Chapter 824 Autumn of 838

The Ross army completed the breach of the city on the first day and the next day, and then looted the captured city of Godfrehagen for a whole day, turning the city to ashes with a fire.

But the Kingdom of Denmark did not suffer much substantial losses due to this fiasco. The only real loss was King Horik of Denmark.

The Danish soldiers who successfully escaped from the city entered the woodland and met some people hiding among them. Everyone was inquiring about the whereabouts of the king. Since no one knew the situation, they all groped towards the west.

The people of the Robard tribe mainly live in the northwest of the Jutland Peninsula. As long as they escape there, everything will be fine.

When a group of escapees finally arrived at the Robard village, they discovered that King Horik had already arrived here first.

The fire of the cavalry was particularly strong. The king and the accompanying cavalry propagated the terror of the Russian invaders to the people.

“You must stand with me! Don’t have any illusions about the Russians. If those people land on the beach, you will kill those who are unprepared. They will even kill women and Children, your cattle and sheep will be taken away, your wheat fields will be trampled, and your ships will be scuttled."

Horik deliberately spread an atmosphere of terror, and the people believed it and responded unconditionally. Accept the king's command and take up arms.

Compared with other Danish tribes, these Danish people who live near the strait have long seen the methods of the Rus. After all, their old leader died at the hands of the Rus. After several years of conflict, , the tribe lost troops and generals, and the hegemony it once had over the entire Denmark also dissipated.

Since even King Horik, who returned with his army, was defeated, can’t the Danes stop the Rus’ plundering clutches?

No! If the Danes unite and organize a large coalition, they can defeat the Russian army.

Horik spread many rumors to the people, especially boasting that he was only one step away from killing the leader of the Rus. He also pointed out that although the Rus' navy was strong, if the Danes built up cavalry on a large scale, they would be able to use it properly. Ross can be defeated overland.

The king's new city was lost. After a while, the adventuring fishermen reported that there were only charred embers in Godfreyhagen. The Rus invaders had left, and Horik was also completely disappointed with the city he built with his own hands. Stop thinking about it.

He gathered his troops in the villages of the Robard tribe, and more than a thousand people returned alive. He also counted the men and women in the tribe who could handle weapons, and also estimated the tribes that still supported him, and made a general judgment on his current abilities.

"My Denmark can still raise a force of five thousand men!"

But news of the brutal defeat forced various lords loyal to Horik to resist a new war , even if he wants to seek revenge on the Russians, he won’t do it within a few years.

Horik is not a reckless man. After the defeat, this "old fritter" actively regrouped, and on the other hand, he alsoActively sending letters to the Frankish envoy.

A letter was transferred directly to Prince Ludwig, the largest nobleman in East Francia...

Far away in Regensburg, Bavaria, Ludwig was busy working at his best The struggle for power within the kingdom. Because his second brother was injured when he fell from a horse while hunting, and died suddenly due to wound infection.

Prince Pepin died so young. Who will inherit his power and ownership of Aquitaine?

King Louis of the huge Frankish kingdom is already old, and the king's authority has long been divided among his sons. The princes even hope that their father will go to see God as soon as possible, so that the brothers can put their conflicts on the table.

Lotaire, the owner of the Middle Franks and the destined heir to the throne, did not hesitate to claim ownership of Aquitaine, the fief of the deceased Prince Pepin.

But the little prince Charlie, who had never had a fiefdom, immediately stood up and claimed that he should inherit all the fiefdoms of his second brother Pepin.

Seeing this situation, Prince Ludwig, the third eldest son in Bavaria, also expressed his strong concern about the situation to his eldest brother Lothair, claiming that he had the right to obtain a new territory.

Although there was a group of nobles who felt that the huge land of Aquitaine should be inherited by Pepin's son, such demands were silenced within two months.

Prince Ludwig did not hesitate to send his cavalry regiment to the border of the territory. This move was to demonstrate to his eldest brother that the army could not send a large army here without suddenly crossing the border.

With the current situation being like this, Prince Lothair stated that he would not go to Aquitaine to ask the local counts to recognize him. He also sent his cavalry regiment to the eastern border.

