The group of priests in the monastery would definitely not know how to use weapons. The unarmed King Horik of Denmark had no worries and was even quite happy.
He put on the disguise of a believer and followed Eskil's footsteps into the so-called confession room. He stood through the wooden window and faced the old guy Eskil opposite.
Maybe he is sincerely repentant, or maybe he is just pretending.
Esquier followed the script: "Child, tell me what you have done, and the Lord will forgive you."
Looking at Horik again, not only did he not feel guilty , on the contrary, he looked satisfied.
“I killed many people in Flanders, men, women and children, and I made a fortune. I came to Denmark at the request of the prince to inherit the throne, and all the lords who opposed me were killed . I personally beheaded five gang leaders in Hedeby. I am now the King of Denmark..."
Horik regards killing as an absolute achievement and robbery as a merit. Some horrific descriptions made Eskil tremble on the other side of the wooden window!
"So, do you realize that you did something wrong?"
"Yes. I made a mistake, so I hope to be forgiven by the Lord." After that, Horry Ke still had that weird smile on his face, raised his head and stared at Eskil who was caught off guard.
In Frankland, those pious people were killed one after another by this gang leader. Even so, this man was still a mercenary of Prince Ludwig? ! Eskil secretly cursed how such a villain could be forgiven. He must go to hell after death, but...
Eskil heard an extremely crucial piece of information from the words, even if this person was a real person. A murderous maniac, he came to Denmark to obtain the royal power under the instructions of Prince Ludwig. Since the man kept the cross on him, maybe it wasn't so bad.
An idea flashed in his mind: "My child, will you carry out the Lord's way? Your crime of killing is very serious, but if you can lead the lambs in Denmark to convert, the Lord will definitely forgive you. Sin. At least the Holy One in Rome will forgive you and crown you the King of Denmark."
Horik has never been to Rome. He has been active in Flanders with his brothers for many years. There was no further development southward. His understanding of the Roman Pope was limited to hearsay, and he had no idea how great those clergy were, so he paid no attention to Esquier's "Pope Coronation".
As for the weirdness in Denmark, this question gets to the point.
Indeed, Horik, the new king of Denmark, must make a painful choice, either choose the Lord or Odin.
Facing Eskil’s question, he chose to be vague.
"Are you still doubting? You should implement the sacred faith and give up the barbaric gods in your homeland. Odin does not exist, the Lord is the only one." At least Eskil's belief is extremely firm , he was eager to lecture again and force King Horik to obey completely. "Be like Harald Clark, be like this relative of yours, and be a loyal servant of the Lord.The right way. As long as you implement it, Cardinal Reims will definitely support you and your throne will be stable. ”
In Horik’s view, what the old man Eskil said is all correct nonsense. He is not a fool, but this is not a matter of which god he believes in. In this regard, he has no problem.
He simply stood up and forcibly interrupted the meaningless "confession".
"That's enough! "
"No! You can't leave yet! "Eskir was shocked.
"It doesn't matter. If the Lord hates me, he will drop lightning and kill me. I have told the Lord what I have done, and the rest depends on the Lord’s will. "
Eskir was very speechless. He stood in front of Horik again with a face as blue as a week of constipation, and said coldly: "The Lord is just, your blasphemous behavior will If something bad happens to you, since you don't care, I can't do anything about it. I can only advise you to take care of yourself..."
"Oh? Are you trying to persuade me to leave? ! ”
Horik had already retreated to the chapel. He looked around and tried to detect the gold and silver utensils inside. There were indeed precious metal utensils, but there were only a few silver candlesticks and silver plates at the minaret. There was a small golden cross, and other than that there were a lot of old wooden objects. He saw that the few benches were full of signs of wear and tear. It was obvious that this man was preaching in the north and had not attracted many believers after all.
These details solidified Horik's perception that Frankish and Roman beliefs were unpopular in Denmark
Eskil's constipated expression remained unchanged, this face. He really deserves a beating.
Horrick knew that the old priest had issued the order of expulsion, but he could not say it clearly due to his identity. He must have already been regarded as a heretic and a blasphemer in his heart, so he could not get a good reputation. It will also spread quickly to the Frankish interior.
