Rise of Rurik - Chapter 760

[Chapter 761]

On a very quiet night, Rurik invited the blue fox into his bedroom in the palace. He even ordered all the servants to leave, and only two of them had a secret conversation through the oil lamp.

Blue Fox really needed a private place to return. He was a little cautious at first, but when Rurik asked the first question, he immediately spoke surprisingly.

“Prince! Our great enemy is indeed Denmark, but the Franks are a big fat sheep. We should plunder them.”

“Ah?” It is true that such remarks are indeed not suitable for pointing out when Eskill is present.

“You needn’t be surprised. According to my observation, since our fleet can go on an expedition to Britain, we bypassed the Jutland peninsula and directly attacked the cities named Hamburg and Bremen along the river. Those are cities on the river, and our The fleet can go deep directly, and when we have finished looting, we can quickly leave with the treasure.”

Rurik was indeed tempted, his cautious forehead relaxed, and he asked quietly: “Did you do some research and know them well?”

“Of course! Even now we are faced with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Their army is all going to attack Denmark. Bremen is empty. There are only a group of honest peasants in the area. There is no army at all. Now is a good time to plunder.”

“Oh? Are you urging me to fight?”

“Yes!” Blue Fox said firmly, “I know Bremen very well. There is a very rich city surrounded by wooden walls, and a large amount of wool is traded in the city square. We should loot the local area!”

“It’s actually like this? You can only fight? I… have not arranged for this year’s war operations.”

Blue Fox shook his head: “They also put forward very harsh conditions. We must make us believe in their gods and pay high taxes so that we can do business with the Earl of Frank. As for that Prince Ludwig, he They didn’t even bother to see me. Eskil said that their prince thought we were just a small tribe, as humble as ants.”

“Ridiculous!” Rurik punched the ground hard, and then laughed again: “Okay, blue fox, you are using the aggressive method. Listen, I am the prince, and I am the only one who has the right to arrange whether to send troops.”

“However, their provocation is real. They are also very rich… Don’t you want to get a lot of wool?”

These words really stopped Rurik.

War cannot be done hastily, let alone just get into it when you get good news.

Rurik thought for a while, and he couldn’t justify his indifference, just because of practical considerations, if he got a lot of wool, his own garment factory could produce clothes and felt products more stably and efficiently.

It is unrealistic to expect the Ostara people to provide a large amount of wool in a short period of time. After all, it was not long after Carlota gave birth to a child, and her Ostara people did not breed a large sheep flock.

The arrogance of the Franks is not a major reason for the crusade, but the looting of supplies is. Of course, their provocation and arrogance can be a very legitimate reason.

The blue fox saw the vacillation of the prince’s mentality, and immediately pointed out: “I learned a lot in Frank. The expelled Danish king Harald Clark was the prince’s mercenary, and the prince also arranged for Horik to be the new king of Denmark. We The shops in the city were destroyed, and there was a conspiracy of the Franks behind it. As for the Danes and the Franks fighting again, it is another matter. You are the greatest prince, and your interests in Denmark have been damaged. Considering your authority , even if we send two hundred people, we must take advantage of the emptiness behind the Franks to attack them.”

For a moment, Rurik suddenly realized.

He slapped his thigh: “That’s right! Why did I forget that I can send out small troops to take action. I always want to send out the Six Banners to fight the war of destroying the country!”

Blue Fox laughed immediately: “So, you are determined to take revenge this year? The current time is still in our favor.”

“You…” Looking at the blue fox again, Rurik shook his head with a smile: “You have become thinner, and your mentality has become crazy. Are you going to be a fighter? Well, I will give you this chance. It was you who proposed Those who are crusading, I will give you this opportunity, you must join the crusade, and you must be responsible for your own words.”

“It’s absolutely fine. I’m even willing to be a warrior, willing to go through fire and water for the prince.” Blue Fox replied decisively.

[The book chasing app recommended to me by an old book friend who has known me for ten years, the source app!

It’s really easy to use. I rely on reading and listening to books to pass the time while driving and before going to bed. You can download it here www.huanyuanapp.com 】

Regarding the extreme arrogance of the Franks towards the Duchy of Rus, Rurik was willing to believe that it was a fact.

How can a great country value a foreign country?

Frank knew almost nothing about Rose, but Rurik, as a prince, knew a lot about Frank.

Not to mention the well-known and dead Charlemagne, after the split of this great country, two main bodies, France and Germany, were formed.

