Rise of Rurik

The Jutland peninsula, which had been destroyed by the war, came back to life again. When the fleet continued to head south along the western coast of the peninsula, it inevitably encountered local fishing boats.

The fishing boats were daring, because they knew the great ships of the Ruth, and even more so their flags.

The nearby fishermen claim that they are just nearby fishermen, and they are more interested in selling the freshly caught cod on hand.

The fleet will definitely not disrupt its voyage plan because of one or two fishing boats. As long as it continues to go south, the largest trumpet-shaped fjord encountered must be the mouth of the Elbe River, and it will not be long before it reaches the important supply station during the voyage. Hamburger.

Until then, one coastal town attracted the attention of the entire fleet.

The blue fox standing on the bow of the flagship squinted his eyes, and through the thin sea fog, he could clearly see the scenery ahead. "Notify the ships that we have arrived at the Salt Array."

The colored signal flag was raised on the mast, and in conjunction with the regular movements of the sternman standing at the stern, most of Ross's ships recognized him, and immediately conveyed the order to berth.

Those allied ships saw that the big ship held a small flag dancing like a priest, and seeing that the Ross people took the lead, they had no choice but to follow suit.

"Continue, comrades." Blue Fox continued to order: "Let them settle in Yanzhen, and not enter the inner river without my permission."

With renewed orders, the landing of the huge fleet began.

Yanzhen was once the anchorage area selected by the Northern coalition forces during the two-year war, and a shed was erected on the shore for the army to station.

The northern troops stationed must not lie idle. They must use the saltier Atlantic sea water to cook salt, and they must sweep the herring and cod offshore.

When they left, the allied Saxons immediately took possession of it.

A slightly plump middle-aged man with brown curly hair, wearing leather, hurried out of Yanzhen with his armed entourage.

One of the attendants deliberately held a banner, black on the top and yellow on the bottom, with a lion with abstract patterns stitched in the middle.

The flag was so conspicuous that the blue fox who had just landed in a small boat recognized it at a glance.

"That Liudov guy has a large-scale garrison here? As for the flag flying here?"

Blue Fox has some doubts, because Salt Town is not exclusive to the Principality of Saxony, it is a land of complete freedom, and a fishing village with a majority of Danes has quietly sprung up. Of course, Saxony has no right to charge a tax of one copper coin to these Danes who live here. It is precisely they who make sea salt, and together with other Saxon salt workshops, sell the sea salt to the nearby Hamburg in the inland river.

The sale of salt to the Outback, especially to Cologne, is now an extremely important source of income for the Duchy of Saxony.

But some Danes who have left Denmark, can they still be considered Danes?

Blue Fox knew that guy with a big head, but he was just a small official promoted by Liudov to help him manage the salt industry on the seashore.

"It's the honorable Lord Blue Fox." With a flattering smile, the man bowed his head and bowed his head.

"Presumptuous! I am the noble Earl of Gothenburg! You, Adam. It seems that you are not smart enough, why did Liudov choose you..."

"Oh! I'm sorry, my lord, I was stupid. I saw you brought a huge army, this time..."

"It's still stupid! Don't ask if you shouldn't ask." Blue Fox was in a good mood, he could smell the lingering smell of the sea salt with a sharp nose, and didn't bother to criticize a small official.

Is this a bad smell? of course not. If a large amount of salt was transported to the inland area of ​​the far east, the cheap salt would be sold at a high price, and even be used as a special bargaining chip, making the conquered new tribe willing to be ruled.

"My army is stationed here. Don't worry, I won't destroy your work. Adam! You lead the way, I want to meet your master. Oh... many northern nobles intend to meet with your master."

The fat-headed Adam couldn't help being startled, and quickly responded: "Okay, I'll lead the way. I, first send a fast horse to report my master's arrival."

In an instant, long ships gathered at the estuary of the Elbe River, and large sailing ships anchored on the spot.

It is currently the spring flood season, and even paddling a long boat deep into the inland river is a bit difficult. Lan Huduan will not lead the army deep, he does not want to cause any misunderstanding, because just placing the army at the mouth of the sea, its existence itself is a terrifying deterrent of force.

Blue Fox wants to see Liudov, he wants to give some trade benefits to the people of his Gothenburg fief, and he also needs to complete the liaison task set by Rurik.

Many nobles followed him, even the young Yinvar with a bad leg.

The soft spring sunshine illuminates the lush pine forests on both sides of the river, and the huge heather forest on the south bank of the river, mixed with the faint peculiar smell of trees in flowering period, the special smell gives people who have just arrived here a different kind of olfactory memory.

It is not the first time for Askad and Keerha to come to Hamburg, but it is the first time for Invar.

It has been more than a year since Hamburg has seen major changes. The memories of the past are no longer counted. Centered on the city of Hamburg with its protective waterways, a large number of Saxon villages have sprung up.

The land reclamation operation is still going on, along the inherent Roman road, the villages destroyed by the war are re-owned, and the abandoned fields are restored to planting.

Those who sailed could hear the rumble coming from the forest, and even saw some other long boats floating in the wide river.

