Rise of Rurik - Chapter 742

[Chapter 743 The Downtrodden Old Danish King Harald Clarke]

In order to move quickly, the people who disembarked did not carry heavy chain mail from beginning to end, and only a few of the guards sent by the Marquis wore armor.

Although he stopped shooting arrows, the swords were cutting each other and the spears were stabbing randomly. Although both sides had casualties, it was obvious that the earl was fighting hard.

Blue Fox’s sword was stained with blood again. The earl watched helplessly as the fat man, who was harmless to humans and animals two months ago, seized the opportunity very decisively to stab the enemy’s neck. .

They have been persisting, subconsciously moving towards the lower reaches of the river and retreating as a whole. No one knows when the battle will end.

It was at this moment of life and death that there were waves of dull horn sounds in the distance.

“Damn! The enemy still has reinforcements, am I going to die here?” Hearing the sound of the horn, Earl Robert was instantly discouraged.

Te felt more and more that this was a conspiracy aimed at himself and Saint Esquier.

The sound of the trumpet seemed to be approaching, and after a while, the sound of a group of people beating a snare drum was heard again.

But seeing those attackers who were fighting in sackcloth, they felt fear instead, and they started to retreat after fighting like mad dogs just now.

“Miracle! Lord! A miracle. Did you send an angel to save me?” the count sighed to himself in desperation.

Where are there any angels, those horn-blowers rushed out from the right side of the earl’s circular array one after another.

It was a group of men with iron helmets on their heads, dressed in the same clothes as the kingdom’s army, and the blue cloth was more vivid.

They all use a painted round shield with a blue background and a white crow coat of arms, as well as a very obvious black cross pattern. It feels very cordial.

The coat of arms of the shield has actually marked the identities of these people: the raven and the black cross are converted northern warriors.

The blue fox intuitively feels that these strange appearances look like Ross people or Vikings.

These strange armed men charged and fled the enemy, they just looked at the bewildered Earl Robert and continued to fight.

Even so, the Earl still required the soldiers to maintain absolute vigilance, because everything was too bizarre, the sudden attack and the chaotic battle, and the strong reinforcements at the last moment were just right, all of these were too suspicious.

After a while, an old soldier with a gray beard appeared surrounded by a crowd of buckler warriors.

The man stepped into the vigilant people and slowly took off his helmet.

“It’s actually you!?” Eskil, who had just regained consciousness, was taken aback when he saw the old man’s face.

“Saint, stay safe! I know you have arrived in Frankfurt, and I am sorry to say goodbye to you in this way.”

“You! Harald Clark, King of Denmark!”

“Only Ludwig’s vassals! I’ve heard something in Regensburg and Frankfurt, that you spread the word yourself. You see, look at these corpses, you attracted the attention of those people, and I saved you.”

Suddenly, an old soldier in armor jumped out and spoke broken Frankish, and the blue fox knew that he was not a good person by looking at his face.

Is that the old fool in the forest or the king of Denmark?

The king of Denmark should be in Denmark, how could a king of Denmark pop up on the banks of the Danube.

Blue Fox remained silent for the time being, no matter what the background of this person and his subordinates were, they resolved the crisis after all.

The blue fox paid close attention to Eskil’s face, and saw that the old guy who had just been scared to pee pushed away the soldier’s fence and walked towards the white-bearded soldier himself.

“Haral, I didn’t expect to see you here. You saved, this must be the Lord’s will.”

“Perhaps. However, I have been following these gangsters for half a year.”

“Bandits?” The Earl of Hamburg paced over, lifted his boots and stepped on a dead body, and then lifted the linen cover with his sword, revealing the blood-stained leather armor inside.

“This is clearly a soldier.”

“Soldier indeed. Are you… a nobleman?” asked the white-bearded armored man.

“A nobleman. I am the Earl of Hamburg.”

“It’s really strange. If you are like this, why are you here?”

“I’m curious, are you really Harald Clark? If that’s the case, I would have seen you many years ago, but I have long forgotten your face.”

Harald Clarke, the deposed and expelled Grand Chief of Denmark, was the predecessor of the slain Grand Chief Hafgen.

