Some small traders fled with Xinruan in an emergency, and the wooden shacks they left behind lost their owners.
Stade led his troops to easily capture this place, and from now on the brothers no longer had to sleep in the forest. The horses were tied up on the spot, and some soldiers went to cut the grass to guard, while some took money to forcibly sell the farmers' surplus grain, and feed the horses for themselves.
eat.
They raised the raven flag to show their presence in Hedebe.
So far, Stade's mission has been largely completed, although the mission has not been carried out satisfactorily, and Hedeby has slowly begun to recover from the sudden depression.
The strange confrontation with the Ross armed merchants really made him feel worried. King Horik did not want to fight an untimely war before he became strong. In fact, Stade knew that his king neither wanted to use force against Ross, nor did he want to turn against East Francia.
However, the public anger is hard to quell, and the attitude of the Danish tribes outside Hedeby is still hostile towards Rus.
Is that the attitude of the Russian people? They are obviously the side with the fewest people, but they would rather fight than compromise?
"If I do well, the king will make me the Earl of Hedeby, right? If I can't solve the problem of the Ross merchants, the Earl will have nothing to think about." He couldn't help but mutter, but he didn't dare to actually use the knife, at least.
I dare not now.
Life entered a strange calm, and the disappeared traders began to appear. The city of Hedeby had indeed changed. King Horik's envoy army had completed their move in, and the merchants and people's trading activities were all carried out under the watchful eyes of the envoys.
The vast majority of people rely on this trading stronghold to make a living. Even if King Horik comes, everyone can only pay taxes honestly in order to survive.
Ordinary people have no right to choose a ruler or a king. They can only adapt to changes by remaining unchanged.
That was not the case for the big businessmen. As the story of the confrontation between the envoy and the Russian businessman spread quickly, the businessmen couldn't help but worry about the fat man's life, and they also began to worry that the stubbornness of the Russian people would affect others.
A business meeting without the participation of the Russians was quietly held again.
The merchants were still dressed gorgeously, because some of them had already taken their purchased goods to Frank, and there were only a dozen or so big merchants present.
These people can already represent the entire Heideby business community. They gather together, each and every one of them is worried.
Someone was the first to speak: "I have thought about it, we must pay this tax. If we don't pay, we will die."
This was an inappropriate but crucial question to ask. The businessmen looked at each other, but in fact most of them had the answer in their minds.
Of course, there are still people trying to argue: "Why? I just want to ask why? A man comes from nowhere and claims to be the city lord. If you give him money and he runs away, another man will pop up and claim to be the city lord."
The real grandson of Godfrey. Do you still want to pay me?"
This is another very acute question.
Some people's mood became sad and angry: "That man asked for too much, one hundred pounds of silver coins. He is really crazy."
"But if we don't give it, it will be trouble."
"Why? I think the Russians are going to fight to the death to fight the tax, but that fat man is actually a fighter. They can show that they are tough, but we are only weak?"
Most businessmen could not be infected by such words. Some people shook their heads: "Horik has soldiers! Our private soldiers are very small."
"I think the Russians did it on purpose. They are converting shops into fortresses, with the purpose of making the new king fight to the death." A wise man analyzed.
But having said that, when it comes to doing business, don't be afraid of it, as long as you can make money, it's easy.
The wise man seemed to understand everything. He lowered his head and his voice became quiet in an instant, attracting everyone to gather around him: "In my opinion, this is all a conspiracy of the prince of Ross."
"Conspiracy? How can you see it?"
The smart man continued: "That fat blue fox seems to be planning to use his own death to provoke a war. Oh no, the war between Ross and Denmark has never stopped, it has just been suspended in recent years. Think about it, Horik occupied Heize
Is it possible for the Russians to do business? We are buying a lot of their leather. If we can't buy it, they won't be able to make a fortune."
"So, once Horik does this, our brothers' interests will be harmed. If Horik extorts us one hundred pounds of silver every year, we will all become poor in five years." Someone described it like this, and everyone became angry.
