On the night when Stad arrived, Ross Store began to evacuate during the night. Escorted by thirty guards, Old Eric's family carried the money box, sailors and other personnel and quietly boarded the ship. Nine armed cargo ships escaped that night! Only a few ordinary traditional rowing long boats belonging to Rus are still parked in the port.
Rose's shop became depressed overnight, and Blue Fox took most of the goods away and took them away, along with most of their money.
The ones he left behind were all rebellious old mercenaries, all of whom had high self-esteem and despised the Danish armed forces. Indeed, most of them had killed Danish soldiers.
As well as the thirty new Slavic warriors who joined the group, Vady Zdalovich and his men took up arms, and now they have become strong and powerful. Since the Ross people regard themselves as brothers, everyone is willing to fight for Ross. The most important thing is that they hate the Danish army. The enemy of the enemy is a friend, not to mention that friends really treat themselves as brothers.
Blue Fox has ninety armed guards under his command, neither too many nor too few. They are very motivated and want to see what the new king of Denmark is.
He is also determined to die. If the other party insists on asking for tribute, he will definitely not give it. If you will be killed, you don't have to regret it. Your death will definitely bring about the most terrifying revenge from the Russian army. Maybe that kind of revenge will be a joint action between Sweden and Russia. In short, Ross cannot suffer a disadvantage in Hedeby. The new king of Denmark must realize this, recognize Ross's unique status in Denmark, and stop all hostile actions against Ross.
The entire Hedeby fell into considerable chaos. Many vendors disappeared overnight. What was even worse was that many people apparently took advantage of the chaos to escape.
Ordinary soldiers are just people who follow the crowd, just like the hierarchical relationship between ordinary wolves and the alpha wolf. Starken noticed this situation, and he was a little annoyed at what he preached during the day. Although all this was requested by his master Horik, it was true that such preaching increased the distrust of the people in Hedeby.
This was never what King Horik hoped for. The king needed to establish a new order in Hedebe and restore his rule, especially his taxation rights.
This coastal trading market is known for its affluence. Ordinary traders can just run away, but those big businessmen will not escape overnight.
His estimate is correct. Many business families who are deeply involved in this area are entangled in bottles and cans and cannot escape. Businessmen are indeed not farmers and will not be entangled in an inherent piece of land. Where else can they go if they just run away? Will giving up everything in Hedebe and living in a new area become a big fat sheep at the mercy of others?
All the big business families are in dire straits. They don’t want to pay taxes to Horik’s thing that suddenly appeared like a mushroom. What’s more, is it considered a tax? It's basically just collecting tribute, which is gangster behavior.
The next day, the soft summer sunshine shines on the entire harbor, but the sea that should be prosperousDue to the uninvited guests who arrived in Zebi Port yesterday, the early morning fish market that should have been prosperous became depressed, and the so-called city CBD was also desolate.
"Did these guys go on strike? Is this an open provocation?"
Stader, who was riding a tall horse, led his men around the empty market, and saw some people. Shaking, troops were immediately sent to rush to catch it. They even caught a few children, who were timid and hurriedly told the reason.
Co-author Are all businessmen frightened? !
He sent someone to release the child and threw in a few copper coins. When the child saw it, he hurriedly bent down to pick it up, and then ran away without a trace with bare feet.
"Boss, is this place really rich?" Some soldiers couldn't help but wonder.
Stad was also helpless: "They are worried that we will use our methods to plunder all their wealth. It is really ridiculous. I just claimed that I asked them to pay the tithe."
"This But what to do? Boss, the king’s fleet is coming, and if he sees this, we will be punished.”
“It’s okay for us to go to those manors. Gather the big local businessmen. As long as these people take out the money, we will complete the task."
In general rationality, we can't extract much food from the hands of the common people. Big businessmen milked them like cows.
This is the life experience of Horik's group in Flanders. In addition to robbing everywhere and even crossing the sea to sneak attacks in Britain, their priority is to attack merchants' mansions and monasteries. The spoils of loot are divided among the lairs of Port Durist in Flanders, so who is the big buyer? The real Count of Flanders is, and so is the Capetian family in the south. The gold, silver and jewelry that were grabbed were exchanged for food, meat and salt, and everyone cooperated quite well.