Ludwig stayed in his Regensburg, because Aquitaine was too far away, he really had to chew off a piece of meat, and the cost of rule was also very high. What he really needs is for his eldest brother to promise him more benefits, such as transferring the wealthy Lorraine area to him.

Is there anything more important than fighting for the power of the kingdom?

My own city of Bremen was burned by the Danes and the Russians in partnership, and Horik, who is now the "Danish Earl" who he calls himself, wrote a letter stating that the capital of Denmark was also burned by the Russians.

The frequent actions of the Russians did attract Ludwig's attention, but he did not make any positive statement. He only sent messengers to inform the lords in the north to guard against the invasion of the Normans. That’s all. In his opinion, the Rus are the most hateful group of Normans, but this does not mean that the Danes among the Normans are loyal dogs. He has no intention of replying to the so-called military support of King Horik of Denmark. ask.

How does Ludwig help a disobedient dog? In his mind, Horik was not much different from other Normans. He could surrender today and betray tomorrow. What's more, this guy wants to provide more horses himself, which is really unreasonable.

Because Regensburg is a large military camp, he and his brothers compete for the power of the kingdom and need an army loyal to him as a solid foundation.political cornerstone. He is working hard to train new cavalry units and pool resources from his own territory to build a cavalry force. In fact, several princes are doing this, because since the time of Charlemagne, the nobles have been superstitious about the power of cavalry. It seems that by forming a large-scale cavalry force, any war problem can be easily solved.

The princes were caught in an arms race, and Ludwig, who did not have the upper hand in overall strength, had to spend most of his experience in building the army.

In the north, the rising Principality of Ross is like the sun at eight or nine o'clock. Her momentum is ignored by Frank, the largest power in Europe, and she must pay the price for the current model.

The whole of Europe will usher in the autumn harvest of 838, and then the severe winter will come.

The various lords in Denmark had no special thoughts about King Horik's defeat. The loss was not among their own people anyway, so they could just harvest the wheat and stock up on fish and meat for the winter. Rumors also circulated among the Danish lords that Ragnar the Pants was involved in the attack on Godfrehagen, and that a group of exiled Danes took part in the operation. Things have become complicated. Is Horik's statement that "Russians are the public enemies of all Denmark" still absolutely reasonable?

With the arrival of late autumn, ships from Bornholm Island drifted to Zealand, the largest island in Denmark. The local lords learned of this information one after another.

The so-called island of Bornholm has become the base of exiles for all those who oppose Horik's claim to the Danish crown. The legendary Ragnar is on the island, and hundreds of brave warriors have landed on the island. settle down.

These rumors were originally spread at the request of Ragnar. This year he himself will take his accompanying brothers to spend the winter on Bornholm Island, and organize all the exiles into a training team. Plain army.

The flag of the Principality of Rus flies on the island, which symbolizes the principality's ownership of the island, so Ragnar and his guys are just guests.

It doesn’t matter whether he is a guest or not. For this tough guy who longs for revenge, Ragnar needs not only to chop off King Horik’s head, but also to get the support of all the Danish lords to become a justifiable man. The new king of Denmark. His two sons and their clansmen are in the far east, and they live with the Rus. This is the hostage and proof of his alliance with Ross.

Russian Prince Rurik is by no means a treacherous person. As long as he does not betray himself, Rurik will not turn against him.

Ragnar circulated some rumors, explaining that the attack on the city of Godfrehagen was a just act, a war between the exiles against Horik, the lackey of the Franks, and called for courage. The Danes drove out the heretic Faraks and their eagle dogs. Perhaps many people think that the Ross people are not good people either. Ragnar does not make any excuse for this statement, but only emphasizes one point: at least the Ross people are also people who believe in Odin.

He just waited for the situation to ferment...

In 838 AD, the chaos among the princes intensified for the Frankish Kingdom.The Danish world is experiencing another chaotic war.

The same bad situation happened in the British Isles. Although the powerful Kingdom of Wessex helped its neighbors, it fought against the immigrants from Norway and the Viking Kingdom of York built by the Norwegians. His rear was attacked by another group of Vikings. The bath-loving king successfully defeated the combined forces of the Vikings Thorgis and the Cornish Celts, but his Wessex army also suffered heavy losses.

