The Rus attacked Gotland for revenge. Although everyone thought that the Gotland would retaliate, no one thought too much about what kind of revenge it would be.
Even when the Melalen tribe, the leader of the Siya Tribe Alliance, learned of the news, public opinion applauded the actions of the Ross people.
Days went on as usual. The few rational people among the Melalen tribe had thought that the Gotlanders would launch a retaliatory attack to the north.
For most people, they learned the news in May, but most people are not worried about these things at all.
What everyone is most worried about is still how much money they can make during this year’s trade season, what good things they can exchange for, and how much money they can make during the wheat harvest in August.
Olegin, the leader of Mälaren, after learning the news, he did not think about the possibility of enemies attacking his tribe.
However, as far back as he can remember, Malarenburg has never been attacked by an enemy, and the vast Lake Malaren has never been touched by Gotlanders or Danes. On the contrary, the tribal alliance under his command, some small tribes consisting of only a few hundred people, actively expanded to the Götaland Highlands in the south.
It is these people who are actively engaged in constant conflicts with the landed Gotland herdsmen. Fightings occur basically every year!
The sun rises as usual, and the days go by as usual.
Olegin was not unprepared. He gave the five hundred guards under his command an order to speed up their training and rewarded them with better food. That's all.
However, the Rus attacked Gotland, killing the big merchant and a "huge" settlement in the south of the island.
According to current standards, a settlement of two thousand people is a large settlement.
Because the Russian army led by Arik and Harozolson did not have a clear attack target. They sailed the fleet close to Gotland, then found a settlement and launched an indiscriminate raid.
As everyone knows, the fat man who was beheaded had always had a very close trade relationship with the Danes.
The death of this man, and even the destruction of the entire settlement, was like an earthquake to the Danes.
Hafgen the Lion, the most powerful Robard tribe among the Danes, serves as the chief leader and leader of the alliance. He enjoyed his leisurely life as king, but through this, he encountered major interference. .
A small boat staggered to the port of the Robard tribe, which was a small harbor located in the north of the Jutland Peninsula.
As usual, the harbor guards charge a toll for entering the western sea through the strait. However, the lost people on the boat are clamoring to meet the leader of the alliance.
Hafgen, the leader of the Danish alliance, is thirty-five years old and in the prime of life.
He sat arrogantly in his long meeting room.On his wooden chair decorated with a whole black bear skin, he also wore a crown made of gold imitating the Franks, and a large robe carefully sewn with more than thirty ferret skins.
He looked extremely wealthy, with his slightly thin face, sharp eyes, and the arms that were inadvertently stretched out from his robes. The strong muscles on them proved that this person was a ruthless character.
Someone from Gotland reports a terrible disaster?
Hafgen summoned more than a dozen of his capable cronies and ordered them to put on armor and helmets immediately.
Only he himself was dressed elegantly and luxuriously because he heard that the most noble "chief" in Frank was dressed similarly.
The four people in the small boat stumbled over. They knelt on the ground, not hiding their rags and wounds on their bodies.
Hafgentuo raised his chin and asked impatiently: "I'm very busy. If you don't have anything important to do, just leave."
"Oh! Sir , please allow me to report." The leader, an older man, raised his head with a sad face.
"Say it."
"It is our homeland that has been attacked by the enemy. Our island has been attacked by the Rus."
"What? Russian?" For a moment, Hafgen's head was a little confused. It has to be said that his understanding of the Russian people is very limited, including this term, which is very unfamiliar to him.
Seeing this, the old man hurriedly changed his explanation: "It's the alliance in the north, those evil people in Svealan."
"I know them. Our alliance has always been with They have disputes, but in the final analysis it is you who are expanding on land." For the time being, Hafgen does not feel that the matter is particularly serious.
"Yes. However, they attacked our island. The alliance's army looted our entire southern island. The matter is very serious, because Oxen, he is dead."
"What? Oxen is dead?!" Upon hearing this, Hafgen stood up directly. Not only him, but also the eyes of his cronies were trembling.
