Rise of Rurik

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More than 200 Danish fighters were left alone on the Rhine. The current could not stop them from sailing against the current, but the north wind encouraged their mobility.

Facing one victory after another, these Danes who have lived in Jutland or the neighboring island of Zealand for generations now feel very good about themselves, and even think that the Franks are a broken grass hut. Shake violently and collapse.

A warrior, either flattering or sincere, gave this advice to Ragnar the Great: "When we go back with a great deal of gold and silver, the people of our homeland will be astonished at our wealth. The Great King should call for more brave warriors, we went deep and continued to plunder, and even made all the Franks our slaves."

This sentence deepened Ragnar's desire.

"Indeed, as far as revenge is concerned, we have killed their arrogance by killing them all the way here. If I can summon 10,000 warriors like the Rus, I can do more than Rurik. "

"Then call it." Another echoed, "Our warriors are no less than the Rus. In the future, the Saxons will serve as a barrier for us. Although our ships are not necessarily superior to the Rus, they are far superior to the Franks. We come as we want, All the wealth of the Franks is just for us."

They talked loudly around the campfire, like pirates plotting new moves.

Ragnar had eaten roast lamb and cooked oatmeal. He felt empowered, and then he planned to vent on the captured woman.

The new plan has been set, that is, to make a fortune in Cologne.

The fire behind them is blazing into the sky. Although it is late autumn and early winter, the Danes are all ruthless men who show their backs. The cyan-blue ferocious patterns on their bodies looked like demons crawling out of hell. They always ate strange things and had an indescribable bad breath, which together gave the captured women a deep fear.

They don't feel cold, so they plan to spend the night in the open air with blankets.

Ragnar and the guys discussed it again, either to make a fortunate female prisoner, or to polish the battle axe and iron sword with stones.

On a new day, they set off.

The soldiers got on the boat one after another, and with their big oars, the long boats continued to sail upstream like water centipedes.

It is not a long journey. Ragnar and his gang set off early in the morning, and they will be able to touch the city of Cologne by noon.

But all of the Danes' plans, because of what they saw next, had to make a big change.

In the backward fishing technology, the Franks living in Cologne and the surrounding areas only know how to fish and cast nets near shore. The Rhine River here is still very wide, and the water flow in the center of the river is a little more rapid, which is not suitable for freshwater fish such as European perch. Only the nearshore is the active area.

During warm times, there are few boats on the river, and if there are, they are mostly barges that row across the river.

The locals are not in the mood to invest in the construction of a pontoon bridge, and this is the only bridge this generation can build cheaply over the big river.

There is no need for ordinary farmers to cross the river in their daily life. Only merchants, priests and nobles have such needs, and the limited barge business can meet the needs.

Even the barge business is a part of the church property. It is monopolized by the priests. Except for the high-ranking nobles and senior priests, anyone crossing the river from the Cologne area needs to leave a high river crossing fee.

Obviously, Ludwig's army of more than 20,000 people did not need to cross the Rhine at all, because his main force had always been active on the north bank, and this large river was the natural geographical dividing line between the Eastern Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom in most parts of the river. On the contrary, Ludwig of the Eastern Kingdom fought a battle with the Middle Kingdom in Lauten (Kaiserslautern), which was actually a fierce battle after crossing the river. The battle happened just a few months ago. One of the main reasons for his defeat was that the transport capacity was too limited, so that he could not transport more troops to the other side, so he was defeated by the more powerful army of the Middle Kingdom.

Not to mention that Ludwig had assembled an army of more than 20,000 people in a short period of time, and he hardly had a boat on hand.

According to his plan, the army followed the "Road to Hell" and began to go north after passing through Duisburg, and finally extended to the Bremen area. There is a stone-pier-plank bridge there, and although there are rumors that the bridge has been damaged, it could theoretically be repaired with some time and more planks. So, he collected a lot of ropes and wanted to quickly repair the bridge when facing the Weser River, so that he could drive the army to the Elbe River and face the rebels' lair-Hamburg.

Now, due to the sudden burst of flames northwest of Cologne, Ludwig sent a troop of light cavalry along the riverbank early in the morning to find out.

So the scouts ran wild on the shore, and Ragnar's raiding force floated down the river.

The two groups suddenly met across the water, and the scene was once very embarrassing.

"It's the Frankish cavalry!" someone shouted.

Ragnar squinted and took a closer look, and immediately realized that his original plan had to be adjusted slightly.

A guy asked again: "What should I do next?"

"Continue paddling! They can't help us, we must be here anyway, and I'm sorry for our efforts if we don't cut off a few heads." With that being said, Ragnar already understood that he had lost the suddenness of the attack.

He had a bad premonition that the Franks, who were considered deaf and blind, had finally learned of their continuous killings along the river.

Maybe it's impossible to make a fortune in rich Cologne this year.

Then take a good look at the situation here. The King of Denmark himself, as a scout, investigates the geography and hydrology of the place, so that the next time you gather the army, you can go straight to the target.

