Rurik's fleet finally returned to Hamburg. The large ships rushed directly into the main channel of the Elbe River and quickly arrived at the city of Hamburg, dragged by a large number of rowing boats.
Those with a discerning eye noticed that these large ships had unusual drafts, and the cabins were obviously filled with cargo.
The fleet anchored near the shore, and then dropped the cable, which was pulled by people waiting on the shore, and finally fixed to a wooden pile on the shore.
Once the ships were secured, the work of unloading important supplies began non-stop.
In fact, when Rurik saw two large ships moored at the mouth of the Elbe River, with a special flag flying on the mast of one of them, he knew that the person he had invited in his letter had arrived.
"Biyongni, how are you after all these years?" Asking himself, Rurik felt that he was actually very sorry for this brother.
King Ross returned as fast as lightning. The deep draft of the ship and the continuous unloading of supplies from the net to the barge fully proved that their operation in Flanders was a great success.
However, there is no sign of King Ragnar of Denmark here.
The majority of Rus' warriors did not pay much attention to the Danes. They were most concerned about how much supplies their king had plundered and how much intelligence they had uncovered.
A poor middle-aged man had his hands and feet tied all the time, and no one would untie him even when he went to the toilet.
He is Count Baudouin of Flanders. I don’t know how many days have passed. His mouth has been stuffed with cloth, and occasionally he will get some unknown food to satisfy his hunger. After being captured, he has been stuffed into the cabin of the ship.
His eyes were tied tightly with cloth strips, and he seemed to be blind.
He was carried on the deck like cargo, and Rurik personally removed the man's blindfold.
"Baudouin, look at all this! This is not your Flanders, this is the Saxon Hamburg."
Suddenly bidding farewell to the darkness, Baudoin subconsciously squinted his eyes to resist the dazzling light. It took him some time to adapt, and finally he could see the situation clearly.
Hamburg? This is Hamburg? A Saxon town? Isn’t it a Frankish town?
As the ropes binding his hands and feet were untied and the cloth gagged his mouth was removed, he could finally stand up like a normal person.
"Is this a burger?" he muttered shakily.
Rurik didn't want to talk to him, but ordered his subordinates: "Find some spare clothes and put them on for this man. He is a great nobleman and will be of great use in the future."
Indeed, the sexy clothes were not good enough. Baudouin changed his clothes, and the paraphernalia that could prove his identity was finally stuffed back on him.
He had just regained the ability to walk and needed some time to adapt. No, once he got ashore, he could only obey the craftsmanship of the tall and strong Ross warriors and be lifted up and run towards the walled city of Hamburg.
…
As a result, a large number of high-ranking nobles gathered in the simple palace of the Principality of Saxony.
They are the nobles of the northern world. It is up to them to make the choice whether this area is peaceful or wary.
Now, everyone must comply with a new order whether they are satisfied with it or not.
Rurik met the King of York again, his brother Biyoni Magnusson, and his little old friend Floki Magnusson. They had a cordial chat and reminisced about the past, and were very satisfied with the current situation.
.
Their biological sister, Nolen, is now having difficulty walking with her huge belly. She must participate in this collective meeting among the northern nobles, not because she is one of Rurik's wives, but because she is Narvi
Earl Croft has the qualifications and reasons to participate in this meeting.
Now that Nolen has joined, the Pecheneg Princess Beyahsir, who is also pregnant and can no longer ride a horse, will of course also participate as a senior noble. She has already expressed her support for Liu on behalf of the Pecheneg Khanate.
Duchy of Saxony in Dove.
So for Liudov, although he didn't understand what kind of country the Pecheneg Khanate was, he heard that everyone in his tribe was good at riding horses, and most of them were small men with black hair and yellow faces. He immediately thought of the Agrarian who had been defeated by Charlemagne.
The Var Khanate and the Pecheneg Khanate generally have similar existences. The more support from a country in the far east, the better. I am afraid that this will not be purely spiritual support. Once the trade network with the Russians is completed in the future, the import of goods from the far east will be better.
Horses are feasible, even if they cost more.
Then came Northumbria's King Earnred and Crown Prince Ella, who were dressed in orange-yellow tones.
The arrival of these two people was indeed welcomed by all parties. With this opportunity, Rurik was also proud to take a good look at what the legendary Ella, who was finally made into a blood eagle, looked like.
"A young man of fifteen or sixteen years old? It doesn't seem like he will accomplish much."