"It is absolutely true, my lord. The entire southern island was in flames, the entire Sikkenborg was looted by them, and all the wealth was plundered by them. This year, our trade with you has been greatly affected. The entire The people on the island are in panic! All the families in the north of the island have asked us to get help from the great alliance leader. We are very worried that those northerners will attack frequently, and we cannot defeat them with our own strength. We need your help. Assistance."
Hafgen sat back in his seat.
Hafgen did become the leader of the tribe through a duel within the tribe, using sword and shield. He has been the leader of the tribe for many years, and this year, 829 AD, is also his second year as the leader of the alliance.
It is really unexpected that in the second year, the Northern Alliance openly provoked.
See the leader’s faceThe four messengers who reported the news immediately added fuel to the fire, as if Gotland was not only in dire straits, but was also likely to be completely occupied by the Northern Alliance.
The four of them became more and more excited as they talked, and their voices were full of grief and anger.
Indeed, the attackers attacked the settlements indiscriminately. They had no intention of leaving anyone alive as a slave, but they killed them indiscriminately!
The words of the four people really shocked Hafgen.
He sat on his seat, his eyes widened: "Are they all true? Oh, what a bunch of barbarians."
"Yes, sir!" The old man continued, " This year is just the beginning! They will sack the entire island of Gotland, kill all the people, and loot all the wealth. They will continue to expand in the highlands until..."
"Until? "
The old man paused and said, "Until we reach the great Robard tribe, I think they will attack your territory in the northern highlands without hesitation."
" How could they!?" Hafgen stood up suddenly, his eyes widened and his mouth wide, as if he wanted to swallow everything.
The old man realized that his painful drama and provoking methods had worked, and now he should continue to add fuel to the fire.
"Sir, the Northern Alliance must doubt your majesty and think that our Danish Alliance is not strong. They are so stupid."
"Yes! They are very stupid. It seems... I need to let them understand who is the most noble." As he spoke, Hafgen, baring his teeth, pulled out his sword and slammed it on the soft sand in the longhouse.
Then he let out another terrifying roar.
"Brothers!" he ordered loudly, "call all the tribes and order them to send people over. I will organize an army to attack the hateful Northern Alliance!"
Hav Gen's decision was indeed a bit hasty. His brothers did not dare to disobey the leader's order and select messengers to report to the eleven allied tribes.
When night fell, Hafgen thought about it, although he realized that it was inappropriate for him to launch war mobilization and organize the army to retaliate.
It was as if his beard was caught by the enemies and burned on fire. With this shame, how could he not be angry? revenge! Must take revenge!
Besides, after all, it is our own allies, especially the Gotlanders who broke away from the Northern Alliance and insisted on joining the Danish Alliance. If they do not support them, what will other allies think?
This is the prelude to a large-scale war initiated by the Northern Alliance, so let’s fight!
It is war that can also bring a lot of wealth to one's own alliance.
The order to assemble the army has been issued, but Hafgen feels that those allies will not send a large army at this moment.
The reason is obvious.
Those who live in the southern part of JutlandAfter sowing wheat in the spring, they organized their troops to attack the Franks and Wende.
The fighting in the south continues, and Hafgen estimates that the Northern Alliance may have thought of the situation on their side before they felt that they could launch an attack without fear.
"Are you betting that I can't organize a large army at this time? Do you think that the main force of our alliance has gone to attack the Franks? Bah! I can still organize two thousand people."
Hafgen knows the Melalen tribe, the richest tribe in the Northern Alliance, very well and understands that it is a very large ethnic group.
Want to completely conquer them through a war? It is impossible to rely solely on the strength of one's own tribe. If a war is to take place, a huge coalition force must be organized, and the war cannot be ended in a decisive battle.
The time is very premature, and it is also unwise to attack the Melalen tribe rashly.
However, there must be no problem for those small tribes attacking the Northern Alliance to lead an army themselves to "conquer personally."
So in Hafgen's mind, it was enough to organize an army of about two thousand people and launch a military operation that would not last long. After all, he had no confidence in conquering the north in one go. He was very happy to find a target and hit it hard to vent his anger on the Gotlanders and also put on a military show for the tribes of the alliance.
The messenger acted very quickly. In just two days, all the tribes on the Jutland Peninsula learned of the summons from the leader of the alliance.
The order to gather the troops and prepare for battle has come down! In the past, when the alliance leaders issued such orders, they would go south to attack the Franks.
