Rise of Rurik - Chapter 948

[Chapter 950 Henry, Baron of Nassau]

Harald Clark expected that he would be defeated. Due to many reasons, he knew that he was close to death, but he decided to give it a go.

So ushered in a doomed failure.

However, for an old man who is already sixty years old, even if he is not as crazy as he is today, what hope is there for him in the future?

Even if the chaos in the north is resolved, and he is happy to mention a title of baron because of his merits, should he live alone in an unknown village in East Franks?

He doesn’t even have any heirs.

Although he converted to God, today he is rushing to death like a Viking warrior.

He is already an old man, what has he gained from being a mercenary for more than ten years?

It is a disgrace that even a count should be furious at what the former king of Denmark dictates to him.

If he died in this battle, it would be a glorious end to his embarrassing second half of his life.

But at the moment when he was really on the verge of death in battle, the desire to survive overcame everything.

He hides in the most conscientious way, like “a harpooned cod”, being pulled from under the pontoon.

Fortunately, he didn’t die in battle, but he was very cold.

In the city of Hamburg, Sigurd’s son Ragnar was standing here, and behind him stood a group of soldiers. Look at their chic attire, they are all Danish troops!

For a split second, he burst into tears.

“Are you Harald Clark?” Rurik poked his head and asked the white-bearded old guy who was curled up at Rurik’s feet silently.

“I just said it. I am Harald Clark, and I was the King of Denmark more than ten years ago.”

“Indeed.” Ragnar sighed and looked up to the sky again. He thought of a lot in an instant.

“I met you back then, when I just became famous, but in the second year you were expelled from everyone because you betrayed Odin. It’s really unexpected that you didn’t die. Moreover, you became the dog of the Franks.”

“What else can I do?” Harald Clark asked aggrievedly.

“Who knows. Maybe I should kill you. Not only are you a traitor to Odin, you’re attacking us. You deserve to die. And the rest of your men deserve to die.”

As he spoke, Ragnar drew out his sword, and when he was about to stab, he was grabbed by Rurik.

“Slow down! Brother! This person cannot be killed.”

“Why? You pity him?”

“No.”

“I heard that when you killed Hafgen, you were standing on the bow of the ship and shouting “Go to hell or something.”

Rurik shrugged his shoulders, thinking that his yelling back then had a miscarriage?

This guy must have heard about his subordinates bragging in private.

“However, this man can’t be killed. It’s not because he was once the leader of Denmark. By the way…you never feel that an old guy with a white beard threatens your status. I have already asked, and this man doesn’t even have any children.”

“You have no heirs?!” Ragnar felt extremely absurd, so he lowered his head again: “It seems that when you fled to Frank, the nobles there did not arrange a wife and concubine for you. You are so pitiful. However, the traitor ended up like this , everyone is happy.”

Suffering round after round of humiliation, Harald Clark at this moment is extremely remorseful.

Why did I grab the pontoon just now?

It’s better to just sink into the Elbe River.

Rurik asked his Ragnar brothers to remain calm, and said: “I am the commander of the entire army. This is what we negotiated. Including the army that defeated her, it was also done by my Ross army. This person knows A lot of information, I want to interrogate him. Besides, he was once the king of Denmark, how about…”

Suddenly, Rurik moved his mouth to Ragnar’s ear, and whispered: “You can do a ceremony. Let this man declare that you are the real king of Denmark. Then make him worship Odin again, and give him Arrange a small house to support him, anyway, he will not live for a few years.”

Ragnar came to his senses suddenly, and leaned his face over and muttered, “It’s fine for him to admit that I’m the king of Denmark, but if I support him, other nobles will say I’m an idiot.”

“You don’t like him? It’s okay, just let me. This man’s army was defeated by the Ross army. He is my prisoner of war. I will deal with him.”

“Alright.” Ragnar nodded.

Killing a defeated old man with his own hands, Rurik was tired of his sword being stained with blood.

Rurik is not like killing Harald Clark, not because killing prisoners is not manly enough, but also because this person represents the past of Denmark.

Harald Clark and Otto were contemporaries, and it would be a great thing for Rurik to show him to the public when he was escorted all the way to Rose.

In this way, how will the people of Ross understand?

His own king personally killed the former Danish king Hafgen, beheaded the hands and feet of the new Danish king to make a human pig, and finally captured the earlier Danish king Harald Clark.

How glorious is it that the three kings of Denmark are either dead or captured?

But even so, Rurik was determined to spare the old man.

…

Harald Clark’s sudden defeat stunned the remaining 2,000 Frankish cavalry.

Count Robert of the Rheingau looked at the wide Elbe River and the city of Hamburg protected by a large number of large ships, and felt that approaching the river would be his own death.

The cavalry could not cross the bridge safely, and they would inevitably be hit by arrows as they approached the river.

He had already suffered a big loss on the Weser River, but he didn’t dare to squander himself and Ludwig’s elite cavalry.

But he felt that he was not completely out of chance.

Now the situation is very clear. The city of Hamburg and its surrounding areas are firmly occupied by the Normans. There is a high probability that the local Saxons and the Normans will join forces.