Today, Frank and Germany do not exist, and it cannot be said that the two brand new countries do not exist completely. They are like twins in the belly of a pregnant woman, and they are developing rapidly.

In other words, it is the East Frankish part that takes an arrogant attitude towards the Principality of Ross. In all fairness, Rurik prefers to call these guys Germans.

The concept of Germany has existed since ancient times, and it is not used as an official country name now.

Since Bremen is a commercial city, it is feasible to take the opportunity to rob.

Talk to the thin blue fox. Although the senses are very weird, the reward emotion revealed by that guy is easy to perceive.

After some logical deduction, the Ross store in Hedeby was destroyed, and the man behind the scenes was Prince Ludwig of East Francia.

As for why the man fought with the Danes, why should the Ross people pay attention?

Rose’s interests have been damaged, and if the masterminds are identified, they should be bled!

Rurik tossed and turned on the bed, he ordered Svetlana not to sleep tonight, and occupied the whole bed by himself to think quietly about important matters.

He made a major decision, and the next day he began to gather his men and announced the implementation of an ocean-going mission that took into account both looting and crusade.

These days, Spuyut and his group lived a comfortable and good life in Novgorod. They ate wheat cakes and drank beer, put on new clothes, and lived in a comfortable place.

If there is no plan to rob, the brothers will continue to enjoy it.

On the other hand, the Salmon Chief has also undergone some overhauls, and those torsion slingshots have been inspected emphatically.

Worn parts are replaced and depleted weapons are replenished.

As for the old Eskil, he came to the small monastery in Novgorod.

Let’s look at John Invar, this kid was moved to tears when he saw the teacher.

It was in this monastery that John Invar received people from the Archbishop of Reims, who became a legal priest and qualified to be baptized.

A small priest was upgraded and became a grassroots member of the Holy See’s management system.

He became a priest at a young age, and with his qualifications and missionary achievements, he would be able to gradually rise in rank. In theory, it is also possible to become a cardinal.

The reason why he got the position is because the Principality of Ross is full of confused lambs, so naturally this is in the context of the priests.

John Ingvar is young, and he has a lot of time to spread the faith. As a teacher, Eskil can only stay here temporarily for one winter.

The Christians gathered in the Novgorod region for various reasons welcomed the northern saints, and they were full of hope for everything.

However, Rurik remained vigilant all the time. They were watched by eyeliners. As for missionary behavior, they were arrested immediately upon discovery.

As early as the meeting, Eskil was “vaccinated”. The so-called detection of any missionary behavior, of course, will not be punished with physical pain. This winter can only be spent in prison again. year expulsion.

This decree has existed for a long time. It was originally to restrain genuine clergymen like John Ingvar. Now there is an additional “Northern Sage” to follow this set of forms.

It was also here that Eskil finally met the young Regalaf, the child who had won the right to inherit the throne of Mercia, just like his biological father with a golden hair.

The boy was always pestering his grandpa and grandma, the old couple who were the old chiefs of the Ross people and the first generation of princes.

Esquier kept the utmost restraint, he didn’t dare to tease the child, he respectfully stated that the child had a noble status recognized by the Holy See, and then he gave the child instructions in Latin and left on his own.

Eskil’s actions were limited to a certain extent. He could travel in and around Novgorod city under the escort of mercenaries, and he could see the rural life of the Principality.

He could write a report, and Rurik was willing to provide paper, quills, and ink.

Because Rurik never denied the possibility of peaceful trade with the Franks.

Crusades to combat their arrogance are one thing, trade quite another.

Based on his understanding of the Hanseatic League, that commercial alliance could not have popped out of a rock. It represented the inherent merchant class in the Frankish Kingdom. Merchants and small property owners even rebelled against the king for trade privileges and succeeded.

Arrogance belongs to the nobility, and Frankish merchants will never refuse goods and opportunities to make a fortune from Ross!

After all, Novgorod is impressively on the list of the Hanseatic League.

Eskil was authorized to write some anecdotes on paper. Rurik could imagine the excited attitude of this person when he saw that it was extremely convenient to write like cloth and wood, but it was definitely not parchment.

The old guy was itchy after a few days of traveling, because here he saw an idyllic scene that resembled the Frankish inland area.

The Ross people among the Normans are actually farmers?

The stereotype of the hero at sea has been greatly rewritten.