But he was helpless and furious.
After hearing these words, the wise man felt that his speculation was close to the truth. "In that case, who do you think will win if a war breaks out?"
No one had any doubts about this issue. After contacting the Ross merchants, everyone learned a lot of news from the East, and learned about the actual situation of the Principality of Ross and all the remaining Danish lords.
The wise man continued: "In my opinion, Ross will win. Their navy is very strong, and they can also lead the eastern army on an expedition. It is said that some Norwegian leaders are friends of the prince of Ross. Besides, the Swedes will definitely help Ross. Any division will not matter.
That’s bullshit, Ross and Sweden are from the same family, and I don’t think Horik from outside will gather all the strength of Denmark to fight them.”
So someone started having an epiphany: "So Horik needs money?"
"Yes! A lot of money! Only by buying off those lords with money can Horik complete his rule. Where did he get the money from? He can only blackmail us."
"So we run away quickly?" Someone trembled.
"Bah! Our money, wives, concubines, and slaves are all here. Where will they go if they run away?"
"Maybe we go directly to the Rus?"
"Go to Rus? Who of you knows the way? That's easy to say."
The businessmen quarreled for a while, until the wise man stood up and broke up the quarrel.
"Okay! Friends, we should think about what to do in the future. Instead of just having a boring quarrel here, can the quarrel scare away that Horik?"
"Do you have any ideas?" someone asked angrily.
"Yes! It's just that this method is a bit dirty."
"Dirty?" Someone else shouted: "Come anytime. It will save us losses. It doesn't matter if it's dirty."
"Okay. Then if you come together again, you must swear that according to this method, you are not allowed to reveal it to anyone."
The great cleverness gathered the businessmen, and he began to plan a conspiracy, and a plan came into being that seeks benevolence and relies on benevolence to gain strength.
"Fat Blue Fox intends to die to prove his ambition. He definitely doesn't want Ross to suffer losses. Horik must be just trying to make money. As long as they fight, as long as Blue Fox dies and the shop is destroyed, the Ross people will be furious.
We must promote this result immediately. When Horik is beaten to the point of vomiting blood and loses his advantage, how dare he say no if we refuse to pay tribute? Presumably all the Danish lords will expel him, so that Hedeby will still be free. I'm afraid
The Russians won’t call.”
The methods are really vicious. He sacrificed a good business partner for his own interests. He obviously bought a huge amount of squirrel skins from him a few days ago and even signed a futures contract. Everyone was holding wooden documents in their hands.
The businessmen looked at each other, and they had a unified answer in their minds. This was a tacit understanding.
Another person sighed: "That fat man is not afraid of death. Is he still a businessman?"
"Who knows? It is said that there are many men in their family. If one dies, the other brothers can continue to live. And dying like this is considered a hero and can bring honor to the family."
"You would rather die for the sake of your family's honor. You are such a ruthless person..."
It is now difficult for businessmen to meet the blue fox. In their hearts, they already feel that the blue fox is dead.
The big businessmen wanted to see Horik die suddenly, and they liked Hedebe. They were conservative out of their own interests. After a meeting, the businessmen started their own actions.
In order for the battle to take place immediately, Horik's men must be given a huge temptation.
The wise man took several businessmen friends and hurried to Stad's current residence after the meeting.
They entered what was essentially a military camp and suddenly saw naked women running around, followed by shirtless soldiers running like herdsmen chasing sheep.
"Did they actually arrest some women? I just said that these people are greedy. Those claims are all lies to us."
Da Mingming shook his head: "At this point, we can only bite the bullet and say it."
The businessman's visit was quite unexpected. When the soldiers saw the well-dressed uninvited guest coming, they immediately went to greet him and asked for a bribe.
After getting some silver coins, I started to ask what the visitor meant.
The wise man said respectfully: "We are all wealthy businessmen and want to meet Mr. Stade."
"Want to see our lord? Your lord is busy doing business with his new wife and concubines..." He seemed to be rejecting the visitor, but the soldier kept winking.