The enemies killed were more of the Cornish Celts. The Vikings withdrew to the sea on a large scale. They may come back at any time, at least not in the winter.

Only the eastern Baltic world is peaceful, and trade activities have further prospered because of peace.

The Principality of Rus started with violent destruction, and its expansion brought large-scale killings. After the bloody storm, peace came. Tribes that surrender to the Rus will enjoy peace under Rus, and the conquerors will fulfill their responsibilities as rulers.

Rurik led the victorious army back to his loyal Fort New Ross.

He came back at the right time. This year's autumn harvest has begun, and the returning soldiers immediately got into farming.

The people of New Roseburg all learned of the prince’s adventure. The hastily formed army actually overcame obstacles and gave the Kingdom of Denmark a head-on attack? ! The prince actually almost killed the new Danish king, but although he failed, he burned the enemy's city to ashes!

People praised the prince for his feats and were even more grateful for his contribution.

Because of this year’s military operations, the Principality of Ross has gained a brand new living space! The fertile South Baltic Sea has been opened to the Russians. It is a free fishing holy land, and there is no longer any force capable of expelling Russian fishing boats.

The news has already spread to Lake Mälaren with the returning Swedish fishermen, and various Swedish tribes are ready to take action. Because the Russians and Sweden are like two sons born to one mother, the covenant between the two parties is natural, even if there is a gap between them.

The reputation of Prince Rurik has been praised in the ocean of feature films. He is not only a warrior with great achievements in battle, but also a man who brings opportunities to everyone.

The southern Baltic Sea, which was once firmly controlled by the Danes, can now be plundered by any fisherman from the northern waters.

Undoubtedly, the people who benefited the most were the people of the Principality of Ross. It is foreseeable that when the spring of 839 arrives, a group of Ross fishing boats will dock directly at Bornholm Island and use the island as their The base carries out large-scale fishery plundering and salt boiling operations.

Everyone in New Rossburg misses the hopeful next year. Now, a special sacrifice after the triumph is also held in New Rossburg, the capital of the Principality of Ross.

The autumn harvest is still in progress, and the army has to rush back to the densely populated shores of Lake Ilmen.

The tragic war was accompanied by casualties. Most of the dead of the Russian army were investigated clearly. Although they were burnedThe ashes and ashes were all brought back.

Rurik can think of the pain of the wives of the fallen, but the children of the fallen will not perish. Widows and orphans will be taken care of. The former will have the right to remarry and get working opportunities, while the latter will inherit the wealth of their deceased father and will also be taken care of by the principality so that they can live independently.

The ashes of the heroes have been brought back, and wooden boxes containing the ashes are displayed in Harvest Square. They were displayed publicly and honored by many soldiers and people.

The band played elegy for the fallen soldiers, the prince himself read their memorial speech in public, and the living soldiers gathered around these wooden boxes to pay tribute.

Ten deer were killed, and in the great temple of the principality, Rurik completed the sacrifice to the dead.

The fallen soldiers came from multiple tribes and even multiple ethnic groups.

A low mound in the south of the city of New Rossburg was established as the "Heroes Cemetery". The fallen in the expedition against Bornholm Island and the Kingdom of Denmark were buried here. It also becomes a new beginning.

This area is permanently designated as a soldiers cemetery. Those who have sacrificed their lives for the glory of the Principality of Ross will have their ashes buried here even if they cannot bring back their whole bodies.

This is the National Cemetery of the Principality, and its name is also very simple: Valhalla on earth.

Part of the Russian expeditionary force finally returned to Novgorod and completed the end of the autumn harvest here.

Just as Rurik expected, when the wives and concubines of the fallen learned of their husband's death, they cried to death, but such a family would not fall into despair.

Rurik handed over a large pension to the widow in a public way. The children of the fallen were already forced to study in school, and their treatment was improved, especially Among them, the boys have been designated by Rurik as "reservists of the cavalry."

Whether you are an old Rus, a Viking from other tribes, or a Slav, when you die for the prince, your son will become the prince's personal soldier, and there will be a man full of Hope for the future.

People saw what Prince Rurik had done and trusted him very much.

