The men holding the shields were full of anger. They had been harassed endlessly by the Russians over the years. It was clearly their enmity with the Danes. Why should the Bernholm people pay the price?
Is it just because the whole island surrendered to Denmark?
More than a thousand people swarmed up and could tear the landing Russians into pieces, but they were clearly envoys.
What do the Russians want to do? negotiation?
Negotiation is okay if it allows them to end their endless harassment.
The heads of the big families who have not left the island, as well as several Danish lords who fled last year, have set up the Nordic Parliament on the island.
No one is the owner of the island. On weekdays, everyone gets together to live together. When something happens, the prominent people will elect a talker to handle the matter.
A man named Swinder was elected, and it was he who called on the men to take up arms and go to the beach to see what was going on.
A small leader shouted angrily: "Are they envoys? They didn't give us a chance to defend themselves before, but now we have sent some people to chop the envoys."
"No way. "Their big ships are like Kraken, and I don't want to anger them."
"Just let them land safely?" An exiled Danish lord worried.
Swinder stood in front of the formation, worried about the eagerly looking large ships, so the islanders' long boats did not leave the harbor to intercept them, so he led the men to guard the beach.
Inciting the army to tear the messenger apart with his hands is nonsense, and it will be enjoyable, which will end the possibility of negotiation.
He then said to those noble people: "Since you have elected me to be the talker, please don't cause trouble, and those who restrain themselves must not attack without permission. I will go and talk to the Russians who have landed ashore in person."< /p>
A small boat floated to the shore, a flag fluttering, and the people on the boat were also wearing Ross's white and blue patterned robes.
How can Ragnar’s Ross-like outfit not scare the people of Bernholm? He himself was also quite worried, and this trip was also a brave undertaking with his head in his belt.
The fishermen's boats ran aground directly on the beach. Ragna held the boat and jumped off, then faced the entire military formation with arrogant steps.
Then, take off your helmet.
Ragnar showed his face, which immediately shocked some people.
"Is it him? No way!" an exiled Danish lord lamented.
Another person was confused: "Ragnar in woolen pants? He looks similar, but there are many people who look alike. This man is a Russian. Clothes don't deceive."
"Maybe he's not dead? Did he surrender to the Rus?"
"Who knows?"
......
The shields are stacked like a wall, Raghu Undaunted, Na faced the army, clutching his helmet and spreading his arms.
"People of Bernholm, do you recognize me?"
"You?!" Swinder shouted,"Russians! Do you want to negotiate with us?"
"No! I am not a Russian."
"You are obviously wearing Russian clothes!"
"I am a Dane! Ragnar of the Stonewall tribe! Ragnar in woolen pants, Ragnar who beheaded King Svealan!"
Because the name of a heroic man always It is highly respected, and the stories always become bizarre as they are passed down by word of mouth, and eventually become fantasy stories.
The shield-holding warriors were all surprised. If he were Ragnar the Hairy Pants, who could beat him? Besides, he is a Dane, not a Russian, nor is he a servant of the new king of Denmark. There is no reason for war between them.
"Someone said you were dead!" Swinder continued to shout.
"I am not dead. I will take revenge on Horik while I am alive. You! People of Bernholm! If you are the hounds raised by Horik, you can kill me now. If You are also against that man, stop being on guard now and let’s have a good chat.”
Hearing this, Swinde made a quick decision. No matter who this person is, the Ross forces he represents seem to have no desire to fight. Anyway, the strong men have been mobilized. If the people on Ross's ship want to land on the island to kill, they will be asking for death.
He asked the men to relax their guard, and he opened his arms and walked forward.
The misunderstanding appears to be over, and Ragnar peacefully lands on the island.
For Ragnar, this is not the first time he has landed in Bernholm, but he was very young the last time he came, and now he is the father of two children.
If he is a fake, it will be quickly exposed as long as he is asked by the real Danish lord.
In fact, this is not the case. Ragnar has a very important token to prove it - the ring inherited from his father.
The Ring Sigurd made himself a ring, which was actually a "ouroboros", also referring to the "Jormungandr Serpent".
The ring is not surprising. It would be too arrogant to make an Ouroboros ring.
The fleeing lords fought side by side with Ragnar many times. Even though this was an era without photos, Ragnar had many achievements, and the lords looked at him more often.
Now that they have seen Sigurd’s ring, the fleeing lords have already recognized the fact that Ragnar Danes are. As for why he is wearing Russian clothes, and why there are three large Russian ships in front of the island...