He was indeed very smart, so he hurriedly stuffed some more silver coins into his pocket, feeling even more angry in his heart.
The soldier was satisfied: "You guys just wait, I'll report it right away."
The soldiers were still very arrogant just now, so they had to be careful when entering the house this time.
He saw that his master was pressing down on a poor peasant girl. The peasant girl was captured on the spot. Seeing that she was pretty, Stade kept her and enjoyed it for himself. Although he allowed her to be his wife and concubine, even though he was like a bull now,
It was almost like crushing her to death.
"Sir, there is..."
"Get out! Didn't you see that I was busy?"
"Sir," the soldier said cautiously, "They are those big businessmen. They seem to have come with good intentions."
"Oh? Are you here to give me money? Okay, let them wait a moment, I will change my clothes and then receive them."
Stade immediately waved his hand and asked the two women who were hiding to take the almost unconscious peasant girl away. He was very elegant. When he first came to Hedebe, he used the excuse of peasants to resist taxes to look for women in nearby villages. He chose
Three of them were killed, and each of his subordinates got something. He did this on purpose. The brothers, who were almost going crazy, should indulge themselves to maintain morale. At the same time, he also announced to Hedeby and the nearby Saxon villages that the real master of Denmark had arrived.
Soon, it was still in this same room. Stader, who had put on his jersey, received the five big businessmen with a happy face. He was still happy and just wanted to settle the matter and continue to have fun.
The businessman had just entered the house and he was the first to ask: "Are you giving me money?"
"Yes! That's it." The wise man had already planned, and he gave everyone five packs of silver coins with a wink.
As soon as Stade saw a lot of silver coins, his joy became even stronger, and he couldn't help but sigh: "They say that Haize is rich. You big businessmen are really rich. It seems that you will give our money to Hori very well."
King Ke."
The clever man had an idea and deliberately complimented him: "Sir, you are also a noble person. We will need your protection in doing business in the future."
This flattery was so good that Stade was delighted: "I'm telling you, the king must have appointed me as Earl Hedeby, and of course I will protect you. Give enough to the king, pay enough to me, and the rest will be yours."
.I will protect you and allow you to do business safely."
It sounded like bullshit, and this person's words were different from what he had publicly announced before. The businessmen were even more convinced that as long as this person gained power, more intense exploitation would be inevitable.
The smart representative said that everyone had to smile on the face: "Since this is the case, we can feel at ease. But it seems that there are still some people who are dissatisfied with the king and your rule."
"I know, they are Russians!" Stad said with anger in his smile: "When the king's navy arrives, kill all the Russians."
"Ah! The Russians do deserve to die, it's just that..."
"What's wrong?" Seeing the smart man pretending to be surprised, Stade suddenly felt that something was fishy.
"Sir, the Russians will definitely be defeated. It is a fact that they have few people. Even if we all notice that they are building a fortress, they will still die in the end. But the glory of victory belongs to the king, and the thousand pounds of silver coins inside also belong to the king..."
"What? How many silver coins?!" Stade noticed the details and instantly seemed like a cat with a fried hair.
"One thousand pounds of silver."
"Ah? Are you serious about this?!"
"This..." Da Mingming pretended to be confused, "it was revealed by the fat man, who claimed to be very rich. He said that his shop had a thousand pounds of silver coins and a lot of gold and gems. The wealth of Denmark was being plundered by him.
Maybe there is a mountain of silver in that fortress."
"It's actually true?"
The wise man hesitated again: "It should be quite a lot. But if the king wins, you can't get the wealth. If you win, hand over some to the king. Isn't the rest all yours?"
Upon hearing this, Stad suddenly became excited. He knew that the Russians were building a store into a fortress, so that if they attacked the brothers, there would be casualties.
He hated the fat man and was wary of the soldiers under his command. He didn't want to take risks unless the benefits from success were huge enough.
