From Rurik's perspective, he saw the small city, the only spire of the wooden church, and a large number of people walking out of the city.
The coalition army was also followed by at least two thousand people, almost all of them villagers who came after hearing the news, as well as a small number of fief knights and their retinues.
Until now Rurik has not revealed his true identity, but when the army arrives in the city it is time to take action!
Thinking of this, Rurik called Henry Nassau to his side again.
"King Ross, you have arrived at your destination. Do you want to take action?" he asked first.
"Yes. My army will besiege the city immediately, but I will not reveal my identity as a Norman."
"You... still want to continue the drama?"
"We are just worried that after revealing our identity, those ordinary peasant women will be shocked. Listen, we only need the local nobles to know our identity. For those civilians, we will still play the role of the Christian Army."
"fair enough."
After a moment, the increasingly nervous Baron Groningen was also pushed over.
"Do you want to be absolutely safe?" Rurik asked immediately.
The frowning Baron Victor nodded hurriedly like Parkinson's disease.
"Very good. If you identify the nobles and priests in this city for me, your mission will be completed. I will have no reason to hurt you."
It is nothing new for a lower-level noble to suddenly change his family. Baron Victor no longer cares about his family's past vows. His whole family is in the hands of the Normans. If he wants to continue to be prosperous and wealthy, he can only be a good leader.
So the army went straight to the city. After a large number of rowing boats arrived at the inland pier, the soldiers quickly disembarked.
Rurik and Ragnar gathered together. Their golden beards were too eye-catching, and the rest of the soldiers also had golden beards. Of course, the Frank army also had beards per person, but they rarely had pure golden beards.
The aristocratic priests in Utrecht immediately had doubts, but the opponent's troops were well organized and strong, and dozens of cross flags could not lie.
Moreover, Baron Martini saw his neighbor.
No, the neighbor has already arrived accompanied by three richly dressed senior military nobles.
Martini hurried away and subconsciously exchanged rude greetings with his neighbor whom he had not seen for a long time: "Ah! This is not my friend from the north, Victor van Groningen."
In response, Victor hurriedly whispered to the tall Rurik: "The speaker is the local baron, Martini van Utrecht."
The local nobleman showed up? Rurik asked the black-robed priest with a gray beard again: "Who is that noble priest?"
"It's the local bishop, Arbery."
"Oh? How about this person, the Northern Saint Eskilby?"
"Saint Eskilde?" Victor was still surprised: "Eskilde is even greater."
Rurik nodded and immediately ordered the army to stop. Then under the watchful eyes of everyone, the army began to disperse. Except for the more than 200 elite standing troops of the Chinese army, the remaining hundreds of troops surrounded the large number of people who appeared in front of them.
.
Finally, Ragnar's Danish military allies were staring at the people following the team.
The army's rapid change of formation immediately alerted the people following them, and they retreated voluntarily. It was said that even though the newly arrived "Earl of the Netherlands" promised everyone rewards, ordinary farmers still did not dare to get too close to the army.
The people on the periphery stared and watched. The sudden change also made the six fief knights suddenly confused as to what to do.
The knight and his retinue maintained a wait-and-see attitude, watching the huge army complete the siege of small Utrecht.
They were murmuring in their hearts, wondering why the Earl from outside was so interested in this city. Apart from a cathedral, was there anything else important about this city?
As the saying goes, they are local small aristocrats, so they have no problem with anything in Utrecht. Of course, food and wool are very important. They are the essential elements of life, and that's all.
They did not feel that the wealth collected from the peasants, tenant farmers and even serfs was of extremely high value, and it was far inferior to acquiring more gold, silver and gorgeous cloth.
It was the wheat and wool that they raised in common, which were Rurik's most important treasures. He ordered the army to besiege the city, which was equivalent to declaring the occupation of the city's granary.
The local barons and bishops are here, and two senior officers appeared together. Wouldn't it be easy to capture them now?
Look at the current situation, everything is under control.
Rurik gave a warning to his captain of the bodyguard, Grund, and told him to come over quickly.
"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"
"Take this brother with you and follow me up there. Detain the old man in the black robe and the man in the chainmail. Remember to move quickly!"
"As you command. That is... there are a few guards around the man in mail."
"Oh." Rurik paused for breath, "Remember, be quick when you draw your sword."
"I understand."
At this moment, from the perspective of the locals in Utrecht, they were surprised to find that they were surrounded by warriors in gorgeous costumes.
Baron Martini exclaimed that he was puzzled. Since the visitor was the familiar Baron Victor of Groningen, he hurriedly walked over to ask what happened.
Martini walked quickly with his two followers, and Rurik spread his right hand, asking Henry Nassau and Baron Victor to make room for themselves.
