The men holding the shields were full of anger. They had been harassed endlessly by the Russians over the years. It was obviously their enmity with the Danes. Why should the Bernholm people pay the price?
Just because the whole island surrendered to Denmark?
More than a thousand people swarmed forward and could tear the landing Russians into pieces, but they were clearly envoys.
What do the Russians want to do? Negotiate?
If negotiation can help them end the endless harassment, negotiation is possible.
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 send some people to chop the envoys."
"No. Their ships are like Kraken, and I don't want to anger them."
"Let them land safely on the island? They are also destroying everything in Danish waters." An exiled Danish lord worried.
Swinder stood in front of the formation, worried about the eagerly looking large ships, so the islanders' longboats did not leave the harbor to intercept them, so he led the men to guard the beach.
Inciting an army to tear the envoy to pieces is nonsense, and it would be a pleasure to do so, and it would eliminate the possibility of negotiation.
He then said to those noble people: "Since you have elected me to be the talker, please do not cause trouble, and those who restrain themselves must not attack without authorization. I will go and talk to the Russians who have landed ashore in person."
A small boat floated to the shore, a flag fluttering, and the people on the boat were also wearing Ross's white and blue striped robes.
How could Ragnar's Ross-like outfit not make the people of Bernholm jealous? He himself was also quite worried, as this trip was also a brave thing with his head in his belt.
The fishermen's boat ran aground directly on the beach. Ragnar 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 wondered: "Ragnar in woolen pants? He looks similar, but there are many people who look alike. This man is a Russian. Clothes can't deceive."
"Maybe he's not dead? He surrendered to the Russians?"
"Who knows?"
…
The shields were stacked like a wall, and Ragnar was undaunted. Facing this army, he grabbed his helmet and opened his arms.
"People of Bernholm, do you recognize me?"
"You?!" Swinder shouted, "Russians! Do you want to negotiate with us?"
"No! I'm not from Russia."
"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 is always highly respected, the story always becomes bizarre as it is passed down by word of mouth, and finally turns into a fantasy story.
The warriors holding the shield were all surprised. If he were Ragnar, who could defeat him? Besides, he was a Dane, not a Rus, nor a servant of the new king of Denmark. There was no reason for a 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 also oppose that man, now
Just stop being on guard and let’s have a nice chat.”
Hearing this, Swinde made a quick decision. Regardless of who this person was, the Ross forces he represented did not seem to have the will to fight. Anyway, the strong men had already mobilized, and the people on the Ross ship were going to land on the island to kill.
That is the way to seek death.
He asked the men to relax their guard, and he walked forward with open arms.
The misunderstanding seemed to be over, and Ragnar landed on the island in a peaceful manner.
As for Ragnar, this is not the first time he has landed in Bornholm, but the last time he came he was very young, and now he is the father of two children.
If he is a fake, it will be revealed quickly if 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 he 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 had fought alongside Ragnar many times. Even though this was an era without photos, Ragnar had achieved many achievements and the lords would look 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? To negotiate with us on behalf of the Russians?" Swinder asked the core question to the point.
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."
…
The three large Ross ships were like swords hanging above their heads. Once they arrived, the islanders' fishing plan for the day was ruined again.
The islanders went back to their homes, looking forward to a conclusion in the negotiations.
The sea breeze blows across the entire island. A large wooden house is built on the top of the highest stone hill on the island. Standing here, people can see very far away. If the air is clear enough and the weather is clear enough, people with good eyesight can even see the coastline of the distant mainland.
Phantom.
Ragnar entered the council 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 still wear skirts on a large scale, or a kind of integrated leather robe. They don't even have the concept of underwear, and they just wrap their legs in stockings when they are really cold.
Ragnar, who was accustomed to Ross-style comfortable clothing, could no longer go back. Of course, there were some minor issues with his clothing.
More than twenty prominent figures gathered in the council chamber, and Ragnar was the most important guest.
"I'm sorry, because of the harassment from the Russians, we can only venture fishing in the winter. We recently caught some herrings, and they are a bit smelly. I can only entertain you with these." Swinder's opening remarks seemed to be
Complaining, words full of rudeness.
It is true that Ragnar is a Dane, and his current identity as an envoy of Rus is also true.
"Eating stinky fish? Since it is your gift, I'd better accept it. I want to believe that you are not deliberately neglecting it."
In fact, the islanders were deliberately negligent. Swinder denied this with a smile and Ragnar smiled as if he didn't understand.
Swinde continued on behalf of everyone: "We just want to know, what does it mean for you to come? It can't be..." He paused for breath, "You want us to submit a letter of challenge for everything?"
"War? As for that?" Ragnar shook his head, "I am indeed 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?"
"That seems to be the case. But, are you willing to continue in exile? Or find a way to chop off Horik's head and let us return to Denmark to regain the lost territory."