"So what?" Now I am no longer the one who acts based on Ludwig's face. ” He thought so.
But if he withdraws now, where will the dignity of the Danish king be placed? This is obviously his territory, and allowing them to continue to own the monastery is already the greatest mercy!
Holik pinched his waist and said deliberately: "It seems that you are not doing a good job. Where are your followers? Don't tell me that you are the only one in this huge monastery. "
"Of course there are many, and the clergy are willing to receive the most pious. ”
“You mean I’m not religious enough? Horik asked knowingly.
Esquier did not accept this trick: "It depends on the Lord's will." "
"Then let everyone who is hiding come out! Remember, it’s everyone! I know that your monastery itself cannot hide many people. There are not many buildings and there are no dark rooms or cellars. "
"What do you want to do? "Eskil couldn't help but take a step back.
"Are you afraid? Don't worry, I won't mess with this sacred place. I want you to assemble the priests, and I want to hear them sing hymns, otherwise your journey will be in vain. ”
Esquier didn’t want to be entangled anymore, but the opponent’s army was at Hedebe, and he still had to meet his unreasonable demands. Fortunately, the day of escape was not far away.
After a while, the hidden priests appeared one after another in black robes, each with his head lowered, looking solemn and solemn. Among them were Blue Fox and Vardy. They were dressed like ordinary priests. This image of the fat man Blue Fox was really eye-catching!
The priests stood in two rows, including the Blue Fox. As Horik said arrogantly, Eskil did not develop many loyal believers in Hedebe.
"I see you have some children here. Yes, you are sheltering orphans. I have heard about this. But is the food here good? Am I dazzled? I saw a fat man."
Horick's words were directed at Blue Fox, who immediately raised his head, and the two of them looked at each other.
This was really unexpected. Horik saw the murderous look and arrogance in the fat boy's eyes. With such an aura, he is still a priest? How ridiculous! No! There must be something hidden here.
He then shouted again: "The Russians and my people fought fiercely, and most of the Russians were killed by my people. It seems that some people took advantage of the chaos to escape. Eskil, there is something here Are you the Russian who has been blessed by you?"
Eskil's eyes immediately wandered, and with this expression, Horik had basically received a positive answer.
"I only have priests here. I know that the Rus are all barbarians who believe in Odin, and heretics cannot enter here!"
"Really? I think that fat man is very suspicious. . You are all ascetics, but you can still raise a fat man?"
While the two of them were talking, Blue Fox had already thought of a hundred ways to kill this fat man. Shorty Horik's method. The fact is that the new King of Denmark is not tall and burly, but his face has been firmly remembered. After hearing that all his subordinates were killed, it stands to reason that there is no point in avenging a group of mercenaries who died in battle. A real businessman does not need to get involved in this aspect, but this humiliation must be ended.
Blue Fox's reason suppressed his impulse. He didn't feel that he had the strength to kill this person in a duel, not to mention that he had a longer-term plan.
He deliberately stared at Horik's face, showing his disdain and contempt at every turn.
The malicious eyes have always been a mental provocation to Horik. He wished he could kill the fat priest with his own hands, but he couldn't go so extreme.
The atmosphere became tense, and Esquier hurriedly came to smooth things over: "Joseph is a little fatter. He is very good at eating."
"A greedy rice bucket?"
Eskil came up with a quick wit: "There is a reason here, because Joseph is very good at learning Latin. Naturally, there should be more rewards for such a good student. It is not surprising that he eats a lot. The Lord obviously allows this Behavior. "That's the case, Eskil is indeed Satan.He was lying, and he was praying in his heart for forgiveness from the Lord.
“You actually know Latin? Okay! I want to listen, even if I don’t speak it. I listened to many sermons in Flanders by pastors who were good at using Latin. They were stupid and poor. Of course the accent can’t fool me.”
How could it be difficult for Blue Fox to be asked to read random passages from the Gospel in Latin?
He read the book loudly and spoke clearly, and now Horik's doubts were gone.
Horrick didn’t want to get too entangled with the priests, and he didn’t even want other tribal observers in the army to know that he had visited a Frankish monastery. He could actually leave now, but a big event might You can take the opportunity to implement it now.
