extremely slovenly. Most people look bloated, but this is actually because they are tied up with all kinds of strips of cloth, which are barely enough to keep out the cold and don't pay attention to dignity. After all, they were conquered people. In the eyes of the Franks, they were despicable people who could only be slaves. Their current shabby appearance suited their status.

A large group of gray and black people were gathering, and Rurik was convinced with his eyes that the enemy's first round of attacks was about to launch. It's just unexpected that they didn't send heavy armored troops to launch a fierce attack.

The dark enemies forming a wide formation like a linear array began to move! They were filming a relatively dense formation, moving cautiously on the ice. They were afraid and the ice was really slippery, and they couldn't rush quickly. But on the Ross Army side, many long-range heavy weapons and shooters were ready to launch.

Rurik felt that just one or two shots would be enough to break up the enemy's ranks and force them to retreat.

It's just that they don't understand what Ludwig's conspiracy is.

Or was it because he was overly worried and Ludwig just arranged for a group of militiamen to die, depleting the strength of the Russian army and then launching a general attack?

Wait!

I'm afraid this is their purpose!

"No! The Saxons must be the first to defeat these enemies. "

Rurik then sent a messenger with bright feathers on his head to quickly run to the rear of the array and notify Liudov to send a group of spearmen, giving priority to the Saxon army to launch a counterattack.

So Liudov didn't even think about it, and led a thousand of his carefully selected best to break away from the rear array with spears on their backs.

Rurik saw Liudov's resolute face as he dismounted to fight, and for a moment he admired this man's courage. As the Duke of Saxony, he dared to fight in person.

Because this is really important to Liudov.

The Russian and Danish troops will leave after the war, and the territory will be managed by their own families. To maintain legitimacy, the ducal family must set an example for all local nobles. Most of the local small lords of Saxony have already sent troops to join the war and are in the army. They will really fight hard if they see Liudov personally participating in the war, just like the great hero Vidukind half a century ago.

There is no doubt that Liudov knew this very well, and he wanted nothing more than to fight in person.