After all, Paul had been a serf all his life. It would be foolish to expect this guy to have any sense of shame.
Ryuri ordered Paul to stand aside, and someone scooped up a basin of sea water and directly washed the king's stinking face.
Now, Rurik, who once had naive thoughts about the whole world, has disappeared. He squatted on tiptoes next to Eynred, who was huddled up and wearing only cloth clothes and still showing his teeth. He held a little seasoned sea salt in his right hand. Seeing that the man was still angry, he deliberately sprinkled salt on the wound on his left arm.
As he moved, the king opened his mouth and shouted, full of words like "Kill me," a phrase that Rurik understood.
In Eynred's view, squatting in front of him was a fair-skinned young man with blond hair and a whip. His clothes were indeed different from those of the barbarians. Considering the situation, is this young man the commander-in-chief of the entire barbarian army?
This young man is indeed handsome, but he is so vicious in his heart that he is simply a familiar of Satan.
"You... how dare you destroy our monastery on a holy day!"
Rurik listened to everything, and it didn't matter to him what the king yelled. In his opinion, to kill a so-called nobleman, just pick up the dagger and stab him in.
The king's name is Eynred? Oh, this Eynred is just a "voucher" now. How much this person is worth is what needs to be determined most at the moment.
Ryuri ordered Paul to translate his words.
Paul still had the evil smile on his face, and said sternly: "My master said that the Viking army will attack Bamburgh."
Just mentioning the place name "Bamburgh" made Eynred start to tremble all over.
"Bamburgh! That's Bamburgh. My master said that the only way to avoid war is for you to pay a tribute of one thousand pounds of silver coins. After we got the money, we gave up attacking Bamburgh and gave up killing the people in the city and the villages. Farmer. You, too, will be freed."
To be honest, Eynred was a little tempted. After thinking about it, he felt suspicious, so he shouted: "This is a contract with the devil, it is not trustworthy at all. Kill me."
"It seems something is wrong." Rurik shook his head and asked Paul: "How is the situation?"
"He...is seeking death."
"You have to be a hero?!" Rurik not only pinched his chin, but also looked at Eynred, who bared his teeth and his eyes were filled with helplessness and grief, and shook his head: "It's scary, isn't it?"
Geiger came with an ax in hand: "Since this man is still seeking death and has no intention of paying for his life with silver coins, why are we talking here? Brothers rush to Bamburgh and kill all the locals. The treasures are all ours."
"Don't be impulsive." Biyongni stepped forward, followed by more people. Everyone still feels that the idea of "exchanging prisoners for money" can be implemented, but now the king of Northumbria has a tough mouth.
Biyongni signaled Geiger to get out of the way, and he patted Rurik on the shoulder: "Brother, you have to make this person submit. I'm afraid it won't work if you pee and wash this person's face again, you see."
"What's wrong."
"His arm is already disabled. We just bandaged him with cloth strips. If we continue like this, he will still die. If he is dead, we really can't exchange him for money."
Rurik nodded and followed Biyoni's train of thought to come up with a plan.
"Then treat him, be cruel, and force him to cooperate."
The sun has just set, and the captured Northumbrian King Aynred is in a situation that is really like a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
He was pinned down on the sandy beach by many people, and a Viking warrior pressed his knee against the upper arm of his injured left arm.
He held a ball of rags in his mouth and stared at the burning sword in the fire with horrified eyes.
Rurik sat cross-legged next to him, with a handsome and dull face under the soft light of the campfire.
Soon, Biyongni came with the red-hot sword.
"Rurik, I'm going to take action."
"Do it!"
After a moment, a sizzling sound came. Eynred shivered in severe pain, and big beads of sweat quickly wet his forehead and sweat poured down like rain.
The air was filled with the smell of roasted meat, and Eynred's trembling became more and more like he was suffering from epilepsy.
The red-hot sword slowly cut along the root of Eynred's left arm. This barbaric treatment method might save his life, but if nothing was done, Eynred would die from wound infection.
Biyongni took the severed left arm and threw it into the bonfire.
At this moment, Eynred was unconscious from the pain, but the torture was not over yet.
A pottery jar of sea water poured him awake again.
Eynred regained consciousness and felt severe pain in his left arm. He tried to raise his left hand and found that he had no intuition. What's even more terrifying is that he is facing the sky with his belly exposed? Even the last robe to hide shame is gone?
Rurik was still sitting next to him with a dull face, and motioned to Paul to say in ancient Saxon language that was very Rurik: "This is the commander-in-chief of the Vikings and the Duke of the Principality of Rus. This is an inevitable war. You! King Aynred of Northumbria, you must pay a tribute of one thousand pounds of silver to buy your life back and prevent Bamburgh from being razed to the ground."