As for the search for Russian escapees, how meaningful is it? At least this suspicious fat man is definitely not a Russian. According to Horik's understanding, only priests in this world can learn Latin.
He listened to the Psalms as a pretense, just to see Eskil's preaching achievements. The small number of people showed that the power of the Franks was still weak in Hedeby.
"That's enough. Let your priests leave! Eskil, we can take this opportunity to have a good chat."
"It's up to you."
Horick smiled and shrugged: "I know you are going to drive me away, and I will leave. Before that, I ask you to promise that you will accomplish something for me."
< p>"What's the matter?""I want you to write a letter to Prince Ludwig and tell him that I have obtained the Danish crown. I know you have the authority in this regard, but..."
"So what?"
Horik couldn't help but glance at the cross on the table and sighed: "I was a bound wolf, and now I am free. The Danish kingship is mine. , my Danish kingdom is completely free, and I have a country-to-country relationship with Frank. I hope that the prince can use the Great Wall of Schleswig as the boundary, and the north of the city is mine. For this reason, I would rather give up Durist. Your Highness, the prince, maintains an alliance. I will not invade Frank, and the prince cannot invade me."
After Horik said so much, Eskil basically understood that the shock was really a shock, but it was just a shock. As a priest, he should not get involved in this kind of thing. Due to his personal situation, he also resisted it, so he said: "I am an ascetic monk and do not want to participate in the affairs of worldly power. My heart only belongs to the Lord."
"You are teasing me! This is not the first time you have written to the prince. Otherwise, how would I know your identity? If you don't get funding from the prince for preaching in the North, you won't even be able to build this monastery. . And I have been working under the prince for so many years. You must write a letter. If you don’t agree, I will demolish this place and be punished by the Lord!”
The words are so absolute. Skier was convinced that as long as he didn't comply, this guy would definitely carry out his threat.
He felt a huge threat. This Horik was a hundred times more difficult to deal with than the previous Hafgen! I'm afraid that Heidebi's strongholdThere is no reason to persist anymore, it is time to build another monastery.
"Alas... Hedeby has experienced a war, and the weak-willed believers have run away. King of Denmark, although we are devout, our living supplies can no longer survive the winter. This depressed city We can't buy supplies either. The bread in my warehouse is almost gone."
"What do you want?"
Esquier looked regretful: "I want to take the priest with me. Let's go back to Hamburg. Maybe we'll come back in the spring. You won't refuse me then." "Wait a minute! Are you leaving here?"
" Exactly. King of Denmark, why don't you write a letter yourself, just in Frankish, and I will hand it over to the Count of Hamburg, and it will be delivered to the prince's mansion soon."
Listen. Horik was surprised and quickly turned to joy: "Yes! I'll write it. You must deliver it to the earl in person. So, when will you leave?"
"Of course it will be August 10th. One day after the Holy Mary Mass on the 4th, this will be the last Mass we have in Hedebe this year."
Horick nodded. He neither affirmed nor denied, and finally said: "That's enough. It's been a pleasure contacting you. I will give the letter to you on the day of mass." Without another word, he turned around and approached the door, pushed it open and Then he ran towards the wall and met his subordinates who were waiting quite boredly.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief. The young priests made signs of the cross on their chests, lamenting that the devil who had betrayed their faith had left.
Eskil stood in the lobby and casually asked Blue Fox who had not left: "Do you recognize the face of the King of Denmark?"
"Yes. The facial features I will report the specific appearance, body shape, and arrogance of speech to Prince Rurik."
"Then, that kid Rurik will really take revenge?"
"Inevitably. ."
"Oh! Lord..." Eskil kept crossing his chest: "I am guilty. Maybe I caused a dispute and Hedebe became really dangerous. ”
On the agreed August 14th, the Mass of St. Mary was held in the monastery. This was a completely private ceremony, and only the “devout lambs” could participate.
King Horik participated in this ceremony with his unique practical actions. He led more than 500 armored warriors and as many as 100 cavalry, and raised five swords in a mighty manner. More than a dozen raven flags of various sizes appeared outside the wooden walls of the monastery.
This is a powerful military deterrent. As long as Horik gives the order, the army will conquer this place in minutes.