He immediately introduced himself in Norse. Compared with the awkward Frankish, the Norse in his hometown was the smoothest.

“I am no longer the king, and the lords refused me to go back. I am Prince Ludwig’s subordinate, and I am now carrying out the prince’s orders. Thank the Lord for allowing me to meet you. If I come late, you will die.”

“It’s a gift from the Lord.” Eskil hurriedly made the sign of the cross.

The Earl of Hamburg didn’t know what to say, he was relieved, and he was sure that the attackers were indeed prepared.

Having said that, I am a nobleman in the northern border. Although Eskil is a saint, he has worked in the northern border all his life. How can he be killed when he is attacked by thieves in the Alemanni region?

The Earl still couldn’t fully believe what Harald Clarke said, because it was too coincidental, a coincidence that seemed like a conspiracy.

The situation finally stabilized, and a large group of soldiers gathered in the forest to rest.

The corpses of as many as forty enemies were collected, and the dead were stripped of their coats to reveal their true faces. Through their brown hair, the blond warriors of Harald Clark could confirm that the dead were not from the north.

Such a large number of dead proved that the battle was premeditated. They left some bows behind, picked up some arrows on the ground, and even found a special kind of petal—the dried velvet flower.

After a great battle, the reckless fighters lost many ships and many people died. The Earl of Hamburg said that he was unwilling to leave again.

Originally, the team had to find the shoals on the Danube to land and camp overnight at night, and the exhausted soldiers had to gather with the Norman mercenaries of Harald Clarke.

As the contact deepened, the earl’s vigilance quickly disappeared.

Let’s look at the soldiers holding special round shields. Their shields have the coat of arms of the black cross, and each has a metal or wooden cross pendant around his neck.

This army is actually one of the achievements of St. Eskil over the past ten years. They are the first batch of converted Norman warriors. Their existence proves that priests can influence many barbarians with a single mouth.

Harald Clark didn’t come out. When the bonfire was lit, the old fellow went to the Earl of Hamburg, waiting for the wheat in the hoisted Tao Weng to be cooked, and took the opportunity to inquire about something.

Both armies are loyal to Prince Ludwig, and they both want to get some new news from each other.

Harald Clark stuck his sword deep into the soft mud, and complained about his unfortunate past with resentment.

He lamented that he had lost the kingship of Denmark and was betrayed by his nephew Horik. Now he can only go to the Frankish nobles as a mercenary.

“I was expelled by those people because I converted. It has been nine years since I fought for Ludwig, and I still haven’t got a fief. I’m old, and maybe I’m going to die here…”

Harald Clark was talking about the sorrow of an old soldier. He is a real bereaved dog, and his trusted soldiers are not young.

However, these fighters are old fighters who have been hacked out in the past ten years. Those who are not skilled are already dead. Even if the strength of the guys who have survived to this day has weakened, all of them are superb in killing skills.

The Earl of Hamburg is both in awe and contempt. How can a down-and-out nobleman be respected?

On the contrary, this person is the former Danish king who was deposed, and the fact that he survived can be used.

The count deliberately asked: “Is it appropriate that you have paid so much for the prince but have not received a reward? You can ask for it.”

“The prince did not reward.”

“Maybe……”

“What do you want to say?”

“Or, you try to go to the north. Hamburg is the time for employment.”

“Are you wooing me?” Harald Clark did hesitate a little, but shook his head after thinking about it: “You forgot me, but I still remember you, Robert. You are just an earl, and I have to be an earl at least.” Title. I cannot be your vassal.”

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“But I need you, especially this army of yours.”

As soon as this remark came out, Harald immediately heard a big problem.

His attitude changed, and he suddenly asked, “Who are you guarding against?”

“I… I’ll talk about this later. Tell me who the attacker is.”

“Alright.” Harald sighed regretfully, “It’s from Lothair.”

“Prince Lothair?” The earl also became vigilant, and warned: “You can’t speak nonsense about this matter.”

“It’s not nonsense. You… why don’t you ask me why I brought the army to help you?”

“Why?”