This counts as prosperity? Maybe. The squinting blue fox is sure that there must be some Danes who have lived deep in the interior. So, are they still Danes?

There are some long ships listening to the pier in Hamburg, and some shipbuilding workshops can be seen sprouting on the shore here.

The more fertile riverside lands were exploited as much as possible, and the Saxons were struggling to restore their livelihoods.

As far as the eyes can see, the blue fox feels that their recovery speed is much faster than he expected.

There were not many longships going deep into the river, and every one of them flew the flag of Ross.

And on the shore, some buildings have been flying the new Saxon flag for a long time.

The red lion in the center represents the nobility's loyalty to Ludwig of the Eastern Kingdom. The reason why it is red means blood. As for the base black, this is the usual color of the Saxons, and even the newly trained army also wears this color as the base color. Yellow means gold, or wealth, and the rule of the Lyudov family.

The Kingdom of Denmark has the Raven Banner, the Kingdom of Rus has the Oars Banner, and the Saxons have their own. On the contrary, Bjorn, the Duke of Mälaren, found that he had no clear banner.

But Blue Fox's Gothenburg also doesn't have an earl's flag, and he doesn't care now.

The galloping messengers encountered a small fleet of visiting ships carrying the news to the Duke's residence in Hamburg.

No, when the fleet arrived, Liudov himself brought his son Bruno and son-in-law Regalaf to the meeting in person.

They adorn themselves with the richest garments, and bring with them retinues as rich and powerful as possible.

The guards were uniformly dressed, with black Saxon halberd bearers on one side and Mercian sword and shield bearers in dark green hues on the other.

After all, Regalaf's identity is the legal king of Mercia. Although Rurik is the father in law, he is clearly different from Rose. He needs a root and the meaning of existence. Although he is in Saxony, from all the news he has learned, he first revives the orthodox Mercian army here, even though the army is full of Saxons and Danes.

"Haha, I saw that guy." The young man stared at the old man keenly and was so happy that his body trembled involuntarily.

"Blue fox?" Liudov, who had a well-built moustache, asked softly.

"My cousin. My cousin Askad, son of Arik who burned Bremen."

"Him? All right."

Liudov didn't want to ask more questions. Bremen was not under his own control. That place was attacked three times, and even the local count was killed by his family. The instigator of such a disaster was of course the Ross army, but in the final analysis it was the murderous demon "Double Swords" Arik. Liudov admired Rurik very much, and was quite enthusiastic about Paul Blue Fox, as for the others, forget it.

He did attach great importance to the blue fox. The most important reason is only one: the person converted to God.

The nobles landed at the pier, and after a brief greeting, they all entered the impregnable fortress residence of the Duke.

They met in the high stone room, and even shared dinner at night.

The matrix of oil lamps hanging on the roof matched the bronze lamp holders surrounding the stone room. The dancing flames illuminated the entire room, and the aroma of barbecue overflowed from the open stone windows, making the guards salivate.

"Papa, is it really appropriate for Paul (referring to the blue fox) to be with those who believe in heretics?" The young priest was uneasy and had to ask Eskil, the archbishop of the north.

"My child, what are you wondering about? As for whether it is appropriate, it depends on whether Paul has abandoned his faith."

"Will he? I saw that even the duke gathered with those heretics. They even...on top of the tower..." The young priest was restless and had to gather his mind: "They are drinking the holy blood together, The one who ate together was actually a wild boar."

"You?" Eskil gave him a blank look: "Presumptuous. Are you questioning the Duke? Maybe I should punish you for cleaning the ground for a month."

"I...I dare not."

"Just let them go. These are not your worries. You are still young, boy, and you have to learn to be flexible in many things. You see, those Danes who believe in heresy are slowly converting to the right way. You don't want them to go away in a flash." They volunteered to be baptized, but I believe that one day they will walk on the right path."

Well, the long-suffering northern archbishop doesn't want to discuss the matter any further. His ambitions had been shattered by reality, and it seemed impossible to peacefully spread the Gospel to the North, at least not for the rest of his life.

The 50-year-old guy has already looked even older due to hard work. He actually knows which northern nobles came to Hamburg, and even some old people in Sweden.

For example, that Bjorn.

Eskil had known the current Duke of Mälaren, Bjorn, for a long time. He knew that this man had a good impression of the Catholic faith, but he still did not convert after all. There are many northern chiefs who have similar thoughts, but extreme things happened in Denmark, so that the nobles who believe in God are either dead or expelled, or they return to the past beliefs on a large scale, as if their careers in their lives have fallen short .

Anyway, the northern world is finally settling down. The most troublesome problem lies in the south, because the northern diocese and the Cologne diocese he leads fully support Ludwig, and Lothar has confiscated several monasteries that should have been managed by him, and the Archbishop of Lance can do nothing about it.

What is the relationship between the kingdom's noble civil war and the suburbs? Could it be that in order to cater to their wars, the clergy should also confront each other?

The priests did not want to do this, but the great aristocrats had their say.