In order to reflect the spirit of pensions, the acres belonging to the fallen will be tax-free for three years starting this year.

Overall, the warriors who returned victoriously brought a huge amount of loot, especially the brothers of the First Flag Team led by Arik. They were the biggest beneficiaries of the looting operation after the city was broken. Each of them grabbed at least two pounds of fine silver coins and immediately put them to use to purchase supplies.

Everyone who participated in the expedition benefited. Although the Slavic warriors did not receive much real money, they did receive a large amount of iron tools and leather products. Those useful items that the Danes could not take away before fleeing, such as small stone millstones for grinding wheat grains, iron axes, iron needles, leather hats, leather gloves and other daily production tools, were brought back by Slavic warriors. Most of the tools are definitely not as good as those made by the principality itself. It is better to have something than nothing.When they arrived, they were already chopping wood with the Danish axes they had stolen! A Slavic family has five or six axes, and the whole family can participate in the "firewood chopping operation" in preparation for the winter. This was unimaginable ten years ago.

The ones who have benefited the most are naturally the soldiers from White Tree Manor. They have long sold off the stone tools that they have used for a long time at low prices, and their production tools have been completely made of iron. Now because they enjoy the dividends of the war, their family's iron tools have been greatly increased. Abundant,

In 838 AD, the main grain-producing area of ​​the Principality of Rus, the area around Lake Ilmen, welcomed another bumper harvest. Although the grain yield per mu was significantly increased in some fields due to a small amount of input of human and animal excrement. Improvements have been made, but most of the fields are still the same. The principal's self-produced food has increased significantly, and all of this is a positive success for the pioneering movement.

This is directly reflected in the significant increase in the collection of food taxes.

Rurik himself was the largest landowner. He hired Slavs in the area to help take care of the fields and paid part of the harvest. From the princely family's huge private lands and the grain taxes collected, Rurik received the equivalent of six million pounds of wheat (oats and wheat). And this is just the food he collected from the area around Lake Ilmen.

Common people have quite abundant surplus grain at home. The grain is enough for the whole year, and men, women and children also have side jobs to increase their income.

What do wealthy people do in winter? Rurik could think of it with his toes - fertility.

This is the agricultural era. Population is wealth. The more people a family has, the greater its productivity. Children can participate in farming when they are five or six years old. Although the fertility of the newly cultivated land needs to be improved and cannot be expected to produce much output in the first year, the prince deliberately cultivated the land and exempted the newly cultivated land from tax for one year. In the second year, he also collected taxes on the basis of "bad land". Endowment. Reclamation of wasteland is an activity with obvious benefits. In order to cultivate wasteland, more labor is needed, which requires farmer couples to have more children.

This is a virtuous cycle that can last for a long time. Eastern Europe is very large and full of areas that are in urgent need of development.

The people have a very positive attitude towards childbirth, and there is no need for Ryurik to supervise this matter.

If you want to supervise, no supervision behavior is more positive than the imitation effect brought by the prince's "hands-on" work.

Because of the close servants, from the oldest Anna to the tenth Yulia, the ten maids that father Otto selected for himself ten years ago have all become big girls now. They are almost seventeen years old. They have not yet become mothers at this age, which is a bit unreasonable in the eyes of the local Slavs.

Rurik also knew their attitudes, and the frequent glances silently showed the girls' respective demands. His willpower was not yet done, and he controlled himself at this special moment.

After all, Queen Svetlana’s belly has become quite obvious after collecting the grain tax, and the local Slavs are looking forward to the prince, who they think is of mixed race. Likewise, those ten years agoFamilies that offer their daughters as servants to princes and princes all hope that their daughters will give birth to little nobles as soon as possible and take the whole family of chickens and dogs to heaven.

Rurik is certainly getting more and more comfortable looking at his beautiful wives and concubines, but now is the critical moment for his wife, Queen Svetlana. For the sake of the queen's emotions, Rurik would never favor anyone else.

But he did not do nothing in the following winter, because during this year's expedition, some military shortcomings were highlighted.

"It's time to upgrade our weapons! Those hateful cavalry killed so many veterans of mine! Danes! Franks! I have to show you what the power of chemistry is in the future!"