In today's era, coastal cities such as Calais and Dunkirk can at best be called fishing villages hidden in the coastal swamps.
Without military and trade needs, such fishing villages cannot develop into famous cities. What is very embarrassing is that their geographical location does fall within the category of "Greater Flanders County", but because it is located in a remote area full of salt swamps,
There is still a serious lack of utilization value.
If a deviating Viking fleet happened to break into such an area, it would naturally be possible to loot it with an axe, if the supplies were compensated.
Such a situation did not appear in Ragnar's army that invaded Britain. A very simple reason is that they did not know what settlements there were in those seemingly vague offshore salt marshes, and the second was the important ones.
To abide by the treaty obligations is to not plunder the County of Flanders.
Geographically, from the city of Dover occupied by Ragnar to the so-called Romney Marsh Beach at Dungeness Cape, this Kentish territory under the Kingdom of Wessex became the territory of the Danish Vikings.
Loot area.
Never before had a large Danish army been stationed here for a long time, and Ragnar created a new history.
However, for the parties involved, they did not feel that their actions had any long-term significance.
The plundering area faces a strait, and this is the Strait of Calais in a narrow sense, but there is no "Calais Stronghold" on the other side, and Ragnar has never planned to build one.
Each lord has gained something, and many plan to give it up as soon as possible. Some lords think that they can use the city as bait to attract the King of Wessex. Perhaps instead of fighting head-on, they can take the opportunity to extort a sum of money and force the other party to spend money to buy peace.
very good.
Escape with the loot? Or demand a tribute from the Wessexans?
"I am a king after all! How can I retreat like a bandit?"
Ragnar undoubtedly became angry and called on the noble lords who were eager to evacuate not to rush. After all, the initiative on the battlefield was always firmly controlled by the Danes.
However, the lords still plan to cash out as soon as possible.
Iron tools, cloth, woolen products, clay pots... all kinds of strange things seized from the city were taken away as long as they had any use value.
It seems that if you stay, you can extort money from the locals to buy peace. The lords did not leave in order to get more money, but they also made compromises and sent their trusted people to organize small fleets across the strait.
Rotterstad, a new stronghold at the mouth of the Rhine.
It's midsummer and the first booty from Britain has arrived!
On the day when the Danish army left, the people who stayed in Rotterstad cut down trees and leveled the wasteland, and wooden longhouses were built on the ground. The lords of Zealandia all arranged personnel, just like living on their home island.
The guys who stayed in Rotterstad divided their territories very harmoniously.
The houses are densely packed and seemingly disorganized, but those who know better can distinguish which tribe of Denmark the area in front of them belongs to through the abstract coat of arms marked on them.
Relying on the Rotter River, the Danish settlements are growing with each passing day, but it still lacks the presence of the Russians.
So the Russians came.
Black Fox and Red Fox were delayed for some time in Hamburg. They unloaded some goods and immediately imported a batch of crude sea salt made by Saxons.
The two foxes are young, and they have a deep understanding of the importance of salt in trade based on the trading experience of their two brothers. After all, it is known that most peoples in the world do not have the ocean-going capabilities of northerners, so it is difficult for them to travel on their own.
Producing salt provides opportunities for Russian merchants to make huge profits!
Purity of faith? If life could be better, would the Frankish nobles and common people be willing to take the initiative to trade with the northerners?
The two foxes had already hung crosses on their chests, and they were convinced that this was the best way to travel through Frankfurt.
Ross's commercial fleet calmly approached the mouth of the Rhine River, but they did not continue to rush into Rotterstad.
The two people, who have lived a very good life since birth, don't really want to go to Lutrestad. After hearing that Rotterstadt is a new trading city built on the coastal wasteland, they might as well go to Utrecht, which has always been relatively prosperous.
.
The fleet turned into the Amstel River and then gradually reached the city of Utrecht through small waterways.
When the Ross flag was hoisted high, the cross flag was also flying. The ordinary people who settled along the river first felt fear. Only the local knights boldly took their retinue and hurriedly dressed up to go to the river bank to observe the fleet.
, while declaring its existence.
"Some armed men?" Black Fox observed them cautiously.
"Maybe they are local nobles or wealthy businessmen. We may deal with them." After saying that, Red Fox suggested that his brother should not be nervous.
The Russian people are naturally not nervous. Even if there is a fight, the people here will suffer a big loss.
The people of Utrecht were very nervous. Fortunately, Ross and Utrecht had a private agreement last year, and with the great peace talks in early 841, arrangements for the entire Netherlands, including Utrecht, had been made.
The dust has settled.
Not long ago, a fleet entered the Rhine and sailed away. The fleet sent a messenger to inform Archbishop Arbery of Utrecht of the new situation.
When the local nobles are temporarily vacant, the bishop is obliged to perform the duties of the ruler.
Arbery is a kind man. He has good moral character and has no appeal for worldly power. Now he only hopes to keep the people in this area safe.
Now that the Ross ship has really arrived, he takes it for granted: "Maybe the Baron of Nassau has come to inherit the title?"
As a result, two little fat guys came down.
