Rise of Rurik - Chapter 703

[Chapter 704 The New King of Denmark]

A western fleet broke into the Denmark Strait suddenly, and the fishing boats once again thought of the fear of being attacked by the ships of the hateful Ross.

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The fishing boats were all avoiding, almost all of them were the boats of the Robard tribe. The fishermen instinctively felt that their lives were threatened, and even their homes would be destroyed.

They ran for their lives with all their strength. After the fishing boat rushed to the beach, they didn’t even care about the catch, and immediately rushed to the village with a harpoon and an ax…

The Robard tribe had heard the news earlier, and their army began to gather.

Since the tribal leader, King Hafgen of Denmark died suddenly in battle, Denmark immediately fell into chaos without a leader, and the largest Robard tribe has not yet elected a new leader who can convince the crowd for more than two years.

This tribe is unified in name, but it has already begun to fall apart in essence. The people have to choose to live with a certain big family or go to other regions.

The whole of Denmark, the unified kingdom that was once united by Hafgen with force and compromise, has now returned to its old state, and even its political territory has become more fragmented.

Horik, the big western pirate, doesn’t know all this, but it doesn’t matter.

To get Denmark, you must get the largest Robard tribe, and then control the strait to collect tolls for passing ships.

This is the first step of conquest, followed by control of the largest trading city, Hedeby, and regaining the taxation rights that have been lost for more than 20 years.

After these two steps are done well, it is easy to be crowned king of Denmark with a population, an army, and financial power.

Of course, the diplomatic approval of Prince Frank Ludwig must be obtained in the end.

The new King of Denmark has drawn up a very careful roadmap for seizing power, and he is implementing the first step of the plan.

With the raven banner fluttering, the round-faced Horik looked more like an armed merchant than a warrior at first glance.

The food in Flanders is really good. He ate too many fat sheep and it turned into suet balls.

On the boat, he clearly saw the distant village, and his fighting spirit was ignited.

A banner with blue stripes that looked like a sword and an iris was raised, and Horik was signaling to his men that it was best to prepare for battle.

He didn’t really plan to plunder the big village of the Robards, but he concluded that the other party would not accept him as king obediently.

The huge fleet is going to land on the beach, even if there is no leader in the group, the major families are also dispatching troops to defend against the enemy outside the village.

They won’t run away, and the soul of a warrior doesn’t allow them to flee without a fight, not to mention that Denmark is so big, there is no way for everyone to escape.

Men and women took up arms, and rumors spread through the village.

“It’s dastardly Ross!”

“The great villain who killed our king has come, and the Ross people will kill us all.”

“The enemy must be resisted, or we shall all die. Ross is more hateful than the Swedes.”

By now, the news about Roth’s separation from Sweden has reached the Danish society.

They are old rivals who have been fighting for hundreds of years. Although they don’t know when the disputes started, it is clear that the war will not stop and can only intensify.

Although Rose is strong, the brothers will never suffer at home.

Men, women, and boys and girls go into battle together, relying on absolute strength to overwhelm the landing enemy.

But something strange happened.

Thousands of Robard elite soldiers who entered the beach first saw a large number of landing enemies, but the enemies in front of them did not light up the white and blue banners.

Are they really Russ?

The soldiers didn’t dare to try it rashly, not to mention that the sunlight reflected strongly on the lander’s body, and the lander was actually heavily armored, which was the same as the Ross people.

It is precisely because the opponent is wearing a large number of armors that it is even more necessary to wait until the rear troops arrive before making an assault.

Looking at Horick again, the army has landed leisurely.

A general asked the master: “Master Earl, we should take advantage of the enemy’s foothold to maintain stability and launch an attack, and defeat the Robards in one battle and surrender.”

Horick glanced at the opponents in the formation again, and shook his head: “Call me the king now!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Whether to attack or not, I have my own plan. Listen, the people on the other side will be our brothers in the future, and we won’t start a war if we can. We wait for them to gather, and I will persuade them to surrender.”

I don’t know where Horik got the courage from. He has been away from this land for almost ten years. The former boy is already an old guy who has fought many battles. Killing like hemp is the description of him.

No, the time lasted until the afternoon, and everyone who could hold an ax in the largest settlement of the Robards had arrived.

They marched slowly under the leadership of the various families, and the Horik army, who was a little depressed, was encouraged.

“Listen up, brothers! Don’t take the initiative to attack without my order. Anyone who moves will be hanged!”

Horik ordered so, and his subordinates were very obedient.

Seeing that the landing army was in formation, and some blue-toned flags were flying in the crowd, the nervous Robards did not hesitate to think that the landers were the Ross people!

The shield wall of the Lobards began to advance slowly, but they saw that the opponent had been standing still. As the distance approached, their advancing speed became slower and slower.

It was very strange that the landers didn’t seem willing to fight a bloody battle, and when they got close enough, the Robards finally saw what seemed to be a blue three-pointed harpoon painted on those flags.

In fact, it is an abstract iris flower, which symbolizes many meanings.

The whole line of the Robards came to a standstill, and the great family took control of the front before the fierce battle began.

“This is my chance to perform.”