Of course, the memorabilia written by this person can only be taken away after being reviewed by Rurik himself. If there are fields that slander the Principality, those fields that may involve important secrets of the Principality must also be deleted.

Eskil remains in a sense under house arrest.

In recent days, Spuute has always seen Eskil in a black robe walking on roads full of gravel and clay slag, and even running on the main road made of bricks.

A guy asked Spueut: “Boss, I’m worried that this guy is a spy, he’s too flamboyant.”

“Careful work? There is an armed brother behind him, and this person dare not mess around. This is an old guy, and he may not be able to walk in a few years.”

Spyut was busy buying Novgorod’s special Slavic big Leba. This is a large bread with oak wood powder added on purpose. Hanhan “stone”, but this kind of extremely storage-resistant food is very suitable for long-term sailing life.

Just as they were busy buying supplies, the prince’s summoning order came down suddenly.

The Spyut pirate gang assembled urgently, and at the same time, Arik of the First Banner Squad and elite soldiers who seemed to have enough for a centurion also came to the meeting.

The men of the First Banner Squad turned into fishing maniacs, and the men who were recruited this time were all the guys who were boating on the nearby Ilmen Lake.

Arik and his men were very excited, because they learned that the assembly was related to a special expedition, and they put aside the prince’s statement that “there will be no troops this year”.

“Boy, your hands are itchy even if you don’t fight, I like it very much.” Arik sighed secretly.

A group of troops entered the city, causing the people to be in a turmoil, and some remarks about the war spread like wildfire.

Especially the most populous Slavic people, their attitude towards the war is generally supportive, but according to the rumors, won’t the prince call any Slavic fighters this time?

After all, this is a battle that belongs only to the Varyags?

Who is their enemy?

The chamber of the Rus Duma Council was very long, and Rurik simply led a total of 150 people into the long room of the Council.

This rectangular enclosed space is very suitable for preaching. Standing on the podium, Rurik pointed out the “truth”.

He hoarsely pointed out that the Franks were behind everything with anger: “Our Ross shop was destroyed by the Frankish army, and the Danes are their lackeys. The Franks said that it is okay to do business with them, but they must pay a huge amount of tribute , and you must believe in their gods. I used to think that the Danes were the worst enemies, but now it seems that the Franks are the most insidious…”

He even used the aggressive method to impersonate a Frankish nobleman as an excuse, pointing out that the Ross people were regarded as barbarians in the north, as humble as ants.

As expected, people were irritated, and Arik yelled hoarsely: “We should cut off their nonsense heads!”

Furious and hateful, they still try to find a way to hook their predatory desires.

Rurik pointed directly at the first target of this operation – Bremen.

According to his tone, it was a Frankish city that stored a lot of silver coins, and also had granaries and wool warehouses.

The First Banner had robbed Lindisfarne Abbey, stripped of its gold and silver.

Coincidentally, there is also a cathedral in Bremen. Blue Fox visited and lived in the cathedral, and the first-hand information he has shows that there are really a lot of gold and silverware in it.

Anger and greed are intertwined, and this long-distance robbery must be done.

The people who were chosen by Prince Rurik and sat in Ross Dumane were very fortunate. There was a good opportunity to make a fortune in front of them. Although there were some risks, they could be ignored in the face of a large amount of wealth.

A plan to sack Bremen was written on paper.

According to the plan, the principality will send out a local elite centurion, led by the captain of the first banner, Arik himself.

The businessman Lanhu was incorporated into the army as a soldier. Compared with fighting, his main job was to serve as a combat consultant, guiding the army to siege and plunder.

Spueut led the current pirate gang to fight, and brought another group of people on Saaremaa Island.

The Finns in Finland must also participate in the battle. Earl Gevlo must send out no less than fifty archers to participate in the battle, and he must personally participate.

Since the purpose of the operation is pure plunder, the number of troops should not be too large, and they should not be entangled after encountering the Frankish army.

The size of the team must be guaranteed to be between 300 and 400 people. If the city of Bremen cannot be captured well, their wheat will be harvested on a large scale around the city and the village granaries will be looted.

Arik is a fierce general, and the overall realization is that bravery is better than wisdom, so it is necessary to stay in the Finnish area and lead troops to check and balance.

The existence of Yevro is also very important. As a de facto vassal, he no longer serves as the mercenary captain. With the status of a nobleman, he must fulfill the obligation to send troops to assist the prince, which is also a means of monitoring him.