After some negotiations, the truth came to light, and the vigilant Utrecht completely relaxed.
Standing in Arbery's position, facing the black fox and red fox brothers, he was even very moved.
In the church, Arbery personally received these two young believers who had come from afar.
"It turns out that it was the holy Esquier who baptized you. He is a respectable person, and obviously you two will also be promising children. I know that your arrival means peace."
The words were spoken in Latin; otherwise, the bishop could only speak Flemish.
Black Fox and Red Fox are glad that they have learned Latin. Not only can this language be conversed with senior priests from all over the world, but it will also be regarded as superior people by these social elites.
"We are indeed coming in peace." Red Fox said to him, "I am the Red Fox of the Gould family. I will be stationed in nearby Rotterstad. I will have close contact with you in the future."
"Oh! Okay." Bishop Arbery composed himself, "The brand-new Durist is full of dangers. Maybe you are the only one who can have a friendly relationship with the Danes there. Both of you have been called by the Lord.
Maybe there is a possibility that all the people in Rotterstad can be converted and everything will be at peace."
The two brothers didn't quite understand what they were saying, and the room fell into a small silence.
Red Fox said again: "We are just doing business under the orders of King Rus. Compared with Rotterstad, Utrecht is now more affiliated. As far as I know, Baron Nassau has not arrived yet, and you are the local boss."
Noble, what do you think? We should start business cooperation immediately."
"This..." Arbery immediately fell into trouble.
"how?"
"My child." Arbery shook his head helplessly, "I am a servant of God, not a businessman. I am not qualified to do business. You... are really making things difficult for others. But cooperation is possible. The only thing I can do is
Organize some local little nobles and go talk to them."
The two of them knew almost nothing about Catholicism. The so-called conversion to fulfill the king's order was essentially a disdain for them. They only thought that it was a tool for smooth business.
They have a similar attitude towards any god, neither liking nor hating them. They adhere to the principle of believing in whatever is useful to this day.
Only when it comes to issues of real interests, their seemingly sluggish attitude instantly turns into a lively one.
If the Russians came here not to harass but to do business, the local knights met the two brothers quickly and held a small business meeting.
Part of the coarse salt imported from Hamburg is unloaded and sold to local knight lords at a higher price. The second is a batch of Ross's iron farm tools. Their production cost is not high, but the local small nobles in Utrecht are extremely short of these.
Tools, both parties have mutual needs, and even though the locals obviously have to pay more, the transaction between the two parties is smooth.
Buy agricultural tools and rent them to tenants to get more agricultural products during harvest. The knights are naturally brave warriors when fighting, and they usually want to be shrewd landowners. They will calculate their own accounts, and the transactions with the Russians can be done in the future.
Earn more and you will naturally agree to the transaction.
Although there were many Russians disembarking, they did not rob or harass, and were even willing to spend money to buy agricultural products from the local area.
So the farmers in Utrecht heard the news. At first, a few people took the risk and took the newly harvested peas, cheese, milk, and eggs to the temporary camp of the Russians to exchange some money.
At first, the two brothers' fleet did not know the local commodity prices in Utrecht. Since the Kingdom of Rus had collected a large amount of silver coins and copper coins in the past ten years, the kingdom was actually in a state of so-called imported inflation. With the increase in the supply of various materials,
With the increase in production and the king's intention to tighten the currency in circulation, the skyrocketing prices have been contained and slowly become more rational, but the general public still has a lot of money on hand. The old Russians and their descendants are the direct beneficiaries of the expansion, and they do not feel that they
In fact, there is a lot of wealth, but in Utrecht, the Russians suddenly have a new name for "generous".
The people stationed there actually spent a lot of money to buy local agricultural products such as eggs and cheese, and actually suffered a loss. As the saying goes, blessings outweigh misfortunes, and the ordinary people in Utrecht urgently need some good people to give them more money to repay them.
Due to the debt owed to the lord, even if the Russians quickly figured out the local basic prices, they still happily purchased with a lot of money.
After all, compared to the bitter cold northern world, the Netherlands faces the warm Atlantic Ocean Current, which means it is not extremely cold in winter and not extremely hot in midsummer. But for the Russians, this is a kind of warmth that is like a dream.
It is now the pea harvest season in Utrecht, and due to the unique geographical advantages, peas here can be harvested twice a year. Usually this is a non-staple food for the locals to supplement their meals. Since the Russians are willing to pay a higher price to buy it, try to sell it.
Going out is the right way.
Red Fox and Black Fox never thought that instead of being afraid of them, local farmers were actively engaged in agricultural trade. They were originally worried about the supply problem of the fleet, but now the food problem has been solved.
It was precisely under this peaceful trading situation that Henry Nassau's immigrant army arrived.
The longboat was filled with people from the village of Nassau. Henry Nassau took his family with him and successfully drifted to the city of Utrecht.
He saw the city early and was delighted that it was much larger than his hometown of Nassau.
"Ah! This will be my main city from now on!"
Henry was in a great mood, and his family were all dreaming about a better life in the future.