Ragnar decided to ignore the Frankish cavalry, and the horsemen on the shore watched in astonishment as the monstrous pointy ships were still galloping against the current with the north wind.

Who has such a ship? !

It's a Norman!

There is no need to go to the village of Düsseldorf to investigate, the criminals have been exposed, even if these scout cavalry are unwilling to go into detail, the fact is here, the Norman pirates have gone deep into the hinterland of Europe, and look at the direction of their actions, they must be It was a plan to go to Cologne for a robbery.

The cavalry immediately turned their horses back the same way.

The soldiers on the boat began to feel too strange, and some people said vigilantly: "Maybe they will ambush a large number of troops in Cologne. Wouldn't we be throwing ourselves into the net by rushing over like this?"

"Idiot, are you afraid?" Ragnar immediately turned his head to refute.

The said soldier hastily denied it.

"Listen! All of you don't have to worry. They don't have ships, and we'll be safe as long as we stay on the water. If they really have a large army, it would be a good thing, then they should be recruited by King Ross..."

The rest of Ragnar's words were not well understood by ordinary warriors.

The cavalry took the road and ran wildly, with a speed beyond Ragnar's.

Cologne is a holy place of faith built on the basis of Roman cities. The current Archbishop, Hardbolt, manages all affairs in the region. His identity is directly a real senior clergyman, but his power is equivalent to that of a marquis. Can do any business independently without serving any Frankish nobles at all, after all, the era of Charlemagne is over.

Archbishop Hardbolt had in fact lifted the "Principle of Neutrality in Civil War". Although he would not attack the Middle Kingdom, he was particularly opposed to Ludwig's army crossing the river to attack the capital city of Aachen on the south bank. The archbishop was not interested in quelling the Saxon rebellion, after all, did the Saxons betray their faith. However, a large number of Normans with assumptions about their beliefs have completely invaded the Saxony region, and there is a tendency to go south to rebel.

It was the Norman pirates that the archbishop feared, but those hussars came back with my terrifying news.

The cavalry rushed directly into the city and ran wildly in the cramped alleys. After arriving at the entrance of the cathedral, he dismounted. Due to the emergency, the scout cavalry directly competed with the priests and city patrols who stopped him from running, and rushed directly into the church's prayer hall very weakly.

Because King Ludwig is praying for the expedition here.

"Normans! Normans!"

The cavalry warriors knew that it was a great sin to do so, and it was no longer a matter of personal sin, for those Norman ships were only one step away from Cologne.

Ludwig was furious, but when he heard the attack warning from his subordinates, he immediately made preparations for the whole army in shock.

"It's incredible." He gritted his teeth, "I haven't attacked them directly, but they hit me in front of me. Well, kill them when they come!"

The cavalry reported that the Normans had only seven or eight ships, which Ludwig accidentally believed.

Only seven or eight ships rushed into the Rhine River and invaded Cologne. I am afraid that this is the leading force, and there will be more Norman pirates behind.

The messengers hurriedly arrived at Cologne's army, whether infantry or cavalry, must temporarily leave the camp and arrive at the river bank to form an array.

Ludwig put on his iron helmet with a circle of gold, and with all his cavalry, he quickly arrived at the river bank on a fat and stout Frank high-headed horse.

Then the infantry arrived one after another. The news they received was that the Norman pirates were about to land, and the war came quietly on this very ordinary morning. Although everyone could not believe it, they had to act nervously.

Almost all the infantry knew nothing about the Normans, and all their knowledge came from hearsay in Cologne these days.

Strange braids, hideous patterns on the body, killing people like numbness...

While information is a powerful tool, it is not unacceptable to those elite hoplites. All this information proves that the Normans were a group of seafaring barbarians, and many of them are somewhat similar to the Poles, Bohemians and Wiswas of the East. Even the surrendered slave soldiers of the Sorbs, before they were "civilized", looked alike. They were all a group of savages who were shirtless and covered in strange patterns.

The towering Roman stone wall is thick and heavy, and it carries a strong historical accumulation.

A large number of flags fluttered on the city wall, and the cross flag with black patterns on a white background fluttered in the wind.

Hearing that the savage Normans were very arrogant to move around Cologne, people of insight in the whole city decided to take up arms to defend their beliefs. At least the patrolling guards hired by the priests gathered on the river bank in large numbers to join Luther. Vichy's army mingled.

Even when the archbishop himself learned of this situation, he hurriedly walked out of the imperial palace, summoned the priests from all over the city, brought sacred objects such as the holy oil urn, the large gilded cross, and went to the river to bestow the faith buff for all the Christian troops.

It was, after all, a huge cross plated with gold. It was a wrought iron sheet made by a blacksmith, plated with gold, and finally fixed on oak. It was so heavy that it was fixed on an iron base.

The golden cross was placed on a carriage, and when it appeared in the army, all the soldiers who saw it immediately cheered.

Perhaps this operation is a big fight.

In fact, Ludwig found himself holding a grand military parade outside Cologne. His army has not yet arrived, and every day, the army of the backward arrives.

