Rise of Rurik

Once, only canoes and small sampans could float on the Lan River, but now everything has changed.

Viking longships with pointy ends slide neatly with large oars, and many longships tow a larger vessel.

In the beginning, the people fishing by the river, grazing and mowing, they stopped what they were doing, leaning on their straw hats and squinting to enjoy the unheard of wonders.

In fact, they didn't know what Vikings or Normans meant. The simple villagers only knew that last year, the baron brought most of his horse-riding squires, and recruited some farmers, and was ordered to go to the north to fight the rebels.

The war is too far away for ordinary people, and the farmers don’t know what the “rebellion of the north” has to do with them. Their families only know that the war will bring death, and they hold their conscripted husband in pain for a while.

and then? There was no news for a whole winter. Now that this year's spring ploughing has even been completed, the life and death of the Baron is unknown, and the person who went on the expedition has disappeared.

Obviously Nassau Village is not far from the Frankfurt am Main in the East Kingdom, and these mortals are not worthy of going to the palace to inquire about news.

They could only go to the village monastery to pray, and even the baroness was not exempt.

The long period of no news first brought unease, then fear, and now, it has gradually been relieved.

If Henry Nassau dies moderately or definitively, his eldest son automatically inherits the baronial title.

As long as the Barony of Nassau continues, there will be no change in the lives of ordinary people.

The villagers continue to work hard every day. They do not know a single character. Except for agricultural production, they go to the monastery to participate in activities. Weddings and funerals in the village have become rare and extremely important entertainment.

The Lan River is not wide and the flow rate is slow, and the long boat with shallow draught goes upstream in a grand manner.

People who saw this spectacle for the first time had no fear. They stood like scarecrows in the field, quietly watching the people on the boat.

There are a lot of people with golden hair there, and many of them look taller.

Hold on! Why is the face of the man standing on the deck of the huge ship like an ark so familiar?

It's the baron!

Realizing that this was great news, the people began to approach the river spontaneously, waved to the Baron, and followed the fleet. Although they didn't know the situation, it was clear that Lord Baron left on horseback, and there were very few people with him. What's the situation now? Could it be that these people are the baron's new retinue?

Someone boldly guessed that the baron had made great contributions in the war against rebellion.

Of course, the people working in the fields couldn't keep up with the brave blue fox fleet.

"It's coming soon, get your people ready to dock." Henry Nassau demanded nervously.

The blue fox was in a good mood: "The long voyage is finally over. Let me land... Does your village have a suitable dock?"

"No. However, your boats are good for scouring. My village has a lot of mud on the banks of the river, so it's good for you."

"Really? It's okay to wash the beach, but not in the long run. I'm going to build a real pier."

Henry shrugged: "Whatever you want."

"You... seem a little absent-minded?" Lanhu was keenly aware of the change in this person's attitude.

"After all, my family is leaving here. I'm afraid many people will leave by your boat."

"In that case, I'll help you take care of this place. Of course, I'm staying temporarily. I hope my people can get along with yours."

The appearance of the fleet is like an ark in the world. The villagers' knowledge of the big ship is limited to the "ark" described by the village priest, so it is called Ross's armed cargo ship.

If it weren't for the striking cross flags hanging on the masts, the villagers would subconsciously avoid them. A piece of coarse white cloth with a huge black cross painted on a blackened wooden stick, the Norman ship was transformed into a peaceful disguise. The camouflage even overshadowed the Ross flag, which was also flying.

The priest of the monastery in the village can be said to be the most knowledgeable man in the entire Nassau village. He recognized the meaning of the flags at a glance. Although there is one that looks like the flag of St. Andrew, at least these signs can prove that the visitors are friendly.

With the affirmation of the priest, all the priests came out in full force. They carried large wooden crosses and put on black burqas to lead the villagers to the riverside.

At this time, the blue fox's fleet had washed the beach, and some soldiers with round shields had landed.

If it were normal, this group of ruthless men who disembarked would rush towards the village with their weapons and roar to launch a raid. They maintained absolute restraint, because they all knew that they were going to be baptized here to complete their conversion. No one forced them to do so. The so-called following the blue fox into the Frankish hinterland this time was entirely voluntary, and conversion was a condition for joining the team. In fact, everyone is very smart, and they converted to God in order to paralyze others, so that they can make their own fortune in Frank.

The village in front of me is rather rudimentary. Although there are many stone buildings, there is only one small two-story building visible to the naked eye. There are solidly treaded dirt roads everywhere, and many places are clearly visible mud ponds. If you smell it carefully, the air is filled with the smell of cow dung, the unique fragrance of grass and silt. Take a closer look at the feet, and you can detect some black particles, which are undoubtedly sheep feces.