However, the accompanying Ross people were very vigilant. They saw their own ships anchored at the dock and realized that friendly forces had arrived. These people were hardly from the old Ross tribe in terms of blood, and their identities were indeed subjects of the Kingdom of Ross. They actually knew that
The status of the compatriots who arrived in Utrecht was nobler than mine.
Fortunately, the clothes of both parties are very similar, and outsiders standing together can't tell who is the old Russian and who joined later.
Henry Nassau, who landed in Nassau, was eager to declare his power. He roared on his new territory, shouting like an ape, as if he wanted to shout away some of his unhappiness.
It can be said that Henry looked like a clown at this moment, but his performance was very real.
I don’t know how many generations of ancestors! Finally, in my generation, I became an earl and a great noble!
Indeed, titles similar to dukes are reserved for the heirs of top nobles. Now Ludwig of the Eastern Kingdom has always called himself the king, and his legal first status is still the Duke of Saxony.
Henry Nassau was keenly aware that he finally had power firmly in his hands. He had become a great nobleman second only to the king-level nobles, and he could indeed live like a king in the future! Moreover, compared to the cramped village of Nassau, his hometown,
Delcht is much richer.
It was different from the imagination of the local bishop Arbery. When he really came into contact with Henry Nassau, the first Earl of the Netherlands, he realized that this man had a strong desire for power and wealth.
Arbery, like his priests, adheres to a life of asceticism as much as possible, so-called achieving simplicity with as much extreme frugality as possible, so as to approach the mysteries of purity. It is not that he cannot be extravagant, but he just can't stand the extravagant bad habits of the Cologne diocese, that is,
It’s not that you can’t, it’s just that you don’t want to. Want to be extravagant? It’s too easy.
At first glance, Arbery didn't like Henry Nassau very much, but neither did the former Baron Utrecht.
Henry gave orders to the archbishop: "I want to leave the house where I saved the count, and I want to settle my people immediately. Open the warehouses in Utrecht and put them at my disposal immediately! The residents of this city immediately pay this year's tithe, and I
Need funds. Oh, add one more, give me one more for last year’s tithe tax.”
To be fair, Henry Nassau did not go too far. The first priority for any nobleman who obtained a new territory to demonstrate his power was to tax the local area. Henry only asked for two years of tithes, but did not ask for three years or even more.
Much has been His mercy.
He didn't think so. This was a bitter experience for the people who had just received benefits from the Russians.
For the local Flemish people, the Rus, the Danes and other Normans are outsiders, aren't the Nassau people who floated down from the upper reaches of the Rhine also outsiders?
The Flemish and Nassau people speak different languages. The former has an overwhelming population, while Henry Nassau has not many immigrants.
There was really no other way. The people, who had been tamed by the church like gentle lambs, had no choice but to pay taxes to the newly arrived nobles.
Of course, the local knights and the Baron of Groningen quickly and smoothly declared their allegiance to Henry Nassau and the Count of the Netherlands. Still in accordance with the rules set by Charlemagne more than half a century ago, lower-level nobles did not
The high-ranking nobles paid taxes, and the knights only had the obligation to provide military assistance. All taxes fell on the peasants. The status of the local small nobles was not reduced by Henry Nassau's move, but was strengthened.
It was here that he met Blue Fox's two younger brothers.
Two young fat guys, they have obviously just grown beards, and their skin is indeed fresh and tender, which proves that they have not experienced the wasted tempering of time.
"So, who is my son-in-law?"
Even before settling in, the immigrant community resettled in the city was still buzzing. Henry Nassau, who had just moved into the old count's mansion, immediately met Blue Fox's two younger brothers.
He and his wife looked at the two fat guys up and down, and then suddenly asked: "I have learned about you from your brother and King Ross. Which of you will go to my hometown of Nassau Village?"
"It's me." Black Fox raised his head and said. "I am the third son of the Gould family. My name is Black Fox."
"But you are not black at all, you are even very white." Henry Nassau deliberately joked.
"Oh, if you want, I can paint my face black with charcoal."
Immediately, cheerful laughter erupted from the house.
"I'm quite satisfied," Henry's wife said with a smile.
"Very good." Henry Nassau composed himself: "Black Fox, your brother is already operating in Nassau Village. I will not give up there. We will always cooperate. Therefore, my young daughter needs to marry an excellent person.
Obviously, you are this person."
"Is there such a good thing?" Black Fox opened his eyes wide instantly.
Henry Nassau thought that the fat man didn't understand, so he deliberately explained: "If you marry my daughter, I will entrust you to help me manage it. You will have full power in Nassau Village, so that your king's decision can be implemented without any merit."
You can also gain power. This is a great thing! And my daughter is very beautiful and younger than you. She will be a very good wife."
He was a black fox who didn't understand, so he knew very well that this was a "noble marriage." Hidden under the appearance of a peaceful businessman was the ambition of the black fox. He needed an opportunity, but he never thought that Henry Nassau, a "big fool", would give away the opportunity in vain.
.
Black Fox didn't hesitate anymore and said bluntly: "Then, I can call you father..."