Chapter 922 Ludoff, a descendant of the Duke of Saxony, stands in the Aleb Castle and looks down on the whole of Denmark
There is a significant difference in geographical structure between the Jutland Peninsula in 840 AD and the peninsula after 1825.
In 1825 AD, a storm hit the whole of Northern Europe. While it brought huge amounts of precipitation, it also caused the waters of the Atlantic and Baltic Seas to become violent and abnormal. Not to mention that a large number of ships were swept into the sea, and the Kingdom of Denmark fought against the Royal Navy in the past few years. A large number of newly planted oak trees fell tragically. The worst thing for Denmark was that huge ravines appeared in the ground, causing seawater to pour in.
Originally, at the northernmost part of the Jutland Peninsula, there was a very deep Engst Bay, which caused the east-west width of the peninsula to suddenly tighten at this location.
Heavy rains coupled with sea intrusion forced a ravine to form at this extremely low altitude, and seawater poured in to form a brand new waterway, the so-called "Lim Strait", so the peninsula was divided into two sections. It does have Another advantage is that through this waterway, the voyage to and from the Baltic Sea can be greatly shortened.
Today's Danes have never imagined that such a large-scale natural wonder would exist, but in this geographical location (the northernmost point of the peninsula is the point, equivalent to 80 kilometers to the south), the width of the peninsula has indeed suddenly tightened greatly.
The unique geographical situation gave the newly arrived army of Westphalian Count Liudolf, who had lost his title as Duke of Saxony, a choice.
Liudov and Horik discussed that since the fjord and the sea squeezed the peninsula, the Lindholm isthmus was created in this already cramped and narrow place. The two sides would use the isthmus as the boundary. Horik Ke is on the back, Liudov is on the south.
Regarding this arrangement, considering that his strength was not as good as before, and his former nest of Durist (near present-day Amsterdam) was taken back by the Frank army, Horik could only hold his nose and accept it.
Horik was fully aware of Liudov's purpose, and now the situation had taken a new turn.
As the supervisor sent by His Highness Ludwig, Liudov was stationed on the peninsula, and the French cavalry was present. He could no longer do anything rebellious and betrayal of East Francia.
But this man is a descendant of Widukind, and he clearly showed an inappropriate and arrogant attitude! If this boy had a chance, wouldn't he ask His Highness to take back the title of Duke of Saxony?
However, as the supervisor, Count Liudolf of Westphalia was ambitious and wise. After dividing their respective spheres of influence, throughout 839, the Frankish army did not cross the natural isthmus.
Having lost a large number of veterans brought from Durist, Horik could only recruit warriors from the Robard tribe, which was now firmly under his control.
In the past ten years, the Robard tribe, which has always enjoyed Danish hegemony, has been shrinking in strength after successive defeats. Now they are forced to convert their entire family to God in exchange for military protection from the Frankish Kingdom. This is actually very humiliating, and there is nothing that everyone can do. .Compared with betraying Odin and converting to God, it is more painful to accept a man who has been exiled and come back to be the king of Denmark and his own leader.
The Robard tribe had no choice. Too many brave and skilled warriors in such a large tribe had withered away, and their former glory had sunk into the ocean as the heroes died in battle.
They were forced to continue to recognize Horik's power and had to serve as soldiers for their own benefit.
Now they can only stick to this path, because those friend tribes who still believe in Odin were either defeated and killed, or moved to Zealand.
Denmark has been divided, and now the French army has entered directly for the first time in history. The French general who gathered together is still the grandson of Widukind. The southern Saxons welcome their heroes!
In this way, wouldn’t the Danish world be divided into three parts?
In the autumn of 839, the Jutland peninsula ushered in the harvest.
Whether it was the Danes or the Saxons who had fled, their farming techniques were extremely crude. They just turned over the soil casually with wooden plows, and then men or women carried rattan baskets and randomly sowed oat seeds on the fields, and then left it alone.
In their understanding, how the wheat grows and whether there will be a good harvest during the harvest season all depend on God's will.
The results of the autumn harvest in 839 cannot be said to be a bumper harvest, nor can we say it was a failure.
The people who stayed on the peninsula have all completed their conversion, and the food they harvested is basically enough to eat.
Leaving his own fiefdom and being separated from the resource supply of farmers, Liudov did not dare to say it in a big way. He felt that he was actually exiled by Prince Ludwig.
The prince forbade himself to take his family with him, but only brought his cavalry to the wild Denmark. You must know that most of these cavalry brothers also have families and properties. Everyone does not know how long they will stay in Denmark, they just want to return to Denmark.