But there are so many problems with the descriptions of the businessmen! Since they are very rich, are they mentally ill to not flee with their huge wealth, but rather to resist to death?
The temptation of huge wealth made Stade become a fool. He had never seen a thousand pounds of silver coins in his life.
The businessman came to announce the good news. At the end of the day, Stade summoned all his subordinates to explain the matter. The temptation of wealth made everyone ecstatic.
Of course, some people think there is something fishy inside, but the voices of doubt are currently completely drowned out by the ecstasy.
What is a fortress? What does it mean if the enemy is strong? The brothers have been robbing families in Flanders without losing. They will still attack when they encounter strong enemies. Everyone will get rich instantly because of the victory.
Fortunately, the three women were so tortured by Stad that they could no longer walk for the time being. He himself finally settled down after being overly happy and could seriously think about how to destroy the Ross Fortress that contained treasures.
The biggest problem is one - lack of troops.
But a dramatic scene happened soon, and another group of people came to see him. However, most of these people were bald and had many scars on their bodies. Even if the soldiers wanted to ask for bribes, they would not give them at all.
These strong men did not want to use violence. Even though they were intercepted by the soldiers, they immediately shouted and demanded to sacrifice their lives for Stade.
Are you really risking your life? No.
This team of several gang leaders led by Gray Wolf Karl united as one to find Studby Pier. Or they hoped to become King Horik's subordinates through this relationship.
Gray Wolf Carl is the biggest leader, claiming to be the biggest gangster in Hedebe, with three hundred brothers under his command. Although this sounds like bragging, Carl bluntly said that he respects Stade as his eldest brother, and all the brothers listen to his orders, and he also requires his eldest brother to ensure that his brothers can
Later public events at Haideby.
A group of rats in the gutter crawled into the ground. The rats wanted to become tigers.
Stade was short of manpower, and he never thought that new men would come in uninvited. He fully agreed to the other party's request, but they also had to submit their names.
Karl, the gray wolf, noticed that Stud was hesitant and couldn't help but misunderstood, so he decisively played the Ross card: "The Ross merchants are very rich. We watched them unloading goods at the dock, and the fine leather was piled up in mountains. It is difficult for us to get it, but you will definitely be able to get it, sir."
Get a lot of money."
Doesn't this statement further confirm the descriptions of the merchants? The Ross Store is eager to secure it!
Stade pretended to be serious: "So, you want me to lead troops to attack them? That's fine. You plan to be my soldiers, so naturally you have to show it. I want you to launch an attack with me to prove your credibility.
dare?"
"Dare!" Gray Wolf Karl was extremely decisive: "Some of my brothers were killed by the Russians, and I have long wanted to take revenge. But we lack a real commander. I saw that your army is extremely glorious. You lead us to victory.
I will take all my brothers to fight."
"Very good. I still have some warriors in the north. I am a general under the king. I can accept your orders to be centurions. I will be Earl of Hedeby. From now on, you will be my soldiers. You will also help me rule this place.
."
The rogue gangs have become the lord's warriors, so many things that are not on the table can be done openly.
The situation has progressed far beyond what Carl and others expected. As for the vote to attack Ross's shop, it must be done. Incurring losses for this? That's okay. There are many poor people in Hedeby. It is not difficult to recruit new subordinates. Some will die.
It doesn't matter, in the end you and your gang can reap huge benefits.
There is really an undercurrent. For the sake of a legend of "countless gold, silver and gems", businessmen, gangs, and foreign armies all regard Ross Shop as the meat and potatoes of Bike. They all think that the other party can be used, and as a result, they keep repeating lies, and everyone
They actually believed that the fortress was filled with gold and silver.
Blue Fox is unaware of all these conspiracies, but he has no illusions about the future. In fact, he does not want to die to express his ambition, but the goal is achieved by guarding the fortress and killing some enemies. As for the opponent's delay in attacking, he can
You need to take the brothers and escape at night on the first day of August. There is no more valuables in the shops, so you can just throw them away, and then grab three long boats in the harbor and paddle away.