Stad ended his camp in the woodland and led all his men around the city of Hedeby.
The small team flew the raven flag in an attempt to appease the local people. They were looking for big businessmen one by one, and the army stood at the door of the mansion. This often led to confrontations with the businessmen's guards, but the two sides did not want a military conflict to break out at all.
The big businessman came forward in person and looked up at Stade on horseback at the door of his house, and they made it clear to each other.
Although it is a tithe tax, the specific amount is very clear. Horik had no idea how lucky the merchants in Hedebe were, and how many could afford a large sum of money. He listened to the exaggerated descriptions given by the surrendered tribal chiefs, saying that each of the big businessmen living in Hedebe could give out a hundred pounds of silver.
Stade was ordered to pass on the news according to this amount. As for the specific tax collection, we have to wait for King Horik's navy to arrive in person.
He took the trouble to publicize the king's orders from door to door, and told them to prepare their taxes early. He didn't say what the reward was.
Such an act is clearly an armed act of demanding tribute., big businessmen often cannot afford to maintain too many mercenaries due to cost reasons, so they have expanded the number of mercenaries in advance, which is generally only fifty or sixty people. Even so, the comprehensive monthly payment must be at least five pounds of silver coins, which is really a huge expense.
Businessmen are all good at calculations. When Stad left with his all-armored army and cavalry squad, the merchants had to think carefully. Because King Horik seems to have described a situation where you can continue to do business as long as you pay a lump sum of one hundred pounds of silver coins. This tax is very high because everyone has not paid taxes in the past many years. This will not be the case with the tax that Wang promised to start next year.
The king also promised to ensure the business safety of all tax-paying merchants. If anyone dared to embezzle merchants' payments and endanger the safety of merchants and clerks, the king would personally send people to capture and execute the attackers.
If this is the case, why do merchants need to support a team of mercenaries? Maybe the taxes paid starting next year will be lower than the remuneration for raising mercenaries.
All of this must be based on the fact that Horik will keep his promise. It would be stupid for businessmen to believe it naively.
Their hearts did begin to waver. After Stade left, they began to communicate quietly, vowing to have another meeting urgently.
Stade's precise preaching seemed to be very effective. The businessmen showed no resistance, and some claimed that they would pay tribute on time, even though this might be a show of force.
He thought he would succeed until the army arrived at such a strange store.
The wooden wall is not surprising, and the stalls are empty, but the wooden wall at the front entrance is obviously hung with white cloth sewn with blue cloth strips.
There are also guards at the door. They all wear chainmail and leather helmets. They wear a white cloth gown, a belt around their waist, and the white cloth on the chest is a blue cloth strip. Staggered stitching.
What's going on? Are these people too majestic? !
Stade saw it. He was coming on a tall horse, and behind him was a kind of armored soldier. Nothing could scare those on guard at all. On the contrary, when those on guard saw themselves, their eyes became sharp. They were the arrogant ones!
Stad was so angry that he pointed at someone casually with his riding crop in his left hand: "Are you the merchant's bodyguard? Let your merchant come out! I am the envoy of the King of Denmark, let your Master, come and see me soon."
These Ross guards were not moved at all, and the brothers did not mind fighting with these new Danes. Unlike the Blue Fox, all the guards had them. determined to fight to the death. The behavior of the Danes holding high the raven flag is disgusting, because Prince Rurik is the real "man blessed by Odin", and everyone is the real person who serves the "Son of God" and died to protect Rurik's interests. , isn’t this reporting to Valhalla immediately after death? This is a good thing.
Lanhu had already had a premonition of what would happen today. Although the shop was empty after a night of hard work, he had not slept all night, so he took a nap in the morning.After sleeping for a while, he was woken up by the guard who sent a message.
"Finally the ultimatum has come down. Come here! Put me into good clothes and we'll meet them."