The Russians and Swedes who have seen the world in the team are full of regrets about this village. It is far inferior to the old Rosberg and the old Birka of Melalen, and it is a joke to compare the new Rosberg and Stockholm.

The thought that everyone will build a stronghold here in the future will start a new conflict, so everyone has to talk to each other - the riverside village fortress that we passed by on the journey is not bad, and we took it as the brothers' castle.

What they thought was to take the Koblenz settlement as their own, and such a spontaneous idea coincided with the blue fox.

Even if this place is bad, it is Henry Nassau's hometown after all, and his ancestors are buried here, and the thought of really leaving is somewhat reluctant.

Henry has also landed with the old squires who are still alive. They have lost all their war horses and are now returning empty-handed.

He saw the crowd, the priests in burqas, and tried to check whether his wife and children were there. Sure enough, the approaching crowd had familiar faces, and the old man opened his arms, shouted the names of his wife and son, and then walked forward...

Lord Baron is back! Although the way back is very magical, the adults who have been away for a year are back!

The baroness pounced on Henry, and the old couple wept together. Henry's sons and daughters seem very settled, they have no idea what a thrilling and fantastic "travel" their father has experienced.

So, who were the fleet of ships that suddenly appeared, and the staggering number of blond men with round shields?

Blue Fox is first and foremost a businessman, but also a businessman who understands Latin, even though he dresses like a warrior now. He approached the prudent priest as if he were familiar, showed his sterling silver cross deliberately, and communicated with him in Latin.

"You? Someone from afar, you...know the sacred language? Could it be that you're from afar... a priest?"

The blue fox will never forget the misunderstanding lament of the priest, because he knows Latin, and he is considered to be another priest. warrior? priest?

"You misunderstood. I am a distant earl, and I am friends with your Lord Earl. I will also become friends with you. We should make an appointment to talk about anything."

"Count? Are you an earl? Our earl?" The priest looked at Henry Nassau, and he understood at once: "It seems that the Duke has given you a new title."

This matter is really indescribable, Henry can only shrug, the so-called words are almost the same.

Of course, the war will kill people. Fortunately, the losses of Nassau Village mainly come from the baron's entourage, and have little to do with ordinary farmers.

The Ross fleet was docked at the silty place of the big bend in the Lanhe River. Only the large ship docked in the waters on the bank sideways, and dropped the cables to fix the many wooden stakes that were deeply laid on the shore to ensure that the large ship would not float away.

The soldiers were ordered to guard the boats to build an open-air camp. Because this landing site was to be used as a long-term residence, everyone had to build their own wooden shacks. They also set up cauldrons to boil the wheat, making the riverside meals float.

At first, the people naturally thought that these foreign troops would have to take some more grain tax from the village. They naturally thought that this army was listening to adults, but they did not seem to have any demands. They fell trees on the hills with axes and a tool that could not be named, and circled a large area by the river, and then began to build fences, which tended to be transformed into wooden fences. Inside the wall are a large number of wooden houses. At first, deep wooden piles were laid on the soft soil, and then the floors were laid on the wooden piles to set up large columns. After the frame was built, logs that did not even peel the bark were piled up to make wooden walls and roofs. The rough construction method is like building a hut in the woods. Everyone’s initial requirements are not high, but several requirements must be met: not sleeping on the ground, or a wooden house that does not leak, or is not damp.

The Eastern Slavic wooden house building and the Viking longhouse building mode are mixed into the Rus-style wooden house. King Rurik called it the word "mukleng", the so-called woodcut. The abbreviated version is such a quick construction. As for the need to keep out the cold in winter, when the brothers have not won a better stronghold in the real winter, they will build the stronghold building by themselves and try their best to pile mud mixed with reeds on the outer wall. .

The foreign army was building construction, even Henry Nassau could not have imagined that the blue fox would do such a thing. He was very relieved, after all, he did not pay a copper coin and a pound of grain for these militarized operations on his own site.

It is obvious that the Rus people and the village of Nassau were deliberately kept at a distance, which was in line with the promise of Rurik, the king of Rus.

He was very pleased that Henry Nassau was not in a hurry to announce the big event to the villagers.

A baron became an earl, which did not mean that the title of Baron of Nassau would be lost. The lady was naturally happy with her new status with her husband, but worried about the future.

An ordinary woman can't control anything, and Henry's eldest son, eldest daughter, and youngest son who has just learned to walk are even more ignorant.