“We were ordered by Ludwig to annihilate this army disguised as bandits. It has been going on for a year, and a special group of bandits has made trouble in Alemanni. They intercepted merchants, raided villages, and even attacked priests. ”

“Ah!? Are they crazy? They dare to kill the servant of the Lord.”

“They have already sold their souls to Satan.” Harald asserted viciously.

“Could it be Lothair’s order?” the count asked again.

“I don’t know. But I found the irises of Lothar’s vassals from the corpse.”

“Capet? They are by the sea, and Capet is also the earl. Why are Capet’s people looting here?”

“It must be Lothair’s order! But they are not just Capet’s people, maybe they are the followers of many nobles. No one wants to do this kind of dirty work by themselves. If all the nobles have their own hands, then no one will say Who. Now the old king has been released…”

Earl of Hamburg and Eskill, who were already terrified, trembled all over their hair when they heard the words “the old king is released”.

King Louis has been released, but the power of the capital Aachen has long been taken by Lothair.

Lothair could not gain the power of the entire kingdom by himself, and the nobles in the kingdom were also divided, each supporting the prince he was willing to follow.

Two years ago, Lothar and Ludwig fought in the unowned Alemanni region.

Now the Marquis of Frankfurt completely guides Ludwig, attracting Prince Lothar to do whatever he can.

Harald briefly described these events and said bluntly: “The prince’s dispute has nothing to do with me. For money, I want to kill the Lothar army operating in Alemanni. I have no territory and can only live on commission, my brother You all count on me. As for you… especially you, Saint Esquiel.”

Poor Eskil looked blank: “Me? What’s wrong.”

“If you kill you, it will be their victory. The northern saint Eskill was killed near Frankfurt, so they can say that Ludwig is the murderer and the Marquis of Frankfurt is the direct assassin.”

Esquier was taken aback, and was rarely angry: “I am the servant of the Lord, how can I become a tool for the nobles to fight for power? I want to go to Reims to sue! No! I am going to cross the Alps now, and I will go to Rome to sue the Pope , Remove Lothair from the church.”

“But you have no proof,” Harald regretted.

At this moment, the Earl of Hamburg suddenly came back to his senses: “But you also have no evidence to accuse Lothair.”

“Yes, but some things cannot be revealed even if they know the truth. They simply betrayed their faith for the sake of power, and maybe only the Lord will judge them on the final day.”

After hearing Harald Clark’s description, Eskil remained silent.

The Earl of Hamburg probably understood the situation, and guessed that there was a secret operation in the Frankfurt church, or that the entire city of Frankfurt was full of Lothair’s eyeliner.

The assailant did not leave anyone alive. It wasn’t that Harald’s Norman soldiers didn’t want to catch them alive, but the assailant killed them directly when he saw that his own was injured and couldn’t take them away. He was determined not to reveal his identity.

Harald made it clear to everyone that Prince Ludwig was aware of these situations.

“But there is one more important matter. You… don’t know, and neither does the prince. I’m sure the prince will be furious if he finds out.” The Earl of Hamburg put on a trick.

“What is it?” Harald asked.

“Remember Horik who betrayed you? The man who called himself the Earl of Flanders?”

“My nephew. Damn it!”

“That man is in a terrible situation now. He returned to Denmark with an army. He is indeed no longer the self-proclaimed earl, but now he is the real king of Denmark.”

Harald’s mind was in a mess, and he couldn’t believe it was true.

“You’re kidding. Denmark doesn’t doubt the Holy Believers, they still believe in Odin, and Horik can’t convince them.”

The count smiled wryly: “I have conclusive news and many witnesses, especially my frontier viscount has gathered a large number of refugees. They all believe in the Lord, but they are poorly expelled by Horik. Horik has already betrayed Lord, so is the King of Denmark. That man also destroyed Hedeby Abbey and demanded that the prince recognize him as King of Denmark. The war in the North has begun.”

The amount of information was too much, and Harald almost fainted with a buzzing sound in his head.

“This is impossible.”

“This is the truth.” Eskil interrupted sullenly: “I must go to Regensburg and enshrine Horik’s handwriting to the prince.”