Horik took off his helmet, blond with a round face, and he stepped out of the formation with arms outstretched, facing all the Robards with his chest.

What’s happening here?

Who is this pudgy man?

Is the commander in chief of the army?

“Robards! Come out, your chief!”

Horik yelled one after another, and he heard the array of people on the opposite side whispering to each other, and it was a long time before the leader came to see the negotiation.

Then he shouted again: “I! Horik Clarsson. Grandson of the great Lord Godfrey! I have returned with the army of the West, and I am the King of Denmark!”

Horick was trying his best to convey a message that he was Godfrey and his grandson, and he repeated desperately, because this name was really deafening to the Robards!

If ever there was one person who was revered by all the Danes, it was Godfrey, the leader of the Grand Alliance!

When Charlemagne of the Franks led troops to invade, Denmark fell into a crisis, and the slaughter of the Frankish army made everyone in Denmark feel in danger through the fugitive Saxons.

The terrified Danes rallied around Godfrey, the strong men built the defense line of the Great Wall of Schleswig, and the coalition forces of various tribes defeated the French army outside the port city of Schleswig!

Godfrey established the town of Hedeby at the mouth of the fjord where Schleswig is located. It was originally a military stronghold, built to support the Great Wall, and was always on guard against the second invasion of the Frankish army.

But the war did not intensify, and Frank suspended the attack. When the old king Charlemagne died, Frank’s northern expedition to Denmark stopped completely.

With the prestige of defeating Frank, Godfrey turned his head and attacked the city of Herikel, the core of the Pomeranians, looted it and burned it with the cruelty of Viking wolves.

The great lord died, and his distant relative Harald Clark succeeded him, but he betrayed Odin and believed in the Frankish god, and even made peace with the other party to betray the interests of all Denmark. He is the running dog of the Frankish king!

In the expulsion of Harald Clark, the northernmost tribe of Robard contributed the most, and the young Hafgen claimed that he would be the leader of Denmark.

Finally, through a “competitive game”, he got his wish by violent means.

Poor Haffgen, born violent and dead violent.

The Robards did not know Horrick Clalsson.

This kid was a cub back then, and what he was doing as a distant relative of Harald Clark was just a “halberd bearer”. When his uncle was expelled, he was also forced to evacuate as a guard.

The Robards don’t know these things, but they all admire Lord Godfrey, and regret the rapid decline of the family after the death of the heroic lord.

Could this little fat man really be Godfrey’s grandson?

Maybe it is possible!

It makes sense that this massively armored army would be raised by Godfrey’s grandson.

Horik deliberately did not mention Harald Clarke, obviously he is closer to this person.

It’s just that Haral’s reputation is too bad, and he has no brains to identify with this traitor hated by his old family.

He is intelligent and has some eloquence in speech.

He declared in public: “I am Horik! I hate the Franks, and I hate any enemy who shames Denmark. In fact, I hate the Franks most. I have fought against them for many years. My soldiers are all against the Frankish army. You have fought fiercely for many years. Surrender to me, I will take your revenge and win, and then make a fortune!”

How to get rich?

He deliberately preached: “Frank is not strong, because we are stronger! Frank is full of gold and silver, and there are sheep and cows running everywhere! The women there are very beautiful, and you can easily get them. The land there is warm and fertile. , we can also get a lot of wheat…”

Horik’s preaching was successful. He stood here not only did not show the tendency to use force, he was swearing at Frank between the lines, and he also preached to the poor how to get rich. All kinds of behaviors seemed to be for the Robards For the sake of.

In fact, everyone knows that Frank is rich, but the degree of abundance is not quantified.

Horick didn’t hide that he was from Frank, and said that he had already established a territory there.

Godfrey’s grandson does it better than him!

This grandson received part of the Frankish lands.

The leaders of those tangled big families began to walk out of the formation. In fact, no one wanted to fight. Since the person who came was Godfrey’s grandson, an unimagined path appeared.

Looking at Horik’s army again, the soldiers who had sailed for a long time saw that their leader really convinced the Robards with just one mouth!

Horick did the right thing by announcing that the army would camp on the spot and build a new village without disturbing the life of the Robards.

He can do this because he has a sufficient material foundation. The looted gold, silver and jewelry are the best currency, and the new version of Frankish silver coins with excellent quality can be used to buy local general consumer goods.

He didn’t act like a normal pirate, but he was also a great pirate through and through.

All because he lived in Flanders for many years and learned Frankish governance methods.

Because the people are “lambs”!

Horik had removed the cross pendant and raised the raven banner.

Even so, he liked the concept of the “lamb” the priest described.

The people are like sheep. The lord wants to cut the wool from the sheep, and he also needs the tithes from the people.

If the sheep starve to death, the lord will also become poor, so it is very important to make the sheep fat and hairy.

Looking at the Robards, the heads of the big families are thinking, this Horick holds a large army, even if the Robards win in a fight, it will be a remnant victory, so the gains outweigh the losses.

The new strong man, the grandson of Godfrey, has to collect taxes. Hafgen also collected taxes before, so he can collect taxes. If the tax rate falls, everyone will be happy.

Horick negotiated with the families and asked for a tithe tax on the property.