Most of the remaining guards have changed into Russians After all, the robe is made of white cloth, so just sew a strip of blue cloth on it. Blue Fox easily unified the clothes of his subordinates, but the group of brothers still didn't have a defensive tool like chainmail.
Blue Fox put on a coat sewn with ferret fur. It was afternoon, and it was a bit hot to wear such a suit in Denmark during the warmest season. The blue fox didn't care. His velvet hat was decorated with long and white swan flight feathers. The hat and clothes were decorated with amber and glass beads. His belt was wrapped with gold thread and hung with gold and silver pieces, and a short sword hung on his waist. The ruby (actually a piece of red glass) at the end of the hilt was even more eye-catching.
He walked out of the shop in such a noble outfit, with his deliberately combed mustache trembling in the wind. He squinted his eyes and looked up at the visitor, but there was no cowardice at all.
Seeing that the other party has sent out a flag, we can't just stand there in silence!
Stade was a little confused by what the big businessman said, and what happened for a moment really shocked him.
I saw a type of men dressed almost exactly the same walking out of the main entrance. They carried round shields on their backs to show that they had no intention of fighting, but they were actually standing in line, each with their waists exposed. sword and axe.
There is also a wooden pole holding up a flag, the pattern is almost the same as what each of them is wearing.
A very strange feeling arose spontaneously. Stad felt that he was facing Frankish merchants, and these armed men dressed in classic Danish warrior attire were probably subordinates of a Frankish noble. .
Stad was suddenly at a loss. If it was really a Frankish noble, and if an untimely conflict broke out, he would be causing trouble for King Horik.
What was very subtle was that Starken himself dismounted hurriedly and became respectful.
"Who...are you?"
"We are Russians!" Blue Fox realized that he could obviously take the opportunity to lie, but that would violate his junior high school policy. Whether he changed his name or his surname, he simply said that he was from Russia.
"You are actually Russians?!" Stad instantly put away his respectful attitude and couldn't help but clenched the hilt of his sword with his right hand. From the corner of his eyes, he also noticed those armed men in robes. Everyone also grasped the hilt of the sword.
Even if he has a big head and hundreds of brothers, the other party is clearly not easy to mess with.
The reputation of the Russians is actually infamous. Legend has it that the prince of Russia killed King Hafgen of Denmark. Although Hafgen himself was a militaristic and reckless man, his own killing was a spiritual blow to the heroes of Denmark as a whole, as if everyone's honor had been tarnished by an outsider.
Obviously they are from Russia, but they can actually do business openly in Hedeby. How can they have such a huge garrison?
Seeing such a neatly arranged team, Stad suddenly realized that there was a reason why the Danish army failed in the battle against Ross. Although he didn't know the reason, the Ross army in front of him did remind him of the Frankish regular army.
The blue fox deliberately paused for a while, then raised his fat belly, pinched his waist and threatened: "This is the shop of the Principality of Ross! I am doing business here on the order of the Prince of Ross! You are the new Denmark The king's messenger, I have learned about your preaching yesterday, and I fully understand what you hope to get."
It seems that you are borrowing the words of the donkey under the slope? Stade asked hurriedly: "Since you all know, you Russians must come up with one hundred pounds of silver coins. But you are Russians, and your presence here is illegal. Maybe King Horik will forgive you..."
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yes. This is a threat! In principle, Denmark does not allow you Russians to do trade. Hedeby is Denmark’s sea. Zebi. Whether you have the right to trade in the future depends on the wishes of our King Horik. Maybe... if you pay more tribute, the king can grant you the right to trade."
Original Lan. Fox planned to discuss with this person that he would meet Horik in person and personally convince the new King of Denmark to grant Ross trading rights. Of course, the premise was that it would be completely tax-free.
The other party's messenger was so arrogant that his plan had completely failed.
Blue Fox did not want to lose momentum, so he threatened: "Hedeby is a free city-state, and it cannot be occupied by a person claiming to be the King of Denmark. Our Prince of Rus originally intended to reconcile with Denmark. Since The new Danish leader is greedy. It seems that we can only give up the idea. I tell you clearly that the Principality of Rus will not pay you even one copper coin in tax. If you dare to ban our trade here, you are choosing war. "
"You!" Stade, who was instantly furious, drew his sword directly. This move also forced the Ross mercenaries to draw their swords collectively, and many of them even removed their shields, looking fierce. The appearance of a fierce battle.