He was not killed, and the other party's actions were obviously healing.
A thousand pounds of silver? !
Eynred's haggard face gasped: "Too many! A thousand pounds of silver."
Rurik stepped forward and asked again: "Still don't want to give it?"
"..."
Rurik shook his head and said with hatred: "In that case, I will turn you into a eunuch."
Although Eynred didn't quite understand what the young man said, he understood everything immediately.
With his belly exposed, he looked like a stallion waiting to be gelded. There was a shaggy-haired barbarian who was already approaching his vital points with a red-hot knife. This operation was clearly done by a gelding.
This is the greatest humiliation for a man. Eynred couldn't care less and shouted loudly: "I'll give you money! Give me money!"
This was not what Rurik expected, so he ordered his men to stop and asked: "A thousand pounds of silver coins? Give it to me?"
"A thousand pounds...a thousand pounds is too much. There is not a thousand pounds of gold and silver in all of Bamburgh."
"You still don't cooperate?"
"No!" Aynred yelled, trembling in fear: "Two hundred pounds! Bamburgh can bring out two hundred pounds."
This number has been very clear. It has been reduced from one thousand pounds to two hundred pounds. The heads of the various families of the Balmok tribe present have various thoughts.
One thousand pounds, a silver coin of this magnitude challenges everyone's view of wealth.
That is two hundred pounds of silver coins. If this money can really be collected, the brothers will be very happy.
Biyongni combined everyone's attitudes and pulled Rurik aside slightly. At this moment, a few more people gathered to discuss quietly.
Biyongni bluntly expressed his satisfaction: "Two hundred pounds is already a lot. Based on our previous experience in looting, I'm afraid we won't be able to squeeze a lot out of this kingdom."
Many others echoed, their short-sightedness and easy satisfaction really gave Rurik a headache.
"That's it? Are you satisfied?"
"Otherwise? This guy has been so stubborn. I think it will be difficult for us to squeeze any more benefits. I'm afraid that Bamberg is indeed very poor."
The speechless Rurik shook his head and went back to sit next to Eynred: "Then give me another hundred thousand pounds of wheat. I know you have just finished the wheat harvest. Bamburgh is said to be a big town in your north, and there must be some." Lots of wheat.”
"Are you... thinking of wheat?"
"Speak quickly! One hundred thousand pounds of wheat, give it or not."
"One hundred thousand pounds is too much. I... can only spare fifty thousand. Vikings, if you plunder all the wheat, our people will all starve to death."
"You...are you begging us? Are you actually begging now? Do you think I am so kind?" As he spoke, Rurik, who drew his dagger, motioned for Paul to completely translate his words.
Forget it, the dagger was directly pressed against Eynred's ear: "One hundred thousand pounds! No negotiation."
"..."
It seems that this king is not unwilling to cooperate, but is trapped in substantive negotiations, and he wants to try his best to reduce his losses. This shows that this person is not a fool, but any efforts he makes are useless.
Paul immediately began to translate another of Rurik's words, which was spoken in horror by the leader of a powerful barbarian tribe from afar.
"Your proud cavalry has suffered huge losses and your huge army has been wiped out. Edinburgh and Lindisfarne have been destroyed. What will Mercia and Wessex think if Bamburgh is destroyed again? We Vikings want silver coins , want food! But those people always hope to annex your kingdom. They will completely kill your family, and their methods are more barbaric than ours."
Aynred was silent for a while, then sighed and murmured: "You actually know Mercia and Wessex. You are obviously barbarians, and you are well prepared for this attack."
"Of course. We are here for wealth. Are you willing to use silver coins and wheat to buy our safe lives?" Rurik asked deliberately.
"Haha, do you have such good intentions? Even if I take the money, you will still break your promise."
Rurik naturally agreed with what the king said. The so-called peace commitment in any form is essentially a truce commitment for a period of time.
The tide of the Viking Age has begun, and the Russians are not only brave trendsetters in this tide, but other brave people include Danes and Norwegians from all walks of life.
Rurik could not guarantee his so-called promise. He said bluntly: "At least you can trust us now. I will take you to Bamburgh. I'm afraid I will arrive tomorrow. I know it is also located in a small bay on the seaside. town, the army will surround the town, and you will be displayed openly. When we have received the required tribute, you will be released and the whole army will be withdrawn."
go home! Reunion with my wife and children! Let's just rectify the internal affairs, recruit new soldiers and train the army, then strengthen coastal defense and strengthen land border defense.
In a matter of seconds, Eynred devised multiple strategies to avoid a recurrence of the tragedy.
First of all, he must go back alive, even if he pays some serious price.
