Chapter 949 Capture of Denmark's Abandoned King Harald Clark
Count Rheingau's full name was Wilhelm Robert Robert von Rheingau.
His family was actually a branch of the Robert family in East Francia.
This was a feudal family that was not prosperous in the Merovingian dynasty, but had titles at various levels. However, because this branch of the Rheingau was loyal to King Ludwig of East Francia, the position of count could no longer be shaken.
The person with the highest status in the whole family.
There are multiple branches of the family, mainly in Central Francia, and relatives are loyal to Lothair.
Even so, even if the Robert family, each with its own master, met on the battlefield, they would still join in the battle when it was time to fight.
The Count of the Rheingau was only loyal to Ludwig, so he fought as an East Frankish camp in the civil war against the Plum Count Buvenus, who was loyal to Lothair.
The Counties of Rheingau and Metz are bounded by the Moselle River in the middle. This river also forms the boundary between Central and East Francia.
However, the current King Lothair no longer recognizes this border. His army has spread across Strasbourg, Metz and Reims, cutting down the vassals and becoming the emperor of all Franks, restoring the glory of his grandfather Charlemagne.
For this reason, she was willing to kill her two brothers.
Maintaining the army requires a large amount of supplies, and Count Robert of the Rheingau received a major promise from the monarch Ludwig.
After the monarch borrowed food from himself and promised to force Lothair to stop reducing the vassal and maintain the determination of his late father, Louis the Pious, to divide the world into three parts and thus end the war, he rewarded the Count of Rheingau for expanding to Worms in the south, which was equivalent to
Giving Charlemagne's former palace student to the Robert family was a great blessing. Since then, his territory has expanded and he has gained glory.
It was a great blessing to have Charlemagne's palace as his residence.
From now on, his title will be Count Rheingau-Worms.
For this reason, it was a wonderful deal to gather resources to supply the main force of East Francia to help their monarch win the civil war.
He was convinced that he was indeed valued by the monarch, and the heavy responsibility of quelling the rebellion in the north rested on his shoulders, but the current situation had become extremely complicated.
Robert had never entered Saxon territory. Through the winding road through the forest, the large cavalry saw a huge city.
"Is that a hamburger?" He asked Harald Clark, tightening the reins with his still normal right arm.
The latter squinted his eyes and put his hands on his brows to shield himself from the sun.
"It should be Hamburg. The Count of Hamburg built a small city here. Oh, thank God, I saw the cross flag hanging on the stone tower."
"Oh? So the burgers are still in our hands? Those previous statements..."
"Who knows. I don't trust those Saxon farmers, and looking at the current situation, maybe the Normans didn't come."
Harald Clark said this, but Robert no longer trusted him as much as before.
The scout cavalry detected an astonishing sight. They rode back after a long journey and reported what they had seen in a panic: "Sir! There are...a huge number of people ahead! And...there are ships everywhere."
"Ships? Aren't they all Normans?"
"It's like a wall! The river is full of Norman ships."
"This...how is this possible?!" Robert was not surprised. He had been mentally prepared for a long time, but he was still surprised when he faced a strong enemy.
Harald Clark hurriedly heard the news and asked: "Have you seen everything clearly?"
"Yes. Did you see everything clearly?!" Robert asked.
"I can see it clearly. Those flags are too eye-catching. Standing here, you can only see the cross flag on the Hamburg Tower. In fact, the flag also says Sakson. I don't understand what the Saxons are doing. But sir, there are numbers there.
Amazing Norman warriors and countless ships."
The scout didn't say any more, and Robert didn't want him to mention the pain point again.
"What a tragedy!" He gritted his teeth and hesitated for a while, but then he bit the bullet and ordered the entire army to advance slowly.
A hasty attack would be a recipe for death. The cavalry continued to advance, leaving the forest road and entering an open field covered with grass. They then passed through farmland where wheat had been harvested, and even passed through villages where there was obviously no human presence.
The cavalry formation has been fully deployed, and all the soldiers have seen the huge city of Hamburg and the huge legions guarding the city.
Take a good look at the Norman army!
The city seemed to be built on an island in the middle of the river, which made Count Robert want to conquer Paris' Ile-de-France, and the city of Paris was built on the island.
The large Norman ships that cannot be climbed at all are like large houses floating on the Elbe River. The large ships are on the left side of the only bridge, and on the right side of the bridge are a large number of long ships unique to the Normans.
Regardless of the size of the ship, a particularly eye-catching flag is hung on the mast.