Staphala, no return without orders.
"Perhaps, we can only use this place as a temporary home! Your wives and children are all in your hometown. No one can marry here, except those who are not married. We are building a military camp here to be stationed for a long time.
Be prepared, but also be self-reliant..." Liudov summoned his cavalry and talked a lot incoherently.
Almost all the brothers are Saxons, and everyone needs to settle down to spend the first winter.
The Lindholm Isthmus is by no means an uninhabited land. Directly south of the isthmus is a low mountain, and there is a fishing village at the foot of the mountain. However, the people in this village are unwilling to give up their belief in Odin, so they have brought their children and old people to help them.
I rowed a boat to Zealand Island.
Odin and other Viking gods are boring heretics from Liudov's point of view.
He was baptized on the day he was born, received a theological education, and even knew a little bit of Latin.
This kind of educated nobleman is rare in Frankland. The most direct reason why he is so unusual is that his ancestor Widukind himself is buried in the Dortmold Abbey in the Westphalian fiefdom.
In the cemetery, it can be said that the Saxon people's desire for independence was suppressed. Instead of being killed, the rebel leader's family became Frankish nobility and continued to the fourth generation.
He disdains any heretical ideas. Although he is not a devout and pedantic priest, he also thinks that Odin's faith is inexplicable. If he can help priests spread their faith, it will be a huge bonus to his personal prestige, and this is simple
It's a political act.
It was an unusual autumn day. Not long ago, news came from the northernmost part of the peninsula that the so-called Russian ship had once again easily passed through the strait and entered the Baltic Sea.
Regarding the news about the Russians, all Liudov knew was that they burned and killed Bremen. Various rumors were that they were a group of blond demons and pirates who killed without batting an eye.
However, no one knew the news of the Russians better than the northern sage Eskil.
At this moment, the autumn wind is already bleak, and the wind from the Arctic seems to be carrying a knife.
Liudov's army has settled down. In a sense, he has become half the king of Denmark. He did not resort to force, but simply relied on his own blood. He suddenly found that he had won over no less than 30,000 people.
support.
Such a large number of people is more than the number of farmers in the Westphalian fiefdom!
His thoughts changed drastically, and his mentality was inevitably a little drifting. Thanks to the news of "Russian ship passing through", he became somewhat sober.
He put on a hooded coat sewn with wool felt brought from the fief, and even put a felt coat on his war horse.
The young earl was holding the reins of his horse and standing on the seaside. To the south of him was the fishing village of Lindholm and the low, rocky mountains on his back.
He looked at the north and the east, letting the north wind blow on his face, so that his mind was frozen and sober.
The accompanying soldiers held the Frankish Three Lions flag and the blue cross flag on a white background to protect him.
An old man in black robes stood closely beside him, holding a wooden staff with a gold cross in his hand.
This scene is like an employee swearing to the vast land that he is ready to challenge.
"Padra!" Liudov asked the black-robed northern saint Eskil: "Do you think the Russians are really strong?"
"..." This incident suddenly aroused many bad memories. Eskil remained silent, but his aging body under the black robe was trembling.
"Why don't you speak? I know that there is an island to the east, where all the Danes who refused to convert went. One day, the gospel will cover the whole of Denmark. Although this is not what I want to pursue with all my strength, I am also happy to see success.
"
"Are you... planning to go to war with the lords of Zealandia?" Eskil suddenly asked.
"Start a war? Maybe. At least not now. My footing is not stable now, and..." Liudov turned his head and looked alert: "Maybe one day, I can get back the dukedom that belongs to my family. I need some
With my military exploits, I defeated those hostile Danish lords and the hateful Russians. Not only to avenge you, but also to avenge the devout people of Bremen, I will also gain great prestige. This is Prince Ludwig
His Highness cannot ignore it. At that time, I will be able to summon the Saxons again, so that my military strength cannot be ignored by other nobles."
Thanks to the lack of people around here, the few few people there are are close confidants of the Saxon ethnic group.
If these remarks were heard by Ludwig, Eskil could not even imagine what would happen.
However, this boy showed strong hostility towards the Russians, and Eskil was extremely confused.
"I don't think Horik is reliable." Liudov revealed again: "He is just a pirate, no different from the Danes and Russians who burned Bremen. If..."
"how?"
"If Horik dies, I may be able to control the entire Jutland Peninsula."
"Ah?! You! Are planning to..." Eskil thought of assassination. Out of his own beliefs, the distinguished high priest immediately objected: "You can't! Horik is the Lamb of the Lord. If you dare,
I will write a letter to Reims. Moreover, Horik is a vassal, and the only one who can execute him is His Highness Ludwig."