To be honest, this tax rate is much lower than that of Hafgen.

The big family that used to quarrel has changed, and they all respect Horik as the new leader of Robard!

Now Horik is calling himself King of Denmark!

He is a very generous person, he issued the title of earl to all ten big families of the Lobard people, and also carried out a knighting ceremony with a sword on his shoulder with great interest.

Horik entered Denmark at the end of February in the early spring of Frank. Although the inner Baltic Sea was still frozen, by the end of March, Horik was already the real leader of Robard.

His elite troops swelled to 5,000 men, and this large army feared all the tribes.

The spring warm wind has not yet blown to the whole of Denmark, and the farming of various tribes has not yet started. The “King of Denmark” Horik has sent messengers to deliver news on foot in the Jutland Peninsula, ordering the leaders of the peninsula tribes to come to Godfrey, the emerging coastal capital Hagen has a meeting.

Since he claims to be the grandson of Godfrey, the greatest ally, it is very reasonable to build a new city in his grandfather’s name!

He also wants to follow the example of his predecessors and build a new city himself.

Great political changes have taken place in the Danish world, and Horik seems to have been born out of nowhere, and has a deep connection with Frank.

The most male on the peninsula, the Danes here live their peaceful lives.

The young Ragnar already had three sons and was a fast-rising pirate leader.

With his tribal brothers, he had already robbed many merchant ships from the Frankish Hamburg side, and rushed to the smooth coast on the other side of the peninsula to plunder the Pomeranians in Stralsund.

When the news came from the Norwegians, the northernmost Narvik Norwegians had gnawed a fat land in Britain and lived a good life.

However, Ragnar still doesn’t want to leave his tribe, and doesn’t want to take his tribe to abandon his hometown, at least not now.

As for taking a group of brothers to Britain to grab some gold and silver slaves and then withdrawing, it’s time to think about it.

Unbelievable news came from the north, and the tribesmen felt fear.

He asked his father: “Is that Horik the real Godfrey’s grandson? If this man is a lackey of the Franks again, I don’t want to admit him.”

His father, Sigurd, boasted that he was near the end of his life, and the tribe recognized Ragnar as the most intelligent successor. Sigurd had essentially abdicated, and now stood behind the scenes to guide his son.

“The key is not his identity. He holds a large army, and even if many tribes unite, they can’t beat him. This makes his identity unquestionable. Even if we win, we have to pay the price of not being able to stand up.”

“So, shall I go to the meeting in person?”

“You must go, you must submit to him, there is no shame in it. Of course, if he is a real Frankish lackey, you will assassinate him! Listen, our tribe is closest to the Great Wall, and there are Rus than Swedes, Frank will always be our biggest threat. Remember our clansmen who were killed, you seize any opportunity to attack Frank for revenge!”

an eye for an eye!

Ragnar firmly believed in his father’s teachings, attacking Frank for revenge must continue to be done, and robbing to make a fortune is also very important.

Ragnar made the same choice as most of the lords, and the sea near the peninsula was completely frozen, and a large number of ships arrived at the new northern city of Godfrehagen along the coastline.

Not only the lords of Denmark attended the meeting, but even the leaders and big merchants of Oslo, Malmö, and Silver Castle across the Danish Strait went to the meeting by boat.

There were more than a hundred nobles from all walks of life. They saw Horik’s army, hundreds of flying raven flags, and the statue representing Odin standing on the Xincheng Square.

When he first arrived, Horik bought one hundred and eleven slaves from the locals. He gave a lot of money, and the slave owners sold them happily.

But the end of a slave is death!

Sacrifice to Odin is very particular. According to the Danish etiquette, the most pious sacrifice is to sacrifice one hundred and eleven heads to the god.

Under the watchful eyes of the lords from all walks of life, human heads rolled onto the altar and turned into pools of blood. This sacrifice was even more ruthless than Hafgen!

Hafgen had beheaded ninety-nine in Hedeby, and the sacrifice must have been not pious enough, which caused him to die suddenly in battle.

No one said that Horick was wasting labor, everyone lamented that this man is our clansman, a new hero who can lead us even stronger!

Because the lackeys in Denmark wouldn’t do that.

The gods the Franks believed in did not want the sacrifice of slave blood.

Hedeby is a free city. Merchants organize business guilds and elect a businessman as the actual mayor.

Their actions proved that everyone does not need a lord, practicing security can live a good life, and business is becoming more and more prosperous.

So when Horrick’s emissary arrived at Hedeby, it was embarrassing to find that the order didn’t know who was at the high speed.

The messenger withdrew after leaving the message, and none of Hedeby, who was asked to do his own thing, went north!

By May, however, most of the lords in Denmark supported Horik as king, and news of this reached Hedeby.

Hedeby seemed to be out of the world, and Horick’s anger turned to anger. After the blood sacrifice, he established himself as king. He still needs some means to become king in essence, and some dissatisfied need to be hit.

No, these days Horick is busy expanding his territory and influence, and as for controlling Hedeby, things are not in a hurry.

As a result, a piece of news spread in Hedeby-the new king Horik would re-collect the commercial tax.

[End of this Chapter]