The two sides were instantly at war with each other. If this really happened, it would not end well.
The two sides faced off. The Ross mercenaries surrounded the Blue Fox and formed a shield wall in front of it. Each cold light sword was attached to the shield. They must have received training in such an orderly manner. Star When De noticed this, he didn't dare to act rashly. He also saw that a group of spectators had gathered nearby. If a fight suddenly broke out, it would definitely be indistinguishable and might injure the onlookers. The worst thing would be negative public opinion. The so-called King Horik would attack the businessman. Looting everything, that would be bad.
Stad hurriedly ordered his men to sheath their swords. He hurriedly put away the weapons, laughed maliciously, and asked: "What is your purpose? Just don't pay taxes at all." Haizebi is doing business?"
The blue fox poked his furry head out of the shield wall and stared at it with a dull face like a Tibetan fox: "I would like to see your king, Ross. Just wantDoing business in Heideby, but paying taxes is out of the question. Since your king is coming soon, I can wait. Don't worry, we are not afraid of death. Even if your army has thousands of people, we are not afraid. ”
It is impossible to pay taxes, it is impossible to compromise, and a group of people are not afraid of death. How can such stubborn people have the slightest sense of businessmen?
Stade felt that he had encountered such a person. The tough guy in his life, with such an attitude, his heart was like a volcano erupting, and he relied on his willpower to suppress the fire in his heart. He wanted to chop off this fat man's head.
He still held back. , after all, if you just use your own strength to chew this hard nut, your teeth will break in the end. As for making King Horik surrender?
The king has already told the brothers that he will fight with Ludwig when he has completely conquered Denmark. Prince Hope changed the relationship and tried to achieve the same level of country-to-country relations between Denmark and East Francia. If it did not happen, it would be a war. Horik did not think that Ludwig would accept this new situation and recognize Denmark's independence. , with the real power of Denmark and a strong army, Horik also wants to do whatever he wants.
If it were not forced by the situation, who would the unruly Danes be like dogs to outsiders? The exiled sea wolf has returned. Home, if we win Denmark, we will no longer be Ludwig's hawks. Once the internal affairs are stabilized, we can launch a sneak attack on East Frankfurt.
A group of arrogant Russians are like fishbones piercing the flesh. They should be killed. Eradicate this group of armed merchants. Are they not afraid of death? Then let them die!
Stad firmly believes that King Horik will continue to be hostile to Ross for the sake of his authority, and he will take these first. The armed merchant opened the knife.
He led his men to evacuate, and before leaving, he threatened: "Arrogant Russians, you can leave, I will give you time so that you can survive. "
Blue Fox choked back: "We won't leave! I will not leave without the order of the Prince of Rus. "
Stad didn't speak anymore. In fact, everyone knew it well. It was like the dry river bed was shaking, and everyone expected that the flood was on its way...
Blue Fox immediately informed his subordinates: "Hurry up and transform our shop into a fortress, be careful of what that bastard on horseback does. ”
Everyone said in unison that they would obey the order, and some people couldn’t help but ask Blue Fox. Is the purpose of everyone’s persistence just to comply with the prince’s order? Indeed, if persistence itself does not make much sense, the brothers are looking for death.
The Blue Fox quickly explained their arrangement: "We must express Rose's attitude to Horik. If they attack, they will choose war. If they choose negotiation, we will naturally escape unscathed. We transformed our shops into fortresses to prepare for the worst, so that if we died, the prince would avenge us. If we hold on or negotiate with the Danes, all of you will have a prosperous future. ”
To die is to be glorious, to live is to be glorious and to make a fortune. These old mercenaries are no longer just for glory and wealth.They have their own arrogance in working for Ross. Everyone saw the contemptuous look in the eyes of the guys on horseback just now. Their self-esteem does not allow them to be cowards who run away, even if the opponent has given everyone a window period to escape.