What can be seen with the naked eye is that there are a large number of soldiers showing off their strength. They make a lot of noise to lure them to attack.
"Fight or not?" Harald Clark asked.
"Fight? It's really risky. Otherwise..." Robert took a good look at Harald Clark and said, "You can also attack. You suggested the attack. Now take your soldiers and attack tentatively."
"My soldiers?"
"What? Look at your face, are you scared?"
"I'm...not afraid. It's just...the risk is too great."
These words made Robert just want to laugh. He laughed softly and immediately ordered with a straight face: "The monarch has given me full power. You! Now is the time to perform meritorious service for the kingdom! Take your people to fight and prove it.
Your loyalty."
Attack? It's simply ridiculous. Everyone has seen the fatal killings of Norman Ross ships in the ruins of Bremen before, not to mention that now Hamburg is full of their people.
Harald Clark hesitated, but Robert pressed too hard.
"Don't hesitate anymore. Attack immediately, otherwise, I will tell the monarch that you can no longer be trusted. I also heard that the monarch plans to give you the title of viscount for your retirement, so that your brothers will have a place to live in the future. You are now
If you refuse, you will get nothing in the future and you will be punished."
They regard themselves as meat spies. The former rulers of Denmark have now become meat spies?
Harald Clark had no choice but to summon his cavalry for an attack that was destined to go nowhere.
So when the Frank cavalry put up a very wide formation, it seemed that they had understood the tactics of the Russian army, and they all stood where all kinds of arrows and slingshots could not hit. Their cavalry was majestic, reflecting dazzling light in the sun
, like iron statues.
This is the emphasis of regular Frankish cavalry. Charlemagne's cavalry has always been known as the "Iron Knights". All elite cavalry are equipped with chainmail. Even the small shields on the left and right protecting the thighs and the round shields carried behind the back are covered with iron sheets.
Outdated technology cannot guarantee that the mail iron shield will not rust for a long time, so soldiers often polish it and lack time to keep it shiny, creating a spectacular scene across the south bank of the Elbe River.
Able to wear armor on a large scale, they are indeed Europe's elite divisions.
Rurik himself has come down from the heights, and his warriors have boarded the moored ships in large numbers, and are entrenched at the bridgehead to build a strong bridgehead.
The torsion slingshots were all aimed at the direction of the cavalry. The three-hundred-piece slingshots were already hurled, and the cast-iron bullets were installed in chutes, waiting for the enemy to launch an attack and immediately wind them up.
All the crossbowmen of the Russian army are also ready to go, especially the Finnish longbowmen of Gevlo. They are all placed behind the outer wooden wall. This recently built semi-finished wall perfectly conceals the figure of the archer corps.
The order received by Gevro was that once the enemy charged the bridgehead without thinking, the longbows would launch a large-scale projectile.
Did the enemy really expect a group of cavalry to rush across the bridge and kill Hamburg?
Now, the Elbe River is in the dry season in early autumn. There are large areas of silt, sand and gravel tidal flats covered with grass on both sides of the river. If there is a summer flood, this area will also be flooded.
Compared with the Weser River, even in the worst dry season, the Elbe River is equivalent to a width of 200 meters when it ends in Hamburg. What is even more amazing is that its channel is very deep.
Therefore, the bridge construction mode of stone piers and wooden poles can only build bridgeheads on both sides of the bank. The truly effective bridge is the pontoon bridge.
The crescent-shaped floating bridge floating on the Elbe River, its core is two rusty iron chains. It was originally built by Charlemagne to provide his army with access to the core area of Saxony rule. Widukind regarded it as
The Elbe River Gorge was broken through by the Frankish army.
Since then, the pontoon bridge has been being repaired. It stands to reason that there has been no large-scale war. The preservation of a pontoon bridge is just a constant financial bleed for Robert, Count of Hamburg. The immigrating Franks feel that this bridge is very important. It is not only the glory of Charlemagne
The symbol also facilitates everyone’s communication between the north and the south.
Today, the bridge is completely in the hands of the Russian army.
As long as the huge stone piers housing the iron cables are destroyed, the bridgehead will collapse and the entire pontoon bridge will collapse.
This is unnecessary. If those cavalry dared to charge on the pontoon bridge, wouldn't they be looking for death?
Doesn’t war become a tower defense game?
Rurik didn't believe that the enemy could be so stupid, and Liudov didn't believe that the Frank cavalry really dared to attack.