When Eynred arrived, it was natural that Reglaf, the true legitimate heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Mercia, would also be present.
Reglaf is Rurik's de facto eldest son, but at this moment, this son is participating in a noble meeting as the king of Mercia. He deliberately hung a sterling silver cross on his chest to prove that he is actually a Christian.
This dreamy situation really satisfied Eynred, so he also arranged for his prince Ella to have a good chat with Reglaf.
This conversation was of no importance. As Reglaf learned that the throne of Mercia, which he urgently wanted to inherit, had become a treasure that many local nobles were snatching up, Wessex in the south was ready to move. He had already begun to make plans to solve the problem through military means.
.
As for the fact that King Ragnar of Denmark happily went along the Rhine River to plunder the Frankish hinterland, everyone was quite surprised that he would not participate in this important meeting, but his absence today is not a big problem.
Many big nobles gathered here, making Robert, the real Count of Hamburg, quite embarrassed.
Henry Nassau is not embarrassed. He has already called himself Earl of the Netherlands, and this title must be recognized by the monarch Liudolf. He also needs more countries to recognize the legitimacy of the so-called Earl of the Netherlands to pave the way for future peaceful trade.
Lay the foundation for diplomacy.
The poor Count of Flanders participated in this meeting of nobles in an extremely embarrassing capacity.
There were a large number of great Norman nobles, who were either earls or governors, as well as two Norman kings.
Some nobles who believe in Christianity actually came across the sea to recognize the legitimacy of Saxony. How much shame does this give to this guy Liudov? What's worse is that there are Northumbria and Mercia standing here.
The future king of the Kingdom of Britain, these two countries are geographically only separated by a sea from Flanders.
In terms of personal friendship, Count Baudoin of Flanders knew Liudolf, now Duke of Saxony.
Being a prisoner now seems to have relieved the persecution. He is very low-key as he is well aware of the risks involved.
Baudouin was captured alive by King Rurik! The two armies still fought in Antwerp?!
Although this result was unexpected, Liudov was really happy to see it.
The high stone room that was originally used as a banquet hall had all the wooden tables removed and replaced by wooden benches placed in a circle.
It is like a disguised round table meeting, and what stands out is the fairness among the nobles.
In fact, this is not the case. It is really conducive for Rurik to stand in the middle and preach to everyone, so that the words can accurately reach everyone's ears.
Now, Baudouin had changed his clothes and even put on the scabbard of his iron sword. He was completely forced to participate in the meeting as the Count of Flanders, and now he was as obedient as a student who obeyed the rules.
Rurik is the one who attracts the most attention, the head of all the northern nobles!
He is tall, wearing a white cloak made of polar bear skin, his blond hair is styled into a ponytail, and he is paired with a Greek-style gold laurel crown.
There is more than one king and one grand duke sitting here, but only Rurik has an overwhelming advantage in all aspects.
Perhaps the arrangement of important affairs can be postponed for a while, so that it can take some time to organize the language and write documents, and privately understand the demands of the nobles of each party to negotiate first.
Rurik really couldn't wait any longer, because this war has continued to expand to the current point. It has finally evolved into a war to "shape the new order in the north", and now it is time to prepare for the end.
Everyone stared at his majestic appearance and listened to his eloquent speeches.
"Almost all the northern nobles are here! If we decide to go to war, we will fight all over, and each other will be seriously injured. If we decide to make peace, everyone will become rich from trade exchanges, and everyone will gain glory. Is it peace?
War?! Peace of course.
So, this year! 840, Rus mobilized the entire north to launch a huge war.
The Rus owned the entire Scandinavia and captured the entire Denmark. The endless internal battles that have plagued us Vikings for hundreds of years have finally come to an end this year. What awaits us is safe Baltic Sea shipping. We will
Make a fortune from trade.
However, the Franks cannot see all this. When the entire north rises, it will erode the Franks' living space.
The Frankish Kingdom is the source of all evil!"
Rurik had already reached a point of excitement when he suddenly pointed at Baudouin, who was pretending to be a salty fish: "You! Count Baudouin of Flanders. Your country was originally a free country, but it was annexed by Frankish armed forces. Are you willing to
Be their vassal? You should get rid of Frank."