As for the local Franks?

His army had spotted some people going to the empty Frankish villages, and a bad omen came to mind.

“If you really kill us Franks, His Royal Highness Ludwig will definitely send a large army to conquer you! He will kill you in retaliation.” He muttered.

The iron cavalry of the Frankish cavalry has a huge tactical advantage. As long as the Normans dare to reach the south bank of the Elbe River and make in-depth challenges, they will seek their own death, and the cavalry cavalry will trample them into flesh.

After all, the baron is just a baron, because the next action still has huge risks, and Robert is very worried that his own soldiers will suffer losses.

The Baron of Nassau was forced to listen. The so-called task was that the earl asked himself to be a negotiator to have a good talk with the Normans.

“This…doesn’t it make me go to die?”

“How could it be death?! Would they kill the messenger?!”

“They will. Because they’re Normans, like Satan’s apostles…”

Robert laughed awkwardly. He couldn’t guarantee that the Normans would not kill them, but he had to figure out the enemy’s true intentions and use them as key information to inform the monarch Ludwig.

Intimidate the baron?

forget it!

None of the people in the village of Nassau were Franks. They belonged to the kingdom very smoothly in the early years. Because of their small size, they only granted the title of baron to the village leader.

The Robert family is the outsider. After all, he is a branch of the family. Quite a few relatives actually live in today’s location in Belgium as Lothair’s vassals.

As an earl, Robert dared not force Henry to go.

He arranged it like this: “It is true that the risk is huge, but now, only you can take on this important task. You will investigate the information, and the information will eventually be sent to the monarch. No one will bury your credit, I will personally report to the monarch Your feat, your fiefdom will become larger and the population will increase. Both the monarch and I need you. In fact, I just need you to find out their situation first and confirm their identity. If there is a real negotiation, I must personally Go. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

“So I’m actually just a connector?” Henry asked cautiously.

“Probably so. You should also try to find out the enemy’s intentions, the more detailed the better.”

Of course, the three cavalry captains from Regensburg would not go to this muddy water, but just sat and watched the show.

Henry, the Baron of Nassau, was in a dilemma and had to take over the job.

Considering the risk was too great, he even found a clean board and scratched a piece of text with a meat knife.

This is the will, which he entrusted to Robert: “If I die, it will be given to my family. My title will be inherited by my eldest son.”

The baron behaved like a martyr. He even cut off a lock of hair and sealed it in a box. He said that if his body was gone, he would use this lock of hair to represent his final burial in the monastery in Nassau village.

…

Just across the Elbe, Rurik ordered a huge display of fireworks.

So on the north bank of the river, a large number of bonfires were connected in a string, like a chain, and it seemed that the opposite bank was full of troops.

This dealt a considerable psychological blow to the Frankish army on the other side. After all, Charlemagne had never engaged in cunning bonfire suspect tactics when he was alive.

In other words, the traditional Frankish army was very wary of martial arts, that is, to swagger the army and fight head-to-head with the enemy’s army.

Hamburg is full of joy after victory, and everyone is full of confidence in holding on to the fruits of victory.

Rurik consulted with the generals and nobles, especially Ragnar, Liudov, and Robert.

It is impossible for the so-called army to hold on here meaninglessly. As for taking the initiative to attack, it is theoretically possible, but the risk is still too great.

Rurik’s interrogation of Harald Clarke went very well.

This man is not willing to give up his belief in God and believe in Odin again. He claims to have been abandoned by Odin long ago. If he can choose an end, he would rather put down his weapon and become a monk.

Be a monk?

Can.

But if he wants to go back to Frank, he will definitely not have a stable life.

It is completely impossible to stay in Denmark, and will be beheaded by Ragnar’s order.

This Harald Clark had already seen Horik who had turned into a human pig in a wooden cage under Rurik’s instruction.

Horik and Harald Clark are indeed related by blood, but the two have long been strangers.

He saw the blue fox again, and was equally astonished.

“When my friend Blue Fox was in trouble, you protected him and helped him complete his journey. With this credit, I will save you from death. You were once the king of Denmark, and Ragnar would kill you, but I don’t want to kill you. I invite you to go to the far east, where there is a monastery, it doesn’t matter if you don’t give up God, you can retire there. As long as you honestly report the intentions of your Frankish army and provide this information, you will be happy in your old age.”

Harald Clark surrendered smoothly, and had to sigh: “I was the king of Denmark when you were born. My men attacked your fleet. I know about it, but I didn’t order it…” Then he It’s an almost excuse.

That was in 821. Uncle Ogier died in a sneak attack by the Danes after yaw. It was true that the Ross fleet crossed the line first and successfully defended and counterattacked.

But this incident undoubtedly aroused the fury of the Ross people, and added fuel to the already poor bilateral relationship.

It’s passed.

The former Danish king became a lonely white-haired old man.

Harald Clarke would take the opportunity to recognize Ragnar as the true King of Denmark, and Rurik as the great King of Ross.