Count Robert of Hamburg, who had sworn allegiance to Ludolf, really had mixed feelings now. In any case, as long as the two sides fought, it would be equivalent to stabbing Ludwig in the heart with a knife.
But all the great nobles of East Francia knew that what Ludwig valued most was his elite cavalry. If this army suffered huge losses, Ludwig would definitely go crazy.
Gu Sheng
Looking at this posture, I am afraid that if the Frank army does not take the initiative to attack, the Russian army will be the first to provoke.
At the bridgehead on the other side of the river, a small number of Russian soldiers were placed.
There were less than a hundred of them, and they were making a huge noise, lifting their robes, laughing and humiliating the Frankish cavalry.
Such provocative behavior seemed to be seeking death. Harald Clark, who had already received the order to attack, also had a main target.
Now, it's rare for this old guy to shout loudly in Norse: "Brothers! Kill those Russians! Seize the bridge and charge me!"
At least, the Frankish army will seize the bridgehead in front of them.
Then something unexpected happened. From Rurik's perspective, he was shocked that these guys were really seeking their own death.
"Do you really want to die? Then come on!" Rurik gritted his teeth and immediately ordered the semaphore soldiers to issue orders to all the crossbowmen and slingshotmen who were on standby. The so-called saturation attack was to put the enemy on the bridge.
.
More than three hundred cavalry launched a strong attack. These were the old men brought by Harald Clark from his hometown in Denmark, and some soldiers who bought slaves with freedom.
Their equipment is almost the same as that of regular cavalry. They have been mercenaries for more than ten years, and they have never been as crazy as they are today.
The Rus are the enemy and the Saxons have always been bad.
Harald Clark completely ignored the Saxons, and his troops were motivated by his unchanging hostility to the Rus.
Such ferocious cavalry advanced rapidly, and the Ross defenders at the bridgehead who were playing dirty things to humiliate the Franks immediately dispersed.
They rushed into the half-stranded longboat in groups, paddled quickly into the safety of the river, and drifted back.
Unable to defeat them in one fell swoop, Harald Clark had no way of turning back.
His face was solemn and worried, but despite the group of cavalry charging forward, everyone had already crossed the stone pier and wooden plank trestle on the shore and stepped onto the edge of the pontoon.
This pontoon bridge was relatively wide, and they lined up in double rows and rushed forward quickly, even though everyone was now aware of the huge danger.
But when they enter the bridge, they can only maintain the momentum of charging, otherwise the people in front will rein in their horses, and the cavalry behind will rush up with a weight of more than half a ton, and they will be crushed to pieces.
But now it is difficult for the whole army to turn around, but everyone is not worried that the pontoon bridge will not be able to withstand the trampling of the cavalry and disintegrate.
You must know that it was originally built to satisfy the Frankish army's elite cavalry, and it was born for this purpose.
Everyone looked at the approaching Ross ship in horror, fearing that it would fire arrows wildly.
Harald Clark's army squirmed like a snake on the pontoon bridge, trying to stay as fast as possible.
"Hurry up and cross the bridge! As far as Hamburg, kill everyone you see! Kill them through their lines and we will be out of the battle!"
For this cavalry team, this was the only way to survive, and Harald Clark made what he thought was a wise judgment.
However, what Rurik was waiting for was the moment of mid-crossing and attack.
With the flag waving and the Russian soldiers watching the king's actions finally ending their wait, the brutal attack began.
Suddenly there was a volley of thousands of arrows, including javelins, projectiles, crossbows, light arrows, and even large pebbles thrown by bull trebuchets. Various weapons were thrown at them, and although they were not martial arts, Rurik was saturating this time.
This type of strike actually gave the enemy great respect.
Harald Clark's mere three hundred cavalrymen were severely damaged in an instant.
The javelin pierced the horse, and the injured horse and the cavalry fell directly into the Elbe River and drowned.
Some people were shot directly on the bridge, and some tried to resist with shields, but in the end everything was over!
The lightly-armed rowing longboats charged forward like attacking jackals, fierce and fast. A longboat had twenty rowers and ten carrying crossbows, and even a torsion slingshot temporarily placed on the bow.
The Russian army just bullied the enemy, who were all heavy cavalry. They only had armor to resist arrow attacks, and they had no ability to fight back across the river.
"This is not a war, it's a one-sided killing." Liudov trembled all over.
Also trembling was Earl Robert, "Is this the real strength of the Normans? No! Is it the strength of the Russians? A large group of cavalry died in an instant?!"