“There is still a letter? I… want to take a look.”

“Yes. I hope you can read Latin.”

“Damn, I don’t know Latin.”

It was true that Harald Clark could not read Latin, and Saint Esquiel did not bother to read it himself.

The letter was thrown into Blue Fox’s hands. Eskil didn’t mention his identity for the time being, and said first: “Joseph will read it to you… No! Translate it into Norse for you.”

“Him? A fat man?”

“It’s me.” Blue Fox stabbed an enemy to death in the afternoon, and his spirit was still high. As for Harald Clarke, the former king of Denmark, who was reduced to a mercenary, he would naturally not give him a good face.

Blue Fox is not a good translator. He tried his best to translate the words and sentences accurately, and finally made Harald understand the fact that Horik made himself king.

“This Horik! He took away my power! I would rather betray my faith for the sake of power. Poor me, I still have to be a mercenary outside.” Harald clenched his fists, he was obviously very dissatisfied with the status quo.

The count took the opportunity to speak up: “That’s why I need you. I can’t give you rich property, but I can seal you a piece of land. Even if you are a baron, you still have your own territory…”

This seemingly well-meaning was actually an insult, because Harald did not speak ill of Earl Robert as he was an old friend.

Although he has converted, he still worships the violent warrior culture in his heart. His arrogant self-esteem does not allow him to be a descendant of Godfrey, a great Danish leader, and become a descended nobleman serving a poor earl.

Harald quickly changed the subject, and the chubby translator Joseph caught his attention, so he asked, “You are also Danish, tell me about the situation there.”

“I’m not Danish.” Blue Fox said bluntly with confidence.

“Oslo? Bergen?”

“Ross.”

“Ross? It’s actually Svealan’s Ross?”

The blue fox secretly mocked the down-and-out king for not knowing anything about the affairs of the north, and said: “Ross is Ross! Ross has nothing to do with Svealan. That Horik killed many Ross people in Hedeby, he If you start a war, the Principality of Ross will take the most severe revenge.”

A priest bared his teeth like a monster that wanted to eat people. Harald couldn’t believe it was true, “You? Could it be a false priest.”

At least the Earl of Hamburg, Robert, saw this fat man kill with his own hands. He was at least an impious priest. He must have been a murderous Norman warrior like Harald before his conversion.

The blue fox shook his head: “I’m a priest, and I’m an emissary of the Prince of Ross. Horik is a big threat. The Principality of Ross wants to form an alliance with Frank, especially Prince Ludwig, and jointly defeat Horik’s Denmark.”

“you?”

“I am the messenger!” Blue Fox simply stood up, “I hope to see the prince himself, and hope to conclude a covenant.”

“Are you asking me for an introduction? How much will you do me?”

Blue Fox shook his head. If it was a recommendation, Esquier would help him.

He was astonished that this person was asking for a bribe.

Blue Fox couldn’t look down on Haral, a down-and-out king. In addition, he had to live in a humble status for the past few months and suffered from discrimination, which was impossible before.

His hatred was originally on Danish Horik, but now part of it has been transferred to various Frankish nobles.

The envoys of the Principality of Ross did not receive the respect and hospitality they deserved, and it is unreasonable that a down-and-out king is asking for bribes.

Harald yelled in a contemptuous tone: “If you don’t give us money, then forget it. I know that you Ross, a tiny tribe, just sell some leather. You can gather at most a thousand people.”

“Just trust what you know!” Blue Fox shut up after saying this.

The Earl of Hamburg believed it. “If the Ross people are like this, then the prince must not bother to approach them. A thousand people seem to be a lot, but they are still much weaker than the prince.”

Eskil said a little justice: “The Rus can gather three thousand people.”

However, this explanation was selectively ignored by the earl and Harald, and their unreasonable arrogance aroused the anger of the blue fox.

Blue Fox chose to shut up, as if by default.

It is true that the facts speak louder than words, and the rhetoric of a strong-mouthed king is not as good as the attack of a large fleet.

He cursed secretly in his heart: “When the Ross navy soldiers approach the city, you will all die.”

[End of this Chapter]