It's dusk, the setting sun hangs on the sea level, and the soft orange light shines on people's faces.
This should have been an ordinary lazy evening, but the town of Groningen was no longer peaceful, and there was even little smoke.
Closed settlements welcome guests, and they welcome people from far away with enthusiasm, only to suffer disaster.
Rurik had already seen the people approaching.
"It's strange, are they going to welcome me? They don't know that I'm going to attack?"
The current scene was like a mouse mistaking a cat for its companion. The visitors were clearly a group of ignorant villagers, and they were led to the pier by men in burqas holding crosses. Perhaps this was not stupidity, but downright innocence.
It is good that they are so simple, and it will be better if they are so obedient when they are asked to hand over their belongings later.
Therefore, no matter Rurik, Ragnar, or even partner Henry Nassau, everyone was surprised at first, and then immediately planned a good countermeasure.
A very peaceful response.
The Russian soldiers who were the first to land were ordered to exercise restraint, and any unauthorized looting of this small village would be punished by whipping them afterwards.
The Danish soldiers were also restrained and gathered together to wait for their king Ragnar to land.
Henry Nassau had already arrived with his entourage. He did not show the cross flag, but aimed his eyes at the ocean. He said that as soon as Rurik landed, he would suddenly show the prepared flag.
Finally, King Rus arrived peacefully in a small boat, and at the same time, the villagers, led by priests and lords, further approached the fleet entrenched at the dock.
Before Rurik could stand firmly, Nassau came to ask: "You have finally arrived, what should you do now?"
"Just act according to the temporary plan. Haha, these people seem to be welcoming us. Let's act now."
Then, the peaceful army suddenly took action.
The Russian army suddenly spread out on both sides, outflanking the ignorant villagers in a running posture.
The villagers looked left and right, and when someone noticed something was wrong, they instinctively gathered towards the center of the crowd.
The local lord felt strange and immediately asked what was going on in broken Frankish.
At this moment, a cross flag suddenly appeared, and Nassau's entourage waved it desperately.
This was a method of blackmail and deception that immediately frightened the doubtful lords, priests, and all the people. They did not flee, but just gathered together and watched the lord's every move.
Since the other party showed the cross flag, it turns out that it is a big noble from the north.
The baron lord twisted his neck and signaled his entourage to follow him while holding the cross flag. At the same time, the priest of the local monastery also carried the wooden cross on his shoulders and walked straight away.
Rurik immediately led some soldiers to greet them, accompanied by Henry Nassau's cross flag, as if they were actually a crusade.
The leaders of both sides gathered together, and the baron briefly talked about the sailing guests from the north. When he was about to speak, Henry Nassau interrupted him.
"I am Henry Nassau! Henry Nassau, Earl of the Principality of Saxony! From now on, this is my fiefdom, and you... are all my subjects."
He explained the matter in Frankish, and the local barons and priests were immediately confused.
Nassau repeated this again, but the listeners were still confused.
The situation became very awkward. The baron hesitated for a while before muttering shakily: "I am Baron Victor of Groningen, Earl of Flanders. My lord, you are the Earl of the Principality of Saxony? Isn't it from...
Hamburg or Bremen?”
But the priest knew that this was absolutely impossible. The local priest learned through some channels that St. Peter's Church in Bremen was reduced to ashes. This was what the Norman pirates said, and the local earl was also said to be dead.
This nobleman from the sea is definitely not the Count of Bremen, and it is even more doubtful whether he is the Count of Hamburg.
Nassau shook his head, and responded with a sharp look to the priest who cast a doubtful look, saying bluntly: "Times have changed! I was originally the Baron of Nassau under the Count of Rheingau. Now, I am an earl canonized by the Principality of Saxony. I
I declare again that your area belongs to my fiefdom. You... tell me your name again!"
He pointed directly at the local lord, and Baron Victor of Groningen just had to bite the bullet and solemnly explain all his titles.
"So, your allegiance is to Count Baudouin of Flanders? It's over! I will defeat Baudouin, and at least Flanders in general will belong to me. Now, you are all my subjects, you are
My vassal. You must be loyal to me now, otherwise...this army will kill you."
Where is this going?
Baron Victor was still hesitating, and Rurik couldn't bear to listen. Seeing that the priest was still standing here, he uttered the most terrifying words in Latin.
"We! We are the Normans! Submit to us now, or we will kill you all!"