A tall, muscular man with a golden beard walked over. He was also wearing a leather helmet with a huge nose guard, and the helmet was decorated with fur. To be fair, this helmet was very beautiful.
Only extraordinary nobles could be dressed like this. Martini had never seen such a noble before, thinking that it might be a northern baron. After all, several earls in the country would confer some Saxon leaders as barons and fief knights.
Come on, there are quite a few Saxons with pure blond hair and beards.
At this moment, Martini was not on any guard. He wanted to salute the tall distinguished guests and then ask about their identity and purpose of coming.
Unexpectedly, ten stationary warriors suddenly drew their swords. They launched an attack without any hesitation. Martini was unprepared, and his two bodyguards were knocked down with several sword blows.
"Ah! It's an enemy?!" Martini wanted to say something, but he was kicked hard in the knee. He knelt on the ground in pain. The hand that was trying to draw the sword was also held down, and even his head.
He was also trampled to the ground.
Everything happened so suddenly. The people in the encirclement saw the horrific killings and saw their baron grandfather being easily subdued. The woman screamed holding her head wrapped in a scarf, and the man wearing a felt hat with a sun visor had his eyes as wide as copper.
Ling was dumbfounded again.
No one dared to escape, because the white-robed and blue-striped soldiers standing outside all drew their swords, and the swords were pressed against the wide round shields.
Until this moment, someone finally shouted out that terrible name.
"A Norman?!"
The Normans also held cross flags? This is not surprising. The Norman Danes who once occupied the port of Durist converted to God collectively, but in the end their piracy habits remained unchanged.
Martini's face was covered in mud after being stepped on. He wanted to say something, but his neck was almost broken by someone.
Rurik strode up and called to Grund: "It would be terrible if we killed this man. Tie him up."
That's all, he walked straight towards all the black-robed priests who were at a loss, especially towards the bishop who was said to be named Arbery.
Now there was no entourage around Rurik, and he was marching forward alone, holding the hilt of his sword in his hand.
He is a "Nordic giant", and his height is almost two stikas, which can be equivalent to 195cm.
Rurik inherited the tall and strong genes of his biological father Otto, and his biological mother Niya was not short either. In addition, the living standard was really high when he was growing up, and he grew up like a giant. He is directly better than many Frisian farmers in front of him.
He is more than a head taller, and many of the soldiers under his command are also so tall and strong.
The giant brings a strong sense of coercion. Friendly troops think that such a man is a real king and brings absolute reliability. To the enemy, he is simply terrifying.
Having just witnessed the killing, many of the little priests who were indifferent to worldly affairs were wet in their pants. They were so frightened that their legs trembled and they did not dare to run away.
Could it be said that Bishop Albert II was not afraid?
It is fair to say that he was very scared. He could only feel at ease by holding the cross tightly and constantly reciting the scriptures silently in his heart.
The bishop raised his head and looked at the giant's face. Rurik admired his unchanging expression. "Is this man ready to be a martyr? Idiot, there's no point in killing you."
Because the Ross-Danish coalition came here mainly to rob, and there was no money to be made from looting farmers, so this time they targeted nobles and priests for precise robberies. If the other party did not resist, they would not be killed, and the priests, considering that the coalition did not want to destroy the local order,
, it is necessary to retain the priests.
Rurik suddenly asked in Latin: "Which of you is the bishop? Is it you? Are you Arbery?"
It was actually a question in Latin. The words hit the depths of his soul. The bishop was shocked. He continued to hold the huge wooden cross and replied in a voice with a sense of vicissitudes of life: "I! It is the Bishop of Utrecht, Arbery."
So, Rurik looked down at the little old man: "In that case, let's talk."
Gu Nao
"Talk about it? Are you going to the confessional to confess? Are you asking the Lord for forgiveness for the killing just now? No. If you are a Christian, your soul is already black and you will be damned. If you are not, it is not too late to convert now."
Is this guy brave or pedantic?
Rurik wanted to laugh when he heard this. He shook his head and deliberately provoked: "Pada, do you think I am still qualified to convert?"
"Yes! Of course there is!" Bishop Arbery put on an old face and showed his majesty like a sculpture. "It's not too late to convert now. I don't know who you are. Let your army disperse now. I...
I can anoint you with oil and baptize you.”
"That's not necessary. You seem to be more pedantic than your northern saint Eskil. We are all Normans and have no interest in your gods."
"Norman...Norman? But you...are so gorgeously dressed, how is that possible? You! You are not that man like Horik." The bishop was shocked and even more confused.
"Horik? Oh, I chopped off the hands and feet of that man, just like a wild boar was locked in a wooden cage by me. I don't have time to chat with you anymore. I know that you have great power as the local bishop. I will give you two
A choice.”
"What? What choice?" The bishop narrowed his eyes.