Eskil had already learned that the Trier Cathedral was plundered by Vikings last year, and the fugitive Archbishop Hutto wrote a letter to all the faithful afterwards. The letter was conveyed all the way to Hamburg, and Hutto wrote clearly in the letter to Eskill: "It's all because of your failure. Now the Vikings are deeply hostile to us. You should have persuaded them to convert to the right way..." To make the old man uneasy by yet another batch of non-swearing complaints.

Who Attacked Trier Cathedral? First of all they were Vikings.

Who are the Vikings? What kind of strength the Vikings can do this? Which force has the opportunity to move this matter?

After a moment's thought, Esquier had determined who was responsible. He didn't dare to explain the inside story he deduced to any victim, because at least one of the instigators was eating barbecue and drinking holy blood on the high tower, talking and laughing sanctimoniously. Even, I once naively thought that guy was different from other Vikings.

Or rather, the guys in that room were conspiratorial.

The Saxons, the Danes, the Russ, the Swedes, the Gotalandians, and even the Mercians, the nobles represent their own forces. They gather together to sing about wine, and no one takes faith seriously.

In the past, such a group of people formed the coalition forces to withstand the two large-scale offensives of the Eastern Kingdom. Liudov would like to thank these friends from the north for helping him win the great power he dreamed of.

Now, the Principality of Saxony also has to take the initiative to compete for the living space in the sun!

Liudov was refreshed after drinking, and his tongue was a little stiff after drinking comfortably, and his accent became a little simple and honest.

He yelled: "My Saxony is recovering quickly! I have trained 5,000 spearmen! Now many Danes follow me, they build ships for me, and they help me fight when I fight. I trained another 500 Horseback warrior! Now, I can directly intervene in the war in the south. Blue Fox, what are you going to do this year? Continue to fight? Just like you did last year when you attacked Trier, haha! You must make a fortune!"

Hearing that, the slightly drunk blue fox also froze in shock: "You? What are you talking about? Who attacked Trier? What is Trier?"

"I was pretending to be a fool!" The naive Liudov, with his almost thick right arm, pointed at Lan Hu's face with a wonderful smile, and continued to call him by his name: "It's okay, I don't blame you. You must be making a fortune gone."

"This... how do you know?"

"It's not you, who is it? It's all Esquiel said. In my opinion, you are doing well. Now I need a lot of money. It's a pity. Only by selling surplus grain and salt, when can I quickly Get rich? So... I continue to serve Ludwig. I am his loyal supporter, why do you think?"

"Why?"

"Aren't you?" As he said that, Liudov laughed again: "Your brother is in Nassau, and you teamed up to capture Koblenz. You are helping Ludwig fight and making a lot of money. You can do it, and so can I..."

Why tell the truth after drinking? Nothing more than that.

"If Ludwig invites me to send troops to the south, I will leave immediately. Haha, I heard that your army is in Yanzhen. Could it be that you want to help him continue to fight?! This time, maybe we can fight side by side and fight together. Big fortune."

Liudov in front of him was even dancing. Seeing his father's crazy appearance, the young Bruno moved his stool for it.

In the eyes of Blue Fox, this guy made the most genuine move. This man wants to become powerful in a short time. The northerners have provided a special example for all the Saxon people. From the nobles to the common people, they took advantage of the war to launch looting. As long as they win, the income will be better than years of farming. . Besides, participating in the war still has the endorsement of Ludwig's legitimacy!

The agreement at the beginning of 841 was not only Ludwig's permission for the plundering of various Vikings. The agreement never stipulated that the Duchy of Saxony and the Counties of the Netherlands could not participate in the plundering.

Little Nassau, under the rule of the Rus, flourished last year, what will happen now?

Liudov had to personally ask Blue Fox, the supreme military commander specially authorized by King Rurik of Ross, about his new plan for Nassau.

"It's a good thing this guy didn't ask me where I planned to attack? Let him know that I'm going to lead troops to attack Aachen, so he won't faint from fright on the spot?" Lan Hu choked back the words in his heart.

He thought for a moment: "Robert, you know that?"

"Him? How could I not know?"

"He's going to Tour, and he won't come to the fief of Ingol!"

"Ah? Unbelievable~www.readwn.com~ Even though he was drunk, Liudov still opened his jaw.

"I won't come to Ingol anymore, that area belongs to Nassau. Oh, it's our Nassau, managed by my younger brother. As you said, we will further intervene in their civil war, and I will help Ludwig If you want to fight a war, you also plan accordingly, and then we will make a fortune together."

"You!" The excited Liudov stretched out his arms again, tsk-tsk his mouth to settle his spirits, and then tremblingly picked up the wine glass: "The Lord will not blame us! Because Ludwig is justice! For wealth and glory, cheers!"

After all, he took the lead and drank it all.

"What kind of talk is this? Pious? Not pious. Is it the same as me?" Blue Fox looked at this guy and wanted to laugh, holding back the words in his heart. He found that at least the attitude of the guys present was the same: everyone wanted to get rich.

No, the blue fox messed with his younger brother, the red fox, and gave the very young Askad, Kelha, and Yinvar a look. Everyone raised their glasses, even if there was nothing in it, they gave the heroic and even arrogant Liudov joined in and made a gulp gesture.