So he immediately praised Liudov's wisdom: "Saxons do not want to be slaves. Liudov, a descendant of the great hero Vidukind, has led all Saxons to rebuild their country. I am very happy that everyone here supports Saxony. I
Rus is willing to be an ally with Saxony. What is an ally? If someone attacks Saxony, it is equivalent to attacking Rus."
When Rurik explained the meaning of "ally", Liudov suddenly stood up under strong mental excitement.
"King Ross, what you solemnly stated...is everything true?"
"Of course it's true."
"Okay. We will always be allies."
Rurik then clapped his hands with satisfaction while smiling. What he wanted was not the mutual alliance between Rus and Saxony. The alliance between the two parties had been planned for a long time, but Liudov could not have imagined that at this moment when most of the northern nobles were gathering here, Rurik
It's really touching that such a commitment can be made publicly.
"So, I decided to expand the meaning of alliance. I want to create a safe north. Only when we, the nobles of the north, sit together can it be possible to create a larger covenant. This covenant does not involve any beliefs, only
The purpose is to maintain peaceful trade among all parties to the alliance and safeguard the national security of all parties. All parties to the alliance must ensure that they do not attack each other. They are all obliged to ensure trade security. If a foreign enemy invades any allied country, it will be regarded as an attack on everyone.
I call on all of you to join me in the covenant I have made."
Creating a covenant to stop it was a matter of course for Rurik. After all, the Kingdom of Rus had theoretically expanded its sphere of influence southward to the Weser River, and it was impossible for Rus to give up the strategic results of this year's expansion and engage in strategic contraction.
Of course he hoped to directly control the vast territory and follow the general trend of history to create a "Rome of the North", an Eastern-style country where the king centralized power and the civil service system managed the country.
Rurik couldn't do this, at least not in the current era.
Then the next best thing is to organize a national alliance.
"I decided to call it the Northern Alliance. You all join it so that we will not invade each other and defend each other. We will further establish the same tariffs and we will welcome each other's merchants. We will not be hostile to each other because of our different beliefs, and we will do our best to each other with peace of mind.
Business. It’s perfect!”
Rurik was immersed in his own self-movement. He was convinced that he would create another "NATO organization". Of course, this organization would indeed suppress the aggressive Frank under the control of Ross.
He temporarily ignored the conflicts existing among the countries interested in joining the Covenant.
No, the broken-armed King Aynred of Northumbria immediately spoke: "You claim that this is a fair covenant, how can I believe you? If you abolish the 300,000 pounds that our country pays you as tribute to Rus every year
Wheat means you are sincere."
Abolish it? Rurik felt that he had been defeated.
He noticed that pairs of eyes were staring at him. This was the way each party was making inquiries with their eyes.
In the past, 300,000 pounds of wheat were extremely important to Rus. However, times have changed. Rus is opening up wasteland in the Eastern world every year. The self-produced wheat can already meet the consumption of the current population, and even begins to have a large surplus, so that the women under its rule
They are all giving birth in large numbers.
Rurik calmly said: "Okay! If you join the Northern Alliance, this year will be your last tribute. Starting next year, all your tribute acts will be abolished. From now on, there will only be normal trade between us."
Eynred had no idea that Rurik would answer so freely, fearing that it was just a whim. He replied in a low voice: "If this is the case, I will join your alliance."
Rurik could see Eynred's suspicion. Indeed, it is quite strange that countries that believe in Odin and countries that believe in God have become allies for the sake of national defense, security, and peaceful trade.
"I don't ask you to agree with my proposal immediately." Rurik added, "Today I am just proposing this initiative to you. You can take some time to discuss it carefully, and we will hold a meeting in three days, and you will
Decide whether to join our covenant."
To create a "Northern Alliance organization", Rurik is really confident.
Today's Russia has a strong military strength, and the country's stamina is sufficient.
Rurik had the confidence to create this alliance organization, and even in a sense, it was to consolidate the existing alliance treaties into a larger alliance.
The Ross-Danish League, the Ross-York League, the Ross-Pecheneg League, the merger of Ross-Novgorod, the Ross-Saxony League, the Ross-Netherlands League. In this way, from the distant eastern steppes to the vast Valdai plain of Northeast Europe, and then to
The whole of Scandinavia, excluding the Bergen area, and even reaching central Britain, etc., have ushered in peace with each other. Rus and various forces are allies of each other, and there is a basis for continuing to expand the alliance.
Although they are all aligned with Ross, they have some conflicts with each other. Once all become allies, these conflicts must be eliminated by Ross as the mediator and arbiter.