Rurik was still not at ease with his cousin, so he had to warn again: “Brother! Most of the brothers listened to you this time. You are very good at leading two or three hundred people to plunder the stronghold of thousands of people. I I just hope that you will not be too impulsive and learn to stop when enough is enough. We robbed the wealth and withdrew when the transport ship was full. The most you can do is to burn Bremen with a torch, and you must not resist the Frankish main force.”

“Really?” Arik stood up and smashed his chest with a smile: “I should kill many Franks and let them know the price of humiliating Ross. I really hope to fight their main force.”

Rurik frowned immediately, slapped his face with a slap, and continued to instruct: “They have a lot of cavalry! There may be a thousand of them! This is what the blue fox saw with his own eyes! Think about the cavalry we met in Northumbria. The Frankish cavalry are more vicious than theirs, so don’t confront them head-on, we must fight wisely.”

The encounter with the cavalry in Britain made Arik very uncomfortable, and the Ross Barmerk coalition at that time suffered a lot from it.

My brother mentioned the businessman Lanhu, but this person is still fighting as a soldier?

Arik couldn’t help asking: “Is Blue Fox’s investigation information reliable? He has traveled in Frank for a whole year, and he has seen a lot. Will he exaggerate to them? Besides, why didn’t I see him there?”

In fact, the blue fox has always been present.

I saw a man who could only say that his face was slightly fat and had just begun to grow his beard stood up. This body was wrapped in a capable brown leather jacket with a belt tied around his waist. No matter how he looked at it, he was dressed like a soldier.

“I am the blue fox, I swear to Odin, to Frey, and to the gods, what I see is the truth.”

“You? It’s the blue fox? Isn’t the blue fox as fat as a seal?” Arik smiled unceremoniously, and the others also looked at a thin man who called himself a fat blue fox.

What else can Blue Fox do?

I could only make an apologetic smile, and then sneered: “I killed a Danish soldier, and even almost saw that Frankish prince. I was humiliated in Denmark, and I wished I could kill that prince with my own hands. Ninety brothers took revenge. Now that I am thinner, I can kill the enemy better. Arik, I am not much weaker than you.”

Such wild words aroused Arik’s curiosity: “Oh? It seems that you are indeed a blue fox. You are very confident? Why don’t we go outside and compare who is better at beating people.”

“Fighting? I’m not good at fighting. My strength lies in my understanding of the Franks.” Blue Fox said with a sullen face: “No one knows Franks better than me, and no one knows their army better than me. Only I can tell Where are your warehouses, where are their gold and silver hidden, and which villages can best solve our military ration problem.”

“Oh! You are indeed better than me in this respect.” Arik didn’t want to quarrel, he shrugged and went straight down the donkey. After all, he would win the fight, even if the reputation spread was not good, he was a madman who killed countless enemies. Is it plausible to bully a professional businessman who aspires to be a fighter?

The Principality of Ross started preparations in Novgorod. Considering that Bremen has a fairly solid wooden wall, it is time to prepare some siege tools in advance.

Rurik wanted to build a large counterweight trebuchet, but considering the actual time cost, that was very unrealistic.

The focus is still on the production of the siege cart that was born by hitting the door. It is impossible for a cart to be completely transported on a large ship, and the key parts can be transported away, and then it can be assembled with wood when it arrives in the local area.

There is also a very violent and straightforward method, using a steel felling axe, with dozens of people working together to chop down and sweep part of the city wall. After all, the wooden city wall is not indestructible.

The number of personnel in the raiding fleet was fixed, and the number of ships was also arranged by Rurik.

Considering that there is a high probability of encountering the regular Frankish army, especially the cavalry, the Principality needs to give full play to its naval superiority and use enough ships to transport all kinds of supplies it has robbed.

The sailing cruisers Salmon Chief and Gray Squirrel were recruited, accompanied by four planetary-class sailing destroyers Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Ubit, and four standard armed cargo ships launched in recent years. Accompanied by number four.

With ten ships involved, the scale of the operation is not small.

If the simple sailors recruited were brought along, the total number of people could be 500.

However, only this military operation Rurik did not provide military rations and fresh water supply.

The expedition personnel can pay for their own supplies in Novgorod, and finally complete the naval assembly on Tombstone Island, as well as the weapons used.

In exchange, the riches they plundered were split 50-50 with the princes, which was enough to fuel the brothers’ fanatical will to fight.

It seems that Bremen, which is the target, is already a big fat sheep tied up.

[End of this Chapter]