However, even if Rurik thought he was showing his ferocious fangs, this so-called threat in the "sacred language" was completely counterproductive.
Normans? Normans who spoke Latin, that's outrageous.
Seeing that it was still ineffective, Rurik, who didn't want to use his power to make them feel scared, still maintained restraint. He suddenly thought of a move and summoned more than 20 soldiers, ordering them to take off their cold leather jackets and show their backs.
.
Although the soft light of the setting sun was quite dim, the Groningen people present could clearly see the ferocious monster tattoos on the skin of the back, as well as the words spelled out in foreign scripts.
Seeing this scene, the priests and monks were horrified and instinctively retreated. Many people also saw this scene and fell into a bone-marrow panic.
Baron Victor of Groningen was trembling with trembling hands and almost gibbering: "You...are actually Normans?!"
"At least I'm not." Nassau emphasized again.
The intimidation effect of the tattoo was outstanding. Rurik smiled with satisfaction and further threatened loudly: "Now, as long as you follow our requirements, at least your lives will be guaranteed."
The soldiers of Christ actually cooperated with the Normans to attack peaceful villages. The priests in Groningen believed that Henry Nassau had indeed made a deal with the devil, and his dirty soul would definitely go to hell.
However, the entire town was already firmly controlled by the huge Norman army.
The population under the rule of Baron Groningen is too small. Even including newborn babies, the entire town has only 300 people. Since there is only one settlement in a large area, a village of 300 people fully has the political significance of a town.
.
This is an undefended town without wooden walls. All the baron can mobilize are a handful of retinues and at most fifty militiamen armed with short spears and harpoons.
They were so embarrassed that they were always forgotten by the Count of Flanders, and they did not even expect the baron to pay any tribute. Thanks to the priests who maintained the spiritual life of the grassroots people, the relationship between Groningen Abbey and Utrecht Church was maintained.
connect.
The baron was forced to surrender, knowing that if he resisted, the Normans would easily defeat him.
Surrender naturally also faced humiliation. The Normans promised not to kill any people. In exchange, the locals had to pay a high fee and in exchange for the Normans not to loot.
So, how should this cost be delivered?
The trembling people felt that they were lambs to be slaughtered, and as a result, they seemed to be ignored by the Normans.
The baron's family and all his retinue were controlled. The priest of the monastery and all the clergy were also controlled.
Next, the "evacuation operation" against the baron's mansion and monastery began.
This kind of plundering method of the Normans was simply unheard of, and Henry Nassau was puzzled by it. What worried him most was the indiscriminate killing of civilians by the Normans. When Groningen was really attacked, the murderous Rurik unexpectedly
The attitude towards the local villagers cannot be said to be benevolent, it can only be said to be indifferent.
Gu Huan
Both the Russian army and the Danish army began to set up camps at the seaside pier. The number of Russian-Danish soldiers specially sent to plunder was not large, and their actions were also very purposeful.
Rurik understands the mentality of Ragnar's men very well, or the mentality of the most common Vikings. The so-called highest priority of looting is to grab gold. Where is there more gold and silver? Naturally, it is the monastery.
The monastery in Groningen was very small, and even though there might not be anything good to grab, Ragnar still roared and rushed over with his men. Since the priests were all under control, there were bound to be no casualties in this robbery.
The Ross Army focused on the baron's mansion and plundered it. They focused on moving supplies from the warehouse and taking away the wool and wheat. As for other items, there was really nothing to rob.
Scores of bonfires were lit, and as many as fifty sheep were killed as tribute.
For Baron Victor, his family became Rurik and his guests, sitting by the campfire in extreme fear. His wife hugged her children and cried secretly at the terrible looting that was taking place in their mansion. They did not dare to
He cried because he was afraid of angering the Normans and causing massacre.
Satisfied with the current situation, Rurik inspected his warrior camp with his hands behind his back. The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the aroma of oats simmered in iron pots.
Henry Nassau was walking beside him, and he was greedy for the tempting scent.
Nassau still has great doubts: "What worries me most is that you are targeting people to kill people. Unexpectedly, you only looted the lord's house and the monastery."
"What's the problem? Haha, do you think I really want to rob those ordinary farmers?"
"why not?"
"Why? It's ridiculous. Nassau, when you are chewing on the roasted leg of lamb dripping with oil, you are also trying to snatch the moldy bread from the hands of the poor? Every soldier in my army is beautifully dressed and eats excellent meals.
