Chapter 743 The fallen old king of Denmark, Harald Clark

In order to move quickly, the people who disembarked did not carry heavy chain mail from beginning to end, and only a few of the guards sent by the Marquis wore armor.

Although they stopped shooting arrows, swords were cutting at each other and spears were poking at each other. Although there were casualties on both sides, it was obvious that the count's side was fighting hard.

Blue Fox's sword was stained with blood again. The Count watched helplessly as the fat man, who looked harmless to humans and animals two months ago, decisively seized the opportunity to poke an enemy in the neck. The fat man had no face. The change of color frightened and awed him.

They have been holding on hard, subconsciously moving back toward the lower reaches of the river. No one knows when the battle will end.

At this critical moment of life and death, the dull sound of horns came from the distance.

"Damn it! The enemy still has reinforcements, am I going to die here?" Hearing the sound of the horn, Earl Robert was instantly discouraged. Te increasingly felt that this was a conspiracy directed at himself and Saint Esquier.

The trumpet sound seemed to be approaching, and after a while, a neat sound similar to a group of people playing snare drums was heard.

On the contrary, when they saw the attackers in sackcloth fighting, they felt fear, and they started to retreat after fighting like rabid dogs.

"A miracle! Lord! A miracle. Did you send an angel to save me?" The earl sighed to himself in desperation.

Wherever there were any angels, those blowing trumpets rushed out from the right side of the earl's circular array.

It was a group of men with iron helmets on their heads. Their clothes were consistent with the kingdom’s army and the blue cloth was brighter. They all use a painted round shield. The shield has a blue background and a white crow emblem, and also has a very obvious black cross pattern. This is very different from the triangular mandarin duck shields commonly used by Frankish warriors. Blue Fox feels particularly friendly.

The shield coat of arms has actually marked the identities of these people: Raven and Black Cross are converted northern warriors.

Blue Fox intuitively felt that these strange people looked like Russians or Vikings.

These strange armed men rushed to kill the fleeing enemy. They just looked at the confused Earl Robert and continued to fight. Even so, the count still asked the soldiers to remain absolutely vigilant, because everything was too bizarre, there was a sudden attack and then a chaotic battle, and the powerful reinforcements came at the right time almost at the last moment, everything was too suspicious.

After a while, an old soldier with a gray beard appeared surrounded by a group of buckler warriors.

This man walked into the vigilant people and slowly took off his helmet.

“It’s you!?” Eskil, who had just regained consciousness, was shocked when he saw this man’s aging face.

"Saint, stay well! I know you are in Frankfurt, and I am sorry to see you again in this way."

"You! Harald Clark, King of Denmark!"

"Just a vassal of Ludwig! I'm in RegensburgFrankfurt and Frankfurt have already inquired about some things, and it was you who spread some news yourself. Look, look at these bodies, you attracted the attention of those people and I saved you. ”

Suddenly an armored old soldier came out and spoke broken Frankish. The blue fox looked at this man’s face and knew that he was not a good person.

This is the kind of old man in the forest. Husband or the King of Denmark? The King of Denmark is in Denmark, how come a Danish King emerges from the Danube River?

Blue Fox remains silent for the time being. No matter what the background of this person and his subordinates is, they have solved the crisis.

Blue Fox paid close attention to Eskil's face, and saw the old guy who had just been frightened to pee pushed away the warrior's barrier and walked towards the white-bearded warrior himself.

"Harald, I didn't expect to see you here. You are saved, this must be the will of the Lord. ”

“Maybe. However, I have been following this group of gangsters for half a year. "

"Gangster? "The Earl of Hamburg came pacing, raised his boots and trampled on a dead body, then used his sword to lift the linen covering, revealing the blood-stained leather armor underneath. "This is obviously a soldier. ”

“Soldier indeed. Are you... a noble? "The man with white beard and armor asked.