"You? What is the purpose of coming here? Negotiating with us on behalf of the Russians?" Swinder asked to the point. question.
Ragnar did not hide it: "It is indeed a negotiation. This is not a place for conversation. We should find a good place to have a good chat."
......
< p>The three large Ross ships were like swords hanging above their heads. Once they arrived, the islanders' fishing plan for today was ruined again.The islanders went back to their homes, looking forward to a result of the negotiations in their homes.
The sea breeze blew across the island, and a large wooden house was built on the top of the highest stone hill on the island.Standing here, people can see far away. If the air is clear enough and the weather is clear enough, people with good eyesight can even see the phantom of the coastline of the distant continent.
Ragnar entered the parliament chamber with two attendants holding swords. The three of them had already taken off Ross's robe and folded it, revealing his leather casual clothes, which made him look exactly like the islanders.
However, although he is nicknamed "Wool Pants", he is currently wearing real Ross linen trousers. A pair of tightly stitched trousers is a huge difference from the islanders.
Because the islanders also wear skirts on a large scale, or a kind of overall leather robe. They don't even have the concept of underwear, they just wrap their legs in stockings when they're really cold.
Ragnar, who is used to Ross's comfortable clothing, can no longer go back. Of course, there are some minor problems in clothing.
More than twenty prominent figures gathered in the parliament chamber, and Ragnar was the most important guest.
"I'm sorry, because of the harassment of the Russians, we can only venture fishing in the winter. We recently caught some herrings, and they are a bit smelly, so I can only entertain you with these." Swind's opening remarks seemed to be complaining, and his words were full of impoliteness.
It is true that Ragnar is a Dane, and his current identity as an envoy of Rus is also true.
"Eating smelly fish? Since it is your gift, I'd better accept it. I want to believe that you are not deliberately negligent."
In fact, the islanders are deliberately negligent. Swinder laughed while denying Ragnar and pretended he didn't understand with a smile.
Swinde continued on behalf of everyone: "We just want to know, what does your coming mean? It can't be..." He paused for breath, "Do you want us to submit a letter of challenge?"
"War? As for that?" Ragnar shook his head, "I am here to represent Ross, but I can also represent all the lords who were attacked by Horik."
"You represent us?" An exiled lord happened to be present, "How can you represent us?"
"It seems so. But, are you willing to continue to be in exile? Or find a way to kill Huo Rick has the brain, let's go back to Denmark and regain the lost territory."
"Just you? What strength do you have? You don't mean it, but we all heard that your people are almost dead. . The cemetery of your tribe was also destroyed by that villain Horik..."
"That's enough!" Ragna was furious and smashed the table, which scared everyone and quickly pulled out their daggers. "Every time I think about this, I become more determined to take revenge."
"So how do you want to take revenge?" Another exiled lord asked, "How many men do you have left to fight?"
< p> "At least three hundred people. If necessary, I can recruit some more mercenaries." Ragnar's reply was quite sincere."Up to five hundred people, which is indeed a lot, but Horik and his servants are even more. They also have the hateful foreign aid of the Franks. What do you have?"
" So, that's what I'm going to say." Ragnar spread out his bracelet.Looking at everyone, "You think the Russians are hateful, and they deliberately attack your fishermen. I went into exile in Rus, chatted with their young prince, and learned about the attitude of the Russians."
"Russ What do you want to do?" Swinde also slammed the table and asked.
Ragnar did not talk about the Russian affairs first, but deliberately talked about things that happened a long time ago. "There is only one great hero in Denmark, that is Godfrey, but his nephew Harald Clark betrayed everyone, and Hafgen is not a wise man. Although Hafgen has an indecent name, it is also because Defend Denmark's rights, unlike this Horik who sold out a lot to Frank for power. You are surrendering to the heroic king of Denmark, but this Horik is not worthy of your respect."
"You said this. What? Of course we don't recognize Horik," Swinder urged him to get down to business.
"How about Hafgen? He raised his troops and killed many people. Everyone who was doing this sent out troops. We killed all the Svealans. As far as I know, we annihilated them in a surprise attack back then. That tribe lost a girl. That girl has given birth to a child for the Prince of Rus. You sent troops to participate in all the expeditions organized by Hafgen. The Rus people are actually taking revenge on you."
< p>The islanders and exiled lords never knew this inside story, and they were shocked. Naturally, some people say that this is actually an excuse for the Russians to find trouble. No man would start a war over one of his concubines.However, this is indeed a grand excuse.