. Even a skinny man becomes my warrior and will soon become strong. I just look down on the people here. They are too poor and do not deserve to be robbed by me. Unless I use them as slaves."
"This...will you take some people as slaves?"
"If it weren't for you, of course I would do this. But you have already betrayed a lot of profits, and I have no reason to rob slaves." As he said that, Rurik turned his head suddenly: "Don't you think this town can be used as a good place?
Is it a port? In the future, our Russian merchant ships can choose to dock here."
"All right."
Rurik continued to walk and talk with his hands behind his back: "As far as I know, the nobles will gather most of the wealth in the territory. The nobles control the granaries, while the priests always control the gold and silver. But the nobles are only a very small number of people, just for the sake of living a practical life.
It doesn’t take much supplies. I saw that the baron here not only has a warehouse but also raises a large number of sheep. Will he share so much wealth with the people under his rule? Bah, they are all plundered from the people. He has already helped
I've done my job, and all that's left is for me to move the materials."
"So...that's it?"
"Exactly. How about you? What you did in your hometown is not the same as what Baron Groningen did here? Will you share the wealth with the people under your rule? It's not that you control too much and you have no influence on improving their lives.
...I have no idea at all.”
"Is there anything wrong with this? According to our belief, God has decided everything, and those poor people must accept their ordinary fate."
Rurik did not refute Nassau's statement. This is what determines the head. As a king, Rurik needs to stabilize his rule, and the kingdom's hierarchy is also constantly improving.
The Catholic faith has formed a strict hierarchical system, so that there is almost no movement between classes, thereby achieving social stability. It seems that civilians can only be civilians, and only nobles and priests have ways to advance upwards.
Although such a system can adapt to the conditions of a certain period, it is by no means an eternal truth.
In the purely agricultural era, this top-down hierarchical system was very suitable for the absolute stability required by agricultural life, but society is developing, the population is expanding, and people's desires are also expanding.
Especially the expansion of population. In the agricultural era, a huge population maintained the overall strength of a country, but it would also bring backlash due to excessive population. Only by continuously improving people's lives can we continue to tinker and maintain stability. The so-called rulers can take advantage of
There is a lot of walking, but people should always try to live decently.
Considering the special economic structure of the Rus Kingdom, the so-called model of equal emphasis on maritime commerce and mainland agriculture, on the one hand, it is necessary to increase material production, and on the other hand, it is necessary to actively expand maritime and river trade routes.
The territory of Nassau will be the Flanders region, which Rurik prefers to call the Netherlands. In this era, inland water transportation lines are very important to Russia, and the territory of Nassau will be guarded at the mouth of the Rhine River, supporting such
The allies are very necessary for Russia to open up trade to the hinterland of Western Europe.
For this reason, Rurik was willing to teach this nobleman some philosophy of governing the country.
"If there is a ten-pound loaf of toast, you take eight pounds and your villagers take two pounds. You are very comfortable, but your people will starve. If the loaf of bread becomes a hundred pounds
, even if you took away ninety pounds, your villagers also took away ten pounds. This is an increase of five times compared to before! Ordinary people will support you as a lord. Therefore, if you want your rule to be stable, just
The bread must be made bigger.”
This is the first time Nassau has heard this explanation of "making the bread bigger", but the question arises, how can a lord have ten times more wealth than before?
Nassau asked about getting rich, and with future considerations in mind, Rurik readily pointed out his strategy.
"The next step is to attack Utrecht. I will still use today's strategy. But considering your future rule, I may not attack the local church, but I will raid the local lord's warehouse. From now on, these areas will be yours
In your territory, you should try to produce as much wool, wheat, dairy products, salt and fisheries as possible. You can encourage the people under your rule to produce more, and you can collect very little tax in a few years. Don't charge a tithe tax, this tax rate is too high
If the tax is high, why not lower it to 31%. You don’t have to worry about military attacks in the future. We in Russia will build military camps, shops and docks here, not only to protect you, but also to trade directly with you. You export these materials to me
, I will sell you ironware and many other good things. As long as you make the people here richer and richer, even if the tax rate is extremely low, you can get a lot of wealth."
Nassau was so impressed by what he heard that he had to admire that King Ross was really a wise man.
"If I do this, will you just happily do business with me?" he asked.