"I agree. Two hundred pounds of silver coins, one hundred thousand pounds of wheat. You send me to Bamburgh, and I will order the local garrison to follow your requirements. I just ask that you do not attack Bamburgh."
Rurik nodded: "I can make a promise, but I have to add terms now."
"Ah?! You..." Eynred was so angry that his teeth itched, and he felt that he was being played by this brat.
"Don't be nervous. I've already estimated your strength. I won't push you to do something you can't do."
"What do you want to do?"
Rurik simply didn't care and pointed at Eynred's vitals casually: "We are all men, and men have needs. My brothers have been sailing on the sea for a month and came to your territory to ask for silver coins. I want food, but also your women. Provide me with a hundred young women, a hundred pure women. You cannot fulfill the requirements that are too high, and a hundred pure women must be provided."
"This...am I going to use a woman to buy peace?"
"Do you have a choice?"
Eynred just raised his head and then dropped his head. He really had no choice.
"Okay! Well... they'll call me a tyrant."
"It doesn't matter." Rurik shrugged and pointed to the dark sea: "What is on the other side of the sea? They are all enemies! Do you think that all the enemies of Northumbria are on land? No! You kingdoms are just sheepfolds. There are sheep competing for fodder, and there are wolves on the other side of the sea. We took the money and women and evacuated, but more people would come and kill us. We are not the same group as the newcomers. Even if we don't come, they Come back too, they won’t even give you a chance to negotiate with you.”
"So, I even have to thank you?"
"Of course you have to thank me." Rurik retracted his sword and asked his men to cover the king with a fig leaf. "We will set off tomorrow morning and are expected to arrive at Bamburgh at noon tomorrow. We will camp under Bamburgh Castle. . Look, the stone walls of Lindisfarne can't stop them, so what does Bamburgh count? Whether we attack the city depends on whether your tribute is provided quickly. You can't die now, you can rest for the time being."
After saying that, Rurik stood up and glared at Eynred with his head raised: "You are indeed a stupid king. You don't even have a warship. I expected a naval battle, but nothing happened. Your cavalry Cause me a little trouble, and this will give my victory some glory. Tomorrow, I will show you the charm of the Viking ship."
Rather than taking the captured enemy king to demand tribute, the ordinary Balmok Viking warriors would rather carry their battle axes and break Bamburgh and rob them based on their abilities.
After losing a group of brothers, coupled with the continuous expedition in the past month, even if everyone seems to be still strong because of the exchange of loot, their violent snoring at night cannot fool Rurik's ears.
The Balmoks and the Bergen immigrants from Shetland do not need to receive any moral inspiration from the cross at all. What they all believe in is Odin, and faith gains glory in fighting. Barbarism is actually a hymn to the berserker. But their physical fitness as a whole cannot satisfy Rurik. The real Russian warriors have been eating wheat and meat for many years. Their strong physical fitness has shown a strong advantage in many battles where honor and the future are on the line.
If the Balmoks were allowed to storm Bamburg, Rurik would still be confident of taking the city in one fell swoop.
The price would naturally be another 200 casualties. Logically, those who died were not Russians, so he didn't need to care.
But wait! When he returns, he has to cross the waters controlled by the Bergen people. In accordance with everyone's "maritime etiquette", the fleet carrying a large amount of loot must move slowly. Will the Bergen people suddenly gather and launch a momentum? A vast orgy of plunder?
The rule of the sea is that the strong is king. The ruling family leaders of the Balmok tribe, or the children of the leaders, were all in the army. Rurik found that they would not complain about their command due to the large loss of personnel, but would only complain about not getting enough treasures.
Considering that this trip to Bamburgh is very likely to bring in a large amount of loot, if a large number of Balmoks are killed in the battle, who will row the large number of longships directly on the return voyage? You can't let the Avora pull multiple ships.
The key to obtaining a large amount of tribute in a peaceful way is that the captured enemy king must be alive and well.
That night, Eynred's legs were tied up, and his surviving right arm was tied to the rope around his heel with a rope. A piece of wood was thrown into his mouth to prevent him from biting his tongue.
Rurik was wrong, and all the Vikings were wrong. They really thought that Aynred had a high probability of trying to commit suicide. At least they thought about it sincerely. The Vikings couldn't stand such insults, and they would either die fighting or die. suicide.
Eynred never thought about committing suicide. Compared with the fear of death, he was more afraid of the consequences of committing suicide and going to hell. He faced the new day in an extremely awkward manner, everything seemed like a dream, as if everything was a nightmare.
It wasn't until someone kicked the wound on his broken arm, causing him to scream in pain, that he realized that there was no nightmare at all and that he was facing the darkest moment of his life.