"Well, I'm just saying that. However, that man was a pirate in the past, and he is a pirate anyway. I despise such people."
Young people are always impulsive. Seeing Liudov's appearance, Eskil suddenly thought of Rurik from Ross.
Liudof let out a long breath, drew his sword and pointed directly to the east: "Let's not mention Horik's matter. Over there is Zealandia, where the Danish tribes who have not surrendered to the kingdom and have erroneous beliefs are all there. Wait for me.
When I have enough strength, I will personally conquer them, as well as the Russians who are feared by many people."
"Are you really going to go to war with the Russians? Maybe, it's not necessary."
"You..." Liudof felt a little uncomfortable when he heard what Eskil said. "Why is it unnecessary? That is a revenge! There are many Saxons near Bremen, and now the Saxons support me.
, I need them, and I need to avenge them."
"But! You can't imagine how powerful the Russians are."
As he said this, Eskil's already fair face turned even paler. Liudof didn't take it seriously, presumably this old guy was very cold now.
"Since you said Rose is strong, how strong are they? For example, burning down Werder Bremen?"
"And... Count Bremen died in battle."
"But I have five hundred cavalry."
"I heard that the Count of Bremen's three hundred cavalry were all dead. I... know a lot of Russians. You'd better listen to my advice!" At this moment, Eskil was different from his usual dull behavior.
An old face with a gray beard almost touching Liu Doufu's chin, as if a grandfather was educating his reckless grandson at this moment.
Some painful things that he didn't want to mention to others, Eskil lowered his face to explain. As he spoke, his heart was bleeding, and he even burst into tears.
At this moment, the cruelty of the Russians was unexpected by Liudolf. The Jutland Peninsula was much colder than the hinterland of Western Europe. He could not have imagined that there were more powerful Russian and Swedish forces in the colder north, with a large population and basic
They all obey the orders of Prince Rus.
However, the Prince of Rus was very young, and his exaggerated ambition was shocking.
Because Rurik told Eskil himself that he wanted to be Augustus and build a powerful country similar to Rome. Although this sounds like a fantasy, the Russians are expanding very quickly and on a huge scale.
It was so big that Eskil had to think about it.
Rurik is the top nobleman of Rus. The Rus businessman Blue Fox was in trouble in Hedeby, and he successfully persuaded him to convert to God. Esquier was very proud of this. It was also based on this Blue Fox that he learned more about Rus.
Secrets, even some trivial geographical formations in the far north.
Esquier was just a missionary, but he naturally became a real spy during his travels in Russia. It was probably for this reason that he was imprisoned twice.
His biggest impression of Russia and Sweden was that they have a huge population. These people all believe in heretics. But on second thought, they are all lost sheep. As long as time is given, they can all be converted to God. At least they are not interested in God.
Absolutely exclusive.
Rurik, the prince of Rus, had a broad vision and even had the energy to interfere with the change of kingship in the British island. He also showed strong hostility towards Denmark. There is no doubt about the hostility. No one is more powerful in this regard than King Horik of Denmark.
Feeling.
Since Eskil began to speak, he gradually became more eloquent, and his pale face became rosy with increasing excitement.
After some oral gymnastics, most of the arrogant fire in Liudov's heart was extinguished. Liudov was unwilling to give in to all kinds of trivial information about the Russians, until Eskil said that the Russians could easily assemble five thousand armored men.
soldier, he was severely frightened.
"This... is not the case! Even the powerful Ludwig cannot easily mobilize so many troops to join the battle. You... there is no need to exaggerate the strength of the Russians just to scare me."
"I'm not exaggerating, they can. Otherwise, how could Horik have been defeated so badly?"
"That's true."
"Silly boy." Eskil swore directly out of desperation, "You have too few soldiers at hand. The Danes are regarded as old enemies by the Russians, and they will attack here sooner or later. You despise Horik, and now you should too
Think carefully about how you can protect the lives of the Saxon people and the converted Danes. God has given you an opportunity. You must love and protect these people and children..."
Esquier's words became gentle again: "If the Russians attack Denmark, and you block their attack and protect the people, I will apply to Reims and then write to the Pope. You will become the patron saint."
"
The glorious status of a patron saint?! This has a huge appeal to Liudov, who believes deeply in God.
Now, the Russians have surpassed the threat of the barbarian Danes in Liudov's mind. He was still very confident just now, thinking that he might be able to take the initiative to attack the Russians and gain military exploits. Now he thought it would be better to strengthen his defense.