"Damn it, their commander is also stupid. The cavalry is just looking for death by advancing on the bridge. I really don't know who their commander is. It's definitely not Ludwig."
"Do you still hope that their commander is Ludwig?" Robert, still trembling, asked cautiously.
"Either he is also a count, perhaps from Regensburg."
"Who else could it be?"
"Who knows? He must be a fool."
After all, Liudov is still the de jure Frankish Earl of Westphalia. He knows that he must defeat the Frankish army in order to solidify his status as a duke. However, considering that he has some friendship with those nobles, he has not betrayed
God, in order to maintain contact with the nobles in the future, today is not the right time to get things done.
It's a pity that the command has been handed over to King Rurik of Rus. That "little blond lion" is really a painful killer.
So as commanders at all levels on both sides of the war watched, everyone witnessed the sudden destruction of the cavalry on the bridge.
Except for more than thirty cavalrymen who were at the end of the team and managed to return the same way at the critical moment, the remaining cavalrymen either fell into the river or died on the bridge.
A barrage of arrows were fired at random, and the bridge was in a mess. What was very strange was that people saw a large number of horses tossing wildly in the river, and their riders had disappeared. They must have been dragged by the armor into the mud at the bottom of the river.
The number of casualties on the bridge did not appear to be serious, as most of them had been buried in water.
Harald Clark's own horse was hit by a javelin and fell into the river. He was lucky enough to hold on to the boat under the pontoon that supported the bridge body and hid under the planks of the bridge to escape the disaster.
It's just a temporary escape.
Some people just fell into the river but managed to hide under the bridge. They struggled to break free from their chainmail armor to reduce their weight and continue to cling on. They no longer cared about how miserable the bridge was.
Harald Clark's troops collapsed instantly, and Robert, who was watching the battle from a distance, was so shocked that he almost fell off his horse.
The other Frankish cavalry were shocked for a time and immediately aroused strong feelings of war weariness and fear. After all, they were elites. The place where they were was safe and they could evacuate quickly. Even if they attacked again, no commander would do this.
Robert immediately ordered everyone to stay calm and wait for those who escaped to report the situation.
They all thought Harald Clark was dead, but that was not the case at all.
The Russian army cheered and celebrated their easy victory. The victory was too easy, which made the thousands of Saxon peasant soldiers watching the battle relieved.
The Russian army was ordered to start collecting corpses on the bridge. Since the enemy was an elite, any injured person dragged back could tell some important information. Rurik and others urgently needed to figure out a situation - Ludwig's main force was coming
Did it happen? How many soldiers came? What did they want?
So during the corpse collection operation, all the "water rats" hiding under the bridge were uncovered.
The river water in early autumn was very cold. When Harald Clark was hauled onto the longboat, his whole body was white and his lips were purple from the cold.
He kept trembling, but strangely shouted in Norse: "Russians! I am Harald Clark, the former king of Denmark, and I want to see your leader!"
The young Rus warrior did not know and was not interested in knowing who "Harald Clark" was. This man was wearing a single coat. Since his belt was decorated with gems, it was obvious that he was not a square man. He also shouted in Norse and asked for an interview.
If you see the king, then do as he wishes.
More than 30 soldiers with various injuries were dragged back to Hamburg like dead pigs. They were immediately surrounded by arrogant warriors.
Rurik showed up, and soon Liudolf, Robert, and even Ragnar also showed up.
Everyone was talking about the situation of the prisoners, and after a brief exchange of glances, Ragnar stared at a face that was very familiar to him.
Ragnar didn't dare to ask rashly, but the other party suddenly said: "It's you! You are Sigurd's wild boy! It must be you! You are Ragnar in the woolen pants."
"You?! Don't call me that nickname!" Ragnar kicked him and asked, "Who are you? A Frankish man who can also speak our language."
"Me!" Harald Clark held his stomach and cursed: "Idiot! I didn't expect you to be alive. I am Harald Clark, and I am the real King of Denmark. How can I be humiliated in public by a wild boy like you?"
He revealed his true name, Ragnar was shocked, Rurik was shocked, Liudov was as shocked as Robert.
The reasons for their surprise were different. The former was surprised that the legendary exiled guy was not dead, and the latter was surprised that Ludwig's most loyal leader of the Norman mercenaries was actually captured.
On the contrary, this guy is not a stranger to Rus, Denmark and Saxony, even if it is extremely strange to capture this guy.