"It's a noble. I am the Count of Hamburg. "

"It's really strange, if you are like this, why are you here. "

"I'm curious, are you really Harald Clark? If that were the case, I thought I had seen you many years ago, but I had long forgotten your face. ”

Harald Clark, the deposed and expelled chieftain of Denmark, was the predecessor of the slain chieftain Hafgen.

He immediately said something in Norse When introducing myself, compared to the awkward Frankish, I speak the Norse language of my hometown the most smoothly.

“I am no longer the king, and the lords refuse to let me go back. I am Prince Ludwig's subordinate, and I am currently carrying out the prince's orders. Thank you Lord for allowing me to meet you. If I had come late, you would have died. ”

“It is a gift from the Lord. "Eskil quickly made the sign of the cross.

The Earl of Hamburg didn't know what to say. He was relieved and confirmed that the attacker was indeed well prepared.

There were no words. Speaking of which, I am a noble from the North. Although Eskil is a saint and has worked in the North all his life, how can I be killed when being attacked by thieves in the Alemanni region?

The earl still couldn't completely believe Harald Clark's words, because it was too coincidental and seemed like a conspiracy.

The situation finally stabilized, and a large group of soldiers gathered in the forest to rest.

The corpses of as many as forty enemies were collected, and the deceased's coat was stripped off to reveal his true face. Through his brown hair, Harald Clark's blond warriors were sure that the deceased was not from the North.

Such a number of dead people proved that the battle was premeditated. They left some bows, picked up some arrows on the ground, and even found a special kind of petals - dried edelweiss flowers. < /p>

After experiencing a great battle, the reckless warriors' love for battle led to the loss of many ships and the death of many people. The Earl of Hamburg said that he was unwilling to leave again.

Originally, the team had to find a ford on the Danube River to land and camp for the night at night. The tired soldiers had to gather with Harald Clark's Norman mercenaries.

As the contact deepened, the Earl's alertness quickly disappeared.

Look at the soldiers holding special round shields. Their shields have the emblem of a black cross, and each of them also has a metal or wooden cross pendant hanging around his neck.

This army is actually one of the achievements of Saint-Eskilde in the past ten years. They are the first batch of converted Norman warriors. Their existence proves that priests can influence people with just one mouth. Lots of savages.

Harald Clark did not see anyone else. When the bonfire was lit, the old guy came close to the Count of Hamburg, waiting for the wheat in the hanging pot to be cooked, and took the opportunity to inquire about something.

Both armies were loyal to Prince Ludwig and wanted to find out some new information from each other.

Harald Clark thrust his sword deeply into the soft mud and complained about his unlucky past. He lamented that he had lost the royal power of Denmark and was betrayed by his nephew Horik. Now he could only join the Frankish nobles as a mercenary.

"I was expelled by those people because of my conversion. I fought for Ludwig. It has been nine years and I still haven't received the fief. I am old and may die here..."< /p>

Harald Clark speaks of the sorrow of an old soldier. He is a real lost dog, and his trusted soldiers are not young either.

However, these warriors are all veteran warriors who have been chopped down for ten years. Those who are not skilled in skills are already dead. Even if the strength of those who are alive today has weakened, they are all superb in their killing skills.

The Earl of Hamburg is both in awe and contempt. How can a down-and-out noble be respected? However, this person is the deposed former King of Denmark, and the fact that he survives can be used.

The earl deliberately asked: "Is it appropriate that you have paid so much for the prince and not received a reward? You can ask for it."

"The prince did not reward you."

"Maybe..."

"What do you want to say."

"Or, you try to go to the north. Hamburg is the time to use people."

"Are you trying to win over me?" Harald Clark did hesitate for a moment, then shook his head after thinking about it: "You forgot me, but I still remember you, Robert. You are just a count, and I must at least have the title of earl. I cannot be your vassal."

"But I need you, especially your army."

As soon as I said this. , Harald immediately heard a big problem. His attitude changed and he suddenly asked: "Who are you wary of?"

"I... I'll talk about this later. First tell me who the attacker is."