Following this theory, Ragnar continued: "Hafgen is dead. How do you think he died?"
"I know. His Red Dragon and Ross The ship hit the ship and he fell into the sea and was swallowed up by the sea," Swinde said.
"Do you know who is commanding the Ross ship?"
After following the instructions, Swinder and others were shocked: "Could it be the leader of the Ross people?"< /p>
"That's him! He is a young man who seems to have been blessed by Odin. His luck has always been very good, and his own strength is also very strong. I heard about Prince Rus's attitude towards the entire Denmark, Rus People didn't want to fight, but they couldn't bear it when all their people in Hedebe were killed, so they gathered their strength to take revenge, so attacking you was only part of the revenge..."
"It sounds like this. You have been defending from their point of view. I admit that they may have a point, but they clearly want to trap us Bernholm people to death." Swinder was indignant.
"The Russians are just seeking revenge, and I want to destroy Horik's power and take revenge on the Franks."
"So you cooperated with the Russians like this ?"
"It's cooperation. I have learned the true attitude of Prince Ross. That man believes that enemies of enemies can be put aside. Now we are all facing a big trouble. Obviously we can join forces to eradicate King Horik of Denmark. I even..."
"What do you think? ”
Ragnar raised his head proudly: “I should become the new King of Denmark, and then sign a treaty with the Rus and Svealans so that piracy in this sea area ends and we can live freely.” Wouldn’t it be great to do business and live in peace and contentment? "
The restoration of peace is the long-cherished wish of the islanders, but peace is simply a luxury.
Ragnar added: "The Russians wanted me to rob you, but I stopped them. The fight between you is unnecessary. In my opinion, it would be better if you sent an envoy to Rus to form an alliance. As far as I know, the princes of Rus are very willing to accept new allies. You see, even though I killed the king of Svealan, I still successfully formed an alliance with them. Two of the big ships parked outside your port belong to me. This is the benefit of the alliance. As long as you ally with Rus, at least the Rus will not attack you again. "
Many people are moved by this.
"So, what is the price? Swinder asked cautiously, and at the same time, he was also thinking about how much it would cost to buy the Russians' stop.
"Who knows?" "Ragnar shrugged, "Maybe it's enough for you to oppose the attitude of the Danish King. "
Ragnar has done a good job as a lobbyist, but his lobbyist is just a guest appearance. It seems that the persuasion work has been completed.
He said that Rurik was sealed. As a royal pirate, there is no need to instigate the entire Bornholm Island to rebel.
Just as he expressed his ambition to become the new king of Denmark, he needs to develop his own strength. He does not need to truly rule the entire island. , after all, the island itself is just a team of multiple large families and a large number of free fishermen. As long as they are promised benefits, the islanders will probably join on their own.
The Stonewall tribe has lost many people, but the tribe itself is not a single one. The family composition of the bloodline. Ragnar can clearly absorb the small family as a new tribe from Bernholm.
The people in the parliament secretly divided into two groups. One group thought that he could try to fight with the Ross people. When it comes to peace negotiations, the other faction still plans to wait and see.
As for the firm opposition, there is no such thing!
Swinder is a supporter, and that is exactly the case when it comes to diplomacy. During the day, Ragna landed on the island in a small boat, and at night, the two sides formed an alliance. The next morning, two ships drifted toward the three Ross ships, which were watching eagerly.
Spuyut ordered the entire army to be on alert as usual, and saw Ragnar's return. Only then did he order the torque slingshot to be unloaded.
Hearing that the islanders' envoy was about to board the ship, Spyot lowered the rope ladder from the ship.
This was the first time he saw the demonic Ross ship. , Swinder couldn't help but touch him first, and then boarded the ship like climbing a wall. As soon as he boarded, he and his entourage were detained until Ragnar boarded the ship and explained the so-called entire island. The idea of forming an alliance came up.
Spuyutrin.The machine moved, "Alliance with our prince? Yes. But when the brothers come, we can't return empty-handed. You provide us with some food and other treasures."
"Yes, we only have some stinky herrings ." Swinde is right. "If you block our sea area, don't expect us to bring out many treasures."
"Forget it. It seems that you are the leader of the islanders, and I will take credit for catching you."
In fact, Swinde brought some "meeting gifts", which were to select ten girls from the island. This is what Ragnar said. The so-called Russians need a large number of women. The foreign women are not slaves, but simply wives and children.
In this way, Swinde no longer had any psychological burden, and took two more armed followers with him, and for the first time he took a Russian ship and headed for the eastern sea.