Henry made a decision on three children: the eldest, Paul, was the first heir to the Earl of the Netherlands, and the second, Bowman, was the second.

The county of the Netherlands is much larger than the Barony of Nassau, which can be subdivided into two large plates, Utrecht (in the south) and Friesland (in the north). The eldest inherits the earl and presides over the richest Utrecht, while the second can inherit the northern Frisian rule and can get a baron title.

Henry didn't think there was any problem with enfeoffment, it was precisely the optimal solution for the distribution of family property.

Women have long been ineligible, so what about the title of Baron of Nassau? He thought of the great value of his daughter.

Henry felt that this area of ​​his hometown would be harassed by war in the future, and giving up his hometown would be a better option.

Madam just didn't understand this: "The tombs of your ancestors are all here, do you have to move the tombs?"

"Why not? Now the Duke of Saxony has been replaced, and the Earl of Westphalia has given up his original title to become the new Duke of Saxony. This is the result of the war. Our family is now a vassal of the Duke of Saxony, and then depends on Ludwig. Be careful not to be destroyed by him. The Duke of Saxony has moved the coffins of his ancestor Widukind to Hamburg, and so can we."

"You're giving up here entirely? What about your baronies?"

"For our daughter."

The decision baffled the woman: "She's a woman. So, marriage?"

"Yes, it's a marriage. Did you see the warriors I brought? The leader of them was an earl from the north..."

"Ah? It's so noble. But... a little too old." Madam was both surprised and regretful.

"He also has a younger brother who has just grown up and is not married. His younger brother will come over soon. What do you think? Our daughter is married to the younger brother of the Earl of Gothenburg in the north, and our daughter's son will naturally inherit the The title of Baron Sao. With the protection of a northern noble, our daughter will be safe in this troubled time."

Henry's wife still didn't understand, she could hear that all this was the husband's love for his daughter.

After all, the Nassau family has been powerless and powerless since ancient times, and has been a petty vassal. Henry's wife is just the daughter of an unknown knight under the leadership of the Earl of Ingol. Dan is boring. When her husband was ordered to go to war, she cried extremely hard. She had already felt that her husband had given up hope in the battle, but she never imagined that a miracle would happen.

She is definitely not a fool at all. The so-called King Ludwig was active in Frankfurt from Mainz, and the Baron of Nassau had betrayed him. Once Ludwig settles the accounts after the civil war, the baron is afraid that he will not be able to keep it.

Ludwig suffered a crushing defeat, and those troops who landed in the village belonged to the victorious side, and the man named Joseph Blue Fox was the count of the victorious side.

Marrying her daughter can use the peace treaty to ensure that Nassau Village will not be settled in the future, and her daughter has become a bargaining chip for power insurance.

However, this does not seem to be sacrificing the interests of the daughter.

So, Henry took his ignorant daughter, dressed her up beautifully, and went to see the blue fox who was temporarily nesting at the "construction site".

No one remembers that Blue Fox used to be a big fat man. Over the years, whether he was active or passive, his warrior-like life forced him to lose weight and become the strongest man in the family. His old face was still a little chubby. This time, he was wearing only pants and boots. He was shirtless and showed thick chest hair. Not only was a sterling silver cross hanging on his chest, there were also sterling silver Thor's Hammer, gold-plated Frey's Boar, and even amber-polished ones. Lucky elf.

This is a guy with a very rich diversity of beliefs. Henry knows that this guy is not devout to God, and this is not a problem. Because this kid is very pious about money and interests, so it is very easy to handle.

Henry Nassau's daughter was still young, and he carried the plainly dressed girl wearing a black and white turban, and accompanied by his squires, he walked into the riverside camp of the Rus.

Soon, the blue fox threw away the tools at hand and led a group of strong men out aggressively.

This scene really made the girl tremble and cry~www.readwn.com~ Henry let go of his hand, and the child was so numb that he hid behind his father, silently peeking out his eyes to observe the catfish that seemed to be drilled out of the mud Dirty people.

"My daughter is afraid of life." Henry smiled slightly embarrassedly.

"I remembered." Lanhu squeezed his beard: "So, have you discussed it with your family?"

"Think about it. My daughter Sophia will marry your brother. I only have three conditions."

"Go ahead."

"Your brother, you must be young, you must have no contact with other women, you must convert to God."

"It's all right." Blue Fox was a little surprised. Should such a big event be negotiated in this informal setting? "Perhaps we should discuss the details of this matter on a respectable occasion."

"I also have this intention. Why don't I hold a family dinner tonight, let's talk in detail?"

"I accept the invitation."