This move is the vanity of the Danish nobles who ended their political lives and greatly satisfied them.

The information he provided was quite solid, and at the meeting at night, everyone understood the real strength of the enemy, and even confirmed how many people Arik had killed in the Frankish army before fleeing.

“The enemy only has two thousand horses, so I don’t think there is anything to be afraid of.” At the meeting, Ragnar yelled.

The attitude of many nobles is the same, even Liudov, who was completely supported, instantly became a firm main fighter.

“I propose to take the initiative.” Liudov declared confidently: “I know Robert, he is my neighbor. I really didn’t expect that Ludwig would send him three cavalry banners. Robert also brought his fief When the main force comes, he has already lost too much, so he is still unwilling to retreat, and in my opinion, he dare not attack rashly again. We will attack them across the Elbe River, and we will definitely wipe out his cavalry.”

This remark surprised Rurik: “When…when did you suddenly become so confident?”

“This is an opportunity! Ludwig only has 5,000 elite cavalry, and our coalition army can take this opportunity to destroy half of his cavalry. If the remaining Robert suffers heavy losses, Ludwig will be killed in the east of his territory.” There are no soldiers left. Then we can do whatever we want.”

Rurik also understood, and a map was formed in his mind.

The so-called Ludwig, the monarch of East Francia, his basic territory is the Bavarian region, as for other territories, it is actually a few major sectors.

There are no big vassals in the Alemanni region, and the Counties of Rheingau are the existing big vassals. The rest of the area is mostly the bishop’s direct jurisdiction and the towns directly controlled by Ludwig.

To the east are the Counties of Westphalia, Flanders, Bremen and Hamburg.

The problem is that in areas including Bremen and Hamburg, the local Saxons are already happy to see the resurrection of the Duchy of Saxony.

The Earl of Westphalia has existed in name only, because the earl is Liudov, who transformed himself into the Duke of Sax and openly confronted him militarily.

The eastern part of Ludwig’s territory is either a political vacuum or a traitor. There is only one Earl of Flanders who can’t help but fish in the Dutch sea.

In other words, the Flanders in this area are unwilling to take the initiative and just want to remain neutral. The so-called whoever wins in the end will be loyal to whomever.

If the whole army is dispatched and bites those Frankish cavalry, it is feasible to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

But it must also be considered that they will use super high mobility to run away. The main force of the Ross Army is the Marine Corps. Once there is no fleet protection, it is still very risky to use infantry to fight cavalry.

Because the Russian army has suffered a lot in this regard recently, and the instigator is the current ally, Duke Ludoff of Saxony.

It was precisely because of this that Rurik was more aware of the risks involved.

Why attack with all your strength?

Time has entered autumn, and the climate is turning cold rapidly. Once it rains, it may last for ten days. This is the so-called autumn rain season in northern Europe in September.

Such a climate is really not suitable for fighting. Presumably those Frankish cavalry are short of supplies and cannot hold on for too long.

Revenge on Frank was necessary, but it was too late this year.

The army fought from spring to autumn. Although one victory followed another, the army was still quite tired. To continue fighting was to face the huge Frank, and it became untimely to carry out pirate raids.

The lower limit for the army to stay is the end of October. Otherwise, the east and north Baltic Seas will freeze, and the fleet will have to spend the winter on Tombstone Island in the Åland Islands.

How much can we achieve with more than a month left?

Why don’t you talk to Count Rheingau Robert, the enemy’s commander, first.

Who acts as a matchmaker?

Eskil, the sage of the north, is a well-recognized figure.

Eskil, who was very speechless and sad about this battle, was brought out. When he learned that a war might be resolved with his own mouth, he was willing to be a matchmaker in the negotiation.

Eskil began active preparations, as did the Russian, Danish, and Saxon armies.

Could it really be negotiated for them to recognize the Duchy of Saxony and keep the peace?

Pooh!

Only after conquering Ludwig and killing his elite, will he be subdued.

Let the gentleman’s agreement go to hell, everyone only recognizes fists.

So Rurik ordered everyone to actively log, and made a large number of long wooden poles to sharpen them, so that they could be used as wooden spears.

Let the entire army, regardless of ethnicity, set up a spear formation, let the Frankish cavalry charge into the hedgehog formation, so that ordinary Saxon farmers gather together, at least they are not easy to be knocked down.

Rurik ordered to make two-handed preparations overnight, but the Frankish army on the other side of the river was still fighting mentally.

So early in the morning, Baron Nassau led ten entourages, rode horses and held three flags high and rushed to the bridgehead by the river.

[In other words, currently the best app for reading and listening to books, change the source app, www.huanyuanapp.com to install the latest version.

】

These three flags are unusual, one is a cross flag painted blue on a white background, and the other is Charlemagne’s three lions flag.

The last side is pure white cloth.

Of course, this white cloth does not mean surrender. It represents negotiation. Even though Baron Henry of Nassau felt that the Normans did not understand the habits of the Frankish army, he still bit the bullet and ran to the bridgehead, preparing to face the Norman sentries that appeared there again… …

[End of this Chapter]