" That's fine." Harald sighed regretfully, "He's from Lothair."

"Prince Lothair?" The Earl also became vigilant and warned: "You can't lie about this matter."

"You can't lie about it. You...why don't you ask me why I brought the army with me?" Help you?"

"Why?"

"We were ordered by Ludwig to annihilate this special group of bandits. Bandits are making trouble in Alemany. They are killing merchants, raiding villages, and even attacking priests. "Ah! Are they crazy? They dare to kill the servants of the Lord." p>

"They have already sold their souls to Satan." Harald fiercely asserted.

"Is it still Lothair's order?" the count asked again.

"I don't know. But I found Lothair's vassal's irises from the corpse."

"Capet? They are at the seaside, Capet is also a count, Why are there people from Capet looting here?"

"It must be Lothair's order! But they are not just Capetian's people, they may be followers of multiple nobles. No one wants to do it themselves. If all the nobles are involved in this dirty business, then no one can blame anyone. Now the old king has been released..."

The Count of Hamburg and Eski were already frightened by this. When you heard the words "the old king was released", your hair suddenly trembled.

King Louis has been released, but the power of the capital Aachen has long been taken by Lothair. Lothair was unable to obtain the power of the entire kingdom on his own, and the nobles of the kingdom were also divided, each supporting the prince they were willing to follow.

Two years ago, Lothair and Ludwig fought in the ownerless Alemany region. Now the Marquis of Frankfurt has completely turned to Ludwig, which has attracted Prince Lothair to use any means.

Harald briefly described these things and said bluntly: "The prince's war has nothing to do with me. For money, I want to kill all Lothair's troops operating in Alemanni. I have no territory and can only Living on commission, my brothers are all counting on me. As for you...especially you, Saint Esquier." Poor Esquier looked confused: "What? ”

“If you are killed, it will be their victory. The Northern Saint Eskil was killed near Frankfurt, and they can say that Ludwig was the murderer and the Margrave of Frankfurt was directly responsible. Assassin."

Esquier was shocked and extremely angry: "I am a servant of the Lord, how can I become a tool for the nobles to fight for power? No, I want to go to Reims! Crossing the Alps, I went to Rome to complain to the Pope and depose Lothair."

"But you have no evidence," Harald said regretfully.

At this moment, the Earl of Hamburg suddenly came to his senses: "But you still have no evidence to accuse Lothair."

"Yes, but there are some things that cannot be shown even if the truth is known. They simply betrayed their faith for the sake of power. Perhaps only the Lord will judge them on the final day.”

Hearing Harald Clark's description, Eskil remained silent.

The Earl of Hamburg roughly understood the situation, and estimated that there was a spy in the Frankfurt church, or that the entire city of Frankfurt was filled with Lothair's spies.

The attackers did not leave anyone alive. It was not that Harald’s Norman soldiers did not want to capture anyone alive, but that the attackers killed their own people directly when they saw they were injured and could not be taken away. They were determined to do so. Don't want to reveal your identity.

Harald made it clear to everyone that Prince Ludwig was aware of these situations.

"But there is another big thing that you... don't know, and neither does the prince. I'm sure that the prince will be furious if he knows about it." The Earl of Hamburg pretended to be secretive.

"What is it?" Harald asked.

"Remember Horik who betrayed you? The man who called himself Count of Flanders?"

"My nephew. Damn it!"

"That man is in great trouble now. He returned to Denmark with his army. He is indeed no longer the earl he claims to be, but is now the real king of Denmark."

Harald's mind was in a mess, no. Dare to believe this is true.

"You are kidding. Denmark does not doubt the holy believers, they still believe in Odin, and Horik cannot convince them."

The earl gave a bitter smile: "I have solid news, and There are many witnesses, especially my border viscount who has gathered a large number of refugees. They all believe in the Lord, but Horik has betrayed the Lord, and thus became the king of Denmark. He went to Hedebe Abbey and asked the prince to recognize him as the king of Denmark. The war in the north has begun." The amount of information was so overwhelming that Harald almost fainted. "This is impossible."