Therefore, the cavalry Liudov brought from the Frankish hinterland chose a good place as a garrison.
On the mound just south of the Lindholm Isthmus, Liudov demolished the people who followed him and built a wall around the entire low hill. The wall even encompassed half of the village of Lindholm.
The materials for building the wall were local stones and wood that were available everywhere. At the beginning, a stone wall was built first.
Then, on the top of the mound, a fortress of stone and wood began to be built.
The Saxons who were living here welcomed a hero they could trust. They privately called Liudov Widukindson, and also gave him the title of "Duke of Saxony".
The Saxons and Danes jointly built a fortress here, and the cavalry was stationed here, which served as Liudov's military fortress in the Danish world.
A small stream flows from the mound, and the water flows into the Baltic Sea in the east.
Based on this geographical feature, the emerging fortress was named "Aleb Castle" by locals, replacing the name of the village of Lindholm.
The people of Lindholm have left, and a large number of Liudov's followers have moved here. Building a fortress requires a lot of labor, and they need a place to live. Now they are in urgent need of a winter residence, so while building the fort, they also put their own
The buildings are ready together.
As a descendant of a great nobleman of ancient Saxony who had been completely Frankized, Liudov used the Franks' specialty here - building a fortress.
What’s the strongest thing to build a wall with?! Of course it’s stone!
In Frankia, including the small castles I own in the fiefdom there, buildings were made of stone as much as possible as long as conditions permitted.
Now it is even more important to consider that the Russians have the ability to siege cities. Multiple intelligence shows that the Russians have a way to collapse wooden walls, so they must not be able to destroy stone walls!
Around the top area of the mound, we began to build a wall mainly made of stone and supplemented by wood, as well as ancillary buildings within the wall. It must have a strong Frankish style, the stone wall must be high, and there must be a watchtower. Surrounding the stone wall must be more
Dig some pits and set up suspension bridges at the four gates.
This is a big project. It really wants the people to be willing to build a fortress for themselves despite the cold winter. Simple enthusiasm is not enough. They also have to solve their own supply problems. The pressure is not ordinary.
So Liudov made this promise: "As long as I am stationed here and surrender to me, you will not have to pay tribute or taxes to anyone in the future, and your lives will be protected by me."
It is equivalent to saying that when everyone builds a fortress for Liudov, it is equivalent to paying all the taxes for an unlimited period of time in the future, and even the tithe to be paid to the priests has been denied. This is really a good person!
Eskil was very unhappy about this but could do nothing about it.
Horik was very angry. As a result, he lost a lot of tax revenue. Now he felt that Liudov was no different from Rurik of Rus. In the end, he wanted to divide his royal power over Denmark, and there was nothing he could do.
King Horik of Denmark cannot get taxes, and Liudov doesn't care at all. After all, this is Denmark, and the locals don't even pay taxes to the Franks. The current situation is equivalent to saying that there is no tax collector. He, Liudov, can serve as
Tax collectors, at least not now.
Liudov only had this simple request for all the people who followed him and agreed with him: "In the future, provide food for my army and nothing else."
He asked for very little, and what he did next was even more touching.
An unmarried cavalry soldier was allowed by Liudov to marry a local woman. Is there such a good thing? A prominent figure who was eager to find a backer quickly pushed out his daughter who was about to be married.
In this way, a fortress continues to be built, and a group of newly married cavalrymen.
When the time came to AD 840, a great situation appeared in front of Liu Doufu. He even wrote to the southern fiefs in a good mood, telling his wife and children that everything was safe in the far north.
He was also paying attention to the civil war between the three princes. Based on his own interests, he hoped that Ludwig would win and take the crown of the French King, so that he could naturally restore the title of Saxony.
Maybe this year is the beginning of your own glory?
It wasn't until early summer of this year that some ominous news was heard by fishermen in Jutland.
After this year's summer solstice, those terrible rumors are becoming true.
I really didn’t want something to happen! Liudov had no idea that instead of attacking the Russians, the Russians would attack them on their own. They came with bad intentions, because the short, fat Horik was so frightened that he couldn’t even eat anything.
Thinking about it, a round face suddenly became so thin that the cheekbones were exposed in a short period of time.
It was this man who hurried to the Aleb Castle, which was still under construction but the main part had been completed. He got off his horse and lay beside his boots in disbelief, wailing: "Count of Westphalia! The Russians'
The fleet is on the other side of the strait! There are also traces of Russian activities in Zealand. Please save me!"