Everyone deeply remembers that the deceased Grand Alliance Leader Godfried led everyone to organize a huge fleet and looted mountains of gold and silver from the Frankish land. All the tribes participating in the operation owned it. made considerable wealth.
With such a great victory, various tribes in Denmark are spontaneously launching attacks on the Franks. The attacks occur every year without interruption.
This time, "Lion" Hafgen, who has only been leader of the alliance for more than a year, is determined to attack the Northern Alliance? !
For a time, quite a few tribes thought this decision was very unwise.
Some tribes do not welcome this decision, while others feel that this is a huge opportunity.
Especially those young people who are eager to make achievements, eager to prove on the battlefield that they are warriors who can be favored by the gods, and also eager to win considerable spoils from a war. Because young people generally grow up listening to stories about Godfrey.
In the south of the Jutland Peninsula, the tribe that built a stone wall to defend against surprise attacks by the Franks and even neighboring tribes, Ragnar, the son of its leader Sigurd, faced a war against the north. Full of intense desire.
But the old Sigurd was obviously not enthusiastic about this war.
"Father, are you afraid of SiThose people in Wealan? ! " Ragnar, who was only nineteen years old, asked his father.
"Oh, my child. I'm not afraid of them, but you have to understand, they are some very brave people. "
"Father, are you doubting my bravery? If I killed that man, wouldn't that prove my bravery? ”
Sigurd was very satisfied with his son. He had multiple sons, but only this one was the most qualified to inherit his position. That is, this Ragnar, who dared to fight at the age of only fifteen In the battle, he dueled with the enemy's leader, and finally won cleanly, without even a single wound.
After this battle, Ragnar's prestige in the tribe was greatly shaken.
Now, Ragnar is married and his wife is pregnant, and everything is getting better.
This is a good thing that his son likes to fight. Sigurd just doesn’t want his son, or even himself. In order to help those Gotlanders and for Hafgen's so-called prestige, they went north to die in vain
What's more, many young people from the tribe have already crossed the stone wall and walked overland. Attack the Franks.
Could the tribe send remaining troops to respond to the leader’s call?
Sigurd thought for a while and told young Ragnar what he thought: “Child, You can take a group of warriors to the north, but as the leader, I will not allow you to take many people away. You can take away up to a hundred people. "
"What? Father? We shouldn't be so stingy. I can command an army all the way to Mellaren and get all their gold back. ”
“You are too young! They can detail Gotland, why do you think they are as stupid and weak as the Franks? Why do you think you are stronger than them? "
"No! Father, I am indeed strong. "Ragnar just talked back. His rebellious heart felt that he could do things that ordinary people couldn't do. For example, who would have thought that a fifteen-year-old child could kill the opponent's strong leader?
Sigurd shook his head: "Now many brothers are launching an offensive in the south. If you take another group of young people away to fight, where will the defense of our tribe be? How can you be sure that the neighboring tribes will not take advantage of our emptiness to launch a sneak attack? Child, don't forget it! It was you who cut off that leader's head yourself! Although we are all in the same alliance, who can guarantee that they will not launch a sudden attack. ”
Sigurd of the Ring, under the glory of the great leader Godfried, he once had no chance to compete for the great leader of the alliance when he was young.
Now that he is older, The leaders of each tribe are generally older.
The Robard tribe has been strong since ancient times. In order to avoid internal chaos, each tribe has supported Robard while fighting with each other and occasionally fighting. Hafgen served as the leader of the alliance.
Sigurd finally covered his son’s head with his big hand: “Ragnar, in my possession.Among my sons, only you are the bravest. Sooner or later, Hafgen will throw away his future because of his madness, and you should become the new alliance leader. Or, as the Franks did, be crowned king. ”
Ragnar was very touched by his father’s words.
After that, Sigurd thought about it. If he really gave his son a hundred men, such an army would have three warships. That’s enough. Sigurd the Ring, it’s too shabby to send so many people to accept war mobilization!
Finally, one day after the messenger came, Ragnar was only nineteen years old. , leading the two hundred warriors of the tribe, rowing a total of six dragon-headed warships, towards the port of the Robard tribe.