"This is the fact." Eskil added with a sullen face: "I must go to Regensburg and give Horik's autograph letter to the prince."

"There is still a letter? I... want to take a look."

"Okay. I hope you can understand Latin."

" Damn it, I don’t understand Latin.”

Harald Clark really couldn’t read Latin documents, and Saint Eskil didn’t bother to read them himself.

The letter was thrown into the hands of Blue Fox. Esquier did not mention the identity of the person for the time being, but first said: "Joseph will read it to you... No! Translate it into Norse for you. Listen."

"He? A fat man?"

"It's me." The blue fox killed an enemy in the afternoon, but he was still in high spirits. Lar Clark, the former King of Denmark, was reduced to a mercenary, so he would not look down upon him.

Blue Fox is not an excellent translator. He tried his best to translate the words accurately, and finally made Harald understand the fact that Horik established himself as king.

"This Horik! Taken away my power! I would rather betray my faith for power. It's a pity that I still have to work as a mercenary outside." Harald clenched his fists. He was obviously very dissatisfied with the current situation. .

The count took the opportunity to talk: "That's why I need you. I can't give you rich property, but I can grant you a piece of land. Even if you are a baron, you still have your own territory..."

Harald quickly changed the subject. The fat translator Joseph attracted his attention and asked: "You are also Danish, tell me some of the situation there."

"I'm not Danish." Blue Fox said confidently with his head held high.

"Oslo people? Bergen people?"

"Russian people."

"Russian? Actually the Rus of Svealand?"

"Russian people."

"Russian people?" p>

The blue fox secretly mocked the down-and-out king for knowing nothing about the Northern affairs, and said: "Ross is Ross! Ross has nothing to do with Svealan. That Horik was killed in Hedeby There are many Russians. If he provokes a war, the Principality of Russia will take the harshest revenge."

A priest's bared words sounded like a monster that wants to eat people. Harald couldn't believe it was true. "You? You can't be a false priest."

At least Robert, Count of Hamburg, saw this fat man killing someone with his own eyes. At least he was also an ungodly priest. He must have been like Harald before he converted. A murderous Norman warrior.

The blue fox shook his head: "I am a priest, and also the envoy of the Prince of Ross. Horik is a big threat. The Principality of Ross wants to form an alliance with Frank, especially Prince Ludwig, to defeat him together. Horik's Denmark."

"You?"

"I am the messenger!" Blue Fox simply stood up, "I hope to see the prince himself and make an alliance."

"Are you asking me for an introduction? How many benefits will you give me?"

Blue Fox shook his head. If he asked for an introduction, Eskil would help him. He was surprised that this man was asking for a bribe.

Blue Fox cannot look down on Harald, the down-and-out king. In addition, he has to live in a humble status for the past few months and suffer the frustration of being discriminated against. This was simply impossible before. . His hatred was originally directed at Danish Horik, but now part of it has been transferred to various Frankish nobles.

The envoys of the Principality of Rus did not receive the respect and hospitality they deserved, and it was unreasonable for a down-and-out king to ask for bribes.

Harald shouted with contempt: "Since you don't give us money, forget it. I know that you Rus, a small tribe, just sell some leather. At most, you can gather together. Only a thousand people."

"Just believe what you know!" Lan Hu said this and shut up.

The Count of Hamburg believed it, "If the Russians are like this, then the princeDefinitely disdain to contact. A thousand people seemed to be a lot, but they were still much weaker than the prince. "

Eskir said something fair: "The Russians can gather three thousand people. ”

However, this explanation was selectively ignored by the Earl and Harald. Their unreasonable arrogance only aroused the anger of Blue Fox.

Blue Fox chose to shut up, as if by default. Yes. Indeed, facts speak louder than words, and the words of a strong-mouthed king are not as good as the attack of a large fleet. He secretly cursed in his heart: "When the Ross navy comes to the city, you will all die. ”