Rurik nodded: "That's true."
"In the end, it doesn't seem like I paid anything?"
"Of course. We Normans are not pirates, we are actually merchants. Who wants to be a pirate if we can do business in peace of mind? I just ask you to open the door so that we can do business in peace of mind, so that you and I will become rich."
At least judging from today's situation, King Rurik of Rus has indeed fulfilled his promise. Rus and the Danish army were supposed to be ruthless villains who targeted civilians, but in the end they just evacuated the residences of local nobles and looted the gold and silverware from the monastery.
It was just a matter of time. Even the Norman camp deliberately kept a distance from the town.
Nassau is now more willing to cooperate directly with Rurik than to be loyal to Liudov, Duke of Saxony.
However, how could a simple Nassau know the hidden risks? Is King Rurik of Rus really a good man?
What does open door mean? According to the conspiracy of both parties, Nassau will fully welcome the arrival of Russian merchants in the future. For this kind of international trade, Russian merchants will not have to pay tariffs to Nassau.
The productivity of various materials in the Kingdom of Rus is increasing rapidly. Rus needs to dump goods in the external market that is beneficial to itself, and then import food crops and salt that are difficult to grow in the north to meet the actual needs of Rus.
In this way, Ross can economically colonize Flanders and even use Nassau as a "shell" to transport Ross's goods to the hinterland of Western Europe very safely and smoothly.
Now that this strategy has been formulated, let's start with the occupied town of Groningen.
The two returned from an inspection, and what followed was the darkest moment for Baron Victor of Groningen.
Victor had two choices before him, so he could either declare allegiance to Count Nassau immediately or his whole family would be killed.
Victor somewhat understood the current situation. He could not have imagined that the Saxons would actually sell their souls and join forces with the Normans in order to regain their country, and even annihilated three thousand Frankish heavy cavalry. As a Frisian, the people here also surrendered to the Franks because of their defeat.
of.
Henry Nassau was not a Frank, and it was said that he wanted to take all the so-called "Nassau tribe" immigrants from his hometown to escape from Frank control. Nassau himself also put on a show, denounced the Frank nobles for deceiving the Nassau tribe's cavalry to fight with them.
The Saxons are trying their best to harm both sides and then completely annex the Nassau tribe. This argument is very useful, because it is Frank's policy to cannibalize the Frisians, so because of the large number of Franks moving in, the Frisians have been motivated
Migrate north.
Due to the situation, Baron Victor could only kneel down half-kneeling, and after going through a ceremony, he officially pledged his allegiance to Count Nassau.
Paying a large amount of property was not considered true loyalty. Baron Groningen had to personally organize an army to prove his loyalty, join the ranks of Nassau, and continue to attack Utrecht with the Norman army. He didn't even have time.
Hesitation, we must organize at least twenty soldiers tonight. This small amount of troops is meaningless, and its political significance is very important.
Only in this way can the lives of Victor's family be saved.
But he never imagined that the priests had collectively "rebelled". Otherwise, once the Earl of Nassau really won, and once the Principality of Saxony was stabilized, the diocese here would naturally be transferred from the diocese of Utrecht to the diocese of Saxony, and everything would be fine.
It was because of the fact that the northern saint Eskil himself was in Hamburg. Because at this time, the land of Western Europe was jointly governed by the aristocratic group and the clergy group, and they did not completely cooperate with each other. In many cases, they were even antagonistic.
The Normans come and go in a hurry, but the Saxon diocese exists forever. The small monastery can only obey the arrangements of its superiors. In terms of authority, Esquier has the noble title of "Patron Saint of the North"
, his authority far exceeds that of the Bishop of Utrecht.
Even if the other party may lie, what can a captured priest do? After all, the Norman leader knows sacred Latin, and he swore that he would not kill indiscriminately in Utrecht, and would only steal gold and silver at most. And he said that
The area will break away from the County of Flanders and become the County of Friesland under the rule of Nassau, or the strange term "County of the Netherlands".
It was impossible for the priests to cooperate with the Normans. At least they begged the Norman leader who could speak Latin not to kill innocent people indiscriminately. Rurik lied, claiming that Eskil had decided to absorb this area.
area into its own parish.
What else could the priests do? They did nothing but be passive and obedient.
It is this passive and obedient look that seems to be cooperating with the Normans.
In this way, Victor no longer had any religious concerns, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and be coerced into joining.