The presence of the archbishop in person with the golden cross means that the Diocese of Cologne supports him.

glory! Still glorious!

In this way, the Normans will be frightened silly? !

Ludwig regarded himself very highly. After all, his grandfather was the "Emperor of all Romans". As the grandson of the great, he also felt that he was very great, and he had a bone marrow pride for any barbarian in the border area.

As a great noble of the Holy Kingdom, Ludwig had no need to hide his strength. It was meaningless whether the Norman pirates were afraid or not, because they would all be killed.

Forgiving the Normans was the job of the priests, and all the nobles had to do was annihilate them physically.

"This time, I'm going to solve the Danish problem forever and make this group of Normans disappear forever."

In this extremely lively atmosphere, Ragnar's long fleet appeared.

The rumbling noise of the Frankish mighty rumble, and the Danes had been on the alert.

At the last bend around the river, the rushing pine forest lifted the curtain on the world, and a big city appeared.

Take a good look at this city! like a dream.

The majestic formation on the shore, the majestic and solemn city behind the army. Most of the soldiers were uniformly dressed, there were cavalry and infantry, and the number was beyond imagination.

The Danish fighters all paused their oars, and they were amazed by the army that formed on the shore. He also coveted the huge golden cross in a prominent position.

"Your Majesty... this? Is it an army of Franks?"

Ragnar was a little timid about this matter, his lips were trembling, although he knew everything about his enemy, and now he really saw the dignified formation, he couldn't help but be afraid.

"Yes! The Frankish army." He said with a strong cheer.

"what to do?"

"We'll just watch. Blow the trumpet. Call on brothers not to act rashly."

Norman pirates had appeared, and there were apparently captured men on board. Those were women, dressed in standard Frankish village women's attire, so-called wide one-piece skirts, who had now been taken as slaves by pirates.

The women suddenly became emotional, struggling and screaming something sharp in Frankish across the river.

"Damn! Shut up these women." Ragnar was furious, and his anger deepened when he watched the subordinates struggle to control these emotional women.

An evil idea came into being.

The number of his own Danish army is extremely inferior, and it is suicide to rush to the shore and fight with the Frankish army.

If you don't attack yourself, obviously the other party can't run wild on the river. As long as there is a way to provoke them and make them feel bad.

Ragnar immediately issued a new order, and a group of soldiers publicly supported the bound Frankish village women, killed them one by one and threw them into the river in front of the entire Frankish army on the other side of the river.

That's all, let's not forget to call "Frankian cowards" in simple Frankish vocabulary.

These actions undoubtedly made the army on the shore dumbfounded. Many soldiers were trembling with anger. That kind of killing prisoners was a great insult to himself. Of course, Ludwig was angry not that the village woman was killed, but that this kind of behavior happened. In front of him, plus the insults behind him, this is the biggest provocation.

It was a waste to scold the barbarians, and Ludwig immediately dispatched some archers to shoot arrows at distant ships.

The arrows of the short wooden bow fell into the water one after another, which surprised Ragnar. Seeing the arrows of the opponent pulling his hips like this made him laugh wildly.

Ludwig shook his head regretfully, and in a fit of anger he immediately dispatched another force.

The new arrivals were the spearmen, who used their spear-throwers to throw a thicker arrow. Although the spear throwers in today's Europe have begun to be eliminated, at least against the armored enemy, the spear thrower has become unusable to shoot large arrows, because Ludwig's fiefs are mainly on the eastern border, facing all the unarmored Slavs. In the time of clan, this kind of backward arms is still useful, and it does not occupy the establishment at all, and can be manipulated by any soldier. (The Frankish regular army also adopts flag teams, and each flag team has more people than the Ross-style flag team.)

Some of the big arrows were thrown out by the bronze spear thrower, which was heavier and more resistant to wind deflection.

Ragnar did not expect that he would encounter such an attack, and the big arrow that suddenly fell did penetrate the body of some Danish warriors~www.readwn.com~ or was deeply embedded in the wood of the longboat.

Of course it was inaccurate, but the Franks sent a lot of people to continue to project this.

"Damn, if I control a big ship of the Rus, how can I suffer from this kind of uselessness?" Ragnar, who gritted his teeth, couldn't care too much.

"Brothers, we withdraw! It's time to leave."

Taking the stand of the Franks, they killed some Norman pirates simply by throwing big arrows, and they managed to drive them away.

Many soldiers cheered and shouted and cursed at the back of the fugitives.

Ludwig couldn't help laughing, he wanted to hang all these pirates, but he didn't have a suitable boat to pursue them, so he just watched them take their sails and go down the river. There are still many villages in the lower Rhine River. If they are not beheaded and killed, I really don’t know how many villages will be killed.

Only by completely conquering the Danish world, slashing the local Normans again, imitating the iron and blood of his grandfather Charlemagne.

He regarded this as a deliberate provocation by the Normans, and also believed that his actions had lost their suddenness. It doesn't matter, old hatred and new hatred fall together, and those Normans and rebellious Saxons must apologize to death.