"Just you? What strength do you have? You don't mean this, but we all heard that almost all of your tribe is dead. Your tribe's cemetery was also destroyed by that villain Horik..."
"That's enough!" Ragnar was furious and slammed 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?"
"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, this is what I want to say." Ragnar spread his hands and looked around everyone, "You think the Ross people are hateful and deliberately attack your fishermen. I went into exile in Ross and talked with their young prince.
I know the attitude of the Russian people."
"What do the Russians want to do?!" Swinder also slammed the table and asked.
Ragnar did not talk about the Russian affairs first, and deliberately talked about things 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 hero either."
Wise man. Although Hafgen has an indecent name, he is also defending Denmark's rights, unlike this Horik who sold a lot to Frank for power. What you surrender to is the heroic king of Denmark, but this Horik
, not worthy of your respect."
"Why are you talking about this? 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 has sent out troops. We killed all the Svealans. As far as I know, the tribe we annihilated in a surprise attack ran away.
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. In fact, the Rus people just wanted to take revenge, so they took revenge on you crazily."
The islanders and the exiled lords had never known this inside story, and they were shocked. Naturally, some people said that this was 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 noble excuse.
Following this theory, Ragnar continued: "Hafgen is dead. How do you think he died?"
"I know. His Red Dragon collided with the Russian lone ship, and he fell into the sea and disappeared. He was swallowed by the sea," Swinde said.
"Do you know who is in command of that Ross ship?"
After following the guidance until this point, Swinde and others were shocked: "Could he be the leader of the Ross people?"
"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 the attitude of the prince of Russia towards the whole of Denmark. The people of Russia did not want to fight, but All their people in Hedebe were killed. They couldn't bear it, so they gathered their strength to take revenge. So attacking you is only part of the revenge..."
"It sounds like you have been defending from their standpoint. 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're cooperating with the Russians like this?"
"It's cooperation. I have learned the true attitude of Prince Rus. That man believes that the enemy of his enemy can be a friend. Put aside the past grudges, now we are all facing a big trouble. We can obviously join forces to bring down King Horik of Denmark. Eradicate. I even..."
"What do you want?"
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 do business freely and live in peace and contentment. Wouldn't it be great? ?”
Restoring 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 Ross to form an alliance. According to I know that the Prince of Rus is 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 are mine. This is the solution. The benefits of alliance. As long as you form an alliance with Rus, at least the Rus will not attack you again."
Many people were moved by it.
"So, what's the price?" Swinder asked cautiously, and at the same time he was thinking about how much it would cost to buy the Russians to stop.
"Who knows?" Ragnar shrugged, "Maybe it's enough for you to oppose the attitude of the King of Denmark."
Ragnar as the lobbyist has done a good job, and his lobbyist is just a guest appearance. It seems that the persuasion work has been completed.
He said that there was no need for the imperial pirates of Rurik to incite the entire island of Bornholm to defect.
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 actually rule the entire island. After all, the island itself is just a place where many big families and a large number of free fishermen live together. He only needs to promise benefits and the island People will probably join on their own.
The Stonewall Tribe lost many people, but the tribe itself was not composed of single-blood families. Ragnar could clearly absorb small families from Bernholm into new tribesmen.
The people in the parliament chamber secretly divided into two groups. One group thought that they could try to negotiate peace with the Russians, while the other group planned to continue to wait and see.
As for staunch opposition, there is no such thing!
Swinde is a supporter, and it is true that when it comes to diplomatic matters, he, the talker, must go to the Ross territory in person to meet with their supreme leader to discuss the possibility of an alliance.
During the day, Ragnar landed on the island in a small boat. At night, the two sides reached a preliminary consensus on the possibility of forming an alliance. The next morning, it became two boats drifting towards the three Ross ships, which were eyeing them.
Spyot ordered the entire army to be on alert as usual, and after seeing Ragnar's return clearly, he ordered the torque slingshot to release its force.
Hearing that the islanders' envoys wanted to board the ship, Si Puyot lowered the rope ladder from the big ship.
Seeing the demonic Ross ship for the first time, Swinder couldn't help but touch it before boarding the ship like climbing a wall. He and his entourage were detained as soon as he boarded.
It wasn't until Ragnar boarded the ship that he explained that the entire island was planning to form an alliance.
An idea came to Siputu, "Form an 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."
"Okay, we only have some stinky herrings." Swinde's words are true. "If you block our waters, don't expect us to get many treasures."
"Forget it. It seems that you are the leader of the islanders. I will take credit for catching you."
In fact, Swinder brought some "meeting gifts", which were to select ten girls from the island. This is also what Ragnar said, the so-called Russians need a large number of women, and the foreign women are not slaves, but
Just be a wife and have children.
In this way, Swinde no longer had any psychological burden, took two more armed followers, and headed for the eastern sea on a Russian ship for the first time.