"If you choose to cooperate, take your priests and the people of the city to sit down and rest at the place I designate, and show me the location of the granary in the city. If you refuse to cooperate, my army will kill you all immediately. After all! We
You are Normans, and it is not a sin to kill you, but to sacrifice your blood to our great Odin."
All the words are described in standard Latin. He looks like a domineering Norman chief, but this man is tall and well-dressed, and he is full of sacred language. The intertwining of all the elements is really absurd.
Whenever he thought of the Normans, the bishop thought of robbery. There must be more pirates in the northern world, and Horik was the only leader who was recruited.
Obviously, this group of pirates is new, even if they hold high the cross flag, as for their beliefs...
"You! Are you Christians? Why are you holding the cross flag?" the bishop asked seriously again.
"Everything is just a disguise. You see, we have deceived you all, saving us from attacking the city and killing you. Surrender now! We are just here to rob. If we can avoid killing, there is no need for us to take the initiative. Listen! You should
Fortunately, we are the ones we met. No other Norman army is as easy to talk to as us. Take your people and leave to protect you from death."
The bishop felt as if he had eaten a mouthful of horse manure. He was really disgusted. He wanted to curse, but considering the safety of the people in the city, he had no choice but to accept the robber's arrangement.
So from the perspective of the Russian-Danish coalition, King Rurik seemed to use his mouth to drive the people of Utrecht into the designated "sheepfold" like a shepherd.
Now the city's gates are completely open, and all the property inside can be freely plundered.
The looting has begun!
The whole city is like a fresh leg of lamb on the chopping board. How it is cut depends on the chef's wishes.
After the small city of Utrecht was occupied by the coalition forces, everything from the cathedral to the barons' mansions and even the most ordinary residences were targeted for looting.
The usable wooden utensils and pottery in the houses were taken away, the chickens in the cages were snatched, and the cows and goats that were tied up at the first sight were taken away. This kind of tasteless robbery is all
Due to the actions of the Danish army, they could only provide food and clothing in their hometown, and what was even worse was a severe lack of daily necessities.
Ragnar himself was naturally not so eager to wait. He led a group of cronies and rushed to the cathedral, looking for gold and silver utensils everywhere, and indeed found some. Bronze lamp holders, bronze plates, sacred vessels made of gold and silver.
They were taken away. Including the living room of the lower priests and the church canteen were also ransacked.
Among them were the pure silver spoons and bowls found. As the king of Denmark, Ragnar naturally took them as his own.
Ragnar is very satisfied with the current harvest. He has gained a lot from the looting of the church. What the Danish army needs is precious metals, and the wishes of the brothers are more or less satisfied. There is no Russian army to compete with him. As for the Russians, they are busy with the details of local affairs.
Warehouse, Ragna didn't care much about this.
In other words, although Ragnar is not a king, he is still a pirate leader and tribal leader.
With his status, it is understandable to plunder precious metals to a limited extent. In the end, his family will become rich and his life will be improved.
Otherwise, Rurik, as the king of Rus, needs to plunder foreign wealth to satisfy the lives of his own people. The warehouses in Utrecht must be emptied, and the objects of looting should not be limited to this.
The granary was right next to the baron's mansion. The Russian troops who swarmed in opened the door of the warehouse and carried away the large amounts of grain sacks. The soldiers checked and found that it was full of oats, rye, and the wheat that everyone loved to see was actually here.
No, I would be very disappointed.
There is another warehouse, where the sacks are filled with unprocessed wool. The piles of wool are mixed with leaves and dead grass, and the overall yellowing proves that it has not yet been degreased.
The grain and wool were actually packed, and there were ready-made carriages and horses at the baron's residence.
Did the Baron have plans to transport some supplies overland? Where did he plan to transport them?
According to Blue Fox’s inspection information many years ago and subsequent reports from Hamburg, caravans from the Count of Flanders transport wool to the Saxony region every year. Their travel times are not fixed, and they do deliver goods to the Saxony region.
It's not surprising that there are no sheep in the city. Sheep raising in large quantities is an industry in nearby villages and is controlled by the village's feudal knights.
At least six fief knights are now under the control of the coalition forces. They have very cleverly declared their allegiance to Henry Nassau, Earl of the Netherlands. They also suddenly learned that the so-called mighty Frank army was Norman. It was already too late.
, they were unable to escape and did not dare to escape, so they could only stay loyal to Henry Nassau to save their lives.
Many villagers fled out of instinctive fear. Rurik knew that Henry Nassau was maintaining order outside the city. How many people he could appeal to not to flee would depend on his ability. In the end, this area would be classified as the so-called Netherlands.