The young priests trembled for their lives, causing the mass to contain fear. Eskil never believed that Horik would really send troops, asserting that this was a kind of deterrence, and the deterrence was not directed at himself, but at the Frankish Kingdom.
Outside Horik's military wall, his envoy approached the gate and asked the priests to send someone to receive the important message immediately.pieces.
Who will receive the letter? Horik named them and asked the fat priest Joseph to come and get them.
This is another naming of the blue fox! Originally, Blue Fox didn't want to get involved in a boring ceremony like mass. In terms of ceremony, how could the ceremony be as exciting as the Russians lighting fire towers and slaughtering deer?
He was not afraid of Horik, so he approached the wooden wall and opened the door himself, pretending to be respectful.
When Horik saw the fat man, he got off the horse with great interest and carried a cloth bag with his own hands, which contained a letter written in Frankish on a piece of white cloth.
He stared at the face of the blue fox and stepped forward, with the mighty armored army behind him.
Blue Fox was not afraid, and even looked at this powerful Danish army, imagining how it would collapse under the attack of Ross's elite army.
Horik personally stuffed the cloth bag towards Blue Fox, and did not let go when he received it with one hand.
The blue fox was a little surprised, and Horik also said something shocking: "Fat man, put away your disguise. I heard that the commander of your Ross people is a fat man. My people described that there was no fat man in the body. Obviously that person is you!"
Blue Fox is not scared. Doing business in Hedebi is a life-threatening job. Now that I have killed someone, I am more courageous.
"You misunderstood, I am Joseph."
"It doesn't matter. Russians, if you believe in the Lord, I won't be able to do anything to you. You'd better leave as soon as possible, my The kingdom does not allow Swedes or Rus to exist. If you can return to your Rus, tell your leader that any ship that dares to cross to the west of Burgundy Island will encounter my ruthless attack! ”
Now that the talk has come to this point, Blue Fox simply stopped pretending. The reason why he received the letter with one hand was because the other hidden hand was holding a meat-cutting dagger under the cloth. Even though Horik was wearing armor, the vital part of his neck was open. Horik could guess this from his special posture.
"Okay, King of Denmark. In fact, my Prince Rus wanted to negotiate peacefully with you. The dispute that has lasted for a hundred years should be over. Since you refuse, forget it."
< p> "What? Is this the attitude of the Ross people?" Horik was really surprised. He even felt that he should write a letter to tell the Ross leader that he was actually tired of the disputes.But are all peace negotiations still possible? He actually killed a group of Russians and even destroyed their shops. Horik's expectation for the peace of 'Danluo' is very strange, that is, the two sides should not fight and kill each other as soon as they meet, but Denmark will still reject Ross and Sweden. At most, they promise not to take the initiative to invade, and also ask the other side not to invade. for "mutual non-aggression". As for cooperative trade, don't even think about it, because it is related to the stability of the Danish throne.
Horik felt as if a stone was weighing on his heart, and he left angrily after the wooden door was closed. He had no fear of Russian revenge;It's not even a serious matter, simply because the primary issue now is to redefine the relationship between Denmark and Frank.
He did not stay any longer, and the army circled the monastery again holding a large number of raven flags and left. He used this performance art to clearly show that he was a warrior of Odin, and also to show that he had betrayed Prince Ludwig and Cardinal Reims. He is very conflicted. First of all, he does not want to be an enemy of Frank because of his faith. Secondly, if he does not regain Odin, most of the Danish lords will be angry, and he is afraid that he will be expelled again.
For power, he must be determined to be Odin's warrior!
After this glance, Blue Fox finally saw through King Horik that he could change his faith at any time as long as there was benefit. For example, this person's behavior clearly showed that he did not want to be a "loyal dog" to Prince Ludwig. He asserted that it was because Blue Fox peeked at the letter and his good memory allowed him to write down the content of the letter. Now this It was a great achievement to inform Prince Rurik of important information.
Blue Fox also asked himself, he was similar to Horik, the cross on his chest was just a safety certificate for activities in Frank, so why not pretend to be a believer all his life in order to do business. As for the world after death, there are various theories, but who knows?