Rurik knew that this arrangement would inevitably bring heavy workload to him, and Ross would have to pay for the actions of some allies and would be dragged down by them.
So what can be done? If Rus expands again, it will become the Roman North that turns the entire Baltic Sea into a lake.
Times no longer allow Ross to live his own life behind closed doors.
Moreover, establishing a huge alliance means a huge market. Russia's metallurgy, handicrafts, and various foods can be widely dumped. High-quality ironware is especially a flagship product. With it, you can peacefully seize the primary products of your allies, not only making wealth.
You also get the smiling faces of your allies, so why not do it.
Obviously, the top Frankish nobles would definitely oppose such an alliance.
In this way, Ross will have enough casus belli.
After all, Rurik didn't want his majestic army to bear the name of a pirate.
The nobles had enough time to discuss. Even Baudouin, Count of Flanders, was moved by these words. He really needed to think carefully about whether he was a coward or not, while the Central and East Frankish kingdoms were at odds with each other.
He opened up another way to flatter the Russians. In short, he could not defeat them. His northern region had been separated and there must be no way to take it back. He comforted himself that Friesland and Utrecht in the north were relatively poor and would not be lost if they were lost.
Just lost it.
If we have close contact with the Rus, we can prevent all the Normans from invading our southern territory in the future, which is a good thing. As for my brother-in-law's blood feud, maybe I can only bury it in my heart. Because this is politics, and politics is
Compromise. This is not the first time Flanders has given in. There is no shame in giving in again this year.
The nobles from all parties actively discussed, and Rurik had probably figured out the demands of all parties. So one after another, Rurik had to personally come forward as the mediator and guarantor to supplement the clauses.
As a result, Rurik learned about the current chaos in Mercia and the imminent move of Wessex. All this caused the severely shrunken Northumbria to be worried about the future. At the same time, he was also worried about the neighboring Viking Kingdom of York and the Piedmont in the north.
The Cetes suddenly invaded.
With Rurik's mediation, Eynred was fully determined to join the Covenant.
This is beneficial to both parties. "Wessex? If you dare to invade Mercia, I will seek justice for my son." Rurik secretly made up his mind.
Three days after the initial meeting, the results of the alliance were to be implemented in a meeting. Before that, Rurik had already completed discussions with the nobles except Baudouin, Count of Flanders.
This guy Baudouin has an ambiguous attitude, it's like he's doing Tai Chi.
Rurik undoubtedly forced him to agree. Obviously this guy still had illusions about the so-called Frank army destroying such an alliance.
Baudouin just wants to get benefits, and this kind of thinking is understandable.
Rurik also hopes to have a decisive battle with the Franks, but looking at the current situation, I am afraid there will be no new wars this year. He has already begun to plan for a temporary withdrawal of troops. The so-called withdrawal of most of the main forces to Denmark for rest, in principle, once
If anything happens in the south, we can rush to your aid quickly.
Three days later, a piece of rough paper was spread out.
It is the Treaty of the Northern Alliance.
The terms of the alliance are written in sacred Latin. They are actually two core terms: not to be enemies of each other, and to defend against external humiliation.
The so-called content of the document really pleased the northern saint Eskil, so the northern archbishop Eskil himself witnessed it.
Each nobleman solemnly wrote his name and the title of the nobleman with a quill pen.
Even Eskil signed his name, which was equivalent to his recognition of the legitimacy of the alliance treaty on behalf of the Catholic Church.
Sacrilege? No! This is what Eskil thinks. If the huge alliance under Ross's rule is completely peaceful with each other, his missionary career will be unimpeded. After all, the treaty is clearly written, and he can even send people to the end of the north.
By spreading the gospel, you will no longer have to worry about nobles taking your life, or war will start again and people will be devastated.
However, just as Rurik expected, Count Baudoin of Flanders did not sign his name after all. He did not participate in the meeting because he had a stomachache.
Rurik has no intention of punishing this kind of person, and it doesn't matter whether he has diarrhea or not. After all, this guy will have to make some kind of decision in the future.
The County of Flanders is made up of two parts: Bilicica and Friesland. Henry Nassau occupied the northern part of Friesland and renamed it the Netherlands. In the future, at worst, Nassau could be arranged to take over the southern part of the country, and so on.
It is more beneficial for Ross to import local wool, and it is more beneficial for Ross to sell local steel appliances.