Considering that he still had to do business in the future, especially the development of this area as a wool production area, Rurik did not plan to kill people wantonly, at least in the Utrecht area, he exercised restraint. As for other areas, killing people wantonly was nothing.
The best way to appease the villagers is to distribute food to them. After all, what attracted them before was the promise of "free food when entering Utrecht." Now it's time to implement the promise.
Rurik commanded in the city: "Find all the carts and move the grain outside the city."
"We don't plan to stay in Utrecht for a long time. Take all the grain and wool you find! If you find gold and silver utensils, it will be yours."
"If you find the box containing the money, don't keep it for yourself. Turn it over."
Rurik made a lot of noise in public, watching soldiers coming in and out of the baron's mansion and granary.
After a while, Grund and his men led out some more prisoners with their hands tied. Specifically, they were several crying female prisoners wearing robes and scarves.
"Sir, these should be the cooks who cook," he said excitedly.
"Really? You just happened to catch them and cook for us. Take them outside the city."
"As commanded."
"Also, have you found anyone hiding?"
"Not yet."
Rurik nodded and continued to instruct: "Go and search too. Remember, if you find someone, capture them, and if they resist, kill them."
"As commanded."
It's like a group of piranhas eating an injured fat duck. After a while, the duck becomes a skeleton.
Rurik sent out many "porters", and the granary in Utrecht was moved before the sun went down. Piles of sacks were already being transported to the longships and transported down the river to the mouth of the Amstel River.
The operation of the large ships of the Ross fleet began quietly.
A huge "refugee camp" was built outside the city, and a place for food distribution was actually designated.
Twenty sacks were lying on the ground, filled with rye plundered from the city.
Rurik doesn't like rye unless necessary. It seems that its only use is to brew kvass. For ordinary farmers, it is still a cherished food.
The Russian warriors held the hilts of their swords to maintain order, while others brought improvised wooden sticks to beat the chaotic crowd and force them to form a team.
Henry Nassau, Earl of the Netherlands, stood at the site of the food distribution. The people waiting to receive the food were the farmers who were following him, including men, women and children.
They reluctantly lined up, found pieces of cloth by themselves as cloth pockets, and even used their own cloth robes to catch the wheat.
It was unheard of for nobles to distribute wheat.
A small wooden bowl served as a container, and the wheat was poured into the people's pockets. When the people received the wheat, they were ordered to say loudly: "danka nederlanden graf"
What they said loudly was "Thank you, Count of the Netherlands", and everyone was asked to shout at the top of their lungs. In this way, the hundreds of brave villagers who stayed were rewarded with a bowl of rye for the first time, and their words of thanks were shouted several times.
Hundreds of times, we have a strong impression on each other.
Henry Nassau was standing here, and those who had received the food could clearly see the face of their new earl.
They were further promised that as subjects of the Count of the Netherlands, because the Count cooperated with the Normans, the subjects would not be harmed by the Normans.
After receiving the wheat, they quickly ran home and explained their adventures to those who had escaped first.
The six feudal knights are still outside the city of Utrecht. They are in a situation where they have boarded the pirate ship and cannot get off, because Baron Martini is a thing of the past. From now on, Utrecht will be the residence of the Earl of the Netherlands, and the old baron will
No longer exists. In order to survive the family, for the safety of their fief and village, and for the future, they paid allegiance to Henry Nassau. This also meant that they continued to cooperate with the powerful Norman army and would inevitably encounter the Count of Flanders.
Duane's Revenge.
When they thought that their real betrayal would be retaliated by the Count of Flanders, the knights of the city were worried about the future. Because the Norman army came and went in a hurry, after the Normans left, could Henry Nassau
Control this place? Also, is the restoration of the Duchy of Saxony really a thing? The County of the Netherlands is actually a vassal state of the Duchy of Saxony?
Of course, on this night, the Norman leader and the Bishop of Utrecht talked a lot in Latin around the campfire, and even talked a lot with the captured Baron Martini.
A shocking piece of news spread like wildfire.
The Norman army evacuated Utrecht with almost no bloodshed, and they set their sights on the city of Antwerp. How could this be an act of piracy? The Normans were looking for a decisive battle with the main force of the County of Flanders.
Because you can directly reach the ruins of Port Durist along the waterway south of Utrecht, and continue south to the main channel of the Rhine. Then continue south along the waterway to reach Antwerp.
If the Norman army began to attack Antwerp, the Count of Flanders would definitely lead his troops from Ghent, where the mansion is located. Count Baudouin would not allow his wealthy Antwerp to be invaded by pirates again.
The fief knights heard the news and made some calculations to confirm that this was a new conspiracy of the Normans. However, what does this have to do with a small fief knight like himself? At most, they can send some troops to prove their loyalty.
The new Earl of the Netherlands has arrived. As for a fight, just run away.